Another Pro Bowl In Manning's Future?
Once again all-pro safety Bob Sanders has been sidelined. Unfortunately for the Colts and Sanders, this injury will put him out for the remainder of the season. As if that isn’t bad enough for the Colts secondary, cornerback Marlin Jackson is also out for the season. When you consider the injuries to wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and Pierre Garçon, it seems it would be more than the Colts could overcome.
Don’t tell that to Peyton Manning however.
Throughout this troubled a successful NFL season, Peyton Manning has simply come out and directed his team to a win. Amazingly, the Colts have not seemed to miss a beat regardless of who they put in from week to week. While certainly some of this deserves to be credited to the coaching staff, the biggest part of it should go to Manning. Throughout all of the problems, Manning has remained calm, cool and collected. Certainly that state of mind has rubbed off on the other team members.
Peyton Manning and the Colts will next face an upstart Houston Texans team. Quarterback Matt Schaub has the Texans playing quite well right now. Wide receiver Andre Johnson is among the best in the NFL, and has to be licking his chops facing this revamped Colts secondary. One would have to think that the Texans are going to put up one heck of a fight against the Colts.
Still, I would not bet against Peyton Manning and the Colts.
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
Trying to come up with the top NFL quarterbacks of all time is kind of like trying to pick the best movie of all time. It really depends on your personal taste. Some people put a premium on NFL records, and others put a premium on NFL championships. Still others simply go with their personal favorites. These are my personal picks of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time, and I would love to hear what you agree/disagree with.
Number 5 – Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) – Many people will argue that Dan does not deserve this spot because of his lack of a championship. Personally, I think that his accomplishments on the field and in the NFL record books are more than enough to place him at number five. Some could even argue that he deserves to be higher up the list, but a lack of championships does have some say in this list.
Number 4- Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - Being a Carolina Panther fan and an old St Louis Rams fan, it is tough to concede this pick. Brady is simply phenomenal when it comes to winning. He is right on the edge of moving into Montana territory with the incredible skills and championships. Tom Brady will likely be near the top of most any “best of” quarterback list.
Number 3- Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts) – One of the guys that I think would be a huge winner in today’s game as well. This guy was so much better than the guys around him it was not even funny. I love watching old film of him and he is as solid as they came.
Number 2 – Peyton Manning (Indiannapolis Colts) - Yet another man that will certainly go down as one of the greatest, I see him as a solid number two already. His incredible passing skills, along with his ability to bring out the best in everyone around him makes Peyton Manning a solid pick at number two. When it is all said and done, I feel he will be number one on this list.
Number 1 – Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers) - How can you put Joe any lower than number one? He was the consummate pro, and the best quarterback of all time when it comes to winning football games. Even when the Niners were not very good, he still pushed and made them better. The Niners would never have been that good without Joe Montana.
