Judging by the title, the avatar, and blog history, it’s fairly easy to draw the conclusion that I’m a Giants die-hard. I’m a New Jersey native, and the Giants are New Jersey’s team. Yes, I’m a die-hard, but I’d like to think that I can be and have been reasonably objective. That being said, the Giants are off to a fast 4-0 start and are looking every bit the championship caliber team that the preseason favorites, as per usual, are not. Still, as a fan, there’s something left to be desired.

Yes, the Giants are off to a 4-0 start. They lead the league in points per game at 31.8. They are second to the Titans in points allowed at 12.3. They are first in total offense at a staggering 431 yards per game, and their defense isn’t looking terrible either, holding opponents to 236 yards per game and ranking third in the league. Eli Manning has been superb, throwing one pick through the first four, while completing 64% of his passes. They have outscored opponents by an average of 19.5 points per game. In short, the Giants are motoring.

However, as a fan, I’m still looking for more out of this football team. The Giants are 4-0, but having played only one single team with a winning record. Granted, that team was in fact the Washington Redskins, who are undoubtedly the number two team in the NFC, and perhaps even the entire NFL. It was Parcells that said you can only play the schedule that you are given. Still, blowout victories over teams with losing records have not spiked my optimism. If anything, I find myself craving the big games even more so.

The Giants get the Browns on Monday Night Football next week, and then take the 49ers at homes, in what amounts to two very winnable contests. No NFL team can be taken for granted, but the Giants should by all means be 6-0 heading into Pittsburgh. That sparks the test. The Giants are the elite, but to prove it, they will need to come away with two of those games. And if they only come away with two victories, one of them has to be Dallas. Let’s quickly look ahead:

Giants @ Steelers (week 8): The Steelers have managed to keep a respectable record to this point, despite their offensive coordinator or whoever is calling the plays for that offense, nearly throwing the Jacksonville game away. They had over a quarter left of football to play, and the Steelers almost completely gave up on the run. Steelers fans, be thankful you have a guy as impressive as Big Ben behind center, because he single-handedly kept the game alive at times.

That being said, the Steelers have a strong defense, undoubtedly one of the top units in the league. However, the Giants have them in the trenches, and ought to be able to overpower that weak offensive line. The Steelers’ defense, while very strong, will still have its hands full with an offense that has countless weapons. The Giants, on paper, ought to be able to pull this one out. But paper that’s not marked by dead presidents isn’t very valuable, so only time will tell.

Giants vs. Cowboys (week 9): No matter what the case for the Giants heading into this game, whether they are 7-0 or 4-3, this is a must-win game. Nothing says “statement game” like having the chance to put the first lick on Dallas on your home turf. The G-men could lose to the Eagles and Steelers in this stretch, but if they can send the Cowboys away with an “L”, they’ll have made their point.

Dallas can’t be underestimated. Are the overrated? Sure. I’m starting to wonder when the analysts will start basing their definition of talent on high-profile players from previous years. Young guys have stepped it up all over the place, and yesterday’s talent is not quite the same as today’s. The Giants’ offense has just as many weapons to match the Dallas Cowboys. If the Giants are a half-step back as far as receivers go, they make up for that with a backfield that has averaged a league-leading 181.3 yards per game. The Giants have three backs over 100 yards and are averaging over 6 yards per carry between them, while still having a starting running back in Jacobs posting 95 yards per game. Can we say that the Giants have just as much talent as the Cowboys yet?

Still, the Dallas Cowboys are the Dallas Cowboys. They are talented. Overrated, but that’s because the media hyped them up like there was no tomorrow. Still, they are one of the most stacked teams in the NFL. Contrary to Pittsburgh, Dallas has a great offensive line, and that will make this contest that much tougher for the Giants. The Redskins have the style of defense that more naturally offsets a great offensive line when executed properly, in the sense that they don’t bring the heat very often, but stay very aggressive in the d-backfield and don’t leave much open. On defense, it is essential for the Giants to be able to overpower that offensive line and pressure Romo, because that is their style of play. This presents a slightly greater challenge than the Redskins faced (not by any means a discredit to what they did), though hats off to the ‘Skins for doing that without Jason Taylor.

I wouldn’t past the Dallas defense to buckle down and play well either. Can they stop this Giant offense? They haven’t been living up to their hype, but they still have talent. For Dallas to win this game, they are going to have to win it on defense. This Giants offense is firing on all cylinders, and they are a difficult unit to defend, especially when you have to prepare for three running backs with different styles that are equally explosive.

Again though, this is going to be a statement game for both teams. Dallas embarrassed the G-men in East Rutherford last year with a two-score victory, but the Giants got the last laugh. It’s going to come down to who wants it more, and I hope it’s my Giants.

Giants @ Eagles (week 10): The Eagles have been the slowest off the gun this year, and nothing concerns the hell out of me more than that, and that is as a Giants fan. The Eagles are a team that could be 2-6 heading into this game, and head out of it at 3-6 following a very convincing win. If you are not familiar with the NFC East, then you have no idea what a real trap-game is. It’s early yet, but this is shaping up to be that kind of situation for the Giants, and I don’t even think the Eagles will have fallen short of a respectable record at that point.

The Eagles have the talent. For three quarters, their offense looked unstoppable in Dallas on Monday Night. Their defense, while somewhat inconsistent, has been scary good at times. And let’s face it, Jim Johnson is hands down one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. He’ll be going against his disciple in Steve Spagnuolo, and you can bet he’ll be bringing his best.

The Giants certainly have the talent to beat Philly, but again, nothing’s guaranteed.


As a Giants’ fan, I’ll continue to bet on my Giants. However, for the unbiased observer, I’d advise against placing any kind of money on these contests. We have three games in which you can throw all predictions out of the window. As a Giant fan though, I couldn’t be less patient as I wait for this stretch to begin. These are the three I want.

What to predict, what to predict? Let's take a look at some teams listed as viable Super Bowl contenders this year:

Colts: 1-2
Jaguars: 2-2
Patriots: 2-1 (and very misleading, at that)
Chargers: 2-2
Vikings: 1-3 (though I never considered them a genuine Super Bowl team, the hype was certainly there)

Now, we all could imagine that some of the teams on this list would have come across some difficulties at this point in the season, but I don't think anybody imagined they all would. The AFC is wide open, and that's a preliminary to one of my picks. I'm not crazy, I swear to you.

TEN @ BAL: Tennessee hasn’t beaten any great teams yet, but Baltimore doesn’t fall into the “great team” category anyhow. Tennessee has the stingier defense and a veteran at quarterback. Upset special for Baltimore? I can’t call it. Winner: Tennessee

KC @ CAR: Kansas City didn’t so much prove that they are decent football team as much as they merely highlighted just how bad Denver is on the defensive side on the ball. They won’t run all day on Carolina, and Carolina gets a sure win at home. Winner: Carolina

CHI @ DET: Detroit finally ousted Millen. Detroit is still the same Detroit we know and love, and the same Detroit that Detroit fans find painful to watch. Winner: Chicago

ATL @ GB: Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to be Brett Favre. He’s known that for years as Favre’s backup, and with an organization that showed some guts in supporting him, he won’t forget it this week. It’s unrealistic. One thing I admire about Rodgers is that he looks like a guy who’s learned from a great quarterback and is trying to make a mark as a great quarterback in his own right, as opposed to trying to be the guy that he studied under. Rodgers will be ready to go if he plays on Sunday. Winner: Green Bay

IND @ HOU: Indianapolis has been ####ed up. With the bye week, they are still hurting. They’ll be alright though. They have time to heal before playing Tennessee, and they’ll take this one from Houston. Peyton Manning will have a level-head, and for football fans, it’s going to be exciting to watch Peyton Manning grind out Ws. Winner: Indianopolis

SD @ MIA: In a recent blog post, I projected Miami sneaking into the playoffs this year on a wildcard spot in a shaky AFC. That starts here with a huge upset over San Diego. Granted, I think the Chargers are still looking damn good to take the conference this year with the way things have been going in the AFC, I still think this Miami team has upset potential. They don’t turn the ball over, and their one-two in the backfield is going to be rough on the Chargers. Winner: Miami

SEA @ NYG: Having the Bengals at home was a trap game, and as a Giants fan, it wasn’t the kind of thriller you like to see your team take part in. However, a “W” is a “W”, and the trap-game has come and gone. Or has it? The Giants are notoriously bad after the bye. Plaxico has been benched. However, I think the young guys will pick up the slack very nicely, seizing one of the few opportunities to be the go-to receivers they will have this year. The Giants have to pick up a win following a bye at some point or another, don’t they? Winner: New Jersey

WAS @ PHI: Philly is a physical team, and they are at home. But the Redskins have some confidence, and they’ll ride it out into this week over an Eagles team that has their greatest component on offense listed as questionable. This will put Philly in a tough spot if they lose, and Washington will be getting the Super Bowl hype when they win. Winner: Washington

TB @ DEN: Explosive offense, or great defense? I’ll take the great defense sir, and can I get a little “your offense couldn’t outscore the Kansas City Chiefs” on the side? Thank you. Have a good one. Winner: Tampa Bay

BUF @ ARI: Buffalo hasn’t gotten much credit at 4-0, and no, maybe they don’t deserve it. But take a look around the AFC and tell me who has lived up to the expectations? The Bills will be listed as a weak 5-0, but that’s still just two wins short of the total they accounted for last season in a 5 games as opposed to 16. Winner: Buffalo

CIN @ DAL: You know, Dallas has the talent, but I just think they are poised to fall apart against the Bengals. Oh, I couldn’t resist that. In all seriousness, Cincinatti without Carson Palmer means that the “any given Sunday” rule does not even apply. Winner: Dallas

NE @ SF: The Gold Rush is back! The Gold Rush is back! The Gold Rush is back! The problem is that New England is going to loot the 49ers down to their last peso. Winner: New England

PIT @ JAC: Pittsburgh is ####ed up. Jacksonville isn’t 100% either though, and Pittsburgh’s defense is still a rough unit. I’m going to bank on the fact that Jacksonville, while they will generate pressure, it won’t be enough to put Big Ben out of the game like the Eagles had. Winner: Pittsburgh

MIN @ NO: The Saints offense is starting to get some momentum going, and Minnesota has been dealt a tough slate and now finds themselves at 1-3. I’m going to pick against the Vikings in spite, seeing as in the preseason, they rivaled the Saints of ’07 with all of the Super Bowl hype surrounding what was in reality a .500 team. And to be honest, I just can’t stand that. Winner: Saints

Twelve teams make the playoffs in this league. That being said, these rankings will feature six teams from each conference. No more. No less. Your team may be a top 12 team in theory, but when push comes to shove, only 12 teams make the playoffs. As they stack up right now, the only teams that have proven anything remain in the NFC East. Bias? I guess one could call it that, but the top two teams in the AFC just haven't beaten anybody, and the rest of the conference is off to a pretty sorry start, considering where they were just a year ago.

1. New York Giants (NFC East division title): The defending Super Bowl champions are in first place in hands down the best division of football. Granted, any team in the NFC East could take the division, but right now, with Dallas hitting a snag, the Giants are undeniably the team to beat. If I sound biased, I really could care less. With what we've seen in the NFL this year, the Giants deserve the #1 spot, especially after a Cowboys loss. Granted, it was week 1 and this Redskins team has gotten better, but the Giants kept Washington out of that game altogether, and the Redskins are proving they are a talented football team. The defending champs are consistent on both sides of the ball, ranked 4th in both total offense and total defense, as well as tied for 2nd in the league in points allowed at 14.3 per game.

2. Washington Redskins (Wildcard): The Washington Redskins are doing what everybody is marveling at the Titans for doing, only they are playing ball-control football against better teams. That's exactly why I had the Redskins picked for an upset in Dallas. Both the Titans and the 'Skins share the league lead with a +6 turnover differential. However, the Redskins have proven they can control the ball against a talented cowboys team, holding onto the ball for over 38 minutes in that game. That's the kind of play that brings home championships.

3. Dallas Cowboys (Wildcard): The biggest cause for concern for the Cowboys is what makes the Washington Redskins a tough football team. Ball control. They have a big-play offense, and the kind of offense that is liable to score on an opposing defense every time it takes the field. That's all fine and good, but twice this year Dallas has had problems in the time of possession battle. Against the Eagles, they were dominated in that regard into the third quarter of play. The Redskins dominated that battle throughout. The Dallas defense is solid, but when put out on the field for twice as long as the offense, they are put into a bad situation. That will wear on this defense and the unit may have problems late in the season if the Dallas offense doesn't manage the clock better.

4. Buffalo Bills (AFC East division title): Sure, Titans fans probably aren't too happy to see their team not in the top two, let alone fall behind the Bills. At the very least, the opponents the Bills have beaten combine for a total of 4-11, which is one game ahead of those that Tennessee has beaten. Their defense is playing well, and their offense is far more explosive than that of Tennessee. If you're looking for a the overlooked mark the Bills have made through the first four that resembles that of a championship squad, look no further than their defense's ability to come up with the stop on third down, with a league leading 19.2%. Granted, this will probably change once they encounter better opponents, but even to force weaker teams punt more than four out of five times is damn good.

5. Tennessee Titans (AFC South Division title): The Titans have yet to beat a legitimate opponent this year, so I'm sorry I'm not sorry for ranking them this low, considering their four opponents have a combined record of 3-12. How this fact has completely escaped the minds of fans and analysts alike is beyond me. They are ranked a whopping 22nd in the league in offense. Now, that being said, I've always said the Titans were a good team, and they are playing good football. They just haven't done anything great yet this year, and a division that was supposed to be the AFC counterpart to the NFC East is a whopping 3-7 outside of Tennessee, while the East is 8-4 outside of the front-running New York Giants.

Plenty of people will draw comparisons between the Titans and championship teams. The difference-maker is that championship teams do what the Titans are doing now to good football teams. I'll believe in the Titans when they grind one out against a team with a winning record.

6. Carolina Panthers (NFC South division title): The Panthers have played well, and winning the first two without Steve Smith was solid. They get the one-up over the Bucs here because they don't turn the ball over so much on offense, even though the Buc's defensive play has made up for that. Still, at 3-1, the Panthers only have outscored opponents by a total of 10 points. What to make of that? Well, they have some resolve, that's for sure. Two wins decided by a field goal or less came against good teams in the Chargers and Bears, without Steve Smith. The loss to the Vikings will go overlooked, for now.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North division winner): Yes, the offense has taken a couple of more hits and losing a starting guard is no joke for a line that has already been looking poor. Still, the Steelers defense is one that will win games for them. Surprisingly enough, they are behind only the Redskins and Titans in the turnover differential column, and that's a credit to Big Ben just as much as it is this defense. Despite taking an absolute beating, Roethlisberger has kept a good handle on the ball.They will grind out wins, and with Cleveland looking in poor shape this year, it will be another division title for Pittsburgh.

8. San Diego Chargers (AFC West division title): San Diego Super Chargers? I'm Ron Burgundy? Well, San Diego came back and beat the Raiders to avoid a 1-3 start. Granted, they haven't been playing great football, but for this team, it was merely the "W" they needed. Much like the Colts need to do in this week upcoming, the Chargers bought some time to get back into a groove. They will, and fortunately for them, the Broncos don't have the defense to make a run at the division crown.

9. Green Bay Packers (NFC North division winner): Aaron Rodgers is currently being limited to handoffs in practice, but it looks as though he is going to start against the Falcons. It was a toss-up between Da Bears and the Pack, but I just can't bank on Kyle Orton to play decent enough week in and week out. We won't have an idea until week 11, and that's one to mark on the calender. The Packers got the guns on offense. Da Bears have the defense. Sure, defense wins championships, but nobody ever said offense couldn't get you there. The Packers defense will settle down and get back to their '07 form, giving them the edge.

10. Indianapolis Colts (Wildcard): The Colts are off to a shaky start and are being dragged down by injuries. They needed that bye week, and all they need to do this week is stay healthy against the Texans and come away with the "W". This is not a statement game for the Colts. They've got three games upcoming before they take on the Titans, and I can certainly see them coming away with two of those to pull to .500. They ought to be quite a bit healthier when they take on the Titans, which will make for an exciting game. The Colts will heal up, and much like the 2006 regular season which ended with a Super Bowl victory, the Colts will be dangerous come playoff time. Perhaps it's even better for this team to not have a chance to rest in the last week of the season, as it surely didn't help them in '07.

11. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West division title): Arizona was brought down to earth in these past couple of weeks, and if I didn't have a crazy wildcard selection to throw at you, they would be in the twelve spot. The Arizona Cardinals are going to be that one team that keeps the fans guessing, "Is there really going to be a 7-9 team in the playoffs this year?" Brought back down to earth via the Redskins and Jets, this Cardinals team will win in the same fashion many thought the Seahawks would earn a playoff berth: keeping their head above water in a very weak division. Good news for the Cardinals though: the Gold Rush is not in fact back, the Seahawks are sending Holmgren off in dramatic fashion, and the Rams are making a case for the #1 draft selection.

12. Miami Dolphins (Wildcard): Call me crazy. Say it again. I'll take two for this one, but in a weak division and conference this year, the Dolphins have the guns to grab that last spot. I just said the Dolphins have the guns to grab that last spot. I did. I said it, and I will take all accountability for saying it. However, seeing as turnovers are the theme of the day, let's throw a number out there: 1. Just one turnover by this Dolphins team this year, and that single turnover was a Pennington interception in the final second of the Dolphins/Jets contest in a situation in which he had to force a pass. But that's not the whole story here.

The one-two punch of Brown/Williams finally got going in full effect last week. With Pennington being the "underrated game manager" that he is, and I wholeheartedly agree with the SRMgenius when he says that, this offense has the pieces to be real good. The defense is young, but not terrible. They will make progress. Most importantly, it's a Bill Parcells team, and everybody knows that he can turn around the league's worst faster than anybody.

An upset over San Diego in week 5 is a viable possibility, especially with the coaching staff's apparent willingness to get creative with the play-calling. The Dolphins went up against a very good receiving core (even without Brady, a tough unit to cover) against New England, and had the bye week to serve as additional preparation. One can imagine that they will throw something interesting out there. A win over San Diego would set the tone for the rest of the season, and would put the Dolphins right there in the mix.

Dark horses:

Philadelphia Eagles: Shame to call this team a dark horse, but right now they seem to be falling back to Philly's old bad habits. They could easily make the top ten on the rankings here, and they could very well make the playoffs with a wildcard berth. With every single game in this NFC East being so critical though, Philly has to be able to close out games. They haven't done that in two big games this year.

Denver Broncos: I'm sorry, but a team that is all offense and absolutely no defense is hard to consider a playoff team, especially if dropping a game to the Kansas City Chiefs is any indication. Definitely got some firepower and could very well pull it together, but I do think this team is poised for an average season, and not a whole lot more.

First off, I would like to address the Monday Night "thriller" between the Cowboys and Eagles. Whoever buys into the idea that the shootout between these two teams was a showcase of talent is out of his mind. Alex Marvez calls Tony Romo's play heroic, and I'm thinking that he watched a different game. Tony Romo cost his team big on that endzone fumble, and when he had a chance to put the game away, he went three and out. Donovan McNabb simply wanted the game less, fumbling it twice on handoffs and running around like an #### and not making a play when afforded all of the time in the world. On third and long, a veteran quarterback should know that checking it down is a must. To take a sack there was absolutely horrendous.

Where was that mighty pro-bowl supplemented defense of the Dallas Cowboys last night? The Eagles moved the ball effortlessly. Just the same, while the Eagles did a great job stuffing the run, their secondary got beat on the deep ball too many times. The difference in the game was the awful special teams play of the Eagles, as Felix Jones picked them apart to provide beautiful field position time and time again. Overall, a pretty sloppy game, and these two teams better pick up their play or they will lose this week to two very hot teams in Green Bay and Pittsburgh.

KC 10 @ ATL 21: Atlanta will work off a Michael Turner to beat a weak Kansas City team and jump to a misleading 2-1 start.

OAK 7@ BUF 24: Buffalo is looking more and more like the team to beat in the AFC East. The Patriots/Jets game indicated that the Jets just aren't a playoff caliber team. Buffalo is looking like the only real threat out of a sorry division, but that is not to take any credit away from them. Buffalo is 2-0 against '07 playoff squads, a mere two weeks into the season.

CAR 27 @ MIN 17: Carolina has gotten back to their playoff-caliber form, but let's not write off the Vikings just yet. EDIT: Let's in fact write off the Vikings. Gus under center is worse than Jackson under center, and even if he plays well this week (which I wouldn't bank on), he'll fall apart sooner than later. This is a must win for the Vikings, and the coaching staff has decided that they must lose.

ARI 24 @ WAS 28: This Washington picked up some confidence last week, and while Kurt Warner has looked brilliant, his near-perfect game did come against the Miami Dolphins. The 'Skins take this one.

TB 14 @ CHI 20: The Bears showed last week that their win against the Colts was no fluke. Their defense is looking like more than Tampa can handle at the moment. Da Bears.

HOU 14 @ TEN 24: Tennessee will move to 3-0 with Collins under center. Collins can win games, and he looked pretty damn impressive in week two.

MIA 14 @ NE 17: If Miami can finally get their ground game going, it will be a close game. I expect them too, but Matt Cassel will still be a headline next week, with a miraculous 2-0 record as a starting quarterback.

CIN 10 @ NYG 31: The defending Super Bowl champions continue to sharpen their game against inferior opponents, such as the hapless Bengals.

NO 20 @ DEN 28: Denver is the more complete team. Sure, they may have been put into position to win by a bogus call, but they still had to take advantage and execute. I like the call by Shanahan. It was a gutsy move to go for the conversion, and that will pay dividends for him and his team's confidence.

STL 17 @ SEA 28: I cannot decide who is a bigger disappointment between the Rams and the 'Hawks, even though Seattle has the upper hand in this one. The Rams just look embarrassed, and Scott Linehan looks like a joke out there on the sideline. The Seahawks are looking like this year's first legitimate pretender, and the NFC West is no longer soft enough for them to slip into the playoffs.

DET 17 @ SF 24: Detroit is looking a lot like Detroit, and San Fransisco will come out on top in this one. No need for a lengthy explanation regarding why the Detroit Lions are just awful year after year. Though to me, it's more entertaining to have a team like the Lions to depend on to be a sub .500 squad every year. It gives you something to talk about during the week. "Hey Al, what happened to your team on Sunday? Lost to the Detroit Lions, and you said they were going places. Chuckle, chuckle."

JAC 13 @ IND 17: Indy is simply looking like they may have gotten it together, and Jacksonville, while still a good football team, looks like they haven't. Indy keeps within a game of the Titans at week three's conclusion.

CLE 21 @ BAL 20: Cleveland's been a disappointment this year, and injuries are only hurting an already shoddy defense, but they have enough firepower to beat out the Ravens, at the very least.

PIT 27 @ PHI 28: This is going to be a hell o####ame. I'm going back and forth on this one as I write this, but I'm going to have to give it to Philly in Philly.

DAL 20 @ GB 31: I'm doing the unthinkable. That is, I'm putting the Cowboys down two scores to the Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers. Who was it that gave the Pack a fighting chance with brilliant play when Brett "The Media's Beloved Jet" Favre was playing pretty damn poorly in the regular season against the Cowboys? Aaron Rodgers. The young quarterback is the real deal, and he faces an overrated defense on Sunday. Wade Phillips is a disgusting excuse for a head coach there in Dallas, judging by his reported comments at halftime and his refusal to acknowledge that the Eagles' offense moved the ball well against his defense ("well" is an understatement).

The NFC East loses it's first game to a non-division opponent, finishing week 3 at 9-3 collectively, and 7-1 against non-division opponents.

NYJ 14 @ SD 35: The San Diego Chargers are coming out fired up and will take out plenty of that aggression on an overrated Jets team. I'm kicking myself for picking the Jets last week, as my initial thoughts this season seemed to be a bit more accurate: the Jets and their savior are overrated. San Diego, after giving the fans a gut-wrenching first two weeks against teams that should not have taken them down to the wire let along beat them, finally gives them reason to cheer.

After a crazy week in the NFL and a dismal week in regards to my picks, I'm looking for a much more sound week. While I did throw down one too many upset specials (by that, I'm referring to my picking of Cleveland over Dallas), the two other teams I picked to upset brought the game down to the final drive, threatening not only in their respective opponent's territory, but threatening with do or die circumstances. Those two teams would be the Dolphins and the Bucs. There were definitely a few games this week that were beyond predictable. The Colts lose at home to the Chicago Bears? The Chargers fall short to the Panthers? And while Buffalo was a reasonable pick to win, I don't think anybody could foresee them putting the lights out on the Seahawks.

One pick I did have going for me was the Green Bay Packers winning at home. Rodgers played just as well as he did at Dallas last year. That was not an upset, but merely just bringing the Minnesota Vikings back down to earth. I will reiterate. The Vikings are reminiscent to the Saints of '07: overhyped and overrated.

This is how the NFL is shaping up for week two:

TEN 20 @ CIN 10: Tennessee is minus Young, but that matters not. Kerry Collins is still a solid QB who can step in and win games. And well, Cincy was looking bad heading into week one, and now they just look awful.

BUF 24 @ JAC 27: One of the tougher games to call, but I'm going with Jacksonville at home over the upstart Bills. The Bills are exciting, but they played a soft-looking Seahawks team. Jacksonville bounces back in a close one.

NO 28 @ WAS 17: The Redskins will take a few weeks before anybody gets a read on what will become of them this year. With the way Jim Zorn ran his two minute offense without that critical hurry-up aspect, don't expect a whole lot.

NYG 27 @ STL 7: In reference to a post I made a few weeks ago, the Giants looked very much like the NFL's Joe Frazier in the opener. They didn't continue to batter the Redskins offensively in the second half, but the defense held on eight of eleven in third down situations and looked strong throughout. Expect much of the same this week in a thoroughly one-sided Giants' victory.

GB 35 @ DET 14: The Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers continue to roll.

CHI 14 @ CAR 24: I'm not hopping on the Bears' bandwagon, but Carolina looks to be tough this year, and they will win by two scores.

IND 31 @ MIN 17: Indy, despite a poor week one performance, lays it to the Vikings, who unexpectedly start the season two games behind Green Bay after just two weeks.

OAK 14 @ KC 20: A battle between two pretty bad teams, and Oakland is the worse of the two.

ATL 17 @ TB 20: Michael Turner was signed to be the spark plug in this Atlanta offense, and he will make the game interesting. However, the Bucs are the better team all around, and they will bounce back this week.

SF 21 @ SEA 27: Wow. A week ago I wouldn't have imagined this one as a tough pick. Seattle at home, but not by much.

BAL 10 @ HOU 20: Rookie quarterbacks have their ups and downs, and the Texans will be looking to bounce back from the spanking they took last week. Texans even out against the Ravens, and Joe Flacco will get a taste a Mario Williams.

MIA 21 @ ARI 14: Call me crazy but I like what I saw from the Dolphins a week ago (minus the lack of a running game). They had a shot to win the game on the final drive, and that in itself is a good sign. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown will show up big this week, and Pennington will manage a Dolphins victory.

SD 28 @ DEN24: The Chargers lost on the final play to what looks to be a very competent Panthers squad. Denver went out and beat the Raiders senseless, but they are the Oakland Raiders and still a miserable team at that. Still, a good, close game in a Chargers win.

NE 10 @ NYJ 17: The experts are saying not to write the Patriots off, and that makes guys like me look more like an expert every day. As in the preseason, New England just looks like they do not want to be their without Brady on the field. Cassel will soon follow suit once he begins to play decent NFL teams.

PIT 28 @ CLE 27: I'm not sure that will be the actual score, but I'm lending emphasis to how close this game will be. Pittsburgh looked great last week and Cleveland looked awful. But in this rivalry, the games will be exciting and down to the wire, and they will still usually end with a Pittsburgh victory.

PHI 24 @ DAL 21: Hands down, the game of the week. I referred to the Giants/Dallas rivalry in another post as similar to that of Ali and Frazier. Philadelphia looks to be emerging as this year's George Foreman in that context, but there will be no rope-a-dope coming from Dallas. Philly wins in Philly fashion, with Donovan McNabb and Westbrook leading the offense and Jim Johnson masterminding this defense. Johnson's disciple Steve Spagnuolo ended the Cowboys' Super Bowl hopes this year, and the guru will pick up where his protege left off.

Seeing as we have more "weekly predictions" posts than anyone could care to count, perhaps we can organize a community based league to compare records for the purpose of bragging rights. We can also get discussions more centralized to keep a broader range of opinions in one place. If anybody is interested, just say so and post your week one winners, so we can get this going before the game on Thursday. All participants must submit this weeks' picks by 4:00 pm EST on Thursday.

Let's kick it off. I will throw an upset special or two into the mix here, and I look forward to any thoughts an opinions anyone might be willing to share. Crack open a cold one, 'coz it's football season, baby.

WAS 14 @ NYG 31: Giants by seventeen here, as the offense will roll and the defense will look good. The Redskins haven't looked too solid. If Jason Taylor does not play, the 'Skins D will have a difficult task ahead of them.

DET 27 @ ATL 13: Detroit will win and Jon Kitna may feel good enough about it to promise a Super Bowl. But everyone else will know that the Atlanta Falcons are the Atlanta Falcons, Jon Kitna is Jon Kitna, and the Lions are still a .500 team at best.

CIN 14 @ BAL 10: Cincy has a receiver to cover for a hurt Chad Ocho Cinco, but may struggle in the running game. Still, the Ravens have no quarterback. Joe Flacco, did it really come to you already?

SEA 24 @ BUF 20: Seattle is not as tough as they are thought to be, and the impression of a team that barely edged the Redskins in the playoffs last year before getting walloped by the Packers remains. They will still edge the Bills in this one.

NYJ 14@ MIA 17: Everybody will be looking to see Favre light it up, and while that may happen, I have a feeling Pennington will be the story of the week after upsetting his former team. He's about as tough as they come and has more talent (but lacked blocking) than most would care to realize.

KC 13 @ NE 28: Just because the entire New England team as a whole looks as though they don't even want to be out there on the field, my gut tells me to pick against them purely on principle. Against any halfway decent team, I would. But NE is lucky to have KC as a get-it-together game. That could still go both ways heading into week two though, as getting back into the habit of going for it on fourth downs will hurt them.

TB 28 @ NO 20: Tampa Bay, the more well-rounded team will win this one. Looking at players who want it bad, one might be inclined to focus on Shockey. But the moment things don't go Shockey's way, he forgets how to be a teammate and how to just shut up and play his role. On the other hand, we have Jeff Garcia, who just a few weeks ago was more or less told by his organization that he would be Favre's backup. Garcia is an average quarterback, but he can get fired up and playing well. With something to prove, Garcia will have a big game.

STL 10 @ PHI 17: Philly has looked good lately, and they will start the season on a good note against the Rams. The game will be a lot more one-sided than the final score will suggest.

HOU 14 @ PIT 20: Pittsburgh at home. Pittsburgh at home. The Steelers have tough schedule, but this is a game they will win.

JAC 28 @ TEN 17: Jacksonville is a tough team and can move the ball on offense, and I don't think Vince Young will be able to exploit their secondary.

DAL 31 @ CLE 35: Upset special. The Cowboys will be brought down to earth in week one, losing an offensive shootout with the Browns. The Browns didn't look great in the preseason, but they are more liable to show up determined to pull the upset, and they have the guns on offense to do it.

CAR 17 @ SD 24: San Diego, and it will be their playmakers on defense that make the difference. Phillip Rivers may struggle a bit, especially with the impending comeback of Julius Peppers, but he has an MVP in the backfield to bail him out.

ARI 20 @ SF 10: 'Zona, with Kurt Warner at the helm.

CHI 6 @ IND 24: Not even a question, as the Bears are a team that have no upset potential in them. They are a mess, two years removed from the Super Bowl, playing the very team that beat them up pretty good.

MIN 14 @ GB 20: Minnesota are similar to the Saints of '07: overhyped and overrated. Green Bay, a very talented team before even considering the quarterback position, is underrated. Rodgers is the right guy for them to have, as he is young enough to withstand the temperatures at Lambeau in January, something Favre apparently could not do.

DEN 21 @ OAK 7: The Raiders still aren't close yet. Another year of growing pains for Oakland fans.

Is it me, or does it seem that the NFL as a whole is more exciting to watch than in recent years? Sure, the regular season has yet to get underway, but it seems that we have more potential Super Bowl contenders and teams on the rise than we could care to count right now. Hell, even the preseason has been entertaining, and as a football fan, I feel as though there may not be a better time to be one. And while the Favre drama may have been a bit overdone during the offseason and into training camp, for a die-hard, it certainly took some of the pain away from not being able to catch a game of football at least twice a week.

Starting with the comparisons between the AFC and NFC, in recent years, the AFC has been unquestionably the better conference. The Patriots and the Colts had been considered a league of their own, and many went as far to say that their classic AFC championship game match-ups may very well have been the real "Super Bowl". Even right up until Super Bowl XLII had reached it's conclusion, the expectations of the NFC representative were limited.

Even before the Giants had made their postseason run, it seemed as though the so-called experts were merely picking which NFC team would make the game the most interesting, as the Patriots capped off their glorious 19-0 run that was never to be. Some favored Dallas, whose offense could at the very least make the game a high scoring affair. Others seemed to favor Green Bay for the irresistible headline Brady versus the Old Gunslinger Brett Favre would provide. But not many thought the JV team, whoever it may be, would pull through. The NFC is inferior. Let's go ahead and reformat the playoffs so that perhaps the Colts and Patriots can play each other in the Super Bowl. When the Giants had made their claim to be the NFC's representative, it was almost hysterical to the analysts. The predictions were ludicrous and nearly all of them had the Giants being blown out of the water, and this was a team that had played well against the Patriots in the regular season.

The AFC still may have more contenders, but the NFC has certainly made up quite a bit of ground. The rivalry between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys has always been intense, but now these two teams have proven to possess the amount of talent that when pitted against one another, football fans are in for a championship-caliber bout that matches a showdown between the Patriots and Colts. The NFC East as a whole is now right on par, if not half a step ahead of the AFC South in the debate over football's toughest division. The NFC is clearly catching up, and the remarkable thing about that is, the AFC hasn't gotten any worse.

Looking at the quarterbacks representing teams in each respective conference, the NFC has generally been overshadowed by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. In fact, the entire league has been out of the conversation when it comes to these two future Hall of Famers. Now, Tony Romo has emerged as a top-flight quarterback. Eli Manning has come into his own and made some brilliant plays down the stretch during the Giants' Super Bowl run. Drew Brees generally puts up big numbers, and if the Saints can get back to winning football games, he will certainly be back on the radar. Even the near-forgotten Donovan McNabb is poised to have a big year, and there remains to be mentioned a few others that could certainly make things interesting in the NFC with a big year, such as Jason Campbell, Matt Hasselback, and Jeff Garcia.

In the AFC, David Garrard has emerged as one who doesn't turn the ball over often and can scramble to make big plays. Derek Anderson came out of nowhere to lead the Browns just shy of a playoff berth, and Big Ben Roethlisberger knows how to win games. Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers certainly have the potential to be top quarterbacks in this league. And let's not forget about Favre, who at 38, seems more and more like a kid every day. What's not to like about the way the 2008 season is shaping up?

Football fans can witness several great match-ups on prime time:

Week 1: Giants at Redskins on Thursday Night, Vikings at Packers on Monday Night
Week 2: Steelers at Browns on Sunday Night, Eagles at Cowboys on Monday Night
Week 3: Cowboys at Packers on Sunday Night, Jets at Chargers on Monday Night
Week 5: Steelers at Jaguars on Sunday Night, Vikings at Saints on Monday Night
Week 6: Patriots at Chargers on Sunday Night, Giants at Browns on Monday Night
Week 7: Seahawks at Buccaneers on Sunday Night
Week 8: Colts at Titans on Monday Night
Week 9: Patriots at Colts on Sunday Night
Week 10: Giants at Eagles on Sunday Night
Week 11: Jets at Patriots on Thursday Night, Cowboys at Redskins on Sunday Night, Browns at Bills on Monday Night
Week 12: Colts at Chargers on Sunday Night
Week 13: Seahawks at Dallas on Thursday (Thanksgiving)
Week 14: Patriots at Seahawks on Sunday Night
Week 15: Giants at Cowboys on Sunday Night, Browns at Eagles on Monday Night
Week 16: Jaguars at Colts on Thursday Night, Chargers at Buccaneers on Sunday Night, Packers at Bears on Monday Night

That is a lineup loaded with great games on paper. Fifteen games in sixteen weeks feature match-ups between '07 playoff teams on prime time. Several other match-ups include teams favored to make a serious run at the playoffs this year. In my humble opinion this is as good as it gets for NFL football. The year is 2008, and it is a great time to be a fan.

Writing off a Super Bowl champion team is nothing new. Just a year ago, the idea of the Colts, a young team loaded with talent and also led by a future Hall of Famer behind center, was buried by the hype surrounding the Patriots' off-season moves. While I did not agree with it at the time, the hype was in some ways justified by a historical, record-setting season. However, the Colts proved to be on the same level as the Pats last season, and we saw that it was not just on paper during a regular season match-up in which the Colts stacked up well against New England without Marvin Harrison. Clearly, both teams finished on the same page. Any one of the thirty-one teams that fall into the broad spectrum of varying degrees of talent that are also not defending Super Bowl Champions begin the season on the same plane.

For any team to win a Super Bowl, all of the right elements must fall into place. That much is a given. Even as superb a regular season as anyone can have does not translate into a successful one. Any member of the Patriots' '07 roster can attest to that. That being said, there are a small handful of teams that have the talent to make a serious run at the Lombardi trophy this year. The Giants are one of them. And while winning one Super Bowl is a daunting task in itself, the Giants certainly have the talent to make it to Tampa this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances that generally cause the training camp favorites to miss.

To begin the defense and the loss of the future Hall of Fame defensive end, Michael Strahan, is the basis of most arguments against the Giants' shot at any kind of success, as many would argue that the team is not capable of winning the NFC East. Yes, the gap-toothed wonder will surely be missed out there, and the Giants' would unquestionably be a better unit with Strahan, despite his age. Depth at linebacker is certainly one of the team's largest concerns, and Gibril Wilson is a hard-hitting young safety who is really starting to develop. Still, the Giants' defensive unit will be an improvement on last year's.

The Giants have a young defense that played exceptionally well down the stretch last year. Young players, generally speaking, progress from year to year. Not to mention, this was a defense that went from giving up 80 points in the first two games of the season, to punishing one of the league's best offensive lines for five sacks in the Super Bowl. The reason for this was the progressions the unit made in Steve Spagnuolo's brilliant Jim Johnson-esque scheme. With the core of this defense now having a full season and another off-season to work on mastering their craft, we will see a defense that plays at a high level, consistently. Michael Strahan will surely be missed, but let's not forget that Justin Tuck recorded ten sacks as a backup.

Moving on to the offense, once again, we will see a unit that plays at a high level, much more consistently. However, this will be primarily due to strides Eli Manning has made as a quarterback. Eli Manning, while showing a glimpse of brilliance here and there has been awfully inconsistent throughout his career. However, over the course of his last five games last season, he made his leap into the top tier of quarterbacks in this league by doing something he hadn't done throughout his career: manage games consistently. Looking at the statistics, during this stretch he was 4-1 against opponents who posted a combined regular season record of 67-13 (counting the Pats twice). He threw twelve touchdown passes, while only throwing two interceptions (taking into account the fact that the only pick he threw in the post-season was more or less a ball Steve Smith should have caught, but instead, tossed it to Ellis Hobbes).

During this stretch, he was without Shockey, and while the running game certainly could have used the star tight end's blocking, the Giant's offense will be fine without Shockey this year. Kevin Boss will only get better, and Steve Smith (who missed much of the '07 regular season due to injury) will continue to progress as well. The Giants drafted another potential play maker in Mario Manningham, and Burress is poised to have another big year, especially if he is healthy enough to practice during the season. That being said, look for Eli to put up Peyton-like numbers during the season, and that will largely factor into them having a much better regular season this year as opposed to last. Combined with a powerful running game and a great deal of depth in the backfield, the Giants offense has a considerable amount of talent overall.

In the right frame of mind, the Giants are as dangerous as a team can be. While the talk is centered around their NFC East rival in Dallas, the Giants have the talent to match-up well with them every single time they take the field. When the Boys in Blue take the field this season, do not look for the team that went 10-6 during the regular season, posting a lowly 3-5 record at home. They probably will not show up. However, it would not be surprising to see something along the lines of the Giants team that went 4-1 over that five game stretch, taking the field week in and week out.

As for the Cowboys and Giants and how their seasons will end, one would be hard-pressed not to believe that either of the two could bring the NFC, a conference mocked as the junior varsity league in recent years, another Lombardi trophy. And until we have crowned this year's Super Bowl champion, whoever it may be, football fans everywhere can expect to witness one of the most exciting season's in recent history.

Power Rankings:

1. Giants (Defending champions with a young team that is only getting better.)
2. Cowboys (With the losses the Patriots have taken and the additions the Cowboys have made, they are a small notch ahead heading into the regular season)
3. Patriots (Much of the defending AFC champion's team returns, and if they can avoid the hangover, they will head into the playoffs with home-field advantage once more)
4. Colts (Has the talent to match any of the top teams in the league, but the question of durability is a big one)
5. Jaguars (A talented team that will be exciting to watch, and should also give the Colts a run for their money in the division)
6. Chargers (The difference in determining whether the Chargers will be good or great this year will rest on the play Philip Rivers.)
7. Steelers (A tough team with a tough schedule. The Steelers may falter at times in the regular season, but come playoff time, they will be battle-tested and as big a threat as anyone).
8. Browns (A young and exciting team that will make the playoffs, but is still half a step back in the AFC)
9. Packers (The NFC's third best team has fallen down the ranks due to the question mark surrounding Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Still, a talented enough team otherwise on both sides of the ball to compete and make the playoffs.)
10. Eagles (This may in fact be a little bit of a stretch, but I like the Eagles over the Vikings, who have huge question marks in the passing game and pass defense. Asante Samuel to an already solid defense and a healthy McNabb to take some of the pressure off of Westbrook in making plays will make this team a playoff contender in the NFC.)