RECAP - WEEK TWO

This Week: 6-8-1
Linebusters: 2-3 (4-6)
Overall: 15-15-1

Wow. Another insane week. This is getting ridiculous. Way too many double-digit comebacks ended up screwing me over. Linebusters would have been 5-0 without comebacks of 9+ points in three of them. Absolutely ridiculous.

Who Needs a Small Johnson?
Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Line: Chiefs -3.5
O/U: 36
My Pick: I'll go KC -3.5, because their run defense held down Maroney, and should be able to withstand the Fargas/McFadden combo. Chiefs 21-17.
Result: Raiders 23-8

This is the pregame scouting report on Larry Johnson from ESPN.com..."In four games against the Raiders since becoming the Chiefs' featured runner in 2005, Johnson has averaged 127 yards per game on the ground, the Kansas City Star reports. Not once was he held under 100 yards and he scored at least once in each game. If last Monday night's game was any indication, the Raiders are a complete mess right now. Look for Johnson to run wild, making him worthy of starting in nearly every league this week."...So what the heck happened? Johnson ran for only 22 yards on 12 carries, and the Raiders got their first win of the season. If KC continues to show NO offense, I'll be picking against them with regularity from here on out.

Cincinatti Blows
Tennessee Titans @ Cincinatti Bengals
Line: Bengals -1
O/U: 37.5
My Pick: I'll go Cincy -1 in a very close game. Bengals 17-13.
Result: Titans 24-7

Tennessee brings solid offense to the table even without Young in the game. I chose the Bengals because I thought the home field advantage would matter. It clearly did not. No offense and a porous defense will win Cincinatti ZERO games this year. Until they become more composed on offense, they're in deep trouble. At least I was right on the Under.

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me...
Indianapolis Colts @ Minnesota Vikings
Line: Colts -2
O/U: 43.5
LINEBUSTER ALERT!
My Pick: Minny +2, despite Indy's best efforts. Go with the Over, cuz this one might get crazy. Vikings 31-28.
Result: Colts 18-15

They had the 15-0 lead. Granted, they should have been able to punch one of those field-goal achieving drives into the endzone, but still. Rated as a top defense, you should be able to hold a late 15-point lead. Even against Peyton Manning. But they couldn't. Awful.

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me...Part Deux
New Orleans Saints @ Washington Redskins
Line: Saints -1
O/U: 42
LINEBUSTER ALERT!
My Pick: New Orleans -1. Saints 24-13.
Result: Skins 29-24

I had the Saints score right...but the Skins had an offense today. A late 9-point lead against the Skins should be enough to get it done. It wasn't. Credit Campbell and the Redskins for actually producing offensively. New Orleans has to be better than that on defense if they expect to make the playoffs.

Packing it in, sort of...
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Line: Packers -3
O/U: 45.5
LINEBUSTER ALERT!
My Pick: GB -3. Packers 34-17.
Result: Packers 48-25

I almost died when I saw Detroit ahead after Green Bay had led 24-3. Especially with all the craziness around the league today. Credit the Packers for asserting their dominance down the stretch, even though they should have never let the Lions back in the game. Detroit shows flashes, and should have the offense to win 5 or 6 games at some point in the season. The trick is figuring out when the defense will show up to help out.

You've Gotta be Kidding me...Part Trois
Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers
Line: Panthers -3
O/U: 37.5
My Pick: I'm going Bears +3. Chicago wins a defensive battle, 12-10.
Result: Panthers 20-17

Seriously, what the hell? Chicago doesn't give up big leads. They're too good defensively. The Bears had all the breaks early, and held a 17-3 lead. How did they let the Panthers back in it? Credit Delhomme for leading another comeback. Like I said in the preview, these two teams are going to be a pain in the ass to predict for or against all year long. At least this one still goes as a tie.

What the Tuck was That?
New York Giants @ St. Louis Rams
Line: Giants -9
O/U: 41.5
LINEBUSTER ALERT!
My Pick: NYG -9. The Giants take care of business, 31-17.
Result: Giants 41-13

This was a pretty obvious situation. The defending Super Bowl Champs may be hampered on the defensive line, but they can still get after it. St. Louis wants no part of Justin Tuck again...after a bad play early, getting called for yanking Bulger's facemask, Justin Tuck was all over the place. Two sacks and a very athletic batted-down-pass-turned-interception that he took all they way to the house. Eli was also consistent again, and the Giants ran right over Rams. Will it be St. Louis, Miami, or KC that ends up at the bottom of the NFL this year? You decide.

Shake Youboty!
Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Line: Jags -5
O/U: 37
My Pick: Buf +5. Jacksonville 17-13.
Result: Bills 20-16

How about Youboty? What a game he played. He seemed to be all over the field. I'm very pleasantly surprised that my Bills could push through some adversity and win this game. I grow more confident with Trent Edwards each time out, and now the Bills look poised for a real run at the AFC east title. But can they beat the Patriots? I'm going to have some issues trying to predict that game...

That's More like it, Atlanta!
Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Line: Bucs -7
O/U: 37.5
My Pick: I'll take the under, and the Bucs -7. Tampa takes it 23-13.
Result: Bucs 24-9

Now THOSE are the Falcons we all expected to see when the season began. This game proves a few things: Detroit has no defense, Tampa has a good defense, and there will be a learning curve for Matt Ryan. Tampa is 1-1, and was able to put up 24 points despite a quarterback switch. Griese looks solid, but so did Garcia. Not sure why they switched. Don't care, as long as they beat the spread! We'll see how good they end up, but they could be a playoff team.

You've Gotta be Kidding Me...Enough Already!
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Line: -6.5
O/U: 38
LINEBUSTER ALERT!
My Pick: I'll pick the over, and take Seattle -6.5. Seahawks 31-13.
Result: 49ers 33-30 (OT)

Well, I was right on the over! How insane was this week? Really...this is just nuts. Seattle had this game well in hand, and is supposed to have a solid defense. Why did Holmgren bother with another season? He may as well have left. By the way, Chris Berman is an idiot. There is no way in hell Seattle even sniffs the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. The 49ers are not a good team. Allowing them to come back from a double-digit deficit on you is completely unacceptable.

Jumping the Gun
Miami Dolphins @ Arizona Cardinals
Line: Cards -6
O/U: 39
My Pick: I like the under, and the Dolphins +6. Arizona still wins, 20-17.
Result: Cards 31-10

So I was a little too quick to say that the Dolphins would be better this year, eh? To get smoked is one thing, but to get smoked by the Cardinals? Ouch. We finally saw some great receiving numbers from a team that has the talent to be doing that all the time. Miami's defense struggled. I still think they'll win a game or two, but they are very much in the hunt for that number 1 draft pick after 2 weeks of play.

Told Ya
New England Patriots @ New York Jets
Line: Jets -1.5 (I'm dead serious...)
O/U: 37
My Pick: Go Over, and take the Pats +1.5. New England proves themselves 24-17.
Result: Pats 19-10

Did you really think the Jets were going to win this one? Get real. They didn't look that amazing in week one, and even with a backup QB, the Pats have a ton of talent. Cassel looked a bit shaky, but held his own when it really counted and gave the Pats the cushion they needed to coast to victory. That Pats defense looked very good yet again, but keep in mind that if they have to play all-out every snap of every game because the offense is under-producing, they'll eventually get worn down.

Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans
Line: Texans -4.5
O/U: 37.5
Game Postponed until November 9th due to Hurricane Ike

Ed really Hoch-ed Up
San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos
Line: Chargers -1
O/U: 45.5
My Pick: I'll go with the Chargers -1, simply because they now have something to prove after a loss at home to Carolina. San Diego takes it 27-24.
Result: Broncos 39-38

I had this game right. Ed Hochuli (the jacked referee) screwed me over, as well as the San Diego Chargers and anyone who bet on them. Not only was there a bad call early that gave Denver possession and was not reviewable because the damn review booth was out of order (how does that even happen?), but the quick whistle on the late fumble by Jay Cutler gave the Broncos new life and ended up costing San Diego another late-game loss. Both of these teams look good, but Cutler was getting a bit fumbly down the stretch, so beware of him squeezing the ball a bit too tight in pressure situations.

Stupid Wind
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns
Line: Steelers -6.5
O/U: 44.5
My Pick: Steelers -6.5. Steeltown drops the Browns 30-20.
Result: Steelers 10-6
The Steelers controlled this game, yet only won by 4 because the wind was so bad that nobody could really get much offense going. Pittsburgh is good, and when they are not playing through the remnants of a hurricane, should be able to score plenty of points. This week's battle of Pennsylvania will be very fun to watch. The loss of Robaire Smith on the Cleveland D-line is huge, and already at 0-2, the Browns have a very difficult hole to climb out of. Don't expect them to be any better than 7-9 at season's end.


WOW.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Line: Cowboys -6.5
O/U: 47
My Pick: I'm taking the over and the Eagles +6.5, but the Cowboys to win 27-24.
Result: Cowboys 41-37

Glad I took the over! What an offensive show these two teams put on. The Eagles have earned a great deal of respect in the eyes of the rest of the league, and barring injury, I expect them to be a playoff team the way they're playing. The Cowboys pulled it out, proving that they are the class of the league and can pull off a comeback. Romo also showed me that he has matured enough not to let mistakes eat away at him...a bad interception, followed by a worse fumble, and he still maintained the confidence needed to run the offense in the second half. Lastly, if you lost in your fantasy league by less than a touchdown, and like me were one of the people who jumped on the DeSean Jackson bandwagon last week, you have the right to kill him. What an arrogant little bastard! He better keep his attitude in check if he wants the fans in Philadelphia to put up with him.