4:45 Start of the 2nd half. Jason Campbell is just getting all day to throw the ball. Great protection by Washington. Campbell misses a receiver long. Maybe I'm starting to see why Joe Gibbs is keeping the handcuffs on.
4:45 Clinton Portis up the middle for no gain. I can't even begin to imagine how many times that's been said over the past three times. What comes after a google?
4:46 Dallas brings the blitz, but the Redskins again pick it up, as Campbell finds a wide open Santana Moss. Just don't let Moss beat you deep. I still have nightmares about the 14-13 game.
4:48 DeMarcus Ware around the edge forces the fumble! Cowboys recover! After I complain about the Cowboys not being able to get pressure on Campbell, they finally get pressure and immediately force a fumble. I expect the check to be in the mail, Wade Phillips.
4:50 Cowboys have the ball now at midfield. If this game goes anything like any of the other games this season, the Cowboys will have a quickstrike score to take the lead for the first time today. Let's see.
4:51 Julius Jones rushes twice to bring up 3rd and 3. I know its been said alot of times, but I really do prefer Marion Barber III (MB3).
4:52 Romo makes a tough pass, which ibounces before a sliding TO can grab it. Not the most impressive way to take advantage of a turnover
4:53 McBriar punts the ball, and the Cowboys almost down it on the 1-yard line, but the refs signal touchback anyway. I'm skeptical, but Troy and Joe Buck didn't say anything, so I guess it must have been the right call. I'd trust Joe Buck with my life. Or is it Jack Bauer? I can't remember. Both are on Fox.
4:56 Mike Sellers is called for holding on first down after he was "going down on DeMarcus Ware" according to Aikman. 1st and 20 from the Redskin 10 yard line.
4:57 Two typically imaginative play calls by Gibbs lead to a 3rd and 15, which Jason Campbell promptly converts by firing a 20-yarder to Santana Moss who makes a great catch. I'm posting these as The Deuce edits. Some of these sentences don't make any sense before she reads them. I think I made a post in Hebrew around 3:30 before she caught it. And I'm not even Jewish.
4:59 Fox puts up the most shocking stat of the game. Middle of the 3rd quarter and the Redskins have 221 total yards compared to the Cowboys 158. Not a good sign.
5:01 Another 3rd down for the Redskins. They've done an excellent job converting these today as Campbell has had time to move through his progressions and find the open guy. Campbell finds Cooley, who is immediately tackled by Roy Williams 2 yards short of the first down. Great job Roy!
5:04 Troy and Joe Buck are talking about the 'Galloping Gobbler' award for the Thanksgiving game. The sexual tension is palpable.
5:06 Romo rolls right, pump-fakes and guns it to Patrick Crayton for the first-down! The Redskin defense grabbed the momentum of the Gurode disaster in first half, and has really tightened up in the 2nd half.
5:07 Rocky McIntosh picks off Romo with a diving interception which he returns to the 2-yard line. Uh-oh.
5:08 On the replay The Deuce screams "HE DROPPED IT". Joe Buck quickly agrees, and Wade Phillips challenges. I don't know. I think its going to stand, it looked like he had it. If the play stands, the Redskins will have the ball at the 2-yard line, and almost certainly take a 17-7 lead. Good challenge even if it isn't overturned.
5:11 Overturned! Take that Rocky McIntosh!!!! 3rd and 6 for the Cowboys.
5:12 Romo airmails it to Crayton, but underthrows the ball leading to the Washington player to run right into Crayton leading to the most obvious pass interference call of the year. 51 yards on the penalty, first down at the 22 yard line.
5:14 The Cowboys follow up the interference call with two horrible plays, MB3 up the middle for no gain, and then a hideous swing pass for a 9-yard loss. 3rd and 19.
5:15 TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS! Romo looked, waited and unleashed a pass over the top of the defense to TO for his 2nd touchdown on the night. Beautiful pass, Beautiful catch, Beautiful play. 14-10 Cowboys.
5:17 TO is still fired up. He is walking up and down the sideline screaming. Maybe Romo better look for the other receivers on the next series. TO might punch out a fan if he scores again. Also, there's been an injury. Wade Phillips will have to sit out next week with a broken hand after a high-octane high-five with Tony Romo.
5:19 Campbell comes out firing and Santana Moss make a unbelievable one-handed catch for a big play. Ball at the Dallas 40.
5:21 Campbell hits yet another long 3rd down completion. God-forbid we stop someone on 3rd down. Wouldn't want that to happen.
5:21 Demarcus Ware is called for a ridiculous roughing the passer penalty in which he was blocked into Jason Campbell, and barely grazes him. 15 yards. The Deuce: "Don't worry DeMarcus, you didn't break your pledge. That call was BS."
5:22 DeMarcus Ware follows up the bad call by sacking Jason Campbell and forcing an intentional grounding call. Campbell pleads to the ref that he was throwing to that ghost wearing a Redskins uniform.
5:24 The Cowboys finally hold the Redskins on 3rd and 19, and Suisham comes in to hit a 39-yard field goal, to pull the Redskins back to 14-13. End of the 3rd quarter.
5:28 After another stellar kick-return (23 yard line), a holding call moves the Cowboys back to the 13 yard line. The Cowboys return game is unstoppable.
5:30 Romo to Sam Hurd on 3rd and 2. Slant pattern for 14. We should do that more often.
5:32 Romo follows up the first down with a 24 yarder to Witten right in the middle fo the defense. Laron Landry comes up to make a big hit, on Witten, but Witten just stands there and takes it. He doesn't even fall down. Jason Witten could kick John Wayne's ass.
5:33 After a 2-yard run and a false-start penalty, they run the play that set up TO's 2nd TD of the night, which results in TO's 3rd TD of the night. Romo moved up in the pocket to avoid pressure and uncorked a perfect pass. 26 TDs on the year for Romo. TO starts pointing at the crowd and making T and O hand movements to the crowd. He just might be starting to win a few Cowboy fans over. 21-13 Redskins. Does anyone else smell a Jason Campbell interception coming up?
5:34 The Deuce earlier: "If I was Tony Romo, I would be kicking Gurode in the junk for not being able to do gun-shot stuff". I think she's referring to the bad snaps, but no one is sure.
5:39 First play for the Redskins: a 31 yarder to McCardell who has been talking a lot of trash today. I guess they have a little fight left in them.
5:40 Campbell guns it to Randel-El for 9 yards. Nothing to say, it was just a nice throw.
5: 42 On 3rd and 1 Campbell looks for Cooley downfield over the middle, but Cooley drops it. Suisam then comes out and drills his 3rd field goal of the game. The Deuce: "Oh apparently now this Suiza is a clutch kicker. Where was that when he played for Dallas?"
5:49 After a couple of running plays to loosen up the defense, Romo hits Owens in stride on the right sideline. After taking a diving tackle attempt, TO has nothing but open field ahead, and gets his 4th TD of the game. FOURTH! Unbelievable. Hey Redskins, I'll give you a tip: Double cover him. You are getting abused. What a game for TO and Romo. 51 yards.
5:53 Campbell hits some more short passes, but time is ticking away. Not a lot of desperation in the Redskins.
5:56 3rd and 4 at the 16 yard line. Campbell feels pressure in the pocket, and is unable to complete the pass
5:57 On 4th and 4, Campbell finds Cooley, who catches it this time, leading to a 1st and goal touchdown strike to Santana Moss. That drive took over 4 minutes. 28-23.
6:02 Cowboys start the drive with 3:41 left on their own 20. Romo throws a pass out of bounds in the direction of TO. 2nd down.
6:03 Julius Jones for no gain, setting up a 3rd and 12. Redskins take a timeout. Hmm. I'm now slightly concerned.
6:05 After the timeout, the Redskins bring the pressure and sack Romo. And Flozell Adams is down with a knee injury. Terrific.
6:06 Gregg Williams is begging the refs to get to the timeout back, since there was an injury timeout. Who is actually head coach of the Redskins anyway? Is Joe Gibbs taking a nap? The refs give back the timeout. What a load of crap.
6:08 After a nice punt return, the Redskins get the ball back with 3 minutes on the Cowboy 40. I'm thinking they might just be able to score. Oddly, though I gave up on the Redskins, apparently they didn't get the memo.
6:10 At the 2-minute warning Campbell tosses another dart to Randel-El. First down inside the 20, with 2 minutes to go. The Deuce: "Wow, Campbell is really good at completions." That's a direct quote. Crap. Crap. Crap.
6:14 After two Campbell incompletions (under heavy pressure), Campbell steps out of the pocket and throws the ball to...Terrance Newman! Interception Cowboys! Game Over!
6:15 Barber off of the left side of the line for about 5 yards, Redskins timeout. 1:30 left. Barber for no gain, Redskins timeout. Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
6:17 3rd and 6. Garrett can go run or pass here, either to try to finish off the Redskins or milk the clock. Barber runs the ball for a couple and the Cowboys are set to punt.
6:20 After a delay of game penalty, McBriar punts and the Redskin player decides to try to field it in spite of the Cowboys player standing right in front of him. He's immediately tackled, and more precious seconds begin to tick off the clock.
6:22 After a completion to the 50-yard line, Campbell throws one out of bounds. 11 seconds left. Newman breaks up another pass, stripping the ball out. Great play.
6:23 With 5 seconds left, Campbell heaves up a desperation pass down the right sideline. TO (in for defense) adds a pass deflection to his list of accomplishments. Game Over!
6:24 Happiness ensues.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Dallas Cowboys - Washington Redskins: Live Blog (1st Half)
As always, I apologize to the Sports Guy for stealing any of his jokes.
3:15 Kickoff! Miles Austin with a nice return to the 40. My wife ('The Deuce') notes that usually the Cowboys are lucky to get it out to the 15.
3:17 The Cowboys start it off with back-to-back first downs, on a Romo pass to a WIDE open Witten, and a Julius Jones run up the right side. It's looking mighty easy right now. The Deuce confidently predicts a comfortable win.
3:19 After Jones is stopped for a short gain Romo grabs a snap up around his head. Short pass, setting up 3rd and 3.
3:20 Here's something you don't see every game. Romo is in the shotgun, adjusting the play, when the center snaps the ball which hits a surprised Romo right in the head. I'm angry, but the replays are priceless. It hit him square in the facemask, and bounces to Julius Jones who rushes back to the line of scrimmage before being tackled. Sigh.
3:21 Nick Folk for the 51-yarder...wide right. Not gonna kill him for missing a 51 yarder. It was plenty long though. What a leg.
3:25 Aikman and Buck wax poetic over the skill and beauty of Clinton Portis. I'm sure he's a great
3:27 Touchdown Redskins. Jason Campbell looked solid and found Chris Cooley again right down the middle. Once again, the world stands in awe of Roy Williams coverage abilities. 7-0 Redskins.
3: 29 Dallas returns the kickoff out to the 20. Back to usual.
3:31 Oliver Hoyt with the catch for a first down. Joe Buck had to tell me who that was, and where he played. Apparently he's a fullback.
3:32 The center snaps another ball right over Romo's head. Romo runs back to grab the ball, which is a good 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and with defenders breathing on his neck, he turns and uncorks a 40 yard pass to TO, which is tipped and picked off at the Washington 10-yard line.
3:33 The Deuce: "I'm going to find out what that center's name is." After she can' t find the name online, she promptly goes to the media guide. "Andre Gurode". He better watch his tires. I think she might drive to Arlington to slash them.
3:36 Three and out for the Skins, as Dallas finally gets a bit of pressure on Campbell. Campbell seems like a serviceable QB, but he's not exactly striking fear into my heart. He'll probably need a confident offensive coordinator who will take off the training wheels and let him throw. Right now, it doesn't seem like Joe Gibbs has confidence in him.
3:39 Joe Buck lets us know that Wade Phillips made the Cowboys sign a pledge to not make any more stupid penalties. Does that apply to bad snaps? Can Gurode sign an alternative contract next week?
3:41 TO gets robbed by a bad spot after a Romo screen pass which should have been a first down. Romo then takes a QB snap for a first down. Dallas has moved the ball easily on both drives in the first quarter, but had improbable bad snaps stop both drives (not that Romo was blameless for the interception).
3:46 The drive stalls after a Romo pass sails over the receiver. Maybe its the concussion he likely suffered after being drilled in the head by Gurode's errant snap, but he doesn't look quite as sharp today. I hope Britney Spears didn't impregnate him.
3:47 Matt McBriar!!! nails a punt which the Cowboys down inside the Redskin 5. The Skins will start with horrible field position which will likely result in Joe Gibbs making some ridiculously conservative play calls with a 7-0 lead. It is the first quarter vs. the best offense in the NFC. Don't want to take too many chances.
3:50 Clinton Portis up the middle for no gain. Shocking. End of the 1st quarter.
3:51 Earlier today, The Deuce wondered whether or not I would rather go to a party hosted by TO or Romo. It's a tough call, but I went with Romo. I think I would probably be a bit more comfortable there. Plus, if I went to TO's party, I would probably need to bring my bulletproof vest, and I just look clunky with it poking out through my shirt.
3:54 Keenan McCardell (age 85) just made a beautiful catch for a Redskin first down. Campbell follows it up by rushing on the left side for another first down. They've moved the ball down to the 40.
3:56 Trick play/Broken play for a 3rd consecutive first down. I've never liked Antwann Randle-El. His name is too complex and he's sneaky. And he just salvaged a strange pseudo-reverse with a pass down the middle. Don't like him.
3:58 The Deuce reads me a quote by Aikman yesterday saying Jason Garrett won't be back with the Cowboys next year. What?!?!?! I've got to find out more about this. Garrett has deservedly gotten a lot of credit this year. What the hell?
3:59 Big play, 3rd and 3 for the Skins inside the Cowboy 40. Clinton Portis is...Stopped! 4th and 1! Ever the Maverick, Gibbs trots out Suisham for field goal, which is...Short! Big turn of events. Even Aikman was surprised Gibbs didn't go for it.
4:04 Halfway through the 2nd quarter, the Cowboys are still scoreless. The Cowboys have at least one first down on each drive.
4:06 3rd and 4 for the Cowboys. And somehow Gurode throws the ball over Romo again. What's going on? Did Romo nail Gurode's mom last night or something? Is he trying to shave points? Maybe we should not be in the shotgun for the rest of the first half? Just maybe? Even more remarkably, Romo grabbed the ball and drilled TO for the first down. This is what makes Romo great. He can just make plays out of nothing, and never seems to get flustered.
4:09 Even Buck and Aikman have noticed it. Before the snap last time, Romo actually jumped before the snap even though the snap was only head high (as opposed to 5 feet over his head).
4:10 Less than 3 minutes left in the half, 2nd and 15 after a Jason Witten 10-yard penalty+ a Jason Witten 5-yard catch. Not enough on the catch.
4:11 Romo almost threw his 2nd interception there. 3rd and 15. Heavy pressure...Romo fires...1st down Cowboys! Romo found TO on the sideline. First and goal! Great play. Romo had NO time to make that play, but still found TO, and TO made the nice grab before going out of bounds. Great play to come back from right after the near interception. Great job Romo. 2 minute warning.
4:15 Romo has to take a timeout coming off of the 2-minute warning to avoid a delay of game penalty. How? I don't know. Troy Aikman on the situation: "That's impossible." The Deuce: "Troy Aikman just said that was impossible". She likes Aikman.
4:18 2nd and goal at the 5 after a Julius Jones 3-yard rush.
4:19 TD FOR TO! 7-7 Cowboys! TO makes a great move turning Shawn Springs around so that he could catch the TD. Romo put the ball right where it was supposed to be. Hell, even Gurode managed to snap the ball correctly. Everyone wins. Now we get to see the Redskins run their 2-minute offense. Don't act like you aren't excited. Clinton Portis up the middle time!
4:20 Note: Spell-checker doesn't believe Romo is a word. Think again spell-checker.
4:21 Aikman comments on the quote he made. Apparently all he said is he expects Garrett to get a head coaching job next year, and thus won't be back with the Cowboys. If it happens, it will be disappointing, but it's awfully hard to get rid of Wade Phillips after the season he's put together. Jerry Jones brought Garrett in the understanding that he was being groomed for the head coaching position. If he gets offered another job first and takes it, so be it. But I'd stay the hell away from the San Francisco job if I was him.
4:24 3rd and 4 with 37 seconds left. Jacque Reeves with a monster hit.
4:25 Campbell finds Randel-El for the first down. The Redskins call another timeout with 30 seconds left.
4:27 Campbell checks down to Clinton Portis who puts a nice move on the Dallas defender for an 8-yard gain, but he can't get out of bounds. He even used the rare 'crawling towards the sideline' move, but still couldn't make it. The Redskins' take their final timeout.
4:28 Campbell floats the ball up there, but Rock Cartwright pulls it down in the middle of the field. The Redskins race to the line, and Campbell spikes the ball with 5 seconds left. Suisham will get another try with a 45-yarder. It's good. 10-7 Redskins at the half.
3:15 Kickoff! Miles Austin with a nice return to the 40. My wife ('The Deuce') notes that usually the Cowboys are lucky to get it out to the 15.
3:17 The Cowboys start it off with back-to-back first downs, on a Romo pass to a WIDE open Witten, and a Julius Jones run up the right side. It's looking mighty easy right now. The Deuce confidently predicts a comfortable win.
3:19 After Jones is stopped for a short gain Romo grabs a snap up around his head. Short pass, setting up 3rd and 3.
3:20 Here's something you don't see every game. Romo is in the shotgun, adjusting the play, when the center snaps the ball which hits a surprised Romo right in the head. I'm angry, but the replays are priceless. It hit him square in the facemask, and bounces to Julius Jones who rushes back to the line of scrimmage before being tackled. Sigh.
3:21 Nick Folk for the 51-yarder...wide right. Not gonna kill him for missing a 51 yarder. It was plenty long though. What a leg.
3:25 Aikman and Buck wax poetic over the skill and beauty of Clinton Portis. I'm sure he's a great
3:27 Touchdown Redskins. Jason Campbell looked solid and found Chris Cooley again right down the middle. Once again, the world stands in awe of Roy Williams coverage abilities. 7-0 Redskins.
3: 29 Dallas returns the kickoff out to the 20. Back to usual.
3:31 Oliver Hoyt with the catch for a first down. Joe Buck had to tell me who that was, and where he played. Apparently he's a fullback.
3:32 The center snaps another ball right over Romo's head. Romo runs back to grab the ball, which is a good 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and with defenders breathing on his neck, he turns and uncorks a 40 yard pass to TO, which is tipped and picked off at the Washington 10-yard line.
3:33 The Deuce: "I'm going to find out what that center's name is." After she can' t find the name online, she promptly goes to the media guide. "Andre Gurode". He better watch his tires. I think she might drive to Arlington to slash them.
3:36 Three and out for the Skins, as Dallas finally gets a bit of pressure on Campbell. Campbell seems like a serviceable QB, but he's not exactly striking fear into my heart. He'll probably need a confident offensive coordinator who will take off the training wheels and let him throw. Right now, it doesn't seem like Joe Gibbs has confidence in him.
3:39 Joe Buck lets us know that Wade Phillips made the Cowboys sign a pledge to not make any more stupid penalties. Does that apply to bad snaps? Can Gurode sign an alternative contract next week?
3:41 TO gets robbed by a bad spot after a Romo screen pass which should have been a first down. Romo then takes a QB snap for a first down. Dallas has moved the ball easily on both drives in the first quarter, but had improbable bad snaps stop both drives (not that Romo was blameless for the interception).
3:46 The drive stalls after a Romo pass sails over the receiver. Maybe its the concussion he likely suffered after being drilled in the head by Gurode's errant snap, but he doesn't look quite as sharp today. I hope Britney Spears didn't impregnate him.
3:47 Matt McBriar!!! nails a punt which the Cowboys down inside the Redskin 5. The Skins will start with horrible field position which will likely result in Joe Gibbs making some ridiculously conservative play calls with a 7-0 lead. It is the first quarter vs. the best offense in the NFC. Don't want to take too many chances.
3:50 Clinton Portis up the middle for no gain. Shocking. End of the 1st quarter.
3:51 Earlier today, The Deuce wondered whether or not I would rather go to a party hosted by TO or Romo. It's a tough call, but I went with Romo. I think I would probably be a bit more comfortable there. Plus, if I went to TO's party, I would probably need to bring my bulletproof vest, and I just look clunky with it poking out through my shirt.
3:54 Keenan McCardell (age 85) just made a beautiful catch for a Redskin first down. Campbell follows it up by rushing on the left side for another first down. They've moved the ball down to the 40.
3:56 Trick play/Broken play for a 3rd consecutive first down. I've never liked Antwann Randle-El. His name is too complex and he's sneaky. And he just salvaged a strange pseudo-reverse with a pass down the middle. Don't like him.
3:58 The Deuce reads me a quote by Aikman yesterday saying Jason Garrett won't be back with the Cowboys next year. What?!?!?! I've got to find out more about this. Garrett has deservedly gotten a lot of credit this year. What the hell?
3:59 Big play, 3rd and 3 for the Skins inside the Cowboy 40. Clinton Portis is...Stopped! 4th and 1! Ever the Maverick, Gibbs trots out Suisham for field goal, which is...Short! Big turn of events. Even Aikman was surprised Gibbs didn't go for it.
4:04 Halfway through the 2nd quarter, the Cowboys are still scoreless. The Cowboys have at least one first down on each drive.
4:06 3rd and 4 for the Cowboys. And somehow Gurode throws the ball over Romo again. What's going on? Did Romo nail Gurode's mom last night or something? Is he trying to shave points? Maybe we should not be in the shotgun for the rest of the first half? Just maybe? Even more remarkably, Romo grabbed the ball and drilled TO for the first down. This is what makes Romo great. He can just make plays out of nothing, and never seems to get flustered.
4:09 Even Buck and Aikman have noticed it. Before the snap last time, Romo actually jumped before the snap even though the snap was only head high (as opposed to 5 feet over his head).
4:10 Less than 3 minutes left in the half, 2nd and 15 after a Jason Witten 10-yard penalty+ a Jason Witten 5-yard catch. Not enough on the catch.
4:11 Romo almost threw his 2nd interception there. 3rd and 15. Heavy pressure...Romo fires...1st down Cowboys! Romo found TO on the sideline. First and goal! Great play. Romo had NO time to make that play, but still found TO, and TO made the nice grab before going out of bounds. Great play to come back from right after the near interception. Great job Romo. 2 minute warning.
4:15 Romo has to take a timeout coming off of the 2-minute warning to avoid a delay of game penalty. How? I don't know. Troy Aikman on the situation: "That's impossible." The Deuce: "Troy Aikman just said that was impossible". She likes Aikman.
4:18 2nd and goal at the 5 after a Julius Jones 3-yard rush.
4:19 TD FOR TO! 7-7 Cowboys! TO makes a great move turning Shawn Springs around so that he could catch the TD. Romo put the ball right where it was supposed to be. Hell, even Gurode managed to snap the ball correctly. Everyone wins. Now we get to see the Redskins run their 2-minute offense. Don't act like you aren't excited. Clinton Portis up the middle time!
4:20 Note: Spell-checker doesn't believe Romo is a word. Think again spell-checker.
4:21 Aikman comments on the quote he made. Apparently all he said is he expects Garrett to get a head coaching job next year, and thus won't be back with the Cowboys. If it happens, it will be disappointing, but it's awfully hard to get rid of Wade Phillips after the season he's put together. Jerry Jones brought Garrett in the understanding that he was being groomed for the head coaching position. If he gets offered another job first and takes it, so be it. But I'd stay the hell away from the San Francisco job if I was him.
4:24 3rd and 4 with 37 seconds left. Jacque Reeves with a monster hit.
4:25 Campbell finds Randel-El for the first down. The Redskins call another timeout with 30 seconds left.
4:27 Campbell checks down to Clinton Portis who puts a nice move on the Dallas defender for an 8-yard gain, but he can't get out of bounds. He even used the rare 'crawling towards the sideline' move, but still couldn't make it. The Redskins' take their final timeout.
4:28 Campbell floats the ball up there, but Rock Cartwright pulls it down in the middle of the field. The Redskins race to the line, and Campbell spikes the ball with 5 seconds left. Suisham will get another try with a 45-yarder. It's good. 10-7 Redskins at the half.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Week 11 Picks
Cinncinatti (-3) over Arizona - Not that tough a pick. No one expects Arizona to be able to win on the road, and we keep waiting for the Bengals offense to show up. Stay away from this one, but I do expect Cinncinatti to cover.
Cleveland (-3) over Baltimore - Kyle Boller will get a shot for Baltimore, which is actually a pretty big upgrade over Steve McNair. The Browns put up 28 on Pittsburgh, but actually had an extremely poor day on offense. They only scored due to excellent field position provided by their special teams. So this isn't the slam dunk pick it appears, but there's no way I'm going with Baltimore after watching what they've done the last two weeks.
Dallas (-10.5) over Washington - I keep waiting for the Cowboys to come back to Earth, but I don't think Jason Garrett is going to let up on the offense, which will hopefully keep them sharp the entire year. I hate picking the Cowboys vs. the Skins, it seems like weird things happen, especially when they play in DC, but I think these teams are headed in different directions. I'm also not even a little bit scared of Jason Campbell.
Green Bay (-9.5) over Carolina - Don't be fooled by the record. Carolina is horrible. Vinny is starting. I've only known one Vinny in my lifetime, and I wasn't impressed.
New Orleans (+1) over Houston - New Orleans is actually getting points after that abomination vs. St. Louis last week. Grab it! Andre Johnson is back for the Texans, and he was playing like the best reciever in the league earlier this year. There is no telling how good he'll be in his first game back, but he is a game-breaker when healthy. That said, I expect the Saints to come out motivated and get back in the win column.
Jacksonville (-3) over San Diego - Who knows. The Jaguars just win, they are at home, and they get back David Garrard, who was one of the top-rated QBs in the league before his injury. San Diego is coming off the ugliest win of the season (narrowly edging Dallas' squeaker vs. the Bills), as they took advantage of 6 Manning interceptions and basically did nothing. Darren Sproles scored 14 of their 23 points on kick and punt returns. So they would have lost the game without a career game from Sproles, or had Adam Vinatieri, a Hall of Fame kicker, had been able to hit a 29 yarder at the end of the 4th quarter.
Oakland (+5) over Minnesota - Tarvaris Jackson is back. That's why I'm picking the Raiders.
Buffalo (+16) over New England - Tough game to call. JP Losman will be starting, which doesn't really matter in my book (Edwards is steadier, Losman makes more big plays). I can tell you Lee Evans prefers Losman. The Patriots have of course been absolutely murdering everyone in the league, but this will be played in front of a nasty Bills crowd in nasty upstate-NY weather (wind, sleet, rain, snow all expected). I just feel like the Patriots are due to fall off, and after watching what happened to the Cowboys up here, this is as good a week as any.
Detroit (+3) over NY Giants - I covered the fraudulent Giants last week. Lions are at home. Ride it.
Miami (+9.5) over Philadelphia - I guess I have to keep on picking Miami until they break through. They pushed last week, in a game they should have won vs. Buffalo. Philly is eternally on the edge of destruction, and this seems like a perfect game for them to implode in. They'll probably come off of a loss to the Dolphins by rocking the Patriots next week. So they are undependable, but they are dependable to be undependable.
Pittsburgh (-9) over NY Jets - Great win by the Steelers last week, in a game they essentially dominated, but still had to come from behind to win. Roethlisberger has been on another level the last few weeks. Of course, the Jets have been on a hideous level this entire season.
Chicago (+5.5) over Seattle - Easy pick. The Bears are back with Dirty Rex, and Seattle is average at best. The Bears are going to the playoffs.
St. Louis (-3) over San Francisco - There's a chance that Trent Dilfer will spark the 49ers, as its clear that the entire organization has lost confience in Alex Smith (though they should never have tried to stick Smith in a conventional NFL offense anyway). All the same, I'm going with the Rams who have all their playmakers back, even though its too late to salvage a lost season. They absolutely put in on the Saints last week. I think they'll manage to beat one of the worst teams in the league by more than 3.
Atlanta (+3) over Tampa Bay - Tough game. I don't know whether it will be Leftwich or Harrington for the Lions, but i think the Bucs have lost too much to keep on winning. Petrino just might be turning a few of the veterans back to his side in Atlanta and he clearly has support of the ownershp. If he can evaluate talent in the draft well, they'll do fine in a couple of years.
Tennessee (+2) over Denver - Bounce back game for the Titans. They are a better team than Denver top to bottom and they need the win more, as they are in a much tougher division. Plus Jay Cutler sucks.
Cleveland (-3) over Baltimore - Kyle Boller will get a shot for Baltimore, which is actually a pretty big upgrade over Steve McNair. The Browns put up 28 on Pittsburgh, but actually had an extremely poor day on offense. They only scored due to excellent field position provided by their special teams. So this isn't the slam dunk pick it appears, but there's no way I'm going with Baltimore after watching what they've done the last two weeks.
Dallas (-10.5) over Washington - I keep waiting for the Cowboys to come back to Earth, but I don't think Jason Garrett is going to let up on the offense, which will hopefully keep them sharp the entire year. I hate picking the Cowboys vs. the Skins, it seems like weird things happen, especially when they play in DC, but I think these teams are headed in different directions. I'm also not even a little bit scared of Jason Campbell.
Green Bay (-9.5) over Carolina - Don't be fooled by the record. Carolina is horrible. Vinny is starting. I've only known one Vinny in my lifetime, and I wasn't impressed.
New Orleans (+1) over Houston - New Orleans is actually getting points after that abomination vs. St. Louis last week. Grab it! Andre Johnson is back for the Texans, and he was playing like the best reciever in the league earlier this year. There is no telling how good he'll be in his first game back, but he is a game-breaker when healthy. That said, I expect the Saints to come out motivated and get back in the win column.
Jacksonville (-3) over San Diego - Who knows. The Jaguars just win, they are at home, and they get back David Garrard, who was one of the top-rated QBs in the league before his injury. San Diego is coming off the ugliest win of the season (narrowly edging Dallas' squeaker vs. the Bills), as they took advantage of 6 Manning interceptions and basically did nothing. Darren Sproles scored 14 of their 23 points on kick and punt returns. So they would have lost the game without a career game from Sproles, or had Adam Vinatieri, a Hall of Fame kicker, had been able to hit a 29 yarder at the end of the 4th quarter.
Oakland (+5) over Minnesota - Tarvaris Jackson is back. That's why I'm picking the Raiders.
Buffalo (+16) over New England - Tough game to call. JP Losman will be starting, which doesn't really matter in my book (Edwards is steadier, Losman makes more big plays). I can tell you Lee Evans prefers Losman. The Patriots have of course been absolutely murdering everyone in the league, but this will be played in front of a nasty Bills crowd in nasty upstate-NY weather (wind, sleet, rain, snow all expected). I just feel like the Patriots are due to fall off, and after watching what happened to the Cowboys up here, this is as good a week as any.
Detroit (+3) over NY Giants - I covered the fraudulent Giants last week. Lions are at home. Ride it.
Miami (+9.5) over Philadelphia - I guess I have to keep on picking Miami until they break through. They pushed last week, in a game they should have won vs. Buffalo. Philly is eternally on the edge of destruction, and this seems like a perfect game for them to implode in. They'll probably come off of a loss to the Dolphins by rocking the Patriots next week. So they are undependable, but they are dependable to be undependable.
Pittsburgh (-9) over NY Jets - Great win by the Steelers last week, in a game they essentially dominated, but still had to come from behind to win. Roethlisberger has been on another level the last few weeks. Of course, the Jets have been on a hideous level this entire season.
Chicago (+5.5) over Seattle - Easy pick. The Bears are back with Dirty Rex, and Seattle is average at best. The Bears are going to the playoffs.
St. Louis (-3) over San Francisco - There's a chance that Trent Dilfer will spark the 49ers, as its clear that the entire organization has lost confience in Alex Smith (though they should never have tried to stick Smith in a conventional NFL offense anyway). All the same, I'm going with the Rams who have all their playmakers back, even though its too late to salvage a lost season. They absolutely put in on the Saints last week. I think they'll manage to beat one of the worst teams in the league by more than 3.
Atlanta (+3) over Tampa Bay - Tough game. I don't know whether it will be Leftwich or Harrington for the Lions, but i think the Bucs have lost too much to keep on winning. Petrino just might be turning a few of the veterans back to his side in Atlanta and he clearly has support of the ownershp. If he can evaluate talent in the draft well, they'll do fine in a couple of years.
Tennessee (+2) over Denver - Bounce back game for the Titans. They are a better team than Denver top to bottom and they need the win more, as they are in a much tougher division. Plus Jay Cutler sucks.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Weekend Rewind
So I did pretty well on my picks, going 9-4-1 overall. You're welcome.
Detroit (+1) over Arizona: Miss - Arizona 31 - Detroit 21 - I don't know why I'm surprised that Detroit isn't ready for primetime, but I am. Kurt Warner Lives!
Cinnciantti (+3.5) over Baltimore: Hit - Cinncinatti 21 - Baltimore 7 - Steve McNair is no longer qualified to be an NFL quarterback. I'm not even sure they'll win another game with him as the starter. Cinncinatti isn't much better though...the Baltimore offense giving up so many turnovers, that you can't take any opposing offensive performances seriously. Also, I hate Marvin Lewis for playing Rudi Johnson over Kenny Watson cost me a fantasy football game. I know, I know, my fault for trusting in a backup.
Miami (+3) over Buffalo. Push - Buffalo 13 - Miami 10 - I didn't watch this game, but by all accounts it was a crapfest. Sometimes when a game is 3-2 at the end of the 3rd quarter, its a hard-hitting defensive struggle. But when Cleo Lemon and JP Losman are the two quarterbacks...crapfest is more likely. Plus for the Dolphins even though they fell to 0-9: their punter averaged over 50 yards per punt on his 5 punts.
Atlanta (+4.5) over Carolina. Hit - Atlanta 20 - Carolina 13 - Easiest pick of the week. Carolina's quarterback is an injured 44 year-old. I watched him limp around Cowboys Stadium 3 years ago. And if both Testeverde and David Carr were healthy, Vinny would be the starter. Tough season for John Fox. He's a good coach, even if his team is full of roiders.
Chicago(-3) over Oakland. Hit - Chicago 17 - Oakland 6 - Daunte Culepepper is washed up. Josh McCown has never been good enough to be washed up. JaMarcus Russell, start your engines. On the otherside, Dirty Rex is back for the Bears and he actually looked pretty nice against the Raiders. The Bears may not be finished this season.
Dallas (-1.5) over NY Giants. Hit - Dallas 31 - NY Giants 20 - There was never any doubt. As discussed in my post-game post, the Giants did their damage against some pretty horrible teams. Assuming no one in the NFC makes a late-season run, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Dallas.
Green Bay (-6.5) over Minnesota. Hit - Green Bay 34 - Minnesota 0. Green Bay has been a much better team all year long, but Minnesota was coming off their game of the year, which artificially lowered the line. Adrian Peterson had the best day in NFL history. Then Adrian Peterson did was Adrian Peterson does: He got injured. I got so tired watching the talking heads all week chastising the rest of the league for not trading up to take him #1 overall in the draft. Then he promptly showed why he fell: His running style makes him injury-prone. He had an unbelievable freshman year at OU, but followed that up with 2 injury-plagued seasons. He is an unbelievable talent, but he will be lucky to put one (1!) injury free season in the NFL.
Indianapolis (-3) over San Diego. Miss - San Diego 23 - Indianapolis 21 - I can't feel bad about this game. Anyone who could have predicted that Manning would throw 6 interceptions and the Colts would still have a chance to win the game with a 30 yard field goal (but not cover). And Vinatieri missed it. Just a ridiculous game from top to bottom. San Diego looked almost as bad as the Colts. They got 6 turnovers from the Colts and still needed the game of Darren Sproles life (2 returns for TDs) to win.
Kansas City (-3) over Denver. Miss - Denver 27 - Kansas City 11 - The Brodie Croyle era begins for the Chiefs which means the season is officially over for Kansas City. I know the franchise wants Croyle to grab the job and make it his own, but I've watched him play, and its not going to happen. They'd be better served by drafting another one this spring and letting Huard guide them until that time. I don't know what to think about Denver. Up and down all season long.
New Orleans (-11) over St. Louis. Miss - St. Louis 37 - New Orleans 29 - I don't feel bad about this game, because I don't think anyone expected the Rams to break out in Week 10. Speaking as a owner of both Marc Bulger AND Steven Jackson in one of my leagues (both of whom are no longer with me), I'm glad they were able to screw me one last time. Also, we'll have to see if the New Orleans was all hype, or simply ran into a team who finally put it all together.
Cleveland (+10) over Pittsburgh. Hit Pittsburgh 31 - Cleveland 28 - Cleveland ran up a big lead early, but don't be fooled: they only had 163 yards of total offense. 163! Pittsburgh continues to impress.
Jacksonville (+4) over Tennessee. Hit - Jacksonville 28 - Tennessee 13 - The Titans were due for it and it came when they played their mirror image. I know it goes against most people's instincts to pick a Quinn Gray quarterbacked team, but you have to look no further than the Titans to see a team that wins with a punishing defense and a solid running game.
Philadelphia (+3) over Washington. - Hit Philadelphia 33 - Washington 25 - You can always count on a bounce-back game from McNabb. He never lets us down.
Seattle (-10) over San Francisco. Hit - Seattle 24 - San Francisco 0 - Another hideous game. I bet ESPN would like to have that one back.
I'll be back tomorrow with a look ahead to the Cowboys-Redskins showdown back in Big D.
Detroit (+1) over Arizona: Miss - Arizona 31 - Detroit 21 - I don't know why I'm surprised that Detroit isn't ready for primetime, but I am. Kurt Warner Lives!
Cinnciantti (+3.5) over Baltimore: Hit - Cinncinatti 21 - Baltimore 7 - Steve McNair is no longer qualified to be an NFL quarterback. I'm not even sure they'll win another game with him as the starter. Cinncinatti isn't much better though...the Baltimore offense giving up so many turnovers, that you can't take any opposing offensive performances seriously. Also, I hate Marvin Lewis for playing Rudi Johnson over Kenny Watson cost me a fantasy football game. I know, I know, my fault for trusting in a backup.
Miami (+3) over Buffalo. Push - Buffalo 13 - Miami 10 - I didn't watch this game, but by all accounts it was a crapfest. Sometimes when a game is 3-2 at the end of the 3rd quarter, its a hard-hitting defensive struggle. But when Cleo Lemon and JP Losman are the two quarterbacks...crapfest is more likely. Plus for the Dolphins even though they fell to 0-9: their punter averaged over 50 yards per punt on his 5 punts.
Atlanta (+4.5) over Carolina. Hit - Atlanta 20 - Carolina 13 - Easiest pick of the week. Carolina's quarterback is an injured 44 year-old. I watched him limp around Cowboys Stadium 3 years ago. And if both Testeverde and David Carr were healthy, Vinny would be the starter. Tough season for John Fox. He's a good coach, even if his team is full of roiders.
Chicago(-3) over Oakland. Hit - Chicago 17 - Oakland 6 - Daunte Culepepper is washed up. Josh McCown has never been good enough to be washed up. JaMarcus Russell, start your engines. On the otherside, Dirty Rex is back for the Bears and he actually looked pretty nice against the Raiders. The Bears may not be finished this season.
Dallas (-1.5) over NY Giants. Hit - Dallas 31 - NY Giants 20 - There was never any doubt. As discussed in my post-game post, the Giants did their damage against some pretty horrible teams. Assuming no one in the NFC makes a late-season run, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Dallas.
Green Bay (-6.5) over Minnesota. Hit - Green Bay 34 - Minnesota 0. Green Bay has been a much better team all year long, but Minnesota was coming off their game of the year, which artificially lowered the line. Adrian Peterson had the best day in NFL history. Then Adrian Peterson did was Adrian Peterson does: He got injured. I got so tired watching the talking heads all week chastising the rest of the league for not trading up to take him #1 overall in the draft. Then he promptly showed why he fell: His running style makes him injury-prone. He had an unbelievable freshman year at OU, but followed that up with 2 injury-plagued seasons. He is an unbelievable talent, but he will be lucky to put one (1!) injury free season in the NFL.
Indianapolis (-3) over San Diego. Miss - San Diego 23 - Indianapolis 21 - I can't feel bad about this game. Anyone who could have predicted that Manning would throw 6 interceptions and the Colts would still have a chance to win the game with a 30 yard field goal (but not cover). And Vinatieri missed it. Just a ridiculous game from top to bottom. San Diego looked almost as bad as the Colts. They got 6 turnovers from the Colts and still needed the game of Darren Sproles life (2 returns for TDs) to win.
Kansas City (-3) over Denver. Miss - Denver 27 - Kansas City 11 - The Brodie Croyle era begins for the Chiefs which means the season is officially over for Kansas City. I know the franchise wants Croyle to grab the job and make it his own, but I've watched him play, and its not going to happen. They'd be better served by drafting another one this spring and letting Huard guide them until that time. I don't know what to think about Denver. Up and down all season long.
New Orleans (-11) over St. Louis. Miss - St. Louis 37 - New Orleans 29 - I don't feel bad about this game, because I don't think anyone expected the Rams to break out in Week 10. Speaking as a owner of both Marc Bulger AND Steven Jackson in one of my leagues (both of whom are no longer with me), I'm glad they were able to screw me one last time. Also, we'll have to see if the New Orleans was all hype, or simply ran into a team who finally put it all together.
Cleveland (+10) over Pittsburgh. Hit Pittsburgh 31 - Cleveland 28 - Cleveland ran up a big lead early, but don't be fooled: they only had 163 yards of total offense. 163! Pittsburgh continues to impress.
Jacksonville (+4) over Tennessee. Hit - Jacksonville 28 - Tennessee 13 - The Titans were due for it and it came when they played their mirror image. I know it goes against most people's instincts to pick a Quinn Gray quarterbacked team, but you have to look no further than the Titans to see a team that wins with a punishing defense and a solid running game.
Philadelphia (+3) over Washington. - Hit Philadelphia 33 - Washington 25 - You can always count on a bounce-back game from McNabb. He never lets us down.
Seattle (-10) over San Francisco. Hit - Seattle 24 - San Francisco 0 - Another hideous game. I bet ESPN would like to have that one back.
I'll be back tomorrow with a look ahead to the Cowboys-Redskins showdown back in Big D.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Sunday Sun: Cowboys 31 - Giants 20
It wasn't pretty in the first half, it wasn't easy until the 4th quarter, but when Eli Manning (E-Man) is involved, you have to feel good about your chances. The Cowboys beat the Giants 31-20 giving them a commanding 3-game lead in the NFC East as they moved to 8-1 on the season. The Cowboys scored right off the bat, effortlessly moving the ball down the field. The Giants answered back right away, and the Cowboys offense went stagnant, as Romo was under as much pressure as he has seen this year. The Giants eventually took a 14-10 lead with 4:33 to go in the 2nd quarter. From that point on, it was all Cowboys, as Romo marched the team down the field and scored on a 20-yarder to Patrick Crayton which included two missed tackles by the Giants which would likely would have forced a field goal.
The Cowboys were able to get consistent pressure on E-Man, sacking him 4 times and getting several good shots in just after he let go of the ball. Tank Johnson even got in the action in the 4th quarter getting a sack (though Eli appeared to have let the ball go), forcing a Giants punt with 9 minutes to go. For all the talk about the Giants vaunted pass rush, the Cowboys line did an excellent job in pass protection in the second half, and were once again aided by Romo's escapability. Another notable stat: Romo lost 6 yards on the two times he was sacked. Manning lost 34 yards for his 5 sacks. Romo gets back to the line of scrimmage and minimizes damage. He does the little things you need to win. Manning does the little things that make you lose. That's a huge difference.
E-Man decided to really help out the Cowboys with no less than three delay of game calls, including 2 consecutive ones in the red zone and another one in the final possession in which eventually led to a failed 4th down conversion late in the 4th quarter. How do you get a delay of game when you are down two scores with 4 minutes to play? How is that possible?
It's pretty clear watching this game that Giants were a paper tiger. After starting 0-2 losing to Dallas and Green Bay (understandable), the Giants beat two average NFC East teams Philadelphia (4-5) and Washington (5-4). Both were good wins. But then the Giants got on a roll vs. some of the worst in the league: Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta and the NY Jets. Combined record of those teams: 6-29. They're 6-3 now, but I think they are going to be in a dogfight to get into the playoffs.
Going back to the Cowboys, Romo had another terrific day completing 20-28 passes for 4 TDs against 1 ugly pick. Romo now has 23 TDs and 11 interceptions on the season, with 7 games to go. He should easily set the franchise single season record for touchdowns in a season (Danny White had 29 in 1983). He's on pace to throw for 40 touchdowns this season. He's unlikely to be playing a lot in late December, as the Cowboys will likely have clinched a first round bye by that point but it doesn't change the remarkable season he's having.
Terrell Owens led Cowboy receivers with 6 catches for 125 yards and 2 TDs. Hopefully the NFL will avoid levying ridiculous fines against him this week. The Giants largely held the Cowboys run game in check, stopping Julius Jones for 38 yards after his opening 20 yard run and Marion Barber to his 2nd lowest output of the year (34 yards on 12 carries). Terrance Newman and Pat Watkins intercepted Manning, while Chris Canty, DeMarcus Ware, Greg Ellis, Anthony Spencer and the Tank all got in on the sack party. That would be the 4 primary defensive ends and the newest member of the defensive tackle rotation. Greg Ellis now has 6.5 sacks in 6 games back since missing the first three games of the season, notching a sack in five out of six games he's played in. DeMarcus Ware's 8th sack was just one of his 10 tackles.
The team can now look ahead to playing four of their next five at home including the game of the year in the NFC on Thanksgiving against the Packers (which will be on the NFL network, so exactly 5 people will get to watch it). The stretch also includes divisional games against the Redskins and Eagles, as well as a matchup with 6-3 Detroit. They even get a pseudo-bye week sprinkled in there, playing the 1-8 NY Jets in week 12. The Cowboys close the season with road trips to Carolina and Washington, but should be on autopilot by that time. The Cowboys put an even stronger lock on the division with a win vs. the Redskins next week.
Game Time!
Thoughts before the game...
- Eli Manning will make mistakes. While Manning has received a great deal of credit for the Giants' 6-0 run, he's been something short of excellent, throwing 8 TDs vs. 1 interception, and his completion rate on the season is only 58.2% ( a good bit better than his career completion % of 54.8). In fact, his game vs. Dallas in week one was by far his best effort of the season. The Giants average less than 200 yards passing per game.
- So if the Giants aren't winning with the pass, they're winning with the run, right? Well, yes and no. The Giants rush for about 8 yards per game more than the Cowboys, or about 1 extra carry each from Barber and Jones. But half of those stats were made without the Giants primary back, Brandon Jacobs. In the four games returning from his injury sustained against the Cowboys, Jacobs has rushed for 424 yards on 74 carries, an impressive 5.8 yards per carry. The Giants are averaging 25 points per game since Jacobs returned, including three 30+ point performances. This includes the highly unusual London game in which no one was able to move the ball due to poor field conditions.
- There are some interesting similarities in the receiving core of each team. Both are led by a somewhat mouthy wide receiver (Owens and the Giants Plaxico Burress), and the 2nd option is a strong pass-catching tight end (Witten, and Jeremy Shockey). Witten and Shockey produce very similar stats, but after the uproar Shockey brought his first few years in the league, I'll take Witten, no matter how much Shockey 'matures'.
- The Giants and the Cowboys have split the season series every year since 2001. So the Giants have that going for them today. Which is nice.
- This is Tank Johnson's (see picture above) first game as a Cowboy, which conveniently enough doubles as his first game back from the league's 8-game suspension due to weapons charges. The Tank will be in the defensive tackle rotation right away, but don't expect him to dominate today. It will take him a few games to catch up with the rest of the NFL which has been going strong for 9 weeks now. Still no other team will get to add a young, rested, talented defensive tackle to their roster at mid-season. He should provide a spark for the Cowboys defense just by being in there.
- The Giants have 30 sacks on the season, leading the league with an impressive 3.75 a game. The Cowboys have only 21 (2.6 per game). But if you remove the Giants game vs. the Eagles, where the Giants sacked Donovan McNabb a league record 12 times, the Giant's per game average falls to...2.6 per game. That kind of rate is still good enough to place both teams around the top 10 in the league at getting after the quarterback, but it's not the decided advantage to the Giants that it appears on paper.
It's almost game time. I've felt the Cowboy's were going to win all week, and nothing has changed. This is the best team in the NFC, and this is a great game to show the rest of the league.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Week 9: Friday Picks
Time to pick the Week 9 picks. We'll obviously be picking against betting lines, not so much fun just picking straight up. Home teams in bold.
Detroit (+1) over Arizona. Obviously I'm riding the Lions wave. Scoring 44 points on an average Denver team was still impressive, and I fully expect them to win straight up. The Cardinals have lost three straight, and the offense hasn't scored more than 19 points in a month. Detroit will have that by the 3rd quarter.
Cinnciantti (+3.5) over Baltimore. Cinncinatti has obviously been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year, but one of their two wins was 27-20 over the Ravens in week 1. Usually you always take the home team when a team in a tailspin comes to play, but did you SEE the Ravens on Monday night? Steve McNair literally can not throw the ball 10 yards. No way am I putting my eggs in his basket.
Miami (+3) over Buffalo. It's been a rough season for the Dolphins, but they do have a few things going for them. First, they are coming off of a bye week, giving them an additional week to scheme for the Bills. Second they are at home, and I haven't taken a home team yet. Third, no one goes 0-16, and the Bills are fresh off of a 3 game winning streak, and are bound to fall back to Earth.
Atlanta (+4.5) over Carolina. Hideous game. Hideous teams. Carolina is 0-3 at home. Atlanta is 0-4 on the road. Someone's dream season is coming to an end. And yes if you are counting, this makes 4 straight underdogs, three of whom are on the road. I'm not happy about it either.
Chicago(-3) over Oakland. Josh McCown is the new quarterback for the Raiders (the wildly overrated JaMarcus Russel continues to kick himself for holding out), but I don't think it's going to make a difference. Chicago still has time to win their way back into the playoffs, but it has to start now.
Dallas (-1.5) over NY Giants. Plenty at stake for both teams, but as I said earlier this week, I think the Cowboys assert dominance in the NFC East this week, and beat the Giants in a hard-fought game.
Green Bay (-6.5) over Minnesota. If this was at Minnesota, I would be picking the Vikings, especially after Adrian Peterson's remarkable performance last week. That said, Green Bay has clearly been the 2nd best team in the NFC. This is an interesting contrast in styles, as the Packers have no running game (despite having ex-Oklahoma State RB Vernand Morency on the roster), and the Vikings have no passing game (due to the horrible combo of Tavaris Jackson and Kelly Holcomb).
Indianapolis (-3) over San Diego. I still can't believe the Cowboys avoided having Norv Turner as our coach. I can't believe Jerry Jones let it go as far as it did, but I forgive him. Wade Phillips has been the coaching hire of the year. In regards to this game, I fully expect the Colts to bounce back after choking away the game againt the Pats. The Chargers are 1-3 on the road thus far and the Colts have both the better offense and defense. There's not really anymore to say. I would have put the line at 6.
Kansas City (-3) over Denver. It's a season on the brink for the Broncos. There is a decent chance Patrick Ramsey will be the starter for the Broncos (which might or might not be an upgrade). But Herman Edwards has built a remarkable team that wins despite their lack of top-end talent. They might even be in first place in their division after a win over the reeling Broncos.
New Orleans (-11) over St. Louis. The season is over for St. Louis, but they still have time to turn it around and get a few wins as Bulger and Jackson come back. This team isn't as bad as 0-8, but they don't have a chance against the Saints who are absolutely on fire.
Cleveland (+10) over Pittsburgh. I really like both teams, but Cleveland is going to be hungry for revenge and Pittsburgh is coming off a short week. The Browns who were humiliated by the Steelers in week 1 are long gone, replaced by a new high-octane offense led by Derek Anderson. I think the Steelers will be able to win at home, but I expect it to be be closer than 10 points.
Jacksonville (+4) over Tennessee. The Titans are due to lose after living on the edge this season. They're meeting their alter-ego in the hard-hitting, hard-running Jaguars. This pick is obviously depenedent on the Jaguars getting David Garrard back, but I expect him to play in a key-divisional game.
Philadelphia (+3) over Washington. I just switched this pick. There's no telling how McNabb will play, but I expect him to bounce back strong. Plus this pick is partly from my heart, as I want the Redskins to lose, giving Dallas a lock on the NFC East.
Seattle (-10) over San Francisco. The 49er's are horrible. The Seahawks aren't excellent, but they're good enough at home.
Detroit (+1) over Arizona. Obviously I'm riding the Lions wave. Scoring 44 points on an average Denver team was still impressive, and I fully expect them to win straight up. The Cardinals have lost three straight, and the offense hasn't scored more than 19 points in a month. Detroit will have that by the 3rd quarter.
Cinnciantti (+3.5) over Baltimore. Cinncinatti has obviously been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year, but one of their two wins was 27-20 over the Ravens in week 1. Usually you always take the home team when a team in a tailspin comes to play, but did you SEE the Ravens on Monday night? Steve McNair literally can not throw the ball 10 yards. No way am I putting my eggs in his basket.
Miami (+3) over Buffalo. It's been a rough season for the Dolphins, but they do have a few things going for them. First, they are coming off of a bye week, giving them an additional week to scheme for the Bills. Second they are at home, and I haven't taken a home team yet. Third, no one goes 0-16, and the Bills are fresh off of a 3 game winning streak, and are bound to fall back to Earth.
Atlanta (+4.5) over Carolina. Hideous game. Hideous teams. Carolina is 0-3 at home. Atlanta is 0-4 on the road. Someone's dream season is coming to an end. And yes if you are counting, this makes 4 straight underdogs, three of whom are on the road. I'm not happy about it either.
Chicago(-3) over Oakland. Josh McCown is the new quarterback for the Raiders (the wildly overrated JaMarcus Russel continues to kick himself for holding out), but I don't think it's going to make a difference. Chicago still has time to win their way back into the playoffs, but it has to start now.
Dallas (-1.5) over NY Giants. Plenty at stake for both teams, but as I said earlier this week, I think the Cowboys assert dominance in the NFC East this week, and beat the Giants in a hard-fought game.
Green Bay (-6.5) over Minnesota. If this was at Minnesota, I would be picking the Vikings, especially after Adrian Peterson's remarkable performance last week. That said, Green Bay has clearly been the 2nd best team in the NFC. This is an interesting contrast in styles, as the Packers have no running game (despite having ex-Oklahoma State RB Vernand Morency on the roster), and the Vikings have no passing game (due to the horrible combo of Tavaris Jackson and Kelly Holcomb).
Indianapolis (-3) over San Diego. I still can't believe the Cowboys avoided having Norv Turner as our coach. I can't believe Jerry Jones let it go as far as it did, but I forgive him. Wade Phillips has been the coaching hire of the year. In regards to this game, I fully expect the Colts to bounce back after choking away the game againt the Pats. The Chargers are 1-3 on the road thus far and the Colts have both the better offense and defense. There's not really anymore to say. I would have put the line at 6.
Kansas City (-3) over Denver. It's a season on the brink for the Broncos. There is a decent chance Patrick Ramsey will be the starter for the Broncos (which might or might not be an upgrade). But Herman Edwards has built a remarkable team that wins despite their lack of top-end talent. They might even be in first place in their division after a win over the reeling Broncos.
New Orleans (-11) over St. Louis. The season is over for St. Louis, but they still have time to turn it around and get a few wins as Bulger and Jackson come back. This team isn't as bad as 0-8, but they don't have a chance against the Saints who are absolutely on fire.
Cleveland (+10) over Pittsburgh. I really like both teams, but Cleveland is going to be hungry for revenge and Pittsburgh is coming off a short week. The Browns who were humiliated by the Steelers in week 1 are long gone, replaced by a new high-octane offense led by Derek Anderson. I think the Steelers will be able to win at home, but I expect it to be be closer than 10 points.
Jacksonville (+4) over Tennessee. The Titans are due to lose after living on the edge this season. They're meeting their alter-ego in the hard-hitting, hard-running Jaguars. This pick is obviously depenedent on the Jaguars getting David Garrard back, but I expect him to play in a key-divisional game.
Philadelphia (+3) over Washington. I just switched this pick. There's no telling how McNabb will play, but I expect him to bounce back strong. Plus this pick is partly from my heart, as I want the Redskins to lose, giving Dallas a lock on the NFC East.
Seattle (-10) over San Francisco. The 49er's are horrible. The Seahawks aren't excellent, but they're good enough at home.
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