It's about time I dabbled in the Power Rankings area of the NFL. So after Week 3 here's what I think.
1. Ravens
2. Giants
3. Colts
4. Vikings
5. Colts
6. Jets
7. Patriots
8. Eagles
9. Packers
10. Falcons
11. 49ers
12. Bengals
13. Broncos
14. Bears
15. Chargers
16. Cowboys
17. Cardinals
18. Steelers
19. Texans
20.Seahawks
21. Jaguars
22. Bills
23. Panthers
24. Titans
25. Dolphins
26. Redskins
27. Lions
28. Raiders
29. Chiefs
30. Bucs
31. Browns
32. Rams
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
NFL WEEK 3 ANALYSIS/REACTION
Week 3 provided for some interesting thoughts on the NFL season thus far. Three division winners from last year have yet to win a game, a couple of teams expected to be be terrible are winning games, and the Detroit Lions have finally won a game. Let's get to it....
My record this week: 14-2 (check Week 3 picks post if you don't believe me)
Bengals beat the Steelers 23-20. The Steelers can't run the ball and the defense is not the same with Troy Polamalu. Carson Palmer is back and the Bengals look to be for real, sould be 3-0 if not for that fluke play in Week 1. This was one of my 2 losses.
Detroit over the Redskins 19-14. Detroit played tough defense and Matthew Stafford it progressing every week. Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell won't be back after this season, Daniel Snyder will go spend another $100 million and the Redskins will be just as bad next year no matter who their coach is.
Packers beat the Rams 36-17. Rams made a mistake not drafting Mark Sanchez. They have no way of taking the pressure off of Steven Jackson. A game that the Packers needed heading into their showdown with the Vikings.
Vikings beat the 49ers 27-24. Yes, Bret Favre still has it throwing the game winning TD with the clock winding down. Tremendous catch by Greg Lewis. 49ers lost Frank Gore in the 1st Quarter and remained competitive the entire game. This team is for real and with one victory over the Cardinals already they just might win the NFC West.
Patriots win over the Falcons 26-10. Tom Brady still getting his footing. He needs to get on the same page as Joey Galloway and Wes Welker needs to get on the field. Anyway, never bet that Bellichick/Brady team will ever lose two games in a row. Matt Ryan and the Falcons are good but they are not on the upper echelon just yet, they could be there by the end of the year.
Jets beat the Titans 24-17. Jets defense continue to play well however they did allow Tennessee to come back with 17 points after taking a 14-0 lead. Mark Sanchez continues to play well, Jets need to run the ball better. Tennessee might want to think about bringing Vince Young in because Kerry Collins looks like a statue in the pocket.
Eagles beat the Chiefs 34-14. Kevin Kolb looks real good. The QB controversy in Philly may between Kolb and McNabb. Good to see Michael Vick out there, but it will take some time for him to be effective. Chiefs coach Todd Haley needs to stop getting into shouting matches with his players on the sideline, they have a lot of young talent and could be good in the years to come.
Giants dominate the Bucs 24-0. Giants look real good. All the talk from those dumb-ass analysts about whose gonna replace Plaxico has gone away. Teams cannot cover Steve Smith and Mario Manningham 1-1 and if they double either 1, the running game is opened up. Giants defense finally all got on the same page. Bucs should have made a QB change at half time, this team is staring at 1-15.
Ravens blowout Browns 34-3. Did this one really surprise anyone. Eric Mandumb-ass is an idiot. Fining a player $1,700 for a bottle of water? WTF?!?!?!?! This team will go 0-16 because he has lost them already. Ravens finally have a dynamic offense to go with a dominant defense. If the Steelers fall out of contention early, the AFC road to the Super Bowl will go through Baltimore.
Jaguars beat the Texans 31-24. These are two teams I can't figure out. They both look, then look terrible. Neither is going anywhere, except that the Jags might be heading out of Jacksonville.
Bears beat the Seahawks 25-19. WTF was up the Seahawks uniforms?!?!?!?! Cutler continues to lead the Bears offense who will have to score with the defense being not as good. The NFC North race will be the most interesting as the season unfolds.
Saints win over the Bills 27-7. No TD's for Drew Brees but the Saints still put up 27. The most dangerous thing is that they got their running game going, which makes the Saints offense that much more dangerous. The no-huddle/T.O. experiment is failing miserably in Buffalo.
Broncos beat the Raiders 23-3. Broncos keep winning but they have beaten two bad teams and got lucky against another. Hard to determine if they are for real or just look against bad teams. Orton does not turn the ball over and the defense is playing well, I am anxious to see them against better teams. Raiders are awful, just awful.
Chargers beat the Dolphins 23-13. Chargers again look unimpressive in a win. They do not look as dominant as they should be. Dolphins' season is over, they are 0-3 and Chad Pennington is out for the year. The only positive that could come out of this is that Chad Henne will give the Dolphins the ability to throw the ball beyond 30 yards downfield.
Colts dominate over the Cardinals 31-10. Peyton Manning is the best QB in the modern Era of the NFL. He loses Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez is out for a few weeks, and Reggie Wayne gets doubled and he still throws for 3oo yards and 4 TD's. Cardinals need to find a running game. They can't run against a 6-man front which means double teams for Larry Fitz and Boldin.
Cowboys beat the Panthers 21-7. Cowboys defense looked good against a bad offense. Romo and the Dallas offense looked much better against a mediocre defense. Panthers have no running game and no other weapon outside of Steve Smith. Smith was doubled all night and the Panthers could not do anything. I don't know who their backup QB is but it is time to give him a shot. Jake Delhomme looks terrible; no zip on his passes, looks flustered in the pocket, and keeps turning the ball over with interceptions and lost fumbles.
The Dolphins, Titans, and Panthers who all won their divisions last year are all 0-3. This week you have the 3-0 high-powered offense Saints against the 3-0 stifling defense of the Jets. Monday Night Bret Favre as a Viking going against the Packers, a must watch. Other interesting matchup is Baltimore at New England. More later in the week.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!
My record this week: 14-2 (check Week 3 picks post if you don't believe me)
Bengals beat the Steelers 23-20. The Steelers can't run the ball and the defense is not the same with Troy Polamalu. Carson Palmer is back and the Bengals look to be for real, sould be 3-0 if not for that fluke play in Week 1. This was one of my 2 losses.
Detroit over the Redskins 19-14. Detroit played tough defense and Matthew Stafford it progressing every week. Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell won't be back after this season, Daniel Snyder will go spend another $100 million and the Redskins will be just as bad next year no matter who their coach is.
Packers beat the Rams 36-17. Rams made a mistake not drafting Mark Sanchez. They have no way of taking the pressure off of Steven Jackson. A game that the Packers needed heading into their showdown with the Vikings.
Vikings beat the 49ers 27-24. Yes, Bret Favre still has it throwing the game winning TD with the clock winding down. Tremendous catch by Greg Lewis. 49ers lost Frank Gore in the 1st Quarter and remained competitive the entire game. This team is for real and with one victory over the Cardinals already they just might win the NFC West.
Patriots win over the Falcons 26-10. Tom Brady still getting his footing. He needs to get on the same page as Joey Galloway and Wes Welker needs to get on the field. Anyway, never bet that Bellichick/Brady team will ever lose two games in a row. Matt Ryan and the Falcons are good but they are not on the upper echelon just yet, they could be there by the end of the year.
Jets beat the Titans 24-17. Jets defense continue to play well however they did allow Tennessee to come back with 17 points after taking a 14-0 lead. Mark Sanchez continues to play well, Jets need to run the ball better. Tennessee might want to think about bringing Vince Young in because Kerry Collins looks like a statue in the pocket.
Eagles beat the Chiefs 34-14. Kevin Kolb looks real good. The QB controversy in Philly may between Kolb and McNabb. Good to see Michael Vick out there, but it will take some time for him to be effective. Chiefs coach Todd Haley needs to stop getting into shouting matches with his players on the sideline, they have a lot of young talent and could be good in the years to come.
Giants dominate the Bucs 24-0. Giants look real good. All the talk from those dumb-ass analysts about whose gonna replace Plaxico has gone away. Teams cannot cover Steve Smith and Mario Manningham 1-1 and if they double either 1, the running game is opened up. Giants defense finally all got on the same page. Bucs should have made a QB change at half time, this team is staring at 1-15.
Ravens blowout Browns 34-3. Did this one really surprise anyone. Eric Mandumb-ass is an idiot. Fining a player $1,700 for a bottle of water? WTF?!?!?!?! This team will go 0-16 because he has lost them already. Ravens finally have a dynamic offense to go with a dominant defense. If the Steelers fall out of contention early, the AFC road to the Super Bowl will go through Baltimore.
Jaguars beat the Texans 31-24. These are two teams I can't figure out. They both look, then look terrible. Neither is going anywhere, except that the Jags might be heading out of Jacksonville.
Bears beat the Seahawks 25-19. WTF was up the Seahawks uniforms?!?!?!?! Cutler continues to lead the Bears offense who will have to score with the defense being not as good. The NFC North race will be the most interesting as the season unfolds.
Saints win over the Bills 27-7. No TD's for Drew Brees but the Saints still put up 27. The most dangerous thing is that they got their running game going, which makes the Saints offense that much more dangerous. The no-huddle/T.O. experiment is failing miserably in Buffalo.
Broncos beat the Raiders 23-3. Broncos keep winning but they have beaten two bad teams and got lucky against another. Hard to determine if they are for real or just look against bad teams. Orton does not turn the ball over and the defense is playing well, I am anxious to see them against better teams. Raiders are awful, just awful.
Chargers beat the Dolphins 23-13. Chargers again look unimpressive in a win. They do not look as dominant as they should be. Dolphins' season is over, they are 0-3 and Chad Pennington is out for the year. The only positive that could come out of this is that Chad Henne will give the Dolphins the ability to throw the ball beyond 30 yards downfield.
Colts dominate over the Cardinals 31-10. Peyton Manning is the best QB in the modern Era of the NFL. He loses Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez is out for a few weeks, and Reggie Wayne gets doubled and he still throws for 3oo yards and 4 TD's. Cardinals need to find a running game. They can't run against a 6-man front which means double teams for Larry Fitz and Boldin.
Cowboys beat the Panthers 21-7. Cowboys defense looked good against a bad offense. Romo and the Dallas offense looked much better against a mediocre defense. Panthers have no running game and no other weapon outside of Steve Smith. Smith was doubled all night and the Panthers could not do anything. I don't know who their backup QB is but it is time to give him a shot. Jake Delhomme looks terrible; no zip on his passes, looks flustered in the pocket, and keeps turning the ball over with interceptions and lost fumbles.
The Dolphins, Titans, and Panthers who all won their divisions last year are all 0-3. This week you have the 3-0 high-powered offense Saints against the 3-0 stifling defense of the Jets. Monday Night Bret Favre as a Viking going against the Packers, a must watch. Other interesting matchup is Baltimore at New England. More later in the week.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
REACTION TO GIANTS vs BUCS
If I didn't know better, I would never have guessed that Giants were injury-ravages heading into their game against the Bucs. Quite a few players were Inactive and Justin Tuck was limited but it did not matter, the Giants wanted dominate and they did just that.
Some will say that they beat a bad team. So what? Isn't that the mark of a good team? To beat teams you are supposed to beat? It is, and the Giants did not just beat the Bucs, they obliterated the Bucs.
The score may have been only 24-0, but it was a decisive 24-0. The Giants came into this game without, Domenik Hixon, Hakeem Nicks, Danny Ware, Chris Canty, Aaron Ross, Kevin Dockery, and Kenny Philips who they just lost for the season. Justin Tuck was not 100% and played only on pass-rushing downs.
It was okay, the Giants got the running game going, the run-defense was stifling and they were able to score in the Green Zone on 2 occasions. Eli Manning continues to show how good he is, Steve Smith is developing into legitimate No. 1 receiver, and the defense finally looked like the Giants defense.
With players getting healthy over the course of the next 2 weeks while the Giants schedule remains soft, this team should be a force to be reckoned with once all the hurt players get back. More on this game tomorrow along with my Week 3 Analysis/Reaction.
Cheers!
Some will say that they beat a bad team. So what? Isn't that the mark of a good team? To beat teams you are supposed to beat? It is, and the Giants did not just beat the Bucs, they obliterated the Bucs.
The score may have been only 24-0, but it was a decisive 24-0. The Giants came into this game without, Domenik Hixon, Hakeem Nicks, Danny Ware, Chris Canty, Aaron Ross, Kevin Dockery, and Kenny Philips who they just lost for the season. Justin Tuck was not 100% and played only on pass-rushing downs.
It was okay, the Giants got the running game going, the run-defense was stifling and they were able to score in the Green Zone on 2 occasions. Eli Manning continues to show how good he is, Steve Smith is developing into legitimate No. 1 receiver, and the defense finally looked like the Giants defense.
With players getting healthy over the course of the next 2 weeks while the Giants schedule remains soft, this team should be a force to be reckoned with once all the hurt players get back. More on this game tomorrow along with my Week 3 Analysis/Reaction.
Cheers!
YANKEES AL EAST CHAMPS ONCE AGAIN!!!!!
It has been two years since the Yankees have been in the playoffs, 2 years since the Yankees have been division champs, and far too long since the Yankees have won a World Series.
This year could be the year. Never mind the air-head critics and Yankee-haters who say "they should win the World Series because they spent so much money," thats a heap of bullshit. The Yankees will win the World Series for one reason, they finally got it right.
Not since the dynasty days have the Yankees had this kind of team. The kind of team that is blended with both a core of veteran talent, an influx of young talent, all pulled together by a steady manager and a desire to win.
In those dynasty years, there was the veteran core of guys like Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neil, David Wells, David Cone, Joe Girardi combined with the influx of young talent, Derek Jeter, Marian Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettite among others; all guided by the hand of Joe Torre who understood how to mend the veteran and young talent while keeping a calm and relaxing clubhouse that resulted in winning.
Now, the young talent back then are now the veterans, and added to the mix are Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, C.C. Sabbathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, A-Rod, and Nick Swisher. The young talent now is Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Alfredo Aceves, and Brett Gardener. This time the managerial hand guiding them is Joe Girardi.
No, Girardi is not Joe Torre, nor should he be. After 3 straight exits from the playoffs in the first round, it was time for a change. After the disastrous moves of acquiring Jose Contreras, Kei Igawa, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, and Gary Sheffield, a different approach was needed.
That approach was simple, develop the young talent around the core of veterans and supplement the roster with the best free-agents, not the players with the best resumes, and no matter what, do forsake the farm system for a quick fix.
It was these moves that kept the Yankees season alive after a horrid start which included losing the first 8 games to the Red Sox. Joe Girardi despite being on the hot seat, kept his cool and let the season play out.
The return of A-Rod to the lineup gave an immediate jolt as the lineup was now extended and Teixeira had some protection. The flip at the top of the lineup, switching Damon and Jeter payed huge dividends. Phil Hughes being moved to the bullpen, and his ascent to becoming the bridge to Mariano Rivera. The stellar pitching from Sabbathia and Pettite all year long compunded with a lineup that deserves comparison to the Murder's Row lineup of 1927. The resurgent year of the Captain Derek Jeter who also became the Yankees all-time hits leader passing Lou Gherig.
Take your pick their is justification in it all. This year feels different than years is past. The Yankees are AL East Champs once again, and hopefully, in a couple of weeks I will be here writing about the Yankees being World Series Champs once again.
This year could be the year. Never mind the air-head critics and Yankee-haters who say "they should win the World Series because they spent so much money," thats a heap of bullshit. The Yankees will win the World Series for one reason, they finally got it right.
Not since the dynasty days have the Yankees had this kind of team. The kind of team that is blended with both a core of veteran talent, an influx of young talent, all pulled together by a steady manager and a desire to win.
In those dynasty years, there was the veteran core of guys like Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neil, David Wells, David Cone, Joe Girardi combined with the influx of young talent, Derek Jeter, Marian Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettite among others; all guided by the hand of Joe Torre who understood how to mend the veteran and young talent while keeping a calm and relaxing clubhouse that resulted in winning.
Now, the young talent back then are now the veterans, and added to the mix are Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, C.C. Sabbathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, A-Rod, and Nick Swisher. The young talent now is Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Alfredo Aceves, and Brett Gardener. This time the managerial hand guiding them is Joe Girardi.
No, Girardi is not Joe Torre, nor should he be. After 3 straight exits from the playoffs in the first round, it was time for a change. After the disastrous moves of acquiring Jose Contreras, Kei Igawa, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, and Gary Sheffield, a different approach was needed.
That approach was simple, develop the young talent around the core of veterans and supplement the roster with the best free-agents, not the players with the best resumes, and no matter what, do forsake the farm system for a quick fix.
It was these moves that kept the Yankees season alive after a horrid start which included losing the first 8 games to the Red Sox. Joe Girardi despite being on the hot seat, kept his cool and let the season play out.
The return of A-Rod to the lineup gave an immediate jolt as the lineup was now extended and Teixeira had some protection. The flip at the top of the lineup, switching Damon and Jeter payed huge dividends. Phil Hughes being moved to the bullpen, and his ascent to becoming the bridge to Mariano Rivera. The stellar pitching from Sabbathia and Pettite all year long compunded with a lineup that deserves comparison to the Murder's Row lineup of 1927. The resurgent year of the Captain Derek Jeter who also became the Yankees all-time hits leader passing Lou Gherig.
Take your pick their is justification in it all. This year feels different than years is past. The Yankees are AL East Champs once again, and hopefully, in a couple of weeks I will be here writing about the Yankees being World Series Champs once again.
Friday, September 25, 2009
YANKEES-RED SOX SERIES COULD BE AN ALCS PREVIEW
This weekend's series between the Yankees and Red Sox may seem insignificant to most, but the series can be a huge tell-tale for the post-season.
For one, both teams will get to test out their pitching against one another to see who will be reliable come October. For the Yankees, they got an answer with A.J. Burnett from his last 2 outings which were both solid. The latter of the 2 most encouraging because it was on the road against the dreaded Angels. But this weekend is a different animal with the Yankees needing strong outings from both Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettite in order to put their minds at ease. Joba has struggled this season but throughout his career he has shown the capability to rise to the occasion, and has had a couple of great starts against the Red Sox. For Pettite you know what you are going to get but it is a matter how healthy his shoulder is.
In my opinion the Yankees might be better off going with a combination of Gaudin/Aceves in a Game 4 situation if they make it to the ALCS and/or World Series. I think that a bullpen of Robertson, Coke, Joba, Hughes, and Mo would be unstoppable. It would only require 5 or 6 innings out of your starter, particularly if the Yankees can continue to produce runs.
This series holds importance because it is essentially a playoff series. The Yankees want the sweep so that they can win AL East title that has eluded them the last two years. And while Boston may claim that getting into the postseason via the Wild Card would be satisfactory for them, you know they would love to put a sweep on the Yankees and take the division race down to the wire. For them and Yankees, it is the difference between having a 5 game series with home field against either the Tigers or Twins, or having to face the Angels in a 5 game set starting in Anaheim.
It is also important to see how the new comers and young players perform in what will be a playoff atmosphere this weekend at the new Yankee Stadium. Players such as Billy Wagner, Victor Martinez, and Clay Buccholz for the Red Sox. And players like C.C. Sabbathia, Mark Teixeira, Bret Gardener, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke, David Robertson, and Phil Hughes.
The most important performance is that of A-Rod. It may not be October, but he can help his October cause by having a big series like he did in the 4-game sweep back in August. I think that more than anyone, A-Rod needs momentum to carry him into the postseason for him to perform at his best, when it matters most.
Sunday will be a tough day if the Yankees win the first 2 as they will be playing at the same time as both the Giants and the Jets. Should be a great series and hopefully an ALCS preview.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!
For one, both teams will get to test out their pitching against one another to see who will be reliable come October. For the Yankees, they got an answer with A.J. Burnett from his last 2 outings which were both solid. The latter of the 2 most encouraging because it was on the road against the dreaded Angels. But this weekend is a different animal with the Yankees needing strong outings from both Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettite in order to put their minds at ease. Joba has struggled this season but throughout his career he has shown the capability to rise to the occasion, and has had a couple of great starts against the Red Sox. For Pettite you know what you are going to get but it is a matter how healthy his shoulder is.
In my opinion the Yankees might be better off going with a combination of Gaudin/Aceves in a Game 4 situation if they make it to the ALCS and/or World Series. I think that a bullpen of Robertson, Coke, Joba, Hughes, and Mo would be unstoppable. It would only require 5 or 6 innings out of your starter, particularly if the Yankees can continue to produce runs.
This series holds importance because it is essentially a playoff series. The Yankees want the sweep so that they can win AL East title that has eluded them the last two years. And while Boston may claim that getting into the postseason via the Wild Card would be satisfactory for them, you know they would love to put a sweep on the Yankees and take the division race down to the wire. For them and Yankees, it is the difference between having a 5 game series with home field against either the Tigers or Twins, or having to face the Angels in a 5 game set starting in Anaheim.
It is also important to see how the new comers and young players perform in what will be a playoff atmosphere this weekend at the new Yankee Stadium. Players such as Billy Wagner, Victor Martinez, and Clay Buccholz for the Red Sox. And players like C.C. Sabbathia, Mark Teixeira, Bret Gardener, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke, David Robertson, and Phil Hughes.
The most important performance is that of A-Rod. It may not be October, but he can help his October cause by having a big series like he did in the 4-game sweep back in August. I think that more than anyone, A-Rod needs momentum to carry him into the postseason for him to perform at his best, when it matters most.
Sunday will be a tough day if the Yankees win the first 2 as they will be playing at the same time as both the Giants and the Jets. Should be a great series and hopefully an ALCS preview.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!
WEEK 3 IN THE NFL & PICKS
We now come upon Week 3 in the NFL where the games get harder to pick as there are some great games this weekend. It's still to early to distinguish who is for real and who is not but let's make some picks!!!!!
Titans at Jets:
Titans have lossed 2 close games that were virtual opposites in nature. A defensive game against the Steelers and a shoot out against the Texans. You gotta believe that Jeff Fisher is going to get this team right this week. However, they go up against a defense that is just stifling. If I am the Titans, I'd look at the film of the Giants-Ravens game last year where the Giants put over 200+ rush yards on Rex Ryan's defense and look to pound the Jets with Johnson and White. Jets win in a close one, 13-10. Mark Sanchez will have his worst game yet.
Giants at Bucs:
The news that Kenny Phillips is out for the year made me really sad yesterday. The guy just came off the best game of his career and was having an amazing season, 16 tackles, 2 interceptions both which lead the team, and 2 passes defensed. It's bad enough the Giants are already thin in the secondary and on defense as a whole with Tuck likely out and Canty not playing again. Clint Sintim should play this week and probably can be used as a down lineman in pass rushing situations to help with the thin D-Line. The good news is that they play the Bucs, Chiefs, and Raiders over the next 3 weeks, so they can get healthy and still win. The Bucs are bad all over and their coach seems to have no clue of what he is doing. Giants D will go against Derrick Ward, will be great to see him. Giants get the ground game going this week and solve the Green Zone troubles, Giants win big, 35-10.
Steelers at Bengals:
Steelers lost a close a game last week and the Bengals pulled off an upset in Green Bay. If not for that fluke play against Denver, the Bengals are 2-0. Steelers could be in for a long day with no Polamalu to help against OchoCinco. Steelers win a close one, 20-17.
Redskins at Detroit:
My upset special of the week. The Lions played a tough game against the Vikings last week and the Redskins just barely beat a bad Rams teams at home, they could not put up a TD against the Rams. Detroit wins its first game in over a year, 24-13.
Packers at Rams:
Packers inexplicably lost to the Bengals at home last week. The Rams played good enough against the Redskins to win but could not pull it out. Aaron Rodgers is a much better QB than Jason Campbell and Green Bay will blow out the Rams, 31-7.
49ers at Vikings:
This is a very intriguing game. Both teams have good running games, and both teams can stop the run, both of those cancel each other out and so it comes down to the QB's. Favre is old, but I'd take him over Shaun Hill at this point, Hill is getting there, he's not there yet. Vikings in tight game, 21-17.
Falcons at Patriots:
Probably the second best game of the week, the best coming later. Patriots coming off a loss where they were held without a TD and the Falcons are rolling on the superb play of Matt Ryan. I love the Falcons, but they are on the road against an angry Patriots team that will have Wes Welker back, Patriots win 34-24.
Chiefs at Eagles:
The long anticipated wait for Michael Vick is finally over. No McNabb, no Westbrook, and the Eagles should still win. The Chiefs are still growing as a team and will keep this one close. Eagles win 14-9.
Browns at Ravens:
Browns will be lucky if they score, and lucky if Joe Flacco doesn't put up 50 points on them. This one isn't even close, Ravens, 42-3.
Jaguars at Texans:
Texans showed what all the offseason talk was about with a big win over the Titans last week. The Jaguars are in trouble and could be looking for a new city at season's end. Texans win 21-14.
Bears at Sehawks:
Jay Cutler looks like he is finding his groove and I like his weapons Olsen and Knox. Seattle has too many injuries on both sides of the ball to compete in this one. Bears win 30-13.
Saints at Bills:
This one should be a shoot - out with the Bills no huddle offense and Drew Brees continuing his hot play. Kevin Kolb put up 391 yards passing last week with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Macklin and Kevin Curtis. Imagine what Trent Edwards can do with T.O. and Lee Evans? Drew Brees will shred the Bills defense as he did with Philly's last week. Saints win 45-35.
Broncos at Raiders:
This one pretty much comes down to Kyle Orton being a better QB than JaMarcus Russell. Broncos win 17-10.
Dolphins at Chargers:
Chad Pennington still can't throw deep and that limits what Miami can do offensively. Chargers should load the box to shut down the running game and the Wildcat and Phillip Rivers will take care of the rest. Miami still reeling from losing a winning game last week. Chargers win 27-14.
Colts at Cardinals:
Sunday Night Football for the second week in a row has the game of the week. This one would be much more interesting if the Colts had Anthony Gonzalez. Nonetheless, you have two former League and Super Bowl MVP's at QB, they each have plenty of weapons, and they each are facing sub-par defenses. Makes for Wild West Shoot-Out in Arizona. I'll take Peyton over Warner. Colts win 49-42.
Panthers at Cowboys:
As much as I hate the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, and Tony Romo, its hard to imagine that they will lose another nationally televised game at h0me an open their new stadium 0-2. However, with more pressure to win this time because Jerry Jones might blow a gasket if they lose at home again, Tony Romo may play worse than he did last week. If Carolina was so hurt on defense, I would take them to win. Cowboys win 24-21, I won't be surprised in the least if Dallas loses though.
Thats all for now... post on the Yankees Red Sox series coming later today. Back with NFL next week and some NHL stuff.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Titans at Jets:
Titans have lossed 2 close games that were virtual opposites in nature. A defensive game against the Steelers and a shoot out against the Texans. You gotta believe that Jeff Fisher is going to get this team right this week. However, they go up against a defense that is just stifling. If I am the Titans, I'd look at the film of the Giants-Ravens game last year where the Giants put over 200+ rush yards on Rex Ryan's defense and look to pound the Jets with Johnson and White. Jets win in a close one, 13-10. Mark Sanchez will have his worst game yet.
Giants at Bucs:
The news that Kenny Phillips is out for the year made me really sad yesterday. The guy just came off the best game of his career and was having an amazing season, 16 tackles, 2 interceptions both which lead the team, and 2 passes defensed. It's bad enough the Giants are already thin in the secondary and on defense as a whole with Tuck likely out and Canty not playing again. Clint Sintim should play this week and probably can be used as a down lineman in pass rushing situations to help with the thin D-Line. The good news is that they play the Bucs, Chiefs, and Raiders over the next 3 weeks, so they can get healthy and still win. The Bucs are bad all over and their coach seems to have no clue of what he is doing. Giants D will go against Derrick Ward, will be great to see him. Giants get the ground game going this week and solve the Green Zone troubles, Giants win big, 35-10.
Steelers at Bengals:
Steelers lost a close a game last week and the Bengals pulled off an upset in Green Bay. If not for that fluke play against Denver, the Bengals are 2-0. Steelers could be in for a long day with no Polamalu to help against OchoCinco. Steelers win a close one, 20-17.
Redskins at Detroit:
My upset special of the week. The Lions played a tough game against the Vikings last week and the Redskins just barely beat a bad Rams teams at home, they could not put up a TD against the Rams. Detroit wins its first game in over a year, 24-13.
Packers at Rams:
Packers inexplicably lost to the Bengals at home last week. The Rams played good enough against the Redskins to win but could not pull it out. Aaron Rodgers is a much better QB than Jason Campbell and Green Bay will blow out the Rams, 31-7.
49ers at Vikings:
This is a very intriguing game. Both teams have good running games, and both teams can stop the run, both of those cancel each other out and so it comes down to the QB's. Favre is old, but I'd take him over Shaun Hill at this point, Hill is getting there, he's not there yet. Vikings in tight game, 21-17.
Falcons at Patriots:
Probably the second best game of the week, the best coming later. Patriots coming off a loss where they were held without a TD and the Falcons are rolling on the superb play of Matt Ryan. I love the Falcons, but they are on the road against an angry Patriots team that will have Wes Welker back, Patriots win 34-24.
Chiefs at Eagles:
The long anticipated wait for Michael Vick is finally over. No McNabb, no Westbrook, and the Eagles should still win. The Chiefs are still growing as a team and will keep this one close. Eagles win 14-9.
Browns at Ravens:
Browns will be lucky if they score, and lucky if Joe Flacco doesn't put up 50 points on them. This one isn't even close, Ravens, 42-3.
Jaguars at Texans:
Texans showed what all the offseason talk was about with a big win over the Titans last week. The Jaguars are in trouble and could be looking for a new city at season's end. Texans win 21-14.
Bears at Sehawks:
Jay Cutler looks like he is finding his groove and I like his weapons Olsen and Knox. Seattle has too many injuries on both sides of the ball to compete in this one. Bears win 30-13.
Saints at Bills:
This one should be a shoot - out with the Bills no huddle offense and Drew Brees continuing his hot play. Kevin Kolb put up 391 yards passing last week with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Macklin and Kevin Curtis. Imagine what Trent Edwards can do with T.O. and Lee Evans? Drew Brees will shred the Bills defense as he did with Philly's last week. Saints win 45-35.
Broncos at Raiders:
This one pretty much comes down to Kyle Orton being a better QB than JaMarcus Russell. Broncos win 17-10.
Dolphins at Chargers:
Chad Pennington still can't throw deep and that limits what Miami can do offensively. Chargers should load the box to shut down the running game and the Wildcat and Phillip Rivers will take care of the rest. Miami still reeling from losing a winning game last week. Chargers win 27-14.
Colts at Cardinals:
Sunday Night Football for the second week in a row has the game of the week. This one would be much more interesting if the Colts had Anthony Gonzalez. Nonetheless, you have two former League and Super Bowl MVP's at QB, they each have plenty of weapons, and they each are facing sub-par defenses. Makes for Wild West Shoot-Out in Arizona. I'll take Peyton over Warner. Colts win 49-42.
Panthers at Cowboys:
As much as I hate the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, and Tony Romo, its hard to imagine that they will lose another nationally televised game at h0me an open their new stadium 0-2. However, with more pressure to win this time because Jerry Jones might blow a gasket if they lose at home again, Tony Romo may play worse than he did last week. If Carolina was so hurt on defense, I would take them to win. Cowboys win 24-21, I won't be surprised in the least if Dallas loses though.
Thats all for now... post on the Yankees Red Sox series coming later today. Back with NFL next week and some NHL stuff.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
FINALLY THE YANKEES ARE BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS
Okay I know that last year was the first time they missed the playoffs in like 15 years but still, October is not October unless the Yankees are playing baseball. And after last night, that is exactly what they will be doing.
There is still work to do as they must now win the division before they can celebrate. Kudos to the Captian Derek Jeter for putting his foot down on not celebrating until the division crown is had. Which could happen by Sunday with a sweep of the Sox who have blown 2 games in a row against the Royals.
With the post-season roster now the focus of everyone, it is my opinion that both Mitre and Gaudin should be on there and that they should do a combo start in the ALCS Game 4 where they each go in and pitch 3 innings. I think a bullpen with Joba in the 7th, Hughes in the 8th, and Mo in the 9th, with Robertson, Coke, Aceves, and Marte who be awesome. That may be too many pitchers but we will see what Girardi does. Maybe Marte and Mitre get left off, Bruney should not be there!
I am not worried about the Yankee bats, those are fine, it is the bench that Girardi will go with. I think you need Gardener, Hairston, Cevelli, and maybe Pena on the bench for the elements of defense and speed that they bring. I don't see Molina helping in anyway in the playoffs.
Hopefully the Yankees take another game in Anaheim today and get that bugaboo completely off their backs. And by the way, what a home run by A-Rod in the 3rd inning last night, he crushed the shit out of that ball!!!!
More on the Yankees either tomorrow or Friday.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is still work to do as they must now win the division before they can celebrate. Kudos to the Captian Derek Jeter for putting his foot down on not celebrating until the division crown is had. Which could happen by Sunday with a sweep of the Sox who have blown 2 games in a row against the Royals.
With the post-season roster now the focus of everyone, it is my opinion that both Mitre and Gaudin should be on there and that they should do a combo start in the ALCS Game 4 where they each go in and pitch 3 innings. I think a bullpen with Joba in the 7th, Hughes in the 8th, and Mo in the 9th, with Robertson, Coke, Aceves, and Marte who be awesome. That may be too many pitchers but we will see what Girardi does. Maybe Marte and Mitre get left off, Bruney should not be there!
I am not worried about the Yankee bats, those are fine, it is the bench that Girardi will go with. I think you need Gardener, Hairston, Cevelli, and maybe Pena on the bench for the elements of defense and speed that they bring. I don't see Molina helping in anyway in the playoffs.
Hopefully the Yankees take another game in Anaheim today and get that bugaboo completely off their backs. And by the way, what a home run by A-Rod in the 3rd inning last night, he crushed the shit out of that ball!!!!
More on the Yankees either tomorrow or Friday.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
WEEK 2 ANALYSIS/REACTION
Well Week 2 in the NFL was just as wild, if not wilder than Week 1. You had the opening of the new Cowboys Stadium, which I wrote about yesterday, Drew Brees stays hot Tom Brady was not, the Broncos are 2-0 and the Titans are 0-2, and a team pulled off a win having the ball less than one quarter of the game! Pretty Amazing shit!!!!!
My predictions were pretty decent as I went 12-4 in my picks. These are straight picks of winners and losers, no spread involved.
First off I completely whiffed on the Jets-Patriots game. I had the Patriots putting up 34 and the Jets putting up 17, boy was I wrong. The Patriots didn't make it into the endzone once and the just mustered only 16 against an injury-ravaged Patriots defense. My hat goes off to Rex Ryan and the Jets defense, those guys look serious. Wes Welker being out really flustered my prediction as I felt that he could have offset some of the Jets blitzes with quick screens. The re-match in Foxboro should be a great one.
The other 3 that I lossed were all complete upsets. Who would have thought that Jay Cutler would come back after a horrid performance against Green Bay to beat the defending SB champs? Certainly not me. Next, the Bengals go into Green Bay and beat the Packers, wow, and OchoCinco got his Lambaeu Leap. It's games like these that makes it hard for me to believe in Green Bay as a serious contender. The final game that I lost was the Texan putting up 34 on the Titans defense. After the way they performed lst week and with the Titans beating themselves against the Steelers, I thought Tennessee would run away with this one. They better right there ship and soon.
The wins:
I had the Saints beating the McNabbless Eagles by at least 14 and they won by 16, Drew Brees is simply amazing and may be on the path to pass Brady's 50 TD passes from 2007, Colston may be in line to break Moss's 23 TD's from that same year. Kolb put up good numbers, but too many mistakes, Eagles need a healthy Westbrook or they are done, what happened to the almighty Philly Defense from Week 1? I guess its harder to play against a QB who can actually throw the ball to his receivers.
Vikings beat the Lions, this was a given although I expected much bigger numbers from Adrian Peterson,
Ravens beat the Chargers, Joe Flacco is the real deal, and why San Diego on 4th down with the game on the line are you running a draw up the middle at Ray Lewis?
Bills beat the Bucs, T.O. had a big drop but redeemed himself, Bucs are a terrible team.
Falcons beat the Panthers, Panthers played better than last week but it was no match for the Falcons. Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez are getting along very nicely.
Raiders beat the Chiefs by 3. Jamarcus Russell had an ugly game, when is this guy going to put it all together?
Cardinals bounced back from a Week 1 loss to beat the Jaguars. Kurt Warner's completion percentage was a new record, does that really surprise anyone?
49ers look to be for real, we will have to see once they play some tougher teams, but you can't go wrong with a tough defense and an offense that revolves around Frank Gore.
I said that the Redskins would beat the Rams just barely, and well 9-7 is just barely. Redskins look terrible the first two weeks, I might have to take Detroit against them this week as an upset.
Broncos go to 2-0 beating up a bad Browns team, Mangini fining a player for leaving a hotel without paying for a bottle of water? The guy is a complete JACK ASS and should be out of the NFL once this season is over, he has no business being a Head Coach.
Look to yesterday's post for comments about the Giants-Cowboys game.
Peyton Manning is amazing, what more is there to say? Having possession of the ball for less than 15 minutes and pulling out a win on the road, simply amazing. On the other side, Colts defense looked pretty bad, they had better hope that Bob Sanders gets back soon and that the offense can stay on the field longer, otherwise this defense will be burnt to the ground by Week 10.
Stay tuned as Thursday I'll preview the Jets and Giants Week 3 games and give my NFL predictions on Friday. Yankees post coming either later today or tomorrow.
Cheers!!!!!!!
My predictions were pretty decent as I went 12-4 in my picks. These are straight picks of winners and losers, no spread involved.
First off I completely whiffed on the Jets-Patriots game. I had the Patriots putting up 34 and the Jets putting up 17, boy was I wrong. The Patriots didn't make it into the endzone once and the just mustered only 16 against an injury-ravaged Patriots defense. My hat goes off to Rex Ryan and the Jets defense, those guys look serious. Wes Welker being out really flustered my prediction as I felt that he could have offset some of the Jets blitzes with quick screens. The re-match in Foxboro should be a great one.
The other 3 that I lossed were all complete upsets. Who would have thought that Jay Cutler would come back after a horrid performance against Green Bay to beat the defending SB champs? Certainly not me. Next, the Bengals go into Green Bay and beat the Packers, wow, and OchoCinco got his Lambaeu Leap. It's games like these that makes it hard for me to believe in Green Bay as a serious contender. The final game that I lost was the Texan putting up 34 on the Titans defense. After the way they performed lst week and with the Titans beating themselves against the Steelers, I thought Tennessee would run away with this one. They better right there ship and soon.
The wins:
I had the Saints beating the McNabbless Eagles by at least 14 and they won by 16, Drew Brees is simply amazing and may be on the path to pass Brady's 50 TD passes from 2007, Colston may be in line to break Moss's 23 TD's from that same year. Kolb put up good numbers, but too many mistakes, Eagles need a healthy Westbrook or they are done, what happened to the almighty Philly Defense from Week 1? I guess its harder to play against a QB who can actually throw the ball to his receivers.
Vikings beat the Lions, this was a given although I expected much bigger numbers from Adrian Peterson,
Ravens beat the Chargers, Joe Flacco is the real deal, and why San Diego on 4th down with the game on the line are you running a draw up the middle at Ray Lewis?
Bills beat the Bucs, T.O. had a big drop but redeemed himself, Bucs are a terrible team.
Falcons beat the Panthers, Panthers played better than last week but it was no match for the Falcons. Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez are getting along very nicely.
Raiders beat the Chiefs by 3. Jamarcus Russell had an ugly game, when is this guy going to put it all together?
Cardinals bounced back from a Week 1 loss to beat the Jaguars. Kurt Warner's completion percentage was a new record, does that really surprise anyone?
49ers look to be for real, we will have to see once they play some tougher teams, but you can't go wrong with a tough defense and an offense that revolves around Frank Gore.
I said that the Redskins would beat the Rams just barely, and well 9-7 is just barely. Redskins look terrible the first two weeks, I might have to take Detroit against them this week as an upset.
Broncos go to 2-0 beating up a bad Browns team, Mangini fining a player for leaving a hotel without paying for a bottle of water? The guy is a complete JACK ASS and should be out of the NFL once this season is over, he has no business being a Head Coach.
Look to yesterday's post for comments about the Giants-Cowboys game.
Peyton Manning is amazing, what more is there to say? Having possession of the ball for less than 15 minutes and pulling out a win on the road, simply amazing. On the other side, Colts defense looked pretty bad, they had better hope that Bob Sanders gets back soon and that the offense can stay on the field longer, otherwise this defense will be burnt to the ground by Week 10.
Stay tuned as Thursday I'll preview the Jets and Giants Week 3 games and give my NFL predictions on Friday. Yankees post coming either later today or tomorrow.
Cheers!!!!!!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
REACTION FROM LAST NIGHT'S GIANTS-COWBOYS GAME
What a way to open a brand new, billion dollar stadium huh Jerry? Eat shit and die Mr. Jerry Jones, and the same can go for all those Cowboys fans who love to talk a big game about their team and their pretty-boy QB who has yet to accomplish anything meaningful in his pathetic career.
For all the hoopla about Jerry and his new stadium, how much it costs, and the rancor scoreboard, HOW BOUT YA PUT A TEAM ON THAT EXPENSIVE FIELD THAT CAN WIN A MEANINGFUL GAME?!?!?!?!?
The Dallas Cowboys, America's Team, what a heap of foul-smelling BULLSHIT! America's Team does not close out their old stadium and open their new one with such pathetic performances. Say all you want about the Cowboys running the ball, it got easy when the Giants lossed Tuck, after already being short of Chris Canty and Aaron Ross. Go to Hell Flozell Adams, his fat ass can't pass block so he trips people. He should be fined and suspended because after he injured Tuck, he tried doing it again to Osi.
The running game was the only thing working for Dallas. Sure they stopped the run, all that did was allow the entire nation to see that the Giants DO HAVE RECEIVERS!!! UP YOURS to all the critics during the off-season who claimed that the Giants would miss Plaxico "I shot myself in the leg" Burress. So much for a talented Dallas secondary, Mario Manninham and Steve Smith ran circles around Newman, Scandrick and Jenkins all night. Speaking of secondaries, how about a banged Giants secondary picking of Romo 3 times, granted one of them was a fluke, but still a great play. Bruce Johnson, the undrafted rookie gets a pick 6. And Kenny Phillips on a bum knee get 2, one which should have been a pick 6. Big ups to Corey Webster shutting down another NFC East number 1 receiver, did Roy Williams even play last night?
And how about the performance of Eli Manning? Anyone out there still doubting the contract extension he got? Hmmm..? The opening of another team's stadium, nationally televised, 105, thousand plus on hand and cool, Easy Eli drives the Giants down from their own 15 yard line with 1st and 20 and 3 miutes left on the clock, down the field to set up the game-winning field goal by Lawrence "Big Game" Tynes. After watching the 2007 Super Bowl run and then last night's game, I am convinced that nothing phases Eli Manning, by the way, last night was his 12th career 4th Quarter comeback victory, CHOKE ON THAT ELI HATERS!
And of course you cannot say enough about Manningham and Smith. Steve Smith made big catch after big catch. And the move ankle-breaking move he put on Scandrick on his TD play, wow did Scandrick look like a silly basterd who just got crossed by Allen Iverson. Mario Manningham had his official coming out party. His TD catch was AMAZING as was his performance. I think Hixon drops back to the 3rd receiver for now, and he might go down to 4 once Hakeem Nicks gets back, which is not a bad thing considering he could be of more use as a Kick Returner right now.
A few final thoughts;
I hope the Giants keep their concentration for the next 3 weeks as they have 3 easy games against the Bucs, Cheifs, and Raiders.
Hopefully during this stretch the Giants can get healthy. Tuck said he'd play next week. I'm hoping the same for Canty and Ross. Nicks and Ware need to get back, but its not urgent.
In my opinion, Danny Clark is becoming more and more of liability on defense. I would like to see Chase Blackburn and Bryan Kehl get more time on the field. Both are younger, faster and hungrier. The Giants also need to solve their Red Zone troubles. They have to score TD's and not settle for Field Goals. My question in this is where is Ramses Barden when we get inside the 10 yard line? They drafted him because he 6'6 and can be a Red Zone target, and we did no t see him once with the offense last night. Kevin Boss needs to be more invloved, as does Travis Beckum. All three of those guys can pose mismatches near the end zone.
The Giants need to be done with Sinorice Moss. If he is not going to be on the field with the offense, just trade him for whatever you can get or cut. He is a horrible return man and having 7 receivers makes no sense when there are injuries to both the defensive line and the secondary.
More tomorrow about my picks from this weekend, other games and a look at the Yankees important week against the Angels and Red Sox.
Cheers!
For all the hoopla about Jerry and his new stadium, how much it costs, and the rancor scoreboard, HOW BOUT YA PUT A TEAM ON THAT EXPENSIVE FIELD THAT CAN WIN A MEANINGFUL GAME?!?!?!?!?
The Dallas Cowboys, America's Team, what a heap of foul-smelling BULLSHIT! America's Team does not close out their old stadium and open their new one with such pathetic performances. Say all you want about the Cowboys running the ball, it got easy when the Giants lossed Tuck, after already being short of Chris Canty and Aaron Ross. Go to Hell Flozell Adams, his fat ass can't pass block so he trips people. He should be fined and suspended because after he injured Tuck, he tried doing it again to Osi.
The running game was the only thing working for Dallas. Sure they stopped the run, all that did was allow the entire nation to see that the Giants DO HAVE RECEIVERS!!! UP YOURS to all the critics during the off-season who claimed that the Giants would miss Plaxico "I shot myself in the leg" Burress. So much for a talented Dallas secondary, Mario Manninham and Steve Smith ran circles around Newman, Scandrick and Jenkins all night. Speaking of secondaries, how about a banged Giants secondary picking of Romo 3 times, granted one of them was a fluke, but still a great play. Bruce Johnson, the undrafted rookie gets a pick 6. And Kenny Phillips on a bum knee get 2, one which should have been a pick 6. Big ups to Corey Webster shutting down another NFC East number 1 receiver, did Roy Williams even play last night?
And how about the performance of Eli Manning? Anyone out there still doubting the contract extension he got? Hmmm..? The opening of another team's stadium, nationally televised, 105, thousand plus on hand and cool, Easy Eli drives the Giants down from their own 15 yard line with 1st and 20 and 3 miutes left on the clock, down the field to set up the game-winning field goal by Lawrence "Big Game" Tynes. After watching the 2007 Super Bowl run and then last night's game, I am convinced that nothing phases Eli Manning, by the way, last night was his 12th career 4th Quarter comeback victory, CHOKE ON THAT ELI HATERS!
And of course you cannot say enough about Manningham and Smith. Steve Smith made big catch after big catch. And the move ankle-breaking move he put on Scandrick on his TD play, wow did Scandrick look like a silly basterd who just got crossed by Allen Iverson. Mario Manningham had his official coming out party. His TD catch was AMAZING as was his performance. I think Hixon drops back to the 3rd receiver for now, and he might go down to 4 once Hakeem Nicks gets back, which is not a bad thing considering he could be of more use as a Kick Returner right now.
A few final thoughts;
I hope the Giants keep their concentration for the next 3 weeks as they have 3 easy games against the Bucs, Cheifs, and Raiders.
Hopefully during this stretch the Giants can get healthy. Tuck said he'd play next week. I'm hoping the same for Canty and Ross. Nicks and Ware need to get back, but its not urgent.
In my opinion, Danny Clark is becoming more and more of liability on defense. I would like to see Chase Blackburn and Bryan Kehl get more time on the field. Both are younger, faster and hungrier. The Giants also need to solve their Red Zone troubles. They have to score TD's and not settle for Field Goals. My question in this is where is Ramses Barden when we get inside the 10 yard line? They drafted him because he 6'6 and can be a Red Zone target, and we did no t see him once with the offense last night. Kevin Boss needs to be more invloved, as does Travis Beckum. All three of those guys can pose mismatches near the end zone.
The Giants need to be done with Sinorice Moss. If he is not going to be on the field with the offense, just trade him for whatever you can get or cut. He is a horrible return man and having 7 receivers makes no sense when there are injuries to both the defensive line and the secondary.
More tomorrow about my picks from this weekend, other games and a look at the Yankees important week against the Angels and Red Sox.
Cheers!
Friday, September 18, 2009
WEEK 2 IN THE NFL
Week 1 was in the 2009 NFL season was pretty good. You had all kinds of action and games. There were blowouts, close games, and wild finishes. Let's hope that Week 2 brings more of the same.
The New York Jets will play host this week to the New England Patriots. After an imppressive win over the not so impressive Texans, the Jets seem a little cocky. Maybe a little too cocky and have been doing a lot of talk during this week with regard to what they want to do to the Patriots. I agree with Tom Brady, talk is cheap. Before you go running your mouth (ahem, Kerry Rhodes) about wanting to embarass the Patriots, how about you just get a win in your building against them, where they have beat you 8 straight times. I like the confidence of the Jets, but to think that a thrashing of the Texans is going to translate into a thrashing of the Patriots is huge mistake. For 1, the Patriots don't have just 1 wide receiver like the Texans, so doubling Moss won't do anything because that leaves room for Welker, Galloway, Watson, and Chris Baker, thats right the former Jets Tight End who will have a huge impact on this game. Not to mention what Bill Belichick does to rookie QB's with his defense. My advice to the Jets, shut up, run the ball as much as you can, and keep both safeties deep to prevent the long ball, the Bart Scott and David Harris can take care of the underneath stuff.
Prediction: Patriots 34, Jets 17
On Sunday Night Football, the Giants will visit the Cowboys and their new stadium in what is perhaps the game of the week, with Jets Patriots a close second. This game should be very interesting. Dallas put very good numbers last week as they dominated the Bucs, only problem is that the Bucs are one of the worst teams in the league because of the major transition they are undergoing. The Giants last week dominated the Redskins at home, even though the score did not indicate it with stellar play from the D-Line and with a severely banged up secondary. The key to this game for both teams is to establish the run to prevent each team's pass rush from teeing off on the opposing Quarterback. The Giants' Chris Canty, the former Cowboy and Aaron Ross will miss the game. The Giants defense should be stout nonetheless, the only concern I think that there is for the Giants is the Dallas Tight Ends, Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. With how poor the Dallas defense looked last week, the Giants should be able to run the ball effectively and control the clock, the Dallas secondary can be had and so with a good running game, Eli should be able to pick them apart. This one could turn into a shootout real fast but I suspect that it won't. This game could go either way.
Prediction: Giants 24, Dallas 21
The Rest of the Games:
Give the me the Falcons over the Panthers. Jake Delhomme looked like he was hurt las week as there was nothing on his throws. Matt Ryan is the next big thing in the NFL.
I'll take the Vikings over the Lions. This one is a gimme. Adrian Peterson should run for 400 yards and 8 TD's against the pathetic Lions.
I'll take the Packers over the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers is on his way to being a star and the Green Bay defense looked awesome in its new 3-4 scheme last Sunday. I feel bad for Carson Palmer, such a good QB, ravaged by injuries and a stink team around him. HARD KNOCKS didn't fool me, this team is bad.
Titans over the Texans. Titans beat themselves last week against the Steelers, that won't happen again. It's hard to believe that Matt Schaub was one of the most sought after QB's a couple of seasons ago, he looked terrible last week.
For two teams that were supposed to be in the pits this year, both the Raiders and Chiefs surprised me last week. Raiders run game and defense looked pretty good against the Chargers and should look good again. Raiders over the Chiefs.
The Eagles looked and played up to all the offseason hype last week against a bad Panthers team. Now McNabb is hurt and they face the almighty Drew Brees and the Saints passing attack. No McNabb, no Philly win, Saints over the Eagles by at least 14.
I love Steve Spagnuolo as a coach but his team is just awful. Then again the Redskins are pretty awful themselves, but they have more talent at more positions so I take them by default. Redskins barely over the Rams.
The defending NFC champions got off to a bad start with a loss to divisional rival 49ers last week. Breaston may not play and Boldin is hurting and the Jags nearly pulled off the upset against the Colts. I can't see Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald going 0-2. Cardinals over the Jaguars.
A big win for the 49ers last week should have their confidence up this week. Mike Singletary won't let it go to their heads and have them ready to go again. The Seahawks beat up on a bad Rams team last week and are a little banged up on defense. 49ers over the Seahawks.
Bills lost a heartbreaker last week. They have no one to blame but themselves as they lead by 11 with about 4 minutes left. They should be angry this week and the Bucs are miserable on defense. Edwards should have a similar day to Romo with T.O. and Lee Evans at his disposal against a swiss cheese secondary. Bill win big over Bucs.
Both the Steelers and Bears lost their best defender last week. The Bears lost Brian Urlacher for the year and the Steelers lost Troy Polamalu for 3-6 weeks after his one man show in the first quarter of last week's game againt the Titans. Steelers can survive the short-term without Polamalu because of Big Ben. A bounce back performance from Cutler won't be enough. Steelers over Bears in a game of field goals.
Broncos and Browns is matchup of AFC uglies. Broncos got as lucky as you can get with the way they won over the Bengals. Browns are still trying to tackle Adrian Peterson. Mangini is an idiot, plain and simple. Josh McDaniels starts off 2-0. Broncos over Browns.
It's a new era in Baltimore with Joe Flacco at the helm. Everybody was wondering how the Ravens would replace Bart Scott and Jim Leonard, they replaced them with a ton of offense. The Chargers looked very average against the Raiders. Ravens blowout the Chargers.
Monday Night Football presents the Colts and the Dolphins. The Colts lost Anthony Gonzales for a while but when has losing a starting receiver ever stopped Peyton Manning. He still has Reggie Wayne who is a close second to Larry Fitzgerald as the best receiver in the league. The Dolphins won't sneak up on anybody this year, much like the Tampa Bay Rays didn't. Colts over the Dolphins.
That's all for now. Be back on Tuesday to anaylze Week 2 and see how my predictions went.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!
The New York Jets will play host this week to the New England Patriots. After an imppressive win over the not so impressive Texans, the Jets seem a little cocky. Maybe a little too cocky and have been doing a lot of talk during this week with regard to what they want to do to the Patriots. I agree with Tom Brady, talk is cheap. Before you go running your mouth (ahem, Kerry Rhodes) about wanting to embarass the Patriots, how about you just get a win in your building against them, where they have beat you 8 straight times. I like the confidence of the Jets, but to think that a thrashing of the Texans is going to translate into a thrashing of the Patriots is huge mistake. For 1, the Patriots don't have just 1 wide receiver like the Texans, so doubling Moss won't do anything because that leaves room for Welker, Galloway, Watson, and Chris Baker, thats right the former Jets Tight End who will have a huge impact on this game. Not to mention what Bill Belichick does to rookie QB's with his defense. My advice to the Jets, shut up, run the ball as much as you can, and keep both safeties deep to prevent the long ball, the Bart Scott and David Harris can take care of the underneath stuff.
Prediction: Patriots 34, Jets 17
On Sunday Night Football, the Giants will visit the Cowboys and their new stadium in what is perhaps the game of the week, with Jets Patriots a close second. This game should be very interesting. Dallas put very good numbers last week as they dominated the Bucs, only problem is that the Bucs are one of the worst teams in the league because of the major transition they are undergoing. The Giants last week dominated the Redskins at home, even though the score did not indicate it with stellar play from the D-Line and with a severely banged up secondary. The key to this game for both teams is to establish the run to prevent each team's pass rush from teeing off on the opposing Quarterback. The Giants' Chris Canty, the former Cowboy and Aaron Ross will miss the game. The Giants defense should be stout nonetheless, the only concern I think that there is for the Giants is the Dallas Tight Ends, Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. With how poor the Dallas defense looked last week, the Giants should be able to run the ball effectively and control the clock, the Dallas secondary can be had and so with a good running game, Eli should be able to pick them apart. This one could turn into a shootout real fast but I suspect that it won't. This game could go either way.
Prediction: Giants 24, Dallas 21
The Rest of the Games:
Give the me the Falcons over the Panthers. Jake Delhomme looked like he was hurt las week as there was nothing on his throws. Matt Ryan is the next big thing in the NFL.
I'll take the Vikings over the Lions. This one is a gimme. Adrian Peterson should run for 400 yards and 8 TD's against the pathetic Lions.
I'll take the Packers over the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers is on his way to being a star and the Green Bay defense looked awesome in its new 3-4 scheme last Sunday. I feel bad for Carson Palmer, such a good QB, ravaged by injuries and a stink team around him. HARD KNOCKS didn't fool me, this team is bad.
Titans over the Texans. Titans beat themselves last week against the Steelers, that won't happen again. It's hard to believe that Matt Schaub was one of the most sought after QB's a couple of seasons ago, he looked terrible last week.
For two teams that were supposed to be in the pits this year, both the Raiders and Chiefs surprised me last week. Raiders run game and defense looked pretty good against the Chargers and should look good again. Raiders over the Chiefs.
The Eagles looked and played up to all the offseason hype last week against a bad Panthers team. Now McNabb is hurt and they face the almighty Drew Brees and the Saints passing attack. No McNabb, no Philly win, Saints over the Eagles by at least 14.
I love Steve Spagnuolo as a coach but his team is just awful. Then again the Redskins are pretty awful themselves, but they have more talent at more positions so I take them by default. Redskins barely over the Rams.
The defending NFC champions got off to a bad start with a loss to divisional rival 49ers last week. Breaston may not play and Boldin is hurting and the Jags nearly pulled off the upset against the Colts. I can't see Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald going 0-2. Cardinals over the Jaguars.
A big win for the 49ers last week should have their confidence up this week. Mike Singletary won't let it go to their heads and have them ready to go again. The Seahawks beat up on a bad Rams team last week and are a little banged up on defense. 49ers over the Seahawks.
Bills lost a heartbreaker last week. They have no one to blame but themselves as they lead by 11 with about 4 minutes left. They should be angry this week and the Bucs are miserable on defense. Edwards should have a similar day to Romo with T.O. and Lee Evans at his disposal against a swiss cheese secondary. Bill win big over Bucs.
Both the Steelers and Bears lost their best defender last week. The Bears lost Brian Urlacher for the year and the Steelers lost Troy Polamalu for 3-6 weeks after his one man show in the first quarter of last week's game againt the Titans. Steelers can survive the short-term without Polamalu because of Big Ben. A bounce back performance from Cutler won't be enough. Steelers over Bears in a game of field goals.
Broncos and Browns is matchup of AFC uglies. Broncos got as lucky as you can get with the way they won over the Bengals. Browns are still trying to tackle Adrian Peterson. Mangini is an idiot, plain and simple. Josh McDaniels starts off 2-0. Broncos over Browns.
It's a new era in Baltimore with Joe Flacco at the helm. Everybody was wondering how the Ravens would replace Bart Scott and Jim Leonard, they replaced them with a ton of offense. The Chargers looked very average against the Raiders. Ravens blowout the Chargers.
Monday Night Football presents the Colts and the Dolphins. The Colts lost Anthony Gonzales for a while but when has losing a starting receiver ever stopped Peyton Manning. He still has Reggie Wayne who is a close second to Larry Fitzgerald as the best receiver in the league. The Dolphins won't sneak up on anybody this year, much like the Tampa Bay Rays didn't. Colts over the Dolphins.
That's all for now. Be back on Tuesday to anaylze Week 2 and see how my predictions went.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
HEY GIRARDI: LET"S SEE MORE CERVELLI!!!!
Last night had to be amazing for Francisco Cervelli. What a year this kid has had! Being called up because of the injuries to Posada and Molina and playing his butt off during his time in the Majors. A solid fielder and calls a great game. People forget that it was him behind the plate for C.C.'s 4-hit shut out against the Orioles. And he is not nearly the liability that Molina is at the plate. He is always busting it down the line every time he makes contact whether it is a hit to the outfield or a grounder. It was very sad to see him get demoted once Molina was healthy again.
But now he is back with the expansion of the rosters and after last night's walk-off single that helped the Yankees to a 5-4 win over Toronto, I think that he should start the next two games that Posada is suspended and should be on the playoff roster instead of Molina. Last night he showed that he is not afraid of the big moment and that he can actually produce in that situation, two characteristics that are essential for any player to succeed while wearing the Yankee pinstripes. Once the playoffs begin, you techincally only need one catcher but I believe that you have to have one on the bench in case of an injury or anything kind of emergency. Most people when it comes to the playoffs would rather go with experience than youth in the post-season but this year I feel differently. Cervelli adds a dimension that Molina does not have, speed. And with Yankees almost certainly detined to matchup against either the Angels or the Red Sox, you need those guys on the bench that can create havoc on the base paths.
I think it would be for the best of Cervelli and the Yankee organization to give this kid a taste of the post-season now, you know by his play that he will appreciate it. Let him get a chance to play under the ultimate spotlight of October. And then next season you have Posada take him under his wing for the year and groom him to be a Yankee catcher of the future. It starts with letting him play in October.
But now he is back with the expansion of the rosters and after last night's walk-off single that helped the Yankees to a 5-4 win over Toronto, I think that he should start the next two games that Posada is suspended and should be on the playoff roster instead of Molina. Last night he showed that he is not afraid of the big moment and that he can actually produce in that situation, two characteristics that are essential for any player to succeed while wearing the Yankee pinstripes. Once the playoffs begin, you techincally only need one catcher but I believe that you have to have one on the bench in case of an injury or anything kind of emergency. Most people when it comes to the playoffs would rather go with experience than youth in the post-season but this year I feel differently. Cervelli adds a dimension that Molina does not have, speed. And with Yankees almost certainly detined to matchup against either the Angels or the Red Sox, you need those guys on the bench that can create havoc on the base paths.
I think it would be for the best of Cervelli and the Yankee organization to give this kid a taste of the post-season now, you know by his play that he will appreciate it. Let him get a chance to play under the ultimate spotlight of October. And then next season you have Posada take him under his wing for the year and groom him to be a Yankee catcher of the future. It starts with letting him play in October.
Monday, September 14, 2009
ROUND UP OF RECENT EVENTS
Hello all, it's been a while since I've posted anything, been real busy but theres lots to talk about so lets get into it.
Before I get into football, lets talk baseball.
The Yankees are looking as strong as I've seen them in the last 6 or 7 years. From top to bottom this whole team is clicking and are setting themselves up for a huge October. Only concerns right now are the lack-luster performances by A.J. Burnett. With probably two more starts before the post-season, he needs to get his chit together. I also hope that the "Joba Rules" have not messed with Joba's head and that he can perform well in the playoffs. I sure hope that Dave Robertson can make it back from injury by the start of the playoffs. He has really stepped it up this year and do not want to see Bruney or Edwar Ramirez on the playoff roster. I think a bullpen of Mitre, Gaudin, Marte, Aceves, Robertson, Coke, Hughes and Mariano is solid and should be able to get the job done. Especially is Joba is in the pen in the ALDS. If the Yankees can carry the high-powered offense into the post-season, then they will dominate, this lineup is too good for them not to score runs, especially when they get into the opposing bullpen. And with the likes of Gardner, Hinske, and Hairston on the bench, the Yankees will have a lot of versatility...
As for the Mets, all I can say is that they let their own park get into their heads. It seems that every other team has no problem belting home runs out of there except them. Meanwhile, Pedro's gem yesterday was salt in the wound as Minaya probably wanted to cry watching that game. All the Mets can hope for is that Minaya starts using his brain this offseason because he has not been doing so in the past. The talk that they might bring back Sheffield and Delgado has to make you wonder why Minaya is in baseball altogether...
Onto the NFL...
The Jets were impressive yesterday with a dominant defense and mark Sanchez playing exceptional in his first career game against the Texans. The running game took a while to get going but it did and the Jets came away with a win. Darrelle Reevis is one of the best corners in the league and Bart Scott is an animal. Scott and David Harris combine for one of the best LB tandems in the league. This defense will only get better when Ellis and Pace get back from suspension. Stuckey showed deep play ability and Keller can catch but his blocking has to be better. Overall the Jets looked real good yesterday. However, the real test for this team is in the coming weeks with games against New England, Tennessee, New Orleans and Miami. This opening game has given a new hope and outlook to a franchise that has not been to the Super Bowl in 41 years. Not saying that they will be there this year, but with this defense and Sanchez, they are a mere few years away. Should be a very interesting game next week to see the Jets defense against the Patriots offense.
So much for all the critics who claimed the Giants had no receivers. Steve Smith had 6 catches for 80 yards, Kevin "The" Boss had to big grabs in the 4th quarter, and Mario Manningham showed just a glimpse of what's to come. The running game stuggled most of the day due in part to the Redskins using a lot of 8 men in the box and the double-teaming of Haynesworth but the passing game more than made up for it. Speaking of what' to come, the Giants D-Line was dominant with the exception of the Redskins first running play. Welcome back Osi who had the sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and return TD all in one play, he did so two years ago against the 49ers. Justin Tuck contiues to show what a beast he is, and his play against the run continues to improve, had a tackle on Clinton Portis that went for a 6-yard loss. The Giants defense wreaked havoc all day and this was without Canty having played in the pre-season, without Michael Boley, and without Clint Sintim who will also be apart of the pass rush. The secondary was thin without Ross and Dockery but it did not matter. Corey Webster showed yesterday why he is a shutdown corner as Santanna Moss was blanketed all day. Kenny Phillips patrolling deep took away any real deep attempts by the Redskins and Terrell Thomas and Bruce Johnson both showed real promise. Hopefully the injuries to Hakeem Nicks and Danny Ware are not to serious as both of those guys could be big time contributors. Looking forward to Giants and Dallas next week in the Cowboys new stadium in Sunday night.
NFL Roundup:
Delhomme's time might be up in Carolina as he and they looked awful yesterday. QB controversy gonna brew up earlier than we expected with the McNabb injury. If he is out for a few weeks and Vick gets the start and performs well in week 3, there could be trouble in Philly.
Drew Brees is insane. Granted it was against the Lions, but 6 TD's in the first game, that's jsut nuts.
Adrian Peterson's name should be Superman. 180 yards rushing an d 3 TD's plus throwing around defenders while doing so, simply amazing.
How bout that Denver Cincinnati finish? What a play!!! Kyle Orton 1-0 with a game winning TD pass, Jay Cutler 0-1 with 4 INT's.
The 49ers pull off big upset agaist the Cardinals in Arizona! I'm not a big believer in projecting a season for a team based on the opening weeks (2007 Giants started 0-2 and won the Super Bowl) but the 49ers might be emerging as a legitimate Wild Card contender and could make a run at the NFC West this year.
The Baltimore Ravens netting 500 yards of offense! WTF? Never in my wildest dreams did I see that coming, I don't think anyone else did either. Joe Flacco is the real deal, they will push the Steelers hard for the division crown, especially if the Steelers falter while Polamalu is out.
Peyton Manning wins another game, nothing new for that guy.
Tonight's games should warm-ups for both teh Patriots and the Chargers. The Bills have no O-Line and T.O. is bound to off tonight while on the sideline watching Brady to Moss for TD's. Chargers play Oakland. Nuff said.
Thats all for now. Be back soon with more Yankees news as they inch closer to clinching the AL East and my predictions for next week's NFL action.
Cheers!
Before I get into football, lets talk baseball.
The Yankees are looking as strong as I've seen them in the last 6 or 7 years. From top to bottom this whole team is clicking and are setting themselves up for a huge October. Only concerns right now are the lack-luster performances by A.J. Burnett. With probably two more starts before the post-season, he needs to get his chit together. I also hope that the "Joba Rules" have not messed with Joba's head and that he can perform well in the playoffs. I sure hope that Dave Robertson can make it back from injury by the start of the playoffs. He has really stepped it up this year and do not want to see Bruney or Edwar Ramirez on the playoff roster. I think a bullpen of Mitre, Gaudin, Marte, Aceves, Robertson, Coke, Hughes and Mariano is solid and should be able to get the job done. Especially is Joba is in the pen in the ALDS. If the Yankees can carry the high-powered offense into the post-season, then they will dominate, this lineup is too good for them not to score runs, especially when they get into the opposing bullpen. And with the likes of Gardner, Hinske, and Hairston on the bench, the Yankees will have a lot of versatility...
As for the Mets, all I can say is that they let their own park get into their heads. It seems that every other team has no problem belting home runs out of there except them. Meanwhile, Pedro's gem yesterday was salt in the wound as Minaya probably wanted to cry watching that game. All the Mets can hope for is that Minaya starts using his brain this offseason because he has not been doing so in the past. The talk that they might bring back Sheffield and Delgado has to make you wonder why Minaya is in baseball altogether...
Onto the NFL...
The Jets were impressive yesterday with a dominant defense and mark Sanchez playing exceptional in his first career game against the Texans. The running game took a while to get going but it did and the Jets came away with a win. Darrelle Reevis is one of the best corners in the league and Bart Scott is an animal. Scott and David Harris combine for one of the best LB tandems in the league. This defense will only get better when Ellis and Pace get back from suspension. Stuckey showed deep play ability and Keller can catch but his blocking has to be better. Overall the Jets looked real good yesterday. However, the real test for this team is in the coming weeks with games against New England, Tennessee, New Orleans and Miami. This opening game has given a new hope and outlook to a franchise that has not been to the Super Bowl in 41 years. Not saying that they will be there this year, but with this defense and Sanchez, they are a mere few years away. Should be a very interesting game next week to see the Jets defense against the Patriots offense.
So much for all the critics who claimed the Giants had no receivers. Steve Smith had 6 catches for 80 yards, Kevin "The" Boss had to big grabs in the 4th quarter, and Mario Manningham showed just a glimpse of what's to come. The running game stuggled most of the day due in part to the Redskins using a lot of 8 men in the box and the double-teaming of Haynesworth but the passing game more than made up for it. Speaking of what' to come, the Giants D-Line was dominant with the exception of the Redskins first running play. Welcome back Osi who had the sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and return TD all in one play, he did so two years ago against the 49ers. Justin Tuck contiues to show what a beast he is, and his play against the run continues to improve, had a tackle on Clinton Portis that went for a 6-yard loss. The Giants defense wreaked havoc all day and this was without Canty having played in the pre-season, without Michael Boley, and without Clint Sintim who will also be apart of the pass rush. The secondary was thin without Ross and Dockery but it did not matter. Corey Webster showed yesterday why he is a shutdown corner as Santanna Moss was blanketed all day. Kenny Phillips patrolling deep took away any real deep attempts by the Redskins and Terrell Thomas and Bruce Johnson both showed real promise. Hopefully the injuries to Hakeem Nicks and Danny Ware are not to serious as both of those guys could be big time contributors. Looking forward to Giants and Dallas next week in the Cowboys new stadium in Sunday night.
NFL Roundup:
Delhomme's time might be up in Carolina as he and they looked awful yesterday. QB controversy gonna brew up earlier than we expected with the McNabb injury. If he is out for a few weeks and Vick gets the start and performs well in week 3, there could be trouble in Philly.
Drew Brees is insane. Granted it was against the Lions, but 6 TD's in the first game, that's jsut nuts.
Adrian Peterson's name should be Superman. 180 yards rushing an d 3 TD's plus throwing around defenders while doing so, simply amazing.
How bout that Denver Cincinnati finish? What a play!!! Kyle Orton 1-0 with a game winning TD pass, Jay Cutler 0-1 with 4 INT's.
The 49ers pull off big upset agaist the Cardinals in Arizona! I'm not a big believer in projecting a season for a team based on the opening weeks (2007 Giants started 0-2 and won the Super Bowl) but the 49ers might be emerging as a legitimate Wild Card contender and could make a run at the NFC West this year.
The Baltimore Ravens netting 500 yards of offense! WTF? Never in my wildest dreams did I see that coming, I don't think anyone else did either. Joe Flacco is the real deal, they will push the Steelers hard for the division crown, especially if the Steelers falter while Polamalu is out.
Peyton Manning wins another game, nothing new for that guy.
Tonight's games should warm-ups for both teh Patriots and the Chargers. The Bills have no O-Line and T.O. is bound to off tonight while on the sideline watching Brady to Moss for TD's. Chargers play Oakland. Nuff said.
Thats all for now. Be back soon with more Yankees news as they inch closer to clinching the AL East and my predictions for next week's NFL action.
Cheers!
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