All picks are favorites and the spreads are covered unless otherwise noted.
New york Jets over the Titans – The Jets Defense is just too good, I am apprehensive about this one, but until they give up a touchdown I can't pick against them.
Houston over Jacksonville – Jacksonville just looks really weak, and Houston has a good Offense.
Philledelphia over Kansas City but I expect KC to cover the points – Everyone not wearing a PETA shirt will be paying more attention to how they play Vick then the final score.
Baltimore over Cleveland – Baltimore is going to stomp over an even weaker then expected Cleveland team.
Giants over Tampa Bay – Tampa Bay is horrible this year, look for the Josh Freeman era to begin week 8.
Washington over Detroit but Detroit will cover the spread – As Washington showed it plays down to its competition.
Green Bay over St. Louis – St. Louis will compete for the number 1 pick in next years draft, but what else is new?
UPSET San Francisco over Minnesota – Two similarly constructed teams but I just like the way the 49ers have been playing and this is the Vikings first real test.
UPSET Atlanta over the Patriots – I'm not convinced that Tom Brady is his old self yet, and the Pats' Defense looks bad and will be torn up by Matt Ryan.
Chicago over Seattle – Chicago proved it has a good Defense even without Urlacher last week
New Orleans over Buffalo – Does this one need to be explained? Drew Brees is a beast and the spread is less then a touchdown.
San Diego over Miami but I expect Miami to cover – San Diego has had its troubles this year, but so has Miami, this will be close but I can't bet against Phillip Rivers in this one.
UPSET Cincinnati over Pittsburgh – I think Pittsburgh is the better team, but their O-line is struggling and we all saw what Odom did to GreenBay's struggling O-line last week.
UPSET Oakland over Denver – Raiders didn't look great against KC last week, but they won the game and I think their defense will cause some Orton turnovers and give them the win.
UPSET Indianapolis over Arizona – I don't know how Arizona is favored in this game, they are a good team but never bet against Peyton Manning in a prime time game. I think he wins it on the last drive, again.
And Dallas over Carolina. – Dallas is mad about last week and Jerry Jones (and the Fans) wants to see a win in the new stadium, look for Romo to bounce back against a much weaker Arizona D.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Week Two Recap
Week Two, like week one can bring about some pre-mature assumptions, but at least now, with the body of worked doubled the picture of the upcoming NFL season is starting to come into focus. And with that here are my. . .
Week Two observations:
The Jets defense continued to impress, using the blueprint put forth by the Giants during SuperBowl XLII: Rush and hit Tom Brady, making him uncomfortable and force him to make bad throws. Revis is quickly proving that he is the best CornerBack in the league, first shutting down Andre Johnson in week one and then Randy Moss in week two. If the Jets' Defense keeps this up they have a real shot to win the AFC East in Mark Sanchez's first year.
The Bengals looked good, and that has to be the first time I've seen “The Bengals look good” written down on paper since 2005 when the Bengals made won their division. Their defense got to Aaron Rodgers five times and their offense put up 31 points on what was supposed to be a good defense. Who would have thought after three years of people saying “The Bengals are going to return to form this year.” and them not doing it, they might do it when people finally stopped saying that?
On the flip side of that, the Packers looked bad, their offense line looked like it couldn't stop a Pop Warner pass rush, much less an NFL caliber one. They need to figure that out fast, or they will be watching the Playoffs from their living rooms.
The Raiders, who I have gone on record as saying are my sleeper team of 2009 didn't look as impressive in a win as it they did in a lost last week to San Diego. I'm still sticking by them as my sleeper team, but they are going to need JaMarcus Russell to complete more then seven passes if they want to win in this league. That being said he, did bring them down the field on a nine-play, game winning drive that was capped with a Darren McFadden rushing touchdown. Russell seems to make throws when it counts but he'll need to do better if they expect to beat AFC West Rival Denver next week.
Did anyone else see Jerry Jones picking his nose at his new Stadium on Sunday night? Had to be the funniest thing I've seen during a game since the NFL started cracking down on Chad OchoCinco's touchdown celebrations, for me it totally overshadowed the massive stadium and game on the field. It just goes to prove you can be a billionaire, owner of the most valuable team in the NFL, but you'll still get some dry ones up a nostril every now and then.
Speaking of the game on the field, can Tony Romo ever play in important games? Here is Jones' grand opening of his Billion plus dollar behemoth of a Stadium and the dude lays an egg. I watched the game and I still can understand how they made it as close as they did with Romo throwing three interceptions. They should let him and Jessica Simpson get back together and so she can play quarterback in clutch situations, it couldn't be much worse.
Kolb looked far better then I expected for the Eagles, but he couldn't keep up with the Beast that is Drew Brews, can we just give him the MVP trophy two weeks into the season, is that calling it too soon?
The Lions look improved from last year, they still should be called the Detroit Kitty Cats but at least they are showing a little fight in them this year. I expect they will not only win a game this year but they will win two or three this year, and that should be enough to get Stafford a parade down main street.
Are the Patriots going to get it together this year or what? They looked bad against the Bills in a win, and then they lost to the Jets, its only the second week of the season but it seems like Patriot fans should be more worried then they ever have been with Brady under center. Week 3's game against Atlanta should tell us a lot about this team.
The Redskin's offense looked horrible last week, and the players were booed off the field in a win. That doesn't say much about the skins, but what no one is talking about is that it really doesn't say much about the Rams, how disrespected do you think they feel?
Delhomme looked better this week in a loss. Not great but better, like an NFL quarterback. He threw for over 300 yards and only had one interception that came on a 4th down on their last drive. Atlanta is a good team, so if Carolina can play like that every week they should be okay, not where they were last year, but just, okay.
I don't understand Rugby, I've never read up on it, and I've never watched more then ten minutes of it. That being said I've always been intrigued by the sport from which football was born. Channel surfing this Friday brought me to Spike, that was inexplicably airing a Rugby game, here are some things I said while watching:
Oh Rugby, I think I'll watch this.
Why are the Refs wearing pink?
Why isn't anyone blocking?
What down is it?
Why did he just punt?
Why isn't anyone blocking?
What the hell is going on?
Oh! Touchdown! Or, uh, what do they call touchdowns?
Nice hit, maybe they should be wearing pads.
Cool, its like the last play of a football game over and over again, except no one is blocking and I can't tell what the hell is going on.
Why did he just punt?
He Punted again! Why did he do that?
What else is on?
And so ended my hardcore Rugby fandom, is this what its like when Europeans try to watch Football? I wanted to like it, but there was nothing telling me what I was watching, are they close to punting, or is the guy going to run with it? If Rugby ever wants to be popular over here they need to get some Madden-like announcers to say things that are painfully obvious to anyone who watches the sport, but are probably helpful to someone watching for the first time.
Come back tomorrow for my week 3 predictions.
Week Two observations:
The Jets defense continued to impress, using the blueprint put forth by the Giants during SuperBowl XLII: Rush and hit Tom Brady, making him uncomfortable and force him to make bad throws. Revis is quickly proving that he is the best CornerBack in the league, first shutting down Andre Johnson in week one and then Randy Moss in week two. If the Jets' Defense keeps this up they have a real shot to win the AFC East in Mark Sanchez's first year.
The Bengals looked good, and that has to be the first time I've seen “The Bengals look good” written down on paper since 2005 when the Bengals made won their division. Their defense got to Aaron Rodgers five times and their offense put up 31 points on what was supposed to be a good defense. Who would have thought after three years of people saying “The Bengals are going to return to form this year.” and them not doing it, they might do it when people finally stopped saying that?
On the flip side of that, the Packers looked bad, their offense line looked like it couldn't stop a Pop Warner pass rush, much less an NFL caliber one. They need to figure that out fast, or they will be watching the Playoffs from their living rooms.
The Raiders, who I have gone on record as saying are my sleeper team of 2009 didn't look as impressive in a win as it they did in a lost last week to San Diego. I'm still sticking by them as my sleeper team, but they are going to need JaMarcus Russell to complete more then seven passes if they want to win in this league. That being said he, did bring them down the field on a nine-play, game winning drive that was capped with a Darren McFadden rushing touchdown. Russell seems to make throws when it counts but he'll need to do better if they expect to beat AFC West Rival Denver next week.
Did anyone else see Jerry Jones picking his nose at his new Stadium on Sunday night? Had to be the funniest thing I've seen during a game since the NFL started cracking down on Chad OchoCinco's touchdown celebrations, for me it totally overshadowed the massive stadium and game on the field. It just goes to prove you can be a billionaire, owner of the most valuable team in the NFL, but you'll still get some dry ones up a nostril every now and then.
Speaking of the game on the field, can Tony Romo ever play in important games? Here is Jones' grand opening of his Billion plus dollar behemoth of a Stadium and the dude lays an egg. I watched the game and I still can understand how they made it as close as they did with Romo throwing three interceptions. They should let him and Jessica Simpson get back together and so she can play quarterback in clutch situations, it couldn't be much worse.
Kolb looked far better then I expected for the Eagles, but he couldn't keep up with the Beast that is Drew Brews, can we just give him the MVP trophy two weeks into the season, is that calling it too soon?
The Lions look improved from last year, they still should be called the Detroit Kitty Cats but at least they are showing a little fight in them this year. I expect they will not only win a game this year but they will win two or three this year, and that should be enough to get Stafford a parade down main street.
Are the Patriots going to get it together this year or what? They looked bad against the Bills in a win, and then they lost to the Jets, its only the second week of the season but it seems like Patriot fans should be more worried then they ever have been with Brady under center. Week 3's game against Atlanta should tell us a lot about this team.
The Redskin's offense looked horrible last week, and the players were booed off the field in a win. That doesn't say much about the skins, but what no one is talking about is that it really doesn't say much about the Rams, how disrespected do you think they feel?
Delhomme looked better this week in a loss. Not great but better, like an NFL quarterback. He threw for over 300 yards and only had one interception that came on a 4th down on their last drive. Atlanta is a good team, so if Carolina can play like that every week they should be okay, not where they were last year, but just, okay.
I don't understand Rugby, I've never read up on it, and I've never watched more then ten minutes of it. That being said I've always been intrigued by the sport from which football was born. Channel surfing this Friday brought me to Spike, that was inexplicably airing a Rugby game, here are some things I said while watching:
Oh Rugby, I think I'll watch this.
Why are the Refs wearing pink?
Why isn't anyone blocking?
What down is it?
Why did he just punt?
Why isn't anyone blocking?
What the hell is going on?
Oh! Touchdown! Or, uh, what do they call touchdowns?
Nice hit, maybe they should be wearing pads.
Cool, its like the last play of a football game over and over again, except no one is blocking and I can't tell what the hell is going on.
Why did he just punt?
He Punted again! Why did he do that?
What else is on?
And so ended my hardcore Rugby fandom, is this what its like when Europeans try to watch Football? I wanted to like it, but there was nothing telling me what I was watching, are they close to punting, or is the guy going to run with it? If Rugby ever wants to be popular over here they need to get some Madden-like announcers to say things that are painfully obvious to anyone who watches the sport, but are probably helpful to someone watching for the first time.
Come back tomorrow for my week 3 predictions.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
NFL point spreads.
The spreads are out and I am here to give you sports-aholics the teams to pick.
Oakland @ Kansas City -3
It amazes me that after Oakland's strong performance on Monday Vegas isn't giving them more credit. Oakland looked strong against San Diego and despite making some bad decisions at times JaMarcus Russell looked more like an NFL caliber starter then any other time in his career. KC also had a strong showing against Baltimore but this being Cassel's first start for Kansas City. Not only do I expect Oakland to cover but I look for them to win.
Houston @ Tennessee -6.5
Houston looked bad against the Jets, and Tennessee looked good in a loss against the Steelers. Winning by a touchdown doesn't seem to hard to the Titans and I expect them to win and cover the points.
New England @ New York Jets +3.5
New England looked bad against the Bills on Monday and Sanchez and the Jets looked good. With OJ Mayo out this week I expect the Patriot's defense to struggle against what I consider to be a more competent offense then the Bills have. If Tom Brady returns to form like he did in the last 2 minutes against the Bills then I would expect them to win by more then four points. However if not I expect the Jets Defense to give him trouble and take the upset and not only cover the points but win the game outright.
Cincinnati @ Green Bay -9
I expect Green Bay to win this game, and while I think Cincinnati's offense will bounce back and look better then it did last week, its defense is still too weak to handle Aaron Rodgers and his passing attack. I expect Green Bay to win and give the points.
Minnesota @ Detroit +10
Detroit is still an awful team, and while they put up some points against a weak New Orleans defense their offense will struggle more against Minnesota's. While I think 10 points will be tough, I still expect Minnesota to win and cover, but just barely.
New Orleans @ Philadelphia PK
This is a pick em game, but I can not figure out why. With McNabb down and Kevin Kolb getting the start I expect New Orleans to come away with the win and a wide margin. Look for Garcia to be thrown in the game late if Kolb struggles.
Carolina @ Atlanta -6
At the start of the year this looked to be a good match up. Then Delhomme went and gave up 5 turnovers and the point spread is now six. I still don't think thats high enough and I expect Delhomme to have a similar outing against a tough Atlanta defense. I'll Take Atlanta and give the points.
St. Louis @ Washington -9.5
St. Louis got shut out last week and the Redskins are angry about their lost to the Giants last week. Still I look to Marc Bulger to try and prove that he still belongs in the NFL. I expect the Redskins to win, but I think St. Louis puts up more of a fight then people expect and covers the spread.
Arizona @ Jacksonville -3
Jacksonville looked tough against the Colts and Arizona struggled against and loss to the 49ers. I suspect that this is why the Jaguars are favored in this game. However I expect the Jags will take a step back and the Cards will step it up, hearing doubters whisper about a super bowl hangover. I'll take Arizona with the points.
Seattle @ San Fransisco -1.5
Seattle has just shut their opponent out while San Fran has just beaten the NFC champs. I think it will be a close game (and so do the line setters) but I if given the choice of Shaun Hill and Matt Hasselbeck I'll take the pro bowler any day of the week. I'll take Seattle to win outright.
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo -5
Buffalo looked good against the Patriots but still didn't put up many points. With Posluszny injured their defense will struggle. While Tampa lost its game it did put up 21 points. I expect the Bills to win but I think Tampa Bay covers the spread and lose by a field goal.
Cleveland @ Denver -3
The Browns looked better then expected against a tough Minnesota defense while the Broncos only beat Cincinnati on a last second, fluke play. I expect Cleveland to win this game, they might still be the Browns but they are looking better.
Baltimore @ San Diego -3
Baltimore's defense looked weak against a normally anemic Kansas City Offense, while San Diego looked weak against an equally normally weak Oakland team. But seeing as I have picked Oakland to be my sleeper team of the season, San Diego's near loss doesn't look as bad as Baltimore's I expect San Diego to win and cover.
Pittsburgh @ Chicago +3
Jay Cutler looked more like Rex Grossman in his Bear debut, but I expect him to have a better outing this week. Still Pittsburgh is just too much for the Bears to handle, especially with Urlacher out. I pick Pittsburgh and give the points.
New York Giants @ Dallas -3
Dallas looked good last week against Tampa, but so did the Giants against the Skins. I expect Brandon Jaccobs to return to form this week and the Giants D rush to give Romo some problems. I expect the G-men to not only cover but win the game outright.
Indianapolis @ Miami +3 (Monday Night)
Indy looked bad against the Jaguars, but division games are always tough. Meanwhile Miami looked horrible against Atlanta and couldn't score until the fourth quarter when the game was all but over. I expect the Colts to go into Miami and win big on national T.V.
Oakland @ Kansas City -3
It amazes me that after Oakland's strong performance on Monday Vegas isn't giving them more credit. Oakland looked strong against San Diego and despite making some bad decisions at times JaMarcus Russell looked more like an NFL caliber starter then any other time in his career. KC also had a strong showing against Baltimore but this being Cassel's first start for Kansas City. Not only do I expect Oakland to cover but I look for them to win.
Houston @ Tennessee -6.5
Houston looked bad against the Jets, and Tennessee looked good in a loss against the Steelers. Winning by a touchdown doesn't seem to hard to the Titans and I expect them to win and cover the points.
New England @ New York Jets +3.5
New England looked bad against the Bills on Monday and Sanchez and the Jets looked good. With OJ Mayo out this week I expect the Patriot's defense to struggle against what I consider to be a more competent offense then the Bills have. If Tom Brady returns to form like he did in the last 2 minutes against the Bills then I would expect them to win by more then four points. However if not I expect the Jets Defense to give him trouble and take the upset and not only cover the points but win the game outright.
Cincinnati @ Green Bay -9
I expect Green Bay to win this game, and while I think Cincinnati's offense will bounce back and look better then it did last week, its defense is still too weak to handle Aaron Rodgers and his passing attack. I expect Green Bay to win and give the points.
Minnesota @ Detroit +10
Detroit is still an awful team, and while they put up some points against a weak New Orleans defense their offense will struggle more against Minnesota's. While I think 10 points will be tough, I still expect Minnesota to win and cover, but just barely.
New Orleans @ Philadelphia PK
This is a pick em game, but I can not figure out why. With McNabb down and Kevin Kolb getting the start I expect New Orleans to come away with the win and a wide margin. Look for Garcia to be thrown in the game late if Kolb struggles.
Carolina @ Atlanta -6
At the start of the year this looked to be a good match up. Then Delhomme went and gave up 5 turnovers and the point spread is now six. I still don't think thats high enough and I expect Delhomme to have a similar outing against a tough Atlanta defense. I'll Take Atlanta and give the points.
St. Louis @ Washington -9.5
St. Louis got shut out last week and the Redskins are angry about their lost to the Giants last week. Still I look to Marc Bulger to try and prove that he still belongs in the NFL. I expect the Redskins to win, but I think St. Louis puts up more of a fight then people expect and covers the spread.
Arizona @ Jacksonville -3
Jacksonville looked tough against the Colts and Arizona struggled against and loss to the 49ers. I suspect that this is why the Jaguars are favored in this game. However I expect the Jags will take a step back and the Cards will step it up, hearing doubters whisper about a super bowl hangover. I'll take Arizona with the points.
Seattle @ San Fransisco -1.5
Seattle has just shut their opponent out while San Fran has just beaten the NFC champs. I think it will be a close game (and so do the line setters) but I if given the choice of Shaun Hill and Matt Hasselbeck I'll take the pro bowler any day of the week. I'll take Seattle to win outright.
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo -5
Buffalo looked good against the Patriots but still didn't put up many points. With Posluszny injured their defense will struggle. While Tampa lost its game it did put up 21 points. I expect the Bills to win but I think Tampa Bay covers the spread and lose by a field goal.
Cleveland @ Denver -3
The Browns looked better then expected against a tough Minnesota defense while the Broncos only beat Cincinnati on a last second, fluke play. I expect Cleveland to win this game, they might still be the Browns but they are looking better.
Baltimore @ San Diego -3
Baltimore's defense looked weak against a normally anemic Kansas City Offense, while San Diego looked weak against an equally normally weak Oakland team. But seeing as I have picked Oakland to be my sleeper team of the season, San Diego's near loss doesn't look as bad as Baltimore's I expect San Diego to win and cover.
Pittsburgh @ Chicago +3
Jay Cutler looked more like Rex Grossman in his Bear debut, but I expect him to have a better outing this week. Still Pittsburgh is just too much for the Bears to handle, especially with Urlacher out. I pick Pittsburgh and give the points.
New York Giants @ Dallas -3
Dallas looked good last week against Tampa, but so did the Giants against the Skins. I expect Brandon Jaccobs to return to form this week and the Giants D rush to give Romo some problems. I expect the G-men to not only cover but win the game outright.
Indianapolis @ Miami +3 (Monday Night)
Indy looked bad against the Jaguars, but division games are always tough. Meanwhile Miami looked horrible against Atlanta and couldn't score until the fourth quarter when the game was all but over. I expect the Colts to go into Miami and win big on national T.V.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
10 observations about Week One:
Week1:
Opening week is, perhaps, the most exciting time for most NFL fans. Sure if you are a spoiled fan of the Steelers, Colts, or Patriots you might feel that the post season is a foregone conclusion and therefore be looking towards January already (more on that later). But for everyone else week one is the start of exhilaration and heart break. A time when all fans are equal, and when we finally get to see our teams in real action and learn if the preseason hype is the real deal. Week one, or the time immediately following week one, is also a time of hyperbole and over reaction, its important to keep in mind that this was only one game; and just because your team lost or won doesn't mean the Super Bowl or The number one pick is assured. That being said here are some of the things that we did learn:
Opening week is, perhaps, the most exciting time for most NFL fans. Sure if you are a spoiled fan of the Steelers, Colts, or Patriots you might feel that the post season is a foregone conclusion and therefore be looking towards January already (more on that later). But for everyone else week one is the start of exhilaration and heart break. A time when all fans are equal, and when we finally get to see our teams in real action and learn if the preseason hype is the real deal. Week one, or the time immediately following week one, is also a time of hyperbole and over reaction, its important to keep in mind that this was only one game; and just because your team lost or won doesn't mean the Super Bowl or The number one pick is assured. That being said here are some of the things that we did learn:
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