Why the Arizona Cardinals Can Still Be Considered Contenders

The Arizona Cardinals can still be considered contenders. They went very far this past NFL season… all the way to the Super Bowl. If it hadn’t been for a few costly mistakes (i.e. interception resulting in 100 yard TD return for longest play in Super Bowl history by linebacker James Harrison, and two fumbles by the Quarterback) and all things were to remain constant in that game, they would have been Champions.

 

But that doesn’t matter because they aren’t champions and the Pittsburgh Steelers created and/or forced the Cardinals into those mistakes. But make no bones about it; this team totally changed its approach when the playoffs began.

 

Their offense remained just as explosive as it had been in the air, and then they finally decided to rely on the run a little more. For next year, the Cardinals now know that they can run the ball effectively. With Edgerin James getting older, and Tim Hightower being nothing more than an effective backup, the Cardinals have plenty of room to draft a power or fast, or whatever kind of back that can be a pro-bowler. And honestly, they can’t be much worse than James and Hightower.  

 

Everyone knows about the trend of Super Bowl losers not making the playoffs the next year, but remember, the Cardinals are still in a poor division with two teams that have to rebuild, Rams and 49ers, and one team that was in real shambles this season and with an aging QB in Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks. I know that sounds hypocritical because Warner is 37 and was still dead nasty, but he is an exception to the rule of the old quarterbacks whose performances dwindle when they get older.

 

Another strong argument against their chances may be that if they can’t keep Anquan Boldin they won’t be as explosive. However, we must remember they either didn’t play with him or did while he was ailing with injuries during these playoffs, and Larry Fitzgerald still tore it up.

 

I believe the Arizona Cardinals are right where they need to be. They showed lots of heart in the Super Bowl defensively after being down 17-7 and 20-7, because they still stuck to their guns and held the Steelers shy of the end zone twice. Of course they blew it at the end, but they still showed a lot of moxie. Do not be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl if it does happen. Plus, with the way the NFL has been the past few seasons, I think the only teams that could surprise me in the Super Bowl are the Lions and 49ers. ‘Nuff said.

Wrong Again

Will the New York Jets ever get it right? That remains to be seen. For now I will let you chew on this. The only two defensive coordinators to win a Superbowl in their first head coaching job with new organizations are Tom Landry and Bill Cowher. Landry went to the Dallas Cowboys in 1960 after spending the previous six seasons as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. Bill Cowher took over for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992 after having spent the previous three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs as their D.C. Landry spent 29 seasons in Big D having won and lost two Superbowls. Cowher spent 15 seasons in the Steel City yielding one Superbowl victory and one loss. It took Landry 11 years to win a Superbowl and it took Cowher his entire coaching career to accomplish the same. Mike Tomlin could very well add his name to this very short and elite list. Making him the quickest to do so in that small class. 

Many of you are going to point out that everyone is an assistant at some point and that they cant all win Superbowls. Surely names like Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick will surface as well. Of course I am sure you will not forget Lovie Smith and John Fox. How much longer are you willing to wait Jets fans?

Don Shula + David Shula = 2 Superbowls

Bum Phillips + Wade Phillips = 0 Superbowls

Jim Mora + Jim Mora Jr = PLAYOFFS!?!? 0 Superbowls

Dick Nolan + Mike Nolan = FIRED 0 no Superbowls

Buddy Ryan + Rex Ryan = ? Superbowls

Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles Playoff Primer

The final game of Wild-Card weekend 2009 may be one of the toughest to predict. It exhibits two teams that struggled to secure playoff births, but at the same time are more than capable of advancing in the post season past the obvious win that one of them will be getting this weekend. The Eagles had blown a game in Washington against the Redskins in week 16 by a score of 10-3 to fall to a record of 8-6-1, and needed to beat the Cowboys in Philadelphia, and hope the Buccaneers and Bears would lose in week 17. Luckily for them, all three of those scenarios became a reality. As for the Vikings, they would have clinched the NFC North regardless, due to the Bears loss in Houston in week 17, but could guarantee the division title with a victory in the final week. Since they beat the Giants in Minnesota 20-19 on a last minute 50 yard field goal to finish 10-6, they were able to hold up their end of the bargain. Now what has unfolded for week 18 is a bout between two teams, one filled with wily veterans in Philadelphia, and another with a collection of young and perhaps budding talent in Minnesota.

 

Advantage Minnesota

 

One of the key factors that Minnesota can rely on to win this game is the fact that they own the league’s top rush defense giving up only 76.9 yards per game going up against an Eagles ground attack that ranked 22^nd with 106.1 yards per game. Couple that with the fact the Eagles were 4^th in the league in pass attempts and 22^nd in rushing yards with 106.1 per game, and the Vikings have a seldom-available luxury: the chance to play an opponent who is virtually one dimensional.

 

One of the most commonly preached strategies in defensive football is the ability to force an opponent to be one-dimensional, i.e. try to get the opponent to beat you with the pass by loading up the line of scrimmage with an eight-man front. What we have here is a team in Philadelphia who by preference already is one-dimensional and mainly likes to pass.

 

The second factor that helps the Vikings is the improved play of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson since he returned to the starting lineup. In his two games to start the season, he was 30-59, good for a 51 percent completion rate with one TD, while throwing for 178 and 130 yards respectively. Now, Jackson has risen to the occasion in the last three and a half games of the season posting 740 yards, 8 TDs, and only one interception while completing 64 percent of his passes. All this has provided the stability at the QB position the Vikings were looking for in Gus Frerotte.

 

Advantage Eagles

 

The Eagles strengths lie in their defense and experience. Even though the Vikings are sporting the 1^st ranked run defense, their pass defense is only 18^th in the league, giving up 215.6 yards per game. That does not match well with the defense of Philadelphia as they ranked 4^th in run defense, 92.2ypg, and 3^rd in total pass defense, 182.1ypg. That type of run defense is more-than solid and should be able to keep Adrian Peterson, the league’s top rusher with 1,760 yards, in check for the most part. And I stress “for the most part” as even though the Eagles rush D is just three spots behind the Vikings, Peterson is still the league’s leading rusher for a reason, and for that, I believe he will have at least one big run in the game.

 

What really stands out for the eagles defensively is their pass defense, because Jackson, although he has improved, is still only averaging 185 yards through the air in his return, which is only 2.9 yards more than what the eagles are giving up. This means that he could easily be limited to within 100-150 yards, and if the Vikings main threat is going to be one to, at the most, three big gainers from Peterson and only a game-management style of play by Jackson, things are not looking up.

 

Conclusion

 

Although the Vikings play at home this weekend, they face a veteran team in the Eagles who are more accustomed to playing in big games. Even if it took four straight NFC Championship games for Donovan McNabb to finally get his team to a Super Bowl, he is still much more playoff savvy than the young Tarvaris Jackson, as is the entire Eagles team. Although both teams are great at stopping the run, Philadelphia is averaging 244.4 yards per game through the air, and with the disparity in the rankings of the two clubs pass defenses being 15 spots (Vikings 18^th minus Eagles 3^rd equals 15), then that is where the true edge in this contest lies.

 

Eagles move on.

Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens Playoff Primer

Game number three of Wild-Card weekend will feature two teams that had surprise turnarounds from last season. But of the two teams, the biggest surprise was last season’s hapless 1-15 Miami Dolphins doing a complete 180 with an 11-5 record this season while also earning the AFC East title. The Ravens, although always strong defensively, are nothing short of surprising either as they went from 5-11 last year to 11-5 this year. What makes their turnaround so remarkable was that they did it with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, and if it weren’t for injuries to both Kyle Boller and Troy Smith before week one, Joe Flacco may not have gotten his first start until later in the season and who knows what happens. With that being said, let’s take a look at the key phases of each team’s game.

Ravens’ Advantage

Both team’s offenses seem to even one another out. The Dolphins score 21.6 points per game and the Ravens 24.1 points per game. Although the Dolphins average only 118.6 yards on the ground to the Ravens 148.5, Miami out-throws Baltimore by a tune of 227 yards per game to 175.5. This shows that the Ravens outrun the Dolphins by 29.9 yards per game, and the Dolphins pass for 51.5 yards more than the Ravens.

Even with that being said, conventional wisdom shows that the team with the better running game will win. And that should be the case here. What’s even more is that the Ravens are 3^rd defensively against the run at 81.4ypg, and a whopping 2^nd versus the pass giving up 179.7ypg. The problem the Dolphins have, even though they get to play in the confines of their home stadium, is that they are 25^th against the pass at 227.8ypg, and 10^th versus the run at 101.2ypg. In all respects, giving up 101.2 yards a game on the ground is not that bad, but when the duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams is good for a great total of 1,575 yards, and the Ravens trio of Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain, and Ray Rice combined for an outstanding number like 2,028, then not only are the Ravens defending the run better, but they are carrying the ball better as well.

Dolphins’ Advantage

Even though the Ravens outweigh the Dolphins in some key statistical categories necessary for playoff success, they have not been very good on the road playing against the projected playoff teams in the pre-season; at Indianapolis they lost 3-31, at the Giants they lost 10-30. Their only strong points against what were considered playoff teams were at Pittsburgh when they lost in OT 20-23, at the Dolphins when they won 27-13, and finally, when they beat Dallas 33-24.

Allow me to downplay. The Steelers and Ravens are diehard division rivals and always play each other tough. The Cowboys game had two aberration type plays on the Ravens final two drives; an 82 yard scoring run followed by a 77 yard scoring run. Any team would be lucky to get a run of either of those lengths all season long. Last but not least, when the Ravens beat the Dolphins in Miami in week 7, it dropped the Dolphins’ record to 2-4. Since then, Miami has gone 9-1 and are playing at a slightly different level than that period of time.

The other thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they had the fewest turnovers in the league with only 13. Chad Pennington had arguably his best season since his first ever rotator-cuff injury with a career-high 3,653 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes. Rookie QB Joe Flacco, although he had a great season for a rookie, 2,971 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs (not to mention his eleven fumbles) and completed 60.0 percent of his passes, he is still a rookie and is definitely mistake-prone.

Like one analyst put it… “What the Ravens thrive on, the Dolphins simply don’t do”… turn the ball over!

Conclusion

Although the Dolphins play at home, and are riding the emotional high an unprecedented successful season and comeback year of Chad Pennington, I have to go with the Ravens. They can negate their opponent’s run, and kill them with their own. Furthermore, Joe Flacco is quickly being molded into the confident game manager who can make a few plays here and there that Baltimore has been looking for. I only see Joe Flacco having, at the most, one turnover, and with their 2^nd ranked total defense (261.1ypg) and 3^rd ranked defense in points given up per game (15.2), the Ravens can easily overcome it. I cannot see a team who beat squads like Seattle without QB Matt Hasselbeck by two points, Oakland by two points as well, San Francisco by five, all at home, and Saint Louis by four on the road beating this gritty Ravens team.

Ravens will move on to play the one-seeded Tennessee Titans next week.

Eric Mangini fired…..Why?:

Well a number of coaches have gotten the boot this week, in the growing trend of NFL teams with a “win now or go somewhere else” policy.  While there are a lot of the coaches who have gotten fired this year that I don’t argue with, the Mangini firing really gets under my skin.  If you look back through the times and recently;  you will notice one ongoing g trend, “Bad teams have high coaching turnover”.  This is because the owners of the teams get rid of the coaches who aren’t winning.  However with Eric Mangini this was not the case,  Mangini managed to get to the playoffs his first year as a head coach, and had a winning record this year.    The Jets are far from a talented football team they have many holes player wise,  “mostly on defense” but out of shear coaching genius he has managed to win games .     The Jets did not give him enough time to build and perfect his system.  Especially as a first time head coach, it takes time go through what works and what does not, the Jets did not give Mangini that chance.

 

 

When teams fire coaches in the second and third year they create a self fulfilling prophecy.  As mentioned before perennially bad teams have high coaching turnovers.  This is because often when one of these teams gets a good coach they do not give him a chance to succeed.  I feel that if you have confidence in the person you higher to be your head coach you give them a minimum of five years to turn things around and if during those five years they are winning and going to the playoffs you keep them.   Often even when a new coach is winning like Mangini, the team still fires them because they did not win the Super Bowl.  Take a look at Marty Schottenheimer (who coincidently is being looked at by the jets),and the Chargers, the Chargers still do not have a Super Bowl after hiring Norv Turner and just barely made it to the Playoffs this year.  If they would have kept Marty on board I fell that they would have their Super Bowl by now. 

 

 

Simply put it is time for a change in the NFL, look at teams like Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England, Carolina, and Denver.  These are teams that stick with their coaches and in doing so give themselves a chance to win the Super Bowl every year.   With the exception of Carolina and Tennessee all of these teams have won Super Bowls in the past 12 years and at best all you can hope for is 1 Super Bowl every 15 years.  In the end Mangini will land at a team that will allow him the time to win and you will see that he becomes a Super Bowl champion.  In the end teams need to stick with their talented coaches and stand behind them and they will get their coveted prize, the respect of the NFL for being loyal to their staff, and the love of their fans for winning the Championship.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons Playoff Primer

The first game of Wild-Card Weekend features two teams that I’m sure many people would argue are “one-and-done” teams. However, the fact is, one of these one-and-doners will definitely be advancing with the question of course being who.

 

The Atlanta Falcons do not have too much upside defensively. The only standout player this season was John Abraham who accounted for 47% of Atlanta’s 35 sacks with 16.5 total. That isn’t very good. That means of the other typical sackers on a standard NFL team, the three linebackers, the other defensive end, and perhaps the strong safety in some cases would have produced an average of 3.8 sacks a-piece. Too bad for the Falcons that Mr. Milloy, the strong safety, had none. Their 21^st ranked pass defense gave up 220.4 yards per game, and their 25^th ranked run D gave up 127.5 yards per game.

 

That type of passing defense won’t bode well against a quarterback in Kurt Warner who threw for over 4,500 yards this season. As far as the Falcons run defense goes, I guess that isn’t too bad as the Cardinals rush offense was good for last with 73.6 yards per game, meaning if they just don’t screw up any assignments and miss any tackles, they should be able to post a solid to admirable effort against the run.

 

But Edgerin James against the Seahawks this week amassed 100 yards on 14 carries. He has been off this season, but he perhaps could be trying to prove that he still has some gas left in the tank since that was his first game in a while, and if there was ever a game for him to do so, this could be it. And I know the argument can be that he did it against Seattle, but with a 25^th ranked run defense, the Falcons aren’t much better. Who knows? Maybe the Cards will run a two-back system with James and Tim Hightower, and they could stay fresh and get a couple decent gainers here and there.

 

On the flipside of things, the Cardinals defense gave up 26.6 points per game. Most teams wouldn’t even stand a chance at being in contention in the finals weeks of most regular NFL seasons with that kind of defense, but luckily for the Cardinals, they played in a bad division. On top of that, Arizona’s pass D was 22^nd giving up 221.2 yards per game. But the worst part is that their run defense, who faces Michael Turner (1,699 yards and 2^nd in the NFL), was 16^th giving up 110.2 yards per game.

 

The Falcons MO all year has been to give the ball to Turner as much as possible so that Matt Ryan only needs to make 2-3 good or big plays a game, usually to Roddy White who was fourth among all wide receivers with 1,382 yards and had seven of Ryan’s 16 total TDs.

 

The bottom line is, with the virtually identical defenses of both teams, if the Matt Ryan-led Falcons had more experience under their belt, this game would have had the makings for an Atlanta win as they could have grinded out the run game and kept the passes to a minimum as the Arizona run game and run defense has basically been non-existent for most of the season.

 

However… I just have to go with Kurt Warner’s will, experience, two stud wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and the home crowd to come out on top. The tandem of Boldin and Fitzgerald are enough to make up for not having a running game against a young team like Atlanta. I think Matt Ryan is just too young to take this game, and for all the criticism that the Cardinals have received in losing four of their last five games, it is almost like Kurt Warner gets to start off fresh again. And I say this because in their recent losses, the Cardinals were getting blown out early to the point where Warner didn’t need to bother even trying the rest of whatever game they were playing. And if convention says that players need to stay hot going into the post season, I don’t see that as being the case here with Kurt Warner.

                                                                                                                           

Basically, both teams are not looking like Super Bowl contenders, and ultimately, when it comes down to two “one-and-done” type teams, you gotta go with the guys playing at home and especially with having the more experienced quarterback. Cardinals win.

Atlanta Falcons to Gain the Two Seed in the NFC?

One thing pissing me off big time after week 16 is the following… why is no one mentioning that the Falcons have a chance to lock up the number two seed in the NFL? If The Falcons accomplish the highly un-venerable task of defeating the waste-filled Saint Louis Rams in Atlanta this weekend, and the Carolina Panthers are defeated in New Orleans next week, the Atlanta Falcons end up winning the NFC South. We already know that the Giants have locked up the top seed by beating Carolina in OT Sunday night, but the Cardinals at best can finish 9-7 in the NFC West, and the Bears or Vikings can only finish at 10-6 to win the NFC North. What does this mean? Either the Falcons or Panthers are guaranteed the two seed.

But why is no one talking about it? Because every dumb analyst has it in their mind that the Falcons wonderful turn-around in the post Michael Vick mortem was simply in clinching their Wild Card berth. But hello! They can even get a bye! That would be totally huge!

Not only do they overcome last year’s fiasco and make the playoffs with a rookie QB, but they now have a chance to put themselves in a highly viable position of reaching a Super Bowl with one home win and one road win, as long as the Giants win their first game. I mean, geez, they could end up hosting the NFC Championship if the Giants lose their first game!

Someone please talk about it. I’ve watched PTI, Sports Center, and heard every FOX, CBS, and NBC analyst and commentator and not one of them has thought about this. It pisses me off and I almost hope to god that the Falcons get the two seed to see if they all have dumb looks on their faces.

Carolina… pleeeeease lose. I already know the Falcons have the Rams game in their back pocket, so I’m not worried about you. Later.

Big Time Matchup – Pittsburgh Steelers Host Dallas Cowboys

This week the Dallas Cowboys face the Pittsburgh Steelers in PA… and both teams are actually good. I for one, am very thankful that this classic matchup will feature two definite Super Bowl contenders who might actually both be in that game at the end of the season. Not much gets better than the Pittsburgh Steelers black and yellow (not gold… sorry Steeler fans. That distinction goes to the New Orleans Saints) jerseys meshing with the Cowboy’s blue, gray, and white. Add to that the Cowboys are 8-4 and the Steelers 9-3, this game should be fantastic!

 

The Cowboys have the right amount of offensive capability to get good production against Pittsburgh’s number one ranked defense. Romo’s return has been vital to the Cowboy offense as they have now averaged 27.6 points per game since he came back as opposed to 13.6 in the three games without him. Pittsburgh is giving up an average of 14.2 points per game, which is first in the league. That makes this as classic as their three Super Bowl matchups as those Cowboys were all known for great offense, and those Steelers were known for their defense.

 

Now Romo will see if he is really back up to speed as he has opted to go without the splint he had on his throwing hand pinky finger. Ben Roethlisberger seems to have made up for his string of bad performances where he had one passing TD against eight INTs in a three game stretch against the Giants, Redskins, and Colts, to having three TDs against two INTs. Although that isn’t great, that’s close enough to the mistake-free kind of game that a number one ranked defense usually asks of their quarterback. Plus, he’ll be playing at home.

 

Another interesting tidbit is the similar adversity that both teams have faced in the middle portion of the season; when the cowboys lost 3 of four, and when Ben Roethlisberger had his team looking quite mediocre with his poor play. Now, both squads have won three straight games, and only one’s streak will continue (the NFL already had its tie for the next many seasons when the Bengals and Eagles finished 13-13 in week 11). Even more fascinating are the striking resemblance of all three wins.

 

The Steelers beat the Chargers at home 11-10 with a field goal in the waning seconds of the game. The Cowboys ran out the clock in Washington for a 14-10 victory. After that, both teams have won convincingly by an average of 30 and 19 points respectively.

 

This matchup is almost guaranteed to live up to its historic building, and if you’re out of both team’s markets and are privileged to get its television feed this Sunday at 4:15pm, you better not miss it.  

Week 11 NFL Picks

NYJ 6-3 at N.E. 6-3

The Jets are starting to show some consistency winning convincingly against the Buffalo Bills and Rams in the last two weeks. They now face the biggest game of their season thus far in New England on Thursday night. New England has been proving that life without Brady is still manageable, but I think the Jets steady improvement on defense, solid ground game behind Thomas Jones, and lately less turnover-prone passing by Brett Favre will rue the day.

DEN 5-4 at ATL 6-3

The Falcons are becoming a model of consistency. Their ability to jump out to big early leads is remarkable for a young team. They play at home against the league’s 28^th ranked passing defense and 27^th ranked rushing defense. That doesn’t bode well for a Bronco team playing against an efficient Matt Ryan, and yard-racking Michael Turner. Falcons win.

DET 0-9 at CAR 7-2

Carolina has the luxury of facing a team like the Raiders last week, who even if Delhomme throws four interceptions again to, should still beat. I don’t see Jake tossing that many picks this week. Panthers win handily.

PHI 5-4 at CIN 1-8

With Carson Palmer out again, and the Eagles reeling from a Sunday night loss at home to the giants, the Bengals are set to lose… again.

N.O. 4-5 at K.C. 1-8

The Saints are proving that all they have is a superb passing game that can’t save a running game hovering around mediocrity, and a defense benchmarking at incapability. The Chiefs have not been the walk-in-the-park they were earlier this season losing by one point to San Diego last weekend, losing to Tampa Bay at home in OT the week before, and only losing by four in New York to the Jets the week before that. I’m going with K.C.

BAL 6-3 at NYG 8-1

The Baltimore Ravens are actually scoring on offense these days. In fact, they are becoming a mirror image of the Giants; strong pressure-causing defense, a more than capable stable of running backs, and an efficient and play-making pass offense. Look for a close game with the more experienced Giants coming out on top.

MIN 5-4 at T.B. 6-3

If there is one thing that the Minnesota Vikings have to have learned in last week’s heart attack inducing one-point win to the Packers last week it is the following… give the ball to Adrian Peterson. I believe Gus Frerotte’s passing attempts will be cut down by almost half of last week’s 28. Even though the Bucs are known for solid defense, I will bank on Peterson to run rampant. Vikings win convincingly.

OAK 2-7 at MIA 5-4

Although the Raiders now share the same record as the underachieving Seahawks who came to within two points of upsetting the Dolphins in Miami last week, I wouldn’t count on a similar performance from them this week. The surprising Dolphins will move to 6-4 and second place in the AFC East.

CHI 5-4 at G.B. 4-5

Green Bay should count their lucky stars that they have this opportunity. They get the division leading Bears at home with a chance to get a tie-breaker on Chicago and second place in the division if they win, and a first place tie if they win and the Vikings lose. I’ll take the Packers to clean things up in their passing game this week after Rodgers was a not-so-great 15-25 with only 142 passing yards and no touchdowns. Pack wins.

HOU 3-6 at IND 5-4

The Texans look to make up for the 21 points they gave up in the last seven plus minutes of a week five loss to the Colts at home. However, the Colts have won two straight and look to be getting back in contention. Colts win.

STL 2-7 at S.F. 2-7

This division matchup may not even be worth discussing, but for the sake of fairness let’s do it. The Rams looked back to what they were with Scott Linehan as coach in their 47-3 loss to the Jets last week. On the other side, the 49ers looked more believable as a team with Shaun Hill under center on Monday Night. After the harrowing performance they put on in Arizona, I will take San Francisco to win.

ARI 6-3 at SEA 2-7

The Cardinals have a chance to clean house in Seattle this week with a win. They get to play another one of their weak divisional opponents, all of whom are 2-7 (Saint Louis and San Francisco are the other two). Even though the Hawks are at home, I cannot see the Cardinals having another close letdown like they did against the Niners this past Monday. Cardinals win.

TEN 9-0 at JAC 4-5

The performance of Kerry Collins last week (30-41, 289 yards, two TDs and no INTs) is making the Titans look all the more legitimate as the league’s lone unbeaten team. The Jaguars proved nothing in beating the Lions last weekend 38-14. Titans win easy.

S.D. 4-5 at PIT 6-3

The Steelers blew it last weekend at home to the Colts… or should I say Ben Roethlisberger blew it. History should say that Ben will be looking to make up for his performance, but I’m not so sure about his confidence right now. He has been getting hit too many times, and blew two games to the Manning brothers at home that should have been in the bag. On the other hand, San Diego has hardly been consistent this year. Steelers win convincingly with their number one defense and a better performance from Big Ben.

DAL 5-4 at WAS 6-3

This game marks the return to the Dallas lineup of Tony Romo. This team has been in quite a bind since he left. Look for Romo to have a huge game and perhaps put his team on his back. The Redskins are coming off their worst offensive performance since their week one loss to the Giants after scoring just six points in the week nine Monday night loss to Pittsburgh. Their points came from two field goals after going three-and-out when they recovered and opening onside kick attempt by the Steelers, and another three-and-out after an INT on Ben Roethlisberger. Look for the return of the Dallas high-octane offense along with the defensive play calling of Wade Phillips to take down the Redskins in Washington.

CLE 3-6 at BUF 5-4

The Bills have not been living up to the hype the last two weeks. And the fact that they have lost three of their four to Miami, New York, and New England (in order), who are all divisional opponents, does not bode well. Brady Quinn was solid in his first start going 23-35, 239 yards, with two TDs and no interceptions against Denver last Thursday. However, I’ll take the Bills on the national stage at home.

Who would be a better NFL Head Coach Obama or McCain?

Who would be a better NFL Head Coach Obama or McCain?

 

This is the question I am asking you fellow Sportsroiders this is not about who you are going to vote for, this is about who can win the Ship. Leave a comment and tell us who and why.

 

Me I think it would be….I can’t choose so let me know what you think. Leave a comment and speak your mind.

Alex V’s NFL Week 7 Picks

S.D. at BUF-I’m sure by now everyone’s noticed the western teams don’t do too well when they travel to the far east. But I think San Diego’s got this.

N.O. at CAR-New Orleans is so inconsistent. But I think they’ll get it together in Carolina.

MIN at CHI-Both teams have good defense, good running games, and averaging passing games. I’ll take the team at home… Chicago.

PIT at CIN-Cincinnati is reeling and Big Ben is 5-0 all time in Cincinnati. Steelers win.

TEN at KC-Kansas City won’t even have Larry Johnson for this game. Titans win.

BAL at MIA-Miami is rolling too hard offensively for Joe Flacco to keep up with and pretty soon this Ravens’ defense will begin to slack since they have no offensive help.

S.F. at NYG-The giants blew it last week, but they can’t lose to this 2-4 trash at home. Giants win.

DAL at STL-Romo or Johnson? Who knows? The Cowboys are reeling losing two of their last three. I just have a feeling this is an upset in the making. Rams win. 

DET at HOU-Houston can at least play competitively and have shown offense. Detroit’s only close game was last week when they lost 10-12. Houston should shred them.

IND at G.B.-Even though Indianapolis seemed to hit its stride last week, Aaron Rodgers is playing pretty stellar and the Packer defense is better than the Colts’. I’ll go with Green Bay.

NYJ at OAK-Brett Favre is undefeated in Oakland all-time. That shall remain the same.

CLE at WAS-Both teams were complete opposites from one another last week. Washington was on the rise and lost to a bottom dweller, while Cleveland was a disappointment and beat a championship contender. Now that they’ve got their heads on straight, I’ll take Washington.

SEA at T.B.-Seattle is 1-4 and has been downright atrocious on both sides of the ball. Tampa wins.

DEN at N.E.-Denver has been inconsistent the last few weeks but the Patriots have been the same. I’ll take the Pats at home against Belichick’s football IQ.

Early Predictions – “Don’t Worry Be Happy”

The Giants win the Superbowl and the 2008 Opening day game (wo who). Great, and on Sunday the rest of the league goes out to play, meaning at days end half the league will be undefeated and the other half will be left at 000 percent. But to me, the first 3 games of the NFL season are dicey at best. I bet any coach or player will tell you the same. The teams just aren’t firing on all 8 cylinders in these three games which is why it is so hard to see just who are the elites early in season. Take for example the Detroit Lions. That year they started off 3-1 and they didn’t even make the playoffs. So what am I saying you ask? Whats my point?

I just saying don’t get to excited if your team wins this week and be sure not to call of work Monday if your team loses, remember there are 15 games left to play and you won’t see your real team till week 4 anyways.

-Madison Mad’nuff

Early Predictions – “Don’t Worry Be Happy”

The Giants win the Superbowl and the 2008 Opening day game (wo who). Great, and on Sunday the rest of the league goes out to play, meaning at days end half the league will be undefeated and the other half will be left at 000 percent. But to me, the first 3 games of the NFL season are dicey at best. I bet any coach or player will tell you the same. The teams just aren’t firing on all 8 cylinders in these three games which is why it is so hard to see just who are the elites early in season. Take for example the Detroit Lions. That year they started off 3-1 and they didn’t even make the playoffs. So what am I saying you ask? Whats my point?

I just saying don’t get to excited if your team wins this week and be sure not to call of work Monday if your team loses, remember there are 15 games left to play and you won’t see your real team till week 4 anyways.

-Madison Mad’nuff