Rumors are starting saying that Peyton Manning may miss the entire season due to his neck injury. We already know that he won't start against Houston this weekend, but if Manning is done for the season this really not only turns the tables in the AFC South, but the Colts are an entirely different team when he's on the bench. Supposedly Manning underwent another surgery on his neck earlier this week and that's the reason he'll be out. Stay tuned to this story.
Thanks for the heads up from Jake Query.
What happens to the Colts if he's gone for good? As a side note, me picking up Kerry Collins off of waivers may have been a great thing in my 20 team Fantasy League.
Showing posts with label Indianapolis Colts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indianapolis Colts. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, January 07, 2011
NFL 2010 Wild Card Weekend Picks
Well, the season is over for most and now it's time for the real teams (well, the Seahawks did make the playoffs) to duke it out to see who will win the Superbowl. Let's see what's on tap.
New Orleans @ Seattle - The charade can now stop since we know that Hasselbeck would start this game. The Seahawks boast a pretty good running attack with Lynch and Forsett. While neither of them is great by themselves, the number of touches that each will have (and a consistent running game) could spell doom for the Saints. Look for at least 30 carries between Lynch and Forsett. Of course you start your more veteran QB and if he falters bring in Whitehurst. Matt has looked more like Tim as of late and he seems to be very fragile, so the fewer drop backs the better. Mike Williams has resurrected his career and he's the Seahawks #1 guy, but in this game I think you have to watch Obomanu. The defense has given up over 368 total yards so they will definitely have to step it up if they are looking to play next weekend.
The Saints come into this game looking for people off the streets that can run the ball. They have lost both Ivory and Thomas for the year which leaves them with Reggie Bush and a host of other people. Maybe Bush can do what he did last year in the playoffs and show up and play big for the Saints. They'll probably need him to do something because you can't risk Brees dropping back and throwing 50 times in this game. The Saints defense is opportunistic and I think they'll be able to make either of the Seahawks QBs play badly.
In the end, this may be a closer game than some think and anything can happen in a one and done situation. Winner - Saints.
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts - The Colts come into this game with a good feeling that they finally have their quarterback back. Manning had hit a stretch of games where he was turning the ball over like he was flipping pancakes. Now, he's gotten back into the swing of things and surprise surprise, the Colts have figured out how to R-U-N the ball. Look for Addai to have another big game as the Colts will do their best to mix it up against the Jets. Manning normally plays well against Rex Ryan led defenses, so I'll expect more of the same. Reggie Wayne will have a tough time going against either corner, but he'll show up.
The Jets will have a healthy Mark Sanchez, which is something they haven't had for a few weeks. Sanchez went through his own bad stretch of games where it looked like he had regressed a little. The Jets have some pieces on offense, and I think we'll finally see a lot of LT (isn't this why they got him?) and Dustin Keller making some plays. On the defensive side of the ball the Jets have been more talk than anything this year. They have to step it up and play some defense which will mean getting hits on Manning and shutting down Wayne and or Tamme.
Who wins this one? Should be a good game and maybe the Jet's bravado actually shows in their play on Saturday. Winner - Colts.
Baltimore @ Kansas City - The Chiefs come into this game clicking. Matt Cassel and Bowe have some chemistry going on and then you add to that the running of Charles and Jones and a sometimes stingy defense, and you have a pretty solid team. The Chiefs even have a home game for the playoffs. That may not be a good thing, because of the history of old Chiefs' teams that have played well and been at home for the playoffs have lost all of those games (I think 0-8).
The Ravens come into this game still wondering why they are paying Anquan Boldin the money they are paying him and him not being able to put up any numbers this season. I don't fault Boldin for some of this, but he's gotta show up in this Ravens offense for them to roll. The Ravens have Flacco and Ray Rice, and they may have to run the ball a little more to keep that Ravens defense off the field. I say that to say that the Ravens defense isn't as good as it was in the past, and they are propping people up to play corner (Dwayne Bowe should be licking his chops to go after this secondary), so they can't allow the Chiefs to have long drives for scores.
In the end, I like the Chiefs in this game, but I can't pick against the Ravens. I'm sorry. Winner - Ravens.
Green Bay @ Philadelphia - The Eagles took last week off while starting Kevin Kolb. This will be the varsity game against the Packers. The Eagles have to get it back together, specifically Vick because this is his contract game. The better he does, the bigger his check is in the off season. They haven't looked good on offense or defense as of late. Vick is taking too many hits and to me the play calling has changed significantly over the past two weeks. The Eagles have to get McCoy going and get Vick going at the same time. Maybe the big downfield strike to Jackson within the first 10 plays needs to be taken out? All in all I think the offense will be able to right it self, but the defense is the big question. Is Samuel playing? He's GOT to have a big game with Jennings (GB) running around out there catching passes from Rodgers.
The Packers probably would have been hosting this game or maybe even have had this week off had it not been for an injury to Ryan Grant early in the season. Rodgers has played very well all year long and even without a running game he's still performing (3922 yards passing this season). The Packers defense has two good corners and they are fast enough to keep up or get to Vick at any moment.
This is going to be a great game. Vick still has some magic left in him and the Packers have a pretty darn good QB themselves. Why didn't the Packers get the Seahawks or someone? Hard to pick because I want the Eagles to win, but I think that the Packers have a great chance to get the 'W'. Winner - Eagles.
Who you got?!?!
New Orleans @ Seattle - The charade can now stop since we know that Hasselbeck would start this game. The Seahawks boast a pretty good running attack with Lynch and Forsett. While neither of them is great by themselves, the number of touches that each will have (and a consistent running game) could spell doom for the Saints. Look for at least 30 carries between Lynch and Forsett. Of course you start your more veteran QB and if he falters bring in Whitehurst. Matt has looked more like Tim as of late and he seems to be very fragile, so the fewer drop backs the better. Mike Williams has resurrected his career and he's the Seahawks #1 guy, but in this game I think you have to watch Obomanu. The defense has given up over 368 total yards so they will definitely have to step it up if they are looking to play next weekend.
The Saints come into this game looking for people off the streets that can run the ball. They have lost both Ivory and Thomas for the year which leaves them with Reggie Bush and a host of other people. Maybe Bush can do what he did last year in the playoffs and show up and play big for the Saints. They'll probably need him to do something because you can't risk Brees dropping back and throwing 50 times in this game. The Saints defense is opportunistic and I think they'll be able to make either of the Seahawks QBs play badly.
In the end, this may be a closer game than some think and anything can happen in a one and done situation. Winner - Saints.
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts - The Colts come into this game with a good feeling that they finally have their quarterback back. Manning had hit a stretch of games where he was turning the ball over like he was flipping pancakes. Now, he's gotten back into the swing of things and surprise surprise, the Colts have figured out how to R-U-N the ball. Look for Addai to have another big game as the Colts will do their best to mix it up against the Jets. Manning normally plays well against Rex Ryan led defenses, so I'll expect more of the same. Reggie Wayne will have a tough time going against either corner, but he'll show up.
The Jets will have a healthy Mark Sanchez, which is something they haven't had for a few weeks. Sanchez went through his own bad stretch of games where it looked like he had regressed a little. The Jets have some pieces on offense, and I think we'll finally see a lot of LT (isn't this why they got him?) and Dustin Keller making some plays. On the defensive side of the ball the Jets have been more talk than anything this year. They have to step it up and play some defense which will mean getting hits on Manning and shutting down Wayne and or Tamme.
Who wins this one? Should be a good game and maybe the Jet's bravado actually shows in their play on Saturday. Winner - Colts.
Baltimore @ Kansas City - The Chiefs come into this game clicking. Matt Cassel and Bowe have some chemistry going on and then you add to that the running of Charles and Jones and a sometimes stingy defense, and you have a pretty solid team. The Chiefs even have a home game for the playoffs. That may not be a good thing, because of the history of old Chiefs' teams that have played well and been at home for the playoffs have lost all of those games (I think 0-8).
The Ravens come into this game still wondering why they are paying Anquan Boldin the money they are paying him and him not being able to put up any numbers this season. I don't fault Boldin for some of this, but he's gotta show up in this Ravens offense for them to roll. The Ravens have Flacco and Ray Rice, and they may have to run the ball a little more to keep that Ravens defense off the field. I say that to say that the Ravens defense isn't as good as it was in the past, and they are propping people up to play corner (Dwayne Bowe should be licking his chops to go after this secondary), so they can't allow the Chiefs to have long drives for scores.
In the end, I like the Chiefs in this game, but I can't pick against the Ravens. I'm sorry. Winner - Ravens.
Green Bay @ Philadelphia - The Eagles took last week off while starting Kevin Kolb. This will be the varsity game against the Packers. The Eagles have to get it back together, specifically Vick because this is his contract game. The better he does, the bigger his check is in the off season. They haven't looked good on offense or defense as of late. Vick is taking too many hits and to me the play calling has changed significantly over the past two weeks. The Eagles have to get McCoy going and get Vick going at the same time. Maybe the big downfield strike to Jackson within the first 10 plays needs to be taken out? All in all I think the offense will be able to right it self, but the defense is the big question. Is Samuel playing? He's GOT to have a big game with Jennings (GB) running around out there catching passes from Rodgers.
The Packers probably would have been hosting this game or maybe even have had this week off had it not been for an injury to Ryan Grant early in the season. Rodgers has played very well all year long and even without a running game he's still performing (3922 yards passing this season). The Packers defense has two good corners and they are fast enough to keep up or get to Vick at any moment.
This is going to be a great game. Vick still has some magic left in him and the Packers have a pretty darn good QB themselves. Why didn't the Packers get the Seahawks or someone? Hard to pick because I want the Eagles to win, but I think that the Packers have a great chance to get the 'W'. Winner - Eagles.
Who you got?!?!
Thursday, December 09, 2010
NBA 2010 Week 14 Picks Thursday Night Game
Thursday Night Football seems to come quicker and quicker each week. Let's see what's on tap.
Indianapolis @ Tennessee - Just what Peyton Manning needed, a bad pass defense to face. Manning has struggled mightily this year, and especially the last 4 weeks. Yes, he's pressing but some of it is because his main targets are on the sidelines in street clothes. I've always said that receivers help make a QB and vice versa, but this is the ultimate case (Elway is the exception). Manning only has Wayne as his proven receiver on the field and we're down to 3rd string tight ends and 2nd string receivers. These guys don't have the experience with Peyton to 'know' where he wants them to be. Manning has also gotten that tunnel vision where he won't pull a Tom Brady (dink and dunk), but he's more Jay Cutler (looking for the big play). If the Colts can run the ball, just a little bit, they should be able to win this game easily. The Titans are still without Vince Young and I have never had confidence in Kerry Collins. Winner - Titans.
Who you got?
Indianapolis @ Tennessee - Just what Peyton Manning needed, a bad pass defense to face. Manning has struggled mightily this year, and especially the last 4 weeks. Yes, he's pressing but some of it is because his main targets are on the sidelines in street clothes. I've always said that receivers help make a QB and vice versa, but this is the ultimate case (Elway is the exception). Manning only has Wayne as his proven receiver on the field and we're down to 3rd string tight ends and 2nd string receivers. These guys don't have the experience with Peyton to 'know' where he wants them to be. Manning has also gotten that tunnel vision where he won't pull a Tom Brady (dink and dunk), but he's more Jay Cutler (looking for the big play). If the Colts can run the ball, just a little bit, they should be able to win this game easily. The Titans are still without Vince Young and I have never had confidence in Kerry Collins. Winner - Titans.
Who you got?
Friday, November 19, 2010
NFL 2010 Week 11 Picks
At least we started out on the good foot with the Bears game this week. I was surprised that some folks actually picked the Dolphins, even I couldn't do that in good faith. Let's finish up the week strong.
Buffalo @ Cincinnati - I almost think that the Bills should win this game. The Bengals have sucked this year and there's really nothing that is redeeming about this team. They lost their kicker for the year, they have a QB who is struggling to get back to being the QB that many thought he would be, they can't seem to run the ball, and the TO/Ocho combination is terrible. BUT, they are playing the Bills and they are playing this game in Ohio. Why am I doing this? I'm going to say this now, if they don't win, I will not pick them the rest of the year, period. Winner - Bengals.
Detroit @ Dallas - Jason Garrett is 1-0 for the year and he's done a great job of motivating this team to actually showing up for a game. The Lions are a dangerous team as long as Megatron is on the field and they have proven that I could start at QB and he'll still get the ball. The Cowboys' corners have been terrible for most of the year and this will definitely be a test for them. Both defensive lines are good and should provide each offense with their own issues. I expect that Suh will help the Cowboys continue the string of not being able to run the ball effectively. This is at Jerry's World, so gotta go with the home team. Winner - Cowboys.
Washington @ Tennessee - You have a Redskins defense that is still giving up points to the Eagles and Mike Vick, and a Titans squad that really underachieved last week by losing to the Dolphins (even though the Dolphins almost ran out of players). Which team has the gumption to step up and make it two bad weeks in a row. Randy Moss had 1 catch last week in his debut and we know he's better than that. They have had some time and I expect Moss to show out this weekend against this weak Redskins secondary. For the Redskins, I'm just waiting for Shanahan to pull McNabb again. Does it happen this week? Winner - Titans.
Arizona @ Kansas City - The Cardinals are terrible and it's time for this Chiefs team to show me something or I will revert back to calling them the Chefs. Dwayne Bowe seems to be able to catch balls as of late and the defense has got to make a run back to the first four games of the season. They were pretty much in a groove up until the loss against Indy, but they played well even then. If they can turn the clock back, just a little, and play some defense, this should be an easy game for the Chiefs. Winner - Chiefs.
Green Bay @ Minnesota - Another 'job' game for Childress and a must win for the Vikings if they have ANY hope of making it to the playoffs. If the Vikings lose this game, I'm pretty sure Childress is done, but so is the team for this year. The Packers are coming off a bye week and hopefully they were able to find the fountain of recovery because they needed it badly. The sad thing is that I think Favre will see a younger version of someone resembling him, behind a decent offensive line, throwing the ball all over the field, and he may come to tears. Maybe the Vikings drop Rodgers and start a blowout and we see a little of Tavaris Jackson in this game? I doubt it. Winner - Vikings.
Houston @ New York Jets - The Jets come off of a close win against the Browns and now they get a Texans team that is looking for some respect. The Texans are coming off of a lost game to the Jaguars on a hell mary and they needed a win last week, so the urgency is there. All of the luster has worn off of this team since their great start, including a win over the Colts. The Jets have been quiet, which is something I never thought I'd say. The bravado that the Ryan led Jets were talking has toned down a lot. Can they get it all back together and start the talking again? Winner - Jets.
Oakland @ Pittsburgh - How do you make up for losing a close game against the Patriots? You get a chance to prove to the world that you can beat the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders aren't the sacrificial cow that they have been over the last few years and they come to Pittsburgh with a good running game (Bush and DMC) and Jason Campbell peaking. This will be a closer game than most think if Campbell doesn't regress. Again, it's hard to beat Pittsburgh at home (although the Patriots did). Winner - Steelers.
Baltimore @ Carolina - Baltimore, easy. Winner - Ravens.
Cleveland @ Jacksonville - The Jaguars aren't that good, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, ask the Bears about that. The Jaguars snuck a win last week and they have been playing pretty well as of late following the lead of David Garrard. The Browns have also shown a pulse these past few weeks and they seem to be coming together on the defensive side of the ball at the very least. This is a coin toss. Winner - Jaguars.
Tampa Bay @ San Francisco - I would normally say that this is a win for the 49ers and easy, but the Bucs are not laying down for anyone. With a youth enthused team led by Josh Freeman and LeGarrette Blount, this Bucs team is dangerous. The 49ers have been given a shot in the arm by searching and finding a QB on their roster in Troy Smith. Smith has been able to lead this 49ers squad to some wins and he may get another this weekend. This ought to be a hard fought game and a good one to watch. Winner - 49ers.
Seattle @ New Orleans - The return of Reggie Bush? Bush is trying to make his return from breaking a leg earlier in the season and going against his old coach my be the best opportunity for success. The Seahawks have been up and down all year and I think (let me count here,.......) it's time for them to be up this game. They should be able to play with the Saints for at least a quarter or two but in the end, the better team should win. Winner - Saints.
Atlanta @ St. Louis - I know which team better win. The Falcons, as I repeat here often, are one of the best teams in the NFC. They can run with Turner, throw with Ryan, and they have Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez to catch the ball. The defense is one of the better ones in the league and they are playing a Rams team that is struggling just to keep players on the field. Even with that said, the Rams have been a team that will take a win from you if you let them stay in the game. Atlanta will have to jump out early and try to put any fire that this Rams team has out. Winner - Falcons.
Indianapolis @ New England - Two of the games best QBs face off against each other: Brady vs. Manning. Manning is dealing with not having his usual targets on the field, but he's made it work with the fill ins that the Colts have. The Patriots are riding high after beating the Steelers at home and they get to stay at home and welcome the Colts. The Patriots young defense was able to make some plays in Pittsburgh and the question now is will they be able to do the same thing against a Manning led offense. My money is on Manning. Winner - Colts.
New York Giants @ Philadelphia - Is Mike Vick still on fire? The Giants defense will find out. The Giants have the personnel upfront to keep Vick in check, but I'm not sure if their second level (LBs) is good enough. They also have to worry about McCoy and Jackson who are explosive also. The Giants can grind the ball with Jacobs and Bradshaw, which could limit Mr. Vick's touches. The more Vick is on the sidelines, the better chance the Giants have. Can they pull off the upset? Winner - Eagles.
Denver @ San Diego - This has shootout written all over it and that's hard to say when you have Kyle Orton as your starting QB. Orton has played, by far, his best season as a QB. The Chargers don't really scare you on defense so I expect that the Orton to Lloyd combo will be ordered up several times this game. Philip Rivers has shown that he too has an arm and is willing to throw to anyone with a Chargers jersey on since the Chargers have had problems from injuries and holdouts all year long. Do the Broncos have enough to keep pace? Winner - Chargers.
Who you got?
Buffalo @ Cincinnati - I almost think that the Bills should win this game. The Bengals have sucked this year and there's really nothing that is redeeming about this team. They lost their kicker for the year, they have a QB who is struggling to get back to being the QB that many thought he would be, they can't seem to run the ball, and the TO/Ocho combination is terrible. BUT, they are playing the Bills and they are playing this game in Ohio. Why am I doing this? I'm going to say this now, if they don't win, I will not pick them the rest of the year, period. Winner - Bengals.
Detroit @ Dallas - Jason Garrett is 1-0 for the year and he's done a great job of motivating this team to actually showing up for a game. The Lions are a dangerous team as long as Megatron is on the field and they have proven that I could start at QB and he'll still get the ball. The Cowboys' corners have been terrible for most of the year and this will definitely be a test for them. Both defensive lines are good and should provide each offense with their own issues. I expect that Suh will help the Cowboys continue the string of not being able to run the ball effectively. This is at Jerry's World, so gotta go with the home team. Winner - Cowboys.
Washington @ Tennessee - You have a Redskins defense that is still giving up points to the Eagles and Mike Vick, and a Titans squad that really underachieved last week by losing to the Dolphins (even though the Dolphins almost ran out of players). Which team has the gumption to step up and make it two bad weeks in a row. Randy Moss had 1 catch last week in his debut and we know he's better than that. They have had some time and I expect Moss to show out this weekend against this weak Redskins secondary. For the Redskins, I'm just waiting for Shanahan to pull McNabb again. Does it happen this week? Winner - Titans.
Arizona @ Kansas City - The Cardinals are terrible and it's time for this Chiefs team to show me something or I will revert back to calling them the Chefs. Dwayne Bowe seems to be able to catch balls as of late and the defense has got to make a run back to the first four games of the season. They were pretty much in a groove up until the loss against Indy, but they played well even then. If they can turn the clock back, just a little, and play some defense, this should be an easy game for the Chiefs. Winner - Chiefs.
Green Bay @ Minnesota - Another 'job' game for Childress and a must win for the Vikings if they have ANY hope of making it to the playoffs. If the Vikings lose this game, I'm pretty sure Childress is done, but so is the team for this year. The Packers are coming off a bye week and hopefully they were able to find the fountain of recovery because they needed it badly. The sad thing is that I think Favre will see a younger version of someone resembling him, behind a decent offensive line, throwing the ball all over the field, and he may come to tears. Maybe the Vikings drop Rodgers and start a blowout and we see a little of Tavaris Jackson in this game? I doubt it. Winner - Vikings.
Houston @ New York Jets - The Jets come off of a close win against the Browns and now they get a Texans team that is looking for some respect. The Texans are coming off of a lost game to the Jaguars on a hell mary and they needed a win last week, so the urgency is there. All of the luster has worn off of this team since their great start, including a win over the Colts. The Jets have been quiet, which is something I never thought I'd say. The bravado that the Ryan led Jets were talking has toned down a lot. Can they get it all back together and start the talking again? Winner - Jets.
Oakland @ Pittsburgh - How do you make up for losing a close game against the Patriots? You get a chance to prove to the world that you can beat the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders aren't the sacrificial cow that they have been over the last few years and they come to Pittsburgh with a good running game (Bush and DMC) and Jason Campbell peaking. This will be a closer game than most think if Campbell doesn't regress. Again, it's hard to beat Pittsburgh at home (although the Patriots did). Winner - Steelers.
Baltimore @ Carolina - Baltimore, easy. Winner - Ravens.
Cleveland @ Jacksonville - The Jaguars aren't that good, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, ask the Bears about that. The Jaguars snuck a win last week and they have been playing pretty well as of late following the lead of David Garrard. The Browns have also shown a pulse these past few weeks and they seem to be coming together on the defensive side of the ball at the very least. This is a coin toss. Winner - Jaguars.
Tampa Bay @ San Francisco - I would normally say that this is a win for the 49ers and easy, but the Bucs are not laying down for anyone. With a youth enthused team led by Josh Freeman and LeGarrette Blount, this Bucs team is dangerous. The 49ers have been given a shot in the arm by searching and finding a QB on their roster in Troy Smith. Smith has been able to lead this 49ers squad to some wins and he may get another this weekend. This ought to be a hard fought game and a good one to watch. Winner - 49ers.
Seattle @ New Orleans - The return of Reggie Bush? Bush is trying to make his return from breaking a leg earlier in the season and going against his old coach my be the best opportunity for success. The Seahawks have been up and down all year and I think (let me count here,.......) it's time for them to be up this game. They should be able to play with the Saints for at least a quarter or two but in the end, the better team should win. Winner - Saints.
Atlanta @ St. Louis - I know which team better win. The Falcons, as I repeat here often, are one of the best teams in the NFC. They can run with Turner, throw with Ryan, and they have Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez to catch the ball. The defense is one of the better ones in the league and they are playing a Rams team that is struggling just to keep players on the field. Even with that said, the Rams have been a team that will take a win from you if you let them stay in the game. Atlanta will have to jump out early and try to put any fire that this Rams team has out. Winner - Falcons.
Indianapolis @ New England - Two of the games best QBs face off against each other: Brady vs. Manning. Manning is dealing with not having his usual targets on the field, but he's made it work with the fill ins that the Colts have. The Patriots are riding high after beating the Steelers at home and they get to stay at home and welcome the Colts. The Patriots young defense was able to make some plays in Pittsburgh and the question now is will they be able to do the same thing against a Manning led offense. My money is on Manning. Winner - Colts.
New York Giants @ Philadelphia - Is Mike Vick still on fire? The Giants defense will find out. The Giants have the personnel upfront to keep Vick in check, but I'm not sure if their second level (LBs) is good enough. They also have to worry about McCoy and Jackson who are explosive also. The Giants can grind the ball with Jacobs and Bradshaw, which could limit Mr. Vick's touches. The more Vick is on the sidelines, the better chance the Giants have. Can they pull off the upset? Winner - Eagles.
Denver @ San Diego - This has shootout written all over it and that's hard to say when you have Kyle Orton as your starting QB. Orton has played, by far, his best season as a QB. The Chargers don't really scare you on defense so I expect that the Orton to Lloyd combo will be ordered up several times this game. Philip Rivers has shown that he too has an arm and is willing to throw to anyone with a Chargers jersey on since the Chargers have had problems from injuries and holdouts all year long. Do the Broncos have enough to keep pace? Winner - Chargers.
Who you got?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
NFL 2010 Week 6 Wrap Up
Always remember, it's gotta get better. Last week was pure carnage, let's see what this week brings.
Seattle @ Chicago – Hassel beck looked like the Hasselbeck of old. He controlled this game and made the Bears defense look, average. The Bears offense looked like their offense of late, pretty much nothing. Cutler didn’t look like all of the cobwebs were gone for him from that concussion and the running game is just about as bad as it gets. Cutler took some more hits this game and it came from bad offensive line play (again). This was a game that even though the Bears played terribly, they (gulp) should have won this one. I don’t know what else to say. I do know this, I’m starting a Hanie fan club and I’m going to write a letter to Lovie, ‘PLAY YOUR BEST QB’. Hello Marshawn Lynch and welcome back to being a viable option on a decent team. Inquisitive Mind 0 – 1 for the week.
Miami @ Green Bay – The Packers have gone from the darlings of the league to a sad example of what injuries can do to your Superbowl aspirations. With no running game to speak of, defenses are able to just come after Rodgers and he may have come back a little early from his concussion too. He had some big plays, but in the end the Packers are just too beat up. The Packers were able to take this into overtime with a gutsy QB sneak, but the Dolphins ground game was the difference. Both Williams and Brown had over 60 yards and that’s what did it. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 1 for the week.
San Diego @ St. Louis – This is what I said on Friday - ‘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’. Rams win. Chargers need to clean house and that starts with Norv Turner. Only Wade Phillips is doing a worse job coaching. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 2 for the week.
Baltimore @ New England – This game came down to heart, determination, and veteran guile to get the win. Normally you associate that with the Ravens, but on this day, the Patriots were the ones that were celebrating. Welcome back Deion Branch, where have you been? Branch’s return to the Patriots this week and his 99 yards receiving was the catalyst for the Patriots. The Ravens had this game won, but couldn’t stop the Patriots when they needed to. All I’m saying, is Round 2 of this matchup will be a great game to watch. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 3 for the week.
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay – To answer my own question about the Bucs defense, Carson Palmer (Cincinnati) was just that bad against them. This game was never in question and seemed more like a Division 1 team playing against a Division 3 team. Drew Brees played catch and toss all day, while Chris Ivory put up 158 yards on the ground. Where did this guy come from? Inquisitive Mind 2 – 3 for the week.
Detroit @ New York Giants – Whatever’s happening in Detroit, I want some. The Lions didn’t win this game, but they were right there. They lost Shaun Hill (9 of 15 for 91 yards and 1 TD) to a broken arm early and put in Drew Stanton, and he goes out and throws for 222 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. A few plays here and there and the Lions win this game. Yes, that’s putting a lot of ‘if’s’ together, but they are close. The Giants got a strong running game from Bradshaw (133 yards) and Jacobs (2 TDs) and that seems to help (any QB) Eli Manning a lot. Inquisitive Mind 3 – 3 for the week.
Atlanta @ Philadelphia – It’s hard to win in Philly and maybe that’s why the Falcons didn’t even show up. I mean they had a bus that brought 53 players to the Linc, but I think they were Clone rejects or something. The Falcons stunk this up and that’s pretty much all you can say. Kevin Kolb actually looked good, real good (326 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT). Great game by Jeremy Maclin too. To Dunta Robinson and DeSean Jackson, get well. Inquisitive Mind 3 – 4 for the week.
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh – Big Ben looked rusty, but when you have that defense and the weapons he has, I could probably manage a win as the starting QB for the Steelers. With that said, a big game by Mike Wallace (3 catches for 90 yards, 1 TD) (thank God for that) and a good game by Mendenhall (27 carries for 84 yards, 1 TD). The Browns didn’t play as bad as I thought they would. McCoy looked decent. The Steelers are going to be (if they already aren’t) DANGEROUS. Get well Josh Cribbs. Inquisitive Mind 4 – 4 for the week.
Kansas City @ Houston – (Still scratching my head) The Chiefs had a great game from Cassel (20 of 29 for 201 yards, 3 TDs), both running backs (Jones – 100 yards, 1 TD Charles – 93 yards), a great game out of Dwayne Bowe (108 yards, 2 TDs), and they LOST?!?!? The Texans scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to get a comeback win against the Chiefs. My only issue with this game is as follows: When Matt Schaub drops back to pass, what’s the percentage of the time that you would think that he goes to Andre Johnson? 80%, 85%, 90%,….something close. Why not double cover Andre Johnson and roll the dice with Jacoby Jones beating you? Especially when the games on the line?!?!? (Mark and Tracy, I went Chiefs and they let me down.) Inquisitive Mind 4 – 5 for the week.
Oakland @ San Francisco – Great job Jason Campbell, you made Alex Smith look like he was a real good 1st round pick. The 49ers finally cracked the win column and although they played down to their competition, they looked pretty good. I am still wondering why Alex Smith isn’t holding a clipboard, but hey, I’m not a head coach. Inquisitive Mind 5 – 5 for the week.
New York Jets @ Denver – The Orton to Lloyd combination was slowed and the Jets escaped with a win in this one. The Broncos played well, got 3 turnovers, but couldn’t put points on the boards. LT ended the game with 55 yards on 16 carries (and 2 TDs) and had to be happy to see the scoreboard when they flashed the Chargers score. Welcome to the league Tim Tebow as he scored his first TD of his professional career. Inquisitive Mind 6 – 5 for the week.
Dallas @ Minnesota – I don’t think that either team was able to get answers to the big questions, like are we good enough to win it all? But, the Vikings were able to hold off the Cowboys and get a win at home for Randy Moss’ first game back (at home) as a Viking. All I can say is that AP got 24 carries (73 yards, 1 TD) and after being blanked in the first half, Moss at least got 5 touches in this game. Tony Romo was second on the team in rushing (with 31 yards) which spells doom in most cases. I’m all for firing both of the coaches in yesterdays’ game. Childress for mismanaging talent and the offensive play calling and Wade Phillips for just general malaise. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 5 for the week.
Indianapolis @ Washington – The Colts found a running game, Joseph Addai (138 yards, 1 TD) where have you been?!?!? The Redskins kept this close by having their own 100 yard back, Ryan Torain (100 yards, 2 TDs). This came down to a few defensive stops and the Colts were able to get them, and that was the difference. Inquisitive Mind 8 -5 for the week.
Seattle @ Chicago – Hassel beck looked like the Hasselbeck of old. He controlled this game and made the Bears defense look, average. The Bears offense looked like their offense of late, pretty much nothing. Cutler didn’t look like all of the cobwebs were gone for him from that concussion and the running game is just about as bad as it gets. Cutler took some more hits this game and it came from bad offensive line play (again). This was a game that even though the Bears played terribly, they (gulp) should have won this one. I don’t know what else to say. I do know this, I’m starting a Hanie fan club and I’m going to write a letter to Lovie, ‘PLAY YOUR BEST QB’. Hello Marshawn Lynch and welcome back to being a viable option on a decent team. Inquisitive Mind 0 – 1 for the week.
Miami @ Green Bay – The Packers have gone from the darlings of the league to a sad example of what injuries can do to your Superbowl aspirations. With no running game to speak of, defenses are able to just come after Rodgers and he may have come back a little early from his concussion too. He had some big plays, but in the end the Packers are just too beat up. The Packers were able to take this into overtime with a gutsy QB sneak, but the Dolphins ground game was the difference. Both Williams and Brown had over 60 yards and that’s what did it. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 1 for the week.
San Diego @ St. Louis – This is what I said on Friday - ‘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’. Rams win. Chargers need to clean house and that starts with Norv Turner. Only Wade Phillips is doing a worse job coaching. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 2 for the week.
Baltimore @ New England – This game came down to heart, determination, and veteran guile to get the win. Normally you associate that with the Ravens, but on this day, the Patriots were the ones that were celebrating. Welcome back Deion Branch, where have you been? Branch’s return to the Patriots this week and his 99 yards receiving was the catalyst for the Patriots. The Ravens had this game won, but couldn’t stop the Patriots when they needed to. All I’m saying, is Round 2 of this matchup will be a great game to watch. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 3 for the week.
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay – To answer my own question about the Bucs defense, Carson Palmer (Cincinnati) was just that bad against them. This game was never in question and seemed more like a Division 1 team playing against a Division 3 team. Drew Brees played catch and toss all day, while Chris Ivory put up 158 yards on the ground. Where did this guy come from? Inquisitive Mind 2 – 3 for the week.
Detroit @ New York Giants – Whatever’s happening in Detroit, I want some. The Lions didn’t win this game, but they were right there. They lost Shaun Hill (9 of 15 for 91 yards and 1 TD) to a broken arm early and put in Drew Stanton, and he goes out and throws for 222 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. A few plays here and there and the Lions win this game. Yes, that’s putting a lot of ‘if’s’ together, but they are close. The Giants got a strong running game from Bradshaw (133 yards) and Jacobs (2 TDs) and that seems to help (any QB) Eli Manning a lot. Inquisitive Mind 3 – 3 for the week.
Atlanta @ Philadelphia – It’s hard to win in Philly and maybe that’s why the Falcons didn’t even show up. I mean they had a bus that brought 53 players to the Linc, but I think they were Clone rejects or something. The Falcons stunk this up and that’s pretty much all you can say. Kevin Kolb actually looked good, real good (326 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT). Great game by Jeremy Maclin too. To Dunta Robinson and DeSean Jackson, get well. Inquisitive Mind 3 – 4 for the week.
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh – Big Ben looked rusty, but when you have that defense and the weapons he has, I could probably manage a win as the starting QB for the Steelers. With that said, a big game by Mike Wallace (3 catches for 90 yards, 1 TD) (thank God for that) and a good game by Mendenhall (27 carries for 84 yards, 1 TD). The Browns didn’t play as bad as I thought they would. McCoy looked decent. The Steelers are going to be (if they already aren’t) DANGEROUS. Get well Josh Cribbs. Inquisitive Mind 4 – 4 for the week.
Kansas City @ Houston – (Still scratching my head) The Chiefs had a great game from Cassel (20 of 29 for 201 yards, 3 TDs), both running backs (Jones – 100 yards, 1 TD Charles – 93 yards), a great game out of Dwayne Bowe (108 yards, 2 TDs), and they LOST?!?!? The Texans scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to get a comeback win against the Chiefs. My only issue with this game is as follows: When Matt Schaub drops back to pass, what’s the percentage of the time that you would think that he goes to Andre Johnson? 80%, 85%, 90%,….something close. Why not double cover Andre Johnson and roll the dice with Jacoby Jones beating you? Especially when the games on the line?!?!? (Mark and Tracy, I went Chiefs and they let me down.) Inquisitive Mind 4 – 5 for the week.
Oakland @ San Francisco – Great job Jason Campbell, you made Alex Smith look like he was a real good 1st round pick. The 49ers finally cracked the win column and although they played down to their competition, they looked pretty good. I am still wondering why Alex Smith isn’t holding a clipboard, but hey, I’m not a head coach. Inquisitive Mind 5 – 5 for the week.
New York Jets @ Denver – The Orton to Lloyd combination was slowed and the Jets escaped with a win in this one. The Broncos played well, got 3 turnovers, but couldn’t put points on the boards. LT ended the game with 55 yards on 16 carries (and 2 TDs) and had to be happy to see the scoreboard when they flashed the Chargers score. Welcome to the league Tim Tebow as he scored his first TD of his professional career. Inquisitive Mind 6 – 5 for the week.
Dallas @ Minnesota – I don’t think that either team was able to get answers to the big questions, like are we good enough to win it all? But, the Vikings were able to hold off the Cowboys and get a win at home for Randy Moss’ first game back (at home) as a Viking. All I can say is that AP got 24 carries (73 yards, 1 TD) and after being blanked in the first half, Moss at least got 5 touches in this game. Tony Romo was second on the team in rushing (with 31 yards) which spells doom in most cases. I’m all for firing both of the coaches in yesterdays’ game. Childress for mismanaging talent and the offensive play calling and Wade Phillips for just general malaise. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 5 for the week.
Indianapolis @ Washington – The Colts found a running game, Joseph Addai (138 yards, 1 TD) where have you been?!?!? The Redskins kept this close by having their own 100 yard back, Ryan Torain (100 yards, 2 TDs). This came down to a few defensive stops and the Colts were able to get them, and that was the difference. Inquisitive Mind 8 -5 for the week.
Tennessee @ Jacksonville – What did I say before this game? ‘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’. Both starting QBs got injured and we ended up watching bad football for the majority of the night. I understand wanting to keep Chris Johnson in the game to get his 100+ yards, but you were already up 20 and there was no way that Trent Edwards (no matter how much John Gruden was trying to give him credit) was going to bring them back. Inquisitive Mind 9 – 5 for the week.
Ok, at least this week was better. It seems as though each week gets tougher because teams are either playing down to their competition or the NFL is getting a little closer to parity. Not sure what the answer is. Nevertheless, that puts me at 51-39 for the season and I'm right on the heels of the ESPN guys.
Friday, October 15, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, September 24, 2010
NFL 2010 Week 3 Picks
It's on this week. We're trying to ride the wave of a successful 12-4 week. Let's see how it goes.
Tennessee @ New York Giants – It’s too early in the year to start this song of ‘is you is, or is you ain’t my baby (QB)’. VY was pulled last week for being ineffective and we had a Kerry Collins sighting. Fisher, in my humble opinion is looking for the first opportunity to get rid of VY. Fisher lost how many games last year with Collins at QB before he went to VY? I digress, the Giants are in need of a win and I think that they get one, in the New Meadowlands. How high can Brandon Jacobs throw his helmet into the stands this week? Winner – Giants.
Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay – Which team is for real? The team with the suspended starting QB which has found a way to win behind a good defense as they line up just about anyone serviceable at QB, or is it the young team who has shown some flashes on offense while their defense has made a few plays here and there? Both teams are 2-0 and The Bucs get an opportunity to play the Steelers at home. Someone has to win. Winner – Steelers.
Cincinnati @ Carolina – I’ve gotta be a sage or something. The Jimmy Clausen era begins in Carolina this weekend. You normally want your rookie to open at home (check) and with a decent ground game (ummm,….) to help him manage. The Bengals will be looking for blood in the water. I expect a lot of blitzing and a lot of stunts to confuse the rookie. Good luck Jimmy. Winner – Bengals.
Cleveland @ Baltimore – This will be a slugfest, regardless of records. The Ravens have got to get their offense rolling and get Flacco to stop throwing to the wrong color jerseys. This Browns team ought to offer somewhat of a cure. There was word that the Ravens are not going to kick away from Josh Cribbs, please tell me it ain’t so. If the Ravens kick to Cribbs, this will be close, otherwise a nice win for the Ravens. Winner – Ravens.
Dallas @ Houston – Best game of the week. Well, maybe. The Cowboys are 0-2 and 0-3 might mean some heads start to roll. They get a Texans team that is coming off a great win against the Redskins and for some reason, no one feels that putting 3 people on Andre Johnson is a good idea. I got a feeling that the Cowboys finally wake up and put it all together. Expect big games from Felix Jones and Jason Witten. If the Cowboys lose this game, Jerry may want to fold up camp. Winner – Cowboys.
San Francisco @ Kansas City – I feel sorry for Mike Singletary. If his team played with half his passion, they’d be 2-0. Alex Smith didn’t look bad last week and this team’s success sits squarely on his shoulders. If he can somehow limit his mistakes, this team makes a big turn for the better. Kansas City is 2-0 and that’s about as good as it gets for them this year. They have already exceed expectations. Winner – 49ers.
Detroit @ Minnesota – Just what the Vikings needed, no not a WR, a cupcake. The Vikes need to right their ship and get this team back on track like they were last year. Continue giving AP his 20+ carries and for goodness sake find a healthy WR, somewhere. Winner – Vikings.
Buffalo @ New England – The Bills come to New England and hopefully they enjoy the trip there because the outcome of this game is going to make for a long trip home. Winner – Patriots.
Atlanta @ New Orleans – The best game of the week. The Falcons finally showed what kind of team they can be and now they get to go to a different dome and prove just how good they are. The Saints got by last week against the 49ers and they have to adjust to life without Reggie Bush. I could see the Falcons winning this game,…..Winner – Falcons.
Washington @ St. Louis – This should be an opportunity for McNabb to have a good game and not have to throw for 400+ yards. The Rams just aren’t ready for primetime yet. Winner – Redskins.
Philadelphia @ Jacksonville – Once again back it’s the incredible, Mike Vick. Many people are saying this is a bad move, but let’s think back. The Eagles brought in Vick when they had McNabb and Kolb. We all knew they weren’t going to pay McNabb to stay so we knew he was gone. Vick was supposed to be insurance, but we all saw how bad Kolb was as a substitute. Andy Reid’s job is on the line, and he’s gotta win. Shouldn’t we have seen Vick being the starter, until he loses? He’ll continue the trend this weekend. Winner – Eagles.
Oakland @ Arizona – Somebody has to win. I don’t think that Derek Anderson is a starter for any team and I can’t even spell Gradkowski, but the Raiders get it done this week. Winner – Raiders.
San Diego @ Seattle – Are we done with the Pete Carroll era yet in Seattle? I think that they could use a good possession receiver who could help their QB, but they let him go. The Chargers haven’t looked real good yet so I expect them to get it together on this road trip and put some numbers on the board. Winner – Chargers.
Indianapolis @ Denver – After the debacle that was Manning Bowl II, the Colts look to be on the same page. They get to go to Denver and I imagine that they are going to start pounding the Broncos upfront by running the ball and then let Manning take over from there. Winner – Colts.
New York Jets @ Miami – After their first big win, Braylon Edwards decides to tie one on and get caught by the police. From a fantasy impact, I’m mad as he77. You gotta do better. I will say this again, Miami is a team you don’t want to play. They play fundamental ball and if you make a mistake they normally capitalize. The Jets defense is going to have to pick up the slack from Edwards’ mistake. Winner – Dolphins.
Green Bay @ Chicago – Ok, the guys at Union Station that manage the traffic (and our buses) have been on me all week about the Bears and how they are going to beat the Packers on Monday night. I say that the Bears are now sitting on 1 loss (that was a Detroit TD) and ½ a W (the Cowboys beat themselves). There is no way that the Bears are going to beat the Packers on Monday Night even if they played in Maui. Even if I have to walk from the train station all week long,……Winner – Packers.
Who you got?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
NFL 2010 Week 2 Wrap Up
This was a good week!!! The word of the week is turnovers, underlying the fact that unless you’re Baltimore and you have a lot of them, you should lose.
Pittsburgh @ Tennessee – The Steelers find ways to win. That defense is playing extremely well even though we don’t know who will start for the Steelers at QB next week, I still think they are ok. Dennis Dixon hurt his knee which brought in Charlie Batch and the offense couldn’t get going. After a great Week 1 performance, Vince Young looked terrible (I think the Steelers D had something to do with that) and even he was benched for Kerry Collins. Sloppy game with lots of turnovers, but the Steelers lasted through it all. Good hard fought win. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 0 for the week.
Miami @ Minnesota – I’ve said that Miami is a team that may not beat you but they won’t beat themselves either. They are always fundamentally sound and it showed against a listless Vikings team. AP got his 28 carries (maybe someone in Minny was reading this?), but Favre looked terrible. He kind of has that snowball effect thing down pat. Once it went bad, it kept getting worse. He needs receivers and barring a miraculous healing effort by God, Sidney Rice will be too late. Vincent Jackson is free and he’s available. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 1 for the week.
Arizona @ Atlanta – This is the Falcons team that I was looking for in Week 1. The Falcons struck early and often and ran up the score on the Cardinals. Ryan had a low total of passing yards, 225, but had 3 TDs. Plus when you rush for more than 200 yards as a team, you don’t have to throw far. Hopefully Michael Turner’s groin injury is as minor as they say. This team has a chance to do somethings in the NFC this year. Inquisitive Mind 2 – 1 for the week.
Baltimore @ Cincinnati – For those that follow, I trust in Ray and it hurt me to have to pick against him and the Ravens, but after seeing what I saw yesterday,……you gotta feel that somewhere, the nonsense has to stop. I tripping penalty on a LB that gets blocked into a QB, a roughing the passer call on a LB when he is tackling a QB before the QB is in his throwing motion? 6 points. The Ravens shut down the Bengals the entire game. Flacco had an equally bad game with 4 INTs, and his team still should have won. Ray will get a fine, but as he said, sometimes you just gotta be honest about things. Inquisitive Mind 3 – 1 for the week.
Kansas City @ Cleveland – Another good showing by the defense for the Chiefs and if not for them, this would have been an ‘L’. Cassel looked terrible as this looked like a game between two bad teams. Seneca Wallace showed that he’s better than Delhomee as he moved the Browns up and down the field pretty well. I guess we’ll see him starting next week too. All you can say is that the Chiefs are 2-0 (E. Wise, I know you’re somewhere smiling today). Wow!!! Inquisitive Mind 4 – 1 for the week.
Chicago @ Dallas – Wow!! Did these teams switch jerseys before the game? The Cowboys looked terrible, at home. I think we can go ahead and quash any of that playing the Superbowl as the home team talk. Both teams stopped the others ground game which would normally give the edge to the Cowboys, but Jay Cutler played pretty well with a 21 for 29 for 277 yards and 3 TDs. Jason Witten was knocked out of the game, but looked poised for a return, but it’s probably good the Cowboys erred on the side of caution. Can the Cowboys cut Roy Williams now? At least I was right about Dez Bryant showing up. Inquisitive Mind 4 – 2 for the week.
Philadelphia @ Detroit – Mike Vick looked good in (21 of 34 for 284 and 2 TDs) and out (7 carries for 37 yards) of the pocket. I think this one came down to LeSean McMcoy having an equally good game. McCoy ended the game with 120 yards and 3 TDs on 16 carries. A Shaun Hill led Lions team didn’t go quietly in the night. Jahvid Best (17 carries for 78 yards, 2 TDs) and Shaun Hill put up nice numbers and given a stop or two by the defense may have had a chance to win this game. A lot closer than many thought. Detroit might be on the way back to being good. Inquisitive Mind 5 – 2 for the week.
Buffalo @ Green Bay – No contest, period. The Packers weren’t able to run the ball as much as I thought, but it really didn’t matter. Inquisitive Mind 6 – 2 for the week.
Tampa Bay @ Carolina – The Bucs came out and did work against the Panthers. They controlled the game and Josh Freeman had a good outing (12 of 24 for 178 yards and 2 TDs). The Panthers looked terrible and we saw both QBs (Moore and Clausen) look equally bad with the telling sign being John Fox saying that ‘it’s too early to tell who the starter for week 3 will be’. I know already. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 2 for the week.
Seattle @ Denver – I knew I shouldn’t have gone with Pete Carroll on this one. The Seahawks looked as bad as they looked good in Week 1. If you didn’t see this game and you wonder how the Broncos won, you just have to look at one person’s stat line, Kyle Orton: 25 of 35 for 307 and 2 TDs. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 3 for the week.
St. Louis @ Oakland – Talk about an ugly game. Bruce Gradkowski replaced Jason Campbell after halftime and the Raiders held on to a win. Darren McFadden may have finally proven that he can carry the load with an awesome game (30 carries for 145 yards). Somebody had to win, right? Inquisitive Mind 8 – 3 for the week.
Houston @ Washington – This was an amazing win for the Texans. They were down 17 to the Redskins at home in the 3rd quarter and many thought this was going to be a Redskins 2-0 start. Then, boom, boom, boom and the Texans tie the game on a beautiful catch by Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub ended up throwing for 497 yards (38 of 52) while McNabb threw for 426 yards (28 of 38). This was gut wrenching for the Redskins, but I might have to say that the Texans are for real this year. Inquisitive Mind 9 – 3 for the week.
New England @ New York Jets – This game didn’t necessarily live up to the hype, but the Jets found a way to throw the ball downfield and I think, actually surprised the Pats. Mark Sanchez looked like the better QB and there was a LT sighting (11 carries for 76 yards) for the Jets. Moss got a touchdown reception, but other than that he had 2 catches for 38 yards. Revis did end up leaving the game in the 2nd quarter as his hammy tightened up on him. This was a completely different Jets team from Week 1. Good win, or it could have been trouble for the Jets. Inquisitive Mind 9 – 4 for the week.
Jacksonville @ San Diego – We had a Luke McCown sighting. If you’re a Jaguars fan, that’s terrible news. Phillip Rivers was efficient as ever with his 22 for 29 for 334 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs (so he was really 24 of 29). McCown replaced Garrard in the 4th but got shaken up himself. Garrad ended the game 15 of 23 for 173 yards, 1 TD, and 4 INTs. Looks like the same ole Jaguars team that stunk last year. Inquisitive Mind 10 – 4 for the week.
New York Giants @ Indianapolis – This turned out to be a laugher. I still have no idea why people continue to put Eli Manning in the discussion as a good QB? The only thing that he and Peyton share is blood. Peyton proved, yet again, that he is the best Manning around with a 20 of 26 for 255 yards and 3 TDs performance. He controlled the game and the Colts defense continued to acquaint themselves with Eli. The funniest part of this game was Brandon Jacobs throwing his helmet into the stands and pleading that ensued to get the helmet back. How do you throw your helmet into the stands? Inquisitive Mind 11 – 4 for the week.
New Orleans @ San Francisco – This was a great game. The 49ers had the game plan and pretty much executed that game plan, minus the 4 turnovers, and they almost pulled it off. They were 3 inches from a win and that has to hurt. So now we know how to beat the Saints: 1) Wind 2) Great mix of run and pass to keep Brees on the sideline 3) Some luck. How many people will talk about the Heisman curse with Reggie Bush breaking his leg? Inquisitive Mind 12 – 4 for the week.
After that terrible last week, a 12-4 record really helps you bounce back. So for the year we are at 19-13 and not in bad shape with the professionals. WHO DAT?!?!?!?
Pittsburgh @ Tennessee – The Steelers find ways to win. That defense is playing extremely well even though we don’t know who will start for the Steelers at QB next week, I still think they are ok. Dennis Dixon hurt his knee which brought in Charlie Batch and the offense couldn’t get going. After a great Week 1 performance, Vince Young looked terrible (I think the Steelers D had something to do with that) and even he was benched for Kerry Collins. Sloppy game with lots of turnovers, but the Steelers lasted through it all. Good hard fought win. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 0 for the week.
Miami @ Minnesota – I’ve said that Miami is a team that may not beat you but they won’t beat themselves either. They are always fundamentally sound and it showed against a listless Vikings team. AP got his 28 carries (maybe someone in Minny was reading this?), but Favre looked terrible. He kind of has that snowball effect thing down pat. Once it went bad, it kept getting worse. He needs receivers and barring a miraculous healing effort by God, Sidney Rice will be too late. Vincent Jackson is free and he’s available. Inquisitive Mind 1 – 1 for the week.
Arizona @ Atlanta – This is the Falcons team that I was looking for in Week 1. The Falcons struck early and often and ran up the score on the Cardinals. Ryan had a low total of passing yards, 225, but had 3 TDs. Plus when you rush for more than 200 yards as a team, you don’t have to throw far. Hopefully Michael Turner’s groin injury is as minor as they say. This team has a chance to do somethings in the NFC this year. Inquisitive Mind 2 – 1 for the week.
Baltimore @ Cincinnati – For those that follow, I trust in Ray and it hurt me to have to pick against him and the Ravens, but after seeing what I saw yesterday,……you gotta feel that somewhere, the nonsense has to stop. I tripping penalty on a LB that gets blocked into a QB, a roughing the passer call on a LB when he is tackling a QB before the QB is in his throwing motion? 6 points. The Ravens shut down the Bengals the entire game. Flacco had an equally bad game with 4 INTs, and his team still should have won. Ray will get a fine, but as he said, sometimes you just gotta be honest about things. Inquisitive Mind 3 – 1 for the week.
Kansas City @ Cleveland – Another good showing by the defense for the Chiefs and if not for them, this would have been an ‘L’. Cassel looked terrible as this looked like a game between two bad teams. Seneca Wallace showed that he’s better than Delhomee as he moved the Browns up and down the field pretty well. I guess we’ll see him starting next week too. All you can say is that the Chiefs are 2-0 (E. Wise, I know you’re somewhere smiling today). Wow!!! Inquisitive Mind 4 – 1 for the week.
Chicago @ Dallas – Wow!! Did these teams switch jerseys before the game? The Cowboys looked terrible, at home. I think we can go ahead and quash any of that playing the Superbowl as the home team talk. Both teams stopped the others ground game which would normally give the edge to the Cowboys, but Jay Cutler played pretty well with a 21 for 29 for 277 yards and 3 TDs. Jason Witten was knocked out of the game, but looked poised for a return, but it’s probably good the Cowboys erred on the side of caution. Can the Cowboys cut Roy Williams now? At least I was right about Dez Bryant showing up. Inquisitive Mind 4 – 2 for the week.
Philadelphia @ Detroit – Mike Vick looked good in (21 of 34 for 284 and 2 TDs) and out (7 carries for 37 yards) of the pocket. I think this one came down to LeSean McMcoy having an equally good game. McCoy ended the game with 120 yards and 3 TDs on 16 carries. A Shaun Hill led Lions team didn’t go quietly in the night. Jahvid Best (17 carries for 78 yards, 2 TDs) and Shaun Hill put up nice numbers and given a stop or two by the defense may have had a chance to win this game. A lot closer than many thought. Detroit might be on the way back to being good. Inquisitive Mind 5 – 2 for the week.
Buffalo @ Green Bay – No contest, period. The Packers weren’t able to run the ball as much as I thought, but it really didn’t matter. Inquisitive Mind 6 – 2 for the week.
Tampa Bay @ Carolina – The Bucs came out and did work against the Panthers. They controlled the game and Josh Freeman had a good outing (12 of 24 for 178 yards and 2 TDs). The Panthers looked terrible and we saw both QBs (Moore and Clausen) look equally bad with the telling sign being John Fox saying that ‘it’s too early to tell who the starter for week 3 will be’. I know already. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 2 for the week.
Seattle @ Denver – I knew I shouldn’t have gone with Pete Carroll on this one. The Seahawks looked as bad as they looked good in Week 1. If you didn’t see this game and you wonder how the Broncos won, you just have to look at one person’s stat line, Kyle Orton: 25 of 35 for 307 and 2 TDs. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 3 for the week.
St. Louis @ Oakland – Talk about an ugly game. Bruce Gradkowski replaced Jason Campbell after halftime and the Raiders held on to a win. Darren McFadden may have finally proven that he can carry the load with an awesome game (30 carries for 145 yards). Somebody had to win, right? Inquisitive Mind 8 – 3 for the week.
Houston @ Washington – This was an amazing win for the Texans. They were down 17 to the Redskins at home in the 3rd quarter and many thought this was going to be a Redskins 2-0 start. Then, boom, boom, boom and the Texans tie the game on a beautiful catch by Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub ended up throwing for 497 yards (38 of 52) while McNabb threw for 426 yards (28 of 38). This was gut wrenching for the Redskins, but I might have to say that the Texans are for real this year. Inquisitive Mind 9 – 3 for the week.
New England @ New York Jets – This game didn’t necessarily live up to the hype, but the Jets found a way to throw the ball downfield and I think, actually surprised the Pats. Mark Sanchez looked like the better QB and there was a LT sighting (11 carries for 76 yards) for the Jets. Moss got a touchdown reception, but other than that he had 2 catches for 38 yards. Revis did end up leaving the game in the 2nd quarter as his hammy tightened up on him. This was a completely different Jets team from Week 1. Good win, or it could have been trouble for the Jets. Inquisitive Mind 9 – 4 for the week.
Jacksonville @ San Diego – We had a Luke McCown sighting. If you’re a Jaguars fan, that’s terrible news. Phillip Rivers was efficient as ever with his 22 for 29 for 334 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs (so he was really 24 of 29). McCown replaced Garrard in the 4th but got shaken up himself. Garrad ended the game 15 of 23 for 173 yards, 1 TD, and 4 INTs. Looks like the same ole Jaguars team that stunk last year. Inquisitive Mind 10 – 4 for the week.
New York Giants @ Indianapolis – This turned out to be a laugher. I still have no idea why people continue to put Eli Manning in the discussion as a good QB? The only thing that he and Peyton share is blood. Peyton proved, yet again, that he is the best Manning around with a 20 of 26 for 255 yards and 3 TDs performance. He controlled the game and the Colts defense continued to acquaint themselves with Eli. The funniest part of this game was Brandon Jacobs throwing his helmet into the stands and pleading that ensued to get the helmet back. How do you throw your helmet into the stands? Inquisitive Mind 11 – 4 for the week.
New Orleans @ San Francisco – This was a great game. The 49ers had the game plan and pretty much executed that game plan, minus the 4 turnovers, and they almost pulled it off. They were 3 inches from a win and that has to hurt. So now we know how to beat the Saints: 1) Wind 2) Great mix of run and pass to keep Brees on the sideline 3) Some luck. How many people will talk about the Heisman curse with Reggie Bush breaking his leg? Inquisitive Mind 12 – 4 for the week.
After that terrible last week, a 12-4 record really helps you bounce back. So for the year we are at 19-13 and not in bad shape with the professionals. WHO DAT?!?!?!?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
NFL AFC Championship Game
Yeah, I know it's been a while, but let's get back into the swing of things with the NFL before it disappears. The AFC Championship game is set to go with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the New York Jets. I doubt many people had the Jets getting this far, but with their beat down (physically) of the Chargers, you really can't say much. The Colts got here by beating a one show pony Baltimore Ravens team. The Ravens probably could have won this game had it not been for the penalties and the turnovers. Let's see how this AFC Championship game will turn out.
Offense:
NYJ - The Jets are limited from a passing standpoint with rookie senior Matt Sanchez at the helm, but he has shown flashes. The Jets will continue to run the ball with both Thomas Jones and Shonn Green and minimize the rookie's opportunity to make mistakes (think Ravens 2000-2001).
Colts - Manning. That's pretty much all you have to say. He may go down as the best ever and he shows that by continuing to play football. He lost his favorite target in Marvin Harrison this year but hasn't missed a beat with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. The more surprising piece is that he's done it with Garcon, Collie, and other guys off the street. Eli Manning had no such luck. I expect Manning to run a lot of hurry up sets to give the Jets defense fits. Amazingly, look for Addai or Brown to get between 20 carries combined.
Defense:
NYJ - The Jets were one of the top defenses at the beginning of the year and then fell off. Well, now they are back. I will say this, Ryan can scheme against any QB and I'd bet on his team's success most of the time. They will try and confuse Manning and hide their blitzes. The Jets are going to start blitzing Manning sometime today. Look for the match up of Revis on Wayne to help determine this game.
Colts - Bend but don't break, that's the Colts' defense motto. Well, they are going to have to stop the run primarily. Robert Mathis and Gay Brackett are going to need to have big games. I'm not so concerned with the Jets passing the ball because they should be able to get pressure on Sanchez.
Coaching:
NYJ - I will be 'surprised' if we lose to the Colts. Well, you can say what you want, but Ryan is deflecting all of the attention to him and not his team. That's something a good coach can do. Will it work? Not so sure, because his team has to go out and back up the bravado. I like Ryan from an X's and O's in a one game playoff, but can he scheme his team to the Super Bowl?
Colts - Jim Caldwell has pretty much picked up were Tony Dungy left off. Steady wins the race. Caldwell seems to have made great decisions for his team to keep them healthy and ready for a Super Bowl berth. Many thought that the perfect season was more important than winning it all, but the Colts are now in a position to make people forget about a perfect season if they can get a ring.
And the winner will be:
Colts. Yes this should be a close game with the defenses setting the tone, but I only bet against the other (Eli) Manning. I think in the end that Colts offense will out play that Jets defense and advance to the Super Bowl. Final score, Colts 24 - Jets 13.
That's my pick, what's your take? Do you think the Jets pull the win out? Maybe they are able to surprise yet again? Can the rookie, Mark Sanchez lead his team to the Super Bowl?
Offense:
NYJ - The Jets are limited from a passing standpoint with rookie senior Matt Sanchez at the helm, but he has shown flashes. The Jets will continue to run the ball with both Thomas Jones and Shonn Green and minimize the rookie's opportunity to make mistakes (think Ravens 2000-2001).
Colts - Manning. That's pretty much all you have to say. He may go down as the best ever and he shows that by continuing to play football. He lost his favorite target in Marvin Harrison this year but hasn't missed a beat with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. The more surprising piece is that he's done it with Garcon, Collie, and other guys off the street. Eli Manning had no such luck. I expect Manning to run a lot of hurry up sets to give the Jets defense fits. Amazingly, look for Addai or Brown to get between 20 carries combined.
Defense:
NYJ - The Jets were one of the top defenses at the beginning of the year and then fell off. Well, now they are back. I will say this, Ryan can scheme against any QB and I'd bet on his team's success most of the time. They will try and confuse Manning and hide their blitzes. The Jets are going to start blitzing Manning sometime today. Look for the match up of Revis on Wayne to help determine this game.
Colts - Bend but don't break, that's the Colts' defense motto. Well, they are going to have to stop the run primarily. Robert Mathis and Gay Brackett are going to need to have big games. I'm not so concerned with the Jets passing the ball because they should be able to get pressure on Sanchez.
Coaching:
NYJ - I will be 'surprised' if we lose to the Colts. Well, you can say what you want, but Ryan is deflecting all of the attention to him and not his team. That's something a good coach can do. Will it work? Not so sure, because his team has to go out and back up the bravado. I like Ryan from an X's and O's in a one game playoff, but can he scheme his team to the Super Bowl?
Colts - Jim Caldwell has pretty much picked up were Tony Dungy left off. Steady wins the race. Caldwell seems to have made great decisions for his team to keep them healthy and ready for a Super Bowl berth. Many thought that the perfect season was more important than winning it all, but the Colts are now in a position to make people forget about a perfect season if they can get a ring.
And the winner will be:
Colts. Yes this should be a close game with the defenses setting the tone, but I only bet against the other (Eli) Manning. I think in the end that Colts offense will out play that Jets defense and advance to the Super Bowl. Final score, Colts 24 - Jets 13.
That's my pick, what's your take? Do you think the Jets pull the win out? Maybe they are able to surprise yet again? Can the rookie, Mark Sanchez lead his team to the Super Bowl?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tony Dungy Retires
This is truly a sad day(for fans). Tony Dungy has been so much to the Indianapolis Colts, but he has also touched the lives of many different people during his career (playing and coaching). He only played in the NFL for 3 years, but then he coached for 31 years. You can only wish this guy good luck. I'll probably do a piece on this later, but congrats to Tony Dungy for going on to the next part of his life.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Fantasy Football Week 1
Ok, due to the Thursday night start to the NFL season (more on that later), I have to have my roster in (Cold Ones) before 6pm CST tonight. The schedule for our league for Week 1 looks as follows:
Big Game Hunter vs Cold Ones
Potomac PimpSlappers vs The Quite Franklies
Silver & Black Rules vs They Might Be Giants
RobbBobbyBilly vs Charlotte PrimeTime!
Techno Raiders vs Air Raiders
RDU Saints vs Tha Bruthaz
For my team, going against the Big Game Hunter is a plus since he talks THE most trash in our league. Not only is he French Huguenot, but he's supposedly fast too. The match up looks like this:Potomac PimpSlappers vs The Quite Franklies
Silver & Black Rules vs They Might Be Giants
RobbBobbyBilly vs Charlotte PrimeTime!
Techno Raiders vs Air Raiders
RDU Saints vs Tha Bruthaz
Cold Ones vs Big Game Hunter
So right now I'm feeling pretty good about my chances as this should be a close game. I'm hoping that Carson Palmer steps it up and plays well against Baltimore. If you got any suggestions to change my lineup, let me know. I have Rashard Mendenhall, Ronald Curry, Santa Moss, Vince Young, Devery Henderson, Ahman Green, and Chris Taylor on the bench (I think you understand why I have the guys above as starters. The Cold Ones are looking to start the season off 1-0. Big Game Hunter prepare to be hunted.
Carson Palmer (QB - Cin) ----- Jon Kitna (QB - Det)
Terrell Owens (WR - Dal) ----- Reggie Wayne (WR - Ind)
Roy Williams (WR - Det) ----- Donald Driver (WR - GB)
Lee Evans (WR - Buf) ----- Vincent Jackson (WR - SD)
Marshawn Lynch (RB - Buf) ----- Steven Jackson (RB - STL)
Thomas Jones (RB - NYJ) ----- Michael Turner (RB - ATL)
LJ Smith (TE - Phi) ----- Jeremy Shockey (TE - NO)
Jeff Reed (K - Pitt) ----- Josh Brown (K - STL)
Indianapolis (DEF) ----- Oakland (DEF)
Terrell Owens (WR - Dal) ----- Reggie Wayne (WR - Ind)
Roy Williams (WR - Det) ----- Donald Driver (WR - GB)
Lee Evans (WR - Buf) ----- Vincent Jackson (WR - SD)
Marshawn Lynch (RB - Buf) ----- Steven Jackson (RB - STL)
Thomas Jones (RB - NYJ) ----- Michael Turner (RB - ATL)
LJ Smith (TE - Phi) ----- Jeremy Shockey (TE - NO)
Jeff Reed (K - Pitt) ----- Josh Brown (K - STL)
Indianapolis (DEF) ----- Oakland (DEF)
So right now I'm feeling pretty good about my chances as this should be a close game. I'm hoping that Carson Palmer steps it up and plays well against Baltimore. If you got any suggestions to change my lineup, let me know. I have Rashard Mendenhall, Ronald Curry, Santa Moss, Vince Young, Devery Henderson, Ahman Green, and Chris Taylor on the bench (I think you understand why I have the guys above as starters. The Cold Ones are looking to start the season off 1-0. Big Game Hunter prepare to be hunted.
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