Friday, September 21, 2007
Picks are In for Week 3
Season: 19 – 13
What a week it was in the NFL this past Sunday with numerous upsets, thrilling finishes, and out-of-nowhere performances. On to Week 3 now and I have to say, prognosticators like myself are growing concerned about teams off to slow starts while eying 2-0 teams, looking to separate the pretenders from the contenders. A trio of teams in the NFC who were popular picks to win the conference currently sport records of 0-2. One of those teams is the Saints whose defense has allowed 65 points in two games. There offense is another issue which I'll address later. The other two are the Rams and Eagles. The Eagles have traditionally started strong, owning a 7-2 record the past three seasons in the month of September. QB Donovan McNabb has appeared sluggish and a bit rusty following a grotesque knee injury last season. Usually a team tough to beat at home, St. Louis has lost two games in a row at the Edward Jones Dome in which they were the favorites. The rush defense, a question mark coming into the season, has been exploited in both losses. Each of these teams need a win in Week 3 as 0-3 is a hole from which, few teams recover.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – Patriots
Bills QB J.P. Losman is in desperate need of a good game, star receiver Lee Evans has just 22 yards receiving, and the Bills offense has looked wretched in the first two weeks. Unfortunately for Buffalo, they travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots. New England's defense stymied the Chargers last week, forcing three turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The news doesn't get any better on the other side of the ball either. The Bills defense will try to slow down the best offense in football thus far led by Tom Brady who is completely nearly 80% of his passes. New England has won each of their first two games by a score of 38-14. That could be a conservative prediction for this game.
San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Steelers
The 49ers travel to Heinz Field to take on the 2-0 Steelers who thrashed Buffalo last week 26-3. The Steelers face there first real test of the young season against San Francisco who will rely heavily upon RB Frank Gore who turned in a gutsy effort against the Rams last week. Just days after his mother's funeral and suffering from a leg strain, the 3rd year man out Miami scored twice including an electrifying 43-yard scamper on fourth-and-1. The 49ers are 2-0 in spite of QB Alex Smith who has struggled thus far. The Steelers will challenge the young QB with an array of blitzes. Smith must not turn the ball over to have any chance in pulling off the upset. The Steelers prove too tough at home.
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens – Cardinals
The formula for success against the Ravens is simple. Stop the run, force whichever mediocre QB the Ravens have under center to throw, and don't turn the ball. If the Cardinals can do this, I believe they can grind out a win.
San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers – Chargers
The Packers defense has proven to be a force in the first two weeks of the season. This week, they face their biggest test when Ladainian Tomlinson and the Chargers come to town. Chargers win a tough game on the road late.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Colts
The Texans have never beaten the Colts. This game, they'll play Peyton Manning's squad tough but the absence of Matt Schaub's favorite target, Andre Johnson will certainly hurt their chances.
Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs – Chiefs
Tarvaris Jackson is a turnover machine. Last week, Minnesota lost a heart-breaker in Detroit thanks in large part to Jackson's four interceptions. The Chiefs have looked horrendous as well but at home, they should be able to grind out a win against the turnover-prone Vikings.
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks – Seahawks
One would think 72 points in a team's first two games would be good enough for a 2-0 record. Not so for the Bengals. Cincinnati's offense led by QB Carson Palmer looks as potent as ever but unfortunately, the defense is once again as bad as the offense is good. The Seahawks defense should slow down the Bengals offense just enough to escape with a victory.
Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders – Browns
What do QB Derek Anderson and the Browns have for an encore following their 51-point outburst against Cincinnati? We'll find out Sunday in Oakland. Derek Anderson went from a backup QB turned starter with a short leash to AFC Player of the Week following his 5 TD performance against the Bengals. They'll be going up against one of the better defensive teams in the league in the Raiders. After watching the game last week, it's hard not to like the weapons the Browns have on offense.
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets – Jets
This is a must win game for a pair of 0-2 teams. A win for one of the starting QBs is just as important as both Chad Pennington and Trent Green are fighting to stave off challenges from recent draft picks. For the loser of this game, the calls for his backup will only get louder.
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles – Eagles
When the schedule came out, most experts probably thought this would be a matchup of a 2-0 team and a 0-2 team. However, few must have thought that the 0-2 team would be the Eagles. Donovan McNabb and the Eagles offense have managed just one touchdown through eight quarters of play. On the other hand, Kicker David Akers is making fantasy owners happy with six field goals thus far. The Lions, 2-0, face a stiff challenge, traveling to Philadelphia in hopes of their first 3-0 start since 1980.
St Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Bucs – Rams
A revamped defense and All-Pro RB Steven Jackson were supposed to lead the Rams back into the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Through two games, Jackson has been bottled up. But the real problem is on the defensive side of the ball. Head Coach Scott Linehan thought he had addressed the run defense when he drafted DE Adam Carriker with their first pick in the 2007 draft. Unfortunately, the former Nebraska Cornhusker has been outmuscled, contributing only 3 tackles through two games. The Rams are giving up 137.5 yards per game on the ground. Jeff Garcia has played mistake free football thus far for Tampa but that will come to an end this week. The Rams need this game too much not to have it.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos - Broncos
Jacksonville travels to Denver this week to take on the Broncos who are incredibly fortunate to be 2-0 instead of 0-2. First, there was the Chinese Fire Drill-esque kick against Buffalo. With no timeouts left, the Field Goal unit rushed onto the field, managing to snap the ball just as time expired as K Jason Elam sent the ball through the uprights for a 15-14 win. In overtime last week, they called timeout just as Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski kicked a game-winning field goal. Do over. Janikowski’s second try hits the left upright. Broncos Elam booted the winning field goal on the ensuing possession. This week, the Broncos host the Jaguars. Jacksonville’s defense must shut down the cutback lanes that were exploited by Tennessee’s Chris Brown in Week 1 to the tune of 175 yards. The Broncos’ zone-blocking scheme will give the Jaguars fits all day.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Panthers
Every time I checked in on the Falcons/Jaguars last week, Falcon QB Joey Harrington was getting sacked. He’s been sacked 13 times in just sixty-five dropbacks. That’s twenty percent of the time! Head Coach Bobby Petrino’s offense stresses three-step drops and quick passes. Harrington must get rid of the ball. It doesn’t figure to get any better this week as the Falcons face DE Julius Peppers and the Carolina Panther’s defense.
New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Redskins
Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin entered the season, knowing that he was on the hot seat. But could he have ever expected the seat to get this hot this quickly? A stout defense has always been a staple of Coughlin-coached teams but the Giants defense has been atrocious thus far giving up eighty-points through two games. The injury bug hit the Giants, especially hard but the snake-bit Giants have already lost their starting RB while QB Eli Manning and lone receiving threat Plaxico Burress try to play through their own injuries. The Giants will have to come up with a Herculean effort to defeat the Redskins this Sunday.
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears – Cowboys
I feel pretty stupid having not picked the Cowboys to be at the top of the NFC. In the vastly weaker conference, each contender had major issues coming into the season. The Seahawks had Shaun Alexander coming back from an injury-riddled 2006 campaign. The Saints had a very suspect pass defense. The Eagles had Donovan McNabb attempting to return from a serious knee injury. The Bears have Rex Grossman as their QB. The Cowboys This is a tough pick this week but I can’t in good conscience take the Bears with Wild-Eyed Rexy running the show. He has been terrible in his first two starts and it doesn’t figure to get much better this week.
Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints – Saints
This game is a must win for the Saints. They’re at home after two tough road games but they face a well-coached Titans team that nearly beat the Colts last week. Somebody recently said something about Vince Young that I thought was pretty accurate: “It’s never pretty with Vince Young but they’re never out of the game with him either.” Seems about right to me…especially on turf. New Orleans needs this game. I think they’ll make more of an effort to run the ball in order to open up the vertical passing game. Head Coach Sean Payton is a good game-planner and I think he’ll find a way to neutralize Young and get a Saints victory.
Labels: National Football League, nfl analysis, NFL predictions, NFL Week 3, Pro Pick
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tigers/Indians with the AL Central on the Line: My Perspective
With the Indians hosting Detroit and their AL Central lead a mere four and a half games, I thought it would be a perfect time to keep an online journal of the game. It turned out to be a spectacular game that featured a little bit of everything.6:52 EST: As I walked home from the Carroll Street stop , I had one thought that I couldn't shake out of my head as I looked forward to the Indians game against the Tigers. How confident can a Tribe fan be when the best offense in the league is going against your starter whose fastball tops out at 85 miles per hour?
7:24 EST: Travis Hafner strikes out with a runner at third and one out. What happened to the guy who managed a .308 batting average with 34 homers and 111 runs batted in his past three seasons? Suddenly, he is a .250 hitter who continually strikes out with runners in scoring position. In the midst of his worst season as an Indian, he signed a four year contract extension in July. However, if the Indians make the playoffs, he is a guy that is capable of carrying a team like David Ortiz did for the 2004 Red Sox. Mark my words. All is forgiven as Asdrubal Cabrera comes home on a wild pitch. 1-0 Indians.
8:15 EST: The Indians are playing defense like it's 2006 all over. The team is booting balls left and right. Lofton, who manages to recover on his gaffe, Peralta, and last but not least, Jason Michaels who overruns a ball in right. This all happens while I am on the phone, trying to clarify my order with the woman at the Chinese place down the block.
ME: Uhhh... I'd like..." Peralta bobbles it...throws...not in time, a run scores)
Moment of silence as I try not to swear out loud.
HER: Hello? Hello?
ME: Uhh...yeah. we'd like one Unagi Udon, one Buri, and one Dau Dua Xam Tom.
HER: Buri, yes? What Buri?
Santiago up to the plate...bunts to the first side of the rubber. Martinez in, nobody covers first, anothe runs scores. A perfect drag bunt and the Tigers now lead 4-1.
I throw up my hands as I look at my roommate as I try to keep it together. I walk into his bedroom in order to maintain focus and complete the order.
ME: Yeah, uhhh, I guess we'd like a Buri with chicken???
HER: Okay...so we have one Buri Kawon (?), one Unagi Udon, and a Dau Dua Xam Tom (Inaudible).
ME: Uhh, sure. Sounds about right, thanks.
I come back out of the bedroom to see the final out of the inning as the Indians now trail 5-1.
8:27 EST: Peralta hits a solo shot. Typical, the guy never gets a big hit when it matters. Following two back to back singles and a lineout, the inning comes to an end when Catcher Kelly Shoppach grounds into a double play. Why isn't Ryan Garko in the lineup? The Tribe never hit soft-throwers like Kenny Rodgers well. Why not have your best hitters in the lineup for the most important game of the year thus far???
8:35 EST: Watching Paul Byrd pitch against Gary Sheffield is like watching the cow getting dropped into the velociraptor's pit in Jurassic Park. Bad news for the cow, and similar news for Byrd. Sheffield just misses one as he takes a ferocious cut and hits the ball a mile high on the infield.
9:27 EST: The Indians continue to produce against the Tigers bullpen. What a difference a year makes. Zumaya made Indians hitters look foolish last year. They beat him back in Detroit just last month with three runs in the tenth. They'll need three here. Two on, nobody out.
9:32 EST: Jhonny Peralta swings and belts one to right. Ordonez looks up and it's gone! Tie game. The most unlikely of heroes, Peralta lives to strike out in key situations. I assumed he'd be overmatched against Zumaya. My roommate Justin creates a new nickname just moments before the blast: J-Honey. Iffy at best, but after the home run, it sticks.
9:33 EST: We go to the 9th...please don't put in Joe Borowski.
9:34 - 9:45 EST: Borowski, sporting a 7.18 ERA against the Tigers this year, tightropes through the 9th, getting Brandon Inge to end the inning. The inning causes more curses and stress than can be related in this column. BIG SIGH OF RELIEF.
10:08 EST: Going extras...if this was a Yankee/Red Sox game, it would be 11:30 EST.
10:37 EST: Where would the Indians be without Rafael Betancourt. He comes on to face Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, and Pudge Rodriguez over two innings. His line: 2 innings pitched, one hit, and four strikeouts. He was dominant again tonight.
10:44 EST: Casey Blake, a run-of-the-mill average joe in this lineup, hits his second walk-off home run in four nights. The guy is hitting like .130 with runners in scoring position. He hits a 1-2 curve over the fence in left-center field. He is mobbed at home plate and receives a pie in the face during the postgame interview, a celebratory act that has become a staple of Cleveland last at-bat victories this season.
10:45 EST: My father calls to see if I had been watching. "Didn't miss a minute of it Dad," I say as we rehash the game one more time.
Labels: American League Central, American League Playoff Hunt, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Tribe
Monday, September 17, 2007
A Stand Up Day for Browns and their Fans
Nursing a bit of a hangover, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my friend in a packed bar in
But suddenly, the defense held. And the Browns managed a couple of field goals. Then, something happened that nobody could have anticipated: the game became a shootout. Up and down the field each team went. Long kick returns, open receivers, and little defense resulted in a jaw-dropping fifty-nine points in just over twenty minutes of action between the second and third quarters. For Browns fans who witnessed last week's debacle, it was like watching a completely different team. The statistics, staggering in any situation, are down right ridiculous when compared to Week 1. Against
Numbers aside, three instances during the game stand out to me as key moments that went right for the Browns that
Since their return in 1999, the moribund franchise has seemed cursed by ineptitude, poor execution, and just plain bad luck. For the first time in recent memory, the Browns performed in crucial situations and gave the fans arguably the most exciting win since the franchise’s rebirth. It was a remarkable (and rare) day that Browns fans everywhere will savor for some time. I for one haven’t stopped smiling since 4 p.m. Sunday.
