Two posts in two days? Unheard of.
@Kansas City over San Francisco
I will ride the KC bandwagon for one more week. Patented letdown game for the 49ers after almost beating the Saints on Monday night. Good news for the 49ers: they could be 0-3 and still have a chance to win the NFC West. They could be 0-15 and win the last week of the season and still win the NFC West.
@Minnesota over Detroit
If the Vikings lose the game, I predict Brett Favre will be "injured" and have to retire again for the 32nd time. Sorry Lonnie.
@New England over Buffalo
Coming off a bad loss against a hated rival, against a terrible Buffalo team, at home, how many points will the Pats score this week? I will be shocked if they don't get to 40 before the 4th quarter.
@New Orleans over Atlanta
The Saints are 2-0, but haven't exactly looked spectacular. But with how crappy the NFC has looked so far, who are you going put ahead of them, except maybe the Packers? And no, losing Reggie Bush doesn't really hurt at all. It's not like he's a Heisman trophy winner or anything.
@ NY Giants over Tennessee
If the Giants lose, it'll be the last time I pick them this season. But Vince Young is back to being terrible again, so I like their chances.
Pittsburgh over @ Tampa Bay
A tough game to pick because a) the Steelers are on the road b) Charlie Batch is their starting QB c) the Bucs aren't 2-0 good. I'll say the Steelers win a 6-3 game.
Cincinatti over @Carolina
Poor Jimmy Clausen. First he falls in the draft because Todd McShay likes to make up rumors about how Clausen has "attitude" problems, and now he has to start 3 games into his rookie year because Matt Moore was not a franchise QB. Shocking.
Speaking of Notre Dame, they need to forget about who they hire as head coach, and just focus on getting the best defensive coordinator possible. The offense can score with anyone's, but the defense is awful. This has been the theme for a long time.
@Baltimore over Cleveland
Is this the week the Ravens' offense wakes up? It doesn't matter, they won't need more than 10 points to beat any team with Jake Delhomme at QB. But please Joe Flacco, help your fantasy owners out.
Dallas over @ Houston
Dallas is desperate for a victory. Tony Romo is desperate for a victory. Wade Phillips is really desperate for a victory. The Texans are feeling pretty good about themselves, maybe too good. I just can't see the Cowboys starting 0-3. Not that I wouldn't enjoy it.
Washington over @ St. Louis
Will Donovan F. McNabb have a bad game because he's looking past the Rams to his return to Philly next week? Maybe, but it doesn't really matter because they're playing the Rams.
The one good thing about Vick/Kolb, we don't even really mention McNabb too much in the whole thing. I'm sure that'll change next week though.
Philadelphia over @ Jacksonville
The Eagles should win this game, but the never really play well in Florida for some reason (see any game at Tampa Bay, Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Donovan puking in both, etc.). The Jags are not good. Vick will likely have a big game. Wonderful.
Indianapolis over @ Denver
Just start Tebow, Broncos. It's what we all want to see. You're not going to be any good this year anyway. I want some emotional halftime speeches.
@Arizona over Oakland
You want somewhat of a mirror of the Kolb/Vick situation, look at Arizona. McNabb/Warner, the successful QB of the team for years, leaves town to give way to Kolb/Leinart, two young, unproven QBs who have been waiting their turns. However, team brings in Vick/Anderson, who end up taking jobs from said young QBs. Obviously Derek Anderson isn't quite as talented as Vick, and Leinart has played a bit more than Kolb has, but it's comparable. Going great for Arizona so far.
San Diego over @Seattle
I'm not sure how to care about this game. Moving on.
NY Jets over @ Miami
Probably the toughest game to pick of the week. The Jets looked great in the second half of their victory over the Pats, and the Dolphins have looked good as well. Add to it that it's in Miami, at night, and it's tough to pick the Jets. But I will anyway, now that the Curse of Hard Knocks was ended by the Bengals last season.
Green Bay over @ Chicago
Probably won't be easy for the Packers, but they'll take care of the Bears. Remember when Aaron Rodgers was first starting for the Packers? The team wasn't good that year, and he took his lumps, but he ended up better for it. Hmmm, would that work anywhere else?
Last week: 11-5
Overall: 20-12
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Kolb/Vick
Well, I guess it's a good thing that I didn't buy that Kolb jersey like I was planning on. Although, if I wait a few more weeks, it might be on sale. Backup QB jerseys usually aren't hot sellers, unless you're Tim Tebow.
In case you haven't realized, I am not a fan of this decision. Andy Reid obviously has made mistakes before, mostly dealing with timeouts and challenges. However, as an off-the-field coach, I think he has done a pretty good job. I'll say right now that this will go down as his worse decision ever.
I can understand why people want Vick to be the starter. He has looked great the past one and a half games. He's exciting, he's flashy, he's fun to watch, I won't deny any of that.
However, he's not a QB that can be a consistent winner in the NFL. And what amazes me, it's not like he's a rookie and we're still figuring out if he can win or not; we already know. He can't throw the ball in crunch time when it matter, he proved it time and time again in Atlanta. He got to one NFC title game with the Falcons, where he was crushed by the Eagles. And the NFC was terrible that year.
Want more proof ? Sure, he brought the team back against the Packers, but how did he do with the game on the line? On the last drive, he threw behind open receivers. He couldn't convert on 4th and 1 (although I will give a lot of the blame to Reid for the playcall). Against the Lions when the Lions were coming back, he foolishly spiked the ball after not getting a first down, costing the Eagles 15 yards and giving the Lions better field position. What if he does that against a good team?
He brought the team back against the Packers because a) they weren't prepared to face him for the entire game b) they were up by 17 points and were playing soft defense in the second half, allowing him to get his rushing yards as long as he didn't get the big pass and c) the defense played very well in the second half and got him the ball back several times.
He played well against the Lions, I'll give him that. But it's the Lions. THE LIONS. 2 wins in the last 2 seasons. Vick was throwing to wide open receivers all game. I am fairly certain that Kolb would have had just as good of a game. And he wouldn't have lost his cool and spiked the ball at the end of the game.
I'm not saying Kolb is a better QB than Vick. Honestly, we have no idea how good Kolb really is.
We have 2 games last season. He put up good numbers, but was a bit turnover prone. He didn't look good in preseason, but it's preseason. It means nothing. He threw 10 passes against the Packers. He didn't look good, but it's 10 passes. How did Tom Brady look in the second half against the Jets last week? Are we going to judge him on one half of football?
What happens to Kolb now? I doubt he gets traded. The Eagles would have a 5th round rookie as a backup. Unless Vick is terrible in his next few games, I doubt Reid puts Kolb back in. I'm sure he doesn't want to flip/flop that much.
Here's the only reasoning I could get behind for this decision. If Andy is really concerned that his offensive line is so bad that there's no way Kolb will succeed and he doesn't want Kolb turning into the next David Carr, I understand his choice. If they let Vick play this year, don't resign him, and let Kolb really be the starter next year, I understand the choice. Other than that, I can't get behind it.
Let's make one thing clear: the Eagles won't win the Super Bowl with Vick as QB. If they do, I'll be estactic and I'll eat my words. I'll buy a Vick jersey and run down Broad Street with just that on. But it's not gonna happen.
Sure, maybe they'll make the playoffs. Maybe they'll even win the East. But what's that? Haven't we been doing that for the last decade? Isn't that why we got rid of McNabb? He could take us so far, but not all the way?
Kolb probably wouldn't win the Eagles a Super Bowl this year either, but we don't know his potential. He's shown good flashes, and we have no idea what his ceiling is. Drew Brees was terrible in his first few seasons. Could Kolb turn into Drew Brees? It's unlikely, but possible.
We've seen Vick. We know what his ceiling is. I guess people just have short memory spans. The odds of him turning into a winning QB at this point are slim.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Vick will be great, maybe the Eagles will sign him to long term deal and he'll be the QB for the next several years.
But for now, it looks like the Eagles have mortaged their future for some publicity and a quick buck.
In case you haven't realized, I am not a fan of this decision. Andy Reid obviously has made mistakes before, mostly dealing with timeouts and challenges. However, as an off-the-field coach, I think he has done a pretty good job. I'll say right now that this will go down as his worse decision ever.
I can understand why people want Vick to be the starter. He has looked great the past one and a half games. He's exciting, he's flashy, he's fun to watch, I won't deny any of that.
However, he's not a QB that can be a consistent winner in the NFL. And what amazes me, it's not like he's a rookie and we're still figuring out if he can win or not; we already know. He can't throw the ball in crunch time when it matter, he proved it time and time again in Atlanta. He got to one NFC title game with the Falcons, where he was crushed by the Eagles. And the NFC was terrible that year.
Want more proof ? Sure, he brought the team back against the Packers, but how did he do with the game on the line? On the last drive, he threw behind open receivers. He couldn't convert on 4th and 1 (although I will give a lot of the blame to Reid for the playcall). Against the Lions when the Lions were coming back, he foolishly spiked the ball after not getting a first down, costing the Eagles 15 yards and giving the Lions better field position. What if he does that against a good team?
He brought the team back against the Packers because a) they weren't prepared to face him for the entire game b) they were up by 17 points and were playing soft defense in the second half, allowing him to get his rushing yards as long as he didn't get the big pass and c) the defense played very well in the second half and got him the ball back several times.
He played well against the Lions, I'll give him that. But it's the Lions. THE LIONS. 2 wins in the last 2 seasons. Vick was throwing to wide open receivers all game. I am fairly certain that Kolb would have had just as good of a game. And he wouldn't have lost his cool and spiked the ball at the end of the game.
I'm not saying Kolb is a better QB than Vick. Honestly, we have no idea how good Kolb really is.
We have 2 games last season. He put up good numbers, but was a bit turnover prone. He didn't look good in preseason, but it's preseason. It means nothing. He threw 10 passes against the Packers. He didn't look good, but it's 10 passes. How did Tom Brady look in the second half against the Jets last week? Are we going to judge him on one half of football?
What happens to Kolb now? I doubt he gets traded. The Eagles would have a 5th round rookie as a backup. Unless Vick is terrible in his next few games, I doubt Reid puts Kolb back in. I'm sure he doesn't want to flip/flop that much.
Here's the only reasoning I could get behind for this decision. If Andy is really concerned that his offensive line is so bad that there's no way Kolb will succeed and he doesn't want Kolb turning into the next David Carr, I understand his choice. If they let Vick play this year, don't resign him, and let Kolb really be the starter next year, I understand the choice. Other than that, I can't get behind it.
Let's make one thing clear: the Eagles won't win the Super Bowl with Vick as QB. If they do, I'll be estactic and I'll eat my words. I'll buy a Vick jersey and run down Broad Street with just that on. But it's not gonna happen.
Sure, maybe they'll make the playoffs. Maybe they'll even win the East. But what's that? Haven't we been doing that for the last decade? Isn't that why we got rid of McNabb? He could take us so far, but not all the way?
Kolb probably wouldn't win the Eagles a Super Bowl this year either, but we don't know his potential. He's shown good flashes, and we have no idea what his ceiling is. Drew Brees was terrible in his first few seasons. Could Kolb turn into Drew Brees? It's unlikely, but possible.
We've seen Vick. We know what his ceiling is. I guess people just have short memory spans. The odds of him turning into a winning QB at this point are slim.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Vick will be great, maybe the Eagles will sign him to long term deal and he'll be the QB for the next several years.
But for now, it looks like the Eagles have mortaged their future for some publicity and a quick buck.
Monday, September 20, 2010
NFL after week 2- AFC
AFC East
Jets- The first two weeks are probably going to be a microcasm of the Jets' entire season. The defense will be good week in and week out, but the offense will come and go. Ultimately they're too talented not to make the playoffs.
Patriots- The Patriots looked great through one and a half games, but were dreadful in the second half against the Jets. The offense will still put up a bunch of points because of Brady/Moss/Welker, but their lack of a run game still hurts, and their defense is definitely suspect. They'll be fighting with the Jets all year long for first in the East.
Dolphins- They're 2-0, but they beat the Bills and a Vikings team that didn't seem like they wanted to play. They would probably be a playoff team in the NFC, but I don't see them surviving through the mess of potential playoff teams in the AFC. 9-7 or even 10-6 is possible though.
Bills- Really really bad. They have very little going for them. Chan Gailey was a terrible hire at head coach, and have absolutely no answer at QB. I thought CJ Spiller would be good for them, which I why I have him on three fantasy teams, but he's done zilch so far. 3 wins, maybe.
AFC North
Ravens- Every year, the Ravens have a great defense but a below average offense. We thought with the addition of Anquan Boldin, another year of Ray Rice, and an improving Joe Flacco, they would have a formidable offense as well this year. Well, that definitely has not been the case so far. I think they'll put it all together and win the North, but Flacco has to be better.
Bengals- Really, I have no idea what to make of them. They got blasted by the Patriots, but beat the Ravens. I'm not sure if their win against the Ravens was more the Ravens being bad or the Bengals being good. I felt like they were a bit of a fluke last year, but I still picked them for the playoffs this year. With the strength the AFC is showing, however, I have a feeling they'll be on the outside of the playoffs.
Steelers- It's been ugly, but they're somehow 2-0 without Big Ben at QB. The defense has looked good, and the run game has done just enough to get the wins. In other words, typical Steelers football. I just wonder if they can win ugly the rest of the season. Like the Bengals, they could be a playoff team but there's a huge glut of teams to get through in the AFC.
Browns- They're bad, what else can you say? Delhomme is done, they might as well get Colt McCoy out there to see if he can do anything. Nothing much to say.
AFC South
Colts- Probably the biggest headline after week 1: what's wrong with the Colts? They never lose to the Texans, Peyton is done, defense is terrible and so on. So what do they do? They were the Colts and destroyed the Giants. They're fine, they're a playoff team. They Texans will challenge them, but they're still the team to beat in the South.
Texans- Probably the most talked about team of the year so far. They finally got over the hump and beat the Colts, then they staged a dramatic comeback against the Redskins. They definitely have the pieces in place to be a playoff team, with a high-powered offense with loads of talent at each position, and a solid defense with some playmakers. I think their defense may hold them back a bit, and remember, we think the Texans are gonna make the playoff leap every year. This is probably their best team so far, and they'll have a shot for sure.
Titans- See, this is what happens when you invest too much in a win over the Raiders. People were talking playoffs for the Titans after the way they ended last season and their convincing win over the Raiders. But besides Chris Johnson, they still don't have a ton of weapons on offense. Vince Young is inconsistent, and he's a headcase. The defense is nothing special. They're an 8-8 team in my book.
Jaguars- Is there a more nondescript team in the NFL than the Jaguars? They had a couple good seasons when they first started, but for the last 10 years or so, they haven't been good, they haven't been terrible, they're just there. Besides Maurice Jones-Drew, they have no standout players. Just not a good franchise.
AFC West
Chargers- Typical Chargers; look terrible one week, look great the next. We all know how this goes. They should win the West with a strong late season run. Everyone will be talking about them going into the playoffs and then they'll fizzle out in the first round.
Chiefs- Another surprising team, and they already have a win over their top division rival under their belts. I think their offense will put up points all year, but I still wonder how the defense will look over a full season. They have the pieces in place, and they could make it scary for the Chargers, but I think they're still a year away.
Broncos- They lost to a bad Jaguars team, then beat a bad Seahawks team, so really, I don't think they're very good. The defense just isn't very good, and Kyle Orton is a "game manager" (aka crappy quarterback). Josh McDaniels is not Bill Belichick, as much as he is trying to be. Fans will be clamoring for Tebow by week 6.
Raiders- So much for Jason Campbell being the answer at QB. Just another typical Raiders season. They might beat some bad teams, surprise a team here and there, but they're the Raiders. They have no direction and they're going nowhere.
Playoff Teams:
1. Colts
2. Ravens
3. Jets
4. Chargers
5. Patriots
6. Texans
Jets- The first two weeks are probably going to be a microcasm of the Jets' entire season. The defense will be good week in and week out, but the offense will come and go. Ultimately they're too talented not to make the playoffs.
Patriots- The Patriots looked great through one and a half games, but were dreadful in the second half against the Jets. The offense will still put up a bunch of points because of Brady/Moss/Welker, but their lack of a run game still hurts, and their defense is definitely suspect. They'll be fighting with the Jets all year long for first in the East.
Dolphins- They're 2-0, but they beat the Bills and a Vikings team that didn't seem like they wanted to play. They would probably be a playoff team in the NFC, but I don't see them surviving through the mess of potential playoff teams in the AFC. 9-7 or even 10-6 is possible though.
Bills- Really really bad. They have very little going for them. Chan Gailey was a terrible hire at head coach, and have absolutely no answer at QB. I thought CJ Spiller would be good for them, which I why I have him on three fantasy teams, but he's done zilch so far. 3 wins, maybe.
AFC North
Ravens- Every year, the Ravens have a great defense but a below average offense. We thought with the addition of Anquan Boldin, another year of Ray Rice, and an improving Joe Flacco, they would have a formidable offense as well this year. Well, that definitely has not been the case so far. I think they'll put it all together and win the North, but Flacco has to be better.
Bengals- Really, I have no idea what to make of them. They got blasted by the Patriots, but beat the Ravens. I'm not sure if their win against the Ravens was more the Ravens being bad or the Bengals being good. I felt like they were a bit of a fluke last year, but I still picked them for the playoffs this year. With the strength the AFC is showing, however, I have a feeling they'll be on the outside of the playoffs.
Steelers- It's been ugly, but they're somehow 2-0 without Big Ben at QB. The defense has looked good, and the run game has done just enough to get the wins. In other words, typical Steelers football. I just wonder if they can win ugly the rest of the season. Like the Bengals, they could be a playoff team but there's a huge glut of teams to get through in the AFC.
Browns- They're bad, what else can you say? Delhomme is done, they might as well get Colt McCoy out there to see if he can do anything. Nothing much to say.
AFC South
Colts- Probably the biggest headline after week 1: what's wrong with the Colts? They never lose to the Texans, Peyton is done, defense is terrible and so on. So what do they do? They were the Colts and destroyed the Giants. They're fine, they're a playoff team. They Texans will challenge them, but they're still the team to beat in the South.
Texans- Probably the most talked about team of the year so far. They finally got over the hump and beat the Colts, then they staged a dramatic comeback against the Redskins. They definitely have the pieces in place to be a playoff team, with a high-powered offense with loads of talent at each position, and a solid defense with some playmakers. I think their defense may hold them back a bit, and remember, we think the Texans are gonna make the playoff leap every year. This is probably their best team so far, and they'll have a shot for sure.
Titans- See, this is what happens when you invest too much in a win over the Raiders. People were talking playoffs for the Titans after the way they ended last season and their convincing win over the Raiders. But besides Chris Johnson, they still don't have a ton of weapons on offense. Vince Young is inconsistent, and he's a headcase. The defense is nothing special. They're an 8-8 team in my book.
Jaguars- Is there a more nondescript team in the NFL than the Jaguars? They had a couple good seasons when they first started, but for the last 10 years or so, they haven't been good, they haven't been terrible, they're just there. Besides Maurice Jones-Drew, they have no standout players. Just not a good franchise.
AFC West
Chargers- Typical Chargers; look terrible one week, look great the next. We all know how this goes. They should win the West with a strong late season run. Everyone will be talking about them going into the playoffs and then they'll fizzle out in the first round.
Chiefs- Another surprising team, and they already have a win over their top division rival under their belts. I think their offense will put up points all year, but I still wonder how the defense will look over a full season. They have the pieces in place, and they could make it scary for the Chargers, but I think they're still a year away.
Broncos- They lost to a bad Jaguars team, then beat a bad Seahawks team, so really, I don't think they're very good. The defense just isn't very good, and Kyle Orton is a "game manager" (aka crappy quarterback). Josh McDaniels is not Bill Belichick, as much as he is trying to be. Fans will be clamoring for Tebow by week 6.
Raiders- So much for Jason Campbell being the answer at QB. Just another typical Raiders season. They might beat some bad teams, surprise a team here and there, but they're the Raiders. They have no direction and they're going nowhere.
Playoff Teams:
1. Colts
2. Ravens
3. Jets
4. Chargers
5. Patriots
6. Texans
NFL through 2 weeks- NFC
They say that you should't overreact to how teams in the NFL play after week 1. However, I think after week 2, we pretty much have a good idea of how each team will look this year.
NFC East
Eagles- Well, where do you start? Offense looks terrible in week 1, (not just Kolb, offense as a whole) but defense looks solid. Offense looks great in week 2, (not just Vick, offense as a whole) but defense looks terrible. Here's what we can take away. The Packers have a good defense, and were all over Kolb in the first half. They were not prepared for Vick, so he had success in the second half. The Lions have a terrible defense, so any QB would have had a big day yesterday. Vick was throwing to wide open targets all day. As for the defense, Stewart Bradley is much more important than we thought. Omar Gaither is terrible; he needs to be cut immediately. And Ellis Hobbs isn't the answer at corner. So what now? Probably some ups and downs, some more QB controversy, and most likely an 8-8, 9-7 season.
Redskins- Another hard team to pinpoint. Their D looked great against the Cowboys, but absolutely collapsed against the Texans. Donovan looks happy in the offense, as he gets to throw the deep ball all day. But they have zero run game, which is strange for a Mike Shanahan team. Like the Eagles, I see them hovering around .500 most of the year.
Giants- Terrible defense, and an explosive yet inconsistent offense. Eli will probably throw for 5,000 yards this year because they'll be behind in every game. Ahmad Bradshaw looks good, but Brandon Jacobs has clearly given up on being a football player, so their run game will suffer. They should probably be 0-2 but Matt Moore enjoys throwing to the other team more than his own. Unless they outscore everyone, I see last place.
Cowboys- Really an enigma. Watching their game yesterday, you felt like they should have been winning, but they didn't. Their run game has been non-existant, and if their pass rush doesn't get to the QB, they give up huge plays. They have too much talent to be down for long, but they need to get the running game going and fix the secondary. I still think they win the division in the end.
NFC North
Vikings- Gosh Brett, maybe training camp would have helped you out a little bit. Having a banged up WR corps doesn't help, but they still have the weapons to be a good offense. Brett's been the weakest link so far. They still have a good enough defense and run game to make the playoffs, but the old man better wake up soon.
Packers- They were everyone's chic Super Bowl pick, and so far they're living up to the hype. It'll be interesting to see how they do against an elite team, not that there are many of those in the NFC, but for now, they're with the Saints as NFC favorites.
Bears- 2-0, but are they that good? Their offense has looked good, with Matt Forte looking much better than last year, and Jay Cutler not making as many bonehead passes. The defense has been solid, but they're still not gonna scare anyone. As weak as the NFC is looking, they have a shot to be a wild card.
Lions- 0-2, but are they that bad? They should have beaten the Bears if Calvin Johnson felt like holding on to the ball before celebrating, and their offense almost outscored the Eagles. They have a lot of explosion on offense with Johnson and Jahvid Best, and they should be better once Stafford is healthy. I could see them getting to 6-10, which is a huge improvement.
NFC South
Saints- If they win tonight: Yeah they're good. Saints and Packers are easily the favorites in the NFC. If they lose tonight: Eh, no big deal, they're still the favorites with the Packers.
Panthers- Quite possibly the worst team in the league this year. Matt Moore is atrocious, and if/when Jimmy Clausen comes in, I'm sure he won't be much better as a rookie. The defense is awful, especially the secondary. Maybe 4 wins.
Falcons- Who knows? Disappointing loss to the Steelers followed by a dismantiling of the Cardinals. I feel like they're a team who will dominate at home, but be terrible on the road. Good enough to get the playoffs? Yeah, probably.
Bucs- Between the Bears and Bucs, I would choose the Bears as the less fluky of the 2-0 teams. The Bucs have a solid young nucleus, but they also beat two of the worse teams in the NFL. They might be good in a couple year, but no better than 6-10 this season.
NFC West
I'm just going to lump all of the NFC West into one here. They're all terrible. If the NFL was smart, they would give out three wild cards in the NFC and not let the West winner make the playoffs. The winner of the NFC West should play the winner of the CFL. It would be a close game. Since I picked the Seahawks to begin the year, I'll stick with them, but who cares? This is probably the worse division in the history of sports.
To recap, playoff teams:
1. Saints
2. Packers
3. Cowboys
4. Seahawks
5. Falcons
6. Vikings
NFC East
Eagles- Well, where do you start? Offense looks terrible in week 1, (not just Kolb, offense as a whole) but defense looks solid. Offense looks great in week 2, (not just Vick, offense as a whole) but defense looks terrible. Here's what we can take away. The Packers have a good defense, and were all over Kolb in the first half. They were not prepared for Vick, so he had success in the second half. The Lions have a terrible defense, so any QB would have had a big day yesterday. Vick was throwing to wide open targets all day. As for the defense, Stewart Bradley is much more important than we thought. Omar Gaither is terrible; he needs to be cut immediately. And Ellis Hobbs isn't the answer at corner. So what now? Probably some ups and downs, some more QB controversy, and most likely an 8-8, 9-7 season.
Redskins- Another hard team to pinpoint. Their D looked great against the Cowboys, but absolutely collapsed against the Texans. Donovan looks happy in the offense, as he gets to throw the deep ball all day. But they have zero run game, which is strange for a Mike Shanahan team. Like the Eagles, I see them hovering around .500 most of the year.
Giants- Terrible defense, and an explosive yet inconsistent offense. Eli will probably throw for 5,000 yards this year because they'll be behind in every game. Ahmad Bradshaw looks good, but Brandon Jacobs has clearly given up on being a football player, so their run game will suffer. They should probably be 0-2 but Matt Moore enjoys throwing to the other team more than his own. Unless they outscore everyone, I see last place.
Cowboys- Really an enigma. Watching their game yesterday, you felt like they should have been winning, but they didn't. Their run game has been non-existant, and if their pass rush doesn't get to the QB, they give up huge plays. They have too much talent to be down for long, but they need to get the running game going and fix the secondary. I still think they win the division in the end.
NFC North
Vikings- Gosh Brett, maybe training camp would have helped you out a little bit. Having a banged up WR corps doesn't help, but they still have the weapons to be a good offense. Brett's been the weakest link so far. They still have a good enough defense and run game to make the playoffs, but the old man better wake up soon.
Packers- They were everyone's chic Super Bowl pick, and so far they're living up to the hype. It'll be interesting to see how they do against an elite team, not that there are many of those in the NFC, but for now, they're with the Saints as NFC favorites.
Bears- 2-0, but are they that good? Their offense has looked good, with Matt Forte looking much better than last year, and Jay Cutler not making as many bonehead passes. The defense has been solid, but they're still not gonna scare anyone. As weak as the NFC is looking, they have a shot to be a wild card.
Lions- 0-2, but are they that bad? They should have beaten the Bears if Calvin Johnson felt like holding on to the ball before celebrating, and their offense almost outscored the Eagles. They have a lot of explosion on offense with Johnson and Jahvid Best, and they should be better once Stafford is healthy. I could see them getting to 6-10, which is a huge improvement.
NFC South
Saints- If they win tonight: Yeah they're good. Saints and Packers are easily the favorites in the NFC. If they lose tonight: Eh, no big deal, they're still the favorites with the Packers.
Panthers- Quite possibly the worst team in the league this year. Matt Moore is atrocious, and if/when Jimmy Clausen comes in, I'm sure he won't be much better as a rookie. The defense is awful, especially the secondary. Maybe 4 wins.
Falcons- Who knows? Disappointing loss to the Steelers followed by a dismantiling of the Cardinals. I feel like they're a team who will dominate at home, but be terrible on the road. Good enough to get the playoffs? Yeah, probably.
Bucs- Between the Bears and Bucs, I would choose the Bears as the less fluky of the 2-0 teams. The Bucs have a solid young nucleus, but they also beat two of the worse teams in the NFL. They might be good in a couple year, but no better than 6-10 this season.
NFC West
I'm just going to lump all of the NFC West into one here. They're all terrible. If the NFL was smart, they would give out three wild cards in the NFC and not let the West winner make the playoffs. The winner of the NFC West should play the winner of the CFL. It would be a close game. Since I picked the Seahawks to begin the year, I'll stick with them, but who cares? This is probably the worse division in the history of sports.
To recap, playoff teams:
1. Saints
2. Packers
3. Cowboys
4. Seahawks
5. Falcons
6. Vikings
Thursday, September 9, 2010
2010 NFL Predictions
AFC
East
1. Jets 11-5
2. Patriots 10-6
3. Dolphins 8-8
4. Bills 3-13
North
1. Ravens 11-5
2. Bengals 10-6
3. Steelers 7-9
4. Browns 5-11
South
1. Colts 12-4
2. Texans 9-7
3. Titans 9-7
4. Jaguars 5-11
West
1. Chargers 10-6
2. Chiefs 8-8
3. Raiders 6-10
4. Broncos 5-11
NFC
East
1. Cowboys 11-5
2. Eagles 9-7
3. Giants 9-7
4. Redskins 7-9
North
1. Packers 11-5
2. Vikings 10-6
3. Lions 6-10
4. Bears 5-11
South
1. Saints 11-5
2. Falcons 10-6
3. Bucs 6-10
4. Panthers 4-12
West
1. Seahawks 9-7
2. 49ers 8-8
3. Cardinals 7-9
4. Rams 3-13
Playoffs
5 Patriots over 4 Chargers
3 Jets over 6 Bengals
5 Vikings over 4 Seahawks
3 Packers over 6 Falcons
1 Colts over 5 Patriots
2 Ravens over 3 Jets
1 Saints over 5 Vikings
3 Packers over 2 Cowboys
2 Ravens over 1 Colts
1 Saints over 3 Packers
Super Bowl XLV
Ravens 23 Saints 20
East
1. Jets 11-5
2. Patriots 10-6
3. Dolphins 8-8
4. Bills 3-13
North
1. Ravens 11-5
2. Bengals 10-6
3. Steelers 7-9
4. Browns 5-11
South
1. Colts 12-4
2. Texans 9-7
3. Titans 9-7
4. Jaguars 5-11
West
1. Chargers 10-6
2. Chiefs 8-8
3. Raiders 6-10
4. Broncos 5-11
NFC
East
1. Cowboys 11-5
2. Eagles 9-7
3. Giants 9-7
4. Redskins 7-9
North
1. Packers 11-5
2. Vikings 10-6
3. Lions 6-10
4. Bears 5-11
South
1. Saints 11-5
2. Falcons 10-6
3. Bucs 6-10
4. Panthers 4-12
West
1. Seahawks 9-7
2. 49ers 8-8
3. Cardinals 7-9
4. Rams 3-13
Playoffs
5 Patriots over 4 Chargers
3 Jets over 6 Bengals
5 Vikings over 4 Seahawks
3 Packers over 6 Falcons
1 Colts over 5 Patriots
2 Ravens over 3 Jets
1 Saints over 5 Vikings
3 Packers over 2 Cowboys
2 Ravens over 1 Colts
1 Saints over 3 Packers
Super Bowl XLV
Ravens 23 Saints 20
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Bowl Projections 2011
Almost forgot, but I had to get them in before games start tonight.
Nebraska vs. LSU Arlington, TX
Papajohns.com
Ohio vs. Cincinnati, Birmingham, AL
Kraft Fight Hunger
Washington vs. Nevada San Francisco, CA
Citi BCS National Championship
Alabama vs. Boise State, Glendale, AZ
R+L Carriers New Orleans
Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee, New Orleans, LA
St. Petersburg
UCF vs. South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL
MAACO Las Vegas
Cal vs. TCU, Las Vegas, NV
San Diego County CU Poinsettia
Navy vs. BYU, San Diego, CA
Sheraton Hawaii
Tulsa vs. Fresno State, Honolulu, HI
Little Caesars Pizza
Minnesota vs. Temple, Detroit, MI
AdvoCare V100 Independence
Boston College vs. Utah, Shreveport, LA
EagleBank
Wake Forest vs. East Carolina, Washington, DC
Champs Sports
UConn vs. Clemson, Orlando, FL
Valero Alamo
Oregon vs. Texas A&M, San Antonio, TX
New Era Pinstripe
Kansas State vs. Rutgers, New York
Gaylord Hotels Music City
Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina, Nashville, TN
Pacific Life Holiday
Stanford vs. Texas Tech, San Diego, CA
Meineke Car Care
Florida State vs. West Virginia, Charlotte, NC
AutoZone Liberty
Houston vs. Mississippi, Memphis, TN
Insight
Missouri vs. Michigan State, Tempe, AZ
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
SMU vs. Air Force, Fort Worth, TX
Brut Sun
North Carolina vs. Arizona, El Paso, TX
Texas
Colorado vs. Northwestern, Houston, TX
Chick-fil-A
Miami vs. Auburn, Atlanta, GA
Dallas Football Classic
Kansas vs. Michigan, Dallas, TX
Outback
Penn State vs. Arkansas, Tampa, FL
Capital One
Georgia vs. Wisconsin, Orlando, FL
Konica Minolta Gator
Notre Dame vs. Tennessee, Jacksonville, FL
Rose Bowl Game
Ohio State vs. Oregon State, Pasadena, CA
Tostitos Fiesta
Oklahoma vs. Iowa, Glendale, AZ
FedEx Orange
Virginia Tech vs. Pitt, Miami Gardens, FL
Allstate Sugar
Florida vs. Texas, New Orleans, LA
GMAC
Central Michigan vs. Troy, Mobile, AL
Nebraska vs. LSU Arlington, TX
Papajohns.com
Ohio vs. Cincinnati, Birmingham, AL
Kraft Fight Hunger
Washington vs. Nevada San Francisco, CA
Citi BCS National Championship
Alabama vs. Boise State, Glendale, AZ
Friday, July 9, 2010
LeBron Thoughts
Some thoughts after LeBronaggedon last night:
- Regardless of what side you're on (I would say about 90% of people are anti-LeBron right now), people are taking this way too seriously. An excerpt from an emailer in Bill Simmons' column: "Sports as we know it ended tonight." Seriously? Just stop. Players change teams all the time. When Scott Rolen forced a trade out of Philadelphia, we were pretty upset about it, but Phillies fans didn't vow to stop watching baseball. I know Rolen isn't on the same level as LeBron, but frankly, some of the reactions are just ridiculous.
I cried once over sports, when I was seven years old and Joe Carter hit the home run off of Mitch Williams as the Blue Jays beat the Phillies in the World Series. To see grown women, and probably a few men, crying over a player leaving their team is borderline insane.
- Speaking of overblown reactions, the person who looks worse coming out of all of this is Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Instead of taking the high road and saying, "Hey, we're disappointed, but we'll move on," Gilbert said this. That's a good way to represent your franchise, Dan. By the way, there's no way the Cavs will win a title before LeBron does, so good luck with that.
- To everyone calling LeBron selfish, he left $30 million on the table by signing with the Heat instead of the Cavs. $30 million isn't chump change, even to someone like LeBron. Usually, we criticize athletes for just going wherever the money is. But now, a guy just goes to a place where he thinks he has a better chance of winning, and we get all over him for that.
- I don't blame LeBron one bit for going to Miami. He wasn't going to get it done with the roster in Cleveland. His second best player was Antwan Jamison, and he was terrible in the playoffs last season. He went to Miami simply because he feels he has the best chance of winning a title with Wade and Bosh as teammates.
To people saying, "Well this proves he can't win a title by himself," guess what, no one wins a title by themselves. Jordan had Pippen, Kobe had Shaq and now Gasol, Odom, and Artest, Wade had Shaq when they won a title. All of those supporting casts are better than anything LeBron has ever had, and he even got that team to an NBA Final. No great player has ever won a title on his own.
- Everyone is saying LeBron turned his back on his hometown. Cleveland is not his hometown, Akron is. It's like if I played for the Nets in Newark, and I left them and everyone said I turned on my hometown. Newark is just a city in the state I live in, not my hometown. Get over it Cleveland.
I never thought I would say this, but after all of this, LeBron, I hope you get your title next year.
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