Thursday, November 6, 2008

Looks Like My NFL Network Was Turned On Just In Time

Seriously guys, Thursday games three weeks before Thanksgiving? Nobody asked me if this was okay. Luckily I just switched out of the living hell that is being a Comcast customer, and RCN comes with NFL Network in its regular package. Now I get to see the Browns and Broncos play tonight hang out at my girlfriend's place. Crap, I've got to start planning to be home on Thursdays now. I can DVR 30 Rock, The Office, and My Name is Earl, but who the hell watches football games on DVR? Nobody, that's who. Somebody should tell this to Toyota.

Oh, did we mention Brady Quinn is finally getting his chance to start? Smart move by Cleveland by the way. If you're going to throw your shaky young QB in there, you might as well do it against the team giving up half a billion yards per game. Hell, if they can make Damon Huard, Matt Cassel, and Chad Pennington look good, surely it can work for the Mighty Quinn.


This also seems like a good time to mention that Denver ran the ball 12 times this past Sunday and gained 14 yards. Total. Against the Miami Dolphins. Maybe this has to do with the fact they lost Michael Pittman AND Andre Hall for the season during the game. Ryan Torian owners would probably be stoked about this if he had more than 3 carries for 1 yard last week.

My Prediction: Cleveland will win, 34-21, and Ryan Torian will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer at halftime.
Fantasy Love: Braylon Edwards
Fantasy Hate: Ryan Torian

The NBA: Where only watching Lakers, Clippers, Blazers and Nuggets games Happens!

Yeah, I could throw Utah and Phoenix in there too and I know the season is basically 5 games old, but after watching the Lakers rip off a 22-0 run against the Clip last night, I realized I'm pretty stuck as far as my options go. Things could get old kinda quick. And now that Seattle had their team ripped away from them, that's another potential game I am missing out on. (Not that they are any good.) Plus I don't get home from work until 7:00 PT at the earliest. I guess I'm going to have to get used to seeing Ricky Davis go 3-14 from the field, Greg Oden sitting on the bench, and Chauncey Billups being a boring ass dude in Iverson's place.

On the other hand, it's 78 degrees here right now.

Moving on. Back in the world of the man they call The Show, Leon had a strong first half last night with 11 points and 4 rebounds. The Celtics won again improving to 4-1. And although he didn't score in the second half, he drew multiple fouls on both sides of the ball. Just for fun he threw in a steal and an assist. He played a total of 18 minutes which is right on par with his season average. Not only that, but every game that he's played 18 minutes or more, he's scored in double figures. Good stuff. Boston will play Milwaukee on Friday and then have a sweet showdown with the Pistons and AI. (If Billups takes his damn physical by then.)

Speaking of schedules, what's the deal? There have only been two days so far when there's been a full slate of games. Tonight for instance? Two games. This past Tuesday? Three games. I don't recall things starting out so slowly. The Lakers play one game this week. ONE! It almost still feels like the damn preseason here. And while we're at it, here are some other NBA related questions I got kickin' around in the old brizain:

-Will the refereeing get any better in the wake of the Donaghy fiasco?

-Will Lebron get to the NBA Finals and if so, will his poor clutch free throw shooting cost him team the Championship?

-Will Larry Brown quit after 15 games? 10?

-Will Yao and Tracy McGrady play more than 55 games each?

-Will Gilbert Arenas play at all?

-Will any of the Celtics' Big Three get serious MVP consideration?

-Will the Knicks manage to not embarrass themselves?

-Will Al Jefferson get voted into the All-Star Game?

-Will the Heat make the playoffs?

-Will the Iverson/Billups trade be the biggest of the year?

-Will the Spurs win more than 50 games?

-Will any team besides the Hornets and Lakers make the Western Conference Finals?

and...

-Will Leon Powe average more than 20 minutes a game? Doc?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Hello, January! AFC Version

This isn't really something a lot of teams can be thinking right now. Even Tennessee, enjoying its undefeated status, knows that historic collapses can and do happen. There is no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL, especially this year. Let's take a look at the playoff race right now and see who's got a shot, who's on the outside looking in, and who's spending more time scouting prospective draft picks than next week's opponent.

AFC

Right now, two teams have what you can consider a commanding lead on their division. The first being Tennessee, of course, who are up 4 games on Indianapolis. No one expects the Titans to go 16-0, but their schedule from here on out almost guarantees a playoff spot. Say Tennessee plays poorly and loses to the Bears, Jags, Jets, Steelers, and Colts. Even with bad games, they should beat the Texans, Lions, and Browns. That puts them at 11-5, which means we'll be seeing them in early 2009. Yes, I said there's no guarantee in the NFL, but this is as good of a sure thing as you'll get.

Pittsburgh and their 6-2 record is the other team. At 5-3, Baltimore's right on their ass, but with the way the Steelers have played lately, I would be very hard pressed to see anyone but them winning the division. Cleveland has underperformed all season, and the Bengals just got their first win, so it really comes down to these two teams. Even if Roethlisberger can't stay healthy, I'll still take him over Joe Flacco over the long run. We're only halfway through, but I very much expect the North to be taken by Pittsburgh.

The rest is a toss-up. No one else should feel comfortable, and most should still have postseason hope even if they haven't played up to their abilities.

Three teams are tied for the AFC East lead at 5-3: Buffalo, New York and New England. Buffalo dropped 3 of their last 4 games and can't seem to get in a rhythm. The Jets play well depending on what side of the bed they wake up on, and while their offense and defense can both play very well, they don't seem to play well at the same time. Matt Saracen, err, Cassel, has struggled, but you can't help but be impressed with his composure this season. If the Patriots are going to take the division, Cassel's going to have to grow up very, very quickly and rally the Pats past the Jets and Bills, who happen to be their next two games.

After this Sunday, the lead in the East will be narrowed down to at the most, 2 teams. The Jets will have to beat the Rams to stay on top with the winner of the Bills/Pats. These next two weeks are crucial for the shape of the East, but right now it's anybody's game. Oh, I haven't even mentioned that these three teams are only a game ahead of Miami. A big win from the Fins over Seattle on Sunday and another win against the Raiders next week means we're talking about them as a legitimate January team.

The West has Denver on top, but they're struggling. At 4-4, they keep letting San Diego stay in the division race. If you let a team like the Bolts hang around, you're bound to regret it later. Jay Cutler quickly let the early touts of how great he was get to him, and I don't have to tell you about their defense. If the Chargers can beat the Chiefs this week (which is no guarantee, considering Kansas City won their first matchup), and Cleveland can take out the Broncs, both teams will be tied at 4-5 for first place. With any sort of momentum in their favor, San Diego can turn their season around in a heartbeat and win that division. If I had to put money on it, I'd take the Chargers to grab that automatic playoff spot. With all that, Oakland isn't dead in the water yet. The poor performances of their division means that there is still an actual chance. Not a great chance considering the fact that the Raiders are terrible, but still a chance.

Then there's our two wild card spots. Four teams at 5-3, three teams at 4-4, and four teams at 3-5 means that there are 11 teams who aren't the Steelers or Titans that can very well see the playoffs.

5-3
I've already mentioned these four. New York, New England, Buffalo, and Baltimore all have the same record, but do they all have the stuff to get to January? If I had to take two of them to make it right now, I'd go with Baltimore's defense to pull them through, and New England's coaching, tradition, and inability to give up to give them a spot.

4-4
Miami, Denver, and my boys from Indianapolis are sitting at .500. I don't think anyone would have pegged the Dolphins or Colts as a .500 team, but for very different reasons. Inconsistent play has plagued Denver and Indy, and Miami's just finding ways to win. Out of the three, the biased fan in me will take the Colts any day of the week, but Denver's weak division and easy schedule gives them a good shot.

3-5
Cleveland, Jacksonville, Houston, and San Diego are 3-5, but there's no counting a single one of them out. They've got their strengths, they've got their weaknesses, but most importantly, they've got seven teams ahead of them who could within the span of two weeks, have the same or a worse record than them. I think we should see at least one or two of these guys in the playoffs.

Just wondering how crazy this is? Take a look at how much space there was between the good and the bad at this time in 2007.

9-0
New England (made playoffs)

7-1
Indianapolis (made playoffs)

6-2
Tennessee (made playoffs), Pittsburgh (made playoffs)

5-3
Cleveland (didn't make playoffs), Jacksonville (made playoffs),

4-4
Baltimore (didn't make playoffs), Buffalo (didn't make playoffs), San Diego (made playoffs)

Under .500 (4-5 or 3-5)
Houston (didn't make playoffs), Denver (didn't make playoffs)

Only one team at .500 at this point in 2007 made the playoffs, and that was the Chargers. Right now there are 7 times fighting for their division or the wild card, and in all likelihood, we will see these guys fight it out to the end. Remember how last season you had to start guys like Todd Collins or T.J. Duckett in your fantasy championship because most teams were resting their starters for the playoffs or not bothering to get them injured going into the postseason? Ok, well I started Collins and Duckett (and won), but your stars will be there playing Week 17, because we ought to have plenty of games the last week of the season with playoff implications.

I love football.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Heading back East (aka It's so Cold in the D...)

After a short stay in Denver, Allen Iverson is going back to the Eastern Conference. In a trade that will be confirmed shortly, AI will be sent to Detroit (UGH!) for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess. Whether or not Joe Dumars is just blowing up the nucleus for the sake of doing it or whether he saw what the Celtics did and wanted to try and keep up, Iverson (in the last year of his contract) can still score the basketball. He won't average 33 a season anymore, but his numbers are still fairly impressive. Also keep in mind that he played in every game last year. One of the main complaints about Iverson's game is that he doesn't pass the ball. Well, he averaged over 7 assists in each of the last 4 regular seasons. Not too shabby.

I'm not sure how much better this makes Detroit overall because it was a essentially a three team race in the East before this trade anyway. The same question will arise on whether or not AI can coexist with Rip Hamilton just like the question was asked if AI could coexist with Carmelo. We'll have to wait and see on that one. The trade will help the Nuggets too, but again, this isn't enough to put them into the elite of the West. Just like getting Shaq wasn't enough to push Phoenix into the next level. One thing is for sure though. Blockbuster trades three games into the year are pretty kick ass. I'm sure David Stern is smiling since sports fans are still coming down off the World Series and the NFL season is in full crazy swing.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

All's I got to say is...


Ok, maybe that's a cheap shot. Last season, when I was cursing every single Patriots fan in the world, Adam was the only fan I had respect for. He's there, win or lose, good or bad, and he typifies the fan that any team could ever want. Tonight's game could have been won by either team. It lived up to the expectations, and it happened to go in Indy's favor.

Being realistic, the Patriots are still tied for first, the Colts still are fighting for a playoff spot, but this gives us credibility. We can beat the best (yes, even without Brady, the Pats are still one of the best), we can stop teams when we need to, and we can play disciplined football.

Next game, I'm hoping to see Rhodes much much much more than Addai. I hope to see Kelvin Hayden back so I don't poop myself every time someone throws to their 1 or 2 wide receivers. Also, I hope we don't play a team that can pound the ball with the running backs or throw the ball and be equally effective, like the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Oh. Crap.

Week 9 Picks

Well, we've reached the midway-point in the season, and we know this much for now.
1) Scott Linehan might have actually been the problem in St. Louis
2) Marvin Lewis still has a job mainly because he coached the lone bright spot in the past 20 years of Bengals football
3) The Colts are currently on the outside looking in on the AFC playoff race
4) Tennessee can absolutely compete for a title with their defense and running game (Note: James does NOT approve this message)
5) The NFC South is surprisingly giving the NFC East a run for its money for toughest division in football.
6) Both the NFC and AFC West divisions still suck.
7) Nothing. No seriously, forget everything I just told you. The one thing I actually know about this season is that we know nothing. And I love it.

On to the games...

Jets @ Bills
James: During the offseason, there was talk about these two teams “having a chance” at playing in January. Guess what? That chance is still very real for both teams, and this week's matchup is going to be a crucial divisional game. Right now, Buffalo is tied with New England for tops of the AFC East, so a win means that at the very least, a tie for first place for another week. Broadway Brett Favre and the Jets have been wavering between looking like a playoff contender and a playoff spectator much in the same fashion Oprah Winfrey has wavered between fat and more fat (Just kidding Oprah. You go girl!). Missing for Buffalo are Josh Reed, Aaron Schoebel, and Brad Butler. Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssqa 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 I'd like to thank this cute little kitten my girlfriend rescued off the side of the road the other day for providing the Jets injury report. We've already named it and already grown attached, now it just needs a home. Back to this football stuff. The Jets and Bills both have defenses that have improved a great deal last season, and there's a ton of pressure on both sides to win. Expect to see an epic battle where Buffalo will pound the ball with Lynch and Jackson, and New York will take score any way they can figure out how.
James' Pick: Buffalo wins, 20-17
Adam's Pick: Buffalo wins, 28-14

Fantasy Love: Trent Edwards
Fantasy Hate: Tom Jones

Lions @ Bears
Adam: I've got two words for you: ORTON EXPRESS! Seriously, I don't think anybody saw this coming. This is a guy that I've always thought would carry the torch as "The Next Trent Dilfer", but he's done more than just play safe and keep mistakes to a minimum, he's pushed the offense to another, balanced level and complemented Matt Forte very well. Did you know the Bears have scored the 5th most points in the NFL this season? No, I bet you didn't. Mr. Neck Beard has a lot to do with that fact. The Lions meanwhile are one of the two winless teams in the NFL. They have lost their starting QB for the season. They have traded away their most accomplished WR. They are starting the 2008 model of Rudi Johnson at running back. Oh, and they're giving up 30 points per game. Awesome. At least they're still keeping it light with hilarious Halloween costumes.
Adam's Pick: Chicago wins, 31-10
James' Pick: Lions over Da Bears, 17-10

Fantasy Love: Kyle Orton, Matt Forte
Fantasy Hate: The Lions

Jaguars @ Bengals
James: What's tougher, a jaguar or a bengal? Well, initially, you might say a bengal. However because Cincy never specified what kind of bengal they are, I'm inclined to believe they named themselves after bengal cats and not bengal tigers based on their performance this year. Bengal cats are adorable and well known for their antics, much like Chad Javon Ocho Cinco Johnson and Chris Henry and the rest of those guys.Jacksonville's sitting at 3-4, and Cincinnati is just trying to beat the Lions to the first win of the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick has shown some promise at some points, but the way they were absolutely spanked by Houston last week makes me feel like they just want to get the season over with. Jacksonville, on the other hand, is one of those teams who are fighting through injuries, and they seem like they just might click and come together at any minute. This would be a good starting point
James' Pick: Jaguars trample the Kittens, 34-10
Adam's Pick: Jaguars win, 24-21. But I would not be shocked by an upset.
Fantasy Love: Maurice Jones-Drew
Fantasy Hate: Chris Perry

Ravens @ Browns
Adam: This is one of those games that's really tough to call. Four weeks ago, you'd take the Ravens to beat the Browns in a landslide. But Cleveland's woken up finally and are starting to turn it on offensively. The Ravens were looking pretty bad with that loss to the Colts, but have rolled off a couple wins a row. I think the Browns still make a run at a playoff spot this year, but it'll be after losing this one today. The Ravens D is just too keyed-in.
Adam's Pick: Ravens win, 28-13
James' Pick: Lions over Da Bears, 17-10

Fantasy Love: Willis McGahee
Fantasy Hate: Jamal Lewis

Packers @ Titans
Adam: So, James can talk all he wants, but I'm convinced with these Titans. They have a complete defense, with pass rushers, run-stuffers, and shutdown corners. They have a fast, exciting running back and a fat guy who gets into the end zone. And they have Kerry Collins. Hm. Well nevermind that, I still think they're good. The Packers are in a tough spot. After coming out on fire to start the season, they had a few rough weeks in a row. They've righted the ship since then, but run into the "it" team of 2008 here. I see this being a close game, but one ultimately won by timely defensive plays by the Titans.
Adam's Pick: Tennessee over GB, 24-21
James' Pick: Packers over Titans, 37-21
Fantasy Love: Chris Johnson
Fantasy Hate: Donald Driver

Buccaneers @ Cheifs
James: This is my “so obvious who's going to win you might as well not even play game”. I think my record on those games this season is worse than Kansas City's. The Chiefs are missing Larry Johnson once again because he seems to have a spitting problem, while the Bucs are looking to redeem themselves after losing to Dallas. This goes to show you how crazy this season is, when you're shocked that Dallas pulled off that win. If the Chiefs can get any offense going against the Bucs tough defense...well then they'll have to actually stop Jeff Garcia, Earnest Graham, and Warrick Dunn. While the chances of that are slim to none, it still wouldn't surprise me one bit. Herm Edwards has to be embarrassed that his defense is the one teams get excited to go up against, and he might have a trick or two up his sleeve (like suiting up and filling in at cornerback). Tampa's looking to improve in the very tough NFC South (I still can't believe I'm calling the NFC South “tough”), and needs to play 60 minutes of solid football in order to win Kansas City. I can guarantee you if there's one coach in the NFL who isn't taking a game against the Chiefs as an easy win, it's Jon Gruden.
Adam's Pick: Tampa Bay wins, 28-18
James' Pick: Bucs take it, 24-10

Fantasy Love: Earnest Graham
Fantasy Hate: Kolby Smith

Cardinals @ Rams
Adam: The battle for St. Louis, past vs. present! The Cardinals are going for it, that's for sure. Now that Anquan Boldin isn't out with a face anymore (dumbest injury description ever), and they're moving to Tim Hightower instead of Creaky-Knees James, they should make a serious run at being the highest scoring team this year. If only they could get that young D to perform. The Rams, meanwhile, are rejuvenated since the Linehan firing. Watching the game last week, at no point did you feel like you were playing a JV team, and that's new to the past 2 years of Rams teams. Stephen Jackson is coming back this week, Donnie Avery is finding his rhythm with Bulger, and Atogwe is quickly playing himself towards the top of the CB list. I say they continue their good vibe at home this week, and New St. Louis beats Old St. Louis.
Adam's Pick: New St. Louis wins, 27-24
James' Pick: New St. Louis, 24-9

Fantasy Love: Donnie Avery
Fantasy Hate: Tim Hightower

Texans @ Vikings
James: I'm excited about this game. These are two very talented, very good teams who make a lot of mistakes and end up screwing themselves. Both are 3-4, meaning both still have a shot at making the playoffs. Houston has yet to win a game on the road, so improving to .500 after a disastrous start would put them on par to be the 2008 Feel Good Team Of The Year. Steve Slaton will be seeing his toughest run defense since, and has a good chance to legitimatize himself as the next great premier back. Minnesota can, with losses from Green Bay and Chicago, tie for first place in the NFC North with a win today. If they can keep their Achilles heel in check (Brad Childress. You know, that guy that stands on the sidelines at Vikings games who looks like your 8th grade English teacher, and every time he opens his mouth something bad happens. That guy.), the Vikings will certainly have a good shot.
Adam's Pick: I'll take Houston, 34-24
James' Pick: Houston wins, 37-14

Fantasy Love: Andre Johnson
Fantasy Hate: Gus Bus

Dolphins @ Broncos
Adam: Nobody thought this was possible before the season, but if the Dolphins can pull out a win here in week 9, no team in the AFC East will have a losing record. You've got to give it to Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano, they've changed the way Miami does things in a big way. Aside from the highly effective gimmick plays, the Dophins are playing much more physical than they had in the past, and it's keeping them in games right down to the very end. The Broncos, coming off their bye week, have plenty of motivation. They seemed to be exposed as the biggest frauds in the NFL in their last game, a Monday Night blowout by the Patriots. With the Pats winning again last week to get to 5-2, that could end being a turning point game for the two teams, where the Pats stopped feeling sorry for themselves and the Broncos started paying for their poor defense. They have the power to stop all that today, and with the bye week to prepare for everything the Dolphins can throw at them, my money's on Mike Shannahan doing exactly that.
Adam's Pick: Broncos top the Fins, 31-27
James' Pick: Miami over Denver, 28-20
Fantasy Love: Brandon Marshall
Fantasy Hate: Anthony Fasano

Falcons @ Raiders
James: The Falcons are inches away from being taken seriously, and they should be very happy with the way they've played this season. If the team can hold on to Roddy White for a while, imagine what he and Matt Ryan will be doing a few seasons from now. I'm excited, are you? Both teams need a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Yeah, Oakland is actually still in the playoff hunt, which goes to show you how bad the AFC West is. Hopefully, this is the game where commentators stop giving JaMarcus Russell excuses, saying “He's only in his Xth game, he's still developing” and realize “Holy crap, Matt Ryan is miles better than this guy and he's a true rookie”. If McFadden can step up and the Raiders can win ball control, this game could very well be their's for the taking. The Falcons seems to live or die by whether they can establish a running game, so if Michael Turner hasn't gotten at least 20 or 30 yards by the end of the first quarter, this will be a very tough battle for Atlanta. Matt Ryan's good, but he's still not quite there in being able to win road games when he's getting no rushing support.
Adam's Pick: Atlanta wins, 24-13
James' Pick: Oakland wins, 22-14

Fantasy Love: Roddy White
Fantasy Hate: Jamarcus Russell

Cowboys @ Giants
James: If anything, this week of football won't be short on exciting divisional matchups with playoff ramifications. The Cowboys, missing Romo and most likely Witten, will be in New York Jersey to see if they can gain some ground on the Super Bowl Champs. One of the biggest surprises this season might have been the role reversal the Giants and Cowboys took. Feeling a bit like Rodney Dangerfield, Eli, the three headed running beast of Branderrahmad Jawardshaw, and the best (yes, BEST) defense in the NFL have taken it upon themselves to earn some respect this season. If they can win today, Dallas drops to 5-4 and 1-2 in the division. Last week, I predicted Dallas would be dead in the water against Tampa, but their defense stepped up to the challenge and was able to pull off a win. It'll take that and then some to win this week, but coming out with a win isn't out of the question
Adam's Pick: Giants win it, 38-30
James' Pick:
New York Football Giants take control of the NFC East and win 27- 13 23 (After all, this is the Giants and Cowboys we're talking about, I should expect the Cowboys to bring their best)
Fantasy Love: Charlie
Fantasy Hate: Dennis

Eagles @ Seahawks
James: I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and no matter how bad my teams do, I will never have a worse season than Seattle fans. Their basketball team was stolen from them at gun point, their baseball team was beyond bad, and even the backups' backups on the Seahawks can't stay healthy. When you're putting your teams' chances in the hands of Seneca Wallace and Julius Jones and your defense hasn't done half as well as was expected, you're in for a tough time. The Eagles probably watched the World Series parade and how excited Philadelphia fans were, and right now they're drooling uncontrollably. Rumor has it that McNabb has been given orders by Andy Reid to wear a bib for this very reason. Rumor also has it that Reid and Mike Holmgren will be switching clothes this game to see if anyone notices, just like that episode of Sister, Sister where Tia and Tamara take each others tests (but sadly end up getting caught out). Philly's an undeserved dead last in the NFC East at 4-3, and this game is a must-win in order to stay on track for the playoffs. Also, Seattle is an undeserved 2nd place in the NFC West at 2-5. Just keep that in mind.
Adam's Pick: Eagles win, 25-18 (yeah, that's right, wacky numbers. I'm CRAZY like that)
James' Pick:
Seattle, under the wing of Andy Reid, pull off an upset 31-17
Fantasy Love: Kevin Curtis reminds me why I stashed him on my bench for 8 weeks
Fantasy Hate: Julius Jones


Stay tuned for our totally impartial Patriots/Colts debate! Plus, the Monday Night Preview.