Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

Though not a fan of the Ravens or Steelers, I remained very curious to see how the teams matched up. I was interested to see how Joe Flacco would hold up against the Steelers defense on the road in primetime and I also hoped to learn whether the Ravens secondary could be exploited by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steeler receivers. Flacco was surprisingly good at times but made the kind of rookie mistakes you'd expect, especially in the second half. Roethlisberger was under extreme duress most of the game but made the plays he always seems to make on the move with the game on the line.

However, one person really stood out to me in the game. A number of pundits including the Monday night commentators praised the play of Ray Lewis. He is playing much better than he did last season but I don't think enough credit is being given to Nose Tackle Haloti Ngata. The man is occupying two interior linemen almost every play and is on pace for career highs in solo tackles, and passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Against the Steelers, he was an absolute force, finishing with five tackles and a rare interception. His ability to occupy offensive linemen is freeing up Ray Lewis to pursue the play and permitting the linebacker to follow his instincts and flow to the ball. The front seven's performance for the Ravens has helped them hide a mediocre secondary that is susceptible to the big play.

Now, on to the picks...

WASHINGTON AT PHILADELPHIA - PHILADELPHIA

Washington was impressive last week, controlling the line of scrimmage against the Cowboys, which enabled them to keep the Dallas offense on the sideline. The Eagles are coming off a tough road loss that might have turned out differently if Brian Westbrook had played. This week, I don't see the Redskins having the same success on offense against Jim Johnson's blitz-happy defense.

SEATTLE AT NEW YORK GIANTS - NEW YORK

The NFC West is atrocious while the NFC East is easily the best division in the NFL. The Giants are too much for Seattle at home even without Plaxico Burress.

SAN DIEGO AT MIAMI - SAN DIEGO

Peter King likes the Dolphins this week because he thinks Chad Pennington's accuracy will play a key role in deciding the outcome. I think Pennington's lack of mobility will play a part in the game's outcome. The Charger defense was dominant in the second half last week against the Raiders and I look for them to carry that success over this week in Miami.

INDIANAPOLIS AT HOUSTON - INDIANAPOLIS

Houston finally has a home game after having it's home opener canceled due to Hurricane Ike. But Indianapolis was able to get healthy last week thanks to an early season bye week. The Colts are rested and I suspect Peyton Manning is tired of hearing about how the Jaguars and Titans have passed the Colts by in the division.

ATLANTA AT GREEN BAY - GREEN BAY

The Falcons are where an NFL observer would expect them to be with a rookie quarterback. The team has relied on the running game en route to winning a couple of home games against two of the worst teams in football. Against superior opponents, defenses are taking away the run and forcing Matt Ryan to beat them. That isn't going to happen at this point in his career, especially on the road.

CHICAGO AT DETROIT - CHICAGO

I guess this game is scary. I've heard this game referred to as a "trap game" because the Bears are coming off a big win against Philadelphia last week and could come out flat. They may indeed come out flat but the Lions have yet to be competitive this season except for one ten minute stretch against Green Bay in Week 2.

KANSAS CITY AT CAROLINA - CAROLINA

The Chiefs organization recognizes the fact that Damon Huard isn't the quarterback of the future in Kansas City. However, I think they realize now that neither is Brodie Croyle nor Tyler Thigpen. I think that Herm Edwards will stick with Huard so that the team is competitive. Carolina has quietly gotten off to a 3-1 start and should compete for the division title in the NFC South.

TENNESSEE AT BALTIMORE - TENNESSEE

This game between two former AFC Central rivals promises to be a defensive struggle with similar storylines as last week's Ravens/Steelers matchup. The key to this game will be turnovers and field position. Which ever team's quarterback can avoid the crucial mistake in the face of a very aggressive defense I suspect will win. I give the nod in terms of protecting the ball to Kerry Collins. Actually that's not true, I just think Joe Flacco makes more mistakes against the Titans defense.

TAMPA BAY AT DENVER - DENVER

Tampa Bay, led by the defense, always seems to keep games competitive. But this week, Denver's offense rebounds from a sloppy performance against Kansas City and plays well. I don't think Brian Griese can put up enough points on Denver's defense to stay with Jay Cutler and the Broncos.

NEW ENGLAND AT SAN FRANCISCO - NEW ENGLAND

The Patriots are coming off a bye week and it would be absolutely shocking not to see them play better on offense after two weeks of installing a game plan suited to Matt Cassel's abilities. Although, you wonder if the 49ers might give the Patriots some matchup problems in the passing game and on the ground with Frank Gore. The game will be close but I still like the Patriots.

CINCINNATI AT DALLAS - DALLAS

The Bengals are not an awful team. Terrible teams are hard to find in the league right now. Last week, the Chiefs surprised the Broncos. On the road, Houston nearly defeated Jacksonville before falling in overtime. The Bengals with Carson Palmer are a dangerous team who almost beat the Giants in Week 3. If Palmer plays, Dallas will win but it'll be a ten point game. With Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team's quarterback, the Bengals are indeed a horrible team.

BUFFALO AT ARIZONA - ARIZONA

This might be a bad omen but I accidentally typed Buffalo as my pick at first. No, I am sticking with my gut feeling. The more I watch the Bills, the more I see the 2007 Browns. Getting down 14-0 in St. Louis before rallying to win might not ring a bell to many fans but it's exactly what the Browns did last season in Week 8. The Browns also lost to the Cardinals in Arizona last season and I suspect a similar outcome when the Bills travel to the University of Phoenix Stadium Sunday.

PITTSBURGH AT JACKSONVILLE - JACKSONVILLE

This game officially sets the precedent that Jacksonville and David Garrard have the Steelers number. Last season, Jacksonville defeated the Steelers twice last season at Heinz Field, once in December and then again in the playoffs in January. The Jaguars win a very physical game. The key matchup in this game will be the Steelers much-maligned offensive line, which will go up against the Jaguars front seven, which has been injury-riddled much of the season.

MINNESOTA AT NEW ORLEANS - NEW ORLEANS

Drew Brees is currently the best quarterback in football. His statistics are off the charts and the 2008 Saints defense is not the same as the 2007 Saints defense. The team played well against San Francisco last week and is better than people think. There is no way Gus Frerotte can put up enough points to stay even with Drew Brees and the Saints in the Superdome Monday night.

AS SEEN FIRST PUBLISHED ON NFLDRAFTBIBLE.COM

Quarterback Controversies to Watch

Headed into week four, the most popular player in town in several NFL cities was the backup quarterback. Wins in some cases (Derek Anderson), and strong performances for others (Matt Schaub) may have quieted the furor but quarterback controversies continue to simmer across the league. Here are the top five to watch as the season goes on:

1. Cleveland: Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn?

In Cleveland where the Browns have started sluggishly, local-boy Brady Quinn was already a fan favorite entering the season. But spurred by the offensive ineptitude of the Browns and the struggles of incumbent Derek Anderson, the calls for Quinn have grown steadily louder. Anderson leads the AFC in interceptions and the team is averaging just 11.5 points per game after averaging more than 25 in 2007. Quinn, a 2007 first round draft pick out of Notre Dame is considered by many inside of the organization to be the franchise’s long-term answer at the position. The question of changing quarterbacks isn’t if, but when and if the Browns and Anderson continue to play poorly, Quinn will become the team’s starter in the coming weeks.

2. St. Louis: Trent Green vs. Marc Bulger?

The Rams finally put head coach Scott Linehan out of his misery, firing him Monday after yet another loss. Linehan, desperate to save his job, started Trent Green Sunday against Buffalo in place of former Pro Bowler Marc Bulger. The experiment with Green who hadn’t won as a starter since 2006 likely went out the door with Linehan, especially given the fact that Bulger is in the second year of a six year, $65 million dollar contract.

3. Miami: Chad Pennington vs. Chad Henne?

Fresh off a bye week and their big win against New England, a change in quarterbacks is probably the last thing people are thinking when they consider the Dolphins. But Pennington was pulled after a horrendous performance against Arizona in week two. And against New England in week 3, it was the wildcat formation and Ronnie Brown that helped produce the victory. The Dolphins are going to want to find out about second-round pick Chad Henne before the season is over. He relieved Pennington and completed 7-12 passes for 67 yards, leading the Dolphins to their lone scoring drive against Arizona and figures to get more opportunities to play as the season progresses.

4. Baltimore: Joe Flacco vs. Troy Smith?

A less noticeable but still intriguing quarterbacking issue resides in Baltimore where the 2-0 Ravens travel to Pittsburgh Monday night. QB Joe Flacco, the rookie out of Delaware has started the season under center for the Ravens due to injuries to both Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Flacco has led the team admirably but the passing game has been anemic. Flacco threw two horrendous interceptions last week against a mediocre Cleveland defense, and is up against a strong Pittsburgh defense at home in Heinz Field. With Smith nearing full strength after a tonsil infection, keep an eye out for the 2006 Heisman winner out of Ohio State in the coming weeks as the Ravens schedule toughens considerably with games against Tennessee and Indianapolis in the next two weeks.

5. Detroit: Jon Kitna vs. Drew Stanton?

The general feeling among Lions fans about their hapless 0-3 team is euphoria. Europhia, you wonder? Yes, fans are absolutely ecstatic over the firing of Matt Millen who somehow lasted as the general manager for more than 7 years despite a dismal 31-84 record under his leadership. With the Lions going nowhere in 2008, the Lions may decide to give 2007 second round pick Drew Stanton a chance to find out whether he can be the team’s starting quarterback in 2009 or if the Lions need to add the position to their long list of off-season needs.