2011 Week 17 Recap

Eagles v. Redskins, Sunday, January 1, 2012

The game may have been "meaningless," but it sure was nice to end the season with a win. Actually, 4 wins.

Stud of the week: other guys posted bigger numbers, but I have to give it to pint-sized Chad Hall, who scored his first NFL TD on Sunday, and did it by plowing over Perry Riley and DeAngelo Hall, who had him dead to rights stopped at the 1. Chad Hall is never going to be a starter - in Philly or anywhere else - because he's really not that good. But he plays every snap he gets with his whole heart, and you have to love him for that.

I also have to give a shout out to Jason Avant, Mr. Third Down, nearly all of whose receptions this season went for first downs. And to Alex Henery, who, thanks to Dan Bailey's miss last night, set the record for rookie kicking accuracy and single-season kicking accuracy, passing even the great David Akers (who can apparently also thrown TDs, as you'd know if you saw the 49ers game).

This was definitely a day, even a month, of "if only."

If only...the Eagles had taken better care of the ball.

If only...the defense had started to gel a little sooner.

If only...Mike Vick hadn't gotten hurt.

If only...Vince Young was a competent backup.

If only...Alex Henery had gotten over his rookie jitters by week 4.

If only...the team could've figured out how to win at home before week 15.

If only...the offense had figured out how to score some points in the 4th quarter before December. Or even realized that scoring in the fourth quarter might be important.

So now we look ahead to an extra-long offseason. For the other teams, and from the crucible of the Eagles' experiences this season:

If someone says: "Hey! I have a great idea! Even though there's going to be virtually no offseason this year, let's convert our offensive line coach into our defensive coordinator!" just say no.

As if 13 years of watching the LOLskins wasn't enough, we now have definitive proof that you cannot buy a bunch of high-priced free agents and expect them to magically morph into a team. Really. REALLY.

Win at home. If all else fails, win at home.

It's not as if there weren't bright spots: LeSean McCoy had an amazing year, and there's no reason it won't be the first of many. Howard Mudd revamped the o-line into a top-10 group. The defense was a sack machine this year, led by a nearly record season for Jason Babin, and supported by another excellent (partial) season from my boy Trent Cole. And a four game winning streak is not a bad way to go out. But 8-8 is 8-8, even if the team did go 5-1 in the division.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Dolphins over Jets: Told you so. Apparently, Rex Ryan was crying in the locker room. It's funnier when it's Tony Romo, but still - comedy gold!

Patriots over Bills: For the first 15 minutes, it looked like maybe the Bills would do the impossible and beat the Pats twice in one season. And then there was the rest of the game. Better luck next year, Bills.

Titans over Texans: The Titans did what they could to take care of business, but it wasn't enough. All they did was knock themselves down about 7 positions in the draft. Whoops. Meanwhile, the Texans are going into their first trip to the playoffs ICE cold. Early exit in 4...3....2....

Jaguars over Colts: And the winners of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes are the Colts! Wonder what's going to happen with Peyton? In the press, he's been all: "I'm a great teammate who can work with and support anyone." To which I respond: "Has he not been paying any attention at all to himself for the past 10 years?"

Bears over Vikings: I was sure the Vikes were going to pull off another win. Except no. 3-13 gives them a good draft position, which they're going to need.

Saints over Panthers: You know how the Saints are unbeatable at home? Sucks to be the Lions.

49ers over Rams: The 49ers secure the bye, and David Akers throws the pass for what turns out to be the margin of victory. Didn't see either of those things happening back in August.

Packers over Lions: It was freezing cold and snowing at Lambeau, and it was a shoot-out anyway. I was stunned that the Lions couldn't pull it off, and that they allowed a record day with Aaron Rodgers on the bench. If the Super Bowl does come down to the Packers and Patriots, we could see the first Super Bowl with over 100 points scored.

Ravens over Bengals: The Bengals secured a playoff spot anyway, but going in losing 3 of their last 5 is not promising.

Steelers over Browns: The Steelers are literally limping into the playoffs as the 5th seed. Yeah, I know, Packers 2010, but things don't look promising for them, either. In other news, the NFC East is playing the AFC North next year. You know, the AFC North that's supplying three of the AFC playoff teams this year. Great.

Chiefs over Broncos: And the Broncos got in anyway. Don't worry - they won't go far. Much as I'd love to see BDawk get a ring before he retires, it's really not going to happen.

Cardinals over Seahawks: I have literally nothing to say about this. Other than to point out to the Redskins that Kevin Kolb might b available for 2012.

Chargers over Raiders: Did the Raiders not realize that their season was on the line? Sheesh!

Falcons over Buccaneers: Did you know that a bunch of Falcons players, coaches, and fans were whining about the Saints "letting" Drew Brees go for the single-season passing yards record last week since they were already up by so much. A few things occur to me. One, after watching my own team blow multiple fourth quarter leads this year, I think if you can score, you should score. Two, he was going for a major record, not just doing it to be mean. Three, even if he was just doing it to be mean, if you don't like it, stop him. If you can't stop him, quit yer bellyachin. Four, "waah waah poor lil us!" does not bode well for your playoff chances, Falcons.

Giants over Cowboys: I know, I know. If the Cowboys had won, the Eagles would've gotten a better draft position. And neither team would've been likely to get very far in the playoffs. But it's ALWAYS a good day when the Cowboys lose.

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2010 Week 17 Recap

Eagles v. Cowboys, Sunday, January 2, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, the triumphant return of Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Chef Spouse and me

Menu: brats, saurkraut, homemade soft pretzels, brussels spouts - have to ensure good luck in the New Year, after all!

Stud of the Week: Chad Hall. Pipsqueak had a great day, even scoring his first TD in the NFL. He even managed to jump up into the stands with a little bit of a boost from his team mates. Feel good story for sure.

So the Cowboys' entire first team (other than QB Stephen McGee) managed to beat the Eagles' practice squad, plus some guys they signed in the parking lot during pre-game tailgating. I think maybe one or two starters were out there, only by virtue of having no one else left to back them up. And the Cowboys won by one point. Uh...congratulations? I guess?

Remember how at the beginning of the season a bunch of people (including me) thought the Cowboys were going to dominate? Talk about going out with a whimper. The practice squad seriously gave the Cowboys a run for their money, and had it not been for the DeMarcus Ware TD off the Anthony Spencer forced fumble that came about because K2 was holding the ball out on a tray for him, we would've won. There was a fair amount of "Good job...uh....who IS that guy?" going on in my living room.

Anywho, on to the Packers! And let's hope Vick doesn't go down, because Kolb did not look brilliant. Somebody tell Clay Matthews the game is on Saturday, OK? At Lambeau?

Around the rest of the NFL...

Pats over Dolphins: Seriously, why would you play your starters?

Jets over Bills: The Jets didn't need their starters to whip up on a bad team. Just sayin'.

Ravens over Bengals: Think TO will be playing anywhere next year? He seems to think so, but homie is mostly delusional, so that's not reliable.

Steelers over Browns: And Eric Mangini's been fired. How many does that make this season? 4?

Raiders over Chiefs: The Chiefs weren't going to do better than the #4 seed. And apparently, the Raiders might get a new QB next year: Donovan McNabb. He and Jason Campbell are bros, so that should work out. And they can both kick back and talk about how glad they are to be the hell out of DC.

Lions over Vikings: Next year, Lions. Next year.

Falcons over Panthers: So during the 4 pm games, we were talking about who we'd want the Eagles to face in wildcard weekend. "Can I pick the Panthers? I want the Panthers." Yeah, no.

Bucs over Saints: Well, the Bucs did what was in their power to try to get to the playoffs. It wasn't enough. Odd loss, though.

Texans over Jags: Yeah, the Jags gave up.

Giants over Redskins: Whatevs. They'll both be watching the playoffs from their rec rooms, accompanied by umbrella drinks.

Chargers over Broncos: Same as above.

49ers over Cards: Wow. The 49ers kicked the Cards' asses. What lit a fire under them all of a sudden? Head coach gets fired, all of s sudden no one is safe?

Packers over Bears: I think this is a good thing for the Eagles. I definitely didn't want to see the Giants again this year, and it does lend a nice symmetry to the season, with the Packers coming back to the Linc next week. Hopefully with a different outcome.

Colts over Titans: Raise your hand if you think the Colts are going down to the Jets wildcard weekend. Me. I have my hand raised.

Seahawks over Rams: OH. MY. GOD. The West was won by a 7-9 team. I think the Seahawks should voluntarily cede their playoff spot to a better team. The fact that the 11-5 Saints have to travel to Seattle to play a 7-9 team is just NOT acceptable.

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2010 Week 16 Recap

Eagles v. Vikings, Tuesday, December 28, 2010

In attendance: Just me & Chef Spouse for the historic Tuesday Night Football game

Menu: Chinese, because I was running around like a crazy person trying to get theater tickets exchanged while the box office was closed for the holiday on Monday, so there was no time to plan anything else.

Stud of the week: ...

...

...

Damn. Even David Akers missed a field goal. Even Sav Rocca had a bad punt.

I think I'm going to have to go with Chad Hall who, while he didn't do anything particularly amazing, did manage to earn himself a place in training camp then on the practice squad then on special teams by sheer heart. We're probably not going to be talking about retiring his number in 10 years or anything, but you gotta love the little guy anyway.

Man, did I get killed in my picks this week. And not just on this game.

I also have a confession to make. I didn't watch the end of the game. About mid-way through the  4th quarter, the following things happened in quick succession:

1. Video paean to Brett Favre. WHO WASN'T EVEN PLAYING.
2. Cris Collinsworth started in on how Asante Samuel should have been ejected for helmet hit on Sidney Rice. Leaving aside the fact that Rice was the one who ducked his head and that both of them walked away from it, what is up Collinsworth's ass with regards to the Eagles this year? Is he like a huge dog lover or something? Even PETA's Ingrid Newkirk is cutting Vick some slack these days (although she continues to entertain by comparing dog fighting to pedophilia. Um, Ingrid? No. Just no.). Get over it, man.
3. The defense couldn't come up with a crucial 3rd down stop.

At that point, I announced that some of us have to go to work in the morning (Chef Spouse has mostly been working from home this week), this whole thing was just pissing me off, and I was going to bed.

The offensive line couldn't protect Vick. And he couldn't run away like usual. Apparently, he has a quad injury, and watching him last night, you could tell something wasn't right. In the second half, and after pitching a first half shut out (that fumble recovery TD wasn't THEIR fault), the defense couldn't make key stops. They'd managed to virtually shut down Ahmad Bradshaw AND Brandon Jacobs last week, but then they couldn't handle Adrian Peterson. Or Joe Web. Also, DeSean, don't run your route and then just stand there. The defensive secondary will jump you every time, and you're not tall enough to compete for jump balls. And did anyone notice that the only thing that seemed to be working on offense was running Shady? SO WHY IN THE HELL DIDN'T THEY DO IT MORE?

Just an overall sloppy game. The team played like they'd had too much Christmas turkey. Or, to quote Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "as if they had fat Polish sausages tied to their fingers."

Thanks to the always-sensible BGN for talking me down off the ledge.

The key point is this: 3 games in 12 days. And the Eagles could've gone all out last night and Sunday against the Cowboys...and still missed the #2 seed. I'm hoping it really is better this way. At least we know most of the starters will get next Sunday off and get a chance to heal up and prepare for the wildcard game. (Well, they better. If Andy Reid plays the starters Sunday, he's going to need to hire bodyguards to protect him from the irate fan base. Big ones.)

But to all the people who've been talking Super Bowl, you might want to check yourself. By my calculations and projecting/guessing just a little, that will require a home win against the #6 Packers (who, you might remember, almost beat the Pats with their backup QB), a road win against the #2 Bears (and remember what that field was like the LAST time we played there), and then a road win against the Falcons (and both of those teams have SIGNIFICANT home field advantages) or a home win against the Saints (not impossible, but then again, Drew Brees). I'm not saying there's no way, but it's pretty damn improbable, particularly considering that we got whupped by a team that was 5-9 going into last night's game and was led by a rookie QB and an interim head coach.

Unless last night was all a calculated plan, in which Andy Reid, knowing the #2 seed was far from assured, intentionally had the guys play crappy so that next week wouldn't matter, he could rest the starters without criticism, and he could lull the entire rest of the NFC playoff teams into believing that the Eagles aren't a threat. In which case, it worked perfectly, because no one looking at the team that played last night would consider them a threat to anyone.

Also, I think the Vikes might have the answer to their QB question.

Around the rest of the NFL...

I was not the only one who got a lot of picks wrong. Wacky week.

Steelers over Panthers: OK, this one went as expected. Turns out, the Steelers can't win without Troy Polamalu...unless they're playing the Panthers. In which case they probably only need about 12-15 guys total.

Cardinals over Cowboys:  Who misses an extra point? Seriously? Not that I'm sad the Cowboys lost (other than it's not good for my picks stats), but C'mon Man!

Pats over Bills: Another one that went as expected. Lots of people have mentioned to me that they would love to see another Eagles/Pats Super Bowl. All I know is that, if that happens, the result better be different or I'm going to start taking hostages.

Bears over Jets: I can't decide if the Jets are a good team that's maddeningly inconsistent, or a bad team that manages to overperform on a regular basis. I know what I think of the Bears - they're damn good. Cutler seems to have found the system, the coaches, and the team that will help him start living up to his potential, Devin Hester remains a major threat on returns, and if the Brian Urlacher/Julius Peppers combo doesn't scare you, you might want to check for a pulse. I don't want to see the Giants again in the playoffs, but I'm not very enthusiastic about seeing the Bears again, either.

Ravens over Browns: The AFC playoff picture is coming into focus, with most of the in/out teams decided, but the seeding is still almost totally open. In week 16. LOVE!

Redskins over Jaguars: OK, had I known that MJD was going to be out, I might've picked the Redskins. Right. Who am I kidding? Did the Jags not know that they had to win to keep pace with the Colts? In the meantime, Redskins fans seem shocked that a bunch of no-name young guys won a game. Because that whole "overpaid guy at the end of his career" thing has been working out so well for them. Here's a tip: those young guys care more, because that game was their job interview to play somewhere, if not in DC. And they haven't already made their fortunes. Also they're far less likely to be gassed by the 4th quarter.

Chiefs over the Titans: Taking care of business, and winning the AFC West. Wow. Chiefs. Not Chargers. Chiefs. How weird is that?

Lions over Dolphins: Did I mention that I think the Lions are on the cusp of being really good? Not that a win over the Dolphins is necessarily indicative of that, but they are.

Rams over 49ers: Did you hear that Mike Singletary got fired? He and Dennis Green should totally hook up and do an NFL-only version of PTI for the NFL Network. Genius!

Bengals over Chargers: Did the Chargers not realize that they had to win this game to stay in playoff contention? Guess not.

Broncos over Texans: Oh, former Team of Destiny. You let me down this year. And I'm not even one of your actual fans. Fortunately, they seem possessed of the same spirit as the Saints fans back in the Aints days. Either that, or they're all hammered all the time.

Colts over Raiders: The Colts also had to win, and this was a close, close game. Which makes sense given that the math said the Raiders would win. But never count Peyton Manning out. Well, until the playoffs. Although I suspect not hitting cruise control by Thanksgiving will actually help the Colts in January.

Packers over Giants: And the December melt down continues. Adding insult to injury, the Giants are stuck in Wisconsin (as of Monday night, when I'm writing up this part of the recap). Given how badly things have gone for them in the past two weeks, they might just want to stay there. I think there's a real possibility the Redskins beat the Giants next week. Plus, cheese!

Bucs over Seahawks: So the Seahawks and the Rams will be playing for the NFC West on Sunday Night football next week. And if the Seahawks win (say it with me), the West will be won by a team under .500. Ugh.

Saints over Falcons: A great road win by the Saints secures at worst the #5 wildcard slot and gives them an outside shot at the #1 seed. OK, the Falcons would have to lose to the Panthers for that to happen, and that is quite literally impossible, but the #5 seed is like getting a bye week, since the Saints will play either the Rams or the Seahawks in the Superdome.

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2010 Week 7 Recap

Eagles at Titans, Sunday, October 24, 2010

In attendance: Chef Spouse, Fellow Eagles Maniac and her friend The Bronx Bomber

Menu: burgers with a variety of fun toppings (caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, a variety of cheeses), fries (good but not great - I think I need to get Chef Spouse a deep fryer), AWESOME pumpkin cheesecake (homemade by Fellow Eagles Maniac), guacamole, and copious amounts of alcohol, at least in the 4th quarter.

Stud of the week: Riley Cooper, who fended off a sure pick with an acrobatic catch and, shortly thereafter, scored his first TD as a pro player.  Chad Hall's a close #2. He battled hard for every yard he got, even though he's shorter than the grass.

Well, the thing about wins is they're fun to watch. The thing about losses are that they can be fun to write about. You know, because of the ranting. What ranting? Oh, just you wait.

Kevin Kolb: could you please stop keying on ONE receiver? You're telegraphing what you're going to do so clearly Martians are picking it up. Also, OK it was windy - you're a PRO FOOTBALL QB. Your arm should be able to overpower some wind.

Didn't the Eagles used to have a tight end named Brent Celek? Who was pretty good? I know McNabb loved him some tight ends and maybe K2 doesn't as much, but come on! Does he even play for us anymore?

Did anyone notice that the Eagles may have some O-line problems? Don't tell me you weren't shitting yourself when King Dunlap went down. And King Dunlap's center of gravity is so high he gets pushed around by everyone. But he's better than nothing, and "nothing" is just about what the Eagles are down to at this point.

But all that is secondary to the secondary, aka Hobbs and Allen. They couldn't cover anything except maybe their eyes, which is what I was doing all during the fourth quarter, while Kenny Britt was burning the Eagles' asses. In case you haven't already read it on the millions of other blog posts so far, 225 yards is the most EVER by ANY receiver in 77 years of Eagles football.

And it never occurred to Sean McDermott to move Asante Samuel over? Or tie Britt's shoelaces together? Or turn Trent Cole loose on him and take up a collection to cover the fine? (Yes, I know Trent Cole is a defensive end whose job it to go after the QB. But desperate times call for desperate measures people!)

And who knew that that ridiculous handoff fumble in the 3rd quarter was the voice of doom? But it was - the Eagles couldn't do a single thing right after that, giving up 27 points in the 4th quarter alone. The whole team deserves a "C'mon man!" shout-out.

C'mon man!

Around the rest of the NFL:

Falcons over Bengals: Roddy White had a big day, and the Falcons almost managed to give away the game anyway. But only the Eagles can squander a lead THAT big.

Steelers over Dolphins: OK, the Dolphins totally should have won this. That Roethlisberger fumble? The Fins came up with it, and the zebras screwed it up. Then again, the officiating has generally been terrible this year. Rules too complicated? Maybe.

Ravens over Bills: How did the Bills manage to get so close? How did they manage to put up 34 points on the Ravens? Apparently, that hasn't happened in Harbaugh's entire tenure as head coach. I'm guessing the rest of the AFC North is going to be watching this game tape closely.

Chiefs over Jaguars: The Chiefs are the real thing, I am buying, and they're going to win the AFC West this year.

Browns over Saints: What the hell happened? Apparently, Drew Brees has a new #1 receiver, only it's David Bowens, and he plays for the Browns. Former Saint Scott Fujita and former Eagle Sheldon Brown both contributed to the mayhem.

Redskins over Bears: Yes, I know everyone has already made this joke. Jay Cutler's found his #1 receiver, too - too bad it's DeAngelo Hall. That was one sloppy game - it was impossible to keep up with the turnovers, and we were using a 19" screen for this as the second game. Wasn't big enough.

Panthers over 49ers: Stick a fork in the 49ers. They're done.

Buccaneers over Rams: Hm - interesting. Apparently, Josh Freeman is money with the 4th quarter comebacks.

Seahawks over Cardinals: Amazing what losing a potential HOF QB can do to a team. Even if they do still have my secret wide receiver boyfriend Larry Fitzgerald. Have you seen his ass? Seriously.

Patriots over Chargers: Why was this game even close? The Chargers are a wreck this year.

Raiders over Broncos: Somebody should've invoked the mercy rule. Oh wait - there is no mercy rule. Someone should institute a mercy rule. Most points ever by the Raiders. And an ugly, ugly performance by the Broncos. When the other team scored 24 points in the first quarter, you're pretty much done.

Packers over Vikings: Another sloppy game, but the Packers pulled it out, thanks in part to 3 Favre picks in the second half. High risk, high reward? Well, more like you know he'll throw as many picks as TDs.

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2010 Week 5 Recap

Eagles at 49ers, Sunday, October 10, 2010

In attendance:  Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Chef Spouse, me, The Executive Committee, Mad Kitchen Scientist

Menu:  It was a Food Lab weekend, so we were finishing up our butter doughs.  Conclusion? Brunch dishes - homemade brioche and croissants, omelettes to order, homemade apple and fig compotes, bacon and sausage, mimosas, bourbon milk punch, really delicious Calvados.  So health food.

Stud of the week:  It's unusual for me to pick the same guy two weeks in a row, but how do I NOT go with LeSean McCoy?  92 yards on the ground, 138 total, a TD...with a BROKEN RIB.  He truly is Shady.  But in a good way.  Brent Celek had a pretty good day too.  I also have to give props to Quintin Mikell, who bagged his first career TD.  And to fireplug Chad Hall, who saw some playing time with Riley Cooper benched by a concussion.  And Nate Allen, who had a truly key tipped pass late in the 4th that kept Frank Gore from catching what almost definitely would have led to scoring the go-ahead TD.

So the good news is that it was a win. And, as I mentioned in my picks for this week, that's never sure thing when the Eagles play in prime time and go west.  The Eagles were competent, and beat a team that's now 0-5.  OK then.

But the real interest was on the 49ers side of the ball.  What is going on with Alex Smith?  He played like crap, up until the San Fran fans started booing him so loud I could hear them WITHOUT the TV on  and chanting for backup David Carr.  Mike Singletary clearly chewed him out - and he came back and kicked butt, scoring 14 points and pulling the 49ers to within 3 points.

Is it just me, or do injuries seem to be kicking extra ass this year?  Brod Bunkley is the latest to go down, with (apparently) a season ending elbow injury. I know you think I'm joking, but seriously, the team is going to run out of players.

Speaking of, it looks like Mike Vick, who Andy Reid swears on a stack of Bibles is still the starting QB, will be back for Atlanta next week.  You *know* Vick's gotta want that, and I'd feel a lot better with him back, since right now we're one bad play away from a Kafkaesque season. 

A final note:  special teams!  GAH!  What the hell is wrong with those guys?  I mean, Ted Ginn is not exactly your grandma or anything, but (say it with me) "C'mon, man!" Those long returns are killing, if it's not using the #1 receiver on special teams and him getting hurt (like, oh, last night).

Around the rest of the NFL....

Jaguars over Bills - OK, so I guess there wasn't a "we just beat the Colts!" letdown.  And Bills?  An 0-5 hole is pretty hard to dig out of.  Did you know that all 4 AFC South teams are 3-2 right now?

Ravens over Broncos - Did I hear right that the Broncos have never beat the Ravens at home?   I know winning on the road is tough, but damn!

Colts over Chiefs - The Chiefs had to lose eventually, but they're still looking solid to make a run at the West.  But Peyton threw no TDs for the first time since...ever?  They won and all, but he looked pretty cranky.

Skins over Packers - Wow.  Didn't call that one.  This was definitely a case of "if you let them hang around, it'll bite you."  The Packers were - are - the better team. But the Redskins hung in and didn't get too far behind, McNabb came up clutch when he needed to (which, carping Philly fans aside, is mostly what he does), and the D came through big when they needed it.  The Skins just wanted it more.  Also, how about that LaRon Landry?  13 tackles and 2 turnovers (a pick and a FF).  And everyone was in a panic about the 5 sacks McNabb took.  Um, it's not November. He never gets hurt until November, no matter what happens.  Come November 1?  All bets are off.

Lions over Rams - WAY over.  44-6 over.  Yikes.  Sam Bradford looked like the rookie he is, throwing two picks and never getting the Rams in the endzone.  He had to take a step back at some point.  Guess that was this week.

Bears over Panthers - Speaking of QB trouble, the Bears had plenty.  Fortunately, they were playing the Panthers, so it didn't matter.  Seriously, backup QB Todd Collins threw for 32 yards and 4 picks.  I think I could do better than that.

Bucs over Bengals - I'm calling it.  The Bungles are back.

Falcons over Browns - Well sure, but maybe I should've called the Falcons to win the south.  Oh well - coulda, shoulda, woudla.  Seneca Wallace went down before halftime, leaving the Browns playing a gimpy Jake Delhomme, who went on to throw two picks.  It's amazing the game was as close as it was (and the Falcons won by 10).

Giants over Texans - Hm.  Interesting.  The Giants figured out how to shut down the run, and it killed the Texans.

Cardinals over Saints - OK, I couldn't really expect the Saints to have another magic season like last year, but they lost to a team that was starting an undrafted rookie at QB for the first time.  Really?  REALLY?  Of course, it's pretty hard to overcome 4 turnovers. 

Titans over Cowboys - HAHAHAHAHA!  I can't believe I got punked into calling the Cowboys to win the division.  At the rate they're going, they'll be lucky to finish 8-8.  And they're doing it to themselves, which makes it even better.  Penalties, penalties, penalties, and mostly dumb shit.  How awesome it that?

Raiders over Chargers - TWO blocked punts?!?  I thought we had special teams troubles.  No wonder the Raiders were able to win this.

Right now, I'm just waiting to see if the Vikings/Jets contest will EVER start.  And the commentators have clearly totally run out of stuff to talk about.

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