Week 7 Wrap Up

This week marks an all-time low for me in my ability to predict what will happen in the NFL. If you look at my last blog post, it actually looks like I was trying to be as wrong as possible...like I could see the future and purposefully go against it. I was 2-3 with my picks...getting the Saints and Steelers right...just barely. And I don't think I was the only one who thought the Giants would beat the Cardinals at home. But predicting that the Bears would beat the Bengals and the Raiders would upset the Jets was just awful. Both the Bengals and Jets had something to prove and took it to their opponents.

My fantasy predictions looked pretty awful as well. Owen Daniels and Cedric Benson...guys I said would have tough games, came up with career performances. Giants WRs didn't perform as I expected against the Cardinals D and Heath Miller did very little for the Steelers. I'll say that I got 3 out of 5 studs right (Addai and Maroney, Giants WRs ended up with almost 200 yds and a TD) and 2 out of 5 duds right (Cadillac Williams and Saints RBs because no particular RB had a standout game which is what I was saying about their RB corps). What made the weekend even worse was the fact the 49ers lost a close one to the Texans, the Terps football team hit an all-time low with a loss to Duke and the damn Yankees are in the World Series.Ughhhh!!!

Let's take a look at the top stories from Week 7:

Brett Favre and the Vikings come back to Earth while the Steelers look to be back in form. The Vikings had escaped with too many victories that they probably didn't deserve and almost got away with another one in Pittsburgh. But it was about time someone took away their luck. The Vikings got away from their style of football, throwing it 51 times and not letting the best running back in the league do his thing. You usually don't win like that, especially against the Steelers. Somehow the defending champs have been extremely quiet in winning four straight, being overshadowed by the Saints, Colts and Broncos. On Sunday they played "Steeler football", scoring two defensive TDs and only committing one turnover (as opposed to four last week) But as Mike Tomlin said, there's plenty more this team can do to improve.

There's no deficit too big for the Saints. Almost any other team would be SOL if they fall behind 24-3 in a game. Not the Saints. Drew Brees didn't have his best game, but when it mattered he came up big, with two rushing TDs and a passing TD. You know the Dolphins didn't want to get in a shootout with the Saints, but there was nothing they could do to prevent it. The Saints put up 36 second half points including two more defensive TDs. The game ball should go to Sean Payton for not allowing this team to quit and making the halftime adjustment necessary to come back. That's what coaching is all about.

Don't count Dallas out just yet. Coming into Sunday's matchup with Atlanta, Dallas' three wins came against teams with a grand total of three wins. They were in dire need of a quality win and got it against the Falcons. It was a great all-around performance for the Cowboys, who put the clamps on a very good offense. They created havoc in the backfield for Matt Ryan sacking him four times. The offense was clicking with Tony Romo passing for 311 and 3 TDs and Miles Austin having another huge game. And the special teams came through as well, with Patrick Crayton returning a punt for a TD. You won't find many wins more complete than this one.

Look out for Arizona everyone. Many people wrote off the Cardinals in the offseason, saying that there was no way Kurt Warner could stay healthy and that the defense was still too weak. After the first few games this looked to be the case but they've turned it around with impressive wins in back-to-back games against the Seahawks and Giants. Warner is spreading the ball around to all three of his big receivers and there might be a new found running attack with Beanie Wells. The defense made Eli look like the Eli of old with three interceptions. I don't like this but Arizona seems to have taken back control of the NFC West

Now here's my high five/low five after Week 7:

Top MVP Candidates
1. Peyton Manning- Did you see his TD pass to Dallas Clark in between two defenders? That was absolutely insane! He might be the next George Blanda and play until he's 50. He looks to be getting better with age.

2. Drew Brees- Even though Brees had an off game, I think he boosted his MVP chances because of the way he bounced back. Leading a team back from a 21 point deficit on the road may only happen once in a guy's career. Brees made it look routine and even showed us a new facet of his game with two rushing TDs

3. Ben Roethlisberger- Big Ben is 2nd in passing yards, has 13 total TDs and is the focal point of an offense that has struggled with the run this year. When are people going to start giving him credit for being a great QB?

4. Darren Sharper- Shaper has 6 INTs, 3 of them going back for TDs. To put that in comparison...those are the same exact numbers Deion Sanders had in the best season of his career with the 1994 49ers. Deion won the Defensive Player of the Year Award that year. Sharper has those same numbers in just six games!

 5. Cedric Benson- Benson got his revenge against the Bears on Sunday and now leads the league with 720 rushing yards. With Matt Forte's sophomore slump you got to think that the Bears' management wished they could go back in time and change their decision to get rid of him

Top Coaching Performances This Season

1. Josh McDaniels- The obvious favorite for coach of the year at this point, Josh McDaniels looks like a genius for taking a team in disarray and making them one of the last three undefeated teams. Give him credit for straightening out Brandon Marshall and implementing the right personnel and play calling for Kyle Orton to succeed.

2. Sean Payton- I love this guy. He's a players' coach who knows when to be hard on his guys. In the last two weeks we've seen him win games in two different ways. Against the Giants he outcoached Tom Coughlin and had a terrific game plan to attack the Giants secondary with quick passes. Against the Dolphins he found his team behind and had to make adjustments...something that separates the good coaches from the bad ones.

3. Jim Caldwell- Many called for an adjustment period for the Colts' offense with the arrival of Caldwell. Well that must've been the preseason because the Colts have been flawless so far in the regular season. Then again we all know that Peyton Manning is the real coach of that team.

4. Marvin Lewis- While on the hot seat, Lewis has been at his best. He's already beaten the Steelers and Ravens and rallied his team after a loss to crush the Bears. Things are looking up in Cincy for a change.

5. Mike Singletary- Singletary has dropped a little bit on this list for now after the Niners dropped two straight but he still deserves to be in the top 5. This past week he showed great instincts again, deciding to put in Alex Smith to spark the offense. Smith ends up throwing three TDs in the second half and came up just short of a great comeback. I don't think I would've pulled Shaun Hill in that situation and I'm not sure if he even deserved it. But it worked out against Houston, showing that Singletary has a sixth sense and isn't afraid to make important decisions on the spot. Look for him to move back up on this list as the season goes on.

Week 7 Most Surprising Performances
1. Alex Smith- I've been waiting to see Smith do anything worthy of his huge contract and 1st overall pick in the draft and finally got something. He looked surprisingly poised in a tough situation facing a large deficit...then again he had nothing to lose. But I didn't expect to even see him in the game let alone throw 3 TDs.

2. Miles Austin- After two consecutive monster games, it won't be a surprise the next time he puts up big numbers. All of a sudden Austin is Romo's boy even over Jason Witten. Jerry Jones should force Austin and Roy Williams to switch contracts or cut Williams the way these two have played.

3. Michael Crabtree- In his career debut after missing all of training camp and preseason, and getting minimal time to learn the offense, Crabtree looked like a veteran. He caught five passes for 55 yards and should be Alex Smith's number two target after Vernon Davis. Maybe it was worth the wait.

4. Beanie Wells- Maybe it wasn't that surprising that Beanie had a good game, people have been calling for him to break out for awhile. But against the Giants, you'd figure he'd be a non-factor. Not the case. He provided a much-needed boost to the running game with 4.8 yds/carry and a TD. There should be no question who's the starting RB next week for Arizona.

5. Packers Offensive Line- They didn't allow a sack. No way! At least Rodgers gets a one-week break before the flying mullet (Jared Allen) is back on top of him.

Top 5 Clowns of the week
1. Sonny Jurgensen, Sam Huff, and the Redskins radio crew- Listen to what these guys said on the air Monday night during the Skins-Eagles game. It's not exact but close enough.

Larry Michael: "It looks like the Eagles are going to line up in the wildcat"
Sam Huff: "They have five guys that can take snaps in the wildcat"
Sonny Jurgensen: "It's not the wildcat unless the dogfighter (Mike Vick) is in"

How are you allowed to say crap like that on the air?! This isn't a one-time thing either. These guys are absolutely horrible. They say "we" on the air, which is unacceptable, I don't care if you played for them or not. Huff and Jurgensen will interrupt Larry Michael during his play-by-play. They are senile idiots who forget the names of the most obvious people on the field. Then they'll talk about their playing days, as if anyone cares. They can't keep up with a game that has changed drastically since they played some 50 years ago. Sam, Sonny go back to your rocking chairs and watch the games from your homes. You guys are pathetic.

2. Larry Johnson- You can't make homophobic comments and you can't directly insult your coach. LJ did both and may have just seen his last day playing for the Chiefs. He's a head case that has no place on any NFL franchise right now

3. William Gay- I'm sure you all saw Gay get pummeled by Adrian Peterson on Sunday. But if you missed I'll show you again. Look below.



I haven't seen a defensive player get humiliated like that since Brandon Jacobs trucked Laron Landry on opening night last year.

4. Jamarcus Russell- Can you believe he had the nerve to say the offense's lack of success isn't his problem, it's his teammates. I don't care if you're Peyton Manning and your teammates let you down, there's no way you go to the media and blame everyone else. On top of saying that, it is Russell's fault anyway. He continuously misses open receivers and makes poor decisions and still doesn't know the offense. What a clown.


5. Richard Seymour- Seymour laughably said the Raiders were bound for the playoffs last week after the Raiders' win over Philly. Then they get destroyed at home by the Jets this past week. The Raiders aren't going anywhere. I know he's used to making the playoffs while playing with the Pats but he needs to remember he's in Oakland now.

Week 7 Fantasy and Game Predictions

Ok I coming back off a couple bad weeks of picks and it's time to turn things around. I'm not gonna put it as one of my picks but expect the 49ers to turn it around this week as well. I'm sure it wasn't a fun bye week for Singletary's boys. Here are my picks for Week 7:

Steelers over Vikings
The difference between these two teams so far has been the way they've been able to close out games. The Vikings have made big plays at the end of games to pull out a couple tough wins against the Niners and Ravens. The Steelers have had a couple of fourth quarter collapses to lose games. You can't expect the resilient Steelers to continue this trend. I like them at home against a Minnesota team that is coming off a long, tiring win over Baltimore. The Vikings have given up some big plays as of late so I like Roethlisberger (league leader in passing yards in case you didn't know) to find Ward and Holmes often. And you gotta think it's about time for Brett Favre to have a down game.

Giants over Cardinals
You know that Eli Manning is pissed about his sub-par homecoming performance in New Orleans last week. I think he'll take out his frustration against the 31st ranked pass defense in the league. If the Giants' front four gets pressure on Warner, it could be a long day for the most immobile QB in the league.  I think the Giants win big at home.

Falcons over Cowboys
Yes, the Cowboys have had a bye to regroup after an ugly win in KC. Yes, Tony Romo may have found something with Miles Austin. Yes, they are at home. But Dallas gives up too many big plays. I like Matt Ryan to find my boy Roddy White (I own him both of my fantasy leagues) for at least one long TD.  I think Atlanta is the most underrated and least talked about team in the league. They are only one game behind the surging Saints who are stealing all the headlines. That signature win that Dallas is looking for will have to wait.

Bears over Bengals
This is an important game for teams in very competitive divisions. All season I've felt that the Bengals were overachieving, pulling out all their wins in the closing minutes. Last week showed it...losing to the Texans at home. The Bengals are too reliant on the run game and are going to wear out Cedric Benson if they keep giving him 30 handoffs a game. The Bears rank 6th against the run, allowing just 89 yds/game. I know Carson Palmer has made some big plays this season but I don't think he has enough weapons to be able to do it for an entire game against this Bears D. I like the Bears as long as Cutler doesn't choke it off.

Upset Special
Raiders over Jets
The Raiders shocked the world last week with their win over the Eagles. Their defense dictated the game and gave McNabb and Andy Reid fits. The Jets are really reeling right now, losing three straight. Mark Sanchez isn't the golden boy anymore, especially after single-handedly giving the Bills game away with 5 picks. He won't have Jerricho Cotchery for this one and Braylon Edwards is banged up as well. Not to mention Edwards has to face Nnamdi Asomugha this week. Oakland has played much better at home than on the road this year and the Jets have historically played badly on west coast trips. I like the Raiders to win in low scoring fashion and expects plenty of Sanchez criticism from the New York media next week.

Fantasy Studs
1. Laurence Maroney RB NE

I'm expecting the Pats to be close to as dominant against the Bucs as they were last week against the lowly Titans. This means the Pats will have a big lead early and can settle with running the ball. The biggest obstacle for Maroney will be Belichick. We all know how Belichick loves to run up the score and have Brady throw bombs to Moss when they're up by 40. That's the only way I see Maroney not putting up numbers.

2. Joseph Addai RB IND

Addai's situation is similar to that of Maroney's: pathetic opponent, will get big lead early, lots of touches late.

3. Dwayne Bowe WR KC

Last week we saw Matt Cassel and Bowe start clicking. I like to see more of the same from him against the Chargers pass defense. I think Bowe's size can handle the physical play of San Diego's Antonio Cromartie and allow him to make some plays.

4. Giants entire receiving corps
Like I said Eli is mad. That used to mean nothing...but now it means everything. And lately Eli has been spreading the ball around a lot more. Steve Smith will get his catches but he's not being targeted on half the plays anymore. I like Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks to have good games as well. Nicks is going to be the #1 receiver sometime next year. Unless you're stacked at WR, I start any of those three tomorrow.

5. Heath Miller TE PIT

Miller is quietly having a very good year for Pittsburgh with four TD is his last three games. He has at least five catches in every game except for one (he had 3 against the Bears). Minnesota gives up a lot of fantasy points to tight ends. Look for Miller to be on of Roethlisberger's favorite targets.

Fantasy Duds
1. Cedric Benson  RB CIN

I know this is sort of a revenge game for Benson against his former team but Benson has no control over whether he has holes to run through or not. Without Urlacher, this Bears defense has continued to be great against the run. I think they will make it their top priority to stop Benson this week.

2. Saints RB's
Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with the Saints' running game. But they have a three headed monster now with Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and Reggie Bush (Bush is a tiny head). I don't see any of them getting enough touches against a very good Dolphins run defense (3rd in NFL). Brees will burn the Fins in the passing game which will be enough for New Orleans

3. Owen Daniels TE HOU

The 49ers are allowing the third least amount of fantasy points to opposing tight ends according to default ESPN scoring. Patrick Willis has been a big reason why. Quarterbacks are afraid to throw it his way because he is a turnover-forcing machine. I know most of you will start Daniels, but if you have a decent 2nd option I'd reconsider.

4. Steve Smith WR CAR
Opposing defenses have finally figured out that if you take out Smith you pretty much take out Carolina's passing game. The result has been an uncountable amount of Jake Delhomme INTs and a very disgruntled Smith. The Bills have a very good secondary (4th least amount of passing yds given up in NFL) and will focus on shutting down Smith just like the rest of the league already has. Plus, the Panthers are going to run the ball all day against the Bills poor run defense anyway.

5. Cadillac Williams RB TB
The Caddy's engine will be shut off after the first quarter because running will no longer be an option for the Bucs. Bench him now.

The Scum Smells Better Everywhere but in Washington

Hey Guys, I know it's been awhile since I last made a post but I've been super busy. I am now blogging for a new website and I urge you all to check it out: http://compughterratingsnfl.blogspot.com/. I know I didn't make any predictions for this past Sunday's games but I don't think you would've wanted to see them anyway after another chaotic week in the NFL. Yesterday was a tough day for me...not only was I deprived of seeing the 49ers play but both of my fantasy teams lost and my picks stunk more than Albert Haynesworth's jock strap. Yea, imagine that. I somehow found a way to lose in both my fantasy leagues despite having Brady on one team and Brees on the other. You're probably wondering how that's possible. Well in one league I had five players, Santana Moss, Kellen Winslow, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Baltimore defense and John Carney combine for a grand total of 23 points. In the other league I was facing Tom Brady. Go figure.

The most surpising thing in Week 6 was the improved play of the scum of the league. The Raiders somehow beat the Eagles and held them to less points than the Phillies put up later that night. The Bills beat Rex Ryan's suddenly free-falling Jets. I knew Mark Sanchez was going to have a wake up call but I sure didn't think it would come against the Bills at home. The Buccaneers and Rams both were extremely competitive in their losses and you can say both should've won. The Chiefs picked up their first win, but I can't say it's because they played better...they didn't even score a touchdown. And this leaves me with the mucus that grows on the scum of the league...the Washington Redskins.

Besides the Tennessee Titans (I'll leave them alone this week they dealt with enough embarrassment on the field), there is no team more disappointing than the Skins. I know I've spent a lot of time ripping the Skins on this blog but it's so easy and so fun that I just can't resist myself. The Skins went through another game without a TD, scoring just six points on a Chiefs defense that just gave up 250 yards to Miles Austin. Who? I've blamed the coaching and I've blamed the management and both are worthy of the criticism. But this game is won and lost on the field and frankly the Redskins' players just aren't that talented.

Let's take a closer look. Jason Campbell is an average NFL quarterback, nothing more, nothing less. He can't carry this offense by himself and especially not with his offensive line being as banged up as it is. I actually feel sorry for the guy. He's dealt with immense criticism from a very demanding town. Anything that goes wrong with the offense is instantly his fault. He's had to deal with learning a million different offenses since he's been in the league. He had to deal with Jim Zorn and staff looking to replace him with Jay Cutler of Mark Sanchez this past offseason. He had to answer questions from the media about how this made him feel...something that he handled perfectly and I respect him for the way he handled that. He even had to deal with ridiculous claims that Colt Brennan or Chase Daniel, both of whom have never started an NFL game, should start over him. Now he's almost certainly out of Washington after this season because his contract is expiring. But Campbell simply isn't that good. He has never, ever in his career made a play that makes you stare in amazement. He's ordinary on most days and every once in awhile, he's bad. He will never win a championship because he isn't a leader and I don't think his teammates believe in him when they look into his eyes with that insecure expression. I expect him to be a journeyman backup for the rest of his career. Poor Jason.

The rest of the offense is aging, to say the least. Clinton Portis and Santana Moss, once the stars of this offense are clearly past their primes. Portis will be lucky to find a job next year. Moss is a decent number two or number three wideout in this league. But he can no longer carry the load as an offense's go-to target. The guys that were supposed to ease his load and make an easy transition, Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas, are downright pathetic. That can be blamed on Redskin talent evaluators who missed out on plenty of successful receivers in the 2008 draft including names like Desean Jackson, Eddie Royal, and Mario Manningham. The only pro bowl caliber player is Chris Cooley and even that's stretching it.

The defense isn't a bad unit but they still play like a gang of individuals with no sense of teamwork or unity. There are too many big-name, egotistical players including Deangelo Hall and Albert Haynesworth. Haynesworth is the biggest waste of money in the history of the NFL. The man is fat, out of shape and gives up on the team. There's no place for that in the league. The numbers don't look bad for the Skins defense but that's just because they haven't faced any decent offenses (with the exception of the Giants). Expect this D to get manhandled against the explosive offenses they have left on their schedule.

I really think it's time to blow the whole thing up. And I mean nuke it. If I were a Skins fan, and thank God I'm not, I would hope to see around 75% of the current team gone. Daniel Snyder has always been quick to change things. Well, this is the time no one would blame him if he made some brash personnel adjustments. These adjustments should start at the top with the firing of GM Vinny Cerrato who decided to hire Zorn as head coach over former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Look at the Saints' defense (ran by Williams now) this year and tell me Cerrato made the right decision. If you say yes I'll punch you in your face. Zorn is obviously out. It should've been today, hell it probably should've been a week or two ago. He's already had the play-calling stripped from him and given to the bingo-caller Sherman Lewis so he's useless now. I guess Snyder will wait until the bye week to fire him so the new coach has time to adjust (God I wouldn't wanna be that guy). For the Skins sake it sounds crazy but it really would be better for the team if they lose to Philly on Monday night. That way Snyder has no reason whatsoever to keep Zorn and this saga can finally end. All I can say to Snyder is rebuild and rebuild now or you'll wind up turning this franchise into the next Lions or Browns.

Let's me continue grilling people with my 5 clowns of the week.
5. The Bears Redzone Offense
You can read in my blog post on http://compughterratingsnfl.blogspot.com/ about how important it is to have a good redzone offense. The Bears should've beat the Falcons but dumb mistakes inside the 20 cost them the game. A Jay Cutler interception ended at the ATL 12 yard line ended the Bears first drive. A fumble on the goal line by Matt Forte blew another opportunity. And on the final drive of the game there were three costly penalties, including a false start by veteran Orlando Pace on 4th and 1, that killed the Bears. Performance in the redzone separates good teams from great ones.

4. The Eagles
How in the world do you let the Raiders beat you? Andy Reid...you were outcoached by Tom Cable. Tom Cable! He looks like you 15 years ago with a little bit of roid rage. No way you should let him beat you though. Donovan McNabb was outperformed by Jamarcus Russell. This is a travesty! However, for the Eagles this pathetic of a loss came at about the best time possible...the Phillies are winning and they play the Skins next week. So the Philly media may take it easy on you.

3.  Tennessee Defense
I know I said I wouldn't embarrass them but come on, it's just irresistible. Everyone says Tom Brady is back but maybe the Titans are just that bad. Nonetheless it's looking like Jeff Fisher should be gone by the end of the year.

2. Steven Hauschka K Baltimore Ravens
I wonder how many times Hauschka threw up in the locker room after missing that 44 yard field goal. Not only did this cost the Ravens the game, it cost them a chance to deliver the Vikings their first loss, it cost them a chance to grab a tie for first in the division with the Bengals and Steelers, it cost Joe Flacco a lot of deserved recognition for a remarkable comeback, and worst of all, we have to hear about "Brett Favre Magic" for another week. Ugh!



1. Dante Wesley DB Carolina Panthers
Dante Wesley gets the Bozo nose for being the clown of the week. There was no excuse for what Wesley did on the football field Sunday, recklessly laying out a defenseless Clifton Smith who was trying to catch a punt (check out video above). Football is a dangerous and violent sport with enough injuries taking place throughout the natural course of games. It's unacceptable for players to deliver cheap shots on top of this and further endanger players. You can bet that Wesley has something coming to him the next time these two teams meet.

Check in for more later this week everyone. I'm out.

What the hell do I know?

There's a reason why "NFL" stands for "Not For Long". The NFL is by far the most unpredictable of the major professional sports. Any team can beat anybody on any given day (unless you're the Rams). You never know when an injury will end someone's season and maybe even a team's season along with it (the Patriots know all about this). One team can look perfect for eight games and then inexplicably lay an egg. Other teams can look like they belong in the ACC and then play out of their minds. There's just no way of knowing what's going to happen. Take this week for example. Here are my top 10 shockers from Week 5.

10. The Dolphins have the most exciting offense in the NFL. Against the Jets, Tony Sparano called one of the best games I've ever seen. Rex Ryan and this supposedly immovable Jets defense looked lost. I absolutely love the wildcat and all the variations the Dolphins have. They can have Ronnie Brown take the snap and run or throw, Pat White take the snap and run or throw, run misdirection plays, put Chad Henne or White out wide, the options are endless. They've obviously practiced this a lot and it's really been clicking the past two weeks. What's scary is that Miami looked like a very good offense in traditional formations as well. Henne was on the money all night getting the ball to the tight ends and hit Ted Ginn perfectly on a deep ball for a touchdown, something that's hard to do with Ginn's blazing speed. I know it's really early but I think Henne is the future of this franchise. Losing Chad Pennington for the season may have been the best thing that ever happened to them.


9. The 49ers dismal performance against Atlanta. I'm not surprised that my boys lost to the Falcons at home. Atlanta was coming off a bye and had plenty of time to prepare for this one. But what shocked me was how a team that prides itself on mistake-free, disciplined football could play that poorly. Especially with Singletary not allowing that kind of nonsense. The Niners looked like their counterparts from across the bay with their play on Sunday. Penalties, turnovers, wasted timeouts, blown coverages, premature celebrations...you name it. I really could fill an entire article with how pathetic that game was. At least the 49ers have a bye week this week to straighten things out. And if players thought that bye would involve relaxing, they better think again. Singletary will practice them to death. I just hope he doesn't get so mad that he pulls a Bob Knight and starts hitting players.

8. Miles Austin? I've heard of this guy but I still can't believe the numbers he put up against the Chiefs-10 catches, 250 yards, 2 TD. He had more yards and touchdowns in that game than the useless Roy E. Williams has all season. That's the biggest shocker. How does Romo have such success with Austin who is normally a fourth or fifth option in this offense, but he can't get in a rhythm his number one wide receiver. Blame it on Williams. I say start Austin for the rest of the season. He is faster and has better hands.


7. Braylon Edwards all of a sudden has great hands. You know Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson were swearing at the TV Monday night while watching Edwards make tough three highlight-reel catches. I can hear it now, "where the f--- was that when I was throwing to you!!!". It's amazing how some athletes get out of a tough situation and everything just seems to click. Look at guys like Randy Moss, Ron Artest and even Manny Ramirez when they switched teams. I think Edwards is going to like it in New York.

6. The Ravens blow a game to the Bengals with poor defense and mental mistakes. The Ravens of old would laugh if a team thought they would take the ball 80 yards in the final minutes to win. The Ravens of old would probably force a four-and-out and go home with the W. They certainly wouldn't allow Carson Palmer pick apart their secondary. And there's no way in hell they'd commit three inexplicable penalties to extend the drive. Can't blame this one the refs Baltimore. That defense needs to get it together.

5. Matt Hasselbeck is more important to his team than any other player is to their team (excluding Peyton Manning). Look at this stat: In the two games he's completed this season, Seattle outscored their opponents 69-0. In the three games he didn't play (or at least finish) Seattle was outscored 82-46. Against Jacksonville on Sunday, Hasselbeck threw four TDs and Seattle looked like their old form. With Hasselbeck back, Seattle can go back to hoping for another division title.


4. Tennessee is 0-5?! How in the world is a team that had the best record in the NFL last season 0-5 the following season? I knew that last year was fluky for Titans. They had an easy schedule, little attention placed on them, and absolutely maximized their potential.... at least in the regular season. There was no way they'd go 13-3 again. But I certainly didn't think they would fall this far. Their passing defense is downright pathetic, they turn the ball over, commit poor penalties and now all of a sudden the longest-tenured coach in the league, Jeff Fisher may be on the hot seat. At least their first few games were all close. But in the last two games they've been outscored 68-26! They let the Jaguars beat them by 20 and it should've been worst than that if Tennessee didn't score some points in garbage time. This team stinks and now they'll get the fun task of playing an angry Patriots team on Sunday.

3. LaDainian Tomlinson's fall from grace. It's surprising how little attention this story is getting. LT was the best running back in this league for a 3-4 year period and maybe the most dynamic back we had ever seen. He had the chance to break Emmitt Smith's career rushing record and even Jerry Rice's total touchdowns record. Now he can barely go a quarter without getting injured or re-aggravating an old injury. If he plays an entire game, he usually doesn't get more than 10 or 12 carries. I don't know what's happened to him but it's sad to see. For the Chargers it's not just sad, it's painful. They went out on the limb for the guy and signed him to a new contract, hoping that he'd turn it around. So far it doesn't look good. The Chargers are going to need him to step up because they can't just torch everyone in the passing game. And Darren Sproles isn't big enough to take 20 carries a game and be effective. Right now it looks like LT will be another running back who couldn't handle turning 30

2. Denver is 5-0?! If you told me a couple months ago that the Broncos would be 5-0 to start the season I would've recommended you to the nearest mental hospital. They had as bad an offseason as you could possibly ask for. Let's go through everything that happened. You can start off with the team's epic collapse last year when they only had to win one of their final three games to take the AFC West and couldn't do it. The rocket-arm "star" quarterback (of course I still refuse to call him that) wants out and gets out. They lose their hall of fame coach Mike Shanahan and replace him with someone who still gets IDed at any bar. I'm sorry but Josh McDaniels looks younger than me and I'm 23. The star receiver wants out and is quitting on the team in practice because he isn't getting enough money. I'm sure you all have seen the video I posted below. I had them at 4-12 in a heated battle with the Chiefs and Raiders for the last place spot in the division.



So, how did this team turn it around? Kyle Orton has quietly (as always) led this team by not making mistakes and letting the players around him make plays. We forget that Denver has some weapons on offense: Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, and the additions of Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. Even more credit goes to Mike Nolan for completely changing this defense which is now first or near the top in many categories. Why couldn't he be this successful in San Fran And of course plenty of credit goes to Josh McDaniels for not letting this team fall apart and for pushing them to beat teams they weren't supposed to beat. 

1. The Bengals are in first place. Yeah, I said it the Bengals are in first place. It just doesn't sound right when it comes off the tongue does it? Another comeback win for the cardiac cats. They keep finding more and more exciting ways to win football games. And their most exciting finish was the game they lost opening day to Denver on that fluke 90 yard TD. So they should be undefeated right now. I came into the season thinking that the two best teams in AFC were from the AFC North, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Well, the Bengals just beat those two in the last three weeks. Cincinnati has done it with great defense and timely offense. Defensive end Antwan Odom has been tearing it up, he already has eight sacks. Their linebackers, Dhani Jones, Keith Rivers and rookie Rey Maualuga have been solid. And their secondary, led by CB Jonathan Joseph has been great. Carson Palmer has been clutch, engineering game-winning drives in each of the past three wins. People forget that Palmer was a Pro Bowl QB before all of his injuries. Cedric Benson is maybe the toughest running back in the league. And Ochocinco looks like his old self. I still don't think they are going to win that tough division, but they are a force to be reckoned with.

Three Clowns of the Week

3. Rex Ryan- There's two minutes left in the game, the Dolphins are already easily in field goal range to tie it and could take the lead with a TD. Call timeout! There's no way you benefit by letting the clock tick in this situation. If you stop the Dolphins and they kick a game-tying FG you have no time in regulation to try and score. And if they score a TD like they did, you have no chance of winning the game. Poor decision making by Ryan, who had seemed to make all the right ones before that game.

 2. Ray Lewis- People will be oohing and ahhing over his bone-jarring hit on Ochocinco for a while but this play was ridiculously stupid. Your team is trying to prevent a team from scoring on the final drive to win and you extend the drive with a personal foul penalty on a head-to-head hit. What are you doing? This was a costly mistake that in the end cost the Ravens the game.

1. Dre Bly- You are down 35-10 at home to the Falcons and finally catch a break. Matt Ryan gives you a gift interception and all you have is grass in front of you, and Roddy White about two yards behind you. Perfect time to showboat at your own 30 yard line when you still have 70 yards to the endzone with a guys that faster  than you right on your heels. Of course the result ends up being a fumble that's recovered by Atlanta. Are you kidding me? I don't know if I've ever seen more of a bonehead play in my life. At least when Leon Lett did it in the Super Bowl his team was up by a million and he was only a yard away from scoring. Then Bly makes comments like this after the game "Dre's going to be Dre'". Dre you are an idiot! I know he apologized later for it but that was coming straight from Singletary's mouth. If he didn't apologize, he'd be out of the league playing in NFL Europe by now.



Poor week for me with my picks as I go 2-3. Of course the three I lost were all to last second scores, Carson Palmer's TD pass for the Bengals, Denver's FG in OT, and Ronnie Browns TD in the closing seconds Monday Night. I did OK with the fantasy picks going 7 for 10 getting all of my fantasy heroes right but only two zeroes right. Oh well there's always next week for the Gridiron Guru.

Hey everyone check out my buddy and sports broadcasting colleague Dave Vatz on his sports blog, Around The Harbor at http://aroundtheharbor.blogspot.com/.

Week 5 Predictions

Week 5 already? Man the season is flying by. I'm going to be short and straight to the point with my predictions because frankly, I have other stuff to do tonight.

I'm going to have a better week than last week. I can just feel it. And I'm making a vow not to pick Niners games on the blog for the entire season because I know I'll jinx them.

Patriots over Broncos:
That's it, the Broncos win train stops here. This team is going to get a harsh taste of reality in the next six weeks. Look at Denver's schedule: Pats, at San Diego, at Baltimore, Pittsburgh, at Washington, San Diego, Giants. That is the murderer's row of the NFL, besides the Redskins of course. I expect the Pats to put Orton on his butt often in this one. On the other side of the ball I think Champ Bailey will hold his own on Moss but Welker will be the difference.

Ravens over Bengals:
The Ravens are going to play angry after last week's tough loss to New England. That doesn't bode well for the Bengals who played poorly in their lucky win over the Browns last week.

Colts over Titans:
Peyton Manning leads the league in passing. The Titans have the league's worst pass defense. Do I need to say anymore?

Jets over Dolphins
This is the toughest game of the week to pick by far. I think Rex Ryan will have an answer for the wildcat just like he's an answer for almost everything so far this season. Costly errors for Chad Henne against this stingy Jets D will be the difference. Don't get me wrong I think Henne has a bright future ahead of him, but Monday will be tough for him.

Cardinals over Texans
Pick the over in this game. Should be the most exciting game of the week. So many offensive weapons: Matt Schaub, Kurt Warner, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter. I'll give the Cards the slight edge at home, final score 63-60. Ok maybe it'll be 42-38.

Fantasy Heroes
Donovan McNabb QB PHI

It's nice coming back from injury and facing the Bucs isn't it?

Rashard Mendenhall RB PIT

One of the worst fantasy decisions ever was not starting Mendenhall last week. Ahhhh it still hurts! Heal my pain with a big week this week Rashard!

Ahmad Bradshaw RB NYG

Nothing makes me happier than getting garbage points in fantasy. You just make your opponent so mad because your player is only performing because the game is out of reach. Bradshaw will your man for garbage points this week against the Raiders who will only be close in this game if the swine flu infects the entire Giants locker room.

Knowshon Moreno  RB DEN

Moreno will be getting all the touches against New England with Correll Buckhalter out for this one. Broncos are always a run-first team so I expect him to touch it 20+ times

TJ Houshmandzadeh WR SEA

Tied for the worst passing defense with the Titans are the Jaguars. Housh looked a lot better last week, going over 100 yards. I like him to continue the success this week. It could look even better if Hasselbeck plays tomorrow.

Fantasy Zeroes
Ronnie Brown RB MIA

I don't know if you can sit Brown because of his success so far but if you have another viable option I'd say do it. The Jets are going to stack the box and force the inexperienced Henne to beat them. 

Steve Smith WR NYG
The most productive fantasy receiver this season will face the toughest corner in the league this week...Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha who shuts down the best WR's in the NFL. With Eli banged up its going to be the Jacobs and Bradshaw show anyway.

Steven Jackson RB STL

Jackson might have 30 carries for 30 yards this week against the Vikings. Minnesota might put all eleven guys in the box with no corners and Kyle "I should've been a" Boller still couldn't beat them.

Cedric Benson RB CIN
Same thing goes for Benson. He has been the focal point of the Bengals' offense so far. The Ravens will take that away.

Joseph Addai RB IND
The Titans run D is still impressive and you know with their poor pass defense that Manning will air it out all day.

Ok, that's it. Let's see how we do.

What Rivalry?

In the NFL, there might not be two franchises put in a brighter spotlight by their respective cities than the Redskins and the Cowboys. Washington D.C. and Dallas worship the Redskins and Cowboys and often live and die by the teams’ successes and failures. These two teams are a couple of the most storied in football history and make up what is considered the greatest rivalry in the NFL. And according to forbes.com, they are the two most profitable franchises in the NFL (Cowboys 1 Skins 2). So everything should be going fine for these teams right? Not at all..

Right now the Skins and Boys find themselves at a crossroads. They’ve built a reputation around success and have fan bases so reliant on achievement that the teams can no longer meet the fans’ expectations. The Redskins now are tied with the Lions for the longest drought without an NFC Championship appearance. They haven’t been there since they played the Lions in the 1992 NFC Championship game on their way to a Super Bowl victory. The Skins have only won three playoff games in that span.

The Cowboys infamous streak without a playoff win (now at 12 seasons) has became a giant storm cloud looming over the franchise and there’s no sign that the sun is going to shine anytime soon. Especially with the way Tony Romo seems to fold under pressure.

This season, both teams have gotten off to perplexing starts. Both are at 2-2 but have disgusted their fans with some lackluster performances. The Skins’ two wins came against the two worst teams in the league (Rams, Bucs), one of which they won without an offensive touchdown. Washington has totaled just four offensive TDs all season, placing head coach Jim Zorn in the middle of a frenzy of disgruntled fans and harsh critics for his questionable (at best) play calling. The Cowboys’ wins came against two winless teams (Bucs, Panthers) and have shown that when the game is on the line that they can’t come up with the big plays. Romo looks completely out of sync with his receivers, the defense gives up big plays and the team continues to make costly mental errors.

Let’s take a look at the two franchises at a deeper level. It all starts at the top. Both are led by media-seeking, trigger-happy and shall I say ridiculously greedy owners: Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones. And maybe that’s where the problems start. Ever since buying the Redskins, Daniel Snyder has been quick to make changes. He wasn’t satisfied with the personnel, so over the years he’s brought in big-name players like Deion Sanders, Mark Brunell, Dana Stubblefield, Dan Wilkinson and now Albert Haynesworth. All of these players were brought in past their primes (we’re yet to see about Haynesworth but it isn’t looking good) and were completely overpaid. Snyder changed coaches too often, most notably dumping Marty Schottenheimer for Steve Spurrier. How did that one turn out again? He even switched the name of the Redskins stadium from Jack Kent Cooke (previous Skins owner) field to Fedex Field very shortly after taking over as owner! He couldn’t even honor the Cooke family that was responsible for establishing the Redskins tradition! Of course this was done to make the $207 million offered by Fedex to put their name on the stadium.

It’s always been about money with Snyder. Ticket prices, concessions and parking have gone up.  He pays some of his coordinators more than other head coaches in this league. This team was built around tradition, loyalty and consistency. It was defined by players like Darrell Green, John Riggins, and Art Monk who played all or most of their careers in Washington. There aren’t any players on this year’s team that Skins fans can relate to like the aforementioned legends. This is partly because most of the players haven’t been there long enough to develop the true “Redskin” identity. Fans are disgusted with the constant change that has yet to bring success. Their vociferous outcry is evident at home games where they hold signs and make public displays of their dissatisfaction. I heard of one fan wearing a shirt that said, “Daniel Snyder…making Jack Kent Cooke roll over in his grave since 1999.”

Similar to the Skins, Jones and the Cowboys have gone out and brought in high-profile players to numerous positions. Bringing in guys with character issues like Terrell Owens and Adam “Pacman” makes Jones remind me of Al Davis. Then they’ve had to deal with other big-name, high-ego guys like Tony Romo, Flozell Adams and Roy Williams (the safety). Then of course Jones made the ultimate mistake of bringing in Wade Phillips who I think just isn’t tough enough to be a head coach.

Now Jones goes out and gets the Buckingham palace of football stadiums to bring in even more revenue to the NFL’s most profitable franchise. The real question is how is that going to help the team win?

Jerry Jones hasn’t received anywhere near the criticism that Snyder gets on a daily basis. Overall, the city of Dallas has a favorable view of Jones. Of course he has three Super Bowls to show for his work. But as I’ve said many times, this is a “what have you done for me lately?” league. And lately the Cowboys have flat out underachieved with teams talented enough to win Super Bowls. I think the pressure of playing for a guy like Jones is getting to the coaches and players. And the billion dollars spent on the stadium can only add to that. I know Jones found a way to win in the 90s, but he was given the gift of maybe the best QB/RB/WR trio of all-time in Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. I don’t think he’s going to be able to do it soon with this cast of players that has no definitive leader and all the pressure of the Jones’ eyes on them at all times.

Jones and Snyder have both taken the George Steinbrenner approach to running a team. But what they both don’t realize is that in the NFL, this can’t work. You can’t have a big-name player at every starting position. Football isn’t like baseball where everyone does their own thing and you don’t always have to interact with your teammates. Football is more of a team sport than any other sport and to have a successful team you need a core of role players that don’t have the individualistic mindset. You need players that put the team above themselves. This is what the Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, and Giants did on their respective championship teams. Notice how the Patriots haven’t been able to win since bringing in all the big names (Moss, Welker, Adalius Thomas, etc). When you have an overload of star players, there are just too many egos and contrasting interests that distract the team from the common interest of winning a championship. The symptoms on the field are miscommunication, bad penalties, and turnovers. Hey Skins and Cowboys fans, any of this seem familiar to you?

Snyder seems like winning isn’t even on his agenda and has left Skins fans as hopeless as Orioles fans when dealing with Peter Angelos. But unlike Angelos, Snyder actually makes moves, just all the wrong ones. You can tell that Jerry Jones wants to win, but he makes his decisions completely based on talent, not on the character or work ethic of a player. And I don’t think that coming down on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of games helps anybody. I don’t care how long he’s been doing it.

The way I see it, the Cowboys and the Redskins are in real trouble. The fans are fed up, the media is firing at them from every direction, and the locker rooms are filled with tension. It might not be long before we see both these teams completely implode before our eyes. After the teams’ performances in the past decade or so, this rivalry is to the NFL what the Army-Navy rivalry is to the college football, meaningless to everyone but the teams and fans involved.

Week 4 Wrap Up

It's the most wonderful time of the year. The Major League Baseball playoffs are about to begin, we're in the middle of another exciting NFL season, and the NBA and NHL seasons are starting (Go Caps!). Now at least I don't have to sit around all week long waiting for Sunday to come.

Last week I did sit around waiting for Sunday to come...and it surely didn't disappoint, partly because the 49ers crushed the Rams, but mostly because there were plenty of great games.

Brett Favre didn't disappoint the Minnesota faithful against his former team...playing possibly the best game since his 6 TD performance against Arizona last season. Great atmosphere and a great game at the Metrodome. Give credit to Aaron Rodgers who played very well but there was just not enough protection and too much Jared Allen.

For the second time in three years, the Pats pulled out a game against the Ravens that they shouldn't have won. In both cases the refereeing played a big part in deciding the game. Last time New England was stopped on 4th down twice near the end of the game but a late timeout and a false start penalty bailed them out. This time it was the refs protecting Tom Brady with two roughing the passer calls as well as missing a pass interference call against the Pats on Baltimore's last drive.

And somehow the Broncos keep finding ways to win. What a play made by Brandon Marshall to make the Dallas defenders look foolish..Everyone sleeps on Kyle Orton, but he continues to win games. Also, give props to Mike Nolan for making Denver a defensive force.  Now for Dallas. It's painful to watch them play even though I'm not a fan and could care less what they do. They have so many talented players that will show flashes of greatness snuggled between dumb mistake after dumb mistake. Errant passes, dropped balls, missed tackles and penalties have marked the first quarter of their season. This kind of undisciplined play reflects poorly on coaching. It's inevitable that Wade Phillips is gone after the season is over.

Unfortunately the three aforementioned games screwed my picks over from last week. So I'll have to swallow my first sub-.500 week (2-3) to drop my season record to 10-5.

With my fantasy projections last week I accidentally had six "Start 'Ems" and only four "Bench 'Ems".
Start 'Ems: 3 for 6
Correct- Glen Coffee (106 all purpose yds), Steve Slaton (89 total yds 2 TD), Carson Palmer (230 passing yds, 2 TD 1 INT)
Incorrect- Wes Welker (48 yds receiving), Jason Campbell (170 yds 2 TD 3 INT, lost fumble), Darren McFadden (-3 rushing yds...what the hell happened)

Bench 'Ems: 2 for 3

Correct- Kellen Winslow (21 yds), Darren Sproles (0 carries, 1 rec, 16 yds),
Incorrect- Pierre Thomas (132 total yds, TD)
In the middle- Matt Cassel- I'm not counting this one against me of for me. Cassel didn't play well, throwing for only 127 yds on 15 of 32 passing. His 2 TDs were in garbage time against the Giants.

Now for a new segment that I'm going to call High Five/ Low Five where I rank the five best and worst teams, impact players, coaches, or whatever I think is interesting.

Five Best Teams
1. Giants- Based on the Giants past two seasons and their 4-0 start, there's no way they should be ranked any lower. This is truly a balanced offense and Eli has shown that he can take the team on his shoulders if need be.

2. Colts- Many predicted that the Colts offense would have a significant drop-off this year. I think Peyton Manning took that to heart and is making the rest of the league pay for it. It's scary that they've been this dominant with all the injuries. An all-Manning Super Bowl is something we can at least realistically dream about.

3. Vikings- No team is better up front on both sides of the ball then the Vikes. The proof was all there Monday night. Favre had all the time in the world to throw (7.4 seconds on one play) and wasn't sacked the entire game. And we all saw what Jared Allen and the Vikings' D-line did to Aaron Rodgers.

4. Saints- The Saints have won their four games by an average of 19.5 pts/game and have beaten two teams that I believe will make the playoffs (Jets, Eagles). Drew Brees hasn't looked invincible the past two weeks but that just means the Saints are more of a complete team than we thought. If that defense continues to produce points like it has, look out

5. Patriots- When all is said and done, I think the Patriots will be a better team than the Saints. But right now their body of work doesn't warrant that kind of rating. They lost to a team the Saints beat (Jets) and they've struggled on offense for most of the four games. Pulling off wins over the Falcons and Ravens the past two weeks is impressive.

Five Worst Teams
1. Rams- St. Louis has been handed two shutout losses and scored just 24 total points. The Saints doubled that in their first game! They looked downright pathetic against the Niners. It doesn't get much easier when they face Minnesota next week

2. Buccaneers- I still can't get over their horrible offensive outing against the Giants in Week 3. They hung in there against the Skins, but that really isn't saying much these days. Josh Johnson will have a long season ahead of him.

3. Chiefs- The Chiefs offense is abysmal. They have the worst 3rd down conversion percentage in the NFL. If Matt Cassel, is going to be a star QB, he's going to need some help from his offensive line. Maybe Willie Roaf can crawl out of retirement at 50 years old...it would actually be an improvement.

4. Browns- At least the Browns were competitive against the Bengals. They look much better with Derek Anderson taking the snaps. And the combined record of the teams they've faced is 14-2. Ok enough positive talk, they're still bad. They have no star power and no identity.

5. Raiders- The Raiders impressive performance in their season opener against the Chargers seems so long ago. I still don't understand why they cut Jeff Garcia.

Coaches most likely to be fired after the season (or during)

T-1 Jim Zorn/Wade Phillips- take "most likely" out of this statement. There's no way either of these two come back next year.

3. Dick Jauron- T.O. isn't the answer in Buffalo. I'm not sure if anything is. The Bills are just cursed.

4. Raheem Morris- During their next coach search maybe Tampa Bay's management will look for a guy that's not young enough to be Ronde Barber's son.

5. John Fox- At some point Carolina has got to get sick of the one year on, one year off program that the Panthers have been on for the past six years.

Top Five MVP Candidates
1. Peyton Manning- He's thrown for over 300 yds each game this season. At age 33 he looks better than ever. With the changes in personnel on offense, it proves that it's Peyton can do it with anyone around him.

2. Drew Brees- Brees has cooled down a bit lately, but we know he can turn it on at any point.

3. Eli Manning- Eli has done a great job handling the pressure of playing in New York and living in his brother's shadow. I don't care what anyone says, he a star in this league.

4.Adrian Peterson- I know he hasn't been explosive the past couple weeks, with defenses gearing up against the run, but he ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards and has 5 TDs.

5. Darren Sharper- I know it's crazy to think of a free safety winning the MVP. But right now he deserves to be in the discussion. He has added big play ability to a secondary that was known for giving them up. His five interceptions and two touchdowns lead the league.

Keeping checking out The Gridiron Guru all week and season long.

Fantasy Friday

Well, technically it's Saturday now. But when do I ever make a post before midnight. Many questions will be answered in Week 4. Who will win the battle between the best pass offense (Saints) against the best pass defense (Jets)? Can the Ravens prove they are the best team in the AFC and take down the Pats on the road? Will T.O. have another ineffective game and completely explode? Will Brett Favre step up or fold in his first game against the Packers? And of course the big one, will my fantasy team improve to 4-0? I guess you guys could care less about that one.

Let's get right to it. Here are my picks for Week 4.

Steelers over Chargers
If you told anyone at the beginning of the season that the Steelers would be in third place with a 1-2 record they would just laugh at you and think you were from Baltimore. That's the situation the Steelers are in...the Bengals are ahead of them. Go figure! With the two road losses Pittsburgh returns home with a must-win game on their plate. Expect an air attack with the 2004 co-draftees going at it. Rivers and Roethlisberger have both seen their teams transform from run-first to pass-first teams and have handled it wonderfully. I like Big Ben to have the last laugh.

Ravens over Patriots
I'm putting my respect of the Ravens to the test in this one. Baltimore has looked dominant through three weeks but they have been susceptible to the passing game. Most notably, was their Week 2 performance when they allowed Philip Rivers throw for  436 yards. But now the Ravens have the ability to put up points with the Pats in case Brady gets the offense clicking this week. I think the Pats inability to score TDs in the redzone along with the Ravens bend-don't-break style of D will allow them to prevail.

Saints over Jets
I can't believe I'm doing this...picking against the Jets again. It's been killing me all season but I have to do it one more time. This matchup between the tough, gritty defense against the high-powered offense is being played in a setting that supports the latter. The Superdome is to the Saints what the Edward Jones Dome was to the Rams Greatest Show on Turf. It'll be too tough for the Jets to stop Drew Brees with a banged up secondary.

Cowboys over Broncos
Denver has had an easy go so far, facing bunnies Cleveland and Oakland in the last two weeks. And their win against Cincy shouldn't have happened. I said before that I don't like the Broncos to make it to the playoffs even in their weak division. The rough schedule starts this week and I expect them to fail their first test. The Broncos two-headed run game with Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno aren't going to have it that easy. The Panthers Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams couldn't muster up much last week either. So with the game resting on Kyle Orton's shoulders I just don't think they'll be able to do it.

Packers over Vikings
Upset special baby! Brett Favre's first game against the Pack won't go in his favor. What many people don't realize is that the Packers have more to play for in this situation not the Vikings. This is just a typical matchup against the Packers (which is still big) for everyone on the Vikings not named Favre. But the Packers want revenge on the man that used to lead them just two years ago. After a tough win last week I expect the Vikings to be a bit tired and flat. We haven't seen the best out of the Packers or Aaron Rodgers yet. You know Rodgers has been waiting for this moment his whole career, a chance to take down the man he backed up for three years. I think he'll step up to the occasion

Fantasy Projections
Start Em
Glen Coffee- The 49ers are dedicated to the run no matter who's in there. If I were the running back they'd still give me 20+ carries a game. And against the Rams defense I probably would be productive. Coffee should have a solid game, especially if the Niners get up early and run the ball consistently.

Jason Campbell- As bad as the Redskins offense has been putting the ball in the endzone, people don't realize that Campbell is quietly playing fairly well. He has 46 fantasy points thus far and threw for 340 yds last week. I like him against the Bucs defense that has made every opposing QB look like a hall-of-famer.

Steve Slaton- I said that his time would come. Against Oakland's defense, this is when it'll come. This week, I like Houston's offense to be clicking on all cylinders for a change

Darren McFadden- If trends continue, McFadden is due for a career game. Houston is giving up over 200 yards per game on the ground! With Jamarcus Russell's passing prowess expect the Raiders to run early and often. I don't care if they are down by 30, just hand it off Jamarcus. Maybe just let McFadden permanently run the wildcat so we never see your useless body on the field again.

Wes Welker- Welker is a constant producer even against good, disciplined defenses like the Ravens who will focus on shutting down Moss. In a PPR league I like Welker to put up some solid numbers.

Carson Palmer- Remember the days when starting Palmer wasn't even a decision. Wow that seemed really long ago. Well I like him this week...of course I like anyone against the Browns.

Bench Em
Kellen Winslow- He can't be happy having Josh Johnson throw to him this week. If they weren't playing the Deadskins, I'd say the Bucs could be held to below 100 yards of total offense again. Winslow will be lucky to get a catch or two.

Pierre Thomas- Everybody wants to hop on the Pierre Thomas train after his return from injury and a good week against the Bills. I don't like him against the Jets' stingy D. With the secondary as banged up as it is you
can bet Brees will abandon the running game and attack them down the field.


Darren Sproles- Only yards he'll gain will be in the passing game. Also, his touches may be limited with the possible return of LT.

Matt Cassel- Cassel will be facing the league's best passing defense (Giants). The Giants held Byron Leftwich to just 22 yds passing last week and are feasting on turnovers with a +5 give/take ratio in three games. I think Cassel is good for a couple pickles and a fumble.

That's all for the picks and fantasy projections. Let's hope the Jets don't screw me again.

Week 3 Wrap Up

Time to recap everything that took place last Sunday. Yea, I know it's Wednesday and everyone's already looking ahead to next week but I've been busy and haven't been able to discuss what happened. I'm done talking about the Niners so let's talk about the rest of the league. First I'll review my picks and fantasy projections.

Picks: 4-1    Season: 8-2
Another successful week for the Gridiron Guru as I picked 4 out of 5 right once again. Of course it's been the Jets that burned me for both of those losses. I'm so close to making a vow not to pick another one of their games for the rest of the season. I wasn':t exactly correct in how I thought the games would be won...the Saints won in a defensive battle, the Colts killed the Cardinals, and the Pats game wasn't exactly close as I expected. But hey picking games is just like playing them in the NFL...a win is a win.

Fantasy: Overall 7 for 10
Guys I thought would play poorly 3 for 5
X Marshall: 5 rec 67 yds TD- I'll say that's a good game so I was wrong. Orton finally found Marshall in the endzone
+ Thomas Jones: 14 car 20 yds - Jones was stuffed by a Tennesse D that can stop the run, but not the pass
X Joseph Addai: 63 rushing yds, 3 rec  8 yds TD- I didn't think Addai would be this involved in the Colts offense. It sure helped that the Colts had a comfortable lead
+ Byron Leftwich:.numbers too embarrassing to show- Leftwich and the Bucs were absolutely pummeled by the Giants on Sunday. I've never heard of a QB being moved from the starter all the way down to third string without being hurt. Leftwich found a way to do it. Have fun on the bench Byron.
+ Falcons Defense: No sacks, no turnovers, allowed 26 points and 445 yds- Just imagine how bad it would've been had the Pats been successful in the redzone.

Players I thought would do well: 4 for 5
1/2 Mario Mannigham/ Steve Smith: 11 catches 118 yds TD: I'm going to take a half a point there. Not a bad performance, just not as good as I expected.
+ Kevin Kolb: 327 passing yds 2 TD, 1-yard rushing TD: Great game for Kolb against a reeling Chiefs D. Might be the last we see him though, Eagles have a bye and McNabb might be healthy the following week.

+ Greg Jennings: 2 rec, 103 yds- No TD, but you can't go wrong with over 100 yds. He'll get targeted more as the season progresses
1/2 Felix Jones: 8 car 94 yds, 1 rec 20 yds- I'm being modest and only taking a half a point even though Flying Felix basically did all of this in one half before he was injured. 11+ yards per carry? Man this guy's explosive!

+ Pierre Garcon: 64 yds receiving, TD, 17 yds rushing-Just proves that it doesn't really matter who Peyton Manning throws to

What I learned from Week 3

The Redskins are in deep trouble. I knew the Lions were better than people thought. The Skins looked sluggish on both sides of the ball and can still hold on to the name of the Redzones. Don't blame Campbell who played very well, throwing for 340 yds. This team was supposed to be built around a run game and defense. Well Clinton Portis only carried the ball 12 times for 42 yds and the defense allowed Matthew Stafford to pick them apart. The $100 million man Albert Haynesworth has been a bust as I predicted. He got carted off the field with a sore muscle! Who does that? Apparently there was an all-you-can-eat buffet in the trainer's room. I thought he looked a few pounds heavier in the second half.

So Jim Zorn's job is safe...for now. And it probably will be for the rest of the season because not only is he the head coach, but he's the play-caller and the quarterbacks coach, meaning that there's too many positions to fill if he's canned. I tell you what...if he doesn't get it together he might need to take shelter because Skins' fans might try to burn his house down.

Ravens and Giants remain my top two teams in the league. These two teams put up the most dominating performances of the week on both sides of the ball. Joe Flacco is making a bid for a Pro Bowl appearance the way he's playing. And the Ravens D got back to form against the Browns. We'll see how good they really are next week in Foxboro against the Pats. The Giants one-upped Bmore by only allowing 86 total yards in their shutout of Tampa Bay. Look for a similar outing next week when the G-Men face the Chiefs.

Where's the respect for the Colts? Over the past couple years it seems that the Colts have been completely overlooked. I guess everyone takes it for granted that they will be in the playoffs and never make anything out of it. This team is the model of consistency in a league where that is extremely rare. And most of that can be attributed to Manning, who may break Favre's consecutive games started streak as well as many others.

This year all the talk is about the surging Saints, the surprising Jets and Favre with the Vikings and Brady's return. The Colts just fly under the radar and keep winning despite all of the obstacles they've faced already. New coach, no problem. #2 wide receiver injured (Anthony Gonzalez), no problem, most important defensive player injured (Bob Sanders), no problem.  The Colts deserve a lot of credit for their win over the Cards. They had a short week to recover after a grueling win in Miami last Monday night. Then they have to go back to Indy for a couple days before trekking out to Arizona for another primetime game Sunday night. And then they go out and spank the Cardinals, making them look like anything but the defending NFC Champs. Keep sleeping on the Colts, they'll make you pay.

The Steelers can't put teams away. Championship teams aren't supposed to blow fourth quarter leads. The Steelers have done it each of the past two weeks and all of a sudden find themselves in an unfamiliar position...3rd place. I think all of the Steelers' problems can be attributed to their inability to run the ball. If the Steelers had a more effective running game, they would've been able to burn a lot more time off the clock and keep their defense off the field. This would also mean that Roethlisberger wouldn't have to force throws and end up with costly mistakes like the pick-six that the Bengals had on Sunday. Now, Willie Parker is a little banged up, so we'll probably see what Rashard Mendenhall has got. Maybe younger, fresher legs will help out the Steelers. Last year Pittsburgh found ways to win tough close games and so far this year they haven't. If they don't straighten it out soon, the division title will be out of reach before they know it.

The worst can't be any worse. The bad teams in the NFL this year are
really, really bad. It's going to be a hell of a race for Sam Bradford between the Bucs, Browns, Chiefs and Rams. After last week, I'd give the edge to the Bucs who will put in the reliable Josh Johnson at QB next week. The Browns are god awful and might already be firing Eric Mangini, who's seemed to completely lose his team. He has permanently lost the nickname "Mangenius" and anyone who ever uses that term in a form that isn't sarcastic should be shot. Next are the Chefs (purposefully mispelled) were owned by the Eagles last week and actually seemed to play better without Matt Cassel. And fourth worst are the Rams who have actually jumped up on my list because they played decently against the Packers (as decent as a 19-point loss can be) and had a chance of beating the Skins the week before (no major feat either). 

0-3 team that could still make the playoffs: Obviously no one is knocked out of the playoffs yet but there's only one winless team that I think has a legitimate shot to get in...the Titans. Their three losses are by a total of 13 points with two of them coming on last second field goals. The Titans do play NFC West this year, which could mean three or four wins. They've only played one divisional game so they can make up ground with some wins there. So it's not over but they really need a win over the Jags this week.

3-0 team not making the playoffs: No, I'm not saying the Jets. It's gotta be the Broncos. Denver has played a couple bunnies the past two weeks (Oakland, Cleveland) and their opening week win over the Bengals was a fluke. Tough road ahead with the entire NFC East left on the schedule. I'll give them credit for cleaning things up after a turbulent offseason, but I don't see them beating out the Chargers to win the division or sneaking into a wildcard spot.

Check in later this week for more from the Gridiron Guru.