Week 1 NFL Picks

I wanted to put a challenge out to all the readers each week predicting NFL winners.  Submit your winners in the comment section and I will choose one reader to compete against.  If you beat me you will be able to rant about any sports topic you want in my Wednesday Blog.  Readers will have till Saturday @ noon to submit their picks before i choose a reader.

source

Week 1 Picks

1.Carolina @ N.Y Giants:  Giants
2.Atlanta @ Pittsburgh:  Falcons
3.Cleveland @ Tampa Bay:  Browns
4.Denver @ Jacksonville:  Jaguars
5.Indianapolis @ Houston:  Colts
6.Miami @ Buffalo:  Dolphins
7.Detroit @ Chicago:  Bears
8.Oakland @ Tennessee:  Titans
9.Cincinnati @ New England:  Patriots
10.Arizona @ St. Louis:  Cardinals
11.San Francisco @ Seattle:  49ers
12.Green Bay @ Philadelphia:  Packers
13.Dallas @ Washington:  Cowboys
14.Baltimore @ N.Y. Jets:  Ravens
15.San Diego @ Kansas City:  Chargers

*Thursday Nights game between the Vikings/Saints will not be included this week

NFC Review

NFC East

1. Cowboys (11-5): The Cowboys will be an explosive offense the season led by QB Tony Romo. Romo will be fully expected to have a career season with WR weapons in Miles Austin, Roy Williams and rookie first round draft pick Dez Bryant. There are no doubts the Cowboys have the tools to get back to the playoffs but will they perform in the biggest games?

source

2. Giants (10-6): Eli Manning has proven to be an elite QB in the NFL but how will he bounce back from an average season last year. The Giants will feature three running backs once again this season with Brandon Jacobs, Danny Ware and Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants need to get back to their physical play led by their experienced line to contend in the rigid NFC East. The Giants have a favorable schedule which is why I put them so high in the standings.

3. Eagles (8-8): New QB Kevin Kolb will have to replace Donovan McNabb but showed he can be an electric passer in limited situations last year. There will be no shortage in passing options with WR DeSean Jackson, WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Brent Celek. This could be a breakout year for second year Pitt RB LeSean McCoy. This team is very young team and could have some struggles along the way but they are not that far off.

4. Redskins (6-10): Yes, Donovan McNabb comes to the Nations Capital and I am a big fan of McNabb. BUT! I just do not see the playmakers around him to keep this team competitive. Clinton Portis is a broken down RB that will again have trouble making it through an entire season. The best weapons McNabb will have are WR Santana Moss and TE Chris Cooley. The defense continues to overturn now going with the 3-4. It’s going to be a tough year in a tough division for the Redskins.



NFC North

1. Packers (12-4): QB Aaron Rodgers could be well on his way to NFL MVP this season with his accuracy and weapons on offense. Rodgers was one of the top QBs last season and will surely pass those numbers. He’s got weapons every with WR Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. If this team can get any running production from RB Ryan Grant they will be tough to stop.

source

2. Vikings (11-5): QB Brett Favre once again returns for another drama filled off season to play his 20th NFL season. Favre was brilliant last year but can he have another Pro-Bowl season? Adrian Peterson needs to help take pressure off of Favre and get over his fumbling issues. When right he is a violent and explosive back with runaway speed. The Vikings need to get their receivers back and healthy for Favre to have success. The defense will once again be dominant led by DE Jared Allen coming

  off the edge.
3. Lions (6-10): Second year QB Mathew Stafford will be expected to make big strides in order the Lions to have success. WR Calvin Johnson will have a lot to do with the success for Stafford his a huge receiver with game breaking speed. The Lions fully expect to improve off last season.

4. Bears (5-11): Hot and cold QB Jay Cutler returns for a second season with Bears. Last season Cutler was plagued by constant turnovers throughout the season. The Bears spent tons of money on DE Julius Peppers to anchor the defense along with LB Brian Urlacher. Will WR Devin Hester and WR Johnny Knox be enough to help the Bears lowly offense?

NFC West

1. 49ers (12-4): QB Alex Smith is now the man in the Bay Area. They are expecting Smith to simply run the offense not make mistakes. The core of their offense will go through RB Fred Gore who is an undervalued back. The WR core should be a value to this team with WR Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis.

source

2. Cardinals (8-8): Matt Leinhart is now gone and the reins of the team have been turned over to QB Derrick Anderson. This is a gutsy call for the Cardinals. They plan on returning to the physical nature of Coach Ken Wishenhunt. They expect RBs Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells to give them a controlled offense on the ground. Anderson will be looking for WR Larry Fitzgerald at all times.

3. Seahawks (6-10): The Seahawks need QB Matt Hassleback to be healthy in order for this team to get wins. No team has endured more turnover on their roster than Seattle. New Head Coach Pete Carroll will try to bring his college success to the Pros.

4. Rams (2-14): The Rams will go with Rookie Sam Bradford to lead their team that has a long way to go for any success. This will be a long season for young Bradford who will learn a lot from his experiences for the future.

NFC South

1. Saints (12-4): Will the Saints feel the Super Bowl hangover? I do not think so. This team led by QB Drew Brees will have too many weapons for nearly every team they play this season. The Superdome has become as true as a home field advantage there is in the NFL. Expect three receivers to go over a 1,000 yards in the Saints pass happy offense.

source

2. Falcons (11-5): QB Matt Ryan will look to improve on a tough sophomore year. The Falcons dealt with many injuries last season and seem to have a manageable schedule to make the playoffs this season.

3. Panthers (6-10): The Panthers will try to find a QB to go along with their stellar rushing attack of Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. The Panthers staple of defense will take a hit with the loss of Julius Peppers.

4. Buccaneers (3-13): QB Josh Freeman will again lead the Bucs who do not have the talent to matchup with the rest of the NFC South. Head Coach Raheem Morris may be the first coach to be fired in 2010.

AFC Preview

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night with a great matchup between the Saints/ Vikings. I wanted to give my predictions for each division with an estimated guess on each team’s final record:


AFC East

1. Patriots (12-4): The Patriots will have a completely healthy Tom Brady this season with the return of Wes Welker coming off his knee surgery. As long as Brady is at the helm the Patriots are a constant contender.

source

2. Dolphins (10-6): The Dolphins made an unexpected run two seasons ago and this teams is far superior in talent. Chad Henne will be under center for his second season and as an All-Pro receiver now at his dispense in Brandon Marshall. Marshall may have been one of the biggest off season acquisitions in the NFL.

3. Jets (9-7): The Jets added several new pieces with Braylon Edwards now around for a full season. Along with the trade for Santonio Holmes from the Steelers and Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers. Landanian Tomlinson joins a loaded backfield. I’m just not buying Mark Sanchez in season two. This team made the playoffs on a dramatic comeback in San Diego and the Colts laying down in Week 17.

4. Bills (3-13): What can we say about the Bills? This team’s in a brutal division and really has no offensive threats besides Lee Evans. Trent Edwards steps back under center to prove he can be the leader that the Bills need. Rookie C.J. Spiller should be exciting to watch for the first couple of weeks.

AFC North

1. Ravens (12-4): This team continues to get stronger as they added both Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Ravens may have one of the most under rated RBs in the NFL in Ray Rice. As always the defense is led by Ray Lewis who continues to be an impressive presence in the middle of the Ravens D. The loss of Ed Reed could slow their defense down early.

source

2. Bengals (10-6): My biggest question for the Bengals is which Carson Palmer shows up? Palmer needs to get back to his Pro-Bowl abilities in order for this team to make a run into the playoffs. The addition of Terrell Owens should free up space for Chad Ochocinco on the outside. Whatever ball is left will go to Cedric Benson the leading rusher for the Bengals last season. The defense is extremely physical up front and in the linebacking core. Corners Leon Hall and Jonathon Joseph may be the best combination in the AFC.

3. Steelers (8-8): The suspension of Ben Roethlisberger in the first games could put the Steelers behind the eight ball early. It will be up to Dennis Dixon to hold the team together in a very tough division. The defense will be dictated as always by the health of Toy Polamalu. The Steelers need their fearless safety to stay on the field to get their defense back to the 2008-09 team and not 2009-10 team.

4. Browns (5-11): I love the Browns but this will be another tough season in Northeast Ohio. Jack Delhomme comes in from the Panthers to lead a struggling offensive unit. The Browns ended last season with four straight wins behind a rushing attack led by Jerome Harrison. The Browns still have a young WR crew and the right side of their offensive line is a mess. Defensively is supposed to be improved by the acquisitions of Scott Fujita, Chris Kocong and Sheldon Brown. The Browns face a brutal schedule after the first two weeks. Anything past five wins is an amazing season for my Brownies.

AFC WEST

1. Chargers (12-4): The Chargers have one of the most undervalued QBs in the league in Phillip Rivers. Rivers continues to be a fiery leader out west and is at the top of most offensive categories. The Chargers are going to rely heavily on rookie running back Ryan Mathews from Fresno State after letting L.T. head east to New York. The holdout of Vincent Jackson will slow the Chargers down early in the season. Rivers still will find his weapons with TE Antonio Gates, WR Patrick Crayton and WR Malcolm Flyod.

source

2. Raiders (8-8): The addition of QB Jason Campbell should help solidify a position that has been a weakness for the Raiders since Rich Gannon graced the sidelines. The Raiders are in a very weak division and have a favorable schedule to navigate through. Could this finally be the year the RB Darren McFadden proves his worth as a first round draft pick? I’m thinking so!

3. Broncos (7-9): The Broncos lose the only true playmaker on their team from a season ago in Brandon Marshall. This will surely bring down Kyle Ortons big play chances. The Broncos will rely heavily on RB Knowhson Mareno this year to stay healthy and control the ball. I fully expect rookie QB Tim Tebow to be playing by mid-season under center.

4. Chiefs (4-12): The Chiefs are still going to be young this season and may be a year away from really competing. Matt Cassell returns at QB and if the Chiefs want to have any success they need a healthy season. WR Dwayne Bowe will be a favorite target of the Cassell and could have a breakout season.

AFC South

1. Colts (13-3): Peyton Manning enough said. Once again the Colts will be a well oiled machine led by Manning. The Colts will bring back a healthy WR Anthony Gonzalez and veteran receiver Reggie Wayne among others. RB Donald Brown could be a big factor out of the backfield and give the Colts a legitimate running game. Defensively the speed ends are back with Mathis and Freeney off the edges. Rookie LB Jerry Hughes from TCU could be the AFC Rookie of the Year.

source

2. Texans (10-6): QB Matt Schaub has got to stay healthy in order for the Texans to breakthrough the 8-8 barrier. This team has an All-Pro WR in Andre Johnson and legitimate scat back in Steve Slaton. The defense has been a strength of the Texans the last couple seasons led by LB DeMarco Ryans and DE Mario Williams. Will this finally be the year the Texans get past the Colts?

3. Titans (8-8): QB Vince Young is the key to the season for the Titans. Which version of the former first round pick will we get? If Young continues to play like he did in the final 12 weeks last season this could be a playoff caliber team. Obviously this team is led by RB Chris Johnson he tries to reach consecutive 2,000 yard rushing seasons.

4. Jaguars (4-12): The Jaguars are a team in disarray as the questions surrounding Head Coach Jack Del Rio continue to mount. Also the team’s location in Jacksonville. David Garrard needs to bounce back from one of his worst years as a pro. This will be a tough season for the Jags in a very competitive division.

Breathe Cincinnati

Reds fans take a deep breath there is no reason to panic yet. Yes the Redlegs have dropped 4 out of 5 on this road trip. Not all is lost though we have only lost two games in the standings in that time span to the Cardinals. The lead at its highest point was 8 games and it currently sits at 6 games with 24 games to play. The Reds go into Wednesday action owning the biggest lead in the National League and the second biggest lead in the majors behind the Texas Rangers. The Reds currently sit a half game behind the Phillies for the best record in the National League. Rest easy Reds Nation only two more games out in Colorado. The Rockies do own the best home record in the Major Leagues at 45-22. The Reds come home for a seven game home stand against the lowly Pirates and then a four game set against the Diamondbacks. It was merely three weeks ago that the Reds went to Arizona and swept the DBacks in a three game series. In that same seven day stretch the Cardinals must play four games at Atlanta who is currently playing for their playoff lives. Then come home for a rivalry series against the Cubs, who the Cardinals have a losing record against this season. Even if the standings lead goes down in the next day or two trust me Reds fans once the Redlegs come home you will see it expand over the next week. The Reds have 24 games left as of Wednesday the Cardinals 26 if Major League baseball makes them replay the rain out with the Marlins. If the Reds simply play .500 ball the Cardinals would have to go 18-8 in that stretch. After 136 games would anyone outside the Missouri borders bet on the Cardinals pulling off that feet in the finally weeks of the season, probably not. Take a deep breath Cincinnati and enjoy the final weeks as the Redlegs make their first playoff appearance since 1995. GO REDS!

source

Pinch Hit Tues 9/7/2010

The Pinch Hit entries on my blog will represent four or five stories around the sports world on a daily basis. These may be topics that I find interesting but will not spend an entire blog entry on. My goal is to get my view across in a few sentences. I hope to get your comments on anything you find interesting.

source

1. Reggie Bush: The Heisman Trust is currently stating that the reports that they will strip Bush of his Heisman are inaccurate. Does anyone besides Reggie and the Downtown Athletic Club truly care if the Bush is stripped of the trophy? Yes this would be unprecedented. Since the award began in 1935 no players has had the trophy taken back. Even if they take the award we still know what an absolutely sensational player Reggie Bush was for Southern Cal. Bush’s name may be off the award but the memories are still there for all college football fans.

source

2. Albert Haynesworth: The Washington Redskins find themselves in the same position they did at the end of last season, what to do with Haynesworth? Once again the disgruntled Pro- Bowl DT is being shopped by the Redskins and reportedly this time back to his old team the Titans. Haynesworth has vehemently denied wanting to play in the 3-4 defense which the Redskins will play this year. Is a man worth $100 million dollars worth standing over the center to clog space? I don’t think so cut your ties find a happy suitor and move on Redskins it’s not like Dan Snyder hasn’t wasted money before!

source

3. Darrelle Revis: The all-world defensive back returned to practice Tuesday for the first time with a new contract for the Jets. Finally Revis is back to protect his island. The deal 4 years $46 million (with $32 million guaranteed) sounds like Woody Johnson the owner of the Jets got the winning end of this deal. What leverage did Revis have; he’s under contract for three more years and where else would he go play the CFL? The Jets stood their ground and got their top defensive player home safely before the season starts. J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS.

source

4. Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben was not chosen as one of the team captains for the Steelers this year an honor he has shared for the past two seasons. This should not have come as a surprise as Ben has been a large distraction the past two off seasons. On a team with first class owners and coaches, hopefully Roethlisberger has learned through his mistakes and show his fellow teammates he is the right voice and leader to represent the Pittsburgh Steelers in the future.

source

Boise State vs. TBA in the BCS Title Game

Well College Football fans what last nights 33-30 Boise State victory over Virginia Tech means is there is possibly only one open spot in the BCS Title Game. For all you guys out there that love David you got it now. Boise State will now coast their way to an undefeated schedule in the WAC. Yes, they do still have to play Oregon State but as earlier stated that’s an average team in the Pac-10. The Beavs could not find a way to beat TCU in Arlington and will certainly not beat the Broncos on the blue turf. Here is the remaining schedule for Boise:

source

@ Wyoming

Oregon State

@ New Mexico State

Toledo

@ San Jose State

Louisiana Tech

Hawaii

@Idaho

Fresno State

@ Nevada

Utah State


Yep the schedule is full of land mines that would even terrify an SEC school. The Broncos will now go into Witness Protection over the next several months. Even your most die hard fans are not going to go out of their way to watch Boise vs Toledo or Boise @ New Mexico State. By December you will have to remind fans who even plays for Boise. By the way, Virginia Tech as always was ranked to high in the initial polls. Have the pollsters not learned their lessons through the years with the Hokies. This is a team that lost 8 defensive starters from last year’s team. They probably still have not given the lunch pal to a defensive starter they are still learning their names. Offensively this is a team that has been limited since Michael Vick was running around Blacksburg. Some publications only had one player RB Ryan Williams as a Pre-season All ACC candidate. Tyrod Taylor has been a QB that has been in constant battles to win the starting job. Hokie fans were excited that he could be the new comer of Vick let me tell you fans he is a solid player that will make great plays but he does not have the receivers to be an elite QB.


Boise State has won the one game on the schedule they had to just like every other season. Congratulations Broncos I wish my Buckeyes only had to get up for one game as season. But such is life when a teams starts in the Top 5 in the polls. It’s now a 118 team playoff to make one spot opposite of the Broncos in Glendale, Arizona.

source

College Football Week 1 Review

I may say this several times as each sport season approaches this year but I always get excited for the College Football Season. There is no better regular season in sports than College Football where every week matters to raise the crystal football and that includes Week 1. Here are my opinions of Week 1:
1. I’ve grown up in a crazy sports town but nobody as crazier about their football as the South. I know that Florida fans woke up this morning feeling more like they lost than won yesterday. Trust me Gator fans things will improve quicker down in Gainesville. Let’s not forget that that the Gators are playing a lot of young guys and in some cases freshman who before Saturday had never played in front of 90,000 in the Swamp. Florida demonstrated that they have some unbelievable athletes on both sides of the ball. I believe that this offense though ugly week one could be very similar to the offense that was directed by Chris Leake. John Brantley is going to be an extremely good passer from the pocket. Brantley’s got weapons in Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey at his dispense. Bad performances are sometimes expected in Week 1 it’s not like the pros who have four pre-season games to prepare for the season. Give the Gators time they will turn out to be one of the best teams in the nation by the end of the year.

Source

2. I have to give props to Michigan’s Denard Robinson and this is coming from a Buckeye fan. This is the dangerous type of athlete that Rich Rodriguez has been looking for to run his spread attack. The problem with Robinson last year was he was unable to throw the ball which led to teams loading up the box to defend the run. In Saturdays game at home against UCONN Robinson completed 19/22 for 186 yards 1 TD through the air and carried the ball 29 times for 197 1 TD. This could be the best QB to run this attack for Rodriguez since his time at West Virginia and Pat White. The accuracy is the most impressive part of Robinson’s game. Last year they very rarely used him to pass and left the throwing to Tate Forcier (and by the way Tate you may want to find a school to transfer to, sorry). The only question that comes to my mind is Denard able to carry the ball that many times every ball game. We already saw him banged up in the 3rd quarter Saturday will he be able to carry the ball 30 times every week. Pat White never made it through an entire season with WVU.

source

3. I have to point out the impressive performance by my hometown Buckeyes. I know it was Marshall but I was very pleased to see Terrelle Pryor looking for more receivers than just Posey. I thought that was almost a weakness for him last year. I believe while Pryor was in there he connected with seven different receivers. Pryor’s accuracy was also impressive as he completed 17/25 for 247 yards and 3 TDs. Let me tell you folks I am very excited about Jake Stoneburner this guy is going to be a nightmare match up for teams this season. He is a former wide receiver that knows how to run routes and is a huge guy that can exploit match ups with linebackers. The combination of Boom and Zoom (Dan Herron and Brandon Saine) were also solid in the game with a workman’s like effort. I am hoping to see some more of Jamaal Berry I thought he did very well towards the end of the game. Obviously the Buckeyes will get a much tougher game this week with the Hurricanes coming to town!

Quick Hits:

- Notre Dame gets the Denny Greene “they are who we thought they are award”, they looked no different under new coach Brian Kelly than in the last decade. They have a couple of nice players surrounded by mediocre slow athletes. Michael Floyd is and explosive athlete that will surely be a first round draft pick. I also was impressed with Armando Allen who in the spread offense will be even more dangerous at his size than before. I believe that Coach Kelly will get this program going but I do not see it with Dayne Crist at quarterback. The Irish are still at least a year or two away they need to solidify the QB position.

- TCU is a nice team but this is not a championship caliber team. They had a nice win over a fourth or fifth place team out of the Pac-10 in Oregon State. Andy Dalton will be a good quarterback all season for the Horned Frogs but this team lost to many pieces on defenses to compete with the upper echelon teams in the country.

source

- I was not surprised at all to see the Utah Utes beat Pittsburgh on Thursday night I actually felt they would. You have to factor in home opener, difficult venue, Pittsburgh traveling cross country and a first time starter at quarterback. What this means for college football is that Utah along with TCU and maybe Boise will climb the polls throughout the season. This was by far Utah’s toughest game until they play TCU. Utah is well on their way to possibly an 11 win season. You heard it hear first.
- Similar to the feelings in Gainesville are going on in Sooner Country. The Oklahoma Sooners won a very ugly game over Utah State 31-24. Look that is definitely less than impressive but similar to Florida this is a young team that lost a lot of talent on their defense. Landry Jones due to the injury of Sam Bradford was able to build chemistry with the offense towards the end of last season. They have two legitimate Heisman trophy candidates in Ryan Broyles at Wide Receiver and RB DeMarco Murray. Murray had 35 carries for 218 yards with 2 TDs against Utah State. I fully expect Murray to be a dark horse candidate in the Heisman race in December. Sooners fans your team will be fine do not let this tough week get you down as a formidable opponent in Florida State comes to town this week.

Top Performances

1. Denard Robinson Michigan 19/22 186 yards 1 TD and 29 rushes 197 yards 1 TD vs. UCONN
2. Daniel Thomas Kansas State 28 rushes 284 yards 2 TD vs. UCLA
3. Terrelle Pryor Ohio State 17/25 247 yards 3 TD vs, Marshall

4. Matt Barkley USC 18/23 257 yards 5 TD vs. Hawaii

5. Colty Blanchard Jacksonville St. 9/13 126 yards 2 TD vs. Ole Miss


What Was That?! Performances

1. Florida Offense: 26 Total yards of Offense going into the 4th quarter against Miami (OH) a team that only won one game a season ago. Also included 13 mishandled snaps!

2. Mississippi: Really Ole Miss your going to lose the season- Opener at home vs. Jacksonville State an FCS team, led by a freshman in the 4th quarter and overtime. I understand that Ole Miss was picked to finish at the bottom of the SEC but I thought even the bottom teams are excellent.

3. New Mexico Defense: 72-0 defeat to the Oregon Ducks. The Lobos gave up 720 yards of total offense. At least it was balanced I guess 351 yards passing and 369 rushing.
4. LSU Offense: Yes, you did put up 23 points on offense in the first half but failed to score the entire second half against the second and third team defense of North Carolina.