Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hump Day: The Loser Rankings- The Aztec Tomb Edition


So here we are with another day for the Losers. However, this week, we're doing something different. We're going to take a look at all the teams that are currently 0-3. Is there hope still or should these teams just jump in the Aztec Tomb. Who's first!?

Miami Dolphins- So the Dolphins have no Chad Pennington for the season and their new starting quarterback is Chad Henne. But wait, the Dolphins traded for Tyler Thigpen on Tuesday.

The Dolphins are in the middle of the pack when it comes to offense and defense ranks. They have back-to-back home games. If the Dolphins split those games, they'll be 1-4 going into the bye week. The remaining non-division schedule includes Pittsburgh and New Orleans. However, the Dolphins also have games against other 0-3 teams like the Bucs, Titans and Panthers.

Verdict: I don't see the Dolphins making the playoffs, but they will win six games. So no tomb for the Dolphins.

Cleveland Browns- Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn? The problem for this team goes much deeper than the quarterback controversy. They're at the bottom of the NFL in offense and 30th defense. Things have gone from bad to worse. The Mangini Magic is not working. They have Cincy this week. The Browns have Green Bay, Chicago and San Diego still on the schedule.

Verdict: Get in the tomb! The Browns will go 2-14.

St. Louis Rams- The Rams are averaging 8 points per game. Steve Spagnulo probably should have held out for a better job. But it is what it is. They get San Francisco and Minnesota next. They have Indy, Chicago and New Orleans still left in their non-division schedule.

Verdict: Rams will go 1-15. I think it's safe for them to get in the tomb.

Tennessee Titans- All three of the Titans losses were by a combined 13 points. They've kept it close, but not close enough. Good news though Titans fans, they face Jacksonville on Sunday. New England and San Diego are on the schedule, as well as the Rams and the Dolphins.

Verdict: This might be the best 0-3 team out of the entire group. They won't win 13 games, but they still have a shot at .500. They do have the ability to go 9-7.

Kansas City Chiefs- They lost to the Raiders, which was their only winnable game. They also lost to Baltimore and Philadelphia (granted it was against Kevin Kolb). They have the Giants and the Cowboys for their next two games. The division isn't very strong (do you really think the Broncos are good enough to win the division?).

Verdict: Todd Haley will be lucky to win seven games for the Chiefs. I see them going 6-10, but no Aztec Box.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Josh Johnson starts on Sunday for the Bucs. There isn't a lot of bright spots for this team. They have Washington and Philly next. They still have the Jets and Patriots.

Verdict: 4-12, go ahead and get in the Aztec Tomb.

Carolina Panthers: Where do I begin? I have no idea what to think about this team. They should be good, but they're not...It's a bye for the Panthers this week (and it comes at a great time). They have Miami, Buffalo, Minnesota and both New York teams. It just doesn't look that good.

Verdict: 5-11, 6-10 sounds possible. I don't see it being any worse than 3-13 though.

I'll have a Loser Ranking next week for sure though.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tuesdays with Romo: Dallas wins a snoozer

Wow, this was really my first legitimate opportunity to sit down and watch some football and go figure, it's a snoozer.

Dallas Cowboys 21 - Carolina Panthers 7- There's not much to say. It was a BORING game. It was a game that saw the Cowboys run the football for more than 200 yards.

ROMO ALERT: The namesake threw for 255 yards passing, but no touchdowns. If there's a bright side, Romo didn't throw any interceptions.

The Cowboys are now 2-1. The Panthers are now in something deeper than trouble.

Monday, September 28, 2009

The Mondays: THE LIONS FINALLY WON A GAME!

Happy Monday everybody! Here's a look at the games...

Detroit Lions 19 - Washington Redskins 14- So ends the Lions 19 straight losses. Is it really an upset if there were people picking the Lions to win? Is Jim Zorn on his way out of D.C.? What about Jason Campbell? Let's not ask questions about Washington. Instead, Detroit should take this chance to rejoice, enjoy the victory. After all, you already have one more win than last year. So here's to you Detroit; you may not make the playoffs or finish the season at .500, but you've already got a win under your belt.

New York Jets 24 - Tennessee Titans 17- THE JETS ARE 3-0...OMG!!! *Sarcasm* Which is the bigger surprise though, that the Jets are 3-0 or that the Titans are 0-3?

New Orleans Saints 27 - Buffalo Bills 7- How's Drew Brees suppose to break the pasing record if he only throws for 172 yards? I for one am indifferent!

Chicago Bears 25 - Seattle Seahawks 19- So the Bears are now 2-1, instead of 0-3. I am most certainly relieved. Jay Cutler came through when we needed him to late in the game. He's turning into a wise investment.

Cincinnati Bengals 23 - Pittsburgh Steelers 20- All of the sudden, at 2-1, this Bengals team is pretty damn good. If you take away the Brandon Stokely touchdown catch in week 1, the Bengals are easily 3-0 right now. And they were in the Loser Rankings a couple of weeks ago. They have Cleveland next. The Bengals could easily be 3-1 going to Baltimore.

SUNDAY NIGHT RECAP: Indianapolis Colts 31 - Arizona Cardinals 10- Peyton Manning had a four touchdown, 379 passing yards day...Oh and the Colts had the ball longer than 15 minutes.

MONDAY NIGHT PICK: Dallas over Carolina

See you guys on Tuesday!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Friday Briefs: Week 3 Picks

So I went 3-2 last week, nailing the upset pick. I'm now 7-3 on the year. Here's five more picks.

New York Giants over Tampa Bay
New Orleans over Buffalo
Houston over Jacksonville
Philly over KC
UPSET PICK: San Francisco over Minnesota

See you guys on Monday!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Loser Rankings: Week 2

1. St. Louis Rams- They lost 9-7 to a Washington. They've also been outscored 37-7 in two games. Things don't look very good.

2. Detroit Lions- 19 straight! My offer still stands Lions. If you win one game, you're off the list for sure by the next week.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Is the end drawing near for head coach Jack Del Rio? It's a road game this week, but maybe Jacksonville fans would prefer that the game was blacked out.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Central Florida is in for a long, long year.

5. Cleveland Browns- They did lose to the Broncos, ya know!

So many teams could be in the top five. Next week, we bring out the Aztec Tomb, for those teams that will start the season 0-3.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Tuesdays with Romo: Dolphins win time of possession, but lose game

Indianapolis Colts 27 - Miami Dolphins 23- So the Dolphins had the ball for 45 minutes on Monday night. That's three total quarters for those of you that are not good with mathematics.

Such a long time to have the ball if you ask me. But shouldn't the Dolphins have won the game by like 50? The Colts official time of possession was 14:53. That's seven seconds away from having a full quarter of possession.

The defense should have folded up like a chair from fatigue. The Colts defense somehow managed to survive though.

The game was pretty much back and forth all night. Peyton Manning threw the go-ahead touchdown to rookie Pierre Garcon (The Escargot), a total of 48-yards.

So now the Colts are 2-0 and the Dolphins are 0-2. Manning and the Colts take the road show to Arizona on Sunday night for a showdown with the Cardinals and their own Antique Roadshow, Kurt Warner.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins will travel to San Diego to face the Chargers. If the Dolphins lose in San Diego, they're 0-3. If the "fluke" word isn't coming up now, it will be following the Chargers game on Sunday.

Monday, September 21, 2009

The Mondays: Somebody is 0-2 and it's not the Bears!

Chicago Bears 17 - Pittsburgh Steelers 14- A Robbie Gould field goal kept the Bears from going 0-2. Am I happy? You bet I am! Oh and no interceptions for Jay Cutler.

Houston Texans 34 - Tennessee Titans 31- It was a four touchdown day for Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. This is not a good start for the Titans. They get the Jets in the Meadowlands this weekend. Could the Titans go 0-3? Who knows!

New York Jets 16 - New England Patriots 9- MARK SANCHEZ IS 2-0! The Jets fans rejoice! Oh and Tom Brady has lost his first regular season game since Dec. 14, 2006. Quite a long time for sure...

Minnesota Vikings 27 - Detroit Lions 13- So it's 19 straight losses now for the Lions. The magic number is 26.

New Orleans Saints 44 - Philadelphia Eagles 22- Three touchdown passes for Drew Brees. That's nine touchdown passes in two games.

SUNDAY NIGHT RECAP: New York Giants 33 - Dallas Cowboys 31- Awful day for the namesake. Romo threw three picks. Eli Manning played terrific. He threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

Monday Night Pick: Indy over Miami.

See you guys Tuesday.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Friday Briefs: Week 2 of NFL Picks

Last, week was a great week for yours truly. I went 4-1, missing out on the upset pick by a lot. Here are my picks for week 2.

Tennessee over Houston
Green Bay over Cincinnati
Buffalo over Tampa Bay
Atlanta over Carolina
UPSET PICK: Jets over Patriots

Enjoy the weekend!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Loser Rankings: Electic Boogaloo Edition

So it's a new season, and we take a look at the worst teams after week 1. Don't read too much into the first couple of weeks of the Rankings. Please keep that in mind.


1. St. Louis Rams- They went 2-14 last season and they got shut out in an ugly game against division foe Seattle Seahawks. Things aren't looking good for the Rams this season.

2. Detroit Lions- The Lions have lost 18 straight games, dating back to the 2007 season. It makes sense that they'd be on this list.

3. Buffalo Bills- It was an ugly preseason for the Bills. And while they were leading on Monday night against the Patriots, they couldn't close the game out. This will not be a pretty season.

4. Cincinnati Bengals- I'll let this play say my thoughts about the Bengals at four.

5. Cleveland Browns- They hung in there with the Vikings for a half. Then Adrian Peterson ran them over.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Tuesdays with Romo: Football won't be the same without Patrick Swayze...I think

New England Patriots 25 - Buffalo Bills 24- Two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter for the Patriots made the difference. Tom Brady didn't get hurt, so all is happy in the state of Massachusetts.

San Diego Chargers 24 - Oakland Raiders 20- This game felt like an eternity. It was hard to get excited. Thank goodness it is all over.

That is the week 1 though.

See ya Wednesday!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Injuries: Urlacher reportedly done for the year

Sad day for Bears fans as linebacker Brian Urlacher is reportedly out for the season. Urlacher dislocated his wrist last night in the Bears loss against the Packers.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Urlacher said in a text message that he was done for the season. He did reportedly have surgery this morning. There is some speculation in the Tribune post that there might have been more damage than initially realized.

The linebacking corp will have to step it up in the absence of Urlacher. Hunter Hillenmeyer is number two on the depth chart at middle linebacker. Hillenmeyer had two tackles in the game last night.

We'll see what happens next. Maybe they'll go for Derrick Brooks...

The Mondays: I LOVE the NFL!

It's great to have the Mondays back. I missed football!

New York Jets 24 - Houston Texans 7- It was an excellent rookie debut for Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. He completed 18-of-31 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown. Thomas Jones had a good day as well, rushing for 100 yards. On the other side, it was a bad day for Texans running back Steve Slaton. He rushed for only 17 yards on nine carries.

New Orleans Saints 45 - Detroit Lions 27- The losing streak for the Lions continues. Matthew Stafford didn't have the kind of day that Mark Sanchez had. Stafford threw three interceptions against the Saints. Meanwhile, Drew Brees threw six touchdown passes. It was a good day for him.

Baltimore Ravens 38 - Kansas City Chiefs 24- Joe Flacco had a good game on Sunday. He passed for 307 yards on Sunday and three touchdowns. For KC, Brodie Croyle had a good game. He kept the Chiefs in it. This game was a lot closer than the score showed. It will be interesting to see Matt Cassel get in the line up for the Chiefs. As for the Ravens, they played great. If Flacco's performance on Sunday is any indication of his career, he should do a fine job this season.

San Francisco 49ers 20 - Arizona Cardinals 16- Only the 49ers could win a game with Frank Gore rushing the football 22 times for 30 yards. And only the Cardinals could lose even if Kurt Warner had a great passing day.

Dallas Cowboys 34 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21- ROMO ALERT: Our namesake passed for 353 yards and three touchdown passes. As for the Bucs, it's great to see Cadillac Williams playing again. We hope he stays healthy and has a terrific season.

SUNDAY NIGHT RECAP: Green Bay 21 - Chicago Bears 15- So Aaron Rodgers...He's clutch. Yes, even I (a Bears fan) was impressed. Jay Cutler didn't have the best game, but it's the beginning the season. The Packers always give the Bears a rough time, and vice versa. It's a rivalry, plain and simple.

Monday Night Picks: New England over Buffalo and San Diego over Oakland.


Enjoy your Monday!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Friday Briefs: Week 1 Picks

It's a new season. It was an okay season last year, but this time we need to step it up. Here goes nothing...

New Orleans over Detroit
Baltimore over Kansas City
Philadelphia over Carolina
Seattle over St. Louis
UPSET PICK: Tampa Bay over Dallas

See you guys on Monday!

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos

We wrap up the 2009 edition of the NFL Preview Show Extravaganza with a two teams in one post. We'll keep it short and simple for both teams.

Kansas City Chiefs

Most Offensive Player: Larry Johnson
Most Defensive Player: Tamba Hali
Best New Guy: Tyson Jackson
Coolest Names (Top 3): Hali, Andy Studebaker, Randy Niswanger
Most Likely to Succeed: Larry Johnson
In 2009, the Chiefs will go: 5-11

Denver Broncos

Most Offensive Player: Eddie Royal
Most Defensive Player: Elvis Dumervil
Best New Guy: Knowshon Moreno
Coolest Names (Top 3): Dumervil (1st, 2nd and 3rd)
Most Likely to Succeed: Dumervil
In 2009, the Broncos will go: 4-12


That's it for the previews. I am stoked for this season. We'll have a look at all the games of week 1 on Monday.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: San Diego Chargers

Most Offensive Player: Philip Rivers
Most Defensive Player: Antonio Cromartie
Best New Guy: Probably Larry English
Coolest Twitter Page: Antonio Cromartie
Team Song: Break it Up by Rocket From The Crypt
Coolest Names (Top 3): Brandon Manumaleuna (gets first, second and third)
Most Likely to Succeed: Philip Rivers
In 2009, the Chargers will finish the season: 12-4

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Oakland Raiders

Most Offensive Player (Offense MVP): Darren McFadden
Most Defensive Player (Defense MVP): Nnamdi Asomugha
Best New Guy: Darrius-Heyward Bey
Coolest Twitter Page: McFadden
How long does Cable last in Oakland: Depends on if anything arises from his fisticuffs incident
Coolest Names (Top 3): Asomugha, Samson Satele, Chaz Schilens
Most Likely to Succeed: The other team
In 2009, the Raiders will go: 4-12

Next up, the Chiefs.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: New York Jets


Most Offensive Player: Not Brett Favre
Most Defensive Player: Bart Scott
Best New Guy: Mark Sanchez
Coolest Twitter Page: Kerry Rhodes (Even though you could make a case for a few others)
Team Song: New York New York, it's a helluva town
Coolest Names (Top 3): Chansi Stuckey, Jerricho Cotchery, Damien Woody
Most Likely to Succeed: The Patriots (Ohh Snap!)
In 2009, the Jets will go: 5-11

We wrap up the previews with the AFC West.

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Buffalo Bills

Most Offensive Player: Fred Jackson (biased towards Iowa Conference. gotta love it!)
Most Defensive Player: Kawika Mitchell
Best New Guy: Eric Wood?
Coolest Twitter Page: Terrell Owens
Jauron gets fired in week: He won't get fired during the season
Team Song: N/A
Coolest Names (Top 3): Kawika Mitchell, Langston Walker, Donte Whitner
Most Likely to Succeed: Umm, really?
In 2009, the Bills will go: 6-10

Monday, September 7, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Miami Dolphins

Most Offensive Player: Ronnie Brown
Most Defensive Player: Jason Taylor
Best New Guy: Vontae Davis (A bit of Illini bias)
Coolest Twitter Page: Sean Smith
Team Song: Anything by Gloria Estefan or Marc Anthony
Coolest Names (Top 3): Gibril Wilson, Akin Ayodele, Rodrique Wright (Yeremiah Bell gets honorable mention)
Most Likely to Succeed: Ronnie Brown
In 2009, the Dolphins will go: 8-8

Next up, the Bills!

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: New England Patriots

Most Offensive Player (Offense MVP): Randy Moss
Most Defensive Player (Defense MVP): Jerod Mayo
Best New Guy: Patrick Chung
Coolest Twitter Page: Vince Wilfork
Team Song: Anything by Boston
Coolest Names (Top 3): Jerod Mayo, Pierre Woods, Nick Kaczur (Weak list for the most part)
Most Likely to Succeed: Randy Moss
In 2009, the Patriots will go: 13-3

Next up, the Dolphins.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Jacksonville Jaguars

This preview has been blacked out in your area...Sorry for the inconvenience...

Saturday, September 5, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Tennessee Titans

This post is dedicated to Steve McNair.

Most Offensive Player: Chris Johnson
Most Defensive Player: Keith Bullock
Best New Guy: Javon Ringer
Coolest Twitter Page: Chris Johnson
Team Song: Probably some kind of Country music
Coolest Names (Top 3): Bo Scaife, Troy Kropog, Rob Bironas
Collins or Young: Young with 10 games, Collins with 6.
Most Likely to Succeed: Chris Johnson
In 2009, the Titans will go: 9-7

Friday, September 4, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Indianapolis Colts

Most Offensive Player: Peyton Manning
Most Defensive Player: Dwight Freeney
Best New Guy: Donald Brown
Coolest Twitter Page: Raheem Brock
Team Song: Panama- Van Halen (NOTE: David Lee Roth is from Bloomington)
Coolest Names (Top 3): Pat McAfee, Jeff Saturday, Tony Ugoh
Most Likely to Succeed: Peyton Manning
In 2009, the Colts will go: 9-7

We'll cover the second half of the AFC South over the weekend.

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Houston Texans

As mentioned before, I plan on keeping the previews short, due to the season coming up very soon. So we'll do two previews today and two over the weekend to take care of the AFC South. First up, the Texans.

Most Offensive Player: Andre Johnson
Most Defensive Player: Mario Williams
Best New Guy: Brian Cushing
Coolest Twitter Page: Mario Williams
Team Song: Upgrade U- Beyonce
Coolest Names (Top 3): Jacques Reeves, Jacoby Jones, Matt Turk
Most Likely to Succeed: Andre Johnson
In 2009, the Texans will go: 10-6

Next up, the Colts.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Cincinnati Bengals

We wrap up the North with a look at the Bengals.


Most Offensive Player: Carson Palmer (If he's healthy)
Most Defensive Player: Jonathan Joseph (Maybe Keith Rivers...)
Best New Guy: Rey Maualuga
Coolest Twitter Page: Dhani Jones (Not even close)
Team Song: The Isley Brothers with It's Your Thing
Coolest Names (Top 3): Frostee Rucker (He always gets at the top), Tank Johnson, and Dhani Jones (No Chad EightFive!)
Most Likely to Succeed: Chad EightFive
In 2009, the Bengals will go: 5-11

Next up, the AFC South.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Cleveland Browns

We now look at the other two teams in the AFC North. They would be the ones that didn't make the playoffs. Today, we focus on the Browns.

Most Offensive Player: Brady Quinn
Most Defensive Player: Kamerion Wimbley
Best New Guy: Brian Robiskie
Coolest Twitter Page: Eric Wright (Even though Stallworth's is alright)
Team Song: That's Amore- Dean Martin (Couldn't think of much else for now)
Coolest Names (Top 3): Brodney Pool, Hank Poteat, Mike Furrey
Most Likely to Succeed: Jamal Lewis
In 2009, the Browns will go: 5-11

Next up, the Bengals

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: New Orleans Saints

Most Offensive Player: Drew Brees
Most Defensive Player: Darren Sharper
Best New Guy: Malcolm Jenkins
Coolest Twitter Page: Billy Miller
Team Song: Anything by Wynton Marsalis
Coolest Names (Top 3): Glenn Pakulak, Pierre Thomas, Pierson Prioleau
Most Likely to Succeed: Drew Brees (5,000 yards passing)
In 2009, the Saints will go: 9-7.

That does it for the NFC. We'll take care of the AFC North to wrap up the week.

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Most Offensive Player (Offense MVP): Derrick Ward
Most Defensive Player (Defense MVP): Barrett Ruud
Best New Guy: Kyle Moore (USC)
Top QB: Josh Freeman
Coolest Twitter Page: Julius Wilson
Team Song: Here We Go- N'Sync
Coolest Names (Top 3): Barrett Ruud wins first, second, and third
Most Likely to Succeed: Ruud
In 2009, the Bucs will go: 5-11

Next up, the Saints.