Here we are in Week 3 of the NFL season and already there are a handful of teams in precarious situations. Some of them were expected to be where they are while others are not at all where they wanted to be.
And while the tired cliche "Every game is a must-win," has been repeated around the league, it actually holds true in more than one case -- including the game I will be at tomorrow out here in beautiful San Diego between the Chargers and the Miami Dolphins.
So let's go down the list, shall we? Last week was the first time I have tried my hand at picking games and I have to say going 8-7 was a pleasant surprise. Remember, because of my affiliation with the Dolphins I cannot weigh in with a prediction on their game.
Tennessee at New York Jets -- The Titans most certainly did not expect to find themselves at 0-2 heading into the Meadowlands, even though they opened with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. With the Colts at 2-0 and their disappointing loss to the Houston Texans last week, a division loss at that, puts the Titans in a must-win situation today. If Chris Johnson can continue run with authority and Tennessee's defense can get to Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez more than New England did last week, Jeff Fisher will avoid dropping to 0-3. New York's defense is the real deal and Sanchez is getting that Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco swagger going, but here's where all those years of head coaching experience for Fisher will pay off against a rookie head coach in Rex Ryan.
Titans 20, Jets 14
Carolina at Dallas -- It could be argued that this is a must-win for both teams as the Cowboys can't afford to lose their perceived home field advantage at the mammoth new $1.1 billion Cowboys Stadium and deal with the wrath of owner Jerry Jones. They also can't afford to fall further behind the NFC East-leading New York Giants. Meanwhile, if Carolina wants to challenge the Atlanta Falcons and defend its NFC South crown, quarterback Jake Delhomme has to get over the yips and climb out of this turnover funk he's in. The running back tandem of Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart has yet to really get untracked and Dallas did a decent job against the Giants' two big backs last Sunday. Marion Barber;s health and availability will be a key to how effective Tony Romo can be, but I just don't see Dallas dropping another one at home.
Cowboys 28, Panthers 17
Atlanta at New England -- Tom Brady and company know they could easily be 0-2 right now and way behind the 8-ball in the AFC East, and after getting victimized by a confident rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez last week things only get tougher this week against the Falcons. Matt Ryan looks even more comfortable than he did last year while winning NFL offensive Rookie of the Year honors and running back Michael Turner is just warming up. The addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez has opened up all sorts of possibilities for that Atlanta offense and the defense is playing at a high level. It used to be tough to win at Gillette Stadium, but New England's defense looks very suspect and the Falcons are definitely for real, so I see them taking a stranglehold on the NFC South by improving to 3-0 with this win.
Falcons 31, Patriots 27
New York Giants at Tampa Bay -- Last Sunday night the entire nation saw the Eli Manning of two years ago who confidently led his Giants offense on a game-clinching drive in the closing minutes to win the Super Bowl and end New England's bid for a perfect season. The Bucs' defense is struggling to find an identity and with Cadillac Williams banged up again they don't have many options on offense. New York will stay unbeaten while the Bucs will remain winless and start looking ahead to 2010.
Giants 27, Bucs 10
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati -- The Steelers have not looked good in either of their first two games, despite Ben Roethlisberger's big passing performance in an overtime win over Tennessee in the opener and clearly miss safety Troy Polamalu on defense. The Bengals sense a chance to shake things up in the AFC North at home and have always played Pittsburgh tough, but knowing how important it is not to fall too far behind division-leading Baltimore, especially within the division, the defending champs will get things fixed today and avoid falling below .500.
Steelers 23, Bengals 14
Chicago at Seattle -- Last week's upset of Pittsburgh was just the confidence boost the Bears and new quarterback Jay Cutler needed, especially after dealing with the loss of linebacker Brian Urlacher for the season to a wrist injury. It is a long trip to the Pacific Northwest, but the Seahawks are a team without direction right now as Matt Hasselback is injured, and if Chicago can take the loud Qwest Field crowd out of the game early a win is in the cards.
Bears 21, Seahawks 6
Kansas City at Philadelphia -- All eyes will be on Lincoln Financial Field to see if Michael Vick will make an impact in the first game he is eligible to play in since being reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The Eagles imploded last week at home against the New Orleans Saints after stifling Drew Brees in the first half, turnovers and blown coverages hurt them in the end and head coach Andy Reid will have then fired up and ready today against a not-so-good Chiefs squad.
Eagles 34, Chiefs 13
New Orleans at Buffalo -- The Saints offense is challenging the high-scoring records of the 2007 New England Patriots and Drew Brees, one year removed from becoming just the second quarterback to pass for more than 5,000 yards, is on pace to shatter Tom Brady's single-season record of 50 touchdown passes. But the Bills have a potent offense of their own behind Trent Edwards at quarterback and Terrell Owens, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish at wide receiver. I see this as the upset special of the weeks at Buffalo keeps pace with the Jets in the AFC East.
Bills 30, Saints 28
Jacksonville at Houston -- Not too much to say about this one. The Jaguars are struggling and the Texans looked like solid playoff contender last week behind Matt Schaub's four touchdown passes in a win over Tennessee. Add in the fact the game is being played at Reliant Stadium and Houston will be 2-1 after this game.
Texans 31, Jaguars 17
Cleveland at Baltimore -- The Ravens can create some space between themselves and the rest of the AFC North with a victory over the Browns in this heated rivalry between the team that moved away from Cleveland and its successors. Ray Lewis and the rest of Baltimore's defense will be a nightmare for Brady Quinn on the road and Joe Flacco will continue to air it out as head coach and John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron grow increasingly more confident their young quarterback.
Ravens 24, Browns 7
San Francisco at Minnesota -- In a battle of unbeatens, the Vikings look to bounce back from a shaky performance against Detroit last week and improve to 3-0, while the Niners hope to move a step closer to grabbing control of the NFC West. Adrian Peterson is simply in that same zone other great running backs in the past have been in like LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders and I don't see him slowing down today. With Frank Gore on the other side coming off of a 200-yard rushing effort last week, Peterson will want to one up him, and No. 4 will do enough again to compliment his great back, while the Viking top-ranked run defense will try to slow down Gore.
Vikings 28, 49ers 21
Denver at Oakland -- Another classic AFC West rivalry that his lost its luster in recent years. The Raiders are 1-1 and could easily be 2-0 but JaMarcus Russell did not have a great statistical day last week against Kansas City. Denver will move to 3-0 behind a productive day from quarterback Kyle Orton and company.
Broncos 17, Raiders 6
Washington at Detroit -- Maybe the Redskins can do better away from FedEx Field and the boos they heard from their home fans against an up-and-coming Lions team -- 0r maybe they are ripe for an upset. Detroit's rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford has taken a backseat to Mark Sanchez so far this season but I see this as his breakout game as the Lions end their 19-game losing streak and avoid staying alive in its unenviable quest to match Tampa Bay's record 26-game losing streak.
Lions 21, Redskins 20
Green Bay at St. Louis -- The Packers lost a tough one to Cincinnati last week and Aaron Rogers would like nothing better than to feast on a very suspect Rams secondary. Looking to keep pace with Minnesota and Chicago in the NFC North, Green Bay will improve to 2-1 with ease.
Packers 35, Rams 10
Indianapolis at Arizona -- Two of the most accurate quarterbacks in the history of the NFL will got toe-to-toe in the desert, and on paper Arizona's Kurt Warner has the slight edge with all three of his primary receivers -- Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston -- healthy. But Peyton Manning proved last Monday night in Miami that it doesn't matter who his receivers are, he is just as deadly from anywhere on the field and at any time. The odds of the Colts only holding the ball for less than 15 minutes again the entire game are slim to none, and if Manning and company could put up 27 points in that short amount of time, imagine what they can do with a normal time of possession. Look for the Colts to stay undefeated with a close victory.
Colts 31, Cardinals 28
Miami at San Diego -- The Dolphins have been in this same predicament each of the last four years after the first two weeks of the season, and they can look back at how they responded last year as evidence that there is no need to panic. San Diego is more banged up than just about any team in the league, with its starting center, nose tackle and running back all out for this game. Look for a lots of "Wildcat," maybe even some from San Diego, by the bay.
Dolphins vs. Chargers (No prediction. Explanation above)
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Early Separation Evident In Some Divisions
Two weeks into the 2009 NFL season there already are a handful of teams beginning to separate from the pack inside their division and conference -- and it's not the usual suspects in every case. I'll break down both conferences over the next two days, beginning with the AFC.
Let's start in the AFC East, where everybody's preseason favorites to represent the conference in Super Bowl XLIV, the New England Patriots, are one poor Leodis McKelvin decision away from joining the Miami Dolphins in the basement at 0-2. The New York Jets are the ones in control at the top after back-to-back gutsy performances by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Their impressive upset of the Pats at the Meadowlands was reminiscent of what Miami did a year ago up in New England en route to dethroning New England as AFC East champs. This week's home game against a very good Tennessee Titans team will go a long way in determining whether or not these Jets are true contenders or pretenders.
Over in the AFC North, the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, like New England, are very close to being 0-2 as they pulled out an overtime win over the Titans on the leg of kicker Jeff Reed and then lost a tough one at Soldier Field to the Chicago Bears because of two missed field goals by Reed. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens have shown that they have a dangerous offense to go along with their legendary defense as second-year QB Joe Flacco is a lot more comfortable out there. They have a one-game lead over Pittsburgh and saw 14-year veteran middle linebacker Ray Lewis seal the win over San Diego with the type of stop he made look routine in his younger days. With Cleveland coming to town Sunday, they could very well be 3-0 after three games.
Even though the Indianapolis Colts are in their familiar spot on top of the AFC East at 2-0, they could just as easily be 0-2 and at the bottom, having narrowly escaped in Week 1 with a 14-12 win over Jacksonville and then getting lots of help from the Dolphins on Monday night in a 27-23 win in which they held the ball for just 14:53. Of course they do have the reigning NFL MVP under center in Peyton Manning and he is trusting his young wideouts like Pierre Garcon to deliver so that he doesn't have to lock onto Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark every play. But the Titans will push hard to defend their division title and look more balanced, while the Houston Texans pulled out a big win last Sunday, so this division could come down to the wire.
And in the AFC West, it appears to be a two-team race yet again between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers is willing and ready to put the Chargers on his back with LaDainian Tomlinson's health breaking down, but San Diego struggled to beat the Oakland Raiders in Week 1 and fell short at home against Baltimore, while the Broncos are excelling under first-year head coach Josh McDaniels. Another shaky outing or two by the Chargers and the Broncos could run away with this division.
Tomorrow we will look at the four divisions in the NFC and see who's hot and who's not.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
Let's start in the AFC East, where everybody's preseason favorites to represent the conference in Super Bowl XLIV, the New England Patriots, are one poor Leodis McKelvin decision away from joining the Miami Dolphins in the basement at 0-2. The New York Jets are the ones in control at the top after back-to-back gutsy performances by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Their impressive upset of the Pats at the Meadowlands was reminiscent of what Miami did a year ago up in New England en route to dethroning New England as AFC East champs. This week's home game against a very good Tennessee Titans team will go a long way in determining whether or not these Jets are true contenders or pretenders.
Over in the AFC North, the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, like New England, are very close to being 0-2 as they pulled out an overtime win over the Titans on the leg of kicker Jeff Reed and then lost a tough one at Soldier Field to the Chicago Bears because of two missed field goals by Reed. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens have shown that they have a dangerous offense to go along with their legendary defense as second-year QB Joe Flacco is a lot more comfortable out there. They have a one-game lead over Pittsburgh and saw 14-year veteran middle linebacker Ray Lewis seal the win over San Diego with the type of stop he made look routine in his younger days. With Cleveland coming to town Sunday, they could very well be 3-0 after three games.
Even though the Indianapolis Colts are in their familiar spot on top of the AFC East at 2-0, they could just as easily be 0-2 and at the bottom, having narrowly escaped in Week 1 with a 14-12 win over Jacksonville and then getting lots of help from the Dolphins on Monday night in a 27-23 win in which they held the ball for just 14:53. Of course they do have the reigning NFL MVP under center in Peyton Manning and he is trusting his young wideouts like Pierre Garcon to deliver so that he doesn't have to lock onto Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark every play. But the Titans will push hard to defend their division title and look more balanced, while the Houston Texans pulled out a big win last Sunday, so this division could come down to the wire.
And in the AFC West, it appears to be a two-team race yet again between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers is willing and ready to put the Chargers on his back with LaDainian Tomlinson's health breaking down, but San Diego struggled to beat the Oakland Raiders in Week 1 and fell short at home against Baltimore, while the Broncos are excelling under first-year head coach Josh McDaniels. Another shaky outing or two by the Chargers and the Broncos could run away with this division.
Tomorrow we will look at the four divisions in the NFC and see who's hot and who's not.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Week 2 Could Be a Snoozer
With less than two hours to go before kickoff of the 1 p.m. games and this being a rare Sunday when the NFL Guru actually can kick back and watch all of the games since the Dolphins play tomorrow night, let's dive right into some bonus analysis.
One quick glance at the schedule reveals six potential blowouts, four nondescript games and five games that on paper should be compelling. That is definitely not music to the ears of television networks, although ESPN and NBC have two of the games I believe will be entertaining.
Unfortunately, for those of us who enjoy a full day of football that keeps our eyes glued to the television if we're not actually at the stadium, seven of the nine games kicking off at 1 are likely to be snoozers. So if you haven't played golf in a while or gotten to the beach on a Sunday, this might be the day to do it, and then make sure you are back for the 4 p.m. games and the Sunday night showdown in Dallas between the Cowboys and the Giants.
Carolina at Atlanta: The Falcons' defense quieted all the critics last week in their opening day win over the Miami Dolphins by sacking Chad Pennington four times and forcing four turnovers. Linebacker Mike Peterson played like a 23-year-old energizer bunny at the age of 33, crunching Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano to jar the ball loose and making a nifty interception and 39-yard return to set up a TD. That confident defense inside a loud Georgia Dome going against a shaky Jake Delhomme (9 INTs in his last two games), combined with a volatile Atlanta offense that was bottled up last week but is eager to break out, spells rout on the Guru's score sheet.
Falcons 35, Panthers 7
Minnesota at Detroit: Do I really need to spend a lot of time on this one? No, the Lions are not the worst team in the NFL (I'm giving that honor to the Kansas City Chiefs right now) as I do believe Matthew Stafford will help speed up the rebuilding process. But Adrian Peterson is other worldly right now, which means No. 4 doesn't have to try to force the issue and feel like he has to win games by himself, and the Vikings don't just want to reach the playoffs this year, they want to make it all the way to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV.
Vikings 41, Lions 14
Cincinnati at Green Bay: The Bungles were supposed to be a lot better this year with Chad Ochocinco no longer a distraction and being a model teammate and Carson Palmer completely healthy, but they still found a way to be inept in a loss to Denver last week in the closing seconds. Meanwhile, Aaron Rogers is the unquestioned leader of that Packers offense and is focused on having his team playing at a high level before the first meeting with Minnesota.
Packers 28, Bengals 13
Arizona at Jacksonville: This game rates low on the thriller scale, even though the Jaguars came within two points of beating the Colts last week because they always play close games with Indy. The Cardinals are still hurting from their opening day loss to San Francisco but they still have Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and are eager to show that they can win on the East Coast and are the team to beat in the NFC West.
Cardinals 24, Jaguars 17
Oakland at Kansas City: Hard to believe this used to be the marquee match up every year and produced some of the most memorable games in NFL history. Raiders-Chiefs still is an intense rivalry, but now they are fighting each other to avoid being the doormat of the AFC West and the Raiders look a lot closer to reaching respectability than the Chiefs, especially after last Monday's performance against a very good San Diego Chargers team.
Raiders 17, Chiefs 14
New England at New York Jets: Finally, we have a game that should keep fans riveted to their television sets, and the trash talk all week certainly didn't hurt. Kerry Rhodes should know better than to anger a sleeping bear like the Patriots, especially since he has to face Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Tom Brady. Sure, the Pats should be 0-1, and Leodis McKelvin's front lawn will attest to that. And sure, Mark Sanchez looked poised in his NFL debut while the Rex Ryan-coached defense is as good as advertised, which would have led me to pick the Jets in this one had it not been for Rhodes' comments. New England always responds to slights like that and will bring the Jets fans back down to earth in another last-second thriller.
[UPDATE]: The Guru was not aware that Welker is inactive for this game, putting more pressure on Joey Galloway to deliver, but I am sticking with my prediction.
Patriots 28, Jets 27
New Orleans at Philadelphia: Drew Brees picked up right where he left off with six touchdown passes last week against the hapless Detroit Lions, but a little research courtesy of ESPN's Hank Goldberg reveals that Brees fattened up on lowly competition last year en route to a 5,000-yard season through the air. He is not nearly so superhuman on the road or against playoff-caliber teams and the Eagles right now look to be the team to beat in the NFC East, even with a banged up Donovan McNabb.
Eagles 24, Saints 20
Houston at Tennessee: The Texans have been flirting with the playoffs each of the last two seasons, only to fall short in the end, while the Titans ruled the NFC South last year and looked very solid against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the opener. Jeff Fisher and Kerry Collins know they let one slip away at Heinz Field and after the way Jevon Kearse and the Titans' defense harassed Ben Roethlisberger, it's safe to say Matt Schaub is in for a long afternoon in Nashville.
Titans 31, Texans 10
St. Louis at Washingon: Okay, maybe the Rams can give the Chiefs a run for their money as the worst team in the NFL, and playing at loud FedEx Field makes for an even more daunting task. The Redskins are struggling to avoid another last-place finish in the NFC East and should be able to use this game as a starting point to achieve that goal behind running back Clinton Portis.
Redskins 20, Rams 7
The five 4 o'clock games aren't much better, although there are a couple of intriguing match ups.
Tampa Bay at Buffalo: Unfortunately for the Bucs, they have to travel up north to face a very angry Bills team primed to make amends for last week's collapse in New England. Trent Edwards no doubt watched plenty of film of Tony Romo carving up the once vaunted Tampa Bay defense in Tampa last week, and Terrell Owens wants nothing more than to show Bills fans the investment in him was worth it, which he will do today.
Bills 31, Bucs 14
Seattle at San Francisco: The Seahawks once ruled the NFC West not long ago and new head coach Jim Mora wants to return his team to the top of the division. But Mike Singletary has let it be known that these aren't the same 49ers that have rolled over in previous years as they are truly taking on his fiery personality. Frank Gore will have a big day on the ground and allow San Francisco to improve to 2-0 and hold onto first place in the division.
49ers 21, Seahawks 13
Pittsburgh at Chicago: Hmmm. Let's see. Jay Cutler was picked off four times last week by the Packers and then pouted like a spoiled 16-year-old after the game -- and that was after learning that his best defensive player, Brian Urlacher, was lost for the season. Meanwhile, the Steelers narrowly escaped Heinz Field with a win last week over Tennessee and Big Ben is champing at the bit to victimize the Bears' secondary with passes to Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. The loss of Troy Polamalu would be more disconcerting if it wasn't a rattled Cutler on the other side of the ball, Soldier Field or no Soldier Field.
Steelers 27, Bears 6
Cleveland at Denver: The Broncos always play better at Mile High, but the Browns finally look to be on the right track and Brady Quinn would like nothing more than to have his true coming out party in the city where the great John Elway played. Whichever teams can avoid the costly mistake will come out on top in this one and I have a feeling Cleveland is ready to take that next step.
Browns 19, Broncos 14
Baltimore at San Diego: Finally, here's your must-see game of the day as the Ravens showed that defense isn't the only thing they do well in Baltimore. Joe Flacco is being given more control of the offense and more opportunities to use his height and strong arm to victimize opposing defenses and force them to pay attention to the passing game as much as they do the run. The Chargers struggled to beat the Raiders last week and L.T. is banged up yet again, which means Ray Lewis and company can tee off on Phillip Rivers.
Ravens 23, Chargers 21
And that brings us to the two prime time games, beginning with the first regular-season game to be played at the ridiculously expensive and large Cowboys Stadium.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: There should be three numbers at play in Las Vegas for this game -- the actual spread, over-under and the over-under on how many punts will strike the mammoth video board hanging over the field. All kidding aside, with an expected crowd of over 100,000 it would be fair to assume that Dallas will enjoy an enormous home field advantage and run away with this heated division rivalry. But the Bucs ran the ball effectively last week against the Cowboys and they didn't have bruising backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Still, I think Romo, Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Roy Williams along with Marion Barber will be too much for the Giants' defense to handle and Jerry Jones will be all smiles at the end of the night.
Cowboys 28, Giants 21
Week 2 concludes with the first Monday Night Football game to be played in Miami since Christmas Day of 2006, and it should be a fun one to watch.
Indianapolis at Miami: New Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross has been eagerly awaiting this night -- the home opener at Land Shark Stadium under the lights in front of a national television audience. Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino and Bob Griese will be entering the stadium via the new Orange Carpet, and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who has looked up to Marino since he was a kid, will try to avoid being star-struck. He will be tested by the dual threat pass rush of Joey Porter and Jason Taylor and is minus Anthony Gonzalez, while Chad Pennington would like nothing better than to restore the magic of last season with a win in prime time at home. Because of my affiliation with the Dolphins as their Senior Internet Writer for MiamiDolphins.com, I have to refrain from making a prediction, other than I do believe it will be just as entertaining as last week's two Monday nighters.
Dolphins vs. Colts (no prediction. Explanation above)
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
One quick glance at the schedule reveals six potential blowouts, four nondescript games and five games that on paper should be compelling. That is definitely not music to the ears of television networks, although ESPN and NBC have two of the games I believe will be entertaining.
Unfortunately, for those of us who enjoy a full day of football that keeps our eyes glued to the television if we're not actually at the stadium, seven of the nine games kicking off at 1 are likely to be snoozers. So if you haven't played golf in a while or gotten to the beach on a Sunday, this might be the day to do it, and then make sure you are back for the 4 p.m. games and the Sunday night showdown in Dallas between the Cowboys and the Giants.
Carolina at Atlanta: The Falcons' defense quieted all the critics last week in their opening day win over the Miami Dolphins by sacking Chad Pennington four times and forcing four turnovers. Linebacker Mike Peterson played like a 23-year-old energizer bunny at the age of 33, crunching Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano to jar the ball loose and making a nifty interception and 39-yard return to set up a TD. That confident defense inside a loud Georgia Dome going against a shaky Jake Delhomme (9 INTs in his last two games), combined with a volatile Atlanta offense that was bottled up last week but is eager to break out, spells rout on the Guru's score sheet.
Falcons 35, Panthers 7
Minnesota at Detroit: Do I really need to spend a lot of time on this one? No, the Lions are not the worst team in the NFL (I'm giving that honor to the Kansas City Chiefs right now) as I do believe Matthew Stafford will help speed up the rebuilding process. But Adrian Peterson is other worldly right now, which means No. 4 doesn't have to try to force the issue and feel like he has to win games by himself, and the Vikings don't just want to reach the playoffs this year, they want to make it all the way to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV.
Vikings 41, Lions 14
Cincinnati at Green Bay: The Bungles were supposed to be a lot better this year with Chad Ochocinco no longer a distraction and being a model teammate and Carson Palmer completely healthy, but they still found a way to be inept in a loss to Denver last week in the closing seconds. Meanwhile, Aaron Rogers is the unquestioned leader of that Packers offense and is focused on having his team playing at a high level before the first meeting with Minnesota.
Packers 28, Bengals 13
Arizona at Jacksonville: This game rates low on the thriller scale, even though the Jaguars came within two points of beating the Colts last week because they always play close games with Indy. The Cardinals are still hurting from their opening day loss to San Francisco but they still have Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and are eager to show that they can win on the East Coast and are the team to beat in the NFC West.
Cardinals 24, Jaguars 17
Oakland at Kansas City: Hard to believe this used to be the marquee match up every year and produced some of the most memorable games in NFL history. Raiders-Chiefs still is an intense rivalry, but now they are fighting each other to avoid being the doormat of the AFC West and the Raiders look a lot closer to reaching respectability than the Chiefs, especially after last Monday's performance against a very good San Diego Chargers team.
Raiders 17, Chiefs 14
New England at New York Jets: Finally, we have a game that should keep fans riveted to their television sets, and the trash talk all week certainly didn't hurt. Kerry Rhodes should know better than to anger a sleeping bear like the Patriots, especially since he has to face Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Tom Brady. Sure, the Pats should be 0-1, and Leodis McKelvin's front lawn will attest to that. And sure, Mark Sanchez looked poised in his NFL debut while the Rex Ryan-coached defense is as good as advertised, which would have led me to pick the Jets in this one had it not been for Rhodes' comments. New England always responds to slights like that and will bring the Jets fans back down to earth in another last-second thriller.
[UPDATE]: The Guru was not aware that Welker is inactive for this game, putting more pressure on Joey Galloway to deliver, but I am sticking with my prediction.
Patriots 28, Jets 27
New Orleans at Philadelphia: Drew Brees picked up right where he left off with six touchdown passes last week against the hapless Detroit Lions, but a little research courtesy of ESPN's Hank Goldberg reveals that Brees fattened up on lowly competition last year en route to a 5,000-yard season through the air. He is not nearly so superhuman on the road or against playoff-caliber teams and the Eagles right now look to be the team to beat in the NFC East, even with a banged up Donovan McNabb.
Eagles 24, Saints 20
Houston at Tennessee: The Texans have been flirting with the playoffs each of the last two seasons, only to fall short in the end, while the Titans ruled the NFC South last year and looked very solid against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the opener. Jeff Fisher and Kerry Collins know they let one slip away at Heinz Field and after the way Jevon Kearse and the Titans' defense harassed Ben Roethlisberger, it's safe to say Matt Schaub is in for a long afternoon in Nashville.
Titans 31, Texans 10
St. Louis at Washingon: Okay, maybe the Rams can give the Chiefs a run for their money as the worst team in the NFL, and playing at loud FedEx Field makes for an even more daunting task. The Redskins are struggling to avoid another last-place finish in the NFC East and should be able to use this game as a starting point to achieve that goal behind running back Clinton Portis.
Redskins 20, Rams 7
The five 4 o'clock games aren't much better, although there are a couple of intriguing match ups.
Tampa Bay at Buffalo: Unfortunately for the Bucs, they have to travel up north to face a very angry Bills team primed to make amends for last week's collapse in New England. Trent Edwards no doubt watched plenty of film of Tony Romo carving up the once vaunted Tampa Bay defense in Tampa last week, and Terrell Owens wants nothing more than to show Bills fans the investment in him was worth it, which he will do today.
Bills 31, Bucs 14
Seattle at San Francisco: The Seahawks once ruled the NFC West not long ago and new head coach Jim Mora wants to return his team to the top of the division. But Mike Singletary has let it be known that these aren't the same 49ers that have rolled over in previous years as they are truly taking on his fiery personality. Frank Gore will have a big day on the ground and allow San Francisco to improve to 2-0 and hold onto first place in the division.
49ers 21, Seahawks 13
Pittsburgh at Chicago: Hmmm. Let's see. Jay Cutler was picked off four times last week by the Packers and then pouted like a spoiled 16-year-old after the game -- and that was after learning that his best defensive player, Brian Urlacher, was lost for the season. Meanwhile, the Steelers narrowly escaped Heinz Field with a win last week over Tennessee and Big Ben is champing at the bit to victimize the Bears' secondary with passes to Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. The loss of Troy Polamalu would be more disconcerting if it wasn't a rattled Cutler on the other side of the ball, Soldier Field or no Soldier Field.
Steelers 27, Bears 6
Cleveland at Denver: The Broncos always play better at Mile High, but the Browns finally look to be on the right track and Brady Quinn would like nothing more than to have his true coming out party in the city where the great John Elway played. Whichever teams can avoid the costly mistake will come out on top in this one and I have a feeling Cleveland is ready to take that next step.
Browns 19, Broncos 14
Baltimore at San Diego: Finally, here's your must-see game of the day as the Ravens showed that defense isn't the only thing they do well in Baltimore. Joe Flacco is being given more control of the offense and more opportunities to use his height and strong arm to victimize opposing defenses and force them to pay attention to the passing game as much as they do the run. The Chargers struggled to beat the Raiders last week and L.T. is banged up yet again, which means Ray Lewis and company can tee off on Phillip Rivers.
Ravens 23, Chargers 21
And that brings us to the two prime time games, beginning with the first regular-season game to be played at the ridiculously expensive and large Cowboys Stadium.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: There should be three numbers at play in Las Vegas for this game -- the actual spread, over-under and the over-under on how many punts will strike the mammoth video board hanging over the field. All kidding aside, with an expected crowd of over 100,000 it would be fair to assume that Dallas will enjoy an enormous home field advantage and run away with this heated division rivalry. But the Bucs ran the ball effectively last week against the Cowboys and they didn't have bruising backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Still, I think Romo, Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Roy Williams along with Marion Barber will be too much for the Giants' defense to handle and Jerry Jones will be all smiles at the end of the night.
Cowboys 28, Giants 21
Week 2 concludes with the first Monday Night Football game to be played in Miami since Christmas Day of 2006, and it should be a fun one to watch.
Indianapolis at Miami: New Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross has been eagerly awaiting this night -- the home opener at Land Shark Stadium under the lights in front of a national television audience. Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino and Bob Griese will be entering the stadium via the new Orange Carpet, and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who has looked up to Marino since he was a kid, will try to avoid being star-struck. He will be tested by the dual threat pass rush of Joey Porter and Jason Taylor and is minus Anthony Gonzalez, while Chad Pennington would like nothing better than to restore the magic of last season with a win in prime time at home. Because of my affiliation with the Dolphins as their Senior Internet Writer for MiamiDolphins.com, I have to refrain from making a prediction, other than I do believe it will be just as entertaining as last week's two Monday nighters.
Dolphins vs. Colts (no prediction. Explanation above)
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Will AFC Be Superior Again?
Yesterday I broke down the NFC, and now that I am inside the Georgia Dome about 90 minutes from kickoff between the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins, I'll have to be a little faster with my AFC breakdown.
So without any further delay:
The easy path to take with the AFC East is to anoint the New England Patriots as the kings of the division and perhaps even the conference again with Tom Brady back on the saddle. Not so fast my friends. Let's see just how comfortable and mobile Mr. Brady is on that rebuilt knee before we pencil the Pats in for a trip to Miami, especially with the questions on defense now that they got rid of Richard Seymour; people seem to want to forget that the Miami Dolphins are the reigning AFC East champs and return everybody of significance as well as some key additions through the draft, free agency and trades, notably Jason Taylor, Jake Grove, Gibril Wilson, rookie corners Vontae Davis and Sean Smith and rookie receivers Brian Hartline and Patrick Turner; the Buffalo Bills now get to host the Terrell Owens circus and hope the rebirth of the no-huddle offense will rekindle the glory days of Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed and the New York Jets usher in the Mark Sanchez era and wave good-bye to the short-lived No. 4 era, with a new and entertaining head coach in Rex Ryan ramping up the defense.
Over in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers survived their first test in defense of their Super Bowl crown by squealing past Tennessee on Thursday night but the loss of safety Troy Polamalu could be hard to overcome; Baltimore may have lost Ryan as defensive coordinator, but Joe Flacco has a solid year under his belt and still has Ray Lewis leading that defense so they are primed to challenge for Pittsburgh for the division title; Cleveland will find out a lot about Brady Quinn today as he goes toe-to-toe with ol' No. 4 and the Vikings, but there are too many issues with that team to count and the Cincinnati Bengals put their dysfunctional family on display for all of America to see on HBO's Hard Knocks, but it appears Chad Ochocinco is happy again and Carson Palmer is hoping to to surprise people with a potent offense.
In the AFC South Peyton Manning is adjusting to yet another head coach in Jim Caldwell but he is 100 percent healthy this time around and still has Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez as weapons in the passing game and is coming off of an MVP season; the Titans did go 13-3 last year and win the division and Kerry Collins looked very strong Thursday night and defensively they are still strong; this could have been the year Houston passed .500 but Matt Schaub's ankle injury might have derailed their chances and the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping Maurice Jones-Drew can carry them back to the playoffs.
Finally in the AFC West, San Diego clearly is the team to beat with LaDainian Tomlinson not ready to secede his title as the game's best running back and Philip Rivers coming off an MVP-caliber year; while the Denver Broncos has more drama to deal with this offseason beginning with the hiring of young Josh McDaniels as head coach and then following up with the Jay Cutler dumping and Brandon Marshall. They do have a good rookie running back in Georgia;s Knowshon Moreno but there's not enough other pieces to challenge the Chargers; Kansas City is rebuilding under its new head coach, Todd Haley, but should still be better than the woeful Oakland Raiders, who are a ship without a rudder right now.
And so now we can kick this thing off in earnest. Sit back and enjoy the nachos, wings and beer as the 2009 story lines develop in front of your very eyes.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
So without any further delay:
The easy path to take with the AFC East is to anoint the New England Patriots as the kings of the division and perhaps even the conference again with Tom Brady back on the saddle. Not so fast my friends. Let's see just how comfortable and mobile Mr. Brady is on that rebuilt knee before we pencil the Pats in for a trip to Miami, especially with the questions on defense now that they got rid of Richard Seymour; people seem to want to forget that the Miami Dolphins are the reigning AFC East champs and return everybody of significance as well as some key additions through the draft, free agency and trades, notably Jason Taylor, Jake Grove, Gibril Wilson, rookie corners Vontae Davis and Sean Smith and rookie receivers Brian Hartline and Patrick Turner; the Buffalo Bills now get to host the Terrell Owens circus and hope the rebirth of the no-huddle offense will rekindle the glory days of Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed and the New York Jets usher in the Mark Sanchez era and wave good-bye to the short-lived No. 4 era, with a new and entertaining head coach in Rex Ryan ramping up the defense.
Over in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers survived their first test in defense of their Super Bowl crown by squealing past Tennessee on Thursday night but the loss of safety Troy Polamalu could be hard to overcome; Baltimore may have lost Ryan as defensive coordinator, but Joe Flacco has a solid year under his belt and still has Ray Lewis leading that defense so they are primed to challenge for Pittsburgh for the division title; Cleveland will find out a lot about Brady Quinn today as he goes toe-to-toe with ol' No. 4 and the Vikings, but there are too many issues with that team to count and the Cincinnati Bengals put their dysfunctional family on display for all of America to see on HBO's Hard Knocks, but it appears Chad Ochocinco is happy again and Carson Palmer is hoping to to surprise people with a potent offense.
In the AFC South Peyton Manning is adjusting to yet another head coach in Jim Caldwell but he is 100 percent healthy this time around and still has Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez as weapons in the passing game and is coming off of an MVP season; the Titans did go 13-3 last year and win the division and Kerry Collins looked very strong Thursday night and defensively they are still strong; this could have been the year Houston passed .500 but Matt Schaub's ankle injury might have derailed their chances and the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping Maurice Jones-Drew can carry them back to the playoffs.
Finally in the AFC West, San Diego clearly is the team to beat with LaDainian Tomlinson not ready to secede his title as the game's best running back and Philip Rivers coming off an MVP-caliber year; while the Denver Broncos has more drama to deal with this offseason beginning with the hiring of young Josh McDaniels as head coach and then following up with the Jay Cutler dumping and Brandon Marshall. They do have a good rookie running back in Georgia;s Knowshon Moreno but there's not enough other pieces to challenge the Chargers; Kansas City is rebuilding under its new head coach, Todd Haley, but should still be better than the woeful Oakland Raiders, who are a ship without a rudder right now.
And so now we can kick this thing off in earnest. Sit back and enjoy the nachos, wings and beer as the 2009 story lines develop in front of your very eyes.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Are You Ready For Some Football?!?
How's that for a way to kick off the 2009 NFL season?
The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers needed to overtime Thursday night to survive the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field and Ben Roethlisberger had to engineer another clutch drive to pull off the win, just like he did in Super Bowl XLIII. Santonio Holmes once again had a big game and put up identical numbers to his Super Bowl MVP performance --nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.
So now we have a full slate of games scheduled for Sunday, with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders closing out Week 1 on Monday night, and if that game or any of the ones being played on Sunday rival last week's college football Monday night spectacular between Miami and Florida State, we're in for an incredible season.
Obviously, there are a lot if intriguing story lines involving quarterbacks, starting with Tom Brady looking to show everybody that his knee his fine and he is the same quarterback who threw 50 touchdown passes and led the Patriots to an unbeaten regular season two years ago.
Meanwhile, the NFC North has suddenly become QB central; In Minnesota there is a lot of buzz about how a certain No. 4 (who shall remain nameless on this blog) will be able to play second fiddle to running back Adrian Peterson; Jay Cutler hopes to put Denver in his past and bring the Chicago Bears back to respectability; No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford, having been named Detroit's starter, will try to repeat the success of last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, Matt Ryan and in Green Bay, Aaron Rogers looks to further distance himself from the large shadow still cast by that same No. 4.
If the NFC North is QB central, then the NFC East is Soap Opera central; The Dallas Cowboys have moved into posh new digs, complete with a gigantic scoreboard hanging from the roof in the middle of the field that has become a prime target for punters and the center of a heated debate. They also are beginning the post-T.O. era and post-Jessica Simpson era; over in Philadelphia the Eagles welcomed the Michael Vick circus to town but at the same time assembled enough talent to be the early favorites to win the division; two years removed from their Super Bowl victory, the New York Giants want to close out their final season at the old Meadowlands in style but need to get back the chemistry that helped them win Super Bowl XLII and Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn hopes to follow in the footsteps of his fellow second-year head coaches Mike Smith in Atlanta, Tony Sparano in Miami and John Harbaugh in Baltimore, all who led their respective teams to the playoffs.
The NFC South nearly sent all four teams to the playoffs last year, but Tampa Bay completely overhauled its roster, fired Jon Gruden as head coach, promoted 33-year-old Raheem Morris, who fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski 10 days before the season, to head coach, jettisoned QBs Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese along with future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks and
drafted Josh Freeman as the QB of the future. Sounds like a non-playoff rebuilding year is in store for the Bucs; Atlanta improved its already potent offense by signing future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and has the inside track on winning the division; the Carolina Panthers have one of the best 1-2 punches at running back in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, with dangerous wide receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad as Jake Delhomme's primary targets, but their usually stalwart defense has taken a step back; Drew Brees has a good shot of becoming the first quarterback to put together back-to-back 5,000-yard seasons and has a much improved defense to back him up so other than the Bucs this looks to be a strong division again.
Finally, the NFC West looks to be Arizona's for the taking after the great run the Cardinals put together last season all the way to the Super Bowl; Kurt Warner has all of his weapons back in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Sean Breston and with Father Time catching up to him, Warner will be even more motivated to lead his team back to the big game in Miami; Mike Singletary has the 49ers going in the right direction in San Francisco and should give the Cardinals something to think about; Seattle begins the post-Mike Holmgen era with Jim Mora taking over as head coach and looking to return the Seahwawks back to the top of the NFC West; St. Louis likely will bring up the rear in the division once again as power runner Stephen Jackson simply does not have the weapons around him.
Tomorrow I will preview the AFC division by division just in time for all of the network pre-game shows Sunday morning so you can print these out and keep these notes in front of you as you watch Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and Curt Menefee on FOX and Dan Marino, James Brown, Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher and Shannon Sharpe on CBS.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers needed to overtime Thursday night to survive the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field and Ben Roethlisberger had to engineer another clutch drive to pull off the win, just like he did in Super Bowl XLIII. Santonio Holmes once again had a big game and put up identical numbers to his Super Bowl MVP performance --nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.
So now we have a full slate of games scheduled for Sunday, with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders closing out Week 1 on Monday night, and if that game or any of the ones being played on Sunday rival last week's college football Monday night spectacular between Miami and Florida State, we're in for an incredible season.
Obviously, there are a lot if intriguing story lines involving quarterbacks, starting with Tom Brady looking to show everybody that his knee his fine and he is the same quarterback who threw 50 touchdown passes and led the Patriots to an unbeaten regular season two years ago.
Meanwhile, the NFC North has suddenly become QB central; In Minnesota there is a lot of buzz about how a certain No. 4 (who shall remain nameless on this blog) will be able to play second fiddle to running back Adrian Peterson; Jay Cutler hopes to put Denver in his past and bring the Chicago Bears back to respectability; No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford, having been named Detroit's starter, will try to repeat the success of last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, Matt Ryan and in Green Bay, Aaron Rogers looks to further distance himself from the large shadow still cast by that same No. 4.
If the NFC North is QB central, then the NFC East is Soap Opera central; The Dallas Cowboys have moved into posh new digs, complete with a gigantic scoreboard hanging from the roof in the middle of the field that has become a prime target for punters and the center of a heated debate. They also are beginning the post-T.O. era and post-Jessica Simpson era; over in Philadelphia the Eagles welcomed the Michael Vick circus to town but at the same time assembled enough talent to be the early favorites to win the division; two years removed from their Super Bowl victory, the New York Giants want to close out their final season at the old Meadowlands in style but need to get back the chemistry that helped them win Super Bowl XLII and Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn hopes to follow in the footsteps of his fellow second-year head coaches Mike Smith in Atlanta, Tony Sparano in Miami and John Harbaugh in Baltimore, all who led their respective teams to the playoffs.
The NFC South nearly sent all four teams to the playoffs last year, but Tampa Bay completely overhauled its roster, fired Jon Gruden as head coach, promoted 33-year-old Raheem Morris, who fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski 10 days before the season, to head coach, jettisoned QBs Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese along with future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks and
drafted Josh Freeman as the QB of the future. Sounds like a non-playoff rebuilding year is in store for the Bucs; Atlanta improved its already potent offense by signing future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and has the inside track on winning the division; the Carolina Panthers have one of the best 1-2 punches at running back in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, with dangerous wide receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad as Jake Delhomme's primary targets, but their usually stalwart defense has taken a step back; Drew Brees has a good shot of becoming the first quarterback to put together back-to-back 5,000-yard seasons and has a much improved defense to back him up so other than the Bucs this looks to be a strong division again.Finally, the NFC West looks to be Arizona's for the taking after the great run the Cardinals put together last season all the way to the Super Bowl; Kurt Warner has all of his weapons back in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Sean Breston and with Father Time catching up to him, Warner will be even more motivated to lead his team back to the big game in Miami; Mike Singletary has the 49ers going in the right direction in San Francisco and should give the Cardinals something to think about; Seattle begins the post-Mike Holmgen era with Jim Mora taking over as head coach and looking to return the Seahwawks back to the top of the NFC West; St. Louis likely will bring up the rear in the division once again as power runner Stephen Jackson simply does not have the weapons around him.
Tomorrow I will preview the AFC division by division just in time for all of the network pre-game shows Sunday morning so you can print these out and keep these notes in front of you as you watch Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and Curt Menefee on FOX and Dan Marino, James Brown, Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher and Shannon Sharpe on CBS.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tough To Hide From The Turk
Saturday around the NFL was akin to to April 15th for the rest of us. Just like that dreaded tax deadline, the final cutdown day for all 32 teams is the least fun day of the year for all involved.
From the coaches' perspective, this is the part of the job they hate, when they have to tell players they have come to know and respect that they just don't fit into their plans and they need to turn in their playbook and uniform.
Many times it's a young kid fresh out of college who gave everything throughout training camp, maybe even fought through injury to try and earn a spot but there just wasn't any room at his position. Other times it's a seasoned veteran like Zach Thomas, beloved by Miami Dolphins fans young and old, who isn't ready to hang up the cleats just yet but a team like the Kansas City Chiefs couldn't find a place for his battered body, so now he has to hold out hope that there's a team out there willing to give him one more shot.
There are always surprises when teams release their final 53-man roster. Jeff Garcia, who shined in his post-49ers day with the Eagles filling in for Donovan McNabb and with the Bucs for a couple of years, was supposed to push JaMarcus Russell and maybe even beat him out for the starting quarterback job with the Oakland Raiders. Instead, he was sent packing yesterday.
And in a move that seems cold and heartless on the surface, the Bucs released kicker Matt Bryant less than a year after he gave the league one of its most emotional and dramatic moments in recent memory by kicking three field goals one day after burying his 3-month-old son to lift the Bucs to a 30-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Bryant was supposed to battle with Mike Nugent to try and retain his job but a hamstring injury hindered him the entire preseason and he never got a chance to state his case.
The other big news to come out of the final cutdown day was how the Eagles chose to classify Michael Vick. They used a special exemption to have him not count against the 53-man roster until his suspension expires in Week 3, so he cannot practice with the team before that time. He can do individual drills and sit in on team meetings, though, so it'll be interesting when he does become eligible how he's going to look. He's already well behind the 8-ball and missing more practice time cannot help him there.
Dolphins 10th-year quarterback Chad Pennington summed up the whole experience of cutdown day best after I asked him how he deals with seeing teammates get the boot. This was also part of my story on MiamiDolphins.com, which you can read here: http://pwr.com/k8.
"I've just gotten kind of numb to the situation over the years," Pennington said. "You take it for what it is and realize that sometimes there just things that aren't in your control. You can come out here and have a good camp but if you don't fit into the right mix you just don't fit into the right mix. That's why as a player you worry about your own performance. You control your performance and how you prepare and then you allow the coaches and the organization to make their evaluations and you can't take it personal. If you take it personal you'll get your feelings hurt all the time."
After noon today, teams were able to assign players to their practice squads and the Dolphins did just that with five of the players they cut yesterday: DE Ryan Baker, CB Will Billingsley, LB J.D. Folsom, C/G Mark Lewis and WR James Robinson.
Now every team is in regular-season mode so beginning tomorrow the practice regimen will be more formatted as will the media access. Stay tuned to the NFL Guru blog for more news, notes and opinion.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
From the coaches' perspective, this is the part of the job they hate, when they have to tell players they have come to know and respect that they just don't fit into their plans and they need to turn in their playbook and uniform.
Many times it's a young kid fresh out of college who gave everything throughout training camp, maybe even fought through injury to try and earn a spot but there just wasn't any room at his position. Other times it's a seasoned veteran like Zach Thomas, beloved by Miami Dolphins fans young and old, who isn't ready to hang up the cleats just yet but a team like the Kansas City Chiefs couldn't find a place for his battered body, so now he has to hold out hope that there's a team out there willing to give him one more shot.
There are always surprises when teams release their final 53-man roster. Jeff Garcia, who shined in his post-49ers day with the Eagles filling in for Donovan McNabb and with the Bucs for a couple of years, was supposed to push JaMarcus Russell and maybe even beat him out for the starting quarterback job with the Oakland Raiders. Instead, he was sent packing yesterday.
And in a move that seems cold and heartless on the surface, the Bucs released kicker Matt Bryant less than a year after he gave the league one of its most emotional and dramatic moments in recent memory by kicking three field goals one day after burying his 3-month-old son to lift the Bucs to a 30-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Bryant was supposed to battle with Mike Nugent to try and retain his job but a hamstring injury hindered him the entire preseason and he never got a chance to state his case.
The other big news to come out of the final cutdown day was how the Eagles chose to classify Michael Vick. They used a special exemption to have him not count against the 53-man roster until his suspension expires in Week 3, so he cannot practice with the team before that time. He can do individual drills and sit in on team meetings, though, so it'll be interesting when he does become eligible how he's going to look. He's already well behind the 8-ball and missing more practice time cannot help him there.
Dolphins 10th-year quarterback Chad Pennington summed up the whole experience of cutdown day best after I asked him how he deals with seeing teammates get the boot. This was also part of my story on MiamiDolphins.com, which you can read here: http://pwr.com/k8.
"I've just gotten kind of numb to the situation over the years," Pennington said. "You take it for what it is and realize that sometimes there just things that aren't in your control. You can come out here and have a good camp but if you don't fit into the right mix you just don't fit into the right mix. That's why as a player you worry about your own performance. You control your performance and how you prepare and then you allow the coaches and the organization to make their evaluations and you can't take it personal. If you take it personal you'll get your feelings hurt all the time."
After noon today, teams were able to assign players to their practice squads and the Dolphins did just that with five of the players they cut yesterday: DE Ryan Baker, CB Will Billingsley, LB J.D. Folsom, C/G Mark Lewis and WR James Robinson.
Now every team is in regular-season mode so beginning tomorrow the practice regimen will be more formatted as will the media access. Stay tuned to the NFL Guru blog for more news, notes and opinion.
Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.
AK
Thursday, September 3, 2009
T-Minus Two Days And Counting
Time is running out on all of the professional and sideline prognosticators itching to score 100 percent on their roster predictions for all 32 NFL teams.
As I type this entry the Miami Dolphins are less than 10 hours away from taking on the New Orleans Saints a few blocks away from my hotel room tonight at the Superdome in the preseason finale for both teams. Theirs is one of 12 games on the docket tonight, with three more scheduled tomorrow, and then by 4 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday the final 53-man rosters have to be submitted to the league, which means these games are the last chance for a number of players on the bubble to keep their jobs.
It's always interesting this time of the year to scan the rosters of the different teams and see who is on the bubble because it tells you a lot about where that particular franchise is in its quest to win a Super Bowl. For instance, there are certain to be a fair share of unrecognizable names on the Detroit Lions' list coming off of an 0-16 season as they are simply trying to the right ship and position themselves for respectability over the next 2-3 years. On the flip side, the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers return virtually everyone from last year's squad and head coach Mike Tomlin faces some tough decisions between promising rookies and talented veterans like cornerback Keiwan Ratliffe. He has to weigh future potential with immediate contributory skills.
The Miami Dolphins are an interesting case study as they are just two seasons removed from going 1-15 and clearing out the majority of the coaching staff, front office and roster from that campaign. Bill Parcells has a good track record for turning around moribund franchises, but even he couldn't have predicted last year's remarkable turnaround -- the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history for a 1-15 team as Miami went 11-5 and won the AFC East.
Parcells, GM Jeff Ireland and head coach Tony Sparano set out prior to last season with a plan to build the team for the long-term with the idea of competing for a playoff spot and shot at the Super Bowl in 2-3 years. They have kept that vision through the draft by targeting specific positions and players they feel can develop quickly, but the fact that Sparano was able to release the likes of veteran cornerback Eric Green a free agent signee in the offseason, and wide receiver Ernest Wilford without blinking an eye tells you just how much closer he and his staff and the front office believe the Dolphins are to achieving their goal. In fact, Miami had its roster down to 66 -- nine below the league mandated 75 for the first roster cut -- four days before the September 1st deadline.
Sparano will use tonight's game to finalize in his mind who will be the 13 players he will either have to bid farewell to, place on the practice squad, or in the case of injured outside linebacker Matt Roth, put on the Active/Physically-Unable-To-Perform list. When it comes to determining his starters, Sparano already has figured that out for 20 of the 22 positions on offense and defense, leaving just one wide receiver spot and one cornerback spot up for grabs.
So let the predictions begin -- and very likely end after tonight.
As for my quick hits for today before I head back out for some authentic New Orleans food:
1. Wherever WR Brandon Marshall ends up playing, his teammates, coaches and the fans of that team will find out just what happens when a young man with top-flight physical skills and ability allows his ego to hold not only him but those around him back to the detriment of the franchise.
2. I can't believe it took me just two posts to break my own promise that I would not be making another Brett Favre reference until he either pulls his hamstring or melts down against the Packers when the Vikings play them. Won't happen again.
3. Since this is a 24-7 society we live in and I just came across this bit of league news, who would have thought another offensive coordinator would receive a visit from "The Turk" before the players? Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski was fired this morning just days after Chan Gailey suffered the same fate in Kansas City. The other common thread here is that their cannings came at the hands of first-year head coaches -- Raheem Morris in Tampa Bay and Todd Haley with the Chiefs. Combine those moves with Josh McDaniels in Denver letting franchise QB Jay Cutler leave for Chicago and either these first-year guys have lost control of their egos or they know a heck of a lot more than most first-year coaches.
Until next time -- stay thirst my friends.
As I type this entry the Miami Dolphins are less than 10 hours away from taking on the New Orleans Saints a few blocks away from my hotel room tonight at the Superdome in the preseason finale for both teams. Theirs is one of 12 games on the docket tonight, with three more scheduled tomorrow, and then by 4 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday the final 53-man rosters have to be submitted to the league, which means these games are the last chance for a number of players on the bubble to keep their jobs.
It's always interesting this time of the year to scan the rosters of the different teams and see who is on the bubble because it tells you a lot about where that particular franchise is in its quest to win a Super Bowl. For instance, there are certain to be a fair share of unrecognizable names on the Detroit Lions' list coming off of an 0-16 season as they are simply trying to the right ship and position themselves for respectability over the next 2-3 years. On the flip side, the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers return virtually everyone from last year's squad and head coach Mike Tomlin faces some tough decisions between promising rookies and talented veterans like cornerback Keiwan Ratliffe. He has to weigh future potential with immediate contributory skills.
The Miami Dolphins are an interesting case study as they are just two seasons removed from going 1-15 and clearing out the majority of the coaching staff, front office and roster from that campaign. Bill Parcells has a good track record for turning around moribund franchises, but even he couldn't have predicted last year's remarkable turnaround -- the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history for a 1-15 team as Miami went 11-5 and won the AFC East.
Parcells, GM Jeff Ireland and head coach Tony Sparano set out prior to last season with a plan to build the team for the long-term with the idea of competing for a playoff spot and shot at the Super Bowl in 2-3 years. They have kept that vision through the draft by targeting specific positions and players they feel can develop quickly, but the fact that Sparano was able to release the likes of veteran cornerback Eric Green a free agent signee in the offseason, and wide receiver Ernest Wilford without blinking an eye tells you just how much closer he and his staff and the front office believe the Dolphins are to achieving their goal. In fact, Miami had its roster down to 66 -- nine below the league mandated 75 for the first roster cut -- four days before the September 1st deadline.
Sparano will use tonight's game to finalize in his mind who will be the 13 players he will either have to bid farewell to, place on the practice squad, or in the case of injured outside linebacker Matt Roth, put on the Active/Physically-Unable-To-Perform list. When it comes to determining his starters, Sparano already has figured that out for 20 of the 22 positions on offense and defense, leaving just one wide receiver spot and one cornerback spot up for grabs.
So let the predictions begin -- and very likely end after tonight.
As for my quick hits for today before I head back out for some authentic New Orleans food:
1. Wherever WR Brandon Marshall ends up playing, his teammates, coaches and the fans of that team will find out just what happens when a young man with top-flight physical skills and ability allows his ego to hold not only him but those around him back to the detriment of the franchise.
2. I can't believe it took me just two posts to break my own promise that I would not be making another Brett Favre reference until he either pulls his hamstring or melts down against the Packers when the Vikings play them. Won't happen again.
3. Since this is a 24-7 society we live in and I just came across this bit of league news, who would have thought another offensive coordinator would receive a visit from "The Turk" before the players? Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski was fired this morning just days after Chan Gailey suffered the same fate in Kansas City. The other common thread here is that their cannings came at the hands of first-year head coaches -- Raheem Morris in Tampa Bay and Todd Haley with the Chiefs. Combine those moves with Josh McDaniels in Denver letting franchise QB Jay Cutler leave for Chicago and either these first-year guys have lost control of their egos or they know a heck of a lot more than most first-year coaches.
Until next time -- stay thirst my friends.
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