Thursday, December 30, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 17
Falcons over the Panthers. Stranger things have happened but the Panthers walking into Atlanta and beating the Falcons just won't happen. The only way Carolina has a prayer is if the Bucs are up by 30 in the 4th quarter with the Saints..... and with the number 1 seed locked up, the Falcons pull their starters.
Steelers over the Browns. Mangini hasn't done a terrible job with the Browns this season but I just can't see him surviving the ax come Monday morning. Unless he and Mike Holmgren have been become poker buddies or something this should be a no-brainer. Mangini hasn't done anything with the Jets or the Browns that screams "elite coach". Holmgren should look to the Steeler sideline during this game for inspiration. Mike Tomlin is an elite coach and he should search for a similar hire.
Chiefs over the Raiders. This will be a tough one for K.C. They are at home but Oakland is no pushover. I'm rooting for Jamaal Charles to have a huge game. He's been the best back in the league this year in my opinion, and with a monster game he has an outside shot at snatching the rushing title from Arian Foster.
Pats over the Dolphins. New England doesn't rest their starters much so look for Brady to be in until the blowout is secured.
Saints over the Bucs. Brees wants this one bad and if the Panthers could somehow pull out a miracle in Atlanta, a victory here would give them the 1 seed. That would be pretty incredible considering how they started the season. Even if Tampa loses this game they should feel this year is a complete success. They've come back from the abyss and have a solid future for the next couple of seasons.
Jets over the Bills. Even with a loss last week, the Jets back into the playoffs again. Then again it didn't seem to hurt them last year. The Jets are just flat out more fun with Rex Ryan as their coach. I'm not a fan of the team but they have been more interesting in the last 2 years than they have in the 20 previous years.
Ravens over the Bengals. The Bengals beat the more talented Chargers last week but that says more about the Chargers than it does the Bengals. I agree that's disrespectful to Cincy, but hey they've earned that the past couple of years.
Giants over the Redskins. Grossman mania in D.C.! Actually he has played ok and he's going against a struggling Eli Manning so maybe I should flip this. Nah. The Giants defensive line is still great and they'll do some damage this week.
Eagles over the Cowboys. The Eagles redeem themselves this week even if it's Kolb at QB.
Texans over the Jags. Garrard is out and the Jags lost their mojo late in the season anyway. They are tough enough to win this one but being on the road makes me think the Texans may get the best of them.
49ers over the Cardinals. Singletary is gone so does that mean the Niners come out with less fire? Because that's one thing that guy had. Maybe the only thing. His coaching decisions can be questioned but not his will. So I'm curious to see if San Fran comes out ready to play with some energy.
Packers over the Bears. Nice matchup to end the season. This was actually tough to pick because the Bears are playing so well. But the Pack absolutely need this game.
Colts over the Titans. The Colts don't get their annual "rest the starters day" this year. Maybe that's good. It worked out for them in 2006 when they had to play hard to end the season.
In regards to Tennessee: The Titans owner Bud Adams needs to fire Jeff Fisher after this season. He's an overrated coach and part of the Vince Young mess is his fault too.
Chargers over the Broncos. This week San Diego has nothing to play for except pride. That actually might not be a slam dunk for them then since you think a little pride would have kicked in earlier in the season. Another head coach that needs to go is Norv Turner. That team should be a Super Bowl contender.
Rams over the Seahawks. Go Rams! I haven't had a Ram game that I've been nervous about for years. This is going to be weird. I could could get used to some meaningful games for my favorite team in the league.
Lions over the Vikings. What the Vikes did to the Eagles on Tuesday was impressive. They shut down the Eagle offense and their unknown backup QB, Webb, played surprisingly well. The Lions on the other hand have only won 3 in a row. Yep that's not a typo. 3 in a row. How can you root against the Lions this week if you are not a Vikings fan? A 4 game winning streak to end the season would flat out be awesome for the Lions--- who along with the Rams are giving hope to losing clubs.
One note though: Favre will be sidelined again with injury. Plus he's been recently fined for being a douche. Well.....fined for not cooperating with the league in the Sterger investigation.....but it's pretty much the same thing. That whole situation was a joke though. The NFL's "let's just drag this thing out until the end of the season, then it won't matter" philosophy was classic. Jen Sterger was a pretty unsympathetic character herself, what with her blatant attempt at a money grab. It was pretty obvious with her earliest recorded statements that she wasn't all that upset over the text messages Favre was sending her and the pics if they are from Favre (which I personally don't doubt that they are) seemed to creep her out in an amusing way more than anything (again from her earliest recorded words). I'm not saying it wasn't a sexually harassing thing to do, I'm just saying Sterger doesn't come off as much of a victim with her attitude she displayed. Still, Favre comes out the worst in the debacle. He looks like a guy who wanted to cheat on his wife. For his sake I hope his home life is ok now and that he's got it worked out. So hopefully this time he really does stay retired. He damaged his legacy quite a bit the past 4 years (gained some of it back last year with a stellar season) and then stayed a year too long. Actually kind of fits his personality and the "gambler" he was pegged to be as a QB. Unfortunately for Favre he didn't follow the Kenny Rogers country song. You see, in reality most gamblers don't know when to fold them.
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 130-91 (59%)
Steelers over the Browns. Mangini hasn't done a terrible job with the Browns this season but I just can't see him surviving the ax come Monday morning. Unless he and Mike Holmgren have been become poker buddies or something this should be a no-brainer. Mangini hasn't done anything with the Jets or the Browns that screams "elite coach". Holmgren should look to the Steeler sideline during this game for inspiration. Mike Tomlin is an elite coach and he should search for a similar hire.
Chiefs over the Raiders. This will be a tough one for K.C. They are at home but Oakland is no pushover. I'm rooting for Jamaal Charles to have a huge game. He's been the best back in the league this year in my opinion, and with a monster game he has an outside shot at snatching the rushing title from Arian Foster.
Pats over the Dolphins. New England doesn't rest their starters much so look for Brady to be in until the blowout is secured.
Saints over the Bucs. Brees wants this one bad and if the Panthers could somehow pull out a miracle in Atlanta, a victory here would give them the 1 seed. That would be pretty incredible considering how they started the season. Even if Tampa loses this game they should feel this year is a complete success. They've come back from the abyss and have a solid future for the next couple of seasons.
Jets over the Bills. Even with a loss last week, the Jets back into the playoffs again. Then again it didn't seem to hurt them last year. The Jets are just flat out more fun with Rex Ryan as their coach. I'm not a fan of the team but they have been more interesting in the last 2 years than they have in the 20 previous years.
Ravens over the Bengals. The Bengals beat the more talented Chargers last week but that says more about the Chargers than it does the Bengals. I agree that's disrespectful to Cincy, but hey they've earned that the past couple of years.
Giants over the Redskins. Grossman mania in D.C.! Actually he has played ok and he's going against a struggling Eli Manning so maybe I should flip this. Nah. The Giants defensive line is still great and they'll do some damage this week.
Eagles over the Cowboys. The Eagles redeem themselves this week even if it's Kolb at QB.
Texans over the Jags. Garrard is out and the Jags lost their mojo late in the season anyway. They are tough enough to win this one but being on the road makes me think the Texans may get the best of them.
49ers over the Cardinals. Singletary is gone so does that mean the Niners come out with less fire? Because that's one thing that guy had. Maybe the only thing. His coaching decisions can be questioned but not his will. So I'm curious to see if San Fran comes out ready to play with some energy.
Packers over the Bears. Nice matchup to end the season. This was actually tough to pick because the Bears are playing so well. But the Pack absolutely need this game.
Colts over the Titans. The Colts don't get their annual "rest the starters day" this year. Maybe that's good. It worked out for them in 2006 when they had to play hard to end the season.
In regards to Tennessee: The Titans owner Bud Adams needs to fire Jeff Fisher after this season. He's an overrated coach and part of the Vince Young mess is his fault too.
Chargers over the Broncos. This week San Diego has nothing to play for except pride. That actually might not be a slam dunk for them then since you think a little pride would have kicked in earlier in the season. Another head coach that needs to go is Norv Turner. That team should be a Super Bowl contender.
Rams over the Seahawks. Go Rams! I haven't had a Ram game that I've been nervous about for years. This is going to be weird. I could could get used to some meaningful games for my favorite team in the league.
Lions over the Vikings. What the Vikes did to the Eagles on Tuesday was impressive. They shut down the Eagle offense and their unknown backup QB, Webb, played surprisingly well. The Lions on the other hand have only won 3 in a row. Yep that's not a typo. 3 in a row. How can you root against the Lions this week if you are not a Vikings fan? A 4 game winning streak to end the season would flat out be awesome for the Lions--- who along with the Rams are giving hope to losing clubs.
One note though: Favre will be sidelined again with injury. Plus he's been recently fined for being a douche. Well.....fined for not cooperating with the league in the Sterger investigation.....but it's pretty much the same thing. That whole situation was a joke though. The NFL's "let's just drag this thing out until the end of the season, then it won't matter" philosophy was classic. Jen Sterger was a pretty unsympathetic character herself, what with her blatant attempt at a money grab. It was pretty obvious with her earliest recorded statements that she wasn't all that upset over the text messages Favre was sending her and the pics if they are from Favre (which I personally don't doubt that they are) seemed to creep her out in an amusing way more than anything (again from her earliest recorded words). I'm not saying it wasn't a sexually harassing thing to do, I'm just saying Sterger doesn't come off as much of a victim with her attitude she displayed. Still, Favre comes out the worst in the debacle. He looks like a guy who wanted to cheat on his wife. For his sake I hope his home life is ok now and that he's got it worked out. So hopefully this time he really does stay retired. He damaged his legacy quite a bit the past 4 years (gained some of it back last year with a stellar season) and then stayed a year too long. Actually kind of fits his personality and the "gambler" he was pegged to be as a QB. Unfortunately for Favre he didn't follow the Kenny Rogers country song. You see, in reality most gamblers don't know when to fold them.
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 130-91 (59%)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 16
Steelers over the Panthers. In the NFL any team is capable of beating another. That's been proven over and over. However the Panthers are in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes for a reason.
Cowboys over the Cardinals. Cowboys still playing for Jason Garrett's job.
Patriots over the Bills. I just read that Terrell Suggs of Baltimore didn't even put Tom Brady on his Pro Bowl balllot but instead had the Bill's Ryan Fitzpatrick on it as a QB. Suggs was doing it out of spite because of he and Brady's well publicized feud this year. Interesting though because Fitzpatrick gets to play against Brady this week and he'll get an up close and personal look at not just a Pro Bowl QB, but a Hall of Fame QB.
Bears over the Jets. Bears are having trouble getting respect despite a great record. This would be a quality win and would help people take them a little more seriously.
Ravens over the Browns. Not terribly interested in this game.
Chiefs over the Titans. I'm wondering if K.C. is feeling the heat. I hope not. I'd like to see them make the playoffs. They need to watch out for Tennessee because they can still be dangerous.
Rams over the 49ers. This game will be on local channels for me this week. It marks the first time I will actually get to watch my Rams this year. Being in the Rocky Mountain area I get a steady diet of Bronco football and a smattering of other popular or winning teams. But the Rams have been non-existent on tv for me the past few years. I actually was ok with that since St. Louis was pretty much unwatchable from 2006-2009. But this year had me yearning for the NFL Ticket package again. I'm on Dish Network so that's not really an option for awhile so I'll have to take advantage of this once-a- season opportunity to see Sam Bradford in action. Now watch a snowstorm roll in this weekend and knock out the power.
Dolphins over the Lions. My favorite receiver is back in the league. Kevin Curtis (from my alma mater of Utah State) has been signed by the Fins and I hope he can show he still has it. Dude had testicular cancer (ouch) and had surgery earlier this year for it. Too bad the Colts didn't sign him. Manning would find he's a lot like the recently reinjured Austin Collie. Great hands and fast. Best of luck Kevin.
Jags over the Redskins. The Skins are in chaos. Shocker. I root for the Colts in the AFC so I would like to see Washington get it together..... at least for this game.
Colts over the Raiders. The Raiders are easily capable of winning this game. They found some old Raider toughness this year. McFadden could run all over the Colts defense if he finds a few holes and the Colts are still without some needed weapons on offense. It's clear that Dallas Clark was the key receiver in that offense. Collie filled some of that void but his concussions have robbed Manning of critical guy. Reggie Wayne is still great but he's double teamed constantly and that slot/middle of the field stuff was Collie's domain. Notice how Austin Collie tore up the Jag's defense last week before he had another horrible concussion. I'm pretty depressed about that injury. Before Collie got hurt the first time this year he was one of the leading receivers in the league. Too bad the second half of the year has been snake bitten for him.
Texans over the Broncos. I'll admit it. I'm not a Tebow hater. I know some are but I like the guy. He plays hard and he seems like genuinely nice guy. I'd like to see him do well.
Chargers over the Bengals. Marvin Lewis needs to be fired this year. Palmer has been awful at QB and the Cincy defense hasn't really stepped up either but Lewis has had his shot and it seems clear he's not the guy to lead the Bengals back to contention.
Packers over the Giants. Do you realize that Eli Manning has thrown 20 interceptions this year? I know it's Christmas time and all but with the increase in brother Payton's picks the Manning family has been entirely too giving this season. Rodgers return should make the difference this week for the Green Bay.
Bucs over the Seahawks. Explain to me again why Pete Carroll went after Charlie Whitehurst as a QB this past offseason. I know Matt Hasselbeck has been washed up for years but that's not the answer. Seattle seems like they need a complete overhaul on offense.
Eagles over the Vikings. I've seen two games that made my jaw drop this year. Both involved Michael Vick. The Redskin game and last week's Giants games are keepers on my DVR.
Saints over the Falcons. This is the best game game on paper going into this week. Can the Saints regain some swagger and knock off the Falcons at home? I think they have the potential but they really need to start playing some better defense. Matt Ryan has been awesome at home and this is probably not smart on my part picking the Saints on the road in Atlanta.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall:120-85 (59%)
Cowboys over the Cardinals. Cowboys still playing for Jason Garrett's job.
Patriots over the Bills. I just read that Terrell Suggs of Baltimore didn't even put Tom Brady on his Pro Bowl balllot but instead had the Bill's Ryan Fitzpatrick on it as a QB. Suggs was doing it out of spite because of he and Brady's well publicized feud this year. Interesting though because Fitzpatrick gets to play against Brady this week and he'll get an up close and personal look at not just a Pro Bowl QB, but a Hall of Fame QB.
Bears over the Jets. Bears are having trouble getting respect despite a great record. This would be a quality win and would help people take them a little more seriously.
Ravens over the Browns. Not terribly interested in this game.
Chiefs over the Titans. I'm wondering if K.C. is feeling the heat. I hope not. I'd like to see them make the playoffs. They need to watch out for Tennessee because they can still be dangerous.
Rams over the 49ers. This game will be on local channels for me this week. It marks the first time I will actually get to watch my Rams this year. Being in the Rocky Mountain area I get a steady diet of Bronco football and a smattering of other popular or winning teams. But the Rams have been non-existent on tv for me the past few years. I actually was ok with that since St. Louis was pretty much unwatchable from 2006-2009. But this year had me yearning for the NFL Ticket package again. I'm on Dish Network so that's not really an option for awhile so I'll have to take advantage of this once-a- season opportunity to see Sam Bradford in action. Now watch a snowstorm roll in this weekend and knock out the power.
Dolphins over the Lions. My favorite receiver is back in the league. Kevin Curtis (from my alma mater of Utah State) has been signed by the Fins and I hope he can show he still has it. Dude had testicular cancer (ouch) and had surgery earlier this year for it. Too bad the Colts didn't sign him. Manning would find he's a lot like the recently reinjured Austin Collie. Great hands and fast. Best of luck Kevin.
Jags over the Redskins. The Skins are in chaos. Shocker. I root for the Colts in the AFC so I would like to see Washington get it together..... at least for this game.
Colts over the Raiders. The Raiders are easily capable of winning this game. They found some old Raider toughness this year. McFadden could run all over the Colts defense if he finds a few holes and the Colts are still without some needed weapons on offense. It's clear that Dallas Clark was the key receiver in that offense. Collie filled some of that void but his concussions have robbed Manning of critical guy. Reggie Wayne is still great but he's double teamed constantly and that slot/middle of the field stuff was Collie's domain. Notice how Austin Collie tore up the Jag's defense last week before he had another horrible concussion. I'm pretty depressed about that injury. Before Collie got hurt the first time this year he was one of the leading receivers in the league. Too bad the second half of the year has been snake bitten for him.
Texans over the Broncos. I'll admit it. I'm not a Tebow hater. I know some are but I like the guy. He plays hard and he seems like genuinely nice guy. I'd like to see him do well.
Chargers over the Bengals. Marvin Lewis needs to be fired this year. Palmer has been awful at QB and the Cincy defense hasn't really stepped up either but Lewis has had his shot and it seems clear he's not the guy to lead the Bengals back to contention.
Packers over the Giants. Do you realize that Eli Manning has thrown 20 interceptions this year? I know it's Christmas time and all but with the increase in brother Payton's picks the Manning family has been entirely too giving this season. Rodgers return should make the difference this week for the Green Bay.
Bucs over the Seahawks. Explain to me again why Pete Carroll went after Charlie Whitehurst as a QB this past offseason. I know Matt Hasselbeck has been washed up for years but that's not the answer. Seattle seems like they need a complete overhaul on offense.
Eagles over the Vikings. I've seen two games that made my jaw drop this year. Both involved Michael Vick. The Redskin game and last week's Giants games are keepers on my DVR.
Saints over the Falcons. This is the best game game on paper going into this week. Can the Saints regain some swagger and knock off the Falcons at home? I think they have the potential but they really need to start playing some better defense. Matt Ryan has been awesome at home and this is probably not smart on my part picking the Saints on the road in Atlanta.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall:120-85 (59%)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 15
Chargers over the 49ers. I would say this is a lock but then again the Chargers did lose to the Raiders a couple of weeks ago. I know, I know, Oakland has improved this year but the Chargers are supposed to be good and they have a top 5 QB. They could finish the season out strong and if K.C. chokes the division away San Diego could be the team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.
Browns over the Bengals. What did the Browns pay Jake Delhomme this year? 8 Mil? Jake is laughing all the way to the bank. Looked stupid when they signed the deal and it looks even stupider now. Colt McCoy is perhaps not the long term answer at QB but has potential and that's something Cleveland needs.
Texans over the Titans. Chris Johnson meet Arian Foster again. The guy who might take your rushing title from you.
Ravens over the Saints. Some are asking what's wrong with the Ravens. They lost to Pittsburgh and had to struggle to beat the Texans. Nothing is wrong unless you mistakenly had the Ravens pegged as the best team in the AFC a month ago, as many did. They're a good team. They're just not a Super Bowl team yet. I hope the Saints can take this one but they are in Baltimore and that may just give the Ravens the edge they need this week.
Jags over the Colts . Nothing the Colts have done this season leads me to believe they can win out and take their division. Except they are the Colts and despite some playoff failures in the past decade they have managed to pull out some remarkable regular season victories. The Jags just look tougher though and I think they'll gash the Colts with their running game.
Cowboys over the Redskins. Grossman at QB. That's outstanding. Shannahan and son are brilliant. I know McNabb is washed up, but at least he was great once. Grossman came into the league washed up. It almost makes me want to root for the Cowboys. Almost.
Bills over the Dolphins. Some games are forgettable before they're even played.
Bucs over the Lions. It would sure be fun if next year the Lions could have a promising season like the Bucs are having.
Chiefs over the Rams. A game with possible playoff implications for both teams. Kinda sounds weird when talking that way about the Rams and Chiefs doesn't it?
Cardinals over the Panthers. Someone has to win this.
Giants over the Eagles. Vick has to hope he doesn't get battered like the last time he saw the G-Men. I do agree with those that say Vick doesn't get the same protection as other QBs. He brings some of the hits on himself but there are other times when the refs seem to be swallowing their whistles. The hit he took out of bounds last week (a penalty that wasn't called) was ridiculous.
Falcons over the Seahawks. Seattle is tough at home so this is another game for Atlanta to show they are the NFC team to beat this year.
Raiders over the Broncos. This rivalry just doesn't have the same juice without the background noise of Shannahan and his feud against Al Davis.
Steelers over the Jets. The Jets' close victories earlier in the season look like a sign that they were getting a bit lucky rather than being really good.
Patriots over the Packers. If Aaron Rodgers was playing for the Packers this week I would give them a fighting chance against the Pats. He's out with the concussion symptoms and without him it could be a blowout for New England.
Bears over the Vikings. It's really strange to see Favre on the sidelines. His streak was to me the most impressive of all playing streaks among the different sports. Cal Ripken and Lou Gehrig were great but they didn't have Michael Strahan or Ed Reed trying to take their head off. Favre stayed at least a year too long and I've had my fill of the drama but the guy was fun to watch. His legacy has been destroyed in the short term but hopefully we can look back again at some point and remember when he was the most popular player in the league..... and one of the best.
Browns over the Bengals. What did the Browns pay Jake Delhomme this year? 8 Mil? Jake is laughing all the way to the bank. Looked stupid when they signed the deal and it looks even stupider now. Colt McCoy is perhaps not the long term answer at QB but has potential and that's something Cleveland needs.
Texans over the Titans. Chris Johnson meet Arian Foster again. The guy who might take your rushing title from you.
Ravens over the Saints. Some are asking what's wrong with the Ravens. They lost to Pittsburgh and had to struggle to beat the Texans. Nothing is wrong unless you mistakenly had the Ravens pegged as the best team in the AFC a month ago, as many did. They're a good team. They're just not a Super Bowl team yet. I hope the Saints can take this one but they are in Baltimore and that may just give the Ravens the edge they need this week.
Jags over the Colts . Nothing the Colts have done this season leads me to believe they can win out and take their division. Except they are the Colts and despite some playoff failures in the past decade they have managed to pull out some remarkable regular season victories. The Jags just look tougher though and I think they'll gash the Colts with their running game.
Cowboys over the Redskins. Grossman at QB. That's outstanding. Shannahan and son are brilliant. I know McNabb is washed up, but at least he was great once. Grossman came into the league washed up. It almost makes me want to root for the Cowboys. Almost.
Bills over the Dolphins. Some games are forgettable before they're even played.
Bucs over the Lions. It would sure be fun if next year the Lions could have a promising season like the Bucs are having.
Chiefs over the Rams. A game with possible playoff implications for both teams. Kinda sounds weird when talking that way about the Rams and Chiefs doesn't it?
Cardinals over the Panthers. Someone has to win this.
Giants over the Eagles. Vick has to hope he doesn't get battered like the last time he saw the G-Men. I do agree with those that say Vick doesn't get the same protection as other QBs. He brings some of the hits on himself but there are other times when the refs seem to be swallowing their whistles. The hit he took out of bounds last week (a penalty that wasn't called) was ridiculous.
Falcons over the Seahawks. Seattle is tough at home so this is another game for Atlanta to show they are the NFC team to beat this year.
Raiders over the Broncos. This rivalry just doesn't have the same juice without the background noise of Shannahan and his feud against Al Davis.
Steelers over the Jets. The Jets' close victories earlier in the season look like a sign that they were getting a bit lucky rather than being really good.
Patriots over the Packers. If Aaron Rodgers was playing for the Packers this week I would give them a fighting chance against the Pats. He's out with the concussion symptoms and without him it could be a blowout for New England.
Bears over the Vikings. It's really strange to see Favre on the sidelines. His streak was to me the most impressive of all playing streaks among the different sports. Cal Ripken and Lou Gehrig were great but they didn't have Michael Strahan or Ed Reed trying to take their head off. Favre stayed at least a year too long and I've had my fill of the drama but the guy was fun to watch. His legacy has been destroyed in the short term but hopefully we can look back again at some point and remember when he was the most popular player in the league..... and one of the best.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 14
I hate this time of year in the NFL. Reason? We are in sight of the end of the regular season. Then it's playoff time, Super Bowl and the season is done. That's right...I was the kid that got pissed about Christmas being over before it was even over. I can't help it.
Colts over the Titans. It's the case of two reeling teams. The difference I believe is that Indy is desperate and Tennessee is past that point. They seem to be in the "I don't give a #$%# mode right now and even though Manning is just downright awful at the moment, I'll take him over whoever the Titans trot out there. Having said that......as someone who roots for the Colts, it is hard to watch them this year. They are grinding offensive plays out like never before. 5 yards. 2 yards, 7 yards. 1 yard. Mind you, these are all passes. Reggie Wayne is the only guy stretching the field for them and even he has dropped some critical passes. Garcon is not having the type of year I thought he would have considering he is a main target. Additionally, the running game is a joke. Here is where Manning's complex offense comes back to bite the Colts in the rear end. I believe they have passed on very talented runners in the draft and in free agency who they feel would not be suited for picking up the blocking schemes in a very complex offense. For the Colts pass protection is job A and job B for a running back. Picking up yards on the ground is an afterthought...... and that's killing them right now. Having Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Joseph Addai out with injury are key factors for sure, but think back to how Manning won his only Super Bowl. Remember a running back named Dominic Rhodes and how he tore up the vaunted Chicago Bears defense? I'm not saying he was a fantastic runner in his career, but he was awesome that day and he was just as responsible for that victory as Manning was. Watch the tape sometime. You'll agree.
p.s. I just googled Dominic Rhodes' name to make sure I spelled his name right and lo and behold I read that the Colts just resigned him due to the injuries to their running backs. You can't make this stuff up. Well....you can but why would I want to?
Browns over the Bills. The Bills are at home and despite their record they aren't pushovers. Still, even with Jake Delhomme trying to give the game away for Cleveland last week they managed to win it in a squeaker. I'm taking the Browns in another shocker to myself.
Steelers over the Bengals. The Steelers need to keep an eye on this one. The Bengals have a habit of playing them tough and they could be easy t
o overlook for a Pittsburgh team that just had one of the more impressive wins of the year over the Ravens. I can tell you one thing: a whole lot of women around the country saw Ben Roethlisberger's broken nose in the game and stood up applauded.
Packers over the Lions. It's a divisional game so I guess it could be tougher than it looks. But the Pack look really good to me.
Giants over the Vikings. I think NY ends Favre's season if he plays in this game. Their pass rush is relentless. The Vikes should play Tavaris Jackson, hand the ball to Adrian Peterson and prep for next year.
Bucs over the Redskins. Tampa still hasn't beat a team with a winning record. They're good but not playoff good. They've made progress this year and next year we might be talking about them as a sexy pick to compete for their division. There is nothing sexy about the Skins though. Not from El Creepo Eyes Shannahan to Albert Haynesworth's incredibly lazy and incredibly rich butt, to Donovon McNabb's rapidly disappearing career. .
---And by the way I loved the throwback creamsicle orange unis the Bucs wore last week. I would never advocate for it to come back full time (just like I think the powder blues for the Chargers isn't a good look week to week) but a little nostalgic homage to the 70s and 80s in Tampa was nice.......Even if that nostalgia invokes memories of total and complete futility.
Falcons over the Panthers. Kudos to the Panther punter who made TD saving tackle on a showboating Seahawk Leon Washington this past week. That highlight will be saved and packaged by him for Christmas gift dvd stocking stuffers.
-If the Falcons are truly serious contenders this year then this game shouldn't even be close.
Jags over the Raiders. If only the Raiders could just play teams in their own division. They own those guys! Too bad for them they have to go on the road to play a hot Jacksonville team. ---Hey can we all agree that the Saints picked the wrong Southern California running back in the draft a few years back? Reggie Bush is a dangerous weapon for the Saints when healthy but Maurice Jones Drew is the complete package. He was overlooked and overshadowed at UCLA by the flashier Bush at USC. But their numbers were comparable in college and it's not even close in the Pros. Drew by a mile.
49ers over the Seahawks. Seems like the Niners always play well at home against Seattle. Alex Smith is starting but that probably isn't exciting anyone in the Bay area.
Saints over the Rams. Bradford is not ready to take down the Saints at home.
Jets over the Dolphins. NY needs to show that the Pats game was a fluke. Too bad for them it wasn't. New England is a much better team with a living legend at QB. Mark Sanchize Sanchez at this point is talented but could not fill out Brady's jockstrap (metaphorically speaking).
Broncos over the Cards. the "win one for the interim coach" thing has worked so far this year for a couple of clubs so why not the Broncos? Hard to believe how far the Broncos have fallen the past couple of years. Wasn't too long ago we were thinking of them as a team with massive potential. Cutler at QB, Marshall at receiver. A opportunistic defense. It's not all McDaniels fault. But he did set some of the dominoes in motion and for that (and other stupid things) he probably did deserve to get whacked.
Chargers over the Chiefs. I wish K.C. could get this one but I have a feeling San Diego will continue to string people along with another shot of hope. I know the Chargers have gone deep in the playoffs a couple of times recently but it sure seems like they are one of the prime contenders for wasting the most of their talent over the past half decade.
Eagles over the Cowboys. The rebirth of John Kitana! Again! Yikes! Dallas is at home this week in the "House that Jerry Built" but I'm going with Vick and the Eagles. It's funner that way.
Ravens over the Texans. Arian Foster might have a tough time running against the Ravens.
Patriots over the Bears. I've said it and I've said it. And it makes me sick to say it. Tom Brady is the best QB in the league. Maybe the best QB of all time. Certainly the best QB in the past decade. Manning made it interesting for a couple of years but there just isn't any doubt that Brady is the best. He's unstoppable. He's calm, strong armed, tall, insanely accurate, has great timing and leaps tall buildings in his spare time. Had it not been for his season ending injury 2 years ago, he probably would have taken the Patriots back to the SuperBowl that year too. He had just come off the amazing 2007 year (re-writing the record book) and he had a good team that Matt Cassel ended up winning 11 games with as a backup. Last year was a bit of down year for him coming off the injury but he's back in form and .....and....and I need to throw up. I must control my hate. I must control my hate. It's all about baby steps in my anti-Patriot therapy.
Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 113-78
Colts over the Titans. It's the case of two reeling teams. The difference I believe is that Indy is desperate and Tennessee is past that point. They seem to be in the "I don't give a #$%# mode right now and even though Manning is just downright awful at the moment, I'll take him over whoever the Titans trot out there. Having said that......as someone who roots for the Colts, it is hard to watch them this year. They are grinding offensive plays out like never before. 5 yards. 2 yards, 7 yards. 1 yard. Mind you, these are all passes. Reggie Wayne is the only guy stretching the field for them and even he has dropped some critical passes. Garcon is not having the type of year I thought he would have considering he is a main target. Additionally, the running game is a joke. Here is where Manning's complex offense comes back to bite the Colts in the rear end. I believe they have passed on very talented runners in the draft and in free agency who they feel would not be suited for picking up the blocking schemes in a very complex offense. For the Colts pass protection is job A and job B for a running back. Picking up yards on the ground is an afterthought...... and that's killing them right now. Having Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Joseph Addai out with injury are key factors for sure, but think back to how Manning won his only Super Bowl. Remember a running back named Dominic Rhodes and how he tore up the vaunted Chicago Bears defense? I'm not saying he was a fantastic runner in his career, but he was awesome that day and he was just as responsible for that victory as Manning was. Watch the tape sometime. You'll agree.
p.s. I just googled Dominic Rhodes' name to make sure I spelled his name right and lo and behold I read that the Colts just resigned him due to the injuries to their running backs. You can't make this stuff up. Well....you can but why would I want to?
Browns over the Bills. The Bills are at home and despite their record they aren't pushovers. Still, even with Jake Delhomme trying to give the game away for Cleveland last week they managed to win it in a squeaker. I'm taking the Browns in another shocker to myself.
Steelers over the Bengals. The Steelers need to keep an eye on this one. The Bengals have a habit of playing them tough and they could be easy t
o overlook for a Pittsburgh team that just had one of the more impressive wins of the year over the Ravens. I can tell you one thing: a whole lot of women around the country saw Ben Roethlisberger's broken nose in the game and stood up applauded.Packers over the Lions. It's a divisional game so I guess it could be tougher than it looks. But the Pack look really good to me.
Giants over the Vikings. I think NY ends Favre's season if he plays in this game. Their pass rush is relentless. The Vikes should play Tavaris Jackson, hand the ball to Adrian Peterson and prep for next year.
Bucs over the Redskins. Tampa still hasn't beat a team with a winning record. They're good but not playoff good. They've made progress this year and next year we might be talking about them as a sexy pick to compete for their division. There is nothing sexy about the Skins though. Not from El Creepo Eyes Shannahan to Albert Haynesworth's incredibly lazy and incredibly rich butt, to Donovon McNabb's rapidly disappearing career. .
---And by the way I loved the throwback creamsicle orange unis the Bucs wore last week. I would never advocate for it to come back full time (just like I think the powder blues for the Chargers isn't a good look week to week) but a little nostalgic homage to the 70s and 80s in Tampa was nice.......Even if that nostalgia invokes memories of total and complete futility.
Falcons over the Panthers. Kudos to the Panther punter who made TD saving tackle on a showboating Seahawk Leon Washington this past week. That highlight will be saved and packaged by him for Christmas gift dvd stocking stuffers.
-If the Falcons are truly serious contenders this year then this game shouldn't even be close.
Jags over the Raiders. If only the Raiders could just play teams in their own division. They own those guys! Too bad for them they have to go on the road to play a hot Jacksonville team. ---Hey can we all agree that the Saints picked the wrong Southern California running back in the draft a few years back? Reggie Bush is a dangerous weapon for the Saints when healthy but Maurice Jones Drew is the complete package. He was overlooked and overshadowed at UCLA by the flashier Bush at USC. But their numbers were comparable in college and it's not even close in the Pros. Drew by a mile.
49ers over the Seahawks. Seems like the Niners always play well at home against Seattle. Alex Smith is starting but that probably isn't exciting anyone in the Bay area.
Saints over the Rams. Bradford is not ready to take down the Saints at home.
Jets over the Dolphins. NY needs to show that the Pats game was a fluke. Too bad for them it wasn't. New England is a much better team with a living legend at QB. Mark Sanchize Sanchez at this point is talented but could not fill out Brady's jockstrap (metaphorically speaking).
Broncos over the Cards. the "win one for the interim coach" thing has worked so far this year for a couple of clubs so why not the Broncos? Hard to believe how far the Broncos have fallen the past couple of years. Wasn't too long ago we were thinking of them as a team with massive potential. Cutler at QB, Marshall at receiver. A opportunistic defense. It's not all McDaniels fault. But he did set some of the dominoes in motion and for that (and other stupid things) he probably did deserve to get whacked.
Chargers over the Chiefs. I wish K.C. could get this one but I have a feeling San Diego will continue to string people along with another shot of hope. I know the Chargers have gone deep in the playoffs a couple of times recently but it sure seems like they are one of the prime contenders for wasting the most of their talent over the past half decade.
Eagles over the Cowboys. The rebirth of John Kitana! Again! Yikes! Dallas is at home this week in the "House that Jerry Built" but I'm going with Vick and the Eagles. It's funner that way.
Ravens over the Texans. Arian Foster might have a tough time running against the Ravens.
Patriots over the Bears. I've said it and I've said it. And it makes me sick to say it. Tom Brady is the best QB in the league. Maybe the best QB of all time. Certainly the best QB in the past decade. Manning made it interesting for a couple of years but there just isn't any doubt that Brady is the best. He's unstoppable. He's calm, strong armed, tall, insanely accurate, has great timing and leaps tall buildings in his spare time. Had it not been for his season ending injury 2 years ago, he probably would have taken the Patriots back to the SuperBowl that year too. He had just come off the amazing 2007 year (re-writing the record book) and he had a good team that Matt Cassel ended up winning 11 games with as a backup. Last year was a bit of down year for him coming off the injury but he's back in form and .....and....and I need to throw up. I must control my hate. I must control my hate. It's all about baby steps in my anti-Patriot therapy.
Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 113-78
Thursday, December 02, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 13
Eagles over the Texans. I think the Eagles bounce back this week. How great was the Johnson fight last week? I have never liked the Titan's corner (Finnegan). As awesome as it was, both needed to be suspended and it really is a joke that the NFL is so inconsistent in their punishments.
Saints over the Bengals. The Saints are not as good away from home but the way the Bengals have been playing doesn't leave you full of confidence that they can deny them a victory. Brees hasn't been spectacular this year but he's still been very good. The Saints may sneak up on people this year which is kind of weird because they are the defending champions.
Bears over the Lions. Looks like I'm going to have to accept it. The Bears may just be good again. Their offense has improved and their defense is ferocious . Julius Peppers is not the only one making plays (Urlacher is back in form) but Peppers seems to be a perfect fit in Chicago.
Packers over the 49ers. If the Pack can get rid of the mental mistakes this should be a blowout. Does anyone throw a better deep ball than Aaron Rodgers? His arm and that tight spiral are the stuff of legend already.
Jaguars over the Titans. I just can't get over how badly it went for Vince Young this year. His QB rating was solid. He had some nice victories. And then he completely melted down. If he wasn't injured this would be a huge story the rest of the season. Imagine what would happen to this guy if things ever went really bad. He might disappear and threaten to harm himself. Oh wait, that already happened. --Compare him to the Jag's David Garrard. This is a guy who in my opinion is not much more than an average QB but who has good leadership skills. He has his good and bad days. But do you ever hear much controversy about him? No, he has some maturity which is a must if you want to last a few years as a QB in the NFL.
Chiefs over the Broncos. Time for me to beat a dead horse again. The best running back in the NFL this season is Jamaal Charles. I've been saying he needs more carries. He nearly has as many yards as the Texan's Arian Foster and he has approximately 80 fewer rushing attempts! Maybe he has fresh legs and that's why he's been great. I don't know. I don't think he needs to be a workhorse but 4-5 more carries a game at least is reasonable. The K.C. offense has been solid with Dwayne Bowe at receiver and Matt Cassel is living up to some expectations. Stats aren't everything but he has some nice numbers this year they do indicate that he's worth keeping around.
--speaking of stats...... the Bronco's Kyle Orton has some great numbers and should get a shot next year as well but the running game isn't there this year and the Denver defense has given up some critical touchdowns. I can't go with them against the Chiefs at home.
Dolphins over the Browns. Delhomme almost killed Cleveland last week. He's starting again this week. Yikes.
Vikings over the Bills. Was it last week ..or the week before that I praised the up and coming Bills receiver Steve Johnson? Then he goes out and drops 5 passes (none more critical than the overtime drop in the endzone). He wasn't done screwing up though. His "tweet" where he blames God for the butter fingers is classic. Watch for lightning Stevie....24/7
Giants over the Redskins. Doesn't matter that Tom Coughlin is starting Brandon Jacobs over Bradshaw at running back this week. If Jacobs can't get it done, Bradshaw will be back in (fumbling problems or not).
Chargers over the Raiders. Is San Diego now an elite AFC team? Maybe. --5 and 5 is a very average record and they are just as responsible for losses as they are for their very impressive victories. We'll see how it ends up later. Maybe the Chargers will be like the great race horse Zenyatta, always charging down the backstretch.
Seahawks over the Panthers. These are the types of home games that Seattle is usually automatic with.
Falcons over the Bucs. This is Tampa's great chance to prove they are as good as their record. They've beaten nothing but cupcakes this year and now a heavyweight comes to town. Let's go Josh Freeman. Rise and shine.
Rams over the Cardinals. Rams have to win this game. Have to. They play the Saints and Chiefs next, and then finish with divisional foes Seattle and San Francisco. I think the latter two are very winnable but K.C. and New Orleans might be a problem. So if they can go 3-2 to end the season they'll sit at 8-8 which definitely could win the NFC West. It's not pretty but neither am I ---and my wife still loves me.
Colts over the Cowboys. I need to face facts this year. The Colts are just not that good right now. Manning has been average this year but it's not all on him. He's got no running game and his receivers are dropping like flies. And those that are healthy are playing hot potato with his passes. He needs Austin Collie back who is a very reliable target over the middle. If Collie can keep from getting his bell rung again and the Colts can get a few easy TDs going into the final weeks then maybe they can become dangerous again. They have a favorable schedule to finish up the season so if they can get a game ahead of the Jags and stay there they will be in the playoffs again. But they sure don't look like contenders this year.
Steelers over the Ravens. This seems like a tough one to pick. Two teams with warrior mentalities. They usually play close and nasty. I'm going with the Steelers in another tight one.
Patriots over the Jets. I'm conflicted here. I agree with the thought that if the Jets were to win this and then had to play the Pats in the playoffs, they would struggle to win 3 straight games against Brady and crew. Who knows if they'll meet in the playoffs though. Go Jets.
Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 100-75 (57%)
Saints over the Bengals. The Saints are not as good away from home but the way the Bengals have been playing doesn't leave you full of confidence that they can deny them a victory. Brees hasn't been spectacular this year but he's still been very good. The Saints may sneak up on people this year which is kind of weird because they are the defending champions.
Bears over the Lions. Looks like I'm going to have to accept it. The Bears may just be good again. Their offense has improved and their defense is ferocious . Julius Peppers is not the only one making plays (Urlacher is back in form) but Peppers seems to be a perfect fit in Chicago.
Packers over the 49ers. If the Pack can get rid of the mental mistakes this should be a blowout. Does anyone throw a better deep ball than Aaron Rodgers? His arm and that tight spiral are the stuff of legend already.
Jaguars over the Titans. I just can't get over how badly it went for Vince Young this year. His QB rating was solid. He had some nice victories. And then he completely melted down. If he wasn't injured this would be a huge story the rest of the season. Imagine what would happen to this guy if things ever went really bad. He might disappear and threaten to harm himself. Oh wait, that already happened. --Compare him to the Jag's David Garrard. This is a guy who in my opinion is not much more than an average QB but who has good leadership skills. He has his good and bad days. But do you ever hear much controversy about him? No, he has some maturity which is a must if you want to last a few years as a QB in the NFL.
Chiefs over the Broncos. Time for me to beat a dead horse again. The best running back in the NFL this season is Jamaal Charles. I've been saying he needs more carries. He nearly has as many yards as the Texan's Arian Foster and he has approximately 80 fewer rushing attempts! Maybe he has fresh legs and that's why he's been great. I don't know. I don't think he needs to be a workhorse but 4-5 more carries a game at least is reasonable. The K.C. offense has been solid with Dwayne Bowe at receiver and Matt Cassel is living up to some expectations. Stats aren't everything but he has some nice numbers this year they do indicate that he's worth keeping around.
--speaking of stats...... the Bronco's Kyle Orton has some great numbers and should get a shot next year as well but the running game isn't there this year and the Denver defense has given up some critical touchdowns. I can't go with them against the Chiefs at home.
Dolphins over the Browns. Delhomme almost killed Cleveland last week. He's starting again this week. Yikes.
Vikings over the Bills. Was it last week ..or the week before that I praised the up and coming Bills receiver Steve Johnson? Then he goes out and drops 5 passes (none more critical than the overtime drop in the endzone). He wasn't done screwing up though. His "tweet" where he blames God for the butter fingers is classic. Watch for lightning Stevie....24/7
Giants over the Redskins. Doesn't matter that Tom Coughlin is starting Brandon Jacobs over Bradshaw at running back this week. If Jacobs can't get it done, Bradshaw will be back in (fumbling problems or not).
Chargers over the Raiders. Is San Diego now an elite AFC team? Maybe. --5 and 5 is a very average record and they are just as responsible for losses as they are for their very impressive victories. We'll see how it ends up later. Maybe the Chargers will be like the great race horse Zenyatta, always charging down the backstretch.
Seahawks over the Panthers. These are the types of home games that Seattle is usually automatic with.
Falcons over the Bucs. This is Tampa's great chance to prove they are as good as their record. They've beaten nothing but cupcakes this year and now a heavyweight comes to town. Let's go Josh Freeman. Rise and shine.
Rams over the Cardinals. Rams have to win this game. Have to. They play the Saints and Chiefs next, and then finish with divisional foes Seattle and San Francisco. I think the latter two are very winnable but K.C. and New Orleans might be a problem. So if they can go 3-2 to end the season they'll sit at 8-8 which definitely could win the NFC West. It's not pretty but neither am I ---and my wife still loves me.
Colts over the Cowboys. I need to face facts this year. The Colts are just not that good right now. Manning has been average this year but it's not all on him. He's got no running game and his receivers are dropping like flies. And those that are healthy are playing hot potato with his passes. He needs Austin Collie back who is a very reliable target over the middle. If Collie can keep from getting his bell rung again and the Colts can get a few easy TDs going into the final weeks then maybe they can become dangerous again. They have a favorable schedule to finish up the season so if they can get a game ahead of the Jags and stay there they will be in the playoffs again. But they sure don't look like contenders this year.
Steelers over the Ravens. This seems like a tough one to pick. Two teams with warrior mentalities. They usually play close and nasty. I'm going with the Steelers in another tight one.
Patriots over the Jets. I'm conflicted here. I agree with the thought that if the Jets were to win this and then had to play the Pats in the playoffs, they would struggle to win 3 straight games against Brady and crew. Who knows if they'll meet in the playoffs though. Go Jets.
Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 100-75 (57%)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 12
Patriots over the Lions. I'll be on the road when this game is going on and I'm kind of glad about that. I'd be tempted to watch and frankly it's always hard for me to stomach the Patriots when they are winning. They should continue their success against Detroit but since I won't see it I'll still have my appetite when we hit the in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. New England is amazing at finding very good offensive players that other teams either don't see the value in or can't take advantage of their talents. Welker, Woodhead, Branch, are examples. I still buy into the theory that they are better offensively without Moss. They won't score like they did a couple of years but they will score when it counts. Brady had another good game this past week with Indy. It's true the Pats lucked out a bit with the Colts when Manning threw that killer interception in the final minute but Brady is still the best QB in the league and most of the time they won't need luck.
Saints over the Cowboys. You know, I suppose the Cowboys could take the good vibe that's going on in Big "D" right now and win one for Jerry Jones on Turkey Day. But really, who wants that besides the good folks in Texas and all those "America's Team" diehards around the nation. I'm taking the Saints in this holiday battle.
Jets over the Bengals. Another close victory for the Jets last week. That can't be good for Rex Ryan's heart can it? Perhaps this is insensitive but they really need a couple of blowouts because Rex is a heart attack waiting to happen. I caught the last couple of minutes of the Jets/Texans game and I have to admit Sanchez was brilliant in the final minute when he threw two fantastic passes to win it. This week the battle between the Jet's corners (Revis & Cromartie) and Ochocinco and Owens brings some intrigue to a game that otherwise isn't all that interesting to me.
Falcons over the Packers. A lot of people might go with the Pack in this one. I'm tempted because they are awesome right now. Atlanta has been pretty decent too and they are tough at home. I actually think Rodgers is better than Matt Ryan but I think the Falcons will help out their QB this week. They are motivated to prove they are as good as their record.
Steelers over the Bills. The Bills are scrappy so you can't sleep on them. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has some mobility and some guts ....that's right, Harvard guys have guts too!.....and receiver Steve Johnson looks like a breakout start this season (over 700 yards). Still, when it comes right down to it the Steelers are just better.
Browns over the Panthers. It's risky taking the Browns with Jake Delhomme back under center this week but they play harder than the Panthers do. With Stanford QB Andrew Luck looking pretty damn good this year it seems that the Bills and Panthers are playing for his draft pick. Right now Carolina looks like it might get a crack at him. If you are a fan of a crappy franchise, do you root for your team to lose just so you can get a chance at a possible franchise QB? Speaking as a Ram fan who likes Sam Bradford a lot...........Yes...Yes you do.
Giants over the Jags. The Giants defensive front is relentless. Justin Tuck and company should harass David Garrard all day. Can he file a lawsuit if that happens?
Vikings over the Redskins. What the hell. They shouldn't win this. But maybe they have a "Chili" rebound. Brad Childress was a bad coach but the Vikings are just not that good this year and number 4 is one of the main reasons why. He has below a 70 passer rating. Maybe Tavaris Jackson would be better but they are into Favre for 20 mil. and you can't have that pile of cash sitting on the bench.
Texans over the Titans. So Vince Young goes mental again and will need to salvage his career next year. Young clearly does not have the mentality to be a starting QB in the NFL. I'm not saying he isn't intelligent (how do you measure that anyway?) but he certainly is lazy and immature. Receivers might be able to get away with that at times but the QB can't. Still I don't think Fisher is blameless in the Titan's problems. He's a strong personality and his teams always play hard but truthfully most of the years Fisher has been coaching his teams have been mediocre. In 16 full seasons he has coached the Oiler/Texan franchise he has 6 winning seasons. 6 out of 16. Is that surprising? It is too me. He is talked about as a great coach. The record doesn't support that. This week Fisher gets the equally frustrating and mediocre Texans. Houston should send everything they have at the inexperienced Tennessee QB that will be filling in the for the foreseeable future. What's his name again? Rusty Smith? Maybe Rusty will provide a spark. Maybe he'll get manhandled. I'm betting (figuratively speaking) on the latter.
Chiefs over the Seahawks. I know the Hawks are tough at home but the Chiefs have a more talented team. They need to win this to show they are legit.
Raiders over the Dolphins. Richard Seymour was stupid to punch Roethlisberger last week. The Steeler QB bumped him and no doubt said something douchey...... but he's a QB for hell's sake. You can't do what he did and not pay the piper. Maybe the Raiders won't need him though. Brandon Marshall may be out, and Henne or Thigpen haven't shown much this year. The Raiders should startGradkowski and hand the ball to McFadden.
Broncos over the Rams. I'm just not sure all the pieces are there yet for any consistency with the Rams. I think Bradford as QB means St. Louis is competes is not an automatic loss anymore. But they aren't legit winners yet either. Denver is going to throw a lot and the Ram defense needs to play much better than they did last week.
Bears over the Eagles. They'll be in Chicago and the Bears seem to be better than I've been giving them credit for. Vick is playing well but I agree with those that say he is taking too many hits. How is he going to survive the rest of the season? He better look out for Urlacher who is making up for a couple of lost years.
Ravens over the Bucs. If Tampa really wants to prove they are for real they need to beat Baltimore. Every win they have this year is against a team that currently has a losing record. The three quality teams they've played (Falcons, Steelers, & Saints) have beaten them and 2 of those contests weren't even close. I like the Bucs but there is a good chance they'll go 3-3 to end the season (ending up at 10-6) and they possibly won't beat a good team the entire way.
Colts over the Chargers. I'm already thinking I might be wrong about this. The game is in Indy but the Colts have that grind it out offense this year and Manning has to do more than ever to win games. Speaking of doing it all, Rivers has been fantastic so far. That weird arm motion of his makes me think the ball can't possibly get where it's intended to go but somehow it does. A loss would be a real setback for either team so I hope the Colts can pull it out.
49ers over the Cardinals. Disappointing teams with QB issues. Not an unusual thing in the NFL. The NFC West sucks donkeys....... so amazing as it sounds, both of these clubs still have a a shot of winning the division. By the way they each have 3 victories. Could we have a sub .500 division winner this year? And if that happens could we get any traction on at least the idea of giving playoff home games to teams with better records?
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 87-72
Saints over the Cowboys. You know, I suppose the Cowboys could take the good vibe that's going on in Big "D" right now and win one for Jerry Jones on Turkey Day. But really, who wants that besides the good folks in Texas and all those "America's Team" diehards around the nation. I'm taking the Saints in this holiday battle.
Jets over the Bengals. Another close victory for the Jets last week. That can't be good for Rex Ryan's heart can it? Perhaps this is insensitive but they really need a couple of blowouts because Rex is a heart attack waiting to happen. I caught the last couple of minutes of the Jets/Texans game and I have to admit Sanchez was brilliant in the final minute when he threw two fantastic passes to win it. This week the battle between the Jet's corners (Revis & Cromartie) and Ochocinco and Owens brings some intrigue to a game that otherwise isn't all that interesting to me.
Falcons over the Packers. A lot of people might go with the Pack in this one. I'm tempted because they are awesome right now. Atlanta has been pretty decent too and they are tough at home. I actually think Rodgers is better than Matt Ryan but I think the Falcons will help out their QB this week. They are motivated to prove they are as good as their record.
Steelers over the Bills. The Bills are scrappy so you can't sleep on them. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has some mobility and some guts ....that's right, Harvard guys have guts too!.....and receiver Steve Johnson looks like a breakout start this season (over 700 yards). Still, when it comes right down to it the Steelers are just better.
Browns over the Panthers. It's risky taking the Browns with Jake Delhomme back under center this week but they play harder than the Panthers do. With Stanford QB Andrew Luck looking pretty damn good this year it seems that the Bills and Panthers are playing for his draft pick. Right now Carolina looks like it might get a crack at him. If you are a fan of a crappy franchise, do you root for your team to lose just so you can get a chance at a possible franchise QB? Speaking as a Ram fan who likes Sam Bradford a lot...........Yes...Yes you do.
Giants over the Jags. The Giants defensive front is relentless. Justin Tuck and company should harass David Garrard all day. Can he file a lawsuit if that happens?
Vikings over the Redskins. What the hell. They shouldn't win this. But maybe they have a "Chili" rebound. Brad Childress was a bad coach but the Vikings are just not that good this year and number 4 is one of the main reasons why. He has below a 70 passer rating. Maybe Tavaris Jackson would be better but they are into Favre for 20 mil. and you can't have that pile of cash sitting on the bench.
Texans over the Titans. So Vince Young goes mental again and will need to salvage his career next year. Young clearly does not have the mentality to be a starting QB in the NFL. I'm not saying he isn't intelligent (how do you measure that anyway?) but he certainly is lazy and immature. Receivers might be able to get away with that at times but the QB can't. Still I don't think Fisher is blameless in the Titan's problems. He's a strong personality and his teams always play hard but truthfully most of the years Fisher has been coaching his teams have been mediocre. In 16 full seasons he has coached the Oiler/Texan franchise he has 6 winning seasons. 6 out of 16. Is that surprising? It is too me. He is talked about as a great coach. The record doesn't support that. This week Fisher gets the equally frustrating and mediocre Texans. Houston should send everything they have at the inexperienced Tennessee QB that will be filling in the for the foreseeable future. What's his name again? Rusty Smith? Maybe Rusty will provide a spark. Maybe he'll get manhandled. I'm betting (figuratively speaking) on the latter.
Chiefs over the Seahawks. I know the Hawks are tough at home but the Chiefs have a more talented team. They need to win this to show they are legit.
Raiders over the Dolphins. Richard Seymour was stupid to punch Roethlisberger last week. The Steeler QB bumped him and no doubt said something douchey...... but he's a QB for hell's sake. You can't do what he did and not pay the piper. Maybe the Raiders won't need him though. Brandon Marshall may be out, and Henne or Thigpen haven't shown much this year. The Raiders should startGradkowski and hand the ball to McFadden.
Broncos over the Rams. I'm just not sure all the pieces are there yet for any consistency with the Rams. I think Bradford as QB means St. Louis is competes is not an automatic loss anymore. But they aren't legit winners yet either. Denver is going to throw a lot and the Ram defense needs to play much better than they did last week.
Bears over the Eagles. They'll be in Chicago and the Bears seem to be better than I've been giving them credit for. Vick is playing well but I agree with those that say he is taking too many hits. How is he going to survive the rest of the season? He better look out for Urlacher who is making up for a couple of lost years.
Ravens over the Bucs. If Tampa really wants to prove they are for real they need to beat Baltimore. Every win they have this year is against a team that currently has a losing record. The three quality teams they've played (Falcons, Steelers, & Saints) have beaten them and 2 of those contests weren't even close. I like the Bucs but there is a good chance they'll go 3-3 to end the season (ending up at 10-6) and they possibly won't beat a good team the entire way.
Colts over the Chargers. I'm already thinking I might be wrong about this. The game is in Indy but the Colts have that grind it out offense this year and Manning has to do more than ever to win games. Speaking of doing it all, Rivers has been fantastic so far. That weird arm motion of his makes me think the ball can't possibly get where it's intended to go but somehow it does. A loss would be a real setback for either team so I hope the Colts can pull it out.
49ers over the Cardinals. Disappointing teams with QB issues. Not an unusual thing in the NFL. The NFC West sucks donkeys....... so amazing as it sounds, both of these clubs still have a a shot of winning the division. By the way they each have 3 victories. Could we have a sub .500 division winner this year? And if that happens could we get any traction on at least the idea of giving playoff home games to teams with better records?
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 87-72
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 11
Dolphins over the Bears. Why am I so hesitant with Chicago? Their record is good. Is it that I just don't trust Jay Cutler? Yeah, I guess so.
Bengals over the Bills. Cincy should win this but Palmer has been terrible. Perhaps a new team could get Palmer going again (like Arizona did for Kurt Warner). Right now I just don't think his receivers have much confidence in him.
Cowboys over the Lions. Let's all jump on the Jason Garrett Bandwagon after one game! It's fun, he's a good driver and apparently he doesn't allow bathroom breaks so we'll get where we want to go much faster. Is that all it takes to win?---a coach who is willing to get pissed at his players? Maybe the lack of accountability did play a part in the Wade Phillips disaster but wasn't Garrett part of that too? Garret's got the reigns now though (at least as much as Jerry Jones will give him) and perhaps that will make a big difference. The hard luck Lions come to town this week so that may be a plus. If the Cowboys lose though, expect the Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher speculation to resume again.
Titans over the Redskins. The Skins don't look good, that's for sure. They scored over 20 points but were never in the game. People definitely over-reacted to the news about the McNabb contract. As many of the more sane media are telling us (Peter King, Dan Patrick, etc.) the contract has quite a bit of flexibility for the Redskins and they can still let this guy go if they need to and not take a big hit financially. McNabb needs some big games in the next few weeks if he wants to restore anything that's left of his QB reputation. I just have trouble seeing that happen. I think the Titans win this thing in a close one .
Chiefs over the Cardinals. Come on K.C., a little consistency would be nice. Your coach was wagging his finger at the Denver coach last week when he should be laying into his own team. It's time take advantage of that young talent.
Packers over the Vikings. Maybe the passion of the is game will ignite Favre and he'll play well again against his former team. He will need it because he sure looks done. ---Like stick a fork in him type done. You can't have 8-10 terrible plays a game and 4 fantastic plays. It leads to losses and this year Favre is a turnover machine. Rodgers is going to be giddy if he can defeat the Vikes and Favre in Minnesota and he' won't be the only one. For the first time in a long time I'm not rooting for Favre anymore.
Jets over the Texans. Should be close. Somehow the Jets are pulling out the close ones.
Steelers over the Raiders. That New England game should be a wake up call for the Steelers. They got a beat down by a team they could see in the playoffs again. I think they'll take that out on the Raiders this week.
Ravens over Carolina. As I said last week, I like Ray Rice. He's the only reason I would watch any of this game.
Browns over the Jags. Tough one to pick because the Jaguars are so up and down. Garrard may play great like he did last week or may play like he's the the 2nd coming of Ryan Leaf. You never know with him.
Bucs over the 49ers. I said a couple of weeks ago that I thought Troy Smith was a respectable player for the Ravens when he was the backup QB. I never did understand why they cut him. He's played well in his two starts and Alex Smith has never given the San Fran faithful much to look forward to. So can you blame them for looking at Troy Smith, realizing the dude won a Heisman and thinking maybe he's their next Steve Young? Problem is, this week they are playing another team with another talented young QB who is maturing fast. I like Tampa in this one.
Saints over the Seahawks. Is Reggie Bush back yet? Even though he really hasn't crashed the league like he did the college football world (in more ways than one) he is someone I always keep an eye on when he's playing. I miss him. I don't miss seeing Pete Carroll fist bumping players at USC. he's not doing that as much I would guess with the Seahawks. Just tread water for another year or two Pete then you can go back and rip the SC job from Kiffin.
Falcons over the Rams. The Rams were disappointing last week against the 49ers. Baby steps Sam Bradford. Baby steps.
Pats over the Colts. This game is looked forward to all year. Yet I think this may be a real let-down this week with a lopsided game in favor of the Brady Bunch. Brady and Belichick have had a couple of hiccups this season but for the most part they look ready to contend for the Super Bowl. Bastards. Manning won't be enough this time.
Giants over the Eagles. I want to say the Eagles will win this. Vick's been fun to watch. The Monday night game was unreal but I'm not sure he can do that twice in row. He might need to be superman again though because I think the Giants will send everything and the kitchen sink at him. Hopefully he can stay on the field because when he's playing it's must-see- t.v.
Chargers over the Broncos. What's this talk about the Chargers maybe ending up in L.A. if the L.A. area gets a team back? The Chargers out of San Diego would be sad and weird.
Last week: 8-6
Overall: 76-67
Bengals over the Bills. Cincy should win this but Palmer has been terrible. Perhaps a new team could get Palmer going again (like Arizona did for Kurt Warner). Right now I just don't think his receivers have much confidence in him.
Cowboys over the Lions. Let's all jump on the Jason Garrett Bandwagon after one game! It's fun, he's a good driver and apparently he doesn't allow bathroom breaks so we'll get where we want to go much faster. Is that all it takes to win?---a coach who is willing to get pissed at his players? Maybe the lack of accountability did play a part in the Wade Phillips disaster but wasn't Garrett part of that too? Garret's got the reigns now though (at least as much as Jerry Jones will give him) and perhaps that will make a big difference. The hard luck Lions come to town this week so that may be a plus. If the Cowboys lose though, expect the Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher speculation to resume again.
Titans over the Redskins. The Skins don't look good, that's for sure. They scored over 20 points but were never in the game. People definitely over-reacted to the news about the McNabb contract. As many of the more sane media are telling us (Peter King, Dan Patrick, etc.) the contract has quite a bit of flexibility for the Redskins and they can still let this guy go if they need to and not take a big hit financially. McNabb needs some big games in the next few weeks if he wants to restore anything that's left of his QB reputation. I just have trouble seeing that happen. I think the Titans win this thing in a close one .
Chiefs over the Cardinals. Come on K.C., a little consistency would be nice. Your coach was wagging his finger at the Denver coach last week when he should be laying into his own team. It's time take advantage of that young talent.
Packers over the Vikings. Maybe the passion of the is game will ignite Favre and he'll play well again against his former team. He will need it because he sure looks done. ---Like stick a fork in him type done. You can't have 8-10 terrible plays a game and 4 fantastic plays. It leads to losses and this year Favre is a turnover machine. Rodgers is going to be giddy if he can defeat the Vikes and Favre in Minnesota and he' won't be the only one. For the first time in a long time I'm not rooting for Favre anymore.
Jets over the Texans. Should be close. Somehow the Jets are pulling out the close ones.
Steelers over the Raiders. That New England game should be a wake up call for the Steelers. They got a beat down by a team they could see in the playoffs again. I think they'll take that out on the Raiders this week.
Ravens over Carolina. As I said last week, I like Ray Rice. He's the only reason I would watch any of this game.
Browns over the Jags. Tough one to pick because the Jaguars are so up and down. Garrard may play great like he did last week or may play like he's the the 2nd coming of Ryan Leaf. You never know with him.
Bucs over the 49ers. I said a couple of weeks ago that I thought Troy Smith was a respectable player for the Ravens when he was the backup QB. I never did understand why they cut him. He's played well in his two starts and Alex Smith has never given the San Fran faithful much to look forward to. So can you blame them for looking at Troy Smith, realizing the dude won a Heisman and thinking maybe he's their next Steve Young? Problem is, this week they are playing another team with another talented young QB who is maturing fast. I like Tampa in this one.
Saints over the Seahawks. Is Reggie Bush back yet? Even though he really hasn't crashed the league like he did the college football world (in more ways than one) he is someone I always keep an eye on when he's playing. I miss him. I don't miss seeing Pete Carroll fist bumping players at USC. he's not doing that as much I would guess with the Seahawks. Just tread water for another year or two Pete then you can go back and rip the SC job from Kiffin.
Falcons over the Rams. The Rams were disappointing last week against the 49ers. Baby steps Sam Bradford. Baby steps.
Pats over the Colts. This game is looked forward to all year. Yet I think this may be a real let-down this week with a lopsided game in favor of the Brady Bunch. Brady and Belichick have had a couple of hiccups this season but for the most part they look ready to contend for the Super Bowl. Bastards. Manning won't be enough this time.
Giants over the Eagles. I want to say the Eagles will win this. Vick's been fun to watch. The Monday night game was unreal but I'm not sure he can do that twice in row. He might need to be superman again though because I think the Giants will send everything and the kitchen sink at him. Hopefully he can stay on the field because when he's playing it's must-see- t.v.
Chargers over the Broncos. What's this talk about the Chargers maybe ending up in L.A. if the L.A. area gets a team back? The Chargers out of San Diego would be sad and weird.
Last week: 8-6
Overall: 76-67
Thursday, November 11, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 10
Falcons over the Ravens. I love the way Ray Rice runs the ball. The other bigwig in that offense, Falco, definitely has his moments. Butt then again so does Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. Two decent QBs. Two decent teams. If Baltimore's defense shows up big tonight Atlanta is in trouble. I think Atlanta takes this home game.
Jets over the Browns. The Browns gave me an early Christmas present with their thrashing of the Pats last week. However, Mangini is no Santa. Come to think of it though, Rex Ryan does resemble the big guy from the North Pole. If my theory is correct then Santa sure can curse.
Vikings over the Bears. How can you trust either of these teams? The Vikes are talented but dysfunctional with a QB that could, with any given snap, throw a brilliant TD or q butt ugly interception. Wait, maybe that's the Bears I'm talking about.
Colts over the Bengals. Colts bounce back this week. They looked shorthanded last week even with the correct number of players on the field. They need a more dynamic running back with speed and Manning needs Collie back from the concussion. Probably won't happen this week though with the way Collie was knocked cold against the Eagles.
Texans over the Jags. Houston is maddening to root for I would imagine. They can't help but tease you with their talent. Andre Johnson may go down as one of the greatest receivers that the general public knows nothing about.
Titans over the Dolphins. The "fins" stay winless at home this year.
Bucs over the Panthers. Carolina looks lost.
Bills over the Lions. Just bad luck for Matt Stafford. He's hurt again but I don't think he's injury prone, he's just a QB on a mediocre to poor team. He's taken some hard and unlucky hits. They have a great star though in Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh on the defensive side. The Bills have to get a win this week though...don't they?
Broncos over the Chiefs. Chiefs should win this but just maybe this week the Broncos use that mile high advantage to ....their advantage.
Cardinals over the Seahawks. can't wait.
Giants over the Cowboys. After a rough start to the season, the Giants have been great. Bradshaw is racking up yards, Eli looks good, the defense is dominant. Now they get the Jason Garrett led Cowboys. It would be hard to blame the G-Men if they looked past Dallas but the Cowboys haven't shown any signs of life all season and I'm guessing that won't change just because Wade Phillips got the pink slip. Let me be another in the long line of folks calling for the firing of the Cowboy GM. That's right Jerry, get in front of a mirror and do your best Donald Trump imitation.
Rams over the 49ers. I've been picking against my Rams for 3 years. Now I can't stop myself, I'm picking them for a "W" every week. I'll admit I'm a bit over-eager.
Pats over the Steelers. Or maybe Steelers over the Pats. Sounds like a good game. Ok. let's go with the Patriots. They just got clocked by the Browns so this totally makes sense right?
Eagles over the Redskins. One of the few games this week where I really am rooting for one team to win. Go Eagles. I'm loving watching Vick again and I still can't stand Mr. creepy eyes Shanahan.
Last Week: 10-3
Overall: 68-61
Jets over the Browns. The Browns gave me an early Christmas present with their thrashing of the Pats last week. However, Mangini is no Santa. Come to think of it though, Rex Ryan does resemble the big guy from the North Pole. If my theory is correct then Santa sure can curse.
Vikings over the Bears. How can you trust either of these teams? The Vikes are talented but dysfunctional with a QB that could, with any given snap, throw a brilliant TD or q butt ugly interception. Wait, maybe that's the Bears I'm talking about.
Colts over the Bengals. Colts bounce back this week. They looked shorthanded last week even with the correct number of players on the field. They need a more dynamic running back with speed and Manning needs Collie back from the concussion. Probably won't happen this week though with the way Collie was knocked cold against the Eagles.
Texans over the Jags. Houston is maddening to root for I would imagine. They can't help but tease you with their talent. Andre Johnson may go down as one of the greatest receivers that the general public knows nothing about.
Titans over the Dolphins. The "fins" stay winless at home this year.
Bucs over the Panthers. Carolina looks lost.
Bills over the Lions. Just bad luck for Matt Stafford. He's hurt again but I don't think he's injury prone, he's just a QB on a mediocre to poor team. He's taken some hard and unlucky hits. They have a great star though in Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh on the defensive side. The Bills have to get a win this week though...don't they?
Broncos over the Chiefs. Chiefs should win this but just maybe this week the Broncos use that mile high advantage to ....their advantage.
Cardinals over the Seahawks. can't wait.
Giants over the Cowboys. After a rough start to the season, the Giants have been great. Bradshaw is racking up yards, Eli looks good, the defense is dominant. Now they get the Jason Garrett led Cowboys. It would be hard to blame the G-Men if they looked past Dallas but the Cowboys haven't shown any signs of life all season and I'm guessing that won't change just because Wade Phillips got the pink slip. Let me be another in the long line of folks calling for the firing of the Cowboy GM. That's right Jerry, get in front of a mirror and do your best Donald Trump imitation.
Rams over the 49ers. I've been picking against my Rams for 3 years. Now I can't stop myself, I'm picking them for a "W" every week. I'll admit I'm a bit over-eager.
Pats over the Steelers. Or maybe Steelers over the Pats. Sounds like a good game. Ok. let's go with the Patriots. They just got clocked by the Browns so this totally makes sense right?
Eagles over the Redskins. One of the few games this week where I really am rooting for one team to win. Go Eagles. I'm loving watching Vick again and I still can't stand Mr. creepy eyes Shanahan.
Last Week: 10-3
Overall: 68-61
Friday, November 05, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 9
I'm sure we have another average (i.e. insane) week of football ahead in the NFL this next week. That's why we love this crap. It's never dull. Think about this past week: We had a Hall of Fame receiver get waived after 3 weeks. We had Rex Grossman brought in (on purpose!) by the Redskin coaching staff to run a 2 minute offense to win a game. And my Rams have already won 4 games! 4! They have a total of 6 wins in the past 3 years combined so this season is officially awesome. Sam Bradford, I am on your bandwagon.......Please be careful because I get motion sickness.
onto the picks:
Bills over the Bears. The Bills are at home and they're playing hard despite sporting an "o-fer" in the win column.
Falcons over the Bucs. Josh Freeman and company come back to earth a bit this week. Don't worry J-Free (thank me later Josh for the nickname) you'll get your mojo back soon. This team is seemingly better than we thought. Right now the Falcons seem solid but a one and done type of team if they were to make the playoffs.
Patriots over the Browns. I really wish the Pats had kept Moss. It's looking more and more like shedding him was the correct thing to do. So naturally I wish they had kept him. With the Pats sneakingly dominant again, I will now have to break out the Tom Brady Voodoo dolls from their dusty storage spot. I know I've got those 4 inch pins here somewhere.
Jets over the Lions. The Lions deserve a win. The Jets are schizophrenic. Close game but one that goes NY/NJ's way.
Vikings over the Cardinals. Both desperate. Should be entertaining. Hey, by the way....Brad Childress is a really bad coach.
Saints over the Panthers. People are blaming the Saints somewhat slow start on Super Bowl hangover. That's bogus. Injuries, some bad luck, and just the natural parity of the league have caught them this season. It may not be a Super Bowl season this year but they'll be in the playoff hunt all season.
Ravens over the Dolphins. I know the Fins have been playing well on the road but the home fans want some love too. This week I think another road stop doesn't end as well for them. Someone get Joe Flacco some tweezers. That unibrow is distracting.
Chargers over the Texans. Both have issues. But how about Arian Foster this season? 700+ yards and 5.7 yards a carry. Every season has a surprise runner. He's it this year.
Giants over the Seahawks. The Seahawks are one of the more maddening teams in the league with their inconsistent play. So in other words, business as usual in Seattle.
Chiefs over the Raiders. The Raiders are no joke (which is funny) and McFadden has been great, but as you know I've been plugging the Chief's Jamaal Charles all season and I'll continue to say to the Chiefs: feed him the ball! He's got over 600 yards and he's getting over 6 1/2 yards a pop.
Eagles over the Colts. Manning is surgical. But I think maybe this week some bad bounces go against them and Philly catches them a little flat footed. By the way, how genius is Andy Reid looking right about now for ditching McNabb?
Packers over the Cowboys. I like many of the Cowboy players. Barber and Ware are cool, Romo is a decent guy and Miles Austin is getting a big head but I still like the fact he was a overlooked and then made good. But I can't hide my giddiness over Jerry Jones and his mis-management of this team. Jerry's just plain creepy and he's the main reason I went from a Cowboy fan (from age 8) to a Ram fan since 1997. It's been obvious for a couple of seasons that Wade Phillips was not the right fit for his team but Phillips allows Jones to run the team without interference and Jones loves that ultimate control. No doubt Wade is probably a genuinely hard guy to fire because he's such a nice guy but I think Jones fears bringing in a more disciplined type because it threatens him too. Suck it up Jerry and can Wade. You can hit the plastic surgery parlor afterwards to help you feel better.
--Clay Mathews is a monster. He reminds me of Ray Lewis and Urlacher (of a few years ago). Packers scored big with him.
Steelers over the Bengals
I used to think that Palmer and Roethlisberger would duel for many years to come. Palmer however is done. Washed up. Too bad because I've liked him.
=== I'm wondering if James Harrison of the Steelers is just going to go all kamikaze on Palmer this week. He's a playing the victim lately but you can see that he just likes to knock people out. Watch the shot he took on Brees last week. It was totally unnecessary and Harrison is a punk if he feels that shot is just hard nosed football. It's a cheap shot James. Knock those off and don't worry about the other clean hard hits. You may get fined occasionally for some helmet to helmets that are at time impossible to avoid but it's the cheap shots that will get you suspended. Stop whining and just play.
Last week : 7-6
Overall:58-58
onto the picks:
Bills over the Bears. The Bills are at home and they're playing hard despite sporting an "o-fer" in the win column.
Falcons over the Bucs. Josh Freeman and company come back to earth a bit this week. Don't worry J-Free (thank me later Josh for the nickname) you'll get your mojo back soon. This team is seemingly better than we thought. Right now the Falcons seem solid but a one and done type of team if they were to make the playoffs.
Patriots over the Browns. I really wish the Pats had kept Moss. It's looking more and more like shedding him was the correct thing to do. So naturally I wish they had kept him. With the Pats sneakingly dominant again, I will now have to break out the Tom Brady Voodoo dolls from their dusty storage spot. I know I've got those 4 inch pins here somewhere.
Jets over the Lions. The Lions deserve a win. The Jets are schizophrenic. Close game but one that goes NY/NJ's way.
Vikings over the Cardinals. Both desperate. Should be entertaining. Hey, by the way....Brad Childress is a really bad coach.
Saints over the Panthers. People are blaming the Saints somewhat slow start on Super Bowl hangover. That's bogus. Injuries, some bad luck, and just the natural parity of the league have caught them this season. It may not be a Super Bowl season this year but they'll be in the playoff hunt all season.
Ravens over the Dolphins. I know the Fins have been playing well on the road but the home fans want some love too. This week I think another road stop doesn't end as well for them. Someone get Joe Flacco some tweezers. That unibrow is distracting.
Chargers over the Texans. Both have issues. But how about Arian Foster this season? 700+ yards and 5.7 yards a carry. Every season has a surprise runner. He's it this year.
Giants over the Seahawks. The Seahawks are one of the more maddening teams in the league with their inconsistent play. So in other words, business as usual in Seattle.
Chiefs over the Raiders. The Raiders are no joke (which is funny) and McFadden has been great, but as you know I've been plugging the Chief's Jamaal Charles all season and I'll continue to say to the Chiefs: feed him the ball! He's got over 600 yards and he's getting over 6 1/2 yards a pop.
Eagles over the Colts. Manning is surgical. But I think maybe this week some bad bounces go against them and Philly catches them a little flat footed. By the way, how genius is Andy Reid looking right about now for ditching McNabb?
Packers over the Cowboys. I like many of the Cowboy players. Barber and Ware are cool, Romo is a decent guy and Miles Austin is getting a big head but I still like the fact he was a overlooked and then made good. But I can't hide my giddiness over Jerry Jones and his mis-management of this team. Jerry's just plain creepy and he's the main reason I went from a Cowboy fan (from age 8) to a Ram fan since 1997. It's been obvious for a couple of seasons that Wade Phillips was not the right fit for his team but Phillips allows Jones to run the team without interference and Jones loves that ultimate control. No doubt Wade is probably a genuinely hard guy to fire because he's such a nice guy but I think Jones fears bringing in a more disciplined type because it threatens him too. Suck it up Jerry and can Wade. You can hit the plastic surgery parlor afterwards to help you feel better.
--Clay Mathews is a monster. He reminds me of Ray Lewis and Urlacher (of a few years ago). Packers scored big with him.
Steelers over the Bengals
I used to think that Palmer and Roethlisberger would duel for many years to come. Palmer however is done. Washed up. Too bad because I've liked him.
=== I'm wondering if James Harrison of the Steelers is just going to go all kamikaze on Palmer this week. He's a playing the victim lately but you can see that he just likes to knock people out. Watch the shot he took on Brees last week. It was totally unnecessary and Harrison is a punk if he feels that shot is just hard nosed football. It's a cheap shot James. Knock those off and don't worry about the other clean hard hits. You may get fined occasionally for some helmet to helmets that are at time impossible to avoid but it's the cheap shots that will get you suspended. Stop whining and just play.
Last week : 7-6
Overall:58-58
Thursday, October 28, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 8
Another banner week for me last week in picking games. Not. I'm now hovering around 50%. Yikes. Well..... if you fall off the horse, just get right b.......ah hell, ...here's the picks:
Redskins over the Lions. Stafford's back but won't he be rusty?
Cowboys over the Jags. All Doom and Gloom in Cowboy Country. Hey, John Kitna has played some decent QB in this league before. Maybe he'll channel his 2003 season. (3,500 yards 26 TDs).
Bengals over the Dolphins. There is no reason to pick Cincy over Miami. Except they're home and maybe they'll finally play like their preseason hype.
Chiefs over the Bills. It's been written about a ton this week, but Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has a pretty good passer rating at this point. Yay. Buffalo is saved. How about we wait a few weeks to see where that rating goes. And how long does Fitzpatrick have to be in the league before they stop referring to him as the Harvard guy? That's almost an indictment in the NFL ----I like the Chiefs. Two of the most underrated runners in the NFL: Thomas Jones and Jaamal Charles.
Rams over the Panthers. What happened to my Rams last week? Awesome first half. Crappy 2nd half. They have to win those games.
49ers over the Broncos. I thought Troy Smith was a decent backup in Baltimore. Reports have him starting for the 49ers this week. How bad must David Carr suck? Stick a fork in his career. He's done. I like Alex Smith but it would be quite the story if the other Smith (Troy) came out, played well, and snatched the starting job.
Jets over the Packers--Just not sure the undisciplined Pack can deal with the Jets Defense.
Chargers over the Titans---Speaking of lacking some discipline.....the Chargers need a new coach but I think they will still pull it together in time for this week's game against a legitimate playoff contender.
Bucs over the Cardinals ---I hope the result is opposite of this with Max Hall playing better. But maybe Tampa has something we're missing. Their coach thinks they're awesome. Which is awesome in a self delusional sort of way.
Pats over the Vikings --a Superbowl contender against a Superbowl pretender.
Seahawks over the Raiders. Mcfadden is starting to live up to his promise. He's averaging over 5 yards a carry. The Raiders are not a total joke this year. Considering that Al Davis is apparently alive that's kind of weird.
Steelers over the Saints. I want to say the Saints, but the Steelers have been too good this season. Damn them.
Colts over the Texans. Manning is shorthanded and he and the Colts got punched by the Texans last time they met. They usually play well at home though and Manning sometimes can just will a win or two on his own.
Last Week: 5-9
Overall: 51-52
Redskins over the Lions. Stafford's back but won't he be rusty?
Cowboys over the Jags. All Doom and Gloom in Cowboy Country. Hey, John Kitna has played some decent QB in this league before. Maybe he'll channel his 2003 season. (3,500 yards 26 TDs).
Bengals over the Dolphins. There is no reason to pick Cincy over Miami. Except they're home and maybe they'll finally play like their preseason hype.
Chiefs over the Bills. It's been written about a ton this week, but Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has a pretty good passer rating at this point. Yay. Buffalo is saved. How about we wait a few weeks to see where that rating goes. And how long does Fitzpatrick have to be in the league before they stop referring to him as the Harvard guy? That's almost an indictment in the NFL ----I like the Chiefs. Two of the most underrated runners in the NFL: Thomas Jones and Jaamal Charles.
Rams over the Panthers. What happened to my Rams last week? Awesome first half. Crappy 2nd half. They have to win those games.
49ers over the Broncos. I thought Troy Smith was a decent backup in Baltimore. Reports have him starting for the 49ers this week. How bad must David Carr suck? Stick a fork in his career. He's done. I like Alex Smith but it would be quite the story if the other Smith (Troy) came out, played well, and snatched the starting job.
Jets over the Packers--Just not sure the undisciplined Pack can deal with the Jets Defense.
Chargers over the Titans---Speaking of lacking some discipline.....the Chargers need a new coach but I think they will still pull it together in time for this week's game against a legitimate playoff contender.
Bucs over the Cardinals ---I hope the result is opposite of this with Max Hall playing better. But maybe Tampa has something we're missing. Their coach thinks they're awesome. Which is awesome in a self delusional sort of way.
Pats over the Vikings --a Superbowl contender against a Superbowl pretender.
Seahawks over the Raiders. Mcfadden is starting to live up to his promise. He's averaging over 5 yards a carry. The Raiders are not a total joke this year. Considering that Al Davis is apparently alive that's kind of weird.
Steelers over the Saints. I want to say the Saints, but the Steelers have been too good this season. Damn them.
Colts over the Texans. Manning is shorthanded and he and the Colts got punched by the Texans last time they met. They usually play well at home though and Manning sometimes can just will a win or two on his own.
Last Week: 5-9
Overall: 51-52
Friday, October 22, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 7
Eagles over the Titans. Because the Titans QBs are banged up.
Chiefs over the Jags. Jacksonville is the definition of a mediocre team. Del Rio has never committed to improving the offense. It's a problem I think with some ex defensive players turned coaches. They think a running game and some good defense is good enough. This ain't 2000 and the Ravens aren't walking through that door.
Ravens over the Bills. This week would be a good one for Harbough to take the training wheels off for Flacco. Let the kid throw the ball coach.
Saints over the Browns. McCoy survived the Steelers and now he gets the Saints. Brees could teach him a bit about being an undersized QB in the league.
Bears over the Redskins.
Falcons over the Bengals. This will be the week the Bengals will probably wake up. But they are in Atlanta so I'm going with the home team.
Dolphins over the Steelers. Not sure if picking against the Steelers right now is smart but the Dolphins surprise people now and then.
Rams over the Bucs. More Bradford. I like him a lot.
Cards over the Seahawks.
Pats over the Chargers. Chargers are essentially eliminated from the playoffs with the loss.
Broncos over the Raiders.
Packers over the Vikes. This will be Rodgers revenge.
Cowboys over the Giants.
49ers over the Pathers. 2 in a row for San Fran would be a real accomplishment.
Last week: 10-4
Overall: 46-43
Chiefs over the Jags. Jacksonville is the definition of a mediocre team. Del Rio has never committed to improving the offense. It's a problem I think with some ex defensive players turned coaches. They think a running game and some good defense is good enough. This ain't 2000 and the Ravens aren't walking through that door.
Ravens over the Bills. This week would be a good one for Harbough to take the training wheels off for Flacco. Let the kid throw the ball coach.
Saints over the Browns. McCoy survived the Steelers and now he gets the Saints. Brees could teach him a bit about being an undersized QB in the league.
Bears over the Redskins.
Falcons over the Bengals. This will be the week the Bengals will probably wake up. But they are in Atlanta so I'm going with the home team.
Dolphins over the Steelers. Not sure if picking against the Steelers right now is smart but the Dolphins surprise people now and then.
Rams over the Bucs. More Bradford. I like him a lot.
Cards over the Seahawks.
Pats over the Chargers. Chargers are essentially eliminated from the playoffs with the loss.
Broncos over the Raiders.
Packers over the Vikes. This will be Rodgers revenge.
Cowboys over the Giants.
49ers over the Pathers. 2 in a row for San Fran would be a real accomplishment.
Last week: 10-4
Overall: 46-43
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 6
Giants over the Lions. Ok Detroit, so you took my Rams down last week. Big deal. ........Actually, any win for Detroit is always a big deal. Ditto for the Rams. Damn you Detroit, 3 in a row would have been great for St. Louis. The Detroit back-up QB was pretty good last week but that doesn't mean San Fran was wrong to choose Alex Smith over Hill. Smith may be headed for backup status soon but solid 2nd fiddle is all Hill will ever be.
Meanwhile in New Jersey, the Giants are playing better after a rough start and their defense looks awesome again. If they play at all up to their potential they should beat the Lions by at least 10 pts.
Saints over the Bucs. The Saints are surprisingly disappointing without Reggie Bush in their offense. Still, we are only 5 weeks in and there is no reason to panic if you root for New Orleans. Which I do. I don't think Drew Brees is going to go all Carson Palmer on us anytime soon.
Eagles over the Falcons.
Patriots over the Ravens. What's the big deal with Tom Brady's hair? So it's a bit shaggy, so what? Maybe it will be like Sampson's hair. I hope not. Count me as one who think the Pats will probably be better without Moss. They won't be as explosive but I think Brady had come to depend on Moss snatching miracles out of the air in crucial situations. Welker may be Brady's main safety blanket but I think Moss was always in his head and he was continually tempted to just "chuck" it.
Seahawks over the Bears. Because you never know what you will get with the Hawks.
Packers over the Dolphins. The Packers are one of the most undisciplined teams I've seen. They have talent all over the field and McCarthy better do something with that talent soon.
Steelers over the Browns. You know, if the unpredictable nature of this season held true to form, the Browns would go in and pull out the upset in Pittsburgh on "Ben Roethlisberger returns from Deuchebag status day".
Texans over the Chiefs. I'm actually kind of excited about this game. Two teams with some serious talent but perhaps without much of an idea of how to be mature about winning.
Chargers over my Rams. It's about that time when San Diego starts to wake up. Maybe Norv and the boys could be kind enough to wait a week.
Jets over the Broncos. The inability to score TDs this past week looked like the Jets of old. They had shocked me by opening up their offense and letting Sanchez pass the ball. He struggled a bit against the Vikings but still if you are a Jets fan you have to be encouraged by his overall play this season. Tomlinson looks like he has his legs back. If they can continue to pass the ball with any effectiveness and with that running game of LT and Greene and the usual Ryan defense they should continue to be a threat all season.
49ers over the Raiders. Just because the 49ers can't lose six in a row can they? Actually they probably can.
Redskins over the Colts. Manning has to work too much for his scores. They don't get anything easy. Despite the great record last year, the same was true then as well. Manning is great but it would help if they had a running back with some homerun speed.
Cowboys over the Vikings. Favre just looks terrible. Should have quit after last year's amazing run. But then timing and self awareness were never great strengths of his were they?
Titans over the Jags. When Vince Young is good the Titans just look unstoppable. He's still inconsistent but having Chris Johnson is helpful. I'd like to see the Jags Maurice Drew churn up some yards. That little bowling ball is fun to watch. Still, he needs help and I think this guy is right: http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2010/10/14/1748870/is-jacksonville-back-to-running-back-by-committee?ref=yahoo
Last Week: 4-10
Overall: 36-39
Meanwhile in New Jersey, the Giants are playing better after a rough start and their defense looks awesome again. If they play at all up to their potential they should beat the Lions by at least 10 pts.
Saints over the Bucs. The Saints are surprisingly disappointing without Reggie Bush in their offense. Still, we are only 5 weeks in and there is no reason to panic if you root for New Orleans. Which I do. I don't think Drew Brees is going to go all Carson Palmer on us anytime soon.
Eagles over the Falcons.
Patriots over the Ravens. What's the big deal with Tom Brady's hair? So it's a bit shaggy, so what? Maybe it will be like Sampson's hair. I hope not. Count me as one who think the Pats will probably be better without Moss. They won't be as explosive but I think Brady had come to depend on Moss snatching miracles out of the air in crucial situations. Welker may be Brady's main safety blanket but I think Moss was always in his head and he was continually tempted to just "chuck" it.
Seahawks over the Bears. Because you never know what you will get with the Hawks.
Packers over the Dolphins. The Packers are one of the most undisciplined teams I've seen. They have talent all over the field and McCarthy better do something with that talent soon.
Steelers over the Browns. You know, if the unpredictable nature of this season held true to form, the Browns would go in and pull out the upset in Pittsburgh on "Ben Roethlisberger returns from Deuchebag status day".
Texans over the Chiefs. I'm actually kind of excited about this game. Two teams with some serious talent but perhaps without much of an idea of how to be mature about winning.
Chargers over my Rams. It's about that time when San Diego starts to wake up. Maybe Norv and the boys could be kind enough to wait a week.
Jets over the Broncos. The inability to score TDs this past week looked like the Jets of old. They had shocked me by opening up their offense and letting Sanchez pass the ball. He struggled a bit against the Vikings but still if you are a Jets fan you have to be encouraged by his overall play this season. Tomlinson looks like he has his legs back. If they can continue to pass the ball with any effectiveness and with that running game of LT and Greene and the usual Ryan defense they should continue to be a threat all season.
49ers over the Raiders. Just because the 49ers can't lose six in a row can they? Actually they probably can.
Redskins over the Colts. Manning has to work too much for his scores. They don't get anything easy. Despite the great record last year, the same was true then as well. Manning is great but it would help if they had a running back with some homerun speed.
Cowboys over the Vikings. Favre just looks terrible. Should have quit after last year's amazing run. But then timing and self awareness were never great strengths of his were they?
Titans over the Jags. When Vince Young is good the Titans just look unstoppable. He's still inconsistent but having Chris Johnson is helpful. I'd like to see the Jags Maurice Drew churn up some yards. That little bowling ball is fun to watch. Still, he needs help and I think this guy is right: http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2010/10/14/1748870/is-jacksonville-back-to-running-back-by-committee?ref=yahoo
Last Week: 4-10
Overall: 36-39
Thursday, October 07, 2010
NFL Picks: Week 5
Jets over the Vikings --There are a lot of things to dislike about Brett Favre over the last few years. One thing that seemed cool about him though was the fact that he seemed to have a great family and he seemed (after a few rough years in the beginning of his career) to be a pretty decent husband and father. Apparently Favre is an even bigger deuchebag than we knew. As you probably know Deadspin has pretty decent evidence that Favre was trying to hook ex-FSU cowgirl Jen Sterger while she was working for the Jets and he was a Jet. How in this day and age can pro athletes ever leave messages or send pics that could seriously embarrass them? Notice I didn't say how could they screw around on their family? I'm coming to the realization that for enabled, pampered and egotistic athletes it's really not a question of if but when they will cheat on their loved ones. Really Brett?-- sending pics of your manparts over a phone to a chick half your age? Can a dude really destroy his legacy any more thoroughly than Favre has done in the past 3 years? Have to go with the Jets this weekend just for the sheer douchiness of Favre.
Colts over the Chiefs- The Chiefs are interesting this year. Why are they not giving the ball more to Jamaal Charles? He's getting less touches than Thomas Jones. I know Jones is not washed up to say the least but Charles is ripping off runs at 7 yards a clip. I mean...damn.
Broncos over the Ravens. toss up.
Panthers over the Bears. I have no idea what Collins will do for the Bears at QB. So far this season Cutler has been good and Chicago has to hope the drilling he took in Week 4 doesn't have lasting effects.
Jags over the Bills- Jags are the Jekyll and Hyde of the NFL. The Bills are more like the Barney Fife of the League.
Bengals over the Bucs- T.O. is killing it this season. This guy is going to be one of the most disliked Hall of Famers to ever don the yellow blazer. Right after Favre.
Falcons over the Browns- This is a year that Matt Ryan needs to prove he's for real.
Rams over the Lions. Hopefully not a step backwards for my Rams this week. The Lions however are due for a few breaks to fall their way.
Texans over the Giants --That was a flat out mauling the G-Men Defense gave the Bears. Looked like the Giants of a couple of years ago. Can they do it 2 weeks in a row against a much better offense? I'm going with with Shaub and Foster this week.
Packers over the Redskins --Why have I not jumped on the Aaron Rodgers bandwagon sooner? He seems like a genuinely good guy. The Anti-Favre.
Saints over the Cardinals - I'd love to see new AZ starter Max Hall do great this week. But you just know the Saints are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. Hope he knows how to duck.
Cowboys over the Titans-- I like the Cowboys at home this week. Well.....the word "like" might be a bit strong. I think they'll win. How's that?
Chargers over the Raiders. I wonder what Bolt's WR Vincent Jackson is thinking right about now. Is he wishing he would have taken the initial offer the Chargers offered him? If the players get locked out next year then he's going sitting a long time between snaps.
49ers over the Eagles--Not really a good reason for this pick. The Eagles are far more interesting if Vick is playing. I like Kolb though and in fact I like Alex Smith at QB too. I hope both of these guys can get their crap together and start earning their keep.
Last week:9-4
Overall: 32-29
Colts over the Chiefs- The Chiefs are interesting this year. Why are they not giving the ball more to Jamaal Charles? He's getting less touches than Thomas Jones. I know Jones is not washed up to say the least but Charles is ripping off runs at 7 yards a clip. I mean...damn.
Broncos over the Ravens. toss up.
Panthers over the Bears. I have no idea what Collins will do for the Bears at QB. So far this season Cutler has been good and Chicago has to hope the drilling he took in Week 4 doesn't have lasting effects.
Jags over the Bills- Jags are the Jekyll and Hyde of the NFL. The Bills are more like the Barney Fife of the League.
Bengals over the Bucs- T.O. is killing it this season. This guy is going to be one of the most disliked Hall of Famers to ever don the yellow blazer. Right after Favre.
Falcons over the Browns- This is a year that Matt Ryan needs to prove he's for real.
Rams over the Lions. Hopefully not a step backwards for my Rams this week. The Lions however are due for a few breaks to fall their way.
Texans over the Giants --That was a flat out mauling the G-Men Defense gave the Bears. Looked like the Giants of a couple of years ago. Can they do it 2 weeks in a row against a much better offense? I'm going with with Shaub and Foster this week.
Packers over the Redskins --Why have I not jumped on the Aaron Rodgers bandwagon sooner? He seems like a genuinely good guy. The Anti-Favre.
Saints over the Cardinals - I'd love to see new AZ starter Max Hall do great this week. But you just know the Saints are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. Hope he knows how to duck.
Cowboys over the Titans-- I like the Cowboys at home this week. Well.....the word "like" might be a bit strong. I think they'll win. How's that?
Chargers over the Raiders. I wonder what Bolt's WR Vincent Jackson is thinking right about now. Is he wishing he would have taken the initial offer the Chargers offered him? If the players get locked out next year then he's going sitting a long time between snaps.
49ers over the Eagles--Not really a good reason for this pick. The Eagles are far more interesting if Vick is playing. I like Kolb though and in fact I like Alex Smith at QB too. I hope both of these guys can get their crap together and start earning their keep.
Last week:9-4
Overall: 32-29
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
NBA: it's fantastic......Except when it's not. Which is most of the time.
Just a quick thought on the upcoming B-Ball season.
First being a Utah Jazz fan I can say to all Bulls fans: welcome to the Injured World of Carlos Boozer. Good luck with him. You are going to get frustrated with how much time he will spend on the bench in street clothes. I'm hoping Utah's new big man Al Jefferson can replicate some of Boozer's offensive play while avoiding the injury bug.
Second. Count me as a Heat hater. I used to root for Dwyane Wade but Mr. James has ruined that. I've already vented about Lebron and the "Decision" and I'm among the many who find the narcissistic superstar a bit of weenie. Still I'm not one who think the Heat will have a rough go of it this season. Lebron consistently won big with a bunch of nobodys in Cleveland. Now people are saying, well besides Bosh, Wade, Miller, and Haslem he has a bunch of nobodys so that's going to hurt the Heat. Huh? He won 60 games by himself and now he has 2 superstars with him plus a couple of other really nice role players. Depth might hurt them in the Conference finals or the Finals if they make it there but they are going to destroy people in the regular season. It's going to be fairly depressing. Additionally, with Shaq going to the Celtics now there really is nobody for me to root for east of the Mississippi. I guess Orlando is somewhat likable with Dwight Howard but my hopes will center in the West. The nightmare scenario for me will be the Lakers vs. the Heat in the finals. I might have to light my hair on fire at that point.
First being a Utah Jazz fan I can say to all Bulls fans: welcome to the Injured World of Carlos Boozer. Good luck with him. You are going to get frustrated with how much time he will spend on the bench in street clothes. I'm hoping Utah's new big man Al Jefferson can replicate some of Boozer's offensive play while avoiding the injury bug.
Second. Count me as a Heat hater. I used to root for Dwyane Wade but Mr. James has ruined that. I've already vented about Lebron and the "Decision" and I'm among the many who find the narcissistic superstar a bit of weenie. Still I'm not one who think the Heat will have a rough go of it this season. Lebron consistently won big with a bunch of nobodys in Cleveland. Now people are saying, well besides Bosh, Wade, Miller, and Haslem he has a bunch of nobodys so that's going to hurt the Heat. Huh? He won 60 games by himself and now he has 2 superstars with him plus a couple of other really nice role players. Depth might hurt them in the Conference finals or the Finals if they make it there but they are going to destroy people in the regular season. It's going to be fairly depressing. Additionally, with Shaq going to the Celtics now there really is nobody for me to root for east of the Mississippi. I guess Orlando is somewhat likable with Dwight Howard but my hopes will center in the West. The nightmare scenario for me will be the Lakers vs. the Heat in the finals. I might have to light my hair on fire at that point.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
NFL: Week 4 Picks
Rams over the Seahawks. What can I say? I'm a Ram fan. I want to drink this kool-aid. I need to drink this kool-aid.
Jets over the Bills. This could easily be a trap game for NY. Humility is hard for these guys. Some swagger is good but overconfidence in this league can sometimes bite you.
Ravens over the Steelers. This week the Steelers come back to earth. They really will need Roethlisberger.
Saints over the Panthers. Saints should have won that game last week. An extra point field goal miss was not the only reason they lost but it's the main reason.
Titans over the Broncos. Kyle Orton. 2nd in the league in passing yards. Knowing that McDaniels will want to pass that doesn't come as a major surprise. But Orton's 97 QB rating does make me raise my eyebrows. Titans at home today so I'm saying Young and Johnson keep the Broncos at bay.
Packers over the Lions. If the Packers can eliminate some mistakes this shouldn't be close. It's weird but to me it seems that last year was filled with mistakes for the offense as well. Very good offense but at critical times they would do something stupid. If they keep it up it will bite them in the fanny come playoff time.
Bengals over the Browns. The battle for Ohio. Yay.
Falcons over the 49ers. San Fran goes into crisis mode after today. Alex Smith should be better than he is. Another offense coordinator goes down in flames and the constant turnover in coaches hasn't helped him any but at some point talent should take over. He has flashes but nothing sustained. I rooted for him in college at Utah but if I was a 49er fan I would be tearing my hair out with the inconsistency.
Texans over the Raiders. The improvement of McFadden has to be encouraging for Oakland. I'm guessing thought that the Texans rebound today.
Colts over the Jags. Jacksonville always plays Indy tough. Could be an upset today. I'll stick with Manning and hope that BYU guy Austin Collie has another big day.
Chargers over the Cardinals. This shouldn't be much of a game should it? Ken Whisenhunt though is a decent coach and has the Cardinals doing something they haven't done under other head coaches. Playing hard.
Eagles over the Redskins. Maybe McNabb will come in and get ultimate revenge on the team that jettisoned him. Maybe Vick will continue to play well. Probably won't be both today though.
Giants over the Bears. Upset special for tonight. I keep picking against the Bears and they keep surprising. Maybe they're just good.
Pats over the Dolphins. Dolphins look pretty good this year. The Pats defense is suspect but they have Brady, Moss, Welker, etc. and that should be enough.
Last week 6-10 (double ouch!)
Overall: 23-25 (triple ouch!)
Jets over the Bills. This could easily be a trap game for NY. Humility is hard for these guys. Some swagger is good but overconfidence in this league can sometimes bite you.
Ravens over the Steelers. This week the Steelers come back to earth. They really will need Roethlisberger.
Saints over the Panthers. Saints should have won that game last week. An extra point field goal miss was not the only reason they lost but it's the main reason.
Titans over the Broncos. Kyle Orton. 2nd in the league in passing yards. Knowing that McDaniels will want to pass that doesn't come as a major surprise. But Orton's 97 QB rating does make me raise my eyebrows. Titans at home today so I'm saying Young and Johnson keep the Broncos at bay.
Packers over the Lions. If the Packers can eliminate some mistakes this shouldn't be close. It's weird but to me it seems that last year was filled with mistakes for the offense as well. Very good offense but at critical times they would do something stupid. If they keep it up it will bite them in the fanny come playoff time.
Bengals over the Browns. The battle for Ohio. Yay.
Falcons over the 49ers. San Fran goes into crisis mode after today. Alex Smith should be better than he is. Another offense coordinator goes down in flames and the constant turnover in coaches hasn't helped him any but at some point talent should take over. He has flashes but nothing sustained. I rooted for him in college at Utah but if I was a 49er fan I would be tearing my hair out with the inconsistency.
Texans over the Raiders. The improvement of McFadden has to be encouraging for Oakland. I'm guessing thought that the Texans rebound today.
Colts over the Jags. Jacksonville always plays Indy tough. Could be an upset today. I'll stick with Manning and hope that BYU guy Austin Collie has another big day.
Chargers over the Cardinals. This shouldn't be much of a game should it? Ken Whisenhunt though is a decent coach and has the Cardinals doing something they haven't done under other head coaches. Playing hard.
Eagles over the Redskins. Maybe McNabb will come in and get ultimate revenge on the team that jettisoned him. Maybe Vick will continue to play well. Probably won't be both today though.
Giants over the Bears. Upset special for tonight. I keep picking against the Bears and they keep surprising. Maybe they're just good.
Pats over the Dolphins. Dolphins look pretty good this year. The Pats defense is suspect but they have Brady, Moss, Welker, etc. and that should be enough.
Last week 6-10 (double ouch!)
Overall: 23-25 (triple ouch!)
Friday, September 24, 2010
NFL Picks 2010: Week 3 Picks
Week 3 Picks:
Rams over the Redskins. I want to believe. I'm picking my Rams again. Come on Sam. We need to start a "Sam I am" chant. Didn't he ever read Dr. Seuss? Every young QB should have a copy of "Oh the Places You'll Go"
Pats over the Bills. I thought last week wouldn't be much of a game for New England and I was wrong. Still, the Pats don't lose 2 in a row very often and the Bills have always been a nice remedy when the Brady and Belichik need a doormat. Go ahead and wipe your feet boys, the Bills are used to it.
Ravens over the Browns. Joe Flacco really sucked last week. Keep this up Joe and Ray Lewis may have a meltdown and do his Raven dance on your head. Speaking of which, when does Ray just lose it and end up one morning at 3 am, stark naked standing on the flag at 50 yard line of the stadium yelling, "where's my Payton Manning? Where's my Drew Brees?"
Giants over the Titans. Both looked pathetic last week. It's amazing isn't it?.....when the Giants are winning, Tom Coughlin's manic control issues are seen as keeping the team in line and giving them needed structure, but when they are losing, guys start jumping off his ship like it's the Titanic going down. Super authoritarian types don't go over well in NY when the going gets rough. But one thing's for sure, Coughlin's right about Brandon Jacobs. Just start running hard and straight dude. Your too big to be dancing around back their like Tinkerbell. Man up and drop the drama.
Saints over the Falcons. Brees and co. are tough to beat at home.
Bucs over the Steelers. Even with Charlie Batch running things for Pittsburgh, a Tampa win would be an upset. If it happens Bucs mania goes into full gear..... and that would be awesome. Awesome because it would be totally overblown and in my view not at all indicative of where these teams will be heading by mid-season. It's fun to get worked up over things that don't matter. That's why fantasy football exists.
Bengals over the Panthers. Jimmy Clausen was so-so at Notre Dame and I have trouble seeing him be successful in the the NFL in his rookie season. It's amazing to me that Carolina Coach John Fox left Jake Delhomme in as a starter year after mediocre year...... and then Matt Moore is yanked after 2 starts. Did he watch Jake's performance at all last year? It took a truly vomit-induced year by their QB to get the Panthers out of the Delhomme business. I realize Matt Moore didn't have the relationship and history with Fox that Delhomme had but wow.... Fox, as a coach, seems done in Carolina. If not in body, at least in spirit.
---speaking of mediocre QBs, the Bengal's Palmer who I once thought was going to join
Brady and Manning in elite QB status, has never been the same since getting his knee wrecked in the playoffs against the Steelers a few years back. Too bad.
Vikings over the Lions. Favre, Favre, Favre. This week I want to see Adrian Peterson run wild. I'd also like to get a look at this Jahvid Best kid from Detroit.
49ers over the Chiefs. I need to see more of the Chiefs before I get all hot and bothered by them. The 49ers need to play mistake free for more than a quarter and maybe this week they will.
Cowboys over the Texans. I know, I know. This is crazy. The Cowboys look overrated and the Texans look great. This seems like the perfect time for the Texans to kick big brother in the nuts. Doesn't always work out like you'd dream though. Not that I've had a dream about kicking my big brother in the nuts or anything. However, I have had a couple of thoughts about what it would be like to put a boot into the "nether regions" of Jerry Jones a couple of times......but I mean hey..who hasn't?
Jags over the Eagles. I love to watch Vick. He's just fun. He's also scary as hell if you are an Eagles fan. Watching him in the pocket he's just a flick of defensive paw away from getting stripped (he still holds that pigskin to carelessly). But he's got an incredibly strong arm and he has played well enough to be a starter this week. Considering how many QBs have stunk so far you don't just take good QB play lightly. I hope Kolb's ego can take the hit because he'll probably be needed this season. The Jag's Garrard is occasionally good and maybe this week he and his running game will show up. Or not. They are at home so this week, so I'm thinking they might.
Cardinals over the Raiders. Gradkowski would be the smart answer right now for the Raiders at QB....unless they think Campbell is a long term answer eventually. Then you let him play. The Raiders aren't a playoff team so why not test him out for a year? If he still sucks then he's had plenty of time to prove himself in Washington and Oakland. I think Campbell, like many of the starting QBs in the league is more suited (skillwise) to a backup role (as is Gradkowski). Speaking of backups, Derek Anderson needs to start showing something soon or he's headed back to the bench soon.
Chargers over the Seahawks. So if Lane Kiffin has 2 or 3 years that are average at USC and likewise, Peter Carroll also has some rough years in Seattle, .....does Carroll end up back at USC again? He rides out the sanctions and then comes back on his noble steed? Or is Pat Hayden (new AD at USC) not a Carroll fan? Just wondering. Anyway, the Chargers are a better team than the Hawks so they should beat them. Like that matters sometimes in the NFL. By the way, I loved the "Lord of No Rings" shot that Vincent Jackson's agent threw out there about Chargers G.M, A.J. Smith. Smith is a putz and I'll always side with the players against him. He ran Drew Brees out of town. Damn you A.J. Smith. I liked Drew Brees in the lightning bolt.
Dolphins over the Jets. I will say that if the Jets have the guts to throw on 1st and 2nd downs again this may turn into a victory. I have no idea how good the Dolphins are. Likewise what do we know about the Jets? We know they like to talk, they have a coach that likes his snacks, and they have a corner and a wide receiver with drama issues. I know they impressed me and surprised the hell out of me with the victory against the Patriots. Ryan needs to realize that the Ravens are not something he wants to model in NY. All defense and no offense equals 9-7 and 10-6 seasons and out in the first round or missing the playoffs altogether. You can't be a grinding team in the NFL and win on a consistent basis. It's set up for offense and he needs to let the training wheels come off Sanchez again even if Sanchez take a few lumps and interceptions along the way. If Sanchez isn't the guy then so be it. At least you find out.
Colts over the Broncos. I'm tempted to say the Broncos take this one. The Colts looked good against the Giants so I'll pick Manning again.
Packers over the Bears. This should be interesting. A good offense against an offense that we thought would be good last year....but might be good this year instead. Rodgers is a really good guy and Cutler's a really big dick. Hmmm...who to root for.? Mike Martz is working for the Bears so that clinches it. I wonder if I can make a cheesehead out of paper-mache in time for tomorrow's game.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 17-15
Rams over the Redskins. I want to believe. I'm picking my Rams again. Come on Sam. We need to start a "Sam I am" chant. Didn't he ever read Dr. Seuss? Every young QB should have a copy of "Oh the Places You'll Go"
Pats over the Bills. I thought last week wouldn't be much of a game for New England and I was wrong. Still, the Pats don't lose 2 in a row very often and the Bills have always been a nice remedy when the Brady and Belichik need a doormat. Go ahead and wipe your feet boys, the Bills are used to it.
Ravens over the Browns. Joe Flacco really sucked last week. Keep this up Joe and Ray Lewis may have a meltdown and do his Raven dance on your head. Speaking of which, when does Ray just lose it and end up one morning at 3 am, stark naked standing on the flag at 50 yard line of the stadium yelling, "where's my Payton Manning? Where's my Drew Brees?"
Giants over the Titans. Both looked pathetic last week. It's amazing isn't it?.....when the Giants are winning, Tom Coughlin's manic control issues are seen as keeping the team in line and giving them needed structure, but when they are losing, guys start jumping off his ship like it's the Titanic going down. Super authoritarian types don't go over well in NY when the going gets rough. But one thing's for sure, Coughlin's right about Brandon Jacobs. Just start running hard and straight dude. Your too big to be dancing around back their like Tinkerbell. Man up and drop the drama.
Saints over the Falcons. Brees and co. are tough to beat at home.
Bucs over the Steelers. Even with Charlie Batch running things for Pittsburgh, a Tampa win would be an upset. If it happens Bucs mania goes into full gear..... and that would be awesome. Awesome because it would be totally overblown and in my view not at all indicative of where these teams will be heading by mid-season. It's fun to get worked up over things that don't matter. That's why fantasy football exists.
Bengals over the Panthers. Jimmy Clausen was so-so at Notre Dame and I have trouble seeing him be successful in the the NFL in his rookie season. It's amazing to me that Carolina Coach John Fox left Jake Delhomme in as a starter year after mediocre year...... and then Matt Moore is yanked after 2 starts. Did he watch Jake's performance at all last year? It took a truly vomit-induced year by their QB to get the Panthers out of the Delhomme business. I realize Matt Moore didn't have the relationship and history with Fox that Delhomme had but wow.... Fox, as a coach, seems done in Carolina. If not in body, at least in spirit.
---speaking of mediocre QBs, the Bengal's Palmer who I once thought was going to join
Brady and Manning in elite QB status, has never been the same since getting his knee wrecked in the playoffs against the Steelers a few years back. Too bad.
Vikings over the Lions. Favre, Favre, Favre. This week I want to see Adrian Peterson run wild. I'd also like to get a look at this Jahvid Best kid from Detroit.
49ers over the Chiefs. I need to see more of the Chiefs before I get all hot and bothered by them. The 49ers need to play mistake free for more than a quarter and maybe this week they will.
Cowboys over the Texans. I know, I know. This is crazy. The Cowboys look overrated and the Texans look great. This seems like the perfect time for the Texans to kick big brother in the nuts. Doesn't always work out like you'd dream though. Not that I've had a dream about kicking my big brother in the nuts or anything. However, I have had a couple of thoughts about what it would be like to put a boot into the "nether regions" of Jerry Jones a couple of times......but I mean hey..who hasn't?
Jags over the Eagles. I love to watch Vick. He's just fun. He's also scary as hell if you are an Eagles fan. Watching him in the pocket he's just a flick of defensive paw away from getting stripped (he still holds that pigskin to carelessly). But he's got an incredibly strong arm and he has played well enough to be a starter this week. Considering how many QBs have stunk so far you don't just take good QB play lightly. I hope Kolb's ego can take the hit because he'll probably be needed this season. The Jag's Garrard is occasionally good and maybe this week he and his running game will show up. Or not. They are at home so this week, so I'm thinking they might.
Cardinals over the Raiders. Gradkowski would be the smart answer right now for the Raiders at QB....unless they think Campbell is a long term answer eventually. Then you let him play. The Raiders aren't a playoff team so why not test him out for a year? If he still sucks then he's had plenty of time to prove himself in Washington and Oakland. I think Campbell, like many of the starting QBs in the league is more suited (skillwise) to a backup role (as is Gradkowski). Speaking of backups, Derek Anderson needs to start showing something soon or he's headed back to the bench soon.
Chargers over the Seahawks. So if Lane Kiffin has 2 or 3 years that are average at USC and likewise, Peter Carroll also has some rough years in Seattle, .....does Carroll end up back at USC again? He rides out the sanctions and then comes back on his noble steed? Or is Pat Hayden (new AD at USC) not a Carroll fan? Just wondering. Anyway, the Chargers are a better team than the Hawks so they should beat them. Like that matters sometimes in the NFL. By the way, I loved the "Lord of No Rings" shot that Vincent Jackson's agent threw out there about Chargers G.M, A.J. Smith. Smith is a putz and I'll always side with the players against him. He ran Drew Brees out of town. Damn you A.J. Smith. I liked Drew Brees in the lightning bolt.
Dolphins over the Jets. I will say that if the Jets have the guts to throw on 1st and 2nd downs again this may turn into a victory. I have no idea how good the Dolphins are. Likewise what do we know about the Jets? We know they like to talk, they have a coach that likes his snacks, and they have a corner and a wide receiver with drama issues. I know they impressed me and surprised the hell out of me with the victory against the Patriots. Ryan needs to realize that the Ravens are not something he wants to model in NY. All defense and no offense equals 9-7 and 10-6 seasons and out in the first round or missing the playoffs altogether. You can't be a grinding team in the NFL and win on a consistent basis. It's set up for offense and he needs to let the training wheels come off Sanchez again even if Sanchez take a few lumps and interceptions along the way. If Sanchez isn't the guy then so be it. At least you find out.
Colts over the Broncos. I'm tempted to say the Broncos take this one. The Colts looked good against the Giants so I'll pick Manning again.
Packers over the Bears. This should be interesting. A good offense against an offense that we thought would be good last year....but might be good this year instead. Rodgers is a really good guy and Cutler's a really big dick. Hmmm...who to root for.? Mike Martz is working for the Bears so that clinches it. I wonder if I can make a cheesehead out of paper-mache in time for tomorrow's game.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 17-15
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