Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Back to the Booth

Let the football world rejoice: 

Matt Millen has finally been fired.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Week 3 Winners -- Brad

I meant to do this weekly, but last week just didn't happen. I promise that I haven't read a single NFL related article, or watched an NFL themed show. This is all sure to go wrong.

1st week: 7-8

Chiefs +5.5 @ Falcons
The Chiefs have been any good

Raiders +9.5 @ Bills
The Raiders are a strange organization. Al Davis continues to wear matching windbreaker top and bottoms. If that isn't a clear example of questionable decision making, I don't know what is.

Texans +5 @ Titans
Remember when Vince Young was on top of the football world? The Houston native was rumored to be the Texan's 1st overall pick after securing the national title. Now he is being booed, seeking help for depression, and contemplating retirement.

Dolphins +13 @ Patriots
Who needs quarterbacks with starting experience? The Pats sure like to mold them to their style.

Bucs +3 @ Bears
I shouldn't bet against the Bears after the proved me wrong in week one. Although I did see Devin Hester limping on t.v.

Rams + 9.5 @ Seahawks
Seattle's 12th Man is all I really know about either team.

Panthers +3.5 @ Vikings
I heard Minnesota benched their starter for Gus Ferrotte. It's that bad?

Lions +4 @ 49ers
I think the 49ers played well last week. The Lions will begin positioning themselves this week to draft another wide receiver.

Bengals +13 @ Giants
I was legitimately disappointed Ocho Cinco can't print it on his jersey.

Steelers +3 @ Eagles
McNabb is really good, but not really good. Whatever that means.

Cardinals +3 @ Redskins
The cross-country trip and early start is not what Kurt Warner needs.

Jaguars +5 @ Colts
Manning is still better than anyone the Jags might have.

Browns +2.5 @ Ravens
I don't know much about either team.

Saints +5.5 @ Broncos
Shanahan's call for two at the end of the game displayed his faith in Cutler - who I thought was the best quarterback in his class but the Cardinals passed on.

Cowboys - 3 @ Packers
This should be a good one, much like Dallas's last game. They are becoming must see t.v. I almost root for any owner who values winning over finances.

Jets +10 @ Chargers
This telecast will be the most predictable of all time. The two topics that will be brought up are Brett Favre, and last week's blown call.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Week 2 Winners--Ryan

Green Bay -6 @ Detroit
Green Bay's D stuffs a sans-Martz Detroit offense.

New York Giants -9 @ St. Louis
Eli will get protection and pick apart St. Louis. Is it me or does Chris Long have to go with the Howie cut one of these days?

Tennesse @ Cincinnati--pick 'em
I'm a Bengals homer. And I can't believe in a quarterback named Kerry.

Chicago @ Carolina--pick 'em
I'll take the team that beat up on a solid San Diego Defense last week over a team that beat up on an out-of-sync Indy Offense.

Oakland +3 @ Kansas City
I hate the Raiders.

Indianapolis -1.5 @ Minnesota
Losing Saturday (Jeff) means losing Sunday for the Colts. And Tavarus Jackson has the wheels to outrun Indy's pass-rush.

New Orleans -3 @ Washington
I'll take New Orleans to win by a Jumbalayan margin.

Buffalo @ Jacksonville--pick 'em
I'm gonna say last week was not the norm for either of these teams.

San Francisco +3.5 @ Seattle
I think the 49ers are more than capable of losing by a field goal to a team that got blown out last week.

New England @ New York Jets--pick 'em
The Pats passing attack is not one that relies on precise timing a la the Colts, it relies on deep balls to Moss and underneath drags to Welker. Matt Cassell can handle that.

San Diego @ Denver--pick 'em
I'll give SD more credit for playing a tight game with Carolina last week than I will Denver for blowing out Oakland.

Atlanta +2.5 @ Tampa
I'll take Atlanta. I may have a man-crush on Matt Ryan.

Miami + 4.5 @ Arizona
Let me get this straight. Miami goes toe-to-toe with the Jets last week, while the Cards need 5 turnovers from the Niners to win, and the Dolphins are Dogs?? I must be missing something.

Pittsburgh -7 @ Cleveland
Hmmm, I don't know who's gonna show up--the Cleveland of 07 or the Cleveland of Week 1. I'll go green and say they'll be a Hybrid. A slow, powerless hybrid.

Philadelphia +3 @ Dallas
Philly will hang with Big-D for 2 and a half quarters and disappear. If only Jessica Simpson would do the same.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

1st Week Winners

Cincinnati -2 At Baltimore - Baltimore lost Boller, which doesn't sound bad until you realize he was the best available. Viva Ocho Cinco.

NY Jets -3 At Miami - Pennington's revenge falls short.

At New England -16 Kansas City - 16 points are a lot, but the Chiefs are awful.

At Pittsburgh -6.5 Houston - I don't know a single player for Houston other than the defensive end that was drafted first.

Jacksonville -3 At Tennessee - Both teams could be sleepers, but home field advantage is worth 3 points.

Detroit -3 At Atlanta - This game is televised? Detroit have offensive weapons.

At Buffalo -1.5 Seattle - Have Seattle dropped this far in two seasons? I'll take the fight'n Hawks. This game will be held in Toronto in 3 years.

At New Orleans -3 Tampa Bay - Home openers are the Saints specialty.

At Philadelphia -8.5 St. Louis - the stadium has an operable court for crazy fans during home games. That's a reflection of the environment.

Dallas -6 At Cleveland - Anderson's health is shaky, and the weather won't be cold/bad enough to derail the Dallas aerial assault.

At San Diego -9.5 Carolina - The Panthers keep it close, even without Crazy-Man-Smith.

Arizona -2.5 At San Francisco - The Cardinals always disappoint.

At Indianapolis -9.5 Chicago - Since Chicago won't score, Indy only needs to score 10 points.

At Green Bay -2 Minnesota - Packers are overrated.

Denver -3 At Oakland - Not sure what to think.

Monday, September 1, 2008

NFL 2008 Preview

AFC East
1. Patriots--an obvious pick, but the real question is whether or not they'll go 19-0 this year.
2. Jets--Favre was a great pick-up, but he's also their biggest question mark on offense. Will he be the Favre of '07 or '06? A great left side will foster a solid year for Thomas Jones. Look for Jericho Cotchery to be Brett's main man.
3. Bills
4. Dolphins--They'll win more games this season, but Parcells' culture needs 1 or 2 more years to cultivate before big results show. Ricky Williams does well this year...as long as he doesn't cultivate any illegal substances in the back of his locker.

AFC North
1.Steelers--They lost Alen Faneca, but a healthy Willie Parker and an non-motorcycle-accident-recovering Big Ben will get them into the playoffs.
2. Bengals--Most have them finishing last, but I'm a Cincy fan. With Ocho-Cinco hurt, look for T.J. Housh to blow up. He'll lead the league in catches (insert joke about the Bengals leading the league in arrest warrants here).
3. Browns--AFC North's feisty defenses have had a year to learn Derek Anderson's weaknesses. Although a strong left side could still carry them into the first round of the playoffs.
4. Ravens--Kyle freaking Boller...nuff said.

AFC South
1. Jaguars--Yes, I'm picking them to win the division. David Gerrard rarely turns the ball over, and their backfield combo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew will dominate once again.
2. Colts--I just don't think they have it this year.
3. Titans--Call me when Vince Young stops throwing like a seventh grader.
4. Texans

AFC West
1. Chargers--They'll easily win the division, but is this their year to go big?
2. Broncos--They finish second by default--the same way the Jets finish second by default.
3. Raiders--I think they'll edge out the Chiefs for third, I just can't wait to see Reggie McFadden (fellow Irishman, probably a relative) run the ball.
4. Chiefs

NFC East
1. Cowboys--I still don't buy Tony Romo, but their firepower is amazing, but Wade Phillips reminds me a little too much of Ralph Wiggum.
2. Eagles--They'll be better than last year, and Desean Jackson (Cal) might just make the Pro Bowl.
3. Giants--With a spotty D-line and weak/aged CBs, Eli would have to play like Payton to get them into the playoffs.
4. Redskins


NFC North
1. Packers--Their strong defense will allow Aaron Rodgers to flourish. By the way, Rodgers may not be Brett Favre, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Rodgers wouldn't have thrown that OT interception in the NFC Title game last season.
2. Vikings--Their defense got better, their running game and O-line are superb, but what if they need to throw the ball?
3. Bears--No one will be doing the Super Bowl shuffle this year in Chicago.
4. Lions--Am I the only one left who thinks Barry Sanders still might come back?

NFC South
1. Saints--I think the Saints will do better than most people think. Deuce is back, which will help Reggie do his thing. And Kim will be out in LA, so Bush will get to focus on football.
2. Buccaneers--This might be the year Jon Gruden's head explodes.
3. Panthers
4. Falcons--In a few years we'll be talking about how Art Blank rebuilt his team, but not this year...On a mostly unrelated note, can you imagine Michael Vick in one of today's college Spread Offenses? I can only dream.

NFC West
1. Seahawks--I think any of these 4 teams are capable of finishing first or dead last. Holmgren goes out on top.
2. 49ers--Again, I can see them winning the division. A strong D and an improved offensive scheme will keep them around .500.
3. Cardinals--Should Kurt Warner be allowed to wear a glove on his throwing hand, let alone the Barry Bonds old arm-guard? By the way, whatever happened to Immokalee's own Edgerrin James?
4. Rams

Rookie of the Year: Desean Jackson
MVP: Randy Moss
NFC Champions: Packers
AFC Champions: Patriots
Super Bowl Champions: Patriots