The Crystal Ball Week 17

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on December 29, 2006.


I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I surely did, spending the day with family, opening gifts and stuffing my face like a fool. The payback will come next week when I have to work harder to take off the holiday weight, but hey, that is part of the fun, right? I sure hope so. As we head toward the close of the year, we are also heading for the end of something else, a much sadder end.

This is the last week of the season. There are only 16 regular season games remaining, and then all but 12 teams will go home until next year. Like most fans, I am one of one of the teams going home; I know this is the week to cherish every play. It is the last you will see from your team for 7 long months, until training camp starts anew in July. Look back fondly of the memories of the previous season. Did they go all the way? No, but they gave you some good times, a few things to cheer about, possibly some hope. And in the competitive, and parity ridden world of the NFL, that is all that one can hope for each season. For some teams, it is nothing more than a conclusion to another season of mediocrity. For others, it will be a painful conclusion, when hopes of a post season were dashed. A lucky few will find themselves preparing to play next week. It will be a wild, raucous weekend where it will be difficult to say goodbye to the season for many, and a time for hope for a few.

Unfortunately for me and the girlfriend, Pittsburgh did not come through for us in our inaugural trip to Heinz Field. The fat man obviously did not have a win for me in his bag of gifts. They were creamed, again, by Baltimore 31-7. It was sad to watch the season end there at home, knowing that to keep their already thin playoff hopes alive how desperately they needed to win. It was the last stumble in a season full of them. Sure, at times they showed life, heart and the tenacity and ferociousness that made them the Super Bowl champions. But overall, it was one stumble after another all season for the champs. They got a taste of what it is like to be on top, and how much more difficult it is to defend a title than it is to win one. Hopefully these are lessons they will take with them into the off season, as they watch from the comforts of their homes others compete to take the mantle of Super Bowl champions. Hopefully, that sting will set in and drive them next year. Hopefully, since they are a great team and I would hate for them to short change themselves. They have the tools and talent to reel off a few more championships, and I would love to see another one.

Now, despite the outcome of the game, we had a great time. The stadium is even more beautiful in person than it is on TV. It is situated right on the river with outstanding views of all three rivers, Point Park, the Incline and downtown Pittsburgh. The views alone and the architectural beauty of the stadium itself are enough of a reason to go. I may take a side trip to Pittsburgh this summer to take in a Pirates game and wander around the field again. It was that beautiful. Once we were inside, the experience intensified tenfold. We took in all the sites and smells Heinz Field had to offer. We ate burgers and brats, wandered around the concourse, checked out our seats and even watched a few players begin their pre game warm ups. We drank hot chocolate to keep warm and toasty. Now, it was not too cold comparatively, but being spoiled by warm California weather will cause you to lose your cold weather conditioning. We wandered the Great Hall, looking at all the memorabilia of Steelers great. We trundled through the Walk of Fame, where they have lockers of all the Steelers past hall of famers and greats. I knew Pittsburgh had quite a few hall of fame members, but it was stunning to see them all together honored by their former team. It was a great trip down memory lane. Most importantly, I saw in person all five Super Bowl trophies. I took pictures of each and every one. Stood in front of each of them and marveled at the work, dedication and sacrifice that was put forth by so many men to bring these trophies to Pittsburgh. I got my picture taken with two of them, the first one that started it all, and was won the season I was born, and the last one, that I saw happen before my very eyes.

We watched the stadium fill over the two hour time period before kickoff. The gates were stormed by the Black and Gold faithful, ready to cheer their team to greatness once again. The stands filled as game time approached, each person ripe with excitement. The walkways and standing room only areas teemed with fans giddy with anticipation for a little pay back. The stands rocked as the captains moved to mid field for the coin toss, and exploded once Pittsburgh won the toss and elected to receive. The masses vibrated with anticipation as the teams took the field, readying themselves for the battle ahead. A sea of Black and Gold consumed each person, merging them into a single being, roaring at the opponents and cheering the home team in the same instant. The wind swirled as the seconds ticked down to kickoff, aided by thousands upon thousands of towels waving in the air their terrible power to smite the intruders. The whole scene reached its fevered pitch, the moment was here, and with one last window shattering howl, the faithful poured out all their joy, hopes, dreams, happiness and frustrations into the air in one cacophonous roar as the ball sailed into the air, marking the beginning of the contest. I watched the whole scene unfold, at the same time both in awe of the proceedings around me and as much a part of the pandemonium as everyone else in attendance. The moment produced goose bumps that were not caused by the chill in the air. My hair stood on end and chills of excitement ran up and down my spine. The moment was electric and it was one of the few times in your life you feel the excitement of being a part of something larger than yourself. It was one of the times where if you looked upon something rationally, you would think of those participating as foolish or childish. But if you let yourself go, fall into the moment and let yourself roll with the tide, it is one of the most exciting and exhilarating moments you can have. I only wish the moment was not so fleeting, and that there were more during the course of the game. Alas, that was not to be. There was one other moment in the game that matched the kickoff, and that was during the sequence when Pittsburgh intercepted the ball and then marched down the short field for their only score right before halftime. I felt that excitement then as well, when the faithful, feeling as though things were slipping away and beginning to mourn the lost season, saw one small spark of hope, and rallied around it. They paused momentarily the thoughts of next year, and allowed themselves, even if briefly, to rush back to the moment with the force of a tidal wave, enveloping everything within the confines of the stadium in a roar of joy and approval. They allowed hope back in and focused the power of it back to the field, pushing it out to wash over the combatants they call their team. The roar of the faithful reverberated off of the stadium and rolled out, consuming the rivers and the city. For one last moment, they still had hope, still had the dream of being champions again, still had hope of being on top. As anyone who watched the second half of the game knows, that moment did not last. But it was exhilarating, and I am sure there will be times when it will last. Personally, I cannot wait to do it again.

In other Steeler news, Cowher said a decision concerning his future with the team could come as early as next week. This tells me that not only has he made up his mind, he is not staying. I know I could be wrong, but I do not think so. He knows that with the season ending, his assistants, mostly Whisenhunt and Grimm, will be courted by teams looking for a new leader. He does not want either of them to miss a chance to coach the Steelers. Plus, I think he is just ready for a change. There is a small part of me that thinks he will stay, that he does not want to end his time in Pittsburgh on a sour note or a sour season. But that is a very small part of me. I believe we will see Cowher’s last game on Sunday. I hope they give him a win to ride on into the sunset.

This week, I am an idiot. Seriously, what was I thinking picking Dallas, when Philly obviously has that look about them, TO has been rendered moot by his own stupidity AND there is a new Rocky movie in theaters? Either I hit my head or I was too distracted by going to the game.

Well, I suppose the other 31 teams in the league did something of consequence last week. The Jets are still fighting hard for a playoff spot, and the Eagles are making a run at an unexpected division title. But we can cover anything of consequence in the picks. Besides, there are not that many people playing for much during the last week of the season.

So, not only did I get knocked down by watching the Steelers lose at home, I got killed in poll as well. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Last Week: 8-8
Season to Date: 139-101

At t his point, I am five points out of a money spot in the poll. I still have a chance, but it looks thin. Having a bad week at this stage really hurt my chances, of course that does not include following the Steelers blindly nor having a few other bad weeks this season. Perhaps I am like Pittsburgh as well this season. However, I still have an outside chance, so let’s throw the Hail Mary and see what happens.

Saturday

N.Y. Giants at Washington

New York has something to play for, with their post season hopes hinging on a win and a little help. However, they have taken the inspiration of Tiki’s last season and flushed it away long ago with petty bickering and infighting, and the unfortunate bad luck of ill timed injuries. This is one of those games where they will stink up the place, and the Redskins will play just good enough to start the much improved talk for next season. Plus, it puts a capper on the crappy slate of games shown by the NFL Network. If they keep this up next season, this experiment will fail faster than the USFL.

Washington over N.Y. Giants


Sunday New Years Eve

Carolina at New Orleans

Carolina has Delhomme back for the season finale in New Orleans. Will it make a difference? Nope. I’ve seen too many quarterbacks in their return from injury stink up the joint in their first game back. New Orleans does not really have anything to play for at this point, with their post season locked up, but I think they will want to give the people of New Orleans a season ending gift.

New Orleans over Carolina


Cleveland at Houston

Woof. There really isn’t much to say about this game. There are not many games left on the schedules that have zero impact, but this is one of them. Since only the people of Cleveland and maybe 25 people in Houston will give a crap, let’s not linger on this one.

Houston over Cleveland


Detroit at Dallas

I really cannot see Detroit putting up much of a fight, and Dallas desperately needs the win, especially after losing to Philadelphia last week. Hopefully, for the sake of the good people of Detroit, Matt Millen’s tenure as GM will soon be over. I mentioned before how I would fix the team, and if the Ford family is still interested, I am still available.

Dallas over Detroit


Jacksonville at Kansas City

I think the only thing that will help the Jags this week is the suit, and Del Rio already wore his suit the allowed two times. KC is still holding on to some faint playoff hopes, and the atmosphere in Arrowhead will reflect this situation. Plus, since Herm Edwards is working on running Larry Johnson into the ground, their pass offense will have lots of room to work. KC will win, but miss the playoffs. Enjoy the game Chiefs fans, this is as close to the post season as you will get, I hate to say.

Kansas City over Jacksonville


New England at Tennessee

That Vince Young train is fun to ride, isn’t it? Always thrilling, sometimes unpredictable, but always roars into the station ahead. The Patriots have little to play for, are already banged up and need to try to get somewhat healthy for the playoffs. Not that it will help, since I do not see them going far relying solely on Tom Brady to save the day. But that is a discussion for next week. This week, Tennessee will be playing to make an unexpected trip to the playoffs, and Vince will once again get the job done.

Tennessee over New England


Oakland at N.Y. Jets

Speaking of playing for an unexpected playoff spot, allow me to introduce the New York Jets! Eric Mangini has really done a number with this group, pushing them further and putting them in a position to continue their season that at the beginning of the year, no one thought was possible. They have been a group of overachievers who never quit, and could be scary come post season time. Oakland, well, what is there really to say at this point? Hopefully, the NFL will just get it over with and disband them due to the cruelty that they inflict upon the viewing public. Hmmm, maybe they could just swap them out with the Rhein Fire or a semi-pro team. It could not be worse.

N.Y. Jets over Oakland


Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

Ok, so the short lived flicker of hope has been rudely snuffed out. Yes, the dream is over, there will be no post season, no magical run to the championship, and no real title defense. But, there is one thing they can still do this season, one task left that will not only bring up their record to .500, but also exact some nice revenge. They should have beaten Cincinnati earlier this year, no doubt about it. But they gave the game away, and ultimately it cost them dearly. But now, they can cream the Bengals, and send them packing for home, or a halfway house or just the local lock up, whichever they prefer. They knocked them out of the playoffs last year, time to do it again.

Pittsburgh over Cincinnati


Seattle at Tampa Bay

Seattle backed into the playoffs on losses rather than wins. I do not see them staying there long. But this week? I do not know. Tampa Bay has played pretty well of late, going into overtime against the Bears, and pounding on Cleveland. Seattle has looked like garbage lately, even with Alexander and Hasselbeck back from injury. Tampa is playing for a small bit of pride, Seattle, to try to turn things around before the first round and not become one of the worst division champions in history at 8-8.

Seattle over Tampa Bay


St. Louis at Minnesota

Another crappy game between two crappy teams who will do nothing but take up three hours of someone’s time on Sunday. I really cannot see which team is worse. The Rams have the firepower, but never seem to be able to use it. Minnesota obviously has a long way to go if Green Bay can hold them to 7 measly points. Usually, I go with the home team, but I think Childress has more work ahead of him to do until I can feel good about the team. Plus, there is an outside chance the Rams could make it to the wild card round as cannon fodder.

St. Louis over Minnesota


Arizona at San Diego

Yeah, like anyone thinks Arizona will do anything against the San Diego back ups. Everyone, just watch and enjoy the last time we see San Diego dominant, since Rivers and Shottenheimer will likely choke somewhere in the playoffs. I am guessing it will be in the same game. Probably the conference championship, but perhaps the divisionals. We will just have to wait and see. And for those Arizona fans, sit back and enjoy Denny Green’s last game, and cross your fingers they get an offensive line and a better coach in the off season.

San Diego over Arizona


Atlanta at Philadelphia

Speaking of future coaching changes, allow me to introduce the Atlanta Falcons! Does anyone really feel secure in thinking that Jim Mora will be roaming the Falcon sideline next season? Neither do I. But, the team is sorely underperforming, and considering the money invested in Vick, I doubt Arthur Blank is going to side with the coach. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is rolling, overcoming key injuries and playing like a team on fire. After giving this for just a slight amount of thought, which I did not last week, there is no way I can pick against them for two reasons. One, if they win, they win the division; and if that is not motivation, I have no idea what could be motivation. And two, Rocky is back in theaters, and Invincible is out on DVD. With these two Philly underdogs everywhere, who can stop the underdog Eagles?

Philadelphia over Atlanta


Buffalo at Baltimore

I was toying with taking Buffalo, since they have been playing well, and Baltimore has nothing more to prove. But a few things keep bugging me. One, they are in Baltimore, and that cannot be easy for anyone. Two, Buffalo could not take care of Tennessee, a lesser team compared to Baltimore, last week at home. And three, Baltimore had no real reason to win last week, but they still hammered a 7-7 team. It seems too easy to pick the Ravens, but there are many good reasons for that.

Baltimore over Buffalo


Miami at Indianapolis

Indianapolis still has a crappy run defense, a mediocre running game and looks much weaker than they have in the past few years. However, they are going up against Miami, who has benched Joey Harrington in favor of Cleo Lemon. Personally, I am not taking Cleo Lemon on the road, even if he ends up facing Jim Sorgi for most of the game.

Indianapolis over Miami


San Francisco at Denver

Well, perhaps the switch to Cutler may have been the right call after all. He seems to be getting his feet under him. But I am not sold yet. He did well against a determined Bungles team last week, so perhaps there is hope. However, going hard after the 49ers could be a nice last chance warm up before the playoffs.

Denver over San Francisco


Green Bay at Chicago

Da Bears have wrapped everything up, and have no reason to do anything but make it to the playoffs healthy. Green Bay, however, has everything to play for. The list is long; a chance to finish at .500 which is a 4 game improvement over last year; A chance to showcase their young talent, with a chance for more next year and possibly attract an influx of veteran talent; an opportunity to make the playoffs; and of course, the possibility of the last time Favre suits up for the Pack. Now, typically I try to avoid the nonsense of is this the last year for Brett or not. I think it distracts from the team, from his accomplishments and is usually nothing more than nonsensical white noise. But, this could be it. And if it is, you know he will go out with both barrels, and that could give him the edge. I hate to go against Da Bears, but this could be the upset of the day.

Green Bay over Chicago

The Crystal Ball Week 16

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on December 21, 2006.


Merry Christmas to one and all! It is that time of the year, when friends and family come together for merriment and joy. I send out my best Christmas wishes to all of you, and a Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanza as well. Here is hoping all of your holiday wishes come true!

WOW! Now that was a game! It took a while, but Pittsburgh finally looks like the defending Super Bowl champions. I have been waiting all season for a complete game against a good team like that. We had one against Kansas City, and almost one against Atlanta, but this was a great one, especially since Carolina was a preseason Super Bowl pick. I could not have been more thrilled by the overall play of the offense and the defense.

Willie Parker had an excellent day running, notching his first road 100 yard game of the season in front of friends and family from the Carolina area. We all know now about how he was barely used in college, and if I was a North Carolina fan, I have to ask how dumb their coaches must be after watching Parker torch NFL defenses each week. He already has more yards this season than last, and has a shot of hitting 1500 for the season. And remember, this is only his third year. Imagine how good he will be when he hits his prime. I personally cannot wait.

Also, great play by free safety Anthony Smith. Fantastic defense and two picks show that the young rookie is starting to get the system. No, like most I did not care for the show boating, and he should have kept running after the interception, but he is going to be great. He is a rookie and will settle down, I’m sure LeBeau and Cowher will make sure of that, since both had a few words with him after the pick. But I am too busy right now imagining the defensive backfield of him and Polamalu. That backfield with McFadden, Taylor, Clark, Carter, Logan and Townsend will give offenses fits for years to come. I am giddy with excitement.

Plus, a thrilling punt return by Santonio Holmes really capped the day. Yes, he lost the ball on the attempt before, but he completely made up for it with that scintillating run. He seems to be starting to get things as well. If he could just improve his catching skills and ability to hold onto the ball, he will be stellar.

And with the surprise of the game, I also saw a flash of last year with an excellent receiver pass by Cedrick Wilson. I am glad to see we have that back in the bag of tricks. Shame it took us so long to break that one out again.

It looks, and maybe I am just being overly optimistic, that this team has finally realized that even though they lost some key people, they can still win games, are still a good team and have others that can step up into those positions and roles. I couldn’t be happier about that. The only problem I have with it is that they took this long for them to figure that out. I wish I could experience a Super Bowl win, the party must be so good for the hangover to last until November.

Now, thanks to their victory, and Tennessee’s and Cincinnati’s losses, the faint playoff hopes of the men from the Steel City remain alive, if for just another week. I know it is still beyond a long shot, with 4 teams at 8-6 and 4, including Pittsburgh, at 7-7 fighting for two wild card spots. It will take two wins and about a super tanker full of luck, but I think it might be possible. But they must win, and this sets up a stellar showdown against Baltimore at home next week, and I will have much more on this later.

Another interesting topic came up for discussion again in Steeler Nation, with Coach Cowher discussing publicly his future in coaching and with the team. The article, found in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was very interesting, and telling. Throughout the press conference, Cowher shot down many of the perceived ideas of reasons why he is contemplating his future. He stated that he is not burned out or tired of coaching, nor is watching his daughters play basketball and begin their lives a part of his decision. I had always thought that family was a big part of it, and perhaps even a little bit of burn out. The telling part was when someone brought up money and its part in the decision; he stated that subject would not be broached. What the article told me were two things. One, he is unsure of whether he wants to coach or not, and it is not about family or fatigue, but about desire. I am not surprised by this, since most of the season he has looked rather uninspired overall. Plus, he even acknowledged in the interview he contemplated retiring after last season. And two, it is about money. I do not blame him entirely there. He is one of the elder statesmen of coaches in the league. He has been the face of the team for 15 years now, and has brought an extended period of success and stability to the franchise. Plus, he is only 49 years old, and could conceivably coach for a long time to come. And in some circles, it is thought he is just reaching his coaching prime. All of these are valid points, and in a profession where turnover and job instability are common, it is hard to blame him to want a big raise, especially after leading the team to a Super Bowl win, and having a squad that could potentially win a few more. However, it is still disappointing when you know that it is not about loyalty or desire or team and that it boils down to money. Yes, in the world we live in, this should be far from a surprise, but it still lets you down. You always hope one person will not make it about the money, but greed can corrupt even the best of people and intentions. But before he makes this into a money fight where sides could get hurt and people could walk away with irreparably damaged feelings and relationships, I would like to remind the coach of a few things. This is a team that is notorious for not overpaying for a product. It has been what has helped keep them competitive both on and off the field for a long time. They have had the utmost confidence in you since the day you were hired and never wavered that you were the coach and the one in charge. When it came down to you and Tom Donahoe, they went with you. When you had a few losing seasons, they never debated and showed their faith by re-signing you. You have had an unparalleled level of job security and ownership confidence that almost every other coach in the league would give almost anything to have. Keep this in mind when the contract talks begin again after the season. Whatever Cowher decides for his future, I wish him well and hope he makes the right decisions for both himself and his family, since at the end of the day those are the most important things in life. I just hope money does not ruin something that has been good for both him and the Steelers.

With the short weeks that have occurred during this part of the season due to the Thursday night game, I find I miss a few things with having to post so early each week. Here are a couple of things I missed last week that I would like to bring up.

First was the hilarious press conference with Tom Brady, where he went off on the media regarding the Dolphins, the rumors of them learning his cadence from procured tapes and getting the best of him in a 21-0 shut out. Watching Tom totally lose his cool was entertaining as all get out. You know I love anything that shows another chink in not just the Patriot armor, but also the armor of the great Tom Brady. Usually he plays things as cool as a cucumber, but he was so discombobulated about the loss, and the thought that he was bested by such an inadequate team had him completely unraveled. First Tom, they did best you, you had one of the worst games as a pro that day, so nut up and accept it. Second, if they did figure out your cadence by watching game tape and exploited it, good for them. Once again, nut up and overcome this. You are a Super Bowl champion, find a way to overcome. And third, you know the comparisons between him and Joe Montana have been going on for a few years now, and there are valid points to them. But I do not think it is just me when I say, I don’t think I would see Joe lashing out at the media after having a bad game like that. They did not call him Joe Cool for nothing. Tom, perhaps you need to take a few more lessons yet from Joe.

Second, I found this piece in an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on 12-14.

“One thing Parker and guard Alan Faneca agreed on is the need for another halfback to complement him next season, preferably a bulldozer who can ram into a pile and move it. He would not have to weigh as much as Jerome Bettis, but must have that kind of running style.
It has been a topic of discussion for much of the season as Parker carried 72.7 percent of the time with 264 runs.

"I think that would be great, another back, a 1-2 punch," Parker said. "I think that would be great. And the way we run the ball, and the way we want to run the ball, I think that would be a great decision ...

"Me and Jerome, we did a phenomenal job last year, and I thought that's how we were going to be this year, but we didn't go that way."

It didn't go that way because Duce Staley, cut last week, was supposed to be that man but was judged not capable by the end of training camp and was inactive for 11 of his 12 games.” ”

Not to say I told you so but I told you so, specifically back in week 13. I feel very strongly about having a change up back to spell Parker and after reading this, I feel validated. If not only Parker, but also Faneca and others see this, I feel as though I may know a couple of things about this game we call football. Now, if only I could get a job in the NFL, I may be able to use this power for good.

Ok, enough of the past, onto the fun from last week in the NFL.

Tony Romo, welcome to the NFL. He had an excellent rebound week after the New Orleans trouncing, taking care of business in Atlanta. He has the poise, and short memory, needed to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. Congratulations Cowboy fans, you have a good one in Romo.

I said it before, and I will say it again. Who wants to play the Tennessee Titans right now? Even on a day where their offense could do nothing, Vince Young looked mortal, and they had less than 100 yards of offense all day, their defense steps up and puts in three scores that wins them the game. The whole team is playing with fire as a unit, the kind of team that can turn playoff dreams into nightmares. If I were a team on the playoff bubble, I would be afraid of playing the Titans. And even scarier, the Titans have played themselves right into the playoff picture. How much you want to bet they wrap up 9-7 with a chance for a wild card spot right until the end of the last day of the season? I am not taking that bet.

The referees in the Philadelphia/New York game were so painfully homers, it was not even funny. Philly won the game despite the referees. The taunting call on Jeff Garcia was ridiculous. My God, these are grown men, they cannot take a little name calling? What do you think goes on out on that field, a recipe exchange? The defensive holding penalty on Philly at the end zone was beyond stupid, especially since Shockey was holding the defender as well. The referees were calling every possible Philadelphia infraction, which I would not have a problem with, except they were conveniently ignoring the blatant Giant ones. I personally saw Garcia hit well after the pass, and it was never called. Troy Aikman, in the booth, even pointed it out once, and still there was no call. Finally, near the end of the game they finally had to acknowledge roughing the passer, but it was after Garcia threw a touchdown pass, so the penalty meant nothing. The referees are supposed to be impartial, but in this game they were clearly swayed by the home crowd. I have seen this crew work before, and they have a terrible habit of working against the away teams in games. NFL, I’m begging you, do something about this before your referee crews are as bad as the ones in the NBA.

Now, despite the issues with the officiating, the game was an exciting nail biter until the fantastic interception and return that sealed the game. Back and forth they went all afternoon, two great combatants striving for the playoffs and division supremacy. But fortune always favors the bold and Philadelphia was bold from the start. On fourth and goal with the distance barely a foot, the Eagles sent Brian Westbrook over the top for the touchdown. They did not play scared, they did not play for a field goal; they played to win. It showed on that play, and in the final box score. And because of this type of play, Philadelphia now holds their playoff fate in their hands and is set up for a great match up next week against Dallas on Christmas Day. Trust me there will definitely be more on this later.

What is going on with Da Bears defense? For the second straight week, they gave up a ton of points and this time it almost cost them the game. Tampa Bay came back from a huge deficit to send the game into overtime. Did the D decide to take the second half off, just to rest up early for the playoffs? I know Da Bears clinched home field throughout the playoffs, but there have been more than a few kinks in their armor as of late. Unless they are holding back, I am feeling less and less confident about their playoff chances. Sorry Ditka, but I know you see them too.

The Bengals will always be the Bungles, and from now on here, I will call them nothing but the Bungles. They honked a winnable game against the Colts on Monday Night, when their post season hopes hinged on a win. After the game, Marvin Lewis blamed the loss on dropped passes, saying these killed the offense and caused them to fall out of rhythm. I am going to say it, and I am sure I will not be the only one, but the reason they lost that game is not because of dropped passes, but because of poor coaching. They came into the game with a poor plan. They did nothing to pressure Peyton Manning, and everyone knows if you get in Manning’s face, he falls to pieces and the powerful Colt offense derails. When this happens, the onus to win the game falls upon their defense, and everyone knows they cannot toe the line to win games for Indianapolis. This was one of the major keys to Pittsburgh’s playoff win in Indianapolis last season. The other poor plan was they tried to copy Jacksonville and run all over the weak Colts defense. Not a bad plan if you execute correctly, which they did not. Plus, there were two distinct differences in how Jacksonville executed this plan and how Cincinnati executed it. First, the Jaguars have two good backs, and that helps, while the Bungles only have one. Second, they put pressure on Peyton, which helped loosen things up for the offense, which the Bungles did not. Once Cincinnati found out their running game was not working, did they adjust and unleash Carson Palmer? No, they ran the ball again and again and again to no avail. And the key poor coaching moment came at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Bungles had the ball on a 4th and goal with 3 yards to go. They are down 18 points and need to score right away to have any chance. What did they do? They trotted in the field goal unit, took the three points and never scored again. When you are down big with little time left in the game, you need a touchdown. Your defense has obviously not been playing their best game, and they need scoring help. Plus, the whole team could use the lift of getting a touchdown to reinvigorate them. By kicking that field goal, Marvin Lewis showed the entire team that he had given up, and just was hoping that the score did not look like too big of a blow out. You play to win the game, not to lessen the margin of defeat. Marvin Lewis should take a few lessons from Andy Reid in situations like this. I used to like Marvin Lewis and what he had done for Cincinnati, but with the growing issues of the character on most of the team and the obvious choking in big games, I am beginning to see that he is little more than a mediocre coach whose team wins despite of him, like most of the teams in the league. Because of this chicken scratch type of coaching, this Bungle team will not go to the playoffs. If this is how they will operate, they will probably win in Denver next week in a bounce back game against a weakened opponent, but then they will get killed against Pittsburgh, and their season will end right there, on their own field, at the hands of the Steelers just like last year. Mark it, since this is what will happen.

This week, Terrell Owens is an idiot. Now, he could conceivably win this every week as far as I am concerned, but he particularly stood out this week. He still leads the league in drops, and he did not even have 100 yards receiving, but he had two touchdown catches, and everyone says he had a great game. Please. It is more than painfully obvious that the Cowboys prefer to run their offense with the threat of TO as opposed to running it through TO. He is more beneficial to them as a distraction and a decoy than actually doing anything. He knows it too, which is why he runs his mouth, so he can at least have people talking about him. And for the purely idiotic part of his week, he spits in DeAngelo Hall’s face, bringing the ire of Hall, the Falcons, countless fans and Roger Goodell, who slapped Owens with a $35,000 fine for the incident. After the game, during an interview with the NFL Network crew, even hall of fame hot dogger/self promoter Deion Sanders was incredulous about Owens’s actions, being a voice of reason regarding the incident, schooling Owens and chastising him for his behavior. You know you have gone way too far when Sanders takes issue with your behavior. Before he goes completely wacko, I woud like to make a suggestion for TO’s next book, Little T Learns to Act Like A Human Being. Now, please, let us all start ignoring him until he goes away.

This week I had one of those stellar weeks where almost all of my long shot picks panned out. Check it.

Last Week: 12-4
Season to Date: 131-93

Oddly enough, even after such a fantastic performance, I came in second again in the poll. That’s two weeks in a row in second. Can I make a push for a winning week? Who knows? I may be a little distracted in my picks, since I am giddy with excitement. Yes, I will be in Pittsburgh on Sunday to catch the Steelers/Ravens collision. Pittsburgh has their faint playoff hopes on the line, and a massive payback game after their dismantling in Baltimore a few weeks back. Ok, I know that there is a very real possibility they could get creamed again. I do not believe it, but I recognize the fact. It really does not matter to me. I am so excited to see a game in Heinz Field; I am bouncing off the walls. We will hit the tailgates, walk around the whole stadium, I’m going to get a Primanti Brothers sandwich, yum, and we’re going to tour the Great Hall where all the past great Steeler moments are on display. And for the first time ever, I will see all of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl trophies. Oh, I’m getting giddy all over again. Ok, before I go too nuts, let’s get to this week.


Thursday

Minnesota at Green Bay

Could this be Brett Favre’s last game in Lambeau? With the way the NFL Network is plugging it, you would think it was. All the advertising is geared toward the possibility that this will be the last time Favre takes the field in Lambeau. You know, with the way he’s playing and the way the team is starting to come together, I doubt it. I had been referring to this season as the Favre Farewell Tour, but now I am not so sure. I bet he suits up again next year. The real story should be that both of these teams, despite their 6-8 records, are still in the playoff hunt in the NFC. Personally, I think Green Bay has a better chance, especially since Minnesota is falling apart at a rapid pace. Brad Childress still has a lot of work there to bring glory back to the Vikings.

Green Bay over Minnesota


Saturday

Kansas City at Oakland

Well, KC now has to fight like banshees to keep even their ridiculously slim playoff hopes alive. Considering they are in the glut of 7-7 teams, and Pittsburgh holds a tie breaker over them, I do not see them honoring Lamar Hunt with an inspired playoff run. I do see them, however, honoring him with a pasting of Oakland, who is just trying to get out of 2006 at this point.

Kansas City over Oakland


Sunday Christmas Eve

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

Oh man, oh man oh man is this going to be a good game! Well, that and it will be a great time! I seriously cannot wait. I am as excited about this as I am about Christmas. This is like an early present, getting to be around like minded Steeler nuts in Heinz Field with everything on the line. Now if Santa could just help out a bit with a nice win. I have a feeling the fat man will come through for me.

Pittsburgh over Baltimore


Carolina at Atlanta

Two crappy teams going in crappy directions is what this game is all about. Atlanta still has some playoff hopes, and I suppose Carolina does too. But Atlanta has a better inside track toward grabbing a spot. Plus, Carolina last week looked like they had just given up. I cannot feel confident about picking a team like that, even when they are playing the erratic Falcons and the inconsistent Vick.

Atlanta over Carolina


Chicago at Detroit

I am starting to worry a bit about Da Bears. Sure, they got it done last week, but giving up a 21 point lead and having a crappy team force overtime, in your own stadium, does not bode well for future success. Then again, perhaps they took a few plays off, knowing they had everything locked up. So will they do the same this week? It is possible, I bet they even rest some of the starters since they have home field locked up as well. But despite those things, I still do not see them losing to Detroit, the Lions just suck too bad.

Chicago over Detroit


Indianapolis at Houston

Well, it seems as though Indianapolis and their defense in particular, has some life left in them after all. With that nice win over Cincinnati, they have given themselves an inside track toward a first round bye. Not that it has helped in the past, but they do have a few injuries to overcome. I think after sitting starters for so long last year, Tony will want to keep his first team in and fresh as long as safely possible this year. In this game, they’ll probably be sipping Gatorade by the third quarter.

Indianapolis over Houston


New England at Jacksonville

So Jacksonville could not even beat Tennessee when Vince Young had the worst game of his young career. That does not sound like a playoff team to me. Even worse, Fred Taylor had his annual hamstring injury. I know he says it is just tweaked, and he did not pull it. But you know he will be either tentative, fearing a pull, or will go overboard and really pull it, ending his season. Either way, I do not like their chances. New England took out their frustrations on Houston last week, and since they still want to win their division and have an outside chance at a first round bye, you know they will be coming hard, doubly so to show they can win in Florida.

New England over Jacksonville


New Orleans at N.Y. Giants

Ok, so the Redskins team that wins games showed up last week, go figure. I know I cannot. I still think New Orleans will win at least one playoff game, if Payton can remember to keep Brees passing and then hit them with Deuce. They still have seeding to fight for, and they will be fighting. The Giants, on the other hand, well, they could have won against Philly, but the Eagles wanted it more, plain and simple. Plus, they looked erratic and Eli seems to be continuing his downward slide to mediocrity. This week, any hopes for the post season die a sad death on the Meadowlands turf.

New Orleans over N.Y. Giants


Tampa Bay at Cleveland

Now here is an interesting game, even if it is two crappy teams. Tampa Bay played tough against Chicago last week, almost pulling off a huge upset. Cleveland played tough against Baltimore, staying with the Ravens until late in the game when Baltimore pulled away. Yes they both lost, but they also showed something both have rarely showed this season, some life. So who to go with? I thought this was a hard one until I realized one simple fact; the AFC is a much better conference than the NFC right now. And with that in mind, the pick became clear.

Cleveland over Tampa Bay


Tennessee at Buffalo

Ok, who would have thought this, Tennessee and Buffalo near the end of the season, with both teams fighting for a chance at a playoff spot? I certainly did not, and I doubt anyone except for the most diehard of Bills and Titans fans would have either. But here they are, and the winner stays in contention, possibly, and the loser plans on wrapping up the season next week. So who to go with? I’m riding that Vince Young train until it derails.

Tennessee over Buffalo


Washington at St. Louis

Ugh, this is a true crap fest. Since I have made a commitment to pick every game this season, minus the pre season of course, I might as well get this one over with. I have not one interesting thought about this game other than it will come to an end at some point, and then the good people of St. Louis can enjoy their Christmas Eve.

St. Louis over Washington


Arizona at San Francisco

Another crapfest, but this one comes with an interesting twist. Thanks to two wins over Seattle, San Francisco has a chance to actually win the NFC West. Now who would have thought that? This has to be a really weird season in the NFL. I blame myself, since this is the first season I have done a column. Anyway, with something like a division crown to play for, it seems as though the 49ers will come out hard. Arizona, well, they are just waiting for the off season where they hope to get an offensive line and a better coach.

San Francisco over Arizona


Cincinnati at Denver

Hey, Bungles, thanks for the shaft on Monday, you jerks. What was I thinking picking them anyway? Good gravy. Well, call me a glutton for punishment, because I am about to do it again. Yes, Cutler looked good last week, but he looked good against Arizona. Not like the Bungles can stop a big passer, though. Honestly, the only reason for this is I need Denver to lose and lose fast. Pittsburgh can handle Cincinnati next week.

Cincinnati over Denver


San Diego at Seattle

Oh please, like there is anything worth watching during this game. Even on cruise control, as long as Shottenheimer does not interfere, the Chargers can easily handle the Seahawks. The Hawks are in a bit of desperation mode, but I doubt it will make much of a difference.

San Diego over Seattle


Monday Christmas

Philadelphia at Dallas

This could very well be the game of the week. Dallas is working to secure not only a playoff spot, but also the division. Philadelphia has given themselves the inside track on a playoff spot and with a win this week and next, could take the division outright. That is a huge game for both teams. Philly won the previous meeting, but were not as banged up as they are now. Dallas did lose before, but they were not playing Romo. Personally, I want Philly to win, I really do. However, just looking objectively at it, I think Dallas has just a little bit more than the Eagles do. I hate to do it, but I must. And if the Eagles prove me wrong, I will happily accept the loss.

Dallas over Philadelphia


N.Y. Jets at Miami

Ok, the Jets have positioned themselves nicely for a playoff spot, yet I still have to wonder if anyone will watch this game. It is the second one of the day, and most households, if they tune into one, will put the kibosh on a second game. And if anyone had to pick between the two, this one would not get picked. Since the Jets have a tendency to lose odd games, and Miami is doing its meaningless December push, last week not withstanding because a win there could have pushed them into even remote contention, I’m going Dolphins at home.

Miami over N.Y. Jets

The Crystal Ball Week 15

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on December 14, 2006.


I hate to alarm everyone, but at this point, counting the playoffs, there are only 59 games left in the season. No need to panic, but do try to enjoy and cherish each and every one of them.

Pittsburgh had an excellent, dominating win this week. Congratulations to Fast Willie with a stellar 223 yard performance, setting a new Steeler single game rushing record, and going over 1000 yards for the second season in a row. With three games left, he has a good chance of breaking 1500, if they can show up against the Panthers, Ravens and Bengals.

The whole team looked good, cohesive, driven and physical. Yes, I know the Browns suck so it really is not that good of a measure of how the team is performing. But I will take a win regardless. We can have a good measure over the next three weeks.

They can beat the Panthers, who managed to not show up against a Giants team that had been reeling and who reinvigorated their playoff chances by spanking Carolina. I did not mind, it gave me a good idea what we will be up against next week. Plus, they made me look like a genius by picking the Giants when hardly anyone else did. Thanks Carolina! I hate to ask another favor, but could you start Chris Weinke next week too? If you could go ahead and do that, that would be great.

I know that other than mathematically, their chances to make the playoffs are pretty much out the window. But after watching some of the top teams in the conference over the weekend, I gotta say, I think there might be a bit of realistic hope of a wild card. Some of these teams that should be so good are playing poorly, and losing when they should not. They are not closing out lesser opponents nor grabbing a hold of their own playoff destiny. If Pittsburgh is peaking, and gets a fire in them and runs the table, with some luck they might, and I mean a huge might, have a chance. Of course, that is dependent upon Cincinnati and Jacksonville both losing this weekend to keep the hope alive, and well, I do not see that happening, not both of them.

The Saints also made me look like an uber genius, since almost everyone went with Dallas in the Sunday night game. But I just had a good feeling about this one, especially with Sean Payton facing his old boss. And the Saints did not let me down with a complete dismantling of the Cowboys that could have been much worse. An excellent win by the Saints, and they put themselves in the lead for a first round bye come playoff time. Now, with all that we have seen from New Orleans this season, can we get a moratorium on saying the Saints are for real? I think it was painfully apparent weeks ago that the Saints were for real, that they are actually a good team with a good coach and it is more than luck that is working for them this season. So to all announcers, sportscasters, newspaper columnists, internet columnists, sports show talking heads and anyone else who throws their voice and opinion into the sports world, just stop. We know it, and we have known it for a while now. I am sorry you are just now catching up and realizing that they are for real, and you are excited and want to shout it from the mountaintops, but we already know. We watch the games. Although I must say, and this is not a derogatory comment on the Saints, but after watching them dismantle the Cowboys, I have to ask, how did Pittsburgh beat them? They killed the Cowboys in Texas Stadium, and Dallas is a good team. I’m glad the Steelers worked to assert themselves in that one.

What I am interested in seeing is how Tony Romo reacts to this loss. Up until now, he has had a pretty good run, and has not had a loss of this magnitude. Every quarterback at some point faces this situation, some far more often than others. How good they are is shown in how well they respond the next week. So, now that Dallas/Fort Worth area emergency rooms are filled with patients being treated for broken ankles from jumping off the Romo bandwagon, will Tony respond this week, or wilt? I am very interested in finding out. It will show how ready he really is to be a top flight quarterback in the league.

Another nice note from this game, Owens missed a catch at the beginning of the 4th quarter that he should have had, and the crowd booed him. You cannot ask for much more than that in a game. But, I must ask, can we put an end to the Owens talk once and for all? The man leads the league in dropped passes. How is that for laziness? It also tells me he is trying to kill his team if he won’t put himself out there and do what it takes to push his team to another level. Also, Michael Irvin, quit doing your puff pieces on this guy, pumping him up and looking like you think he is alright. Truthfully, Owens couldn’t carry Irvin’s jock when Irvin was playing. And for all the distraction and craziness that he brought to the NFL in his playing days, Irvin never took a play off. You never heard him say he takes a few off because he is unhappy. No way, that man played every down. Irvin, by buying into this man’s circus, you taint yourself with his childish behavior. You should do one more interview with him, and tell him to grow up, nut up and play football, since that is what he is paid to do.

Speaking of getting killed, what the hell happened in Florida this weekend? Jacksonville annihilates the Colts, completely exposing their porous run defense that we all knew would come back to bite them at the worst time. The Colts gave up 375 yards rushing with an average per carry of 8.9 yards. That is insane. The Colts will probably make the playoffs, but they will not stay there long with defense like that. They have now dropped 3 of their last 4, and that does not bode well. You are supposed to peak going into the playoffs, not tank. But, in all truthfulness, it was not the Colts fault they lost that game. There was absolutely nothing they could have done to win. And when they came out for warm ups, they knew it too. Was it the Jacksonville weather? The raucous fan base? The fact that Pluto is no longer considered a planet? Nope, it was none of those things. There was one simple reason they lost. Jack Del Rio was rocking a suit on the sidelines again. Yes, that’s right folks. Del Rio knew how big this game was, and came out loaded for bear. As soon as the Colts saw that suit, they knew it was all over. You will see, the suit has the power. That brings the suit record this year to a nice 3-1 and more on this later. You think perhaps the uber-intelligent Bill Belichick would be tracking this trend and retire the stupid gray hoodie. Considering how the Pats are playing lately, they need it. And speaking of the Pats…..

They got a nice spanking by Miami this weekend to the tune of 21-0. I mean, yes, Miami has had its share of issues this season that did not help, but despite those problems, it has been established that even with certain players and if certain things had happened, they are not that good of a team to begin with. They have lost to Pittsburgh, and if that is not proof enough, how about this, they also have lost to Green Bay. That’s bad, it’s really bad. And it is especially bad when Joey Harrington outplays the great Tom Brady. Ouch. I do not see them staying all that long in the playoffs either, if that is the kind of performance they put out when they could have clinched the division. Of course I did not mind losing that one in my poll. Hee hee. But of course, Miami is still on track for its late season peak. Last week, they realized they started peaking too early and could possibly compete for a playoff spot, so they lost to keep things honest, then came right out this week and dominated, knowing that a win would do absolutely nothing for their post season hopes. So now, with nothing between them and an early end to the season, they are right on track to win out. That would calculate out to just enough winning to keep hope and spirits up and to keep the Dolphin faithful around for another season. Excellent job there, Nick Saban, maybe you should take that Alabama job.

The Seahawks killed me this week by losing and took me right out of contention for winning the poll. Thanks you jerks. But Green Bay really killed me in trouncing the 49ers. But I suppose I should have seen it coming. I spoke with a friend this weekend, who is a huge Green Bay fan, about a recent trip home where she took in the Green Bay/Jets game. She said their season had gotten so bad that at halftime, the Lambeau crowd actually booed the team. She said she had never seen such a thing, and she is a life long Packers fan. I suppose after something like that, Favre is going to rally the troops to try to turn things around. But maybe there is more power to Green Bay than previously recognized. I mean, they beat Mike Nolan, and he was wearing the suit! How is that even possible! Could Green Bay go on a run to end the season? Maybe the Packer and Favre mystique is not completely gone. They did beat the suit. Oh, how the worm turns.

But I have a question, if the suit is 3-1, and seems to bring a certain cachet to the teams whose coach sports it, why are not more following this trend? I know the mandate is that you can only wear it twice a season, but hey, that is at least one win, and other than a collapse by the 49ers, would have been two guaranteed wins a season. Why are not more guys jumping on this? Plus the comedy effect would be fantastic. Brad Childress would completely morph into a junior college chemistry professor, and who would not pay good money to see Andy Reid in a suit? The NFL needs to rethink their suit policy. It should be mandatory for two games.

Now, the Jets had a pretty good time beating up on the Packers the previous week, but this week, when it really counted, especially for their wild card hopes, they completely crapped the bed at home against the Bills. If they had any hope for that wild card spot, they needed to do so much better than that. What a dismal performance and it was never even close the entire game. And now they have shot their playoff chances right in the foot. Good luck getting to the post season now.

Tell me, how many Houston fans sat around after the game, wondering what they did to deserve this after watching Vince Young, in his Texas homecoming, kill them in overtime to take away a win in their own stadium? How many were sitting there shaking their heads in disbelief wondering, you know, we could have had Reggie Bush, or even better, we could have had Vince Young? How many were staring into the leftover, warm tailgate beer and wondering how dumb is their front office, and will it ever get better? My guess is, all 18 of them were out there. And once again, Vince Young comes through in the clutch. Boy, did Tennessee make the right call there. I am afraid of how good he might be if they surround him with some talent.

How about those Bears! A stellar performance in St. Louis on Monday night was put on display by the Chicago juggernaut. Everyone, including myself, had been deriding Grossman for weeks now, and he finally decided on the national stage to show everyone he does have some skill. I still think he is raw, and prone to making bad decisions, but he looks like he could get the job done. Or perhaps the Rams secondary is just that crappy. Either way, it equals a win. Plus, congratulation goes out to Devin Hester, who set a new NFL record with his 5th and 6th returns for a touchdown this season. I have no idea why anyone even kicks to him anymore. He is like a machine out there, and seems to be able to see holes and paths through the coverage that no one else can. I know you cannot count on special teams scoring in the playoffs, but if I had him on my team, I would chalk up at least 1, maybe two playoff touchdowns. When Da Bears are playing, I’m afraid to move from the TV when they are set to receive the kickoff, for fear of missing something electrifying. I know I cannot be the only one.

The Bengals are collectively the idiot of the week. Deltha O’Neal was arrested this week, bringing their arrest tally for 2006 to a stunning eight players. Eight players off of their 53 man roster were arrested this year, almost unfathomable. If your team was fighting for their playoff lives, would you ever do anything, no matter how small it may be, to jeopardize their chances? I have heard of players wearing the same socks they started wearing at the beginning of a winning streak. Last year Roethlisberger grew a beard because he was afraid if he shaved that they might lose their mojo. Perhaps I need to be thinking of this differently. Perhaps this is their superstition. If they don’t have someone arrested, it could lose their mojo. You know, I was somewhat happy for the people of Cincinnati when the Bengals began showing life again. They have been loyal through many years of ineptitude, and they needed a little sunshine. But to wait all that time for this? It seems like waiting all day for turkey, just to find out it was basted in dumpster water. They are retaining the mantle of being the Bungles, just not your father’s Bungles.

Ok, was anyone watching Football Night In America on Sunday? I need to confirm it with more people; I need to know if what I heard I actually heard. Did Peter King really slip up and say fucking on the air? It sure sounded like it to me. I literally dropped what I was doing and stared at the TV in disbelief. I looked at my girlfriend with wide eyes and I babbled, did we just, and she started laughing and said, yes, he did say it. It was an excellent moment in TV that left me laughing for the rest of the show. I am not surprised he said it, I mean, people flub lines all the time, and he was trying to make a point and moving quickly. What I am surprised about is that with all the nonsense we hear about all the time regarding broadcasting standards and every live show on some sort of broadcast delay that something like that could slip through. One funny thing is that I have heard absolutely nothing about it since. Of course, I am sure a bunch of uptight twits out there immediately began deluging NBC and the FCC with complaints. Hey, all of you, before you pick up the phone, stop, count to ten, and remember two things. One, it was an obvious mistake and the man did not mean to say it. And two, for Pete’s sake it is just a word and it will not bring your world crashing down. Good gravy.

I had a pretty good week, and most of the teams, save Detroit, that I went out on a limb and picked really came through for me. Of course, the ones that should have taken care of business did not. New England, Indianapolis and Seattle all had a chance to clinch their divisions, and all three choked hard. New England choked because they have too many young no names and cannot hold onto a football. Seriously, is it just me or is it starting to look like Tom Brady and a bunch of off the street chumps? Some weeks it works, and others, well, you get shut out by Miami. The Colts choked because they have absolutely no run defense. I am thinking I could ring up about 120 yards of rushing against the Colts right now. And the Seahawks choked because Holmgren keeps insisting on coaching with his hands wrapped around his own throat. Seriously, you got out coached by Denny Green. You cannot tell me that Cardinal team is better than the Seahawks. No, that was just another crappy performance on the sidelines by “Walrus” Holmgren. He does look like a walrus, right? Please tell me it’s not just me. If they all keep this up, I see all three making early playoff exits.

Anyway, I had a pretty good week, although it could have been better. But I’ll take it.

Last Week: 10-6
Season to Date: 119-89

So what do we have in store this week? Can we get a 12 win week? Maybe something more? Perhaps. Plus, this week the NFL Network breaks out the Saturday game. That’s right; games are on for 4 days this week. Mmmmm, football overload. Now, before I drool and ruin my keyboard, let’s kick it.


Thursday

San Francisco at Seattle

The NFLN is serving up yet another tasty match up for us. This whole NFL network experiment is going to tank and tank hard if they do not get better games scheduled for next year. Ok, so who do you go with, a Seattle team that seems to be a shell of itself, or a 49ers team that got shellacked at home against Green Bay? Well, since Nolan cannot wear the suit again, I guess I will go with the extra loud Qwest field crowd. Go 12th man! And by the way, I am being sarcastic.

Seattle over San Francisco


Saturday

Dallas at Atlanta

Oh boy oh boy, the real test for Tony Romo begins here in Atlanta. Now we will really see just exactly what the young quarterback is made of. Atlanta had more trouble than they should have scoring on a really crappy Tampa Bay team, especially since they have more weapons than the Buccaneers can cover. Dallas, well, we all saw it. But I think they are better than that performance. Now, I honestly do not know if they really are, and the Falcons have a lot to play for right now, namely their playoff lives. But something tells me it will be the Cowboys. I cannot see Parcells getting embarrassed two weeks in a row in prime time.

Dallas over Atlanta


Sunday

Cleveland at Baltimore

I thought about this one for a bit, mind you just a bit. Cleveland played really hard against KC and got a win. But then they went into Pittsburgh and got hammered, hard. Now, they have had 11 days to lick their wounds and study up on Baltimore. But the Ravens, well, they really do not have to study that hard to pound on the Browns. And if the backup QB is still starting for Cleveland, then I feel really bad for him. Maybe there is a reason, other than injury, that Charlie Frye was kept out last week and this week. Maybe Romeo really feels he could be something one day, and did not want to risk him getting killed against two ferocious defenses in an obviously lost season. If that is the case, then he is a much better coach than he is given credit. Or, the Browns could just suck. Next week, once seeding is mostly wrapped up, then I will go against the Ravens. Until then, I think they keep charging full bore.

Baltimore over Cleveland


Detroit at Green Bay

Please, I am done with Detroit. It’s a shame that Matt Millen is not. Even if Green Bay had not trounced the 49ers last week, I would still go with the Pack. We all know that at the moment, Lambeau does not hold the same mystique it once did, especially with Favre at the wheel. But do you really think the Lions have anything that can overcome Green Bay at home? Neither do I.

Green Bay over Detroit


Houston at New England

So who do you go with on this game, a Houston team that could not stop Vince Young, or a New England team that could not stop Joey Harrington? Tough call. Yeah, the Patriots do not look like their usual dominating selves, and yes they have been less than stellar at home this year, but they are still the Patriots, or at least a reasonable facsimile. And I think more importantly in this game, the Texans are still the Texans.

New England over Houston


Jacksonville at Tennessee

This is a huge game for Jacksonville, as they will need the win to keep pace for one of the wild card spot. This game means nothing to the Titans but pride, since in their previous meeting earlier this year the Jags crushed them in Jacksonville. The Jaguars flexed their running game muscle last week, running rampant over the Colts. But their passing game left a bit to be desired. Tennessee is learning to flex both, and doing it fairly well. Plus, they have been hot, winning their last four games, although the last two came down to a last second field goal and overtime. I am wondering which Jaguar team will show up, the one that lost twice to Houston, or the one that humiliated Indianapolis. I am going out on a limb here, and staying with the hot hand of Vince Young to exact some revenge and play spoiler.

Tennessee over Jacksonville


Miami at Buffalo

We have here two teams that are going nowhere, but showing some life. Miami is doing their late season spike, just to keep fans titillated for next year. Buffalo, well, I am not sure exactly what to make of them. They have been playing very strong, but very much under the radar. I am not completely sold on Joey Harrington just yet. Yes, he has shown me a lot more than he did in Detroit, where I think he got a raw deal playing for a crappy team. But, can he win big on the road against a division opponent? This is a tough one, but I think I am going to go with the home team this time. Miami may have some trouble with that cold Buffalo weather. Hey, I need some reason to justify it.

Buffalo over Miami


N.Y. Jets at Minnesota

So the Jets threw their post season hopes away with a bad loss to Buffalo last week, and Minnesota showed some life against Detroit, although they had some trouble finishing off the game. So who do you go with? Minnesota has been off and on all season, trying to come together under a rookie head coach and an aging quarterback. The Jets have a rookie head coach, but have been playing over their heads. This is a tough one, not a compelling one, though. I think I am going to go AFC here, they are the better conference.

N.Y. Jets over Minnesota


Pittsburgh at Carolina

Carolina is inconsistent to begin with, and may have to go once again with Chris Weinke at the controls. Pittsburgh is the winner of four of their last five games, and rolling. Now, even if I was not extremely biased, I would still have to go with the hot hand. Carolina is watching their playoff hopes swirl down the drain. So much for preseason Super Bowl picks. Hey, maybe they can get together with Miami in the off season and play the Super Bust Bowl, you know, so all those sportswriters and talking heads that picked both of them to go to the big game can actually see them face off and feel better about themselves.

Pittsburgh over Carolina


Tampa Bay at Chicago

Oh please, like this is even an intriguing match up. I doubt even Tampa Bay thinks they can win this one. The only chance they have is if Da Bears decide that now that they have things pretty much wrapped up, they can let off the gas. But somehow, I doubt Lovie will let them. The offense still needs some work, and the defense gave up too many points last week. Plus, if they lost in December in Chicago, Ditka would be real mad.

Chicago over Tampa Bay


Washington at New Orleans

You know, I do not care which version of the under achieving Redskins show up, the ones that suck or the ones that play tough, because it will not matter. New Orleans is steam rolling right now, and I cannot see them losing to this crappy squad at home. Sure, they could have a huge let down game, and sure, they could be taking their foot off the gas since they are close to locking things up, but I do not see this happening. What I do see happening is Sean Payton topping another hall of fame coach for the second week in a row.

New Orleans over Washington


Denver at Arizona

Ok, so Denver has decided to throw away their season. I am not sure why, but I guessed they wanted another high draft pick. Arizona, however, has suddenly realized the season is going on right now, and decided to play. Now, I know that was not the best the Seahawks could give last week, but they still beat them. And since Denver is playing anything but their best right now, it is time to be bold or go home. In the spirit of boldness, and breaking my rule of picking the Cardinals under any circumstances, here goes.

Arizona over Denver


Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants

Wow, what a game this is going to be, division rivals fighting for wild card spots in the last month of the season. Right now, both of them have the inside track on both wild card spots, with the Giants holding an edge over Philadelphia with a win against them earlier in the season. The Giants finally ended their skid last week, knocking out a season saving win against Carolina. Philadelphia is on a two game roll behind a rejuvenated Jeff Garcia leading them back into contention. Plus, after McNabb went down, everyone, including myself, pretty much wrote Philadelphia off. So they have been quietly putting their season back together. The Giants are starting to get back some of their walking wounded, but Strahan is still out. Since the road team won last time, and Philly has been jelling nicely outside the limelight, I will go against the grain and pick the Eagles. Now Andy, don’t let me down.

Philadelphia over N.Y. Giants


St. Louis at Oakland

Ugh, what a crapfest this game is going to be. I think the NFL may black this one out just on the grounds that if anyone watches it, it could be considered cruel and unusual punishment. So, the question is, which team has more players quitting on them this week? I guess I have to pick one, huh. Ok, well, since St. Louis showed they can score on a good defense, and that Oakland would only have one win if it weren’t for Pittsburgh giving them an early Christmas present, I think it is painfully obvious who will win this one. The emphasis, as with all Oakland games, is on painful.

St. Louis over Oakland


Kansas City at San Diego

Another week, another division opponent at home for the Chargers to trounce. You know what is really annoying about San Diego? Whenever they score at home, they play this song called the San Diego Super Chargers that sounds like it originated in the Dan Fouts era. It is a catchy little ditty, and would probably be a lot of fun if you were a Chargers fan. But if you are not, hearing that sucker 4-5 times a game is like scratching nails across a chalkboard right next to your ear for three hours. Good times indeed. This week, they face a Kansas City team that could not even count on the mystique of Arrowhead to close out the Ravens. Sure, Larry Johnson is having another stellar year, but it will not save their season. Plus, he created such bad karma for the team with his crap about how it is better to play for a black coach since they understand the black player and where they come from. Hey, Larry, just to remind you, you grew up in State College, Pennsylvania! You grew up in a town that exists because of the presence of Penn State. 10 minutes outside of the town, in all directions, is nothing but farmland. You are so far from the hood, it is not even funny. I have no idea why or where he is trying to get street cred, but since I lived in State College for over six years, I can tell you this, he’ll get none coming from there. Plus, if you ask me, it is insulting to other black players that someone who grew up in comfy suburbia says these absurd things, and marginalizes those who really did struggle to come from poverty and dangerous urban conditions, broke through those barriers and made something of themselves. Ugh, what a jerk.

San Diego over Kansas City


Monday

Cincinnati at Indianapolis

This is actually an intriguing game between two teams on completely different trajectories. The Bengals have hit cruise mode with their offense kicking things up to levels of last year, and their defense suddenly stiffening up. The Colts, on the other hand, have found their normally high powered offense sputtering and their defense almost nonexistent. But, they are back in the safe confines of the RCA Dome this week, right? That means something, right? Yes, it does. It also means the Bengals want revenge for losing to the Colts last year on their own field. Personally, I really have some distaste for both teams. I have disliked the Colts since they ran from Baltimore in the dark of night, and as for the Bungles, well, I never liked them. So, personal feelings aside, who will win? Marvin Lewis is a good coach, and very observant. And I have a feeling he watched very closely what Jacksonville did last week, and has been prepping Rudi Johnson all week for a very big game.

Cincinnati over Indianapolis

The Crystal Ball Week 14

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on December 6, 2006.

I thought long and hard about what I wrote last week, with me coming down so hard on my team and their coach. I even spoke to a few others, big Steelers fans themselves, about it. Some said the team needed it, other said they could never write bad things about the team. I was conflicted, but ultimately, it was not so much for them, but for me. I felt it cathartic to get all of those negative feelings out about the team. Sure they stink this year, but that does not change how much I like them. They stunk in 2003, but I still dug watching the Tommy Maddox air show. And even each year they lost the AFC championship game, I always came back the next season, believing that this year will be the year. It finally paid off last year, didn’t it? See, it always pays to believe. Plus, who knows. Maybe a few of the players are blog addicts, found this one and got inspired. Now that is a pipe dream.

I watched my DVD of the 2005 season again recently, remembering all the good times from last year, all the good feelings and all the joy it brought to Steeler fans everywhere. Before the season I put the DVDs away, I did not want to look back with another season here. I wanted to focus on a new season, a new chance and new opportunities, not old memories. But with this season winding down, and no great memories coming from it, I wanted to be inspired, to remember why I was a fan, and why I continue to watch through so much thin rather than thick. And as I watched, I remembered. Because that one time when everything comes together just right, and the team rolls right to the top, all those years of dashed hopes and short seasons seem to melt away with that one glorious moment when your team is on top. You can say, yes, that is my team, and they are number one, all others are number two or lower. And it feels great. I can only imagine how good it must feel to be a part of it. Perhaps one day I may know, but in the meantime, I will take comfort in the joy of being a fan, and remember those good times when doubts creep in when it seems that they cannot win a game or even get a first down.

But this week, well, what do you know, a certain team won a certain game. My Steelers finally showed some of that heart I knew was in there, yet began to doubt. Why cannot they play like that every week? It was not flashy or overly exciting, but they did what they had to do. They were efficient, methodical and physical. The offensive line had the exact opposite game from the previous week; they were strong, punishing and kept Ben in business. The running game was not spectacular, but it did enough to get the job done. It was nothing anyone would write home about except for one, important fact, it was a win, and that is all I wanted and ever want. Brady can have his GQ covers and Peyton can have his records, I just want wins, and this week those Steelers gave me one, and I thank them kindly.

Tampa Bay cheaped out with a lame field goal as time expired to avoid the shut out. A very bush league move by Gruden, and he knows it too. I hope that after the season, the Bucs management sees that game for what it was and shows Gruden that it should have been a shut out, and he played for the meaningless points. Gruden has shown he may be more over rated than previously thought. He has led this team, after winning the Super Bowl in 2002, to one winning season, completely dismantled a winner and has done nothing but complained relentlessly about it. He has been setting the bar low all season by complaining about their schedule since it was first revealed, and he and the team have lived up to those low expectations. His worst complaint, and one of the dumbest complaints I have ever heard, is he commented that it was poor management by the Buccaneers for spending 8 million dollars and four draft picks, two first rounders and two second rounders, to acquire him from Oakland. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. I know he is trying to shift blame and make excuses so he can remain employed, but that may be going too far. The big bosses do not want excuses, they want wins. And while they will tolerate a certain level of ineptness and excuses, they certainly will not when that finger of blame is being pointed at them. Now, his point was that it is hard to keep a team loaded with talent with diminished resources, and it is correct. But the point of acquiring him was to lead the team, no matter the personnel, to a winning record and ultimately a championship. What people tend to forget with Gruden is he left Oakland probably knowing that the Raiders went as far as they could and was about to start sinking soon. And I think he was probably more surprised than most that they faced each other in the Super Bowl. And he won that Super Bowl with Tony Dungy’s team, not John Gruden’s. Once Gruden started putting his stamp on the team, it fell apart and fast. Now, they are mired in losing, and he is just trying to shift the blame away from where it belongs, squarely on his shoulders.

Anyway, Pittsburgh has a short week this week, and that could be detrimental to having a healthy roster against the Browns. Injuries to Cedrick Wilson and Ryan Clark could hurt, and since Cowher has already listed them as out for Thursday night, here is hoping they can get healthy for Carolina on the 17th. At least the team does not have to travel, with the game being played in Pittsburgh. But they finally made a few things happen off the field too. Willie Reid had his season come to an end by being placed on injured reserve, allowing them to re-sign receiver Lee Mays. And they also did something about the never used Duce Staley, cutting the back to create roster space. In his place they signed Chidi Iwuoma, whom they should have never cut in the first place. Iwuoma will be a help in the depleted secondary, as well as bring a spark to the special team units. Hopefully, this will plug some holes until a few guys get better.

Now a few other things, but not many, since I want to get right to the games this week.

Who in their right mind would want to play the Tennessee Titans right now? They have won 5 of their last 6 games, and Vince Young is blowing up all previous expectations. As a starter, he is 5-4, and if this was an NFC team, I would say they would have playoff aspirations. This is one of the most dangerous teams right now in the NFL. Part of me just KNEW I should have picked them over the Colts. Ahhhh, shoulda coulda woulda.

I guess the Jay Cutler era did not get off to the banner start for which Shanahan was hoping. I cannot say I am totally surprised, since throwing a rookie quarterback into the line up against a quality team late in the season in primetime is not necessarily the best way to win games. Sure, his potential is much higher than Plummer’s, but does he have what it takes to win now? From what I saw, he is not yet ready. Shamefully, the best pass I saw all night was the flick pass that Plummer tossed to Elam on the fake kick attempt. And by the way, that was a stupid move. Why would you risk unnecessary injury to your kicker with a pointless play like that? I wonder if Shanahan’s brain has frozen over.

How far will the Giants fall? At least they did not look pathetic last week, Dallas just looked better. But in a must win division game, that was not a good performance. If they have any hope of making it to the playoffs, they need to play much better than that. On the other side of the field, how happy did Parcells look over his choice to sign Gramatica? He looked like Ralphie after he opened up the Red Rider.

And speaking of the NFC, how lame is this conference? Do you realize there are only 4 teams in the entire conference with a winning record? 4. that is just sad. And 4 teams are tied for the 2 wild card spots with identical 6-6 records. I know there is still a quarter of the season left, but that is kind of pathetic. I see another AFC Super Bowl winner this year.

Bob Costas is the idiot of the week. The team was interviewing Chad Johnson on Football Night in America, during halftime of the Sunday night game. Bob asked him about Saints head coach Sean Payton getting Chad tickets to the Bengals/Saints game for some friends and family. Payton had said he got him the tickets no problem, but he was still waiting to be paid for them. Costas found this to be an amusing little story, and throws it to Chad, wanting to know if he will pay Payton. First, what kind of question is that? It seemed odd to me and to be implying Johnson is some sort of cheapskate who welches on his debts. Second, Chad responded that of course he would pay the coach, and Costas did not hear his response, since he was still babbling away, and then there was dead air, during which Costas makes some remark about silence from the normally talkative Chad Johnson. Chad reiterates his response, and the interview wraps up. Afterwards, Costas makes another stupid comment saying he hopes Chad will pay or something of the sort, completely ignoring the fact that Johnson answered that he would repay Payton TWICE. Collinsworth was going to win, since first he asked a stupid question of why Chad, who is normally so gregarious and outgoing, has been so serious of late. Meanwhile, while he was asking the question he had this dopey grin on his face. You know why Cris, because his team is fighting to make the playoffs, and if Chad has shown us one thing, other than his excellent play, is that he is a team first guy and will always try to push the team more than promote himself. His team needs him at the top of his game and concentrating on reeling off wins, not coming up with celebrations. Chad knows this and is working hard to make it happen, and has been delivering. What a dumb question. Scratch that, they are both idiots

SI’s sportsman of the year for 2006 was selected, and Dwayne Wade was their choice. I read through the reactions of readers to the choice. Some were in agreement, some in disagreement, and some were downright venomous against the choice. I have no issues with the choice of Wade as the Sportsman of the year. He is a good choice, a great player who has shown he can improve his game when the stakes are at the highest. Many of the other candidates mentioned, Steve Nash, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Tony Dungy, Jim Leyland, the Detroit Tigers, Drew Brees and the entire Saints team, all would have been equally compelling choices. However, I would like to put forth a choice that has been overlooked, mostly because his sporting days are over.

Jerome Bettis would have been an excellent choice for sportsman of the year. His greatest contributions were overlooked, since most of them happened after the 2005 sportsman was selected. At the start of Pittsburgh's run, he put the team on his back and gave them his last 100 yard game. After that, he was the on field role player he had become and the off the field leader he always had been. Part tank, part teacher, part cheerleader, part general and part mentor, he became the rallying point for a team and a city on a mission. His presence alone helped spur an entire team to reach greater heights. His mere absence this year has shown all of us how much he is truly missed in that locker room.

Plus, part of being a sportsman is not merely your on the field accomplishments, but also your off the field achievements. Bettis has been a fixture in the NFL, Pittsburgh and all over with his various charity work, including his the Bus Stops Here Foundation, which has been reaching out and helping underprivileged children since 1997.

He is a man who came from humble beginnings, and never forgot those who helped him achieve all that he has in life. He never let those who said he could not make it get him down. He knew he would be something. For these reasons and many more, I would have used my vote, if given one, to select Jerome Bettis.

I would like to send out my condolences to Jerome and the entire Bettis family on the loss of their patriarch, Johnnie. The elder Bettis passed away, leaving an unfillable void in many lives. I hope you find some peace Jerome, and know that we are thinking of you.

Also, here is hoping Al Wilson has a full recovery after a frightening collision with a teammate during the Broncos/Seahawks game on Sunday night. Football is a violent game, and for all the pounding and hits these men take and deliver, it is a testament to their training and conditioning that serious injuries like Wilson’s are as rare as they are. Because of that, we sometimes forget that these men have a very dangerous profession and risk their lives on each play. But it is not until we see a scary injury like Wilson’s that we are reminded of how dangerous it really is on that field.

See, this is why I never pick Oakland. The one time I do it, and see where it gets me? Creamed, that’s where. Stupid Raiders. Besides that, I got KILLED this week.

Last Week: 8-8
Season to Date: 109-83

That is nothing to be proud of, or even impressed by. How about we start this week out right?


Thursday

Cleveland at Pittsburgh

The champs back in primetime, in a game only Cleveland or Pittsburgh fans will want to watch! Looks like the NFL Network is not getting the exciting games they had hoped for in order to force Time Warner and Comcast to put them in their cable packages. Oh well, maybe next year. This should be a good one, though, since both are coming off wins and Pittsburgh will be playing for their infinitesimally small playoff hopes. Plus, Cleveland will be feeling their oats after topping KC last week and desperately wants to breaks Pittsburgh’s current 6 game winning streak against them. Yeah, the champs are reeling a bit this season, but not this week.

Pittsburgh over Cleveland


Sunday

Atlanta at Tampa Bay

Is there life in Atlanta? Maybe, but I think Vick and his passing last week is more the exception than the rule. Until I see him doing stuff like that every week, I am not buying into him being the next great evolution in quarterbacks. Vince Young looks more like the next evolution than Vick. But Tampa Bay really sucks this year, and someone has to win.

Atlanta over Tampa Bay


Baltimore at Kansas City

How bad did the Ravens offense look against the Bengals? Horrid, which is how they looked for years until this year. Their defense did well, holding the high powered Bengals to 13 points, but suffered the same fate their defense always has, a great defensive performance submarined by a lousy offensive showing. But was this an aberration, or a sign of things to come, that is the real question. Meanwhile, in a must win game for the edge in the wild card race, Kansas City crapped the bed and blew a game they were winning handily in Cleveland. So, we have two teams fighting for the playoffs and positioning, and both come up short. Who goes the extra mile this week? Baltimore has had an extra few days off to tweak things, and more importantly, watch KC and see exactly how the Browns pulled off the upset. Yes, the game is in Kansas City, but for some reason, I do not think, for once, that will make all that big of a difference.

Baltimore over Kansas City


Indianapolis at Jacksonville

Jacksonville managed to keep its playoff hopes, no matter how slim, alive with a win over the Dolphins. The Colts lost on a last second 60 yard field goal, although they had trouble with the Titans and their running game all day long. However, they have not locked anything up yet, and I do not see them letting off the gas just yet. Nor do I see them losing two in a row.

Indianapolis over Jacksonville


Minnesota at Detroit

Will anyone be watching this game? Other than team owners and maybe a few people around Detroit who find themselves out and about on a Sunday afternoon and bored to tears for something to do. I doubt it. Detroit blew a totally winnable game last week in New England. Will they do it again at home against a sinking Viking team? Well, here is hoping they play against form.

Detroit over Minnesota


New England at Miami

I thought this might be an intriguing match up, until Miami reverted to form last weekend against Jacksonville. If they had won, I might have picked them this week, since they would be fighting for a playoff spot. Since they did not, I have trouble seeing them beating a rolling Patriots team eyeing a chance at a first round bye.

New England over Miami


N.Y. Giants at Carolina

So which team to go with, the Panthers who have zero consistency, or the Giants who are reeling after 4 straight losses? Tough call indeed. You know what? Let’s go out on a limb with this one. I have a feeling that the Giants are gonna break out of that slump this week. And if I am wrong, I can blame it on indigestion.

N.Y. Giants over Carolina


Oakland at Cincinnati

Cincinnati is coming on strong, fighting to get a playoff spot, and possibly even catch Baltimore in the division, if they get a few breaks. Plus, in case you just joined us, allow me to reiterate something. I will never pick Oakland again this season. Taking that knowledge in hand, who do you think?

Cincinnati over Oakland


Philadelphia at Washington

So, the Eagles have not given up yet on the season? Damn good for them they play in the NFC; they may be able to make a playoff season of this yet. After an impressive win against Carolina, now they take on a division foe in the Redskins. Washington has been maddeningly inconsistent and underachieving all season. Last week, they could not even hold a lead at home against the also maddeningly inconsistent Falcons. The Eagles have their backs against the wall, and are fighting. The Redskins, they just seem to be looking forward to some time off.

Philadelphia over Washington


Tennessee at Houston

At the beginning of the season, this looked like a stinker game. It still does, but with an opportunity to see the electrifying Vince Young and the steamrolling Titans. I know the Texans probably feel pretty good with a win last week, but I doubt it will last long. There is a big difference between beating Oakland and beating Indianapolis.

Tennessee over Houston


Green Bay at San Francisco

San Francisco seems to be on the upswing, with some impressive wins and tough play all season. Although after getting spanked by the Saints, they realize they have a long way yet to go. This week, however, Frank Gore will have a field day with the Green Bay defense, since it still has a long way to go as well. Although I think A.J. Hawk will be the keystone of that defense for years to come. Unfortunately, Brett still tries to do things he can no longer do, and until he realizes that and stops taking too many crazy chances, they will not go far.

San Francisco over Green Bay


Seattle at Arizona

Is it just me, or does Hasselbeck look not quite right in the pocket? He just seems like he is not back in the groove of things. Perhaps after some more game time, he will be alright, but if I were a Seahawks fan, I would be hoping that time comes sooner rather than later. Arizona is looking like some lucky dogs for getting Leinart in the draft, but if they do not get him a decent offensive line in the off season, games like last week will be few and far between.

Seattle over Arizona


Buffalo at N.Y. Jets

Buffalo is playing some tough football, against some very tough opponents. If they stay on course, I do not think it will be long before we start seeing the Bills again at the top of the AFC East. The problem right now is they do not have all the weapons they need, and the jury is still out on whether or not Losman is the answer at quarterback. The Jets, well, they just keep finding new ways to win, and are fighting their way into the playoff picture. They are not done yet, and may decide the picture one way or another before this season is over.

N.Y. Jets over Buffalo


Denver at San Diego

I feel bad for Jay Cutler. He has the potential to be a really good quarterback. Who knows, maybe in two or three years, hardly anyone will even remember his first game as a pro. But what a hellacious way to start a career, having to face the NFC champions in your first game followed by one of the toughest and hottest teams in the AFC the next. I doubt those rookie jitters are going to get any better once Steroid Boy, I mean Shawne Merriman, comes charging across that line. Denver may be letting their season slip away before their very eyes. I bet Tomlinson tacks on a few more touchdowns too, just for good measure.

San Diego over Denver


New Orleans at Dallas

Now this is a great match up for Sunday Night. Dallas is rolling with Tony Romo under center, and looks as though they have finally found a permanent replacement for Troy Aikman. The Saints are in uncharted territory, leading their division and on target for a playoff spot and perhaps even a first round bye. So who wins this game? Who has more on the line? Who has more desire to win? Me? I am picking the team with the sublime seventh round wide receiver, and not the one with the overpaid, over hyped wide receiver that leads the league in dropped passes.

New Orleans over Dallas


Monday

Chicago at St. Louis

What is the story with Rex Grossman? This guy looked like the 1985 Jim McMahon to start the season, now he looks like an end of his career collecting a ring backing up Brett Favre Jim McMahon. If he does not find his groove, this could hurt them come playoff time. But for now, their defense and special teams are keeping them on top. St. Louis has obviously given up on their season, and players are publicly calling each other out as quitting on the team and infighting are tearing them apart. I cannot with any confidence to pick them, even at home.

Chicago over St. Louis

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

The Crystal Ball Week 12

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on November 22, 2006.


Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! Yes, we have an extremely short week this week due to the impending grub fest of a holiday. So one and all please gather with friends and family this week and give some thanks. I figured this week I would give a few thanks for some things I like in the NFL.

I will give some thanks for the first two game winning streak of the season for the Steelers. Excellent comeback win, although if you ask me it should have never been that close. I mean, for Pete’s sake, we are talking about the Browns here! Was this game a microcosm for the season? A horrendous first half followed thrilling second half where they pull out the win at the last second. Considering we are two games into the second half and 2-0, I sure hope it is a microcosm for the season. They are still 4 games behind Baltimore, but they are looking a bit better with this miniature winning streak. I am absolutely thrilled about that. They did have great second half composure, despite three freaky interceptions in the first half. Tell me how many times that has happened in a game, where three times receivers tip the ball right to defenders. Weird. Now, that first one Ben totally honked and threw it way too high, but still. And even better, the defense only gave up 6 points. It did not help that special teams and offense gave up 14, but for once luckily it did not hurt. Slowly but surely they are climbing back. That flicker of hope just got that much brighter.

The 72 Dolphins will give some thanks and tip a glass of champagne to the Cowboys for doing their part in helping make sure they remain the only undefeated team in NFL history for one more year. The Cowboys played tough in Texas Stadium and defeated the Indianapolis Colts, ending their potential bid at the elusive undefeated season. I think the Colts are disappointed, but I do not think this will mar their season. You listen to them, their goal is never to go undefeated; it is to get some championship hardware. Keep your eyes on the prize boys, and trust me the prize is not an annual champagne toast.

Also, I will give some thanks to NBC, for finally righting their Thursday night lineup. Granted, this is not football related per se, but I think the mojo they created from their fantastic Sunday Night game has spread to other areas of the network. Thursday night used to be the anchor of their week, and if you look back through the years, the comedies and dramas that have spent time on this spot of their schedule looks like a TV hall of fame. But it had fallen into disrepair over the last few seasons and was looking to be in danger of extinction. Now, they have a killer lineup again, starting at 8 with My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock in one night, followed by the venerable ER to cap the evening. I cannot remember the last time I liked and wanted to watch every show on one network in the same evening. Fantastic fun ahead. Looks like I may need to watch TV regularly two days a week now.

And speaking of NBC, I am thankful for the flex schedule. So far it has been excellent. Now, I know next week will end up not being as good, but who could predict what happened to McNabb. If the Eagles show their heart, it can still be a good game, and continue making this the game to watch each week.

I am thankful for the NFL for finally finding a way to allow coaches who want to wear suits during the game to dress in this distinctive way. This is a fantastic move. Nothing conveys authority and control like the suited coach. They look confident, in charge, and ready to lead. It obviously helps, look at San Francisco; they are now 5-5 and a game out of the division lead. Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? They might even go on a run now. And Jacksonville is now 6-4 and has a good edge on the ever tightening AFC wild card race. Both teams with suited coaches won this weekend, making the suit revival a strong 2-0 thus far. Plus, it looks cool for the football field, and as I said last week, really spurs images from the past. Landry, Lombardi, Stram and many others always wore a suit on the sidelines, giving no doubt as to who was in charge of their respective ships. I have said it before, adding that kind of history and imagery to your team can only help.

I am thankful that in one game, we can have two future hall of fame quarterbacks playing that are both ruggedly handsome and the NFL world would not turn without either of them. Why did it take so long for Favre and Brady to share the same field! Ok, I am being a little sarcastic here.

I am thankful that you are still reading despite this cheesy premise for a football column.

I also am thankful for DirecTV. Thanks to them, I can see Pittsburgh play every week. I was able to see every snap of every game last year on their run to the Super Bowl, and every snap thus far this year on their run to the toilet bowl. Plus, I can watch any other game that strikes my fancy, and it is wonderful.

I am thankful for the feel good stories of unheralded players making it big. Tony Romo, Frank Gore and Marques Colston are all unheralded players that are making their impact on the NFL, in very big ways. Every year you always hear about big name college players coming into the NFL and how they will change the face of the game, or lead their team to victory or some other ridiculous prediction for them. Or you hear ad nausea about some overpaid, over hyped petulant star that spends more time running their mouth than making something happen on the field. It is refreshing, and inspiring, to see these fellows come up and take over, showing the world that talent does not have to come from a football factory school.

Now, a few things I am not thankful for, since there is always a dark side to the light.

I am not thankful for Microsoft word spell check. Also not exactly football related, but I do use it to write. The spell check and grammar check have let me down. I went to look at last week’s column, just for review, and found at least two errors. This is after a thorough scrubbing by the supposed “tools” on this product. Hey, how about helping a guy out? I found other errors too, but those were just my own bad grammar, bad spelling and unclear writing. The only thing that will fix that is to write more often. And yes, I am working on it, thank you for reminding me yet again.

I am not thankful that coaches can only wear the suit twice a season. What kind of silly rule is that? Yes, I know you want the coaches to model the latest NFL apparel available for sale at their team’s website and NFLshop.com, but come on. Suited coaches last weekend were 2-0, they looked professional, their teams performed well, ok that is questionable for some of the Jags receivers, and they even kept Jack Del Rio relatively calm on the sidelines. Jack usually is jumping around and bouncing up and down the sidelines, but this week, he was calm, cool and collected. Compared to Coughlin on the other sideline, Jack looked far more in charge of his team than Tom did. Come on NFL, let them wear it all season if they so choose.

I am not thankful for another appearance by OJ. I feel pretty confident in saying the following: OJ, we know you did it, we know you got away with it. No innocent person, or one in their right mind, would ever write a book about how they would hypothetically murder their ex wife and the mother of their children. Now do us all a favor and take a long walk off of a short pier, or at least go back to the rock you climbed out from under. It is hard to believe this man was once a star in the NFL and a beloved public figure.

I am not thankful for the unprofessional behavior of some of the players in the NFL. The Haynesworth situation in Tennessee was really bad. And I have noticed in many games a lot of really dirty, and blatant, acts on the field. Cleveland defensive end Simon Fraser repeatedly pounding Ben Roethlisberger into the ground on an interception return, obviously trying to injure the QB, was particularly cringe worthy. But I saw another one this weekend that made me shout at the television. I was watching the Sunday night game between San Diego and Denver, and Charger defensive end Igor Olshansky punched Bronco center Tom Nalen right in the back of the head. What are you thinking? Your team is trying to hold on for a victory, and you pull a bone head move like that. You almost cost your team the game, get thrown out, will definitely get a fine and possibly brought on the ire of your teammates, who wonder if they can trust you to keep your head about yourself in a tighter situation. Plus, and more importantly, what kind of professional can you call yourself when you react to something happening to you like a petulant child? And to top it off, you could get suspended by the league, thus hurting your team that much more since you are still missing 3 defensive starters, with one not due back for two weeks and one out for the season.

I am not thankful for the Chargers new quarterback. Phillip Rivers acts like such a twit with his yelling and screaming nonsense. It is not angry or malicious, just exuberance in trying to keep his team pumped. Now normally, I would love that kind of enthusiasm, but from him, somehow it just seems so forced and fake. It feels like the nerdy guy that tries to pal around with the jocks, but without going through the punishing practices or training they do, but still wanting to be part of their clique so he makes up for it with enthusiasm. Of course, this is just my impression, and I may be way off on it, but hey, it is how it comes across to me. Plus, and this needs to be said, it would be easy for anyone to be a good QB with all the weapons around him. People have been busting Ben Roethlisberger since he took over the starting job in Pittsburgh by saying it is not that he is that good, but that he has benefited from coming into a great situation. And they have gone on to say that if it were another quarterback in Ben’s situation, they would have thrived as well while Ben would have stumbled if he had been in a different situation, a team with less talent, less weapons or poor coaches and staff. Well, the situation with personnel and playmakers is similar between the Chargers and Steelers and in some cases the Chargers better than Pittsburgh, but no one says these things about Rivers. They say, oh, he is so great, and GM A.J. Smith made the right move by initially acquiring and now deciding to go with Rivers over Brees. No, it is never that Rivers is lucky, or in a great situation, it is because he is the best quarterback to come along since Tom Brady. Hey, until he does something of consequence, I will call him lucky. It is easy to be a great passer when your running game can bail you out of bad games. It is even easier when you have 4-5 uber talented receivers/tight ends/running backs on your roster that can catch almost any pass thrown in their general direction. How easy is it when the pressure is truly on? Yes, he has done very well thus far, but he has yet to be truly tested.

And on that note, I am not thankful for the Chargers as a team or an organization. I find them riddled with high talent, low quality of character personnel, and I want nothing more than to see them fall flat on their faces in the playoffs yet again. They had one quality of character guy, and they unceremoniously ran him out of town, which is another reason I do not like them. Luckily for him and New Orleans, he leads the Saints offense now. All of the players on the team drive me to distraction, from Olshansky, Tomlinson calling himself LT without any punishment or payback from the football gods or anyone else, even though that is Lawrence Taylor’s nickname, Shawne Merriman, his massive ego, his steroid use and denials of said use, which have been commented on here previously to Rivers and his grating presence. I have had an official assful of San Diego. This team used to be one I liked, but in the last few years they have quickly degraded to one in which I cannot stand anyone, from the coach on down. I wish them nothing but bad luck from here on out. Luckily, Shottenheimer is their coach, so I feel confident they will screw things up in the playoffs.

I am not thankful for Donovan McNabb having another season ending injury. He was doing very well this season, regaining the form that took the Eagles to 4 straight NFC championship games and 1 Super Bowl berth. But then, right when you least expect it, he blows out an ACL and is done. I know he has a long road to recovery ahead for him, and here is hoping he traverses it successfully.

Ok, so last week I did not get exactly what I wanted. I was hoping for a double digit win week, and that just did not happen.

Last Week: 9-7
Season to Date: 90-70

Not too bad, but not good either. At least it was not a losing record. Well, this week, not only do I have Sunday and Monday for games, but Thursday as well. Yes, it is time for the tasty traditional Thanksgiving Day football games. This year we have three, count 'em three, games on tap. The third is the first ever game broadcast on the NFL Network. I watched their coverage of NFL Europe games in the spring, and here is hoping they did some work to improve their broadcasts since then. I do not want to deride them, since it is hard to get things up and running perfectly from the start, but of all the things they could upgrade, I hope they focused on their color commentators. Well, its Thanksgiving, why look upon these things badly? I am just thankful for three games on turkey day, or in honor of new hall of famer John Madden, turducken day.


Thanksgiving Games

Miami at Detroit

I think we are seeing the late season push by the Dolphins. Miami needs to watch out, though. They are in danger of becoming relevant in the race for the AFC East crown. With New England at 7-3 and the Jets not far behind, Miami could theoretically sneak up on both of them, if they are not careful. If they get too close, I bet they will start choking again. Detroit, wow, how bad are they? You cannot even beat the Cardinals, now that is embarrassing. I cannot in good conscious take them to win. Even though the Lions on Thanksgiving Day is an American staple.

Miami over Detroit


Tampa Bay at Dallas

How about those Cowboys! An excellent win over the Colts at home, Romo led the Boys on several scoring drives while behind and put Dallas in position to win. I was impressed by them, and Romo in particular. I only have two questions at this point. One, will he come back down to earth, and two, why did they not start him sooner? Tampa Bay, well, it has been a long season, and is only getting longer.

Dallas over Tampa Bay


Denver at Kansas City

The NFL Network’s first game is a doozy, and a lot tougher to pick than any of the other games on turkey day. Currently in this rivalry, the home team has prevailed in last 8 meetings, with the Broncos beating KC earlier this season in Denver 9-6. What is obvious is that Jake Plummer needs to step up his play, and in a huge way, for the Broncos to even repeat how far they went last year, let alone go further. The mental errors he made at the end of the San Diego game were unacceptable, and took away the slim chance they had at tying up the game. It did not help him that his vaunted defense got torched last week, either. But I think they had a bad game, and can reassert themselves rather quickly. It would help, though, if they can get the KC offense off the field and limit third down conversions, something they had trouble doing against the Chargers. Kansas City is glad to have Trent Green back under center, and is hoping that after a week in action, he can start regaining form. Although, I do not feel too good about their chances this week after they had to work hard to pull one out at home against Oakland, especially since they are playing on a short week. Also, the Chiefs record versus the AFC this season is a depressing 1-4, with that one win coming last week against Oakland. I guess it is time to close my eyes, cross my fingers, throw the dart and see where it lands.

Denver over Kansas City


The Rest of the Best

Arizona at Minnesota

Wow, Arizona has won two games this season. Is everyone glad they made them their sleeper pick this year? I think it is a rite of fall when everyone tabs the Cardinals as the sleeper, and then a rite of winter that they fail to live up to those ridiculous predictions. There may very well come a day when the Cardinals are good, maybe even consistently good. It did, to some degree, happen for the Bengals. So I suppose there is hope. Minnesota, however, is reeling big time. After such a strong start, they have pretty much fallen apart. I did not expect much from them this year, so they have finally settled down to my expectations. But I would like to see Brad Childress succeed there, if for no other reason than he looks like a high school science teacher. I think the Cardinals will provide a nice salve for them.

Minnesota over Arizona


Carolina at Washington

Washington is, well, a mess. I hate to say it, because I am a Gibbs fan, but this team is sinking fast. Perhaps just throwing around money is not the way to win, Dan. I bet Randle El is wishing for the umpteenth time he had not chased the dollar right about now. Carolina is getting back to their winning ways. Although, what was with Steve Smith blowing chunks on the sideline last week. He must have been tattooed pretty hard for him to lose his lunch. I bet he’s fine by this weekend.

Carolina over Washington


Cincinnati at Cleveland

Now here is one I have no idea what to do with. I have seen how tough Cleveland can play, and how opportunistic their defense really can be. They did tire at the end of the game and gave up a lot of plays, but they smack you in the mouth. Cincinnati has been putting up some big numbers and shredded the Saints last week through the air. I gotta go with Cincinnati. That way if they lose, I will be happy with the loss since, of course, it will help Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati over Cleveland


Houston at N.Y. Jets

Houston cannot do anything right. They had that game against the Bills last week, they had it. And they let J.P. Losman score a last second touchdown on them. They should be embarrassed. You are not on your way to respectability if you give away games at home like that. The Jets, however, are on their way. Yes, they lost to Da Bears, but they played them tough, and held them to 10 points. Pennington needs to play better to give them a chance to win, especially if their defense is going to keep them in the game.

N.Y. Jets over Houston


Jacksonville at Buffalo

Buffalo performed nicely last week, calmly marching down the field to grab the winning touchdown as time was expiring in Houston. Excellent play by the offense on that drive and good calls by the coaches made it possible. Now, if you follow a logical path, since Buffalo beat Houston, and Houston beat Jacksonville twice, then Buffalo should annihilate the Jags. But somehow, I just do not see that happening. Even with the game being played in Buffalo, I still do not see it happening. Of course, now that I said that out loud, the crappy version of the Jaguars will show up and the final will be like 42-7 Bills. Stupid football.

Jacksonville over Buffalo


New Orleans at Atlanta

Here is a tough one, and a potentially good match up. The Falcons are reeling, and their season is starting to slip away. Plus, they have some controversy surrounding the team after Jim Mora Sr. said on a radio show that Vick is a coach killer. That cannot make life easy for his son in the locker room. The Saints defense seems also to be finally coming down to earth, and that does not bode well for them or for a late season push to win the division. What also does not bode well for a playoff push is that they have lost three of their last four games. They need to win to keep pace with Carolina, who now leads the NFC South. I see this being a tight one, and probably high scoring as well.

New Orleans over Atlanta


Pittsburgh at Baltimore

Pittsburgh is on their first winning streak of the season and now have to go to Baltimore for a must win division game. If they pull this one out, then they make the race for the AFC North that much tighter. If not, well, their season is shot and Baltimore can pretty much walk away with the title and a playoff spot. Just call me Don Quixote.

Pittsburgh over Baltimore


San Francisco at St. Louis

I am not sure what to make of this game. St. Louis has lost 5 in a row, and San Francisco is feeling their oats after beating Seattle and bringing themselves within a game of the division lead. Yes, they beat the Seahawks without Hasselbeck, but they did it on the ground, amassing 262 yards of rushing. The Rams started off strong, but have stumbled since, and had atrocious pass protection last week in Carolina allowing Bulger to get sacked seven times. San Francisco has a terrible record away from home, and I see that playing a part in this game. And something tells me the Rams will throw everything out there to avoid letting the 49ers pull away from them in the division.

St. Louis over San Francisco


Oakland at San Diego

Since Oakland can barely find the field, and since San Diego has been punishing just about everyone with their high scoring offense as of late, this one is pretty much a no brainer. Yes, strange things happen on any given Sunday, but really, like anyone but the diehards of Raider Nation question what the outcome will be. So, in lieu of any real information on this lopsided stinker, how about a joke.

Two men walk into a bar, the third one ducked.

San Diego over Oakland


Chicago at New England

Now here we go with a good game. Da Bears continue their East Coast swing with a visit to Foxboro, after another thrilling win in the Meadowlands. Seriously, who made up the schedules and thought Chicago on the road three straight weeks in November on the East Coast was a good idea? Sometimes I wonder about the NFL. Da Bears are stepping up when it’s needed most, and their defense is getting more stifling. New England had a good win last week, flexing their muscle against a lesser Green Bay team. However, their home record is atrocious and this week they will be breaking in a new field. I do not like their chances, and I do like Da Bears.

Chicago over New England


N.Y. Giants at Tennessee

The Giants are reeling right now, trying to hold on while their numerous injured starters get healthy. The loss of these players was evident on Monday night, when they had no effective pass rush and could not get Jacksonville’s offense off the field. They should consider themselves lucky that the score was only 26-10, since it could have been much worse. Tennessee had a great game against Philadelphia, and was well on their way to winning before McNabb went out of the game. That is heartening to them, and I think they will give the Giants a tough game. New York needs keeps pace with Dallas in the NFC East. But I do not see them playing with enough drive right now, especially with all of the injuries they are trying to overcome. Plus, it does not help that Manning seems to be reverting to rookie year form. Of course, burning Pacman Jones a few times for touchdowns could give him some confidence. But I just do not trust the Giants enough to take them on the road.

Tennessee over N.Y. Giants


Philadelphia at Indianapolis

When NBC tabbed this game for their flex schedule, it looked like a tasty match up. The potentially undefeated Colts versus the resurgent and high flying Eagles. Now, the Colts have their first loss of the season courtesy of Dallas, and the Eagles are grounded thanks to McNabb suffering a season ending ACL tear in his right knee. I am sure Michaels and Madden will make something of this, but they will be the only ones. Who knows, perhaps Jeff Garcia will help make a game of it for the Birds and try to salvage the season. Or perhaps the highlight will be when Madden rolls out the turducken.

Indianapolis over Philadelphia


Green Bay at Seattle

I knew that Brett would play this week, I just knew it. Even before I found out what was wrong, I said they probably just kept him out to give Rodgers some playing time. Once information was released out of Green Bay I was proven right. Brett could have gone back into the game, but they kept him out since it was not a close one. It is a shame, however, that Rodgers broke his foot. That will hurt the team, and I bet they pick up someone soon off of waivers to give them another option at QB. I know last week I wanted to pick Green Bay really bad over New England, and wow, was I glad I resisted that temptation. Seattle, however, I cannot explain. No, Hasselbeck did not play, but Wallace had been doing fairly well in relief, so I cannot figure out how he, and the team, managed to fall so flat against the 49ers. Perhaps they will get their mojo back this week in the comforts of Qwest Field. They need to, since San Francisco is nipping at their heels in the division.

Seattle over Green Bay

The Crystal Ball Week 11

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on November 17, 2006.


I feel very strange this week. I am not sure what is going on with me. I feel as though a wave of euphoria has encompassed me. I feel as light as a feather and as strong as an ox. I feel like I could take on the world, and have time and energy remaining for dinner and dancing with my lady afterwards. There must be a reason for it. Oh, yes, I do know what it is; Pittsburgh has finally won another game! Yes, they finally won their third game of the season. Not only did they win, but they beat a quality opponent and they won in shoot out fashion to boot. I am so glad to see them not only win a game, but one that was more than a run and stuff. It makes me feel good to see them win one through the air as well as the ground. They finally played like the Super Bowl champions they are, and it was stellar. It was not all peaches and cream from start to finish, but they stood up and played tough and showed everyone that while they may be down, they are still tough, still the champs and still a force to be reckoned with, and that is more than enough for me.

Now, I have a few unseemly things about the game. First, the roughing the passer call in the second quarter was complete bull. I know it is illegal, and it was interpreted correctly, but come on. And the non call on the obvious pass interference on the Saints against Heath Miller in the third quarter was another blown call. He had his hands on Heath and when he tripped, he pulled Heath down. With all the favoritism on receivers nowadays, how can you not call that one? The Saints in the fourth quarter commit a false start and Pittsburgh is called for defensive offside. And that one was pretty blatant. Once again, I will say it; the NFL needs full time referees. Plus, Jeff Reed missed a field goal. Jeff, you always get the job done, what was that?

Now for some positives about it, other than the fact that for once my boys came through and I can finally wear my hat without getting a ton of static. Fast Willie Parker had a great performance, racking up 213 yards rushing, including two eye popping runs. Ben threw for three touchdowns and zero, count em, zero interceptions. The defense, despite going through secondary players like toilet paper, held on, especially when it counted most, forced turnovers and even sacked Brees, who had only been sacked 8 times thus far this season before this game. It must feel good for the defense to get turnovers instead of having to react to them, as per usual.

However, there were more injuries this week, which have been killing us, this time with Townsend and, more frightening, Polamalu, going down. I hope they are good for next week, because we need to keep the good things happening. I do not think I can bear another stretch of three losses. Polamalu has been practicing this week, but has yet to be medically cleared. It is a bit concerning, since he does have a history of concussions, mainly back when he played at USC. Since he arrived in the NFL, he has been good at avoiding such injuries until now. Hopefully this is not the start of a trend.

I know this is only one win, and as I acknowledged last week the season is probably in the crapper anyway, but it does feel really good to win again. And you never know. Of the remaining 7 games, 5 are division games, including two against division leader Baltimore. I know at this point, they need help other than to just win out, but hey, there is always hope. There are many different parts to being successful including going on a well timed run, having some luck, good preparation and peaking at just the right time, much like they did last year. As I said last week, the hope is pretty faint, but it just got a slight bit brighter this week. Maybe by week 16 it will be a raging inferno.

Joe Buck is an idiot. Buck actually said during the Saints/Steelers broadcast that New Orleans and their team this year has been somewhat overlooked. Is he nuts? Now, I know I immerse myself into the season, so it may seem to me that nothing is overlooked or under reported. But even I know that one of the biggest, if not biggest, stories this year has been the Saints. Their great off season acquisitions and draft, their explosive start, their powerful return to New Orleans and the Superdome, the city and state stepping up to insure they remain in Louisiana, their owner finally stating publicly that the Saints will stay in New Orleans and every other little thing about the team. I know almost as much about the Saints as I do about Pittsburgh! How in the hell could they possibly be an overlooked team? Buck more often than not blurts out a few asinine comments during a broadcast, but that is one of the dumber ones I have heard recently. I really cannot believe this twit is Fox’s number one broadcaster and that they completely revamped their pregame show around him.

Ok, time to take a breath. Much happened this week, so let’s take a look at a few of the high and low lights. Check out these bits of news lately out of the NFL. Some are great, some are sad, and some are just weird. Draw your own conclusions to what they mean.

- The defending champs are a sub .500 team.
- Atlanta cannot score more than 13 points on lowly Cleveland.
- New England loses to a division rival and drops two games in a row for the first time since 2002.
- Jacksonville drops two games this season to the Texans (although, that is not that weird, since lifetime versus the Texans, the Jaguars suck, hard. Wish I had known that one before I picked. Shame on me for poor research.)
- Denver barely squeaks past Oakland for the second time this season.
- Vinnie Testaverde makes yet another comeback, this time with the Patriots. Good for you Vinnie. I still remember Penn State beating Vinnie and his Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl many moons ago for the national championship. But Vinnie persevered and has had an NFL career like no other. Good to see him back, even if it’s only as a number 3 backup.
- Da Bears have yet another 100 + yard return for a touchdown for the second year in a row.
- Thanks to some crafty Reebok licensing, the well dressed coach will return to the sidelines this week, harkening images of Lombardi, Landry and Stram.
- Matt Millen and Denny Green are still employed.

What a barn burner in Cincinnati. I knew as soon as it was exploding that it would land on NFL Replay this week. I watched part of the game before I had to run a few quick errands, and listened to the rest on the radio. What a fantastic game, unless you like defense, because there was little defense to be had. Back and forth these competitors went, and both showing their mettle until the very end. Cincinnati still, in the waning moments, almost came through big until Chris Henry choked on that last potential touchdown pass. Even if you did not care about either team, it was still a great game to watch. I was almost regretful to turn it off in order to watch Pittsburgh, and even then I waited so long, I almost missed the Saints/Steelers kickoff. Absolutely riveting, and that is one of the reasons why this sport is so very popular, quality match ups that provide great drama.

Stupid Brady, I give him a complement, even after his crappy game against Indianapolis, and then he goes and does his best Aaron Brooks impression against the Jets, closing up the race for the division in the AFC East and looking rather mortal. Is it perhaps that he is not a god among men, or is it perhaps, finally, too many personnel changes are catching up with the team? I bet he really, really misses Deion Branch right now. Of course, it all means nothing and what do I really know? I will look at them this week, on their first two game skid in years, and figure them for another crappy performance. And knowing them they will go out and blow the doors off of Green Bay. Stupid Patriots.

Da Bears loss to Miami may just have been that cosmic fluke. Nice job in Giants Stadium this week by Da Bears. My apologies go out to Da Bears and Ditka for ever doubting them.

Remember last season when Miami started to come together under Saban and rolled off 6 straight wins to finish the season? Everyone was touting how they were back, and with some of their off season acquisitions, they led everyone to believe, based partially upon that performance, that they were a front runner for the Super Bowl. And then, with their current aging personnel and what was revealed to be horrible off season decisions on quarterbacks, they crapped the bed to start this season. Well, now we are near the end of the season again, and Miami is playing well. Are they priming themselves for another late season tear, so everyone thinks Saban has righted the ship and they will be right in the thick of things next year? Is this the only way Saban can successfully coach, when there is absolutely zero pressure left for even a smidgen of hope of post season glory? If he wins more, and they finish at or above 500 for the season, but safely out of any post season discussion the entire time, then I will know my answer.

Randy Moss is an idiot. He says he is not playing well because he is unhappy. Boo hoo. He admits that he plays poorly because he does not like being on a losing team and not being the focus of said team, and because of that, he feels there is no reason why he should put out the effort. BECAUSE YOU ARE AN OVERLY PAID PROFESSIONAL, YOU DOLT. Did no one teach you how to be a grown up? You are unhappy you are on a crappy team? That’s just too damn bad. SI.com had a list of people in the NFL that needed to go, and listed Moss as one of them, stating that he would never help the Raiders reach the post season. Post season? I will go so far as to say he will never help them reach .500. You want to know something Randy? You did this to yourself. You had everything you could ever want in Minnesota, but you dogged it there and played basically when the muse struck you right, admitting that you took plays off when you did not feel like putting forth the effort or when you felt that you were being underutilized. To the other 10 guys out on the field, that is something they do not want to hear. Why should they bust their ass when you cannot be bothered to? So you force a trade and get out of Minnesota, and go to the worst franchise in the league, which only seems to be getting worse and worse, and then you find out how unhappy you can be. You used to be one of the big name stars in the league, but your hubris and ego has landed you, literally, in the black hole. And now you are merely an afterthought and have lost any relevancy you once had in the league. And with your admission that you are not a professional and nothing more than a highly paid child prone to hissy fits, who will want you now? Who would possibly take the chance of having your laziness, attitude, poor work ethic and lack of professionalism infect their team? Only the most desperate and irrelevant and those teams suck. Welcome to the world of your own creation Randy, I hope it is all you dreamed of and more.

Ok, so once again the mid season report is, well, missing in action. Hey, it takes some time to come up with something that good! Ok, that is bull as well. It does take time, which I usually do not have a surplus of, plus this week there were so many other fascinating things that went on in the NFL, that I did not have time to devote to it. However, I still really like the idea, so I have decided to save it for the week between the championship games and the Super Bowl. That would be a good week for it, since there will only be three games to talk about then and how much can you really speak about with only four teams in action, and two remaining for the ultimate prize? Don’t answer that, it might give you a headache. For those of you who are impatient, like me, and cannot wait that long to find out the topic, I will happily reveal it. I will do my version of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and look back at the season, and what I said about it, and evaluate my performance. We are all so quick to evaluate those on the field; I think we should be big enough to turn those powerful observations on ourselves. Plus, it will give me a chance to review how I did, and you a chance to laugh at how stupid some of the things that came out of my head really were. See, we all win. Plus, it will save me from writing two articles in a row about the Super Bowl, which really can only be covered in so many ways. So, if you have stuck around this long, heck, why not go the distance? Self effacing humor is straight ahead down the road, and good times will result.

Two other notes to those who love football, its history and some of the great stories of past players, coaches and those who have helped bring and make this the great game we know and love today. First, the NFL is starting to broadcast their much touted new show America’s Game this week. The show is a 40 part series designed to try to do the impossible, answer the question of who is the greatest Super Bowl team of all time. Now, this is a question that will always be debated, no matter who they ultimately choose, because it is hard to compare teams from one era to another. Can you really compare Lombardi’s Packers who lived and died on the power sweep to the Vermeil’s greatest show on turf Rams? No way, two completely different teams, but a great argument nonetheless. What makes this more interesting is each show is an hour long documentary on the winner, with interviews and stories from former players, coaches and executives as they tell the stories of how their team went to the top. This looks to be a great series, and it will be interesting to see who they select as the top team. I feel good because I have 5 chances in 40, and I like those odds. Of course, so does Dallas and San Francisco. Hmmm, that is sub optimal. Nonetheless, it should be great viewing no matter who your favorite team happens to be. For more information, check out this fantastic website they created to support the program. I know I will be tuning in for sure. Might be hard to catch all 40, though, I might have to order the DVDs.

And second, well wishes go out to Bill Walsh, former coach and architect of the 49er’s dynasty of the 80s who is currently battling leukemia. Walsh has apparently responded well to the first round of chemotherapy and will soon begin a second round. We hope the Genius responds well to the treatment and is back to full health soon.

So, this week I could have went 1-15 and been happy because Pittsburgh was that one win. But I did a bit better than that.

Last Week: 9-7
Season to Date: 81-63

Not too shabby, and I even managed to take a few spots on the overall lead. I find it hard to find something to be unhappy about with those results. Although there are a few teams out there that keep burning me, and its driving me nuts and I have no idea what to do with them this week, although I will give it a shot. I would like to collect a few double digit win weeks, since they help my overall standings. Let’s try this week.


Atlanta at Baltimore

Yikes. Atlanta is suddenly letting their season slide away. They were running up a storm, Vick started making passes by running the option and they were looking rather dominant. Now, they slowed their running, are back to trying to turn Vick into a pocket passer, and they can barely score 13 points against Cleveland. Oh, sure, they can light Pittsburgh up for 41, but Cleveland? No way, they are way too tough. And Baltimore, yet again, finds a way to win. I am still not convinced they are good, but merely lucky. I mean come on, if they were really that good, they would not have had that much trouble with an also ran like the Titans. Although they may have a bit of trouble this week, since Ray Lewis is out after having a pocket of blood drained from his back. What a frightening thought. I cannot stand Lewis, but even I hope he recovers and that it is not a sign of a more serious problem. Since Lewis’s impact on the field, in my opinion, is far less than most believe, the defense will probably be just fine. I am going with Baltimore, that way if they win, I win, and if Atlanta pulls one off, well, then I feel really good about taking the loss.

Baltimore over Atlanta


Buffalo at Houston

Do I really have to say something about this game? I do? Oh, man. Ok, fine. It will be played in Reliant Stadium in Houston, which hosted Super Bowl 38. Houston is also the home of the NASA Space program, where mission control is located. Ummm, I think that is the most interesting thing you can say about this game. Oh, it will be slightly more fun than watching paint dry. Ok, in all seriousness, you got me. Both have won only three games thus far, and two of Houston’s wins have been against Jacksonville. However, they have been on the road for the past three straight games, so that might have contributed to the losses. Buffalo has at least won against three different opponents, and played it really tough against Indianapolis, but they also lost on the road to Detroit. I got nothing, so I am going home team.

Houston over Buffalo


Chicago at N.Y. Jets

This is the second week on the road for Chicago and the second week in a row in this stadium too. How did that work out? I hope they got a discount extended stay rate on their hotel accommodations. Both teams won last week, with Chicago winning big over the Giants and the Jets pulling one out in Foxboro. The Jets are playing tough, and Mangini is showing he knows how to get the most out of that roster far better than Herm Edwards did. It seems odd that Herm was more than happy to leave that sinking ship, and then Mangini strolls in, plugs a bunch of leaks and starts steering it in the right direction all while keeping expectations low and packing on the pounds like he is trying to audition as a stunt double for Kevin James. But this week, while I know the home team should be the favorite, but I gotta go Bears. Now, you watch, this week Da Bears will do what I figured they would do last week and drop one they should not while Mangini gets another stellar performance out of Pennington and company. Or perhaps Ditka just wants me to think that. He’s so sly. And yes, before anyone says it, I know Lovie Smith is really the coach. It’s just more fun to say Ditka than Smith, although Lovie is pretty fun to say too.

Chicago over N.Y. Jets


Cincinnati at New Orleans

This should be an interesting game. We have two teams coming off really tough losses last week in explosive games that were scoring fests, with both games going down to the very end. Each team made a few critical errors that ended up costing them a win. And no, I did not mean not playing defense. The question is who will rebound? New Orleans seems the more logical choice. While their defense put up its worst effort of the season last week, their offense kept them in the game and almost pulled their bacon out of the fire. Cincinnati’s offense did the same thing, but their defense is in worse shape by the looks of things. Also, Cincy lost a starter on their offensive line this week, and the spot will be going to a gentleman who will be making his first NFL start. That does not bode well for either the Bungle running game or for their pass protection, and if the Saints have any stones, they will try to exploit it as early and as often as possible. I see the Superdome edge playing a role here as well.

New Orleans over Cincinnati


Minnesota at Miami

Well, the Vikings cannot score a point to save their lives. They had a mediocre team at home last week, and could not get anything going. Now, Miami is a sub mediocre team, but they are playing at home, and as I said above, seem to be getting hot again. Plus, the curse of those crappy new uniforms is coming back to haunt the Vikings. I hate to say this, mainly because they stink, but I have to go with the Dolphins. At least they have been winning lately. One other question, though, about this game. Will Daunte even be on the Miami sidelines for the game? So much for the ballyhooed showdown against his former team.

Miami over Minnesota


New England at Green Bay

Ok, so this is an interesting one to call. Green Bay seems to be having a respectable, if mediocre, season thus far. They currently sit at 4-5, but they really have not beaten anyone of consequence except for Minnesota last week, and whether or not Minnesota is a team of consequence is questionable at best. New England, however, is suffering their first two game losing streak since 2002, and look to have lost that swagger they were developing. Plus, Belichick was clearly out coached in the Indianapolis game. Whether that is a sign of things to come or just a clever ruse, I do not know. But, is it possible they could lose three games in a row? Are all the personnel loses now coming back to haunt them? Can the Old Brett Favre hope to beat the New Joe Montana? Both QBs, and a bunch of other players on both sides of the ball, are a bit banged up. Brett, however, has to contend with a rookie at right tackle, which is very tough. I just do not know about this one. I am really trying to talk myself into the Pack, and they do have a chance since they have been playing somewhat well as of late and are at home in Lambeau. On top of that, Brady, because of his lack of receivers and big playmakers, keeps pressing and trying too hard, much like Favre has over the past few years. And with the way they have been playing, it is painfully obvious that they need a dedicated, and talented, offensive coordinator. If they keep up their penny pinching ways, they may end up wasting some of Brady’s prime years. But, it is the Patriots, and I think the world would stop turning if they actually lost three straight games. I am going with New England, for the same reasons I went with Baltimore. At least I get something out of it no matter who wins.

New England over Green Bay


Oakland at Kansas City

Trent Green, who nearly had his head removed in the first game of the season, is now fully recovered from his severe concussion and will make the start this week versus Oakland. Perfect game to come back to, since Oakland is not that scary, unless you are a team that got shell shocked the week before or a team that cannot hold onto the ball. This will help him get his legs under him in game time action and allow the offense to get acclimated with him again. Good job by Damon Huard to hold the fort and keep the Chiefs in contention during Green’s absence. Good luck Trent. Oh, the game. Hmmm, let’s see, go with the home team whose QB is coming off a 10 week layoff due to injury, or the road team that can barely win a game. It seems like a pretty simple call, especially since even good teams have trouble winning in Arrowhead.

Kansas City over Oakland


Pittsburgh at Cleveland

So, a Cleveland receiver has started some smack talk this week, saying how they were going to chase Pittsburgh’s tail and get back at Pittsburgh for embarrassing the Browns last year at home 41-0 on Christmas Eve. Ok, I can believe that. Cleveland, despite their record, is a tougher team this year with more weapons than last year. Plus, they have pride to play for, and knocking off the champs is always a nice feather in one’s cap. The problem, as I see it, is they are still the Browns, and they are playing the Steelers. So, yeah, looks to me like this one is pretty clear cut. Like it was ever anything but clear cut. Plus, it would seem that my quixotic quest paid off last week, so I best stick with what works.

Pittsburgh over Cleveland


St. Louis at Carolina

St. Louis suffered its second last moment loss to the Seahawks in the last four games last week. And of those four games, they won a total of zero. Now, they have to travel to Carolina, where they meet up with the tough Carolina defense and an offense that struggled through the first three quarters of last week’s game to suddenly turn it on at the end. I know the Rams have a tougher defense than last year, but they still have not been able to beat anyone of consequence, other than Denver in the first week of the season and I think that was more of a fluke for both teams than anything. Yeah, I am not feeling very confident about that Rams bandwagon.

Carolina over St. Louis


Tennessee at Philadelphia

Tennessee almost pulled off the upset last week and vanquished the mighty Ravens. I would have happily taken that loss, but they had their last second field goal blocked. Now, they have to travel to Philadelphia, who found their mojo during their week off and pasted division rival Washington last week. Mind you, Vince Young is far more mobile than Mark Brunell, so he could give the Philly defense some fits. But I doubt enough that they should blow this game. Philly will use this as a nice tune up for next week’s big showdown versus Indianapolis. They should win this handily, as long as they do not get distracted by looking ahead on the schedule.

Philadelphia over Tennessee


Washington at Tampa Bay

So Gibbs has finally acquiesced and will be starting the much heralded Jason Campbell over Brunell this week. I think we can officially say now that the Redskins season is over. If they are taking the time to look at the youngster behind the controls, then they are expecting to go nowhere this season. This is one of those tough games to call, because normally, I would just say, oh, the Bucs are at home, and the Skins are in the toilet so it’s a pretty easy call. But sometimes teams get a jump with new blood in the lineup, so this could be a trap. It worked briefly for Tampa Bay with their rookie QB, why cannot it work with Washington and Campbell? It could happen. Although, without Portis for the rest of the season, it is highly doubtful. However, last year, Washington beat Tampa at home on their field in the playoffs. Wait, these two teams were in the playoffs last year? Amazing what you do not notice when you are busy watching a historic Super Bowl run. Anyway, in a season lost, I am sure the Bucs would like some revenge and to earn, at least for one game, a modicum of respect.

Tampa Bay over Washington


Detroit at Arizona

Are you serious? These two? I really have to pick one to win? Oh come on! Fine. Ok, let’s see here. Arizona sucks, and bad. I said earlier that I doubt they would win another game this season. Detroit sucks almost as bad and has barely won two games this season. We have three wins between the participants in this game. Woo hoo. In recent years, about the only team that Detroit could beat is Arizona. And honestly, after their collapse against Da Bears, I cannot, in good conscience, pick the Cardinals. They are even more of a mess right now than the Lions, and that is saying something. At least the Lions beat one team with a winning record this season.

Detroit over Arizona


Seattle at San Francisco

This game could mark the possible return of Hasselbeck and Alexander to the Seahawks lineup. Although at this is what the Seahawks are hoping for, either or both may be a game time decision as of right now. It is a good return game for both, since the Hawks have owned the 49ers as of late, winning the last six games they have played against them. However, the Santa Clara 49ers, sorry I could not resist, are looking for their first three game winning streak since the 2002 season. This would be a better game for Hasselbeck and Alexander to return if it was in the confines of Qwest field, but I guess you cannot have everything. The 49ers have history on their side, with coach Mike Nolan sporting the suit this week on the sidelines, bringing back the well dressed coach in charge look. While that does bode well for the 49ers, I think the Seahawks will take care of business.

Seattle over San Francisco


Indianapolis at Dallas

Ok, now we have two potential games of the week, this being Potential game of the week one. Indy, still undefeated, traveling to Big D to take on the Cowboys, who have been performing better with new QB Tony Romo. This is Indy’s third NFC East opponent so far this year, with the last being Philly next week. Will Dallas end their run? Doubtful. They have not beaten anyone of consequence and Indianapolis, while not blowing people away; have always managed to get the job done. I am sure at some point they will stumble, but I do not see it this week in Dallas.

Indianapolis over Dallas


San Diego at Denver

Here is potential game of the week number two, and this one is a doozy. They moved this one to Sunday night with the new flex scheduling, and for good reason. Both teams are tied atop the AFC West, and the winner of this game will give themselves a huge advantage toward claiming the division. Denver has history on its side, winning 10 of the last 11 games against the Chargers at Invesco Field, with the Chargers having an all time record in Denver of 11-34-1. But, these are not your average Chargers, they are the Super Chargers. They blew up Cincinnati last week, crunching them with 42 second half points in a thrilling 49-41 victory. However, the Denver defense is more than a hair better than the Bengals D, and they might play a role in making this one a bit closer. Their defense will need to, since their offense seems to have trouble making things happen, only posting up 17 points on lowly Oakland. But were they doing just enough to win, keeping their cards close to their vest in anticipation of this week’s game? The Chargers, on defense, are hurting, with their linebacking corps decimated from injury and suspensions. That could play a big role in Denver’s passing and rushing attacks. This will be a good one, with Denver putting a stop to all this Charger nonsense.

Denver over San Diego


N.Y. Giants at Jacksonville

Hmmm, interesting a match up on Monday Night that is at least somewhat intriguing, although compared to the Sunday night game, it pales in comparison. Tom Coughlin returns to Jacksonville, where he was the first coach in team history, in hopes of beating his old charge. The Giants let me down big time last week, but that may have been in part to the ridiculous number of injuries they have, and very key ones to boot. Jacksonville has one as well, with Leftwich looking at having season ending surgery on his ankle. But Garrard is at least a capable backup. I really don’t know, Jacksonville is a tough team, but then again they lost twice to Houston. Go figure. The Giants are as well, but they have lost a primary target in Toomer, and their defense is reeling. Either way, the game will be overshadowed by the annoyance of the announcers, the ridiculous guests during the second and now third quarters, and the sub par production values. Monday night letdown indeed.

Jacksonville over N.Y. Giants

The Crystal Ball Week 10

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts November 10, 2006


Hello sports fans. Welcome to the big mid-season report as promised last week. Ok, I will be honest, I have nothing. I have a great idea for a mid season report, but a few things came up. First, traveling left me with very little time to do much of the research I wanted to do. Now, normally this would not be that big of a deal, but after getting back and going through the process of sliding back into normal life and work, I had less time this week than usual. Not that I regret it at all, I had a wonderful time visiting my family, whom I do not get to see nearly often enough. However, it did impact the amount of time I had to write. Now, if I did not have to go to a job and could just write all day, well, this thing would be super long this week. Second, I did not watch all that much football last week. Yes, I know, a travesty, but those things happen on vacation. I did watch Pittsburgh and Denver, ugh, and Indianapolis and New England, eh, and did catch up on the action of the day, but nothing like my normal fest of football. I imagine that is probably a good thing in the long run, anyway. So, with little time and little observation, yeah, this week, I have very little. But, I do have a few things, so let’s run with what we have. If the NFL Network would just pay me, that would solve a lot of problems. I may do the mid-season report/fest/crapola next week, since it is still a fun idea, so I shant reveal it today. I would hate to ruin the surprise. Plus, we stand out here by doing a mid-season column well after mid-point of the season. Yeah, that’s how we roll.

So, in going through my usual litany of football related reading each week, I found this interesting observation by one of the columnists I enjoy frequently.

“Of Steelers fans voting in a recent Web poll voted to bench Big Ben. This after he battled back from eight hours of facial surgery, a near-death experience, an appendectomy and a second brain scramble following a sack by three Falcons, just to try to take the field and make something happen for a team still hungover from the Super Bowl. Man, this is the kind of unconditional love and support from YOUR OWN FANS that makes it all worthwhile, right Ben?”

This quote was from a recent David Fleming article. Yes, David, that is the kind of support Ben will get from his own fans. See, Ben’s fans knew one thing, he was not ready. That second brain scramble set him back again, and he should have sat for a week or two until he was fully recovered. I know he was medically cleared, but watch any QB after a concussion and they are not the same for a few weeks. Plus, now that he has had two major concussions in a 4 month span, he is at a high risk for repeated concussions, possible brain damage and early retirement. Just ask Steve Young and Troy Aikman about that. So, you tell me Mr. Fleming who is a true fan of Big Ben? Is it the nitwits who would like to send him out there right away and risk his health, season and career, or the those would rather have him sit out an extra game or two now and keep watching him lead the Black and Gold in the future rather than retire two or three years early because of too many concussions. Seems obvious who his true fans really are in that scenario, now doesn’t it?

Now this week despite two interceptions, the third was just a desperation heave hoe, Ben had a pretty good outing and showed, at least to me, that the concussion from the Falcons game is probably behind him. He looks like he will be a big time passer. However, the same thing that has been plaguing the team all season struck again. Turnovers. No one can hold onto the ball, and no one can recover a loose one. Sigh. Of course, in a classic overcorrection, Cowher has announced that there will need to be changes made and some starters will sit. Ike Taylor seems to be the first to lose his job, at least temporarily. That makes absolutely zero sense. Yeah, he got lit up last week by Javon Walker, but that is not why they lost the game. They lost the game because they turned the ball over SIX TIMES! Hello, hello, is anyone listening? They are losing because they keep giving the opposition the ball. Hey, Bill, not to tell you how to do your job or anything, but instead of worrying about one bad performance in one game by one guy, how about maybe working with the special teams and the offense and getting them to learn to hold onto the football. I think, maybe, that might be a better solution to what ails team. But, like I said, I don’t want to step on any toes or anything, just spitballing some ideas here. What a nimrod.

Well, you know, this season seems to be toast. And while they still may have a stellar second half, it looks doubtful they will make the playoffs. But you know what; I will still hold out hope. You never know they could reel off 12 straight and take the title again. Hey, before last season, they said there was no way you could win 4 straight playoff games on the road to capture the title, and look what happened. So, there is still hope, albeit a very faint hope. Regardless, until February 4th, 2007, they are still the world champions, and they will be treated as such, and anyone who feels differently can go suck eggs. Go Steelers!

Now, for my most favorite of teams, New England! Oh, by the way I was being sarcastic. Their fans had an interesting weekend watching them lose at home to Indianapolis, tee hee, and watching former Pat Adam Vinatieri kick against them for the first time. This game seemed somewhat stupid to me, in the fact that New England has one of the best running attack tandems in the league with Dillon and Maroney, and they were going up against the Colts who have one of the worst run defenses of all time. Yet, New England kept passing early and often, and did not pound the ball right down the Colts throat. Was this Belichick hiding how he will really play the Colts in the playoffs, or just not being the genius many assume he is and having a piss poor game plan going in against the Colts? I do not know, but even I was thinking, why are you not running the ball? Morons.

In his debut in Foxboro with the Colts, Vinatieri was booed by Pats fans. Yes, he does not play for you now, and yes, he signed with one of the biggest thorns in your side. But have you such short memories? The man won you three Super Bowls, two on the last play of the game. He left because your cheapskate management did not want to pay him his worth and wanted to dump him for a younger model. He left not because he wanted to, he left because he wanted market value for his services and to be appreciated for his contribution and not looked upon as an aging cog. I bet at least once come January Peyton Manning will show Vinatieri how much he appreciates a clutch player with ice water in his veins. I have said it before, and will say it again, getting rid of Vinatieri will come back to haunt the Patriots at the worst time. Watch, it will happen. This behavior just goes to show you what kind of spoiled jerks Pats fans typically are. Hey, football season is past the halfway point, aren’t you guys behind on whining about the Red Sox?

Now, there are a few other quick observations I have made, and I thought I would share them before we get to this week’s slate of fun.

1) Pittsburgh is a bad team. The players are good, and true they are not getting the lucky breaks that help a team from time to time, but they play badly and stupidly, and that is enough to make them bad. Plus, after losing to Oakland, there is really no way to sugar coat it. They will not win the division, they most likely will not go to the playoffs and they probably will not have a winning record considering their current win/loss pace. They may have a chance at respectability if they could learn to hold onto a football instead of acting as though it is covered in ants. But since as of right now they have 1 more turnover than they had in all of last season, I doubt that will happen.

2) Baltimore is a good team. Ok, not good like Indianapolis or New England, but good enough that they will probably win the division and possibly go deep into the playoffs with how they are built. Plus, after beating New Orleans in the Big Easy and following that up with a nail biter against the Bengals, it is hard to say they are a fluke. Although, if I have to see Ray Lewis try to steal the spotlight from his teammates just one more time, I will need to be sedated. What’s worse is this week he is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Excuse me, now I must go tear my eyes out.

3) Peyton Manning may be learning how to win the big game. Peyton has always been a great regular season quarterback, and a fantasy football wet dream, but he cannot seem to translate that talent and offense into championship hardware. There is a lot of talk that he is becoming a clutch QB, and who knows, maybe he will learn how to make that work in the post season. Having a clutch post season player on his team like Adam Vinatieri may just give the team the right mojo and mind set. For me, however, he has to prove it first. But without a decent running game, or a defense capable of stopping the run (currently giving up 5.2 yards per running play), it will not happen come January. I thought Dungy was hired to improve the defense.

4) The officiating in the NFL is horrible this year – so many non calls for obvious infractions, so many ticky tack calls over plays where it really is hard to see just exactly where there is an infraction. Here are two of the more recent poor calls that directly affected the outcome of a game. Jets at Cleveland, the non-touchdown catch by the Jets at the end. It was painfully obvious that he would have landed in bounds. He obviously was pushed out to prevent the score. However, according to the referee’s interpretation, no catch. The incomplete pass on Pittsburgh in the Oakland game. Wilson had the ball, and replays show that he had hands under the ball and it never touched the ground, but it was ruled incomplete nonetheless. Look back over this season and you can see botched call after botched call. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry. Perhaps it is time for them to SERIOUSLY consider full time referees. I know this is said each year, and each year the same reasons that it is not viable are trotted out like show ponies, but perhaps the NFL needs to look past the cost and more on the impact it is having on their product. Sure it would be costly, but the league makes billions of dollars, they could probably swing it. And yes, the referees would have little to do during the week, but you could have them rotate around to team practices, have their own training sessions, confer with colleagues. The more thought you put into it, the more you could easily see how quickly their time would fill up working to become the best units in all of professional sports. This is something the NFL should seriously consider before it gets to the point where no team feels like they will have a legitimate chance on a close play and start paying officials just in case.

5) Atlanta players may currently be the dirtiest players in the league. All teams will try to get away with something or hurt the other team, but these guys are not even subtle about it. Watch them for one game, just one, and see what I mean. Ask Chad Johnson about getting popped out of nowhere, he’ll vouch for what I am saying. Even though it screwed me last week, I was happy to see them lose to lowly Detroit. Bunch of jerks.

6) I like Chad Johnson. There, I said it. Yes, he plays for a division rival, and yes, whenever they play Pittsburgh, he is ALL about the smack talk. But you know what? He’s funny, he plays the game for fun, he enjoys tweaking people in a playful way and you get that in how he performs. Plus, all the stuff he does never distracts from his job nor does it ever put the team in an unnecessary spotlight. And he is always about playing as hard and as well as he can and never does he put his own self promotion above the best interests of the team. He is a fun guy who plays with a lot of heart and is a pretty damn good teammate. T.O. should take notes on how to be a star receiver from 85.

7) Tom Brady is the most clutch QB in the NFL today. Yes, it pains me to say it because the guy drives me up the wall in a big giant way. And I think the Montana comparisons may be a bit premature, even if accurate in the long run. The fact is the man has won 3 Super Bowls, and that is not an easy task. It is difficult just getting to three, let alone winning them. Now, having said that, it sure was nice to see him get picked off 4 times last week. Tee hee. You think that the Pats would have been smarter and just pounded the ball against the Colts weak run defense, but no, they played it pretty dumb. Morons.

8) Leave Tiki Barber alone. The man wants to walk away from the game while he can still walk. He has many other interests and career options, and getting his body pounded by 300 pound defensive lineman is no longer one of them. I think it takes a big man to walk away from something while he is still at or near the top of it. Jim Brown is a great example of this. Many wondered, and some still do, how and why he could walk away from it all. He could because he wanted to define his life, not let football define it for him. And Brown has defined his life in exemplary ways. Tiki wishes to do the same. Sure, it would be nice to see him keep running, but I do not blame him. Last year, I saw a piece on Jerome Bettis that showed how hard it was for him sometimes after game day to just get out of bed and walk down the stairs. The man is 34 years old, and he was walking like a 74 year old man. It is a rough game that can damage you permanently. Look in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated and read the article by Rick Reilly. It is not a very long piece, but in it his descriptions of past stars of the gridiron and their current physical conditions is chilling in how they have basically sacrificed their life after football for glory on the field. It is touching, sad and scary, and if Tiki wants to walk away while he can still walk, then I say more power to him.


Ok, so this week, well, let’s just say I did not win the weekly poll.

Last Week: 6-8
Season to Date: 72-56

Surprisingly, I am rather calm about my performance. Perhaps it is due to the fact I was enjoying a bunch of home cooking and was in food sedation for a week. Who knows, but hey, there is always this week, where we finally return to a full slate of games now that the bye weeks are over. And speaking of such, let’s dive in, shall we?

Buffalo at Indianapolis

Umm, hmmm, what a way to start out the games, I wonder who will win? Yes, I know, both teams had wins last week and are feeling good and I know that on any given Sunday any team can beat another team. We have seen plenty of that this season. But something just tells me the Colts are not going to lose at home to the Bills. Call it intuition, ESP or indigestion, but yeah, that’s not happening.

Indianapolis over Buffalo


Houston at Jacksonville

Ok, I know this one is tricky, since Houston pasted Jacksonville last time they met in Reliant field. I am still trying to figure out how that happened. But, I am willing to go out on a limb here and say that was a fluke, and Jacksonville will prevail this time. Of course, that is if their burgeoning QB controversy does not get the better of them.

Jacksonville over Houston


N.Y. Jets at New England

Apprentice versus the Master as Mangini returns to New England to face the vaunted Belichick. Yeah, does not really ring that big since they have already met this season and New England won, but, it is still fun to say. Now, the Jets are playing well over their heads this season, and could squeeze out a pretty good year for a rebuilding team, but there is one thing you cannot forget. New England has not lost consecutive games in over 5 years. I do not see them breaking that streak this week.

New England over N.Y. Jets


Denver at Oakland

Mike Shanahan continues his 2006 Stick It To Al Davis tour with a stop in Oakland this week. Now, we did cover this when these two teams met previously this season, but for a refresher to any late comers, Shanahan loves sticking it to Davis and the Raiders. Since they canned him many moons ago, he has made it his mission to stomp on them anytime his team plays the Raiders. And now that he has found some offensive spark, oh, it will not be as close as the previous game. Plus, Oakland wasted their magical season with two weeks in the spotlight, and its time for them to go away now.

Denver over Oakland


Cleveland at Atlanta

I cannot think of anything particularly interesting to say on this game, other than I would like the Falcons, for as dirty as they are, to win just so I know Pittsburgh will not solely occupy the last spot in the division. Other than that, I see the dirty birds rebounding from losing in Detroit last week, a loss which still makes no sense to me at all.

Atlanta over Cleveland


Washington at Philadelphia

Ok, I cannot figure out the Redskins. They make no sense. They pretty much are in the tank for this season, and then they hang on and win one against Dallas last week, although they did have a bit of help. And Philly starts the season with a bang, and just as quickly begin throwing games away like they were flyers on a windshield. There seems to be no rhyme or reason, but since an Eagles fan I know had a pretty fantastic day last week and is enjoying a lovely honeymoon with his new bride in Hawaii this week, I’m going with the Birds to make his day.

Philadelphia over Washington


Baltimore at Tennessee

Steve McNair, former face of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans returns home leading his new team who currently stand at the top spot in his new division with a 6-2 record, ready to show the Titans faithful what some of them are surely missing as Vince Young goes through his growing pains, and sticking Bud Adams with another loss in a crappy season. Yes, I do believe McNair will be the triumphant hero returning home. Or he will finally get his serious injury of the season and force Kyle Boller to carry the load for the Ravens. I figured McNair would get his team crippling injury long before now, so it is kind of deflating for me and my hopes of Pittsburgh claiming the division that he has not. Perhaps he has finally found a way to stay healthy. Must be all those delicious Maryland crab cakes, of which I had some last week. Talk about yum, those crab cakes are a treat for the taste buds that I wish I could indulge in more often. Ok, before this turns into Paula Dean, let’s move on.

Baltimore over Tennessee


Dallas at Arizona

Seriously, does anyone think the Cardinals have a chance? I doubt even their faithful feel like they have a shot at winning any more game this season, let alone this one. Plus, I bet the Cowboys were put through their paces after blowing one they should have had last week against the Redskins. You have to wonder how far the team is from open revolt against Owens. The man led directly to the loss last week. The 15 yard penalty was bad, but it can be overcome. However, for a man who is constantly screaming for the ball and to make him the number one playmaker on the team to then drop a touchdown pass that would have put Dallas ahead, you have to wonder how many other players on that squad have finally had enough. I bet it’s more than we think. And Parcells may finally be done. Dumb move going for the two point conversion early in the game. Yes, I know the Redskins won by three, but if Dallas would have had that 1 point lead late in the game, they would not have needed to march for the quick field goal; they could have just sat on the ball. Maybe this really is Parcells’ last season, or at perhaps it just should be.

Dallas over Arizona


San Francisco at Detroit

Federal law requires a warning of the potential hazard of inhalation of noxious fumes and graphic images of ineptitude while watching this game. Man what a stinker. At least Millen will be able to keep snowing the Ford family into not firing him by showing them a win this week. And what is with the 49ers moving to Santa Clara? They tried to fleece the city into a new stadium, and the city went, yeah, we saw how badly you’ve screwed up our team, shove off. Good for them. At least the 49ers management is not complete idiots and will still affiliate themselves with San Francisco. The whole thing is pretty idiotic if you ask me.

Detroit over San Francisco


Green Bay at Minnesota

This one is pretty easy to call, since the Vikings, despite ruining years of mojo by going and changing their great uniforms to those awful looking things they trot out each week, have been playing pretty good football under Brad Childress. I want to say Green Bay, but I think right now Minnesota is better. And if I lose this one, well, I will be happy to take the loss.

Minnesota over Green Bay


New Orleans at Pittsburgh

By now, you know who I am going to pick. I know who I am going to pick. And considering how Pittsburgh has been playing, we both know who will likely win this game. Not that I believe that, because I don’t, but part of me knows. However, just call me Don Quixote, because eventually they will pull their heads out of their asses.

Pittsburgh over New Orleans


St. Louis at Seattle

Ok, this is a tough call. Seattle won their previous match up in St. Louis, coming back at the end to steal the game away on a wicked good field goal. So, that should give them an edge, especially since they did it without Shawn Alexander. This time, while they get the nice confines of Qwest field, they have to win without the services of both Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck. That is one tall order. And they can be beat at home, a fact that has been established this season. This is a toss up, and I know whomever I pick will be the wrong pick, but I am going with the home team.

Seattle over St. Louis


San Diego at Cincinnati

The Super Chargers roll into the Queen City to take on 85! Are you as excited as I am? No? Oh, right, I do not care. Well, I do a little bit. If Cincy loses, it helps Pittsburgh out, and if they win, well, it’s a nice stick it to the Bolts. Not that I have anything particular against the Chargers, just that I hate losing, I hate being at the game when Pittsburgh loses, and I would like to see the Chargers and their fans eat some crow because that was one long walk back to the car after the Steelers/Chargers game. A really long walk. Now, I am still not convinced San Diego is all that and a bag of Funyuns, because look at their record and you can see they really have not beaten anybody of consequence minus a few teams. Despite that, I think San Diego has more firepower and consistency at the moment and Shottenheimer is one of the greatest regular season coaches ever! Just try not to look at his post season record, not so good.

San Diego over Cincinnati


Kansas City at Miami

So the Dolphins pulled off the win against Da Bears. Good for them, I hope they enjoy it, because I doubt the winning will last. Kansas City, on the other hand, has been quietly putting together a pretty good season with a patchwork offensive line and a career backup quarterback. They are 5-3 in a very competitive division, and the road ahead looks good. Unfortunately, there is a QB controversy brewing as Trent Green gets closer to being ready to play again. What to do, give the offense back to your starter, or stay with the hot hand. This always is a tough question and no matter what you do, it can produce mixed results. Staying with the hot hand worked well for the Pats in 2001, could it work for the Chiefs this year? Stay tuned, I bet this gets more interesting, especially if the Chiefs keep winning.

Kansas City over Miami


Chicago at N.Y. Giants

DA Bears lost a game. Ditka is inconsolable. Sadness has descended over a certain city. And guess what, I bet it stays there this week. Yes, Da Bears, one of my fun teams for the season, I think is about to go on a two game losing streak. Most everyone, including me, thought the Bears almost loss to the Cardinals was a fluke. Sure, teams have bad games from time to time, and sometimes they get lucky to escape those with a win. However now, after seeing that they made many of the same mistakes last week as they did in the Arizona game, I have to wonder if they are signs of a larger issue. I think Da Bears are still a good team, but if you make the same mistakes over and over again against another good team, you will pay. (Reference Steelers, Pittsburgh, 2006 for example) The Giants are a good team and beginning to find an identity in their dysfunction, and have something to play for with Tiki’s impending retirement. If Da Bears pull out this one, then we can look to the Miami game as some weird cosmic history. (For those who may not know, in 1986 when Da Bears won the Super Bowl, their only loss the entire season was to the Miami Dolphins.) If they lose, well, then we might have to start thinking that Da Bears may have peaked a bit early. On another note, this is the first game of the NFL’s new flex scheduling system, designed to put better games into prime time. Not too bad of a match up to start things off. Here is hoping it works.

N.Y. Giants over Chicago


Tampa Bay at Carolina

Potential one sided crapfest, since Tampa Bay has settled down into below mediocrity after the initial rush of a new QB. You know, with how crappy their broadcasts are, you would think maybe Monday Night could have attempted to garner better games. Nope, not going to have that, at least this year. With crappy games and a crappy broadcast with annoying hosts and the asinine celebrity interview all being displayed on cable, Monday Night Football is quickly fading into oblivion. NBC is right; Sunday night really is the new Monday night. Anyway, the Bucs are still tough, but the Panthers are tougher. Yeah, could be one of those shocker upset games, but I will still take the Cats at home.

Carolina over Tampa Bay

The Crystal Ball Week 9

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on November 1, 2006


Hello all and welcome to another week of football fun. Yes, we are up a bit early this week, and hey, that is the kind of time provided to one on vacation. It just throws your schedule right off. I plan to keep it short this week, no crazy long piece. I think I will save that for next week with some sort of mid season look at how things have progressed thus far this year in the NFL. I am really not sure what I will come up with in terms of a mid season report, but I have a few ideas. I guess we will all have to just wait and see what comes out when I sit down at the ol’ laptop. Technically, I should do that this week, but I think it will be best served after everyone has 8 games under their belt. Plus, spending time with the family is definitely taking up all my time, and I could not be more delighted about it. Despite Pittsburgh losing on Sunday, I had a blast watching the game with my Dad, spending time with my Mom and helping around the house, with the topper thus far being a great family dinner with my Mom, Dad and my little bro. It might have been one of the best family dinners we have had in many a year.

The NFL last weekend had a few great barn burners, with Atlanta outlasting Cincinnati and Indianapolis topping the Broncos. This weekend, there will be more than a few big tussles that will go down, and I for one am excited for all of them. One game in particular will be the one to watch, but more on those later.

So, I thought after last column that I was sick of losing. Now, well, I may be getting used to it. I am not sure. After the loss to Raiders, I have found a calm place inside myself regarding losing, a Zen outlook on the season. Yes, we stink. Yes, we keep playing games and making horrible mental errors. Yes, this season is probably in the tank. It is not official, but let’s be honest; the Steelers have to run the table just to match last year’s record at this point. But you know what? We still won the Super Bowl last year, and that is still pretty wonderful. And for the most part, the team is still good enough to do it again, but it seems as though it will not be this year. But as Cubs fans say every August, there is always next year.

However, Roethlisberger should not have played last week. It was pretty obvious that he was not ready to go. He looked like he did in his first week back from the appendectomy. He was slow to move, his decisions did not come quickly and he seemed fearful of taking a hit. I shudder to think what Denver will do to us this week. I will still watch. This is the time for true fans to come out. Yes, our team is doing very badly this year, but they are still our team. Stand up and cheer them, if for no other reason than as a thank you for the wonderful year they gave us last year, a decent showing this year, and a better one next year. Everyone gets up for the game against the Super Bowl champs more than other games, maybe next year when we are not the champs, as it looks now they will not be, it will be a little better. Plus, after the Patriots won their first Super Bowl, they did not make the playoffs the next year and then reeled off two more Super Bowl wins. I, myself, could live with that.

One bit of vindication I have seen lately is finally people are starting to notice the key problems that I have mentioned ad nausea here. Poor offensive line play, turnovers and finally, the biggest one, the Cowher situation. I read this morning in a local PA paper someone finally bring up the fact that Cowher’s status for next year and beyond as Pittsburgh’s head coach could be causing a distraction. Mark my words, it will not be one, it is one.

Unfortunately, now we are getting bit by the injury bug. Verron Haynes and Arnold Harrison have been lost for the season, and Jeff Hartings is out for an indeterminate amount of time. These are the residual damage from the loss to Oakland. Hopefully, everyone will now realize what is happening and put up a good showing against Denver. Win or lose, they are still the World Champions until someone is crowned champion. Of course, I did not think elimination would come upon us so soon. There are still nine games left; perhaps there is still time for a little magic. I know I for one will be watching to see what happens. I encourage all true fans to join me.

So there was one positive thing that did come out of the weekend. For the first week, I won the pick em pool that I participate in with some friends. Yes, that is right; finally I had a good enough week to pull off the victory. I actually gained a couple of spots on the overall leader as well. That is a very good salve for losing to a super crappy opponent. Plus, the win was extra sweet because going into the Monday Night game, I was in a five way tie with four other participants, and it came down to the total point tie breaker. All five of us had the following point totals, 32, 38, 42, 46 and 47. I had 38, and the final score was New England 31, Minnesota 7. Right on the money was my guess, and it catapulted me to victory. Of course, since New England scored their final points right at the end of the third quarter, I had to sit and sweat out the whole fourth quarter, and it was close. Minnesota managed to drive within the New England red zone in the last minute, and then mercifully threw an interception, that frighteningly was almost run back for a score. It was a tense few minutes, but luckily, everything worked out, and I can feel good about winning a week.

Last Week: 9-5
Season to Date: 66-48

Not a bad record either, but let us see if I can do two in a row, or at least get another win this season.

This week Arizona, Carolina, N.Y. Jets and Philadelphia have the bye. Arizona, well, its over, you have taken the mantle from Oakland as the worst team in the league, although I think Miami is fighting you for that. Carolina needs the week off to figure out how they collapsed so badly against the Cowboys. The Jets can use a rest for sure, since they lost a game against Cleveland they should have won. Hopefully they can use the week to recharge and come out again playing over their heads. And Philadelphia needs to step back and find out where everything is going wrong. They came out early in the season looking so strong and unbeatable, and then just began dropping games like coins into a fountain. The boo birds were in full force Sunday in Philly, and if the Eagles do not turn things around quickly, they will only get worse.

Atlanta at Detroit

Atlanta flexed their road muscle big time in Cincinnati, showing they can win on the road with Vick operating as a viable passing threat. I am not sure where this came from, perhaps Vick just needed to be reminded he was once a stellar college quarterback. Detroit had the week off to rest, but I doubt it will help.

Atlanta over Detroit


Cincinnati at Baltimore

A huge AFC North match up that will have ramifications on who wins the division this year. Baltimore is resurgent and showed some resiliency last week by coming out and pasting the Saints on the road. Cincinnati showed their woes of late by failing to close out a tough opponent at home. For me, the preferable option would be for the Bengals to pull off the victory at home, keeping both of them close to Pittsburgh, relatively, in the standings. However, the logical side says the Baltimore defense has a big day. I will go with Baltimore, that way if Cincy wins and I lose this pick, I can still feel good about it.

Baltimore over Cincinnati


Dallas at Washington

The Cowboys had a stirring comeback against a collapsing Panther team last week, with Tony Romo showing great poise and, something not seen in Big D for some time, mobility as he directed the second half comeback on the road. Stellar start for the new signal caller. One thing that stuck out to me was the incredible time of possession that Dallas maintained, wearing down the Carolina defense until they could walk through them like tissue paper. That kind of ball control game will take a team far, and Dallas looks poised to start the second half of the season on the right note. Washington, on the other hand, looks as though they keep sinking deeper and deeper into a void with no answers on how to get out. This huge NFC East match up, at least on paper, seems rather one sided. But, as they say, that is why they play the games. Regardless, I know who I am going with in this game.

Dallas over Washington


Green Bay at Buffalo

Are there signs of life in Green Bay? It sure seems that way. Perhaps Brett Favre was right when he said this was the most talented team he has played with in his career. Perhaps they just needed some experience and a bit of seasoning. Or maybe The Pack has just been playing some crappy teams and taking advantage of the situation. Either way, there is something to cheer about in Cheeseland. Considering how there is so little to cheer about in Upstate New York, I think the Pack will keep on rolling this week.

Green Bay over Buffalo


Houston at N.Y. Giants

The G-Men keep on rolling, this time right over Tiki’s brother. It definitely was not the most exciting game that happened all week, but a good win for the Giants. If you can win the games you are supposed to, and one or two you are not, then you are doing well. That is how the Giants are rolling this year, and I see it continuing in the Meadowlands this weekend as well. Houston, well, they still have a long way to go. Yes, they are on the right track, but it is hard to overcome a culture of losing. Just ask Marvin Lewis, he is still battling it in some ways.

N.Y Giants over Houston


Kansas City at St. Louis

A few weeks ago, this game would have looked like a rollover. This week, well, I am not so sure. Kansas City has been playing inspired ball. Sure, they faced Seattle without Hasselbeck and Alexander, but the Seahawks are still a tough team. Plus, they beat a fully loaded San Diego team, who last week beat, you guessed right, the Rams. So who do you pick? Well, until KC can prove to me they can put together an excellent performance away from Arrowhead, I am going with the home dome Rams on this one.

St. Louis over Kansas City


Miami at Chicago

Ok, so not every game can be a world beater. Considering what Da Bears did to the 49ers last week, I am expecting much of the same this week. Of course, during the 86 season, the only team to mar Chicago’s record that year was, the Dolphins. Could history repeat itself? Since that Dolphins team had Dan Marino in his prime, and this one has Joey Harrington in what I guess is his prime, I say no, not even close.

Chicago over Miami


New Orleans at Tampa Bay

Are the Saints returning to Earth? Is the dream over? Are the Ravens just that good? I am not sure about any of those questions. Although I do know this, even good teams have bad days. Perhaps that is what the Saints had. We will know more this Sunday. Tampa Bay has been playing better, but it has been with some luck, smoke, mirrors, rubber bands and paper clips. If the Saints are for real, then they will win. I believe they are the real deal.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay


Tennessee at Jacksonville

Tennessee is showing how good their future will be with Vince Young, but the team still seems to be in too much turmoil. Way too much for one coached by Jeff Fisher, in my opinion. They had a good win over Houston last week, but do they have enough to keep it going? The Jaguars are a mystery to me. How do you hold the defending champions to 0 points, then a few weeks later get pasted by the Texans on the road? Especially after outlasting the Redskins on the road? It makes no sense. This one is a bit of a toughie too, but the Jags are a good team, and while home field is not much of a jump for them as it is for other teams, I think it will make a difference.

Jacksonville over Tennessee


Minnesota at San Francisco

Let’s just say it; Brad Childress has done a great job thus far in Minnesota. He has managed to come in and right the ship, jettisoning people detrimental to the team, those that are scandal hounds and distractions and those who do not want to do the work needed to win. I know he is saddled for the time being with Brad Johnson, who is not bad just well past his prime. But if he could get a better quarterback and some improvements on defense this team will go far. Yes, they got pasted on MNF, but let us not overlook how far he has come with this team in a short amount of time. Even with Chicago running away with their division, I see this team making the playoffs. As for the 49ers, well, it is still a long road ahead. It will only get longer this week.

Minnesota over San Francisco


Cleveland at San Diego

Shawne Merriman has decided not to appeal his four game suspension, and just take it starting this week. He, and his lawyer, still maintain that the positive test result came from tainted supplements, but he does not want to be a distraction. I call BS on this. First, it is already a distraction, too late for that. Second, how would supplements that any cat can buy in any GNC be tainted with enough steroids to show up on a random drug test, let alone be tainted at all? And third, his decision to take the suspension sure comes at a convenient place in the Chargers schedule. Here are their next 4 games that he will miss, Cleveland, at Cincinnati, at Denver and Oakland. Two games against cupcakes, one against a tough division foe, and one on the road against a team they can beat. Gee, how convenient. Unfortunately, as much as they drive me nuts, I want them to win this week. Pittsburgh needs some separation from the bottom of the division. And, well, I am also pretty sure they can handle Cleveland.

San Diego over Cleveland


Denver at Pittsburgh

Speaking of Pittsburgh, do the Steelers even stand a chance against the Bronco defense this week? Of course they do. Remember what they did to them last year in the AFC championship game in Denver. Of course, the last time Denver played in Pittsburgh was the 1997 AFC championship game which the Broncos won 24-21. Of course, at that time they had a guy behind center named Elway, so things could be different this time around. Yeah, they could get creamed, especially since Denver will be jacked about losing to Indianapolis last week. But the Steelers are still tough, and there is still pride in that locker room. Personally, I had hoped that this might be the game of the week for the casual fan, but Pittsburgh has had a bit of trouble this year holding up their end of the bargain regarding big games. For me, though, it will be THE game of the week. But you know me; there really is no objective opinion when it comes to the Steel City.

Pittsburgh over Denver


Indianapolis at New England

Easily this will be the game of the week. This is the game to watch. If you are a casual fan, this will be the one to tune in for and soak in the football experience. Now, I hate saying things like that, because just about anything Boston or New England related drives me insane. But, the truth is we have a 7-0 Colts team fresh of a great victory in Denver traveling to Foxboro to face the 6-1 Patriots who, scarily, have found their rhythm and comfort zone yet again with a bunch of no names and has beens. This will be the collision of the day. Peyton finally found out that he can win in Foxboro, but the Pats always win there, and are not scared of Manning and Company in any way. On a short side note, how come it always seems that these games are played in New England? How come they never seem to be played in Indy? Think there might be something up about that? Yeah, I do too. Anyway, this one will be tight, but I think the Pats flex their muscle and knock off one of the last two unbeaten teams in a barn burner.

New England over Indianapolis


Oakland at Seattle

Do not let Oakland’s performance over the last two weeks fool you. First, they beat up on a still shell shocked Cardinal team that were still trying to figure out how they lost to the Bears. And last week, well, they merely capitalized on two dumb ass plays by the Steelers. There offense only managed 6 total points and 98 total yards. That is it. Their defense had more yards than that. The crowd at Qwest field will be at extra decibels to help make up for the absence of Hasselbeck and Alexander, and even without them, the Hawks will take care of business.

Seattle over Oakland

The Crystal Ball Week 8

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on October 27, 2006.


It is official, I cannot figure out this season anymore. Now, I know that statement is made each year by a litany of football pundits, but this year it seems more potent. Explain this to me, Jacksonville stifles the Steelers, even if they were not themselves, and then gets into a shoot out with Washington and loses, and then gets thumped by the Texans? KC gets crushed one week against the Steelers, and then the next week beats the latest Super Bowl flavor Chargers? Philly loses three games this season in the waning moments, one on a 62 yard field goal by a kicker whose previous career high was 50 yards and had not, to that point, kicked a field goal over 30 yards all season? Arizona plays its heart out, and despite some Bears luck and horrendous Cardinal coaching, still almost pulls off the upset, and then the next week craps the bed against the Raiders? Ok, that one can be explained. But for the most part, it has been a strange season thus far, and I do not see it abating anytime soon. Now, onto the real fun of last week.

I AM SO SICK OF LOSING!

Ugh, what a heartbreaker that should have been avoided. First off, let’s talk about Ben’s concussion, which I am happy to say seems to be only a mild one and early prognosis points to him getting at least some playing time this week, and perhaps even starting on Sunday. But that was a scary few minutes seeing him lying on the ground and not moving at all. Talk about taking your breath away. But, thank God he is ok, and hopefully he stays that way. However, there should have been a roughing the passer penalty called not only for the third guy who came in way late, but mainly for the highly illegal helmet to helmet hit. How does Cincinnati the previous week get called for roughing the passer on a completely legal sack, but nothing is called when three guys sandwich Roethlisberger and one of them puts his hat right into the back of Ben’s head? Please, someone from the officiating department at league headquarters explain that one to me. I mean, I am no Rhodes Scholar, and maybe that is my failing, but tell me how those two actions escape proper notice? I saw the Cincy play and thought they got jobbed. But if you are going to call that, you HAVE to call the helmet to helmet on Ben. If we are going to coddle quarterbacks, for Pete’s sake lets be consistent about it. Nice job, by the way, to Charlie Batch for coming in and almost pulling off the win. When your backup can come off the bench and throw for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns, you have some depth at QB.

But what the game really came down to is they did not play well. Four fumbles, three of them lost to the Falcons deep within their own territory. Those three turnovers led to 21 Falcon points. You take those away, score is 38-20. You figure out how they lost. I was thinking of sending certain players a big box of stickum. The team is just not consistent in their overall play. One week something is working like a Swiss watch, the next week it is the albatross around their collective neck. If they could just pull it all together and keep it humming, they would be great!

Oh, and in case you did not notice it, Cowher cost them the game. It was not the first time he has cost them a win and it probably will not be the last. His moronic challenge of Warrick Dunn’s touchdown early in the second half, which anyone with a pair of eyes could see was clearly a touchdown and that there would not be enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, had no business being challenged and it cost them a time out. A timeout that turned out to be crucial, because if they had it, they could have calmly called it after Batch’s pass that put them on the edge of Reed’s field goal range for a last second field goal attempt. But no, they had to try to spike it, Washington moved, that penalty triggered the mandatory 10 second run off, and suddenly, we are in overtime. Perhaps Reed would not have made that field goal and the game would have still gone to overtime, but we never got a chance to find out. Thanks Cowher, good coaching there, really smart move wasting that timeout for your own ego and stupidity. Sigh, I am just tired of every week dissecting where things went wrong and what they should do to correct them. They damn well better take it out on Oakland and use that game to get this crap out of their system, because it will not fly against Denver. It disgusts and frightens me to think that this team, the defending Super Bowl champions, is tied with an identical record with Washington, Houston and Green Bay and only one win better than Arizona, Cleveland and Oakland. Now, as far at talent, experience, skill and performance, they are much better than any of those teams, but it is not showing up where it counts the most, in the standings. What also scares me is that this week, they will go out and beat the hell out of Oakland, all fired up from losing to Atlanta, then relax a bit and get their ass kicked by Denver. Excuse me while I go slam my head in a door for a while.

In other news, Shawne Merriman has been suspended for steroids. Hmmmm, I wonder if that may have helped in beating the Steelers, and every other Charger opponent. I hate losing, but I can eventually stomach it if loss comes from an opponent with class who out performs you, not one who had to cheat to do it. Predictably, he is appealing the suspension, saying of course that he had no idea there were steroids in the supplements, and his lawyer is now saying they were tainted. Yeah right. I am so sick of professional athletes using that line of crap as a defense. Do they honestly think we as fans are dumb enough to believe that? Their entire livelihood is based upon their body, how good it is, how strong it is, how fit it is and how much they can keep it in tip top condition. Is there any way possible they would put anything into their bodies in which there was any questions as to the contents? Knowing the policies and dangers of using banned substances, is there even a remote chance they would take a risk of ingesting something that could affect their livelihood? No, of course not. Barry Bonds has tried the same defense, and looked even more ridiculous than usual for it. I wish they would just be honest about it and say, look, I was trying to get an edge; it is highly competitive out there. I went too far, I did something I should not have, and I paid for it. It will not happen again. No, that is merely a pipe dream of mine. You will never see that kind of personal responsibility in this society. Not anymore.

Arizona showed their dysfunction and crapped the bed against Oakland. The psychological damage done by their meltdown against the Bears will be carried by this team for the remainder of the season. Plus, the complete MORONIC call by Green to fire their offensive coordinator, who was the one who developed the good game plan against the Bears, and then promote a guy who looked completely outclassed against Oakland, well, what can you say about such moves? They crushed the team. They will barely win another game. And on top of that, Denny Green will more than likely be out of a job after the season is over. You watch. Heck, I would not be surprised if he gets canned before the season is over.

MNF is trying way too hard, and someone at the top does not get it, which surprises me since the network that airs the game is an ALL SPORTS NETWORK. Why do I end up watching Access Hollywood in the middle of every Monday Night game ths far this season? A few weeks ago, it was James Denton, who has the personality of a piece of samsonite and possibly the same level of intelligence as well. The audience that would be attracted by him does not watch MNF, for the most part. If you wanted to appeal to the NFL audience, bring in Jessica Alba. And even then, most fans do not want to hear what she has to say, merely just look at her. We are there to watch FOOTBALL, not corporate cross promotion. Last week they had Charles Barkley in the booth who is always entertaining when he is in front of a camera. Now, I love Chuckie, I have since he played in Philly for the 76ers. But when I am watching football, I want to watch football, not hear a Barkley interview, or anyone else for that matter. This has got to stop. You can feel it coming when the second quarter starts, and as by the time we hit 10 minutes left in the half, hey we have a special guest! Ugh. Yeah, like it was a surprise. This week, I was subjected to Hank Williams Jr., who himself seemed more interested in watching the game than babbling. Hank actually likes football, which is why he has done the Monday Night theme song for the last ten plus years. Crazy that he would sit there and want to watch the game instead of participating banal conversation. Ok, so Hank was a bust, but no fear, there was more to come. We also had, via satellite, NFL all time rushing leader Emmitt Smith. Fantastic, I was almost sick not knowing how he was doing on Dancing with the Stars; thank goodness he dropped by to give us an update. I was trying to watch the Giants completely torpedo my week, but ESPN felt it was more important for me to hear Smith talk about the difficulties of ballroom dancing. Before I thought the mute button would be enough, but apparently, I also need a visual mute since when they have a guest, the camera never leaves the booth or the satellite feed. Luckily, I thought this would happen so I planned ahead and had a dentist come over for a root canal during the game, you know, so I had something fun to do while the interviews were taking place. Seriously, no one cares. And ESPN wonders why they have crappy ratings for Monday Night.

Oh, a quick note or two for ESPN in the ol’ programming vein. When you show Sports center after the game, stop leading the broadcast with throwing it back to the crew at the game for a 20-30 minute dissection of what we just spent 3 plus hours watching. We know what happened, we watched the game you dolts. Also, stop plugging a story for 4-5 segments, constantly teasing the story, only to run it with absolutely no new information, or any information other than what can be read on the ticker at the bottom of the screen. Like a chump, I sat there after the game watching Sports Center because they teased a story on Roethlisberger and his condition after the concussion, and I suffered through segment after segment, including watching T.O.’s entire post game press conference, trying to pull individual hairs out of my arms at this point for entertainment. A quick side note to all the reporters who were there in Dallas for the post game interviews, there is only so many ways T.O. and Parcells can answer the same question, no matter how cleverly you rephrase it. And on top of that, your rephrasing of the questions were not even all that clever. What a pack of sandbags those guys are. Meanwhile, I keep watching the show, for almost an hour at this point, and during this time I see on the ticker about 100 times that Merrill Hoge is reporting Roethlisberger had a concussion and his status for Sunday’s game is uncertain. Of course, this is nothing new. Anyone who watched the game and saw him walk off the Georgia Dome field could have told you that. However, I am hoping that the actual story has more depth to it and some unheard information. Oh, it does. After almost an hour of waiting, they finally roll the story. On top of the information on the ticker, they also showed the hit that knocked Ben out of the Atlanta game about 10 times. THEY SAID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NEW, yet they teased it for almost an hour. After restraining myself from throwing the remote at the television, I calmly changed the channel. If they really wanted to give me new information, how about telling me why the referees, who in this day and age are instructed to coddle quarterbacks as though they were Faberge eggs, did not throw one flag for a helmet to helmet hit, which we all know is all kinds of illegal. That would have been some new and interesting information. No, the best they could come up with was that he had a concussion and his status for the Oakland game is uncertain. Well, thank you ESPN for that crack reporting. Do I get a cut of the pay for that story, because I said that as soon as he sat up on the turf? Thank goodness for Seinfeld reruns, they can turn a sour mood fast.

But I do not want to come down too hard on ESPN and Monday Night Football. There is one thing I like about MNF. Before the game, Tirico throws it to Tony and Joe, and each gives a small intro about each of the teams participating in the forthcoming game. It really shows the difference in talent between the two. Tony’s is a beautiful soliloquy that revolves around the team, and often times incorporates stories of their past, weaving fantastic tales together that relate the present day team, and where they hope to go from here. Joe’s seems more like a ham fisted pre game report that basically is little more than bland generalizations regarding tonight’s match up that anyone with access to a computer or television could ascertain. They are obviously from two different worlds. I am just waiting for Tony to really become Cossell and start berating Joe openly, like Cossell used to do to Dandy Don way back in the day. That would be fantastic.

On a much, much brighter note, for the first time this season, I get to watch games this weekend with my Dad. I cannot wait! I am taking time to go visit the parents and we will get to sit down and enjoy a little Steelers football together. Of course, he does not have HD, so that will throw me for a loop right there. Going back to the stone age of football viewing! Oh well, its more than just the picture, its all about the Dad. Of course, I am sure my Mom would prefer something other than have two raving lunatics yelling at the screen for three hours, but hey, that is what family is all about. Is it Sunday yet?

Now, to add to the crappiness of the Pittsburgh loss, I had a beyond crappy week too. Nothing like getting back to a nice losing week.

Last Week: 5-8
Season to Date: 57-43

It was not easy to achieve this mark. I would like to send thanks to all the “juggernaut” teams that decided that it was cool to drop one on the road to crappy teams. If it were not for you, then I never would have been able to reach this lofty goal.

This week, we are back to 14 games, so I have a good chance to go 5-9. Cross your fingers.

This weeks bye teams are Buffalo, Detroit, Miami and Washington. I have nothing good to say about any of them. They all stink, and seem to be getting worse. So, there.


Arizona at Green Bay

Ahhh, two crappy teams with stellar quarterbacks in exact opposite spots in their careers. Brett, though, still knows how to win, so I’m going with him at home. Plus, since I watched the Cardinals pull the plug on their season last week, I do not trust them anywhere.

Green Bay over Arizona


Atlanta at Cincinnati

This is the first of three games that really confuses me. A tough one here considering both teams played good games last week. Cincinnati won tough against the Panthers, and Atlanta won a stellar shootout against Pittsburgh in overtime. Not that I think Vick can repeat that passing performance, but he can always run. Now, here is the funny thing, Atlanta’s secondary is weak, which plays well into the Bengals hands. But Cincy’s run defense is weak, which is right up the Falcons alley. So, do you go with who can hold onto the ball longer, or to the team that can air it out more efficiently? I think I will go with the team with the better defensive front four.

Atlanta over Cincinnati


Baltimore at New Orleans

Well, lets see, Baltimore is on the road and struggling on offense. The Saints are at home, which will once again be rollicking and Drew Brees is looking like an MVP candidate. Seems pretty simple to me.

New Orleans over Baltimore


Houston at Tennessee

Ok, here is a crapfest waiting to happen. If you had the NFL Sunday Ticket, and you could watch any game possible, is there any way you would watch this one? Now, if you have some interest in the team or any of the players, be they friends or family, you cannot vote. I mean, if you are just a casual football fan and find yourself scrolling through the channels, would you stop at this one? Neither would I, which means with Vince Young and the improving David Carr, this will probably be a fantastic game. Like I said, I cannot figure any of this season out.

Tennessee over Houston


Jacksonville at Philadelphia

Ok, both of these teams are reeling in weird ways, as mentioned above. So who do you go with? You go with the home team here. Because the Eagles know if they lose, they might not make it out alive. And if you think I’m kidding, watch that piece from NFL Films about Philly fans and old Veterans Stadium. There is a reason it was the only stadium in the NFL with a court in the basement for sentencing DURING THE GAME.

Philadelphia over Jacksonville


Seattle at Kansas City

So last week, Hasselbeck got his knee crunched, and it looks like the Seahawks may start to feel the Super Bowl loser hangover. No Hasselbeck and no Alexander no bode well if you ask me. I asked a buddy this week who is a huge Hawks fan about it, and he basically said their season is done if Matt is out for any significant amount of time. He is a Seattle fan and has zero confidence in Seneca Wallace. If your own fans do not feel good about it, then why should I? Plus, I made a HUGE error last week with KC. I forgot to take into account they were playing at home. Arrowhead Stadium gets so rocking during Chiefs games, that they can always help turn the tide. Dumb, dumb, dumb by me for not taking into account the stadium and home field crowd. I know there are not a lot of places where home field really means anything, but Arrowhead is one of them. I will not make that mistake again.

Kansas City over Seattle


San Francisco at Chicago

The 49ers on the road against DA Bears who just had a week off to rest and recover from their almost debacle in the desert? Yeah, this one is cake. I just hope we hear Mike Nolan scream in the post game news conference “THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!”

Chicago over San Francisco


Tampa Bay at N.Y. Giants

Well, we have a big match up here. Tiki versus Ronde. Brother versus brother. Tell me something, why was everyone babbling all over themselves at the beginning of the season when Peyton and Eli faced each other, but this game barely gets a whisper. Why not when this one is far more fascinating? Look at it; at some point in the game, it could literally come down brother versus brother. Picture the scene, Tiki breaks through the line and is heading for the end zone and the winning score, and the only one who can stop him is Ronde. That is drama if you ask me. That is what we should be talking about. Peyton and Eli could watch the other play, these two must stop the other to win. If that does not get your blood pumping and your heart going, you must be Art Shell.

N.Y. Giants over Tampa Bay


St. Louis at San Diego

This is the second game that is throwing me. St. Louis is definitely resurgent, and can play with anyone. They lost to the Seahawks on a last second field goal, and could have won that game. San Diego, I must grudgingly admit, is playing great all around football. But two things I wonder about the Chargers. One, will the turnover at the linebacker position start to catch up with them, and two, when will Marty blow another game? I just do not know, but I will play it safe and go with the home team.

San Diego over St. Louis


Indianapolis at Denver

Here we are at the game of the week. Undefeated Indianapolis travels to Denver for a showdown with the 5-1 Broncos. Which pony do you put your money on? Yes indeed, that pun was intended. This is a tough one, for a lot of reasons. Denver has been playing some great defense this year, which is good because their offense has not been, well, world beating. Now the defense will have their best test against a team that over the last few years has just owned them in the playoffs. But, it is in Mile High, so that is definitely on Denver’s side, but then again Indy had the week off and have been scheming for two weeks. The easy choice would be to just go with the home team, but I do not think I can here.

Indianapolis over Denver


N.Y. Jets at Cleveland

Well, this week Cleveland either fired their offensive coordinator, or he resigned, depending on which story you choose to read. Either way, it shows some turmoil in the land of the Browns that does not look good for the remainder of the season. The Jets continue to play over their heads, and I do not see that changing this week.

N.Y. Jets over Cleveland


Pittsburgh at Oakland

Oakland blew their season last week. Now no one will be talking about them since they got that win. What is the point of saying anything now? They blew it all away on a meaningless win over a shell shocked Cardinals team. Like my lady said, they went from being the worst ever to now they just suck. And there are plenty of teams that just suck.

Pittsburgh over Oakland


Dallas at Carolina

So Parcells finally capitulated and threw in Romo. Think he might have chosen a better time than midway through a tough division game on Monday Night? Could there possibly have been a better time? Nah that was the only time possible. I think the aura of the Tuna is fading pretty fast as of late. So, now they have Romo behind center, and Bledsoe sitting on the bench fuming and planning on how he can be a disruption on a team with T.O. Let’s just say, I like the Panthers.

Carolina over Dallas


New England at Minnesota

This is the third game that gives me pause and this one far more than the others. New England has quietly amassed a 5-1 record, losing only once to Denver. Since then, they have worked in all the new people and young kids, and really started to get production out of them. Minnesota and plowed to a 4-2 record behind their stellar offensive line. Obviously, Brad Childress knew what he was doing when he signed Steve Hutchinson in the off season. He really has quietly put together a decent squad in Minnesota, and the Vikings could go far if not for the Bears in their division. But I do not see a wild card spot out of their reach. I do not know who to go with, but considering their track record, suppose I will go with New England. Then at least if they crap the bed and screw me, I can take the satisfaction of them losing.

New England over Minnesota

The Crystal Ball Week 7

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on October 20, 2006.


I must start off this week with at least an acknowledgement of the Fall Classic, set to start Saturday night. This year’s opponents match the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League vs. the American League representative the Detroit Tigers. Normally, being a Pirates fan, I would throw a cursory good luck to the National League entry. But not this year, this year, its go Tigers! To be honest, I do not care much for baseball. I used to be a huge fan. Each spring, I would watch Major League over and over just to get myself into the right frame of mind. I knew rosters and followed the Pirates all season long. But for me, after the league had the strike in 1994, it ruined the illusion that any of it mattered for me. If a bunch of overpaid athletes and overpaid owners could not hash out a deal with each other that essentially meant pennies to them, but a lifetime’s salary to most of those who watch the game, then they are not worth my time. I know many went back, especially after 1998, but in my opinion they still do not have things right. They ignored their steroids problem because it helped put people back in the seats, and now they are only paying the issue lip service. They still have no real salary cap, which keeps some smaller market teams down and turns them into little more than player factories for the bigger teams. It just does not matter much to me anymore. I left it behind, never looked back, and have never felt bad about it. Occasionally, I will still go to a game. There is nothing like the experience of a sunny afternoon at the ball park. But more often than not, I try to only go to minor league games. Most of those guys still give a damn, either because they are trying to get to the show, or trying for one last shot. But other than that, I tune out come summertime.

But this year, I will root for the Tigers, and for more than a few reasons. First, the city of Detroit has been very good to me this year. Was that really all the way back in February? Seems almost like a lifetime ago. And Lord knows that city could use something to celebrate as their own, other than Jerome Bettis finally getting a championship ring. Second, Jim Leyland is their manager, and I love me some Jimmy Leyland. Great manager, he turned around the Pirates and made them winners, and that was the last time they were winners, unfortunately. And third, I saw their ALCS clincher, and realized their first base coach is Andy Van Slyke. Back in the day, he was my favorite Pirate. I loved the way he played the game and how much passion and fight he brought every time he played, even after things started going south for the Pirates. He was a great player, and a great guy. And I will always remember how much he gave to the team, and how their defeats in the NLCS were so crushing to him. He felt them like the fans did. I remember the image of him in 1992 sitting broken and dejected in centerfield of Fulton County Stadium after game 7 of the NLCS after Atlanta had improbably come back to win. If he could get a ring here with Leyland, it would feel like a small victory for all Pirate fans. Of Detroit’s 7 coaches, 6 are former Pirate players, coaches or managers. And all of them are a reminder to me of a time when I loved baseball, before I wrote it off, and of a time when Pittsburgh baseball was relevant and mattered, as something more than a player development team for those in baseball with bigger pockets who sign away anyone of quality that will come up through the Pirate organization. So to Leyland, Van Slyke and the rest, you have an additional Tigers fan this post season. Bring home that ring.

Ok, one other not necessarily football related tidbit. Ooooooh, that damn Manning! After railing about him last week, he goes and does something this week that just killed me! I saw a new commercial for Sportscenter with the entire Manning family. The commercial was set up as if they are taking a tour of the facilities. As they are walking through the complex, Peyton and Eli are in the back, flicking each other and basically acting like 10 year old brothers. It made me laugh so hard, I flashed back to me and my own brother during one of many trips with my mother to the grocery store. Not just when we were kids, but the last time I was home and we went with my mom. Ha ha, she thought with us grown up she would never have to be mortified in a store again, boy was she wrong! Stupid Manning, it is hard to stay so worked up about him when he can be so blasted entertaining. Regardless….

Wow, there was a litany of close games this week. Seattle/St. Louis, Philly/New Orleans, Tennessee/Washington and Cincinnati/Tampa Bay were all close games that went down to the wire, and oddly enough, went the wrong way for me. I could have had killer week part deux, but some teams just refused to lose, while other refused to win. Guess there is a little fight left in a few of these teams.

First, yes, Cincinnati losing hurt my poll, but it sure helps in the division! I guess they did show us what they are made of after all. Not much more than some flashy jailbirds and hyped up nonsense. Couple that with Baltimore losing, and then hitting the panic button and firing Jim Fassel, excellent move by the way, plus the, at least temporary, return of Kyle Boller, and suddenly I’m feeling pretty good about how things are beginning to shape up in the AFC North.

Speaking of AFC North teams, how bout them Steelers!!! All is good in the Burgh again. Nothing like a little win to salve all the old ails, especially one with a 45 point offensive explosion. Troy looks back to normal, as does Roethlisberger, and thank goodness for that. The offense and defense run through those two men, and when they play poorly, the whole team plays poorly as well. And it had been showing. Ben was dead on all day, making great decisions and zipping passes all over the field. It must have been the return of the beard. Roethlisberger was 16-19 with two touchdowns and no picks for 238 yards. Willie Parker had 2 touchdowns and 109 yards rushing. Polamalu had 9 tackles and an interception, and did not even let Mr. Larry Johnson picking him up by his hair disrupt his cool demeanor. Even Cris Collinsworth said after the game that Pittsburgh is back and will go to the playoffs. If that is not a vote of confidence, I do not know what is. Plus, we got to see the return of Chad Brown. Number 94 had a sack in his first playing time as a Steeler in a decade. As a matter of fact, it was the only sack of the day. It was nice to see Chad back where he belongs, although if you ask me he should have never left.

I gotta say it; I am legitimately frightened of New Orleans. Yes, Philly had a bit of a let down game, but still the Birds played tough in the second half and the Saints still won. They finished with a game ending drive that took up the last 8:24 of the game. That is astounding. When you can hold onto the ball for that long and keep it away from your opponent, and still score, you are doing more than one or two things right. New Orleans can go far with their team and the chemistry. And honestly, I am afraid to see what will happen when they come to Pittsburgh. Luckily, we have beaten Brees before, so I bet we can do it again.

Boy did Da Bears have a tough one in the desert. It was much tougher than anyone ever thought possible, and I will bet more than a few people lost a few bucks betting the spread on that one. But you see it was not really as tough as you may think. Ditka told the team before the game that it was not fair fight, so they had to take the first half off, and then it would be fairer and a better challenge for Da Bears. And then at halftime, he said they could play, but only the defense. And as he always was when he was the coach, Ditka was right. Honestly, how much worse could the offense have played? How do you give up the ball 6 times and win? Seriously, did Grossman and Orton switch uniforms before the game just for giggles? How do you come back from being down 23-3 without scoring once on offense? An amazing performance by the defense and special teams was on display. That is how championship caliber teams really play, by coming up big when you are down and not everything is going right. They win by finding a way to win, no matter what. There might be something to these Bears. Ditka is proud, and somewhere, Chris Farley is smiling with a beer and a polish sausage.

On the other side of the ball, Arizona did a masterful job of throwing that game away. They had the Bears beat, BEAT. By almost the end of the third quarter, the score was 23-3, Arizona. The Cardinals defense was playing their hearts out, leaving everything they ever had on the field. They were aggressive, opportunistic, tireless, tenacious and above all, tough. They smacked the Bears offense right in the mouth time and time again, showing no fear of the much vaunted Bear Offense. They gave up 3 points in that game. 3 total points, AND THEY LOST THE GAME 24-23! If I were a Cardinals defensive player, I would have walked into the locker room after the game and strangled the first offensive player I could find.

Since Arizona has a rookie running the offense, and now one calling the plays, let me make a few notes for these newbies. One, running the ball kills the clock. Know how to do that well? GET A BETTER OFFENSIVE LINE. How many times do I need to say it? The current line is barely adequate at pass protection and would be horrid if Leinart did not have such a quick delivery. But when Edge James gets 55 yards on 36 carries for the entire game, well that is a shameful statistic. What is even more shameful, that this type of performance is not an aberration for this game; it is the norm for the season. To add to their woes, James keeps complaining about being a bigger part of the offense, so they give him 36 carries, and what does he do? He gets a total of 55 yards and then fumbles the ball at a critical moment that directly results in a Bears touchdown. Which leads me to another little note, hold onto the ball. Fumbles by James and Leinart led DIRECTLY to 14 Bear points, and put them right back into the game. Oh, and one other thing, your kicker seems to have jumped the shark, so you might want to look upon him as an absolute last ditch option.

Wow, what a fantastic collapse, and I am referring to Denny Green’s in the post game news conference. That was the most entertaining part of a night full of great football, just super stuff. He really lost it. That’s a TIVO moment if ever I saw one. Better even than Jim Mora’s playoffs speech, or Herm Edwards talking about why we play the game when he was with the Jets. I almost wanted to get a bowl of popcorn and watch him melt down over and over again. Of course, now he’s overcorrected everything by firing his offensive coordinator. Yeah, that was the problem. Oh, do not be mistaken, coaching was the issue in that game, but I doubt it was the offensive coordinator’s fault.

Has anyone been watching the NBC games? I love the Rock star of the week. But what I want to know is who is the sucker that has to go out to the top of the building and put the picture of that week’s winner up there at 11:30 at night. Now that is a thankless job, if ever there was one. Do the NBC interns play rock, paper, and scissors on Friday afternoon until one chump loses out? Maybe they could have a contest for NFL fans, and have the winner up there all night, and occasionally Al and John could throw it to them, and get their input on the game. Now that would be fun come mid December. I do love it when Madden says, each week, we’ve come a long way from the horse trailer. I was so disappointed when he didn’t say it this week. It felt like the game was incomplete.

Well, this week is the second week in a row with only 13 games to be played. Plus, for some reason there is no Sunday night game this week. According to Al Michaels, they have bye week. Color me confused, but since when do networks get a bye week? That is one of the most absurd things I have heard yet. NBC, after many years, finally gets football back. And they get a primetime game every week, a time where they are featured network. So far this season, they have been outclassing all other broadcasts, but did they let it go to their heads? Is this some strange quirk that has something to do with the impending schedule shift that will determine who will be playing future Sunday night games? It seems really odd to me. I bet, though, that it has something to do with Madden being honored by the Raiders during their home game this week. It is such a shame that this honoring of their former coach will be the only highlight of the day for Raider Nation.

So nothing spectacular this week, but at least I was still on the winning side. Check it out.

Last Week: 7-6
Season to Date: 52-35

I cannot say I am thrilled about it, but at least the numbers on the left were higher than the numbers on the right. And, it is really easy to forget how horrible you did in the poll that week when your team hangs 45 points and completely crushes its opponent. Tee hee. Plus, each week is a new opportunity to do better, and oh, here is a new week.

Teams with a bye week this week are Baltimore, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, St. Louis and Tennessee. Baltimore made a great move this week, firing Jim Fassel as the scapegoat for their crappy offense. How ridiculous of a move is that? I will tell you. Fassel was brought in originally as a consultant, to help the maturation of Boller. By the end of last season, his progress with the young QB was beginning to show. But by then, it was not enough for Baltimore, so they brought in broken down Steve McNair. Predictably, McNair underperforms trying to learn a new system and be the quarterback he was 6 years ago. Even more predictably, he gets hurt, forcing Boller back into the lineup. Boller, who has now worked with Fassel for a few years and knows the system in and out, pours out three touchdowns in what could only be called in Baltimore as an offensive explosion. Of course, it was not enough because Carolina is a much better team. So what do they do, looking down the barrel of extended time without McNair and with Boller at the controls? Fire the one guy with whom Boller is comfortable. So now Kyle, whose confidence I am sure is at a low point for being benched in the first place, now has to go directly to Billick for his plays, knowing that Billick does not particularly care for him. BRILLIANT MOVE RAVENS. Well, it is in my book, since I now see us passing them in the coming weeks. Excellent, it’s like an early Thanksgiving present. Chicago had to have this week off, not only because of the scare in the desert, but also because Ditka’s birthday was this week. New Orleans can sit back and breathe, knowing they are only a few wins away from having something that is as rare in the city as a working government, a winning season. And I say good for them, because the team, its fans, the city and state have a need for something to cheer about. San Francisco, well, there is not much to say. Enjoy the rest and keep working, you will get there eventually. St. Louis can sit and grumble about blowing a winnable game at the end and wait for revenge. And that brings us to Tennessee, who is looking good all of a sudden. It would seem like they made an excellent choice with Vince Young. Taking Indianapolis to the wire, and then beating Washington at home, the Titans are now shaping up to be one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL. Not good enough to make the playoffs, but more than good enough to ruin it for anyone else.


Carolina at Cincinnati

Is it possible, that all of the off the field distractions that have surrounded the Bengals are finally catching up with them? They looked flat and uninspired, and like they were confused about what was going on out on the field. I saw it when they played Pittsburgh, but since the Steelers gave them that game, no one said anything. Then they got pounded by New England, and finally, some of it cropped up, but too many thought it might be just a letdown game after the Pittsburgh game. But now, finally real talk is happening. The Bengals are reverting to form. There is still a ton of talent and potential on that team, but if someone does not step up and lead them, it will be worthless and wasted. As for Carolina, 0-2 without Steve Smith, 4-0 with Steve Smith. Steve Smith will be playing this week. Hard to argue against that.

Carolina over Cincinnati


Detroit at N.Y. Jets

Ugh, do I have to say something about this game? Ok, uh, well, it will be played in the Meadowlands. There will be two teams. Hmmmm, oh, and the Tigers will help the good people of Detroit forget about the mess that is the Lions.

N.Y. Jets over Detroit


Green Bay at Miami

Yikes, another stinker. Are there any good match ups this week? Sigh, well, at least this one features the Brett Favre farewell tour. I am sure soon enough the retirement talk will start up again, but Favre seems to be keeping the talk at bay this year by limiting his exposure to the media. Smart move, Brett, you might actually enjoy at least parts of the season that way. He may have to honestly look at things after the season in realistic terms. If he wants to play for a winner before he hangs them up for good, it will have to be somewhere other than Green Bay. I know he is the face of the Packers, and he keeps the fans coming back, but they are not going anywhere anytime soon. But the only one who really knows how he feels is Brett, and I imagine he just wants to get some wins this season. Considering this week, after getting some rest, they are playing the mess that is Miami I will take Brett, with or without Koren Robinson.

Green Bay over Miami


Jacksonville at Houston

Oh man, not another one. Is this torture or something? Are there any games worthwhile? Ugh, well, uhhh, ok. Houston got simultaneously spanked by Dallas and wrapped up in the TO circus, and Jacksonville had a week off after spanking the Jets, so I guess that should make this pretty simple.

Jacksonville over Houston


New England at Buffalo

Yikes, there just does not seem to be any compelling match ups this week. So far, it’s either ultra crappy versus ultra crappy, or ultra crappy versus good team. Here is an odd thought, though. Is it just me or does it seem as though the Away teams are significantly better, thus far, than the Home teams? It might just be me. I think we will see that dynamic in this game. As much as I hate to do it, I must.

New England over Buffalo


Philadelphia at Tampa Bay

Ok, this one has at least a modicum of interest. How will Philly react after losing last week to New Orleans? Will the defense step up after getting ground down in the fourth quarter against the Saints? Will McNabb get angry about losing a game like last week, when their offense did little in the first half, by exploding early and often this week? Will Tampa start to right their season, after showing promise over the past two weeks? How far will their rookie QB be able to take the team? Some compelling questions, at least one game so far has been able to produce a few.

Philadelphia over Tampa Bay


Pittsburgh at Atlanta

Finally, we have a compelling match up. The resurgent Steelers, flying high off of an offensive explosion against the Chiefs, charge into the Georgia Dome to take on the slightly reeling Falcons. Atlanta’s potent rushing attack will be a real test for Pittsburgh’s rushing defense. Containing Vick and keeping him in the pocket will be the key to the game. The Giants showed last week that it can be done, and that putting the game on Vick’s arm is the real secret to winning. Plus, the Giants exposed Atlanta’s defense, and showed they could be had. There are a million reason’s to watch this one, how well each team can respond from the week before, fantastic running versus fantastic run defense, and the outcome of this game will have implications on who will win the title for two different divisions. This is a very big game. I think finally one team is ready for a big game. Bet you cannot guess who.

Pittsburgh over Atlanta


San Diego at Kansas City

San Diego has earned the praise they have been receiving as of late. But, they are not nearly as good as everyone says they are. Beating a Pittsburgh team that was running on five cylinders and then pounding on the 49ers does not show me a great team. And last time I checked, Shottenheimer was still the coach. But, they will collect another win this week, and the Super Bowl talk will continue unabated.

San Diego over Kansas City


Denver at Cleveland

On the surface, this did not seem all that compelling. Now, I am not so sure about that assessment. Denver has a defense that is fantastic, tough, tenacious and stifling. But their offense is still something to be desired. They only managed to score13 points against Oakland; you know Shanahan was bothered by that. Cleveland is playing tough, but they are young and inexperienced in some areas, and just lacking in others. I think they could give Denver a run for their money, but the Broncos defense could be too much for Charlie Frye. Gotta go with the safe call here.

Denver over Cleveland


Arizona at Oakland

Originally, I thought this would be an easy win for Arizona. And even by halftime on Monday night, I was writing them in for this game. Now, I am not so sure. First, they are on a short week after playing on Monday night. Second, unless someone steps up in that locker room, they will still be shell shocked from losing to the Bears. Third, Oakland played somewhat tough in Denver, and the team and fans will be amped with John Madden in attendance as the team honors their latest hall of famer. Plus, I saw Lamont Jordan on the sidelines of the game last week after his fumble. I thought he might pound a hole in the ground so deep that he might bring the whole stadium down to sea level. At least someone on the Raiders has some passion and cares about how they do. If that is infectious, they might ruin their perfect defeated season. This could be their biggest test to date on their quest to get to 0-16. Hopefully, Arizona can overcome last week and the dismissal of their offensive coordinator and come through on the road. I bet Leinart can do it, and remind everyone in Oakland that they could have had him and drive the Raider fans completely insane.

Arizona over Oakland


Minnesota at Seattle

Minnesota had some rest and I bet is raring to go. Seattle is coming off a big last second win on the road against a division rival. Qwest Field will be rollicking, no doubt. Go 12th man! “snicker”. Alexander still is not playing, but I doubt that will mean too much this week.

Seattle over Minnesota


Washington at Indianapolis

Executive of the year Dan Snyder must be so proud of the concoction his ego and checkbook has created of a once great franchise. What, you mean just constantly overpaying for middling talent and a coaching staff that resembles a kitchen with too many cooks is not the secret to NFL success? How odd! I just cannot understand this team. One week they look like the class of the NFC, and the next week they look worse than Oakland. You never know which version of the Redskins is going to show up. This week, it could be the good one. Portis is looking for a big game, and Indy’s run defense is questionable. But they upgraded their defense in a trade with Miami, and Peyton is not ready to lose yet, especially to Washington.

Indianapolis over Washington


N.Y. Giants at Dallas

This looks to be a good match up as well between bitter division rivals. The Giants, for all their dysfunction, seem to play better when they fight amongst themselves. Dallas has kept the T.O. circus in check for almost a week, and is playing at home. This tough division game will have ramifications on who will take the lead in the NFC East. I say, Dallas staves off insanity for one more week, and the Giants drop one, and wonder if Tiki Barber really meant it when he said he is going to retire after the season.

Dallas over N.Y. Giants

The Crystal Ball Week 6

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on October 13, 2006.


Hello sports fans and welcome to another week of football mania. Like me, I am sure you cannot get enough coverage of the game we love most, which is why I hope you are here. Alas, I have some sad news; I found out there is another column called Crystal Ball. And here I was thinking I was being all original and creative. Well, nuts to that one, I call mine The Crystal Ball, so that is difference numero uno, even if it is splitting hairs. And more importantly, that column is geared toward fantasy football, and here we shun such nonsense in favor of pure football action. So, they can change their name to fairy tale football news as far as I am concerned, because here we actually watch the game for the game, not for the stats. Watch, now I’ll get slapped with a cease and desist. Tune in next week for Generic Titled NFL Themed Column!

It was shaping up to be such a wonderful weekend. I awoke to a bright, sunny California day Sunday. The sun warmed everything to a great temperature, not too hot or cold with a gentle breeze outside. For once, I managed to hit the games right on the money, for the most part, but more on that later. The Lady K and I, decked out in our Steelers regalia, had a beautiful drive to Qualcomm Stadium, listening the entire way to the epic battle taking place in Philadelphia, which we managed to watch the exciting finish to on the Jumbotron at Qualcomm. Thank you stadium staff for broadcasting the end, I loved watching that final interception on the large screen. We arrived safe and jazzed for the scheduled tilt ahead of us. After finding parking, which was not easy in any sense, we wound our way toward the stadium through throngs of tailgaters supporting the Steelers and Chargers. It seems as though the entire area was filled with the scent of something being grilled. Delicious, mouth watering aromas drifted down aisle upon aisle of automobiles, each gleaming with the colors of the owner’s favorite team. And through every aisle, it was not clear who the home team was there that day. I have never seen in my life so many Pittsburgh fans in one area, short of watching games at Heinz Field on TV. It was amazing how many Black and Gold faithful came out to rally the team to victory in person. We entered the stadium early, anxious to see exactly how good our seats really were, since photos do not always give you the whole picture. As we rolled down to the bottom of the stadium, we walked through the concessions tunnel to our appointed section. There, climbing one flight of steps into the afternoon sun, we saw the field appear before us, gleaming bright and ready for action. We moved down the aisle to our seats, amazed at the location. We were no more than 30 feet from the players’ benches. It was unbelievable. As players would come out and warm up, they were so close to us it seemed as though all we had to do was reach out and touch them. It felt like a dream as player upon player would come out and prepare for the upcoming contest. The partially filled stadium erupted when Pittsburgh took the field as a team to warm up. The excitement was palpable. And then something odd happened as the stadium continued to fill. The Chargers came out as a team to warm up as well, and they were thoroughly booed, and I mean loudly. One report of the game I saw actually said they were booed lustily. That is not an exaggeration. I was shocked, and if I were a Chargers fan, I would have hidden my head in shame. How could you let that happen, to your own team booed in your stadium? Our entire section was filled with Steelers fans. At least 90% of the fans in that section were rooting for Pittsburgh. And ours was not the only section like that. Many were teeming with the Steeler faithful, ready to cheer on the boys in black and spur them to a victory. When the stadium had reached capacity right before kickoff, the amount of Steeler fans was amazing. We were in the minority compared to Chargers fans, but it was far closer to a 50/50 split than I would have ever imagined. Far closer than last year, and I thought there were a lot of fans at that game. I was excited to see my team, the world champions, live for the first time this season. Plus, being the Sunday night game with Al and John announcing, there was a nice symmetry from last year, since that one was a Monday night game and they were here for that one as part of last years Monday Night crew. And, mercifully, or so I thought, I would not have to see or hear that awful Sunday Night Football opening with Pink, which just makes my skin crawl and creates in me an urge to jab myself in the eyes with a paper clip. Alas, that was not to be, since they ran it on the Jumbotron. Gee, thank you stadium crew. Nothing like being subjected to a 30 foot high Pink looking like she’s all set for a night out on Hollywood Boulevard. Luckily, there were no sharp objects around.

All around us we made friends with our Steeler brethren, laughing, joking, screaming and cheering at each play. And Pittsburgh gave us much to cheer about at the start as they looked sharp and ready throughout the first half. By halftime, we were giddy at the 13-6 score. However, I am not sure who came out in the Pittsburgh uniforms after that, but it wasn’t my team as the wheels came off and they lost the game 23-13. Certainly not the result I was looking for, nor was anyone around me. And it was a very long walk back to the car through the throngs of cheering, obnoxious, drunk and annoying Charger fans, who seemed bent on twisting that knife in the back of everyone wearing black jersey. It is NOT fun to lose on the road, at all. But, if I do not think about the second half of the game or the final score, it was a fantastic day. If I do think about them, well, it kind of puts a damper on the fun. We did have a great time, but it would have been much better, and sweeter, to leave with a big W. Alas, that was not to be. I am trying to be upbeat about it, and succeeding for the most part. Of course, at the time I wanted to just run through the parking lot and into traffic screaming WHY WHY WHY like Nancy Kerrigan. Luckily, I kept an ounce of composure for the end of the game.

Which brings me to the most important subject of this week, just what exactly is wrong with the Steelers? I have seen way too many talking heads debate this one all week long, and read way too much instant psychoanalysis on all of their possible problems. Everyone has an opinion, be it their problems lie in Ben and his off season trials to perhaps it comes from too much personal appearances and not enough training to even that they have a Super Bowl hangover that has not dissipated. All may bear credence or all may be nothing but bunk, but I think I have it figured out, especially after seeing them in person. Here is what I believe is wrong.

A) They got soft and complacent in the off season – Being the world champions has its privileges. Everyone looks at them as the top dog of the league, the team that stands above all others and the one everyone tries to emulate and replace at the top of the mountain. After working so hard to reach the pinnacle, it is easy to see how a team would want to take a few minutes to relax, look around and take in the view at the top. It must be an exquisite view and feel extraordinary. But, that can also lead to the mentality of invincibleness. We cannot be beat; we are the champions and nuts to everyone else. They get accolade after accolade, and it only reinforces that thought. Troy Polamalu is the best safety in the league, and the best since Ronnie Lott. I have heard that. You hear that enough times, you believe it. Of course, the way he is playing now, I bet Ronnie could beat him today. Joey Porter is the most feared man in the NFL. That was on the cover of SI. You see that, you might take an extra day off, knowing you are the best. This is not a condemnation, just an observation. They are still tough, but they don’t seem to have that extra something, that hunger that comes from needing to prove yourself as the best. They did that by winning it all last year, and now that is gone. They need to replace that original hunger with a hunger to prove themselves as the best of this decade and era, the next logical step, but they have not seem to found the way or motivation to make that step just yet.

B) They have no rallying point. – One good way to get and sustain that hunger is to have not only a goal, which of course is to win the Super Bowl, but to have something specific to rally behind and around that helps push you and give you that extra edge toward achieving your goal. Last year, they had the perfect rally point in Jerome Bettis. They knew it was going to be Bus’s last year. They knew he wanted so badly to win a Super Bowl, especially on his way out and even more so in his hometown. So they pushed themselves and each other that much harder to carry Jerome to the ultimate victory and send him out as a champion. In many ways, it was a way of saying thank you to the man who for many seasons carried the team on his back and kept them winning. That is strong motivation. But this year, they have not found a rallying point. Perhaps they will find one soon as more and more people begin to write them off as one hit wonders. But even one hit wonders can come back. Remember, the Patriots did not win the Super Bowl the year after they won their first, but they did win it the following two years.

C) The Injury Bug. – Teams always have to contend with injuries, that is the nature of the game. But it seems as though Pittsburgh has had more than a few key injuries to contend with this year. It started with Ben, and we need not go down his grocery list of ailments yet again. We also know that Troy’s shoulder is bad, although we do not know how bad it really is, and then there is Hines’s hamstring. But now we have no James Harrison due to a high ankle sprain, and Townsend and Porter have bad hammys too. I fear to see who may be injured next, and how much of an impact it could have on the season. If they can play as a team, they can overcome it, but they have to play better all around to make that happen. Look at the Patriots; they seem to do it every year with duct tape and twine. Stupid Patriots.

D) The Cowher Situation. – This may be the biggest non-story of them all. I think his future with the team is a real distraction, but no one is saying anything about it. Look, players like security; they like to know that the man in charge will still be the man in charge. That kind of consistency, especially with a good coach, can reap huge benefits. Look at coaches in the past like Chuck Noll, Tom Landry and Bill Walsh. They were with their teams for years, and it bred an environment that was conducive to winning. All of those coaches are hall of famers, and had many hall of fame players play for them through the years. All of them, also, won multiple Super Bowls, and there is no mystery as to why. The players knew who was in charge, and who would be in charge. Right now, although he says he will still be around, I bet the players are wondering if Cowher really will be in charge next year, or if someone else will be taking over. See, Cowher says he is staying, and that is that. Ok, fine. But here is what the players see. First, their trusted former mate, Jerome, says on national TV that he thinks this is Cowher’s last season. Cowher of course denies this, so the players are at an odd conflict. The coach says that is bunk, but Jerome has always been good to us, honest with us and tight with us. Why would he make that up? It is possible he is wrong, but then oddly, other things begin to pop up. Cowher buys a new home in North Carolina. Not that big of a deal by itself, until he moves his family there permanently. That makes you wonder a bit. And then the contract situation. Since he first arrived in Pittsburgh, every time Cowher has come up with two remaining years on his contract, he as always reupped and signed a new contract. Now this year for the first time in his tenure, that did not happen. Sure, it could just be a money thing, but is it? Could it be he getting tired of the hassle? Has he achieved his goal of winning it all with his hometown team, and is now ready for something different in his life? If I were a player, I would be wondering mightily about all of this. Cowher says its all gossip and speculation, but actions always speak louder than words, and his actions show a man ready to hang it up, even if it is for just a few seasons. That is a huge locker room distraction, and players have trouble playing for a coach that won’t be around much longer. I am telling you, this is a huge distraction, and I bet a bigger story than anyone is letting on. Watch, I bet this will affect and stain the entire season.

All is not lost though, there are still 12 games remaining, and a team with guys like they have will not roll over. They have pride in what they do and what they have accomplished, and they will not go without a fight. I said at the beginning of the season, I see the team going 9-7 and missing the playoffs. I still think that is true. Not that I like it, but it seems to fit. Plus, I would rather they go to Super Bowl 42, cause that is in Arizona and I could drive there and party all weekend like a fool, A FOOL! Hee hee.

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, let’s purge one more thing before we get to this week’s collisions. I know that with all major sports, selling superstars is a way of life. It drives ticket and product sales, gets people to watch the games and pushes a lot of product. I know I’m as sick of seeing Peyton as anyone else, but obviously if it didn’t work, he would not be in every third commercial. And the selling of superstars is not limited to advertisements and pre game hype. Throughout the games, we are treated to numerous shots of the star players. Well, I’m tired of it. Each team has 53 players, and seeing one or two about a thousand times during each game has me ready to jam my remote into my frontal lobe. If I’m watching the Packers, I know I will see Brett Favre more often than I will see my dog who is sitting in front of me during the game. If I am watching the Bengals, I know I will see Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson so much it will look like they are playing catch in my living room. If I am watching the Seahawks, I know Matt Hasselbeck will be on so much I will start to see my reflection in his head. So, memo to the NFL, stop selling me the superstars and start selling me the teams. And specifically, stop selling me TO, Ray Lewis and Peyton Manning. I am tired of seeing them. I do not care, and I bet most fans do not either. I am sick of seeing them every other shot of the game. I literally lost count of how many times I saw Lewis’s face during the Monday Night game, it was that often. So please networks, just stop it, and end it now. I care not for these self centered individuals. You want to please me? Show me the game on the field. Even between plays something more interesting is happening between the white lines.

Lewis is highly overrated. Yeah, I said it. He gets tackles and sacks because everyone around him is killer good. That is the benefit of being the middle linebacker in a 4-3. If those around you are good, your job is easier. Watch him, really watch him when he is on the field, and most of the time you will see him coming in after the run or pass has been decided to lay a late hit on the ball carrier or jump on the pile and then pop up and strut around like he did something. It drives me insane that he gets so much credit, and I cannot see how or why. Sure, he gives great copy, and his stupid little dance when he comes out for player introductions is great theater, but that does not make him a great linebacker. Watch the replay of Monday nights game and tell me how many big runs in the second half of the game Denver started to reel off right through the middle linebacker spot. I saw one where they even showed during the replay how bad he got burnt. I am tired of being sold on how great he is and how great the Baltimore defense is and how intimidating and scary they are. They are not.

And on that note, I must make a small aside here. The Baltimore defense is not the greatest defense of all time, nor should they even be in the discussion. Greatness is achieved by a sustained period of excellence. Baltimore won one Super Bowl, and has not even been in consistent contention since then. Everyone is touting them this year as a return to form. First, they cannot be great if they are returning to form. That means they sucked last year, or for the last few years. Therefore, you have no sustained period of excellence, you therefore have no greatness. And second, it is pretty easy to hold opponents to a few points when your first three games are cupcake, your fourth is against a coach playing it safe, and your fifth is in a rainstorm. Denver scored 13 points, and had to fight off Mother Nature to get those. You want better defenses? Look to the Doomsday Defense, the Steel Curtain and the No Name Defense for better defenses. Also look, to a lesser extent, at the Orange Crush and Purple People Eaters, because at least they were in constant contention and took their teams to multiple Super Bowls, even if they did lose. Baltimore doesn’t even have a good nickname, how can they be that good? The Bears had the Monsters of the Midway, even if they only went to one Super Bowl in the 80s. Baltimore is like their team leader, well hyped. Personally, I am sick of the hype of both the team and Lewis.

And speaking of hype, as for TO, you saw all you need to know about him on Sunday. Short arming passes, not fighting for yardage after the catch, watching two throws that were under thrown to him get intercepted, and doing nothing to stop it. Not fighting to keep the defensive back from catching the ball, nor doing anything to stop said back after the catch. And then he has the nerve to go and berate his teammates for not trying hard enough. Amazing the hypocrisy he can display. And these faults on the field are not new. Watch old Eagles and 49ers games and you will see the same thing. Go ask McNabb or Garcia how many times they put the ball right to him and he either did not try to catch it or just alligator armed it, letting it clank to the ground. He is a difference maker alright. He is the difference between a winning team and a team dominated by a singular personality that drags the entire organization down with him. I saw roughly a quarter of this game because I was traveling to San Diego, and still I saw him on the sidelines no less than 10 times. STOP IT. Now see, they made me go and break my own rule of not talking about that chucklehead.

And lastly, Mr. Manning. Yes, I get it; Peyton is a student of the game. He is uber intelligent, a quick thinker, a professional and ultra competitive. And in many ways, I am a Manning fan. But you know what? I’m tired of it. I’m tired of watching him walk to the line and begin his histrionics of calling protections like he’s directing the London Philharmonic. Seriously, does he really think his lineman cannot see the defensive shifts in front of him, or that they are too stupid to see who they need to pick up? I am sorry, but it seems to me like he gives those guys, the guys that work the hardest on the field in my opinion, the least respect. Remember, all lineman must stay set in their positions until the snap of the ball, so the more Peyton is behind center rambling on like some cracked up air traffic controller, the harder their job is when the play does finally go off. Plus, anyone who would so throw their linemen under the bus like he did to his after their playoff loss last year loses a ton of respect in my book. Yeah, he may have had a point, since he was harried all day and sacked five times, but you do not call them out in the media like that. I understand he was upset and frustrated at the time, I know I would be as would anyone else in that position of playing as hard as you can and coming up short yet again. But those linemen are your workhorses, and that is not right. I just hope I am watching the game where one of them has enough of his BS and pops him in the mouth in mid play.

Wow, that was cathartic. I feel much better now. Let’s just move on. So this week would have been uber triumphant if Pittsburgh would have iced the cake and won in San Diego. Since that did not happen, I will have to just take solace in having a killer week, as I alluded to above.

Last Week: 12-2
Season to Date: 45-29

Now that is more like it. Although I did not do a comparison this week to the picks I made with my gut and those I pondered over endlessly. I do know of the two I lost, one was gut and one was thought, so I guess I am pretty even there. Regardless, I hope this is more a sign of excellence and consistency as opposed to one of those rare winning weeks. I guess there is only one way to find out. Shall we?

This weeks bye teams are Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Minnesota and New England. Two more teams have the week off than last week, and personally, I feel cheated with one less game. But, I am not working for the NFL scheduling department, so there is nothing I can do. Cleveland and Green Bay should be happy with the respite, able to step back and see if there is anything they can do to turn the season around. Cleveland, just keep playing tough. Green Bay, well, I would say enjoy the Brett Favre farewell tour. Indianapolis will spend the week looking over Edge’s contract with Arizona to make sure there is no loophole that says he can still play for Indy. Jacksonville will try to figure out if they may have the offense for 50 points a game. Minnesota will be hoping no one realizes how lucky they have been thus far this season. And New England? I don’t know, perhaps Belicheck will spend the time in his garage building a pro bowl defensive lineman out of old scraps of wood and some silly putty or other such nonsense. Jerks.


Buffalo at Detroit

Our first game and it is a tough one to call. How can you pick with this crapfest? Detroit blows a winnable game last weekend versus Minnesota, but I thank them for that. Then Buffalo, who had been playing fairly tough, gets their ass beat by the Bears, whoops sorry, Da Bears. Of course, Da Bears are just that much better than most teams, and playing at home. Woof, what a dog, and it could go either way. Does home field even mean that much for at team that craps their own bed like Detroit? You got me.

Buffalo over Detroit


Carolina at Baltimore

Oh no, the mighty Ravens lost! Surprising what happens when they go up against a good team that knows how to close out a game. Shocker. We are going to see more of this in the near future, as their crappy running game and aging and less effective quarterback keep sabotaging their ability to win. Their offense is limited at best and was exposed by Denver and their stifling defense. Here comes another one this week, with what I imagine will be predicable results.

Carolina over Baltimore


Cincinnati at Tampa Bay

Rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski had a great first outing, putting up good numbers and keeping Tampa Bay in the game. Unfortunately, their special teams let them down, much to the delight of Reggie Bush fans everywhere. I think they might be able to right the ship, but Cincinnati and their tough secondary will make it that much harder for Gradkowski. This will be a make or break game for Cincy, to keep them in contention in the division and prove to everyone they are one of the elite teams in the NFL. We will know more about them after the game. I am thinking they take this one now that they have had a week to rest.

Cincinnati over Tampa Bay


Houston at Dallas

Heck of a game by Dallas there last week. Good for their offense to really step up and stick it to Philly. Dallas desperately needs a quarterback who can move more than three feet, since many times their offensive line was giving Bledsoe a ridiculous amount of time, and still he would get sacked. Unbelievable. And after watching T.O begin to meltdown as the game wore on, I think it is only a matter of time before he completely loses it and becomes Team Distraction Number One. I cannot say when, but it will be way before the next time those two teams play each other again. Plus, how surreal was it to see Mike Vanderjagt consoling TO on sidelines. The sight of that must have made some Cowboy fans drop their face into their hands and mutter, how did we come to this??? I bet it makes them wish for the days of Irvin and Sanders. Wow, the whole stadium is just going to explode one day. I cannot wait! This week, well, nothing like a crappy team to make you forget your troubles.

Dallas over Houston


N.Y. Giants at Atlanta

This one is tough, because while Atlanta has a killer running game, they have zero passing game. If the Giants key on the run game, even their crappy secondary can look good. But, it is in Atlanta, and this season is the good season in Atlanta. Huh, you ask? Atlanta has a habit of having one losing season, then one winning season. Look over the past few years, and you will see this pattern emerge. It is weird, yet fairly accurate. Per this excellent statistical analysis, Atlanta will be winners this season. Oh, yeah, but what about this game. You got me; I guess it all depends on which Giants team shows up. I am guessing they lose something in baggage check.

Atlanta over N.Y. Giants


Philadelphia at New Orleans

Philly is rocking at 4-1, and should be at 5-0. New Orleans is rocking at 4-1. Who would have guessed this match up would be such a battle? 5 people, that’s about it. Maybe 6, but I am not sure. Philly is in line for a letdown after a short week before the Dallas game, and then coming up huge in an emotional win against the Cowboys. You know McNabb loved that his defense stuck it to T.O. He would never say such a thing, he is a classy guy, but you know he went home after the game, pulled out his T.O. voodoo doll and stuck another pin in it whispering, “did you like that one you egomaniac? Did you?” Or maybe he just had some Chunky soup. I think this is the Eagles’ first real test, especially since the Superdome will be rollicking. And since Westbrook seems to be ready to go, they will get a star and a smiley face.

Philadelphia over New Orleans


Seattle at St. Louis

Another good game with division championship undertones. Seattle has had the week off after getting destroyed in Chicago and now must travel to a resurgent St. Louis in hopes of getting things back on track. Also, for the second game in a row, they will be without the services of Shawn Alexander, whose absence was noticeable against Da Bears. St. Louis is winning with tough defense and strong running, which has bode them well thus far, but if they want, they can still air it out big time. This is a big test for both teams, and we should really be able to gauge where each team is after this game. I am giving the edge to the home team.

St. Louis over Seattle


Tennessee at Washington

Ooooh, look at Tennessee, almost sticking it to the Colts in Indianapolis no less. Nice showing Mr. Young. Of course, he looked more like Michael Vick than Donavan McNabb. I would rather have McNabb. But Young is still learning and he may learn the importance of developing a passing game yet. Washington, well, I have no idea. I mean, which team will show up? The juggernaut that went toe to toe against Jacksonville, or the also ran that wilted in New York? They are almost like Jekyll and Hyde. But, Portis has resumed bringing out surreal characters for his press conferences, which always bodes well for the Skins.

Washington over Tennessee


Kansas City at Pittsburgh

AAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!! You know, we finally get a team that has been having some troubles, although you could not tell with the way Damon Huard has been performing as of late, and look to put things back on track with a win over said struggling team. Now I hear Joey Porter is out with a hamstring injury, making it two linebackers gone in two weeks. So to help solve their LB woes, they go out and sign Chad Brown, who last played for Pittsburgh in 1996. What is this, a stroll down defensive memory lane? Who’s next, Greg Lloyd? Yikes. I surely hope Chad has something left in the tank this time around, although I thought it was sad to see him go years ago. And even though it is being played to death, I have to mention the Sienna Miller flap. I did not grow up in Pittsburgh, although I did live there for a few years as a young child and have gone there at least once a year since I moved away and still do to this day. It is a great city, I have family there that I love and one of my best friends currently lives there. It is a beautiful, fun and vivacious city and I have some of the best memories of my life in that city. Sienna Miller, you are nothing but a spoiled bitch who would know nothing of a quality city and quality people if they polished your nails and carried your bags. I hope you never go back there. You ruin the goodness of the city with your mere presence. And I agree with the others, I think Jude Law is a fantastic guy now for cheating on your bitchy ass. Oh, yeah, the game. What do you think???

Pittsburgh over Kansas City


Miami at N.Y. Jets

I doubt anyone would have ever thought this sentence would make rational sense. Joey Harrington is a better choice at QB than Daunte Culpepper. I know New England is not the world beater they have been in the past, but they are a good team and Joey kept the Dolphins in the game. That second interception of his was not all his doing, plus he stayed upright far more often than Culpepper has this season. This could be a far tighter game than most think, and I think Miami has a good chance. But the Jets are opportunistic and playing above their heads, and you know they will want to come back after being humiliated in Jacksonville last week. As long as Pennington keeps it together, I like the team from the Meadowlands.

N.Y. Jets over Miami


San Diego at San Francisco

Hmmm, I wonder who might win this game. Should I pick the rebuilding team that plays with some spunk but has no major weapons or the team with tons of weapons and a young QB brimming with confidence after shredding the Super Bowl Champions’ defense? I don’t know, this is a tough call. Oh, by the way I’m being sarcastic.

San Diego over San Francisco


Oakland at Denver

I cannot express how proud I am at Oakland for overcoming the potential win against San Fran last week. They had a good chance to blow it, but they found something deep inside and managed to find a way to throw the game in the crapper. 0-4 they currently stand at, and their odds of going the distance look better each week. I am legitimately giddy now. Plus, this week they play Denver, IN Denver, against Mike Shanahan who revels in every opportunity to stick it to the Raiders and Al Davis. The Broncos get to face a division rival who has not won a single game and are reeling from a head coach who looks like you should slip a mirror under his nose during the games to make sure he is still alive and a star wide receiver who has said he does not care anymore and wants to play elsewhere. How long do you think Shanahan has been salivating for this game? I am guessing, since Week 2.

Denver over Oakland


Chicago at Arizona

Wow, this one is about as tough to pick as a choice between pizza and lima beans. Although Leinart does look good already, and it looks like the Cards have their QB position locked up for about the next 10 years. However, from the looks of things right now, please allow me to paraphrase a classic bit from the past. Come February 4th, a certain team, from a certain city will be hoisting a certain trophy above their collective heads. A team known simply as, Da Bears. DAAAAAA BEARS. Seriously, if things keep progressing this way, will we be lucky enough to get The Super Bowl Shuffle, Part II? I hope so.

Chicago over Arizona

The Crystal Ball Week 5

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on October 6, 2006.


I have some bad news for everyone. The NFL season is officially one quarter over. Now, before panic engulfs us, remember, there is still three quarters of the season left, as well as the playoffs to look forward to watching. Now, I know that 60 games are in the books, the outcomes decided and the participants moved on to the next match. We can mourn the loss of these games, or look forward to those ahead, and cherish them, knowing how fleeting, precious and rare they are. I choose the latter.

That was slightly melodramatic for football. It seems a bit much for me to be waxing poetic over contests of men in plastic hats smacking into each other. After all, it is just a game, right?

Of course it is just a game; it means nothing in the macrocosm of things. But it is a wonderful, fun and exciting game. Yes, I am feeling a bit giddy today. This Sunday, amid the din of thousands of Charger fans, I and the Lady K, and probably about 15,000 + Steeler fans will be wildly waving our Terrible Towels in a black and gold frenzy as Pittsburgh and San Diego collide on Sunday Night Football live from Qualcomm Stadium. We went to the game last year, with Pittsburgh fans estimated at about 15,000 or so, although being there I thought the number was higher than that. I bet it is much higher this year. It was fantastic; at certain points during the game, you could hear Steelers chants ringing through the stadium. We got home and watched the Tivo of the game, and you could hear it on the broadcast too. If I were a Chargers fan, I would have been mortified. Last year the Steelers came to San Diego after a bye week at 2-1, and looking for a win. This year, the Steelers come to San Diego after a bye week at 1-2, and desperately needing a win to turn their season in the right direction. Considering all the weapons San Diego has on offense and defense, I would be a bit scared, especially since they took Roethlisberger out near the end of the game last year. But thankfully, last week in Baltimore, the return of Martyball reared its head, to the chagrin of Chargers fans everywhere, and to my glee and delight, well almost glee and delight. I did pick them over the Ravens, but they threw it all away at the end of the game and made McNair look like McNabb. Yeesh. Nothing like playing not to lose; it is the quickest way to toss the game away. Hopefully, Shottenheimer will be in midseason form by Sunday night. Regardless, I will be front and center, well almost. We will be on the 45 yard line, 4 rows from the field right behind the Steelers bench. Close enough to see the spittle from Cowher’s mouth. Oooooh, I can hardly wait! But, I suppose there is some business at hand before I begin waxing poetic again about the violent ballet of receivers and defensive backs.

There was a definite improvement over last week. Not like I lit the world on fire, but better than the week before.

Last Week: 8-6
Season to Date: 33-27

Now, I doubt I will win any polls with an 8-6 week, but I will take it over recent performances any day. And for some fun, I checked back and looked at another set of numbers. Just to see, last week I marked 7 games I kept debating the winner in my head, and left the 7 I just decided right away blank. I wanted to see if by gut instinct how I did, and how I did by over analyzing. Here are those results.

Gut – 6-1
Thought – 2-5

This tells me two things. Either my instinct for football is through the roof, or those 7 games were just gimmes and pretty easy to determine and I am lousy at analysis. I would LOVE for it to be the first, because if it were, then I bid my adieu, and if you need me, just forward any message to Las Vegas, care of any casino sports book. Reality is, it is the second. To what degree, I am not sure. I would like to think considering how much football I have absorbed, I might be a little better than lousy regarding picking winners. But, hey, it is all chance anyway. There are times that even games that seem in the bag will go down to the wire, or upsets that you lose outright. Actually, I would probably be much better at this if I did not let my own feelings get in the way. Well, it’s too late for that, at least for one game each week. So I guess Pittsburgh best keep winning. There will always be a handful of games I’ll agonize over, but luckily, I keep a well stocked bar, so it should all work out.

With the season a quarter over, most people will give out awards and what not. I contemplated this, but could not come up with any suitable goofy names for awards. So I thought I would just throw out a few quick observations of what we’ve seen thus far this season.

New Orleans for once seems to be serious about football, and it could not have come at a better time for the community. A+ to the organization for coming through and an A++ for the new Saints for really working to give something to the fans. I don’t mean just on the field, I mean off the field. Special kudos go to Drew Brees, who said the city is now his home and has made it such, and Reggie Bush, for making many contributions of time and money toward the rebuilding of the city and of lives in the community. Many other players and team personnel have also contributed to the efforts to bring back the city, and they should be congratulated as well. Way to go guys.

The demises of Philadelphia and New England seem to be a tad premature. Philly went through their Super Bowl hangover year, and has come through a stronger team. We will see just how strong this Sunday. New England, I cannot even find the right verbiage. How do they do it? They pull these castaways and also rans off the street, slap a uniform on them and they look like all pro players. Seriously, when does their pact with Damien expire? It just makes me want to start chugging some Old Granddad.

The Super Bowl parade plans in Miami are on hold. A preseason favorite as AFC champions, the Dolphins look to have taken a major step back. I guess maybe Culpepper was not the answer. Or maybe it is Mularky who is not the answer. Nah, not the offensive coordinator that led the 2003 Steelers to a stellar 6-10 mark. He must know what he is doing. Must be something else, then.

Oakland is in danger of being shipped to NFL Europe. You think this is a joke, but I am not so sure. Why else would Roger Goodell, the new commissioner, choose to attend this game when potentially epic tilts will be taking place in the Meadowlands, The Linc and Qualcomm? The only reason I can think is that he is trying to determine how easy it would be to swap them with World Bowl champs the Frankfurt Galaxy.

Cincinnati to unveil new team nickname, the mean machine. Since last season, six different Bengals have been arrested nine times. Suddenly, that line from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is ringing in my head. Nine times. How is that possible? Now, I know that these are young men who feel invincible and powerful and have money and are treated differently because of their athletic prowess, and every team has one or two cats that have a brush or two with the law. I am not saying its right, but it happens. But nine times? A few of them got busted more than once. And Odell Thurman is now suspended for the season, and it looks doubtful he’ll ever don a Bengals uniform again. Some control is needed, and quickly before these distractions overpower everything else. Hello, jerk hotline? Yes, I got a few I would like to report.

The T.O. circus’s extended stay in the Dallas area is in jeopardy. Poor Bill Parcells. He was looking to turn one more team around, to stroke his ego and lock in the Hall of Fame. Then he finds himself saddled with this nutcase for a season or more. One of them will be gone after this year, and it probably will be The Tuna and his now exponentially growing ulcer. Every press conference he gives, his ire seems to grow. I keep waiting for either his head to explode or for him to just lose it like Peter Finch in Network, grabbing a reporter and throttling him while screaming, “Can’t you bloodsuckers let a non-story die???” Either way, I’m riveted to see which will happen first.

Perennial sleeper team Arizona continues to sleep. Every year tons of people pick Arizona as their sleeper team, thus negating the status of being a sleeper. If everyone thinks they are going to do something, then it would not really be a surprise if they did, now would it? Yet every year they seem to fall flat on their face, usually with a look of shock and surprise. And why is that? They keep stockpiling all these offensive weapons; they should be lighting things up. I can sum it up in two words, offensive line. They have a crappy one, and never do a damn thing to improve it. So they keep trotting this broken one out, and then cannot figure out why their high priced running back can barely get 50 yards a game, and why their quarterback keeps getting sacked. On the plus side, their new stadium seems really nice.

All quarterbacks please see the team doctor for possible gout. Two quarterbacks have gone down this season for odd maladies. Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh needed an appendectomy, and Chris Simms in Tampa Bay had a ruptured spleen. Not your ordinary injury list. Roethlisberger is back, and Simms is on the road to recovery, which is good. But what is next, a wicked case of psoriasis? If this keeps up, the NFL will have to hire House M.D. to make sure things do not get out of hand.

This week the bye teams are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston and Seattle. Atlanta is looking fairly good at the quarter season mark sitting at 3-1. But if they cannot start developing a semblance of a passing game, they will not go far. I don’t believe Dunn or Vick will break down, but if everyone just stacks 8 in the box and dares Vick to throw the ball, which he does not seem to be able to nor care to improve upon, then how will their offense score? Cincinnati is also sitting pretty at 3-1, but after getting shellacked by the Patriots last week, all of their weaknesses were exposed and badly. So badly that if you take away a few errors from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati could very well be 2-2. They could not run the ball well, they cannot stop their opponents running game, and their playmakers are all gunning to be extras on Law and Order. I think the only surprising story from Cincinnati at this point would be if they led the local congregation in prayer services and then volunteered at the downtown soup kitchens. Other than that, nothing would surprise me. Houston is probably seething that their bye week came up now, just on the verge of a winning streak. I should not poke fun. Houston is looking much better than they have in the past. David Carr has definitely made strides in becoming an effective quarterback, and much better than one right now that will be suiting up in black and gold on Sunday night. Ahem! Sorry. And then there is Seattle. Boy did they get it handed to them Sunday night. I am a bit surprised Holmgren did not find a way to blame Alexander’s broken foot on the referees. Amazing how such a high powered offense can be stilled when they are reduced to one dimension. Indianapolis and Atlanta, please take notes on this, it could be important later in the season, and yes it will be on the test.


Buffalo at Chicago

Considering how quickly and efficiently Chicago dismantled Seattle last week, and that they are playing in Soldier Field again this week, I’m calling this one a no brainer.

Ok, last week I was watching the Sunday night game, and right after it became a rout, I kept thinking of what NBC could be doing to keep interest. And then it hit me, how oh how did we not have the Superfans in the booth for at least part of the game? You remember the Superfans, the gentlemen in the old SNL skit with George Wendt, Mike Myers and the late Chris Farley. All were big, both literally and figuratively, Bears fans that sat around at Ditka’s restaurant in Chicago and expounded on how bad the Bears would beat that day’s opponent, usually followed with a hearty, “Da Bears”. I kept thinking how genius that would be, just to have Myers and Wendt pop up out of nowhere. Even better, they could have done all the sideline reporting. Imagine how funny it would have been for Myers to feign being all indignant on having to report on the doings of the Seahawks. It would have been brilliant.

Chicago over Buffalo


Cleveland at Carolina

How about those Browns? Nice impressive come from behind win in Oakland last week. I knew they would not let me down, although it was dicey when Oakland went up 21-3. Luckily, they’re Oakland, so Cleveland had nothing to worry about. This week, well, Cleveland has much more to worry about, with Carolina beginning to find themselves again with a good win over New Orleans. Cleveland on the road, after traveling to the West Coast and back last week, I don’t think they have enough to overcome the Panthers. But they are improving, and that will be scary in the future.

Carolina over Cleveland


Detroit at Minnesota

Detroit has been on an offensive explosion the last two weeks, blowing up the scoreboard with their offense. Unfortunately, the defense that held Seattle to 9 points has also been blowing up, and opponents have been on a scoring binge as well. It seems they cannot do anything right. If the Ford family is serious about changing this team, they need to start at the top and dump Matt Millen. Heck, hire me, I’m cheaper and I know exactly what to do. They have some of the right players, but they need real coaches who will push the fundamentals such as strong defense, an effective run game and opportunistic special teams. Simple, yet so impossible anymore. Seriously, if they are interested, I will compose a mission statement of how to turn the team around. It’s not hard. Scour the free agent market and find a few blue chippers for the offensive line and the defensive backfield, bolster both lines through the draft. Talk to Edge James and find out if he really wants to whittle away the rest of his days in the Arizona sun. Find a good quarterback in the draft to mentor under Kitna along with a few linebackers and boom. You are on your way. It is starting to show progress in Cleveland, it can work in Detroit. And trust me, I am far cheaper than Millen, and I don’t even want a company car! But this week, forget it.

Minnesota over Detroit


Miami at New England

I knew, I KNEW that New England would come back and haunt me last week. I even said it; it will be a trap game. Everyone saw Cincy win and New England lose, and the crowd will lean toward Cincy. I even said for the near future; do not count New England out. And what do they do? They do what the Patriots seem to be brilliant at, they find something deep inside and stick it to me hardcore. Jerks! They marched into Cincinnati and proved me right, much to my chagrin since I picked the Bungles to win. Although, I did enjoy watching the Bungles lose, my only regret was that both teams could not take an L. This week, the Pats are back at home and welcoming the offensive juggernaut that is the Culpepper led Dolphins. Ugh. I do not know if I can even think of anything good about this one. Oh yeah, it will end.

New England over Miami


St. Louis at Green Bay

For once, Green Bay is looking like they might be on the road to recovery. They played the Eagles tough on Monday night, and it still surprised me that they held the lead into the third quarter. But, stupid penalties, mistakes and too much time on the field for the defense wore them down, and they collapsed in the end. Being without Ahman Green sure hurt their chances as well. I do not think it will bode well for Favre this week that St. Louis is tied for leading the league in interceptions. Or that the Rams suddenly found an offensive spark last week and put up 41 points. Or that he banged his noggin near the end of the Eagles game.

St. Louis over Green Bay


Tampa Bay at New Orleans

Tampa has Mac Attack. Well, at least Buccaneer fans hope so. This week, they will start QB Bruce Gradkowski, formerly a standout at Toledo. Toledo, of course, is in the MAC conference, which has brought us such quarterbacks as Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Charlie Frye and Super Bowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger. So Bruce, success is there to be had. However, he has to play his first game in what will no doubt be a rollicking Superdome, which proved to be a difficult place to play for the experienced Michael Vick. Nothing like a trial by fire. It is hard to win right out of the gate, especially on the road against a tough opponent. Not impossible, Roethlisberger did it in his first start in Miami, but the weather and their running game helped. The Saints will not be as forgiving as a hurricane was to Ben, and Tampa’s season will continue to slip away.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay


Tennessee at Indianapolis

Please, like there is any question with this one. Heck, with his sudden outburst of running last week, I bet Peyton Manning himself could gain a hundred yards in this game. I see Jim Sorgi getting some work this week. I hope he stretches before he trots out onto the field. I mean something other than his clipboard arm, uhhh, I mean passing arm. The only thing I fear is that after this game, Indy will be 5-0, and a few early bird talking heads will begin to mention the undefeated season. Does this mean they will start the watch again for 16-0, and we’ll be forced to hear, for yet another season, those excruciating stories about the 1972 Dolphins and how they pop champagne when the last undefeated team loses their first game, celebrating someone’s defeat and their ego that they still remain the only unbeaten team in league history? Maybe they will cut us a break and wait until they hit 8-0 before the real nonsense reporting begins. I sure hope not. If I do not get my Peyton fix at least once every 30 seconds, I start going through wicked withdrawal symptoms. Or it may just be nicotine withdrawal. Hmmmm, best not to take a chance. Now where is that Sprint/Nextel commercial…..

Indianapolis over Tennessee


Washington at N.Y. Giants

Now this is a tough one. Washington won a barn burner last week against Jacksonville, with the offense blowing up for 36 points against a good Jaguars team. But this week they play away against a division rival. The Giants had the week off to regroup after getting pasted by Seattle, so they are well rested, but will it mean a better result on the field? I have no idea. I am making a guess, like all of these picks are something other than guesses, and going with the hot hand that is not turning on its master.

Washington over N.Y. Giants


Kansas City at Arizona

Wow, did KC make me look like a fool. 41 points they hung on the 49ers. Ouch. That one was so far off, I did not even feel bad about it. I could not, there was too much shock. But hey, good for Damon Huard for showing the world he has some QB in him. Of course, it did not hurt that they were playing Frisco. And it will not hurt that they are playing Arizona this week. Remember, Arizona barely beat the 49ers in the first week, the same 49ers that KC demolished last week. By that logic, KC should beat the stuffing out of the Cardinals. Yet unfortunately, that kind of logic never works. But considering Arizona is moving to the Matt Leinart era early, since Warner cannot seem to hold onto a ball anymore, I do not like their chances. Remember, even the great Peyton Manning went 3-13 his first season. With that sieve of a line in front of him causing him to run for his life all day, Leinart would be lucky to post so lofty of record.

Kansas City over Arizona


N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville

Now this game scares me. Jacksonville found a bunch of offense, but their defense slipped last week and they lost in overtime. Meanwhile, the Jets seem to be willing to try almost anything to get a win. Going for it on 4th down when you could grab three easy points? Kind of stupid, but ballsy, and it shows your team that you want them to win. If they had managed to leave Peyton with a little less time on the clock, they might have won that game. I really don’t know on this one. Both are coming off a loss and want to get back on the winning track. This one is a tougher call than the Washington game. How apropos that both New York teams are involved in the toughest ones to call this week. And both of the New York teams always seem to find a way to throw a monkey wrench into the works. Ahhh, screw it, I like the Jags better, plus they are not coached by a former Patriot assistant. Guess that made this easier.

Jacksonville over N.Y. Jets


Oakland at San Francisco

So much for my prognosis on the revival of the 49ers. Boy, did they take it on the chin last week. But, lucky for them, they have Oakland this week. And nothing salves wounded pride like playing Oakland. This one is as easy as pie.

Personally, and not in any way secretly, I am hoping for Oakland to go 0-16. The perfect mark of ineptitude. Imagine the possibilities for them if they did this almost impossible task. They would always be in the news, smack dab on the front page every week. Everyone would be talking about them; how could you resist a story about such a mess? If they win even one game, the story is gone, and no one cares. They will fade into the background as just another crappy team. Not the crappiest team, like the team they could be. Plus, this pathetic mark has not been achieved in years. I believe the last team to do it was the expansion Buccaneers in 1976 (of course, they lost 26 straight, but lets take this one season at a time). That means a whole generation has grown up without seeing the pinnacle of ineffectiveness. This is something that we all should witness, so we can tell our grandchildren that yes, we were there when the Raiders completely bottomed out and were traded to the CFL for the Argonauts.

San Francisco over Oakland


Dallas at Philadelphia

To many, this is the game of the week. And I bet if the new schedule flipping format had yet started, this one would be moved to Sunday Night. T.O.’s triumphant return to Philadelphia. He is about to find out real fast how vitriolic the Eagle faithful can be. I bet you never knew that 65,000 + fans could boo for three straight hours. Be prepared to watch it live on TV. My only question is what the crazier fans will throw at him. It’s too early for snowballs, and I bet they frisk for batteries these days. The Eagles are a bit banged up, and if Westbrook does not play, they could be in serious trouble. It was obvious they need him badly to make their offense effective. In the Eagle’s favor, McNabb is looking stellar thus far this season, but he will need to be sharp right out of the gate. Also, last time I checked, Drew Bledsoe was still starting for the Cowboys, so that should make racking up sacks that much easier for the Philly D. And you know T.O. will be clamoring to get the ball all game long, just to stick it to the Eagles. If he does not, look for a mental breakdown. This is going to be a good one, and it is difficult to pick a winner between to fierce division rivals. But I cannot stand the Cowboys, and even less with T.O. on their roster. There I go, letting emotion get to me. Ah, so what.

Philadelphia over Dallas


Pittsburgh at San Diego

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man! I have pretty much covered this game. There are a lot of question marks for this one, I know that already. Will Roethlisberger be ready to go and in sync with the offense? Will Willie be ready to pull the load? Will Troy’s shoulder be good to go? Will everyone play smart and keep their heads on straight while playing the road? Who will be returning punts? Who will step up in the receiving corps? Tons of questions, yet I find no need to worry. Every time I have seen them live, they have won. Time to keep up that tradition, and not a moment too soon.

One side note, I found this great piece by Ron Green Jr. of McClatchy Newspapers in the San Jose Mercury News. He was doing some picks this week, and this is his take on the game.

“An on-line poll in San Diego is seeking a nickname for the Chargers' defense so the guys will have something to put on the vanity tags on their Range Rovers. Among the suggestions are:
The Blue Meanies (sounds like something now banned from baseball locker rooms); the Border Patrol (let's keep politics out of this); the Electric Blanket (makes you think of linebackers spooning each other); the Electric Fence (who thought that was a good idea?); and, the Frightenin' Lightnin' (sounds like a ride at Carowinds).

The Steel Curtain, the Chargers will be reminded, was already taken. Steelers 23, Chargers 22.”

Seems to sum it up the best to me.

Pittsburgh over San Diego

Baltimore at Denver

Alright, I know, say it. Baltimore won a real game against a real opponent. So that proves they are for real, right? Wrong. Nope, I am still not buying it. San Diego was the first team they beat with a winning record. So obviously stocking up on cupcakes helps their record. Second, they did not win that game as much as San Diego choked and gave it to them. I made the mistake a few weeks back of backing Eli Manning after one good quarter of football. I will not make the same mistake of backing McNair after 4 good minutes of football. But if they win this week, not only will I believe they are for real, I will be officially nervous and need to order more Dramamine and sick bags.

Denver over Baltimore

The Crystal Ball Week 4

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on September 29,2006.

Have you ever heard of the saying, no matter how bad things look, they can always be worse? Well, that seemed to be last weekend. I knew going into the weekend that I would either look like a genius, or a complete fool. And for about an hour early Sunday afternoon, I looked like the former. After that, it became painfully obvious what the real answer was the latter. Now, I know all that any given Sunday stuff, I said it myself last week, so I am not too concerned. A few good weeks strung together, boom I am right back in the thick of things. After all, this is only week 4 of a 17 week season. And a few of the games could have gone either way, and if they did, I would have been 11 and 3. Unfortunately, they did not go my way and a few more almost went against me as well. But there were more than a few revelations that came out the weekend, besides the fact that I am a complete fool and may not know what I am doing. Let’s take a look.

Revelation: The Saints are actually new! - The Saints came marching home, right over top of Atlanta and doing their best General Sherman impression the entire way. Wow, what a stellar performance. After seeing their overall play on Monday night, color me impressed. Balanced offensive attack coupled with a tenacious defense and an opportunistic special teams unit and suddenly the Saints look like a real team. Everyone kept talking about Atlanta’s much vaunted running attack, and the Saints took that right out of the equation and forced Michael Vick to put the game on his shoulders, where everyone knows is a bad place to expect a win from the Falcons. Excellent game plan, execution and spirit from the Saints. I had my reservations on how improved they may actually be, seeing as they have yet to play someone. Now, unless Atlanta is overrated (possible but doubtful), their previous two opponents were really crappy (likely) or New Orleans was running on pure emotion (also possible), it seems like they might actually have a semblance of a team in New Orleans. And thank goodness, because they desperately need one. My heart said pick the Saints, my head said the Falcons. The morale of the story? Always listen to your heart, it knows best.

Revelation: One and a half quarters of good football does not make up for three bad ones. – Yeah, yeah, I got all wrapped up in that Eli Manning has come of age crap just like everyone else. What I forgot, and most everyone else too, was for the first three quarters against Philly, he stunk worse than a skunk in an outhouse. If I had paid attention to that, well, I would have wised up and took the logical choice, which was Seattle. Nope, I did not. And before I knew it, it was 35-3, and was I ever chagrined. He had a great quarter, but overall he was still the same inconsistent, shaky quarterback he has shown thus far in his career. No more benefit of the doubt for him or the Giants. Shockey was right, they were outplayed and out coached, and badly.

Revelation: One defense is tougher than we thought, and the other offense still stinks. – The 3-0 Ravens had to kick a 52 yard field goal in the waning seconds to beat the Browns. I know I said the Browns could pull off the upset, and very nearly did. Now, it is looking to me that their defense is far stouter than anyone could have thought, and if their offense could generate a few more points, they might be a team. And is it just me, or do the Ravens look like the same old Ravens on offense? You too? Yeah, that’s what I thought as well. Poor running, bad passing and terrible play calls. It will catch up with them, let’s say, this week.

Revelation: Better start ringing out those road jerseys for any leftover residual luck. – Three weeks in and the Super Bowl champions are 1-2, two games behind in the division, stuck in third and have to travel to San Diego next week to face the potentially 3-0 Chargers in primetime. They got to the desperation point a lot faster this season didn’t they? Well, they had best start playing like each game is a season ender. They looked undisciplined, lackadaisical and outclassed last week when it counted most. That game was one they should have won, and for large chunks of it they dominated the Bengals. But they did not put them away, and let Cincy hang around until it bit them in the ass and hard. I don’t know where the lack of concentration is coming from, but a few thoughts. Did having Tommy Maddox around as a mentor really make that much of a difference in Ben’s game, or is the effects of three surgeries in 10 months and the whirlwind of his first two seasons starting to catch up with him? Is the possible retirement of Cowher becoming a clubhouse distraction? Is the defense feeling the pressure of having to pick up the slack left by the offense? The loss of Randle El is showing up more on both the return game and in the passing game, with every defense keying on Ward and no one stepping up as a go to guy on returns. Will they be able to find a way around these issues? Do they have a real option for a short yardage back, since Staley seems to be nothing more than a sideline mascot and Davenport has yet to see the field? If they do not, will Willie Parker be able to handle a season of pounding the ball up the middle and 30 carries a game? It’s a long season, and we are only three games into it, but these are some big questions that had best get answered quickly if Pittsburgh wishes to be anything more than a one bowl wonder.

Revelation: Home is no longer where the heart is. – Much has been made of the underdog and away teams this year, and with good reason. Last week alone, of the 14 contests played on Sunday and Monday night, 10 teams won away from their stadium. Only 4 home teams managed to win in front of their faithful fans. And at least one of those was in serious doubt. Is it possible Pittsburgh’s historic march on the road through the playoffs last year made every other team go, wait, we can win on the road too! Home field advantage, at least thus far this season, seems to have gone the way of the single bar facemask.

Revelation: One and a half quarters of bad football does not color the rest of the season. – Yeah, the Eagles collapsed against the Giants, but they obviously moved past it quickly with a resounding victory over the 49ers. Every team can have some bad moments from game to game. Every team has a bunch of bad things happen and loses a game. A good team moves past it quickly.

Revelation: Veteran leadership and skills really do mean something after all. – Brady has no one to throw to, and their kicker cannot seem to get the ball past the line of scrimmage. In three games, he already has as many blocked kicks as Adam Vinatieri had in 10 years. Their defense looks all over the place, and not able to stop passing or really stuff the run. The time may have come where letting go of all those veterans and leaders has caught up to them. They did not look like the Patriot juggernaut of only two years ago. They looked like a team of a few veterans and a bunch of role players that are not sure of their role. And Brady looks sick of throwing till his arm falls off with very little to show for it. I would have been less surprised if he had been the one that threw up during the game. He knows how to win, and if things keep going the way they have, it looks like he is going to learn how to lose as well.

Revelation: Age is a relative number. – Before last week, Brett Favre should have retired two years ago and Mark Brunell was holding up the coronation of Jason Campbell. They were both too old and lost too much to be effective anymore. Last week, both dug down and found that extra something, showing that they still have a little magic left. It may have only been for one week, Brett still has a long season with a lot of young teammates, and Brunell may not be able to hold off the calls for Campbell forever, but it was nice to see these two fling the ball around and look like great quarterbacks once again. And who knows, maybe they found a fountain of youth. It would seem as though Morten Anderson has. He managed to provide Atlanta with their only points. Not bad for a 46 year old gentleman. Good luck with your season Morten, and to Brett and Mark, show these petulant youngsters how it’s really done. No, seriously, Brett, come to Pittsburgh and give Ben a few pointers. I think he forgot some stuff over the summer. You can stop by on your way to Philadelphia. It’s on the way, no big deal.

So after looking over my debacle from last week, I am not sure if I am thinking too much about each pick, or not enough. It may be too much, since I spent a lot of time on the Colts/Jaguars match up when I KNOW I should have gone with Manning in the RCA dome. He does not need a running game, he likes to pass, and is real good at it, in case anyone did not realize it. I must have had a gas leak around me when I thought that one out. And I spent way too much time on the Washington/Houston game as well. Never, never, never pick Houston, no matter where they are playing, unless it is against Tennessee or Oakland! Seriously, I must have fallen on my head or something. You know this is not a winning organization. They passed up Reggie Bush! They obviously do not think things out clearly! Well, neither do I, so I guess we are even. This week, no agonizing over picks, no major thought processes, no scanning for buried nuggets. I know better from first impressions. I knew the Chiefs were going to struggle right away, and I stuck with it. Now they are 0-2 and up against it early. See? That gut thing might be worth something. So this week, let’s listen to our guts. Less thinking, more feeling. Hey, its football, it’s all about guts anyway! Now, if I have another horrible week, I can just blame it on not having thought it through properly. Hmmmm, maybe I should look into a career in politics.

This week’s bye teams are Denver, N.Y. Giants, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. Denver is going in after a good win over New England Sunday night, probably glad for the win, and the ability to allow the calls for Cutler to die down and let Plummer be their quarterback. Remember, experience counts. The Giants I am sure are glad for the bye, to let everyone in the locker room cool off and regroup for the tough games that follow this week. Plus, the week off will help put the shellacking they took in Seattle out of their minds. Tampa Bay is still reeling, and probably wishes they had two bye weeks. Chris Simms out with a ruptured spleen? How hard did he get hit? If that is not a sign of problems with protection, I do not know what is. Here is to hoping he has a speedy, and full, recovery. Watch as Gruden spends the week off looking for a veteran QB in the classifieds and a fountain of youth for his defense. You can gauge his desperation on whether or not he calls Vinnie Testaverde. And Pittsburgh, well, I do not know what to say. Here is what they better do on their off week. Get their offense in sync. Roethlisberger better spend almost the entire time practicing throws to all his receivers while they practice running their routes. Cowher better practice and then double check his decision making, including leaving Heath Miller off the field for most of the fourth quarter. Colclough had best be practicing fielding kicks of every kind. Everyone had better be reading the rule books, and highlighting sections regarding excessive celebration and unsportsmanlike conduct. Everyone had also better work on their overall execution, composure and ability to hold onto the damn ball. This is no longer the preseason boys; this is the real thing, these games count. Every receiver but Hines had better find a way to make themselves a viable threat on the field, and Hines needs to work on his separation and hamstring. And Troy had best get that shoulder into some kind of shape where he can lay a hit on someone. Because next week, they go to San Diego for a big Sunday night showdown, and I will be sitting 4 rows behind the Steelers bench. And I will tell you now, if they do not play better than they have the past two weeks, I will be one very unhappy Pittsburgh fan. Mainly because I know all hope of the Super Bowl will be gone. Not that they cannot overcome a 1-3 start, but every time I have seen them play and win in San Diego, they won the Super Bowl the same year. Ok, so that only happened once, last year, but I would like it to be a trend that continues.

One other note before the good stuff. No TO discussion here. I could go into all the reasons why and why not, but it is this simple. I refuse to add to the miles of print that are already dedicated to him, especially since most of us could care less. These few sentences are already too much. Enough.

Now, for the weekly update. I shudder to even show this.

Last Week: 6-8
Season to Date: 25-21

Ok, so the overall record is still a winner. But at the rate I am going, it looks that by week 7, I will actually go 0-14. If that happens, at least I know by then each week will get better than the last. Of course, with the way I’m picking, I’ll manage to lose the bye weeks too. I do not feel as bad about it after looking at how some of the experts did last week with their picks. Many were either barely above 500 or below it as well. Not many had a stellar week, either. Thank goodness I do not have any money riding on this. Oh wait, I do. Blast! Oh well. Like they said in that one episode of the Simpson’s, when you are right 52% of the time, you are wrong 48%. Now, take a look at these picks while I try to find Lisa Simpson’s phone number……


Arizona at Atlanta

Atlanta is at home, and looking for revenge over getting embarrassed on Monday night. Arizona is feeling gutted after losing a game at home they had won on a bad fumble. Initial reports were that they had had enough and were starting Matt Leinart. Apparently, that was an erroneous report and they are going to stick with Sure Hands Warner. Good call. Almost as good as ignoring any upgrades on the offensive line. I hope Edge got a lot of guaranteed money in that contract. Possible trap game, but I am taking the home team, which may be a mistake considering their track records as of late.

Atlanta over Arizona


Dallas at Tennessee

This one needs absolutely no thought. Tennessee is a mess; Dallas has a good team and has had a week of rest. And even with the Owens turmoil, I don’t think that will affect much on the field, especially since he was not expected to play at first. So you do the math. Instead of pouring over the obvious, I have something else on my mind.

Is anyone else excited about a Mohawk comeback? I don’t mean those stupid faux hawks that are sported by metrosexuals everywhere. I mean a full fledged Mr. T Mohawk! A few players are sporting them this season, and I think it’s a fashion statement that needs a comeback. They look cool, and if you can pull one off, you look like a real badass. Plus, it’s a hair style that works no matter what color or race you may be, truly a hair style without discrimination! And women that can pull one off have this dangerous/sexy aura where you know she could eat you alive and spit you out, but you are drawn to her nonetheless. Yowza! What more could you want?

Dallas over Tennessee


Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets

Ho hum, another week, another Colts win. I need to remember, no matter how much he may bug me, or how much he is CONSTANTLY on TV, Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league, at least during the regular season. And he has already won in the Meadowlands once this year, twice will not be an issue for him. Yes, the Jets looked good last week, but Peyton will be ready. And if you think Eric Mangini will have an aura about him and be able to use some of that old Patriots voodoo magic and beat Manning, remember that last year Peyton finally kicked that monkey off his back and beat the Pats in Foxboro. Who was New England’s defensive coordinator last year? That is correct, it was Eric Mangini.

Indianapolis over N.Y. Jets


Miami at Houston *

Ok, I know what you are thinking; I really should go dunk my head in a bucket of ice water to clear the cobwebs out. After my mini rant above about Houston, how exactly could I even debate picking them again this week over Miami? Because, that is how little I think of Miami. They barely beat Tennessee at home. They lost to Pittsburgh, which seems more and more embarrassing as time goes by, and then lost, after 11 days rest, to Buffalo at home. Let’s just say my feelings for Daunte and his much heralded comeback are muted, at best. And Houston has to win one sometime. They are not Oakland, after all. But this week?

Miami over Houston


New Orleans at Carolina *

New Orleans played with a lot of emotion on Monday night, and they might be drained after that performance. And any other year, I’d say Carolina ten times in a row. But this is not any other year, New Orleans is out to show they are better, and since Carolina has lost two of three and had trouble with lowly Tampa Bay last week, with their quarterback battling a ruptured spleen no less, my initial decision is clouded. This is a possible trap game, since New Orleans is coming down from an emotional win in the Superdome, and Carolina is beginning to find their offense and defense. This is a tough call for sure. But since Steve Smith is back in the line up….Eh, who cares, I’ll pay for it one way or the other.

Carolina over New Orleans


Minnesota at Buffalo *

Minnesota played Chicago really tough. It looked like they might even win the game all the way until the end. Either Brad Childress is finding a team under all the scandal and distractions, or is squeezing every drop out of them like a used toothpaste tube. Whichever it turns out to be, it is working for the moment. Buffalo has a lot of talent, but are young and it shows. Plus, they have J.P. Losman at the controls, and that always makes me wiggy.

Minnesota over Buffalo


San Diego at Baltimore

I still say Baltimore’s defense is overrated; they are older than you think. Tell me if they have played anyone yet that has a real offense. I know their offense is overrated, when you can only squeeze out 15 points against the Browns and 28 against Oakland. I have plenty of doubts about San Diego as well, especially since Marty Schottenheimer is involved, but not this week.

San Diego over Baltimore


San Francisco at Kansas City *

Frisco is looking super frisky this year. I think they mined a few nuggets in recent drafts. BOOOOOOO! Bad pun! Eh, no one else uses it, thought I would separate myself with one. I do not think they will win a ton of games, but they will turn a few heads for sure. Kansas City had a week off to assess their damages, but no magic will fix their problems. Green is still out, they have no real upgrade in their offensive line and while their defense played tough against Denver, I think that was out of desperation more than anything. Add to that the bad karma surrounding the team with the whole Herm Edwards abandoning the Jets to greener pastures nonsense, and I think this one is pretty clear. Another possible trap game, but I have to go with the hot hand, even if it is just lukewarm. And hey, I haven’t tried for an absurd upset type pick yet, how about now.

San Francisco over Kansas City


Detroit at St. Louis

St. Louis pulled one out of the jaws of defeat last week. Ok, it fell out of Warner’s hands and into their laps, much to my chagrin because up until that point, I was looking pretty smart. I have no idea if this new conservative offense the Rams are running is any good, but their defense is playing better, and will definitely play better than Detroit’s, especially in St. Louis. Although, you can just feel it coming, how much Mike Martz would love to stick it to the Rams in their own stadium. I bet he has been salivating all week for this game. But honestly, what real weapons does he have that can compete with a decent defense? Gut, what do you say? Yep, I agree.

St. Louis over Detroit


Cleveland at Oakland

No thought needed whatsoever. Cleveland is showing some strength on defense, and, well, Oakland is involved.

I need to get to the movies and see Jackass, number 2. The first one was hilarious, swinging rapidly between fall out of the chair laughing and gut churning cringing. I am sure this will be the same way. And as an added side note, is there anything better than those video shows where people hurt themselves? I don’t mean America’s Funniest Home Videos, which is a terrible show. I mean ones like, Totally Outrageous Videos and When Good Times Go Bad. Whenever I find one on cable, I cannot resist. It’s like I am a fly, and I see that bright buzzing blue light and I have to go straight for it. There is nothing better than to watch people with no common sense attempt to do something that anyone in their right mind would look at and think, oh, this will not end well. And it never does end well and usually there ends up being some sort of injury involved. The most oft injured part? Pride and humility. They ALWAYS come away badly wounded! It’s similar to watching Oakland fans in the fourth quarter trying to rally their team to victory.

Cleveland over Oakland


Jacksonville at Washington *

On the surface, a tough call. Jacksonville lost a tough one to the Colts, who they ran all over and had control of through the first half. The Redskins showed some offense for the first time this year in Houston. But my gut tells me Jacksonville. I don’t know why, I know Washington is better than their record, but the only team they have beaten is Houston, and they have lost to good teams. Jacksonville is a good team. Then again, so is Washington, and they started to turn their season around last year after a win in Texas. Ugh, either way I’ll be wrong.

Jacksonville over Washington


New England at Cincinnati *

This is the week New England’s veteran exodus catches up with them. I know, it is a classic trap game. New England is feeling like their backs are against the wall, with a bad loss last week against Denver, and not being overly impressive in their 2 wins. And New England just does not lose two weeks in a row. Couple that with a Cincinnati team that is feeling overconfident after beating Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. However, they were not overly impressive, and their run game was atrocious, as was their run defense and they know it. New England can still run the ball effectively, and can possibly exploit this. But, Carson Palmer is itching for a big day to show he’s back, and New England’s pass defense is suspect at best. Plus, Cincy’s secondary is aggressive and can take advantage of New England’s questionable receiving corps. Of course, there are still a couple of days before game time, and at least a few of the players could get arrested before then. It certainly is plausible. Seriously, how stupid is Odell Thurman? Woof, the Cincinnati Jail Breakers is a column in itself. I almost feel bad for Cincinnati. They have suffered for years with a crappy team, and now, finally, when it looks as though they have something, half the team behaves as though their former team was the Mean Machine. How long before some fan at a Bengals game calls the team’s new jerk hotline on one of the players? I’ll take the over on Thanksgiving, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it occurs before. Anyway, as I said, this is a possible trap game, since Cincy was not overly impressive last week, and at least for the near future, you should never count out New England, especially if their back is against the wall. Let’s check in with the expert, gut? You got it. But if you are wrong……

Cincinnati over New England


Seattle at Chicago *

This was a hard choice when I first saw it, and then I saw that Shawn Alexander has a broken foot and will be out for at least a few weeks. If Chicago does not have to respect their running game, they can just key on the passing game. If that happens, Hasselbeck will have a very long day, and the Bears can take a big step forward toward some respect as a team to beat in the NFC. I know Alexander was not a huge factor in dismantling the Giants, but he still had to be respected and keyed on when he was on the field. He is the reigning league MVP. It made Hasselbeck’s job of putting the game on his shoulders much easier. One thing that bugs me is Seattle’s new 4 WR set, with four good receivers. The Bears had trouble last year just defending Steve Smith. How are they going to handle four? It leaves me a little uneasy. But, the game is in Chicago, home of da Cubs, polish sausage, and DA BEARS.

Chicago over Seattle


Green Bay at Philadelphia

This could be a good match up, especially if Favre keeps playing like the Favre of old. His assessment of the talent level in Green Bay may be correct, but they are young, and just starting to come together. Philly looks strong again, very strong, actually. They do not look to be letting the loss of Kearse affect them, at least mentally. I know his loss could be a factor at some point this season, but for now they seem to be adapting and overcoming. I cannot see the Eagles letting another one at home get away from them. Not if they hope to move further this season, and keep the Philly faithful from a full scale riot.

Philadelphia over Green Bay


Note: Ok, so I did all the picks on Tuesday. Ran through them fast and with a vengeance. Then I sat on this all week, double checking and confirming what I liked, and agonized and flipped back and forth on about half of them. I marked them with an asterisk for fun; just to see how bad I screwed those up come next Tuesday. So, yeah, I totally over thought all of them. So much for gut picks. At least I’ll know why I got fried this week. Excuse me; I have to go smash my fingers in a door now.

The Crystal Ball Week 3

Originally posted on Quick Thoughts on September 22, 2006


Hello sports fans! Or maybe sports fan? Anyone left after last week? I hope no one used my picks as a basis in an attempt to double your paycheck. It certainly was not a stellar week, not horrible, but not stellar by any means. And hey, it could have been worse, last season I started off the first two weeks 6-10. But that is the beauty of football, there is always next week, and as the saying goes, anything can happen on any given Sunday. And we have a new name here, so perhaps that will add to the success. Of course, with only two weeks under our belts, it is still tough to see who will be good and who will be, well, Oakland. With that in mind, let us forge forward and see if we can get back to double digit wins this week.

A few observations before we get to the weekly tally and the games themselves.….

I think of all the networks, NBC is by far the best with their broadcasts. Their game coverage is excellent, they have the best broadcasting team by far, even if John Madden has slipped and tends to do little more than spend the game praising his favorite player or players. Al Michaels is great at the play by play, and they have, at least thus far, resisted too much of the ridiculous sideline banter and human interest stories that have pervaded too much of many game broadcasts. Of course, this is NBC, home of the Olympics, where every athlete had to combat incredible odds, no one believing in them except the beloved family member who passed away just weeks before the event and is a long shot in every event they will enter. So it will only be a matter of time before we start hearing these kinds of stories about each team and player after every other play.

Not to go too far off onto a tangent, but is it just me, or is every single athlete in the Olympics the most hard luck athlete that has ever made it onto the Olympic team? I mean, it seems that they try to make each one as this super determined person who all they had to train and make it to the Olympics was a dirt road and a pair of old sneakers someone gave them from a second hand shop, and they had to battle against those who never believed, and personal tragedy and poverty and starvation and any other form of hardship you can imagine. I know there are athletes who do battle incredible odds to make it to the Olympics, but anymore its either participants from other countries, or long shots at qualifiers in this country that we really never hear about, because they did not make it. The U.S. Olympic team is one of the best funded, best sponsored, best equipped, best trained and best coached Olympic programs in the world. As far as facilities, money, equipment, time, coaching, medical care, nutrition and gear, most members of the team want for nothing. There are a few parts of the team that do not have every benefit, and you have to look pretty far down, at say curling or other teams of that stature, to find them. But for majority of team members, they have almost every benefit, and not many are really true hard luck cases who make it to the Olympics on a wing and a prayer. If they made it, their wing and prayer days are over. Ok, enough of that, back to the NFL coverage.

I also enjoy NBC’s pregame show, Football Night in America. I love the title, a nice play on Hockey Night in Canada, the long running Hockey program in of our northern neighbors. I thought that homage was nothing short of inspired. Plus their crew is a good one. Bob Costas is always entertaining and very informed for being a sportscaster who covers many different sports. Cris Collinsworth is excellent, although his pro Bengals, anti Steelers stance always bugs me. Yeah, you can tell he tries to mute it, but watch him this Sunday when they go to air after the game and see how he is when (I will never say if) Pittsburgh wins. Sterling Sharpe is a polished and knowledgeable football guy, and definitely brings something good to the table. And what can I say about Jerome Bettis? Ok, maybe a few things. He is definitely new to this, and you can see his hesitation at times, like he wants to say something, but is unsure of when to jump into the fray. However, he is getting better and more assertive, and he does know his stuff. Plus, it is interesting to hear from a guy who has just retired and his take on the games and players. The two biggest drawbacks they have? First, they are not NFL Primetime. I did love that show, and miss Chris Berman and Tom Jackson. They had the day’s coverage down to a science. This crew is good, and I am sure they will get better. But I still miss Boomer and Jackson. At least they still live on after the Sunday night game. The other issue I have is the constant sponsorship throughout the program. It seems like every feature, key play or player of the day has a sponsor. A few times, I did not know if I was watching a football program or a telethon. Other than that, it is an excellent start to the new football era at NBC.

What happened in Philadelphia? I watched the entire game, and until mid 4th quarter, was feeling great about my pick. Then I watched as Philly cooled and the Giants heated up, making the Eagles pay for relaxing after building a comfortable lead. If the Eagles continue to not close out games, it will be a long season for the Birds.

How about those Browns? Yeah, they got blown out, and were not even in the game, to be truthful. But they played tough all the way to the end. They banged up the Bengals, leaving them with a long injury list for next week and a perfect excuse when they lose. Plus, they popped Chad Johnson so hard, he lay on the turf afterward muttering, where’s 85 at? I could watch that clip over and over again. The Browns may not have the ammunition to make much of a run, but at least they are learning to hit people, and that is always a great start.

Boy did Carolina screw me hard! They were on their way to righting their season and proving me right, and then they pull a boneheaded move with that lateral on the punt return that failed miserably, turned the ball over to Minnesota in position to tie the game, and then ultimately win it. John Fox, I know you are a better coach than that. Now, do not get me wrong, I love a good trick play. Heck, I have watched enough of the Bill Cowher Steelers to know the fun and joy of a well executed trick play. I did not want anyone to think I was hating on trick plays themselves. But, there is a time and a place, and that was neither. Woof.

And speaking of woof, how about that dog of a game that Pittsburgh played on Monday night? Big Ben, and the entire offense, looked out of sync and tentative all night long. The defense played fairly well, although was definitely tiring from being on the field so much as the game wore on. Plus, Troy looked like a shell of himself. I think his injured shoulder is affecting him more than anyone knows.

But on the other side of the ball, Jacksonville played a hell of a game. Stifling defense that held Pittsburgh, a run first, ball control team, to 26 yards rushing. That is incredible. Plus, I gained a lot of respect for Jack Del Rio. After that second interception was returned to the Pittsburgh 1 yard line, he could have easily punched it in and had the final score be 16-0. But he showed some definite class by kneeling on the ball and running out the clock. This is a smart coach, who knows it is very well possible that they could face Pittsburgh in the playoffs, so why embarrass them now, and piss them off for later, by twisting the knife with a meaningless touchdown. I found the move very classy and smart. Jacksonville is in very good hands.

This is the first bye week, so there are only 14 games each week from now until December. The four teams that have the weekend off are Dallas, Kansas City, Oakland and San Diego. Dallas could probably use it, to evaluate their young talent and see what they are going to do about Bledsoe, who seems to be showing his age as the calls for Tony Romo grow greater. Oh, and there is, of course, the current Owens drama. Oh no, TO broke his finger, whatever shall they do? They will be fine. He’ll be out this week of course, and the following week as well. But the week after, when Dallas plays Philadelphia, I guarantee Owens will suddenly be ready to play. Put money on that. Kansas City could definitely use the time off to try to figure out what to do with their quarterback situation and their now suddenly ineffective offense. Of course, I don’t know how one off week will heal Trent Green and suddenly bring cohesion to a patchwork offensive line, but stranger things have happened. San Diego is probably wishing they did not have the week off, and could feast on another NFL also ran instead of cooling their heels. This week off may stop everyone from performing more instant history and anointing them the Super Bowl combatants. They should relax, they play Oakland again. Ahhhh, and Oakland. I really do not know what to say. Maybe its best they go now to Walter, he cannot do any worse than Brooks. The only thing I can say is they probably wish every week was a bye week, at least they cannot lose.

Now, for the weekly update. Not as good this week, but not horrid.

Last Week: 9-7
Season to Date: 19-13

At least I still have a winning record, and an overall winning record to boot. Some of this week’s games seem like no brainers, and others seem almost impossible to pick. Be forewarned, some of these are absolute guesses because neither team has shown me any sort of an edge, either against their opponent this week or in the very young season in general. And considering how well teams have been playing on the road this season, I am not sure if there is such thing as home field advantage anymore. There are a few games where I believe it will make a difference, but for the most part it may be a moot point. But, is it not all just one big guess anyway until the teams actually play? Of course it is, that is the fun of it. Picking a team, and then convincing yourself that they can win, even if it seems like the pick is right out of left field. Now, how about we get to some games and see if that can be improved upon.


Carolina at Tampa Bay

A battle between two beatens. Here are two tough teams that were preseason playoff contenders. But a funny thing happened once the games started to matter, neither have been able to pull it together enough to score a victory. And after this game, one of them will drop to an early season 0-3. Now, this is not insurmountable, but it does start one off with a sour taste in them mouth. I think Carolina is not far off from righting the ship. Besides the ill advised trick play on the punt return, they had control of most of the game in Minnesota, and should have won. Tampa Bay, however, looks to be worse off than anyone thought. Chris Simms cannot seem to find the level of consistency he found last year, the offense has yet to score a touchdown, and the defense seems to have suddenly aged before our eyes. More than 5 of their defensive starters are over the age of thirty. Now, this should not be that big of a deal, but in a defense that is built primarily on speed, it can be dangerous. If Atlanta’s kicking game had been better, they probably would have scored more on Tampa. I look for Carolina to right the ship, and Tampa’s to spring another leak.

Carolina over Tampa Bay


Chicago at Minnesota

The first match up of unbeaten teams we come across in our games. Chicago has jumped out of the gate, and right on top of its first two division rivals, fully intent on staking its claim to the NFC North crown. They have been impressive in their victories thus far, with a stifling defense and Rex Grossman being the quarterback they hoped for and leading a suddenly effective offense. I have already heard some early predictors talking Chicago will go to the Super Bowl. I could see that, if they actually played anyone yet. Minnesota has shown some resilience and ability to play from behind. And they did have an impressive road win in Washington as well as a nice overtime win over Carolina. Perhaps they may be Chicago’s first real test, or maybe they are just smoke and mirrors. Only time will tell, but I think this week Chicago establishes their dominance over their division.

Chicago over Minnesota


Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

The first of two games between these heated divisional rivals. The next one will not come until the season finale in Cincinnati, so enjoy the match up now, because everything could be decided by then. Cincy is still smarting from their playoff loss to Pittsburgh last year, and would love to enact some revenge on the Steelers for knocking them out of the playoffs, and knocking Carson Palmer out of the game. The problem is they played a tough game against the Browns last week, and are a bit beat up right now. Conversely, Pittsburgh is smarting from that awful Monday night loss, and would like the salve of a nice home victory to make everything right. With Cincy’s injuries and suspensions, and Ben getting right with the offense, I think Pittsburgh takes this one at home and tightens up the division while keeping chase with Baltimore.

Pittsburgh over Cincinnati


Green Bay at Detroit

Not really sure where to go with this one. Another division match up, but considering their play to start the season, neither has shown much of anything. Green Bay finally found the end zone last week, but it was to no avail as their defense could not stop New Orleans. Detroit is looking particularly awful on offense, and after playing Seattle tough the first week, does not look that much better on defense. And with the entire flap going on around Detroit, and players not seeming to care enough, I am seeing their preseason hopes for something different begin to unravel. I have to go with Green Bay. At least Favre cares, and maybe a little mojo will hit away from Lambeau Field.

Green Bay over Detroit


Jacksonville at Indianapolis

This may be the toughest game to call all week. Indianapolis played tough against the Giants, but still played it to the wire and could have lost if it were not for some bad clock management near the end of the game. And last week they beat up on Houston, but still managed to give up 24 points to the Texans. I know the Colts have never been known for defense, and their unit is built more for speed than brute force, but that is still a lot of points to give up to an opponent you outclass. Jacksonville has shown they are one of the toughest teams, and defensive units, in the league when they stood up on Monday night and punched Pittsburgh right in the mouth. It was an impressive showing to say the least. They have a few things in their favor. One, Indy does not have that strong of a running game yet. Addai is good, and will get better, but he is not an established game breaker like James was. This plays right into the Jaguar’s hands as they showed how stout their run defense can be. If they shut them down early, and force Peyton to pass, not always a good option for any opposing team, they can render the Colts one dimensional and play against that. Two, their defense is very similar to Pittsburgh’s, in personnel, toughness, hitting and disguising schemes. We all saw what that kind of defense can do against the Colts last year in the playoffs. And three, this is Jacksonville’s divisional rival, and the team they will be gunning for all year. You know they want to make up for losing to them last year, and badly. This is an especially tough call since they are playing in the ultra noisy RCA Dome. But, I have to go with my gut and what I have seen so far, and one team has definitely impressed me more than the other.

Jacksonville over Indianapolis


N.Y. Jets at Buffalo

This looks like it could be a good game. The Jets did not come through for me against New England like I had hoped, but they did make a whale of a game of it near the end. I do see them being better and keeping games close. And Buffalo, well, could we have a return of the Halcyon days in Albany? It is still way too early to tell, but their decision to draft defense seems to be paying off. It looks like the division may not just be New England and three other teams any more. Hard to pick one or the other, but I have to go with Buffalo, if for no other reason than they are playing at home in front of what will surely be a raucous crowd. Not that being at home has helped many teams this year, but I think it may make a difference in this game.

Buffalo over N.Y. Jets


Tennessee at Miami

Looking at this week, there are not too many great match ups, and this is not one of them. Tennessee looked atrocious against San Diego last week, and it seems as though the bleeding will not stop anytime soon. After being the defacto starter once they shipped out Steve McNair, Billy Volek went from starter, to 2nd string, to 3rd string and basically nothing more than a roster spot, to now playing backup in San Diego. I know Billy would never be the next Joe Montana, but he is a decent quarterback who can manage a game or two. I would love to know what he did to fall out of favor so fast. Now they have Vince Young at backup, who is far from ready to take over the reigns, and Kerry Collins, who has shown his best years may be behind him and is taking a ridiculous amount of punishment behind their inept line. It does not look well for the Titans. Miami, meanwhile, is confusing everyone. This team was a preseason playoff pick; some even had them in the Super Bowl. Now they are two weeks in and in an 0-2 hole. Fear not Dolphin faithful, they may not right the ship this week, but they will get a win. And if they do not, well, then things are worse in South Florida than anyone knew.

Miami over Tennessee


Washington at Houston

I am calling this the flip a coin game, because that may be how this is picked.
I am honestly not sure what to make of this game. On paper, the winner seems quite clear. Washington has the more experienced and winning coaching staff, better players, better units and a longer history. Houston, on the other hand, is with a rookie coach and staff, and coming off yet another demoralizing losing season. Looking at the match ups, it should be clear who the winner will be. But it is not. Houston has lost twice now, and while the games were not that close, they have been playing much better. David Carr, with some proper instruction, has shown signs of finally being the quarterback Houston has always hoped he could be. Now, if the offensive line could just protect him for once, he may even blossom. Washington, also, has lost its first two games. And for all their high priced talent in the booth and on the field, looks like a complete mess. Nobody is in sync, Brunell looks like he is about 100 years old, and while I know not having Clinton Portis is tough, no one seems to be stepping up and filling the void. Plus, I am beginning to wonder exactly what Al Saunders is bringing to the table, based on their offensive game plans for the first two games. They seem to at least play the Vikings tough, but it never really seemed like they were in the game last week against Dallas. I know that, because this game is such a trap, no matter who I choose it will be the wrong choice. And I have gone back and forth and have convinced myself either one can win or lose, and like neither choice. But since I have to pick one here goes nothing. Based on absolutely nothing, and as the saying goes, when in doubt, go with the home team.

Houston over Washington


Baltimore at Cleveland

Here we have another divisional match up and another tough game that could throw everyone off. Cleveland showed last week that while they may not be ready to contend for anything yet, they will not be doormats and lay down. Even down by 24 points, they were still willing to go out and pop Cincinnati right in the mouth. I love that. That is playing football. They could very well string a few victories together and be a big time spoiler later in the season as this team grows. Baltimore has yet to impress me. They had the biggest cupcake in a decade last week on their schedule and while they beat them, and soundly, it was not as impressive as it should have been. Maybe it’s my anti-Ravens bias, I am not sure, but I expected a lot more. I do think there is an outside chance Cleveland could stand up this weekend and expose Baltimore, but unless they knock McNair out for a quarter or two, I have trouble seeing how. Baltimore will make their hay this season feasting on the weak, and for the third week in a row, they have another one.

Baltimore over Cleveland


N.Y. Giants at Seattle

As I mentioned before, there are not too many great match ups this weekend, but this is definitely one of them. These two met last year in a nail biter of kicking ineptitude that New York should have won several times over, but never managed to get the final points. This year, things are a little different. Seattle has yet to show their dominant rushing game, and they have played two lower tiered teams. Perhaps losing Steve Hutchinson was worse than anyone thought. And what can I say about the Giants? They have played two tough teams, hanging in till the end against Indy, in a game the could have won if it were not for some bad clock management, and playing tough and coming back to beat Philadelphia last week. I was thoroughly impressed with their performance. Sure, they had a little luck, but you always need luck. And, they never gave up. And I must admit, I am becoming a bit of an Eli fan. I could not stand him when he first hit the league, with all the nonsense of his drafting, and the Peyton comparisons, all of it were just nauseating. But watching him take hit after hit and getting up for more showed some toughness there. He was sacked 8 times in Philadelphia, and never once did he complain, freak out or call out his offensive line. That is a smart field leader. Top that off with being cool under pressure away from home and coming through in the clutch, well you cannot ask for much more. Plus, it is nice to see a Manning call off the count before the play without all the ridiculous histrionics that you usually see. Yes I am talking about Peyton and his annoying habit of changing the play and protection constantly before the snap. Eli does have that habit, but it is not nearly as bad as Peyton, at least not yet. Hopefully he will not get worse with it as he matures. This week, I gotta go with the hot hand.

N.Y. Giants over Seattle


Philadelphia at San Francisco

San Francisco showed me something last week, they will not lie down and die for anyone either. That was an impressive victory at home. They came out ready to play against the Rams. Alex Smith is showing what a year of experience can do for you. Plus, it helps to have a few weapons at your disposal. Although, for 49er fans, here is hoping Bryant does not turn into TO part deux. Not a great showing there a few times with the nonsense on the sidelines. I know he’s young, but you have to learn to control your emotions. Philadelphia, on the other hand, looked dominant through 3 and half quarters. And then they let off the gas, let the Giants back in the game, and could not regain their momentum and blew a home win. Bad, bad, bad form by the Birds. The loss hurt big time, but losing Jevon Kearse for the year hurts worse. Now we will see if Philly really does have depth at their defensive line. I believe they do, but I don’t think they will really have to test it that much this week. I look to Philly to take out their frustrations on 49ers and show they are a good team, and not a bunch of also rans who cannot close.

Philadelphia over San Francisco


St. Louis at Arizona

Division rivals? I know they are in the same division, but considering Arizona’s long history of ineptitude, I really do not know if you can call them rivals. But if the Cardinals are serious about turning things around, and the Rams are serious about getting back to being the greatest show on turf, then this could become a decent rivalry. St. Louis missed a golden opportunity to win last week against the 49ers, and keep themselves atop the division. They have far more weapons than the 49ers, and should have beaten them easily. Conversely, Arizona has shown the ability to score some points and move the ball. However, they really do need to address their offensive line problem. If Warner keeps getting planted on his back, we will be seeing the Matt Leinart era much sooner than expected. This one is not easy, since neither has really shown me anything, but I will go with Arizona. They are home, the new digs seem to help, and St. Louis may be a little road weary. A weak justification, but until either shows me something, it is all I have.

Arizona over St. Louis


Denver at New England

As NBC has happily touted all week, a rematch of the AFC divisional round game, where Denver ended New England’s dynasty. Good gravy. You would think they toppled a government with the gravity of the advertisements. Yes, it is a rematch, but neither team seems to be where they were last year. Denver cannot seem to mount much offense at all. Jake Plummer seems to be largely ineffectual after two games, and I have to wonder if all this Jay Cutler talk has spooked him a bit under center. New England is at 2-0 and leading their division, but they have been mostly unimpressive in victory, barely holding on last week against a late surge from the Jets. I still believe losing all of that veteran talent will catch up with them eventually, but not this week. Denver had a little luck with them last year when they beat the Patriots at home, but they must have left it all there. I just have trouble seeing them do anything in Foxboro with the way they have been playing lately.

New England over Denver


Atlanta at New Orleans

Finally, after a season on the road, the Saints go rolling home. And for the first time in a long time, they go rolling into the Superdome at 2-0. Everyone is feeling good for the Saints right now, returning triumphantly to New Orleans winning and with some great players in tow, the results of some very smart off season acquisitions. There is something new in the air in New Orleans, something they desperately need, and it is called hope. I feel good for them. However, I am afraid it may come crashing down this week. Atlanta has shown that its new spread option offense will not be denied. Allowing Vick to run free and create has shown some great results early on. No one knows if Vick and Dunn can hold up to the punishment of all this running, but at least to start, it is showing some dividends. And they have taken a bold move in upgrading their atrocious kicking, signing 46 year old Morten Anderson and bringing back the second leading all time scorer into the league. Personally, I love that move and think it is fantastic. Good to see Morten in uniform again. I think at least this week they’ll keep it going, unless some Saints linebacker pops either of them good. If they keep out of trouble, they will spoil the Monday night homecoming.

Atlanta over New Orleans

Are You Ready For Some Football Week 2 Style

Originally posted on Quick Thoughts on September 15, 2006.

Finally, a bit of fun in this space has shown up. I have decided to provide you, the lovely reader, with my NFL picks for the week. I came to this brilliant idea for a column through several reasons, including, but not limited to, ease (since I am already in a pool and need to do it anyway), for fun and not another long diatribe on something down (is it just me or has death been a prevalent feature here lately). It is one easy column a week because I have the topic and I love football and to be honest, at heart I am a lazy man. And most importantly, since every other expert does it, why cannot I? Heck, I watch and read enough about football to know something about who may or may not win. Why not put it in writing so I can look back and see how right on or wrong I was? Sounds like fun to me.

Now, a couple notes about my picks. First, I will not try to be Nostradamus and give you a final score. That is asinine and almost impossible. One of my favorite writers, Gregg Easterbrook, used to track the final score predictions of the New York Times when they still attempted to do this. I believe, by the time they stopped this practice, their success rate was 2 in roughly 1000 final scores predicted correctly. And if I remember the column when he wrapped up his tracking, this was about the same success rate if you just gave the same score for every game over the same amount of games. Breaking it down, over the next 1000 games, if I say 24-21 home team wins every time, I am bound to get 2 correct. You will definitely not see me rushing to Vegas with those odds tucked in my back pocket. So no scores. Plus, what if I was dead on every time? It would take the fun out of it for everyone, although I would definitely find a sports book to move into and fast.

Second, I do not bet the spread. These are just straight winner/loser picks. Not that I have a problem with the spread or some moral objection. I just find it a distracting addition. Why muddle it up with something like, oh, I think Green Bay will lose, but not by 15, so I will pick them. No, that means little to me since I have no money on the spread. My money is only on straight wins and losses, so that is where my guess will reside.

Third, you will not find any fantasy gems here, at least not intentionally. I do not have a fantasy team, nor am I in a league. I would be a horrible fantasy owner since all I would do is spend the whole draft looking for ways to acquire every Steeler player I could. And since that is not how you win in fantasy football, I tend to avoid the whole fantasy aspect possible. But, if you dig the fantasy, I may throw out a team tidbit here and there that could help. And if so, I get a cut of your winnings. Make the check out to cash, much easier that way.

That is about it. After that, its pretty fair game. Now, just so you know, I do not work nor am I affiliated in any way with the NFL, any major network, any sports magazine or internet site or with anyone affiliated with them, except in some far off, distant cousin sort of way I may not know about at present. These are from nothing more than a fan who reads a handful of weekly columns on a regular basis, peruses a few others along the way, has a subscription to Sports Illustrated and a much loved subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket. I do not have a notebook or anything of the sort, and when I write them, it will be from absorbed knowledge of the previous week and my own assumptions. Although, I will fact check if I decide to put additional information in. I know me some football from years of watching, learning and hanging out with the old man, who has probably forgotten more than I will ever know about the game. So why should you read this? What makes my picks better than yours, since I know as much as you? Well, no reason. But I am putting mine out there, so Nah. Plus, it will give you something to laugh at when my picks go horribly wrong.

Each week, I will also post before the picks my results from last week. Maybe even with a quick recap of how wrong I was on the games. Depth of the recap will always depend on two factors. First being if I actually watched the whole game and not just the highlights (there are always bound to be about 4 games that get the good treatment, and you are right, the Pittsburgh game will ALWAYS get the good treatment). And second, it will depend on whether I am smart and write down my thoughts as I am watching, or if I forget, get too wrapped up in the game, and then remember I forgot to write them down 3 days later and then try to restructure the thoughts that have already disappeared in my mind. So yeah, some games may be detailed, and some will just be much like, uh, I screwed up. But to save space, this week I’ll only post last weeks record, since there is no picks to go from, and I really do not feel like trying to reconstruct them.

Last Week: 10-6
Season to date: 10-6

Not too bad of a start. Let’s see how consistent I can keep it up. Although last week was a weird one with 11 road teams winning. Usually, most teams in the first few weeks of the season get a bump at home, but who knows. It takes a few weeks to find out who really has a shot and who is just smoke and mirrors. But keeping road performance in mind, I am saying home field advantage be damned!

I may add or subtract a few things as the weeks go on. Plus I am not sure exactly what I will write for each game. I guess that will come to me as I work on each one. I am trying something new, so we will see how it goes. But for now, without further fanfare and babbling, here are my choices for this week.


Cleveland at Cincinnati

Division rivals square off in Cincy’s home opener. The Browns looked ok vs. New Orleans last week, but show that year two of Romeo Crennel’s rebuilding will be only a little less painful than year one. The Brownies still have a ways to go, but are showing some signs of life. Having Kellen Winslow actually playing will go a long way in making progress. Center Hank Fraley, acquired in a trade from Philadelphia, showed signs of not being fully acclimated to the Browns playbook and terminology, but he is a grade A center and will catch on fast. Cincinnati showed me little in beating the heck out of the Chiefs last week, whom I do not rate too highly. More on that later. But, they are the defending division champs, and Carson Palmer does seem to be back to his old self. We should see for sure when he goes up against the Browns secondary. Truthfully, I do not think we will see how good the Bungles can be until they face a quality opponent, and they face far more this year than they did last year. I question their secondary and I do not think they did anything to improve their run defense. But this week, it will matter little.

Cincinnati over Cleveland


Tampa Bay at Atlanta

Wow, what the deuce happened to Tampa Bay last week? Opening game jitters? Forgot the plays due to over exuberance? Gruden had them wound too tight? Yikes, you tell me. I have no idea. And many had them as a sexy preseason Super Bowl pick. It is hard to tell a lot from just one game. Remember, last season Denver got shellacked in Miami on opening day, and they ended the season in the AFC Championship game. So you cannot take too much from one performance. Start taking more from it when you see two or three like that. As for Atlanta, where can I turn in my Michael Vick fan club membership? Not to bust too much on Vick, because he is a superior athlete, but he is a terrible quarterback. Sure, he can be great now, and Atlanta is being smart by learning how to really utilize his skills and his legs. But who will he be when he starts to slow down and his legs can no longer skirt him downfield to avoid danger or make something happen out of nothing, and he still cannot hit a target? Oh, I know, the answer is Kordell Stewart without the fragile ego! John Abraham, though, was a fantastic pick up for them in the off season, but does he really have a groin injury, or is it smoke and mirrors? I guess we will see on Sunday. A tough one for sure, but someone has got to win. I think Gruden will have the boys looking to take their embarrassment out on someone, and the Falcons, riding a little too high, will be that someone.

Tampa Bay over Atlanta


Buffalo at Miami

It seemed for a time there Buffalo might join the ranks of the road warriors last weekend and pull out an upset in New England. But the Patriot machine managed to roll back; grasp the lead and not let go, letting poor Buffalo fans bemoan another loss. Of course, I am not sure if that shows there may be signs of life in Albany, or perhaps the Pats are not yet up to snuff. But the Pats are for later. Buffalo for once showed some strength. We’ll have to see how long it lasts. Miami, well, they are starting Daunte Culpepper at quarterback. Daunte seems healed from his knee injury, but not his bad decision making. I thought he was exposed last year when he no longer had Randy Moss to save his bacon, but after getting his knee torn apart he was given a pass. Maybe the change of scenery will help, but having Mike Mularky as his offensive coordinator will not. Regardless, I don’t think Saban will make the same mistake with the challenge flag this week, and if they get Ronnie Brown some more carries, they’ll take this game.

Miami over Buffalo


Detroit at Chicago

Is there a new wind blowing in Detroit? It seems as though Rod Marinelli has the Lions playing tough, as shown by taking the NFC champs to the wire. But, they are still the Lions, and they are still run by Matt Millen, so until they start racking up some wins, no benefit of the doubt will be given. The Bears still have their crushing defense, not like Green Bay is much of a test, and Rex Grossman seems desperate to put to rest any inkling of a quarterback controversy. Once again, not that Green Bay is much of a test. I think the Lions will put up more fight than the Packers, but Da Bears will shut them down in their home opener.

Chicago over Detroit


New Orleans at Green Bay

Oh when the Saints, go marching in….Oh when the Saints go marching in. Yes, the return of the NFL gypsies’ ladies and gentleman. America’s favorite team is back, and apparently for once, retooled in a positive way. While still waiting for their triumphant return to the Superdome, the Saints play their second game of the season on the road as well. Not like it affected them much, as they played a good one in Cleveland last week, and showcased the debut of Reggie Bush. Ok, I know it was only one game, but he sure did look good, did he not? I wonder how many Houston fans watched that game and threw up in their mouths as they screamed, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD HIM!!! Probably more than they would care to admit. Now Mr. Bush gets to try his hand at fabled Lambeau field, where the current version of the Packers would make Vince Lombardi say, Green Bay? Nope, I never coached there. The Pack keeps holding on to their mid 90’s glory with Favre, and it seems so does Favre. The worst kept secret of this travesty being that Favre came back hoping to get traded to a contender and let the Pack get something for rebuilding, although he would never say that for fear of open fan revolt. And the Pack would never trade away Favre, knowing how he can still move the turnstile and merchandise, also for fear of open fan revolt. I am a huge fan of a player staying with one team his whole career, but Favre should either be more open to helping Aaron Rodgers along or moving along himself so Green Bay no longer lives in his shadow and can properly rebuild with a real coach and not some goofy choice because he once worked with Favre. Ugh. Many have already said it, and I agree it’s going to be a long season for the Packer faithful. Unless there is a little magic left in number 4, or some others start picking up the slack, I see another debacle on the not yet frozen tundra. I almost cannot believe I am saying this, but……

New Orleans over Green Bay


Houston at Indianapolis

I feel bad for Houston fans. They loved their Oilers back in the day. And then they got screwed by yet another greedy owner and lost their team, only to watch them go to the Super Bowl a few scant years after bolting. I would be willing to bet a few of them felt some satisfaction watching them fall a yard short of winning. After the wound heals, they finally get their own franchise again, and then they have to watch this travesty take the field. From first glances, it seems they might finally have a decent coach, who looks even in the first game to be making some progress with David Carr. I do believe Carr can be a good NFL quarterback. But one thing seems to still be escaping them. To be a good quarterback, Carr needs to remain VERTICAL. He was sacked 5 times last week. I think by the time they give that man some protection, he’ll have fallen apart. Plus, they watch the team not take Reggie Bush, and then watch Bush tear it up for New Orleans. Where does the pain end? Not in Indy this week, that is for sure. Peyton and the boys looked a little rusty and sloppy last week, although so did a lot of teams. And for once Peyton seemed to be able to throw under pressure. Something he had lots of trouble doing in the divisional playoffs last year, much to my joy. I think after enduring the slugfest in New York last week, they will feast on the Texans. Although, Indy’s lack of finishing drives last Sunday did give me pause, but that could be just opening game rust. Or it could be a sign of bigger problems with a diminished running game. It will be interesting to see how that development plays out.

Indianapolis over Houston


Oakland at Baltimore

Good Lord, how bad was Oakland on Monday night? Well, I guess so much for better matches on Monday Night Football. They keep showing games like that, no one is going to tune in, no matter how good Tony Kornheiser will be. And one side note on the crew. I like Kornheiser, I thought that was an excellent call, and he seems to be proving it so far. And while I cannot stand Theismann in any way, it is nice to hear Tony call out the stupid things that come out of Joe’s mouth. That is almost worth listening to Joe’s nonsensical comments. Seriously, did this guy really play football? I know more than this nimrod! And Mike Tirico? Talk about bringing absolutely nothing to the table. If they are going to save this crew, keep Kornheiser, drop Tirico and bring in a more dynamic and knowledgeable play by play man, and give Tony a cut off switch hooked up to Theismann’s mic. Then you might have something. Ok, back to the game stuff.

Seriously, Oakland, I really do not know what to say. For years, it seemed like the place where older players went to rot and die, and that perception is only slightly altered. I believe Al Davis has completely lost his mind. How can they justify the decisions they made in the off season? Do they really think Aaron Brooks is an upgrade at quarterback? Did they not watch any Saints games over the past 6 years? They would have been better with the immobile Collins under center. Hiring Art Shell, who has not coached in the NFL since Oakland FIRED HIM 14 years ago? I have no idea where that came from either. It’s like they completely forgot why they fired him, although it was pretty much on display Monday night. I mean its 4 and goal with 6 seconds left in the game. You’ve been decimated by a shaky Chargers team. Go for the easy field goal points, avoid the home shutout, and give your boys a little dignity and maybe a slight bit of hope for next week. What does he do? He runs a long, drawn out play that wastes all the time and gets nothing out of it. If I were a Raiders fan, I would be livid. Most of them are probably numb by years of this and keep themselves medicated on tailgate brews. I do not blame them one bit. They will need more this season. I honestly got online to look at their schedule to see if they had any hope for a win, and it really does not look good. I am glad we play them, though. I am already counting that one as a shoe in win.

And tell me how Baltimore, who were horrid last year, can go from NFL also ran to Super Bowl XLI champs in one game? Ok, yes, they destroyed Tampa Bay, no doubt about that. But it is still only one game. And while Steve McNair looked good, what happens when he has his inevitable injury that puts him on the bench for 3 or more games? Then they have to turn to Kyle Boller, who they managed to emasculate and crush his confidence by taking his job away from him and giving it to McNair. Then it all falls to the running game and the defense, and you can stop a one dimensional offense. So like the last few years, they look to their D to keep them in games, and BOOM, looks like a losing streak to me, especially with 4 tough division games this year in the super tough AFC North, 2 against Pittsburgh and 2 against Cincinnati. Until I see a few more wins like last week against quality opponents, I am not buying it. Of course, that may be because I do not want to buy it. This week, however, they should roll and roll hard.

Baltimore over Oakland


NY Giants at Philadelphia

Not a bad first showing by the Giants last week. The defense looked tough, and their rookie backup running back looked strong. They played stupid though. Their running game was obviously clicking. They have two really good backs, and Tiki Barber looks like he is picking up where he left off last year. But instead of jamming the ball down the Colts throat, as they should have because it was working on the Colts undersized D, they went too much to relying on Eli to win the game with his arm. They could have pounded the Colts all night into submission with their stellar run game, but chose not to, and then when they had to win with the pass, they were almost out of time and out of time outs. Plus, they had too many stupid decisions. Shockey, when you have less than a minute left and no time outs, STEP OUT OF BOUNDS. High school players know that. They have a pretty good team there, but a lot of tough games and if they keep looking to Eli to be Peyton now instead of the third year quarterback he is, they will lose them. Philadelphia, on the other hand, looks rejuvenated with a healthy McNabb and a great new dangerous deep threat in Donte Stallworth. That was a great pick up before the season. Philly should be congratulated on a smart move that is already paying dividends. And while they did not play a quality opponent in week 1, they are the only team in the division with a win. And now they get to take that momentum and open at home. The birds will get their first true test of the season, and I think they will pass.

Philadelphia over NY Giants


Carolina at Minnesota

Wow, so much for the preseason Super Bowl winner. I know, only one game and Steve Smith did not even play due to two, count them two, bad hamstrings. But does not Jake Delhomme know he has other receivers? They have a few on the team, maybe he should look for them once in a while. He may find it helps them win a game or two. And I cannot decide if Minnesota looked good, or if Washington was just playing that crappy. Still hard to tell, maybe this week will help. Two things I do know, Hutchinson was a great addition to their line, and the new uniforms look like crap. What was wrong with the old purple ones? They brought back images of the Purple People Eaters, and there is nothing wrong with reminders of previous success. I think Carolina will start to right the ship. They have a few huge injuries, but their biggest issue last week was watching Vick give them fits with his legs. Brad Johnson could not be as mobile as Vick if he were strapped to a Segway. That alone might make life for their defense a little easier.

Carolina over Minnesota


Arizona at Seattle

Welcome fans to perennial sleeper pick Arizona! Yes, each year they are called out as a sleeper pick by EVERYONE, thus negating them as sleepers, and each year they fall flat. Not this year, though. This year they have a brand spanking new stadium, sold out on season tickets, stole Edgerrin James from the Colts, drafted uber QB Matt Leinart and are poised for greatness! Except, they had to fight for a win with a shootout against San Francisco, which I chalk up to bad defense on both sides as opposed to good offense. But at least they won. And the Edge had a decent game, but every yard was tough. Their main problem? They have the same crappy offensive line as last year. I do not care how good your skill position players are, if they are not protected, they cannot win games. Watch them, and you will see. A good defense will exploit that line, stuff the Edge and put Warner on his back. It will happen. And then the Arizona coaching staff will look around like they cannot believe this is happening. It is high comedy. Speaking of good defense, this week they play Seattle. Now, Seattle had way more trouble with Detroit last week than they should have and it could be from a multitude of things. First game jitters and rust, haunted by the demons of Ford Field from Super Bowl XL (and no, I really could not help myself), not feeling it because even though they are the defending NFC champs they start the season not in a marquee game but against crappy Detroit, or even they are feeling the loss of Steve Hutchinson more than they realized. It could be any or none of those items. But unless they are about to suffer the Madden Curse, or really are going to live up to the recent Super Bowl Loser curse, I think they still own this division and will give the high flying Cards a large dose of reality, especially in Qwest Field.

Seattle over Arizona


St. Louis at San Francisco

Well, I think St. Louis might really be a sleeper pick this year. I read a column by Bill Simmons, and he was jumping on the St. Louis bandwagon, stating they were going to be the true sleeper this year. Considering the running game they showed, and a rather stout defense, I am somewhat inclined to agree. However, it was only one game, and they were not able to finish any drives. All their points came on field goals last week. Perhaps they are still getting their legs underneath them, but that is not a great sign. You need to be effective in the red zone to win consistently, which seems like a no brainer, but some teams just act like they cannot grasp that concept. But, it is only one game. San Francisco, however, seems like they might be working their way out of the cellar. Not far, but at least out. Alex Smith showed some maturity, and their offense showed some signs of life battling Arizona. They might win a few this year, but not their home opener.

St. Louis over San Francisco


New England at NY Jets

Is the party over? I must say, the mighty Patriots did not look all that mighty on Sunday. Playing at home, with a raucous crowd behind them, they pretty much stunk up the joint. And if it were not for a few bad decisions by Buffalo, they very well could have lost. I think this off season, New England has created too much bad karma for themselves and now it will catch up with them. For years they have been fine with cutting people and filling in the gaps instead of paying for them, and now I believe they have gone too far. They dumped defensive leader/linebacker Willie McGinest, who then followed his previously departed defensive coordinator to Cleveland. Right before the season, they find themselves in a linebacker shortage, so what do they do? They sign freshly retired and then unretired Junior Seau, who has not been effective in about 4 years. They say goodbye to Adam Vinateri, their clutch kicker who won them two, count them two, Super Bowls on his foot alone. Instead they pull Martin Gramatica out of moth balls and draft some kid out of college and look to them to make their big, clutch kicks. I bet that kid shanks one when it really matters. Vinateri was immediately snatched up by the Colts, who put him on display Sunday night. Yep, he still looks good to me. Kickers can play a long time, all they do is kick. They wear out a lot less quickly than other players. He could have been their clutch kicker for the next 10 years. I mean, seriously, isn’t Gary Anderson still kicking somewhere? Then they get into a contract dispute with Deion Branch, their only proven, healthy receiver, and instead of working it out, they ship him to Seattle. The current receiving corps numbers from last week? 4 catches for 51 yards. Yeah, it really seems like they can live without Branch. The almighty Brady cannot work his magic if he has no one to throw the ball to that can catch it. And who are the coordinators for this team, or did Belichick decide that he can coordinate both the offense and the defense, as well as be a fashion model for bum wear and cure cancer all while walking on water during each game? I know every Patriots fan is parroting the same thing, oh, Belichick has done it before, so it will be fine. But I am wondering if any of them really believe that this time. You dump your defensive leader and your clutch kicker then send your best receiver, a Super Bowl MVP no less, packing, it seems like you might have gone too far pinching pennies. I guess we’ll see, but if you have that much trouble putting away the Bills, it means either the Bills are much better, which does not help in your division, or you are much crappier than anyone thought. I hope for the latter. Meanwhile, the Jets put in a surprising effort on Sunday to pull out a win in Tennessee on the twice repaired arm of Chad Pennington. They looked pretty good, especially for being in their first year under a new coach and playing Tennessee. Who knows, maybe they will be the surprise of the division and blow away the Pats and the Dolphins. But this week, I think the Jets, riding high from Tennessee, will down the Patriots in an upset.

NY Jets over New England


Kansas City at Denver

It seems like doom and gloom for the Broncos right now. They could not get anything going against the Rams, and the talk is all about rookie Jay Cutler taking away Jake Plummer’s job at starting quarterback. Ahhh, what short memories everyone has these days. Remember the Broncos opener last season, when Denver went to Miami and got trounced? They bounced back from that pretty well, if I do recall. Not as well as Bronco fans would have liked, but I bet almost every other team in the AFC would have liked to have gone to the championship game. They will settle down, and Shanahan will work his magic this season by literally pulling a guy out of the stands and letting him rush for a 200 yard game. It really is only a matter of time before that actually happens. I would love to see that. The Broncos really should run a contest for a fan to be a back for a game. Who wouldn’t love that? They would sell a million tickets! They could advertise it, start yourself in your fantasy league and rack up points. It would be brilliant. But now we have to look at the sticky situation that is Kansas City. I said before the season even started that they would go down the toilet. Half of their offensive line retired. That right there told me the season they would have. Teams win with a consistent offensive line that plays together for a long time. One of the reasons KC has had such a great running game is consistency on the line. With 2 of the 5 gone and new guys stepping in, that is a lot to overcome. If they cannot establish a running game, then teams will just play pass, and they will get nowhere fast. Some were saying the window is closing, I say it has closed. Plus, the whole mess they created with the Herm Edwards poaching from the Jets, and you have added bad karma and a coach who has shown he can only make a mess of things. I used to be an Edwards fan, but seeing how much he screwed up in New York, now I am not so sure. Plus, add to that the loss of Trent Green for who knows how long after taking a vicious hit from Cincy, and suddenly you are relying on a rebuilt line and Damon Huard at QB? It does not spell success to me. No, Denver will assuage its battered ego this week at home against KC.

Denver over Kansas City


Tennessee at San Diego

It looked like the Titans won the quarterback lottery with stud Vince Young. But somewhere along the way, did something go wrong? Look, I know it is hard to transition to the NFL, some make it easy, and some take a long time. Couple that with trying to learn the QB position, and it could be darn near impossible. Cincinnati sat Palmer his rookie year, to help get him acclimated. Pittsburgh planned on doing the same with Roethlisberger, until Tommy Maddox went down, and then Roethlisberger changed everyone’s perception of what a rookie quarterback can do. So maybe Vince is taking a little longer to get adjusted. No biggie there. But something does not seem right when you dump your longtime franchise quarterback, actually bar him from the building, and then the two you keep are so atrocious you call in Kerry Collins, who to that point had been sitting on his couch eating Cheetos as far as anyone knew, and a week later start him in your first game. And Kerry did not have a great game, although they did stay in it. It makes me wonder how far away Tennessee may actually be. And as for San Diego, I just do not know where they are at. Sure, they looked dominant Monday night, but they were playing the Raiders, who we have already determined stink worse than limburger, and even near the end of the third quarter had only managed to put up 13 points with new starter Philip Rivers at the helm. Plus, they made a journeyman defensive tackle look like a hall of famer with all the penetration he managed to get on the Chargers O-line. I do not think we will see how good or bad the Chargers are or how well Rivers can play until they play a quality opponent. Unfortunately, that will not be this week.

San Diego over Tennessee


Washington at Dallas

Big NFC East match up of two long time rivals comes to NBC’s second Sunday night game. I am not sure what to make of this game. Washington should have beaten Minnesota last week. They have plenty of weapons thanks to Dan Snyder’s big off season shopping spree, and the addition of Al Saunders on an already crowded coaching staff should add another dimension to their offensive game plans. I know having Sean Springs out hurt, but it seemed to me they underachieved. I wonder if Antwaan Randle El is regretting his decision to follow the money since he seemed to be horribly underused in their offensive plans. And also that maybe Mark Brunell is not the answer they hoped for at quarterback. I wonder how long it will be until they promote Jason Campbell. On the other side of the ball, it would seem that Dallas has its own QB controversy brewing between Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo. Dallas would be better to look at the future sooner than later. Bledsoe can be rattled and is about as mobile as concrete. He starts clanking too many passes, TO will quickly lose his good teammate image he is desperately trying to show us and slide right back into TO, locker room cancer. As soon as he starts feeling like he is getting short changed, look out. Dallas, you have been forewarned. Although in this game, I think he will celebrate on the star again, this time to a cacophony of cheers.

Dallas over Washington

Pittsburgh at Jacksonville

Ahhhh, the game of the week, well, at least in my opinion. The big Monday night showdown between the Super Bowl champs and the team that came into Pittsburgh last year and beat the future champions on their own field in an overtime game. One we should have won. It was a good game, but mistakes ultimately derailed Pittsburgh. Both of the teams match up well with each other and this figures to be another heavyweight slugfest. Oddly enough, this is Pittsburgh’s only Monday night appearance all year, although they do have several prime time games scheduled. Pittsburgh is hoping for the triumphant return of Ben Roethlisberger after yet another medical setback, this time an appendectomy. He has been practicing, but it looks to be a weekend decision by Bill Cowher. Even if he is not ready to go, Charlie Batch has shown he can handle the pressure of starting for the Steelers. Of more concern may be Troy Polamalu, who is currently listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. If Troy does not play, that severely limits some of the fire zone blitzing schemes that Uber defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau loves to throw at offenses. On the other side, Jacksonville is riding high off of a nice home opener win against Dallas, and feeling their oats. They know they beat the champs last year in their house, and now have the newly crowned champs marching into Alltel Stadium. They believe they can win, and will go in ready for Pittsburgh’s best shot. But, the loss of defensive tackle Reggie Hayward for the year due to an Achilles tendon injury will surely hurt their defensive line. This will be a good game, a real slugfest. But despite Troy’s shoulder, the Jags toughness and whether or not Roethlisberger will start, or even be effective in his first action of the year, I am going with Pittsburgh to win. Like you thought I would pick otherwise.

Pittsburgh over Jacksonville

That about wraps this up. Tune in next week and we will see if I have any skill at this, or maybe just a few wise cracks.

Let The Games Begin

Originally posted on Quick Thoughts September 7, 2006

Oh, now you must be kidding me. The scene is on Sunday, the last one before the season, and I am out enjoying a nice afternoon with some friends. I call another friend of mine, a big Steelers fan, and she says she heard that Ben had an appendectomy and would be out for the start of the season. Now, I took it with a grain of salt, since I was nowhere near any information source. She was in the same position, so she was unsure herself of the validity of the story. We opined that perhaps some football fan friends of ours, fans of other teams of course, were trying to get under our skin in a friendly, yet macabre, way. It was many hours before I would get home and be able to check out the facts. When I finally did, I spent the first part of my investigation time reading slack jawed about the death of Steve Irwin.

When I finally exhausted any fresh news, I confirmed that Roethlisberger did have an emergency appendectomy and would miss the season opener and perhaps even the second and third games of the season. After all that happened to him this summer, and wondering if he may even play again after his horrific motorcycle accident, this was just the icing on the cake. Getting excited that he was fully recovered from the accident and would indeed play, and to then have this awful thing happen is like having the rug pulled out from under my feet. I know I am not the only fan that feels this way, and I would be willing to bet that Ben himself is feeling this too. Now, we go into the first game against a hungry Dolphins team with Charlie Batch starting and Hines Ward not one hundred percent.

Since the Super Bowl win, it has been a crazy off season. Wait, what am I talking about. Since those last seconds ticked off, I have not had an off season. For me, the season has never ended. I have devoured every item I could about the Steelers and football that I could find. I could not understand why no one was talking NFL in March, it seemed foreign to me. With the season now merely hours away, it seems to me not like the season has finally started, but that everyone finally woke up and realized they took too long of a break. But before we go any further, let’s have a quick recap of the craziness that was the extra long break, shall we?

Kimo von Olhoffen, Antwaan Randle El and Chris Hope are shown the money by other teams and depart.

Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt gives everyone a slight coronary by flirting with taking the Oakland coaching job. After getting a look at the mess there, he realizes how good he has it and stays in Pittsburgh.

Jerome Bettis retires, gets hired by NBC, then causes a mini drama with Bill Cowher during a broadcast in the preseason where he mentions he feels this is Cowher’s last season. Cowher does not care for his public assessment of the situation.

Cowher does not sign a new contract, as he always has in the past with two years left on his current contract, with a cloud of suspicion on whether this is a money issue or a family issue. He did move his wife and youngest daughter to a newly purchased home in North Carolina, further fueling suspicions and unfounded rumors.

They draft uber-hyped receiver Santonio Holmes who manages to get arrested twice for two different charges in two different states before training camp starts.

Tommy Maddox completes his bitter fallout with the team, is released, and refuses to attend the ring ceremony.

The rumors of Joey Porter’s potential holdout due to his unhappiness with his contract. – Mercifully, this never came to be. Cowher diffused this one pretty quickly.

Hines Ward becomes an international sensation and begins to do work on helping mixed race children in South Korea. – Ok, this was not much drama, but I thought I’d mix it up with a nice bright spot. Until…

Hines has a long interview in Sports Illustrated, where he drops the smile and talks about how he has felt in the past that the team has never recognized him as the #1 guy, and keeps drafting receivers instead of showing him the love. He did get shown the money last year, though. He also mentions how he is not all that close to Cowher. Great potential locker room divide. – So far, seems to have just been blown over. Hines, if it makes you feel any better, you’ve always been the #1 to me.

Joey Porter creates a mini controversy before the Steelers go to the White House, saying he’s got a few things to say to the president. – This one I have no idea why it was a big deal. Joey has a few things to say to everybody! Why was anyone shocked at this?

Of course, Roethlisberger nearly spilling his brains all over the pavement in Pittsburgh. Miraculously, he manages to heal almost as fast as Wolverine, somehow raising his Pittsburgh legend even more. – He keeps this up, he’ll be in Lemieux territory soon.

The team manages to put up a big goose egg in wins during the preseason. – yeah not that the preseason means squat, but it would be nice to win at least one of them.

Hines seems to have the unhealable hamstring, which kept him out of every preseason game. Although he said he will play in the opener.

And of course, right before the start of the season, Ben has an appendectomy.

Gee, I hope I did not miss anything.

Despite all of this, or maybe because of it, I am itching for the season to start. I just want to get back to some hard hitting, hard charging football and watch my team defend their title. All preseason I keep hearing about how the Steelers were lucky, how they will not repeat. How they will not even win their division. How they lost too many leaders. How everyone else is so much better. The talking head prognosticators have driven me nuts with these stupid predictions. I am trying to figure out how they cannot repeat. They did not lose that much in the off season. No personnel losses that cannot be overcome. Yes, Jerome was a great leader and a locker room presence, but they have a few others in there too. If you doubt that, I would love for you to have a quick chat with Mr. Joey Porter. And they have their entire core still in place. And yes, they did get lucky last year. But luck must always be there. Everything came together at the right time and it clicked.

Plus, they have one big factor, motivation. Ben is motivated to show he is better than his display in the Super Bowl. The team is motivated to show they can win without those who have left. They are motivated to show their Super Bowl victory was not a fluke. They are motivated to show they can win back to back championships like the great Steelers teams of the 70s, which they are still working to get out from under the shadow of those impressive teams. They are motivated to show that everything that happened in the off season is not a distraction, but fuel for the fire.

And each and every talking head keeps giving them more motivation with each prediction. Many are saying Cincinnati will run away with the division. But these people seem to be forgetting that the Bengal’s schedule last year was a cupcake one. This year, it will not be, and their defense is not markedly improved. Plus, by the time the season is even four games in, half the team may be behind bars with the way they have behaved in the off season. It looks like they imported a bunch of criminals to Cincinnati. You have a great team to be proud of over there, Bengals fans. Pittsburgh will be rocking the same defense, and their schedule last year was as difficult as the one they have this year. Plus, well minus the Santonio Holmes issues, our boys keep their noses clean. They will always be the Bungles to me, and the Bungles suck.

Many are saying the Colts will strangle the competition. Well, they stepped down in the running back department and last time I checked, when it came to the post season, they did not know how to strangle, but were pretty good at choking. And then I hear they cannot even admit we beat them, when their offensive line coach says that Pittsburgh did not beat them, they beat themselves. I watched the game, and it looked like Pittsburgh beat you. And then Manning calls his offensive line out after the game? Look, they may have had a bad game, but considering how much crap they keep off your back, and how much you may be right in your assessment Peyton, you do not call them out to the media. Pittsburgh can handle the pressure of the post season. Only a team that won four road playoff games can really say they can handle the pressure. The Colts suck.

Many are saying that New England is once again the team to beat. How so? They lost yet another coordinator, lost more talent again, did not bring in hardly any proven talent, got rid of a defensive leader and their Super Bowl winning kicker (yes, he may not be worth the money he wanted, but that is just bad karma when you jettison the guy who won you two rings with his foot), are in a protracted contract dispute with their number one receiver and did little to fix their constant problem spots. I know many will say that the Patriots have always overcome these things, but they did not last year. Last year, it caught up with them big time. Who says it will not again? Pittsburgh has no disputes with anyone on their roster, has their core in place, all their coaches intact and generally is bringing out the same team and staff as last year. The same Super Bowl winning team and staff. New England sucks.

Many are saying the Ravens will explode this year. How so? Their defense is a year older, and that much more ineffective (the glory days of 2000 are over, ask the 1985 Bears how fast it goes away). And on a quick side note, I am sick and tired of hearing about how the 2000 Ravens had the greatest defense of all time. Oh, they put up some terrific numbers, but they were in no way the greatest of all time. They did that for one year. One. They won one Super Bowl. One. I will not detract from their accomplishment, but it should not rank them as the greatest. The greatest should be ranked by sustained excellence. You can always capture lightning in a bottle, but to do it consistently? Look at the 70’s Steelers for that. 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 years. Sustained excellence. Also, they got rid of the one running back who was making a difference last year, killed the confidence of their young quarterback who was briefly showing signs of life late last season by bringing in a veteran with a penchant for breaking down more often than an a Yugo. I would normally make a comment on our quarterback’s durability, but lately that seems to be a slight point of contention, so I will just say the Ravens suck and move on.

I have been waiting for this for as long as I can remember. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, I am a huge Steelers fan. And watching them win the Super Bowl was like a dream come true. And I know that many of the talking heads have to make guesses and predictions, which is what they get paid to do. But for the past few years all I have heard is many of these people worshipping at the feet of Brady and Patriots, extolling from the highest mountain tops the virtues of the Colts and Manning, The constant crowing of how great Steve Smith and the Panthers are, who for the second year in a row are the preseason Super Bowl winner pick of Sports Illustrated. Seriously, who is paying them for that? They make one Super Bowl appearance, and now they are perennial favorites? Go figure. But now, Pittsburgh is the winner, the top dog, the number one team, but if you listen to enough of these jokers, you would not know it. Many of them are saying Pittsburgh will not even make the playoffs. And I ask, why not? They are used to playing a tough schedule, used to playing tough games and tough opponents. They are accustomed to adversity and hardship and now know the path to becoming a champion. I believe that now that they have tasted it, they will want to walk the path often. I believe they have just as much of a chance as anyone, and maybe more, because they are the defending champions.

I am not bitter, nor a sore winner. I would just like to see Pittsburgh get their proper due. How about some recognition for how much they had to go through to get that trophy. No other team has ever won 4 playoff games on the road, ever. Plus they were against the top 3 seeds in the AFC and the top seed in the NFC. But it seems as though everyone believes it was nothing more than luck. I think maybe a few other factors may have played into their winning streak and championship. It seems to me that part of why everyone is discounting Pittsburgh already is because they are not a sexy pick. They are a bruising team with a stout defense and an offense dominated by a running game where the main axiom is three yards and a cloud of dust. But that is one of the reasons I like them so much. They are a blue collar team, exemplified by players that are a true team and will do whatever it takes to make each other better and win. Look at Hines Ward, he smiles on every play, whether he is scoring a touchdown untouched or popping a defensive back in the mouth to lay a block for someone else. That is the type of team they are and why I love them. I watched an interview with Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher’s predecessor and the only coach to win 4 Super Bowls. And he said his motto was whatever it takes. And by that he meant that whatever it took to win, if someone was not able to do something, everyone else had to step up and do more. And when you did what you had to do, try to do more to add to the team. Playing as a team, working hard, doing what it takes to succeed. From success in the past to success now and in the future, this is the core of the team. Now how can you not root for a team like that?

But they are just not sexy enough for everyone. They do not have the slick high powered offense of the Colts. The out of nowhere model quarterback of Tom Brady. The history of the Green Bay Packers. The slick perfection and dominance of the 49’s in the 80’s. The gravities of being America’s Team like the Cowboys. They are just a blue collar team from a blue collar town with the best and largest groups of fans in the world. It truly is Steelers Nation. They are everywhere. I see them everyday, and I live 2000 miles from Pittsburgh. That is what is hard for me to understand. You have a team that is loved everywhere, yet even after winning it all; they still seem to be brushed aside. I know one win does not make them dominant; people did not start crowing about the Patriots until after their second win, but look at how much of an impact Pittsburgh and its fans have had. The DVD highlights of the post season were the best selling of all time. The Super Bowl was one of the highest rated in years. In the last year, 40% of all merchandise sold was Pittsburgh related. The team has a few fans, and I think the more they keep hearing about their team falling flat this year, the more frenzied they will become, and the more that will feed into the team, and the more motivated they will become.

I am hoping the team is feeling what I am now; even more determined to prove everyone wrong. If there was a way I could do something to make that happen myself, I would. At the moment, all I can do is wave my towel and cheer my lungs out. I hope they want to show everyone they should not doubt and recognize a great team, great fans, a great city and a great organization. I know as the season looms, things are up in the air with Ben and Hines. But I know the team will go out and give it their all. After all, things looked pretty gloomy right before the Chicago game last year too, and that turned out pretty well. And like some fair weather fans I have heard lately, I’m talking about you Dave Dameshek, I will not be picking Miami to win in the opener. I will be making the same pick I have made every week, and will continue to make every week, no matter what the odds are or how poorly the team may be playing. I am picking Pittsburgh to win. Let the season begin!

Now they better not lose and make me look stupid, I can do that on my own.

Falling From Great Heights

Originally posted in Quick Thoughts on June 12, 2006.


What a lump in your throat, sick to your stomach day. As if you could not tell from the links on my blog, I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I have been since I was very little and would watch games with my dad, too young to understand or comprehend the glory of the 70's Super Steelers. As I got older, and Pittsburgh started going through the lean years (for us in Steelers Nation, lean years are years without a Super Bowl victory), my dad would regale me with tales of Franco, Terry, Mean Joe and the Steel Curtain. He has been a fan for a very long time. He can remember true lean times, before there was ever hope of a Super Bowl berth, let alone a victory.

Football has always been very important to me and my dad. Its not that we are crazed sports fans (although maybe just a touch when it comes to the Steelers) and do not understand that it’s only a game. For us, as I am sure like many fathers and sons, it has always been something we have had in common. As I grew up and began to discover who I am, something that I am still working on, and the things I liked and tried to figure out what kind of life I wanted, I began to realize my father and I were very different people. We have plenty in common, I am my father's son for sure, but we have very different interests and outlooks on life. Something I am sure is very natural with people who grow up in different times and under different circumstances. A perfect example, as a child, my father went to a one room schoolhouse. This concept to me is almost unfathomable. My only concept of a one room schoolhouse is from history books and Little House on the Prairie. Yet my father went to one for many years. As a child, he also lived in a house that had no indoor plumbing. He is not 100 years old, this was in the 1950s. These are hard images to resolve, especially in our society nowadays with all of the advances we have made. Even as I write this on a laptop connected to the internet on a wireless connection, it stands out as almost unbelievable. A one room schoolhouse? Outhouses? How is that possible? But I digress.

So as I began to understand that my father and I were different people with different interests, I also realized we did not always have things in common to talk with each other about. Of course there were the standard father and son things, how each was doing, him always offering sage advice to me as I began to navigate through life and me looking to him for wisdom and guidance that only a father can give. But beyond that, we did not always have common ground. Football always provided that. My father has always been a fan, and played the game when he went to high school. I myself played as well, for the same high school my father did. He would come to every game. After work during the season, he would always come straight from work to practice to watch my brother and I. When we would get home, he would let us know how we did and how we could improve. Bar none, outside of the college and pro ranks, I have never met someone with the knowledge of all aspects of the game as my father. His knowledge and insight into the game are unrivaled, and almost always dead on.

After college and moving and starting my life, I would continue to talk to my dad. Each week without fail I call my parents to let them know about what is happening with my life and to find out about theirs. Family is very important to me and always will be. Sometimes my dad and I will only speak for a few minutes before I talk with my mom, and sometimes, it will be longer. But come football season, I know I always have that common ground with my father. When those times come, we are no longer father and son, two people separated by age, interests or generations, but two friends who share a common passion. It gives us a way to connect and bond, a way for us to be closer. This way to connect is always good for people and especially men, who cannot always express their feelings as they would like. My father is definitely an old school type of guy who can't always express his feelings as he would like. This is one of the beauties of sports that those who are not fans do not understand. It can help create and strengthen a bond, give people common ground and form lasting relationships.

This year was the ultimate year for us. Pittsburgh fulfilled years of dashed hopes and dreams and ran the table, winning the Super Bowl on the shoulders of a young quarterback and an aging running back on his last grasp at the golden ring. For the first time, my father and I could celebrate a championship of our favorite team together. The last time they won, I was too young to realize the magnitude of the event. This time, we could celebrate it together. We talked often leading up to the game, on strategy and odds. We talked about individual matchups, strengths and weaknesses. The day of the game, we spoke much before the game, both of us geared up and raring to go. We spoke several times during the game, as fortunes swung both in favor of Pittsburgh and away from them. And the moment came, the game slowly ticked to conclusion, the confetti rained down upon the field, the towels swung in the air and Pittsburgh was the new world champions of the NFL. And we had our congratulatory call to each other, relishing in the moment and enjoying something together for the first time. The only thing that would have made it sweeter would have been if we could have watched it together, both of us cursing and questioning every bad play and decision and cheering lustily on every great play. Ok, first, I know there were not many great plays. From all accounts, and from an objective standpoint, it was a stinker of a game. The three they played to get there were much better and more exciting, although the Indianapolis game was a little TOO exciting. But, there were three great plays in the game, and that was enough for me. And second, my dad is not the kind of guy to cheer lustily, but if you knew him, it would be a funny image to see him leaping from his chair and yelling in joy.

So for this entire off-season, we have watched every bit of news from Pittsburgh with new eyes. Who has left for new horizons, who joined the team, how they did in the draft, how off-season conditioning was going. We discussed Hines Ward's trip to South Korea to discover his roots and help make a difference in the lives of other children of mixed heritage. We touched on Ben Roethlisberger's trip to Switzerland to discover his roots. When we saw the release of the schedule for the upcoming season, we went over it talking about the games and the chances of the team in each game. Every move and action we would chat about, contemplating the next season, football always being the common ground for us.

But then today, as of course I am sure you have heard since it has been all over the news, Roethlisberger had a horrible accident on his motorcycle. He ran into a car, flipped over the handle bars, and struck his head on the windshield and then the pavement. A tragic accident made more frightening by the fact that he was not wearing a helmet. That gigantic sucking sound you may have heard today was the gasp from the collective Steeler Nation, wondering what the future may hold for both their young hero as well as their team. Mercifully at this moment, the news seems to be positive. He has undergone surgery to repair fractures on his face and head, including a broken jaw and nose, and the lacerations that came from the accident as well. The positive news from the surgeons who performed the operation was that his brain, spine, chest and abdomen all appeared to be fine and uninjured. That is most important of all. Head injuries can be devastating, as anyone who has gone through one or had a loved one suffer one can attest to without question. So if it appears that his brain is fine, that is a wonderful thing. As all of Steeler Nation, NFL fans, casual fans, friends, family and those closest to Ben are hoping tonight, I myself am hoping and praying for a speedy recovery with no injuries or damage that may stick with him throughout his life.

Of course, after something devastating like this, 9 million talking heads have come out of the woodwork trying to get face time for their opinions on everything from motorcycle safety and future Steeler game plans to recovery time for serious injuries and helmet laws of Pennsylvania. In case you have not heard by now, helmets are optional in Pennsylvania. I have already heard way too many people losing their mind about this, going crazy about Ben's irresponsibility for not having a helmet, for letting down so many people and the effects this will have on many. To these maniacs, I say, shut up. Just shut up.

Look, the first and foremost thing that should be on everyone's mind is the long term welfare of Ben. That's it. I know as an organization, the Steelers will at some point have to address the situation from a standpoint of the wellbeing of the team, depending upon his condition and his future, and that is understandable. They will look into those things when the time is appropriate. As of right now, they seem to be leading the way down a path that everyone else should follow by showing only concern for the health of their young quarterback and friend. Everyone else who is going nuts should follow suit. I am one of the biggest fans of the team you will find, and my first concern is for his health. Not his health for the upcoming season, but his health for the future. That is more important than anything else.

Second, what is all this crap about irresponsibility? Of course it is irresponsible. He was riding without a helmet. Common sense should tell you that you should protect your most valuable asset. And while it is his choice, and I am sure he is a very experienced and safe rider, accidents happen as today will show. You cannot predict them; you can only try to keep yourself safe from the possibility of them. That is why they are called accidents; they are unplanned, unexpected and typically unwanted.

Now, Ben is 24 years old, a millionaire, a first round draft pick, and a 2 year pro who has broken the mold of what a young quarterback can do and a Super Bowl champion. One who has brought one of the most loyal, vocal and widespread fan bases in all of professional sports the championship they have craved for so long. You combine these elements together, you are going to have someone who has an air of invincibility, an air that most sports stars have. They believe they can do anything and succeed. It is this air that allows many of them to perform feats that many of us in a rational state of mind would find crazy. If you doubt this, try to imagine yourself doing the luge, or worse, the skeleton. An air of invincibility which is only intensified by winning a championship. Of course he does not think that anything bad will happen. He is on top of the world. He is not thinking of responsibility, he is thinking of enjoying life and winning football games. Something many of us can only try to imagine, and love to live vicariously through the pros that do.

I understand the points that people are making, that he has a responsibility to his teammates, his team, his sponsors, his family and his fans to keep himself safe and on the field. That by choosing to ride without a helmet he has let them down and shown his irresponsibility. And they have a point. He is a corporation and a product both wrapped up in one. He needs to be aware that as a corporation, and in putting out a product, all of the above parties are stockholders in that corporation and need to have assurances that they will get a return upon their investment. The team needs to know the money they pay will be returned in performance on the field. His teammates need to know that the effort they put out on the field will be returned with the same effort from him. His sponsors need to know that by him endorsing their product, they will get the exposure they want by him playing. His family needs to know that the time and love they have given him and continue to give him will be returned with him staying safe and healthy. And his fans need to know that the support they give him by buying his products, jerseys, items he endorses and rooting for him will be returned by him giving them what they want as much as he does, which is success.

These are very big concepts, ones that I myself have just begun to understand for my own life. And I am far from a millionaire with lots to lose. I am 32 and have just started to realize the importance of these concepts, how they apply to life in general and how to think of myself as more than just one person, but as something more to many other people for a variety of reasons. I am a fairly intelligent person, and if I am just now beginning to understand the breadth and depth of these concepts, should one expect a 24 year old to automatically know these things as well? No, of course no one should expect that. Ben is an intelligent guy who has a good family behind him and good people around him that have helped him become, by all accounts, a great young man. You cannot ask for much more than that in a person. But to expect him to understand these concepts at such a young age is foolish and moronic. Learning these things come with time, and while I understand the world of professional sports is much different than the real world, it still takes time to learn things in life, no matter who you are or what the lessons are. You make mistakes, you learn, you move on to your next adventure. That is the core of living right there. He made a mistake, a very painful one at that. But get off him for being irresponsible. Hopefully, he will fully recover and learn from this. And if your biggest concern at this moment is about the irresponsibility of a professional athlete, then you either live the perfect life or need to take a serious look at your own priorities and life, because I can assure you there is something major missing there. At the very least, you are missing common compassion and perspective of what is truly important. Chew on that for a bit before the next time you open your cakehole on TV.

Of course, my dad called me today and we talked about what had happened. He did not call right away, which surprised me. He told me later he did not want to bother me at work with the news. I told him he can call me anytime he likes so not to worry about that. How considerate is that, though. He called later, though, to give me the rundown of the press conference that was to happen, in case I did not get it where I live. Isn't he the best? And we were both in agreement, an unfortunate accident compounded by a stupid move in not wearing a helmet. But we both hope that he will fully recover and still be able to have a successful career. And if not, hopefully he will be able to recover and have a successful life. We will both be watching to see what happens, hoping for the best for Ben, as well as the team. Regardless of what may happen with Ben's career, my dad and I will still have our Steelers, and with it, our bond and common ground. And for this I will always be grateful.

Welcome one and all!

Welcome all. I have decided to finally pull the trigger and create a sports only section. Since all of my other "serious" writing is always interspersed with so much from the sporting world, I figured I would have enough material to support one that is solely about the games we love. So sit back, relax and enjoy the new home for The Crystal Ball and anything else I may find interesting regarding football, hockey and the millions of other ways we find to distract ourselves with competitions amongst men and women. There will be a lot coming soon, including the migration of the old Crystal Ball archives, so get ready.