So, I got a little busy and was unable to get to NFL picks, which is probably a good thing because I had another bad week picking college games at 4-5 and last week, my NFL picks were even worse than my college picks. In lieu of NFL picks then, here are just some thoughts about the NFL.
-Can anyone guess week-to-week what's going to happen in the NFL? The only sure bets right now are my Cowboys losing and the winless Bills playing a close game only to come up short every week. This weekend the Browns beat the Patriots, and New England looked the best team in the league recently (as a side note, the past three weeks with Colt McCoy at QB, Cleveland has gone 2-1 against the Saints, Steelers and Patriots). But really, are there any dominant teams right now? The "best" team changes week to week. Instead of a flavor of the month, we get a flavor of the week. Maybe the Super Bowl should be cancelled this year because I can't find two teams good enough to play in it. I feel like teams that have been tossed around so far this year as potential best teams are the Cowboys, Saints, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Steelers and Giants. But each of those teams have flaws. Right now, the Giants are probably playing the best of these teams. But there was a time when they were 1-2, so we know they are capable of hitting rough stretches. Don't look for it to happen soon though. They are playing the Cowboys at home next weekend.
-Usually, the Cowboys have been the biggest circus act in the NFL for better or worse. Even with Terrell Owens not around, Dallas has attracted its share of talk and hype. Now they are just bad. The Vikings have clearly taken over as the league's biggest circus. Brett Favre, Brad Childress, Randy Moss--each week it's something different. Favre is hurt and sounding like he's about to quit or Childress doesn't know what he's doing. And then they traded a third round pick to the Patriots for Moss, and he stayed all of four games and was mostly unproductive, not to mention he disrespected Childress and a caterer that cooked for the team. What a joke. Then this Sunday, at home, amid chants of "Fire Childress/Chilly!", the Vikings make a 14-point comeback in under five minutes and beat Arizona in overtime as Favre throws for a CAREER HIGH 446 yards. The guy is 41 and seems as if he can barely walk and has a career game. Just crazy. Owner Ziggi (probably spelled wrong) Wilf was energized after the game but reports are still circulating that Childress' future with the team is uncertain. This coach is just living on a week-to-week basis. It's as if each week he's in a job interview to keep the one he has. He was probably going to get fired had the Vikings lost by two TDs, but then somehow, he makes a pitch the CEO can't refuse and he stays with the company. How could you fire a coach who just won a big game in overtime? I wonder if any coach has gotten fired after his team won? I'm sure this has happened at the end of a year but I find it hard to believe any coach has been fired mid-season after winning a game. The next two weeks, Minnesota plays division opponents Chicago and Green Bay, and then another NFC playoff hopeful, Washington. I say Wilf should keep Childress until the Vikes are out of playoff contention. The next three weeks will probably tell the tale. It's not like the NFC North is is full of great teams right now. And firing Childress probably wouldn't help the team at this point, so stick with him and see what happens the next few games.
-Though the Vikings are the barnum and bailey of the league, the Redskins came out of nowhere in their last game and are not far behind. They seemed to be chugging along pretty well under new coach Mike Shanahan. They looked like they had a shot to make the playoffs, given the up-and-down nature of the NFC. And then Shanahan decides to pull Donovan McNabb at the most crucial point in the game against the Lions last Sunday. In the week that followed, a trainwreck of excuses and reasons were given by Shanahan and OC, and son, Kyle, as to why McNabb was pulled. We heard everything from he wasn't in good enough shape to run a two-minute drill because of injury, to he didn't know the playbook well enough yet, to he isn't a very smart football player and is having trouble grasping the offense at all. McNabb is having his worst year statistically since his rookie season and maybe the Shanahans are just fed up with it. A team that was 4-12 last season already has four wins this year but maybe they think they could be even better. Perhaps there is a quarterback that could be doing better in Washington, but I don't know if one is available right now. And I sure don't think Rex Grossman or JaMarcus Russell is the answer (I know the Skins worked out Russell, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't been picked up by the team). The bottom line is, I'm surprised they are bringing this all up right now in the middle of a year in which they are winning games and look like they could make the playoffs. It'll be interesting to see how this story unfolds in coming weeks. You have to wonder if this mess could hurt team chemistry and derail the entire season. After the game, the players themselves admitted being confused as to why McNabb was pulled. The spotlight will be shining bright all this week on the Redskins and on Monday, they'll be in the brightest spotlight of all, with a Monday night game at home against Philadelphia, which is undefeated with Mike Vick at QB (except in the Redskins game in which he started but did not finish). As TO would say, get your popcorn ready.
STEELERS AT BENGALS PREDICTION
Pittsburgh, a team many expected to dominate once Ben Roethlisberger made his return, has looked like anything but the best team in the league since he made his return. The Steelers struggled against the Browns but won 28-10, barely got by the Dolphins with the goal line fumble controversy, and then lost to the Saints last weekend. The Bengals have had a penchant for losing close games all year and besides an inexplicable win against Baltimore, have not looked like a good team. In a must-win situation, I still see Cincy coming up short. The Steelers win 20-17.
COMING SOON
I'll talk a little bit about UVA's woeful defense and also, the Wahoos' upcoming basketball season.
-Can anyone guess week-to-week what's going to happen in the NFL? The only sure bets right now are my Cowboys losing and the winless Bills playing a close game only to come up short every week. This weekend the Browns beat the Patriots, and New England looked the best team in the league recently (as a side note, the past three weeks with Colt McCoy at QB, Cleveland has gone 2-1 against the Saints, Steelers and Patriots). But really, are there any dominant teams right now? The "best" team changes week to week. Instead of a flavor of the month, we get a flavor of the week. Maybe the Super Bowl should be cancelled this year because I can't find two teams good enough to play in it. I feel like teams that have been tossed around so far this year as potential best teams are the Cowboys, Saints, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Steelers and Giants. But each of those teams have flaws. Right now, the Giants are probably playing the best of these teams. But there was a time when they were 1-2, so we know they are capable of hitting rough stretches. Don't look for it to happen soon though. They are playing the Cowboys at home next weekend.
-Usually, the Cowboys have been the biggest circus act in the NFL for better or worse. Even with Terrell Owens not around, Dallas has attracted its share of talk and hype. Now they are just bad. The Vikings have clearly taken over as the league's biggest circus. Brett Favre, Brad Childress, Randy Moss--each week it's something different. Favre is hurt and sounding like he's about to quit or Childress doesn't know what he's doing. And then they traded a third round pick to the Patriots for Moss, and he stayed all of four games and was mostly unproductive, not to mention he disrespected Childress and a caterer that cooked for the team. What a joke. Then this Sunday, at home, amid chants of "Fire Childress/Chilly!", the Vikings make a 14-point comeback in under five minutes and beat Arizona in overtime as Favre throws for a CAREER HIGH 446 yards. The guy is 41 and seems as if he can barely walk and has a career game. Just crazy. Owner Ziggi (probably spelled wrong) Wilf was energized after the game but reports are still circulating that Childress' future with the team is uncertain. This coach is just living on a week-to-week basis. It's as if each week he's in a job interview to keep the one he has. He was probably going to get fired had the Vikings lost by two TDs, but then somehow, he makes a pitch the CEO can't refuse and he stays with the company. How could you fire a coach who just won a big game in overtime? I wonder if any coach has gotten fired after his team won? I'm sure this has happened at the end of a year but I find it hard to believe any coach has been fired mid-season after winning a game. The next two weeks, Minnesota plays division opponents Chicago and Green Bay, and then another NFC playoff hopeful, Washington. I say Wilf should keep Childress until the Vikes are out of playoff contention. The next three weeks will probably tell the tale. It's not like the NFC North is is full of great teams right now. And firing Childress probably wouldn't help the team at this point, so stick with him and see what happens the next few games.
-Though the Vikings are the barnum and bailey of the league, the Redskins came out of nowhere in their last game and are not far behind. They seemed to be chugging along pretty well under new coach Mike Shanahan. They looked like they had a shot to make the playoffs, given the up-and-down nature of the NFC. And then Shanahan decides to pull Donovan McNabb at the most crucial point in the game against the Lions last Sunday. In the week that followed, a trainwreck of excuses and reasons were given by Shanahan and OC, and son, Kyle, as to why McNabb was pulled. We heard everything from he wasn't in good enough shape to run a two-minute drill because of injury, to he didn't know the playbook well enough yet, to he isn't a very smart football player and is having trouble grasping the offense at all. McNabb is having his worst year statistically since his rookie season and maybe the Shanahans are just fed up with it. A team that was 4-12 last season already has four wins this year but maybe they think they could be even better. Perhaps there is a quarterback that could be doing better in Washington, but I don't know if one is available right now. And I sure don't think Rex Grossman or JaMarcus Russell is the answer (I know the Skins worked out Russell, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't been picked up by the team). The bottom line is, I'm surprised they are bringing this all up right now in the middle of a year in which they are winning games and look like they could make the playoffs. It'll be interesting to see how this story unfolds in coming weeks. You have to wonder if this mess could hurt team chemistry and derail the entire season. After the game, the players themselves admitted being confused as to why McNabb was pulled. The spotlight will be shining bright all this week on the Redskins and on Monday, they'll be in the brightest spotlight of all, with a Monday night game at home against Philadelphia, which is undefeated with Mike Vick at QB (except in the Redskins game in which he started but did not finish). As TO would say, get your popcorn ready.
STEELERS AT BENGALS PREDICTION
Pittsburgh, a team many expected to dominate once Ben Roethlisberger made his return, has looked like anything but the best team in the league since he made his return. The Steelers struggled against the Browns but won 28-10, barely got by the Dolphins with the goal line fumble controversy, and then lost to the Saints last weekend. The Bengals have had a penchant for losing close games all year and besides an inexplicable win against Baltimore, have not looked like a good team. In a must-win situation, I still see Cincy coming up short. The Steelers win 20-17.
COMING SOON
I'll talk a little bit about UVA's woeful defense and also, the Wahoos' upcoming basketball season.
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