A little late this week, but still before first kickoff which is all that matters. I had a pretty rough week last week.
I call Week 3 "The Week of Indecision". You start to question everything you ever thought about football right about now. Anyway, here we go. I promise to have write-ups again next week.
San Diego 34, GB 21
New England 41, Buffalo 27
Philly 21, Detroit 17
St. Louis 28, TB 21
Indy 31, Houston 28
Minnesota 24, KC 21
Miami 16, NYJ 13
SF 21, Pittsburgh 20
Baltimore 28, Arizona 9
Denver 17, Jacksonville 10
Cleveland 31, Oakland 27
Cincinatti 35, Seattle 6
Carolina 30, Atlanta 17
Washington 24, NYG 14
Chciago 13, Dallas 10
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
There's Some New Faces on the O's
I missed a few O's games this week because I started a new job and had some family stuff going on. I do see, however, that my O's have won two games in a row. They've won thanks to a good outing by their starting pitcher, some key hits, and a solid effort from their bullpen. I can only assume that the same formula equaled similar results in the games that I missed.
After some research, it appears this was NOT the case.
But there are some new guys wearing the orange and black these days. Let's meet them.
Tike Redman - the former Pirate castoff (my God, how low have we sunk?) has been lighting it up in limited duty for the O's. The O's signed him in May from the indy leagues. He's now 30 years old. I don't get it.
Scott Moore - the O's acquired Moore from the Cubs in the deal that sent Steve Trachsel to Chicago. Moore is still young at 23 and provides a left handed bat off the bench. He can play
third or first. Too bad he can't hit.
Victor Zambrano - the guy who was traded for Scott Kazmir. He was signed out of the indy leagues after being released by Toronto earlier this year. Really, what was the point of signing this guy?
Radhames Liz - Liz is young, 23, with a fastball that can reach 100 mph. He's got some good stuff, but has some control issues. When Mazzone came to the birds, my litmus test for him was going to be Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera isn't any better than before Mazzone got here. I don't blame Leo for that, but I see a lot of similarities between Liz and Cabrera. Also like Cabrera, Liz has been getting lit up.
Rocky Cherry - also acquired in the Trachsel deal, Cherry is a non-descript bullpen guy who can't be any worse than the guys already out there.
Fernando Cabrera - ditto, but signed as a minor league free agent
Jon Leicester - had a decent start against LAAACotUSoA, but he's already 28 and has virtually no big-league experience. Don't see much reason to have signed this guy. AAA filler.
Victor Santos - another 30 year old cast-off RP who the O's have decided to put in the rotation.
There you have it. Not a lot to like about this crew.
After some research, it appears this was NOT the case.
But there are some new guys wearing the orange and black these days. Let's meet them.
Tike Redman - the former Pirate castoff (my God, how low have we sunk?) has been lighting it up in limited duty for the O's. The O's signed him in May from the indy leagues. He's now 30 years old. I don't get it.
Scott Moore - the O's acquired Moore from the Cubs in the deal that sent Steve Trachsel to Chicago. Moore is still young at 23 and provides a left handed bat off the bench. He can play
third or first. Too bad he can't hit.
Victor Zambrano - the guy who was traded for Scott Kazmir. He was signed out of the indy leagues after being released by Toronto earlier this year. Really, what was the point of signing this guy?
Radhames Liz - Liz is young, 23, with a fastball that can reach 100 mph. He's got some good stuff, but has some control issues. When Mazzone came to the birds, my litmus test for him was going to be Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera isn't any better than before Mazzone got here. I don't blame Leo for that, but I see a lot of similarities between Liz and Cabrera. Also like Cabrera, Liz has been getting lit up.
Rocky Cherry - also acquired in the Trachsel deal, Cherry is a non-descript bullpen guy who can't be any worse than the guys already out there.
Fernando Cabrera - ditto, but signed as a minor league free agent
Jon Leicester - had a decent start against LAAACotUSoA, but he's already 28 and has virtually no big-league experience. Don't see much reason to have signed this guy. AAA filler.
Victor Santos - another 30 year old cast-off RP who the O's have decided to put in the rotation.
There you have it. Not a lot to like about this crew.
NFL Predictions: Week 2
Week 2. Whenever I think about what week 1 means, I think back to when Buffalo
beat New England 34-0 after Lawyer Milloy left the Pats. And then Buffalo was very bad, and the Patriots went to the Super Bowl. Week 1 is basically the 5th preseason game for a lot of teams so far as using it to determine future success. With that in mind, here's week 2 predictions.
Cincinatti @ Cleveland
How does Romeo Cremmel keep his job? He took over a bad team and made them worse. This year's Browns are going to make people long for Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb. After their defense made Big Ben look like Kurt Warner circa 1999, they've decided to let Charlie Frye go. Maybe the addition of Ken Dorsey holding a clipboard will get their secondary on track. So, now Derek Anderson is starting for the Browns. Derek Anderson played a little bit last year, and actually pretty well, so that's got me wondering why they make the change at halftime in week 1. I'm guessing it was a symbolic move for Brady Quinn's psyche, but he's got to know that he's walking into a disaster here. This has to be one of the worst possible scenarios for a rookie QB since David Carr.
... and the Bengals are pretty good. For a lesson on how to bring a QB into the NFL, the Browns should look up Carson Palmer.
Bengals 38-10
Buffalo @ Pittsburgh
No real test for an average Pittsburgh team. I think it's great that the Steelers are going to start the year 2-0 and all the Steeler fans I know are going to get all excited. Seeing them mope around for the next couple months after all their hopes are destroyed is going to fill me with Christmas cheer.
Steelers 28-13
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay
I really don't like Tampa Bay. It seems like they've got decent talent. Cadillac Williams, Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton. Jeff Garcia has been underrated for a long time. TO said he was gay. That isn't true and doesn't really matter if he is, but that's all a lot of people think about when they hear his name. It seems like he's been around forever and he's produced everywhere, even in Cleveland. Still, they should be better but than what they are. Seattle shut them down last week. New Orleans was embarassed in the second half last week against Indy, but there's no shame in that. They should bounce back with a convincing win.
New Orleans 24-17
Houston @ Carolina
This is a tough one. A game like this is where having a few games under their belts would make this a lot easier for me. But I don't do this because it's easy. I do it for a huge financial gain. Houston beat Kansas City last week pretty easily. Carolina beat my dark horse team, the Rams. I didn't see the Texans game, but apparently Mario Williams has been playing pretty well. This means now that the Texans picking him over Reggie Bush only makes them look pretty stupid instead of complete f'in idiots. Carolina? They're okay. I have them pegged as one of the better teams to not make the playoffs this year. Their home-field advantage gives them the edge in a close game.
Carolina 27-24
Atlanta @ Jacksonville
I'm a dog lover, but I don't hate Mike Vick. He made a mistake. People make mistakes and make poor choices all the time in their lives. Most of these instances don't end up with you going to federal prison, but I can see how it could happen. I really don't think he's that bad of a guy, either. I don't know the exact circumstances more than anyone who has read the same stories I have, but to make it out of the place where he grew up, he had to feel enormous pressure to show that he was still one of the guys. To expect a guy who made it like Vick did to forget about where he came from and all his old friends he grew up with isn't fair to anyone. I'm sure they played a big part in Vick's decision process and I bet he would have felt some repercussions if he didn't go along with some of the things he did. And not just being labeled a "sell out". But, really, from a personal standpoint, what would be better: keeping people close to you
that you've known your whole life, or having people around that may just be hanging around
because you're Michael Vick? Probably a tough decision for him. My name's not Arthur Blank, though.
Even when he was at the top of his game, I didn't think Vick was that great of a quarterback. Sure, he was an amazing athlete, but his lack of throwing accuracy and a receiving corps with butter fingers made their offense one-dimensional. It was a hell of a dimension, but they weren't going to win any championships.
No one knows what he's going to be like when he gets out of prison, but he's not going to be the same. He's going to play and he'll deserve to play. Anybody who does his time and pays his dues deserves a shot. That's why we have a penal system.
Either way, the Falcons are going to be bad this year. Jacksonville is pretty good. I don't care if they lost to Tennessee last week.
Jags 27-13
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Is it just me or is it whenever Tennesse wins under Vince Young, it's either by 3 or less points and coming from behind? This just isn't a sign of a very good football team. I think they're crap. And I think the reason that they're crap is because they spend 3 quarters trying to play one style of football, and when the going gets tough they switch up to a style that favors Young's talents and the talents of the rest of their offense. Taking a 5 step drop and finding the open receiver is apparently not one of Vince's strong suits. They've got two VERY good running backs and a decent defense and they should be better than what they play. Regardless, they're playing Indy this week. Indy has their weaknesses and this could be a close game, but Indy will win and they won't lose until they play San Diego. This sounds familiar.
Indy 38-24
San Francisco @ St. Louis
Everybody who reads this blog, probably knows of my healthy obsession with Stephen Jackson. I guess the Rams are having some O-line issues but I don't think that will stop Jackson from getting 200 yards from scrimmage this week. San Francisco beat Arizona last week which tells us not much. This will be a close game. Besides Jackson, the rest of the Rams offense will struggle.
Rams 17-13
Green Bay @ Giants
The Giants are favored to win this game. As I write this, Eli is still questionable. I'm really starting to not like Favre that much. He's been overrated for a few years now. He makes a ton of mistakes. Enough about Favre, I don't see the Giants winning this game with their #2 QB or a hurting Eli, even in Jersey. GB wins and goes to 2-0.
The Pack 21-14
Seattle @ Arizona
Boring. If I have to watch this game because it's the only game at 4, I'm going to be seriously pissed.
Hawks 28-10
Minnesota @ Detroit
I like Minnesota. They're going to surprise a lot of people this year. I just noticed Detroit is favored by 3. No way. There's some bright spots on Detroit's roster, but Minnesota is a playoff team and Detroit likes losing.
Minnesota 27-21
Dallas @ Miami
From a fan's perspective, I hate Dallas so much. So, so very much. Miami couldn't run the ball for nothing last week against the Skins, but Trent Green played pretty well. I expect Miami to change up their game plan a bit and be a little more successful running the ball. Dallas lit up the Giants woeful defense for 45 last week. Miami's defense is a lot better than New York's though and here is where Romo starts to struggle. 4 INT's for Romo.
Miami 17-10
Jets @ Baltimore
Turnovers will kill ya, especially at either end of the field. A lot of turnovers in Week 1 doesn't mean you're a bad team, though. Causing and committing turnovers isn't just luck. It can be taught and learned. When you've
got a veteran quarterback who knows what he's doing, this isn't going to happen every week. McNair will bounce back. Kellen Clemens is being reported as the starting QB for the Jets. I'm not a big fan of guys in their first starts for bad teams.
Ravens 31-7
Oakland @ Denver
Oakland is horrible and I'm a little tired of hearing so much news about them. Who cares and what difference does it make?
Denver 28-14
Kansas City @ Chicago
I may have underestimated the Bears' defense. They were pretty good last week against San Diego and Kansas City is no San Diego. The Bears will be pissed off this week, but their offense is Gross, man. If I was a Bears fan, I would really want Griese starting. He isn't great, but he's better than Rex. But, they'll win. They're favored by 12 which is way too much.
Bears 14-10
San Diego @ New England
This is going to be a great game. And I really like Norv Turner. He got a bad deal here in Washington and somehow got a label as a guy who is just too nice to his players. This is the NFL. You don't have to be a jerk. Belichick was fined 500 grand by the NFL for something I bet most of the teams in the NFL do. If they don't, they're cheating themselves and not the game. Way too harsh and this is Roger Goodell trying to appear like a tough guy once again. On the field, close. San Diego won a hard-fought game against the Bears and the Pats beat the cupcake Jets. The game's in New England. Chargers pull it out.
Chargers 31-27
Washington @ Philadelphia
Philly's favored by 6.5. That's crazy. True, the Eagles should have beaten Green Bay last week. That would mean something if GB was any good. Skins are struggling and I don't have my finger on the pulse of this team yet. I think they're going to beat Philly, though. My personal feelings get in the way of some of my Skins picks, though, that's why I never bet on them.
Skins 21-17
beat New England 34-0 after Lawyer Milloy left the Pats. And then Buffalo was very bad, and the Patriots went to the Super Bowl. Week 1 is basically the 5th preseason game for a lot of teams so far as using it to determine future success. With that in mind, here's week 2 predictions.
Cincinatti @ Cleveland
How does Romeo Cremmel keep his job? He took over a bad team and made them worse. This year's Browns are going to make people long for Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb. After their defense made Big Ben look like Kurt Warner circa 1999, they've decided to let Charlie Frye go. Maybe the addition of Ken Dorsey holding a clipboard will get their secondary on track. So, now Derek Anderson is starting for the Browns. Derek Anderson played a little bit last year, and actually pretty well, so that's got me wondering why they make the change at halftime in week 1. I'm guessing it was a symbolic move for Brady Quinn's psyche, but he's got to know that he's walking into a disaster here. This has to be one of the worst possible scenarios for a rookie QB since David Carr.
... and the Bengals are pretty good. For a lesson on how to bring a QB into the NFL, the Browns should look up Carson Palmer.
Bengals 38-10
Buffalo @ Pittsburgh
No real test for an average Pittsburgh team. I think it's great that the Steelers are going to start the year 2-0 and all the Steeler fans I know are going to get all excited. Seeing them mope around for the next couple months after all their hopes are destroyed is going to fill me with Christmas cheer.
Steelers 28-13
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay
I really don't like Tampa Bay. It seems like they've got decent talent. Cadillac Williams, Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton. Jeff Garcia has been underrated for a long time. TO said he was gay. That isn't true and doesn't really matter if he is, but that's all a lot of people think about when they hear his name. It seems like he's been around forever and he's produced everywhere, even in Cleveland. Still, they should be better but than what they are. Seattle shut them down last week. New Orleans was embarassed in the second half last week against Indy, but there's no shame in that. They should bounce back with a convincing win.
New Orleans 24-17
Houston @ Carolina
This is a tough one. A game like this is where having a few games under their belts would make this a lot easier for me. But I don't do this because it's easy. I do it for a huge financial gain. Houston beat Kansas City last week pretty easily. Carolina beat my dark horse team, the Rams. I didn't see the Texans game, but apparently Mario Williams has been playing pretty well. This means now that the Texans picking him over Reggie Bush only makes them look pretty stupid instead of complete f'in idiots. Carolina? They're okay. I have them pegged as one of the better teams to not make the playoffs this year. Their home-field advantage gives them the edge in a close game.
Carolina 27-24
Atlanta @ Jacksonville
I'm a dog lover, but I don't hate Mike Vick. He made a mistake. People make mistakes and make poor choices all the time in their lives. Most of these instances don't end up with you going to federal prison, but I can see how it could happen. I really don't think he's that bad of a guy, either. I don't know the exact circumstances more than anyone who has read the same stories I have, but to make it out of the place where he grew up, he had to feel enormous pressure to show that he was still one of the guys. To expect a guy who made it like Vick did to forget about where he came from and all his old friends he grew up with isn't fair to anyone. I'm sure they played a big part in Vick's decision process and I bet he would have felt some repercussions if he didn't go along with some of the things he did. And not just being labeled a "sell out". But, really, from a personal standpoint, what would be better: keeping people close to you
that you've known your whole life, or having people around that may just be hanging around
because you're Michael Vick? Probably a tough decision for him. My name's not Arthur Blank, though.
Even when he was at the top of his game, I didn't think Vick was that great of a quarterback. Sure, he was an amazing athlete, but his lack of throwing accuracy and a receiving corps with butter fingers made their offense one-dimensional. It was a hell of a dimension, but they weren't going to win any championships.
No one knows what he's going to be like when he gets out of prison, but he's not going to be the same. He's going to play and he'll deserve to play. Anybody who does his time and pays his dues deserves a shot. That's why we have a penal system.
Either way, the Falcons are going to be bad this year. Jacksonville is pretty good. I don't care if they lost to Tennessee last week.
Jags 27-13
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Is it just me or is it whenever Tennesse wins under Vince Young, it's either by 3 or less points and coming from behind? This just isn't a sign of a very good football team. I think they're crap. And I think the reason that they're crap is because they spend 3 quarters trying to play one style of football, and when the going gets tough they switch up to a style that favors Young's talents and the talents of the rest of their offense. Taking a 5 step drop and finding the open receiver is apparently not one of Vince's strong suits. They've got two VERY good running backs and a decent defense and they should be better than what they play. Regardless, they're playing Indy this week. Indy has their weaknesses and this could be a close game, but Indy will win and they won't lose until they play San Diego. This sounds familiar.
Indy 38-24
San Francisco @ St. Louis
Everybody who reads this blog, probably knows of my healthy obsession with Stephen Jackson. I guess the Rams are having some O-line issues but I don't think that will stop Jackson from getting 200 yards from scrimmage this week. San Francisco beat Arizona last week which tells us not much. This will be a close game. Besides Jackson, the rest of the Rams offense will struggle.
Rams 17-13
Green Bay @ Giants
The Giants are favored to win this game. As I write this, Eli is still questionable. I'm really starting to not like Favre that much. He's been overrated for a few years now. He makes a ton of mistakes. Enough about Favre, I don't see the Giants winning this game with their #2 QB or a hurting Eli, even in Jersey. GB wins and goes to 2-0.
The Pack 21-14
Seattle @ Arizona
Boring. If I have to watch this game because it's the only game at 4, I'm going to be seriously pissed.
Hawks 28-10
Minnesota @ Detroit
I like Minnesota. They're going to surprise a lot of people this year. I just noticed Detroit is favored by 3. No way. There's some bright spots on Detroit's roster, but Minnesota is a playoff team and Detroit likes losing.
Minnesota 27-21
Dallas @ Miami
From a fan's perspective, I hate Dallas so much. So, so very much. Miami couldn't run the ball for nothing last week against the Skins, but Trent Green played pretty well. I expect Miami to change up their game plan a bit and be a little more successful running the ball. Dallas lit up the Giants woeful defense for 45 last week. Miami's defense is a lot better than New York's though and here is where Romo starts to struggle. 4 INT's for Romo.
Miami 17-10
Jets @ Baltimore
Turnovers will kill ya, especially at either end of the field. A lot of turnovers in Week 1 doesn't mean you're a bad team, though. Causing and committing turnovers isn't just luck. It can be taught and learned. When you've
got a veteran quarterback who knows what he's doing, this isn't going to happen every week. McNair will bounce back. Kellen Clemens is being reported as the starting QB for the Jets. I'm not a big fan of guys in their first starts for bad teams.
Ravens 31-7
Oakland @ Denver
Oakland is horrible and I'm a little tired of hearing so much news about them. Who cares and what difference does it make?
Denver 28-14
Kansas City @ Chicago
I may have underestimated the Bears' defense. They were pretty good last week against San Diego and Kansas City is no San Diego. The Bears will be pissed off this week, but their offense is Gross, man. If I was a Bears fan, I would really want Griese starting. He isn't great, but he's better than Rex. But, they'll win. They're favored by 12 which is way too much.
Bears 14-10
San Diego @ New England
This is going to be a great game. And I really like Norv Turner. He got a bad deal here in Washington and somehow got a label as a guy who is just too nice to his players. This is the NFL. You don't have to be a jerk. Belichick was fined 500 grand by the NFL for something I bet most of the teams in the NFL do. If they don't, they're cheating themselves and not the game. Way too harsh and this is Roger Goodell trying to appear like a tough guy once again. On the field, close. San Diego won a hard-fought game against the Bears and the Pats beat the cupcake Jets. The game's in New England. Chargers pull it out.
Chargers 31-27
Washington @ Philadelphia
Philly's favored by 6.5. That's crazy. True, the Eagles should have beaten Green Bay last week. That would mean something if GB was any good. Skins are struggling and I don't have my finger on the pulse of this team yet. I think they're going to beat Philly, though. My personal feelings get in the way of some of my Skins picks, though, that's why I never bet on them.
Skins 21-17
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Song of the Week #2
If there's one talent I wish I had (other than controlling all living beings with my mind, being able to fly, and X-Ray vision) it would be to be able to write a song and then pick up a guitar and have it sound pretty good. This week's artist is a singer/songwriter from Minnesota.
Mason Jennings
His voice reminds me of a less wheezy Bob Dylan. Mason's debut album came out in 1998 and he's done about a record every two years. He's been asked to write a song for Shrek 2 (it didn't make the soundtrack), performed on-stage with Jack Johnson, and has now signed on with a major label, but still walks around in relative obscurity. He's slated to have two Bob Dylan songs he re-recorded on a movie soundtrack this fall, so maybe that will help him get some more attention. He tours nationally and usually sells out the super-small venues, which is probably the best way to see him anyway. Like the other guys, he's got some vids on youtube. This song is off his Century Spring album.
Mason Jennings - Sorry Signs on Cash Machines
Mason Jennings
His voice reminds me of a less wheezy Bob Dylan. Mason's debut album came out in 1998 and he's done about a record every two years. He's been asked to write a song for Shrek 2 (it didn't make the soundtrack), performed on-stage with Jack Johnson, and has now signed on with a major label, but still walks around in relative obscurity. He's slated to have two Bob Dylan songs he re-recorded on a movie soundtrack this fall, so maybe that will help him get some more attention. He tours nationally and usually sells out the super-small venues, which is probably the best way to see him anyway. Like the other guys, he's got some vids on youtube. This song is off his Century Spring album.
Mason Jennings - Sorry Signs on Cash Machines
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Week 1 Prediction Recap
I pulled out a very impressive (for Week 1) 10-5. Luckily for you guys, I'm not content with this record and I feel like I have something to prove.
I ain't no Randy Moss.
I ain't no Randy Moss.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
NFL Season Predictions
I suppose it's about time I made my season predictions.
NFC
East: Washington Redskins
Central: Minnesota Vikings
South: New Orleans Saints
West: St. Louis Rams
WC: New York Giants
WC: Seattle Seahawks
NFC Championship: Rams over Saints
AFC
East: New England Patriots
Central: Cincinatti Bengals
South: Indianapolis Colts
West: San Diego Chargers
WC: Baltimore Ravens
WC: Kansas City Chiefs
AFC Championship: Pats over Bengals
Super Bowl: Pats over Rams
NFC
East: Washington Redskins
Central: Minnesota Vikings
South: New Orleans Saints
West: St. Louis Rams
WC: New York Giants
WC: Seattle Seahawks
NFC Championship: Rams over Saints
AFC
East: New England Patriots
Central: Cincinatti Bengals
South: Indianapolis Colts
West: San Diego Chargers
WC: Baltimore Ravens
WC: Kansas City Chiefs
AFC Championship: Pats over Bengals
Super Bowl: Pats over Rams
Second Year Quarterback Theory
Any quarterback who played any amount of significant time in his rookie season and performed average or better, will completely suck butt his second year.
That means you, Vince Young, Jay Cutler, and Tony Romo.
That means you, Vince Young, Jay Cutler, and Tony Romo.
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