Week 2 Review/Week 3 Preview

Week 2 Review: Super Bowl favorites at 0-2. The Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys were preseason favorites to be playing in the big game. At this point the Super Bowl will be in Dallas and these favorites will be at home watching...but maybe Jerry Jones can get some tickets for his team that misses the playoffs.

So what is the problem. For Dallas, I still think they have plenty of talent, but they are not running the ball. I know it is hard when you're not running very well, but you need to establish some sort of ground game. They have 3 good backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. They really need to get that going. It is going to be tough against a Houston Texans team that has had two nice wins to start the season. Jason Garrett, the Cowboys offensive coordinator is the X-factor in this game. I know it is weird to have a coach as the X-factor, but he has got to call a better game and make sure you run it. Tire the Texans' defense down and keep the ball out of their hands. I do think the Boys get off the schnide. Backed into a corner, I think they are desperate and they get it done.

Minnesota, well I don't know exactly. Their D has been tough. But I think it is more that Favre does not have any healthy good receivers. Sidney Rice is still out, you can't count on Percy Harvin between his hip and migraines. The only constant he has is TE Visante Shiancoe. I am not as confident they can get it going and believe the Detroit Lions have a good chance of walking into Minnesota and leaving with a win.

Now to the Week 3 preview.

Game of the Week: It very well could be Dallas at Houston, but I've covered that one some and will take a game with two undefeated teams. The longest rivalry in NFL history. Packers at Bears. Both are undefeated, Bears unexpectedly (and should not be, except for that awful rule that disallowed the Calvin Johnson TD catch.) and the Packers as expected. The game is in Chicago and Da Bears have looked pretty good. The D is stout. Cutler is not turning it over, although he is getting hit hard and often. Who knows how long he can take these hits. The Packers are without their starting RB, Ryan Grant, who is out for the season with an ankle injury. But LB Clay Mathews has been a beast and Cutler may want to watch his back side a little bit. Especially since the Bears O-line has not protected great and Mathews is becoming the new QB killer. But you need to cut the hair a little Mrs, I mean Mr. Mathews. I want to pick the Bears, but I can't. I am picking the Packers. If the Bears win this one, then they've proved to me that they are a contender.

Lock of the week: Patriots over the Bills. The Bills have maybe the worst offense in the league. The defense is ok, but is going to be running around a lot as I expect New England to have the ball for a majority of the game. It is in New England and I just see no way the Bills win this one...though I hope I'm wrong. Speaking of bad hair, Tom Brady needs to cut his a little or a lot.He kind of looks like Justin Beiber (I know who he is because he was on the TV show Shaq VS). Either way, the Pats will roll in this one. Last week the lock was Packers over the Bills, so pretty much whoever is playing the Bills is a lock. I thought about the Colts over the Broncos, but I figured Pats over Bills was a better play.

Upset of the Week: Well Dallas and Detroit are both underdogs in their respective games and I have picked them both. That said I will pick another that I am more confident about. I will pick Atlanta over New Orleans. I believe both teams are good teams, but I like Atlanta's defense more. The Saints are coming off a short week across the country in a very tight game. The Falcons are coming off a normal week and basically had a scrimmage against the Cardinals. I know Michael Turner got banged up, but he will be back. Reggie Bush is out for the Saints and he does more than return punts, catch passes and run the ball. He is a great decoy and defense always have to know where he is. Atlanta wins one that is somewhat close.

Week 1 Review/Week 2 Preview

Well it was a good first week. A few surprises and lots of injuries.

First off. Calvin Johnson's No-Touchdown catch was a touchdown catch. I know the rule says the player must maintain possession through the catch, but didn't he do that. If you didn't see it than here is a link to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ol2fuo5p5c&feature=related

How is this not a catch? I get the rule, but the rule is crap. And this is coming from someone who likes the Bears. I grew up liking the Bears. But I also like to see a fair game. That is a horrible rule. Must be changed ASAP! 'Nuff said.

Next thing I noticed is about Mark Sanchez. Everyone is killing Sanchez saying how horrible he is. He is not horrible, he is a good player. In my opinion, here are the problems. The coaches seem to be coaching him to just not make a mistake and let the defense and the running game win it. Thats all well and good, but let the kid play some.

The expectations on him are too high. Why? Well he is from USC, 1st round pick to the New York Jets, so the biggest city in the world. Everyone dubbed him "The Sanchize" and the 2nd coming of Joe Willie Namath. He won in the playoffs last season. Rex Ryan has been calling everyone else out and then the Hard Knocks show that the Jets are on. So basically everyone expects him to be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady right now. He is not them, and shouldn't be expected to be.

Lay off the kid, let him just grow and play. He will be fine and time will prove that. Just don't expect him to be great in his 2nd year and don't go off of fantasy numbers. That's not real football.

To this weeks games.

Game of the Week: This is tough, I wanted to go Patriots at Jets. There is a lot of hate there and it should be a good game, but I'm not

I'm going with Giants at Colts on Sunday Night Football. Manning Bowl II. Thats reason enough. Here is the deal though. The Colts could be 0-2 if they lose, who would've thought that? Not me. I think Peyton is going to come out with something to prove after last weeks loss. The loss of Bob Sanders hurts the Colts, but he is always hurt so they are used to not playing with him. The Giants come in with a dangerous team and I like their receiving corps. There will be lots of hoopla surrounding this game.

I don't believe a little brother should be a older brother and I am waffling and not too confident about this pick, but I will pick the Colts because they are at home.

Lock of the Week: Packers over Bills. Here you have one of the top 5 teams against maybe the worst and the Packers are at home. I see no way the Bills win this.

Upset of the Week: I could say the Chiefs over the Browns since the Chiefs technically are underdogs, but thats not really going out on a limb. I will pick Redskins over Texans. I think its a close game, its in D.C. and I like the Redskins D. It will be close, but I am just going to take the Skins.

As always, email me with any questions or comments at timmydnflblog@gmail.com and it may just get posted.

About previous post

If you can't read the predictions, just click on it and then zoom into it more.

NFL Season Preview

So the plan is to get this blog to become a podcast that you can listen to. It is obviously not there yet. Oh well. A couple of thoughts.

Darelle Revis. Jets fans and the Jets are happy he is back. The defense could still be good, but he allows the pass rush to really get going. Now half the field is gone for the opposition...unless now that he has his money he will take it easy. I don't think it will, but we will see.
Matt Leinart. He needed out of Arizona. Coach Whiz did not draft him and I don't think he ever wanted him. Good pick up for Houston, they could use a back up at a cheap price. Leinart is not done yet, but is getting close.
Now on to the NFL Season Predictions.

Offseason moves.

So it has been 2 1/2 half months since my last post. Lets get started with free agency and the offseason not counting the draft. Remember the following does not include the draft.

Biggest offseason winner: Jets. First check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5sDXBOEsi4&feature=related. They are definitely trying to buy a championship this season. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie...I'm sure I am missing someone. I know a lot of people are killing the Jets for dumping Thomas Jones and picking up LT. Look at it this way. Jones was unhappy, LT is happy just to be playing and is looking to prove a point to the Chargers that he isn't finished. So you bring in a good guy who is motivated. Also, the Jets line is much better than the Bolts, especially from a running standpoint even though they let Alan Faneca walk, which was crazy I think. Jason Taylor is over the hill, but is also motivated. His team of many years doesn't want him so why not go to a rival. I think he can still rush the passer and what does Rex Ryan like to do? Rush the passer. Cromartie gives them a good CB opposite Darrell Revis. And Holmes for a 5th round pick? Great trade if you ask me. He is an explosive player and they would probably not have gotten anything close to his talent with the 5th round pick. Overall I like all the Jets moves. One thing to remember is that the Redskins have tried this for years and it hasn't worked. I'll give it to Rex though, he is a far better coach than the Skins have had since Joe Gibbs in his first go around.

Biggest offseason loser: Speaking of the Redskins, well its hard to understand for me. The problem was not Jason Campbell. It was horrendous offensive line play and new offensive coordinators 7 of the last 8 years...including college. So they trade him for a 4th rounder in 2012. The Raiders got a steal on that trade. Great job Al Davis...about time. As for Dan Snyder, Redskins owner, and Mike Shanahan. I guess you'll have to prove that McNabb was a good pick up. I don't like it for a 2nd round pick and a 3rd or 4th next in 2011. Same old Redskins. Also picking up Larry Johnson and Willie Parker is a little suspect. But it is Snyder's M.O. Pick up guys who are a few years past their prime. But I guess that is why they play the game. Also, please do not compare McNabb to John Elway. The Broncos were better everywhere than the Skins are now. Elway's Broncos were much better than the new Redskins and McNabb. I like McNabb and I think Philly fans will regret losing him, but I think Philly fans are classless so they deserve to continue losing. One of my best friends is a fan of theirs. The Redskins also traded for Adam Carriker from the Rams. One trade I do like that they made. Now if only they could traded Albert Haynesworthless, who was such a horrible pickup last offseason that he actually counts against them this season also.

There have been a number of good free agent moves. I just went over the Skins and Jets because they have made the biggest moves this offseason.

I also like the Giants getting Antrel Rolle, the Ravens getting Anquan Boldin was nice. I thought Brady Quinn was good for the Broncos until they got Tim Tebow in the draft. I will cover the draft in a post next week. I think the Dolphins made news with Brandon Marshall and if you can keep baby T.O. happy, they will be fine. Big IF though. He's got his money, but something else will happen.

Next week I will take a look at the draft. I know it happened 3 weeks ago, but sometimes your initial reaction is not the best.

Offseason

I will be updating every few weeks or win big news happens. First, the big news...I guess. LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook were release by the Chargers and Eagles respectively. It is kind of sad, but everyone saw it coming, especially when L.T. said he would not take a paycut. It's a business. They had to do it. He just isn't what he was and if he is not willing to work with them they got to do it. Maybe L.T. will catch on with the Saints and his old teammate Drew Brees and go for the title there. As for Westbrook, too many concussions. I think he needs to give it up, but he said he is still looking to play. If he can play ok, but he has to decide if it is really worth the risk of suffering long term brain damage. These guys are warriors with a mentality to match so obviously I can't say I understand. What I do understand is I want to live as long and as healthy as possible. He's made good money and had a nice career, maybe move into coaching or something. Good luck either way. I hope these guys are willing to be backups if they do play again because that is all they will be offered.

So the combine starts today. I'll watch some of it because I am a football junkie and I need it, but I understand if people aren't interested in watching guys run, jump, and bench press. I just like to learn more about players, so when I watch the draft I have a better idea of who people are. Sadly, I would rather watch the combine than an NBA basketball game. Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Jimmy Clausen will not throw at the combine. So what. I don't believe any of these guys will be great. They aren't as good as the top two quarterbacks from last years draft, Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez.

Free agency starts March 5th, so I will write more after that is in full effect. It will be interesting to see what happens because of the uncapped year coming up.

Super Bowl conclusion

Well, the Saints surprised me a little. I really thought that the Saints defense would not stop the Colts offense. I was wrong. The Saints were the better team and deserved to win. What else can you say? They were better in all aspects of the game. Congrats to Drew Brees and after seeing him hold his son after the game I was glad he won, because that may have been one of the greatest images in Super Bowl history. That and when Tedy Bruschi was playing tackle with his two sons before Super Bowl XXXIX. I'm happy for N'awlins. Good work Saints.

Super Bowl XLIV

SUPER BOWL XLIV: This is what we've gone through 3 weeks of playoffs, 17 weeks of regular season, 4 weeks of preseason and all those practices. And to be honest, I am ready for the game. The coverage of the game gets a little ridiculous for the 2 weeks before the Super Bowl. The talking heads break down everything, and I mean everything about the game. It is crazy. I am basically ready to get onto the offseason and get to the scouting combine, free agency and the draft. But I will talk more about the actual game.

Saints vs. Colts: Here is what I am looking at. I have not had a harder time picking a Super Bowl in I don't know how long. I may never have had a more difficult time picking a Super Bowl. For example, the last few years. I was very confident the Steelers would win last year, though I rooted against them. I was sure the Patriots would win (I was happy to be wrong), the Colts, the Steelers and the Patriots to 2 years before that. Here is my breakdown. The strength for the Colts is Peyton Manning and his receivers. The weakness is the defense, but even more the injuries. Dwight Freeney, even if he plays, will not be his normal self. The starting corners for the Colts are normally nickle and dime corners. I think the Saints will exploit them. But it is crazy what Peyton is able to do. If there are no more injuries, good weather, and good officiating (it has been suspect the last few years) and there will be a very high scoring game. I will say there will be about 80 total points scored in this game. It is going to be a good game I think. Drew Brees and that offense are going to be able to keep up to a point.

I think I am rooting for the Colts, though I would not be disappointed if Saints won. On the other hand, I'm still mad that the Colts gave up a chance at an undefeated season. If they win it somewhat validates what they did, but they will always wonder if they could've done it...no matter what they say. My official pick is the Colts win 41-38. Lets hope that it can get close to being as good of a game as the last 2-years.

Championship weekend

Fireman Ed is the best fan in the NFL, so this is just another chance to put him in my blog. Love the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets chant.

Jets at Colts: I have picked against the Jets every game in these playoffs. Will I pick against them again? Well they have almost everything I like. Great defense, great running game, good coach. They are a confident bunch and who can blame them. I think it would be funny if the Jets knocked the Colts out because in week 16 the Colts had a chance to knock the Jets out and they didn't do it. It would be a little ironic. The Colts D is questionable and their running game is also. You would think I would be rolling with the Jets, but the Colts have Peyton Manning. The single most important, most dangerous player in the league. Maybe ever. Honestly I am happy with either of these teams winning. I am going to stick with my pattern (its been good luck for the Jets) and pick against the Jets. I will pick the Colts 24-14. However, I do think that if the Jets D can make Peyton turn it over a couple of times and Mark Sanchez does not turn it over they have a very good shot. I still will take the Colts although Reggie Wayne will be lost on Revis Island. Dallas Clark and Austin Collie are the X-factors.

Vikings at Saints: The Vikings seem to have the better defense. That said they are not the same at home. I like the Saints offense and although I still like the Vikes D over the Saints, I think the home field makes the difference. The key matchup will be former teammates, Brett Favre vs. Darren Sharper. If the Saints jump out early it is over. If the Vikes jump out over, the Saints can comeback. There is not as much intrigue in this game to me. I like Drew Brees more than Favre and I like the Saints 31-23.

Divisional Weekend

So last week was not a good week for me. I should've know that the Bengals would crumble in the playoffs, they got beat up the week before by the same team just like the Cardinals. Oh well, on to this weekend.

Cardinals at Saints: This will most likely be such a high scoring game that the scoreboard operator will need to have extra lightbulbs ready. I am going to tak the Cardinals because they are more scrappy. I just think they want it more. Cardinals 41-31.

Ravens at Colts: Peyton or the Ravens D. This is tough because just like the previous game one team has been scraping to get in and the other team shut it down before the season ended. I like Peyton so I am going with the Colts, though I am not too confident. Colts 17-13.

Cowboys at Vikings: All I can say is that I think Minnesota has lost its edge and hasn't beat anyone good all season besides the Packers and they weren't playing good football then. Dallas is riding high at the right time of the year. I am taking Dallas 24-20

Jets at Chargers: The Jets have the top defense and running game. They are also huge underdogs. The Chargers are hot, really both teams are. The Bolts have won 11 straight and the Jets have won 6 of 7. I usually want the better defense and running game, but the thing I worry about is Sanchez. He did play well last week, and he is back home in SoCal. I think the Bolts will win, but it will be closer than expected. Chargers 23-21.

Wild Card

So I went on vacation after week 11 and never got back to writing until now. Sadly, the Bears missed the playoffs. There have been a lot of things that have happened so I am not going to reflect, just look forward.


Jets at Bengals: The Jets crushed the Bengals last week. The Bengals looked very uninspired and were resting a number of guys. Were they just playing possum and setting up the game they wanted for the first round? Maybe. Although, I don't think they wanted to lose like that. Ocho Cinco was lost on Revis Island. All that said, I am going to take the Bengals 13-10. I actually want the Jets to win, but I think that at home the Bengals get it done. This game really depends on Sanchez. I think the Bengals will force Sanchez to beat them. Load the box and see what happens. The Bengals have struggled offensively, but I think they held back last week for this week. Either way, I think the winner is in for a big loss the week after when they play the Chargers or Colts.

Eaglesat Cowboys: Another tough one. I know the Cowboys crushed the Iggles last week, but the playoffs is a new season. Also, the Eagles did not blitz almost at all last week, maybe saving a little for this week. Its crazy, they could've had a first round bye, but they lost. I told a friend of mine I would root for the Cowboys for him since it was 1996 that they last won a playoff game. I'm not sure I can hold to that. I like the Eagles, D-Mac, and Andy Reid more than the Cowboys, Romo, and Bum's kid...not to mention Jerrah Jones. Fortunately, it doesn't matter who I want to win. Bottom line is I think the Eagles come out blitzing, but the inability to run, the backup center and the fact that the Cowboys are playing better right now makes me pick the Cowboys 27-21. Although, history says don't trust big D.

RavensatPatriots: Its amazing how far the Pats have fallen on my scale of favorite teams over the past decade. They were easily one of my favorites with Bledsoe, Milloy, Law, Bruschi, etc. but they really bug me now. Boston sports and their fans bug me. The Golden Boy has gone from one of the greatest underdog successes ever to...well...kind of a whiner. I watched in last week's game vs. the Texans and he got pushed down after releasing the ball(not a late hit at all) and got up pointing to the official begging for a flag. Then after he didn't get it he went and yelled at the guy who pushed him over. Give me a break. What happened to the Tom Brady who won Super Bowls with nobodys playing by his side? The old Brady would beat the new Brady's face in if he really saw how he was whining. I think he knows he doesn't have a great team around him so he is looking for help anywhere he can get it. That includes the officials. They haven't been the same since Belichick was told he can't cheat anymore. What does that tell you? The D is no good. The Pats may get by the Ravens, but I hope not. My official pick is Patriots 20-17. I don't think Flacco will get it done. But I wouldn't be shocked though if the Ravens did.

<Packersat Cardinals: To me, the most boring and uninteresting game of the weekend. I think the Packers will roll in this one. I like their D better and their offense is more balanced. I think the Cards are too beat up. The only way the Cards win this is if Larry Fitzgerald takes over like he did last year, which is entirely possible. But I do not think that they will have enough. Packers 27-14.