This post applies only to those readers of my blog who are members of Red Sox Nation.
As most of you are likely already aware, due to conflicts with the Boston media and fans, star slugger and quirky loveably aloof icon Manny Ramirez has requested a trade. In the past, Manny has overreacted and claimed that he wanted out, but he always came around with a quick smile, a new hairstyle, and a clutch homerun to win back our hearts. This time however, he could be serious, as he has put his $6.9 million Boston condominium on the market, and his teammate (and supposed best friend on the team) David Ortiz said recently that he doesn’t believe that Ramirez will be back with the Red Sox next season. Ramirez has always been a target of the Boston media as he is often criticized for his defensive lapses (although he had a very good year defensively last year with 243 putouts and 17 outfield assists) and for his lack of effort, especially in running out ground balls. How quick they are to overlook his defensive improvement and his offensive statistics that have remained consistent in the era of MLB A.S(after steroids). Not only has he been a great hitter (putting together a string of seasons since his arrival in 2001 that rival those of all-time Red Sox greats) but in an age where few statistics are believed or untarnished, a clean one as well.
Red Sox fan Jeffrey M. Guinee, who created a website earlier this week (KEEPMANNY.com) urging fellow members of Red Sox nation to sign a petition expressing their love for Ramirez, believes (as do I) that "because of the media there's this undertone that Manny's not wanted here; but, we think that if the masses were heard it wouldn't even be close. It would be like 10-1 to keep Manny." As of Wednesday afternoon over 14,000 Red Sox fans (including myself) have signed the petition and I urge you all to do the same.
Click Here to Enter KeepManny.com
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Pigskin-Induced Delirium: Case 13
Last week I broke back into the double-digit correct picks week club again for the first time since Week 3...despite not being intelligent enough to realize that Detroit plays in a dome. Can I continue my revived success this week and punch in another 10+ correct picks? It will be tough with a multitude of daunting match-ups set to unfold, but I'll give it a try...
Last Week: 12-4
(How about this for a formula? Week 12 :: 12 Correct Picks As Week 13:: 13 Correct Picks?? Damn, I hope I didn't just jinx myself?)
Green Bay (2-9, 1-5 away) at Chicago (8-3, 5-1 home):
With no offensive line to speak of and no receivers to throw to, expect another tough day for Brett Favre.,,He couldn't even complete half of his passes last week against a depleted Eagles secondary so I expect this one to be rather unsightly. Favre has discovered a newfound talent for throwing interceptions into the end-zone (2 of them last week) and has 19 touchdowns and 19 picks this season.
My Pick: Bears
Jacksonville (8-3, 4-2 away) at Cleveland (4-7, 3-2 home):
(Note: This pick has been changed as of Friday afternoon)
I can't very well abandon my "wintry weather" theory now, even though the Bills couldn't quite hold on last week...The updated weather report for Sunday in Cleveland looks like this: temperatures in the low 30's, snow and high winds.
This already looked like a favorable match-up for Cleveland, as they are 3-2 at home, Jaguars' starting QB Byron Leftwich is out and Rueben Droughns has racked up 100+ rushing yards in his last 3 home games. Now though, you can throw both quarterbacks out the window, as the passing game will be a moot point in these extreme winter conditions. Despite Leftwich being out, this actually works in Cleveland's favor as their Trent Dilfer-led passing game is far worse than a David Garrard-led one. This one will be decided on the ground and I feel that this heavily favors the Browns despite their 28th ranked rush defense (as compared to the Jaguars' 14th ranked run D). Fred Taylor is back as the starting RB for Jacksonville and he has been hindered by injuries all season, and I don't expect him to be especially sharp after missing 2 out of the last 3 games. Meanwhile, Rueben Droughns has been unstoppable at home, racking up over 5 yards per carry in his last 3 outings. The Jags are 3-5 in their last 8 games playing in temperatures of 35 degrees or lower and I expect them to be 3-6 after this one...
My Pick: Browns give new credence to my "wintry weather" theory
Minnesota (6-5, 2-4 away) at Detroit (4-7, 3-3 home):
The Lions will never be winners with Millen running them. If they were going to can somebody they should have taken a look at the man responsible for putting this underperforming roster together. Meanwhile, the Vikings, with Brad Johnson at the helm and a surprisingly solid secondary that will feast on Harrington/Garcia's deliciously weak passes, are looking to continue their push for a playoff spot. Mike Tice has gone from about-to-be-run-out-of-town to possible-coach-of-the-year...
My Pick: Vikings
Tennessee (3-8, 1-4 away) at Indianapolis (11-0, 5-0 home):
Steve McNair looked like his old self last week, but that was against the 49ers at home. Expect a second straight strong game from the Indy D (4th in the league) and the usual firepower from Manning, James and co as the undefeated Colts stay perfect...for now.
My Pick: Colts
Buffalo (4-7, 0-5 away) at Miami (4-7, 2-3 home)
It's no secret that the Bills are absolutely awful on the road (winless on the year). They also have an atrocious run defense (31st in the NFL ahead of only the Texans) and the Dolphins' offense is fueled by their double-headed running game (Ronnie Brown and the recently re-energized Ricky Williams). Pick the Bills in this one only if you are mentally challenged...
My Pick: Dolphins
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #1 (If I am wrong all readers of my blog are allowed to punch me as hard as they can in the groin, granted they picked the Bills to win)
Tampa Bay (7-4, 3-2 away) at New Orleans (3-8, 1-4 home):
The Saints proved two things to me last week against the Jets: they can pass the ball well enough to make their offensive statistics look impressive without actually putting up very many points and their defense can barely stop even the most anemic of offenses. Expect another solid game from the Bucs' second-ranked D and huge days offensively from Chris Simms and Joey Galloway...
My Pick: Buccaneers
Dallas (7-4, 3-2 away) at New York Giants (7-4, 5-1 home):
Finally we arrive at the first of several tough picks...Currently tied for the division lead, both of these teams are fighting for a playoff spot and will fall behind with a loss. The Giants blew three chances to win last week against Seattle on three missed field goals by Jay Feely, while the Cowboys (besides losing to Denver last week after a missed field goal of their own) lost several games earlier in the year as a result of late-game miscues from quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Thus, both teams have proven to be unreliable in clutch situations. However, both teams are well-coached and boast solid defenses (The Cowboys are 6th in the NFL in defense and the Giants are +11 in turnover ratio and have played extremely well in the second half of the season). This one's tough to call, but I'll take the G-men who I can't see losing two straight at home with the consistency which their defense and Tiki Barber have played with as of late. It'll be close; I could just as easily see the Cowboys taking this one...
My Pick: Giants come out on top in a hard-fought battle for the division lead
Cincinnati (8-3, 4-1 away) at Pittsburgh (7-4, 3-2 home):
Note: This Pick has been changed (as of Friday morning)
Playing at home seems to mean very little for either of these teams as they both have close to identical home and away records so far this season. These are two evenly-matched teams (although they play the game very differently). The Steelers will try to control the pace of the game (allowing Carson Palmer as little time on the field as possible) with their dynamic running duo of Willie Parker and Jerome Betis. They better because if Big Ben is forced to air it out, things could get ugly. In addition to the injuries to both knees that Rothlisberger is coming back from, last week against the Colts he "tweaked" his ankle and severely injured the thumb on his throwing hand to the point where he has to wear a protective device over his hand in order to practice. It would be unfair to expect him to be able to throw with his usual poise and precision on Sunday and obviously his mobility will be hindered as well. When you think about it, with their decimated offensive line that has performed very poorly in recent weeks, the Steelers' running game (which is essential to them winning the game) becomes a question mark and they are one bad hit away from having to hand the reins over to Tommy Maddox. The Bengals have proven to me so far this year that they can put up points with the best of them, but they can't make the plays when it matters against a good team. I think they finally get it together this weekend and leave Pittsburgh retaining the division lead. They have come a long way this season, and they are far better than the team that lost to the Steelers in Cincy earlier in the year. Palmer will be looking to get revenge against the one team that he played badly against this season, and I think the league's top-ranked quarterback (and his favorite target Chad Johnson, who has guaranteed that he "won't be stopped") will get the upper hand against their injury-weakened division rivals...
My Pick: Bengals finally beat a good team
Atlanta (7-4, 4-1 away) at Carolina (8-3, 4-1 home):
Atlanta has actually played better on the road this season than they have at home. Carolina has played horribly on offense the last couple weeks; they managed only a field goal against the Bears two weeks ago and barely beat the Bills last week. The Panthers' offense (no matter who the running back is) is one-dimensional and teams have realized that the Panthers cannot run the ball. The Falcons played great last week and showcased a balanced offense and a great running game (one that I think will eventually wear down the Panthers' third-ranked rushing defense with the contrasting running styles of Vick, Dunn and Duckett). I expect the Falcons to leave Carolina with a share of the NFC South lead...
My Pick: Falcons in yet another great match-up
Houston (1-10, 0-5 away) at Baltimore (3-8, 3-2 home):
With the great passing numbers that Carr put up last week against the Rams, it's tempting to pick the upset here...However, keep in mind that half the guys in an already sub-par St. Louis secondary were out with injuries so they were basically playing against college DBs. There are still a few guys on the Ravens that can play some defense and they did put up a lot of second half points against the Bengals last week...
My Pick: Ravens
Washington (5-6, 1-4 away) at St. Louis (5-6, 3-2 home):
The downward spiral continues for the Redskins who choked yet again last week against the Chargers. The Rams staged a furious fourth quarter comeback last week under rookie quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Expect the Redskins to come up short again as their inability to force turnovers and prevent them (-11 turnover/opponent turnover ratio on the season) causes them to lose another close game. Despite their weak defense, offense will prevail and Stephen Jackson, Tory Holt and co will pick up the victory and keep their slim playoff hopes alive...
My Pick: Rams
Arizona (3-8, 1-4 away) at San Francisco (2-9, 2-4 home):
Do I really have to pick this game?? At least I can take solace in the fact that I don't have to watch it...Expect Kurt Warner (who has thrown for 300+ yards in 3 of 4 games since being re-instated as the starting quarterback) to light up the porous '9er defense (dead last in the league) and lead the Cardinals to victory. Arizona could be decent next year if they shored up their defense and added a quality running back to complement Warner, Fitzgerald and Bouldin...
My Pick: Cardinals
Denver (9-2, 3-2 away) at Kansas City (7-4, 4-1 home):
The Broncos haven't lost a game in awhile and I feel like they're due. They got lucky last week against the Cowboys, dodging a bullet with a missed field goal, and had to pull a miraculous run out of the forgotten Ron Dayne to get the victory. Meanwhile the Chiefs were busy taking care of business against the Patriots and picking off Tom Brady 4 times. The Broncos' offense will be nearly as one-dimensional as the Pats' without Tatum Bell in the game to complement Mike Anderson and the Chiefs' Larry Johnson will have a tough time against Denver's top ranked rushing defense. This one will be decided through the air and I expect passes thrown early and often, with each team taking advantage of the other's suspect secondary. I'm taking the Chiefs here because they are at home and because their defense showed some ability to create turnovers last week against Tom Brady and the Pats...
My Pick: Chiefs win in a shootout
New York Jets (2-9, 0-6 away) at New England (6-5, 3-2 home):
The punchless Jets couldn't even beat the Saints at home last week; It's difficult to see them picking up their first road win against the Patriots and Tom Brady who always bounces back well after a bad game...
My Pick: Patriots are a no-brainer in this one
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #2
Oakland (4-7, 2-3 away) at San Diego (7-4, 3-2 home):
The Raiders looked awful last week at home against the then-struggling Dolphins. There's no way that they can go into San Diego against a well-balanced team fighting for the last wild card spot in the AFC and come out victorious...
My Pick: Chargers without a doubt
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #3
Monday Night:
Seattle (9-2, 3-2 away) at Philadelphia (5-6, 4-1 home):
Don't be tempted by looking at the Seahawks' offensive struggles against the Giants late in the game last week or the Eagles' 4-1 record at home this season. The Eagles' defense is depleted and Mike McMahon only threw for 91 yards last week against an atrocious Packer secondary. Expect a big offensive day from Hasselbeck and Alexander as the Eagles' last hopes of making the playoffs are torn away from them and their nightmare season plods onward...
My Pick: Seahawks in a laugher
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #4
Last Week: 12-4
(How about this for a formula? Week 12 :: 12 Correct Picks As Week 13:: 13 Correct Picks?? Damn, I hope I didn't just jinx myself?)
Green Bay (2-9, 1-5 away) at Chicago (8-3, 5-1 home):
With no offensive line to speak of and no receivers to throw to, expect another tough day for Brett Favre.,,He couldn't even complete half of his passes last week against a depleted Eagles secondary so I expect this one to be rather unsightly. Favre has discovered a newfound talent for throwing interceptions into the end-zone (2 of them last week) and has 19 touchdowns and 19 picks this season.
My Pick: Bears
Jacksonville (8-3, 4-2 away) at Cleveland (4-7, 3-2 home):
(Note: This pick has been changed as of Friday afternoon)
I can't very well abandon my "wintry weather" theory now, even though the Bills couldn't quite hold on last week...The updated weather report for Sunday in Cleveland looks like this: temperatures in the low 30's, snow and high winds.
This already looked like a favorable match-up for Cleveland, as they are 3-2 at home, Jaguars' starting QB Byron Leftwich is out and Rueben Droughns has racked up 100+ rushing yards in his last 3 home games. Now though, you can throw both quarterbacks out the window, as the passing game will be a moot point in these extreme winter conditions. Despite Leftwich being out, this actually works in Cleveland's favor as their Trent Dilfer-led passing game is far worse than a David Garrard-led one. This one will be decided on the ground and I feel that this heavily favors the Browns despite their 28th ranked rush defense (as compared to the Jaguars' 14th ranked run D). Fred Taylor is back as the starting RB for Jacksonville and he has been hindered by injuries all season, and I don't expect him to be especially sharp after missing 2 out of the last 3 games. Meanwhile, Rueben Droughns has been unstoppable at home, racking up over 5 yards per carry in his last 3 outings. The Jags are 3-5 in their last 8 games playing in temperatures of 35 degrees or lower and I expect them to be 3-6 after this one...
My Pick: Browns give new credence to my "wintry weather" theory
Minnesota (6-5, 2-4 away) at Detroit (4-7, 3-3 home):
The Lions will never be winners with Millen running them. If they were going to can somebody they should have taken a look at the man responsible for putting this underperforming roster together. Meanwhile, the Vikings, with Brad Johnson at the helm and a surprisingly solid secondary that will feast on Harrington/Garcia's deliciously weak passes, are looking to continue their push for a playoff spot. Mike Tice has gone from about-to-be-run-out-of-town to possible-coach-of-the-year...
My Pick: Vikings
Tennessee (3-8, 1-4 away) at Indianapolis (11-0, 5-0 home):
Steve McNair looked like his old self last week, but that was against the 49ers at home. Expect a second straight strong game from the Indy D (4th in the league) and the usual firepower from Manning, James and co as the undefeated Colts stay perfect...for now.
My Pick: Colts
Buffalo (4-7, 0-5 away) at Miami (4-7, 2-3 home)
It's no secret that the Bills are absolutely awful on the road (winless on the year). They also have an atrocious run defense (31st in the NFL ahead of only the Texans) and the Dolphins' offense is fueled by their double-headed running game (Ronnie Brown and the recently re-energized Ricky Williams). Pick the Bills in this one only if you are mentally challenged...
My Pick: Dolphins
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #1 (If I am wrong all readers of my blog are allowed to punch me as hard as they can in the groin, granted they picked the Bills to win)
Tampa Bay (7-4, 3-2 away) at New Orleans (3-8, 1-4 home):
The Saints proved two things to me last week against the Jets: they can pass the ball well enough to make their offensive statistics look impressive without actually putting up very many points and their defense can barely stop even the most anemic of offenses. Expect another solid game from the Bucs' second-ranked D and huge days offensively from Chris Simms and Joey Galloway...
My Pick: Buccaneers
Dallas (7-4, 3-2 away) at New York Giants (7-4, 5-1 home):
Finally we arrive at the first of several tough picks...Currently tied for the division lead, both of these teams are fighting for a playoff spot and will fall behind with a loss. The Giants blew three chances to win last week against Seattle on three missed field goals by Jay Feely, while the Cowboys (besides losing to Denver last week after a missed field goal of their own) lost several games earlier in the year as a result of late-game miscues from quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Thus, both teams have proven to be unreliable in clutch situations. However, both teams are well-coached and boast solid defenses (The Cowboys are 6th in the NFL in defense and the Giants are +11 in turnover ratio and have played extremely well in the second half of the season). This one's tough to call, but I'll take the G-men who I can't see losing two straight at home with the consistency which their defense and Tiki Barber have played with as of late. It'll be close; I could just as easily see the Cowboys taking this one...
My Pick: Giants come out on top in a hard-fought battle for the division lead
Cincinnati (8-3, 4-1 away) at Pittsburgh (7-4, 3-2 home):
Note: This Pick has been changed (as of Friday morning)
Playing at home seems to mean very little for either of these teams as they both have close to identical home and away records so far this season. These are two evenly-matched teams (although they play the game very differently). The Steelers will try to control the pace of the game (allowing Carson Palmer as little time on the field as possible) with their dynamic running duo of Willie Parker and Jerome Betis. They better because if Big Ben is forced to air it out, things could get ugly. In addition to the injuries to both knees that Rothlisberger is coming back from, last week against the Colts he "tweaked" his ankle and severely injured the thumb on his throwing hand to the point where he has to wear a protective device over his hand in order to practice. It would be unfair to expect him to be able to throw with his usual poise and precision on Sunday and obviously his mobility will be hindered as well. When you think about it, with their decimated offensive line that has performed very poorly in recent weeks, the Steelers' running game (which is essential to them winning the game) becomes a question mark and they are one bad hit away from having to hand the reins over to Tommy Maddox. The Bengals have proven to me so far this year that they can put up points with the best of them, but they can't make the plays when it matters against a good team. I think they finally get it together this weekend and leave Pittsburgh retaining the division lead. They have come a long way this season, and they are far better than the team that lost to the Steelers in Cincy earlier in the year. Palmer will be looking to get revenge against the one team that he played badly against this season, and I think the league's top-ranked quarterback (and his favorite target Chad Johnson, who has guaranteed that he "won't be stopped") will get the upper hand against their injury-weakened division rivals...
My Pick: Bengals finally beat a good team
Atlanta (7-4, 4-1 away) at Carolina (8-3, 4-1 home):
Atlanta has actually played better on the road this season than they have at home. Carolina has played horribly on offense the last couple weeks; they managed only a field goal against the Bears two weeks ago and barely beat the Bills last week. The Panthers' offense (no matter who the running back is) is one-dimensional and teams have realized that the Panthers cannot run the ball. The Falcons played great last week and showcased a balanced offense and a great running game (one that I think will eventually wear down the Panthers' third-ranked rushing defense with the contrasting running styles of Vick, Dunn and Duckett). I expect the Falcons to leave Carolina with a share of the NFC South lead...
My Pick: Falcons in yet another great match-up
Houston (1-10, 0-5 away) at Baltimore (3-8, 3-2 home):
With the great passing numbers that Carr put up last week against the Rams, it's tempting to pick the upset here...However, keep in mind that half the guys in an already sub-par St. Louis secondary were out with injuries so they were basically playing against college DBs. There are still a few guys on the Ravens that can play some defense and they did put up a lot of second half points against the Bengals last week...
My Pick: Ravens
Washington (5-6, 1-4 away) at St. Louis (5-6, 3-2 home):
The downward spiral continues for the Redskins who choked yet again last week against the Chargers. The Rams staged a furious fourth quarter comeback last week under rookie quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Expect the Redskins to come up short again as their inability to force turnovers and prevent them (-11 turnover/opponent turnover ratio on the season) causes them to lose another close game. Despite their weak defense, offense will prevail and Stephen Jackson, Tory Holt and co will pick up the victory and keep their slim playoff hopes alive...
My Pick: Rams
Arizona (3-8, 1-4 away) at San Francisco (2-9, 2-4 home):
Do I really have to pick this game?? At least I can take solace in the fact that I don't have to watch it...Expect Kurt Warner (who has thrown for 300+ yards in 3 of 4 games since being re-instated as the starting quarterback) to light up the porous '9er defense (dead last in the league) and lead the Cardinals to victory. Arizona could be decent next year if they shored up their defense and added a quality running back to complement Warner, Fitzgerald and Bouldin...
My Pick: Cardinals
Denver (9-2, 3-2 away) at Kansas City (7-4, 4-1 home):
The Broncos haven't lost a game in awhile and I feel like they're due. They got lucky last week against the Cowboys, dodging a bullet with a missed field goal, and had to pull a miraculous run out of the forgotten Ron Dayne to get the victory. Meanwhile the Chiefs were busy taking care of business against the Patriots and picking off Tom Brady 4 times. The Broncos' offense will be nearly as one-dimensional as the Pats' without Tatum Bell in the game to complement Mike Anderson and the Chiefs' Larry Johnson will have a tough time against Denver's top ranked rushing defense. This one will be decided through the air and I expect passes thrown early and often, with each team taking advantage of the other's suspect secondary. I'm taking the Chiefs here because they are at home and because their defense showed some ability to create turnovers last week against Tom Brady and the Pats...
My Pick: Chiefs win in a shootout
New York Jets (2-9, 0-6 away) at New England (6-5, 3-2 home):
The punchless Jets couldn't even beat the Saints at home last week; It's difficult to see them picking up their first road win against the Patriots and Tom Brady who always bounces back well after a bad game...
My Pick: Patriots are a no-brainer in this one
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #2
Oakland (4-7, 2-3 away) at San Diego (7-4, 3-2 home):
The Raiders looked awful last week at home against the then-struggling Dolphins. There's no way that they can go into San Diego against a well-balanced team fighting for the last wild card spot in the AFC and come out victorious...
My Pick: Chargers without a doubt
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #3
Monday Night:
Seattle (9-2, 3-2 away) at Philadelphia (5-6, 4-1 home):
Don't be tempted by looking at the Seahawks' offensive struggles against the Giants late in the game last week or the Eagles' 4-1 record at home this season. The Eagles' defense is depleted and Mike McMahon only threw for 91 yards last week against an atrocious Packer secondary. Expect a big offensive day from Hasselbeck and Alexander as the Eagles' last hopes of making the playoffs are torn away from them and their nightmare season plods onward...
My Pick: Seahawks in a laugher
SAFE PICK OF THE WEEK #4
Friday, November 25, 2005
Thanksgiving Leftovers...
As promised, here is the second segment of my weekly NFL picks:
Last Week: 9-7
Carolina (7-3, 3-2 away) at Buffalo (4-6, 4-1 home):
We all know how well my “winter weather theory” worked in the Thanksgiving game, but let me assure you; Buffalo does not play in a dome (just ask the Chiefs). The Bills are also 4-1 at home and the Panthers are only 3-2 on the road. Expect another rough day for the Panther passing game. Too bad they don’t have a running game because that’s how this one will be decided…
My Pick: Bills
Baltimore (3-7, 0-5 away) at Cincinnati (7-3, 3-2 home):
Yeah, Cincy may only be 3-2 at home as compared to 4-1 on the road, but two of those home losses were to the Steelers and Colts. Against the depleted defense of the Ravens, expect the Bengal offense to run rampant. If you weren’t convinced of the Bengals’ O before last week, you have to be now after they pummeled a solid Indy D on the ground and through the air only to lose a shootout…
My Pick: Bengals in a blow-out
San Francisco (2-8, 0-4 away) at Tennessee (2-8, 1-4 home):
Both of these teams are horrible, but I’ll take the home team in this one. The 49ers have yet to win a game on the road and the Titans at least have one quality player in running back Chris Brown. Who knows, against the porous secondary of the ‘9ers, maybe Steve McNair will conjure up flashbacks of three years ago when he was actually good?
My Pick: Titans
New England (6-4, 3-2 away) at Kansas City (6-4, 3-1 home):
As much as I love my Pats, their defense this year is atrocious (second to last in the league). They made Aaron Brooks look like Joe Montana last week before holding on for the victory. I expect the Chiefs’ offense to get up early in this one and never look back, with huge games from Larry Johnson and Trent Green. (Its’ ok, we could win only one more game this year and still back into the playoffs in the AFC Least)
My Pick: Chiefs
Cleveland (4-6, 1-4 away) at Minnesota (5-5, 3-1 home):
The Vikings are playing very well right now and I expect their run of success to continue in this game. Rueben Droughns will come back down to earth and the real story of the day will be the Vikings’ surprisingly solid secondary (led by Darren Sharper) making Trent Dilfer look like Trent Dilfer.
My Pick: Vikings
Chicago (7-3, 2-2 away) at Tampa Bay (7-3, 4-1 home):
The Bucs seem to have forgotten how to play defense in recent weeks…Fortunately they have in the same period figured out how to score. The D doesn’t matter against the Bears anyway who can only score when their defense sets them up in the red zone. This should be a low scoring affair with Tampa pulling out a close one at home. The Bears’ lack of offense has to catch up with them sometime…
My Pick: Buccaneers in a close one
San Diego (6-4, 3-2 away) at Washington (5-5, 4-1 home):
The ‘Skins downward spiral continues as Brees, Tomlinson and Gates come into town fighting for a wildcard berth. It seems that teams have figured out that they can double team Moss and none of Washington’s other receivers are capable of stepping up (especially with David Patton out for the year now)….
My Pick: Chargers
St. Louis (4-6, 1-4 away) at Houston (1-9, 1-4 home):
The Rams are only 1-4 on the road and without starting quarterback Marc Bulger; however I don’t think that the Texans (with their NCAA Division III-quality secondary) are capable of beating a team with any semblance of a passing game.
Expect big days from Martin, Holt and Bruce…
(Note: The one team that Houston beat this year(which was one of the few correct games that I called) was the Trent Dilfer-led Browns).
My Pick: Rams
Miami (3-7, 1-4 away) at Oakland (4-6, 2-3 home):
I’m not really going to get into this, but what was Nick Saban thinking at that press conference telling his team and fans that “the record doesn’t matter”? At any rate, the Raiders are the better team anyway, with a balanced offense, even without any contribution whatsoever from Randy Moss…
My Pick: Raiders
Jacksonville (7-3, 3-2 away) at Arizona (3-7, 2-3 home):
The Cardinals have been playing well lately, but I expect Byron Leftwich to come through in the 4th quarter and pull out the victory.
My Pick: Jaguars in a close one
Green Bay (2-8, 1-4 away) at Philadelphia (4-6, 3-1 home):
All the talk surrounding this game (outside of Terrell Owens getting the rest of the winter off) is about the Eagles’ injuries. Well, what about the Packers? Brett Favre hasn’t had his top two receivers healthy all year and their running game is relying on a back who couldn’t even find consistent playing time in college and is incapable of holding onto the ball. Plus, the Packers defense is awful. The real question is whether or not Favre will be a good sport and sign an autograph for Mike McMahon after the game.
My Pick: Eagles ( I guess my strategy is, if you keep picking them, they have to win eventually right?)
New Orleans (2-8, 1-4 away) at New York Jets (2-8, 2-2 home):
According to the statistics, I should go with the Jets here as they have some semblance of a defense. But how can you, as ESPN.com has, favor the Jets because of their running game? Curtis Martin has been banged up and has underperformed all year. The Jets in actuality have no offensive ability whatsoever, down to their third-string quarterback and with no real receivers other than Coles. Meanwhile, as awful as New Orleans has been this year, they can pass the ball…
My Pick: Saints win…nobody cares
New York Giants (7-3, 2-2 away) at Seattle (8-2, 5-0 home):
The Seahawks are undefeated at home this season and I expect it to stay that way. However, the Giants D should put up a pretty good fight and hold Shaun Alexander under 100 yards. In the end, the more consistent Hasselbeck will out-duel Manning in the 4th quarter…Stop the presses, Seattle is my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl!! Is anybody ever going to start recognizing how good these guys are? I think this game will be a statement for them, helping them to make their case as the best team in the NFC…
My Pick: Seahawks
Pittsburgh (7-3, 4-1 away) at Indianapolis (10-0, 4-0 home):
If the Bengals couldn’t beat the Colts in Cincy with 2 weeks to prepare, than I can’t see how the Steelers, in Rothlisberger’s first game back from knee surgery, can pull of the upset, a week removed from losing to the Ravens. The Colt show rolls on…Look for the next potential first Indy loss a couple weeks down the road against San Diego.
My Pick: Colts
Last Week: 9-7
Carolina (7-3, 3-2 away) at Buffalo (4-6, 4-1 home):
We all know how well my “winter weather theory” worked in the Thanksgiving game, but let me assure you; Buffalo does not play in a dome (just ask the Chiefs). The Bills are also 4-1 at home and the Panthers are only 3-2 on the road. Expect another rough day for the Panther passing game. Too bad they don’t have a running game because that’s how this one will be decided…
My Pick: Bills
Baltimore (3-7, 0-5 away) at Cincinnati (7-3, 3-2 home):
Yeah, Cincy may only be 3-2 at home as compared to 4-1 on the road, but two of those home losses were to the Steelers and Colts. Against the depleted defense of the Ravens, expect the Bengal offense to run rampant. If you weren’t convinced of the Bengals’ O before last week, you have to be now after they pummeled a solid Indy D on the ground and through the air only to lose a shootout…
My Pick: Bengals in a blow-out
San Francisco (2-8, 0-4 away) at Tennessee (2-8, 1-4 home):
Both of these teams are horrible, but I’ll take the home team in this one. The 49ers have yet to win a game on the road and the Titans at least have one quality player in running back Chris Brown. Who knows, against the porous secondary of the ‘9ers, maybe Steve McNair will conjure up flashbacks of three years ago when he was actually good?
My Pick: Titans
New England (6-4, 3-2 away) at Kansas City (6-4, 3-1 home):
As much as I love my Pats, their defense this year is atrocious (second to last in the league). They made Aaron Brooks look like Joe Montana last week before holding on for the victory. I expect the Chiefs’ offense to get up early in this one and never look back, with huge games from Larry Johnson and Trent Green. (Its’ ok, we could win only one more game this year and still back into the playoffs in the AFC Least)
My Pick: Chiefs
Cleveland (4-6, 1-4 away) at Minnesota (5-5, 3-1 home):
The Vikings are playing very well right now and I expect their run of success to continue in this game. Rueben Droughns will come back down to earth and the real story of the day will be the Vikings’ surprisingly solid secondary (led by Darren Sharper) making Trent Dilfer look like Trent Dilfer.
My Pick: Vikings
Chicago (7-3, 2-2 away) at Tampa Bay (7-3, 4-1 home):
The Bucs seem to have forgotten how to play defense in recent weeks…Fortunately they have in the same period figured out how to score. The D doesn’t matter against the Bears anyway who can only score when their defense sets them up in the red zone. This should be a low scoring affair with Tampa pulling out a close one at home. The Bears’ lack of offense has to catch up with them sometime…
My Pick: Buccaneers in a close one
San Diego (6-4, 3-2 away) at Washington (5-5, 4-1 home):
The ‘Skins downward spiral continues as Brees, Tomlinson and Gates come into town fighting for a wildcard berth. It seems that teams have figured out that they can double team Moss and none of Washington’s other receivers are capable of stepping up (especially with David Patton out for the year now)….
My Pick: Chargers
St. Louis (4-6, 1-4 away) at Houston (1-9, 1-4 home):
The Rams are only 1-4 on the road and without starting quarterback Marc Bulger; however I don’t think that the Texans (with their NCAA Division III-quality secondary) are capable of beating a team with any semblance of a passing game.
Expect big days from Martin, Holt and Bruce…
(Note: The one team that Houston beat this year(which was one of the few correct games that I called) was the Trent Dilfer-led Browns).
My Pick: Rams
Miami (3-7, 1-4 away) at Oakland (4-6, 2-3 home):
I’m not really going to get into this, but what was Nick Saban thinking at that press conference telling his team and fans that “the record doesn’t matter”? At any rate, the Raiders are the better team anyway, with a balanced offense, even without any contribution whatsoever from Randy Moss…
My Pick: Raiders
Jacksonville (7-3, 3-2 away) at Arizona (3-7, 2-3 home):
The Cardinals have been playing well lately, but I expect Byron Leftwich to come through in the 4th quarter and pull out the victory.
My Pick: Jaguars in a close one
Green Bay (2-8, 1-4 away) at Philadelphia (4-6, 3-1 home):
All the talk surrounding this game (outside of Terrell Owens getting the rest of the winter off) is about the Eagles’ injuries. Well, what about the Packers? Brett Favre hasn’t had his top two receivers healthy all year and their running game is relying on a back who couldn’t even find consistent playing time in college and is incapable of holding onto the ball. Plus, the Packers defense is awful. The real question is whether or not Favre will be a good sport and sign an autograph for Mike McMahon after the game.
My Pick: Eagles ( I guess my strategy is, if you keep picking them, they have to win eventually right?)
New Orleans (2-8, 1-4 away) at New York Jets (2-8, 2-2 home):
According to the statistics, I should go with the Jets here as they have some semblance of a defense. But how can you, as ESPN.com has, favor the Jets because of their running game? Curtis Martin has been banged up and has underperformed all year. The Jets in actuality have no offensive ability whatsoever, down to their third-string quarterback and with no real receivers other than Coles. Meanwhile, as awful as New Orleans has been this year, they can pass the ball…
My Pick: Saints win…nobody cares
New York Giants (7-3, 2-2 away) at Seattle (8-2, 5-0 home):
The Seahawks are undefeated at home this season and I expect it to stay that way. However, the Giants D should put up a pretty good fight and hold Shaun Alexander under 100 yards. In the end, the more consistent Hasselbeck will out-duel Manning in the 4th quarter…Stop the presses, Seattle is my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl!! Is anybody ever going to start recognizing how good these guys are? I think this game will be a statement for them, helping them to make their case as the best team in the NFC…
My Pick: Seahawks
Pittsburgh (7-3, 4-1 away) at Indianapolis (10-0, 4-0 home):
If the Bengals couldn’t beat the Colts in Cincy with 2 weeks to prepare, than I can’t see how the Steelers, in Rothlisberger’s first game back from knee surgery, can pull of the upset, a week removed from losing to the Ravens. The Colt show rolls on…Look for the next potential first Indy loss a couple weeks down the road against San Diego.
My Pick: Colts
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Wilbon and Kornheiser were wrong...
I'm this year's biggest turkey, as my good friend Brian "the Great" kindly pointed out...
Benji,
I know you love your theory about how the southern teams can't handle the cold of the northern teams. How come you don't consider that the lions play in a dome? common, the falcons won't have to worry about the cold at all. Plus i'm watching the game and the lions are sucking, no wonder you're 13 picks behind me.
In other news, i saw the 100th meeting between framingham and natick today, and i nearly froze my nuts off. it was snowing and balls cold. okay benji, have a good break.
BRIAN
What can I say, I'm an idiot...Obviously if the Lions are capable of hosting a Super Bowl living in the snowy North, then they would have to play in a dome. I knew that they did, I think I was just so impressed that my snowy weather theory had worked so well thus far (and has yet to let me down) that I acted rashly without thinking. I will make up for it by proving my wintry environment theory to still be correct in one of my picks on Sunday (see if you can guess which one before I pick). At any rate, it's been an off year for me this year picking games and I don't forsee myself making much of a stir in the regular season...Maybe I'm saving it all for the playoffs? We shall see...Any way you look at it, I'm still better at picking than Brian's man Chris Berman...Perhaps he should find a new sportscaster to idolize who actually has a vague understanding of the sports that he covers....
Benji,
I know you love your theory about how the southern teams can't handle the cold of the northern teams. How come you don't consider that the lions play in a dome? common, the falcons won't have to worry about the cold at all. Plus i'm watching the game and the lions are sucking, no wonder you're 13 picks behind me.
In other news, i saw the 100th meeting between framingham and natick today, and i nearly froze my nuts off. it was snowing and balls cold. okay benji, have a good break.
BRIAN
What can I say, I'm an idiot...Obviously if the Lions are capable of hosting a Super Bowl living in the snowy North, then they would have to play in a dome. I knew that they did, I think I was just so impressed that my snowy weather theory had worked so well thus far (and has yet to let me down) that I acted rashly without thinking. I will make up for it by proving my wintry environment theory to still be correct in one of my picks on Sunday (see if you can guess which one before I pick). At any rate, it's been an off year for me this year picking games and I don't forsee myself making much of a stir in the regular season...Maybe I'm saving it all for the playoffs? We shall see...Any way you look at it, I'm still better at picking than Brian's man Chris Berman...Perhaps he should find a new sportscaster to idolize who actually has a vague understanding of the sports that he covers....
Turkey Day Sports Musings
It’s Thanksgiving and you know what that means: the annual Thanksgiving snowstorm and sub-par televised football!! (not to mention me eating an obscene amount of food and adding 10 more pounds to my already massive girth).
This week my picks will appear in two segments, the first being today, less than an hour before kick-off:
Atlanta at Detroit:
Just a few weeks ago, the Falcons looked like they were unbeatable and the Lions looked as though they couldn’t win another game. My, how the tables have turned!! The Falcons have lost two straight at home to less-talented teams and now have to travel to cold, snowy Detroit to get back on track…Not happening!! We’ve seen how well teams from the South have fared in the wintry Northern environment so far this year (Carolina and K.C. were destroyed in Chicago and Buffalo respectively) and I expect more of the same in this game, as the Lions take advantage of the 20 degree snowy weather to give their fans something to be thankful for…
My Pick: Lions
Denver at Dallas:
The Cowboys have a solid, athletic defense, but the Broncos offense will be too much for them. Even without Tatum Bell, Denver boasts the most balanced offense in the league and Jake Plummer has matured into a solid, consistent NFL quarterback and earned the permanent starting spot on my fantasy team…
My Pick: Broncos
In other NFL news:
On Wednesday Richard Bloch, the arbitrator in the Terrell Owens case, ruled in favor of the Eagles. The arbitrator found that Owen’s (mis)conduct was “destructive and a continuing threat to the team.” In a word, “duh?” I was surprised by the ruling to be sure, but I’m glad to see that somebody out there has some sense of morality and isn’t ruled by the Benjamins, ratings and fear of the NFL Players Association. We can’t allow childish, disrespectful over-paid athletes to destroy what little sense of morality we have left. Richard Bloch, if I knew how to cook, I would drive myself to your house through this snowstorm and cook you Thanksgiving dinner…
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
On Tuesday night, I witnessed one of the most exciting college basketball games I have ever seen, a triple overtime thriller between Gonzaga and Michigan State in Maui. Every time that one team made a basket, it seemed like the other came back on the other end and tied it up. Both teams boast one of my Thurber Preseason All-American picks:
Marcus Ager (Michigan State) is playing with a huge chip on his shoulder after not even being named to the Preseason All-Big 10 team…He hit big shot after big shot on Tuesday, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and finished with a career-high 36 points.
Adam Morrison (Gonzaga) showed us why he was a Preseason All-American pick Tuesday night, scoring points in a variety of ways, inside and outside. He stepped it up late in the game, finishing in double figures in the OT periods alone. He finished with a career and Maui Invitational high 43 points as his ‘Zags pulled out the win. (He really needs to lose the Guido ‘stache though…)
I can’t give you two of my All-American picks without giving the other three, can I…
Filling out the other three spots I give you…
J.J. Reddick and Sheldon Williams (Duke)
And last but not least,
Rudy Gay (UConn)
Finishing off my college basketball segment, I give you my preseason picks for the Final Four:
Gonzaga- It’s time for the ‘Zags to shed this label of being under-achieving over-achievers; this is the year they break through and make it to the Final Four.
Junior Adam Morrison is probably the most-talented player that they have had during their recent success under Mark Few. He sees the court really well, is a great passer, and can score in a variety of different ways. He’s also a solid rebounder and defender. Complementing him are senior forward J.P. Batista, who is a great low-post scorer (an excellent replacement for Ronny Turiaf) , and point guard Derek Raivio, who is a great ballhandler/playmaker and a marksman from behind the arc.
Michigan State- What separates this year’s team from last year’s Final Four team is they have a clear leader in Marcus Ager who will take and make the big shots at the end of the game. They lost some guys from last year’s team but they are still balanced, with sophomore Drew Neitzel (now with some experience under his belt) providing stability and playmaking ability from the point, and complementary scorers in junior guard Shannon Brown and senior center Paul Davis. As with all of Izzo’s teams, they are great rebounders and play with heart.
Duke- Blue Devil’s star seniors Reddick (the best shooter in the country) and forward Sheldon Williams (a superb low-post scorer who averaged a double-double last year) get a boost from an excellent freshman class led by forward Josh McRoberts and point guard Greg Paulus who will need to contribute to back up my pick here.
UConn- The Huskies boast the best forward tandem in the country in junior Josh Boone (Big East defensive player of the year) and sophomore Rudy Gay (a highly touted low-post scorer with crazy athletic ability). Denham Brown is a solid scorer from the two-guard position and Rashad Anderson is the best 6th man in the country. The only question mark is at the point…Freshman Craig Austrie is the starter with Marcus Williams suspended.
Final Four:
Michigan State over Gonzaga-
The Spartans avenge the Maui loss to the ‘Zags with a game winning shot from Ager seconds after Morrison had tied the game up.
Duke over UConn-
The experience and heart of Williams and Reddick is integral as the Blue Devils pull of the close victory over Rudy Gay and the Huskies.
Championship:
Michigan State over Duke-
Tom Izzo’s teams are traditionally slow-starters and they already look pretty good right now; they are going to be scary in March. Their depth and aggressiveness will prove to be too much for Duke, and they will have no answer for Marcus Ager and the Spartans.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Finally, we make a quick turn to the world of baseball, where the GM-less Red Sox have pulled off a huge trade. Well, it’s not so much a great trade as it is being the first to arrive at the Florida Marlins’ fire sale auction (where everybody not named Dontrelle or Miguel is available for a couple prospects). The Marlins have already let go A.J. Burnett to free agency, traded Carlos Delgado to the Mets and are reportedly shopping Juan Pierre, Paul Lo Duca, Luis Castillo and basically anybody on the team with a salary over a million dollars a year…Anyway back to the Red Sox deal. Here are the details if you aren’t familiar with them already:
The Marlins trade third baseman Mike Lowell and SP Josh Beckett to the Red Sox for two average minor league pitching prospects and top shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez.
Surprisingly, many questions have been raised about this deal from the Red Sox’ standpoint. Mike Lowell, as most baseball enthusiasts know, had a batting average hovering around the Mendoza line for most of the season and has a huge salary. However, he is a huge upgrade at third base defensively over Bill Mueller (he won the NL gold-glove last year) and has proven in past years that he can be a 30 HR, 100 RBI middle-of-the-lineup hitter (his struggles last year can be attributed to various injuries that plagued him for the first half of the season). Josh Beckett is a pitcher with obvious top-of-the-rotation talent but has never made 30 starts in a season or pitched 200 innings. However, a physician who checked out Beckett for the Sox found no lingering problems with Beckett’s shoulder and I think he should have a breakout year this season. Another supposed drawback to this trade was Boston giving up their top shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez in the trade; however, last season the Sox made it clear with the ridiculously inflated contract that they gave Renteria that he is their shortstop for at least the next 5 years. The Red Sox have to be praised for making a move for Beckett now, rather than trying to out-bid the Blue Jays and Yankees for the services of less-talented and more injury-prone A.J. Burnett. Their rotation next year will be much improved, looking something like this:
A healthy Curt Schilling
Josh Beckett ( proven Yankee killer in the Marlins’ 2003 World Series win)
Jonathan Papelbon
Tim Wakefield (the always steady knuckleballer….well as steady as a knuckleballer can be)
Matt Clement ( still a question mark after the way he pitched in the second half of the season…)
The Sox have started off the off-season committed to improving their team; let’s hope this trend continues. They still need to shore up the bullpen and look for a second baseman, and maybe try to sign another hitter, possibly Paul Konerko?
As for now, I can go and eat my turkey contented, knowing that my Red Sox are working hard to bring home another World Series trophy next year…
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This week my picks will appear in two segments, the first being today, less than an hour before kick-off:
Atlanta at Detroit:
Just a few weeks ago, the Falcons looked like they were unbeatable and the Lions looked as though they couldn’t win another game. My, how the tables have turned!! The Falcons have lost two straight at home to less-talented teams and now have to travel to cold, snowy Detroit to get back on track…Not happening!! We’ve seen how well teams from the South have fared in the wintry Northern environment so far this year (Carolina and K.C. were destroyed in Chicago and Buffalo respectively) and I expect more of the same in this game, as the Lions take advantage of the 20 degree snowy weather to give their fans something to be thankful for…
My Pick: Lions
Denver at Dallas:
The Cowboys have a solid, athletic defense, but the Broncos offense will be too much for them. Even without Tatum Bell, Denver boasts the most balanced offense in the league and Jake Plummer has matured into a solid, consistent NFL quarterback and earned the permanent starting spot on my fantasy team…
My Pick: Broncos
In other NFL news:
On Wednesday Richard Bloch, the arbitrator in the Terrell Owens case, ruled in favor of the Eagles. The arbitrator found that Owen’s (mis)conduct was “destructive and a continuing threat to the team.” In a word, “duh?” I was surprised by the ruling to be sure, but I’m glad to see that somebody out there has some sense of morality and isn’t ruled by the Benjamins, ratings and fear of the NFL Players Association. We can’t allow childish, disrespectful over-paid athletes to destroy what little sense of morality we have left. Richard Bloch, if I knew how to cook, I would drive myself to your house through this snowstorm and cook you Thanksgiving dinner…
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
On Tuesday night, I witnessed one of the most exciting college basketball games I have ever seen, a triple overtime thriller between Gonzaga and Michigan State in Maui. Every time that one team made a basket, it seemed like the other came back on the other end and tied it up. Both teams boast one of my Thurber Preseason All-American picks:
Marcus Ager (Michigan State) is playing with a huge chip on his shoulder after not even being named to the Preseason All-Big 10 team…He hit big shot after big shot on Tuesday, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and finished with a career-high 36 points.
Adam Morrison (Gonzaga) showed us why he was a Preseason All-American pick Tuesday night, scoring points in a variety of ways, inside and outside. He stepped it up late in the game, finishing in double figures in the OT periods alone. He finished with a career and Maui Invitational high 43 points as his ‘Zags pulled out the win. (He really needs to lose the Guido ‘stache though…)
I can’t give you two of my All-American picks without giving the other three, can I…
Filling out the other three spots I give you…
J.J. Reddick and Sheldon Williams (Duke)
And last but not least,
Rudy Gay (UConn)
Finishing off my college basketball segment, I give you my preseason picks for the Final Four:
Gonzaga- It’s time for the ‘Zags to shed this label of being under-achieving over-achievers; this is the year they break through and make it to the Final Four.
Junior Adam Morrison is probably the most-talented player that they have had during their recent success under Mark Few. He sees the court really well, is a great passer, and can score in a variety of different ways. He’s also a solid rebounder and defender. Complementing him are senior forward J.P. Batista, who is a great low-post scorer (an excellent replacement for Ronny Turiaf) , and point guard Derek Raivio, who is a great ballhandler/playmaker and a marksman from behind the arc.
Michigan State- What separates this year’s team from last year’s Final Four team is they have a clear leader in Marcus Ager who will take and make the big shots at the end of the game. They lost some guys from last year’s team but they are still balanced, with sophomore Drew Neitzel (now with some experience under his belt) providing stability and playmaking ability from the point, and complementary scorers in junior guard Shannon Brown and senior center Paul Davis. As with all of Izzo’s teams, they are great rebounders and play with heart.
Duke- Blue Devil’s star seniors Reddick (the best shooter in the country) and forward Sheldon Williams (a superb low-post scorer who averaged a double-double last year) get a boost from an excellent freshman class led by forward Josh McRoberts and point guard Greg Paulus who will need to contribute to back up my pick here.
UConn- The Huskies boast the best forward tandem in the country in junior Josh Boone (Big East defensive player of the year) and sophomore Rudy Gay (a highly touted low-post scorer with crazy athletic ability). Denham Brown is a solid scorer from the two-guard position and Rashad Anderson is the best 6th man in the country. The only question mark is at the point…Freshman Craig Austrie is the starter with Marcus Williams suspended.
Final Four:
Michigan State over Gonzaga-
The Spartans avenge the Maui loss to the ‘Zags with a game winning shot from Ager seconds after Morrison had tied the game up.
Duke over UConn-
The experience and heart of Williams and Reddick is integral as the Blue Devils pull of the close victory over Rudy Gay and the Huskies.
Championship:
Michigan State over Duke-
Tom Izzo’s teams are traditionally slow-starters and they already look pretty good right now; they are going to be scary in March. Their depth and aggressiveness will prove to be too much for Duke, and they will have no answer for Marcus Ager and the Spartans.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Finally, we make a quick turn to the world of baseball, where the GM-less Red Sox have pulled off a huge trade. Well, it’s not so much a great trade as it is being the first to arrive at the Florida Marlins’ fire sale auction (where everybody not named Dontrelle or Miguel is available for a couple prospects). The Marlins have already let go A.J. Burnett to free agency, traded Carlos Delgado to the Mets and are reportedly shopping Juan Pierre, Paul Lo Duca, Luis Castillo and basically anybody on the team with a salary over a million dollars a year…Anyway back to the Red Sox deal. Here are the details if you aren’t familiar with them already:
The Marlins trade third baseman Mike Lowell and SP Josh Beckett to the Red Sox for two average minor league pitching prospects and top shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez.
Surprisingly, many questions have been raised about this deal from the Red Sox’ standpoint. Mike Lowell, as most baseball enthusiasts know, had a batting average hovering around the Mendoza line for most of the season and has a huge salary. However, he is a huge upgrade at third base defensively over Bill Mueller (he won the NL gold-glove last year) and has proven in past years that he can be a 30 HR, 100 RBI middle-of-the-lineup hitter (his struggles last year can be attributed to various injuries that plagued him for the first half of the season). Josh Beckett is a pitcher with obvious top-of-the-rotation talent but has never made 30 starts in a season or pitched 200 innings. However, a physician who checked out Beckett for the Sox found no lingering problems with Beckett’s shoulder and I think he should have a breakout year this season. Another supposed drawback to this trade was Boston giving up their top shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez in the trade; however, last season the Sox made it clear with the ridiculously inflated contract that they gave Renteria that he is their shortstop for at least the next 5 years. The Red Sox have to be praised for making a move for Beckett now, rather than trying to out-bid the Blue Jays and Yankees for the services of less-talented and more injury-prone A.J. Burnett. Their rotation next year will be much improved, looking something like this:
A healthy Curt Schilling
Josh Beckett ( proven Yankee killer in the Marlins’ 2003 World Series win)
Jonathan Papelbon
Tim Wakefield (the always steady knuckleballer….well as steady as a knuckleballer can be)
Matt Clement ( still a question mark after the way he pitched in the second half of the season…)
The Sox have started off the off-season committed to improving their team; let’s hope this trend continues. They still need to shore up the bullpen and look for a second baseman, and maybe try to sign another hitter, possibly Paul Konerko?
As for now, I can go and eat my turkey contented, knowing that my Red Sox are working hard to bring home another World Series trophy next year…
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Guess who's back...back again...
Last Week: (As most of you know, although I did not post my picks last week on my blog due to computer difficulties, I did still make them; albeit idiotically)
8-6
CARDINALS (2-7) at RAMS (4-5):
I’ve figured out what’s wrong with Kurt Warner and last week’s game was a prime example. Despite throwing for 359 yards he only threw for one touchdown pass while his Lion counterpart, much-maligned Joey Harrington threw for only 231 yards but 3 touchdown passes. He can drive your team to the 20 or 30 yard line but no further. Expect more of the same this week in St. Loius; he will pick up a ton of passing yards against a suspect Rams secondary but fail to get the ball into the endzone enough times to make up for an absolutely atrocious ‘zona D( and to think that was supposed to be their strength this year). That’s ok…It just means more field goal opportunities for my fantasy team kicker Neil Rackers, who is quietly having the best season by an NFL kicker ever.
My Pick: Rams
LIONS (4-5) at COWBOYS (6-3):
Joey Harrington has taken a lot of flak this year, but I think a lot of his problems stem from the fact that his receivers are never healthy. We saw last week that he still can win with his arm, but that was also against an atrocious Arizona secondary. It’s hard to see him replicating this success against the Cowboy’s D in Dallas.
My Pick: Cowboys
EAGLES (4-5) at GIANTS (6-3):
Both teams lost games last week that they should have won…The Eagles seem to be at a huge disadvantage here as they are on the road and are without the services of Donovan McNabb. But, they need this game much more than the Giants do. They also have a solid backup in Mike McMahon…well, ok the man did complete less than 50% of his passes in 7 games with the Lions but he had nobody to throw the ball to. He rushed for 273 yards on 46 carries in those 7 games…McMahon gives the Eagles a new look with mobility at the quarterback position, something they’ve been lacking as of late with McNabb playing with multiple injuries. He must be pretty impressive in practice for Andy Reid to start him over back-up Koy Detmer (who is healthy and has proven in years past to be a reliable replacement for McNabb when he’s been injured). The Eagles’ backs are against the wall: they need this game or their season is finished…
My Pick: Eagles in a nail-biting upset
RAIDERS (3-6) at REDSKINS (5-4):
This year’s Oakland Raiders team is consistently mediocre, both on offense and defense. The ‘skins consistently are in close games, as evidenced by their single digit point differential on the season. I’m expecting Washington to come out angry after last week’s game that they should have won (replays showed that Mike Alstott was stopped 6 inches short of the goal line on the game-winning 2 point conversion). If they could put up 35 points against the number one ranked pass defense last week, how does the mediocre Oakland D have any chance of containing Santana Moss and co.?
My Pick: Redskins
PANTHERS (7-2) at BEARS (6-3):
The Panthers look like they’re ripe for an upset, but I can’t see it happening this week. The Bears have the defense to shut down Carolina’s high-octane offense, but how are they going to put points on the board against the nearly-as-stingy Panther defense? It’s going to be a frosty day in Northern Illinois, but not cold enough to chill the red-hot Panthers…
My Pick: Panthers
DOLPHINS (3-6) at BROWNS (3-6):
The Dolphins are far better than their record shows, as we saw last week when they nearly came back to beat the Patriots. Their problem is that they suffer from the “Kurt Warner disease” ; that is, they are able to drive within field goal range but then they stall and can’t get the ball in the end-zone. But, against the Browns, this same offensive out-put will easily be enough.
My Pick: Dolphins
BUCCANEERS (6-3) at FALCONS (6-3):
First of all, as stated earlier the Bucs shouldn’t even have won their game last week. I love the gutsy call by Gruden, but don’t think that a victory on a last second-gamble will propel them to a win the next week on the road; it didn’t work out for the Chiefs last week (which I also called) and it won’t work for Tampa this week. The Falcons were upset last week by Green Bay and there is no way that I would ever pick Michael Vick to be upset 2 weeks in a row. Fuck the QB rating, all the man does is win football games…
My Pick: Falcons
SAINTS (2-7) at PATRIOTS (5-4):
Interesting stat: Both teams have allowed more points per game then they’ve scored. However, New Orleans is 2-7 while New England is 5-4. That’s because the Pats have the smartest and most clutch quarterback in the league (Tom Brady) while the Saints have Aaron Brooks. I should also mention that the game is in Foxboro where no one other than Indy two weeks ago has won in recent memory…
My Pick: Patriots
JAGUARS (6-3) at TITANS (2-7):
According to the transitive property, the Titans are the worst team in the NFL.
(The winless Texans knocked off the Browns; the following week the Browns beat the Titans in Tennessee.)
My Pick: Jaguars
STEELERS (7-2) at RAVENS (2-7):
Last time these two teams met, in Pittsburgh, it was a nail-biter (when the Steelers had Rothilesberger in the line-up). This one’s in Baltimore…Did I mention that Tommy Maddox is starting at QB for the Steelers? Enough said…
My Pick: Ravens
SEAHAWKS (7-2) at 49ERS (2-7):
The question here is not who will win the game, but will Shaun Alexander reach 100 yards rushing and 3 TDs before half-time…(The man is fucking carrying my fantasy team on his back)
My Pick: Seahawks in a laugher
COLTS (9-0) at BENGALS (7-2):
There is no doubt in my mind that the undefeated Colts are a superior team to the Bengals, offensively and defensively, but this looks like an intriguing match-up. The game’s in Cincy and the Bengals have had two weeks to prepare for them. The Colts have to lose a game sometime, right? (The way that they’ve played in both games against the Texans this year shows me that they can play badly enough to be beaten).
My Pick: *gasp * Bengals!!!
JETS (2-7) at BRONCOS (7-2):
My how the mighty have fallen…How does Herm Edwards sleep at night? This was supposed to be the year the Jets broke through and made it to the big game. But of course, Pennington again got injured and here they are, essentially eliminated from the playoffs before Week 11. New York (A) I weep for you; I feel your pain…
My Pick: Broncos
BILLS (4-5) at CHARGERS (5-4):
The Bills, fresh off an upset of K.C., arrive in California looking to keep pace with the Patriots. Unfortunately, they find LaDanian Tomlinson there to meet them…Expect a big day from him and another solid passing day from Brees as the Chargers get it done at home.
My Pick: Chargers
CHIEFS (5-4) at TEXANS (1-8):
The Chiefs can’t take Houston too lightly; they did give the Colts a workout for much of the game last week. I think Vermeil will have his troops fired up this week after being embarrassed in Buffalo though and they’ll take care of business in Houston; Trent Green only throws picks when his throwing hand is frostbitten…
My Pick: Chiefs
VIKINGS (4-5) at PACKERS (2-7):
Weird Stat of the day, numero dos:
Points Per Game: MIN 17.1, GNB 22.3
Points Allowed: MIN 25.3, GNB 20.4
The Vikings have allowed a touchdown more per game than their opponents but yet are only a game below .500; meanwhile the Packers have scored 2 more points per game than the opposition. One can read this two ways: either the Vikings have gotten lucky in a couple games (a prime example being their game last week against the Giants where the offense did next to nothing and they feasted upon Eli Manning's mediocrity and a couple “lucky” special teams plays) and the Packers are the better team but have been unlucky, or the Vikings have lost to good teams in blow-outs but understand how to win close games against the average to mediocre teams, while this year’s Packers, although they compete in every game just don’t understand how to win a close game. Assuming last week’s win against the Falcons was an anomaly (because Atlanta didn’t come to play), I’ll take the latter.
My Pick: Vikings as the Packers lose yet another heartbreaker…
8-6
CARDINALS (2-7) at RAMS (4-5):
I’ve figured out what’s wrong with Kurt Warner and last week’s game was a prime example. Despite throwing for 359 yards he only threw for one touchdown pass while his Lion counterpart, much-maligned Joey Harrington threw for only 231 yards but 3 touchdown passes. He can drive your team to the 20 or 30 yard line but no further. Expect more of the same this week in St. Loius; he will pick up a ton of passing yards against a suspect Rams secondary but fail to get the ball into the endzone enough times to make up for an absolutely atrocious ‘zona D( and to think that was supposed to be their strength this year). That’s ok…It just means more field goal opportunities for my fantasy team kicker Neil Rackers, who is quietly having the best season by an NFL kicker ever.
My Pick: Rams
LIONS (4-5) at COWBOYS (6-3):
Joey Harrington has taken a lot of flak this year, but I think a lot of his problems stem from the fact that his receivers are never healthy. We saw last week that he still can win with his arm, but that was also against an atrocious Arizona secondary. It’s hard to see him replicating this success against the Cowboy’s D in Dallas.
My Pick: Cowboys
EAGLES (4-5) at GIANTS (6-3):
Both teams lost games last week that they should have won…The Eagles seem to be at a huge disadvantage here as they are on the road and are without the services of Donovan McNabb. But, they need this game much more than the Giants do. They also have a solid backup in Mike McMahon…well, ok the man did complete less than 50% of his passes in 7 games with the Lions but he had nobody to throw the ball to. He rushed for 273 yards on 46 carries in those 7 games…McMahon gives the Eagles a new look with mobility at the quarterback position, something they’ve been lacking as of late with McNabb playing with multiple injuries. He must be pretty impressive in practice for Andy Reid to start him over back-up Koy Detmer (who is healthy and has proven in years past to be a reliable replacement for McNabb when he’s been injured). The Eagles’ backs are against the wall: they need this game or their season is finished…
My Pick: Eagles in a nail-biting upset
RAIDERS (3-6) at REDSKINS (5-4):
This year’s Oakland Raiders team is consistently mediocre, both on offense and defense. The ‘skins consistently are in close games, as evidenced by their single digit point differential on the season. I’m expecting Washington to come out angry after last week’s game that they should have won (replays showed that Mike Alstott was stopped 6 inches short of the goal line on the game-winning 2 point conversion). If they could put up 35 points against the number one ranked pass defense last week, how does the mediocre Oakland D have any chance of containing Santana Moss and co.?
My Pick: Redskins
PANTHERS (7-2) at BEARS (6-3):
The Panthers look like they’re ripe for an upset, but I can’t see it happening this week. The Bears have the defense to shut down Carolina’s high-octane offense, but how are they going to put points on the board against the nearly-as-stingy Panther defense? It’s going to be a frosty day in Northern Illinois, but not cold enough to chill the red-hot Panthers…
My Pick: Panthers
DOLPHINS (3-6) at BROWNS (3-6):
The Dolphins are far better than their record shows, as we saw last week when they nearly came back to beat the Patriots. Their problem is that they suffer from the “Kurt Warner disease” ; that is, they are able to drive within field goal range but then they stall and can’t get the ball in the end-zone. But, against the Browns, this same offensive out-put will easily be enough.
My Pick: Dolphins
BUCCANEERS (6-3) at FALCONS (6-3):
First of all, as stated earlier the Bucs shouldn’t even have won their game last week. I love the gutsy call by Gruden, but don’t think that a victory on a last second-gamble will propel them to a win the next week on the road; it didn’t work out for the Chiefs last week (which I also called) and it won’t work for Tampa this week. The Falcons were upset last week by Green Bay and there is no way that I would ever pick Michael Vick to be upset 2 weeks in a row. Fuck the QB rating, all the man does is win football games…
My Pick: Falcons
SAINTS (2-7) at PATRIOTS (5-4):
Interesting stat: Both teams have allowed more points per game then they’ve scored. However, New Orleans is 2-7 while New England is 5-4. That’s because the Pats have the smartest and most clutch quarterback in the league (Tom Brady) while the Saints have Aaron Brooks. I should also mention that the game is in Foxboro where no one other than Indy two weeks ago has won in recent memory…
My Pick: Patriots
JAGUARS (6-3) at TITANS (2-7):
According to the transitive property, the Titans are the worst team in the NFL.
(The winless Texans knocked off the Browns; the following week the Browns beat the Titans in Tennessee.)
My Pick: Jaguars
STEELERS (7-2) at RAVENS (2-7):
Last time these two teams met, in Pittsburgh, it was a nail-biter (when the Steelers had Rothilesberger in the line-up). This one’s in Baltimore…Did I mention that Tommy Maddox is starting at QB for the Steelers? Enough said…
My Pick: Ravens
SEAHAWKS (7-2) at 49ERS (2-7):
The question here is not who will win the game, but will Shaun Alexander reach 100 yards rushing and 3 TDs before half-time…(The man is fucking carrying my fantasy team on his back)
My Pick: Seahawks in a laugher
COLTS (9-0) at BENGALS (7-2):
There is no doubt in my mind that the undefeated Colts are a superior team to the Bengals, offensively and defensively, but this looks like an intriguing match-up. The game’s in Cincy and the Bengals have had two weeks to prepare for them. The Colts have to lose a game sometime, right? (The way that they’ve played in both games against the Texans this year shows me that they can play badly enough to be beaten).
My Pick: *gasp * Bengals!!!
JETS (2-7) at BRONCOS (7-2):
My how the mighty have fallen…How does Herm Edwards sleep at night? This was supposed to be the year the Jets broke through and made it to the big game. But of course, Pennington again got injured and here they are, essentially eliminated from the playoffs before Week 11. New York (A) I weep for you; I feel your pain…
My Pick: Broncos
BILLS (4-5) at CHARGERS (5-4):
The Bills, fresh off an upset of K.C., arrive in California looking to keep pace with the Patriots. Unfortunately, they find LaDanian Tomlinson there to meet them…Expect a big day from him and another solid passing day from Brees as the Chargers get it done at home.
My Pick: Chargers
CHIEFS (5-4) at TEXANS (1-8):
The Chiefs can’t take Houston too lightly; they did give the Colts a workout for much of the game last week. I think Vermeil will have his troops fired up this week after being embarrassed in Buffalo though and they’ll take care of business in Houston; Trent Green only throws picks when his throwing hand is frostbitten…
My Pick: Chiefs
VIKINGS (4-5) at PACKERS (2-7):
Weird Stat of the day, numero dos:
Points Per Game: MIN 17.1, GNB 22.3
Points Allowed: MIN 25.3, GNB 20.4
The Vikings have allowed a touchdown more per game than their opponents but yet are only a game below .500; meanwhile the Packers have scored 2 more points per game than the opposition. One can read this two ways: either the Vikings have gotten lucky in a couple games (a prime example being their game last week against the Giants where the offense did next to nothing and they feasted upon Eli Manning's mediocrity and a couple “lucky” special teams plays) and the Packers are the better team but have been unlucky, or the Vikings have lost to good teams in blow-outs but understand how to win close games against the average to mediocre teams, while this year’s Packers, although they compete in every game just don’t understand how to win a close game. Assuming last week’s win against the Falcons was an anomaly (because Atlanta didn’t come to play), I’ll take the latter.
My Pick: Vikings as the Packers lose yet another heartbreaker…
Thursday, November 10, 2005
A Ridicule Retorted: Alleviation Of Absurdity
The following is a comment posted by my roommate Lenny in regards to my post "Good Riddance" :
Benji,
While you obviously intended to make me look like a putz, you also failed to make important points, which in turn makes you the putz. You failed to mention that TO was simply concurring with loquacious Michael Irvin's comment that Brett Farve would have done better for the Eagles than McNabb. This is relatively acceptable statment, considering how unhealthy Mcnabb is this season.
Another point to consider is that the 49ers were not simplay getting rid of a "clubhouse menace". TO was a huge contractural obligation that the downsizing 49ers could not afford. So they traded him with the hopes of getting somethign for TO rather than him walking away. That trade was as much business as it was team chemistry.
~Your roommate/sex slave
Lenny,
During our many heated exchanges over this matter you keep going back to the Terrell Owens/Graham Bensinger ESPN interview and citing it as an example of a situation where T.O.'s comments were taken out of context and thus mis-interpreted; so, I thought revisiting the aforementioned comments in their entirety would be a good place to start:
GB: Your friend Michael Irvin recently said that if Brett Favre was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, they'd be undefeated right now. What do you think of that comment?
TO: I mean, that's a good assessment, I would agree with that.
GB: How so?
TO: I just feel like just what he brings to the table ... I mean he's the guy. Obviously, a number of commentators will say he's a warrior. He has played with injuries. I just feel like (with) him being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd be in a better situation.
Yes, he's being asked a question by Graham Besinger that refers back to comments made by commentator Michael Irvin; however he responds with thoughts that are all his own, apart from anything that Irvin said. He agrees with Irvin that were Favre at the helm of the Eagles offense, they would be undefeated. Fine, I see how that could be viewed as the interviewer trapping Owens into saying something that he didn't mean. But, when looking at an excerpt from earlier in the interview though, his feelings become more apparent:
GB: Donovan has obviously had trouble throwing, especially deep. He didn't complete any of his first 12 passes vs. Denver. How has that affected the team?
TO: Well, obviously I think our wins and losses are really predicated on how he plays...
Here Owens is explicitly indicating that he feels McNabb is responsible for their subpar record. After reading this, now look at what he has to say afterwards when Besinger asks him to elaborate on why he feels they would be in a better situation with Favre. He speaks Favre's praises to the point where it is almost sickening. In doing so, he is clearly taking veiled shots at McNabb indirectly. He calls Favre "the guy," "a warrior," someone who "has played with injuries," clearly implying that his current quarterback, McNabb is not in the same class, and does not know how to play hurt. (For the record, I seem to recall McNabb playing nearly an entire game and pulling out the win with a broken leg, but obviously at the time, Owens was too busy defiling the Cowboys' star to notice.) T.O. caps things off with "I just feel like (with) [Favre] being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd be in a better situation," clearly indicating that in comparison, McNabb is not "knowledgeable about the quarterback position." I'm not really sure how you can say that Owens is being taken out of context here; his "concealed" jabs within his comments about Favre seem to be quite apparent. It seems quite obvious that Owens does not respect McNabb and at the same time wants Brett Favre to have his children. (One would think that having played for several successful years with a quarterback (Steve Young) who was at least Favre's equal, Owens would not be so enamored with him.)
Now that I've elucidated Owens' comments for you, let's discuss briefly the comparison between Favre and McNabb since you love to bring the argument up that McNabb is "simply not a winner." Yes, you are correct in pointing out that Favre has the one thing in his possession that McNabb does not: a Super Bowl ring. There is also no disputing that Favre is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer with a rifle of an arm, balls of steel and more passing records than classes you've slept through this semester. But you need to give McNabb a little more credit. All he's done over the last 4 years in the playoffs is bring the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game 4 consecutive times, a feat that even the great Brett Favre never accomplished. Furthermore, last season he broke through and made it to the Super Bowl, easily dispatching of Favre and the Packers with a 464 passing yard effort and 5 first half touchdowns along the way, all without his best receiver, Terrell Owens. As long as we're on the subject of receivers, let's go back to McNabb versus Favre. Besides the last season and a half with T.O., McNabb has played his entire career with sub-par, un-athletic receivers( James Thrash, Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston are prime examples) and been able to succeed(as previously mentioned) in spite of their shortcomings. Favre, on the other hand has always had talented, athletic receivers at his disposal during his success with the Packers( Antonio Freeman, Javon Walker, Donald Driver were and are far superior to any receiver other than T.O. that the Eagles have thrown out on the field during McNabb's career). Furthermore, Favre has always has a consistent running game(in Dorsey Levens and later Ahman Green) to complement his passing game while the Eagles of the McNabb era have been perennially marred by inconsistency in the running game. I'm not saying that I believe that McNabb is a better quarterback than Favre, but give the man some credit; he has won a lot of games without much to work with(until recently). I don't see how you can say that he's not a "winner." You seem to be blinded by some irrational dislike for the man...
Let's finish things up by switching gears briefly to the other retort made in your response to my post, the way in which things ended for Owens with the 49ers. To do this, I will first contextualize it more lucidly with the assistance of my token 49er fan friend Brian:
Well,
we have to remember that back in the day, TO was actually about to opt out of his contract with the 9ers, but his agent forgot to file the proper paper work. Infact, the 9ers were expecting nothing in return from him because he should have been able to test himself in the open market. Instead, the 9ers traded him to the Ravens, but the NFLPA sued and won, which forced a trade between the 9ers and the eagles. The 9ers got some shmuck who never played well, he was like a DE or something, and the Ravens were given a compensation pick at the end of the first round by the leage (basically it was the first pick in the second round). Anyway, TO can claim that he never got to test the waters because he was suing for his right not to go to the Ravens. Had he been able to test the market, he may have been contented with his contract and could have turned into a model football player. THen again, he's such a douche that that would never happen.
~Brian The Great
I looked it up and the DE that Brian speaks of was named Brian Whiting and the 49ers also got mediocre wide-out James Thrash and a fifth-round draft pick out of the deal. Essentially they got nothing, as the draft pick was of no significance and neither player is still with team or to my knowledge playing in the NFL. You can try to argue that Owens being traded by the 49ers was purely a business decision but I don't buy it. They traded him for next to nothing and were happy to be rid of him. This despite the fact that he had played his ass off and been their best player on the field for several years prior and helped the team win both in the regular season and the playoffs. As you can see from the comments of our friend Brian (a 9er fan) T.O. wore out his welcome in San Fransisco. Obviously the 49ers were getting sick of his off-field antics and realized that the headaches that he brought along with his great play were not worth $8 million a year and it was time to move in a new direction. So, I would agree that the 49ers decided to move on and tore apart what was left of their earlier success, but I believe that Owens' pompous antics (which ended up alienating his coaches, teammates and the organization) were a huge reason why they decided to overhaul the team.
Basically, I think (and evidence shows) that Terrell Owens is a pretentious prick, a talented jackass who has always thought that he can get away with anything because of his amazing athletic abilities. Well, judging from the Eagles' decision to not allow him to play again this season, this haughty, childish mind-set has (thankfully) finally been disproved...
Benji,
While you obviously intended to make me look like a putz, you also failed to make important points, which in turn makes you the putz. You failed to mention that TO was simply concurring with loquacious Michael Irvin's comment that Brett Farve would have done better for the Eagles than McNabb. This is relatively acceptable statment, considering how unhealthy Mcnabb is this season.
Another point to consider is that the 49ers were not simplay getting rid of a "clubhouse menace". TO was a huge contractural obligation that the downsizing 49ers could not afford. So they traded him with the hopes of getting somethign for TO rather than him walking away. That trade was as much business as it was team chemistry.
~Your roommate/sex slave
Lenny,
During our many heated exchanges over this matter you keep going back to the Terrell Owens/Graham Bensinger ESPN interview and citing it as an example of a situation where T.O.'s comments were taken out of context and thus mis-interpreted; so, I thought revisiting the aforementioned comments in their entirety would be a good place to start:
GB: Your friend Michael Irvin recently said that if Brett Favre was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, they'd be undefeated right now. What do you think of that comment?
TO: I mean, that's a good assessment, I would agree with that.
GB: How so?
TO: I just feel like just what he brings to the table ... I mean he's the guy. Obviously, a number of commentators will say he's a warrior. He has played with injuries. I just feel like (with) him being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd be in a better situation.
Yes, he's being asked a question by Graham Besinger that refers back to comments made by commentator Michael Irvin; however he responds with thoughts that are all his own, apart from anything that Irvin said. He agrees with Irvin that were Favre at the helm of the Eagles offense, they would be undefeated. Fine, I see how that could be viewed as the interviewer trapping Owens into saying something that he didn't mean. But, when looking at an excerpt from earlier in the interview though, his feelings become more apparent:
GB: Donovan has obviously had trouble throwing, especially deep. He didn't complete any of his first 12 passes vs. Denver. How has that affected the team?
TO: Well, obviously I think our wins and losses are really predicated on how he plays...
Here Owens is explicitly indicating that he feels McNabb is responsible for their subpar record. After reading this, now look at what he has to say afterwards when Besinger asks him to elaborate on why he feels they would be in a better situation with Favre. He speaks Favre's praises to the point where it is almost sickening. In doing so, he is clearly taking veiled shots at McNabb indirectly. He calls Favre "the guy," "a warrior," someone who "has played with injuries," clearly implying that his current quarterback, McNabb is not in the same class, and does not know how to play hurt. (For the record, I seem to recall McNabb playing nearly an entire game and pulling out the win with a broken leg, but obviously at the time, Owens was too busy defiling the Cowboys' star to notice.) T.O. caps things off with "I just feel like (with) [Favre] being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd be in a better situation," clearly indicating that in comparison, McNabb is not "knowledgeable about the quarterback position." I'm not really sure how you can say that Owens is being taken out of context here; his "concealed" jabs within his comments about Favre seem to be quite apparent. It seems quite obvious that Owens does not respect McNabb and at the same time wants Brett Favre to have his children. (One would think that having played for several successful years with a quarterback (Steve Young) who was at least Favre's equal, Owens would not be so enamored with him.)
Now that I've elucidated Owens' comments for you, let's discuss briefly the comparison between Favre and McNabb since you love to bring the argument up that McNabb is "simply not a winner." Yes, you are correct in pointing out that Favre has the one thing in his possession that McNabb does not: a Super Bowl ring. There is also no disputing that Favre is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer with a rifle of an arm, balls of steel and more passing records than classes you've slept through this semester. But you need to give McNabb a little more credit. All he's done over the last 4 years in the playoffs is bring the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game 4 consecutive times, a feat that even the great Brett Favre never accomplished. Furthermore, last season he broke through and made it to the Super Bowl, easily dispatching of Favre and the Packers with a 464 passing yard effort and 5 first half touchdowns along the way, all without his best receiver, Terrell Owens. As long as we're on the subject of receivers, let's go back to McNabb versus Favre. Besides the last season and a half with T.O., McNabb has played his entire career with sub-par, un-athletic receivers( James Thrash, Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston are prime examples) and been able to succeed(as previously mentioned) in spite of their shortcomings. Favre, on the other hand has always had talented, athletic receivers at his disposal during his success with the Packers( Antonio Freeman, Javon Walker, Donald Driver were and are far superior to any receiver other than T.O. that the Eagles have thrown out on the field during McNabb's career). Furthermore, Favre has always has a consistent running game(in Dorsey Levens and later Ahman Green) to complement his passing game while the Eagles of the McNabb era have been perennially marred by inconsistency in the running game. I'm not saying that I believe that McNabb is a better quarterback than Favre, but give the man some credit; he has won a lot of games without much to work with(until recently). I don't see how you can say that he's not a "winner." You seem to be blinded by some irrational dislike for the man...
Let's finish things up by switching gears briefly to the other retort made in your response to my post, the way in which things ended for Owens with the 49ers. To do this, I will first contextualize it more lucidly with the assistance of my token 49er fan friend Brian:
Well,
we have to remember that back in the day, TO was actually about to opt out of his contract with the 9ers, but his agent forgot to file the proper paper work. Infact, the 9ers were expecting nothing in return from him because he should have been able to test himself in the open market. Instead, the 9ers traded him to the Ravens, but the NFLPA sued and won, which forced a trade between the 9ers and the eagles. The 9ers got some shmuck who never played well, he was like a DE or something, and the Ravens were given a compensation pick at the end of the first round by the leage (basically it was the first pick in the second round). Anyway, TO can claim that he never got to test the waters because he was suing for his right not to go to the Ravens. Had he been able to test the market, he may have been contented with his contract and could have turned into a model football player. THen again, he's such a douche that that would never happen.
~Brian The Great
I looked it up and the DE that Brian speaks of was named Brian Whiting and the 49ers also got mediocre wide-out James Thrash and a fifth-round draft pick out of the deal. Essentially they got nothing, as the draft pick was of no significance and neither player is still with team or to my knowledge playing in the NFL. You can try to argue that Owens being traded by the 49ers was purely a business decision but I don't buy it. They traded him for next to nothing and were happy to be rid of him. This despite the fact that he had played his ass off and been their best player on the field for several years prior and helped the team win both in the regular season and the playoffs. As you can see from the comments of our friend Brian (a 9er fan) T.O. wore out his welcome in San Fransisco. Obviously the 49ers were getting sick of his off-field antics and realized that the headaches that he brought along with his great play were not worth $8 million a year and it was time to move in a new direction. So, I would agree that the 49ers decided to move on and tore apart what was left of their earlier success, but I believe that Owens' pompous antics (which ended up alienating his coaches, teammates and the organization) were a huge reason why they decided to overhaul the team.
Basically, I think (and evidence shows) that Terrell Owens is a pretentious prick, a talented jackass who has always thought that he can get away with anything because of his amazing athletic abilities. Well, judging from the Eagles' decision to not allow him to play again this season, this haughty, childish mind-set has (thankfully) finally been disproved...
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Good Riddance!
The other night at dinner, my roommate Leonard and I were having a heated debate about the whole T.O. fiasco with the Eagles. Lenny said a couple things that at the time that seemed absurd to me but that I was hard-pressed to disprove (due to a lack of quantitative evidence that would prove him wrong). Here are a couple things that he said that didn't sit real well with me:
"The Eagles are so stupid. They are paying him 8 million dollars a year and now they are just going to throw that all away instead of having the best player in the league on the field winning football games for them."
He went on to say: "By de-activating him they will be throwing away 5 million dollars on nothing; they would be retarded to do this."
Now that I have a good counter-argument compiled with statistics to back it up, let's begin to examine Lenny's comments. First of all, it is a fair assessment for him to say that Terrell is the most talented football player in the NFL; he proved that over the course of his career with the 49ers and in his his first season with the Eagles last year when he had 1,200 receiving yards in only 14 games. He also proved his toughness and commitment by playing in the Super Bowl despite not being medically cleared to play. No one is questioning his ability or physical toughness and willingness to play through injuries; what is being questioned is his ability to co-exist with his teammates and coaches.
He has always had a history of being a locker room headache which is why the 49ers were so willing to deal him in the first place. Following a year in which Jeff Garcia led a sub-par 49ers team to the playoffs and was selected to the Pro Bowl, Owens told an interviewer that Garcia was not a skilled quarterback committed to winning and called him gay despite the fact that he was dating a Playboy playmate at the time. The Eagles saw from Day 1(when he chewed out offensive coordinator Brad Childress) what they were getting, but his performance on the field was enough for them to look the other way. However, the honeymoon didn't last long. A season and a half after he joined Philadelphia and signed a 7 year incentive-laden deal with them(I'll come back to this in a minute) he has likely played his last game with them; in that time period he has insulted and alienated everyone in the organization from offensive coordinator Brad Childress(whom he called out again during spring training) to Andy Reid( who he also confronted during spring training, which resulted in a week suspension) to of course, his Pro-Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb(who he called out in the off-season for not playing well in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl because he was sick, and of course more recently put down again by suggesting that the Eagles would be better off with ancient Brett Favre at the helm, contradicting himself by ignoring the fact that his QB has played hurt all season without complaining, going out on the field so his team has a chance to win). Do I even need to mention him calling out the entire organization, calling them "classless" and getting into a physical fight with team advisor and former Eagle Hugh Douglas?
The Eagles were willing to let T.O. be T.O. and occasionally look the other way when he acted out but he took it way too far and it's about time they cut ties with him. But is this a stupid, expensive move for them to make?
When Lenny suggested that T.O. is making $"8" million a year, he was in the same ballpark of what Owens' contract appears to be as quoted by Sports Illustrated and ESPN and everyone else when he signed: a 7 year deal worth 48.9 million dollars which looks as though it boils down to $7 million a year. However after researching things further, it seems as though it is full of incentives and the money is not spread out evenly from year to year; in other words the Eagles were intelligently giving themselves an out when they drew up the contract. Owens is only making $3.25 million a year this season; during the 4 games where he will be suspended from the team without pay he will be losing about $200,000 per game; during the final five games after the Eagles de-activate him, they will have to pay him, but this will only amount to about a million dollars of wasted money, which seems like a lot of money to destitute college students such as ourselves but is pocket change to a thriving professional football organization. In short, the Eagles knew they were gambling but were smart enough to leave themselves an out; it is integral to team chemistry and the stability of the organization that they get rid of T.O. as soon as possible, and there's no way in hell that he will still be on their roster by next spring when he is slated to receive a $5 million incentive bonus if he is still on the team. They knew it was risky, it didn't work out, and it's time for the Eagles to move on. Good Riddance!
Perhaps they should go back to winning with the T.O.-less formula that brought them to 4 straight NFC Championship games and won them the NFC bid to the Super Bowl last year: Donovan McNabb carrying the team to victory despite meagerly-talented no-name receivers and an inconsistent running game.
Wait, what am I saying? Obviously McNabb sucks and is just the media's aggrandized attempt to elevate a black quarterback to stardom...
"The Eagles are so stupid. They are paying him 8 million dollars a year and now they are just going to throw that all away instead of having the best player in the league on the field winning football games for them."
He went on to say: "By de-activating him they will be throwing away 5 million dollars on nothing; they would be retarded to do this."
Now that I have a good counter-argument compiled with statistics to back it up, let's begin to examine Lenny's comments. First of all, it is a fair assessment for him to say that Terrell is the most talented football player in the NFL; he proved that over the course of his career with the 49ers and in his his first season with the Eagles last year when he had 1,200 receiving yards in only 14 games. He also proved his toughness and commitment by playing in the Super Bowl despite not being medically cleared to play. No one is questioning his ability or physical toughness and willingness to play through injuries; what is being questioned is his ability to co-exist with his teammates and coaches.
He has always had a history of being a locker room headache which is why the 49ers were so willing to deal him in the first place. Following a year in which Jeff Garcia led a sub-par 49ers team to the playoffs and was selected to the Pro Bowl, Owens told an interviewer that Garcia was not a skilled quarterback committed to winning and called him gay despite the fact that he was dating a Playboy playmate at the time. The Eagles saw from Day 1(when he chewed out offensive coordinator Brad Childress) what they were getting, but his performance on the field was enough for them to look the other way. However, the honeymoon didn't last long. A season and a half after he joined Philadelphia and signed a 7 year incentive-laden deal with them(I'll come back to this in a minute) he has likely played his last game with them; in that time period he has insulted and alienated everyone in the organization from offensive coordinator Brad Childress(whom he called out again during spring training) to Andy Reid( who he also confronted during spring training, which resulted in a week suspension) to of course, his Pro-Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb(who he called out in the off-season for not playing well in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl because he was sick, and of course more recently put down again by suggesting that the Eagles would be better off with ancient Brett Favre at the helm, contradicting himself by ignoring the fact that his QB has played hurt all season without complaining, going out on the field so his team has a chance to win). Do I even need to mention him calling out the entire organization, calling them "classless" and getting into a physical fight with team advisor and former Eagle Hugh Douglas?
The Eagles were willing to let T.O. be T.O. and occasionally look the other way when he acted out but he took it way too far and it's about time they cut ties with him. But is this a stupid, expensive move for them to make?
When Lenny suggested that T.O. is making $"8" million a year, he was in the same ballpark of what Owens' contract appears to be as quoted by Sports Illustrated and ESPN and everyone else when he signed: a 7 year deal worth 48.9 million dollars which looks as though it boils down to $7 million a year. However after researching things further, it seems as though it is full of incentives and the money is not spread out evenly from year to year; in other words the Eagles were intelligently giving themselves an out when they drew up the contract. Owens is only making $3.25 million a year this season; during the 4 games where he will be suspended from the team without pay he will be losing about $200,000 per game; during the final five games after the Eagles de-activate him, they will have to pay him, but this will only amount to about a million dollars of wasted money, which seems like a lot of money to destitute college students such as ourselves but is pocket change to a thriving professional football organization. In short, the Eagles knew they were gambling but were smart enough to leave themselves an out; it is integral to team chemistry and the stability of the organization that they get rid of T.O. as soon as possible, and there's no way in hell that he will still be on their roster by next spring when he is slated to receive a $5 million incentive bonus if he is still on the team. They knew it was risky, it didn't work out, and it's time for the Eagles to move on. Good Riddance!
Perhaps they should go back to winning with the T.O.-less formula that brought them to 4 straight NFC Championship games and won them the NFC bid to the Super Bowl last year: Donovan McNabb carrying the team to victory despite meagerly-talented no-name receivers and an inconsistent running game.
Wait, what am I saying? Obviously McNabb sucks and is just the media's aggrandized attempt to elevate a black quarterback to stardom...
Friday, November 04, 2005
Let's Give It Another Go...
Last Week: 7-7
Ok, so my picks didn’t go so well last week, but cut me a little slack. Who could have seen Dante Culpepper going down for the season on the first series of the Vikings’ game against the Panthers? Or Philly’s D go from giving up only 7 yards rushing to the best running back in the league(Ladanian Tomlinson) to allowing two 100 yard rushers and 48 points to a Broncos team that lost to a Giants team that I misjudged and thought was mediocre? I keenly observed that the Giants’ pass defense was ranked next to last in the league but failed to take into account that the Redskins really aren’t that good, all of their wins have been close, and they have been blown out in all of their losses. Thus, the 36-0 devastation that ensued in Giant Stadium should have not have come as such a surprise to me. But could I have for-seen the Rams beating the Jaguars without their coach, starting quarterback or their two Pro Bowl wide receivers? Or the 49ers beating Tampa Bay in a match-up of the team with the worst pass defense in the AFC against the best defense of the NFC, using a fourth-string quarterback who was forced because of lack of players to play both special teams and offense? I am feeling a bit demoralized, especially since I am sitting in second to last place in my picking pool, behind only my semi-retarded little brother, but I am going to give it another go...
Tennessee (2-6, 1-3 away) at Cleveland (2-5, 1-2 home):
Both of these teams lost close games last week that they could have won. The difference is Cleveland lost to a Texans team that had been previously winless, while the Titans lost to an Oakland team that isn’t that bad. Still, I’m taking the Browns here because they are playing for respect after being embarrassed last Sunday, and they are at home.
My Pick: Browns in a close match-up of teams playing only for respect
Atlanta (5-2, 2-1 away) at Miami (3-4, 2-1 home):
Miami feasted on Aaron Brooks’ stupidity last week, but Michael Vick has just as good an arm as Brooks, is more mobile and actually has an IQ over 50, so one would think that he will pose a bit more of a threat. However, it’s a well-kept secret that Vick has struggled this year thus far(QB rating of 63) and I am apparently alone in thinking this, but I think it will be more of the same for him against a stingy Miami defense. The Dolphins counter with the “intimidating” signal-caller and Lions cast-off Gus Ferotte who actually has a slightly higher QB rating than Vick(66.5). The key to this game though is the running game: The Falcons have struggled so far against the run, and now that Ricky Williams is getting back in shape, the Miami RB combination of Ricky and Ronnie Brown will be pretty tough to stop. T.J. Duckett, the Falcons’ starting RB is banged up and is questionable for the game. Plus, the Falcons haven’t been tested in awhile and the game is in Miami. I think the Dolphins will catch Atlanta off-guard…
My Pick: Dolphins in an upset that no-one(except me) predicts
San Diego (4-4, 2-2 away) at New York Jets (2-5, 2-1 home):
The Jets are 2-1 at home, but they’re playing one of the better teams in the AFC. Dpn’t let their ugly 4-4 record deceive you; the Chargers could easily be 6-2 or 7-1 right now. Brees and Antonio Gates are proving to be an unstoppable combination for opposing defenses, and I expect more of the same against a weakened Jet secondary. If they cheat and stick an extra guy back there to cover Gates, Tomlinson will make them pay, despite his mediocre showings the last two weeks on the ground. Plus, NY’s QB, Vinny Testaverde is like 50 years old.
My Pick: Chargers
Houston (1-6, 0-3 away) at Jacksonville (4-3, 2-1 home):
Well, the Texans won one game…maybe they can win another? Not against a perturbed Jaguar team that is pissed off after their embarrassing loss to the Dolphins last week.
My Pick: Jaguars in a lopsided one
Oakland (3-4, 1-2 away) at Kansas City (4-3, 2-1 home)…
Oakland has won two in a row, but look at who they were playing. The Chiefs are most certainly not the Titans(who the Raiders barely beat last week); they nearly beat a very good Chargers team last week. Expect both teams to put up a lot of points as neither squad plays any defense, but Trent Green, Priest Holmes and co. should have no problem taking care of business at home in this one.
My Pick: Chiefs
Detroit (3-4, 1-2 away) at Minnesota (2-5, 2-1 home):
When Culpepper went down last week, so did the Vikings’ chances of accomplishing anything this season, right? Hmmm...this is the NFC North we're talking about here...I’ve always been a Jeff Garcia fan but he looked pretty shaky last week. He is itching to get back on the field and redeem himself after losing the game and division lead in OT last week to the Bears, but I’m not so sure he will...I don't think he's fully recovered from his broken leg. They may have to hand the reins back to Joey Harrington. Brad Johnson (a traditional drop-back passer with a strong arm) at the helm will give the Viking offense a new look, and with a healthy receiving corps I think they will catch the Lions secondary off-guard.
My Pick: Vikings
Carolina (5-2, 2-1 away) at Tampa Bay (5-2, 3-0 home):
Tampa Bay showed me what they’re really made of last week; they failed to shut down the 49ers’ 4th string quarterback and lost. Carolina, meanwhile, beat up on a demoralized Vikings team that lost their best player for the season two minutes into the game. Its tempting to pick the Bucs here and assume that they are motivated to play well after being embarrassed last week, but the Panthers’ passing attack(Delhomme to Smith) is likely more than they can handle. If only the Panthers had a running game, SI’s preseason prediction might come true…
My Pick: Panthers
Cincinnati (6-2, 3-1 away) at Baltimore (2-5, 2-1 home):
Brian Billick’s days are numbered…This Ravens team has underachieved beyond belief. Of course, he couldn’t have forseen Jamal Lewis’ rapid deterioration, and injuries to Ray Lewis and Kyle Boller. Still, they did only lose to the Steelers by a point. But the Bengals are a better offensive team than Pittsburgh and have a more potent passing game; they are the class of the division.
My Pick: Bengals
Chicago (4-3, 1-2 away) at New Orleans (2-6, 1-3 home):
The Bears gritted out an overtime win in Detroit and showed that they can win purely on defense. This won’t get it done against the elite teams in the league, but against New Orleans, it could be enough...However, I don't see Chicago winning 2 games on the road in a row, especially not with Joe Horn, who was personally affected by Hurricane Katrina, motivated to give the home crowd something to cheer about in his second game back from injury(he had 99 yards receiving last week in his first game back).
My Pick: Saints
Seattle (5-2, 1-2 away) at Arizona (2-5, 2-2 home):
On the surface, this looks like an easy pick; Seattle in a blowout, but lets delve a bit deeper and look at some stats…Seattle is only 1-2 on the road this year, has lost 3 of their last 4 games in Arizona and lost their last 6 games coming off of a bye week. Furthermore, every week thus far in the NFL season, more home teams have won than road teams.
My Pick: Cardinals
New York Giants (5-2, 1-2 away) at San Francisco (2-5, 2-2 home):
Can the 49ers win two weeks in a row with the worst pass defense in the league and a 4th string quarterback? I think not. Especially not against a team as hot as the Giants. Look for Eli to actually complete 50% of his passes this week and for another 100 yard day out of Tiki Barber, who is one of the most underrated backs in the league.
My Pick: Giants
Pittsburgh (5-2, 3-0 away) at Green Bay (1-6, 1-2 home) :
Big Ben is out, after having arthroscopic surgery on his knee(he will likely miss next week’s game as well). The Steelers still have a chance to win as Tommy Maddox has fallen to third on their depth chart and won’t be losing the game by himself on Sunday as he did earlier in the year against Jacksonville when Rothlisberger was out(4 turnovers including a game-ending interception). However, I’ll take Brett Favre, even without a running game and his top receiver, over former Lions-castoff Charlie Batch who hasn’t started a game since I was like 16.
My Pick: Packers
Philadelphia (4-3, 1-3 away) at Washington (4-3, 3-0 home):
Both teams were beaten emphatically last week; the Eagles by the Broncos, and the Redskins by the Giants. In what looks to be an even match-up of struggling middle of the road teams, I’ll go with the statistics: The Eagles are 1-3 on the road and the ‘Skins are 3-0 at home…so I should go with the 'Skins? McNabb is pretty banged up and his "favorite" target, Terrell Owens, is out, suspended indefinitely for disparaging comments he made about the team, the organization and specifically his quarterback. But, Donovan will be extremely motivated to win this week and despite the fact that he is banged up and playing on the road, I am willing to bet that he will pull it out without T.O., in spite of T.O. and to prove T.O. wrong. Over the course of his career, he has always responded well to adversity and I don't expect any less than his best from him on Sunday night...
My Pick: Eagles
Indianapolis (7-0, 4-0 away) at New England (4-3, 2-1 home):
Yes, I know. The Colts are incapable of beating my Patriots, right? Um, not this year. The Pats could barely beat a mediocre Bills team last week at home, when they had two weeks to prepare for them. Even if Peyton chokes again, who in the Patriots’ secondary is capable of capitalizing?? And if they do stack the secondary, Edgerrin James(who is leading the league in rushing yards) will eat their front line alive, just like McGahee did last week…
My Pick: Colts
Ok, so my picks didn’t go so well last week, but cut me a little slack. Who could have seen Dante Culpepper going down for the season on the first series of the Vikings’ game against the Panthers? Or Philly’s D go from giving up only 7 yards rushing to the best running back in the league(Ladanian Tomlinson) to allowing two 100 yard rushers and 48 points to a Broncos team that lost to a Giants team that I misjudged and thought was mediocre? I keenly observed that the Giants’ pass defense was ranked next to last in the league but failed to take into account that the Redskins really aren’t that good, all of their wins have been close, and they have been blown out in all of their losses. Thus, the 36-0 devastation that ensued in Giant Stadium should have not have come as such a surprise to me. But could I have for-seen the Rams beating the Jaguars without their coach, starting quarterback or their two Pro Bowl wide receivers? Or the 49ers beating Tampa Bay in a match-up of the team with the worst pass defense in the AFC against the best defense of the NFC, using a fourth-string quarterback who was forced because of lack of players to play both special teams and offense? I am feeling a bit demoralized, especially since I am sitting in second to last place in my picking pool, behind only my semi-retarded little brother, but I am going to give it another go...
Tennessee (2-6, 1-3 away) at Cleveland (2-5, 1-2 home):
Both of these teams lost close games last week that they could have won. The difference is Cleveland lost to a Texans team that had been previously winless, while the Titans lost to an Oakland team that isn’t that bad. Still, I’m taking the Browns here because they are playing for respect after being embarrassed last Sunday, and they are at home.
My Pick: Browns in a close match-up of teams playing only for respect
Atlanta (5-2, 2-1 away) at Miami (3-4, 2-1 home):
Miami feasted on Aaron Brooks’ stupidity last week, but Michael Vick has just as good an arm as Brooks, is more mobile and actually has an IQ over 50, so one would think that he will pose a bit more of a threat. However, it’s a well-kept secret that Vick has struggled this year thus far(QB rating of 63) and I am apparently alone in thinking this, but I think it will be more of the same for him against a stingy Miami defense. The Dolphins counter with the “intimidating” signal-caller and Lions cast-off Gus Ferotte who actually has a slightly higher QB rating than Vick(66.5). The key to this game though is the running game: The Falcons have struggled so far against the run, and now that Ricky Williams is getting back in shape, the Miami RB combination of Ricky and Ronnie Brown will be pretty tough to stop. T.J. Duckett, the Falcons’ starting RB is banged up and is questionable for the game. Plus, the Falcons haven’t been tested in awhile and the game is in Miami. I think the Dolphins will catch Atlanta off-guard…
My Pick: Dolphins in an upset that no-one(except me) predicts
San Diego (4-4, 2-2 away) at New York Jets (2-5, 2-1 home):
The Jets are 2-1 at home, but they’re playing one of the better teams in the AFC. Dpn’t let their ugly 4-4 record deceive you; the Chargers could easily be 6-2 or 7-1 right now. Brees and Antonio Gates are proving to be an unstoppable combination for opposing defenses, and I expect more of the same against a weakened Jet secondary. If they cheat and stick an extra guy back there to cover Gates, Tomlinson will make them pay, despite his mediocre showings the last two weeks on the ground. Plus, NY’s QB, Vinny Testaverde is like 50 years old.
My Pick: Chargers
Houston (1-6, 0-3 away) at Jacksonville (4-3, 2-1 home):
Well, the Texans won one game…maybe they can win another? Not against a perturbed Jaguar team that is pissed off after their embarrassing loss to the Dolphins last week.
My Pick: Jaguars in a lopsided one
Oakland (3-4, 1-2 away) at Kansas City (4-3, 2-1 home)…
Oakland has won two in a row, but look at who they were playing. The Chiefs are most certainly not the Titans(who the Raiders barely beat last week); they nearly beat a very good Chargers team last week. Expect both teams to put up a lot of points as neither squad plays any defense, but Trent Green, Priest Holmes and co. should have no problem taking care of business at home in this one.
My Pick: Chiefs
Detroit (3-4, 1-2 away) at Minnesota (2-5, 2-1 home):
When Culpepper went down last week, so did the Vikings’ chances of accomplishing anything this season, right? Hmmm...this is the NFC North we're talking about here...I’ve always been a Jeff Garcia fan but he looked pretty shaky last week. He is itching to get back on the field and redeem himself after losing the game and division lead in OT last week to the Bears, but I’m not so sure he will...I don't think he's fully recovered from his broken leg. They may have to hand the reins back to Joey Harrington. Brad Johnson (a traditional drop-back passer with a strong arm) at the helm will give the Viking offense a new look, and with a healthy receiving corps I think they will catch the Lions secondary off-guard.
My Pick: Vikings
Carolina (5-2, 2-1 away) at Tampa Bay (5-2, 3-0 home):
Tampa Bay showed me what they’re really made of last week; they failed to shut down the 49ers’ 4th string quarterback and lost. Carolina, meanwhile, beat up on a demoralized Vikings team that lost their best player for the season two minutes into the game. Its tempting to pick the Bucs here and assume that they are motivated to play well after being embarrassed last week, but the Panthers’ passing attack(Delhomme to Smith) is likely more than they can handle. If only the Panthers had a running game, SI’s preseason prediction might come true…
My Pick: Panthers
Cincinnati (6-2, 3-1 away) at Baltimore (2-5, 2-1 home):
Brian Billick’s days are numbered…This Ravens team has underachieved beyond belief. Of course, he couldn’t have forseen Jamal Lewis’ rapid deterioration, and injuries to Ray Lewis and Kyle Boller. Still, they did only lose to the Steelers by a point. But the Bengals are a better offensive team than Pittsburgh and have a more potent passing game; they are the class of the division.
My Pick: Bengals
Chicago (4-3, 1-2 away) at New Orleans (2-6, 1-3 home):
The Bears gritted out an overtime win in Detroit and showed that they can win purely on defense. This won’t get it done against the elite teams in the league, but against New Orleans, it could be enough...However, I don't see Chicago winning 2 games on the road in a row, especially not with Joe Horn, who was personally affected by Hurricane Katrina, motivated to give the home crowd something to cheer about in his second game back from injury(he had 99 yards receiving last week in his first game back).
My Pick: Saints
Seattle (5-2, 1-2 away) at Arizona (2-5, 2-2 home):
On the surface, this looks like an easy pick; Seattle in a blowout, but lets delve a bit deeper and look at some stats…Seattle is only 1-2 on the road this year, has lost 3 of their last 4 games in Arizona and lost their last 6 games coming off of a bye week. Furthermore, every week thus far in the NFL season, more home teams have won than road teams.
My Pick: Cardinals
New York Giants (5-2, 1-2 away) at San Francisco (2-5, 2-2 home):
Can the 49ers win two weeks in a row with the worst pass defense in the league and a 4th string quarterback? I think not. Especially not against a team as hot as the Giants. Look for Eli to actually complete 50% of his passes this week and for another 100 yard day out of Tiki Barber, who is one of the most underrated backs in the league.
My Pick: Giants
Pittsburgh (5-2, 3-0 away) at Green Bay (1-6, 1-2 home) :
Big Ben is out, after having arthroscopic surgery on his knee(he will likely miss next week’s game as well). The Steelers still have a chance to win as Tommy Maddox has fallen to third on their depth chart and won’t be losing the game by himself on Sunday as he did earlier in the year against Jacksonville when Rothlisberger was out(4 turnovers including a game-ending interception). However, I’ll take Brett Favre, even without a running game and his top receiver, over former Lions-castoff Charlie Batch who hasn’t started a game since I was like 16.
My Pick: Packers
Philadelphia (4-3, 1-3 away) at Washington (4-3, 3-0 home):
Both teams were beaten emphatically last week; the Eagles by the Broncos, and the Redskins by the Giants. In what looks to be an even match-up of struggling middle of the road teams, I’ll go with the statistics: The Eagles are 1-3 on the road and the ‘Skins are 3-0 at home…so I should go with the 'Skins? McNabb is pretty banged up and his "favorite" target, Terrell Owens, is out, suspended indefinitely for disparaging comments he made about the team, the organization and specifically his quarterback. But, Donovan will be extremely motivated to win this week and despite the fact that he is banged up and playing on the road, I am willing to bet that he will pull it out without T.O., in spite of T.O. and to prove T.O. wrong. Over the course of his career, he has always responded well to adversity and I don't expect any less than his best from him on Sunday night...
My Pick: Eagles
Indianapolis (7-0, 4-0 away) at New England (4-3, 2-1 home):
Yes, I know. The Colts are incapable of beating my Patriots, right? Um, not this year. The Pats could barely beat a mediocre Bills team last week at home, when they had two weeks to prepare for them. Even if Peyton chokes again, who in the Patriots’ secondary is capable of capitalizing?? And if they do stack the secondary, Edgerrin James(who is leading the league in rushing yards) will eat their front line alive, just like McGahee did last week…
My Pick: Colts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
