NFL Picks and Predictions

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

The NFC East has a long and storied history, so it seems appropriate that they be the first division that I predict.  NFL picks and predictions specializes in picking NFL football games, but we would be remiss without predicting the NFL’s season as a whole.  Since this is the case, I will be predicting each of the divisions day by day, and will finish it off with an overall pick for the year’s conferences and playoffs as well.

The NFC East is going to be very interesting this year.  No less than three of the four teams have a legitimate shot at winning the division, and the Redskins could even surprise if the stars align right.  You never know with the NFC East.  Here are the four teams, and the order I think they will finish in during the NFC regular season:

The Dallas Cowboys – Dallas is far from my favorite team and they are entering a year that will be interesting to watch.  They have some questions to be answered, such as their secondary and replacing the ever present Terrell Owens.  They also have one of the finest running back tandems in the league.  Tashard Choice, Marion Barber, and Felix Jones is a load for any team.  I think Dallas will  put it together this season, and Romo will have his finest season.  Dallas goes as the running game goes, and they can not seem to miss with this group.

The Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles are the en vogue pick this year in the NFC East, but the truth is they are still a bit unpredictable.  The reason?  Superstar running back Brian Westbrook is breaking down.  He is just too fragile at this point to put them in the upper echelon.  If the Eagles get a ton of production from him, however, this might send the Eagles to the top.

The New York Giants - Plaxico leaving the Giants will hurt much more than Giant’s fans had hoped.  They are without a doubt a talented group, but they will be in trouble in the passing game.  There is always that chance that they bring in someone, or somebody steps up on the roster, but I do not see it happening.

The Washington Redskins – Washington still suffers from the quarterback position and Clinton Portis has got to slow down.  Portis amazes every year, and he certainly could do so again this season.  Campbell is just not going to take the Redskins any further than he already has.  He has some great qualities, but the inconsistant nature is killing the Skins.  Defense is suspect in DC this year as well.

Tonight is my NFL fantasy football league draft and I am anxiously hoping to accomplish a few things.  I want this year’s team to be well rounded.  The draft is a head to head draft with only ten teams, so I assume that there will be plenty to choose from.  Still, it is important to get the jump on the league with a good NFL fantasy football draft.

Each week, along with my regular NFL picks and predictions I am planning to also let you experience my NFL fantasy league experience.  You can see the ups and downs, as well as the thinking that I put into my league.  For those that are new to NFL fantasy football, you might learn a few things.  For those that are not new to NFL fantasy football, you can laugh at me for kicks.  (It is always fun to play Monday morning quarterback.)

Going into the draft, I am hoping to draft two solid running backs with my first two picks.  I am hoping to get DeAngelo Williams rather cheaply.  And I want a balanced team that has depth.  Those are my three major goals.  I do not yet know what position I will be drafting in so it makes it hard to target much else.  I am very much a “get a good quarterback after your running back is settled”  kind of fantasy drafter.  I believe in the power of the running game.

Some players I would like to get (other than the obvious players):

DeAngelo Williams

Matt Ryan (If cheap)

Roy Williams (should be a steal after last year)

Steve Smith (an annual target for me)

I will post with my actual fantasy football team and the results tomorrow and let you know how I did.  Wish me luck NFL Football friends!

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.

Jay Cutler is not the most popular man in the NFL, but that is not the issue to Bears fans.  They simply want to know if he will take them back to the NFL promised land – The Super Bowl.  Unfortunately, Jay Cutler will not be the reason the Bears do or do not make that lofty goal.  Jay Cutler will play a part, but the real test will be if Jay Cutler can find somebody to throw the ball to.

Jay Cutler came over to the Bears after a huge blowup in Denver, and he is really getting a bad rap in my opinion.  Anytime a new coach comes in and starts hunting a quarterback, that is generally bad news for an incumbent quarterback.  Not only that, but Cutler was more than holding his own as one of the few positive things going in the Denver offense.  He and Brandon Marshall were really the bulk of the offense.  They did everything the Broncos could ever expect of them.  Why hunt a quarterback?

As for Chicago, it is still all about superstar running back Matt Forte.  Jay will throw the ball more often to be sure, but it will still be about getting Forte the football and letting him make things happen.   Some of that is because Cutler has no real threats at wide receiver, and some of that is because Forte is just that darn good.  Once the Bears get Cutler some better weapons, then maybe that will change.

For now, Chicago is all about Matt Forte, and the running game.   Jay Cutler will do just fine.