Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Three Key Matchups

Coaches in the NFL don’t care if a win is ugly, a win is a win. Right now the Kansas City Chiefs wouldn’t care if their win resembled a three-eyed mountain goat with a unibrow, but unfortunately the opponents don’t get any easier for KC in the immediate future.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been a mainstay among the NFC elite for the past half dozen seasons, but are amidst some turmoil given key injuries, the offseason loss of their cherished defensive coordinator Jim Johnson who lost his fight with cancer, and the hoopla surrounding the return of quarterback Michael Vick.

Kansas City will look to capitalize by pulling an upset.

Three Key Matchups in Week Three:

1) Larry Johnson vs. 4-3 Defense of the Eagles:

Partially credited to the talent of the Raven’s defense and partially credited to the effectiveness of the 3-4 scheme, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was held to 20 yards on the ground in Week One. Against the Raiders in Week Two LJ took advantage of a little daylight and earned a hard fought 78 yards. The Ravens are the No. 1 defense in the NFL against the run after two weeks. Kansas City’s defense is improved against the run through two weeks compared to last year. What’s the common thread? Both the Ravens and the Chiefs run a 3-4. Expect LJ to have a decent showing against a strong Eagles defense that shows a 4-3 and allowed 4.6 yards per carry to the New Orleans Saints in Week Two. The Chiefs will remain committed to the run to temper the blitz-heavy Eagles defense and allow quarterback Matt Cassel time.

2) Matt Cassel vs. the Doubters:

Driven highly on speculation the Chief’s quarterback situation has been made muddy by media coverage. On Sept. 22, NFL.com provided the headline “Cassel Will Continue to Start at QB for Chiefs.” On Wednesday’s episode of Around the League on NFL Network, Jason La Canfora added more spice to the curry by citing head coach Todd Haley’s past as proof that he will bench a guy that’s paid more to play a guy with the better chance to win. With the purging of former head coach Herm Edwards’ players from the Chiefs franchise it is odd to imagine that Edwards’ proposed franchise quarterback could shoulder the load. Frankly, Cassel will be, and should be, provided more than one game to show that he is meant to be the leader of this team. Will Cassel persevere against the ball-hawking Eagles D that leads all teams with six interceptions?

3) Michael Vick vs. the World:

Plaxico Burres, Brett Favre, and Michael Vick were the three headliners to the flurry of offseason activity. In Week Three it’s Vick who reclaims the national spotlight by taking his first regular season NFL snaps since his release from prison. Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb didn’t participate in practice this week and Week Two starter Kevin Kolb will likely start against the Chiefs, but fans can expect a lot of Wildcat formations that give Vick a significant role in the offense. The three biggest playmakers on the Eagles, McNabb, running back Brian Westbrook, and wide receiver DeSean Jackson were all inactive in practice this week and in their absence on Sunday the Eagles will call on Michael Vick to be a playmaker. Has Vick shaken off the rust? Has he lost a step? In Vick’s last preseason game he threw one pick and was sacked four times. For a quarterback who has struggled finding his NFL identity perhaps the Wildcat and such does more harm than good.

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What Is Marion Barber’s Status?

 

Not only did Dallas lose Sunday night, RB Marion Barber suffered a strained quadriceps muscle in the fourth quarter of the game.

According to sportingnews.com, Barber will miss between one and two games while YAHOO! Sports reports that the injury is day-to-day.

The Cowboys’ official website says that there will be another day of practice before Barber’s status is determined–he is quoted as saying he feels good.

Dallas’ site also suggests that the team may rely on Tashard Choice if Barber is unable to go.

Barber will have an extra day of rest as the Dallas Cowboys’ next game is next Monday against the Carolina Panthers–Dallas is still a 9-point home fave.

Dallas has gone 7-3 straight up in its last 10 matchups against Carolina overall.

The Dallas Cowboys opened their new billion-dollar stadium with a 33-31 loss on Sunday Night Football to the hated New York Giants–failing to cover as 3-point home faves.

 

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Hock’s Take: 49ers Not Ready for Peterson, Vikings

Somewhere, taped inside the front of Brett Favre’s helmet, there is a message posted. It says simply: “Turn around, and hand off the ball.”

It’s a simple strategy, but an effective one, and one that has served the Vikings well for the past two seasons. Because in their backfield, there is a guy you may have heard of named Adrian Peterson.

People have been waiting for Favre to revert to his gun-slinging ways, to suddenly go from putting up line scores like 23/27-155-2-0 to his old 31/47-310-2-3, and maybe he will. But it’s not going to happen this week.

“But, Matt!” I can somehow hear you saying, “The 49ers run defense is one of the best in the league this season!”

Well, yes. That’s technically true. But Adrian Peterson is not Beanie Wells or Justin Forsett. And if the Niners think they’ll be able to stymie Peterson like they did two season ago, they’re in for a surprise.

Not that I think the 49ers are so haughty as to think that. Mike Singletary might be a hothead with a propensity for pulling his pants down, but he understands good run defense. After all, he did star for the Bears for a 100-odd years. So he’ll have his team geared up to stop Peterson.

And it won’t matter.

Simply put, the Vikings’ offense is perfectly suited to run against the 49er’s 3-4 scheme. By overloading the left side of their offensive line by putting Jim Kleinsasser in to block, Peterson should be able to bypass Justin Smith and get around the corner.

Once he gets to the second level, Peterson’s speed and power are unmatched by any current player. He is not afraid to get Patrick Willis or Takeo Spikes on their heels. Even with a sore back, Peterson has always been an instinct first runner, and he won’t shy away from contact.

And therein lies the reason for the Viking’s success in the past two games. While the 49ers might be able to bottle the running game up for a quarter or two like this, stuffing runs for 2-3 yards per play with some creative run blitzing, second level defenders are not used to getting hit, and the Vikings play a more violent run scheme than just about anybody.

I don’t see the Vikings altering their scheme any for this game. I think Peterson takes 20-25 carries, mostly to the left center of the line behind Bryant McKinney and a tight end. Also, I suspect one or two reverses to Percy Harvin out of the backfield, to take advantage of the 49ers’ overeager linebackers crashing down on Peterson early in the game.

We’ve yet to see how the 49ers react to playing a more physical, run-first offense, and I think it might just be a rude awakening. Honestly trying to compare the Niners’ last two opponents to the Vikings is like comparing a pen knife to a tank.

Okay, given Peterson’s injury, we’ll say a pen knife to a bazooka.

And if the Niner’s become so fixated on maintaining their status as one of the NFL’s best run defenses? We might just get to see how far Brett can still throw it.

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Tony Romo Versus Danny White

Questions about the Dallas Cowboys and starting quarterback Tony Romo were again asked after the loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. It was the first regular season home game for the Cowboys in their brand new billion dollar stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

Except this time critics such as ESPN Radio’s (Dallas/Ft. Worth local) Randy Galloway cannot blame the loss on Terrell Owens, team chemistry, or the seemingly recent broken record topic of the “locker room” often discussed on ESPN television and radio shows over the last few years.

Comparisons of Romo are often made to Cowboy legends Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. This would seem logical since the Cowboys are a winning franchise with five Super Bowl victories.

Two of those came with Staubach and three with Aikman as the starting quarterback. Nothing more needs to be said about these two Cowboy legends.

Danny White took over as the starting quarterback for the Cowboys in 1980 after Staubach retired after the conclusion of the 1979 season. Until then, White had been the punter and backup quarterback (White was a quarterback and punter in college at Arizona State and was an All-American in 1973).

White was 28 years old at the time he took over and led the Cowboys to three straight appearances in the NFC title game in his first three seasons as the starting quarterback. All three games were on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and the Washington Redskins.

That was the peak of the Danny White years after which the Cowboys gradually declined until being rescued by Jerry Jones prior to the 1989 season.

Danny White was, not surprisingly, heavily criticized in Dallas as the Cowboys were favored in each of those NFC title games. And Cowboys fans had high expectations for a franchise that had played in the Super Bowl five times up until that point.

On the other hand, Romo is now 29 years old and has been the starting quarterback for almost three full seasons in Dallas.

He has yet to win a playoff game.

That includes the 2007 season when his team went 13-3 and had home field advantage. Nevertheless, they lost in the Divisional playoff game to the New York Giants.

Romo still has a few more years left to prove himself worthy of Cowboy stardom, but in the meantime he has helped shed some positive light on White’s career as the starting quarterback for America’s Team.

 

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What Should Oakland’s Nickname be? The Raiders, Faders, or Rai”duhs?”

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The Raiders, as many loyal “black holians” on B/R have told me, are the “team of the decades,” as argued by Autumn Wind. Apparently, many of them believe that the Raiders are one of, if not the greatest NFL team to ever grace the gridiron. Sure, Oakland has three Super Bowl victories, 12 division championships, and 19 hall of famers. The problem is, all of that is ancient history.

The Raiders last won the Super Bowl in 1983, that’s over a quarter of a century ago to you Oaklandaniacs. After their last Super Bowl victory and the “fat man” as Tom Jackson called him, John Madden’s retirement, Oakland officially became the Faders, as in they faded in the standings and out of the national eye. Sure, the Faders went to playoffs from 2000-02, and even went to the Super Bowl but they were dominated by Tampa Bay by 27 points.

Since then, they have returned to the spotlight, but only for all the bad reasons and have evolved into the Rai“duhs.”

What warrants such a nickname you may ask? Well, for starters, they have only won 25 games since 2002 including last week’s squeaker against the Chiefs. That’s an average of four a year, and during the span they haven’t won more than five in a year either.

What else does a Rai“duh” do you ask?

For starters, a Rai“duh” is the owner, as in a senile old man that has run his once proud franchise into a literal black hole, and hires Rai“dummies” for coaches. Art Shell was way past his time of the early 90s, Lane Kiffin proved he is better suited for college, and Tom Cable kicked the crap out of his assistant coach. (Norv Turner and Bill Callahan actually turned out to be decent coaches but the Rai“duhs” held them down)

Then there’s the players, as the Rai“duhs” almost always lead the league in penalties and only they could cheer their head coach on in practice after he broke their assistant coaches jaw.

But why write this article? I bleed orange and blue and have since Elway was beating the Browns, not that I am old enough to quite remember. One of the things I learned early on is that if you’re a Broncos fan, you’re also a Raider Hater, which I have been for years and years.

And now that I’ve got you, here’s my prediction for the Broncos game three against the “Rai“duhs” in Oakland this Sunday.

Denver has the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL and they are leading the AFC West at 2-0 as the division’s only undefeated team. Oakland has a problem scoring this season, averaging only 16.5 points per game, but their defense is somewhat solid, only giving up 17 points per so far.

 

When Denver passes the ball: Advantage Denver

Yes, I know, Jay Cutler is gone, but Kyle Orton is showing he is a decent, if not solid QB. So far he has averaged just over 200 yards and a touchdown a game. What he hasn’t done is turn the ball over in his 36 completions in 2009.

The thing is, even though Orton’s arm isn’t awesome, his receivers are. Between Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, and Jabbar Gaffney he has a solid corps, and if Brandon Marshall can learn some more plays he will be back as the No. 1 soon enough. Add in tight ends Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham, and Orton can pick and chose as he furthers his knowledge of the Broncos offense as well. Not to mention the “Rai“duhs” give up over 235 yards passing per game.

 

When Oakland passes the ball: Advantage Push

The Raiders passed decently against the Chargers, but could only muster 99 yards against the Chiefs last week. JaMarcus Russell though does look like he’s coming on, but he doesn’t have much in the form of receivers, of the five on the team, only Javon Walker has more than two years experience. Tight end Zach Miller is Russell’s favorite target with six catches for 96 yards so far.

The Broncos though, have given up a decent 186 yards per game, but have forced three interceptions in two games. In all, the Broncos turnover differential at plus-4 is second in the NFL. Champ Bailey has shown he is still one of the best CBs in the league, and Brian Dawkins can still hit very hard.

 

When the Broncos run the ball: Advantage Broncos

Denver averages 131 yards per game running, as Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno provide a nice one-two punch for the Broncos. Denver’s offensive line is solid, and they have been moving opponents with ease so far this year. The Raiders allow 125 yards per, so look for the Broncos to get anywhere from there to 150 and at least one touchdown on the ground.

 

When the Raiders run the ball: Advantage Broncos

Denver gives up a mere 70 yards per game, and has only given up one touchdown overall in the first two weeks. Oakland averages 103 yards and one touchdown per game on the ground. Like the Broncos, the Raiders have a two headed monster at running back in Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. If Denver can play well against the run once again, it might be time to start thinking of them as a legit defense.

 

Special Teams: Advantage Raiders

Sebastian Janikowski is a great kicker, and he always seems to hurt the Broncos. However, as I said in my preseason preview, he will blow a kick at the buzzer and the Broncos will win 21-20.

Also, Denver’s kick coverage is much improved, and so is field position over the past few years, so the advantage is minimal. 

 

So, in all, Denver will stay undefeated and continue leading the AFC West heading into the heart of their schedule and many tough 2008 playoff opponents.

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Steelers 2008 Draft Ending With a Whimper

“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.” So wrote T.S. Eliot in The Hollow Men.

The oft-quoted line in one of Eliot’s most famous poems could have easily been referring to the 2008 Steelers’ draft. It started with such high expectations, but is well on its way to ending in a whimper.

The Steelers entered that draft with its biggest need being the offensive line. But, after a depressing run on extremely talented offensive linemen preceded their pick, few blamed them for grabbing Rashard Mendenhall, thought by many to be the best player still on the board at the time.

But Mendenhall’s career is off to a terrible start. He was injured early in his rookie campaign, but even during that year, he showed little during the preseason and during his limited playing time.

He has been so unimpressive in 2009 that Steelers fans are all but begging the top brass to bring somebody, anybody, up from the practice squad to carry the football. He did have a great run against the Bears, causing me to practically bounce off the ceiling.

But blasting for a 40-yard run after a string of no gainers and negative yardage runs is not a key to success.

By comparison, the player who was chosen one after them, running back Chris Brown, has become the heart and soul of the Tennessee Titans’ offense. I bet the Steelers would like to have that pick back.

In defense of Mendenhall, it is tough to have success on the ground when you constantly have to avoid tackles in the backfield.

The Steelers rarely miss with their first pick. That, along with a propensity for finding gems in the later rounds, is what has largely set them apart from their rivals. Hopefully, Mendenhall will still prove to be one of those guys, but it is now something of a long shot and I wouldn’t bet the ranch on it.  

While I didn’t expect much out of Mendenhall this year, I had very high expectations for Limas Sweed. While he was plagued by drops in 2008, he showed plenty of athleticism and seemed like he might be ready to become an important component of the offense in 2009.

However, he has been all but invisible during the opening two games with the Steelers investing more playing time and looks into rookie Mike Wallace.

While it is great that they are showing such faith in Wallace, that bodes badly for Sweed.

The second year is an important one for receivers, when they frequently take a huge step forward after struggling to adjust to the pro game as rookies. If Sweed doesn’t make that a significant step forward this year, chances are that he won’t.

On to the third round. Third-round pick Bruce Davis has already been cut. He lasted one year. I found this to be staggering. Even if a player stinks and shows no upside, rarely will a team admit defeat so quickly.

I give them credit for biting the bullet instead of pretending they had something that they didn’t in Davis.

Projecting an undersized defensive end to play as a 3-4 outside linebacker is more an art than a science. Sometimes, you are going to miss badly.

The Steelers have hit spectacularly at times on these projections with players like Greg Lloyd, Jason Gilden, Lamarr Woodley, and James Harrison. But Davis falls into the same junkyard category as Alonzo Jackson. He just couldn’t make the switch.

In the fourth round, the Steelers selected tackle Tony Hills. Despite having major problems on their offensive line, particularly in the run blocking, Hills hasn’t gotten anywhere near the field.

The fact that the Steelers overpaid to keep Starks was certainly not a bid of confidence in Hills.

The Steelers’ offensive line is the Bad News Bears of run blocking, although it has shown improvement in its pass blocking. Even at that, Hills remains in obscurity, locked out of the discussion.

None of the late round picks has proven to be much of a gem, although Ryan Mundy will see some playing time due to the injuries to Troy Polamalu and Tyrone Carter.

I thought Dennis Dixon, that year’s fifth-round choice, had the potential to be a great change of pace quarterback who could be used as a wildcat style player. But the Steelers apparently gave a serious look at Michael Vick, making me question whether they think Dixon can ever be their quarterback, even as a backup situational player.

The bottom line: With each passing game, the 2008 draft is looking worse.

Drafting is hard business and every team has bad drafts. The key is to keep them to a minimum. A couple bad drafts strung together can put a team on a path to becoming the Detroit Lions or the Oakland Raiders; good drafting is one of the absolute cornerstones to a successful team.

The pain that comes hand in hand with galactically bad drafts does not become apparent immediately. But, the bill comes due at some point and it is paid in competitiveness.

A team that misses on an entire draft will end up with significant problem areas somewhere in the near future. Our expectations following that 2008 draft were high. But, unless something changes soon, they are ending with a whimper.

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Oakland Raiders’ Offense Is Suffering: Why Isn’t Javon Walker Playing?

It’s no secret the Raiders have a struggling quarterback.  More than anything, what is needed are guys who can make plays downfield to help ease the burden.  With Chaz Schilens injured, most of the playing time has been going to rookies Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy.

 

DHB is a ways away from being a consistent playmaker.  Louis Murphy has made the most of his opportunities or at least has been positioning himself as best as possible.

 

Zach Miller has been unable to spring free much of the time from the tight end position.

 

We only see brief glimpses of Todd Watkins.

 

Johnnie Lee Higgins is also used sparingly as a receiver.

 

There is, however, a guy on the roster who has the experience to make big plays happen and he is not being given any playing time.

 

Last year, Javon Walker was considered a joke after his Vegas mugging experience and then wanting to quit the team.  He did not produce on the field very much either.

 

Then he had leg surgery without informing the team this past offseason

 

Though Walker appears to be in playing shape right now, Head Coach Cable says Walker is still recovering from injury or sometimes he hints that Walker has not earned playing time.

 

For his part, Walker has looked sharp in workouts.  He may be a little rusty with his routes but a guy with his experience just needs the reps and he’ll get back into the routine.

 

So at this point, does it not make sense he is a solid option to be a reliable target for  JaMarcus Russell?  Is there a legitimate reason why Walker is not getting any time on the field?

 

Let’s be realistic, Walker is not playing because Al Davis insists on DHB and Murphy getting the majority of playing time.

 

This is not a Sanjay Lal call (WR coach) or a decision by Tom Cable.  This is direct influence by Al Davis to deny Javon Walker.

 

We have to ask why this is so since the evidence is staring us in the face.

 

Every season, Al selects his doghouse victims, while oblivious to how much he is paying those guys he just doesn’t want to see them play.  That is the sum total of Al’s reasoning.

 

One would think he would just waive the guy, despite a guaranteed contract.  Al does not seem to care he is paying them anyway to sit.  One would think the sight of his doghouse victims in a Raiders uniform would disturb Al but it does not.

 

Al just does not want some guys to play for whatever reason. 

 

I think Al just likes making guys bewildered and frustrated.  It’s a personal thing, not a football thing or a medical thing or business decision.

 

There is no reason Javon Walker is not playing other than he is being punished for (in all likelihood) getting surgery without team consent.

 

So Al continues to make bad decisions based on his own ego.  Rather than help the team when they desperately need a veteran receiver on the field, he chooses the egotistical way.

 

He will of course tell us that he expects DHB to become great.

 

The sad part is Javon is oblivious to Al’s vendetta.  Javon says he’s ready to play.  No one has communicated to him any explanation why he is not on the field even a little bit.  That would be par the course as a member of the Raiders.  The front office can’t be bothered with those types of details.

 

So, the offense suffers.  Who’s to blame?  Not the coaching staff.

 

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New York Jets Are Clearly Ready for Takeoff: When Will They Land?

Being a Jets fan is so similar to being a Knicks fan. At least the Knicks had a period of time where they were always in the mix. The Jets always seemed to be just an inch or two out of the circle. Just like the Mets with the Yankees, the Jets always have played second fiddle to the Giants.

After a few “almost there” years, they decided to take a gamble on the gunner Brett Favre, which wound up being a colossal disaster. After he retired for the 15th thousand time, the Jets were stuck with nothing.

So they drafted Mark Sanchez. To begin with, I’m not a fan of athletes being paid ridiculous amounts of money before they even play a game at the pro level. Just then, Sanchez got $50 million for five years, while Matt Stafford got $72 million for six years.

This was before either one of them took a snap in the NFL, whether in the game or at practice. Meanwhile there are players who have played for years who cant get that type of money. Outrageous.

With an unproven quarterback and a rookie head coach, expectations are low. I think that’s a good thing because that underdog status pushes mediocre players to greatness. Thus far things have gone pretty well.

Week one was a win in Houston, which I discredited for the simple fact it WAS the Texans. The Patriots were the true test, and the Jets passed with flying colors.

Here are a few factors that I think will contribute to the Jets success or demise this season:

• Rex Ryan’s coaching skills: In the first two game, the Jets played like a team whose head coach thought like a defensive coordinator. He virtually played “Marty-ball” with his run-run-pass-punt sequences. his offensive scheme was predictable, redundant, and uncreative. I knew when he was running a halfback dive. It didn’t take a genius. They need to mix it up to keep opponents on their toes.
• Defense: As I said before, Rex Ryan coaches like a defensive coordinator. I look at the players freelancing on defense. I see players not only play hard, but they seem to have a sense of enjoyment from it. In two games they haven’t allowed a single offensive touchdown. I know there is better to come. If we win, it’ll be like how they did it in Baltimore. By defense. I love it!
• Mark Sanchez’s development: Throughout the first two weeks, things are looking pretty bright for Mark Sanchez. The one weakness I see is that in the game is that his arm fluctuates depending on the pressure that is applied to him. When the offensive line gives him good protection, his throws are strong and accurate. He also doesn’t panic when some pressure is applied to him. Being that he is learning on the job, he gets a major pass. Thus far, he’s passing with flying colors. There is plenty of room for improvement. It is only week two.

The win over the Patriots puts the Jets in a position to cause problems in the AFC east, providing they stay in good health, and Sanchez makes progress, and doesn’t regress like so many others.

As long as the offensive line does an above average job, Sanchez could develop on the fly. Is he good enough to win a Super Bowl or to be a bona fide contender? That’s what we’re going to find out.

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Week 3 NFL Picks: Quitting Time

By this point in the NFL season, despite all evidence to the contrary, we don’t really know who is going to make the playoffs. Injuries and ill luck can still take down even the strongest team, and it’s rare that teams go wire to wire.

There are some 2-0 teams that aren’t going to the playoffs (I’m looking at you, Denver), and there very well may be an 0-2 team that qualifies (Tennessee might be the best of that lot).

But we are very, very aware of who the terrible teams are.

Kansas City, St. Louis, Cleveland and perhaps Jacksonville and Tampa Bay are a game away from all hope being extinguished, but realistically, there’s no odds that you could give me that would make me take the under bet of losses for that group at 50.

And when you look at the historic numbers, no team comes back from an 0-3 hole, let alone teams that have looked as bad as they have.

Finally, now that Detroit has shown us all what’s possible with last year’s imperfection, maybe we even have someone willing to mail it in for the entire year.

A man can dream. And Lions fans can feel marginalized even in their suffering, since they won’t even have The Time Without Any Wins At All to themselves.

Washington at DETROIT (+6)

I missed this on Sunday, but it should be noted that Washington coach and super-genius Jim Zorn chose to go for it on fourth down deep in Rams territory while holding a 9-7 lead last week, only to fail and have his team get a defensive stop to secure the win.

It was such a bad decision that even the paid mouth jobbers (in the guise of franchise legend and voice Sonny Jurgenson) threw the team under the bus, much in the same way that Tony Dorsett did to Tony Romo in Dallas.

You’ve got a special franchise when wins cause this much anguish.

The team is going to waste a good defense with the least explosive offense outside of Cleveland. And Skins Fan? That defense won’t be very good for very long, because Albert Haynesworth can’t stay healthy and will soon realize that he’s gonna get paid even if he doesn’t try super hard.

And the world will little note nor long remember who tried and who didn’t for a fourth-place team.

Maybe your next coach will be better, if only because your crazy shrunken Scientologist owner has to give up eventually and realize that someone else has to be better at this than he is.

Then again, maybe I’m just the Evil Lord Xenu. It’s amazing how often you run into me, when you are Daniel Snyder.

For the Lions, they spent another week being praised like Special Olympians for taking a lead and sacking His Favreness, but eventually the Vikings defense created turnovers and Adrian Peterson created touchdowns.

(I have one roto league in which I’m 2-0, mostly because I had the keen insight to take AP with the first pick. Auctions, people. Auctions.)

I think this is the week that Calvin Johnson’s growing rapport with Matthew Stafford brings multiple touchdowns, and that Jason Campbell really shows how much the Skins want a quarterback controversy to go with the rest of their circus.

Besides, at some point, Detroit’s got to win a game. Maybe not more than one, but it’s a start.

Lions 24, Redskins 16

GREEN BAY (+7) at St. Louis

If He Who Shall Not Be Ignored was still in Wisconsin and starting, do you think there would be a QB controversy by now?

The team would still have the promising Aaron Rodgers on the bench, would still have missed the playoffs last year due to a surprisingly pliant defense and subpar offensive line, and would still be dealing with too many turnovers to overcome.

The only difference now is that since Rodgers has had the good sense to provide fantasy football value and the world has slowly—very slowly—started to think about football beyond intelligent design deus ex machina moments of Grit, Heart, Determination, and Being A Winner.

So there’s no hue and cry to try someone else behind center (and, well, also they don’t really have a No. 2 that excites anyone).

Then again, it’d help if Rodgers himself would start doing more to win games late, especially against historically terrible teams like the Bengals. Last week’s loss really wasn’t the man’s fault, but it still sent millions of suicide pool pickers to the sidelines in hatred. And being quarterback means you get inordinate blame and credit.

Rodgers would probably be a better field general if he weren’t spry. Just as sports highlight shows have hurt basketball by making everyone disdain the mid-range game, quarterbacks are all now trying for their Big Ben/Eli Manning moment of prolonging the play and Being The Superhero.

For a guy like Rodgers, who combines some good athleticism with an injury history, this way lies madness—especially since the Packers wideouts get open more by route and size than speed and leaping ability.

All of that, by the way, won’t matter a fig in St. Louis, where the Rams are 0-2 after two DOA road “efforts,” and QB Marc Bulger has to look at increasingly dusty playing cards to find a year when he wasn’t utterly horrible.

I know his offensive linemen are turnstiles, his wideouts are the worst in the league, and his defense rarely gives him a short field, but the fish stinks from the head down. And Bulger’s interest in grabbing some ground against any kind of pass rush is unmatched in the NFL since Bobby Hoying. Plus he has zero athleticism to avoid the rush.

Stephen Jackson will have numbers against a Packers team that got exposed by the immortal Cedric Benson at home, but that will only matter for a little while.

Packers 31, Rams 20

SAN FRANCISCO at Minnesota (-7)

Can the Niners seize control of their division with an underdog win in Minnesota against the Love Boaters? I’m going to give them the full throated FTT Kiss Of Gambling Death by getting away from my losing disrespect.

They just might be the best team in the NFC West, and one more win this week will get them to Intriguing Cinderella status.

And if they ever manage to get Michael Crabtree signed, they’d be downright dangerous in attracting stupid money to their cause, not that I’m really expecting anything on that front. I suspect at this point that Coach Mike Singletary wants Crabtree around just to yell at him.

These are two surprisingly similar teams. Both have struggled to fill the QB position, and finally thrown up their hands and gone for a journeyman that needs to be reined into a short passing game to avoid crippling mistakes.

They both depend on their star running back in a non-committee situation for nearly all positive value over the mean.

They both have head coaches that, despite reasonable won-loss records, people feel unsure about, for fairly good reasons (Tarvaris Jackson, Casual Nudity, and Press Conference Buffoonery).

And they both have to feel good about their defenses after two weeks of effective play. Niners LB Patrick Willis is the best player at his position that not enough people know about, and the Williams Wall remains the source of good fun in the land of a thousand lakes and 45 billion mosquitoes.

In most weeks, the difference between Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore, along with the home dome advantage, would be enough. But not in September, and not in a game where the defense is going to make His Favreness throw the ball more than five yards at a time.

This week is when the Sage Rosenfels whispers start.

Niners 24, Vikings 17

Atlanta at NEW ENGLAND (-4)

Has the window closed on the Patriot Empire? Last week’s de-pantsing at the hands of the new bully Jets had all of the feel of An Ending, with Dreamboat Brady reduced to back foot hot read desperation to spent fourth receivers. (Seriously, Patriot Fan is pining for the cut Greg Lewis, rather than the fossilized Joey Galloway, which is just a Sammich of Sadness on every level.)

And the ineffective committee running attack is cutting no ice. Remember that if not for a gift collapse from the Bills, the Patriots could be a first class fire drill right now, with massive What’s Wrong media jobs and the collective Woe Is Us whine job that only Massholes can really express. (That’s because they are so, so literate.)

Dreamboat has been mostly tentative and terrorized, and the defense contains much more than they crush. It is, right now, a finesse team that’s just a hair off, a fine sports car with a nasty engine clank.

They’ll be fine in time, assuming health and Belichick’s continued pact with Satan, but right now, things aren’t right.

This week, they get the homecoming Matt Ryan, the rampaging Tony Gonzalez, a physical Michael Turner and the rest of the 2-0 Falcons that bear a reasonable resemblance to those mean green people that made last week so unpleasant.

The difference, of course, is that the game is at home, and the Falcons aren’t bringing anywhere near the kind of defensive wood that New York does.

This would point us in the direction of Shootout, but I’m not seeing the teams’ offensive lines being able to keep their QB clean long enough for that to happen.

If Patriots coach Bill Belichick wants to start seeming like a genius again, he’d start building an identity around his running game, but this week, he won’t need it.

I’m going with the home team Patriots, but I’d really like to be wrong. The idea of a sub .500 year for Belichick and a massive crisis of faith in Masshole Nation is just fantastic, but I just don’t think the Falcons have it in them to win a nice game against a near desperate home club with pedigree.

Plus, well, God just doesn’t love us that much.

Prove me wrong, Lord and Dirty Birds…

Patriots 26, Falcons 20

TENNESSEE at New York Jets (-3)

Last call time for last year’s top seed in the AFC, and they get a road game against the new squash artists.

Are the Jets ready for front-runner status and full-throated media attention? No, and here’s why.

In the first two weeks, the team has gone against teams with clear No. 1 receivers, and Darrelle Revis (note previous picks columns for my manlove for the man; he’s the new Nnamdi Asomugha, only better, because I don’t have to spell-check his name) has made Andre Johnson and Randy Moss completely invisible, and Matt Schaub and Tom Brady completely irrelevant.

This week, who does Revis shadow? Justin Gage or Kenny Britt, with Kerry Collins under center facing a blitz-happy defense. It’s like having a pair of aces against low hole cards, and it’s not as if Collins has never faced a blitz before.

The Jets are going to get cracked here.

The Titans will run the ball even when it doesn’t work, because this game for them will be all about avoiding the Collins TAInt.

Eventually, even against a defense with Kris Jenkins, that will work, because Chris Johnson might be the best home run hitter in the business right now. And even LenDale White is right when you give it to him 15 to 20 times a game.

Teams don’t go to the penthouse this quickly, and 13 win teams don’t fall apart this fast. And finally, there’s that whole Need vs. Want thing going on here, with the road team heavily on the side of Need.

Bet the under on points, and the over on punts.

Titans 16, Jets 13

 

Kansas City at PHILADELPHIA (NL)

Successful head coaches in the NFL are, on the whole, productively stubborn managers. They push their men to play in a certain way, to make certain sacrifices, and to maintain a certain standard.

The downside of this is that they can lack a certain flexibility. When Andy Reid is missing QB Donovan McNabb, very little is scaled back or not tried; there is a system, dammit, and the quarterback will conform to it.

It doesn’t matter that the system takes years of in-game action to master, or that very few people on the planet have McNabb’s talent. Andy will simply coach harder, and the quarterback will do the job.

In the long run, this is a good thing. It means that the Eagles remain dangerous to opponents even with replacement-level talent, and that they won’t hold on to McNabb for a return of the glory years when he’s in his late 30s.

They’ve also won more than you’d expect them to when Number Five is unavailable, and they’ve been able to move backup quarterbacks for value.

But in the short run, it is maddening, especially if you have an interest in keeping a speed defense off the freaking field. (It’s also the same reason why the man refuses to call running plays as something more than an amusing side project.)

This week against Kansas City, Kevin Kolb will chuck it 40-plus times despite rampant Wildcattery from Michael Vick and others. The Eagles will fail to exercise proper ball security, keeping the road team in the game well into the second half.

And then the defense will make a play or two, a quick strike will put the game into the comfortable zone, and the stadium will exhale, and try to forget that the whole scary drama could have been avoided with a simpler game plan, and a more physical defense.

(Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the Chiefs are one of the six worst teams in football, and liable to lose this game on their own turnovers.)

Eagles 34, Chiefs 17

 

NY GIANTS (-7) at Tampa Bay

Eli Manning’s breakout month continues, as the quietly terrible Bucs pass defense (when Trent Edwards and the Bills rack up yards, you are officially terrible) play host to the emerging Mario Manningham/Steve Smith combo that are making Giants Fan forget that Tumor guy and the idiot jailbird that shot himself.

If you drafted Brandon Jacobs in your roto league, you can feel good about your dreams of a 20-TD year, because the man’s going to have opportunities, at least until the weather turns windy and Eli’s noodle arm fails to get it done.

You’d think that for the money they are paying him, the man could actually throw the ball with velocity.

Tampa’s setting up to have one of those terrible teams that fantasy players love, since the defense gives up pinball numbers and the offense will play against prevent defenses for two quarters a game on the average.

Get your Aaron Brooks-esque juice from Byron Leftwich while you can, people, because once it becomes obvious to the management that 10-plus losses are coming their way, there’s going to be a rush to judgment on rookie first-round QB Josh Freeman, who will be worse than Leftwich in the short run, and maybe even the long.

Good thing the team is going retro with their jerseys this year, just to make sure the carpet matches the drapes.

Giants 34, Bucs 23

Cleveland at BALTIMORE (-13.5)

I keep forgetting to play “Eliminator” or “Suicide” pools, so I’ll make the retroactive picks of Week One, New England (phew!) and Week Two, Washington (I’m so daring!). Which means that you should totally trust me and the Ravens in this matchup, which actually has elements of worry about it.

After all, Cleveland is trying to avoid the 0-3 death sentence, Baltimore is coming off a tight West Coast win, and the team’s parentage and ancestry means that there’s enough hate in the stands to spill over onto the field.

But all of that is overthinking the following, incontrovertible point: Brady Quinn is going to play quarterback for a road team that’s facing the Baltimore defense, and second year QB Joe Flacco is showing signs of breakout.

Sometimes, it’s just that easy, and if there were good odds on the Raven defense outscoring the Cleveland offense this week, I’d think about that bet. Hard.

Ravens 27, Browns 6

 

Jacksonville at HOUSTON (-4)

The yo-yo Texans get the big home number and love against the reeling Jaguars, who are one more loss away from making all of the Maurice Jones-Drew owners tear something out of their scalp.

The Jaguars have been dumb all over and a little ugly on the side, and looking very similar to their cross-state Buccaneer brethren as the source of cheap QB numbers from a chuck and duck guy who will play from behind from now until January.

That’s hard to do, considering that the Jag WR corps is the very late model Torry Holt, a hyphenated injury-prone wonder in Mike Sims-Walker, a TE who was a drop machine last year (Marcedes Lewis) and backup WRs who are so meh that they actually mourned the loss of Troy Williamson last week. Yes, that Troy Williamson.

The Texans are starting to get antsy about their own feature back, last year’s rookie flash Steve Slaton. Double S put on some pounds in the offseason to be better in the red zone, and as a result, he’s been worse in every other zone this year.

Moronic fantasy honks are wondering if now is the time to roster vulture/goal line/made of balsa wood back up Chris Brown. It’s not and he ain’t, Slaton rewards your patience this week. Assuming, of course, that the Texans don’t just want to pad Matt Schaub, Owen Daniels, and Andrew Johnson’s numbers instead.

Texans 38, Jaguars 17

CHICAGO (-3) at Seattle

One of those lines that I hate to make a pick on, because the spread should change all the way up to game time depending on the status of Seattle starting QB Matt Hasselbeck.

With the Hass, the home team has the ability to stretch the field (especially to TE John Carlson), Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmanzadeh have an extra incentive to run, and the Bears can’t stack the box against the meager offering that is the ‘Hawk ground game.

With Seneca Wallace in there, all of the receivers take a hit, the box will be jammed like the front row of a Killers concert (this is why I listen to new music, really; to be able to pass with the kids on left field allusions), and the home team will try to win via the practical magic known as Game Management.

Not exactly a riveting strategy, especially for a team with a very good base defense and an emerging QB in Jay Cutler.

If the Hass is able to shrug off the rib pain and go, expect a quarter or two of inspired home team play. The Hawks’ home bully/road speedbump tendency is well pronounced.

But I think this is the week that Matt Forte reminds the world that he’s actually really good, and the Bears’ defense shows they can put a QB—even a mobile one like Seneca Wallace—on the ground without Brian Urlacher on the field.

There’s also some chance for Gregg Olsen to do some damage here, as the Seabags can forget about the TE, and Bears rookie WR Johnny Knox has been doing enough to make teams adjust their top level coverage.

Bears 27, Seahawks 20

NEW ORLEANS (-6.5) at Buffalo

The league’s premier pinball machine comes to western New York, where the no-huddle Bills promise to make this a game where you can not stop thinking about betting the over.

But the hidden thing about this Saints team, and the reason why I think they are more than a September fad, is that they have a handful of defensive veterans (Darren Sharper chief among them) who are prone to taking advantage of the opponent’s mistakes.

And when you play from ahead as much as the Saints will this year, mistakes will be made. This isn’t to say that that the Saint defense is actually very good; it’s not and won’t be, seemingly, in my lifetime, especially since the offense isn’t exactly dominating time of possession. But it will be good enough.

As for the Bills, I suppose you can say that they are just a collapse away from being a 2-0 team and leading their division. But they are a mediocre mix of talent at best, Terrible Owens really isn’t all that special any more, and the Saints are just way too damned good for Trent Edwards to keep up with.

Saints 31, Bills 20

PITTSBURGH (+4) at Cincinnati

Another bad team with a story as to why they aren’t undefeated, the Bengals rode huge days from Cedric Benson and Antwan Odom to a shocking win last week in Green Bay, while the Steelers were blowing a highly winnable road game in Chicago with faulty field-goal kicking.

The Bengals defense could be better than usual, the McBeams do miss safety Troy Polamalu, and Willie Parker might remain the most overrated player in the NFL.

But, um, these are the Bengals going against the defending Super Bowl champions, in a game that they want. I’m looking for a big effort from the defense, Big Ben to make some plays while evading the rush, and Carson Palmer to continue to be the least-known liability in the league.

Steelers 24, Bengals 17

 

Denver at OAKLAND (-2)

Will Kyle Orton ever know defeat as the starting quarterback for the Broncos?

After two games, his winning percentage puts people like Jay Cutler and John Elway to shame. That the man is getting this little respect from the fans and gambling public makes this line a national outrage.

Come out, come out, everyone who wanted to tell me how he’d be better than Cutler for fantasy purposes! Your man needs your support!

As for the home team, they won last week on penalties and punts in Kansas City, with the offense finally punching it through on a Darren McFadden run late.

The effort led Chief Fan to want to run their new coach out on a rail, and have him take the shiny new QB—you know, the one that caused all of the trouble in Denver in the first place—with him. Such a fantastic division, this.

I hate to put anything at risk with Special Olympian JaMarcus Russell at the helm, and the Broncos have spent most of the last decade killing the Raiders, especially on the road.

Well, things have changed without Mike Shanahan at the helm, and J-Russ is going to have big home/road splits. At home, he’s just bad, and just bad is going to be enough here.

Raiders 17, Broncos 14

Miami at SAN DIEGO (-6)

Two teams coming off heartbreaking losses. The Chargers got stuffed on a Special Norv Moment, with Darren Sproles getting the rock in a power dive formation while Ray Lewis screamed like a man getting away with murder. (I kill me!)

The home team has serious issues with the health of the offensive line and LaDainian Tomlinson making the team one dimensional on offense, and a defense that hasn’t been dynamic at all yet.

The Dolphins are in an 0-2 hole with an offense that seems incapable of making a big play, with top WR Ted Ginn Jr. in particular looking helpless.

The number is too large for comfort for a Turner coached team, since they can crap the bed at any time. But I like the home team to have a breakout day against a club with a short week and no playmakers.

I also like Tomlinson’s chances of giving a raised middle finger to his haters, even if it’s only in the short run, because that loss against the Colts is one of those games that cause a team to doubt their coach. With good reason.

(And if the Fish can’t stop Peyton Manning at home with a ridiculously rested defense, why should they do any better against the rested Charger weapons on the road?)

Chargers 34, Dolphins 13

Indianapolis at ARIZONA (-2.5)

The second straight trip under the lights for the Houdini Colts, who get the similarly QB dependent Cards in a game where the announcers will heap enough praise on the signal callers to keep them buffed and polished until November.

Arizona rode pinpoint passing from Kurt Warner and an Antrel Rolle field kick block and touchdown to a win in Jacksonville, while the Colts escaped Miami with their time of no possession win on MNF.

This game lines up perfectly for the Warners; it’s at home, against a defense that isn’t very good, with the benefit of the road team getting the short week. Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston looked much healthier, and even the running game doesn’t look terrible.

I like the team from Tempe here.

Cardinals 26, Colts 21

 

Carolina at DALLAS (-9)

Now, here’s the home opening opponent the Cowboys really wanted; a team with a much more suspect quarterback, an offensive line that doesn’t stand out, and a fresh new broadcasting crew to fellate Jerruh for his Jerruhsoleum.

The Panthers can win this game. They will be desperate to save their season from an 0-3 hole, and Steve Smith by his own damn self is a great deal of trouble.

Marion Barber is likely to stay out, leading to overpassing and the return of Evil Tony Romo. We could see a first-class turnover fest.

But I think Romo Ono will shake off last week’s nightmare, and that the Carolina catastrophe won’t end until someone puts a stake into Jake Delhomme’s chest. Paging A.J. van Helsing…

Cowboys 27, Panthers 16

Last week: 8-7-1
Year to date: 13-18-1

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

The 10 Most Memorable Moments in the Raiders-Broncos Rivalry

The Oakland Raiders host the Denver Broncos in a Week 3 matchup that will not be without a good amount of contempt (to say the least).

By many fans’ standards, the rivalry between these two longtime AFC West foes is the greatest the league has to offer. More so than the Cowboys-Redskins, Packers-Vikings, or the Steelers-Browns, the hate between the Raiders and Broncos might only be matched by the Raiders’ rivalry with, well, everyone else.

The Broncos come in at a surprising 2-0. Surprising because of all the turmoil the franchise went through in the offseason: Mike Shanahan’s firing, Jay Cutler’s forced departure, and the Brandon Marshall saga.

The Raiders are coming in at 1-1 and are fresh off an ugly 13-10 win in Kansas City that was highlighted by JaMarcus Russell’s game-winning drive in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

While both teams have been written off as bottom dwellers by the mainstream football pundits, the gravity of this weekend’s rivalry game is not long among its players.

In the past, regardless of how well either team was doing, the Raiders and Broncos have always provided memorable moments and hard fought games.

Currently, the Raiders hold the all-time series lead at 54-40-2, but the Broncos have dominated of late, winning 21 of the last 27 matchups.

Come Sunday, neither the Raiders nor the Broncos will be short on motivation as both organizations view this season as potential turning points in their fortunes. However, if the past is any indication of how these teams project, Sunday’s matchup will be the first of yet another series of highly contested games between these two bitter rivals.

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