Monday Night Round Up

One game left, let's have a look: Saints 25 @ 49ers 22 -- I'm always a little mixed when it comes to the 49ers. Yeah I got the pick but.... damn it!! Classic 49ers though, doing everything possible to prevent themselves from winning. If it's not interceptions then it's botched snaps, and if it's not either of those then it's muffed punts - or in this case - all three. Alex Smith finished 23/32 for 275 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs. A better day at the office than usual from Smith and he led the 49ers final scoring drive well. Frank Gore had 20 carries in the end, for 112 yards and a TD. I still think if you gave him the carries that Gore would produce the goods, but then I'm not the 49ers Head Coach or Offensive Coordinator (which in the long run is probably a good thing). Drew Brees was 28/38 for 254 yards and 2 TDs, but there was something amiss with the Saints offense. Maybe it's just because we're used to them putting 30+ points a game on people that anything below 28 somehow seems like a let down. Still, four touchdowns in two games is not a huge amount of offense. Defensively the Saints were led by safety Roman Harper (6 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF) and LB Jonathan Vilma (7 tackles and a FF). Guess who led the 49ers in tackles? No go on, guess. Give up? Ok, it was Patrick Willis. Again. 8 tackles and a sack for Willis. Also of note was the sole other sack from LB Ahmad Brooks, who has seen his playing time reduced this season for some reason. Well then, 8-8 for my picks this week. It's on the increase and I have a feeling next week will be much better. We now have a better idea of where everybody stands and as long as there are no difficult clashes like the Falcons @ Saints then...... ah f**k it. Have a great day everyone.

Week two NFL picks part 2

Time at last to finish off my picks for week two, starting with the Seahawks at the Broncos: Seahawks @ Broncos -- Always good to start on a tough one. The trouble with Seattle is simple; yes they blew away the 49ers, but the 49ers were woeful. Was it a lucky start or a legitimate sign of things to come? At the minute my money is on the Seahawks catching a break week one but not week two. I think the Broncos are better than their performance last week and certainly need a good showing to put a hot poker to the teams butt. Kyle Orton is a better QB than people give him credit for, so I'm siding with the Broncos for this one. Broncos win. Rams @ Raiders -- On paper you could argue that this will be a terrible game, especially given the recent seasons that these two teams have had. But I actually thinks this might be quite a good game, a dark horse "watcher". Both teams have a point to prove, in that all their off season moves (including those from the last few drafts etc) have been building towards some kind of long term perfect storm that we were all over looking. At the very least they should be up for kicking seven bells of s**t out of each other. I'm backing the Rams (on the condition they don't throw it 50+ times in the game, in which case my pick defaults to the Raiders). Texans @ Redskins -- Forget it. I'm mental, but I'm not taking the Redskins. No way. I know they beat the Cowboys last week and I know that I hate the Texans, but it's not happening. I shall not fall into the Donovan McNabb trap. Yes he is a pretty good QB, but it's still the Redskins offense along with all that entails. And besides, no matter what the Texans do this week offensively, I'm fairly certain they can over power the Redskins. Hear that Texans? It means that no matter what I predict you to do and no matter how hard you try to do the opposite, it'll still end the same way. So please kindly produce a repeat of the offense that nailed the Colts last week. Texans win. Patriots @ Jets -- I'm now officially sick of hearing about "Revis island". As many others have pointed out, some with access to the NFLs "all 22" film, there really is no Revis Island. Revis has received just as much safety help as a number of other corners in the league. In addition this whole business that Revis might have a minor hamstring injury heading into the game sounds like a perfect excuse to cover the use of a safety over the top of Revis and/or to hide his blushes should Moss come out and tear Revis a new one. Given the amount of smack talk we've had from the Jets, coupled with Revis calling Moss a slouch, it's no wonder that they're anxious of the possibility that the Patriots might be about to drown them in points. Especially as the Patriots are looking red hot right now. Patriots win. Jaguars @ Chargers -- I have absolutely no clue. I don't particularly fancy either team to be honest, but I probably fancy the Jaguars just a bit less. I can see the Chargers bringing rookie Ryan Matthews more into the game, which will be a big positive for San Diego. Chargers win. Giants @ Colts -- For some reason everyone seems to believe that Peyton Manning and the Colts are going to win this week based purely off the fact that the last time the Colts lost their opening two games was way back in Mannings rookie year. Well I'm sorry, but there are plenty of better reasons to suggest that the Colts will lose this one like; their poor run defense, the strong Giants pass rush, because I hate Peyton Manning (ok, so that's not a valid reason). Anyway, I don't think people are giving the Giants anywhere near enough credit. Giants win. Saints @ 49ers -- Give me a break. It's bad enough that this week we've been privy to a very open and ugly bust up in the 49ers organisation, which Mike Singletary has tried - and completely failed - to cover up. But now we have to play New Orleans? As much as I felt the Saints Super bowl run/win from last year was the product of an incredibly fluky series of games to even get them into the playoffs, I still respect Drew Brees and their offense (just not the defense). Given then how bad the 49ers D looked last week, coupled with the fact that our offense has possibly got worse since last year (no, I didn't think it could either) and I'm afraid I'm going to have to go against my team this week. Saints win. And there we have it, all my week 2 picks done. Honestly speaking, I'm incredibly uncomfortable with a lot of them. There are plenty of games that really could be decided by just a single big play, while many of those team are still unsure about who they are this year and how they're going to play. That's going to cause pick problems probably all the way up to about week four I'd imagine. Still, must press on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. 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.