One year ago at the halfway point, six teams were in the running for top dog in the NFL: the Patriots were 9-0, the Colts, Cowboys, and Packers were 7-1, and the Steelers and Giants were 6-2. The Patriots-Colts game was the latest in-season match-up of undefeated teams in NFL history. The Cowboys’ lone loss was to the Patriots. The Cowboys and Packers would later match up in an epic showdown of 10-1 teams. The teams had an air of greatness, the best teams in the league seemed to lose only to each other, and every week brought a showdown of the best teams in the league.
This year at the NFL halfway point? It doesn’t have quite the same cache as last season. Sure, the Titans are 8-0, but their starting quarterback is the well-traveled Kerry Collins and the eight teams they’ve beaten have combined for 25 wins, with only the Ravens sitting above .500. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants have beaten two 6-win teams (the Steelers and Redskins) but they also lost to the 3-win Browns.
Of course playing the transitive property game can be dangerous. You know, if Team A beats Team B and Team B beats Team C then Team A is better than Team C. The combinations are frightening this year. The Bengals beat the Jaguars, the Jaguars beat the Colts, the Colts beat the Ravens, the Ravens beat the Browns, and the Browns beat the Giants. So does that mean the 1-win Bengals are better than the Giants? The Bengals only lost by 3 to the Giants in New York after all.
Truly parity has reached near historic levels this season. The Broncos lead the AFC West at 4-4 and even though they’ve lost 3 in a row the 2nd place Chargers have only gained a half game in the standings during that stretch. Three other divisions—the AFC South, NFC North, and NFC West—boast just one team that is over .500. Would it surprise anyone if a team were to win a division this season at 7-9? Or if nine teams were to end up tied for a Wild Card spot at 8-8? How deep into the tiebreakers would that scenario take us? A round robin set of coin flips? Paper, rock, scissors? Red rover?
The list of NFL craziness this season is endless. Consider the following:
Reigning league MVP Tom Brady—who set all kinds of offensive records last season—went down for the season in the 1st quarter of Week 1. And yet his team was one dropped ball or one penalty away from being 6-2, all while being led by a quarterback who hasn’t started full time since high school. Circa 2001.
The Indianapolis Colts are 4-4 but could just as easily be 1-7 with improbable wins over Minnesota and Houston and last week’s nailbiter over New England.
The Redskins have outscored their opponents by just 3 points. And yet they are 6-3.
The Atlanta Falcons—picked by this space to win just 1 game this season—are already 5-3. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan is well on his way to the Rookie of the Year award. His nine touchdown passes put him one behind a couple of guys named McNabb and Roethlisberger.
Five of this week’s games feature two teams who are .500 or worse.
Washington’s Clinton Portis has rushed for 995 yards this season. That’s more yards gained on the ground than 23 teams have rushed for.
It’s been a crazy season so far. We still have one undefeated team and one winless team. But every week there’s an upset or two that brings the teams with the best records closer to the middle of the pack.
Parity, thy name is the NFL. Week 10 NFL Picks
CLEVELAND (-3) over Denver HOUSTON (+1) over Baltimore NEW ENGLAND (-3½) over Buffalo Green Bay (+2½) over MINNESOTA Jacksonville (-6½) over DETROIT ATLANTA (-1) over New Orleans MIAMI (-8½) over Seattle St. Louis (+9) over NY JETS CHICAGO (+3) over Tennessee Carolina (-9½) over OAKLAND PITTSBURGH (-3½) over Indianapolis Kansas City (+15½) over SAN DIEGO PHILADELPHIA (-3) over NY Giants ARIZONA (-9½) over San Francisco
I know I am. It seems as if it’s been 214 years since the New York Giants shocked the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLI—not 214 days. But our long national nightmare is finally over. The preseason is over. It’s time to put the ball on the tee and kick off the 2008-09 season.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least offer my insight into game 1 of the season. After all I had a stellar 119-126-11 record last season against the spread. But on two occasions, I picked 12 games correctly in one weekend. It’s those weekends I live for.
So perhaps this first weekend of the season will be one of those weekends. We’ll see. I’ll be back sometime this weekend with my season preview. For now, though, I leave you with this insight: since the NFL gave the Super Bowl winner the opening Thursday night game, the defending champs are 4-0. The Giants will make it 5-0 tonight.
This year’s NFL regular season brought us the renaissance of a legend, a team rising above the death of one of their own players, the craziest field goal we’ve ever seen, one of the best in-game snowstorms we’ve ever seen, a rookie sensation taking the league by storm, a mere 9 losses registered by the league’s top 4 teams (with three of those losses coming in games against each other), and heavily-hyped games that lived up the hype.
Oh, and the first team in NFL history to go 16-0 (more on whether or not the Patriots’ season was the greatest of all time in a moment).
Maybe I’m in the “whatever is new is always great” club today, but the NFL season that concluded last week sure seemed like one of the best to come along in ages. Brett Favre’s transformation from old man winter (71.8 passer rating with 38 TDs, 47 INTs, and 12 wins the previous two seasons) to the lion in winter (95.7 passer rating with 28 TDs, 15 INTs, and 13 wins this season) was an incredible sight to behold.
Just as incredible was watching the Washington Redskins—who lost Sean Taylor, one of their best defensive players to a shooting death—go 4-0 after regrouping and make the playoffs. And Taylor was elected to the Pro Bowl after his death.
In Week 11, Cleveland kicker Phil Dawson kicked a game-tying 51-yard field goal that hit the left upright, went through the uprights, hit the support post behind the crossbar, then bounded back onto the field. To the naked eye, it looked no good. But after a seemingly endless delay the officials—without the aid of replay, which isn’t used on field goals—decided correctly that the field goal was indeed good. The Browns went on to win in overtime. Never seen anything like that, have we?
Four weeks later the Browns and Bills locked up in an 8-0 game in a veritable blizzard. Of course the hero of the game was kicker Phil Dawson, who connected from 35 and 49 yards on a day in which staying on your feet was difficult, never mind using them to score points.
Speaking of feet, Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson used his to rush for 1,341 yards in 14 games, ending the season with a yards-per-rush average of 5.6. And in a Week 9 game against San Diego, he set the NFL single-game rushing record with 296 yards.
This was the year that the cream rose to the top. The Patriots, Cowboys, Packers, and Colts combined for a record of 55-9 (52-6 if you take out the games against each other). This season is tied with 1998 for best record among the top 4 teams in the 16-game season era (the Vikings, Falcons, Broncos, and Jets combined for 9 losses that season).
And you want big games? Meaningful games between top teams that live up to the hype? How about the Patriots throttling the Chargers in Week 2 after “spygate” erupted? Or the Patriots beating the Cowboys in one of the few 5-0 vs. 5-0 games in league history? Or Green Bay winning in Denver on Monday night on a Favre overtime touchdown pass? Want more? The 8-0 Patriots coming back from 10 down in the 4th quarter to beat the 7-0 Colts springs to mind. Or the Chargers beating those same Colts the next week on Sunday night. And the Cowboys knocking off the Packers on a Thursday night NFL Network special. Finally, the Patriots putting the finishing touches on an undefeated season by coming back from 12 down to beat the Giants in a “meaningless” game watched by 34.5 million people on three networks.
NBC’s flex schedule worked perfectly this season, giving us week after week of important games. The NFL Network tried in vain to find its place on the American television set but needed an assist in the final week. Even the Dolphins’ run at infamy made this season special. Call me crazy, but it just might have been the best season ever.
Which brings us back to the Patriots. Their remarkable run to 16-0 just might have been the greatest NFL season of all time. The detractors will point out that the Patriots faced the Dolphins and Jets twice (those two teams went a combined 5-27). But division rivals and 4-12 squads are the kinds of teams that usually derail these kinds of runs at history (the 1990 49ers lost their first game to the 5-11 Rams). I’ll make no apologies for the teams the Patriots faced this season.
As a matter of fact, they played and beat four division winners (two on the road), six playoff teams, and eight teams that finished 8-8 or better. If not for the Patriots, the Browns, Bills, and Eagles might have made the playoffs this year. The Redskins were able to rebound from their loss at the hands of the Patriots. It will be interesting to see how the Giants fare following last week’s showdown.
What else made this Patriots season so special? They outscored their opponents by 315 points. 10 other teams scored fewer than 315 points. The seasons Tom Brady and Randy Moss had. (Can we call the trade of a 4th round pick for Randy Moss the greatest NFL trade of all time?)
Or how about how in their four closest games (against the Colts, Eagles, Ravens, and Giants), they outscored their opponents 46-21 in the 4th quarter? Or the fact that their largest deficit of the season—12 points—came with 24 minutes and 12 seconds remaining in game 16?
Their 44 punts were the fewest punts by a team in a 16-game season. The previous record of fewest punts by a Patriots team was 49. That was set in the strike-shortened 1982 season when the team played 9 games.
Wes Welker was a joy to watch. The relentless passing attack was often poetry in motion. Their video game-esque demolitions of the Dolphins, Redskins, and Bills, sandwiched around the win in Indianapolis, were some of the most amazing performances the league has ever seen.
Prior to the Colts game, I wrote: “Tom Brady has thrown for 20 touchdowns and the Patriots have outscored their opponents 179-45. In the first half.” For the season, those numbers were: 32 touchdowns for Brady, and a 333-137 advantage over their opponents in the first half. Only Tony Romo (36) threw more touchdowns on the season than Brady did in the first half. The 333 first half points the Patriots scored were one fewer than the Redskins and Buccaneers scored all season. And the Titans only scored 301. Those are three playoff teams.
The numbers are staggering, the competition was formidable, and the season was unforgettable. It was a season for the ages, and quite possibly the greatest season of all time.NFL Playoff Round 1 Selections
Washington (+3½) over Seattle Everyone likes the Redskins for the emotion factor, and other than that the only reason to like them in this game is that in the last three years 2 underdogs covered in Round 1, so this one will be one of mine. I know Seattle is tough at home and Washington quarterback is Todd Collins is untested, but I’ll go with Washington anyway. One more week of the feel good story for Joe Gibbs and his troops. Pick: Redskins 21, Seahawks 20
Pittsburgh (+2½) over Jacksonville I’ve gone back and forth on this one all week. There’s no way the Steelers could lose at home to the Jaguars twice, go with Pittsburgh. Jacksonville’s playing much better football than Pittsburgh, go with Jacksonville. Mike Tomlin’s playoff inexperience. Jacksonville’s recent playoff losses. Which way to go? I’m going with Pittsburgh to win a close one at home. Pick: Steelers 26, Jaguars 23
Tampa Bay (-2½) over New York Giants That was a valiant effort by the Giants last week and an impressive performance against the undefeated Patriots. But I don’t think they have a chance in this one. Add it all up: the starters played a playoff-type game last week while Tampa’s been resting for two weeks; when the Patriots pressured Eli Manning in the 2nd half, he went 9-14 for 70 yards with one interception, one center-QB fumble, and one sack—expect a lot of pressure this week from the Bucs; it’s Jon Gruden and Jeff Garcia against Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning. Sounds like a Tampa win to me. Pick: Buccaneers 29, Giants 15
San Diego (-10) over Tennessee Four of the last five teams favored by 7 or more in the 1st round of the playoffs won and covered. And this Chargers team is far superior in talent to the Titans. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure how the Titans are in the playoffs. They scored just four more points than they allowed, had four more turnovers than forced turnovers, and got just 9 touchdown passes against 17 interceptions out of Vince Young. Their only win against a playoff team (and the Colts game last week doesn’t count) was way back in Week 1 when they beat Jacksonville. Not even Chargers coach Norv Turner can stop the Chargers from blowing out the Titans in this one. Pick: Chargers 38, Titans 13
If these results happen, it sets us up for a pretty good Round 2 with Pats-Steelers, Colts-Chargers, Cowboys-Redskins, and Packers-Bucs. Well, three intriguing games anyway.
I didn’t want Week 17 of the NFL season to arrive without providing one last set of picks. It’s been an up and down season for the Sports in a Can handicapping department, but a 10-6 finish would put me over .500 for the season. And that’s what we’re aiming for.
Week 17 is always an odd week. Some teams are resting players, some teams aren’t. Some teams are playing for playoff spots, some teams are playing for pride. The spreads often don’t make sense heading into the games. In the last two seasons, we’ve had 8 underdogs cover in Week 17 both times (with 5 underdogs winning outright last year and 6 the year before). The trick, as always, is figuring out which underdogs to back.
New England (-14) over NY GIANTS
Buffalo (+7½) over PHILADELPHIA
Carolina (-2½) over TAMPA BAY
MIAMI (+2½) over Cincinnati
Detroit (+3½) over GREEN BAY
HOUSTON (-6) over Jacksonville
New Orleans (-2) over CHICAGO
CLEVELAND (-10½) over San Francisco
Seattle (+1) over ATLANTA
Dallas (+9) over WASHINGTON
NY JETS (-6) over Kansas City
DENVER (+3) over Minnesota
BALTIMORE (+3½) over Pittsburgh
San Diego (-8) over OAKLAND
St. Louis (+6) over ARIZONA
Tennessee (-6½) over INDIANAPOLIS
Last year, the Christmas weekend was interrupted by the NFL. With Christmas Eve on Sunday, there was no time for caroling, sleigh rides, or any of the other traditional fare. No, I had to sit inside and watch football all day. Thanks a lot, NFL.
It’s a little better this year, as Sunday is the 23rd of December. But I must have missed the memo that said it was OK to have a sporting event on at night on Christmas Eve. That’s right, Monday Night Football brings you Denver at San Diego, just a few hours before Santa arrives on the East Coast. Apparently nothing is sacred anymore.
Looks like I’ll need to have all of the gifts wrapped and under the tree by kickoff Saturday night (why yes, Virginia, there’s also a Saturday night game this week). And then it’s wall-to-wall football through Monday night.
Pittsburgh at St. Louis On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Steelers team that’s suddenly lost two in a row against a Rams team whose three wins have come against San Francisco, Atlanta, and (inexplicably) New Orleans. My only hope for this game is that Bryant Gumble is once again absent and Tom Hammond replaces him for the second week in a row. Hammond was a breath of fresh air last week compared to the dreary Gumble. (Is he getting paid for the NFL Network gig? He sounds as if he’s doing the play-by-play of a bad golf tournament.)
Pick: Pittsburgh (-7½)
Dallas at Carolina You’ve got to love Terrell Owens: “Right now, Jessica Simpson is not a fan favorite in this locker room or in Texas Stadium. I think with everything that has happened, and obviously the way Tony played and the comparison between her and Carrie Underwood, I think a lot of people feel like she's probably taking his focus away. Other than that, she was at the top of my list until last week.” Apparently he was kidding about quarterback Tony Romo’s current and former girlfriends, but he sure sounds like the kind of guy you want on your team, doesn’t he? Pick: Dallas (-10½)
Cleveland at Cincinnati Oh the weather outside is frightful… How much fun was that Cleveland-Buffalo game last week? Talk about a whiteout. Rain or snow showers expected for this one, but the temps look to be too high for another blizzard game. Maybe we’ll have better luck in the Buffalo game, since it snows in Buffalo 287 days per year on average. Pick: Cincinnati (+3)
Green Bay at Chicago Last week I told you not trust anyone who says, “This team has nothing to play for” when making picks. Five of the eight teams who had playoff aspirations and were playing sub-.500 teams did not cover the spread (and two lost outright). This week there are 10 games that fall into this category (including this one). I’m going with four of the underdogs, although there will probably be more that cover. The trick, as always, is finding the right ones (and I went just 3-5 picking these types of games last week). Pick: Chicago (+8½)
Houston at Indianapolis It’s time once again for the Colts to enjoy their late season struggles. They barely beat Oakland last week and Jacksonville two weeks before that. A similar thing happened to them last year. Of course, they did win the Super Bowl last year. Pick: Houston (+7)
Kansas City at Detroit (-4½)
Do you realize that since October 18, Boston’s big three sports teams (the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics) are a combined 36- 3 with a World Series title, the best record in the NBA, and the potential for an historic undefeated season in the NFL? How can I focus on Kansas City-Detroit when those kinds of numbers are out there? Pick: Detroit (-5)
NY Giants at Buffalo Apparently Santa decided to put coal under the Giants’ tree. Brutal loss to Philly last week. Injury to Shockey. And the Patriots on the schedule next week. This team is some lake effect snow away from missing the playoffs. Pick: Buffalo (+3)
Oakland at Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor is 40 yards away from rushing for the 17th most yards in NFL history. Yet he has never been selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Think about that for a minute. Baseball analogies include Alex Rodriguez (17th on the all-time home run list), Ken Griffey (20th on the all-time RBI list), Tom Glavine (21st on the all-time wins list), or John Smoltz (16th on the all-time strikeouts list) having never played in an All-Star Game. (And yes, baseball is on my mind at the moment but I’m completely ignoring the steroids thing for now.) Pick: Jacksonville (-13)
Philadelphia at New Orleans This year isn’t very much fun for the playoff possibilities is it? Last year at this time every team in the NFC was still alive for a playoff spot. I think even Ohio State could have made the NFC playoffs last season. This year? Five teams are fighting for the final two NFC playoff spots and four teams are in the hunt for the final three spots in the AFC. Booooorrrrrinnnng. Pick: Philadelphia (+3)
Atlanta at Arizona Bill Parcells continues to make life interesting, doesn’t he? Another round of playing two teams against each other and he ends up taking the job in Miami. I have three thoughts on the matter: 1) This should make the AFC East even more fun next year, with Belichick in a battle of wills with both Parcells and Mangini while the Bills remain the second best team in the division; 2) Love him or hate him, you have to respect that Bill Parcells chose two NFL franchises—the Falcons and Dolphins—that are in the most disarray to target for his next job; 3) Has anyone had a worse year than Falcons owner Arthur Blank? Between the Michael Vick saga, his head coach slinking off in the middle of the night, and now Parcells, don’t be surprised if Blank never believes a word anyone says to him every again. “Your car will be ready at 3pm, Mr. Blank.” “Liar! You’ve sold my car to someone else and are leaving me with a used ’79 Pinto aren’t you?!?!” Pick: Arizona (-10)
Tampa Bay at San Francisco Patriots fans should continue to root against the 49ers, as New England owns the 49ers’ 1st round draft pick next year. For those of you that dislike the Patriots, you should be rooting for San Francisco. Who says no one cares about this game?
Pick: Tampa Bay (-6½)
Baltimore at Seattle I have to confess something. About 10 years ago I vowed never to go to the mall on the weekend during Christmastime. I kept that vow until last Friday night. To my surprise, it wasn’t that crowded. I don’t know, maybe this Internet thing is really going to take off. Pick: Seattle (-10½)
Miami at New England I’d like to thank the NFL for moving this game to 4:15, at the same time as Jets-Titans. I’ll be deep in the heart of Jets country (Western Connecticut) on Sunday, seeking out a sports bar that’s not filled with Jets fans. 95% of the country will receive Patriots-Dolphins, but not where I’ll be. Thanks, NFL! Thanks, WFSB Channel 3 in Connecticut! Pick: New England (-22)
NY Jets at Tennessee And here’s the game that’s making December 23rd more difficult for me! At least I have this tidbit to look forward to: The last four teams that have played the Patriots have gone 0-4 the next week and have lost by the cumulative score of 137-80. It takes a lot out of you to gear up for the Patriots. Pick: Tennessee (-8½)
Washington at Minnesota The game with the most playoff implications happens during NBC’s Flex Game on Sunday Night Football. The Vikings win, the Redskins cannot make the playoffs. The Redskins win, and we’ve got some drama going into Week 17. Pick: Minnesota (-6½)
Denver at San Diego A yule log on the fire. The presents all wrapped and under the tree. The children all snug in their beds. The Missus in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, settle down for a little Broncos-Chargers. And the hope that Saint Nicholas soon will be here. Pick: Denver (+8½)
A Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night!
It’s been an incredible week in the Sports in a Can household. The Patriots won the Game of the Millennium in Indianapolis, the Celtics won their first three games, and I went 12-2 against the spread (perhaps my best week ever), winning a tidy sum in the office pool. It was a far cry from the 1-12-3 week I suffered through back in Week 3.
With my yearly record now close to even, it’s time to dig deep into this week’s match-ups and see if we can keep the this train on the tracks.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh The Browns have been playing pretty well lately, and the Steelers are coming off the huge Monday night win against Baltimore. This one just screams close game. Pick: Cleveland (+10)
Philadelphia at Washington Who can figure Philly out at this point? They’ve won their last two on the road, but lost their last two at home. They beat Detroit 56-21, but lost to Chicago 19-16. The Redskins rebounded (barely) from their humiliation at the hands of the Patriots to knock off the Jets in overtime last week. They’ll keep it going against the Eagles. Pick: Washington (-2½)
Atlanta at Carolina One of many “who the heck knows” games this weekend. It could also be classified as a “who the heck cares” game. Pick: Atlanta (+4)
St. Louis at New Orleans The Rams just might make a run at 0-16 this season. And the Saints seem to have finally righted the ship. With St. Louis, at Houston, at Carolina, Tampa Bay, at Atlanta, Arizona, Philadelphia, at Chicago remaining on their schedule, they have a real chance of finishing the season on an 11-1 or even a 12-0 roll. Pick: New Orleans (-11½)
Buffalo at Miami If only Miami played St. Louis this season. Then we’d really see which team is the worst in the NFL. Meanwhile, Buffalo looks to pick up its 4th straight win before the inevitable loss to the Patriots next week. Pick: Buffalo (-2½)
Denver at Kansas City The Broncos were three plays away from being 0-8 instead of 3-5. And Kansas City looks better than we all thought they’d be. Pick: Kansas City (-3)
Jacksonville at Tennessee Another “who knows” game, but these two teams are actually good. The Titans seem to be putting it all together for another winning season, while the Jaguars have the same annual issues on offense. Pick: Tennessee (-4)
Minnesota at Green Bay Vikings running back Adrian Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards last week. He looks incredible. He could be one of the best ever. Or he could completely break down with the way he initiates contact all the time. Pick: Green Bay (-6)
Cincinnati at Baltimore After giving up 5 touchdown passes to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers and losing 38-7, Ravens’ defensive wizard Ray Lewis declared that he was excited about the way his team was playing and was looking forward to continuing their defensive performance. Talk about delusional thinking. Pick: Baltimore (-4)
Dallas at NY Giants “…we might be in store for a classic battle between the Giants and Cowboys. Since the four-division format was created in 2001, teams in the same division have won 12 or more games twice. It’s going to happen again, with the division title going down to the last week, and the teams meeting for a 3rd time in the NFC Championship Game.” I wrote that in my NFL Preview. Last year. Looks like I might have been off by a year. Pick: NY Giants (+1½)
Detroit at Arizona I have nothing to say about this one. So instead let’s talk about the fact that the big three Boston sports teams (the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics) have not lost a game since October 16th (Game 4 of the Red Sox-Indians series). And the Patriots are on the cover of Boston Magazine (my new name for Sports Illustrated). Again. Good times. Pick: Detroit (+1)
Chicago at Oakland Another game that’s too close to call. Another two participants that stink. Another paragraph with no point whatsoever. Pick: Oakland (+3½)
Indianapolis at San Diego I have to say that I was quite impressed with the Colts’ defense last week. They were far better and faster than I ever thought they could be. The Colts might end up winning 15 games this season. Too bad the Patriots are going 16-0. And winning another Super Bowl. Pick: Indianapolis (+3½)
San Francisco at Seattle Wow. Could be the worst Monday Night match-up in a long time. It’s time to utilize the flex scheduling for Mondays too. Pick: San Francisco (+10)
What better way for the (current) best rivalry in sports to take it to the next level than to play in the greatest clash of unbeatens in the history of the NFL?
For the past 6½ years, the Patriots and Colts have been the best teams in the NFL. Since 2001, the Patriots have gone 78-26, made the playoffs 5 times, won 5 division titles, advanced to 4 AFC title games, and won 3 Super Bowls. In the same stretch, the Colts have gone 73-30, made the playoffs 5 times, won 4 division titles, advanced to 2 AFC title games, and won 1 Super Bowl.
They have faced off 3 times in the playoffs, with the winner taking home the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champion each time. All eyes point toward another classic showdown in this year’s playoffs for what are arguably the two best teams in the NFL. But first, they go head-to-head in one of the most anticipated regular season games—in any sport—of all time.
For the Patriots and Colts,
BREAKING NEWS ALERT! THE PATRIOTS ARE RUNNING UP THE SCORE ON THEIR OPPONENTS!
This is John Notgoodenoughforprimetime at the news desk. We interrupt this blog entry to bring you this breaking news alert. The New England Patriots are committing an act of such magnificent cruelty that it demands to be discussed, dissected, and denounced immediately, forcefully, and with great authority.
We go live now to our seasoned correspondant, Ima O. Verreacting.
Ima: Thanks, John. The scene is horrific. Just awful. Almost indescribable. But I’ll try. There are literally dozens of angry Redskins—that’s their team name, by the way, I’m not using a racial slur—dozens of angry players strewn about the field of Gillette Stadium. They were pounded into submission by the relentless attack from a band of Patriots led by a very, very angry Bill Belichick. The Redskins are complaining that the Patriots’ continued assaults were unnecessary and injurious to their self-esteem and pride.
John: Oh, the humanity! Have there been any on the record comments from the Redskins?
Ima: While several of the players have complained, the only comment head coach Joe Gibbs had was, and I quote, “I have no problem with anything they did.” Sounds to me like he’s pretty upset, too, John.
John: Yes it does. And media members and fans of other teams are simply outraged at this development, so I’m sure we’ll be talking about this situation non-stop for the next seven days. Keep up the good work, Ima, and be careful out there. We’ve seen how dangerous these Patriots can be. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog entry…
Well, let’s just forget about this week’s game I guess. We’ve got more important things to discuss. Sportsmanship! Embarrassing a Hall of Fame coach! Damaging the integrity of the game!
Let’s get one thing straight: The Patriots are running up the score on their opponents. I will neither deny nor defend that fact. But as a Patriots fan, there’s only one thing I can say:
I don’t care.
Really, I don’t. I was going to go on and on about how teams have done it in the past. I was going to look up the box scores from the Colts’ 2004 season and the Rams’ 2000 season to see how late in the game their starters were pulled. I was going to bring up past Super Bowls that ended with scores such as 46-10 and 55-10 and see when those teams called off the dogs. I was going to look up some of the lopsided games that the Patriots suffered through during my youth and talk about payback. I was going to do all kinds of research and bombard you with facts and figures and whatnot until I remembered one important thing:
I don’t care.
When Tom Brady and the first team offense just kept pouring it on last week, I had the same two thoughts that most observers had: 1. Wow. I can’t believe they’re doing this. 2. I hope Tom Brady (or any other starter) doesn’t end up getting hurt.
The difference is that I didn’t feel the need to gnash my teeth over the development. Perhaps it’s because I’m a fan of the team, but I’d like to think not. This is one of the problems with the 24/7 news/Internet culture that we have today. An issue like this takes hold and anyone with a computer or a microphone and plenty of time on their hands can help perpetuate a story ad nauseum.
The Patriots have decided they want to score as many points as humanly possible. So what? Who is this impacting? Whether Washington lost 52-7 or 38-14, should it really matter to their players and fans? Either way they were blown out. And if Belichick’s plan of attack gets one of his marquee players hurt, that’s on him.
This Patriots team is on a seemingly unstoppable run, and whether they pile on the points or not doesn’t change the fact that we might be witnessing one of the greatest offensive juggernauts of all time. Consider these numbers: Tom Brady has thrown for 20 touchdowns and the Patriots have outscored their opponents 179-45. In the first half.
Think about that for a minute. Brady has thrown more touchdowns in the first half of his games than any other quarterback in the league has thrown all season (Cleveland’s Derek Anderson has thrown 17 touchdowns, good for 2nd place). They are on pace to score 358 points in the first half, which would be more than all but 9 teams scored last season in 16 full games. And the 179 points they’ve scored so far in the first half this season is more than the Oakland Raiders scored in 16 full games last year—with Randy Moss on the team.
These numbers are staggering. And they don’t even take into account the 3rd quarter stats from their four games in which they had a lead of 10 points or less coming out of halftime. Nor do they even mention the numbers from when the Patriots run up the score at the end of games.
New England has scored on their opening drive in all eight games, scoring 5 touchdowns and 3 field goals. The only time they’ve trailed in the 2nd half of any game was against the Cowboys. That deficit lasted 5 minutes and 24 seconds, and was the impetus for the Patriots scoring 17 straight points.
It’s difficult to compare teams from different years and eras, but if the Patriots beat the Colts this Sunday—especially if they blow them out—we could be watching the best team in the history of the NFL in terms of how much better they are than the rest of the league.
Eight weeks from now we might be watching the only 16-0 football team in NFL history wrapping up their season. And five weeks later, it might be 19-0. While other people can complain about what they’re seeing, I’m going to just sit back and enjoy the historic ride.
The next stop on this ride is Indianapolis, where the top rivalry in the NFL is renewed, as the Patriots and Colts play one of the greatest match-ups in regular season history.
Week 9 NFL Picks
TAMPA BAY (-3½) over Arizona TENNESSEE (-4) over Carolina BUFFALO (+1) over Cincinnati DETROIT (-3) over Denver Green Bay (+2) over KANSAS CITY NEW ORLEANS (-3) over Jacksonville MINNESOTA (+7) over San Diego ATLANTA (-3½) over San Francisco Washington (-3½) over NY JETS CLEVELAND (-1) over Seattle Houston (+3) over OAKLAND New England (-5½) over INDIANAPOLIS Dallas (-3) over PHILADELPHIA PITTSBURGH (-9) over Baltimore
The 2007 NFL season kicks off tomorrow night with the defending world champion Indianapolis Colts hosting the New Orleans Saints. Seven months after Peyton Manning and the Colts showed that they could indeed win the big one, they get to play the role of defending champion.
No more Michael Vick discussions. No more debates on the length of the preseason. No more reminiscing about (or gnashing teeth over) last year’s results.
I covered most of the questions that we’re all seeking answers to last week in Part 1 of the Sports in a Can NFL Preview. So, without further ado, let’s get to this year’s predictions. Division winners are in bold, wild card teams are in italics:
AFC East New England 13-3 Buffalo 7-9 NY Jets 7-9 Miami 4-12
In what amounted to a rebuilding year, the Patriots won 12 games and were one play away from the Super Bowl last season. Seven months later they’ve added the best defensive free agent available (Adalius Thomas) and three wide receivers (Wes Welker, Donte’ Stallworth, and Randy Moss) that are so much better than what they had last year they released last season’s yardage leader (Reche Caldwell). Does it matter that Richard Seymour can’t play until at least Week 7 or that Rodney Harrison was using HGH and will miss the first four games? A little, but not enough to derail what will be the best team in the NFL this year. Meanwhile, Buffalo lost almost all of their defensive players to free agency or injury. The Jets will take a step backward—last season’s 10 wins were a little suspect (their final 5 wins were against Houston, Miami, Oakland, Green Bay, and Minnesota, who won a combined 26 games, or 5.2 each). And the Dolphins are now officially a mess.
Questions abound in this division. How different will the Ravens’ defense be without Adalius Thomas? How much of an impact will new head coach Mike Tomlin have on the Steelers? How many Bengals will get arrested? And will the Browns ever be good? Baltimore shouldn’t miss Thomas much, as that defense is packed with players. The Steelers will be good enough under their new coach to get back to the playoffs. The Benglas will win exactly 8 games for the 4th time in 5 years. And the Browns are at least a year away. Maybe more.
AFC South
Indianapolis 12-4 Jacksonville 10-6 Tennessee 7-9 Houston 5-11
The defending Super Bowl Champion Colts lost linebacker Cato June, left tackle Tarik Glenn, defensive tackle Booger McFarland, and cornerback Nick Harper. They will not be as good as they were last year, but with four games against the Titans and Texans, along with Kansas City, Oakland, and Atlanta on the schedule, they don’t need to be as good to nail down 12 wins and their 5th straight division crown. Will Jacksonville ever be able to put it together? They released quarterback Byron Leftwhich over the weekend, meaning David Garrard (and his 3,543 career passing yards) is now the full-time starter. Their defense will be stellar again, but the offense is a huge question mark. The Titans, meanwhile, with Vince “I need to sleep in my own bed” Young will take a step backward. With games at Jacksonville, vs. Indianapolis, and at New Orleans to begin the season, there might be some bruised egos heading into their bye week. And the Texans remain the Texans. Unless Matt Shaub (and his 1,033 career passing yards) turns out to be the next Joe Montana. Which is doubtful.
AFC West
San Diego 11-5 Denver 8-8 Kansas City 5-11 Oakland 3-13
The Chargers had the talent to win it all last year. Unfortunately, they were led into the postseason by Marty Schottenheimer and his career 5-12 postseason record. And for the 4th time in his career, he took a 12+ win team into a home playoff game and lost. Replacing Schottenheimer is Norv Turner. You might know Turner (58-82-1 in his career) from such hits as, “I ruined the Redskins” and, “Yes you can win 9 games in 2 years with a team 2 years removed from the Super Bowl and still get another job.” San Diego has too much talent for even Norv to mess up that badly, so 11 wins and the division crown it is. He’ll be helped by the down year I predict for the AFC West. Denver head coach Mike Shanahan somehow coaxed 9 wins out of the Broncos last year. But with untested Jay Cutler anointed as the quarterback, I can’t see Denver winning more than 8 games. And the Chiefs will suffer the second year blues under head coach Herm Edwards. Meanwhile the Raiders continue to be just plain awful.
NFC East
Philadelphia 10-6 Washington 8-8 Dallas 7-9 NY Giants 6-10
Year after year, there’s one thing you can count on in the NFC East: The Eagles being at the top. The Eagles have won 10 games or more 6 times in the last 7 years, so I’ll give them the nod for 10 this year. The rest of the division has problems. The NFL may have passed Joe Gibbs by, but I’ll give him credit for giving it a go, and with the talent they have, there’s no reason for them to win fewer than 8 games. For the Cowboys, new head coach Wade Phillips is walking into a difficult situation. Only once out of the three times Bill Parcells has left a franchise has the team won more games the next season. Plus he’s got the Terrell Owens factor to deal with, along with quarterback Tony Romo’s psyche after dropping the snap on last year’s extra point in the playoffs. And then there are the Giants. I was high on them last year but the fact remains that Eli is no Peyton, head coach Tom Coughlin’s style has a short shelf life, and they’re going to miss running back Tiki Barber (over 2,000 yards rushing and receiving in each of the last three years) more than they think.
NFC North
Chicago 12-4 Minnesota 9-7 Green Bay 6-10 Detroit 4-12
It’s a testament to how bad the NFC is in comparison to the AFC that the Bears are probably going to win 12 games again. They have a solid defense, an awful quarterback, and a head coach that’s out of his element in the biggest moments. (Lovie Smith is a nice enough guy, but re-read my recap of last year’s “win” over the Seahawks in the playoffs and tell me if you’d want him coaching your team.) But playing in the NFC, having the 31st easiest schedule (according to last season’s records), and fielding a defense that can win games by itself at times will power the Bears to 12 wins. The Vikings seem to be the only other team in this division that has a chance to be respectable. I like what Brad Childress is doing in Minnesota, and he has turned that team from a laughing stock into a potential playoff team. They just need to find some offense to go with their incredible run-stopping defense (they allowed 111 fewer rushing yards per game than the Colts last year). I still don’t know how Green Bay won 8 games last year, but without running back Ahman Green, Brett Favre will have to throw more. With 47 interceptions (to go with 38 touchdowns) in the last two seasons, Favre throwing more is not what the Packers are looking for. And the Lions can run as many 5 receiver sets as they want. Jon Kitna is throwing the ball to them.
NFC South
New Orleans 12-4 Carolina 11-5 Tampa Bay 9-7 Atlanta 2-14
The Saints, last year’s surprise team, will continue to be a team on the rise. Drew Brees has seemingly overnight transformed into one of the premier quarterbacks in the league. Since his abysmal 2003 season, Brees has thrown 77 touchdowns against only 33 interceptions. Last season he led the league with 4,418 passing yards. Between Brees, the emergence of all-world Reggie Bush, and the coaching of Sean Payton, the Saints will emerge as the top team in the NFC this year. Meanwhile, the Panthers will be right there with them, winning 11 games. How do I know for sure? Here are the Panthers’ wins the last 5 years: 7-11-7-11-8. And it should have been 7 last year—I have no idea how the Panthers won in Baltimore in Week 6. So 11 it is. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is putting it together finally. I thought last year would be the year, but with the addition of Jeff “I am now the man” Garcia, 9 wins seems attainable. And Michael Vick has a better chance of starring in a Prison Break cameo than the Falcons do of winning more than 2 games this year.
NFC West
San Francisco 10-6 Seattle 10-6 St. Louis 8-8 Arizona 7-9
An improved 49ers squad will finally make the leap to the promised land of the playoffs this year. Consider this: San Francisco beat Seattle twice last season and then got the Seahawks’ best receiver (Darrell Jackson) from them in a trade. Quarterback Alex Smith is improving, running back Frank Gore is a force, and—with a division title presumably on the line—the 49ers finish the season with three straight home games and then a trip to Cleveland. I don’t trust the Seahawks and I never will, but I’ll give them 10 wins and a wild card berth. St. Louis seems headed for another 8-8 season—they’re not good enough to challenge for the division, but their offense is too good to lose too many games. And then there are the Cardinals. I was ready to anoint them the surprise team—again. But they lost two different players in the preseason with torn muscles, which you just have to think is a bad sign. They will be good—and soon—but this isn’t the year for any more than 7 wins.
The Playoffs
Week 1: Baltimore (3) beats Pittsburgh (6); Jacksonville (5) beats San Diego (4); Philadelphia (3) beats Seattle (6); Carolina (5) beats San Francisco (4)
Week 2: New England (1) beats Jacksonville (5); Indianapolis (2) beats Baltimore (3); New Orleans (1) beats Carolina (5); Philadelphia (3) beats Chicago (1)
NFC Championship Game: New Orleans over Philadelphia, continuing the remarkable turnaround for the Saints franchise.
AFC Championship Game: New England vs. Indianapolis. Right where we left off in January. In the next edition of this great rivalry, the Patriots get the upper hand and advance to the Super Bowl for the 4th time in 7 years.
Super Bowl XLII: After winning their first three Super Bowls by a combined 9 points, the Patriots win this one by 9 points, 34-25 over New Orleans.
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Week 1 Picks
Last year, 7 underdogs won outright in Week 1, and 2 others covered the spread. The year before it was 6 and 1. The trick is finding the right underdogs this early in the season.
INDIANAPOLIS (-6½) over New Orleans BUFFALO (+3) over Denver Kansas City (+3) over HOUSTON JACKSONVILLE (-6½) over Tennessee MINNESOTA (-3) over Atlanta New England (-6½) over NY JETS Philadelphia (-3) over GREEN BAY Pittsburgh (-4½) over CLEVELAND Carolina (+1) over ST. LOUIS WASHINGTON (-3) over Miami Detroit (+1½) over OAKLAND SAN DIEGO (-5½) over Chicago SEATTLE (-6) over Tampa Bay NY Giants (+6) over DALLAS Baltimore (+2½) over CINCINNATI SAN FRANCISCO (-3) over Arizona
Last week I compared the AFC teams to TV shows. This week, it’s the NFC’s turn to go head-to-head with TV (plus two bonus ones for the World Series).
NFC East
CSI: New York New York Giants (4-2)
I never jumped on the CSI bandwagon. CSI guys are usually the geeks who find the clues that help the better-looking cops solve the crimes. But in the CSI series, the geeks are the stars—and they also solve the entire crime single-handedly. Every CSI show seems the same to me. Just like the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins are all very similar to me right now. A quarterback who scares you to death more often than impresses you. A crazy teammate who runs off at the mouth whenever possible (Jeremy Shockey, Terrell Owens). Three teams that win games they should lose and lose games they should win. The Eagles might win this division by default.
ER Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
NBC was ready to pull the plug on this one and then…boom! Right there! People are watching it again. Everyone expected this show to disappear into the sunset. And yet there they are, holding onto their timeslot. It’s the show that everyone at other networks still secretly fears. The Eagles’ three losses have come thusly: an overtime loss after blowing a 17-point 4th quarter lead; a 3-point loss in the new toughest place to play (New Orleans); and a 2-point loss following the 3rd-longest field goal in history. This is the team everyone else in the NFC secretly fears right now.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
Let the Drew Bledsoe-Tony Romo-Bill Parcells-Jerry Jones fun begin. And you thought Terrell Owens made this the best show on TV? This is getting good now. A little goofy and over the top (just like the original CSI), but fun nonetheless.
CSI: Miami Washington Redskins (2-5)
I have nothing more to add. See above for the CSI info. See below (the bottom of the NFC East standings) to see how the ‘Skins are doing.
NFC North
Grey’s Anatomy Chicago Bears (6-0)
The #1 show on TV has to go to the current darlings of the NFL. And just like the TV show, I can’t figure out how the Bears are doing it. Is Rex Grossman really this good? Or is the guy we saw in Arizona on Monday Night Football the real Rex Grossman. I can’t imagine the Bears will keep this pace up. Just as I can’t see Grey’s Anatomy staying the hot show for too long. I love those who do these power rankings and have debates about who the best team in football is. It’s October. Talk to me in Januarywhen this team goes home early. Again.
NCIS Minnesota Vikings (4-2)
I can’t explain it. It’s goofy—but not too goofy. It’s serious—but not too serious. It features Mark Harmon, who looked to be the next superstar at one time. (Moonlighting, Summer School, The Presidio. Harmon was this close to being a superstar.) Now he’s the big fish on a medium-sized TV show. Somehow the cast pulls it all together to make a show that’s fun, believable, entertaining—and Top 10 in the ratings. The 2006 Vikings—who no longer live in the shadows of Randy Moss, the sex boat scandal, and the former coaching staff—are 4-2 and challenging the Bears for the NFC North crown. Harmon plays Brad Johnson in this show.
The New Adventures of Old Christine Green Bay Packers (2-4)
Remember the glory days? Elaine and Jerry and George and Kramer. Every once in a while, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is funny now, but it’s just not the same. Every once in a while, the Packers can put it all together and win a game. But the days of 10+ wins and Super Bowl appearances are long gone. Seriously, Brett. Enough’s enough.
Football Night in America Detroit Lions (1-6)
Let’s get the Lions out of the way quickly. They’re awful. Their only remaining winnable game will be the much-hyped Lions-Cardinals match-up in Week 11. The loser of that one will be The Biggest Loser—and receive the number one draft pick. Now, on to Football Night in America. Whose idea was this? NFL Primetime was the greatest football wrap-up show of all time, but because ESPN doesn’t have the Sunday night game anymore, they don’t have the all-access highlight show that we’re used to. Instead NBC has it. Football Night in America is no NFL Primetime. On Primetime, you’d get a 3-minute package of highlights per game, complete with music. And Chris Berman’s nicknames and Tom Jackson’s analysis. It was on for 90 glorious minutes. Football Night in America? It’s an extended halftime show with useless banter among a group of goofy guys on leather seats.
NFC South
Shark New Orleans Saints (5-1)
Another lawyer show. Another movie actor making the jump to TV. I almost didn’t even add this one to the TiVo list this year. But you know what? It’s good. Really good. Neither hokey nor preachy, it gets the job done and makes me want to watch again. The Saints are 5-1. Their home games are must-see events. They’re the unexpected good show of the season. (And who would have guessed this would happen with Reggie Bush on pace for just 523 rushing yards? I feel better and better about The Bet every day.)
Jericho Atlanta Falcons (4-2)
The most unique show on TV goes to the most unique team in the NFL. The Falcons rush for about 4,000 yards per game. Michael Vick is one of the most exciting players in the game. But then sometimes they go out and do something like lose at home to the Giants 19-3. I can’t explain it. It’s kind of like a nuclear explosion went off one town over and no one can figure out what to do. Actually, it’s exactly like that.
Smallville Carolina Panthers (4-3)
Their best players are a quarterback no one could pick out of a lineup (Jake Delhomme) and a 5'9" wideout who catches everything (Steve Smith). (Smallville. Get it?)
The Nine Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4)
OK, something happened inside the bank. Actually, a lot of things happened considering two people died, everyone’s completely #### up now, and the hostage crisis lasted 52 hours. But if they’re only going to show us what happened in the bank 5 minutes at a time, I fear this show will be cancelled before we ever learn very much. Something crazy happens to the Bucs every week. Quarterback Chris Simms was almost killed after a sack one week. Matt Bryant kicked a 62-yard field goal last week. You never really know what’s going to happen—nor if they’ll turn the lights out in Tampa before the playoffs start.
NFC West
Dancing With the Stars Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
First of all, “stars” is a little deceiving. In three years, the biggest “stars” on this show have been J. Peterman from Seinfeld, Nick Lachey’s brother, and Screech from Saved by the Bell. (Fine, it’s Slater. But you get the point.) Something’s making this the #3 show on TV right now, though. The Seattle Seahawks? No big names there either. And yet they made it to the Super Bowl last year. Of course, maybe if they had Emmitt Smith to rush for them, things might be different.
Justice St. Louis Rams (4-2)
Sometimes a show comes along that you really don’t want to admit you like, but you do anyway. That’s Justice. It’s completely over the top, the acting is awful, the plots are atrocious, and I sit wondering how the heck this drivel ever got on the air. But it’s completely absorbing. The Rams are no longer the Greatest Show on Turf. But they can still be fun to watch.
Survivor San Francisco 49ers (2-4)
The show that put reality TV on the map. Once the most dominant show TV, now it’s reduced to a sideshow gimmick (“let’s separate the camps by race”). It’s a sad state of affairs for society, TV, and life in general. Ask any 49er fan to show you his autographed 1990 Montana jersey and he’ll tell you all about it.
Desperate Housewives Arizona Cardinals (1-6)
So much promise. You remember it being good at one point but you’re not sure when that was. The plots make no sense. You keep waiting for it to get better and yet it gets worse. But mostly you keep watching just to see something crazy happen. Yep, that’s the Cardinals in a nutshell.
The World Series
Supernatural St. Louis Cardinals (3-1)
If they win the World Series, they’ll do so after winning two fewer games than the previous worst all-time champion, the 1987 Twins, who beat the Cardinals that year. They almost blew a 7½ game lead in 11 days. And yet here they are, one win away from hoisting the trophy.
Friday Night Smackdown! Detroit Tigers (1-3)
First of all, can everyone stop calling the Tigers a feel-good story? Where’s this angle coming from? The manager’s got a World Series ring already and most of the players on the team are under 30. The team hasn’t made the playoffs in 19 years—and this is due to a complete mismanagement of the team and its players. I’m missing the Hollywood story here. And then there’s Kenny Rogers, a de####able human being who topped off his lackluster career by showing a national television audience that he cheats. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either a Tigers fan or blind (or maybe both). But in Major League Baseball’s continuing attempt to become the new WWE, no one does anything about it. Why don’t they just come out with new rules that penalize guys that don’t use performance-enhancing substances, and let the pitchers and hitters do whatever they want to the ball at all times? Now that would make for riveting television.
NFL Week 8 Picks
GREEN BAY (-4) over Arizona CINCINNATI (-3½) over Atlanta NEW ORLEANS (-1½) over Baltimore TENNESSEE (-3) over Houston Jacksonville (+7½) over PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO (-15½) over San Francisco KANSAS CITY (-4) over Seattle Tampa Bay (+9½) over NY GIANTS St. Louis (+9½) over SAN DIEGO DENVER (-3) over Indianapolis NY Jets (+1½) over CLEVELAND Pittsburgh (-9) over OAKLAND CAROLINA (-5½) over Dallas New England (-2) over MINNESOTA
The important thing to remember as a player, fan, or gambler, is never to get too excited about a win or too despondent about a loss. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. We have miles to go before we sleep. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. I’m sure one of those old expressions works here.
And so here we are after Week 1 of the NFL season. Are you still in your elimination pool, or did you pick Kansas City or Carolina? Did your fantasy team get a surprise gift from Chad Pennington, or did you rue the fact that you don’t have LaDainian Tomlinson? Again. And how’s that Reggie Bush bet working out so far? (58 yards rushing, on pace for 928 this season.)
It’s only one week. That’s what we have to keep telling ourselves. The folks at Sports Illustrated could still get their predicted Super Bowl match-up. Even if Carolina was shut out at home and the Dolphins’ offense looked as if they just met in the huddle for the first time. (“Hi, I’m Daunte. Yes, you can pet my seeing-eye dog. What’s your name?”) And yours truly was left to wonder how two of my first predictions of the year—that the Colts would lose to the Giants and that both the Giants and Cowboys would win their first five games—could go awry so quickly.
But we carry on. That’s what we do. Even with a pathetic 5-11 opening week, I’m not feeling too low. It’s a long season, and every week is a learning process. So we’ll go game by game this week and try to apply what we learned from watching last week’s games.
Buffalo at Miami (-6½)
The Bills’ defense might just be better than I thought. And it’s the only way they’ll win any games, because J.P. Losman is awful. How can you take a safety late in the 4th quarter of a tie game? And
