Week 2 Picks!

Happy Friday! Interesting first week. Lots of home teams won. And I hear there was an injury or two. Lots of favorites won and covered. Which means I did poorly. Samichlaus is off to a decent start though...

Last Week:
Samichlaus: 10-6
St.Ides: 7-9

Tennessee (1-0) at Cincinnati (0-1) -1.5
I missed big on both of these teams week one, while St. Ides correctly noted that Cincy had a lot of chaos on their team in another one of his winning predictions. Maybe it’s because of Vince Young’s injury, and maybe it’s because I’ve spent the week in Cincinnati, but I’m taking the Bengals at home. I think that despite the chaos, Cincinnati is just the better team here.
Cincinnati 24 Tennessee 21

The Tennesee defense looked pretty awesome last week against the Jaguars. What the hell happened to Carson Palmer? Wasn't he once considered like a Top 5 QB in the league? Seems he's never been the same since that knee injury he suffered against the Steelers in the playoffs. The Vince Young story this week is a pretty odd one, and his time with the Titans could be running out. Their QB this week? Kerry "Tom" Collins. The Titans run more than pass anyways, so I'm going to stick with them. Titans 20, Bengals 17.

Oakland (0-1) at Kansas City (0-1) -3.5
So I was right about the Raiders: Javon Walker was the great player from several years ago who the Raiders went and got in the off season, and although he gets his first start this week, it’s not nearly enough to make a difference. What a friggin ass whopin’ Denver laid out on them last Monday. It’s going to be another lost season for Al Davis, whose fans have taken to wearing tee shirts that read “Keep Kiffin, Fire Al”. Kansas City and Damon Huard kept it close against the Patriots last week, and should win easy at Arrowhead.
Chiefs 27 Raiders 13

Are the Chiefs better than we thought, hanging in there with the shell-shocked Pats last week? And the Raiders worse than we thought, getting blown out by the Broncos? Who knows. Who really cares. The Chiefs are pretty tough at home though. And the Raiders just might stink. Chiefs 24, Raiders 17.

New Orleans (1-0) at Washington (0-1) -0.5
The Washington Redskins are a poorly coached football team. Time after time last week when they needed x amount of yards for a first down, the play call was for a route that was x – 4 yards in length. Folks, that’s just poor coaching. At home this week will give the team a boost but until I see them play a well coached game I’m going against them. New Orleans is young and talented, and should get a road win.
New Orleans 20 Washington 17

I have to agree that former Seahawk legend Jim Zorn looked like a deer in headlights. Did I mention what a huge jump it is from QB coach to Head Coach? Not to mention that QB Jason Campbell might not be the best QB for the West Coast Offense. Anyways, I'll take the Saints. Saints 23, Skins 13.

NY Giants (1-0) at St. Louis (0-1) +8.5
Another beat down is in the making for the Rams, who have no offense, no defense, and no head coach (Scott Linehan? Wtf?). The only thing going for the Rams is that god awful stadium they play in, which is loud and disruptive. I don’t think this will affect the Giants who don’t exactly run a precision offense (Run to Jacobs, run to Jacobs, throw to Burris). Meanwhile the Giants D is good enough to shut anyone down, and I’m starting to think that they’re really building something special in New Jersey.
Giants 23 Rams 13

While I'm not quite sold on the Giants this year (their offense did look pretty bad in the second half last week), the Rams are brutal. Thankfully, they're in the NFC West! Giants 23, Rams 10.

Buffalo (1-0) at Jacksonville (0-1) -5.5
I’ve got to say, I was totally blindsided by the Bills last week until St. Ides pointed out that 14 of their points came off a fake field goal and a fumble recovery. This week won’t be so forgiving against the Jags on the road. After watching the films of last week’s games (ahem), I realized that it took a stellar effort from the Tennessee Titan’s D to win against Jacksonville. This week the Jags take it to the Bills by a TD.
Jacksonville 27 Buffalo 20

Don't forget another 7 points came on a punt return. So basically the Seattle special teams gave up 21 of the 34 points. The Jags have lost their two starting guards. Which means former Jags star Marcus Stroud is going to be in their backfield all day long. And, dare I say, is David Garrard finally coming down to earth? He threw two picks last week, and he had something like 5 all of last season. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Bills pull off the minor upset. Bills 24, Jags 23.

Green Bay (1-0) at Detroit (0-1) +3.5
In many ways Green Bay looked like a dominant team on Monday night against the Vikqueens. Aaron Rodgers was poised and unflappable, made difficult throws and smart decisions, and looked like a worthy successor to the great Brett Favre. In other ways they looked sloppy. Penalties for illegal formations, o-linemen downfield, pass interference calls. It all made for a closer score than it should have been. The Lions have an improved receiving corp: I mean it’s the same guys, but they are all a year better. If Charles Woodson doesn’t play, this could be a problem. Last year, the Pack had no problems guarding Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson, and I’m betting that this year won’t be much different.
Packers 31 Lions 17

That offensive lineman downfield call was killer. The announcers made a good point though, it seemed like it wasn't really their fault as Rodgers and the WR made a hot read and changed the play at the line. The Lions must be pretty embarassed getting beaten by a rookie QB in his first game no a dreadful team. It seems their run defense is pretty horrible. Packers 27, Lions 20.


Indianapolis (0-1) at Minnesota (0-1) +1.5
Question: which team is more likely to start the season 0-2: the Colts or the Vikings? That’s too easy. So why is this game only separated by 1.5? I think that Peyton Manning and the rest of Indy looked a bit shell shocked against the Bears, with Manning playing like a guy who hadn’t practiced much in the preseason. Oh right, he didn’t. With another week of practice under their belts the Colts shouldn’t have too much trouble against the Vikings, who have a good running game, a good D line and not much else.
Colts 31 Vikings 20

The Colts Oline is actually a bit depleted with injuries and losses to free agency. And the Vikings defensive line is pretty good. Still, Tavaris Jackson has Vikings fans dreaming about the glory days of Daunte Culpepper. It's a shame Culpepper was never the same player again after that nasty knee injury. A lot of people picked both this teams to be easy playoff teams. One will be 0-2 and start to panic. Yep, that sounds like a typical Vikings season. Colts 28, Vikings 20.

Chicago (1-0) at Carolina (1-0) -3.5
If the Bills were surprising last week, the Bears were downright astonishing. Beating Indy in Indy without an offense is in no uncertain terms flabbergasting. If they can do to Indy, they can do it to the Panthers who by the way also made me look bad last week. If the over under is 39 or above, take the under. Oh and take the Bears.
Bears 20 Panthers 17

Yeah, I was pretty shocked by the Bears too. But it's only a matter of time before Kyle Orton kills them. And I think that time is now. The Panthers must be feeling pretty good about beating the Super Bowl Contender Chargers in San Diego without Steve Smith. I think they'll bring the Bears back down to reality. Panthers 20, Bears 13.

Atlanta (1-0) at Tampa Bay (0-1) -8.5
Matt Ryan showed me something last week. A good rookie QB out of Boston College, he (like A-Rodg) showed a lot of poise in Atlanta’s win. This week against a Tampa D won’t be so easy. Look for Jon Gruden to play a deceptive D that will screw with the kid’s head. Brian Greise gets the nod at QB for Tampa, replacing the injured Jeff Garcia who is out with a torn sphincter.
Tampa 20 Atlanta 13

Oh man, poor Garcia can't have a week go by without a joke. Word out of Tampa is actually that him and Gruden are on the outs. Garcia says he's healthy enough to practice, Gruden says he isn't. I don't have a whole lot of faith in Griese. I'll take the points, just cause that's a lot. Bucs 23, Falcons 17.

San Francisco (0-1) at Seattle (0-1) -7.5
Last week should have been a wake-up call for the disappointing Seahawks, and there’s nothing like the Niners on your home field to get you back on track. The lightening quick Seahawk D should handle Frank Gore with ease, and beyond Frank Gore what can San Francisco throw at you? Seattle is a very good team that should win the division. This week they’ll be out to make a statement.
Seattle 37 San Francisco 10

Seattle injury update: Starting WR Nate Burlseon? Out for the season. Deion Branch and Bobby Engram? Still a few weeks away. #4 WR Ben Obomanu? Out for the season. Seattle is down to their 5th and 6th options at WR. It's so bad that backup QB Seneca Wallace will likely start at WR. The next two? Courtney Taylor and Logan Payne. Who? Exactly. Also out for the season, starting RG Robb Sims. And starting RB Mo Morris is out 2-4 weeks. So yeah, their offense is in shambles. Like Samichlaus said, nothing like the Niners at home to get you back on track. The Seattle defense really only gave up 20 of the 34 points last week, and another TD was on a short field thanks to a fumbled kickoff. They're much better at home with the noise behind them. Still, I don't see how Hasselbeck is going to get ANY passing game going with no WRs. No passing game means 8 in the box means no running game. The week 4 bye week can't come soon enough for this injury ravaged team. Niners 16, Seahawks 10.

New England (1-0) at NY Jets (1-0) -1.5
The Jets are licking their chops over this one as former high school standout Matt Cassel takes the field against Broadway Brett and his new “Gang Green”. But hold on folks: is that the same New England D out there? Is that Randy Moss still catching passes? Is Lawrence Maroney still running the ball? I absolutely agree that Tom Brady is the absolute difference maker on this team, and his loss is tremendous. But don’t count this team out. Brady was the difference between 16 – 0 and say 12 – 4. Have the Jets done enough in the off season to narrow that gap? Remember: Brett’s still learning the O. I like the Pats in a close game
New England 24 New York 23

It's almost a shame we'll miss out on two Favre-Brady shootouts this season. But I agree with my colleague completely. The only thing I'll add is that the Pats pass defense is a bit suspect, and that might bite them in the heiney against a wiley vet like Favre. Patriots 24, Jets 23.

Miami (0-1) at Arizona (1-0) -6.5
Miami goes on the road against Arizona, and although the Dolphins showed they can keep a game close they haven’t showed they can win. Arizona showed they could win… against the Niners. My ultimate fantasy team of Samichlaus, St. Ides, Mrs. Samichlaus, Anonymous, and a few guys St. Ides and I used to work with could match up well against the Niners. I’ll go with the Dolphins and the points.
Arizona 24 Miami 20

I'm going to take the points too. Could this finally be the Cardinals year though? Their defense isn't bad, and they have two awesome receivers. You got to think that at some point a defense is going to catch up to Kurt Warner and just clobber him though. Maybe Jason Taylor does that this week. Oh wait, they traded him. Nevermind. Warner lives to see another week. Cardinals 20, Dolphins 16.

San Diego (0-1) at Denver (1-0) +1.5
Denver looked reeeaalll good last week, and I have to be honest here: I have no idea what went on with San Diego other than it says here they lost. I’ll go with Denver at home because they’re real good at home.
Denver 27 San Diego 20

Wouldn't it be great if both the Chargers and Colts started 0-2? I'm not quite sold on the Broncos, but the home field advantage is decent and I don't like the Chargers. Broncos 23, Chargers 20.

Baltimore (1-0) at Houston (0-1) -4.5
So the Joe Flacco era started with a bang huh? It just goes to show you: I don’t know what it goes to show. I’m also not sure what affect Hurricane Ike is going to have on that game, but I hear that Houston officials are frantically painting over the picture of Tina Turner that covers the Astrodome. With that non factual and completely inaccurate joke out of the way, I’ll take the Ravens and the points:
Houston 20 Baltimore 17

Hahah. I think they've officially moved this game to Monday Night. But it won't be on DirecTV because of the contract between ESPN and the league, they can't compete on another channel. There's some push to get ESPN to allow it anyways, being that a natural disaster is the cause of the move, but we'll see. Anyways... I liked the Texas to start the year... Now? Not so much. I'll take the points. Texans 17, Ravens 16.

Pittsburgh (1-0) at Cleveland (0-1) +5.5
There’s some sort of a rivalry between these two cities I hear. Pittsburgh dominated last week. Big Ben was lights out and “Fast” Willie Parker was, well, fast. Meanwhile Cleveland got the shit kicked out of them at Dallas. I’m going to bet that Pittsburgh can win by a TD on the road.
Pittsburgh 24 Cleveland 17

As much as I hate to admit it, the Steelers might be the favorite in the AFC now that Brady's down. Poor Dereck Anderson could be hearing the footsteps of Brady Quinn after a few more bad performances. Steelers 30, Browns 20.

Philadelphia (1-0) at Dallas (1-0) -6.5
Philadelphia and Dallas both played well in their openers and a healthy Donovan McNabb will keep this game close. I don’t know about Dallas: maybe they are as good as all the hype. Maybe Wade Phillips is really the right coach for that team. I think the Cowboys win, but the Eagles keep it under a TD
Dallas 31 Philly 27

I really don't think the Cowboys are as good as all the hype. Plus Marion Barber is banged up a bit. Philly has a pretty decent defense and could possibly maybe shut down the Dallas passing attack. That's a lot of points for a divisional rivalry. Eagles 24, Cowboys 23.