Q: How are the Chicago Bears like the Rev. Billy Graham? A: They both can make 60,000 people jump out of their sheets and yell, "Jesus Christ!"
The KC v. SF game should probably be one of the more entertaining games of the year, so I'm pretty excited. KC's offense is good enough to win it, but as we've seen, KC's defense is bad enough to lose it too. Once again, it's just another 50/50 game as all of KC's are because you never know what you are going to get from the defense. SF 38 - KC 32 We have a pretty good combo for orimetime games this weekend too. Sunday night is Miami @ Jets. While Miami isn't Miami without Fiedler, and the Jets have to be reeling after their ass kicking of San Diego, this should be a good game as all matchups in this rivalry are. Jets 20 - Miami 13 The Monday night game is Oakland at Denver is another great rivalry matchup. Too bad Oakland's age is showing and Denver is just going to demolish them. Denver 31 - Oakland 14 There is only a couple of other interesting games. San Diego @ St. Louis is a matchup of one team on the decline, and another on the rise. This should be a really telling game for both teams. I really hate St. Louis, but I'll be rooting for them cause the Chiefs really need SD to lose another one. St. Louis 27 - San Diego 21 Pittsburgh vs. Atlanta is a good matchup between two teams who have great potential to make post-season runs. I would say that with both sitting at 5-3, they really need this win but Pittsburgh is in all likelyhood going to run away with the division so (just look at the remaining schedule, it's a joke. Atlanta on the other hand really really needs this win. While they have a pretty easy remaining schedule, every game is almost a must win for them because of the fact that New Orleans and Tampa Bay is in their division. Atlanta 24 - Pittsburgh 21 The other matchups are pretty blah Cincinnati vs Baltimore? Seattle vs Arizona? Houston vs Tennessee? NY Giants vs Minnesota? Washington vs Jacksonville? Houston vs Tennessee?
Okay, St. Louis will roll over San Diego on the carpet. Faulk gets 200-250 combined yards in the Rams win. Don't blink, they can end up 10-6 quite easily. Peyton Manning will do the usual in Philly, lots of completions, good yards total, but 1 TD, maybe a second in garbage time. Fairly easy home win for Philly. The getting it together 49ers can and will score vs. KC. The can only play defense, KC can't consistently. Niners win by the bay. Even without David Boston, Arizona beats the headed nowhere fast Seahawks. As boring as the Giants are, they'll beat Minny. Green Bay's D is banged up, but they have no problem smacking the Lions around at Lambeau. Maybe JETS deosn't stand for Just End The Season just yet. Playing at home vs. the banged up Fish, they improve to 4-5, especially if Curtis Martin can run the ball. Tennessee is getting its act together, and they will kick Houston's ass all over Nashville. Well maybe. The Titans have developed a bad knack for stumbling at home vs. teams they should trounce (Wash., Clev., Cincy last year). Pittsburgh will do just enough to slow down Vick at home to win this week's best matchup. Carolina continues its romp to 4-12 by getting smoked by the Saints, who are coming off a loss and bye, hence are mighty pissed off. Cincinnati does not win two in a row, though they keep it close in a low scoring snoozer in Baltimore. The Redskins should be able to win at demoralized Jacksonville. Next. The Broncos put the nail in the Raiders' coffins by wiping Romo and the rest of Al's clowns all over the Invesco turf. And next week, The Pats will bulldoze em into the Black Hole. But this week, they need to take care of Chicago. They will, the banged up Bears D can't slow em down. The Pats run defense is getting better, and while A Train may get yards, he won't do damage on the scoreboard. 30-10 good guys.
Pittsburgh pulling away from Atlanta. San Diego's the surprise thus far. Typical Bungles. Defense playing fairly well, but of course they have given up 24 points. One TD on a fumble return, one on a 95 yard Punt return.
Now that I posted that, Corey Dillon (someone needs to break his single game rushing record) fumbles, the Ravens run it back 91 yards for a TD. I laugh my ass off because that's 2 defensive TDs for Baltimore, who I have as the defense on BOTH fantasy teams.
Can the freaking Steelers PLEASE, for the love of God, find a god***n kicker who can make a freaking field goal??!?!?
Oh my, where do I begin. A 25 minute first quarter, the fastest I've ever seen. Then due to someone just kicking a FG, then another timeout after the kickoff, it takes half that just to play 20 seconds. Then a boring second quarter until Brady pulls off the first 2 minute drill to tie it at halftime with a FG. Third quarter: Was I watching the 2002 or 1990 Patriots? I didn't know for a while. Turnovers, getting beat with deep passes, you name it. 27-6 Bears. Okay at the end of the third quarter, a nice TD drive capped off by a pass to Kevin Faulk. Otis Smith somewhat makes up for getting burned earlier by making a pick in Chicago territory, Pats no nothing with the ball but get basically a free FG. 27-16 entering the fourth. Brady ends the third by getting a personal foul, but the Pats end up with a FG. Bad kick coverage + a few rice runs by A-Train = FG and 30-19 lead. Now it really gets nuts. @ minute drill # 2: A few short passes, then Kevin Faulk gets open as Brady beats the blitz. Down the sideline, TD after a failed 2. A-Train gets 9 on the first, but none on the next two. Bears punt, get the ball back. Brady runs 2 minute drill # 3, though he threw an INT, but Bryan Robinson never had control of the ball. QB sneak for 1st down, then 2 plays ready, Brady goes for broke, David Patten gets his toes (2nd foot) in bounds, TOUCHDOWN! 33-30 final. I aged 3 months but it was worth it.
I liked the outcome of the NE vs Chi game. It is the exact reversal of what happened last year for the Bears. Nice for them to get a taste of their own medicine!
Great game in Pittsburgh today. If any non-soccer fan ever asks you how a tie can be a great game, tell them to get a tape of today's Falcons-Steelers. If Pittsburgh hadn't challenged a call in the second half (and the challenge wasn't successful), they would have had a timeout to call at the end of regulation so that they could set up for the FG. How do you let Burress get that open on the last play of overtime? Wow. Great comeback by Vick, and a great game by Maddox.
The deep deep back's positioning did keep him out of the end zone though. So all that came out of it was fantasy points for anyone with Burress on their team.
[rant] Most of you probably didn't have the "pleasure" of watching Seattle and Arizona, but i have to bitch about something. Way too many times I've heard some dumb ass announcer who will see all of 1 or 2 Seahawks games a year gush about how "brilliant" Mike Holmgren is. Today's announcer did just that saying there was no one better for the job than Holmgren (?!?!) I don't get it! First, he has no experience as a general manager. His performance as GM in Seattle has proven him to be a complete flop in that department. As a coach, sure he won a Super Bowl in Green Bay. I certainly can't fault his performance there. But good lord he's been a disaster in Seattle! His player moves, forcing the Seahawks to use an offense they don't have the personel for, and his insane play calling are the main reason the Seahawks have been crap! But he will forever be a "genius" in the eyes of most sportswriters. Sheesh! [/rant]
Who were the announcers? Probably Fox's number 7 or 8 team. The Pats winning made me feel much better for this extra reason: If they lost I would have been really pissed that I was subject to Beasley Reece again.
Not too bad, I called the SF win, the Jets win, the STL win. Atlanta tied and we'll have to wait and see on the monday night game.
Actually - the deep back was Brian Finneran would have had the interception but the deep safety or corner backed into Brian and undercut him so he was unable to pick it (or KNOCK IT DOWN as Berman would say) but they still kept him out of the endzone so that is all that really matters.
Remember all those lucky breaks the Bears were getting last year? Boy, they're evening out this year, with a vengeance. But just so they don't finish behind the Vikings, and the Vikings finish with the worst record in the NFC, I'll be happy.
This weekend was full of examples of something that looks absolutely unique to football, especially pro-football. Does any other sport have so many examples of teams going away from what was working, suffering for it, yet continuing to do it! On SportsCenter this morning, there was a quote from one of the Steeler's defenders about how they switched to a zone in the 4th quarter, which worked so well they nearly lost. In St. Louis, the Chargers had an 10 pt lead in the 4th quarter, when they went into a prevent defense. As usual, all it prevented was their victory. In Chicago, the Pats needed that spectacular comeback because, in part, they didn't run much. The Bears have a weak run defense, especially up the middle, but they are strong against short passes. So what do the Pats do? They run to the outside (ex: that failed 2pt conversion) or they use lots of short passes (most of the 1st 3 quarters). Do they really not want to win?
As of yesterday I think the Vegas line for tonight's Raiders v Broncos game was Broncos favored by either 5 or 5.5. I haven't checked to see if it has changed this morning. Should I take the Raiders with the points or would this be a foolish move on my part?
Answer: He's 6'6"...all of the Falcons DB's are under 6'...it was a mis match all day...thank God Brian "Stone Hands" Finneran was able to push him down short of the end zone. Apparently, all Finneran is good for is letting balls hit off his hands or pushing people over, because he can't ever catch a ball that is thrown right at his hands!! On another note...I am putting Plaxico Burress as a Target forward in the "Michael Vick soccer" thread...