2012 Week 6 Picks

Well, it finally happened. Thursday Night Football beat me to the punch. Ah well. On to the picks.

This week, the Eagles host the Lions.

Lots of people - myself included - expected good things from the Lions in 2012. So far, that's not really panning out. A 1-3 start was not what any of us expected.

On the other hand, they did beat a Rams team that's outperforming expectations so far. And, although one of their losses was to the Titans, the other two were the 49ers and the surprisingly good Vikings.

And they still have Megatron, and, as a result, are #2 in passing yards in the NFL. And Calvin hasn't even been having a great year so far.

The Lions are coming off their bye, and you know they don't want to drop to 1-4, particularly with the Bears and Vikings both coming out hot this year.

In the meantime, they are playing at the Linc. And I have to ask: are the Eagles becoming a team where playing at home matters? For a long time, it really didn't seem to. So far this year, they've played 1 bad team (the Browns) on the road, 2 good teams (the Cardinals and the Steelers) on the road, and 2 good teams (the Ravens and the Giants) at home. They beat the bad team on the road, won the two home games, and lost the two other road games.

To me, it all comes down to this: the Lions can put up points. And they have a top 10 defense. If the Eagles can manage to find another gear for the offense (try "second," guys) and figure out a way to contain Calvin Johnson, they should win this one. Those are both big "ifs." But I'm counting on homefield to help the Eagles get a narrow win (what else is new?) over the visitors.

In the other matchups...

Steelers at Titans: I don't care how banged up the Steelers are, there's no way they lose this game. The Titans have Chris Johnson and... [crickets]. See?

Raiders at Falcons: The next time I predict that the Raiders are "going to be good this year" because they're "really turning the corner," could someone please remind me of this year? And 2003-2009? Also, Falcons.

Cowboys at Ravens: The Cowboys have had two weeks to stew over getting stomped at home by the Bears on Monday Night Football. Which has got to be bad for your mental outlook. And even if they aren't already f-ed right now, they will be by 4 pm Sunday. Have you seen Ray Lewis's pre-game speeches? Tony Romo's going to be get killed. For real. Not metaphorical. Ravens.

Bengals at Browns: Poor Browns - another week, another loss. Bengals.

Rams at Dolphins: Both of these teams are outperforming expectations so far this year, but the Rams aren't going to be at home in the dome, so I've got Ryan Tannehill and Fins.

Colts at Jets: Have I mentioned lately that the Jets are f-ed? The Jets are so f-ed TO has been tweeting to try to get them to pick him up, and it's not a completely insane idea. Yes, it's that bad. And it's going to be worse after the Colts beat them at home this week.

Chiefs at Buccaneers: Call me crazy, but I'm picking the Chiefs again. Third time's the charm? Don't let me down, fellas.

Bills at Cardinals: It's the Cards turn to whip up on the Bills.

Patriots at Seahawks: Now this is an interesting matchup. East Coast teams traditionally have trouble going west, and the Seahawks are pretty damn good at home even in years when they aren't that good overall. And this year, they're pretty good overall. We have the top-ranked D taking on the top-ranked O. Which should make for an interesting game. I'm really tempted to call the Seahawks, but I don't think they're going to be able to shut down the Pats completely, and I'm not sure they can keep up. Pats.

Giants at 49ers: 49ers. They're pretty much the Terminator this year.

Vikings at Redskins: The Redskins, unlike the Seahawks and Steelers (and maybe now the Eagles?) have NO homefield mojo. And this week's not going to improve that. Vikings.

Did I just pick all the NFC East teams other than the Eagles to lose? Yes, I did. Which would be awesome, both from a standings perspective and from a picks perspective. Crossing my fingers that I'm right.

Packers at Texans: Texans all day, baby. The Packers are banged up, and it's getting worse, and the Texans defense is outstanding.

Broncos at Chargers: Broncos. Also, SECOND MNF game? Already? Could y'all stop kissing Peyton's ass for one damn second?

On bye: Bears, Jaguars, Panthers, Saints

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2011 Wildcard Weekend Picks

Bengals at Texans: neither team comes in exactly lighting it up, but the Texans remind me of season 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those few fools who weren't fans (what's wrong with you, btw?), the basic plot was that an evil government entity was trying to put together a race of half human/half demon warriors, a la Dr. Frankenstein. One of the creatures begins running amuck, as these sorts of creatures often do, and plots to lure Buffy into the demon containment facility that's guarded by soldiers. His plan is to incite a riot while she's there and for her to kill enough demons (her destined calling) to even the human/demon body count (thus providing plenty of construction materials) until she's too weak to continue. That's pretty much where the Texans are at this point. Also, in their last matchup in week 14, the Texans won (their last win, for what it's worth). And it's hard to beat a team twice in a row. Bengals. Which they should savor, since it will be their last playoff win this year.

Steelers at Broncos: Of course, by that logic, I should pick the Broncos, because the Steelers are one beaten down mess at this point. But I just can't see the Broncos pulling this off. The Steelers are too smart - and too good on D. And Tim Tebow's 15 minutes seems almost up. Steelers.

Falcons at Giants: I'm really tempted to take the Falcons here, and they do have a marginally better record. But even with the other problems the Giants have these days, and they are many, Eli Manning has a hot hand going into the playoffs, and Victor Cruz can turn a 5 yard dump off pass into a 90+ yard TD at any moment, and to me, that says that the Falcons, even though they have a well-ranked D, are in trouble. Also, they are not so good on the road. Giants.

Lions at Saints: Oh Lions. Lions Lions Lions. I hate to say "I told you so" but I told you to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to hang onto the 5th seed. Did you listen to me? Noooooo. Will you regret it? Yeeeeeessss. About the time you realize that not only can't you hear each other in the huddle, but the Superdome is rocking so hard you can't even use hand signals. The Saints don't lose at home, baby. Saints.

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2010 Week 2 Recap

Eagles at Lions, Sunday, September 19, 2010

In attendance: just me, Shoegal, and Chef Spouse. Big crowd expected next week.

Menu: Shoegal brought along some dumplings, and we picked up Popeye's on our way back from a weekend in Stone Harbor with friends.  Plus, of course, rum punch.  ARRRR!

Stud of the week: LeSean McCoy, who had his first 100 yard game. Given the historical paucity of our run game, getting 100 yards on the ground as an Eagle is not an easy feat to accomplish, you know.

 Sav Rocca also gets a shout-out.  I was calling for them to end the Aussie experiment after last year.  I was wrong.  Sav's kicking great so far this year.

I also have to give FS Nate Allen some props - two games, two picks.  We might finally have Wolverine's heir apparent.

And Vick had another great showing. Yes, K2 is the starter.  Yes, Vick's "happy" to be a backup.  For now.  Newsflash:  he's auditioning to be a starter somewhere next year, and he's killing it.  K2 better play well against the Jags next week and against the Skins in DMac's homecoming game the following week - or have a Kevlar hide.  McNabb could give him some pointers on that one - hope he's still in K2's speed dial.

You know who didn't have a great showing?  Our defense.  Admittedly, the Lions are a LOT better this year than they have been (it's hard to be worse than 0-16 and 2-14).  But seriously, how to do you blow a 28-17 lead, let the Lions put up 15 points on you (THE LIONS!?!), give up a two point conversion, and muff an onside kick EVERYONE knows is coming ALL IN 15 MINUTES OF FOOTBALL?

That was a mess.  I was definitely having that "we're totally going to blow this" feeling, and I'm sure I was not the only one.  Thank goodness that, after the recovered onside kick the Lions were unable to move the ball and turned it over on downs.  I have the feeling this season is going to be one coronary after another.

Good game from Vick, though.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Packers over Bills.  Told you they didn't need Ryan Grant that much.  This week.

Dolphins over Vikings.  In other news, Favre was responsible for 4 turnovers.  HAH!

Chiefs over Browns.  Know who's currently leading the AFC West?  The Chiefs.  Not that it's likely to last, but good for them.

Bears over Cowboys.  Can you believe it? I know, me either!  How awesome is that? The Mike Martz/Jay Cutler connection is obviously working.  The Cowboys will pull it together sooner or later, and I still figure them to win the NFC East, but in the meantime, it's really fun to watch all the agita created by their 0-2 start.

Falcons over Cardinals.  I think the only reason the Cardinals scored at all was that the Falcons were just too tired to deliver any more offense after their 41 points.  They were all like:  "Need...to...sit...NOW."

Buccaneers over Panthers.  I can't believe I picked against the Bucs on International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Bengals over Ravens.  The Bengals were helped by a really bad day for Joe Flacco (to the tune of 4 picks).  But the much vaunted Batman and Robin combo is not exactly lighting up the scoreboard so far. Then again, we are talking about the Ravens here, whose D is once again playing lights out. They've given up no TDs in their first two games.

Steelers over Titans.  I'll admit - I'm surprised the Steelers look as good as they do so far.  I'm still against them as long as serial rapist Roethlisberger remains their QB, though.  Which hurts, because normally they're my AFC team.  Also Jeff Fisher benched Vince Young.  Seems a little harsh to me in a game that wasn't exactly a blowout, but now that AR did it in 2008, apparently, it's all the rage.

Broncos over Seahawks. Further evidence of the "when in doubt, go with the AFC team" rule.

Raiders over Rams. Jason Campbell also got benched.  Maybe I was giving him too much benefit of the doubt all those years with the Redskins.  He's not exactly lighting it up out in Oakland.

Texans over Redskins.  DMac had a great game, but the Skins ground game completely disappeared.  Maybe it's McNabb?  Then again, he doesn't call the plays.  I HATE HATE HATE that the Texans won it on that BS Gary Kubiak last second time out before rookie Graham Gano nailed the first 50+ yard field goal of his career, a feat he was not able to duplicate.  But you know what's weird?  The kicker missed two field goals - and no one in DC is blaming McNabb.  Fat Albert didn't play, and no one is blaming McNabb.  The Skins D couldn't protect a 17 point lead, and no one is blaming McNabb.  The team bus got a flat, and no on is blaming McNabb.  The locker room showers ran out of hot water after the game, and no one is blaming McNabb.  He's not going to know what to make of it.

Jets over Patriots. Go Rex!  Your big mouth reminds me fondly of your dad.  And anyone who can bring the pain to the Pats is OK by me.

Chargers over Jaguars. Speaking of righting the ship, the Chargers looked like, well, the Chargers again this week, getting it done in the air and on the ground, and forcing SIX turnovers in their win over the Jags.

Colts over Giants.  For all the hype, the "Manning Bowl" (whatever number it is yesterday, today, or in the future) will pretty much ALWAYS go to big brother Peyton.  Sorry, lil Eli. 

At half time of the Saints/49ers, the Saints are winning but only 9 to 7 after a fast start, and it has been a SLOPPY game so far.

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2010 Week 2 Picks

The story of this week is injuries. For everyone. It usually takes until about mid-season to rack up as many downed players as the NFL did in week 1. Did everyone forget to eat their Wheaties or something? And that list doesn't even show the guys whose seasons have been ended already.

Anyway, we head to Detroit to face the Lions this weekend.  Mike Vick will be QB for at least one more week, Mike McGlynn's now our starting center, we signed Owen Schmitt so we'd have a full back, and (shout out to my friend David from TrueNorth), Omar Gaither will start at MLB in place of injured Stewart Bradley.  At this rate, I calculate we'll be completely out of players by early December.  But we should be able to pull off a win over a Lions team that's lost starting QB Matt Stafford to injury, too.  And frankly, if we can't beat the Lions, I may need to revise that 6-10 prediction on our series down.  Significantly.

Bills at Packers. No Ryan Grant for the rest of the season, but the Packers are a pass-first offense anyway.  Aaron Rodgers should be able to lead them to a victory.  Little tip, Bills?  Watch out for Clay Matthews.  He f-ed us up last weekend. Packers.

Ravens at Bengals.  Given that I picked them to win the division, I think I'm going to have to go with the Ravens.  But I am a little worried about their ability to put up enough points to keep up with "Batman and Robin" (yes, TO and Ochocinco have voluntarily chosen to call themselves that).  Still, Ravens.

Steelers at Titans.  Both teams looked surprisingly good last week.  But I don't think the Steelers can shut down Chris Johnson.  Titans.

Bears at Cowboys.  The Cowboys played like the punks they are last week.  But Jay Cutler's the biggest punk in football.  And I don't see the Cowboys losing their home opener anyhow.  Cowboys.

Buccaneers at Panthers. The Panthers aren't very good, but they're better than the Bucs.  Panthers.

Cardinals at Falcons. The Cards won a game they absolutely should have last week.  The Falcons lost a game they should've won. I think they're probably going to play pissed this week.  Falcons.

Chiefs at Browns.  Talk about a shocker!  Chiefs over Chargers last week.  Still can't believe it.  What I can believe is that the Chiefs are going to 2-0 this week.  Chiefs.

Dolphins at Vikings.  Dolphins.  Who I expect to get after Brett Favre big time.

Seahawks at Broncos.  The Seahawks were another team that turned in a surprising opening week performance.  Can they keep it up this week?  I don't think so, although I'm digging coach Pete Carroll in the pro game. Broncos.

Rams at Raiders.  Worst Game of the Week.  Also, Raiders.

Texans at Redskins.  Which of these teams is the real thing?  Former Team of Destiny faces current Team of Destiny.  It's a tough choice, but I think I'm going with the Texans.  Although I wouldn't be surprised if the Redskins pull off another win.  When DMac's under center, you can never count the team out.  If you recall, the Eagles' best years were when we had lights-out D and McNabb provided 96.38% of the offense by himself.  And I'm pretty sure Santana Moss can come up with at least 5% all by himself.  Chris Cooley, too.  Did I just talk myself into calling Redskins?  Not quite, but almost.

Jaguars at Chargers. Did you hear that the Chargers home opener is being blacked out?  Sack up, Chargers fans!  Based on that alone, I have to pick the Jags.

Patriots at Jets.  This is going to be an interesting game.  Mark Sanchez looked downright pedestrian last week against the Ravens.  Considering I didn't even pick the Pats to make the playoffs, I think I have to pick the Jets this week.  But I'm doing it with a lot of trepidation.

Giants at Colts.  Colts.  No contest.  Peyton schools his little brother's team once again.  I get really annoyed by all the Manning v. Manning talk.  They're both QBs - they're never even on the field at the same time.  It's not really brother versus brother.  You know what was brother versus brother?  Giants versus Bucs a few years ago.  Ronde was actually in a position that he'd need to tackle Tiki. 

Saints at 49ers. Reggie Bush gave back the freakin' Heisman. The USC hypocrisy on this is ridiculous, and what's even more ridiculous is blaming kids who desperately need money for grabbing a smidgen of the boatloads of cash their universities make on them.  Then again, Reggie has a Super Bowl ring and millions of dollars.  I'm guessing he figures the Heisman committee can stick their trophy where the sun don't shine.  Also, the Saints are going to win again this week.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 19, 2010

ARRRR! Sunday is National Talk Like a Pirate Day, matey!

Chef Spouse and I are heading to the beach this weekend, but we are coming home first thing Sunday to be back in time for the games.

1 pm: Eagles at Lions (keeping an eye on Bears at Cowboys, too)
4 pm: Texans at Redskins
8 pm: Giants at Colts
MNF: Saints at 49ers

Menu: What do pirates eat? Actually, it doesn't really matter. Since we'll be making it back just in time for the games, this will be the annual Popeye's weekend. But we are planning on rum punch, because we all KNOW that's what pirates drink!

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