Once again, PTI is off the air for two days. (Golf) And as always, whenever PTI is gone from the air, I give you your daily dose of sports in my cheap rip-off...

EXCUSE
THE
DISTRACTION

I hate FOX's formatting, I can't even properly make the cheap logo anymore, anyway, LET'S GO!

I never really understood why everyone picked the Carolina Panthers to be the Super Bowl winners. Just about everyone in the media, and almost everyone else has this team being big. Everyone but me, when my cheap system predicted they would NOT make the playoffs. Steve Smith is still injured right now, which hurts their offense, which couldn't do a thing last week. The running game isn't that good, they have a rookie and Foster, who will be hurt in 3 weeks. But look at the Panthers schedule, they have to go to Baltimore and Miami, they play the Cowboys and the Rams, as well as games at Philly and at Washington. Not to mention the Giants, Steelers, and their other division games. This schedule is brutal, and at the end of the day, the Panthers will miss the playoffs.


Since football has started, many have forgotten that craziness is going on in baseball. The AL is sane, except for the Central, where the Tigers are falling, and are danger of being passed by the Twins and the White Sox. But look at the NL. The Dodgers lead the Padres by one, the Padres lead the wild card by two over Philly, 3 over San Fran, 3.5 over the Marlins, and 4 over the Reds. (NOTE: These numbers mave have changed since this post was written). Does anyone really know who will end up in the the NL? Heck, same for the AL? It could be a very exciting race to the finish.


Back to football, but of the college variety. This week features 7 games with two ranked teams competing. A pretty sweet deal, but realistically, when you look at this week a few months from now, there will probably only be 2-3 games still with ranked teams. Does anyone expect big things from Texas Tech and TCU? Either way, there are 2 big games that many are watching.


First is #11 Michigan and #2 Notre Dame. Other than this game being #11 vs #2, it is also one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports.

Maybe bigger is #6 LSU and #3 Auburn, two SEC facing off, and the winner may likely end up the conference champion, or national champion...

Of course Nebraska at USC, Florida at Tennessee, Miami at Louisville, and Oklahoma at Oregon are all important games, but they don't really have the flash of the other two. Either way, my predictions.

Notre Dame beats Michigan
LSU upsets Auburn
USC beats Nebraska
Tennessee beats Florida
Louisville beats Miami
Oregon beats Oklahoma.

Don't ask how I made the predictions, but that is what I think will happen. (So pick the oppisite teams, and you will probably be 6-6)

Commercial Break....


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Ok, now, for I am too lazy to write a seperate post, is my predictions for Week 2.

MrNFL's BRILLIANT (ha) PREDICTIONS
Panthers vs Vikings
HHH Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN (FOX) 1 PM ET

You've already heard my rant about the Panthers being over-rated, but how do they fare in this one? The Vikings are weak running the ball, and the Panthers couldn't stop the run to save their life. The Vikings are decent stopping the run, the Panthers are decent running. The Panthers however are superior passing on both sides, however the running game is the key, and the Vikings are at home.

Vikings win 16-13

Bills vs Dolphins
Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL (CBS) 1 PM ET

The Bills offense is still very shaky, and I don't see much success coming from that unit. However, the defense looked pretty good, and I think is legit. The Dolphins got mauled by the great Steeler D, but can they get by a less-talented Bills D? The Bills are strong against the pass, however weak against the run, and I think that if the Dolphins can run, they will pull it out.

Dolphins win 17-10

Giants vs Eagles
Lincoin Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA (FOX) 1 PM ET

I expect lotsa points in this game. The Giants I think will be able to stop Westbrook, but I do see the passing being effective. I see the Giants being able to run the ball well, but I'm not sure how the pass will fare against a solid secondary. As I've said before, I believe the key to winning is the running game, and the Giants have that. I don't think the Eagles passing is good enough to pull it out.

Giants win 34-28

Saints at Packers.
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI (FOX) 1 PM ET

Ah, the battle of the bad defenses. The Saints defense did do a good job stopping the run last week, and the Packers running game wasn't bad last week. However, the Packers D was non-existant, and the Saints have a great running game, and a solid passing game.

Saints win 31-17

Texans at Colts
RCA Dome, Indianapolis, IN (CBS) 1 PM ET

David Carr is known for getting sacked...a lot. The Colts have one of the best pass rushing defensive lines in football. The Colts couldn't stop the run, but the Texans really don't have much of a run at all, even with the addition of Sam Gado. The Colts lack of running will hurt them down the road, but at home against a weak secondary, the passing game will go crazy.

Colts win 34-10

Lions at Bears
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL (FOX) 1 PM ET

This may be the battle of defense, as the Lions defense showed some life. But the Lions are minus any form of offense, and the Bears will probably have their way with them. The Bears offense probably won't do much either, but I think the defense will get them turnovers and great field position.

Bears win 13-8

Browns at Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH (CBS) 1 PM ET

The Browns defense is a bit improved, and the Bengals probably won't be able to go crazy on them. However, the Browns have no run game to speak of, and a lackluster passing game. The Bengals D can stop the Browns, and the offense should have fun at home.

Bengals win 27-10

Buccaneers at Falcons
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA (FOX) 1 PM ET

The Falcons defense is much better, and they shut down the Panthers last week. The Bucs offense isn't nearly as good as the Panthers offense, and even Jamal Lewis was able to run on the Bucs D. The Falcons should get 200 rushing yards easy on the way to victory.

Falcons win 24-7

Raiders at Ravens
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD (CBS) 1 PM ET

The Raiders have no offensive line, and because of that, they can not run or effectively pass. The Ravens D should have tons of fun with the Raiders. Also, the Raiders defense is weak, so this one should be simple for the Ravens at home.

Ravens win 21-3

Cardinals at Seahawks
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA (FOX) 4 PM ET

The Cardinals have a good offense, however they lack a defense, since the 49ers scored a bunch on them. Even though the Seahawks couldn't do anything to the Lions, I think they will be able to score, and score often. The Cardinals will likely score a lot, but the Seahawks D is just better..

Seahawks win 32-24

Rams at 49ers
Monster Park, San Francisco, CA (FOX) 4 PM ET

The 49ers offense showed life against the Cardinals, but that is the Cardinals lackluster defense. The Rams confused Plummer, and it won't take much to confuse Alex Smith. The Rams weakness of defense is the run, but I don't think Gore can do enough for the 49ers. The 49ers D is weak, and Bulger should have a great game.

Rams win 27-20

Titans at Chargers
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA (CBS) 4 PM ET

The Chargers had their way against the Raiders on the road, and they have a great running game. I don't think the Titans will be able to stop LDT, and when LDT runs well, the pass will go well. Not to mention the Titans offense is horrible.

Chargers win 28-10

Patriots at Jets
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (CBS) 4 PM ET

The Jets can not run to save their life, and that will end up killing them in this game, as I don't think the pass can have the game they had against the Titans. The Pats offense just has to not make mistakes, and they will be set.

Patriots win 20-10

Chiefs at Broncos
Invesco Field, Denver, CO (CBS) 4 PM ET.

The Broncos passing game looked horrible last week, but they did run well, and the Chiefs run defense is shaky. The Broncos are also lucky that the Chiefs are without a quarterback, and Huard/Croyle are bound to make some mistakes. I think the Broncos D will stop LJ, enough, to win this one.

Broncos win 17-7

Redskins at Cowboys
Texas Stadium, Irving, TX (NBC) 8 PM ET

I question the Cowboys defense, I don't think it is that good. With Portis getting closer to full strength, the Redskins offense will start getting a bit better. The Redskins D is tough against the run, and the Cowboys need to run. I think the Redskins will pull off the upset in a close game.

Redskins win 17-13

Steelers at Jaguars
Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, FL (ESPN) 8 PM ET Monday.

The Steelers offense is solid on the ground, and they will likely have QB Ben Roethlisberger back, but the Jaguars defense is very tough against the run, and tough against the pass. Of course, the Steelers defense is also very tough against the run, and tough against the pass. I think this game will be a defensive showdown, and these two teams are deadlocked. But the Jags are at home, and homefield advantage will end up being just enough to win this game.

Jaguars win 10-9

OK, that was the picks, if you are still reading...Another commercial.


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Ok, Now we will do some ODDSMAKERS. But this time, we will do something new. We will take the percentages from the Bloggers Pro Pick'em picks from last year, and see how they ended up.

ODDS Dolphins vs Steelers
49% picked the Steelers, and 51% picked the Dolphins, about as close as you can get. The large minority was right.

ODDS Bucs vs Ravens
73% picked the Bucs to win that game, and 73% (myself included) got it miserably wrong.

ODDS Browns vs Saints
64% picked the Saints to win, and that majority was correct.

ODDS Panthers vs Falcons
81% picked the Panthers (I was in the 19%, and was right) and the Falcons pulled it off

ODDS Seahawks vs Lions
93% picked the Seahawks to win, and were right, but I think all 93% didn't expect the 9-6 score.

ODDS Eagles vs Texans
91% picked the Eagles, and that is a smart 91%

ODDS Titans vs Jets
66% picked the Titans to win, and that 66% was wrong, leaving 34% correct.

ODDS Bengals vs Chiefs
Ironically this game was 50/50, but the Bengals 50 looked smarter in the end.

ODDS Broncos vs Rams
91% of the bloggers were incorrect thinking the Broncos would win (Myself included)

ODDS Patriots vs Bills
A huge 4% picked the Bills to win, and they almost did, that would have thrown everyone off.

ODDS Jaguars vs Cowboys
61% picked the Cowboys to win this one (Not me!) and 61% were wrong

ODDS Bears vs Packers
It's hard to believe that even 16% thought the Packers would win.

ODDS Cardinals vs 49ers.
93% were right in picking the Cardinals here.

ODDS Colts vs Giants
68% said the Colts would win, and they were right.

ODDS Vikings vs Redskins
Only 32% picked the Vikings, and the minority was correct.

ODDS Chargers vs Raiders
20% actually picked the Raiders, boy they look dumb right now.

That's it for Oddsmakers, lets go to the BIG FINISH!

Pedro Martinez is coming off the DL, big deal?
Yes, they need him healthy to win in the postseason.

NFL ruled that Robert Geathers hit on Trent Green wasn't illegal, good call?
Yes

First race of the Chase at New Hampshire, Who ya got?
Jeff Burton, he's done great there in the past.

Finally, 3 of my last 5 games on Madden have been overtime, will I got OT today?
As long as I win, I'm fine...

Well that's it for PTI, I'll do better next time. I'm MrNFL, and you can watch this again by clicking the refresh button.

ETD

We are only one week through the season, so really these rankings are as useless as the BCS, but why not make some power rankings? Which teams are the best. From bottom to top, here are the MrNFL Power Rankings!

(Note, these rankings are mainly based on week 1 games, and obviously we don't can't tell jack from one game, but this is what I saw)

32. Oakland Raiders

The Defense was non-existant, they couldn't stop LDT, but the bigger concern is the total lack of offense, Lamont Jordan averaged 2 a carry, and Aaron Brooks couldn't find a reciever.

31. Green Bay Packers

Any defense that allows 26 points to the Bears must have problems. Passing game looks non-existant, but Green had solid numbers, giving them some hope running the ball.

30. Cleveland Browns

The Saints have a terrible defense, and all the Browns could do is score 14. The running game couldn't score at all last year, and they also couldn't pass. Defense struggled as well.

29. Tennessee Titans

They got beat, by the Jets. And the Jets, are pretty bad. They have no pass defense, Pennington passed all over them, and the offense was very sluggish.

28. San Francisco 49ers

Defense as expected allowed 34 to the Cardinals, which shocks no one, but the offense showed a little bit of promise. But to be fair, they were facing the Cardinals defense.

27. New York Jets

Beating the TItans = Not much of an accomplishment. In a positive note, it looks like Pennington is back for now, on a negative note, the running game is non-existant.

26. Houston Texans

The lack of running game and offensive line will end up getting David Carr killed. Not to mention they got passes all over.

25. Detroit Lions.

Sure, the defense and special teams looked great. But with that offense, they have to hold everyone to 9 just to have a shot, and that probably won't last.

24. New Orleans Saints.

Sure, the defense held the Browns to 14, but that was the...ummm...Browns. With that offense, they should have scored a lot more.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The offense got absolutly slaughtered, and the great D they were supposed to have got shredded, by the average Ravens offense.

22. Miami Dolphins.

Offense got killed, they couldn't pass or run, and the defense got shredded by Willie Parker and the backup QB. They need to fix their problems fast.

21. Washington Redskins

The Redskins offense wasn't very good, the Vikings didn't let them run at all. The defense is alright, but I question this team.

20. Minnesota Vikings

They couldn't run, Taylor averaged less than 3 a carry, and they can't expect old man Johnson to succeed without a running game. Defense was decent.

19. Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs offense was decent, but not nearly what it should have been. Defense looked average as expected.

18. Arizona Cardinals.

The offense looked good as expected, but they allowed 27 points from the 49ers, considered by many the worst offense in football. That defense needs serious help.

17. Carolina Panthers

I don't buy this team as being as great as the media is hyping them to be. The defense looked lost against the Falcons, and that running game was stink-o-rama.

16. Buffalo Bills.

Defense came REAL close to upsetting the Patriots, they could have a solid D this year. However, the offense I question.

15. Dallas Cowboys

The Jaguars offense isn't great, and they allowed 24 to them. Bledsoe looked very shaky, and the line couldn't block for him.

14. Denver Broncos

Defense was solid, running game was great. However the passing game was horrendous, and they will need to fix that problem to re-gain their credibility.

13. New York Giants

Offense looked good, they ran all over the Colts, and the passing was alright, but the defense is still a big concern.

12. New England Patriots

DIdn't pass well, but Maroney and the running game showed promise. Defense was alright, but they got so close to losing.

11. Philadelphia Eagles.

Eagles offense looked great passing, McNabb did a great job, however the run is still in question. Defense was solid.

10. St. Louis Rams

The Rams looked great running the ball, but the pass was surprisingly average. Pass D was great, but the Broncos ran like crazy on them.

9. Seattle Seahawks

The D played good as expected, and that passing game was great, yet the running game was very bad. They will need to fix that problem quickly.

8. Balitmore Ravens

Defense destroyed the Bucs, and looked a bit like the defense of old. Passing was solid however the running game is still a concern.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars.

Offense looked decent, but is a little shaky at running back. They played great defense against the pass for sure.

6. San Diego Chargers.

They looked great on offense, and looked great on defense. However, they did play the Raiders.

5. Cincinati Bengals

Running game wasn't great, but not horrible. The passing game was decent, but the defense looked surprisingly good.

4. Chicago Bears.

Defense killed the Packers, but that doesn't shock anyone. However, the passing game looked surprisingly decent, but once again, they did play the Packers.

3. Indianapolis Colts

Passing game looked good as it always, but the running game was horrible, and is a giant concern. They also couldn't stop the run, but they were good against the pass.

2. Atlanta Falcons

Falcons looked great running the ball as always, but the pass did look shaky. But if they can run on everyone, they well succeed. And the defense looked great.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

The defending champs, I suppose they are #1 until proven otherwise. Offense looked great, even without Ben Roethlisberger. The defense mauled the Dolphins offense, and looks to maybe be the #1 D in the league.

Well that was the first edition of the power rankings. If anyone reads this, there will be more.

Other football notes:

The Patriots are now filing a grievence against Deion Branch.  So first Branch files one against the Patriots, and then the Pats file charges against the Jets, and now this?  This whole ordeal is ridiclous.

The NFL announced that Robert Geathers hit which gave Trent Green a concussion was not an illegal hit.  I agree, he was already off his feet before Green started sliidng, clean hit.

Speaking of Trent Green, he will likely miss at least 2 games due to concussion.

And in trade news, the Texans have traded young running back Vernand Morency to the Packers in exchange for Samkon Gado.  Last year when Gado played, he got solid numbers for a crappy team, and the Texans must think he's the guy for the job.  But Morency was decent when he played last year, and was a 3rd round pick in 2005, while Gado was undrafted.

In baseball news, ESPN is a curse.  Everytime they ever cut to a pitcher pitching a perfect game, he always blows it right away.  Same happened today, as Freddy Garcia was perfect through 7 2/3, but as soon as ESPN cuts to him, boom, hit.  They shouldn't cut to this crap unless it is the 9th inning, because it never happens.

And also, the Twins young stud pitcher Francisco Liriano is finished for the year, after having pain in a start last night.  This hurts the Twins, but with the Tigers slumping, they still have a shot to make the playoffs.

THAT'S ALL I GOT