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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2011 Week 1 Recap

Eagles at Rams, Sunday, September 11, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, Ex-Navy Cheesehead, a good friend from grad school and her kids, Chef Spouse

Menu: fajitas and 'ritas and apple pie and bourbon - it's football, baby!

Stud of the week: How is NOT Mike Vick? Well, maybe because it's LeSean McCoy. Shady had 122 yards and two TDs. This is the year he breaks out big time. Bet on it.

Dear Rams:

We broke your team. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy the fruit basket.

Love,

The Eagles

I really hate to see guys get hurt (well, other than Cowboys). Bad, bad day for the Rams.  When AJ Feeley showed up, I was all: "Hey baby! What's up?" Good to see AJ's still working. If the Rams can't protect Bradford better, he could see a lot more time this season.

How many passes can a receiving corps drop in one game? The Rams were closing in on "all of them." The Eagles will not be that lucky again this season. And the run defense was not brilliant, particularly considering that Steven Jackson went down early. The o-line started out rough, although they did get better as the game went on, but there were still too many hits on Vick for my comfort.

And penalties, penalties, penalties. Jesus, what else is new? Then again, road domes are LOUD. We have to see what happens outside next week in Atlanta and/or when the Iggles get home against the Giants on the 25th (assuming the Giants have enough guys left to field a team at that point). But penalties that extend drives make the Baby Jesus cry.

Still, good win on the road over a team on the rise to start the season. And sacks for everyone! I'll take it.  (Oh, and points on D? I'll take that, too, thanks! Also, could someone please tell Dion Lewis that it's OK to take the touch back?)

Around the rest of the league:

Packers over Saints: That was a hot damn exciting way to kick off the 2011 NFL season.

Ravens over Steelers: To everyone who said I was crazy to pick the Ravens to win AFC North: you sure about that?

Bears over Falcons: Man, what happened to the NFC South this week?

Bengals over Browns: Whatevs. Neither of these teams will be in contention for anything this season.

Texans over Colts: OK, the Colts lost their QB/coach, and the Texans have always been able to put up points, but where the hell did the Colts defense go? Seriously - I didn't watch the game. Did they all skive off to nurse Peyton back to health or something? And if so, did it work?

Jaguars over Titans: I went to nfl.com to see the game highlight videos, and there were none. I joke. Still, how can two teams in both AFC North and South already be irrelevant? Don't know, but they are.

Bills over Chiefs: And it just gets worse for the Chiefs, with Eric Berry out for the season with a jacked up left knee.

Lions over Buccaneers: Even more amazingly, Matthew Stafford made it through the entire game without a season-ending injury.

Cardinals over Panthers: Two bright spots: one,  Cam Newton had one hell of a first game. Two, Kevin Kolb won his first game with Cards.

Chargers over Vikings: In the 4 pm time slot, we were watching Giants at Redskins, but we kept flipping to Chargers/Vikings since the DirecTV Sunday Ticket online was a total FAIL yesterday (it may have even risen - fallen? - to the level of EPIC FAIL. Maybe even EPIC FIAL.), so we had to rely on flipping channels to watch two games. Every time we flipped to Chargers/Vikings, the Chargers were on offense. That probably tells you everything you need to know about this game. Well, that and the fact that DMac's first pass as a Viking was a pick. And that he only threw for 39 yards yesterday. Ouch.

49ers over Seahawks: Ted Ginn is the new Devin Hester. Whatever you do, do NOT kick to him. Think Harbaugh can get consistently good play out of Alex Smith? He did yesterday. And David Akers was money for his new team. Of course. Miss you, #2.

Redskins over Giants: How crazy was that? Did ANYONE have the Redskins? And frankly, it wasn't as close as 28-14 makes it look. The Giants made Sexy Rexy look like freakin' Tom Brady out there. Decimated by injury much? Yes, and Eli looked totally out of sorts. Speaking of totally out of sorts...

Jets over Cowboys: What the hell happened to Tony Romo in the 4th quarter? That snap bouncing off his chest was the second funniest dumb ass move I've seen him make (the first being the infamous bungled hold for the field goal attempt against the Lions where he didn't even have the presence of mind to pick the ball up and rush for the, like, 1 yard the Boys needed for a first and goal). Conclusion: God hates the Cowboys every day, and twice on Sundays.

And I just watched Chad Henne #pwn the Patriots for 6. Sorry, Ochocinco - gotta root against you. You shouldn't have gone to play for the devil.

Are you going to stay up for Broncos/Raiders? Yeah, me neither.

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2011 Week 1 Picks

The preseason was so brief and chaotic this year, how can I possibly pick the games for week one?

I have to give priority to the teams I picked for the playoffs, and other than that? Coin flip.

The Eagles open the 2011 season traveling to St. Louis to take on San Bradford and his Rams. I had the opportunity to visit St. Louis for the first time for a conference in August. I wasn't super excited to go - this same conference has recently been in Chicago, San Diego, LA and Toronto - but I was very pleasantly surprised by St. Louis. The city really rolled out the red carpet for us, from an opening party on the grounds of the Arch complete with fireworks to shutting down several blocks of the Washington Avenue entertainment district for us for the closing party. The people were super nice, and the city itself was lovely.

What does that have to do with the game? Not a damn thing, but I wanted to say some nice things about St. Louis to try to take some of the sting out of the beat down they're going to experience Sunday. Do you think it helped?

Eagles.

Saints at Packers: This is a tough one, since I picked BOTH teams to make post-season appearances, but I'll have to go with home field advantage and pick the Packers.

Steelers at Ravens: See above. Ravens.

Bengals at Browns: Coin says Browns.

Colts at Texans: Texans.

Titans at Jaguars: Coin says Titans.

Bills at Chiefs: Coin says Chiefs.

Falcons at Bears: Falcons.

Lions at Bucs: Lions. Go Team of Destiny! Let's see if you can get Matthew Stafford through a game without suffering a major injury.

Giants at Redskins: Giants. Didn't need a coin for this one. The Redskins are going to be TERRIBLE this year.

Panthers at Cardinals: Cards.

Seahawks at 49ers: Coin says 49ers. Coin may be wrong.

Vikings at Chargers: Two more Snark-predicted playoff teams. Home field says Chargers.

Cowboys at Jets: J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Patriots at Dolphins: Patriots. Poor Dolphins. They are also likely to be TERRIBLE this year.

Raiders at Broncos: Gotta go with the Raiders, who I think are on an upswing. Really.


 

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 11, 2011

After months of fear and uncertainty about whether we'd even HAVE a 2011 season, it's FINALLY here! Hallelujah!

The season kicks off with Saints at Packers on Thursday night, and I CAN HARDLY WAIT!

OK, for Sunday:

1 pm: Eagles at Rams

4 pm: Giants at Redskins

8 pm: Cowboys at Jets

Menu: Chef Spouse is going traditional with fajitas and 'ritas (and of course guacamole). If you're coming PLEASE let us know by Saturday so we buy enough food and please bring something to share (food or beverage).

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Fresh-n-Tasty: Get Your Picks Here!

It's the annual preseason picks post!

Why do I insist on doing this year after year, when all that happens is I get embarrassed in January?

It's all for you, dear readers. I make an annual ass of myself for you. You're welcome.

AFC East

Can an attacking defense and a quarterback who can manage the game overcome offensive fireworks? Well, I certainly hope so, because I'm calling Jets.

AFC North

Can an attacking defense and a quarterback who can manage the game overcome Troy Polamalu? I think so. Ravens.

AFC South

I have long been on the Texans train - so long, in fact, that I've been promoted to conductor. And I keep waiting for the Colts to start stumbling. Tony Dungy leaves - no problem. The Edge leaves - no problem. Marvin Harrison retires - no problem. I'm thinking that Peyton's injury might be a problem this year, though. Texans.

AFC West

Philip Rivers reminds me a lot of DMac: great quarterback who can never quite seem to get there. I think the Raiders are on the rise, but the window's still open for the Chargers, who will win the division at least one more time. Oh, and I predict Tim Tebow is going to pull a Matt Leinart.

AFC Wildcard

Easy - Steelers and Patriots. Who, by the way, might very well swap with the Ravens and Jets for their respective divisions.

NFC East

Well, Eagles of course, although all this Super Bowl talk is making me a little nervous. Everyone was saying the same thing about the Cowboys last year, and, while I didn't buy that, I at least bought in enough to think they'd win the division. And look how that turned out (6-10 in case you don't remember).  Once the playoffs start, all bets are pretty much off, because a lot of it is about getting hot at the right time, but with all the ink (and electrons) that have been spilled talking about my Iggles this offseason, they damn well BETTER win the division.

NFC North

Soooo tempted to call Vikings. But while I do think that we'll see the return of Big 5 to more typical playing form, leaving the quarterback-less Redskins kicking themselves by mid-October, I don't see any reason the Packers can't at least win the division this year after winning the Super Bowl last. Oh, and the Lions are the Team of Destiny (of course) and they're about an inch away from being good. Tough division, though.

NFC South

This is a tough division to call. The Saints and Falcons are both loaded for bear this year, and the Bucs are improving rapidly. And then there's the Panthers. Who are definitely NOT in contention for the division, Cam Newton or no Cam Newton. I'm tempted to call Saints, I want to call Saints, but this is NFC South, where repeating the division is practically unheard of. Falcons.

NFC West

Gotta go with my boy K2 and his new team, the Cardinals. That hook up with Fitz is going to be sweet. Confidential to the Seahawks: Tavaris Jackson is NOT the answer. Confidential to the 49ers: Alex Smith is a hot mess. Cut bait already.

NFC Wildcard

Easy - Saints  and Vikings. Who could also swap with the Falcons and Packers for their respective divisions.

 

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More Thoughts on the Preseason

Part of the reason I don't write much in the preseason is clearly demonstrated by the response to our first two pre-season games:

Game 1, August 11, in which a victory over the Ravens includes Riley Cooper going up over Ed Reed to snag a 40 yard pass: "We're totally going to win the Super Bowl this year! Why even bother with the season? Just give us the Lombardi trophy right now and save everyone a lot of trouble!"

Game 2, August 18, in which a loss to the Steelers includes approximately 437 picks by Michael Vick (actual number: 3): "OH MY GOD! Disaster! What's wrong with these guys!?! We're going to go 2-14 this year!"

Me: "Yawn. Andy doesn't even break out the playbook until the regular season. Preseason wins and losses mean nothing."

And I'm sticking by that. I actually like to see the Eagles lose preseason games. That usually means all the guys who may or may not make the team are getting plenty of time to show what they've got. And that our notoriously cagey head coach is keeping ALL the good stuff a secret until the regular season starts. Fine by me.

In other news, Michael Vick just got his long-term contract - $80 million over 5 years, with $36 million guaranteed (in case you somehow missed it - like you've been asleep for the last 24 hours straight). I like it, personally. The Eagles lock him down long term while actually freeing up cap space in the process. Tricky, tricky. I'm guessing it's on to DJax next. Pay the little man already!

Also Howard Mudd has completely remade the Eagles offensive line. I hope it works, because Mike Vick is only worth $80 million if he stays in one piece and ambulatory.

Also, the roster is now down to the requisite 80 guys. Thursday's game against the Jets is a big night for guys contesting roster spots. Which means we're likely not going to recognize anyone on the field. But the roster needs be down to 53 by Saturday, so it's decision time.

Next up: my annual preseason divisional picks, aka The Post That Sets Up My Annual January Walk Of Shame.

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Thoughts on the Preseason

Well, this has been an unusual off season for the Eagles. A team that usually builds through the draft has been picking up free agents like You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad picks up free mints after dinner out.

On the one hand, I keep thinking: "Andy has his problems as a coach, but he's a personnel genius. He sees potential in players no one else does." Not that a whole lot of people are confused about Nnamdi Asomugha's potential.

On the other hand, I keep thinking: "The team that wins the off season rarely does well during the actual season."  See below RE: Snyder, Dan, and Redskins, The.

On the third hand - yes, I'm borrowing one of yours - Andy's not randomly adding any old anyone. And he's not paying guys ridiculous amounts of money over many, many years. Steve Smith, for instance, is getting a 1 year deal for $2 million.

So I'm hoping that the Front Office figured they had some cash to spend, there were some guys available, and they could give the whole "free agency fire sale" thing a try for a year or two, and see if any of the gambles work out.

I hope.

The real worry right now, I think, is injury. That's always the worry in the preseason, but this year's worse. None of these guys from any team have been in camp very long, and they're starting to pummel each other, well, now. I know a bunch of guys on a bunch of teams are trying to make teams, and they should definitely get a chance to play and make their cases. But keep the starters OFF the field, yo.

Oh - and pay DeSean already.

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