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thoughts and observations |
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WEEK EIGHT REVIEW
A quick flashback to last week's article. I mentioned the Saints should have a tough time against the Jets following the win in a big game against the Rams after being a ten point underdog. I've mentioned before that any team that is a ten point underdog and wins a game will usually lose outright the following week. And it happened again. If you're a betting person, stick with this theory. It works more than 98% of the time.
Are the Bears a team of destiny? It sure looks like it. The team scores two TDs in the closing moments in the game to force overtime. One was a Hail Mary. Then, the defense intercepts and returns it for a TD for the second week in a row in overtime. By the same player. That's weird. The Browns let that one slip away...or did they? Maybe the sequel to the movie "Thirteen Ghosts" should be "Eleven Bears".
It's about time the league considered a post season Toilet Bowl tournament to find out who the worst team really is. Sure, Detroit is bad, and probably getting worse after a short improvement period. But, look at the Bills. They look very much like the Lions. And you have the Jags, who came out of the box hot, but blows more games than the Panthers. See? There's another, the Panthers. The Redskins look like they're getting better, but you still have the Cardinals and Cowboys, both of which are capable of screwing up leads. The Chiefs may only be getting a short reprieve after beating the Chargers. So who's the worst? We need to know. We deserve to know. Let's face it, this tournament could be every bit as exciting, because like it or not, they are more evenly matched than the Super Bowl contenders. Any of these teams could win. For the Rams and Raiders to lose would be a major upset. There's no favorites, no underdogs and there probably shouldn't be any point spreads. Just bad football teams playing bad football. The winner gets bragging rights. Ah, the American way.
A look around...
The Questions
You have to wonder just how good the Packers are. There's no doubt that the Bucs are not heading to the Super Bowl, but they should have won that game. The Packers are too inconsistent on offense, and I have to wonder why they don't look the same from week to week. The defense is plenty solid, and there's Mr. Favre. I dunno. Plus, there's that big win streak against the Bucs at home. Maybe the Bucs need to perform some kind of voodoo ritual the next time they travel to Lambeau. Then again, next year it will probably be a December game there, and the cold weather will be at issue.
Light Rains And 25 MPH Gusts
Gee, that makes a game between the Dolphins and Panthers really worth watching. Two teams that were already questionable in the passing department. It's just probably a good thing one of them had a defense. Just think, had the Dolphins lost the AFC East would have looked a lot like the NFC East. Still, give me Central and West games anytime.
DC
You can hate the Redskins, and you probably hate Danny Boy Snider even if you're a Skins fan, but watching their sudden turnaround, aren't you just a little happy for Marty Schottenheimer? Okay, maybe not. For the money he's making he should keep it going another seven weeks, right? Well, don't be surprised if he does. Schottenheimer can beat teams he's supposed to (except the Cowboys, no Redskins coach beats the Cowboys lately), and the division is full of winnable games (except the Cowboys). Now, you have Tony Banks playing out of his head, and Stephen Davis is suddenly tearing up again. It could get real interesting. But aside from all that, you have to remember, Schottenheimer deserves the money, and look at the source of the gold.
The Return, Part 1
This has nothing to do with punt or kick returns. I'll get to those in a minute. This is more about Steve McNair. He looked like his old self again. Maybe better, since he used to run in two and occasionally add a passing TD to that. Sunday, he went two and two. What's really scary is that McNair threw his two TD passes to receivers! That's right, two TDs to two different receivers. I don't believe he has ever thrown two TDs to two receivers in a game. If you have record of this, please report it to me immediately.
The Return, Part 2
It only takes a little to get Brian Mitchell to step up on a kick return. Oh, I'm sure it had little to do with the fact the Cardinals upset the Eagles in their last match-up. This probably has a lot to do with Eric Metcalf reappearing in the league after a long hiatus and returning a punt for a TD. After Metcalf scored last week, Mitchell was probably thinking, "That SOB. Come back into the league and assault my record again. I'll show you." And he did. Now we'll see if Metcalf can retaliate. It's a mini-battle of the obscure. It's still worth tracking.
The Reverend and The Priest
Do you think the Chargers could have used help from Reggie White to stop Priest Holmes? Sure, but he's long gone. Another thing that is gone is the respect Holmes should be getting. He's been playing well in relative obscurity. Suddenly, it looks like Holmes is leading a big improvement in the KC offense, and taking a lot of pressure off of Trent Green. The team still has nothing at receiver outside Tony G, but you have to like how things are looking. In the meantime, Holmes deserves some respect after everyone continuously saying he couldn't be a lead ballcarrier.
My Picks Last Week
Okay, that was much better. I won eight, not counting the Monday Nighter (this is done on Monday). I should claim the Saints loss to the Jets, but I picked the Saints with some parenthasis. Sooner or later the league starts to level out and more predictable things happen and there are only a few upsets. So I'll just keep picking. Oh, and don't forget, you can pick, too. Send your picks by Wednesday and I'll post them in their own section off the index page.
MIKE LIKES
Week Eight (Bye: Washington):
Dallas at Atlanta (No Line)
It's odd, but either team can win this. The Falcons can play great one week and poor the next. The Cowboys can do weird things to get up in a game. If Chris Chandler plays, the Falcons should win, but the Cowboys should make noise without Chandler.
Pick: Cowboys
Miami at Indianapolis (No Line)
This should be a good game. The Colts finally showed some defense, but that was against Buffalo. Don't forget how Manning and Company have played against solid defenses.
Pick: Dolphins
Carolina at St. Louis (-18)
Pity any poor fool who plays the Rams this week. The Panthers swept the Rams last year, which is only more motivation. This one should get real ugly, real quick.
Pick: Rams
Green Bay (-3) at Chicago
Brett Favre has owned the Bears for a long time, but things have swung wildly the past few meetings. And this is not your father's Bears. It's going to be a tough game, and a good one to watch.
Pick: Packers
Kansas City at New York Jets (No Line)
This is a who will look worst game, and one that features a lot of running. Martin versus Holmes is what it should come down to. What's funny is this could be high scoring or real low scoring, with no guarantee for either. I like the Chiefs direction better.
Pick: Chiefs
Buffalo at New England (-6.5)
The Patriots know they can and should win this game. The Pats defense will go after Rob Johnson all day long.
Pick: Patriots
Tampa Bay (-5.5) at Detroit
There's nothing or no reason to believe the Bucs will not win this game by a nice margin.
Pick: Buccaneers
Cincinnati at Jacksonville (-5)
For the life of me, how can the Jaguars be a five-point favorite? As far as I'm concerned, the Bengals are the better team right now, and should be well rested after a bye week.
Pick: Bengals
Pittsburgh (-3) at Cleveland
This should be a dandy. Both teams are stinging from tough losses and have something to prove. If that had happened to only one I would call them the favorite. The Steelers are the better team, but the Browns can play with them as long as they keep mistakes down.
Pick: Steelers
San Diego at Denver (No Line)
The Broncos are coming off a short week and a big game. The Chargers are stinging from the Chiefs loss. This is going to be one heck of a Sunday, huh? The Broncos are a better team, but that could mean little with the circumstances.
Pick: Chargers
New York Giants (-6) at Arizona
The Giants have blown some games, but the Cardinals cannot be trusted at anytime to win a tough game. With that said, I have to go with the better organization.
Pick: Giants
New Orleans at San Francisco (No Line)
Yet another barn-burner. This one could go either way, and will have a lot to do with who is going where in the division. The Niners can make a big statement, but the Saints will have a lot to say. I like it to go down to the line.
Pick: Saints
Minnesota at Philadelphia (-5)
I will be anxious to see how the Vikings offense matches up with the Philly defense. I'm really suspecting not too well. On the other side, I can see McNabb and Company taking advantage of the Viking defense.
Pick: Eagles
Oakland at Seattle (No Line)
The Seahawks really struggled against the Redskins and will have their hands even more full here. There's a quarterback quandary in Seattle, too. If Dilfer starts it will be a much better game.
Pick: Raiders
Baltimore (-3) at Tennessee
How do we keep getting the Titans on Monday nights against division opponents? Even though the Titans looked better Sunday, I suspect they will not be as effective against a Ravens team that will pound on their tattered QB and RB.
Pick: Ravens
Moving on...
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THINGS I KNOW:
If the Patriots make the playoffs, Tom Brady should be MVP.
If the Bears make the playoffs, no one will want to play them.
Another day like Sunday and Steelers kicker Kris Brown will be out of a job...if he's not already.
Stephen Davis is the happiest person in the world to see Tony Banks "get it."
The Chargers' future is well in hand with Drew Brees.
THINGS I CAN PREDICT:
As the season progresses, Kordell Stewart will become one of the more efficient quarterbacks now that he has Plaxico Burress.
Every football fan will be sorry they do not have 10 televisions and satellite receivers in their family room this Sunday. Oh, wait, that's every Sunday.
Charlie Batch will ask to be replaced in Detroit after the season.
Anthony Thomas will overshadow LaDainian Thomlinson as offensive rookie of the year.
David Boston will sneak into the 49ers training complex after the season, and slip a memory drug to Terrell Owens. Then, Boston will switch places with Owens and switch identities. Boston will do all this so he will get to know what it is like to play for a solid franchise during his pro career.
Mike owns and publishes SkillPositions.Com, along with a big, expensive, and talented staff. Don't use this work without permission in writing. Mike has been known as the world's only living heart donor. He also thinks morals are paintings on walls, and scruples are money in Russia.
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