The Crystal Ball Week 13

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on November 30, 2006.


Well, it is official, this season is over. There is nothing left but to play out the string. After being completely dominated by Baltimore in every facet of the game, there is nothing good left to say. They played like crap, looked like a team lost, and were overpowered, outmatched and out coached. It is sad when the season comes to an end. I know there are still five games left, and I will be attending one of them, but for the big prize, it is over. Barring some sort of miracle and divine intervention, this one is in the books as a huge disappointment. You try to convince yourself that things could fall into place; a string of victories coupled with some strategic losses could put them right into it. But you know that will not happen. It is a hard truth to accept, but it is there. This season is over. It is a sad moment when you realize the football world will continue rolling on, even though your team is out of contention and you will be left out of the party. This must be how both Cardinals fans feel each year.

Cowher has obviously given up on this team, and long before this week. He shows absolutely zero life on the sidelines and has absolutely no fire for anything, even if it is when his team is getting obviously jobbed. His team is on track for their worst season under his leadership, and potentially the worst season of a Super Bowl winner, and he just looks like he could give a damn. He stands there on the sidelines, and as the ship is sinking, just looks out onto the field and shakes his head, like he cannot believe what he is seeing. Hey Bill, you created this mess. He keeps insisting that the problems with the defense are caused by the corners getting burned and Ike Taylor in particular. So what does he do? He benches Taylor, and then we watch Townsend and McFadden get smoked the whole game. Yeah, Cowher, so tell us how Taylor caused those, and every other defensive breakdown? I do not know what Taylor did to get into Cowher’s dog house, but I wish Bill would pull his stubborn head out of his ass and realize that the problems this team has do not start, nor end, with your perceived problems with Ike Taylor’s play.

I have maintained all year that one of the biggest problems this year has been Cowher. He has been a distraction since training camp with his contract situation, moving his family and basically making his future in Pittsburgh look uncertain, and then refusing to acknowledge it or straighten it out amongst any of the players. He keeps blaming certain players for overall failures by the team. He then keeps switching players looking for a quick fix that will not come. He says he cannot figure out why one of the biggest weaknesses, special teams, is such an Achilles heel, but the team lost their best returner in the off season, and then cut one of the best players on special teams before the season even began. You think these two stupid moves could have reduced the effectiveness of the special teams units? He keeps rushing Roethlisberger back from injury too soon, each time increasing his likelihood of continued injuries and a shortened career, and then will not admit that he came back too soon and Charlie Batch could have more than adequately held down the fort. Plus, it is obvious that Willie Parker works best with another back to spell him from time to time, it worked great with Bettis last year. And yet, with two capable big backs on the roster, working them in tandem is rarely, if ever, done. The team picked up Davenport off of waivers to accentuate the running game, yet if he plays at all, he is relegated to kick and punt returns. And if you told me Duce Staley was living in a commune in northern California, I would not be surprised, because he is NEVER played, and rarely even in uniform. What is the story there? Why did we pursue this talented big back and then after an injury two years ago, basically put him on the shelf to rot? This underutilizing of personnel is hurting the team overall. Perhaps, Bill, you should start looking at the top for the issues with this team and correct from there down. I do not want to knock Cowher too viciously, and become one of those what have you done for me lately type fans. However, it is obvious that his mind is elsewhere this season. Perhaps on hoping for that big Holmgren-type contract, or perhaps just in his new corner of the world in North Carolina. If it is the former, remember what team you work for and go from there. If it is the latter, and you are dreaming of Carolina, then you should have retired with the Bus.

For all that Cowher may be contributing, or not contributing, to this season; he is not the one playing the games. The players themselves are the ones that hold the overall responsibility for winning and losing, and they have plenty of issues going around. They cannot hold onto the ball, they cannot stop other teams on third down, they do nothing in the red zone, they cannot hold the pocket together with any consistency, they cannot keep their heads about them on the field and continue to amass personal fouls and other stupid penalties. Plus, they have an obvious lack of leadership, both in the locker room and on the field, where no one seems to be leading well, and if anyone is stepping up, no one else is following. And most disturbingly, they just seem too satiated from last year and do not care what happens this year. And after digging themselves an early hole in the wins and losses column, they did not play with any urgency. They played each game as they sunk lower into the hole as if it were no big deal, a mere bump on the road to yet another championship coronation. It bothers me so much that this team, the same team as last year who did everything the hard way and knows what it takes to truly climb the mountain, seem so unconcerned this year. It is just sad and, quite frankly, a disgrace. I know Bill Simmons of ESPN.com created the 5 year grace period, which basically states that the fans of any team must refrain from complaining about anything their team does for five years following a championship, but I’m sorry, this is too much idiocy to keep quiet about.

Ultimately, the Steelers have no luck, keep getting hurt, and when they do well they end up shooting themselves in the foot with a foolish penalty or a turnover and more and more look like they just do not care whatsoever. Simmons, to plug him again, said recently that Pittsburgh’s play this season after winning a championship last season is a disgrace. I immediately started to put up a defense, but I could not. It is a disgrace. There is no other way to put it. Yeah, they have had some bad luck, some inopportune injuries and as always, people play the champs much tougher than any other team, but those are nothing more than excuses.

And do not give me any of that play for pride crap. If they had any pride, they would have played with a sense of urgency and ferocity long ago. But they did not, because they have no motivation since winning it all, and look as though they expect everything good to come to them, and seem genuinely surprised when bad things happen and games keep getting lost. It is just stunning and shocking to think that in a span of a few short months, this team went from the toast of the NFL to a joke in the NFL, with only minor personnel changes. Ok, enough ranting on the team and this season in general. And just so you know, I am wearing my Steelers hat while I write this. I may be cheesed and disappointed, but I am still a fan.

So, a few notes about this debacle of a game. It drives me nuts when we lose, but to lose to the Ravens? After I reassembled my head after it exploded, I predictably flipped out. If I have to pick one team I hate losing to more than any other, it is all the ex-cons that call themselves the Ravens. It is bad enough to lose to them, but to be shut out by them? Even last year with Tommy Maddox at the helm they managed to score some points in the loss at Baltimore. Since I found my paper bag to breathe into, I can now actually get to those notes. First, the officials were one of the following: obvious homers, turning a blind eye on events or just terrible. The holding being committed by the Baltimore defense was atrocious. No wonder they are able to rack up such stellar numbers. It finally became so obvious that the officials had to call it. Plus, how many times was Roethlisberger hit WELL after he threw the ball? I counted three times in particular where he was drilled into the ground well after the pass, and not one single call was made. A travesty of officiating, and it goes against the rules the NFL has put into place to protect quarterbacks and destroys any consistency in enforcing them and the credibility of all officiating crews. Just a shameful display and I know that if Dan Rooney tries to complain again, like he did after the Atlanta game, then he will probably get smacked with another fine. Dan, I will start a collection if needed, but say something before someone tears Roethlisberger’s head off.

Second, the offensive line was just that, offensive. They should be ashamed of their performance on Sunday. Roethlisberger was sacked nine times. NINE TIMES! Not only am I amazed he kept playing; I was amazed he kept getting up. And three of the sacks, that I choose to remember, the defender came in and nailed Ben completely untouched. How do you miss a guy completely, and so often? They gave him zero protection; he was constantly being hurried and harassed if not being planted into the ground. There are a few older guys on the line, but they are not THAT old. They had better find out where they failed, because if they cannot give Ben more than one second in the pocket, there will not be another win this season.

Third, what happened to the Steeler intensity? They looked flat and uninspired from the first snap, the exact opposite of the Ravens who looked tough and hungry. I remember last year Pittsburgh would march into other people’s stadiums and play with that kind of intensity all through the playoffs. I guess they used it all up then, because they have none of it this year.

The only good things I can possibly take from last week are Cowher, in rightly calling it a pitiful performance, admitted that they were out coached and outplayed and took full responsibility for the loss. At least he recognizes that the buck stops at the top. The other good thing is that Roethlisberger did not have a single interception the entire game. Of course, when he wasn’t staring at the sky while lying on his back, he was running for his life and barely had enough time to throw the ball at all. Roethlisberger even said after the game, and I quote, "I can't get mad at the linemen, they did a good job." I am not sure where he got that assessment, but I give him credit for not throwing his teammates under the bus. Perhaps Peyton Manning should take a lesson, because if anyone had a right to go out to the press and say they had problems with protection, it was Ben on Sunday. I guess I will take any sort of silver lining I can find from this one.

Here is hoping that perhaps next week they can at least beat a crappy Tampa Bay team. I am beginning to have my doubts that they can even pull that off with the injury list so far this week. Polamalu is out at least two games with a strained MCL. And Hines will not play either, since he re-aggravated the knee injury he sustained against Cleveland and had arthroscopic surgery on it Monday.

It doesn’t matter anyway, since it is all working according to my plan. I did not want them to win the Super Bowl this year, I want them to go and win it next year, when it is held in Arizona. It will be easier for me to go then. So ultimately, I am pleased my plan is working. Of course, they don’t have to look so crappy doing it.

Ok, enough whining and complaining about the Steelers. While part of me is looking fondly toward next year, the other part of me is wrapped up in the excitement of the final stretch of the regular season. We now have a weekly Thursday night game courtesy of the NFL Network, bringing the total to three days a week we can watch NFL action. That is hard to beat. Division and wild card races are tightening up all over the map, and the action is only going to get better.

What a fantastic performance by Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans against the Giants. I had a feeling they were coming together, and thought they could do a number on the Giants. I was right. Young was sublime in the last stanza of the game, bringing his team back from a 21 point deficit to squeeze out an exciting last second win. Some people knocked Tennessee for taking Young, saying he could not transition well to the NFL with his style, and Matt Leinart would have been a better choice to work with Tennessee offensive coordinator Norm Chow. I hope those people are enjoying a large slice of humble pie this week, because Vince seems to be doing just fine.

All day football on Thursday was fantastic, it is a shame there could not have been better contests. Detroit sprung out to a quick 10 point lead and never scored again, letting the Dolphins run rampant over them. The exact same scenario happened to Tampa Bay when they collided with Dallas. And Denver now has a full blown quarterback controversy with Plummer putting up another crappy performance and being benched. I was not able to view the game, so I cannot comment on the quality of the broadcast, but Denver has dug themselves a bit of a hole with two losses to division rivals in a span of 5 days. Could the wheels be coming off the Bronco bandwagon? Shanahan is trying to avoid such and capture the same kind of magic that Parcells has in Dallas by benching the older veteran and bringing in the young gunslinger. We should see if this plan works this week as Jay Cutler takes the field as a starter for the first time.

Here is a thought after watching the Detroit/Miami game. Do you think that maybe, just maybe, Joey Harrington might actually be a good quarterback? And that maybe, just maybe, his success this year is due to the fact that he finally has a decent team around him and a decent coaching staff? And that maybe, just maybe, he played poorly in Detroit not because he was bad, but because the whole team, coaches and front office were atrocious and never gave him any real weapons, support or instruction? Yeah, I am thinking maybe, just maybe though. I am not convinced, but there is definitely more than a shadow of a doubt. By the way Joey, that was an excellent performance before a hostile crowd.

Michael Vick showed us all how he handles pressure by flipping the bird to some fans that were rightfully getting on his case. Such an immature move by the face of the organization is unacceptable. I can understand being frustrated with bad performances and losing, but Vick needs to be reminded of not only how to behave like a professional, but also that his poor performance is his own doing. He has stated before that he sees nothing wrong with his passing game, and does not feel the need to do anything to change it. Imagine if Peyton Manning, Donavan McNabb or Tom Brady suddenly took that stance, the world would come to a screeching halt. Vick wants to be considered a quarterback on par, or better, than those three, but what he fails to realize is all of them work hard at their craft, looking for ways to improve themselves and their game. Until he gets it that he needs to put in the work, he will never get better. Throwing for less than 100 yards a game will not help your team win. I know his athletic prowess is superb, but his work ethic has much to be desired. If you want to run around with the ball, switch to running back or receiver. If you want to be a quarterback, start working on improving your passing game. I know his style is not suited as a classic drop back passer, and that is fine. You do not have to be a drop back passer to be effective. I have said it before that he is overrated and a terrible quarterback. I am glad that others are finally starting to notice. And by that one little gesture, he has also showed us that he does not care about his fans or about his team. He is one of the highest paid athletes in the game today, and it is obvious to me he is paid not only for his on the field skills, but also for the box office draw he brings to the Falcons and as a face for the organization. By letting his frustrations get the better of him, he has made not only himself look bad, but also his teammates, coaches and the Falcons organization as a whole. I guess this selfish behavior and lack of character must be a family thing. Considering how the Falcon’s season is going into the tank and Vick is polarizing the fan base, Jim Mora has to be wondering about his employment after the season. Perhaps his father was right about Vick on that little radio program.

I would like to say there was an excellent game played in Foxboro, but what was the deal with all the turnovers? Da Bears and the Patriots combined for 9 total turnovers in the game. That is some genuinely sloppy play. Ironic, is it not, that they get rid of their sloppy field and then commence sloppy play. Ditka was not pleased.

And speaking of their field, the new field turf surface looked great. I am not sure of how it performed, since I did not play, or of how it will hold up, but for its debut, it looked fantastic. But the Patriot field leads me to a question. I wondered if they were going to keep all the field décor the same, so I looked closely. And there, recreated on the new surface at the 50 yard line, were those two weird metallic volcano looking things painted onto the field again. What are they? I originally thought perhaps they were markings of where to put some half time fire works thing, and that they would be gone. But they keep hanging around, and now they show up on the new surface. Are they for soccer? Are they a magic talisman that allows the Patriots to put anyone into a uniform and turn them into a pro bowl player? Are they a modern crop circle put there by the aliens that brought Tom Brady to this planet? What are they, will someone please explain to me, this is making my brain hurt.

Now, one other note on this game since it is pertinent toward the post season. I was watching part of it with my lady, and she mentioned that her boss, a Packers fan, does not think Grossman is a good quarterback. I of course made a flippant remark saying of course she does not think that, the Pack and Da Bears share the same division and she has been spoiled with years of Brett Favre. But it got me thinking, so I decided to watch Grossman very closely. You know what, she is dead on; he is not that good of a quarterback. He makes a lot of bad decisions, tries to force passes into heavy coverage and tends to over or under throw his intended targets. Plus, his interceptions are way up there. They should have won that game against New England, and he is one of the reasons they blew it. He needs to start playing much smarter football if Da Bears are to go far in the post season.

Great snow game in Seattle on Monday night, with Alexander showing everyone that his foot is fully healed and Hasselbeck made his first start since injury forced him from the lineup. Matt looked, well, like he had been off for four games in the first half, but he regained his rhythm and helped Seattle win the game behind 201 yards rushing by Alexander. But in watching the game, I have a big question, can Jerramy Stevens ever hold onto a ball thrown to him?

It was also nice to see Brett Favre in action on a Monday night. Favre said early in the season of how much talent is contained on the Packers this year. After watching them, he is right; there is a lot of talent. It is young, and experiencing a lot of growing pains, but it is there. The more they play, the better they will get indeed. In records notes, Favre is 10 touchdown passes away from breaking Dan Marino’s career record of 420. Good luck Brett, I am pulling for you to break it.

The Chargers got away with murder in their game with the Raiders. When Vincent Jackson, oblivious to his situation, did his little I’m better than you display with the ball, it should have been ruled what it was, taunting with a 15 yard penalty and Oakland would have had the ball. No, after way too much debate, the homer referees called it an illegal forward pass and let them keep the ball. If Jackson was not so me first in his thinking, he would have calmly stood up, and started walking toward the end zone, and then when he was past the few Raider defenders around him who were also oblivious to the situation, he could have tore off for the end zone and had a touchdown and really celebrated. But like too many athletes these days, he is too concerned with celebrating even the most mundane of plays, and it should have cost his team victory. He is damn lucky it did not. Like I said last week, the Chargers are jerks.

So Dallas finally wised up and cut an underproductive malcontent from their roster. The shock was that they did not cut two of them. Yes, the great Mike Vanderjagt is out of a job. After leaving the Colts in disgrace and managing to secure a job and a paycheck with Dallas, Vanderjagt took this new opportunity and flushed it away with poor performances. Parcells has finally had enough and dropped him like a bad habit. Vanderjagt was at one time the most accurate kicker in NFL history, and not long ago went the entire regular season without missing a single field goal attempt. Today, he is unemployed. I don’t think he has ever been the same since shanking that kick last year against Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

Just a note to Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, the rookie who unexplainably let Vince Young out of his grasp on 4th and 10, and then Young proceeded to scramble for a 19 yard gain to keep their drive alive and ultimately win the game. Play to the whistle young man. Do not let go of anyone with the ball until you hear that whistle loud and clear. That is the only way to play. But it does bring up a disturbing thought in how gun shy some defenders are when they get to the quarterback. Kiwanuka stated after the game that he was afraid if he sacked Young, he would be called for a roughing the passer penalty. Now, under most normal trains of thought, that is an absurd statement. But with how inconsistent the referees have been this year with calling penalties on players and quarterback contact, it is not that far fetched to believe. I see the Bengals one week get smacked with one for a legal sack, and then another week a team just barely touches the quarterback below the knees, another penalty. And then, I watch the Ravens treat Roethlisberger like a pin ball after the pass, nothing, and the Falcons nearly tear Ben into three pieces well after the pass, and again nothing. The more I think about it, I think Kiwanuka had a legitimate reason for that line of thinking, and it is unsettling. I am all for protecting the quarterback, and I know that each game presents a different set of circumstances, but these officiating crews need to get better and far more consistent on calling quarterback contact. Before more of these boneheaded plays occur or someone gets really hurt with no punishment on the inflicting team.

Speaking of the Giants, is anyone else wondering if the team is wishing they had just kept Rivers instead of trading him to the Chargers? Or is anyone else wondering if Tiki is retiring not because he wants a life outside of football, but because he is tired of playing with, and for, a bunch of idiots?

And speaking of idiots, this week Troy Aikman is an idiot. Third quarter the Patriots had a pass interference call on them. Now, the Pat defender had the inside angle on the ball, and was making at least a superficial attempt at the ball, but at the same time he had his right arm wrapped around the receiver’s left arm. So, naturally, the zebras throw the flag. Makes sense to me. But Aikman calls it a bad call, there was not enough contact and that they should not have called interference. Are you blind, dumb or both Troy? If the defender has his arms wrapped around the receiver’s and impedes him from catching the ball, the referees will call that every time and it is an excellent call. Of course, previously identified idiot Joe Buck chimes in and agrees with Aikman. Normally, I like Aikman. I find him intelligent, informative and a good broadcaster with a great knowledge of the game. But how can you miss that obvious call?

Now, let us move on to this week’s slate of football fun. Somehow, I screwed up in putting in my picks with one of my polls, and picked Cleveland instead of Cincinnati. Unfortunately, it was in my money poll. So, that was far from good for my hopes of climbing up the ranks. It was the first mistake I have made all season when inputting my picks. It was bound to happen, and I am not entirely surprised it happened on the short Thanksgiving week. Actually, I am rather surprised it took this long in the season for me to make such a screw up. The thing that hurts the most is that it is such a colossal screw up. It was not in a game like Chicago/New England that could go either way; it was a game where one team was clearly heads and tails above the other. But, I rushed to get them all in, and look what happened. Predictably, I was one of only two idiots that picked Cleveland in the entire poll. Of course, I was also one of two idiots to pick Pittsburgh as well, so what does that tell you. The only thing I could hope for to save the poll was a Cleveland miracle. I called upon the magic of Drew Carey and Bernie Kosar to save me from my own stupidity. But, well, you know how it turned out. Since other than a moment of stupidity I did pick Cincinnati, I will take their win with the hard lesson learned to double check both polls before submitting.

But that was not the only disappointment with the games. Washington screwed me, Buffalo screwed me and Denver screwed me. Washington did it by showing some life, Buffalo by a last second kick, and Denver by not putting away a key division rival. Some days, its best to just close your eyes and think of a sunny day by a stream, since that is the only way to get through it.

But despite these setbacks, I was not bad overall.

Last Week: 11-5
Season to Date: 101-75

Pretty good, and still managed to make it into double digits. Plus, I cracked 100 wins for the season, and it did not take until the end of the season to accomplish it. But there is always room for improvement, and even if Pittsburgh’s season is over, I am still fighting.

This week we have another good Thursday night match up, and a slate of games to knock your socks off. Or at least to keep you mildly interested on a lazy Sunday afternoon.


Thursday

Baltimore at Cincinnati

Here we have a rematch of AFC North opponents, with the Bengals still seething over a 26-20 defeat at Baltimore a few scant weeks ago. Since then, the Bengals have been playing some excellent offensive football. There defense, specifically their run defense, has been suspect at best. If they are able to give Carson Palmer enough time, they can shred Baltimore’s defense apart. Yes, Baltimore looked like an unstoppable juggernaut in dismantling the Steeler offense last week, but remember, live by the blitz, die by the blitz. If they try a similar defensive scheme against the Bengals, Palmer will exploit the open areas of the field left vacant by blitzing corners and safeties. I think the Bengals get revenge for their loss, and keep Baltimore from clinching the division on their home field.

Cincinnati over Baltimore


Sunday

Arizona at St. Louis

St. Louis squeezed out another victory and halted their five game skid last week, while Arizona lost yet again, this time falling to the Vikings. Arizona had an electrifying 99 yard touchdown run on the opening kickoff, and still managed to lose the game. So after traveling to Minnesota, do you really think they will do much better with another week of travel? Neither do I.

St. Louis over Arizona


Atlanta at Washington

Good gravy how should I know? Who knows which team will show up? Will the Redskin team that beat the Panthers show up, or the one that got shelled by Philly show up? Will the Atlanta team that hung 41 points on Pittsburgh show up, or the one that lost to the Browns? Neither team looks very good, but I think there is a little too much discontent around the dirty birds right now, and feel much better about the Skins.

Washington over Atlanta


Detroit at New England

This game is only interesting for New England fans. After getting pasted at home on Thanksgiving by Miami, Detroit will get pasted by New England on the road. They may put up more of a game this week, but only because they had a few extra days off. Other than that, I have a lot of trouble seeing them losing to the Pats. Stupid Brady.

New England over Detroit


Indianapolis at Tennessee

Here is an intriguing match up. When these two teams met earlier this season in Indianapolis, the Titans came close to pulling the upset with a 14-13 defeat. At the time, Tennessee was struggling and Vince Young was still getting the hang of the NFL. He has it now, with a nice comeback victory under his belt to boot. The Colts will have their hands full in a hostile environment against a surging Titans team. I think Peyton will find a way to get it done. If he does not, then we will have a good idea exactly how flawed the Colts are and how far they may make it in the playoffs.

Indianapolis over Tennessee


Kansas City at Cleveland

With a fantastic win over Denver, Kansas City put them right in the hunt for a wild card berth, and gave themselves a better standing in the AFC West. The Browns, well, they got shellacked by Cincinnati, and I have a feeling they may have the same broken spirit as Pittsburgh probably does. I doubt they will get shut out again at home, but I know Larry Johnson will run all over them.

Kansas City over Cleveland


Minnesota at Chicago

Da Bears lost a close one to New England, and made plenty of mental errors. Grossman made a bunch himself, but the coaches also made some bad calls. The Bears will rebound, though. I doubt they will let that game affect them for more than one week. The Vikings won over Arizona, but they had trouble putting away the Cardinals, letting them come back over the course of the second half to the point where they almost threatened to take the lead. If you cannot keep down a lesser opponent, how do you hope to knock down a greater one?

Chicago over Minnesota


N.Y. Jets at Green Bay

Green Bay gave away a win in Seattle, letting a Seahawks team they had on the ropes off the hook by turning the ball over in the second half and letting the Hawks back in the game. There may be a lot of talent on this Green Bay team, but their lack of experience is hurting them. The Jets keep rolling on, dropping the lowly Texans last week. Now, they have to travel with their rookie coach to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers. Does home field mean anything anymore in Green Bay? I think it might, in this case. The Jets have not always taken care of lesser opponents on the road, and if the Pack can minimize turnovers, they can take this one.

Green Bay over N.Y. Jets


San Diego at Buffalo

Philip Rivers finally had a ho hum day, and they squeaked one out against the Raiders last week. Buffalo played a tough one against Jacksonville, and managed to pull out a great win at the end of the game. So, who do you go with, the hot team, or the home team playing tough on 7 cylinders? As much as I hate to admit it, because I railed against it for so long, but San Diego is a good team, and I think they can win this road game. Now that I finally admitted it, they will crap the bed. Jerks.

San Diego over Buffalo


San Francisco at New Orleans

San Francisco is a feisty team. They play hard, and they are in most games they play. They kept it close against the Rams and had a good chance at winning, and they knocked off the NFC Champs just two weeks ago. However, they are playing the high flying Saints this week, who have the biggest, baddest passing game in the league. The 49ers are improving, but not as fast as the Saints, and they will have trouble keeping it close in the Superdome.

New Orleans over San Francisco


Houston at Oakland

This has to win the award for the worst game of the season. Seriously, who will be watching this piece of crap? Well, according to the TV distribution map, large portions of California and Texas, most of Arizona and parts of Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Those poor, poor people, I hope at least some of them have DirecTV. I shudder at the thought if this game was my only choice. Anyway, I really cannot figure out who to pick, it is a cow pie toss, I suppose. But since I have a Texans t-shirt, and every team that I have paraphernalia for has been sucking hind tit this year, I will do the unthinkable. I will do something that I have never done yet this season. I am breaking the record at 12 weeks.

Oakland over Houston


Jacksonville at Miami

Jacksonville has been an enigma this season, winning some really tough contests, but then losing to teams they should annihilate. They are hard to peg, and after losing last week on the road in Buffalo, I am beginning to wonder about their post season chances. Miami, on the other hand, is streaking, and everything is clicking just right. Plus, they have had a few extra days off to scout the Jags and put together a game plan. I am going home team here.

Miami over Jacksonville


Dallas at N.Y. Giants

After watching any of the Tennessee game last weekend, who would you pick? I have not seen a collapse like that since the 1992 Bills/Oilers playoff game. Tom Coughlin needs to take some lessons from the Bill Cowher School of coaching (Funny, after ranting on him earlier, that I would make this suggestion). Specifically, when you are up by 10 points or more in the 4th quarter, run the ball, run the ball, run the ball. And then, run the ball some more. Can you, with any sort of a straight face, trust the Giants right now in any stadium? I would not trust their chances against Ohio State right now. Tony Romo rolls on.

Dallas over N.Y. Giants


Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh

Why stop now? Actually, this week the Steelers may have somewhat of a chance. That is of course dependent on two things. One, that former hometown boy Bruce Gradkowski does not get a wild hair up his can and decide to light up Pittsburgh’s depleted secondary for about 350 yards. And two that the Steelers can keep themselves from falling into shock after getting destroyed last weekend and remember they have to play this week. I think they take out their frustrations on Tampa Bay.

Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay


Seattle at Denver

Sunday Night Football gets back to an intriguing match up this week with the Hawks flying into Denver to take on the Broncos. The Seahawks looked rough in the first half last week, with Hasselbeck showing a lot of rust. But, after getting some action at game speed under his belt, he pulled it together in the second half. Alexander showed exactly why he was the MVP last year with a stellar night, racking up 201 yards of rushing. The Broncos, on the other hand, have benched the ineffective Plummer and went with stud rookie Jay Cutler. Will the rookie be able to deliver in prime time and help save Denver’s season? No, the experienced quarterback familiar with the big lights prevails here.

Seattle over Denver


Monday

Carolina at Philadelphia

So I was watching the Seattle/Green Bay tilt in the raging blizzard, and as usual, the geniuses at ESPN decide to trot out yet another celebrity during the second quarter. Now, I have mentioned this more than once that this little practice drives me insane, especially since it is nothing more than an in game plug for Disney shows, since just about everyone that has come on has been from an ABC program. This week, however, I kind of enjoyed it. They brought in Jimmy Kimmel, whom I find very funny, and he did not disappoint, being quite hilarious and actually adding something to the broadcast. Plus, and this is the most important part, Kimmel is a big football fan. So, when they were getting ready to run a play, he would shut up, and even say oops, I do not mean to interrupt and wait until the conclusion of the play to talk again. Fantastic, if only all guests in the booth would understand such a basic concept. He even said at one point that he hates when celebrities do the in game interview. I actually had hope that I would enjoy the whole game. But then, in the third quarter they trotted in Steve Young, who proceeded to babble on about nothing interesting, talking right over the plays and the game action, oblivious to what was going on. Sigh. Maybe one day ESPN will get it right. As for this week, Carolina stunned me last week losing to a crappy Washington squad. Philadelphia, predictably, got thrashed by the Colts. So, who to go with this week? Without McNabb, I do not have any confidence in the Eagles right now, I hate to say. I love the Birds, but without their leader, they are not the same team.

Carolina over Philadelphia