NFL Picks and Predictions

Photo credited to Flickr User John Martinez Pavliga

While his touchdowns are down, that is a product of the Rams constantly being put in a position of bad field position and turnovers. The fact that the Rams have had no sustainable passing game makes the fact that Jackson is averaging a career best 4.8 yds per carry even more incredible. He is doing so even with eight and sometimes nine defensive players stacking the box. That is phenomenal, and seems to be the lone bright spot on the Rams’ 2009 season.

Steven Jackson has averaged nearly 100 yds per game throughout his career, and he is right on top of that through 8 games in 2009. It makes one wonder how many he might have if the Rams had any other real weapons. Gone are the days of Torry Holt, Issac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk lighting up scoreboards across the NFL. Those guys are gone, and Jackson seems to be a man on an island. Marc Bulger was supposed to be his partner in crime, but he has faltered horribly in the past couple of years.

The Rams have Steven Jackson, and little else. It is a good thing they locked him up in 2008, because if he had known how bad things were getting he would have likely bolted for greener pastures. Who knows? Whatever the case, the Rams have to find some way to compliment him. Youngster Donnie Avery showed a ton of promise last year, but has been riddled with injuries in 2009.

The Rams did finally get a win in the plus column against Detroit, so maybe they can build on that. The again, it was Detroit and they did barely eek by. This is going to likely get worse before it gets better. The Rams need to go ahead and get that draft choice, and keep building around Jackson. It might be time to draft a young quarterback as well.

Vince During Pro Bowl Days

Young does not need to look far for an excellent template of the type of quarterback he needs to be. Quarterback Kerry Collins has shown him that he need not throw for 400 yards. All the Tennessee Titans really need from their starting quarterback is efficiency, accuracy and leadership. On Sunday Young provided all of the above – 15 out of 18 for 125 yds and one touchdown. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. While this sounds like a typical Kerry Collins performance, it was actually much better than Collins. We forget that Vince Young can actually run the ball.

That is the dimension that the Titans gain when Vince Young replaces Kerry Collins. On several occasions throughout the game against Jacksonville, Young kept drives alive with his feet. It was rather easy to see how this game could have changed entirely with Collins under center. Had Collins been quarterbacking the Titans in those situations, they likely would have been sacks or fourth downs. Because of his athleticism, Young gave the offense the chance to succeed.

If Young can continue to be efficient and not turn the ball over, he will end up being a pretty darn good NFL quarterback. Protect the football, throw accurate passes and lead the team – that is all he needs to do.

Welcome back Vince Young….

The NFC East is always competitive it seems. Regardless of how many times the experts say that the NFC East will be dominated by one team or another, they always end up being stuck in a high powered struggle. Three weeks ago, the NY Giants seemed as though they were going to run away with the East. Now, three weeks later, they find themselves looking up at not only the Eagles, but the left for dead Dallas Cowboys as well.

While the Eagles were stomping the Giants, the Cowboys were trampling all over the Seahawks. While certainly beating the Seattle Seahawks is no huge task of late, the Dallas Cowboys will certainly take it. for a few weeks there it appeared that Tony Romo was attempting to find his way to the Dallas Cowboys bench. Then came superstar Miles Austin – you know the guy that was supposed to have the breakout year? Before a couple weeks ago nobody even knew who he was. After the last couple weeks everybody knows his name, and Tony Romo in particular. Romo has a new best friend not named Jason Witten, and the reviews are all raving thus far.

As we head into the meat of the NFL football season, one cannot help but wonder how the NFC East will eventually end up. Will the Giants right the ship? Will the Philadelphia Eagles continuing to develop that high-powered offense? Will the Dallas Cowboys continue to get better every single week and give Tony Romo a chance to exorcise those postseason demons? No one seems to know for sure, but I would guess that the NFC East will continue to beat up on each other. This bodes well for the rest of the NFC when it comes time for the wild-card bids. It seems to happen every year.

Photo credit to Flickr user Matt Trostle

The person that should be the most offended by this? Matt Moore

Matt Moore has patiently waited for his chance and backed up the Panther’s quarterbacks for a good bit now. The one time that Moore had the chance to play, he actually did a pretty good job. Far better than Jake has done this year. Then again, Ryan Leaf was never as bad as Jake has been this year.

If the Panthers think that Moore is worse than Delhomme, then Moore should stand up and ask for a trade to go elsewhere. The kid has a great arm, but most importantly he is a competitor. The players respond to him, and he is always spoke highly of. Why in the world would the Panthers not take this chance to see what the kid is made of? It boggles the mind.

My only guess is that Hurney and Fox are trying to end their Panther’s career for certain. It seems a shame because Fox has been a pretty darn good coach for the majority of his time here. The same goes for Delhomme. What is truly interesting to see is if Delhomme steps aside to save the Panthers all that dough they shoveled his way for a five year extension in the off season. Right…. That will happen.

It looks like all is not well in Panther land. Get ready for a tough week against the Cardinals. This was the team that Jake struggled against initially last year in the playoffs. I do see Carolina upsetting them, but it will have nothing to do with Jake. I think the Cards will overlook the Panthers and that Smith will have a big game in spite of who is throwing him the football. The odds are simply in his favor. Also, the great DeAngelo Williams should have a decent week as well. The Panthers defense has been on fire the last three weeks, and showed up big time in the loss against Buffalo. The only reason Buffalo scored was due to Delhomme setting them up time and again.

Sometimes a man just has to have a hot dog. During the New York Jets massacre this past Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was caught on camera scarfing down a hot dog. For some reason, the announcer took offense to his flippancy. This has apparently become a big story around the web, and I just had to weigh in on this.

The truth of the matter is Mark Sanchez had every right to eat that hot dog. Here are some of the reasons why:

• He was hungry.
• They were playing the Oakland Raiders so respect wasn’t an issue.
• He was hungry.
• The Jets had the game well in hand.
• He was hungry.
• Hot dogs rock!
• He was hungry.

It seems utterly ridiculous to me that anyone would make a big deal about Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog on the sidelines. It is not as though he was sitting there having chips and salsa. it was not a social function. With the way he was diving into that bad boy it would appear that he was simply hungry. I seriously doubt that it was a way for him to disrespect his teammates or opponents.

When asked about the situation, Mark Sanchez actually apologized and explained that he was simply hungry. I would not have apologized for one second. If you’re hungry, then you eat. Especially when you are burning tons of calories out on the football field. What’s next? Are we going to give players that get IVs during the game a hard time?

It seems almost premature to consider either Buffalo or Carolina as an NFL contender, yet this Sunday’s matchup has the feel of a season changing game. Both Buffalo and Carolina are fighting to get on the plus side of .500. Buffalo began the season 1-4 before finally winning a big game against the New York Jets last week. Carolina started the season 0-3 but has now won two straight games while suddenly finding their running game. This match up will go a long ways towards determining which direction these teams will go in 2009.

The Buffalo Bills certainly have their work cut out for them as they will be playing without their starting quarterback, Trent Edwards. Edwards was knocked out of the New York Jets game early and suffered a severe concussion. Replacing him will be Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is known for being a ball control quarterback without much ball control.

While the Buffalo Bills certainly have a decent running attack with Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, they really need to find a way to get the ball to their superstar receivers. Both Terrell Owens and Lee Evans have been thrust into the decoy role and have become virtual non-factors in most of Buffalo’s games. The Panthers secondary can certainly be exploited if Fitzpatrick can get the ball out quickly. That may be easier said than done with the Panthers defense suddenly waking up the last few weeks. Julius Peppers has been an absolute terror the last two weeks with four sacks, and the entire defense has been producing turnovers.

Likewise, the Buffalo Bills defense has shown a nose for the ball as well. The Bills secondary picked off six passes against the New York Jets. Given that the Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme tends to throw the ball to the other team, this could be an area where the Bills can have an impact.

While Jake may have a problem passing the football, the Panthers are not likely to throw it very often. With DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart running the football, head coach John Fox would be a moron to throw the ball except when absolutely necessary. If the Panthers stick to the game plan for controlling the clock with a powerful running game, the Bills likely will have no chance. Look for Williams and Stewart to completely dominate the football game from start to finish. The Panthers will control the clock and win going away.

Week three of great NFL action is already upon us and the week three picks and predictions have been percolating in my mind. I have tried to really get my brain around the fact that Brady was shown up, Peyton ruined my week two upset, and the Cincinnati Bengals are no longer, well….. terrible. Scary, huh? Week three is sure to bring a great deal more surprises. With two weeks in the bag, lets get on to the meat and potatoes of the NFL picks and prediction season. Here are the free week three NFL picks and predictions:

Washington at Detroit

The Redskins are having some major offensive problems this season. The Lions are scoring but simply not enough. While my brain is smelling a possible (gasp) Lion’s win, my gut is telling me that the Redskins will prevail in spite of their offensive problems. I always go with my gut.

Winner – Washington Redskins

Green Bay at St. Louis

The Rams nearly pulled one out last week in spite of the fact that they simply can not seem to score. The offense has gone from the greatest show on turf to watching paint dry in no time flat it seems. Green Bay is having no such problems in spite of the week two loss.

Winner – Green Bay Packers

San Francisco at Minnesota

Now this is a match up we can sink our teeth into. The Niners are for real in spite of what many think. I am shocked to be saying that, but Singletary has made all the difference there this season. The Vikings look every bit the Super Bowl contender that they hoped to be. Favre is not finished yet after all.

Winner – Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta at New England

The Patriots are going to be very mad, and that is bad news for a young upstart team like Atlanta. The Falcons are much better than years past, but they will get pounded against the Patriots.

Winner – New England Patriots

Tennessee at NY Jets

Will Sanchez have a rookie game? I am figuring on a possible let down game here for the Jets. The Titans are much better than their record indicates, and the Jets are playing way over their heads. Sooner or later, the bubble has to burst. I say it is this week against the Titans.

Winner – Tennessee Titans

Kansas City at Philadelphia

The Chiefs simply do not have the firepower to stay with Philly in Philly.

Winner – Philadelphia Eagles

NY Giants at Tampa Bay

The Gmen will go into Tampa and destroy the Bucs. They seemed like a Super Bowl team against Dallas, in spite of the fact that they should have lost. Little Eli has certainly grown up.

Winner – NY Giants

Cleveland at Baltimore

Baltimore will dominate this one in a laugher. The Browns are really bad so far. Really bad.

Winner – Baltimore Ravens

Jacksonville at Houston

The Texans finally woke up from their slumber and laid a whipping on the Titans. Now they do the same to the Jaguars.

Winner – Houston Texans

New Orleans at Buffalo

Can anybody stop this offensive juggernaut? Not the Bills, that is for sure. Brees throws for 400+ again.

Winner – New Orleans Saints

Chicago at Seattle

The Bears finally showed up against the Super Bowl Champion Steelers and look what happened. I expect they will ride that momentum against an ailing Seattle squad. Matt Hasselback is a must for them, and they will struggle with his rib injury.

Winner – Chicago Bears

Miami at San Diego

The Chargers finally get it all together in one game. They will have the best game of the season against the Fins, and will win going away. The Dolphins have some defensive issues right now that can not be ignored.

Winner – San Diego Chargers

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

The Steelers now must head into Bengal country to face an upstart squad that is playing like they have nothing to lose. They will have enough to get out of Cinci with a win.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver at Oakland

The Broncos surprised me in week two with a strong showing. The Raiders are the team that is surprising everyone. Expect the Raiders to continue to surprise and pick up a key win.

Winner – Oakland Raiders

Indianapolis at Arizona

The Colts keep on finding ways to win with Peyton pulling them out at the last minute. Arizona looked like the NFC champions finally last week. This game is a tough call, because you never know what you will get with Arizona. Because they are at home, I am going with the Cardinals.

Winner – Arizona Cardinals

MON, SEP 28

Carolina at Dallas

This Monday night match up will give Dallas a second chance to win in primetime at the new stadium. While the Panthers have struggled, they looked like a whole new team last year. I think the Panthers begin to crawl out of their hole this week, and surprise the Cowboys in week three.

Winner – Carolina Panthers
Tiebreaker Score – Panthers 21 Cowboys 17

Week Two Record – 9-7
Season Record – 18-14

Week one certainly has shaken up the power rankings for week two, that is for sure. Some things have stayed the same of course, and it is unsure if some that were picked high can recover. We will see over the course of the NFL football season. Here are the power rankings for week two of the NFL football season. (keep in mind these are before the games in week two)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers stay on top after a week one win over an impressive Titans squad.

2. New England Patriots – The Patriots hold onto number two, but only by the skin of their teeth. They need some work on defense for sure.

3. NY Giants – The Giants have proven their mettle, but face a serious test in Big D during week two.

4. New Orleans Saints – With Brees throwing like that, the Saints have the chance to do something special. Can the defense hold up?

5. Philadelphia Eagles – Will McNabb return and be effective?

6. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are kind of uncertain, but Manning has them right back in the mix.

7. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan is the real deal, folks. So is that Atlanta defense.

8. Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings looked sharp, and with Adrian Peterson in the backfield, there is no ceiling here.

9. Dallas Cowboys – The boys have Romo comfortable again. That could be bad news for the rest of the NFC.

10. San Diego Chargers – Still dangerous in spite of a lackluster week one win over the Raiders.

The rest…..

11. Baltimore Ravens
12. Green Bay Packers
13. Seattle Seahawks
14. NY Jets
15. Tennessee Titans
16. Chicago Bears
17. San Francisco Niners
18. Denver Broncos
19. Arizona Cardinals
20. Buffalo Bills
21. Houston Texans
22. Washington Redskins
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Carolina Panthers
26. Tampa Bay Bucs
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Miami Dolphins
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. St Louis Rams
32. Detroit Lions

Drew Brees Lights Up Week One (Photo Credited To Wikipedia Commons User Aquamelli)

SUN, SEP 20

Carolina at Atlanta

This game is one of those where you just don’t know which trend to trust. The Panthers have owned the Falcons in recent years, and they are coming off a poor performance. The Falcons are coming off a great week one performance. Also, history has shown that the Panthers show up after a loss usually. Still, Mattie Ice has shown that he is for real. As much as I hate to do it, Carolina is toast in this one.

Winner – Atlanta Falcons

Minnesota at Detroit

The Lions really showed up last week on the offensive side of the ball and they established the fact that they can score on an average New Orleans defense. The Vikings are not average. Adrian Peterson might run for 500 yds in this one.

Winner – Minnesota Vikings

Cincinnati at Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers is no joke folks. This guy is for real. The game against Chicago was his growing up game, and he is loaded with confidence. At Green Bay, the Bengals have little chance of stopping their momentum after that fantastic win on Saturday night.

Winner – Green Bay Packers

Houston at Tennessee

The Texans are going to be a good team this year, but it appears they are going to do another late season show up party. This game will be ugly with the Titans still fuming over the week one loss to the Steelers.

Winner – Tennessee Titans

Oakland at Kansas City

The Raiders had some genuine moments on Monday night and showed that they are no pushover this season. The combination of McFadden and Bush looked awfully good. The Chiefs certainly played better than expected, but they will falter in this one.

Winner – Oakland Raiders

New England at NY Jets

Mark Sanchez really gets to find out what big time NFL football is all about. He will play well, but he will learn what a loss feels like against Brady and company.

New England Patriots

New Orleans at Philadelphia

This is a game that would be much more exciting with Mcnabb. The Saints are a juggernaut offensively, and the city of Brotherly Love will see that first hand. The Eagles are going to play well but lose in the final minutes.

Winner – New Orleans Saints

St. Louis at Washington

The Skins had better enjoy this one while they can. The Rams do not come to town every week you know.

Winner – Washington Redskins

Arizona at Jacksonville

The Jaguars are going to give the Cardinals fits, and part of that is because they are better against the pass than the majority of the Cardinal’s opponents. The Cardinals will start the year off 0-2 keeping in time with previous Super Bowl losers the year following.

Winner – Jacksonville Jaguars

Tampa Bay at Buffalo

The Bills are much better than advertised. Edwards played fantastically and that is even before he and Owens get their timing right. Expect a huge night in Buffalo.

Winner – Buffalo Bills

Seattle at San Francisco

There is something about that win in Arizona that has me believing a little bit in the Niners. Mike Singletary has them really rolling as a team, and the talent level is there. Could this be the next Cardinals?

Winner – San Francisco 49ers

Pittsburgh at Chicago

This is going to be a showdown. The Bears are going to have some kind of struggle against the defending champs, but I see Cutler recovering a bit this week. The guy is too talented of a quarterback and he showed flashes of brilliance last week. With the Bears being at home, I see the Steelers losing a rare early season game.

Winner – Chicago Bears

Baltimore at San Diego

The Ravens are for real this year. They not only have that vaunted defense, but they also have a pretty darn good offense. The Chargers looked a bit frail in their week one win.

Winner – Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland at Denver

The Browns are going to hand it to the Broncos this week for one reason. Kyle Orton. The guy had one thing going for him in week one. Luck. That TD was completely luck.

Winner – Cleveland Browns

NY Giants at Dallas

The Giants look fantastic but so do the Boys. I am not a huge fan of the Cowboys, but I do think that they are set to return to prominence this year. This particular week, they take the early upper hand in the NFC East.

Winner – Dallas Cowboys

MON, SEP 21

Indianapolis at Miami

This Monday night matchup is not a gimme for Peyton and the boys. I expect that at home the Dolphins will right the ship. Manning looked almost fallible in their week one struggle against Jacksonville, and the Dolphins are no joke on defense. This will be a fun one, but Indy loses in a close one.

Winner – Miami Dolphins

Tiebreaker – Miami 24 Indy 21

Week One Record – 9-7
Season Record – 9-7

Maybe Delhomme Should Have Warmed Up More (Pic credited to Flickr User Matt Trostle)

Trying to put your finger on what went wrong with the Carolina Panthers on opening day Sunday is not very hard to do.  Your finger will slowly raise up in front of you and point squarely in the direction of Jake Delhomme.  The Cajun was simply horrific and brought back memories the Panthers had wanted to forget.  Last season the Panthers watched a 12-4 regular season come tumbling down with each interception that Delhomme threw against the Cardinals.  In a matter of moments, the Panthers season was over.  Sunday’s opening day massacre against Philadelphia had much the same flavor, and once again the flavor was spicy…Cajun spicy.

During the entire offseason I defended Jake.  Even as I watched the Panthers sign him to a five year contract worth more money than some cities see in a year, I stood up and reminded folks of all the games the fiery Delhomme had led us to wins in.  I reminded everybody of the Super Bowl game where he magically looked like the mirror image of every great quarterback in history.  I reminded them that he had won 54 games since taking over for the Panthers, which places him among the game’s elite.  Then Sunday happened… Again.

The Panther haters said that Jake would stink.  They said that he would cost the Panthers the game.  They said he was an average quarterback at best. They lied.  He was no where near average.

In perhaps the worst quarterback performance since…well since anybody, Jake Delhomme made the Panthers look like the worst team in history.  Do not get me wrong.  The Panthers offensive line did not do him any favors.  He had Eagles flying in his face all day long, thanks to a defense that was blitzing every single play.  The coaching staff did not do much to help out either. They threw their first screen pass at least four sacks into the game, long after the game was decided.  How can you slow down the rush? Throw screen passes to the best player in the game – DeAngelo Williams.  Make not mistake, however, the game was completely and squarely on the shoulders of Jake.

I am finally ready to say that the Panthers made a horrible mistake signing Delhomme to a multi-year lucrative contract. The move was pretty much a killer on the whole, and that is not based only on Sunday.  Delhomme has not been the same for years.  Yes, he led the Panthers to 12 wins in 08.  How many of those wins was won in spite of Delhomme’s performance however?  The Panthers are a team that is loaded with talent. They can overcome a great deal of problems.  Even the talented Panthers could not overcome Delhomme this week.  When you personally give the other team no less than 24 points, the game is pretty much over.  Especially a top notch team like Philadelphia.

So where do the Panthers go from here?  Who lines up under center?  You have to know it will be Delhomme.  Knowing Jake, he will come back in the next game and play fantastically.  That or the great Steve Smith will carry him on his shoulders once again, and make Jake appear like he is better than he is.  Whatever the case, the Panthers have way too much money invested in Delhomme to sit him. Moving forward, they are going to find themselves in an increasingly nasty situation.  Jake must play, and he knows it.  Even Jake does not seem too anxious to do that right now.  He looks like a deer caught squarely in the headlights.