NFL Week 2 Picks

NFL Week 2 Picks
By Michael D. Wright

Green Bay vs. Detroit. I am going to buck the system (even though I have Aaron Rodgers on my fantasy squad) and pick Detroit in this one. The Lions looked AWFUL in Week 1 losing to a rookie QB and a pitiful/depleted Atlanta Falcons team. The Falcons not only won, they won going away. That's ridiculous. Having said that, I still think the Lions' offense will bother Green Bay. If Tavaris Jackson had played semi-consistent on Monday Night Football in Week 1, the Minnesota Vikings would have beaten Green Bay. Besides, think about what the Lions have: Kitna, who is solid, if not unspectacular; Rudi Johnson, who was waived by Cincinnati right before the season -- now with something to prove at age 28; Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams at WR and a defense that isn't as bad as it looked vs. Atlanta. I do not believe Green Bay will do it with smoke and mirrors as they did last year (check my prospectus for this season in my earlier blog). They weren't a real 13-3 team last year and they won't win more than 9 this year.

Call:
Green Bay 28
Detroit 38
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Oakland vs. Kansas City. Two bad teams here. I will call this a pick 'em by default on the strength of that fact. Both teams have unproven QBs. Both teams have very good RBs who can't find space because defenses don't play their QBs and the passing game honest; leading to 8 and sometimes 9 guys in the box. Simply put, any numbers that Oakland RB Justin Fargas and Kansas City RB Larry Johnson put up this season are to be admired. I bet no one can name more than one of either team's WRs. I'll wait...

Both defenses are bad, too. Oakland's defense gave up almost 450 yards in offense last week. Still won't be alot of scoring.

Call:
Oakland 17
Kansas City 13
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New York (Football) Giants vs. St. Louis Rams. The Rams are the worst team in the NFL. The Giants are the best team in the NFL (until someone beats them, being the Super Bowl Champs and what not...) Even still, the Giants are the second best team in the NFC and third best overall behind Dallas and San Diego. Unless Eli's near-INTs turn into real INTs and the Giant defense all of a sudden forgets how to tee off on Rams' QB Marc Bulger, in the words of JR Writer "this could get nasty and hazardous" really quick. If an average Philadelphia Eagles team can beat the Rams 38-3, that sort of gives you an idea of what may happen. Stranger things have happened and these ARE the Giants. No such thing as a "game they're supposed to win" (Giants fans know this). Stay tuned. If Bob Papa and Carl Banks are arguing on The Fan (WFAN 660 NY) you'll know why.

Call:
NY Giants 42
St. Louis 10
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Indianapolis vs. Minnesota. The Colts looked scary in Week 1 -- and not in a good way. Rust on the part of Peyton Manning was to be expected, since he had not played in a game since losing to the Chargers in the AFC Divisional Playoff. I don't care how good you are, you are going to be rusty. Add to that the Colts are missing C Jeff Saturday, their offensive line is looking weak, and their defensive look like timid matadors again. With Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor coming to town, you could see some records fall. But who knows? The Colts may have had a great week of practice and could hit on all cylinders. The Viking defense is not a turnstile by any stretch with DTs Kevin and Pat Williams. Their secondary could get eaten alive by Peyton Manning if DE Jared Allen can't beat LT Tony Ugoh to get to Manning. Joseph Addai may have trouble finding running room in the middle in this game, although. Expect to see something you did not see at all in the Bears game -- THE VAUNTED "STRETCH PLAY" which the Colts run better than anyone. If they are able to get to the outside, Addai could break a few decent runs. This game will be close.

Call:
Indianapolis 27
Minnesota 23
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Tennessee vs. Cincinnati. The Bengals look like crap. But the Titans, while beating Jacksonville in Week 1, aren't all that impressive. Given that they have a quitter of a starting quarterback, you have to wonder how far they can go with Kerry Collins playing starter minutes. Collins is one of those guys who has the Rob Johnson Effect: plays well in spot duty, makes a few dazzling plays, lures you into thinking he is a starter in the NFL, then as soon as you make him the starter, he kills you with fumbles, INTs and bad throws/lack of mobility. If I sound like a bitter Giants fan who believes the Giants should have and could have beaten the Ravens in 2000 with a semi-mobile QB, then as Redman used to say "I'll Bee Dat". The Bengals defense is atrocious. They even cut their "best" cornerback, as if they have a surplus back there. Marvin Lewis might get fired after this game if they lose. He might quit Jim Mora style if they win. Couple that with ZERO running game and Carson Palmer regressing with each passing game, you have to wonder if the Bengals will win 6 games this year. Chad Ocho Cinco might indeed renew those trade demands before the trade deadline arrives this year. Stay tuned.

As for this game, it's going to be a snoozer. Watch it turn out to be the game they give us tomorrow on CBS at 1 pm. I feel it in my bones.

Call:
Tennessee 13
Cincinnati 11 (botched 2 pt conversion attempt, resulting in Ocho Cinco cursing Palmer out for passing it to Chris Henry instead of his way).
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New Orleans vs. Washington. Not sure what you know about these teams after one game. You have to give the Redskins a bit of a learning curve. This is Jason Campbell's 1,471st new offense, and given that it is the West Coast offense, there's already a built-in learning curve. They will be horrid for the first part of this season, and finally click when it is too late to make the playoffs. Having said that, they will get torched by a potent Saints offense that put up well over 400 yards of offense last week. Although the Saints will be without Marques Colston, they still have TE Jeremy Shockey, WR Devery Henderson and RB Reggie Bush. Bush had a great game last week and the Redskins have no one in the front seven who can do a thing with him. If pulling FS LaRon Landry into the box to slow him down is their only shot, they will get beat deep several times in this game (Landry is their most rangy defensive player). Things do not bode well for the 'skins in this game.

Call:
New Orleans 41
Washington 24
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Chicago vs. Carolina. People think the Bears are good now. Whatever. The Colts defense isn't great and looked like a turnstile at the 125th Street station in Spanish Harlem on a hot day last week. Please. The Panthers are LEGIT. They have a running game again. QB Jake Delhomme looks good. They got rid of some dead weight old guys on defense in DE Mike Rucker (retirement) and DT Kris Jenkins (overweight/free agent). Their secondary is healthy again. Carolina will still be without Steve Smith, but Muhsin Muhammad is 10 times better than any WR the Bears have (or have had in the past 15 years, including Muhammad himself, who died in Chicago and came back to life in Charlotte). I would call a blowout here, but the Bears defense is no joke. The score won't indicate the closeness of the game, though. The Panthers will just make a few more plays than the Bears, but the Bears will be in it throughout.

Call:
Chicago 14
Carolina 24
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Buffalo vs. Jacksonville. Everyone knows I do not hold Jacksonville in high regard. Added to that fact is they let DT Marcus Stroud go in free agency... to BUFFALO. They will pay for that in this game. Buffalo's offense is sneaky good, and their defense will get after Jaguars' QB David Garrard. The Jaguars have a running game, but it will sputter in this game. I have always thought Jacksonville's defense was overrated. They don't make big plays (except for CB Rashean Mathis' INTs). They are nothing if not consistent. However, that does not make them great. They could not run the ball vs. the Titans; Fred Taylor looked old and Jones-Drew looked slow. Buffalo's defense is up there with Titans' which was Top 3 last year. Long day for Dave Garrard.

Call:
Buffalo 28
Jacksonville 13
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San Francisco vs. Seattle. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... but for the sake of argument, the Seahawks should have an easy time with this one. The 49ers checked out of the NFL when they let WR Terrell Owens leave via free agency following the 2003 season. They are irrelevant. The Seahawks got pwned last week, so they will take it out on SF.

Call:
San Francisco 6
Seattle 34
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Atlanta vs. Tampa Bay. Hmmmm. The Falcons looked like a football team again in Week 1. However, that was against the Lions. You don't know how much that was the Falcons or the Lions being bad. Tampa is a lot like Jacksonville. However, Jon Gruden doesn't know who his QB is from week to week. They don't look good running the ball and their defense is aging with each passing game (although they dipped into the Fountain of Youth on the other coast before Week 1). I'll call this a pick 'em, but if Michael "The Burner" Turner puts up even half the numbers he put up in Week 1, the Falcons will have a chance. I think he will do it.

Call:
Atlanta 34
Tampa Bay 31
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New England vs. New York (Football) Jets. Mmmmmmmm... this one is delicious. Not. I don't buy into the hype. They like to sensationalize this "rivalry" because this is effectively more Boston (jealousy/inferiority complex/hatred) vs. New York (superior/confident). If only the latter referred to the Giants instead of the Jets, since it doesn't apply to the Jets. The Jets will be a sleeper, mostly because they aren't really good at all on paper -- but they make timely plays. They aren't going to blow anyone out, meaning they will be in a lot of games where it will come down to the last series of the game. Indeed, they had one in Week 1. This will be another one of those games. As far as Tom Brady goes... YAK.

Call:
New England 21
NY Jets 23
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Miami vs. Arizona. The Dolphins showed signs of life in Week 1. They aren't good, though. They have no real playmakers on either side of the ball. The Cardinals have quite a few playmakers in WRs Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, RB Edgerrin James, CB Antrel Rolle and SS Adrian Wilson (FROM?!?!?! High Point, NC). I think this will be a blowout, unless Kurt Warner has one of Those Games. The Cardinals' defense is FOR REAL.

Call:
Miami 6
Arizona 37
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San Diego (Super) Chargers vs. Denver. The Broncos lured a lot of people in with their "win" vs. Oakland in Week 1. Don't buy the hype. WR Eddie Royal is a beast, but one man does not a team make. They are terrible. Cutler will make a few nice throws, though. Who is their RB? Their WRs don't make plays. Their LBs are always trailing a play, rather than attacking. Their defensive line doesn't get pressure on the QB. Champ Bailey can't do it by himself in the secondary. The Chargers have too many weapons and they will not miss Merriman at all, believe it or not (Shaun Phillips played better and made more plays last year anyway).

San Diego 41
Denver 17
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Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland. Despite what happened in Week 1 vs. Dallas (an aberration, one that I hate, because it inflates Cowboy fans' egos) the Browns will play well vs. the Steelers. I actually think they will win. QB Derek Anderson will have time in the pocket, and since he will, he will be able to get the ball to TE Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards. RB Jamal Lewis can run the ball, despite big ol' NT Casey Hampton anchoring (and I DO MEAN ANCHORING) the defensive line in the Steelers' 3-4 pushing 4 bills. He is hard to move. But the 3-4 offense provides running lanes in the 2 gap and to the outside with the linebackers playing in space. This will be a chess match. As long as Browns' coach Romeo Crennel doesn't stand there looking like an Art Shell statue (yes, I stole the reference to Shell from Simmons), the Browns should win this one. The Steelers aren't as good as Week 1 made people think. This is another one of those smoke-and-mirrors teams. I don't know how anyone figures they will win this division. They are a nine or ten (max) win team to me. The Browns should win 11.

P.S. the only thing Crennel is missing is the hat sitting high on his head like Shell used to wear. He'd pass.

Call:
Pittsburgh 24
Cleveland 38
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Philadelphia vs. Dallas (Monday Night Football). You know I hate both teams. How much I hate one or the other vascillates daily. But I abhor... no, LOATHE them with a passion. It's hard to get into a game when both teams are teams that you hate. Anyway, the Iggles don't have WRs. That's nothing new. Aside from Owens in 2004, they haven't had a decent set of receivers since the mid 1990s. Somehow, they have been (somewhat) relevant since Owens left. They did win a few division titles. The Cowboys haven't even won a playoff game since 1996. Yet, these two teams' fans talk more trash to Giants fans (whose team just won the Super Bowl, and has been to two Super Bowls this decade, whereas Philadelphia has only been to one and lost, and Dallas hasn't sniffed -- no pun intended -- the Super Bowl since 1995). At any rate, the Cowboys have the most talented team in the NFL. They are arguably the only team better than the Giants in the NFC. I still think they lose this game. Look for Trent Cole and Broderick Bunkley (FROM?!?! Florida State.) to get after Romo and cause him to make bad throws. The Giants drew up a better blueprint than Jay-Z ever came up with when it comes to beating Dallas when it counts. Monday Night Football counts. The Eagles will win this one, but it will be close.

Call:
Philadelphia 31
Dallas 28 (OT)

I will have a response blog to Week 2 sometime during the week before I go under the knife for my back surgery on Wednesday.

Enjoy the games!