Week 3 NFL picks (part 1)

So, after two weeks I'm currently 14-18 pick wise. There's a good chance this week to shift those numbers into the positive and we'll start by looking at the 1:00 pm kick offs: Titans @ Giants -- Even with the benching of Vince Young in the last game, I'm still sticking with the Titans to be a force in the AFC. At the same time I'm looking at the Giants and wondering if my pick for them as the division winners in the NFC East was perhaps ill advised. They came out against the Colts ready to stuff the pass and they still failed to do that! Given as well the quality of the Titans D and I have to go with a Titans win here. Bengals @ Panthers -- I'm high on the Bengals this season. I think they have a lot of good pieces in a lot of good places. I'm low on the Panthers. I just think the Panthers have that look of being a team that is trying to rediscover who they are and who they want to be. I think in this game they'll find themselves as losers. Bengals win. Steelers @ Buccaneers -- I'm struggling with this one. The Steelers D has been all kinds of impressive so far this year. Sadly they're now down to possibly their 53rd string QB on offense. Which begs the question; can the Bucs' offense generate just enough to overcome the Steelers O. Neither team is going to score highly but who can just get that little extra? The Buccaneers will be expecting their rookie QB to face the full fury of Dick LeBeau's zone blitz. The Steelers will probably lean on the run to hide the fact that Charlie Batch has had little work with the starters on offense. It's a tough ask, but I'm going with the Steelers. I can just see them getting a pick 6 or some other defensive play that seals the game. Bills @ Patriots -- I've learned, I've learned. I really have. Don't trust the Bills to do anything except go 0-16. Patriots win. Browns @ Ravens -- Much has been made of the Browns defense this year. I believe they rank number 10 or so overall. It's at this point that I should point out that they've played the Buc's and the Chiefs. So I'll be taking the Ravens then. 49ers @ Chiefs -- Do I have to choose a winner? I do. Ah well, let's find that lucky coin again.... ok, so no coin. Well, the 49ers kept the Saints down to less than 25 points which is a mighty achievement in itself and they looked much better on offense. The Chiefs are the Chiefs. They've been bright early on in the season, but I'm not sure they've really found the formula for sustained success. I'm taking the 49ers. Cowboys @ Texans -- I have spent all week fretting over this pick. The way I view it is this; the Cowboys D is strong but so is the Texans O. The Texans D is weak, but the Cowboys O struggles to score points and finish drives. So which gives first? Will the Cowboys pass rush and coverage hold the Texans to a manageable score? And even then can the Cowboys O catch up? Or will they take advantage of the Texans porous D and find the endzone multiple times, storming off into the lead as their defense constricts the Texans? I really can't decide. Both outcomes seem just as likely at this stage. In the end though I guess I have to fall on one side of the tracks or the other, and this time I'm going to take the Texans. Just. Lions @ Vikings -- Given the fact I really like Brett Favre as a player and I really like seeing old players prove that the gap between them and the youngsters isn't as big as some TV stations would make out, I'm surprisingly happy to see Favre and the Vikings do so badly. Maybe it's because I got sick of the whole "retirement" thing or maybe just because I think Brad Childress is an a**. Either way I'm smiling. And I think Jim Schwartz and his Lions might be smiling after Sunday as well. The Vikings just look bad right now. Really bad. Not that the Lions D is light years ahead, but their offense certainly is, and the combo of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh will give Favre and Peterson trouble all day. I'm going Lions. Falcons @ Saints -- The Vikings and the 49ers both have relatively good defenses, or at least they did last year. That still doesn't stop me worrying about the amount of points the Saints are not scoring. In a similar vein both the Vikings and the 49ers have struggled offensively. This combination has led to the Saints keeping things tight. I think against the Falcons the dream of a repeat (you can't imagine the number of times I've heard people saying "two-peat". You mean just a plain repeat right?) will start to crumble. I doubt the Falcons will be as prolific as they were last week, but they can pull this out of the bag. Falcons win. And there you have it. Tomorrow I'll be back to round up the remainder of the weekends games and then hopefully on Sunday my picks will surge to success. Hopefully..... Have a great day everyone.

Questions:

-- Can the New York Giants generate pressure from their front four? Against Indianapolis they set their D-line out specifically to rush the passer and they did a pretty poor job of it. If their defense continues to leak as many points as it does, the Giants will continue to struggle. -- Can Jimmy Clausen fix the Panthers? At a guess, I would say no. I think you have to give Matt Moore more (no pun intended) time to settle in as the starting QB. I see no value in yanking him from the field now unless Clausen is a quarterbacking beast in disguise, which is unlikely. -- How long can the Steelers D hold on for this team? Regardless of their QB situation, the Steelers offense really looks bad right now. Can they truly rely on defense to carry the day for the rest of the season? What happens if there are a couple of breakdowns during a game and they find themselves trailing by 14? -- Can the Buffalo offense truly get any worse? No. -- Can the Baltimore offense improve? They'd better hope so. The Ravens - for all their weapons - really do stink it up right now on offense. Like the Steelers they can't expect to ride their defense forever. -- Is Kansas City really that good? They beat the Chargers in week one and the Browns in week two. But how will they fare in the meat of their season against tougher opposition? Have the Chiefs truly turned a corner with their new coordinators? -- Can the Dallas O match their D? See the Baltimore and Pittsburgh questions for a similar story. The Cowboys piled on the hurt against Chicago, but they just couldn't capitalise. Their O-line looks terrible. -- Could Minnesota finish bottom of the NFC North? The Bears have looked... ok. The Lions offense looks good. The Packers are looking like we all thought they would. But the Vikings just look abject right now. Favre looks frail at times, his receivers are struggling to get open and Adrian Peterson is still too anxious to the hole. -- When will the Saints offense get going? They look a shadow of their former selves right now. Inconsistent is the word I'm looking for. And now with the loss of Reggie Bush things just got a fraction more difficult. What has happened to easily the most prolific offense in the last two seasons? -- Have Washington really come back from the dead? After a terrible season last year, have the Redskins truly found a new offensive leader in McNabb or is this just a lucky/surprising start before they sink back into familiar failure? -- Who is David Garrard? In week one he was Pro Bowl. In week two he was Bikini Bowl. So which was the aberration and which was an indication of what's to come from Garrard this season? Upon the answer to this question rides many of Jacksonvilles hopes. -- Is it truly possible that the Colts offense has improved since last year? How do you do that? How do you take something that good and make it better? -- Was benching Jason Campbell truly worthwhile? Having traded for Campbell and essentially said "this guy will save our franchise" what message does it send to the Raiders team now that Campbell has not just been pulled from a game but benched for the next one. I'm a Gradkowski fan but surely this isn't a good for the franchise the way it's being handled. -- Why can't I think of anything to write about either the Seahawks or the Chargers? Are they really that boring right now? -- How good is Mark Sanchez? Against an excellent Ravens defense he collapsed like a riverboat made of paper. Against a mediocre Patriots defense he looked pretty good. See the David Garrard comment for a similar take. -- How long can Jay Cutler avoid self-destructing? It's going to happen at some point. You just know it is. Tomorrow, 1:00 pm kickoff picks!! Till then, Have a great day everyone.

Week 2 NFL picks

Thursday night is pick 'em night, at least as far as the 1:00 pm kick offs are concerned: Bills @ Packers -- As odd as this may sound, I actually had to have a think about this one. The gut reaction is to just say "Packers" and move on. But the Packers have lost RB Ryan Grant, a key component of their offense last year. And this is a Bills D that can match up with some of the best against the pass. The question then is this; can the Bills offense generate enough yards and points against a very good Packers D to off set any shortcomings in their defense. And you know, I just can't let go of this nagging feeling that everything has changed for the Packers. Their offensive make up has been altered and that eventually has a spill over effect on their D. Ultimately I had the same nagging feeling about the Chiefs/Chargers game last week, so against my better judgement I'm going to take the hit and say Bills win. Dolphins @ Vikings -- I've learnt my lesson, I think, with regards to the Vikings. They love Brett Favre. Brett Favre loves Brett Favre. They seem to have gone very cold on Adrian Peterson. As much as I am very suspicious of the Dolphins offense, I'm backing them to get it done. Dolphins win. Chiefs @ Browns -- Chances are that Jake Delhomme might not play. That's a good thing for the Browns. That means Seneca Wallace steps in and runs a more efficient Browns offense. The Chiefs will still be the Chiefs, which means a struggle at times to cover receivers and a lack lustre pass offense. Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles still offer a big threat, but I just get that feeling that the Browns will have more in the tank. Browns win. Bears @ Cowboys -- I. Do Not. Trust. The Cowboys. Offense. It's that simple. I'm not exactly raving about the Bears either, but I have serious questions about the Cowboys tackle combo of Doug Free and Alex Barron. Not that the Bears O-line inspires effusive confidence either. I don't know what it is about this week, but the games seem to be quite hard to pick. I remember last year being much more clean cut. Hmmm, I'm going to have to back the Bears. And that's just about as damning an indictment of the Cowboys as you can get. Cardinals @ Falcons -- Ohh this is ugly! The Falcons against the Cardinals is not a game I would relish sitting down and watching. Personally I'm inclined to say that Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson will once again have a great game.... and not get the accolades he deserves come the seasons end. I just don't see the Falcons posing the threat I would have expected out of them coming into this season. They've been incredibly flat offensively throughout the pre-season and into week 1, though their defense has luckily tightened down and kept them in games. Not this Sunday though. Cardinals win. Buccaneers @ Panthers -- The Panthers are a tricky team to call in this game. With Matt Moore likely to sit after suffering a concussion in week one, that means Jimmy Clausen is handed the reins for week two. That throws up two potential scenarios; a) the Panthers come out throwing and Clausen self destructs against an improved Bucs' defense, or b) they hide the rookie behind their rushing attack and pound a Bucs' D that even now still appears to struggle against the run. My money is on the Panthers doing the safe thing and running this one out. Please Carolina, don't let me down. Panthers win. Eagles @ Lions -- Eagles win. Next. Ravens @ Bengals -- Ahh crap. How do I pick this one? Truth is I like both teams equally. I like the Ravens O. I like the Bengals O. I like the Bengals D. I like the Ravens D. I like everyboDy. But I think I like the Bengals a little more. This was tough as nails to pick and ultimately it came down to the corner back position. With Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall I feel the Bengals have a little more to offer back there than the Ravens do. That said the Ravens front seven is probably better so it all kind of adds up. Ah hell, I'm sticking with the Bengals. Steelers @ Titans -- Another toughie. The Steelers run defense is very good. Their front seven is one of the best in the league at putting the stopper on opposition running backs without the need of safety help. But then the Titans D is proving quite mean itself. Dennis Dixon will be scrambling for his life most of the game given the match up of the Steelers O-line against the Titans pass rush. I think this one will be settled by offense, and the Titans just have more to offer in that department. Titans win. Let the disaster begin!! I'm not entirely happy with the Bills over the Packers, the Bears over the Vikings or the Browns over the Chiefs, but that's life. Some times when you sit down and look at things, everything seems to suggest one team over another. But football is a very fickle game. It's prone to wild swings in unexpected ways. I'm sure I was among the minority in picking the Chiefs over the Chargers, but at times you can just see match ups that might be favourable. The biggest problem - at least from my perspective - is trying to guess how coaches will game plan for the coming opponent and what kind of run/pass balance they will go with. This was aptly demonstrated by the Panthers last year. Trying to get into the mind of John Fox was like a 5 year old trying to get into a strip club. That just adds to the already difficult job of comparing match ups, etc. Anyway, enough complaining. I'm off out to grab a beer and I'll be back tomorrow to share my picks for the rest of the weekends games. Till then, Have a great day everyone.

Week 1 NFL picks (part 3?)

Continuing the preview of this weekends games, it's time to look at the final 6, starting with: Cardinals @ Rams -- Tricky, simply because neither of these teams is the team they were last season. If that makes any sense at all. Both have undergone an over haul at the QB position, which is good for the Rams and bad for the Cardinals. Arizona lost Kurt Warner to the allure of TV football punditry and gardening, while the Rams finally made a move at the QB spot and brought in highly rated Sam Bradford. For the Cardinals it was also a watershed moment in a way when they released Matt Leinart. With the Raiders high profile release of JaMarcus Russell also coming this season, it seems like teams are taking advantage of the uncapped year to dump their wasters and begin rebuilding for the new decade. Unfortunately for Arizona they're rebuilding with Derek Anderson. There's been a lot of talk about things he's done in the past with the Browns etc, but let's get it straight; Anderson had trouble fighting off Brady Quinn in Cleveland. Ok, Brady Quinn. Any optimism held out by Cardinals fans may evaporate rather rapidly this season. Arizona's best shot is the RB combo of Tim Hightower and Chris "Beanie" Wells being able to draw some attention away from the passing game. Difficult, considering Larry Fitzgerald is still out there. The Rams have more reason to smile. Sam Bradford has been good so far, albeit in the pre-season. Their defense has finally started to produce some sacks. Albeit in the pre-season. Even their receivers have stepped up their game a notch. Albeit, in the pre-season. Arizona presents the first test for a team and a city that has a noticeable bounce back in it's step. Albeit, in the pre-season. I'm going to go on a limb here and take the positive attitude and renewed enthusiasm of the Rams for a win. Did I really just take the Rams over the Cardinals? Packers @ Eagles -- The Packers are perfectly set, like the Jets and the Ravens, for the most amazing of downfalls. Everywhere you turn, the Packers are being pushed as the number one pick for the Super Bowl, a sure fire choice that cant possibly fail. Personally I have them down for the NFC North, but a lot can change between now and February. Not tonight though. I like Kevin Kolb, but I worry it's going to be more of the same for the Eagles. More bad challenges, more bad play calls. A stark inability to score once in the red zone etc. The Eagles really need their defense to come alive for them this year. More pressure and more picks, trying to ease the load on an offense that can best be described as 'inconsistent'. The Packers are poised to unleash their offensive and defensive fury, but as with all highly hyped teams (re: the Dallas Cowboys) the trouble is pushing past the hype and actually getting it done on the field. Week 1 I think they do. Packers win. 49ers @ Seahawks -- The revolving door in Seattle has barely finished spinning when someone else walks in and someone else leaves. It's getting almost ridiculous. And having thrown away their leading receiver from last year in a bid to start a youth movement, I think Seattle is actually looking a lot weaker than people think. With Matt Hasselbeck at QB and Seneca Wallace gone to Cleveland you also know they're just one injury away from it all going down the pan. The 49ers meanwhile have just chucked a new contract at Vernon Davis and are preparing for a season that could see them finally return to the playoffs. Certainly with the division the way it is now, this might be their best shot. Their defense was up there among the best last year for generating sacks and offensively Alex Smith will be settling in to another season with Jimmy Raye as his offensive coordinator. Smith has shown he can he can make the full range of passes now and tight end Vernon Davis lead the league last year in regular season TD catches. Given the balance of the two sides, I'm going to have to side with very own 49ers. Cowboys @ Redskins -- Adam Schein of FOXSports has tipped the Redskins to go 10-6 this season. I would be surprised if they even manage the reverse of that at 6-10. Seriously? The Redskins? This is a team that thought it was on top of the world in the off season. They landed one of the biggest coaching 'names' out there in Mike Shanahan, then scooped up Donovan McNabb to QB the team. Since then they've completely mishandled the situation with their premier defensive tackle (if you don't agree talent wise, then at least in salary). And the saga continues even to this day with almost daily talk regarding whether Haynesworth will work with the number twos or whether he'll be starting etc. The mood coming from Redskins camp seems to be very much unbalanced. Some of the players have spoken out against Haynesworth, some just seem to want it all resolved and to get the best players out there on the field. It's the perfect time for Dallas to strike their first blow in the NFC East. And let's not forget, Dallas still has one of the best collections of talented football players in the league. They have a pro bowl QB, a pro bowl TE, a pro bowl WR, a pro bowl tackle and linebackers, some pro bowl secondary players. It's just nuts how good of a team the Cowboys actually are. On paper. The trouble is bringing it all together. Which I see them doing tonight in Washington. Cowboys win. Ravens @ Jets -- The Jets have been the subject of more media attention than I can ever remember being directed at one team. And on such a grand stage it's only fitting that the main actors fall flat on their face for our amusement. The Jets have lost pass rush specialist Calvin Pace. Their offense is still a mess, after dumping one of the best backs in football right now. Sanchez is still young and looks a little shaky at times. Braylon Edwards still hasn't learnt to take his hands away from his face mask on deep balls. Santonio Holmes starts on a suspension. The Ravens on the other hand are missing Ed Reed but have more than able back ups for him. Their special teams unit is well fitted and the rest of their defense is strong. They've added two great receivers in the off season and still have a butt kicking run game. I just can't look past the Ravens for this one. Chargers @ Chiefs -- It's been a week of suspicious picks, one that I will potentially look back on with much regret. It is only right then, that I end on another suspicious call. I'm taking the Chiefs. Honestly, I think throughout pre-season we didn't see the best the Chiefs had to offer. Thomas Jones barely played a few downs. By comparison I think the Chargers have gone all out to make their pre-season a good one and dispel rumours that without Marcus McNeil at LT and Vincent Jackson at WR they will fail. And they failed. Scary as it might sound, I'm looking at the Chiefs secondary and although I'm not falling over with sheer admiration for them, I do see potential and I see Eric Berry having a good game. I'm confident in the rushing attack of Jones and Jamaal Charles and I think Chris Chambers and Dwayne Bowe are not receiving the credit they deserve. The question is whether Romeo Crennel can knock this defense into shape, especially the shape needed to take on the Chargers high flying offense. I'm going to take a leap of faith with Kansas and say yes, yes they can. Chiefs win. I'll be back later, at some point to recap the games. I should point out here that I've just grabbed a new job with new hours, so I'm not sure how all this is going to fit together yet and it might take a week or two to settle into a comfortable routine. I'll do my best to keep things flowing smoothly. Have a great day everyone.

Playoff predictions

Today I'm going to do what no football writer should ever do. I'm going to attempt to make predictions as to who will win the playoffs. This is probably one of the most futile tasks ever attempted. Invariably a string of injuries and unforeseen circumstances come up from nowhere to bite you in the butt further down the line. But I'll have a go. First of all let's look at the 12 teams that made up the playoffs last year; Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles. Now if history has taught us anything, it's that approximately half of all these teams will not make it back to the playoffs. That's six teams that potentially have to drop somewhere. But then you never know. History has also taught us of late that the bottom team in the NFC South will bounce back to win the division, but then unlike the 2009 Saints, the 2010 Buc's don't have the number one ranked offense from the previous year. My best guess is to go through them division by division and see where we end up. NFC North I'll start here because I'm fairly confident with this one. I'm backing the Green Bay Packers. Their offense is finding a rhythm under Aaron Rodgers and towards the end of last year their defense did the same, if you look past the freak shoot out with the Cardinals (and as the refs did, some very dubious calls). The Bears seem destined to prop up the pile, the Lions and Vikings fighting it out for second. NFC West I'm not so hugely confident with this one. I'm almost sure that the Cardinals and the Seahawks will bomb, but the Rams have actually looked pretty good with Bradford at the helm. They look like a proper NFL offense for a change. Even their defense jerked into life in the pre-season. But I'm going with the hotly tipped San Francisco 49ers. This is the year that my team returns to the playoffs with a combination of stout defense and Alex Smith feeding a steady stream of passes to Vernon Davis once more. NFC East I'm sure it's not going to be the Redskins. I've lost a bit of confidence in Philadelphia. I'm not sure if the Eagles can beat their divisional opponents. That leaves the Cowboys and the Giants and looking at their schedule, I think it's a matter of who wins their two meetings as to who wins the division. And I'm tempted to edge it and say.... New York Giants. I think their pass rush is panning out better than many of us hoped and that will be a key factor. If the Cowboys don't win it, they're destined to get a wild card I think. NFC South No we come to the real crunch time. Forget Tampa. Done. Forget New Orleans (what?). The Super Bowl champions are not going to get 9 interceptions out of Darren Sharper this year. They are not going to have the Dolphins throw away a big lead for them. They're not going to have the Redskins miss a chip shot field goal. They may even finish under .500. So it falls then to the Panthers and Falcons, and again it comes down to who will win the head to head. I cannot believe I'm saying this. I cannot believe I'm about to do it. But.... (sigh)... Carolina Panthers win the division. Their defense i think will have a better pass rush than Atlanta. And if they keep working those tight ends and that running game, they can do a lot of damage on offense. Of course, being the Panthers they can always spite me by being terrible, but even the Panthers cant be that cruel can they? You bet your a** they can. I hate the Panthers. That leaves one spot for an NFC wild card left (if we assume the runner up in the NFC East will take one spot) so who is the other team? I'm taking the Vikings. Even with a banged up old man at QB, the Vikings still possess a ferocious pass rush and Adrian Peterson. I think they ride in just behind the Packers in the North. Moving on then to the AFC, starting in the easy division. AFC East New England Patriots. There. Done. Honestly looking at the schedules and thinking about just how bad the Jets are offensively, I now have visions of them ending up picking in the top 5 next year in the draft. They've got Revis back in the fold now (I should probably have done a news segment on that) but everything else about them looks shaky as hell right now. I think the Bills might actually be the team that gives New England the closest run. Yeah. The Bills. That's how desperate it's looking. AFC South Tennessee Titans. That's another one down. Lets be real here. When Kerry Collins was removed as the QB and the Titans got their first string secondary back, they looked mighty impressive. They went back to looking like the Titans team that breezed to the division title in the '08 season. I see them repeating that feat in 2010. As for the Colts, I have them at possibly 9-7.... AFC West I'm pretty sure that both Kansas and Oakland will continue to struggle a little. For me it's down to the Chargers and the Broncos and again I think it's a head to head battle that will decide the division. And I'm leaning towards.... the Denver Broncos. The Chargers are missing Vincent Jackson and their defense is still a little unsteady. I think Kyle Orton has a handle on the Broncos offense now and is set for a good year. Broncos win the AFC West AFC North Cleveland? Forget it. Pittsburgh? I think they struggle too much early on and have trouble recovering. So it's down to the Bengals and the Ravens. Looking at them both, I just get this gut feeling that the Bengals have better depth. With the Ravens picking up T.J. Houshmandzadeh they've added another great weapon to their offense, but I just think the Bengals have more in the tank. Cincinnati Bengals win the division, Ravens take a wild card. That leaves one wild card spot left. And I'm leaning towards either the Chargers or the Colts. All things considered, I think the Colts will probably just nudge it, maybe even by as little as strength of schedule. So, there we go. Let's have a look at my list of 2010 playoff teams: New York Giants San Francisco 49ers Green Bay Packers Carolina Panthers Dallas Cowboys Minnesota Vikings Cincinnati Bengals New England Patriots Tennessee Titans Denver Broncos Baltimore Ravens Indianapolis Colts That's seven teams making the playoffs again (Packers, Cowboys, Vikings, Bengals, Patriots, Ravens, Colts) and five new teams (Giants, 49ers, Panthers, Titans, Broncos). That's not bad. The history books would ask me to look again and find one new team, but I'm pretty happy with that line up. Until week one of course, when it all begins to blow up in my face (led by the Panthers no doubt). Have a great day everyone.

Pre-season week 4 preivew (part 2)

-- We start with an article from ProFootballTalk.com that warns that attendance at NFL games is expected to fall this year (check it out.... Chris figured out hyperlinks!!). There are all kinds of reasons why this is so, but none can be more prevalent than the NFLs blackout policy. You have to remember that these attendance figures are league wide averages. The Steelers have no problems selling tickets (the waiting list for season tickets is measured in decades). The Jets, Giants, Redskins, Cowboys etc have no problem selling tickets. The problem areas are places like Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Cleveland. Partly that would suggest that on-field performance has a strong correlation with ticket sales and that would be true for almost any team sport around the world. But TV blackouts do not help. If you want people to get involved in something - like a football team - then you need exposure. You need local fans to watch the games and get interested in the team. The last thing you need is to deprive people of the ability to watch their hometown side. I think the adage "out of sight, out of mind" comes to the forefront here. -- Next up it's Pat Kirwan, Senior Analyst for NFL.com. Pat used to write good articles. Pat used to write interesting articles. Pat used to be all about the game. But as I've stated before Pat is increasingly treading the road of just pushing whatever the NFL wants pushed. His latest article is a case in point. Pat begins by talking about the hit Kyle Orton took while trying to tackle James Harrison. He makes a point of starting the tale with "In a meaningless third pre-season game..." right out of the Chairman Mao book of propaganda (Get the feeling the NFL is trying to convince you that pre-season games are worthless?). He then continues with "Orton escaped serious injury, but could have also been blown up by a blocker before Harrison had gotten to him." He could have been hit by a falling satellite Pat. I'm not sure I like the sound of where this one is going. He goes on to talk about Phillip Rivers who "might" have hurt himself when he made a TD saving tackle on Cowboys safety Barry Church. He didn't, and in fact his tackling form should put the Cowboys secondary to shame. And he didn't miss the chance to emphasise "... again, in a meaningless game." (Hint, hint, pre-season games are bad. You will believe us!!). He then concludes the segment by suggesting that unless quarterbacks are forced by rule to stop making tackles, then they will continue to try and make tackles to save interception/fumble returns for touchdowns. His final words are "It's time to take them out of the equation for their own good." This, for me, was shocking to read. I can understand when laws are passed, rules created etc, in order to stop someone from endangering others. I have never, ever, agreed that people should be prevented from doing things for "their own good". That's the first act of a dictatorship. And is Pat Kirwan seriously suggesting that we should prevent quarterbacks from making tackles because they might be injured? What else are they supposed to do? Idly stand by and just let a defender return the turnover for a TD? And surely this is the job of the coaches. Surely if they want their quarterbacks to try and make the play then that's up to them. If they don't want them hurt, tell them not to make the tackle! Kirwan is providing the absolute, perfect example of some of the sheer 'idea-bile' that is generated by the NFL sometimes. Only in the modern NFL could someone even consider the possibility of forcing a player, by rule, to not make tackles. All Kirwans article needs now is a section that kisses Peyton Mannings a** over the new rule regarding umpire placement and..... Yeah. He got that in too. Christ sake. Enough. Time to turn back to proper Football talk, by finishing up the last 8 pre-season games: Denver @ Vikings: Sage Rosenfels. Tavaris Jackson. Joe Webb. It's time to stand up and be counted. One of these three is likely leaving this roster before the season begins. Sage has performed the best but may still get the chop as some media types have suggested that Childress is holding onto Jackson just to prove he was right about him all along. Webb on the surface appears to be the odd one out, but as a rookie he has youth on his side and has shown flashes of potential already. The Broncos have their own battle at quarterback to resolve. Orton will finally step aside after a very good pre-season and leave it to Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow to fight for his back up job. Tebow has the edge in shirt sales. He has the edge in media attraction. But absolutely the most important, he has the edge on the field. So far... From my rookie watch list we've spoken about Tebow and DeMaryius Thomas is supposedly still nursing an injury which now leaves RB Toby Gerhart and DE Everson Griffen of the Vikings and Corners Syd'Quan Thompson and Perrish Cox of the Broncos. Shine on boys. Packers @ Chiefs: Remember Graham Harrell? Quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders? Well he's finally going to get a solid crack of the whip in the NFL, albeit in what Pat Kirwan might call a "Meaningless pre-season game" (Tell that to Harrell on the eve of possibly one of the biggest games of his life). On defense, with Al Harris now injured (again) it's likely that Tramon Williams will be kept out of harms way so the Packers secondary backups will also be out for a feeding frenzy on Thursday. Chiefs QB Tyler Palko might get a shot, but I'm guessing Brodie Croyle will take most of the snaps to prepare him for a season behind Matt Cassel. Just looking briefly at my rookie watch list I didn't realise how many Chiefs players were on there! McCluster might play a little but will probably be rested for the most part, as will Safety Eric Berry. That leaves G Jon Asamoah, CB Javier Arenas and S Kendrick Lewis for me to keep an eye on. Dolphins @ Cowboys: Fans watching this one could be in for a hell of a game. Both teams have tentatively suggested they may leave some of their starters in. Well, Coach Sparano wasn't quite so subtle about it. On second thoughts though, the reason both teams may keep their starters in is precisely because they've played so badly in the recent pre-season games. The stupid thing about Miami is that some of their starters have done well. QB Chad Henne has definitely shown improvement from last year. CB Vontae Davis has probably been their best player so far. WR Brandon Marshall is fitting in and TE Anthony Fasano has come along as a receiving threat. They're just lacking something, that final product perhaps. For Dolphins QB Pat White this could be the last chance saloon to prove that he's come along as passer and is not just a gimmick addition. This will be important to watch not only for Dolphins fans but for all of us. If White is cut, the media will jump on this like a pack of ravenous wolves. It will hurt the chances of all future quarterbacks who are considered as runners (even guys like Tebow and McCoy) as the finger pointing begins and the "remember Pat White" stories begin to emerge. As for the Cowboys. Who cares, it's the Cowboys. They'll play well all year then nose dive in the play offs. Consider that a prediction. As for the rookie watch list, we've got two linebackers; Koa Misi and Micah Johnson. Misi may or may not get some good playing time, but Johnson surely will. I'm rooting for you guys. Saints @ Titans: I was dismayed to find out that rookie QB Sean Canfield from my watch list has been cut by the Saints, though given the showing of their other back ups, it's understandable. Fingers crossed that he will land somewhere else on a practice squad and earn his way back into the league. The Saints in general look pretty set for the season ahead. Their secondary has been the only slightly vulnerable looking spot, but I'm guessing that corners Tracy Porter & Jabari Greer will be rested, making a useful comparison after this game difficult. For the Titans the back up running back battle continues, with LaGarrette Blount definitely having the edge. For my watch list there's just one player, LB Rennie Curran who has done well so far. Buccaneers @ Texans: My expectation is that QB Josh Johnson will get another game under his belt, though we might see something of the rookie Jevan Snead. Arrelious Benn and Michael Spurlock will be two receivers worth keeping an eye out for against a sometimes shaky Texan secondary. Defensively I have my eye on LB Dekoda Watson and DT Brian Price from the watch list. I said the Texans secondary was shaky, but I've said that before about the Texans. Like the Panthers though they insist on proving me wrong at every turn, playing like the Lions when I say they're on the up and playing like the Colts when I compare them to the Lions. I hope the Texans lose. Badly. In embarrassing fashion. Chargers @ 49ers: The Chargers D still hasn't learnt to rush the passer consistently so they might be quite happy to travel to Candlestick Park to play the 49ers. San Francisco's line isn't exactly notorious for it's granite like stability and neither David Carr nor Nate Davis are being heralded lately for their quick release. Chargers LB Donald Butler is on the rookie watch list. For the 49ers this might finally be the chance to get a good look at safety Taylor Mays (watch list) as well as the ongoing battle at the Linebacker spot that could see either Manny Lawson or Parys Haralson ultimately get cut. I'm also all eyes open for FB Brit Miller. C'mon Brit! Seahawks @ Raiders: The Charlie Whitehurst saga continues, god help us. Hopefully for Seahawks fans he'll have a better showing this time around. I'm watching the secondary though, looking out for S Kam Chancellor who should see some extended action for a change. The Raiders roster depth meanwhile is a little uncertain so it's still difficult to predict who will be on the field and who will be on the sideline. I imagine Darrius Heyward-Bey will be sent out for another run and we may even get a good look at combine speedster Jacoby Ford (who also showed very good hands at the combine). At QB it's likely that Gradkowski will be kept out of harms way, meaning the Kyle Boller and Colt Brennan will likely share time. Redskins @ Cardinals: With Leinart on the trade block, it all falls to Derek Anderson to go out and just prove to his team that he can at least be a confident, competent leader. Chances are that rookie QB John Skelton will also get a chance to play. Looking at the watch list you'll notice that Charles Scott has been traded to Arizona and is projected to play as a Fullback. Given that his tough running style and sheer power were the things that intrigued me about him, I can see the transition to FB being a relatively easy one for him. DT Dan Williams and LB Daryl Washington are also watch listers for the Cardinals. The Redskins have some tough choices to make at Running Back. They now have five potential backs and they're not all going to make the final roster. Given that Portis will probably lead the way and that the Redskins will want to invest in a bit of youth, chances are that either Larry Johnson or Willie Parker is set for the chop. My guess is that Parker will go, which is a shame. I'll be expecting someone to pick Parker up for a bargain contract in the near future. That then is that. 16 "meaningless" games accounted for and ready to be played. I'll be back tomorrow to recap them all at some point, probably segmenting them a little based on their respective kick off times. Till then, Have a great day everyone.

Saturday Night Football round up

Saturday Night Results time: -- Browns 27 @ Lions 35: There's a funny thing about football. Typically when two good teams get together, the end result is rubbish. They're so good, so tight and play so conservatively that they often end up having a boring contest. Conversely when you put two bad teams together, the result is often an explosive and sometimes comical clash. This is what happened when two bad teams came together again. A Browns FG got us started, then Stafford found Johnson (Bryant, not Calvin) in the end zone. Then Eric Wright returned a fumble to the end zone for the Browns before Jake Delhomme found Lawrence Vickers with a 5-yard TD pass. Then Lions DB Chris Houston returned a Browns fumble for a score, only for the Browns to hit back with a TD run by Peyton Hillis to end the first half scoring. The second half scoring began with a Kevin Smith TD run for the Lions from 2-yards out, followed by another Browns FG. Two short TD runs by Lions RB Aaron Brown finally put the game to bed. Jake Delhomme finished 20/25 for 152 yards and a TD...... and 0 INTs!! Colt McCoy finished 10/14 for 76 yards and made a valiant attempt at a last drive down the field with about 4 minutes remaining but it was not to be. Matthew Stafford finished 13/17 for 141 yards and a TD. Jahvid Best led the Lions in rushing yards, taking his sole carry for 51 yards and showing good vision to use his blockers down field. -- Bengals 20 @ Bills 35: Robin may have got his TD, but Mr. Freeze wins the Twitter battle (well, technically Mr. Freezes minions do). It began with Carson Palmer to Jermaine Gresham for a TD, followed by Trent Edwards to Roscoe Parrish to tie the score. Then Palmer found Ochocinco to make it 14-7, only for C.J. Spiller to come back with 2 rushing TDs for the Bills. A third quarter FG gave the Bengals hope, then Ryan Fitzpatrick found David Nelson with a 20 yard TD pass to crush it. The Bengals mustered another FG, but then Jordan Palmer (confused?) looked right, threw right.... and was picked off for six by the most aptly named CB in the league; Reggie Corner. Carson Palmer finished 9/11 for 95 yards and 2 TDs. Jordan Palmer; 7/12 for 116 yards and an INT. Cedric Benson led the Bengals on the ground with 8 carries for 50 yards and Quan Cosby topped the receivers with 4 catches for 82 yards. Bengals LB Brandon Johnson tied for the lead on his team for tackles with Roddrick Muckelroy (on my rookie watch list) with 5. Geno Atkins (also on the list) bagged himself yet another sack. For the Bills Trent Edwards finished 13/17 for 153 yards and a TD. Ryan Fitzpatrick came home with 6/9 for 77 yards and a TD. Naturally C.J. Spiller led the Bills backs with 12 carries for 52 yards and 2 TDs. Roscoe Parrish topped the receivers with four catches for 56 yards and a TD. -- Jaguars 19 @ Buccaneers 13: They say that lightning never strikes in the same place twice. One thing it certainly does seem to do is to follow the Jaguars around wherever they go, delaying their games like an ominous attempt from above to delay the inevitable. Except in this case the Jags won, so maybe it worked in their favour. After exchanging field goals, Josh Johnson found RB Earnest Graham to give the Bucs' a 10-3 lead, with the Jags pulling back another FG before half time. The third quarter saw another exchange of field goals, then Luke McCown zipped a beauty 27 yards to John Matthews to make it 16-13, with a 4th quarter FG by the Jags wrapping it up. Garrard ended the game 24/31 for 211 yards and an INT, while Luke McCown went 9/14 for 76 yards, a TD and an INT. Josh Johnson led the Bucs' with 9/14 for 122 yards and a TD, while his replacement Rudy Carpenter went 4/13 for 37 yards and then threw a pick on a last hope jump ball. Rookie Buccaneers WR Mike Williams (4th round, 101st overall) has been getting rave reviews in camp and finished the game with 3 catches for 83 yards. The Bucs' also provided the only true defensive standouts, with CB Ronde Barber and LB Quincy Black both recording 7 tackles. -- Giants 10 @ Ravens 24: It was over almost before it began. A FG and two 2nd quarter touchdowns for the Ravens was met by the Giants with a single field goal. In the 4th quarter an exchange of TDs left the differential where it had been at half time. Manning played and went 9/18 for 63 yards and an INT, while Rhett Bomar produced 10/20 for 140 yards and a TD pass to WR Victor Cruz who continues to impress, leading the Giants with 4 catches for 76 yards and a TD. For the Ravens, Flacco went 21/34 for 229 yards, 2 TDs (Todd Heap and Anquan Boldin) and an INT. Troy Smith also impressed with 8/11 for 71 yards and a TD. The rushing standout for the game was Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, who notched 41 yards from 6 carries and showed a surprising burst to get to the outside and turn up field. Defensively the Giants finally got some pass rush together, bagging 5 sacks total (2 for Rocky Bernard, 2 for Justin Tuck and 1 from Linval Joseph). Antrel Rolle led the team in tackles with 7. For the Ravens, Haruki Nakamura came up with an interception which - coupled with his special teams play recently - might just be enough to grab a roster spot. -- Cowboys 7 @ Texans 23: It's early days yet. There's still time to improve. It's not the end of the world to lose a few games in pre-season. It's not a true reflection of how we'll play in the regular season. These are all lines Head Coach Wade Philips will be trying to feed the press over the next few weeks to try and convince them that the world as Dallas knows it is not about to implode. I personally believe however, that Wade Phillips is a coaching genius. Yes, a genius. Because (yes, I know; grammar) there is only one possible explanation as to why Tony Romo was playing like Curtis Painter, why the Cowboys RBs have hardly been seen all pre-season (a combined 9 carries for Choice, Barber and Jones in this game) and why the Cowboys D looked like the Lions D. Phillips is saving it all for week one. Like a cunning general of yester year, he is hiding away his forces true strength while putting on a ruse, a display to lull his enemies into a false sense of security. It's either that, or the Cowboys are in some serious s**t this season. Romo went 13/18 for 146 yards and an INT, while giving up some tough sacks and some hilarious fumbles. The Texans did slightly better. Matt Schaub went 18/29 for 183 yards and a TD. Arian Foster did the impossible and actually produced a 100 yard rusher for the Texans, getting 110 yards and a TD off 18 carries. The defense produced 3 sacks and the O-line kept Schaub upright all through the game. It's almost like they read my preview post from yesterday and did the complete opposite. I mean, if this had been a regular season game they'd have definitely cost me a pick as well as making me look like a right a**. Wait... this seems familiar.... like.... Carolina.......... !! ........... I hate the Texans. -- Seahawks 13 @ Vikings 24: When Favre threw a pick to rookie safety Earl Thomas who returned it for a TD, Seahawks fans could be forgiven for thinking that they were about to take a big scalp. Sadly not, as Adrian Peterson then rumbled home on a powerful 24 yard run to level the score. TD passes from Sage Rosenfels and Joe Webb to Javon Walker and Ryan D'Imperio respectively sealed the deal (plus FGs). Favre finished 16/26 for 187 yards and 2 INTs, as well as fumbling on a sack by Chris Clemons. Rosenfels did better; 5/6, 71 yards and a TD. Charlie Whitehurst 'led' the Seahawks with 12/26 for 138 yards and an INT, while Matt Hasselbeck ended up with 9/17 for 126 yards. Chris Clemons stood out defensively for the Seahawks, getting 3 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. The Vikings D also managed a combined 3 sacks. -- Titans 7 @ Panthers 15: See, this is what I'm talking about! This is why I hate the Panthers! Since when, WHEN has the Panthers D in the last few years ever produced 7 sacks?! SEVEN! A** clowns. Even despite this the Titans still appeared to be heading for victory when Kerry Collins found Jerry Cook in the 4th quarter for a TD. But on the ensuing kick off the Titans inexplicably managed to pile four guys onto RB Mike Goodson without bringing him down and with a superb second effort he broke free and carried the ball all the way to the house for 91 yard kick return TD. Kerry Collins finished 6/10 112 yards, a TD and an INT. Vince Young; 6/9 for 48 yards. Matt Moore led the Panthers QB pair with 18/33 for 190 yards. Jimmy Clausen 4/5 for 79 yards. What really boggles the mind is that the Titans hardly called on their rushing attack. Chris Johnson received just 10 carries and Blount and Ringer combined for just 9 more. Defensively the Titans stand out was rookie DB Alterraun Verner (appearing soon in a Star Wars movie near you) with 5 tackles, an assist and a forced fumble. The Panthers D was lead in tackles by LB Jon Beason with 5. DE Charles Johnson ended with 4 tackles and 2 sacks. Greg Hardy, Richard Marshall, Everette Brown, Charles Godfrey and Eric Moore all took home a single sack each. Brown in particular looked quick on his feet and was in among the pressure all game long. 3rd year corner Brian Witherspoon capped the show with 2 INTs. I hate the Panthers. -- Cardinals 14 @ Bears 9: I like the Bears. You know what you're getting with the Bears. You know that a) their rushing attack will be chronic and b) Jay Cutler will inevitably bottle it and throw a few Interceptions. This game being a case in point. Maybe a little harsh. Chester Taylor led the Bears backs with 36 yards off 5 carries (Bears fans; just gloss over the 34 yard run that contributed most of the yards). Cutler finished 10/20 for 129 yards and 2 INTs. Dan LeFevour did better; 10/12 for 110 yards and a TD. For the Cardinals both Anderson and Leinart did well. Anderson; 7/12, 94 yards and a TD. Leinart; 9/10 for 84 yards and a TD. Tim Hightower was the RB stand out with 8 carries for 62 yards and the Cardinals rookie WR Steven Williams led all WR with 5 catches for 79 yards and a TD. -- 49ers 28 @ Raiders 24: Roll on week 6! Well, Kind of. Jason Campbell went out injured after going 6/8 for 93 yards, which meant that Bruce Gradkowski experienced a little deja vu, stepping in once again for the starting QB in Oakland. And you have to feel sorry for Gradkowski. Once more he took the chance with both hands and posted 14/22 for 202 yards and 2 TDs. One day you'll get your shot Bruce. One day. Louis Murphy led the Raiders receivers with 2 catches for 87 yards and a TD. On the '9ers side, Alex Smith went 9/15 for 113 yards and a TD. David Carr; 7/17 for 54 yards. Frank Gore was finally let loose... for 2 carries. Not one to complain, Gore promptly ripped off a 49 yard run, ploughing defenders with his shoulder along the way and finishing the game with 58 yards. Brain Westbrook also got a look in, taking 2 carries for 17 yards. The heaviest load fell on Anthony Dixon once more, who shall hence forth be known as "The Golden Mule", carrying the ball 21 times for 69 yards and a TD, in addition to 3 catches for a further 15 yards. Defensively for the Raiders it was first round pick Rolando McClain who led the way with 6 tackles and 2 assists. For the 49ers, you guessed it, Patrick Willis; 7 tackles, an assist and a sack. Well, that appears to be it for the day. Only one game remains now in pre-season week 3 as the Steelers travel to the Broncos for some Monday Night Football, but I'll be f***ed if I'm doing the preview right now. Must sleep. Hmm, sleepy, sleepy. Have a great day everyone.

Saturday Night round up

Saturday nights game is done so let's have a round up: Cowboys 24 @ Saints 17 -- You couldn't script it any better. The team that cant win in December, wins in December, against a team that so far this season hasn't been beaten. Well, so much for the undefeated season. And with it goes my pick for the game. But I don't care. I am now looking forward to a week of listening to people coming up with excuses as to why the Saints lost. No doubt the same people who have conveniently overlooked all the little things, the lucky breaks and bad calls, that have helped the Saints to go undefeated in the first place. It's poetic justice at its finest. But excuses aside, there are some very legitimate reasons why the Saints lost. A huge part of the Saints offense relies on play action passes to generate space behind the secondary for all those deep balls. Looking at it, the Cowboys just didn't bite as hard as most teams do. They stayed with the receivers and were rewarded with just 2 minutes left in the first half when Drew Brees under threw a pass to Devery Henderson and Mike Jenkins came up with the pick. Then we have the respective run games. If we exclude QB scrambles, then the Saints tallied just 11 run plays compared to the Cowboys 32. Even though 'Americas Team' notched just 145 net yards on the ground, the key thing is they burnt the clock and kept the explosive Saints offense off the field. That's how you beat the Saints. Though there is one last element needed.... DeMarcus Ware. One of the reasons I took the Saints was because Ware was listed as Questionable. That usually means 'if he plays, he'll be rubbish'. Ware however looked on fine form and bagged himself 2 sacks, both causing fumbles, using his patented 'push and then duck under' rushing technique. OLB Anthony Spencer also helped the cause coming up with 2 sacks of his own. That's 4 in one game, compared to the Saints previous grand total of 15 in all of their previous 13 games. And what a surprise. Who would have thought that sacking the QB of a pass heavy team would help you beat them. But it nearly went off the rails for Dallas.... 2:14 left in the 4th quarter, Dallas leads by 7. They get down close to the Saints end. Then get stopped. There's nothing more they can do. It's a 24 yard chip shot field goal and then hope that the 10 point lead holds up. Onto the field walks much maligned kicker Nick Folk. The snap is good.... ball down.... kick is up and on the way and it is..... NO GOOD!! OFF THE INSIDE OF THE UPRIGHT!!! At this point Cowboys fans probably couldn't believe what they'd just seen, Wade Phillips was probably calling the GM to arrange for someones pink slip to be waiting for them in the dressing room, and Saints fans were sitting in the stands going "That happens all the time for us, how else do you think we're still 13-0?" Luckily for the Cowboys DeMarcus Ware got his second sack and forced fumble of the night on the ensuing Saints drive, allowing Jay Ratliff to dive on the ball and wrap it up for the Cowboys. But we're not quite done yet, there's still one last person left to poke some fun at. Namely Cowboys WR Roy Williams. Williams has made a regular point of telling the media he's Mr #1 in Dallas. The reality is he's a close third or fourth. Austin is #1. Romo is #2. That's that. Austin caught 7 balls for 139 yards and a TD. Witten caught 5 for another 44 yards. Williams caught 1 for 14 yards and dropped a clanger on a potential 3rd conversion. When you look at the Cowboys as a whole, I'd favour Patrick Crayton over Williams 10 times out of 10. So that's that done and that's me 1-1 for this week, though I can't help but smile at tonight's result. It's gonna be a good week I think. Take care all. Miles Austin

Thursday Night Football round up

Before I even get started with this post, I'd just like to say how sorry I was to hear about the passing of Chris Henry. Henry had his troubles along the line, but by all accounts he had made an extra effort this year to get his life and his playing career on track. Team mates have spoken about his dedication in the off season and his strong ongoing work ethic. The results were evident on the field as Henry looked to work his way back into the Bengals first team. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and team mates of Chris Henry. May he rest in peace. And now we come to this weeks Thursday Night Football round up: Colts 35 @ Jaguars 31 -- Questions will be asked of Jaguars Free Safety Reggie Nelson. His coaches and team mates will want to know why he meekly threw himself against the side of Dallas Clark, allowing Clark to stay upright and run home a 27 yard TD pass in the 3rd quarter. Then everyone will want to know what happened on the 65 yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne in the 4th quarter. They'll all want to know why Nelson failed to simply dive and wrap up Wayne well short of the goal line instead of just running up behind him, leaning forward, and then seeming to pat him on the backside before falling over. After his coaches have finished playing tape of him in front of the whole team to make a point about tackling, the FBI will probably want to have a word with Nelson as well, something to do with suspicious betting patterns on a Colts win. Of course that's a slight embellishment (I hope) but honestly, if you haven't seen it yet, then after you've finished here head over to NFL.com and watch the game highlights. For all my talk about running the ball, teams choices of offense etc, etc, I'm a defensive guy at heart. I love watching defenders fly across the field in an attempt to create a kind of human Crash Derby. But that mindset has it's downsides. 1) I go nuts when I see blown coverages. 2) I tear out what little hair I have left from my head when I see appalling tackling. It just astounds me how bad some of the tackling in pro football is. Nelson practically put on a one man "how not to" show tonight. Just shockingly bad. And that, amazingly enough, was pretty much the difference. Manning had another 300 yard/4 TD game, tearing Jacksonville to pieces. David Garrard tried to fight back but completed just 23/40, for 233 yards and 3 TDs. Both QB's threw one pick. Jones-Drew had 27 carries and notched 110 yards plus a rushing TD to go with his receiving TD from earlier in the game. And my little dynamo Rashad Jennings got over double his normal allocation of rushing attempts, a whole 5 this time around, for 23 yards. Now don't get me wrong, I like David Garrard, but he's not a game winning QB in the way that many others are. He's a handy tool, a guy who can keep drives alive. But he's not the bread and butter of the Jaguars and I do wish they'd stop treating him as such. It was also nice to see Chad Simpson get a 93 yard TD return which should hopefully shine some more light on a young player who I think has a big future. But that's enough ranting for now. Saturday night marks the first Saturday game of the season as the Saints welcome the Cowboys, so here's my pick for that one: Cowboys @ Saints -- It's December and that means only one thing as far as the Cowboys are concerned. And that my friends is a big, fat L. The Saints are going for the 16-0 and rightly so. While the Cowboys have the tools to make life difficult for the Saints, I just can't see it happening. They're likely to be without LB DeMarcus Ware for this one and they need all the help they can get to stop the Saints offense. Jay Ratliff might have a good game bringing pressure up the middle and forcing Drew Brees to hold the ball and move around, but don't count on the Cowboys to come up with many big defensive plays. On the opposite side of the turf, the Saints will possibly see the return of CB Tracey Porter and if that happens it will provide a huge boost to their recently lagging secondary. I still don't rate the Saints as the best team in the league, but I do rate them as better than the Cowboys. Much better. Saints win. So that's me done for the day, I'm off to go and play in the snow (who says a 25 year old can't enjoy building a snowman?) but I'll be back again tomorrow to bring you my picks for the rest of week 15. Until then, take care of yourselves.

... and some ridiculous ineptitude by the Panthers offensive play calling...

Ok, so all of Sundays games are now done and dusted, time to assess how I did in my first week of picks. Well, as I've already said I was 6-0 for the early games and most of the late games were goinf in my favour, but it didn't all go to plan.... Buffalo: 20 @ Carolina: 9 -- Remember these names; John Fox and Jeff Davidson. The first is the Panthers Head Coach, the second is their Offensive Co-ordinator. These have to be the two stupidest coaches in professional football right now (yeah, worse than Eric Mangini!!!). How can you overlook Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in favour of Jake Delhomme? Between them the two running backs were given just 23 carries. 23. Delhomme on the other hand was given 44 (!!!) pass attempts, of which he completed 27 for 325 yds. But no TD's. But of course, this is Jake Delhomme we're talking about, so naturally he turned the ball over 3 times with INT's. It just boggles the mind. I knew that it was risky picking the Panthers. I knew that even though the Bills defense was gashed by the Jets rushing attack the week before, and that they have Williams and Stewart as their running back tandem, I knew that the Panthers might just fall in love with Delhomme again and throw it a lot. And turn it over. And sure enough, they did. Words can't begin to describe how retarded this decision is. If I was the owner of the franchise I'd be furious. And Fox and Davidson would both be jobless. Jets: 38 @ Oakland: 0 -- No real surprise here. Sanchez came back from his disaster last week with a conservative game and threw a TD to Clowney. But the most fun part is that the Jets surpassed even the Steelers in the diversity of their rushing attack, giving 8 (!!!) different guys the ball. Obviously Thomas Jones was among them, with 26 carries for 121 yds and a touchdown. But with Leon Washington leaving the game injured it fell to rookie Shonn Greene to fill in the gap. And boy did he. 19 carries, 144 yds, 2 touchdowns. That's one way to get your coaches attention!! Bears: 10 @ Bengals: 45 -- I took the Bengals because I didn't think the Bears would run the ball well and because I thought the Bengals had too much offensive punch through the air and on the ground. And holy crap was I underestimating the disparity. 6 carries, 24 yds. That was Matt Fortes production. Compare to Cedric Benson, who was playing against his old team. He got himself 37 carries... for 189 yds & a TD!! That's pretty damn impressive. And on any other day that would win you the awe of the crowd. Except that Palmer went 20/24 for 233yds and 5, count 'em, 5 TD's. Compare that to Jay Cutlers 26/37, 251 yds, 1 TD and 3 INT's. Bengals looking like the real deal in the AFC North, but it's still early days. Falcons: 21 @ Cowboys: 37 -- I went Cowboys here, but to be honest it was by no means a dead cert. I also proclaimed earlier that the Cowboys should run the ball more (which they should), but they didn't listen. Still, no matter, when Romo is throwing 21/29 for 311yds and 3 TD's. Credit again to Miles Austin who nearly went for 200 yds twice in a row, this time though settling for a mere 6 catches for 171 yds and 2 TD's. Saints: 46 @ Dolphins: 34 -- I mentioned earlier today that if anyone was gonna come back from being 24-3 down, then it would likely be the Saints. And sadly for my picks, they did. Bugger. Throwing away two interceptions for touchdowns didn't exactly help the Miami cause. In fact, if it weren't for those 13 points (the Saints missed a 2 point conversion), my pick would have come up as a gem. Bloody Drew Brees. Still he finished, 22/38, 298 yds, 1 TD and 3 INT's, which is way below par for him. Especially the INT's. Sadly though the ball was thrust into Chad Hennes hands, and predictably he threw 2 interceptions among his 36 attempts. Which annoys me. Not the interceptions. Just the principle that for a team as good on the ground as Miami, why throw 36 (37 if you include Ronnie Browns effort) times? Ricky Williams notched 3 TD's, and you have to think they would have had more if they had just stuck with that run game. Damn it! Cardinals: 24 @ Giants: 17 -- This game I had the chance to watch on telly. Man was it tight at times. Credit to Anquan Boldin, whose 3 catches for 75 yds doesn't tell you the whole story about how physical and determined this guy was. Ultimately though, Mannings 3 interceptions cost his team dearly. There are also continuing questions about his play calling actions at the line of scrimmage. In a desperate attempt to look like as good a field general as his brother, Eli spends in ordinate amounts of time trying to call plays and adjust protections. Except that often those protections breakdown. And 'cos he spends so much time doing it, the play clock gradually burns away, leaving Eli with a double headed monster; he either doesn't get the ball off in time and suffers delay of game penalites, or he has so little time left that he has to give away his cadence to the D. He never leaves enough time to run the kind of fakes that his brother does, and subsequently the D is able to time their releases to perfection, usually resulting in them teeing off on Manning. And unlike his brother, he isn't nearly as adept at spotting who's blitzing and who's faking. Them Cardinals turned out to be a good pick. So, that's the Sunday night games done and dusted, and thanks to a ridiculous comeback by the Saints and some ridiculous ineptitude by the Panthers offensive play calling, I'm now at 10-2 in my picks this week. Tomorrow sees the Eagles travel to Washington, where I'm backing the Redskins to pull an upset. Please Redskins, run the ball, run play action, and take me to 11-2 on my first weekend!!!