Week 5 Picks Revisited

Not a great week but I still came through with a 9-5 record. Barely missed on a few but those were some great games.

Sunday

Browns at Bills: Bills. This will be a pretty sad sack game but I think the Bills have a few more bullets in their gun than the Browns plus they are at home.

Loss. I was right about the sad sack game, wrong about the advantage in bullets.

Steelers at Lions: Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall finally looked like the running back the Steelers thought they were getting when they drafted him. The defense is also looking better and Mike Wallace is showing up as a number 3 receiver. I actually think there is a good chance the Lions will look better with Daunte Culpepper as the QB, especially if he starts throwing it up to Calvin Johnson the way he used to with Randy Moss. But in the end the Steelers are much too much for the Lions even in Detroit.

Win. The Lions made it interesting for awhile but in the end the Steelers pulled away.

Cowboys at Chiefs: Cowboys. I mean if they can't beat the Chiefs the whole Cowboys coaching staff should be fired on the spot.

Win. Barely. Nice to see Miles Austin step up though.

Vikings at Rams: Vikings. Duh

Win.

Raiders at Giants: Giants. With or without Eli the Giants should win this one in a cake walk.

Win.

Buccaneers at Eagles: Eagles. This game should be a good litmus test for the Bucs even though they won't win. They get back Tanard Jackson this week and so we should get a good look at the best the defense will play all year. The Eagles will get off the bus blitzing so we will learn alot about second year quarterback Josh Johnson this week too. Unfortunately I don't think this will be a close game with Donovan McNabb coming back and the Eagles coming off a bye.

Win. Its gonna be a LONNNNNNG season Bucs fans.

Redskins at Panthers: Panthers. Even though the Redskins won last week, they didn't look good doing so against the lowly Buccaneers. The Panthers should get back to pounding the running game and playing stifling defense this week. Home field should help a lot too.

Win. What a suck fest. A shame because both teams have a lot of talent.

Bengals at Ravens: Ravens. The Bengals have come a long way but the Ravens are perhaps the most well rounded team in that division. I have to ride with Ray Lewis at home.

Loss. Won't be underestimating the Bengals anymore this year.

Falcons at 49ers: 49ers. Its the immovable vs the unstoppable with the 49ers run defense going against that great Falcons running game. In the end I think the 49ers show that they are for real and close the Falcons out in a close game at home.

Loss. Nobody was more dissappointing this weekend than the 49ers. I know they are still going through growing pains with Mike Singletary but DAMN!

Jaguars at Seahawks: Seahawks. I am not sure about this one at all. But I think homefield + Hasssleback playing + cross country trip for the Jags + Housmanzadeh starting to step his game up, will lead to a Seahawks win. But don't quote me on that lol.

Win. The Jaguars are a fraud.

Texans at Cardinals: Cardinals. The Texans' defense has been atrocious and I don't think they can win a shoot out with the Cards.

Win. Texans almost pulled it out and Andre Johnson was amazing but the Cardinals are a well oiled machine on offense. Memo to the Texans by the way, stop using Chris Johnson with the game on the line. That is all.

Patriots at Broncos: Patriots. I have a little more respect for the Broncos now, but not much. Watching the Cowboys game last week they played well but definitely not great. And they will need to play above their level to beat the healed up Patriots. Losing Fred Taylor will hurt but the Broncos lost Correll Buckhalter too so thats about a push in my estimation.

Loss. I am now a believer!

Colts at Titans: Colts. Its hard for me to believe that I am picking the Titans to start the season 0-5. But it would be harder for me to pick them to beat the Colts and Peyton Manning at this point.

Win. They are who we thought they were!

Monday

Jets at Dolphins: Jets. I know a lot of people will make this game about the Braylon Edwards trade, but I think Calvin Pace coming off his suspension will have a much greater impact for the Jets. I have said for a long time that if you want to stop the Miami Wildcat the way to do it is to blitz to Ricky Williams' side of the formation. I guarantee you that you will see that a lot from the Jets this week. And on the flip side the Dolphins' secondary is just atrocious and will once again be their weak link on Monday.

Loss. I am at a loss for why the Jets decided not to blitz more but the Dolphins physically kicked their ass on offense.

Week 3 Picks Revisited

We were back in the money this weekend at 12-4, much more respectable than in week 2.

Sunday:

Redskins at Detroit: Redskins. I know the cute pick this week is for Detroit to get their first win in over a year but its not going to happen. In all honesty it probably hurts Detroit's chances that the Redskins almost lost to the Rams last week on the road. They won't be able to catch them slipping this week and the Redskins simply have more talent than the Lions. Besides.....its still the Lions.

Loss. Who knew the Deadskins were really THAT bad?!

Packers at Rams: Packers. Duh.

Win

49ers at Vikings: Vikings. I swear this is a hard pick because while Adrian Peterson is running like a man possessed, the 49ers' defense is balling this year too. But I have to give the edge to the home team here especially with a west coast team coming to the east to play a 1 o'clock game so the Vikings get the nod.

Win. It came down to the wire but the Vikings pulled it out!

Falcons at Patriots: Patriots. The Patriots are at home and after getting beat up pretty good last week by the Jets they will be looking to rebound. I just have a hunch that the Patriots will play more of their 3-4 package this week and that will help them shore up the defense against the run. The Falcons are not a big blitz team which means Brady should have more time to find his weapons down the field. I also think having Wes Welker back will make their offense a lot more potent.

Win. Patriots got back to running the ball which kept the Falcons honest.

Titans at Jets: Jets. The Jets made me a believer last week and the Titans gave me more reasons to be skeptical. Its obviously not the Titans' offense that is the problem but their defense in the first two games has looked hapless at times. I am beginning to believe that Chuck Cecil is just in over his head. On the flip side the Jets' defense shouldn't be as explosive against a Titans offense that great at picking up 3-4 blitzing style defenses. But they will make life a living hell for Kerry Collins should he find himself in 3rd and long situations. I don't think the score board will reflect it but I think the Titans are in for an asswhupping this weekend.

Win.

Chiefs at Eagles: Eagles. The Eagles unleash Mike Vick on the rest of the league this week and I don't think he will dissappoint. The Chiefs aren't looking good at all right now and they picked the wrong week to have the Eagles on the schedule. Still smarting from the beat down the Saints put on them, I look for the Eagles to bounce back in a major way on Sunday.

Win.

Giants at Bucs: Giants. I can't find a game on the Bucs schedule for the rest of the year that I feel comfortable picking them to win. This might get really ugly really fast.

Win.

Browns at Ravens: Ravens. Duh.

Win.

Jaguars at Texans: Texans. I think their success last week against the Titans may have awakened the beast in the Texans. If they can get this win over the Jags they will set themselves up nicely in their division to start the season off. The Jags need new blood, and I am not talking about the players here.

Loss. Texans fumble on the one yard line to screw me out of an almost perfect weekend.

Saints at Buffalo: Saints. I don't think the Bills have enough bullets in their gun to keep up with the Saints in a blowout.

Win.

Bears at Seahawks: Bears. I am actually a little worried about this pick because honestly I think the Seahawks might be more dangerous with Seneca Wallace as the quarterback. But in the end I think the Bears will pull it out.

Win.

Steelers at Bengals: Steelers. I like the Bengals this year but they aren't ready to beat the Steelers right now.

Loss. I guess I was wrong, the Bengals WERE ready to beat the Steelers this year.

Broncos at Raiders: Broncos. I don't think anybody will enjoy watching this game but I think the Broncos will pull it out at the end. If the Raiders' receivers ever start catching the ball though its going to be hell for their opponents.

Win.

Dolphins at Chargers: Chargers. San Diego is at home and they have big receivers for the Dolphins to contend with and I don't think the Dolphins are going to be completely over that heartbreaking loss to the Colts.

Win. Sucks about Chad getting hurt again.

Colts at Cardinals: Colts. Peyton Manning. Enough said.

Win.

Panthers at Dallas: Dallas. Tony Romo will have a big day after listening to his haters all week.

Win. Suck. On. That. Haters.

Week 1 Picks Revisted

Time to take a look back at my picks for the first weekend of the NFL season.

Thursday

Titans at Steelers: Give me the Titans in what really won't be an upset. I think people are making way too much of Albert Haynesworth's departure. I also think Lawrence Timmons not playing will be a problem for the Steelers. The Titans should be better in the passing game with WRs Nate Washington and rookie Kenny Britt and also TE Alge Crumpler turning it on. I am also betting that Haynesworth's replacement, Tony Brown, will have a big game tonight. The guy did nothing but make plays in the preseason and I expect that to carry over. The most slept on defensive end in the game might be Kyle Vanden Bosch but he won't be when he shows up tonight.

This was a frustrating game to watch as the Titans had opportunities to win and their defensive coordinator just refused to blitz. But a loss is a loss and this was a loss

Sunday

Dolphins at Falcons: Falcons. Michael Turner is a beast and don't see Miami's D being able to stop him. The addition of perinnial Pro Bowl TE Tony Gonzales will open up the fiend for Matt Ryan as well. The defense will improve with the addition of Mike Peterson and rookie Peria Jerry. If this game was played in Miami I might switch the pick but since its in ATL I have to roll with the dirty birds.

Win

Broncos at Bengals: Bengals. I think Carson Palmer is poised to have another big year. I also think Cedric Benson is going to have a big year after underachieving to start his career. The Broncos are in disarray and I don't see it all just coming together for them this weekend.

But for a piss poor effort of prevent defense I would have called this one almost exactly right. But it happened and it was a loss.

Vikings at Browns: Vikings. No explanation needed.

Exactly! Win

Jaguars at Colts: Colts. I hate to say this because I really like the guy but I think Jack Del Rio is self destructing right in front of us. This is a guy who gave Matt Jones several second chances but jettisoned the heart and soul of his defense and maybe his whole team, Mike Peterson, because he dared challenge him. Something that most players with pride and heart would do if they were getting dumped on. Gone also is Fred Taylor and I think a lot of people have an inflated sense of what Maurice Jones-Drew can do as a starter. He is an electfifying player no doubt, but I see him as a complementary player, not a guy who can carry the load. His comments about being tackled low, which came off as coochie to me, didn't endear himself any more to me thats for sure. The Colts are the Colts. I realize Tony Dungy isn't there anymore but life goes on and they still have Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark. That should be enough for a home victory in their division to start off the year.

Win.

Lions at Saints: Saints. Duh.

It was even worse than I thought! Win

Cowboys at Buccaneers: Cowboys. Obviously my loyalties are divided on this one. I grew up a diehard Cowboys fan and I played for years with the Bucs. But I will always keep it realy when it comes to football and the Cowboys are just a better team. With Byron Leftwich as their starting QB the Bucs are going to have to have some phenomenal pass blocking to keep the Dallas D from getting after him. The Bucs didn't really have their starting WRs during the preseason either to work on timing. The Bucs D on the other hand will be missing two starters basically as Tanard Jackson sits out his first of a four games for a suspension and Jermaine Phillips moves from starting weakside linebacker, where he practiced all off season, to starting safety. I think that is going to create several problems. Keep in mind that the Bucs already were going to have two new starters as their outside backers, but also Tanard is really above and beyond the best coverage safety that the Bucs have. With Phillips and Sabby Piscatelli at Safety I am really worried about the matchups with the Cowboys Pro Bowl TE Jason Witten as well as second year TE Martellius Bennett. If there could be one way for the Bucs to pull this one out it might be special teams. If Clifton Smith can get a big return for a TD or the Bucs can make the Cowboys turn it over in the punt return game then they might have a shot. Look for second year RB Felix Jones to have a huge day.

Right on a lot, wrong on some. Still a win.

Eagles at Panthers: Panthers. I like the Eagles a lot this year but I don't like this match up for them. Styles make fights as they say in boxing and the Eagles' starting O Line never practiced or played together in the preseason. When you are facing a guy like Julius Peppers that is gonna be a problem. I also don't think the Eagles defense is going to match up well with the running game of Smash and Dash. Look for DeAngelo Williams to have a big day.

This was the only game that I totally missed all weekend. The Panthers have a lot of stuff to fix on their team, and with their head coach staying with Jake Delhomme it looks like its going to take a long time. I don't know how I can pick them the rest of the year unless they are playing the Lions. Loss.

Chiefs at Ravens: Ravens. This will get ugly, fast.

Got ugly late. Win

Jets at Texans: Jets. I don't think Mark Sanchez will look good at all and Mario Williams may end up taking his head off at some point but overall the Jets are just a better team, especially with their defense right now.

Win.

Redskins at Giants: Giants. But it will be closer than people think. I expect Jason Campbell will have a big day but in the end the defense will once again fail them.

Win.

49ers at Cardinals: 49ers. What, why are you looking at me like that? I'm dead serious. I don't see the Cards being able to stop Frank Gore in the running game and Jimmy Raye is going to feed him until his legs fall off then give the scraps to promising rookie Glen Coffee. The 49ers are also much improved in their pass defense and I think Greg Manusky is going to have those guys going. I think the loss of Edgerrin James will be a bigger problem for the Cards than they initially thought and I think that Coach Singletary will have his team more prepared.

Big win. I like that I called this one when not many people saw it coming. The 49ers are back!

Rams at Seahawks: Seahawks. I hate to say it but Rams will suck again this year until they find a new QB. It is what it is.

Win

Bears at Packers: Bears. I know the Packers are the feel good pick to rise up this year but I actually think the Bears will be the team that is resurgent. Quarterback Jay Cutler is going to have a big year starting with the first game. And John Forte will be tearing it up in the backfield. The defense is going to be much improved and watch for the defensive line, led by my old coach Rod Marinelli, to harrass the hell out of Aaron Rodgers. It will be close but I think the Bears pull it out in the end.

Again I get screwed on an upset special. First Urlacher goes down after playing out of his mind at the beginning of the game, then Jay Cutler proceeds to sell the farm for 10 cents an acre. Yep, they got me. Loss

Monday

Bills at Patriots: Patriots. My only comment is that Randy Moss will
show TO what a real franchise WR looks like. This game will be out of
hand quickly.

Wrong on analysis, right on result. Win.

Chargers at Raiders: Chargers. Raiders are still clowns although I think
JaMarcus Russell will be better than most think this year. I know a lot of
people might be tempted to pick the Raiders in an upset with the Shawne
Merriman controversy going on, but the Chargers have too much talent from guys
not named Merriman for that to ever happen. One prediction, the Chargers
may have the most talented group of WRs in the game this year. They
definitely have the biggest collection I have ever seen in the league.

Win.

So I got 12 right and 4 wrong. Not bad if I do say so myself. Check me out again in a few days for my picks for week 2.