2013 Week 2 Picks

This week, the Eagles host the Chargers in their home opener.

I had this one circled on my calendar (well, figuratively speaking anyway - my calendar's electronic) as a W even before the season started.

Yes the Chargers hung with the Texans, at least for three quarters, but I didn't see anything that, to me, indicates that they'll be able to overcome their historic problems coming east and playing in the early game, particularly not against the Eagles better-than-expected defense and lightening fast offense. Shoot out? Bring it.

Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Jets at Patriots: I swear I had this one picked before the Pats actually won it (have I mentioned lately how much I hate Thursday night football?). But after their first two outings this season, I have to point out that they're lucky they play in the weakest division in the NFL, because they look only slightly better than their dreadful divisional rivals. It was so bad, I clicked on the "Jets/Patriots Highlights" link on the NFL website and got a 404 error. (Nerd joke. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.) And Tom Brady needs to stop acting like a two-year-old who was just asked to share his favorite toy.

Rams at Falcons: The Rams may be better than I was expecting this year. The Falcons are every bit as good as I was expecting, and they're at home. Falcons.

Cowboys at Chiefs: The Cowboys may be the better team (although after last week's slop-fest against the Giants, who can tell?), but Andy Reid has had their number for years. I'm going with my heart on this one and picking the Chiefs.

Dolphins at Colts: Given how much trouble the Colts had handling the Raiders last week, I'm strongly tempted to go with the upset pick here...Aw, what the hell. Dolphins.

Titans at Texans: Texans.

Redskins at Packers: Packers. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses in week one, and the playoff chances of teams that start 0-2 are not good. I think RGIII is going to have a hard time avoiding Clay Matthews, and I think ARodg is going to light up the Skins secondary.

Browns at Ravens: Ravens. They got spanked by the Broncos last week, and they may have lost too much to win the division again (which would be problematic for my pre-season picks), but they haven't lost THAT much.

Panthers at Bills: Panthers. The Panthers are looking better this year (freshman Cam, not sophomore Cam, and a pretty decent D, at least so far), and the Bills are looking like, well, the Bills.

Vikings at Bears: Bears. I'm not sold on their defense without Brian Urlacher (spirits, not skills), and I've never been sold on Jay Cutler, but I'm really not sold on the Adrian Petersons. (What? He's basically their entire team at this point.)

Saints at Buccaneers: Saints. No way the Bucs can score enough points to keep up.

Lions at Cardinals: This is a tough one. The Lions looked pretty mortal last week, and the Cards looked surprisingly good against the Rams. But I just can't go against the Megatron/Reggie Bush combo pack.

Jaguars at Raiders: Worst Game of the Week. Jaguars.

Broncos at Giants: And Round 3 in the Manning Bowl goes to Peyton. Broncos.

49ers at Seahawks: Best Game of the Week. Also, even though the 49ers looked stronger last week than the Seahawks, as I was discussing with one of my friends at lunch today, CenturyLink Field is one of the few places that provide a consistent and meaningful homefield advantage. Also, I picked them to win the division this year. Seahawks.

Steelers at Bengals: After last week's embarrassing loss to the Titans, the big question on the NFL Network this week has been: are the Steelers in trouble? Yes, yes, they are. Bengals.

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2012 Week 2 Recap

Eagles v. Ravens, Sunday, September 16, 2012

If 2011 was the year of the Eagles finding a way to lose, perhaps 2012 will be the year of the Eagles finding a way to win?

Stud of the week: Despite the fact that he caused one of Vick's picks by whiffing on a tough but not unmakeable catch, I have to go with Brent Celek, who had an otherwise outstanding game, with 8 catches for 157 yards. Also, hurdling Ed Reed is personal highlight reel material. And he had the stones to pop back up and do his first down signal after taking a huge hit from Bernard Pollard that should've drawn a defenseless receiver penalty.

Gotta love DJax taking a huge hit from Ed Reed and shrugging it off. And Vick taking big hits all day and shrugging them off, too. Well, OK, I don't love Vick taking huge hits. But looking at Joe Flacco whining for a flag after every single Ravens offensive play, it made me proud to see the Eagles just get up and keep playing hard without crying to the zebras all day long.

Which was a good thing, because *again* with the turnovers (although fewer this week, so at this rate, we'll be down to none by the time they face the Lions in the middle of October) and dumb penalties (although not as many dumb penalties as I saw in other games, Redskins I'm looking at you, just saying).

Also, this was looking seriously like another body bag game, only this time the Eagles were on the wrong side of it. Andy almost ran out of offensive linemen. It may be apochryphal, but I read somewhere that Big Red joked that his next move was to start with the biggest, oldest defensive lineman (Jason Babin, FYI) and go from there. Personally, I think Howard Mudd might've been a better choice. He seems pretty tough, and at least he knows the plays and formations, right?

But the real story again was Juan Castillo's defense. They even, after a tough start, managed to shut down Ray Rice. RAY RICE. I apologize for all the terrible things I may or may not have said about Juan Castillo. What? There's no proof, right? Oh wait.

Anyway, at the end, the Eagles needed a touchdown and a big stop, and they got both. For the second week in a row. Clutch and clutch, and against a team many people (myself included) think will make a deep playoff run this year. No "but it was just THE BROWNS, fer chrissake!" this week.

(Speaking of, Brandon Weeden's numbers this week? 26 of 37 for 322 yards and two TDs. Trent Richardson? 19 carries for 109 yards and a TD. Maybe slowing those two down last week was a bigger accomplishment than we all thought.)

In the rest of the matchups....

The NFL HAS to get the regular officials back, stat. The scabs are not able to control these games, with the result that a bunch of the players are acting like two year olds who missed their nap and then had their favorite toy snatched. No, not crying. Punching the kid who stole the toy in the head. Because that's how toddlers roll. Pure Id.

Packers over Bears: Speaking of acting out, it was the return of Emo Quarterback. Or Jay Cutler went off his meds. I'm not sure. Aaron Rodgers didn't have a great night, but the Packers defense was so good, it didn't really matter in the end. 10-23 makes it look a lot closer than it was.

Bills over Chiefs: Now THAT's what you call a rebound. NFL.com called the Bills "bumbling" last week. Yep. Not so much this week. Then again, Chiefs.

Panthers over Saints: Told you so. Losing your head coach is a big f-ing deal. In case you were unclear.

Bengals over Browns: Yeah, that whole recitation of Browns solid offensive stats above? Didn't really help them all that much in the end.

Colts over Vikings: The Colts led all game, the Vikings staged a furious come back, but in the end, it wasn't enough, and the Colts took it on a last-second Vinatieri field goal, with which he redeemed last week.

Texans over Jaguars: The Texans, who are looking VERY solid this year, put away a weaker divisional opponent easily. As they should. No drama.

Dolphins over Raiders: I'm starting to think I may have been wrong about the Raiders being a better team this year. Hmmm.....

Cardinals over Patriots: HOLY SHIT. Normally, giving the ball back to Tom Brady down by 2 and with a minute left is the kiss of death. Not this week. But missing a 42 yard field goal at home WAS the kiss of death for the Pats.

Giants over Buccaneers: So Chef Spouse and I are at the beach this weekend and were watching the 1 pm games at a sports bar. Down the bar from us was a group of Giants fans who were FREAKING out for the entire first half. They left during halftime, and I assured them there was no reason to be concerned. I was right. No way were the G-men dropping two in a row at home.

Seahawks over Cowboys: Also HOLY SHIT. I was watching the Skins in the 4 pm timeslot with the Cowboys game running on the computer, so the screen was a little smaller than I'm used to and might be influencing this, but they just looked totally flat in all three phases. That big win over the Giants was JUST ONE GAME is all I'm saying.

Rams over Redskins: Did I mention HOLY SHIT? Because, you know... Also, the whole game was a mess. Also the officiating was particularly egregious in this game, and it resulted in players acting out. Particularly Josh Morgan, who quite literally cost the team the game. OK, I know - it's possible they would've tied it up and gone to OT and lost. But that was some punk-ass BS.

Steelers over Jets: Much less close game than I anticipated. It's tough to beat the Steelers at home and all, but the Jets looked like a completely different team than last week.

Chargers over Titans: Well, yes.

49ers over Lions: The Niners have beat two very good teams convincingly. The entire NFC should be worried.

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2012 Week 2 Picks

This week, the Eagles host the Ravens in their 2012 Linc home opener. I do not have a good feeling about this. Did you see the Ravens whup up on the Bengals last week? Did you see the Eagles barely squeak by the Browns? If the defense can force Joe Flacco to beat them through the air - but then again, shutting down Trent Richardson is a very different proposition than shutting down Ray Rice. If Michael Vick can remember how to play quarterback - but then again Ed Reed is not going to whiff on all the near picks the Browns secondary blew. If LeSean McCoy can have a big day - but then again, Andy Reid dials up a bunch of run plays in what universe exactly?

Well, let's just say this: I hate calling the Eagles to lose their home opener, but that's exactly what I'm doing.

On the up side, at least I won't be at M&T Bank Stadium getting punched by Ravens fans.

Bears at Packers: Despite how great the Bears looked last week, I can't see the Packers dropping two in a row at home, although the fact that they'll likely be without Greg Jennings makes me a little nervous. Packers.

Buccaneers at Giants: Same as above. Giants.

Raiders at Dolphins: OK, the Raiders let me down last week, but I don't think they'll do it again. Mostly because the Dolphins are really not very good. Raiders.

Texans at Jaguars: Texans all day! Did I mention they're going to win AFC South again this year? Because they are.

Browns at Bengals: The Bengals, despite getting spanked, looked better against the Ravens than the Browns did against the Eagles. Also, their secondary should have a big day against Brandon Weeden. As will all secondaries this year if last week was any indication. Hey, they'll all do well against the Eagles, too, if Mike Vick can't pull it together. I'm willing to call out my team, too.

Chiefs at Bills: The Bills looked pretty sorry against the Jets, but I have to think they can put the Chiefs away at home. Bills.

Saints at Panthers: Both teams disappointed last week. The Saints, even with Sean Payton at the helm, are mortal away from the Superdome. To me, that says Panthers. Go Cam!

Cardinals at Patriots: Patriots. But the Cards fans really shouldn't hold this loss against Kevin Kolb, because, really, not fair.

Vikings at Colts: Can AP have another big week? Well, we're only in week two, but the Colts aren't very good against the run. So I'm going with "yes" and the Vikings.

Redskins at Rams: Redskins. With a two game winning streak, it will be time to cue the Super Bowl talk in DC.

Cowboys at Seahawks: Damn, I hate to say this, but Cowboys. Yes, I just called every team in the NFC East but the Eagles. Is it too late to change my pick for the division? Sigh. Chin up, girlie. No throwing in the towel yet, but I do think it will take a few weeks for the Eagles to pull it together. Again. What exactly is it that these guys do in the offseason?

Jets at Steelers: The Steelers got schooled by the Broncos last week...and I didn't expect the Jets to do well, and then they did...then again, they're at Heinz Field. Whew. Steelers? Jets? Who knows? Going with Steelers and home field, but I'm not convinced.

Titans at Chargers: The Titans have Chris Johnson and...who exactly? Chargers.

Lions at 49ers: This should be a great game. Megatron's iffy and the Niners are at home. I'm going 49ers. Who might be a Super Bowl pick this year. (Here I am, going crazy with the Super Bowl talk already.)

Broncos at Falcons: The Falcons put up 40 points last week. The Broncos shocked the hell out of me by beating the Steelers. The Falcons are pretty good against the pass, though. And again, they're at home. So Falcons. I think. Damn, calling games this early in the season is hard!

(Did I mention that I'm not a fan of starting the Thursday night games already? Or, really, ever? Dear NFL: some of us have lives outside of football, you know!)

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2011 Week 2 Recap

Eagles at Falcons, Sunday, September 18, 2011

In attendance: Chef Spouse, Shoegal, and her new beau Oscar

Menu: grilled cheese and cream of tomato soup. Fall seems to have arrived in DC.

Stud of the week: how could it be anyone other than my boy Trent Cole? 5 tackles, an assist, and a sack. And he spent the whole damn game in the Falcons backfield. He's a beast!

I also have to give a major shout out to Mike Kafka. When Vick went down on what was just a truly unfortunate play - no cheap shot or anything, just bad luck - Kafka was in a tough spot. I actually yelled: "Our season has become Kafka-esque!" And while the coaches had to simplify the playbook down to about 1 page, still, Kafka, had the team in position to win the game if it wasn't for Jeremy Maclin's inexplicable 4th down drop. Gotta make that catch, son. Also, Vince Young? Man up with that hammy or move on, yo. We need a REAL backup, not someone who's limin' on the sideline when the shit's going down.

What a frustrating game! The secondary shut down the Falcons' receivers - with the exception of Tony Gonzales, for whom they had NO answer. The lineman blew it up into the Falcons' backfield most of the night - Matty Ice must've been having nightmares about Trent Cole, Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin all last night - but the linebackers got repeatedly manhandled as Michael Turner ran wild, particularly in the 4th quarter.

The offense put up 400+ yards, but also committed 3 turnovers. Jeremy Maclin had a great game, even coming back from a ridiculous cheap shot by asshole Falcon Dunta Robinson, but then he also had that inexplicable 4th-and-4 drop. Andy had one great challenge, and a TOTAL whiff on the non-interception by Kelvin Hayden where intended receiver "Hands" Avant begged him to throw the red hanky.

And the red zone defense was terrible - the Falcons were 5 for 5 in the red zone. C'mon man! That is NOT a potential playoff team.

Nor is having ONE great quarter. Scoring 21 unanswered points to take the lead is fantastic - but not if you can't hold it. I know, I know - Vick concussion, Kafka, drops, etc. Let's be honest: the defense looked gassed at the end, and the Falcons turned the Eagles' typical game plan against them - get a lead and run, run, run once the D gets tired.

Why is it always the same? Amazing talent, lack of consistent focus. Sigh.

And let's talk about Dunta Robinson for a minute. I don't know if this is typical behavior, but I do know in the Eagles' last two games against the Falcons, Dunta Robinson has clearly been headhunting whichever Eagles offensive player is having the best game. NFC South fans: is this normal? Regardless, he's a dirty, cheap player who should've been expelled from the game and suspended afterwards.

Around the rest of the NFL...I got killed in my picks this week.

Lions over Chiefs: Team of destiny! What did I tell you? And Matthew Stafford has made it through TWO games without getting injured! That might be more than we can say about Todd Haley, who may have to enter the witness protection program.

Bills over Raiders: OK, they've beat the Chiefs and the Raiders, so it's not like they've taken out the Pats and the Jets (who are both, sadly for the Bills, in their division), but the Bills are 2-0. That may be the biggest surprise of the first two weeks.

Titans over Ravens: Are we sure that was the same team that destroyed the Steelers last week? Like, did the actual Ravens accidentally go to the wrong stadium? And that was some completely other team in their jerseys? Because that was bizarre.

Jets over Jags: Well, yes. I'm amazed the Jags successfully executed a field goal. And given how bad the Colts look, they might not even be the worst team in their division this year. Speaking of...

Browns over Colts: Think you feel bad today after the Eagles' loss last night? Check out Stampede Blue - those folks are suicidal. I'm guessing Peyton Manning will go on IR within the next week or two, and then Jim Caldwell, Chris Polian and Tom Telesco can start looking for a replacement for Kerry Collins.

Redskins over Cardinals: Great game, too! As a colleague who's a Redskins fan pointed out to me, eventually Rex Grossman will remember that he's, well, Rex Grossman. But for now, the Redskins look vastly improved in 2011. Maybe Mike Shanahan does still have a few tricks in his bag.

Bucs over Vikings: As I'd predicted, Big5 did have a better game this week, but it still wasn't enough. I have a bad feeling about this.

Packers over Panthers: It's official. Cam Newton is the real deal. I know, I know, the Panthers are 0-2. But these two losses aren't like ANY of their losses last year. There's hope in Carolina today. Mark my words - they'll be a contender in that division within the next few years.

Saints over Bears: The Saints are almost as hard to beat at home as the Falcons. And Jay Cutler apparently woke up Sunday morning and remembered that he's Jay Cutler. The 6 sacks the Saints recorded didn't hurt, either. Well, in the metaphorical sense - I'm sure Jay felt like ass today.

Steelers over Seahawks: Yeah...Tavaris Jackson...yeah...From the NFL.com recap, the Seahawks didn't have a SINGLE offensive snap in Steelers' territory until the 4th quarter. Yikes.

Cowboys over 49ers: I tend to think Tony Romo is over-rated and that blowing it under pressure is FAR more his style than coming up clutch, but I have to give him credit for coming back yesterday afternoon with a punctured lung. Then again, it might be that looking over his shoulder and seeing a solid backup in Jon Kitna has him worried about losing his starting job. Also, WTF was up with all the Cowboys fans in Candlestick Park? This isn't Phillies versus Nats in DC, y'all!

Pats over Chargers: The Pats are looking scary-good this year, at least so far. And that really galls me.

Broncos over Bengals: And Kyle Orton is spared another week. You have heard about the billboard thing, right? That's gotta hurt.

Texans over Dolphins: Yeah, baby! I knew it would be their year eventually - all it took was Peyton going out.

On MNF, the Rams just turned a pick and a great offensive series into...a field goal. Not a good sign. Then again, Eli's making that face a lot this evening - you know the one I mean. So it might not be over for the Rams. (Written too soon as the Rams muff a punt return - and a week of great football, even with an Eagles loss, prepares to go out with a whimper.)


 

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2011 Week 2 Picks

This week, Michael Vick leads the Eagles to the Georgia Dome to take on his old team. If you recall, the Falcons had the best record in football in 2010. And, despite the win, Vick did not have a brilliant game against the Rams last week. Well, other than this:



He looks like a greased pig. And the Rams look like the yokels trying to catch the pig.

The Eagles offensive line is a concern. And even though they lost to the Bears last week, the Falcons defense did record 5 sacks. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles defense against the run is a concern. And while the Falcons aren't exactly a power rushing team, they're in the top 1/3 of teams (well, at least so far this season).

Mike Vick remains a hugely popular figure in Atlanta - I anticipate there will be plenty of red AND green #7 jerseys worn to the Georgia Dome on Sunday. And that has to count for something.

Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Chiefs at Lions: Lions! Team of destiny! Also, the Chiefs appear to be f-ed. Yes, already.

Raiders at Bills: We may discover that last week was a fluke, but I think I'm going to have to go with the Bills, who utterly destroyed a 2010 playoff team last week.

Ravens at Titans: Ravens. They aren't going to go undefeated or anything, but they ARE going to go 2-0.

Jaguars at Jets: Jets. Just Jets. Nothing else to say.

Browns at Colts: Is Peyton playing? Actually, it doesn't even matter - the Browns lost to the BENGALS last week. I CANNOT pick them. Colts.

Cardinals at Redskins: Tough pick. The Redskins looked surprisingly good last week (admitted, against a Giants squad that's already at November levels of injury). Then again, I did pick the Cards to win their division. On the other hand, the division I picked them to win was NFC West. I couldn't decide, so I asked Chef Spouse. I quote: "I believe in Rex Grossman's ability to blow it." There you have it. Cardinals

Bucs at Vikings: Kills me to pick against Big5, and I do think things will go better than last week, but Buccaneers.

Packers at Panthers: Well, that's just not fair to the rookie. Packers.

Bears at Saints: I don't think the Bears can keep up with the scoring, and I don't think they can count on Drew Brees to make the kinds of mistakes Matt Ryan made last week (actually, I'm pretty sure Matty Ice won't make those kinds of mistakes again THIS week). Saints.

Seahawks at Steelers: Oh my God. The NFC West has to play NFC East and AFC North this year. Damn, that's a shame. Steelers. Even if, as Warren Sapp claims, they are old and slow at this point.

Cowboys at 49ers: I wish I could convince myself to call 49ers for this game, but I don't think Tony Romo's THAT much of a mess. Yet. Cowboys.

Chargers at Patriots: I know I picked the Chargers to win their division and the Pats to go wildcard, but the Chargers play in the west, y'all. Pats.

Bengals at Broncos: If the Broncos don't win this one, we'll be able to hear the yelling for Tim Tebow to start all the way on the East Coast. And I don't mean that in the metaphorical sense. So y'all better buy some earplugs, because I'm calling Bengals.

Texans at Dolphins: Texans all the way, baby!

Rams at Giants: Both teams are dealing with injuries, but I truly believe the Giants are the better team. Giants.

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Sunday Schedule, Sunday, September 18, 2011

Can our 1-0 Eagles make it 2-0? Well, if we get the same Falcons the Bears got last Sunday, yes.

1 pm: likely Cardinals at Redskins, but possibly Bears at Saints

4 pm: Cowboys at 49ers

8 pm: Michael Vick goes home as the starting QB and takes on the Falcons! In prime time!

MNF: Rams at Giants

Menu: Chef Spouse is thinking grilled cheese and cream of tomato soup. Bring something to go with.

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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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2009 Week 2 Recap

Eagles/Saints - Sunday, September 20, 2009

In attendance: small crowd - only Shoegal, Chef Spouse, and me (a few others were expected, and, hey, what happened to y'all? Premonitions of doom kept you at home?)

Menu: fajitas, beer, guacamole, bourbon, booing

Stud of the week: hmmm....well, there was...no. But then...no, not him, either. What about the coaching...no way. Man, this is hard. I guess I'm going to have to go with Kevin Kolb, who faced a tough situation in his first start, and did the best he could.

Speaking of, the Philly sports writers were characteristically quick to pile on. Bob Ford feels that we've learned nothing about K2. I disagree. We learned that he was a rookie playing his first start. He wasn't Matt Ryan - although he did complete a sweet 71 yard hookup with Peanut for our first score - and he wasn't Akili Smith either - although he did throw 3 picks (but only 1 that really mattered). Typical rookie first outing. Some good plays, some bad plays, some atrocious decisions.

Chef Spouse and I were talking about the game while walking to the neighborhood liquor store (where everybody knows your name, or at least mine) for a stock up, and he observed that K2 looked best when playing a more traditional West Coast offense - the dink & dunk kind of short pass plays AR & Co have never had an patience for. We've been spoiled - we're a big play offense, and Andy seems to get bored with 3-4 yard gains pretty quickly.

Gonzo assures us we should feel free to boo the Birds, and he's right, but not because of Kevin Kolb. We should boo the Iggles because our special teams were wretched (Ellis Hobbes, I'm looking at you), and our defense was worse. If you recall, I pointed out that the key to this game was lock down D with some scoring on that end and a solid game from special teams. You can throw the entire game on Big 5's back and expect him to be able to work magic. You cannot do that with some poor kid making his first start. It's just cruel, particularly against a high scoring team like the Saints.

And can we talk about the Wildcat for a minute? Even Troy & Joe, aka the Idiot Twins, noticed that Marty had gone crazy for the Wildcat. At one point, they noted that it looked like Boise State out there (if only our D hadn't looked like Boise State - or maybe Boise Pop Warner). Did he really think that calling a trick play every other snap was the best way to let his rookie QB get comfortable and get into a rhythm? Of course, the Idiot Twins were speculating about how worried D-Mac must be watching this and wondering if the Eagles offense was going to be all Wildcat when he got back. Yeah, if you believe that, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you (never mind - Troy'd dumb enough he'd probably fall for that).

So I think the K2 experiment deserves to be continued, at least for a while. You know what experiment needs to end IMMEDIATELY? Sav Rocca. Sure, every once in a while he booms a 60 yarder. But far too often he dinks a 20 yarder. I see where the front office was going with the whole Aussie rules thing, but call it what it is - a mistake - and move on.

Also, Kevin Curtis, perhaps you should try to remember how to catch the football. That or find a new job. I hear Best Buy is hiring. And while you're at it, get a haircut, young man! And get off my lawn!

There were a few key plays the just KILLED us:

During the second quarter, K2 completed a pass to McCoy. While being tackled, he fumbled. Maclin picked up the ball and was headed for the end zone. Except the play was blown dead, runner down by contact, which he quite clearly was not. Eagles would have gone ahead 14-10.

At the end of the second quarter, Drew Brees completed a 29 yard pass to Reggie Bush that set up a 25 yard TD to Marques Colston. The only reason Brees got the pass off rather than being turfed was a badly blown call by the officials who missed an obvious facemask committed on (I think) Omar Gaither that clearly and obviously prevented him from getting to Brees. Hell, the Idiot Twins saw it and remarked on it, and Aikman HATES the Birds. The zebras pretty much handed the Saints 7 points.

Even with all that, we were hanging in there down only by 4 at the half and due to start the second half with the ball.

Until Ellis Hobbes fumbled the kick off return and handed the Saints 7 more points.

And then, on our next possession, K2 threw the only pick that mattered, handing the Saints another 7 points. The Saints had scored 14 points in under 3 1/2 minutes. Don might've been able to pull us back from a 31-13 deficit (although the way the D was playing, it's pretty unlikely). But that was a horrible position for K2 to be in, with no realistic way to recover, again, given how poorly the D was playing.

And then our last two possessions ended with picks, which was really just adding insult to injury.

Speaking of injury, BWest and Peanut are both hurt. Peanut's got a touchy groin, and BWest is already having trouble with his surgically repaired ankle. I wonder if he can get his money back. Do those things come with a guarantee?

So in answer to the question of: Can the Eagles win without D-Mac? The answer is: not against a high-powered offense, particularly if our D decides to play possum all day. Fortunately, that whole "opponent with a high powered offense" won't be a problem next week, and hopefully K2 will get to win a game. Otherwise he might want to consider entering the witness protection program, to shield himself from the wrath of Philly fans.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Texans over Titans: HAHA, suckas! I rock! Maybe this is really their breakout year, not just my one annual completely wild-ass pick. Do the Texans even *have* a bandwagon to jump on?

Cardinals over Jaguars: WAY over. Kurt Warner LIT it UP. I don't know what happened with the Jags. Apparently their team was with our D, wasting away in Margaritaville.

Raiders over Chiefs: Yet another upset (sort of) score for me! Go me! (Well, if anything in either of the west divisions could be considered an "upset" in any other sense than, you know, pissed off).

Bengals over Packers: OK, now THAT's an upset. And Ochocinco did a Lambeau Leap, as promised. I know a lot of people think he's a complete ass, but he cracks my shit up. We all get so serious about this - he seems to be one of the few people in the gridiron universe (myself included) who remembers that this is a GAME and maybe we should all be having FUN.

Vikings over Lions: Will the Lions *ever* win a game? Well, they do play the Redskins next week...and speaking of....

Redskins over Rams: is it possible to be depressed about a win? Yes, it is. Welcome to the 2009 Redskins season. Only putting up 9 points on the Rams (The Official Whipping Boys of the 2009 Season)? Does not bode well for the next 14 games.

Jets over Patriots: Sometimes, talking a lot of smack works. Sometimes, it doesn't. Tom Brady's not looking so magical these days, is he? Not so easy to come back from a major injury, is it there, Rocks? Maybe everyone should give D-Mac a little more respect? (They already do, outside his home market.)

Falcons over Panthers: NFC South is looking pretty strong this year. Could they rep the NFC in the Super Bowl? Much as I hope *we* will rep the NFC in the Super Bowl, I'm thinking maybe.

Bills over Bucs: The Bills seem much improved. Hopefully their fans will catch on before the franchise gets moved to Toronto.

49ers over Seahawks: Frank Gore is BAAAAACK. The rest of the NFC West should tremble. Everyone else, not so much. Also? Matt Hasselback cracked a rib, too. Wanna bet on who comes back first? No takers? Thought not.

Ravens over Chargers: It was a BILLION degrees on the field. Seriously. We're talking surface of the sun out there. Only thing hotter? The play. The Ravens now have offense. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Bears over Steelers: Well, that was unexpected. Really. Majorly unexpected. Wow. The nearly-Akers-level-reliable Jeff Reed misses a FG, and the Bears pull it out. Guess the Steelers really are missing Polamalu big time.

Broncos over Browns: Buck had a good day. Go, Former Eagles!

Giants over Cowboys: Downside? I picked wrong. Upside? The Giants provided a proper housewarming for Jerry Jones's new Palace o' Football/Monument to His Tremendously Huge Ego. TonyBoy threw 3 picks. I don't think he cried, but it was so hot and everyone was sweating so much, it's hard to be sure. Which shows that the Cowboys are definitely beatable. Are the Giants? I think so. Time will tell.

Watching Colts/Dolphins right now. Gruden needs to calm the F down. Stop shouting, man. I'm right here. Is he better than Tony K? Not sure. What do you say, football fans: who would you add to the solid Tirico/Jaws combo? In the meantime, wondering where Hank Baskett went? Colts. I wonder if he'll play tonight. Also? We're about 10 seconds into the game and BOTH teams have scored. Dear D: THE GAME STARTED. CATCH UP. That is all.

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2009 Week 2 Picks

Eagles/Saints - despite my ongoing chick fight with NOLA at Chicks in the Huddle, I give us, at best a 40% chance of winning Sunday. We're going to need a big day from the D and our special teams to stay in it. And the QB situation? Well, you know my thoughts on that already. Although Kevin Kolb has not ever had a full week of practice and full-on game prep with the first team offense, so who knows? He could pull a Koy Detmer/AJ Feeley/Jeff Garcia on us.

But honestly, worst case scenario is that DMac comes back in week 5 to a team that's 1-2. (And 2-1 seems far more likely, as I don't see us losing to the Chiefs, even if I play QB.) I can live with that. In the meantime, Brees, prepare to meet Trent Cole. It's an experience I don't think you're going to enjoy. And Reggie Bush, I'm sure you remember Sheldon Brown.



Fly, Eagles, Fly. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an unexpected victory this weekend.

Texans/Titans - Hm. I picked the Texans to win AFC South. How demoralized do you think the Titans are from that OT loss to the Steelers? Yeah - not that demoralized. But I'm still calling the Texans, because I'm just that crazy.

Cardinals/Jaguars - Sheesh. Jags lost to Colts last week, and Cards lost to 49ers. Based on that, I should call Jags, because I don't care *how* much the 49ers have purportedly improved this year, the Colts are still better. OK, I just talked myself into it. Jaguars.

Raiders/Chiefs - Raiders. Definitely. They looked WAY better against the Chargers last week than they have in years. Now if JaMarcus Russell could stop overthrowing his receivers by an entire time zone, they might have something out there in Oakland.

Bengals/Packers - Packers. Definitely. That Aaron Rodgers kid might just work out after all.

Vikings/Lions - Whew. I called the Lions to win NFC North. And I still don't think the Vikings are all that - they're working a solid defense and Adrian Peterson and not much else. And the Lions do know how to capitalize on their opponent's mistakes (right Saints?). And Vicodin Boy is prone to making mistakes. Yeah...Vikings anyway.

Rams/Redskins - The Redskins better win, or both Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell could find themselves without a job by bedtime Sunday. Also, the Rams are REALLY bad. Of course, the Redskins looked a lot worse last week against the Giants than that relatively close 23-17 final indicates. But they're not THAT bad. Redskins.

Patriots/Jets - I hope that Rex Ryan can shut his trap long enough to come up with a good game plan for Sunday, because I'd like to see the Jets topple the Patriots. And if they watch the tape, they should notice that the Pats aren't looking nearly as unstoppable as they have recently. But the whole thing with the Pats is that you have to play 60 full minutes of football. Think the Jets have it in them? Yeah, me too - Jets.

Panthers/Falcons - Falcons. And $20 says Jake Delhomme gets benched in favor of AJ by halftime.

Buccaneers/Bills - The Bills really surprised last week. Much as it pains me to pick a team that was dumb enough to sign Captain ME!, I'm going with the Bills.

Seahawks/49ers - This might actually be as good as it gets in the NFC West. Which means I'm sure as hell not bothering to watch it. 49ers.

Ravens/Chargers - This should be a good game. The Chargers can thrill, but they can also disappoint. The Ravens, well, the Ravens generally don't disappoint. Which to me indicates a Ravens win.

Steelers/Bears - Jay Cutler on his bad debut against the Packers last week: "It's not going to keep me down." Uh no, that would be the job of two guys named LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. The Steelers are going to miss Troy Polamalu big time, but they aren't going to need him to get past the Cutler-led Urlacher-less Bears. Steelers.

Browns/Broncos - Yep, the Browns still suck bad enough that they're going to lose to a team QBed by Kyle Freakin' Orton that required an act of God to get past the Bengals last week. Broncos.

Giants/Cowboys - OK, so I missed the Cowboys/Bucs game last week, but I have to tell you, the Giants did not look brilliant in their win over the Redskins, even by comparison. And I've already covered how bad the Redskins looked. Barring a natural disaster that takes out both teams (OHPLEASEOHPLEASEOHPLEASEOHPLEASE), I'm thinking Cowboys.

Colts/Dolphins - I think the Dolphins are going to surprise the Colts. Mind you, I didn't say they were going to *win*. But I heard a rumor they're planning to flamingo-bomb Peyton's lawn. Colts.

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Sunday Schedule: September 20, 2009

Can we win without Big5? We'll find out Sunday. I'm nervous, but with my fingers crossed, and I do feel better knowing that Jeff Garcia's back in the Birds' nest. Check out Chicks in the Huddle for a chick fight throwdown between me and NOLA.

1 pm: Eagles/Saints, baby! I doubt Drew Brees will thrown for 6 TDs against *our* D.
4 pm: Ravens/Chargers or Steelers/Bears (we'll vote)
8 pm: Giants/Cowboys - that should be fun!

MNF: Colts/Dolphins - that should also be fun!

Menu is still TBD, but right now Chef Spouse is leaning towards fajitas, and promises me that there WILL be a FULL compliment of guacamole this week.

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