Remember all the way back in when Buffalo was dominating this Patriots team that everyone had counted on to win the AFC East, and we were surprised at how good this new Buffalo team was with Terrell Owens? This is, unfortunately, not the reality of the situation. This New England dynasty is coming to a close, and the door will be shut at the end of this season when the Patriots suffer their first losing season since 2000 (Yes, that was before the division split!) when they went 5-11 under Drew Bledsoe.
First of all, let’s look at players who started during the last Patriots season in which they won the Superbowl, in 2004, who are still starting today:
LT Matt Light
C Dan Koppen
RG Stephen Neal
RE Jarvis Green
DT/NT Vince Wilfork (Going from a 3-4 under Romeo Crennel to a 4-3 under Dean Pees)
QB Tom Brady
Head Coach Bill Belichick
Defensive Line Coach Pepper Johnson
Running Backs Coach Ivan Fearsploo
And that’s it! This team has been overhauled from the ground up since their last superbowl, and anyone using the fact that they’re a dynasty anymore needs to stop.
Now, about this game? I look at two main things. Firstly, I look at Matt Ryan and his targets against the New England Secondary. Over the last two games, Matt Ryan has completed 43 of 63 for 450 yards, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. And he’s not just throwing to hall-of-fame worthy Tony Gonzalez, either. Jerius Norwood, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins and Tony Gonzalez all have over 5 receptions. New England’s defense has a mean age of 26 years old. While the defense has done an admirable job keeping up with average players in Lee Evans and Chansi Stuckey, but now you have two super stars in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez to keep up with. Matt Ryan is in complete control of this team, and I would expect him to roll all over this defense.
The other thing I look at is the New England offense. Everyone knows Tom Brady, Wes Welker, and Randy Moss are a triad to never scoff at. They are always one play away from breaking it big. However, a quick glance at the injury report for the Patriots lists both Wes Welker, who missed last week, and Randy Moss, as questionable for the game on Sunday. Even if they do play, they won’t be 100%, and their speed will definitely suffer. A young defense, a banged up offense, and an excited 2-0 Falcons team will all combine to a 38-24 Falcons win.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A fine for an eye...?
The Dallas Cowboys played one of the more impressive losses in Week 2 on Sunday night, and with the ordeal of icing the kicker in the last second by Wade Philips alongside a record breaking number of people in attendance people almost forgot that a flagrant penalty resulting in an injured Giants defensive end occurred during the heat of the battle.
Flozell Adams is an aging (Age 34) offensive lineman that has been letting more and more people by him in the last couple seasons. So what does he do to fix this? He starts, notoriously, to trip people. From 2007 to 2009, Adams has been the most penalized player in the NFL with 29 flags thrown his way. On Sunday night he made an absolutely blatant trip on Giants Defensive End, Justin Tuck and got penalized for it. A 15 yard penalty in response to something a player did against another play which was against the rules that has kept the other player from practicing due to injury.
Now, what does Roger Suspend-happy Goodell do about this? Why, just a meager $12,500 fine. Flozell makes more than half of that every minute of every game he plays in the NFL. He did something he knew was against the rules, to a player because he got beat off the line, and injured him! This is not something that should get by with just a small fine. Flozell should be suspended for a week for this infraction alone, and should really be suspended for a couple weeks because he’s been doing this for two years unpenalized. Step up and protect the players of your league, Goodell. Quarterbacks aren’t the only ones putting their well beings on the line.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Quick Picks: Week 2
Carolina @ Atlanta: What I saw from Jake Delhomme last week had me diving for my remote. This is a make-or-break week for Jake and the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, all that extra pressure is not going to bode well for the once-NFC-champion Panthers. Atlanta, with their high powered offense and second-year star quarterback will beat the Panthers without much trouble. CAR 13 < ATL 24
Minnesota @ Detroit: I’m actually starting to feel bad for Detroit. Two of the highest scoring teams in football last year in the first two weeks—not a great way to try to start a turn-around season. If Detroit wins this week, I will eat my hat. Literally. MIN 38 > DET 23
Cincinnati @ Green Bay: I picked Green Bay this week in my Survival league, as did a good chunk of other people. And for good reason. Green Bay is up there with Minnesota and New Orleans in ability to score quickly and often, and Cincinnati couldn’t score on the Broncos defense. The Broncos defense. Please. CIN 10 > GB 28
Houston @ Tennessee: Houston will have a good season this year. They have all the pieces there, a franchise quarterback, a great running game, a defense that can stop the run, and pro-bowl wide receivers. However, Tennessee is looking to redeem themselves after coming so close to beating the Superbowl champions on Thursday. Look for a really good contest between these two division rivals, but Tennessee’s defense, combined with the extra three days of rest they got, will let them pull ahead in the end. HOU 17 < TEN 23
Oakland @ Kansas City: I don’t think Oakland is going to have a good year this year. Last week was not Oakland showing the world that they can be a contender in the AFC West. Last week was just two division rivals butting heads. This division has been playing each other for over 50 years, and with so much emotion, anything can happen. This is another division game, but between two equally underachieving teams. Kansas City is without their new quarterback again, and they’ll surely be missing Anothony Gonzalez by Monday. OAK 21 > KC 9
New England @ The New York Jets: What I saw in the Jets last week was something I never expected. Mark Sanchez was a real leader, and was completely in charge of his team. His feet and his eyes were almost textbook greatness, and this Jets team will go far this year. New England’s defense has just five starters that were starting the last time they won a Superbowl, and the Jets have three high-powered runners to run right through a defense who will be missing their leaders. Tom Brady may not be rusty by next week, but their defense is far from ready for this Jets offense. NE 20 < NYJ 23
New Orleans @ Philadelphia: This is one of the best matchups this week. The Saints’ league-high offensive lead by Drew Brees and Mike Bell against a great Eagles defense that has given up more than 20 points just 6 times in the last 17 games. However, the quarterback situation over in Pennsylvania is going to be the demise of that organization. Kevin Cobb has only been taking snaps with the first team for 3 days, and the Eagles defense won’t be able to do what they did to Carolina to New Orleans. It’s going to be a tight one, but in the end the Saints will come away with a W. NO 23 > PHI 21
St. Louis @ Washington: The St. Louis Rams will be better this season than in past seasons. Steve Spagnuolo will lead this team to at least five wins this season. This is not going to be one of them, though. The Redskins have a great defense that may just keep the Rams from scoring a single point for the second week in a row. As long as the Skins can score, they will win. WSH 17 > STL 6
Arizona @ Jacksonville: Jacksonville is another one of those teams in despair. 5-11 last season, and very little work in the off season to make this into a better season outside of drafting two Tackles in the first two rounds of the draft. And they’re facing an Arizona team that desperately needs to reassert themselves atop the NFC West. Expect a spanking here by the former NFC Champions. ARI 27 > JAC 10
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo: Tampa Bay last week completely broke down on the defensive side of the ball. Trent Edwards and Lee Evans might not be like Tony Romo and Miles Austin, but when you completely fail to tackle anyone not on your own team, any good quarterback will run over your team. Which is exactly what you’ll see Buffalo do on Sunday. BUF 28 > TB 10
Seattle @ San Francisco: Both of these teams surpassed expectations in week 1, and would both love to continue to raise eyebrows as they reach 2-0. Injury has plagued Seattle in the last few seasons, causing them to fall into the abyss of the NFL. A nervous Seahawks team this is, with questionable all along the offensive-line. Deion Branch and TJ Houshmandzadeh both have missed practices this week, too. San Francisco, however, is not plagued with injury. The only player to miss any practice this week is Ahmad Brooks. With a heavier focus on getting Frank Gore into the open field, the 49ers are destined to win this division game.
Pittsburgh @ Chicago: The Superbowl champions are the best team in the league until proven otherwise. That’s my general rule of thumb, and it’s never failed me. Until someone proves to me that the Steelers aren’t the best team in football, I will not pick a deteriorating Chicago team without their star player to beat them.
Cleveland @ Denver: This Denver team is a lot better than what was seen in week 1. As soon as Kyle Orton gets used to the Josh McDaniels offensive scheme and Knowshon Moreno becomes well again, this team will show that they are ready to take the AFC West back by storm. The Browns couldn’t stop Adrian Peterson in the least. Poor tackling, sub-par coaching, and Brady Quinn making poor decisions all game let the Vikings run all over them, and will let the Broncos do so as well. DEN 17 > CLE 3
Baltimore @ San Diego: This is a tough matchup, and in my opinion the matchup of the week. Ray Rice and Joe Flacco, two fresh faces going against an aging San Diego team desperate to show that they’re still AFC Championship material. Now, this game would have been a tougher pick for me, but all it took from my end was a quick glance at the injury report for the coming game. On San Diego’s side, it has 3 members of their front 7 on defense, 3 members of their offensive line, and possibly most importantly LaDainian Tomlinson. With these holes in their first team, San Diego will have an extremely tough time scoring, and stopping the score. BAL 20 > SD 17
New York Giants @ Dallas: Another great game. Both teams are coming off invigorating week 1 wins and set their own bars high. Eli Manning is having no troubles finding new receivers to throw to, and the Cowboys don’t miss Terrell Owens in the least. However, with this being the first regular season game in the new Cowboys Stadium, I find it very hard to believe the Giants will be able to overcome the advantage the crowd brings the Cowboys. DAL 32 > NYG 21
Indanapolis @ Miami: Peyton Manning with a win this week would beat out Johnny Unitas for most wins for the franchise. It really puts things in perspective when talking about the most dominating forces of the last ten years... Peyton Manning is definitely at the top of that list. But he had a rather sub-par showing against Jacksonville last week. Peyton took very few snaps in the preseason, so I believe the biggest problem in the first three quarters of the first game was off-season jitters. What I saw in the fourth quarter is what I expect he will do to the Miami defense all day on Monday. IND 31 > MIA 17
Minnesota @ Detroit: I’m actually starting to feel bad for Detroit. Two of the highest scoring teams in football last year in the first two weeks—not a great way to try to start a turn-around season. If Detroit wins this week, I will eat my hat. Literally. MIN 38 > DET 23
Cincinnati @ Green Bay: I picked Green Bay this week in my Survival league, as did a good chunk of other people. And for good reason. Green Bay is up there with Minnesota and New Orleans in ability to score quickly and often, and Cincinnati couldn’t score on the Broncos defense. The Broncos defense. Please. CIN 10 > GB 28
Houston @ Tennessee: Houston will have a good season this year. They have all the pieces there, a franchise quarterback, a great running game, a defense that can stop the run, and pro-bowl wide receivers. However, Tennessee is looking to redeem themselves after coming so close to beating the Superbowl champions on Thursday. Look for a really good contest between these two division rivals, but Tennessee’s defense, combined with the extra three days of rest they got, will let them pull ahead in the end. HOU 17 < TEN 23
Oakland @ Kansas City: I don’t think Oakland is going to have a good year this year. Last week was not Oakland showing the world that they can be a contender in the AFC West. Last week was just two division rivals butting heads. This division has been playing each other for over 50 years, and with so much emotion, anything can happen. This is another division game, but between two equally underachieving teams. Kansas City is without their new quarterback again, and they’ll surely be missing Anothony Gonzalez by Monday. OAK 21 > KC 9
New England @ The New York Jets: What I saw in the Jets last week was something I never expected. Mark Sanchez was a real leader, and was completely in charge of his team. His feet and his eyes were almost textbook greatness, and this Jets team will go far this year. New England’s defense has just five starters that were starting the last time they won a Superbowl, and the Jets have three high-powered runners to run right through a defense who will be missing their leaders. Tom Brady may not be rusty by next week, but their defense is far from ready for this Jets offense. NE 20 < NYJ 23
New Orleans @ Philadelphia: This is one of the best matchups this week. The Saints’ league-high offensive lead by Drew Brees and Mike Bell against a great Eagles defense that has given up more than 20 points just 6 times in the last 17 games. However, the quarterback situation over in Pennsylvania is going to be the demise of that organization. Kevin Cobb has only been taking snaps with the first team for 3 days, and the Eagles defense won’t be able to do what they did to Carolina to New Orleans. It’s going to be a tight one, but in the end the Saints will come away with a W. NO 23 > PHI 21
St. Louis @ Washington: The St. Louis Rams will be better this season than in past seasons. Steve Spagnuolo will lead this team to at least five wins this season. This is not going to be one of them, though. The Redskins have a great defense that may just keep the Rams from scoring a single point for the second week in a row. As long as the Skins can score, they will win. WSH 17 > STL 6
Arizona @ Jacksonville: Jacksonville is another one of those teams in despair. 5-11 last season, and very little work in the off season to make this into a better season outside of drafting two Tackles in the first two rounds of the draft. And they’re facing an Arizona team that desperately needs to reassert themselves atop the NFC West. Expect a spanking here by the former NFC Champions. ARI 27 > JAC 10
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo: Tampa Bay last week completely broke down on the defensive side of the ball. Trent Edwards and Lee Evans might not be like Tony Romo and Miles Austin, but when you completely fail to tackle anyone not on your own team, any good quarterback will run over your team. Which is exactly what you’ll see Buffalo do on Sunday. BUF 28 > TB 10
Seattle @ San Francisco: Both of these teams surpassed expectations in week 1, and would both love to continue to raise eyebrows as they reach 2-0. Injury has plagued Seattle in the last few seasons, causing them to fall into the abyss of the NFL. A nervous Seahawks team this is, with questionable all along the offensive-line. Deion Branch and TJ Houshmandzadeh both have missed practices this week, too. San Francisco, however, is not plagued with injury. The only player to miss any practice this week is Ahmad Brooks. With a heavier focus on getting Frank Gore into the open field, the 49ers are destined to win this division game.
Pittsburgh @ Chicago: The Superbowl champions are the best team in the league until proven otherwise. That’s my general rule of thumb, and it’s never failed me. Until someone proves to me that the Steelers aren’t the best team in football, I will not pick a deteriorating Chicago team without their star player to beat them.
Cleveland @ Denver: This Denver team is a lot better than what was seen in week 1. As soon as Kyle Orton gets used to the Josh McDaniels offensive scheme and Knowshon Moreno becomes well again, this team will show that they are ready to take the AFC West back by storm. The Browns couldn’t stop Adrian Peterson in the least. Poor tackling, sub-par coaching, and Brady Quinn making poor decisions all game let the Vikings run all over them, and will let the Broncos do so as well. DEN 17 > CLE 3
Baltimore @ San Diego: This is a tough matchup, and in my opinion the matchup of the week. Ray Rice and Joe Flacco, two fresh faces going against an aging San Diego team desperate to show that they’re still AFC Championship material. Now, this game would have been a tougher pick for me, but all it took from my end was a quick glance at the injury report for the coming game. On San Diego’s side, it has 3 members of their front 7 on defense, 3 members of their offensive line, and possibly most importantly LaDainian Tomlinson. With these holes in their first team, San Diego will have an extremely tough time scoring, and stopping the score. BAL 20 > SD 17
New York Giants @ Dallas: Another great game. Both teams are coming off invigorating week 1 wins and set their own bars high. Eli Manning is having no troubles finding new receivers to throw to, and the Cowboys don’t miss Terrell Owens in the least. However, with this being the first regular season game in the new Cowboys Stadium, I find it very hard to believe the Giants will be able to overcome the advantage the crowd brings the Cowboys. DAL 32 > NYG 21
Indanapolis @ Miami: Peyton Manning with a win this week would beat out Johnny Unitas for most wins for the franchise. It really puts things in perspective when talking about the most dominating forces of the last ten years... Peyton Manning is definitely at the top of that list. But he had a rather sub-par showing against Jacksonville last week. Peyton took very few snaps in the preseason, so I believe the biggest problem in the first three quarters of the first game was off-season jitters. What I saw in the fourth quarter is what I expect he will do to the Miami defense all day on Monday. IND 31 > MIA 17
Thursday, September 17, 2009
They’re not SO bad… St. Louis Rams
Anyone can look at the Rams 2008 season, their off season, and the blowout they were handed by Seattle last week and make some pretty rash judgments about how their season is going to turn out. But let’s take a step back and assess the whole situation.
Last season was a complete disaster for the Rams. It was their worst season in franchise history (a franchise that has been a football team for over 70 years). Their owner died in the off season due to cancer. Their star running back Steven Jackson held out for most of camp due to contract issues. The quarterback position was flip-flopped between Franchise player Marc Bulger and veteran Trent Green. And to top it all off, the head coach was fired in the fourth week and the new head coach was just an interim.
During the offseason, they signed Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator for the powerful New York Giants, as their new head coach. They revamped their roster with veterans and rookies alike, and got rid of the drama of past-prime players who didn’t want to be on a losing team anymore (Torry Holt will find anything but that in Jacksonville, I’m sure…). What most people fail to realize is that any quarterback can be a good quarterback given enough time. So the new Rams GM and head coach go out and get themselves a good Center in Jason Brown, and Jason Smith was drafted number 2 overall in the NFL draft.
Spagnuolo is one of the leagues premiere defensive specialists. He can turn nothing into something great in such little time (which is good, considering that’s what the Rams have). He’s been building the defense around a mid-20s ranked secondary—which is the highest ranking anything the Rams had last season. Watch out for Atogwe Oshiomogho this season, he’ll be the Free Safety picking you off all game.
Marc Bulger is still a good quarterback, so look for him to find some new targets in Ronald Curry and Donnie Avery. If the offensive line can stand up to the considerable tests they’ll have this season with the D-line of the Redskins, the Packers, the Vikings, the Saints, the Titans, and the Bears, then he could definitely lead this team to an improvement on last season. Steven Jackson needs to get his hopes up for this season, and the entire team needs to forget about week 1, and go on from there.
My prediction: The Rams under Spagnuolo will improve greatly upon their last two seasons, and will win at least six games this year. Look for this team to improve every year for at least four years, as Spagnuolo will probably be the best thing to happen to this team since Superbowl XXXIV.
Rams: 6-9
Marc Bulger: 3600 passing yards.
Steven Jackson: 1200 rushing yards.
Last season was a complete disaster for the Rams. It was their worst season in franchise history (a franchise that has been a football team for over 70 years). Their owner died in the off season due to cancer. Their star running back Steven Jackson held out for most of camp due to contract issues. The quarterback position was flip-flopped between Franchise player Marc Bulger and veteran Trent Green. And to top it all off, the head coach was fired in the fourth week and the new head coach was just an interim.
During the offseason, they signed Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator for the powerful New York Giants, as their new head coach. They revamped their roster with veterans and rookies alike, and got rid of the drama of past-prime players who didn’t want to be on a losing team anymore (Torry Holt will find anything but that in Jacksonville, I’m sure…). What most people fail to realize is that any quarterback can be a good quarterback given enough time. So the new Rams GM and head coach go out and get themselves a good Center in Jason Brown, and Jason Smith was drafted number 2 overall in the NFL draft.
Spagnuolo is one of the leagues premiere defensive specialists. He can turn nothing into something great in such little time (which is good, considering that’s what the Rams have). He’s been building the defense around a mid-20s ranked secondary—which is the highest ranking anything the Rams had last season. Watch out for Atogwe Oshiomogho this season, he’ll be the Free Safety picking you off all game.
Marc Bulger is still a good quarterback, so look for him to find some new targets in Ronald Curry and Donnie Avery. If the offensive line can stand up to the considerable tests they’ll have this season with the D-line of the Redskins, the Packers, the Vikings, the Saints, the Titans, and the Bears, then he could definitely lead this team to an improvement on last season. Steven Jackson needs to get his hopes up for this season, and the entire team needs to forget about week 1, and go on from there.
My prediction: The Rams under Spagnuolo will improve greatly upon their last two seasons, and will win at least six games this year. Look for this team to improve every year for at least four years, as Spagnuolo will probably be the best thing to happen to this team since Superbowl XXXIV.
Rams: 6-9
Marc Bulger: 3600 passing yards.
Steven Jackson: 1200 rushing yards.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Matchup of the week, Week 2: BAL @ SD
Matchup of the week, Week 2:
The Baltimore Ravens at the San Diego Chargers.
Now here you have you two explosive teams. Second year quarterback Joe Flacco trying to lead a team full of targets towards one of the most highly rated pass rush in the game, while San Diego tries to run down the throat of the Ravens D, arguably one of the best in the game (But boy do they miss Rex Ryan).
First, let’s look at the Chargers. They struggled a lot against the Raiders on Monday night, mostly because they couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback. JaMarcus Russell will take this team far in years to come—he sees through defenses as if they were his wife’s nightgown. Audible to a run play when he sees a pass rush lead by Shawne Merriman, pass when they play four-man rush and a zone defense. He exploited every hole in their defense he possibly could, and almost lead his team to a huge upset because of it. Without pressure on the quarterback, their fresh-faced secondary is going to leave someone open eventually. And they did.
The Chargers offense should be better than it was. Injuries plagued the offensive line throughout the game (and will continue into next week, two offensive linemen as well as LT might miss next week’s game), and Philip Rivers could never get comfortable in the pocket. Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson combined for only a total of ten receptions the whole game. LT and Darren Sproles were the shining light of this offense (and will continue to be, together), scoring a touchdown a piece (Not to mention an amazing Sproles return).
Anyone might look at the Ravens final score last week and think that their defense just ain’t what it used to be. Giving up 24 points to a Chiefs team without their new star quarterback? Well, that isn’t quite right. The Chiefs first touchdown came from a blocked punt in the endzone, and their second touchdown came after an interception returned to the Ravens 3 yard line. The defense, given what it was dealt with, is just as good as it was last season. And let me tell you, Ed Reed will be the turning point of many games this year. No quarterback wants to throw near him—He never missed a tackle, and still only got four!
And then you have the offense of the Ravens, which is nothing short of dominating. Joe Flacco was 26 of 43 for >300 yards and 3 TDs, and the three main running backs combined for almost 200 yards (the focus of these of course being Ray Rice. Watch out for this guy). Their running attack is going to severely hamper this San Diego defense, and Joe Flacco can throw as good as anyone when there’s a lane to throw it into in front of him.
This game is going to come down to Joe Flacco. Can he trick the defense? Can he predict what they’ll do? If he can make the pass rush stop towards the end of the game, he will win this game. If San Diego gets pressure on him all four quarters, this is going to be a long, crude loss for the Ravens.
With San Diego plagued with injuries, I predict:
Ravens 17, Chargers 10
The Baltimore Ravens at the San Diego Chargers.
Now here you have you two explosive teams. Second year quarterback Joe Flacco trying to lead a team full of targets towards one of the most highly rated pass rush in the game, while San Diego tries to run down the throat of the Ravens D, arguably one of the best in the game (But boy do they miss Rex Ryan).
First, let’s look at the Chargers. They struggled a lot against the Raiders on Monday night, mostly because they couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback. JaMarcus Russell will take this team far in years to come—he sees through defenses as if they were his wife’s nightgown. Audible to a run play when he sees a pass rush lead by Shawne Merriman, pass when they play four-man rush and a zone defense. He exploited every hole in their defense he possibly could, and almost lead his team to a huge upset because of it. Without pressure on the quarterback, their fresh-faced secondary is going to leave someone open eventually. And they did.
The Chargers offense should be better than it was. Injuries plagued the offensive line throughout the game (and will continue into next week, two offensive linemen as well as LT might miss next week’s game), and Philip Rivers could never get comfortable in the pocket. Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson combined for only a total of ten receptions the whole game. LT and Darren Sproles were the shining light of this offense (and will continue to be, together), scoring a touchdown a piece (Not to mention an amazing Sproles return).
Anyone might look at the Ravens final score last week and think that their defense just ain’t what it used to be. Giving up 24 points to a Chiefs team without their new star quarterback? Well, that isn’t quite right. The Chiefs first touchdown came from a blocked punt in the endzone, and their second touchdown came after an interception returned to the Ravens 3 yard line. The defense, given what it was dealt with, is just as good as it was last season. And let me tell you, Ed Reed will be the turning point of many games this year. No quarterback wants to throw near him—He never missed a tackle, and still only got four!
And then you have the offense of the Ravens, which is nothing short of dominating. Joe Flacco was 26 of 43 for >300 yards and 3 TDs, and the three main running backs combined for almost 200 yards (the focus of these of course being Ray Rice. Watch out for this guy). Their running attack is going to severely hamper this San Diego defense, and Joe Flacco can throw as good as anyone when there’s a lane to throw it into in front of him.
This game is going to come down to Joe Flacco. Can he trick the defense? Can he predict what they’ll do? If he can make the pass rush stop towards the end of the game, he will win this game. If San Diego gets pressure on him all four quarters, this is going to be a long, crude loss for the Ravens.
With San Diego plagued with injuries, I predict:
Ravens 17, Chargers 10
Monday, September 14, 2009
Brian Urlacher is out for the season. Is that the end of the Bears this season?
So news is Brian Urlacher will miss the rest of the season due to this wrist injury. It’s a pity on many accounts, but can the Bears survive their tough schedule (Taking on the Steelers, the Cardinals, the Ravens, the Seahawks, and of course the Packers and Vikings twice) without a key player to their defense? Let’s look at some stats from past years:
Since 2000, he’s only missed 7 weeks due to injury. Every other year, he’s been an integral part of the defense with at least 5 sacks a year, every year. In 2004, the Chicago Bears went 5-11. Was this because of Urlacher’s absence? Not quite. Rex Grossman was also out this year, remember? Nobody can win with a 32nd ranked offense. Their defense, though, was still ranked 12th. Comparatively, Urlacher’s best year was 2000—his rookie season. Eight sacks and two interceptions. The Bears defensive rank in 2000? 20th. A defense is not a one-man team. Last night showed this—Brian Urlacher was out for 3 quarters of the game, and the Bears defense made up a lot for Jay Cutler’s abysmal showing.
The biggest impact this will have is emotionally and mentally. Urlacher is a middle-linebacker. Literally, the center of the defense. He leads this defense, he sees everything, and he tells the players what to do. Whoever fills that spot is going to have be that same leader… and those are some very, very big shoes to fill.
Since 2000, he’s only missed 7 weeks due to injury. Every other year, he’s been an integral part of the defense with at least 5 sacks a year, every year. In 2004, the Chicago Bears went 5-11. Was this because of Urlacher’s absence? Not quite. Rex Grossman was also out this year, remember? Nobody can win with a 32nd ranked offense. Their defense, though, was still ranked 12th. Comparatively, Urlacher’s best year was 2000—his rookie season. Eight sacks and two interceptions. The Bears defensive rank in 2000? 20th. A defense is not a one-man team. Last night showed this—Brian Urlacher was out for 3 quarters of the game, and the Bears defense made up a lot for Jay Cutler’s abysmal showing.
The biggest impact this will have is emotionally and mentally. Urlacher is a middle-linebacker. Literally, the center of the defense. He leads this defense, he sees everything, and he tells the players what to do. Whoever fills that spot is going to have be that same leader… and those are some very, very big shoes to fill.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Underdog Wins: Week 1 (NYJ Vs HOU)
The New York Jets beat the Houston Texans 24-7. The Texans weren’t favored by much—bout 4 and a half points—but such large win by the Jets was certainly unexpected. Mark Sanchez’s debut game was comparable to the debut game of a certain Colt we all know (273 yards, 2 touchdowns to Sanchez’s 272 1 touchdown), and lead his team to scoring 24 points. The Jets defense held the Texans offense to just 38 rushing yards. Steve Slaton, eat your heart out. The only touchdown, in fact, was a fumble recovery 50 yard return for a touchdown. Remember this name: David Harris, a second inside line backer for the Jets. From what I saw, this is going to be your big leader on the defense. Maybe people wrote this team off too soon.
This wasn’t just a Jets show, though. The Texans had their fair share in why they didn’t win. In the first quarter, the Texans defense got rolled over and the offense just couldn’t keep the ball. They had one first down in the entire first quarter—not surprising, considering they only had two possessions. Schaub looked rusty, and the offensive line didn’t help him in the least. The secondary had more blown coverages than the Lions did-- Sanchez's job was pretty easy today. This team, I thought, would finally be one for the record books with the amount of talent they have. However, it’s obvious that this team needs a lot more coaching and a lot more preparation before they can even have a chance at Tennessee next week.
This wasn’t just a Jets show, though. The Texans had their fair share in why they didn’t win. In the first quarter, the Texans defense got rolled over and the offense just couldn’t keep the ball. They had one first down in the entire first quarter—not surprising, considering they only had two possessions. Schaub looked rusty, and the offensive line didn’t help him in the least. The secondary had more blown coverages than the Lions did-- Sanchez's job was pretty easy today. This team, I thought, would finally be one for the record books with the amount of talent they have. However, it’s obvious that this team needs a lot more coaching and a lot more preparation before they can even have a chance at Tennessee next week.
Underdog Wins: Week 1 (Den VS Cin)
Denver beat out Cincinnati 12-7. Now, being a huge Denver fan, I watched this game from beginning to end live—needless to say, I was unimpressed. Orton was a mess, and the Denver running backs never got a big break. There were tons of mistakes on offense, but none more costly than Orton taking a sack on 3rd and long to take the Broncos, up 6-0 at the time, out of field goal range. Was it only the luck of a good bounce and an alert Brandon Stokely that allowed the Broncos to pull this win off? I don’t think so.
The Broncos’ defense showed great poise throughout the entire game. The Bengals converted only 33% of third downs, and the Broncos held them to 86 rushing yards, and they sacked Carson Palmer three times, not to mention intercepted him twice. This Bengals team has a good receiving core, and a good running core. If the Broncos defense can keep this up, they’ll be top six in no time. However, the Broncos will not get so lucky next week against the Browns at home. Josh McDaniels needs to work on this offense and Orton’s decision-making a lot before the next game. If this offense could be a fraction of what it has been in the last three years, this could be a top contender for the AFC West (Though, that’s not hard)
The Broncos’ defense showed great poise throughout the entire game. The Bengals converted only 33% of third downs, and the Broncos held them to 86 rushing yards, and they sacked Carson Palmer three times, not to mention intercepted him twice. This Bengals team has a good receiving core, and a good running core. If the Broncos defense can keep this up, they’ll be top six in no time. However, the Broncos will not get so lucky next week against the Browns at home. Josh McDaniels needs to work on this offense and Orton’s decision-making a lot before the next game. If this offense could be a fraction of what it has been in the last three years, this could be a top contender for the AFC West (Though, that’s not hard)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Preditions of the 2009 Season: AFC South
AFC South:
The AFC South is on the edge of a complete reworking of common knowledge. The Colts and the Titans have shared all seven division titles since the 8-division split of 2002, but with the Titans starting 0-1 and the Colts having been reworked completely in their coaching core, there are still tons of questions unanswered from preseason. The AFC South this year plays the NFC West, which is a division, outside the Cardinals, in complete peril. Every AFC South team should be able to get 3 or even 4 wins out of those 4 games, and no one can predict inter-division games. I believe these games will be won by intra-conference games by all four teams.
The Jaguars had a terrible year last year, winning just five games (that’s after a wild-card 11-5 2007 season) and only two games at home. They led the NFL in dropped passes, and Garrard was knocked down more times than any other quarterback. This year isn’t looking to be any different. Although the backfield has quite the talent in players Maurice-Jones Drew and Greg Jones, the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive linemen are just not coached well enough for this team to do anything worthwhile this season. And this was shown in the first three preseason games. When the first team was out, there were still a lot of miscommunications, dropped passes, missed blocking, and blown coverages. Not a team of wild-card caliber anymore. The intra-conference games this team has are the Chiefs, the Bills, the Dolphins, the Patriots, and the Browns.
The Titans, however, are a team that everyone expects to take this division. They had the best regular season record last year, and were the last team undefeated (though that’s already ruined by the Steelers this season) Starting 0-1 will be a challenge for them, but with the amount of talent on that team it shouldn’t be one they can’t overcome. Although Albert Haynesworth is no longer part of the defense, the Titans filled some of their much-needed receiver slots with some skilled players in the off season. All in all, I would expect the Titans to come out on top this year. Their intra-conference games are against the Steelers, the Jets, the Patriots, the Dolphins, and the Chargers.
The Indianapolis Colts organization has been on top ever since Peyton Manning’s second season. However, with complete overhauls of the coaching staff, there are a ton of uncertainties. The colts defense has been very solid in the last few seasons, last year averaging only 15.1 points given up a game, which combines well with Peyton’s >100 average passer rating. No real player changes have been made, so even with Tony Dungee’s departure we should still see a good season out of the Colts. The intra-conference games for the Colts this year are against the Dolphins, the Patriots, the Ravens, the Broncos, the Jets, and the Bills.
The Texans need a good season. That franchise is to a point finally where you can no longer blame the fact that you’re new on a lack of a good season. You have great players in Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton, Jacoby Jones, and Mario Williams. You have a great coach in Gary Kubiak who learned under one of the winningest coaches in NFL. All you need to do is execute, something that you haven’t been able to do in eight years. Their week point last year was their defense, allowing 336 yards per game in the first half of the season, but with some off-season pickups execution on Sunday is the only thing missing from this could-be star team. The schedule agrees, too—the intra-conference teams Houston plays are the Jets, the Raiders, the Bengals, the Bills, the Dolphins, and the Patriots.
I know I said the Titans would probably be on top, but taking everything into account, especially the schedule, I’m going to go with this as my final records:
1. Houston Texans (11-5)
2. Tennessee Titans (11-5)
3. Indianapolis Colts (8-8)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)
The AFC South is on the edge of a complete reworking of common knowledge. The Colts and the Titans have shared all seven division titles since the 8-division split of 2002, but with the Titans starting 0-1 and the Colts having been reworked completely in their coaching core, there are still tons of questions unanswered from preseason. The AFC South this year plays the NFC West, which is a division, outside the Cardinals, in complete peril. Every AFC South team should be able to get 3 or even 4 wins out of those 4 games, and no one can predict inter-division games. I believe these games will be won by intra-conference games by all four teams.
The Jaguars had a terrible year last year, winning just five games (that’s after a wild-card 11-5 2007 season) and only two games at home. They led the NFL in dropped passes, and Garrard was knocked down more times than any other quarterback. This year isn’t looking to be any different. Although the backfield has quite the talent in players Maurice-Jones Drew and Greg Jones, the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive linemen are just not coached well enough for this team to do anything worthwhile this season. And this was shown in the first three preseason games. When the first team was out, there were still a lot of miscommunications, dropped passes, missed blocking, and blown coverages. Not a team of wild-card caliber anymore. The intra-conference games this team has are the Chiefs, the Bills, the Dolphins, the Patriots, and the Browns.
The Titans, however, are a team that everyone expects to take this division. They had the best regular season record last year, and were the last team undefeated (though that’s already ruined by the Steelers this season) Starting 0-1 will be a challenge for them, but with the amount of talent on that team it shouldn’t be one they can’t overcome. Although Albert Haynesworth is no longer part of the defense, the Titans filled some of their much-needed receiver slots with some skilled players in the off season. All in all, I would expect the Titans to come out on top this year. Their intra-conference games are against the Steelers, the Jets, the Patriots, the Dolphins, and the Chargers.
The Indianapolis Colts organization has been on top ever since Peyton Manning’s second season. However, with complete overhauls of the coaching staff, there are a ton of uncertainties. The colts defense has been very solid in the last few seasons, last year averaging only 15.1 points given up a game, which combines well with Peyton’s >100 average passer rating. No real player changes have been made, so even with Tony Dungee’s departure we should still see a good season out of the Colts. The intra-conference games for the Colts this year are against the Dolphins, the Patriots, the Ravens, the Broncos, the Jets, and the Bills.
The Texans need a good season. That franchise is to a point finally where you can no longer blame the fact that you’re new on a lack of a good season. You have great players in Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton, Jacoby Jones, and Mario Williams. You have a great coach in Gary Kubiak who learned under one of the winningest coaches in NFL. All you need to do is execute, something that you haven’t been able to do in eight years. Their week point last year was their defense, allowing 336 yards per game in the first half of the season, but with some off-season pickups execution on Sunday is the only thing missing from this could-be star team. The schedule agrees, too—the intra-conference teams Houston plays are the Jets, the Raiders, the Bengals, the Bills, the Dolphins, and the Patriots.
I know I said the Titans would probably be on top, but taking everything into account, especially the schedule, I’m going to go with this as my final records:
1. Houston Texans (11-5)
2. Tennessee Titans (11-5)
3. Indianapolis Colts (8-8)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)
Preditions of the 2009 Season: AFC North
AFC North:
If you’re a Bengals or a Browns fan this year, (or the past five years really) get ready to be ignored. With the defending Superbowl Champion Steelers, not to mention a real tough team in the Ravens, anyone talking about the AFC north is going to completely forget Ohio this year. However, they might be overlooking some contenders for the division title. The AFC North this year plays the NFC North, which, outside the Lions, could possibly be the best division in the NFL this year. It’s going to be a very tough three games for every team in the AFC North, and I don’t suspect a wildcard will be coming out of this division this year.
The Steelers are going to be missing Polamalu for six weeks, and during that six weeks will take two of the three other AFC North teams (and any real NFL fan knows that division games, no matter how one-sided they look on paper, can go either way on any given Sunday), as well as a newly revitalized Bears team, and a Vikings team that some analysts have foreseen going to the Superbowl. With the defense missing their center piece (literally), and Big Ben being a little shaken up from a civil suit of sexual harassment and an off-season motorcycle injury, I can see the Steelers easily being 4-3 by their bye-week. Am I saying the Steelers are going to have a horrible, sub-500 season for sure? Of course not. But what I am saying is that if you’re looking at this division and seeing one clear winner in the Steelers, I wouldn’t count my eggs yet.
And I wouldn’t quite count on the Ravens, either. Losing Rex Ryan will be a huge blow to their defense—it’d be like taking a college marching band and sending them out to play with a middle school band director. Not to mention the Ravens lost two of their key players in Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard. Ed Reed will need to be an almost one-man show this year for the Ravens defense to be what it was last year. Yet, maybe they don’t need the (second..?) best defense in the league this year. Joe Flacco is no longer a rookie, and with a full eighteen games under his belt he will be much better than at the start of last season, and will continue to get better. The Ravens this season face four teams this year who had a combined 11 wins last season. This could very well be the Raven’s season, if their offense can finally pick it up and score some touchdowns to match a better-than-good defense. The biggest problem the Ravens will have is staying healthy enough to defeat their end-season opponents. Although they end on the abysmal Raiders, they face the Steelers twice in the last six games, as well as the Bears and the Packers. If the Ravens can go 8-2 in the first ten games, they might have it in them to win the division at 11-4.
The Browns organization has been a roller coaster ever since it came back. They fired both the GM and the head coach over the off season, and although Eric Mangini is a considerable improvement over Romeo, any team with a new head coach is suspect to be worse off than when they had a coach and a system they were used to. Not to mention new offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, and special teams coordinators, as well as five new assistant coaches, quarterbacks coaches, and defensive line coaches. Brady Quinn will be starting, throwing to Braylon “Butterfingers” Edwards and handing off to the old man Jamal Lewis. With an offensive line no one would be proud of and a complete reworking of the administration and personnel, Browns fans should be happy with a 6-10 season. Look forward to some good draft picks, and possibly a better next season, Browns fans.
And we reach the other side of Ohio, the Bengals. The Bengals have been going downhill every year since winning the AFC North in 2005 with an 11-5 record. There have been problems with Carson Palmer, continuing offensive line issues, and legal troubles with Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry, and Delta O’Neal. However, with this season’s departure of TJ Houshmandzade, and revitalizations of Chris Henry and Chad Ochocinco, as well as the signing of Cedric Benson and a lot of work with their offensive line, this team could be one for the books. The talent is there, the willpower is there, and the schedule is in their favor. Outside their own division and the NFC North, they play the Broncos, the Raiders, the Jets, the Texans, and the Chiefs. They had a 12th place defense last year, and with the signing of guys like Roy Williams and Tank Johnson that is bound to improve. If Carson Palmer can stay healthy, and everyone can stay out of legal trouble, this could be a fierce team in the league.
However, due to the scheduling issues with all teams, facing a lot of premiere AFC teams as well as the NFC North, I foresee the AFC North breaking down like this:
1. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
4. Cleveland Browns (6-10)
If you’re a Bengals or a Browns fan this year, (or the past five years really) get ready to be ignored. With the defending Superbowl Champion Steelers, not to mention a real tough team in the Ravens, anyone talking about the AFC north is going to completely forget Ohio this year. However, they might be overlooking some contenders for the division title. The AFC North this year plays the NFC North, which, outside the Lions, could possibly be the best division in the NFL this year. It’s going to be a very tough three games for every team in the AFC North, and I don’t suspect a wildcard will be coming out of this division this year.
The Steelers are going to be missing Polamalu for six weeks, and during that six weeks will take two of the three other AFC North teams (and any real NFL fan knows that division games, no matter how one-sided they look on paper, can go either way on any given Sunday), as well as a newly revitalized Bears team, and a Vikings team that some analysts have foreseen going to the Superbowl. With the defense missing their center piece (literally), and Big Ben being a little shaken up from a civil suit of sexual harassment and an off-season motorcycle injury, I can see the Steelers easily being 4-3 by their bye-week. Am I saying the Steelers are going to have a horrible, sub-500 season for sure? Of course not. But what I am saying is that if you’re looking at this division and seeing one clear winner in the Steelers, I wouldn’t count my eggs yet.
And I wouldn’t quite count on the Ravens, either. Losing Rex Ryan will be a huge blow to their defense—it’d be like taking a college marching band and sending them out to play with a middle school band director. Not to mention the Ravens lost two of their key players in Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard. Ed Reed will need to be an almost one-man show this year for the Ravens defense to be what it was last year. Yet, maybe they don’t need the (second..?) best defense in the league this year. Joe Flacco is no longer a rookie, and with a full eighteen games under his belt he will be much better than at the start of last season, and will continue to get better. The Ravens this season face four teams this year who had a combined 11 wins last season. This could very well be the Raven’s season, if their offense can finally pick it up and score some touchdowns to match a better-than-good defense. The biggest problem the Ravens will have is staying healthy enough to defeat their end-season opponents. Although they end on the abysmal Raiders, they face the Steelers twice in the last six games, as well as the Bears and the Packers. If the Ravens can go 8-2 in the first ten games, they might have it in them to win the division at 11-4.
The Browns organization has been a roller coaster ever since it came back. They fired both the GM and the head coach over the off season, and although Eric Mangini is a considerable improvement over Romeo, any team with a new head coach is suspect to be worse off than when they had a coach and a system they were used to. Not to mention new offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, and special teams coordinators, as well as five new assistant coaches, quarterbacks coaches, and defensive line coaches. Brady Quinn will be starting, throwing to Braylon “Butterfingers” Edwards and handing off to the old man Jamal Lewis. With an offensive line no one would be proud of and a complete reworking of the administration and personnel, Browns fans should be happy with a 6-10 season. Look forward to some good draft picks, and possibly a better next season, Browns fans.
And we reach the other side of Ohio, the Bengals. The Bengals have been going downhill every year since winning the AFC North in 2005 with an 11-5 record. There have been problems with Carson Palmer, continuing offensive line issues, and legal troubles with Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry, and Delta O’Neal. However, with this season’s departure of TJ Houshmandzade, and revitalizations of Chris Henry and Chad Ochocinco, as well as the signing of Cedric Benson and a lot of work with their offensive line, this team could be one for the books. The talent is there, the willpower is there, and the schedule is in their favor. Outside their own division and the NFC North, they play the Broncos, the Raiders, the Jets, the Texans, and the Chiefs. They had a 12th place defense last year, and with the signing of guys like Roy Williams and Tank Johnson that is bound to improve. If Carson Palmer can stay healthy, and everyone can stay out of legal trouble, this could be a fierce team in the league.
However, due to the scheduling issues with all teams, facing a lot of premiere AFC teams as well as the NFC North, I foresee the AFC North breaking down like this:
1. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
4. Cleveland Browns (6-10)
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