Week 3 NFL picks (part 2)

Time now then to finish off my picks for week 3: Redskins @ Rams -- Tougher than you might think. Both teams had a torrid time last year but both have taken strides to recovery in 2010. Sam Bradford is developing ok, but we really need to see more from the Rams receivers in order to help him out. Steven Jackson is still one of the best backs in football but again you look at the Rams depth chart behind him and kind of sigh. If Jackson gets injured then the Rams are shot, so naturally I think they have a tendency to be protective of him. The Redskins have a different problem. They have a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball. But how do they get maximum value from them? That's the question the Redskins are still trying to solve. They beat up on a poor Texans D last week, but they struggled against the Cowboys more competent unit. I can see them doing enough to come away from St. Louis with a win. Redskins for the W. Eagles @ Jaguars -- The Eagles are going to be a difficult team to judge in the coming weeks. Their offense still has a lot of great weapons but their defense is also giving up lots of yards and points. The linebacking corps looks positively devoid. The trouble for Jacksonville is that they're no better. Maurice Jones-Drew hasn't been the force he was last year and David Garrard is ureliable. I'm going to have to take the Eagles. Colts @ Broncos -- Like the Dallas/Houston game, I've struggled with this one. The typical answer most people would give is "Colts", without a seconds hesitation. But I can't shake this nagging feeling (would that be the same one that said 'Bills over Packers' last week?). The Broncos have a lot going for them. Orton is good QB. He has good receivers and the match up of Demaryius Thomas against the Colts undersized secondary is going to be a nightmare. But how will the Broncos D match up against the Colts? Pierre Garcon will be missing for the Colts, but that still leaves Austin Collie, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark to match up against a Broncos secondary that could be missing Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman (which you shouldn't be worried about having put Perrish Cox and Syd'Quan Thompson on your rookie watch list). The Colts have the superior pass rush in theory, but I just don't know. I'm going to have to say...... Broncos win. Raiders @ Cardinals -- Hmm, choices, choices. A struggling Cardinals team against a struggling Raiders team. An inconsistent passer against an entire offense of inconsistency. A defense that just got hammered into the floor by Atlanta against a defense that is used to getting hammered on a regular basis. I'll probably regret this but I'm siding with the Raiders. Just think that Gradkowski will tip the balance here. Chargers @ Seahawks -- The Chargers got a bit of their mojo back last week, while the Seahawks got a bit of their mojo sapped away. So who wins the battle of the mojo hunters? Well the loss of Ryan Matthews hasn't exactly helped the Chargers cause, but given the relative strengths of the two teams, I think they have more in reserve than the Seahawks. Chargers win. Jets @ Dolphins -- Oh boy! A Jets team minus CB Darrelle Revis and with a yo-yo at QB versus a Dolphins team that has established an early trend for dominating defense coupled with pi** poor offense. If Sanchez doesn't step up then the Jets are in big trouble, but if he can replicate his form from last week then the Dolphins will likely struggle to catch up. The Dolphins just need a spark from somewhere. Whether it's Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams on the ground or some big catch and runs from Brandon Marshall through the air. Maybe it's tight end Anthony Fasano with some great red zone play. If the Dolphins can just get that - some momentum on offense - then things will be fine. They'd bl**dy better because I'm taking the Dolphins. Packers @ Bears -- It's easy to dimiss the Bears accomplishments this season as luck; having escaped defeat at the hands of the Lions due to a dubious ruling and defeat at the hands of the Cowboys due to their ineptness. So I will. Packers win. 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.

Pre-season week 4 preview (part 1)

We'll start briefly with some news and then we'll hit the preview for the first eight of Thursdays 16 pre-season games. -- Brett Favre catches our attention first. Favre has told Sports Illustrated that he is unsure whether his ankle will hold up to the rigors of the season ahead. Which is basically Favre speak for "I'm not sure how well we're going to play this season, best divert blame from myself". Nice to see him getting the excuses in early after a less than stellar game against the Seahawks. -- The NFL competition committee has concluded that Peyton Manning was right; the rule on the refs new position should be changed to specifically accommodate teams that run a no-huddle offense outside of the final two minutes of a half. And people wonder where fans get the idea that the NFL is being deliberately contorted into a pass first league or that teams like the Colts get favourable treatment? Think about the tuck rule for a minute. How long have we had that rule? How many times have pro-players from both sides of the ball, offense and defense, from all positions, complained about that? How many times have people spoken out against it? How many Head Coaches have complained about that stupid, mother f***ing tuck rule? But here we are, in 2010, with the rule still in place. Yet when Manning speaks out about a new rule, it's been changed almost immediately! Literally less than a week later and the rule has been altered! Are you kidding me? -- And finally, Jay Glazer of FoxSports has reported on his twitter account that several of his sources are telling him that the Cardinals have indeed begun to shop QB Matt Leinart. There's no word so far on what the asking price might be but it's unlikely to amount to anything more than a conditional pick in 2011. Right. Preview time!! It's week 4 of the pre-season so be prepared to see very little of the marquee names, while keeping a beady eye out for some hard fighting rookies and fringe veterans. Starting with: -- Bills @ Lions: Stoppable force meets movable object. Namely, the Bills offense against the Lions D. It's unlikely that C.J. Spiller will be called upon to play after a very impressive showing already in the pre-season. That leaves the Bills back at square one; leaning on a QB nobody trusts (any of them) throwing to receivers that nobody has faith in (any of them except maybe Lee Evans). Helping their cause is the potential that Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch will not play, leaving the Lions defense back at square one; .... just plain terrible. So all eyes are on their offense. With Jahvid Best and Matthew Stafford watching from the sidelines, it's the perfect opportunity for Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton to battle for the back up QB job, while Aaron Brown and Kevin Smith fight for what looks like a place behind Best. -- Bengals @ Colts: Work of art laid out on the turf of Lucas Oil stadium. Or not, as the case may be. Curtis Painter will undoubtedly step up to the plate once more for the kind of unique spectacle that only he can provide. I'm flipping the coin of destiny now..... and it says heads; Painter has a good game! Stupid coin. So there you have it, scientific methodology at its best. Curtis Painter will rock the field on Thursday. As for the Bengals, my main focus is on the members of my rookie watch list, namely; WR Jordan Shipley, DT Geno Atkins, LB Roddrick Muckelroy and WR Dezmon Briscoe. It's unlikely that Carson Palmer will play for anything more than a few snaps, if that, so I'm not holding out high expectations of the two receivers. That said, if there was ever a way to get noticed on a team that possesses Chad Ochocino and Terrell Owens, then it's to make the back up QB (and me) look good. C'mon lads. -- Patriots @ Giants: The other New England/New York battle. At least we know this much about this game; the Jets hate both of them and they both hate the Jets. With that out of the way, down to business. Looking over the Patriots roster you kind of wonder whether they'll even miss Tom Brady, providing Zac Robinson and Brian Hoyer can avoid having a truly chronic game. Defensively there are a few more questions and holes, but this is what pre-season is all about. Looking at the Giants roster, I'm not even sure who will start at the receiver position. They're so thin that it's worrying, but I'm guessing Victor Cruz will get another chance to shine. On the defense, rookies DT Linval Joseph and DE Jason Pierre-Paul are unlikely to have a better chance than this to shine. -- Falcons @ Jaguars: Shocking end to pre-season. Will another Jaguars game be delayed by lightning? Will another Jaguars game be blacked out on TV? Will another Jaguars game be blacked out by lightning? Who knows. Providing the elements and the TV networks play ball, then we can see the Jaguars and Falcons play ball too. For the Falcons it's another great opportunity for DE Kroy Biermann and rookie DT Corey Peters to showcase their skills. Expect Sean Weatherspoon (rookie watch list) to go all out and show the Falcons what he can do to. I imagine the Jaguars will give Luke McCown another chance to shine and pile pressure on David Garrard. I'm hoping that Tyson Alualu (rookie watch list) (I really should post that somewhere on the sidebar) will be let loose again against an O-line that hasn't really inspired confidence this off season. I'm also intrigued to see how rookie DT Kommonyan Quaye gets on, for no other reason than having a spectacularly brilliant name. -- Panthers @ Steelers: Quarterback battles all the rage. So far, this is what we've deduced from watching Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich battle for the starting QB job in Pittsburgh; that Charlie Batch should probably get it. Batch is the only one who looks remotely comfortable behind that O-line and may get a lengthy shot on Thursday. After lengthy spells for the other running backs, I'm hoping to see Mewelde Moore get a proper chance to light up the field. It's unclear how much time the Panthers starting D-line will get to prove that their last game wasn't a fluke, but even the number twos should provide some fireworks. I'll be watching for rookie LB Eric Norwood (watch list) to put in a good showing as well. Offensively stay tuned for WR(s) Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards, as well as RB Mike Goodson. The QB job is still up in the air (no pun intended) so Moore and Clausen may have to put on the gloves and fight it out for a fourth round once again. -- Jets @ Eagles: The F***ing Jets, visit f***ing Philly for a f***ing game of f***ball. And time for a good test of their Revis-less secondary. More to the point, time to test rookie CB Kyle Wilson (watch list) to see whether he can fill in opposite Cromartie. The entire line-backing corps will also be worth watching to see how much pressure they can generate without Calvin Pace. If you start seeing blitzes from the slot, then be worried. The Eagles will probably turn the reins over to Michael Vick and Mike Kafka for the day, shielding Kevin Kolb from the Jets pass rush and the Philly press after a less than awesome start to his reign as the Eagles starting QB. Defensively I'm keyed in on rookie DT Jeff Owens (watch list) and veteran DE Juqua Parker trying to get his job back. -- Ravens @ Rams: Bulger has a point to prove. Literally. Returning back to the team that cut him loose, Bulger will be out to show that Rams that given the right toys to play with he can get the job done. Keep an eye out also for "Mount Cody" to get a full game against a Rams offense that has taken off under the guidance of Sam Bradford, but may just fall back flat on its face with Keith Null or Thaddeus Lewis under center. For the Rams the rookie watch list throws up WR Mardy Gilyard and CB Jerome Murphy. Murphy in particular might benefit if the Ravens continue with their aerial approach to the 2010 season. WR Danario Alexander is still injured I believe. Here's rooting as well for rookie TE Michael Hoomanawanui to carry the flag for players with awesome names. -- Bears @ Browns: Time for rookie QBs to show us what they've got. Namely Dan LeFevour for the Bears and Colt McCoy for the Browns. LeFevour was highly touted heading into the draft and projected to be possibly the 3rd QB to come off the board. He ended up sinking into the 6th round, being taken 181st overall. Now is the time to prove all those doubters wrong with a strong showing. Just a shame he has to do it with the O-line, receiving corps and RBs of the Bears. McCoy has a slightly easier task in the sense that it's slightly easier to find a needle in a haystack with the aid of a magnifying glass than it is without. To be fair he did put together a solid drive near the end of his last game, but ultimately still came up short. He certainly hasn't taken to the NFL like a certain Monsieur Tebow, but at least there are promising signs. Somewhere. Under that haystack. Look out as well for RB Montario Hardesty (rookie watch list) who apart from sounding like he should be a character in an Alexandre Dumas novel, is also known to carry the football. That then is eight games down, which leaves eight games for tomorrow. Then at some point on Thursday I've got to come back and review them all. Chances are I'll split the games into two posts. I will also endeavour to put the rookie watch list up somewhere where you can see it permanently; try and move the clickable ads around into a more manageable space (might as well try and claw back some revenue for the time invested); and also mess about with fonts to try and make it look a little less bland. As always any free word of mouth/e-mail/telephone/twitter/facebook promotion you care to give me is greatly appreciated, and you can still send me abusive e-mails about why I should pay more attention to 'Advanced NFL Stats' (www.advancednflstats.com) at: keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk Till tomorrow, Have a great day everyone.

This is how you make use of your best assets. Washington take note.

10-3. Damn those Redskins!!! I genuinely thought that new offensive co-ordinator/play caller/whatever, Sherman Lewis, would actually have a bit of common sense. Think about it. You're about to take over as the play caller for an offense that was built to run the ball. Everyone's been telling you and pointing out that the previous pass heavy offense didn't work. The stats and the scorelines back that up. You know that the last guy to call the plays lost the job because of his pass heavy approach. So what are you gonna do? Pass lots? No way, you're gonna run!!! Right? RIGHT? Erm, wrong. Instead it would appear that what you're gonna do is ask Jason Campbell to throw the ball 43 times. I wouldn't ask Favre to do that much work. I wouldn't ask Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers to do that much work. And I sure as hell wouldn't ask Jason Campbell to do that much. What I would ask for is Clinton Portis to carry the ball more than 14 times. But even that's not enough. I'd also be asking my QB to throw the ball more than twice to TE Chris Cooley, arguably the best passing asset that the Redskins have. It's just a joke. Their whole offense now is one big calamitous joke. The fans at FedEx field were booing their a$$es off. And good on 'em. If it carries on like this, the Redskins will be damn lucky to win another game this season. So, with that done and my weekly picks all spent, I think it's time to give out some extra credit to: -Alex Smith (49ers): For coming off the bench and stepping into the breach with 15/22 for 206 yds and 3 TD's. He's taken a lot of stick in San Francisco but he took a pay cut just so he could stay and prove the critics wrong. I like that. That's the kind of attitude that got Steve Young a Superbowl ring. And now he's been named the starter for next week so he has a chance to shine. -Michael Crabtree (49ers): Put all his contract woes aside and played a solid start. Very impressive hands and upper body strength. Proves you don't need top speed to be a good receiver. -Vernon Davis (49ers): Bagged himself 93 yds off 7 catches, with 3 TD's to boot. Starting to establish himself this season as the main hitman in San Fran. -Clinton Portis (Redskins): For throwing his helmet at a bench. Yes it's a childish thing to do, but it shows he cares, that he has some fight left in him despite the terrible play of the Redskins. Give this man the ball!!! -Josh Cribbs (Browns): For giving it everything he has, week in, week out, despite the appalling play of his team mates. -Matt Schaub (Texans): Took a lot of criticism last year. This season, every week he bags himself a stack of yards and TD's, and is quietly becoming one of the best QB's out there. -Peyton Manning (Colts): Almost effortlessly notched up another 235 yds and 3 TD's. MVP anyone? -Wes Welker (Patriots): 10 catches, 107 yds and a TD against the Bucs. Oh how the Patriots missed this guy early on. But now Brady's favourite safety valve has returned and is racking up the numbers. -Sidney Rice (Vikings): 11 catches, 136 yds, but no TD against the Steelers. Still, the guy is looking sharp and continues to be Bretts favourite target. It's easy to see why. -DeAngelo Williams (Panthers): For not losing his cool and punching his inept offensive co-ordinator in the head. -Jonathan Stewart (Panthers): Same as above. -Shonn Greene (Jets): Came in unexpectedly against the Raiders to replace injured running back Leon Washington. And promptly ran for 144 yds and 2 TDs off of just 19 carries. Leon who? -Carson Palmer (Bengals): How can you not like 20/24, 233 yds, 5 TD's? -Cedric Benson (Bengals): Faced his old team, the Bears. And then stung them for 189 yds and a TD off 37 carries. -Chad Ochocinco (Bengals): 10 catches, 118 yds, 2 TD's. Looks like those offseason workouts that everyone was bitching about have paid dividends. -Tony Romo (Cowboys): Never mind the 311 yds, 3 TD's. I'm giving him extra credit for his scramble near the end of the half that lead to a TD pass to Patrick Crayton. How did he escape that rush? -Miles Austin (Cowboys): 6 catches, 171 yds and 2 TDs. I smell a pro bowl appearance on the horizon. -Darren Sharper (Saints): For easily being the most over rated safety in the league. His pick 6 against the Dolphins was nothing more than a lucky bounce of the ball. His pick against the Jets was the result of a rookie mistake leading to a bad throw. If it had been a more experienced QB then the fact he completely blew his assignment and went ball hutning would have been harshly punished. -Beanie Wells (Cardinals): For his bad ass running style. He's got one hell of a stiff arm!!! -Ricky Williams (Dolphins): Not only did get 3 TDs on just 9 carries, but he showed he can be an explosive back out of the "I" formation as well. Almost seems to make the Wildcat seem not worth the hassle. -Ronnie Brown (Dolphins): Same as above, though add a few carries & minus 2 TD's. -Brian Schottenheimer (Jets OC): Out of 70 plays, he called 54 runs. This kept the ball out of the rookie QBs hands and firmly with the strength of the team. The result was 447 net yards of offense, a 60% 3rd down efficiency and 75% red zone efficiency. This is how you make use of your best assets. Washington take note. So there it is, done for my first week blogging on football. But luckily next week is only, well, a week away!!! Roll on number 8......