Football Friday and Angel Stadium Review

Before my review of Week 2 and Week 3 picks, here's Angel Stadium in a nutshell. When someone says the design of the stadium is similar to Yankee Stadium, their right, though also is a little Dodger Stadium-like in design. I'm glad the crowd wasn't into doing the wave, and only had bouncing beach balls as the distraction. I couldn't stand that Rally Monkey, just annoyed me how they constantly showed it batter after batter. Yankee fans I would say was 25-35% of the crowd Wednesday afternoon; for some reason, I believe if this was the Red Sox, it would be 35-45%. Other than that, it's not really a memorable stadium, in neither good nor bad way. Now let's look back at Week 2:

- I think we are looking at last year's Ravens with this year's Jets. Rex Ryan has them playing defense just like he had Baltimore a year ago, while Mark Sanchez is just playing smart, safe football at QB. Huge win against the Patriots, who for once seem vulnerable (where have we heard that before). Darrelle Revis is proving to be maybe the best CB in football after shuting down Andre Johnson and Randy Moss in back-to-back weeks. All these tools have Mark Sanchez smiling like he's still dating LA girls at USC (though there's very little dropoff in NY, ask Joe Namath). On the other hand, Matt Stafford shouldn't be confused with Matty Ice; the Lions are still bad and it's nice to see a QB struggle in his rookie year again.

- The brothers Manning continue to show their greatness last weekend with dueling game-winning drives to steal games their teams should have lost. Peyton didn't even have the ball for more than 15 minutes, a point hammered home by ESPN afterwards. As for Eli, he bailed out the Giants who couldn't run the football or stop it on the ground. I loved hearing all the praise Eli received last week, the way Eli handles himself in a two-minute drill is just perfect. I knew when there was 3:40 left to go that it was too much time for him and he proved it. Which is more than I can say for his opponent.

- All of a sudden Jake Delhomme has company in the maligned QB group now that Cowboys fans and alumni at leaping off the Tony Romo bandwagon. Romo was absolutely awful against the Giants and was the reason the Cowboys lost in the opener in the House that Jerry built. Apparently, Jerry Jones had a lot to do with Cowboys Stadium since NBC saw it fit to show him every two minutes (as if the network name is Jones Broadcasting Company). JBC cameras even found Jerry with a no-so great moment for him, but maybe the greatest moment for all Cowboy-haters when he went digging for oil after Bruce Johnson's pick six.

- The Dolphins were also on the wrong side of the a game they should of won, but this because of some awful coaching by Tony Sparano. He went for an inside draw on 3rd and 6 with the game tied and Miami in field goal range, taking the three points, even though Peyton Manning is the other QB. Then, they run as poor a two minute drill as Eli runs one good, burning a timeout when they waste the full play clock. The other two bad coaching performances of last week include Norv Turner and Todd Haley. Haley was killed by Jason Whitlock, Mike Lombardi and briefly by Bill Simmons for his overreacting on the sidelines and his bad playcalling. As for Norv, I watch the end of the Ravens-Chargers game and I was appalled by the play selection on 4th and 2 against a team like the Ravens. I don't bail on my picks too early, but if I did, I would immediately switch the Chargers with the Ravens. Baltimore is the best team in football now that Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense is able to put up points and the defense is still there.

- I continue to be impressed by Drew Brees on a week-by-week basis as the Saints are primed to challenge the Pats scoring record and Brady's touchdown record. Their competition in the Falcons has done well to win their first two and Tony Gonzalez seems to have completed that offense, which has seen no sophomore slump by Matt Ryan.

- The rest of the unbeatens in the league include the Vikings, Niners and Broncos. For Minnesota and San Francisco, it's because of Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore, respectively. For Denver, it's because of Brandon Stokely and the Cleveland Browns, respectively. The Browns are awful and I will continue to drive home the point that Eric Mangini is this decade's Rich Kotite; I still can't believe the Browns hired him.

- Kudos to the Texans, Bengals, Cardinals, Bills and Raiders for winning bounce back games after varying degrees of tough Week 1 losses. Houston puts their bandwagon on track, Arizona looked like last year; Cincy allowed Chad Ochocinco do his Lambeau Leap, TO finally did something productive and the Raiders won in spite of JaMarcus Russell's putrid passing because Todd Haley is proving to be a bad coach and the new frontrunner of the first year coach that's fired (for the record, no Raider coach is ever on the board, you can predict crazy/senile)

- The opposite of kudos goes to the Titans, Packers and most especially the Redskins. Anytime your fanbase is angry after a win, you get a negative kudo from me.


Now let's make Week 3 picks, as well as college. I apologize for finishing this late and I'm only going to show my picks for the 3:30 and later games today (Home team in CAPS):

Tennessee (+2.5) over JETS- Let down week for the Jets (Titans); Titans (Oilers) need this one.
HOUSTON (-3.5) over Jacksonville- Jaguars are awful, Texans probably are good.
Kansas City (+7.5) over PHILLY - Can't trust Kevin Kolb yet, reverses if McNabb somehow plays.
BALTIMORE (-13.5) over Cleveland- Ravens haven't had a blowout win yet, it's this week.
Giants (-6.5) over TAMPA BAY- Even hurt, the Giants should easily beat the Bucs.
DETROIT (+6.5) over Washington- Never again give a touchdown with this Redskins team.
Green Bay (-6.5) over ST. LOUIS- The Packers are better than last week; the Rams aren't.
San Fran (+7) over MINNESOTA- Let's just say I think the real Brett Favre will show up.
Atlanta (+4.5) over NEW ENGLAND- The wrong week for the Pats to play the Falcons.
Chicago (-2,5) over SEATTLE- Last week could start good things for the Bears, Seahawks will struggle with Wallace at QB.
New Orleans (-6) over BUFFALO- Don't overreact to the Bills win over Tampa, do with Brees.
SAN DIEGO (-5.5) over Miami- Battle of bad coaches, Norv's team is better than Tony's.
Pittsburgh (-3.5) over CINCINNATI- I just can't pick against Big Ben, not against an inferior team.
Denver (-1.5) over OAKLAND- The fact the Raiders were favored to start this week was laughable.
Indy (+2.5) over ARIZONA- Cards looked too good against a bad team, tougher against Peyton.
DALLAS (-8.5) over Carolina- Romo shouldn't disappoint two weeks in a row, easily should win.

NFL Record: 18-14 (Bears were underdogs last week, not favorites)

California (-5.5) over OREGON
VA TECH (+3.5) over Miami
TCU (+2.5) over CLEMSON
Pittsburgh (Pick'em) over NC STATE
Notre Dame (-6.5) over PURDUE
PENN STATE (-9) over Iowa
HOUSTON (+1.5) over Texas Tech
Washington (+9) over STANFORD

College Record: 13-20-1

What's Next for Floyd

Sorry I'm late with my review about Floyd Mayweather's win over Juan Manuel Marquez, but NFL over the weekend and the trip to Los Angeles has slowed down the blog this week. Fortunately for you, I'm writing this here in the hotel computer and have given you an article to read before I write my football friday spot as well the eventually completion to my N.Y. Rangers What If's column once I return.


Now, about the match, there isn't anything much to write; Floyd was dominant over Marquez. A battle between two defensive fighters which Mayweather was the faster and quicker (yes, there's a difference). Mayweather had a knock down in the second round and as I tweeted, figured he would take the decision and go the twelve rounds as he did. However, the end of the fight turned out to be the real story as Max Kellerman brought over Shane Mosley to talk with Mayweather. During the match, I heard the HBO commentators discuss about Floyd giving Sugar Shane a wink, that seemed to represent him saying "You're next." Thus, Mosley came over and he and Floyd had a shouting match (sorry, the best I can find on YouTube) that was reminiscent to a war of words and mini-fight involving Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney which Howard Cosell was in the middle of and took a punch in the mouth, before they eventually fought.


Martin Rogers of Yahoo Sports (who I must say have the best writers of any website when you think of Dan Wetzel, Jeff Passan, Kevin Iore, etc.) wrote that Floyd shouldn't get distracted by this nonsense with Sugar Shane and fight Manny Pacquiao. I fully agree; this is the fight that I as a boxing can't dream of missing and is the only fight that can beat what UFC does. I went out to the city to watch the fight Saturday night. I walked from 42nd St and 2nd Ave, over to 3rd Ave where there are plenty of bars, as still had to go to Jack Dempsey's on 33rd and 6th, while passing a few places that had UFC 103 plastered all over in each bar. The heavyweight division will never be on that level again, unless Cris Arreola achieves the promise that Iore thinks he has. All the other division, while good in their own way, don't have captivating fighters for the casual fan, the guy who would rather watch Brock Lesner, Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva instead of a Kelly Pavlik or Antonio Margarito.


Later this year, Pacquiao will face Miguel Cotto since Mayweather used Marquez for a tune up match. Barring an upset by Cotto, we will be set with the best fight since Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad in 1999, two fighters, in their prime who have opposite tendencies and most importantly, a fighter who Floyd Mayweather would never be able to let hang around because of Pacman's punching power. So Floyd, don't screw this up like the rest of the sport of boxing always finds a way to do.

Football Friday

Before making my Week 2 picks, along with Saturday college football action, here's my review of last week in football, the best we saw in years. It seemed like in both college and the pros, there were great finishes galore. Consider the following:

- Wisconsin comes back to beat Fresno St in OT, while Central Michigan pulls off the amazing comeback to defeat Michigan St in East Lansing at the same time as North Carolina avoiding a mini-upset in Hartford by coming back against UConn

- Notre Dame coming closer to the end of the Charlie Weis era due to his own negligence. Obviously, we can point out the pass on 2nd down that forced the 3rd down pass, something that if you're going to do, do on 1st down, so that you can get yards on 2nd down. But remember the last play of the game, you need your receivers to go down on that 20 yard pass when there's no chance to score. Golden Tate was at the 45 and ran for the sideline, when if he goes down, they have another play. I blame that on coaching, and Weis should know better and prepare for situations like Bill Belichick does.

- Another one where coaching cost a game, Ohio St. and Jim Tressel. Everybody is one him for kicking a field goal on 4th and goal at the 1 and they should be (though not to the extent of firing him; if Bob Stoops can avoid real trouble for bad game coaching, so can Tressel). Fact is, Pete Carroll ran the ball from the same spot in a hostile crowd and scored, and Tressel should of done the same in a friendly crowd. Plus, you players are more enthused when they go for it, as proved by the Steelers last year despite never converting.

-Kudos to Matt Barkley and Tate Forcier for stepping in as true freshman and showing the poise of fifth-year seniors. Once Tebow, McCoy and Bradford leave school, these two will be the QB's we will follow for the next few years.

- Whatever the opposite of kudos is goes to Tennessee who show why more people will give the four touchdowns pick them to get beat against Florida. Losing at home to UCLA, a middle Pac-10 team, the equivalent of a 11th or 12th place SEC team, means the Lane Kiffin is on that rousing start that we all expected.

- Hopefully my Dez Bryant for Heisman half-drive isn't hurt by Oklahoma State's loss to Houston last week. At least he will have his chances against Texas and Oklahoma to show why voters should only think QB for the award.

- The great call in NFL history occured in the Broncos-Bengals game, which I know you saw and won't really get into. But I've heard about the fact, particularly from Bill Simmons that Brandon Stokley used the Madden waste time before scoring move was brilliant. Of course, maybe he doesn't score if the Bengals have deep safety help.

- As a guy who's always never liked Jake Delhomme, thinking he was vastly overrated and based his career from one game and having Steve Smith as a receiver, I'm finally being vindicated as Jake has already murdered the Panthers season. Meanwhile, the Eagles once again have an injured Donovan McNabb and sign Jeff Garcia as the insurance option. Garcia really should be in Carolina, unless McNabb is really hurt. If he can play through his rib, then A.J. Feeley would be better in Philly because he can spot start this week and wouldn't take the spot that Michael Vick takes. I must assume the Eagles have Vick as a WR/QB or RB/QB in order for him to be able to play next week.

- Tough losses for the Bills and Raiders on Monday night. While Oakland can take satisfaction in playing close to the Chargers, the Bills have another Monday night stomach punch for their fans. I will say this about the Raiders, they still should of beat the Chargers because they outplayed them and if their linebackers don't give up the first down to Darren Sproles, they win. If Tom Cable doesn't call timeout with :21 left, the Chargers probably force overtime. As for the Bills, first you blow an 11-point lead of the Patriots, then Terrell Owens already starts with Trent Edwards and so begins a long season in Western New York.

As for the picks, here they are (Home Team in CAPS, should of included that before):

KANSAS CITY (-3) over Oakland -Raiders won't repeat last week and Chiefs need this.
TENNESSEE (-7) over Houston- Both need this, Titans win and get late score.
New England (-4) over JETS- I was leaning Jets, not with Rhodes embarrass comment.
GREEN BAY (-9.5) over Cincy- The Bengals can't recover from that loss against a better team.
DETROIT (+10.5) over Minnesota- Lions played them tough last year, Favre doesn't change it.
New Orleans (-1) over PHILLY- Can't go against Brees with possible Kevin Kolb sighting.
ATLANTA (-6) over Carolina- See above with Jake, but Panthers D isn't that good either.
WASHINGTON (-10) over St. Louis- Sorry Spags, need to prove you can compete.
JACKSONVILLE (-3) over Arizona- Can't go with the West team playing 1pm in the East.
SAN FRAN (-1.5) over Seattle- Niners continue their renaissance season.
BUFFALO (-5) over Tampa Bay- I'd pick against them, but the Bucs are just as bad.
DENVER (-3) over Cleveland- Browns are still bad, Broncos win in the Belichick Paranoia Bowl.
Baltimore (+3) over SAN DIEGO- Flacco is legit and the Chargers worry me this week.
CHICAGO (-3) over Pittsburgh- If the Bears lose, their two back of GB and Minn.
New York (+3) over DALLAS- Giants are better and ruin the Cowboys Stadium debut.
Indianapois (+3.5) over MIAMI- Dolphins are showing to have the year-after syndrome.

NFL Record: 8-8

NORTH CAROLINA (-7.5) over East Carolina
Boston College (+7) over CLEMSON
California (-14) over MINNESOTA
Utah (+5) over OREGON
FLORIDA (-30) over Tennessee
IOWA (-4) over Arizona
VIRGINIA TECH (-5.5) over Nebraska
Cincinnati (-1) over OREGON STATE
BYU (-8) over Florida St.
Georgia (+2) over ARKANSAS
TEXAS (-17.5) over Texas Tech

College Record: 9-14

Turning Back the Clock

My birthday is on April 30. As a present, my friend Dennis wanted to take my to a Mets-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Ballpark, somewhere I've never been. However, the day of the game, it was rained out and would be rescheduled on Sept. 13th. I wasn't particularly thrilled that I would have to sacrifice a day of NFL Week 1 with travel to Philly and as the Mets fell further and further into the second division of the National League, I thought I would just watch a few innings and watch Sunday Night Football.


Then I read that Pedro Martinez was going to start the nightcap. You see, back in May, the only pitchers worth watching a Mets-Phils game for the pitchers was Johan Santana and Cole Hamels. Now, Johan is injured, but the Phillies added Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez. Now, Pedro isn't the old Pedro and can't dazzle crowds like his days in Montreal and Boston (as well as frustrate Yankees fans, which ended in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS). He wanted to go back to the Mets, but after a less than stellar 2 1/2 years of a 4-year contract, the Mets decided that Tim Redding, Livan Hernandez and Oliver Perez would be better for them. So Pedro signed on with the Phillies in July and joined the rotation in August. Since he started, he's pitched at times well, other times, brilliant like when he outpitched Tim Lincecum on Sept. 3rd. It was in that start that brought Martinez into last night's game and I happen to be legitimately, not excited, but interested in this game.


After traveling about three hours to the stadium and catching the end of the late football games, it was game time and Tony Danza led with the National Anthem (yes, that Tony Danza). The toughest innings for Pedro was the first two as the Mets put runners on 1st and 2nd in the 1st innings and loaded the bases in the 2nd. He got out of it with a strikeout to Daniel Murphy in the 1st and a Cory Sullivan flyout in the 2nd. Then, Martinez got into a groove, retiring the order until a David Wright double in the 6th. He kept Wright on 2nd by striking out Carlos Beltran and giving up a couple flyouts. The 7th inning was when the Phillie faithful started to sense it was a vintage Pedro performance and despite the wave being prominently involved (seems like it's everywhere now, including Yankee Stadium), they responded appropriately. And Pedro worked into another two men on situation and put out the fire, still ahead 1-0.


I was surprised Pedro was out in the 8th inning, but the crowd was now fully aware that any batter would be his last. He got Wright and Beltran out quickly, but ended up walking Murphy in a nine pitch at-bat. Then, Charlie Manuel came out to seemingly take out Pedro, who was at 128 pitches, but ended up leaving him, acquiring Grady Little's sense of managing at that moment (not to mention glorious memories creeping up). Then, the Mets showed why they ended up being on the verge of elimination that night, by having Murphy steal third and was thrown out. Pedro ended the game with eight innings of shutout ball, with six hits, two walks and seven strikeouts, numbers you expect from him c. 2000. After a quiet ninth inning for a change by Ryan Madson, the Phillies gave him career win 219.


Martinez now has arguably better stats (5-0, 2.87 ERA to 6-2, 3.11) than Cliff Lee, who also came over at midseason with much more fanfare. Whether he can keep this up or not will be determined in the next month, especially if Pedro can get a start in the playoffs, which wasn't really considered when they signed him. However, I think as baseball fans, we should appreciate when great pitchers can show us a glimpses into their prime. If you have a young child, you can tell him or her about how great the man on the mound is and they could see it and would remember it forever. I know I will, even though there's no reason to believe this isn't the last time Pedro should have a great start.


Now it's time to review Citizens Bank Park for those who like to travel to different parks:

• I loved the place, though it's helped by the seats we had in lower level 3B side. This is how a ballpark should look.
• They have three bars around the building which is always good; I was in McFadden's which did a good job showing all the late football games and the beer wasn't too expensive which having been to Yankee Stadium know this is rare.
  
• Everybody in Philly wears Phillies shirts at the game, except those with Eagles jerseys and the Mets fans who wasted their money traveling down the Pike; for some reason, I'm guessing that won't surprise you.
• I have to admit, the Phillie Fanatic is the best at what he does, however I won't speak ill of Mr. Met since it's always good to see him walking around.
  
• I love how I can get Yuengling at most concession areas, since it's my favorite beer.
• Great way to end the game with the late Harry Kalas singing "High Hopes", as good as "Go Cubs Go"
• Leaving the Philly Sports Complex by car was awful, even the Meadowlands would only be trouble for about 20 minutes, here it was about 45 minutes. Imagine the Flyers and Phillies playing at the same time during the playoffs, you're better off staying until the next day.
  

9/11 and This Week's Football Picks

Before I do my weekly picks, allow me to write about 9/11. I still remember it like it was yesterday, I was in high school and heard rumblings about something happening to the World Trade Center. It wasn't until I left when I realized the horror of what happened. While I was fortunate not to lose any family in the tragedy, one of my father's friends who was a cop was lost trying to do all he can to save lives. If you live in New York and you get a chance, look for the beam of light and take the time to remember anyone you may have lost.

Here are my picks:

Miami (+4) over Atlanta

Baltimore (-13) over Kansas City

Philadelphia (-2.5) over Carolina

Denver (+4) over Cincinnati

Minnesota (-4) over Cleveland

Houston (-4.5) over Jets

Indy (-7) over Jacksonville

New Orleans (-13) over Detroit (not picking the Lions in the opener like last year)

Dallas (-5.5) over Tampa Bay

San Francisco (+6.5) over Arizona

Giants (-6.5) over Washington

Seattle (-7.5) over St. Louis

Chicago (+3.5) over Green Bay

New England (-10.5) over Buffalo

San Diego (-9.5) over Oakland

NFL Record: 0-1

College:

North Carolina (-4.5) over UConn

Mississippi St (+14) over Auburn (Upset special)

Wake Forest (-3) over Stanford

South Carolina (+7) over Georgia

Tennessee (-10) over UCLA

BYU (-18) over Tulane

Notre Dame (-3) over Michigan

TCU (-11) over Virginia

Wisconsin (-8.5) over Fresno St.

USC (-7) over Ohio St

College Record: 5-8

NFL Preview Part III

If you read through Part I and Part II of my NFL preview, you're wondering why I never told you my Super Bowl pick. Well, I set the stage with things that could happen for all 32 teams. Now it's time for my predictions on the upcoming season. I gave away predictions, such as the Patriots and Chargers winning their divisions and the Lions getting a win this season. Here's 10 more (that actually will expand to more than that):


1. The Eagles won't make the playoffs. It seemed like once Michael Vick joined Philadelphia, they were instantly made the favorites in the NFC. However, as I said when he was signed, Vick won't make a huge impact on this team. He may have looked okay during the preseason, but the game is played at 80 percent in August. Once the season starts, everyone plays at 100 percent and I just don't believe you can just sit for two years and comeback like it was two days. Add to that, Donovan McNabb played every game last season for the first time since 2003, I can't see that happen again (not to mention Philly fans calling for Vick after every interception). Let's also remember that Brian Westbrook also misses about five games a season.


2. This year's MVP will be a defensive player. At least in this blog, in real life, no one will vote for a defensive player because they never do. As for me, unless the offensive player had a year like Tom Brady in '07, it can't be always better than a defensive player's year. I thought James Harrison should of been in the hunt for MVP last year. I know Ed Reed, Osi Umenyiora and DeMarcus Ware are all worthy of consideration in a given year. I will say that Ed Reed will be the MVP of the league this year as he gets 10 INT's and runs three of them for a touchdown. You're top offensive players with be Drew Brees and Knowshon Moreno as top rookie, while Aaron Curry will be top defensive rookie.


3. One of the eleven first year coaches will be fired. The NFL has increasingly become harder to maintain work because the object of winning is too prevalent in the state of the game. Seeing three offensive coordinators, including long-time coach Chan Gailey, lead me to think that some of these coaches who were just hired will certainly be fired. Now Tom Cable certainly could be fired, but he doesn't count because the Raiders are bizarro world. But, I definitely could see Eric Mangini let go, in fact, here it is. The Browns will finish 4-12, the players will cause a revolt and he will be gone. Of course, we will lose more coaches than the new ones.


4. The Brett Favre experiment will crash and burn and Brad Childress will be the fall guy. You all knew that I would go out in this point of view, but I just don't see Brett Favre only handing the ball to Adrian Peterson and throw safe passes. He's a gunslinger and the only way for a gunslinger to stop slinging guns is to shoot him. While that works in Westerns, in football, they just don't get signed to $12 million contracts after a while. Sure the Vikings can start 4-1, but their stretch of Baltimore, at Pittsburgh and at Green Bay will do them in and they won't recreate the early momentum. Childress will be fired as a result and he will have company; Dick Jauron will finally be let go after a failed season with TO, same for Wade Phillips when the Cowboys finished last in the NFC East (albeit at 7-9).


5. The most disappointing team this year will be the Falcons. I know the offense can be good, but it won't be and the lack of defense and harder schedule against NFC and AFC Easts will lead to another year where Atlanta won't have two winning seasons in a row. They will be joined by the Panthers who will be 7-9 and that will end the Jake Delhomme era. It actually could be considered a successful one that almost beat the Pats in the Super Bowl, but he has lived off that Super Bowl loss for way too long. As for the AFC, the most disappointing team will be the Titans. I know you saw them play well tonight, but I just can't believe Kerry Collins is capable of two good seasons in a row; trust this Giant fan, I know. Finally, the Super Bowl curse continues, the Cardinals will finish 6-10, Kurt Warner gets hurt and miss the playoffs.


6. Seattle will just miss the playoffs and fail in their sleeper status this year. I think too many people are on their bandwagon. I just think they finish 9-7 and lose out on a playoff berth. Now if the Seahawks don't make the playoffs, the sleeper of the year is the San Francisco 49ers. I believe in Mike Singletary more than Jim Mora Jr. and even though Michael Crabtree not being there hurts, I think Frank Gore plays great and they stop enough on defense to also go 9-7 and win a tiebreaker.


7. Houston will be the AFC sleeper, though they really aren't one. This is a team that is getting picked by people who know that 5+ teams are new to the playoffs each year. I just love that offense and Mario Williams will be a beast (another player who could win my MVP). It's also a winnable schedule with games against Miami, the Jets, Buffalo, Cincy, St. Louis, Arizona, Oakland and I'm sure they can win at least 4 more. They join the Ravens as the AFC Wild Cards as the Chargers, Colts, Steelers and Pats win divisions again.


8. Washington and New Orleans also make the playoffs. The Saints become the latest team in the NFC South to go from the cellar to the postseason as the division champ, while the Redskins surprisingly carry their defense in the playoffs like in the past few years. They will be joined by obviously the Niners, Bears as the wild card and Packers and Giants as division winners.


9. This season will continue as The Tyson Zone of sports seasons. Simmons is right, the stories in the league will only get crazier; I won't be surprised to hear that a player smoked crack an hour before a game, like in Playmakers. Two serious issues facing the league, the drop in attendance this year coming up and the potential lockout. Somehow, the experience of watching a game live has to get better, because I'm better off watching at home or a friends place with NFL Sunday Ticket. Pricing has to go down so the real fans can watch the game and effect it with crowd noise. As for the lockout, do everything in your power Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith to avoid it. Problem is the owners don't know what they want, which almost derailed things in 2006. I hope sports fans are prepared because 2011 is shaping to be a year which both the NFL and NBA could have a work stoppage and MLB and the NHL have to have contracts expire around that time as well.


10. Here's the final picks: AFC playoffs have Pittsburgh beating the Texans and Baltimore beating Indy in Round 1. The Chargers beat the Colts while the Steelers upset the Patriots in Round 2. San Diego knocks off the defending champs in the AFC Championship game. The NFC starts with the Bears beating the Niners, while the Saints take care of the Redskins. The Packers beat Chicago in Round 2 as the Giants beat the Saints in the final game at Giants Stadium. The Pack get their revenge on the Giants and head to the Super Bowl. Our winner, Green Bay sticking it to Favre as they beat the Chargers. Regardless of who goes to the Super Bowl, this one will be not be thought of as a great one immediately following the game.

NFL Preview Part II

Now that we're switching from the AFC to the NFC, one thing is quite clear, this conference is more wide open. It seems like only four teams are capable of winning the AFC, while the NFC has eight such teams. It seems right that the NFC is open, last year all but the Giants didn't make it in 2007. However, unlike past years when the NFC's parity belied a weakness that gave us Rex Grossman in a Super Bowl, the conference has now become good and it's right up there with the AFC. Let's continue with the NFC preview.


NFC East- One thing's for sure, this is still the best division in the league, since the Detroit Lions still call the NFC North home. The Giants and Eagles basically split when it comes to who should win the East by most people, as well as the NFC itself. New York is set at RB, Eli Manning is entrenched at QB, the offensive line is good, the pass rush should be great and I expect the secondary to play very well (best secondary since Mark Collins and Everson Walls were there). Every story you hear about the Giants this offseason was their receivers and how they didn't do the job after Plaxico Burress shot himself. The fact is, when a playmaker (who wasn't playing well in the first place) is just taken out during the season, you can't just replace him (also the case with Osi Umenyiora). Now the Giants are ready to go into the new campaign with Domenick Hixon, Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks. One more thing to remember, the Pats showed you don't need great receivers to win a title, as did the Ravens.


The Eagles are along with the Vikings the team everyone will watch because of the Michael Vick dynamic. They will try to see if Vick disrupts the offense, or turns it into a lethal one. I, on the other hand, will pay attention to their defense now that Jim Johnson has sadly passed away, Brian Dawkins left to Denver and Stewart Bradley was injured for the season. Can Sean McDermott maintain that defense at a high level? Other things to look at are will Donovan McNabb stay healthy, as well as Brian Westbrook. Either way, look out for a look at LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Macklin as two new weapons, on an already improved offense.


The team lack buzz is the team over the last few years had more buzz than the NFC West combined. Dallas comes into this season with the only thing being talked about is the new game of who can hit the Cowboys Stadium scoreboard. Is it like the catwalk in Tropicana Field where it's out of bounds when off the side, but a live ball down the middle? Will Tony Romo be able to hit it when he sees Jessica Simpson making out with John Mayer? Speaking of Romo, he no longer has TO as a receiver, thus it's time for Roy Williams to prove if he can be a number one target. I think the Cowboy defense will be good as DeMarcus Ware will challenge Michael Strahan's sack record. Two questions, can Romo finally win in December and can Wade Phillips avoid being fired for Mike Shanahan or Mike Holmgren.


In our nation's capital, the Redskins seem just like last year's team. Now obviously, Albert Haynesworth was a big move, but this defense was good already and I can't see him turning them into all-time great. Which means they need to score some points and Washington will again have trouble. They still lack a great receiver and Santana Moss isn't getting younger. Also, Clinton Portis, while great on the field, is always hurt. As for Jason Campbell, he will be punished as the offensive line isn't a typical Redskins line. Chances are, if Jim Zorn can't turn them around, he will be out the door, along with Campbell chained to his neck.


NFC North- We go from the best division to the most interesting as the NFC has three legit teams that can win the Super Bowl. Let's start with the Bears, since they made the flashiest move in trading for Jay Cutler (and because he's my picture). I don't have to ask Jake from BUSE that the streets of Chicago embraced their first good QB since Jim McMahon and possibly great one since Sid Luckman. Their season will rest on if the Bears defense can improve somewhere closer to 2006 levels. My season will rest on whether Matt Forte takes the leap, since three of my fantasy teams include him. Also, can Cutler turn a poor group of receivers into an above average group? If so, they will contend, if not, they won't. Sometimes picking football is that simple.


While the Cutler trade involved picking up a QB entering his prime, the Vikings signing Brett Favre is the case of a team so desperate that they pick up any has-been or never-was at QB. After last year's dreadful playoff performance, the Vikings knew they had to replace Tavaris Jackson as a starter and no one was excited after they traded for Sage "Finds New Ways to Lose" Rosenfels. Thus, Brad Childress with his Tony Kornheiser beard (our first great PTI look-a-like since Wilbon and Chi McBride) visited Hattesburg, Miss to bring back Brett Favre, even giving him the airport pickup, the most binding of social contracts. Now, the Vikings have Adrian Peterson, they have a great run defense and a quality pass rush led by Jared Allen. They needed a game manager QB who can make a play or two. Only once did Favre prove he can do that, 2007 and that ended with an OT interception in the NFC Championship game and the next chapter of Favre's epic that he read from Roger Clemens.


Favre's old team, the Packers, have moved on from last year's drama and now are primed to have a good season as well. The Vikings have a manageable first five games, but Green Bay can really be 9-2 or 10-1 after Thanksgiving; that's how easy that schedule is. Aaron Rodgers is ready to build on his success this season (another player I need for most fantasy teams). The defense and Ryan Grant need bounce back years this season, which I believe will happen. Dom Capers coming in to coach the defense is akin to having Norv Turner as your offensive coordinator and the switch to the 3-4 will be much more seamless than if anyone else (except Wade Phillips or Dick LeBeau) made it. They also have a terrific secondary to get over any kinks in the front seven.


Here's my next pre-prediction column prediction, the Detroit Lions will win a game this year. That being said, they won't pull a Miami and make the playoffs. This year will be about watching Matt Stafford throw the ball to Calvin Johnson and seeing if anything else on this team can get better. The key question for Detroit, is Jim Schwartz a good coach or overrated as a Jeff Fisher assistant. Gregg Williams was in the middle, since he's a good coordinator, but a bad head coach. Schwartz must be a competent coach if the Lions are to have future success.


NFC South- As they switch from facing the AFC West and NFC North to AFC and NFC East, this division should drop from last year. The favorite to win is the Falcons who added Tony Gonzalez to an already impressive offense with Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White. The biggest issue with Atlanta is defense since they didn't play any last year. If their offense slows down in any way, they will miss the playoffs. Ryan can't have a sophomore slump and if he doesn't, the Falcons have the offense to win this division. Keep an eye out on if Mike Peterson makes the defense play better, particularly at linebacker.

The champs from a year ago, Carolina are in the crossroads. They still have a terrific rushing attack with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, Steve Smith still plays here and their defensive line still has Julius Peppers rushing the QB. However, do you really think Jake Delhomme can recover from his all-time stinkbomb of a playoff game? That's how the Panthers season could come down to, though I believe their defense is overrated. I mean, imagine being a Panthers fan and you see Delhomme throw an interception, you'd think to yourself that you should leave the game at that point to avoid watching a hanging.

The best pure passer in the NFC has the Saints lurking as a possible sleeper top team in this league. Drew Brees I believe will be even better this season, which is say a lot after throwing for over 5,000 yards last year. The defense was the reason New Orleans went 8-8 since they stopped no one. The key addition is the hiring of Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator, along with signing Darren Sharper. If Williams does what he's done in the past for defenses, the Saints could go to the Super Bowl. If not, they will be 8-8 again.


Tampa Bay is the last of the three teams to fire their offensive coordinator in the last week, giving some unwelcome spotlight to new coach Raheem Morris. It's one thing for a desperate Dick Jauron to fire his OC, but for first year coaches Todd Haley and Morris, I'm puzzled. The defense will be good at times, but it's in transition now that some of the older players have left, particularly Derrick Brooks. Derrick Ward has joined them in the backfield and with Earnest Graham and possibly Cadillac Williams, the running game should be good. The rest of the offense will wait for Josh Freeman's development.


NFC West- This division is still the worst in the league, since there's no San Diego's here. Now I know what you're thinking, what about the Cardinals, defending NFC Champs and almost Super Bowl winners? Well, the fact is they didn't win, and remember the loser jinx means they won't make the playoffs. How can they break this? Another great year from Kurt Warner and the defense to play like they did in the playoffs. They also could use a breakout rookie year for Beanie Wells, so they can have some sort of running game to complement Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. As long as the Cardinals win their divisional games, they will have their shot to head back to the playoffs.


The biggest threat to challenge Arizona is the old standby, the Seahawks. Seattle is healthy this season and in circles, the favorite to win this division. It really does come down to Matt Hasselbeck playing this year (much like Carson Palmer in Cincy). The passing game is better now that TJ Housmandzadeh is catching balls for him. Aaron Curry will be the best rookie in this draft and strengthens a pretty good group of linebackers in the league. Their defense should play well as a whole and if they get anything out of the running game, watch out.


"I want winners" is the motto of coach Mike Singletary of San Francisco. The way the Niners end 2008 was good enough to gain early sleeper status. I even have a San Fran NFC Championship bet on my refrigerator door. Unfortunately, I wish my bet was an over/under, not a Super Bowl appearance since the Niners won't go that far. The Michael Crabtree mess hurts this ballclub because if there was one player they needed, it was a big play receiver to give Shaun Hill a legitimate target. The Niners need Frank Gore to prove worthy of his fantasy status and then some, as well as continued improvement from the defense led by Patrick Willis.


Finally, the Rams led by Stevie Spags. Spagnuolo takes over an awful team from a year ago who need a change in culture and attitude. The good news, Steven Jackson could be back as the Steven Jackson of a few years ago (who was number two in fantasy draft behind LDT). The bad news, Marc Bulger is still there and though he's not awful, he's not good either. On defense, they will be better as Leonard Little and Chris Long will get a chance to rush the QB like Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora did. But more than anything, this is a rebuilding year which 5-8 wins is a good thing for St. Louis.


Finally, here's the pick for tonight's opening game. I have the Steelers (-6.5) over the Titans since the defending champs always win the first game next season and it won't change my view on either team unless there's a major injury, which for tomorrow, I will be sure to highlight in case I need to.