Who in their right mind would have ever thought the Cleveland Browns were going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers? Outside of the city of Cleveland, I would guess that nobody would. Especially with the Steelers season on the line. Still, the Browns literally smacked the Steelers around and gave a much-needed boost of optimism to the Browns fans. The Steelers have to be wondering what in the world happened. A few short weeks ago they seemed to be in full control and ready to head back to the playoffs. Not anymore.
The Steelers are now looking for answers from somewhere. Anywhere….
None of the Steelers are looking like they much know what is going on. They all seem to be stuck in a funk like they were sleepwalking through the back half of the NFL schedule. Something just does not feel right in Steeler country. It remains to be seen whether heads will roll over this, but I would hope not. Mike Tomlin has been a stand up coach for Pittsburgh and I would hate to see him take the fall on this. Still, in the “what have you done for me lately” NFL, it would not be a complete shocker.
On a side note, Brady Quinn still does not look like an NFL quarterback. He managed the game and did not turn the ball over, but that is not going to be nearly enough. This is especially true in a city like Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how the season hammers out in Cleveland as well. They have a nice young nucleus of talent in Cleveland and I would think they have some things to build on. I am not sure if that includes Brady Quinn or not. I once was a big fan, but he has looked pretty bad this year in his chances to shine.
As for Pittsburgh, I guess it is back to the drawing board. I really never saw this coming, but congratulations to the Browns. They really needed something to cheer about.
The NFL preseason gets into full swing this week with a full slate of games. For those of us that have been dying for some NFL action, this week is like a football dream come true. The season got off to a great start in the Hall of Fame kickoff classic with the Titans beating the Bills. (just as I picked) Here are the rest of the week one NFL preseason games along with who I predict will come away the winner:
THU, AUG 13
New England at Philadelphia
The Patriots and the Eagles are actually two of the favorites according to most NFL experts in the NFL this season. It will be interesting to see how Tom Brady looks in preseason action, though I am sure he will not play very much. As for the Eagles, they should keep Mcnabb on the bench as well as Westbrook. They are simply too fragile. I expect that the Patriots will win this preseason matchup.
Winner – New England Patriots
Washington at Baltimore
The Redskins are hoping that Portis has at least one more big season, and the Ravens are simply hoping that defense can remain as strong as usual. The Ravens are not nearly as deep as they once were on defense. I still expect they will win this preseason match up.
Winner – Baltimore Ravens
Arizona at Pittsburgh
The Cardinals take the field for the first time since the Super Bowl, and they are fired up about it. Ironically, this Super Bowl rematch is set to be pretty interesting. Both teams have some second and third string players that are looking to make a splash. This game will come down to the running game and defense which puts the win firmly with the Steelers.
Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers
Dallas at Oakland
The Cowboys take the field without Terrell Owens and they have to find a way to replace him. This game will begin to answer the questions that the Cowboys have at wide receiver. While Oakland is not exactly the greatest secondary ever, they are a solid enough group to get a feel for the Cowboys. More importantly, the Cowboys second and third string running backs are better than most team’s starters.
Winner – Dallas Cowboys
FRI, AUG 14
St. Louis at NY Jets
The Rams just found out that they are without Donnie Avery for at least four to six weeks, and this injury is going to hurt. The Rams just do not have the firepower at the position that they have been used to. The Jets are anxious to unveil new rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. It will be a big splash for NY.
Winner – New York Jets
Minnesota at Indianapolis
The Vikings and the Colts will be a very fun game to watch simply because of the talent on the second and third teams. Both teams are pretty darn deep, and so it should be a good preseason game to watch. This one smells like a Colt win to me, however.
Winner – Indiannapolis Colts
Cincinnati at New Orleans
The Bengals are hoping for a huge return for Carson Palmer, but that likely won’t begin against the Saints in preseason. Still, there are a lot of answers to be had in this game. Can Reggie Bush play a whole game without breaking a leg? Can the Bengals play a whole game with no felonies? I mean penalties? We shall see. Either way, the Saints win this one big in preseason action.
Winner – New Orleans Saints
Denver at San Francisco
The post Cutler era in Denver gets started here and Kyle Orton has to be a bit nervous. Then again, he was a quarterback in Chicago, so he has nothing to be nervous about. All kidding aside, I think he will do quite well in Denver. He especially will do well against these 49ers in preseason action.
Winner – Denver Broncos
SAT, AUG 15
Atlanta at Detroit
The Falcons are amped up for an NFC South battle this season and the Lions are simply hoping to win a few games. While optimism is high in Detroit, the depth of this team is still very shallow. Rome was not built in a day, and neither will Detroit be.
Winner – Atlanta Falcons
Chicago at Buffalo
The Bears are anxious to see what they have with Jay Cutler under center, and the Bills are coming off an opening week loss against the Titans. While the Bears are not quite as strong as the Titans, they should still handle these Bills.
Winner – Chicago Bears
Cleveland at Green Bay
The Browns have a quarterback situation to work out. The Packers need to get a running back in order quick. This game will do little to solve either situation, but it will be a good game. The Browns will surprise an amped up Green Bay squad.
Winner – Cleveland Browns
Tampa Bay at Tennessee
The Bucs, like many other teams, need to find a quarterback. The Titans are pretty set in their lineup, and looked pretty impressive against Buffalo. I expect that the Titans will take advantage of the Bucs early growing pains.
Winner – Tennessee Titans
Houston at Kansas City
The Texans are going to be fun to watch this season. Kansas City is a team that is very much in turmoil. Expect the Texans to spring a little preseason surprise on the Chiefs.
Winner – Houston Texans
Seattle at San Diego
The Chargers and the Seahawks will be a great preseason game. The Seahawks are searching for some semblence of a running game, and the Chargers are just trying to keep LaDanian Tomlinson healthy. Expect LT to skip this one for sure, and it might be the difference.
Winner – Seattle Seahawks
MON, AUG 17
Jacksonville at Miami
The Jaguars and Miami are always a fun game with the whole intra-state rivalry thing. This game will be fun to watch as well. Expect that Miami will have a little more firepower in the backups for this one.
Winner – Miami Dolphins
Carolina at NY Giants
This game will be the ultimate expression of power struggle in the NFC. The Panthers are just too good at running back, and they should be able to handle the Giants in this one.
Winner – Carolina Panthers
Preseason Record Overall – 1 Win 0 Losses
Every once in a while, some player that nobody expected goes bonkers and has a breakout season. Sometimes it is an aging star, (see Kurt Warner) and sometimes it is the rookies. More often than not it is those players that have been in the league a couple of seasons, and gotten their feet wet. Maybe they are just finally getting their shot. Whatever the case, NFL Sleepers are tough to guess.
Of course, that won’t stop me from trying….Here are five guys that I think will have better than expected years.
Dwayne Jarrett – This Carolina Panther has had a very uneventful first couple of years in the NFL. The events he has had unfortunately have been fairly bad. Still, he is the prototypical wide out in the NFL and he will have a great target opposite him in All World receiver Steve Smith. Mushin Muhammed will be back as well to continue working with Jarrett. So why Jarrett? Quite simply put, he made some huge catches in huge situations last season for the Panthers. Delhomme is freshly signed, and he plays better when under contract. And finally, Moose has great things to say about him. Another key is the Panther running game is a beast so Jarrett should get a lot of balls slung to him in open spaces. With his size, he could make some inroads.
Felix Jones - Felix is kind of a given, and some might not call him a sleeper. The reason I do is because he is sharing the backfield with two other guys that would likely start in other backfields. Felix will be the man in Dallas this year, however. He is going to be a huge star, and I am far from a Cowboy fan. The kid is legit. Watch the tapes.
Brady Quinn
Brady Quinn – Though Quinn has not got the starting job wrapped up by any means, he certainly is in control of his own destiny. The kid is talented, and he has been brought along slowly. That will not mean tons of Cleveland wins this season, but it will be enough to allow him to take possession of this team. With his intangibles, the Browns star will be better than advertised. That is saying alot considering he is heavily hyped.
Roy Williams – Sleeper? After the dud he layed in Big D last season he most certainly is. The guy is simply a huge talent that never quite fit in. When you put that much talent in a wide out slot at number one, and then add a NFL quarterback that is no longer distracted by Jessica Simpson like Romo, good things have to start happening. Roy will fill in nicely for Terrell Owens.
Phillip Rivers – Again, he is no typical sleeper. The difference is that this year he has a healthy Gates to throw to. This year, Rivers will step into the ranks of the mighty among the NFL quarterbacks. He is already well respected and a proven winner, but his talent will get the respect it deserves this year. He just might secure a Super Bowl.
