NFL 2009: Week 8 picks

Here's my Week 7 Review.

On to the picks.....

Texans (-3.5) at Bills
Even though the Texans managed to hold on for their win last week against the 49ers, they sure show signs of inability to finish off games. A couple weeks earlier, they could not score from the Cardinals 1 yd line with 3 chances to do it. But against the Bills, they should have enough offensive fire power to get it done.
My Pick: Texans

Browns (+13.5) at Bears
The Bears would definitely like to clean up their defense. They have to stop Jamal Lewis and the run. They should be fine against Derek Anderson's throws in the secondary, but need to shore it up for future tougher opponents. Jay Cutler will not be as bad as last week when he's not trailing in the game. But I will not be surprised if the Browns do cover the spread.
My Pick: Bears

Seahawks (+9.5) at Cowboys
The Cowboys looked good against the Falcons, but there are a few things that still needs fixing apart from their secondary. Romo should prove he is capable of playing a string of games at the level he did last week. He also needs to invent some kind of chemistry with Roy Williams, even though Miles Austin has emerged as his premier target the last 2 games. The Seahawks will want to redeem themselves after that miserable thumping they took against the Cardinals. Even if they have some of their injured defensive starters back after the bye, its a tough ask trying to win one at Dallas stadium.
My Pick: Cowboys

Rams (NL) at Lions
In this clash of the minnows, a lot hangs on who starts at QB for the Lions. If Stafford is back from his injury, he brings a lot to make the Lions competitive and the Lions have a strong chance winning their second game of the season. If he cannot start, I think the Rams get their first win of the season.
My Pick: Rams

49ers (+11.5) at Colts
Alex Smith was named the starter for the niners this week, after his almost miraculous come back last week. Although it was an inspired and impressive showing by him last week, it was just one half of football. We have seen him show promise before, only to show up with inaccurate thrown another day, and capable of bad decisions. But is the new Alex any different? But it may not matter much this week as they are facing the Colts, who in my opinion, are the best team in the NFL right now.
My Pick: Colts

Miami (+3.5) at Jets
The Jets had it easy against the Raiders last week. The visiting Dolphins will not be so kind. No more sideline hot dogs for you Mark Sanchez. Only large doses of the Wild cat to chew on.
My Pick: Dolphins

Giants (NL) at Eagles
The Giants have had a horrible two weeks. First, their secondary was torn apart by Brees and the Saints. The next week, the Giants offense was tormented by the swarming Cardinals defense. The Eagles did follow their loss to the Raiders with a win against the Redskins. But how much is the beating of the lowly Redskins, who are deep in internal turmoil, an indication of progress for the Eagles? Also, the Philly fans may just not be into this game as they will be gearing up for the World Series game to be played a couple hours after this game Sunday right across the street.
My Pick: Giants

Broncos (+3.5) at Ravens
The Broncos are back after a bye week to face the Ravens in their house. The Broncos do have a stout defense and a very efficient offense. But the Ravens have been at the receiving end of 3 heart-breakers in a row. Even though I am wary about picking against the Broncos, I still think I will do it. After this week, there is gonna be one less undefeated team in the league.
My Pick: Ravens

Jaguars (+3) at Titans
Jeff Fisher didn't have to wait to go 0-6 to let Vince Young start. Even now, it required some arm twisting from the owner Bud Adams. But, we'll soon know why Fisher has so little faith in the young QB soon. It is on Vince to disprove his detractors. The Jaguars are not going to make it easy in any way this week.
My Pick: Jaguars

Raiders (+16.5) at Chargers
The Raiders are stuck with JaMarcus Russell. Not only in terms of the money they have invested in him, but also his potential replacements; Bruce Godowski and Charlie Frye are not upgrades by any means over Russell. The Raiders would rather keep throwing Russell into the pond and let him learn the hard way. The Chargers just beat the Chiefs pretty convincingly. But there is no room for complacency, especially with the Broncos already almost in the un-catchable position in their divisional standings.
My Pick: Chargers

Panthers (+10) at Cardinals
Only John Fox knows how in the world is Jake Delhomme still the starter in Carolina? It shows the confidence the coach has in Jake or the lack of in backup Matt Moore. The Cardinals are on a roll with a string of impressive wins. And the memories of their thrashing of the Panthers in last year's playoffs will be fresh in their minds.
My Pick: Cardinals

Falcons (+10) at Saints
This is one of 3 match ups this week, where the division leader faces the second place team in their division. The Saints though, should have no problem separating from them with a win and marching on through their upcoming soft schedule.
My Pick: Saints


Vikings (+3) at Packers

Aren't people tired yet of the hype and hoopla over Favre's return to Lambeau? I sure am. It obviously is a very meaningful game for him and the Packer fans, especially the ones, unlike me, who can't get over the fact that the Favre who was a packer is retired and GB has a new young talented guy deservedly taking over from the legend. The Packers have the youngest roster by age in the NFL and most of the young guys haven't played with Favre in his hey-day. So except for people like Donald Driver, this whole return of Favre doesn't mean so much to the team as a whole.

Even without all these sub-plots, this is an important game for both teams this season. A Vikings win separates them from the Packers with a 2.5 game lead. A Packer win brings the Packers within half a game of the division lead. Throw in the fact that this is a divisional rivalry with a lot of bad blood on both sides even before the Favre saga, by no means is this just another game.

Talking about the actual football factors that might affect this game, the Packers will come in with the same game plan as last time, only with better execution. They will hope to hold Adrian Peterson to less than 100 yards, and let Favre win the game with his arm. With Atari Bigby back at Strong Safety in the secondary this time around, it isn't going to be easy picking for No.4. The injury that might sidebar Bernad Berrian doesn't help their cause. To keep the pressure on Favre, apart from better pass rush than last time, the Packers offense needs to score and stay ahead as much as they can and as long as they can. For this, they need their offensive line to show up. You cannot have a game like the 8 sack outing they had against the Vikes on Oct 5. Also a little run threat could open up passing lanes for Aaron Rodgers. With Antoine Winfield likely out for this game, the Vikes seconndary is not going to be as good as it was last time. But again, I cannot say this enough, it all boils down to the protection Aaron gets up front and his ability to get rid of the ball before the rush gets to him. Jermicheal Finley will likely miss the game giving way to Spencer Harvey try make an impact again on the big stage. Also, Percy Harvin for the Vikes is banged up, but will likely play.

The Packers do think they have addressed these issues since their last meeting 4 weeks ago. We will know for sure Sunday.

My Pick: Packers

Record
Last Week: 9-4
Year to date: 72-31

A politician making sense......

Finally, there's someone in politics using common sense. Although Bill Lockyer is only a State Treasurer (of California), his testimony before the Senate and Assembly on improving State Government is a blue-print that could also help this country out of debt. Hard to find a politician (Republican or Democrat) who has the stones to call his own party folks out..... and Lockyer does it here. Lockyer, a Democrat himself, says he is tired of "all the junk legislation and out of control spending coming from fellow Democrats and issues a stern warning about looming bankruptcy.

Check out this clip (only about 2 minutes):



Some Powerful stuff eh? Compare his level-headedness to the bailout-loving people we have/had at the federal level, Hank Paulson and Tim Geithner.

NFL 2009: Week 7 Review

On the surface, looking forward into match-ups, it felt like it was going to be a rather mundane weekend of football. Turns out, in football, you get hit by surprises from all over. By no means was this an epic Sunday of football, but it was definitely more than entertaining.

To start off, 5 of the 6 morning games seemed to be blowouts with all 5 having more than 2 scores lead by the favorites in each game. The only close game seemed to be the Vikings - Steelers. But closing in on the 4th Qtr, all of a sudden the 49ers - Texans game just sprung out alive. Alex Smith was sent in to take over under center from Shaun Hill's dismal showing in the first half. That was the spark the 49ers needed. All of a sudden they were driving down the field to score TD after TD, after being down 21-0. A special mention has to be made to Crabtree; he had a great debut to his NFL career. Already, seems to be the go-to WR on the 49ers. The kid was attacking the balls thrown towards him, plucking them out of the air. The kid is for real. The niners closed to within 24-21, with 3 Alex Smith to Vernon Davis connections for TDs, by the time they got the ball back for the last game-winning or tying drive opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Steelers and Vikings were in an old-fashioned, low scoring struggle. Dick Lebeau had the best-to-date defensive game plan to beat the Vikings. Stuff Adrian Peterson and make Favre throw to win the game. It is the same plan other teams obviously try against the Vikings, but this week, the Steelers had the defense to back it up. They were able to rush Favre and force him to make quick throws resulting in a lot of incompletions and a couple of late turnovers. Just before the 4th Qtr, the Vikings pulled within 3 of the Steelers with a score of 13-10 (Steelers leading). The Vikings were in the Steelers end zone at the 10 yard line, when Favre threw a TD to Sidney Rice. But then there was a flag for tripping against the Vikings which nullified the TD and pushed them back to the 20 yard line making it 1st and Goal at the 20. Soon it was 3rd and goal at the 8 yard line, when Brett Keisel managed to swat the ball off Favre's hands causing a fumble. The impressive part of this play came later when, Lamaar Woodley picked up the lose ball and took it to the house, with a cavalry of Steelers blocking around him. This made it 20-10 Steelers. The lead lasted seconds, because on the kick-off, Percy Harvin returned the kick the other way making it a 3 point game again (20-17).

Meanwhile, the 49ers had also pulled up to within 3 of the Texans, and were waiting to get the ball back to complete the comeback. Tthe Vikings too, got back the ball and were knocking at the PIT 19 witha 2nd and 3. But then, an intended screen pass to Chester Taylor, bounced off his hands into the hands of Steeler's Keyaron Fox, and again had a bunch of Steelers to escort him back for a TD. This pretty much sealed the 27-17 win for the Steelers. The 49ers too had their final drive stalled when Alex Smith threw an INT on a 4th and goal with about 3 seconds left on the clock. The two exciting finishes made my Sunday morning. The icing on the cake being, another dominating performance by the Packers against another minnow (the Browns).

The excitement of the day didn't end there. the afternoon games too had a couple of blow outs: the Jets dominating the Raiders., the Bears unable to stop Cedric Benson and the Bengals in a total rout, and the Cowboys seemingly turning the corner to be a contender beating the Falcons convincingly. Discounting the battle of the weak (Bills vs Panthers), the Saints - Dolphins game turned out to be special. The Dolphins were up 24-3 in the 2nd Quarter, but then let the Saints come back into the game, allowing the Saints score 22 unanswered point in the 4th Quarter to seal the game with a win. Quite a comeback for Brees and his boys. They remain one of the only 3 undefeated teams so far this season, the other two being the Colts and the Broncos. the drama didn't end there, Sunday Night football, pitted the NY Giants against the Super Bowl runner-up of last year. So much for the thought that the Cardinals cannot play in the Eastern Time Zone, they dominated the Giants on defense and had enough offense to outscore Manning and the Giants.


Packer Corner:

Another week, another bottom-feeder to take care of. This time it was the Browns. The Packers, after the disappointing Viking defeat on Oct 5, used the bye week and the games against the Lions and the Browns to tighten their loose ends, much like pre-season football before they face the Vikings again at home. The biggest gaping hole was with the O line. To cater to that, they signed Mark Tauscher to fight for the RT job against mediocre Allen Barbre, got Clifton to rest and heal up so that he starts opposite Jared Allen, and is a definite upgrade over Colledge who is really a Guard than a Tackle. Even if Clifton cannot go Sunday they have given reps to rookie TJ Lang, who held his own against Jared Allen after Colledge was taken out. The Packers also addressed their running game issues. They signed Ahman Green to backup Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson. Their game-plan against the Browns was solely run based on offense, which helped hone the blocking skills of the O line for Ryan and the RB pack. The defense had a good couple of weeks albeit against the horrible offenses of Lions and Browns. At least it had Mathews Jr. make his presence felt against the Lions and AJ Hawk showed true 1st round draft pick potential against the Browns.


Obscure Packers stat of the Week: 57-3. That is the margin of victory for the Packers the last 2 games combined. Never has this happened since 1966, 43 years ago in Packer history.

What are the visible improvements? The O line played very well against the Browns yesterday. They held their own against Shaun Rodgers and the Browns D line to help the Packs run 190+ yards overall. They allowed 0 sacks..... you read that right! No sacks this week. The defense had its share of take overs, but again, that is not as impressive as it seems with Derek Anderson playing the way he did. For a while it felt like he was just closing his eyes and throwing in the direction of the Browns Jerseys. That said, treating these past 2 weeks as pre-season games, it is more than encouraging to see the Packers i momentum and confidence in themselves. WE have to wait and see if that translates to a good show against an actual NFL team like the Vikings next week.

What better way to end this post than to include another worthy play to the Donald Driver show-reel of the season: Here's the link. (will post video when available)

Liberal Hypocrisy Test

Hypocrisy has always been a part and parcel of politics and the main stream media. Whoever is in power always try to use the mainstream media to not only spread their propaganda and to spin the daily news to suit their needs, but to also try silence any opposing views and opinions by discrediting and decrying the source or facts that may be out there. Moreover, over the past couple of decades or so, it is an undeniable fact that most of the mainstream media outlets are left-leaning. The initial left-leaning sentiments of the media has of late turned to liberal bias and unfair coverage and mis-representation of current affairs.

The current administration has taken this a notch over, of course with the help of the media. It's been a symbiotic relationship. The politicians get their propaganda spread, while the news media get their ratings with the help of the "American Idol" celebrity President gracing their shows. One of the many ways the current administration has used to distract people from actual issues is playing the blame game or using the 'race' card. To the extent that, if you asked,

Q: Why hasn't the stimulus package worked as you said it would? Why hasn't it created jobs like you said that it would?
A: It is all because of the previous 8 years of the Bush administration

Q: Do you think the President is faltering in domestic issues?
A: You are a racist.

Rewind back a little to the previous administration. They were as irresponsible if not more than the current administration in dealing with issues. But the left and the media had similar things said about them like what is being said about the current state of affairs by the right. But the media is going berserk calling everyone who offer criticism a racist or an extremist.

I do not condone some of the harsh criticism and comments. In fact, some of them are outright ridiculous. But putting things in perspective, the hoopla over "unfair" criticism is just a boatload of you know what. It is just an effort to discount the criticism, whose intentions are valid, but methods are crude. The same bunch of people used similar criticism tactics against the previous administration.

Here's a video I ran into recently. It depicts the hypocrisy involved in how the liberal media covers the criticism of the current President. You've got to watch it. If you do not see the hypocrisy (hard not too), then you are officially a liberal hack like the ones on MSNBC. Enjoy.....

NFL 2009: Week 7 Picks

Week 6 Review

Last weekend, all the morning games seemed to go as expected. The normalcy lasted only a few minutes into the afternoon games. A 14 point favorite Eagles, struggled mightily against the lowly Raiders. And the Jets could not hold on thanks to Mark Sanchez n his picks. On the surface these may seem like upsets. But there's always a reason for favorites to stumble.

For the Jets, it was a typical "rookie" outing for Sanchez. The golden boy finally had his "welcome to the big leagues" moment after a rather fast start to his rookie year the first 5 games. The solid Jets running game and the lauded Jets D did more than what they had to against the Bills, but Sanchez kept throwing to the wrong Jersey, keeping the Bills in the game. They were also not helped by another INT by the kick holder, after a bad hold on a FG long snap.

The Eagles, on the other hand, had their veteran McNaab under center, and yet faltered against the Raiders. Maybe, the Eagles were complacent and were thinking like me when I predicted a bye-week-like easy win for the Eagles. The Eagles loss had more to do with bad game planning / play calling than the players and complacency. The Raiders have one of the worst run defense in the league, and a decent pass defense. So what do the Eagles do? They throw 46 times and run the ball a meager 12 times (plus 2 QB scrambles which were not planned run plays). And they were never trailing by more than 7 points at any point in the game, which meant they were never forced to throw to make a big comeback or anything. The Eagles, or any team, cannot win when you have a horrible game plan like this.

I had to write about the Denver Broncos. I keep picking against them and they keep winning. But at least I had a close look at them Monday Night. They may not have any superstars on their team, but they all play with "superstar" sized hearts, especially their defense. Never did I see a player (even a lineman) stand idle even if the play was on the other side of the field. They were all playing till the whistle was blown each play. That's called commitment and a reflection of the coaching staff. Even though they do not have a formidable offense, their stout defense (which hadn't given up a single point in 4th Quarters from Week 2 to Week 5) and their special teams (not only Eddie Royal, but the blocking that made him take a kick-off and a punt back home for TDs) pulled them through, with some steady quarterbacking by Orton and some eye-popping play-making by Brandon Marshal and Brandon Stockley. I finally admit, the Broncos are for real!

Packer Corner:
If the Lions were not a favorite match up already, injuries to Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson made it all the more easier. The Lions had never won at Lambeau since 1991 and that streak was not going to broken. Yes, the Packers did shut out the Lions 26-0 on Sunday, but it was a far from impressive effort by the Green and Gold. The Packers offense was messy and of sub-par quality to say the least.

They not only left so many points on the field, but their quality of play was well below par. They could not run a lick against the Lions, except till garbage time in the 4th Quarter. The Offensive Line was the worst. Injuries were a reason, but all teams undergo injury issues. This time it was not only the poor protection, allowing 5 more sacks of Aaron Rodgers, but the pre-snap penalties were just all over the place. Totally the Packers committed 10 penalties for a whopping 130 yards, which was almost the total 149 yards gained by the Lions passing (71 yards) and rushing (78 yards). Clifton was again injured in the 4th Quarter, limping off the field to make matters worse for the O line outlook.

Obscure Packers stat of the Week: 26-0. It was the largest margin of victory in a shutout by any team whose passers were sacked at least five times since Green Bay defeated Tampa Bay, 27-0, in 1991.

The Packers Defense though stood their ground. Clay Mathews Jr. had his coming out party, with 2 sacks and a tackle for a loss, playing almost the entire game. The pass rush was steady all through the game. That was predominantly because Aaron Kampman was let to rush from the front rather than send him into coverage. The secondary was bolstered by the return of Bigby. But all these developments need to be taken with a grain of salt, as it was all agianst the Lions after all.



Week 7 Picks

Chargers (-4.5) at Chiefs
Chiefs got their first win of the season. It could potentially be their only win of the season. The Chargers after their usual slow start will try to pick it up in coming weeks. But this year they do not have the luxury of a Jay Cutler led Broncos team to choke away their division lead.
My Pick: Chargers

Colts (-13) at Rams
Peyton had a dinged up knee from 2 weeks ago. But the bye came at the right time to help heal it before the next game. The already formidable Colts have Bob Sanders and Anthony Gonzalez returning soon too. Doesn't bode well for the Rams. Still, watch out for Stephen Jackson, if he gets going, the Rams could keep the Colts offense off the field a lot.
My Pick: Colts

Vikings (+4) at Steelers
The 6-0 Vikings against the defending super bowl champs. Adrian Peterson running against the stingy run defense of the Steelers (2nd in the NFL giving about 80 yds a game). But it might just come down to which QB will score on the last drive, and both Big Ben and Brett are more than capable of pulling it off. But of late, the number of turnovers by the Steelers is making me lean away from them.
My Pick: Vikings
Update (23 Oct 2009, 11.13 am): Antoine Winfield is doubtful to start Sunday for the Vikings. This has to sway my pick the other way. the Vikings secondary is not the same without Antoine.
My updated pick: Steelers

Patriots (-14.5) at Buccaneers
Doesn't matter if there is going to be snow in London or not, there just might be the same level of onslaught by Brady and the Patriots this week.
My Pick: Patriots

49ers (+3) at Texans
Crabtree will be making his first start for the niners. FRank Gore will play. Yet, the outcome probably will depend on which Texans team that will show up Sunday. I am predicting the "good" Texans put on a show.
My Pick: Texans

Jets (-6) at Raiders
The Jets should stick to their plan of running the ball more against the Raiders, minimizing the drop backs of young Sanchez. If they follow their game plan, it should be smooth sailing.
My Pick: Jets

Bills (+7) at Panthers
I would have liked the Bills chances if Trent Edwards played. But with Fitzpatrick starting for the Bills, I like the chances of the Panthers. Especially if the Panthers stick to their ground attack against the sub-par run defense of the Bills.
My Pick: Panthers

Bears (+1) at Bengals
This is another intriguing match up for the weekend. Both teams have qualms about the way they played their previous game (both losses) and would want to set right their ship. The Bengals though lost Antwaan Odom for the year, which will translate to lesser pass rush. But Cedric Benson has bad blood with the Bears and will try rally his team for revenge against them.
My Pick: Bears

Falcons (+4) at Cowboys
The Falcons had an impressive win against the Bears and the Cowboys are coming off a bye. I predict the Falcons stopping the Dallas run, forcing Romo to try win through the air. And we know how that will end up.
My Pick: Falcons

Saints (-6) at Dolphins
Wild cat or no wild cat? On the road or at home? The Saints will continue their march of dominance. Drew Brees for MVP anybody?
My pick: Saints

Cardinals (+7) at Giants
The Giants D had a dismal showing against the Saints last week. They will try to rebound at home after that. And the cardinals are playing in the East Coast. Enough said.
My Pick: Giants

Eagles (-7) at Redskins
The Eagles will play for pride after their loss to the Raiders. And they probably do not have to play all that hard for a win either because they face the Redskins.
My Pick: Eagles

Packers (-9) at Browns
The Packers seem to be having a string of good luck with regard to their opponents. Last week, injuries to the Lions helped their cause. This week, a chink of the Browns players are said to be having flu- like symptoms. I am sure the Packers would like that good luck to rather hit their team with regard to health and play of their O Line. Mark Tauscher will not play till next week. Ahman Green was signed this week. He might be active for the game, but don't expect him to play either. After all, the Packers may not need extra help against hte Browns.
My Pick: Packers

Record
Last Week: 8-6
Year to date: 63-27

The Balloon Boy effect

The hoax fever is catching up eh? Last week it was the balloon boy. This week it's a liberal activist group called 'The Yes Men' who managed to stage a fraudulent press conference within the premises of the US Chamber of Commerce, with one of their members posing as a spokesperson of the Chamber of Commerce. According to Politico, the reason for the attempted hoax was to undermine the Chamber and fake the Chamber's support to the Cap and Trade Bill, coming up for vote in the Senate.

In the clip (below), the poser is taking questions from the press. Soon, the Chamber's actual spokesman and communications director Eric Wohlschlegel, interjects the proceeding and shuts down the show. When you watch the video (below), initially you are kind of confused as to who the poser is. But towards the end you will find the hoaxer admit to it. It is kind of ridiculous that some notable press corps fell for this including Reuters, New York Times, CNBC, FBN and Washington Post. They initially ran the story as "Breaking News" in their newscast / web sites. But then had to retract their stories.



Excerpt from Politico:
(begin excerpt)
In a story posted Monday morning, Reuters declared: “The Chamber of Commerce said on Monday it will no longer opposes climate change legislation, but wants the bill to include a carbon tax.” Reuters then updated the story to acknowledge the hoax, but it was too late. "Reuters has an obligation to its clients to publish news and information that could move financial markets, and this story had the potential to do that,” said a Thomson Reuters spokesperson. “Once we had confirmed the release was a hoax, we immediately issued a correction, and in keeping with Reuters policy, the story was subsequently withdrawn and an advisory sent to readers."
(end excerpt)

The Chamber of Commerce officially does not support the bill because their analysis of the bill shows that the essence of the bill have more to do with paying off corporations who have invested in areas that will fiscally benefit from the bill, rather than actually help in reducing green house gases or saving the environment.

One-Handed Driver??

Donald Driver had an eventful day against the Lions. His first catch of the day bumped him to No.1 in receptions in Packer history. And later he made this one handed grab, in spite of Defensive Pass Interference.



This was not his first one-handed catch of the season. Remember Week 3?



He's building up quite a highlight reel for the season eh?

NFL 2009: Week 6 Picks

Sorry, no Week 5 review this time. I reserve the right to take a bye week on review when the Packers have one :).

Week 6 Picks:

Texans (+4.5) at Bengals
Can Carson Palmer keep up his string of clutch throws and key 1st down conversion runs in close games to help the Bengals win? They hope, for a change, it does not get so close. The Texans on the other hand, managed to make a comeback against the Cardinals last week, till Schaub threw that pick-six and then the Texans couldn,y pound in a TD from the one yd line (with 3 possible attempts to do so). No way they come back from that downer to beat the Bengals.
My Pick: Bengals

Ravens (+3) at Vikings
Two heart breaking losses in a row for the Ravens. And in both losses, they were at the receiving end of some questionable penalty calls. I predict a change in fortune for the Ravens in that front. They will have to get their defense back in order though after Cedric Benson burnt them for 100+ yards last week. Adrian Peterson will have a tough time running and Favre might just slip a few to the opposite Jersey. Flacco has had a couple lousy weeks, but that also had something to do with the level of secondary he faced (NE and CIN). The Vikings are not that sharp in pass defense, which should help Flacco get back to winning ways.
My Pick: Ravens

Giants (+3.5) at Saints
This is probably the first formidable opponent the Giants are facing since the Eagles in January of last season's playoffs. The Giants are coming off a bye (thats what a date with the Raiders is these days) just like the Saints. The Saints' revamped defense is better than many people think. With Eli not a 100% yet, and Brandon Jacobs not his bruising self, the Saints might just pull this off at home.
My Pick: Saints

Browns (+14) at Steelers
Although the Browns are coming off a win, the way they did it in a 6-3 scrape-through against the Bills, is more of moral-loss than anything. The Steelers have made it a habit off giving away too many points in the 4th Q letting opponents back in the game. Not happening this week.
My Pick: Steelers

Panthers (-3) at Bucs
The Panthers finally are on the board with a win against the 'skins. But the Buccaneers are still ways from seeing their first W.
My Pick: Panthers

Chiefs (+6.5) at Redskins
Interesting catch by Peter King of SI: "When the Redskins take FedEx Field next Sunday against the Chiefs, it will be the sixth consecutive week they've played a winless team. The titanic schedule they've played thus far:
Week 1: vs. 0-0 Giants.
Week 2: vs. 0-1 Rams.
Week 3: vs. 0-2 Lions.
Week 4: vs. 0-3 Bucs.
Week 5: vs. 0-3 Panthers.
Week 6: vs. 0-5 Chiefs."
And after that mammoth schedule, the redskins are 2-3. Will they maybe start another streak of letting their opponents get their first win of the season? They let the Panthers have it last week (and the Lions in Week 3).
My Pick: Chiefs

Rams (+9.5) at Jaguars
After 5 weeks of play this season, I think the Rams are the prime candidate to take a shot at doing a "Lions" (going a 0-16) this season. But they do have their shots against teams like the Jaguars who can manhandle a good team like the Texans one week or fall meekly on their faces against a Seattle team another week.
My (nervous) Pick: Jaguars

Eagles (-14) at Raiders
Eagles should take care of their scrimmage session of practice (thanks Antonio Pierce) this week in the black hole.
My Pick: Eagles

Cardinals (+3) at Seahawks
Can the Seahawks again dominate on defense at home? They may not, but I see them having just enough to take out the Cardinals this week.Especially, after the Cardinals almost blew their 21-0 lead against hte Texans last week. Also NFC West teams always play hard against each other (except the Rams).
My Pick: Seahawks

Titans (+9.5) at Patriots
What a year for the Titans; 0-5 thus far. It could just get a tad bit worse, say like 0-6 after their face-off against the Patriots. The patriots have never loss consecutive games in like forever (since Week 15 and Week 16 losses in 2002fo the record). I do not see Brady and Belichik letting that streak break.
My Pick: Patriots

Bills (+9.5) at Jets
How south could the Bills go so fast? Not fast enough. And to think TO had nothing to do with it is rather surprising. Rex Ryan will make the Jets feel bad after their loss to MIA on Monday Night. They would feel so bad, that their D would want to take it out with big hits against the Bills.
My Pick: Jets

Bears (+3.5) at Falcons
The Falcons were very impressive against the Niners last Sunday (I was at the game). Matt Ryan was very impressive. His O line did give him a lot of time, but Ryan also made all the throws he had to. His main targets, White and Gonzales don't let him down on their routes either. With Micheal "the burner" Turner due a big game, the Bears would want to contain him first, which could open up the passing game of Atlanta. The Bears on the other hand finally seem to have a QB, (Broncos fans might be flustered by that statement), who takes care of the ball (except week 1 against the Packers) and makes late game comebacks (again except week 1 against the Packers). But I don't see that continue.
My Pick: Falcons

Broncos (+3.5) at Chargers
If the Broncos win this AFC West show down, they open u pa 3 and half game lead over the Chargers, which almost for sure seals the deal in the division. So it is a must-win for the Chargers. Ironically, I keep picking against the Broncos and they keep winning. Now, this streak should end and I predict it ends this week.
My Pick: Chargers

Lions (+13.5) at Packers
The Packers are coming off an eventful bye week, if that is ever possible. They needed to get healthy and fix their offensive line. Not only is Clifton healthy and ready to go, but they also signed Mark Tauscher to compete with Allen Barbre for the other Guard position. Tauscher didn't look sharp in practice, since he is rehabing from off=season surgery, but competition at any position is only going to help. Also, Bigby and Poppinga are healthy to play again. Especially Bigby's return is going to shore up the secondary. What better way to ease into the regular season after the bye week than play the Lions? Especially the pressure is off the O line as Aaron should have enough open receivers against the Lions secondary to get a whole bunch of completions without being pressured.
My Pick: Packers

Record
Last Week: 9-5
Year to date: 55-21

NFL 2009: Week 5 Picks

Week 4 Monday Night Review


Drama!!....Drama!! ...n then some...

Packs Vs Vikings is usually a high energy game. With No.4 dressed up in purple and facing the green and gold it obviously was can't miss drama. To us Packer fans (and to Viking fans) its in epic proportions; kind of like Gandalf the White suddenly fighting for Sauron the evil one instead of the good guys (Sorry about the Lord of the Rings analogy ...... but it really is that big). Favre faced his old team for the first time after their bitter divorce more than a year ago. Even though he denies it, he really wanted to stick it to Ted Thompson and McCarthy that they made the wrong call. You could see Favre was really pumped up emotionally before the game, which actually sent goosebumps under my skin because it reminded me of another Monday Night in 2003 after the death of his dad, Favre came out and looked invincible throwing for TDs in double and triple coverages. Turns out he did play with that energy. But the reasons the Vikings won had to do more than just Favre's awesome throws.

What went wrong? (or right for the Vikes)

As the saying goes, in football the game is won in the trenches. How the offensive and defensive lines of each team plays goes a long way in determining the winner of a game. When the Vikings were on offense, their line dominated the GB defensive line. The new 3-4 defense still has not found its ground. There were too many plays where there were fewer than 4 defensive players rushing the passer, which meant Aaron Kampman and others were in coverage for those plays. That is definitely not a winning formula for the defense. You want guys like Kampman to be rushing in most plays. And Favre had eternity to make all his throws. Talking about GB defense, they did a good job of keeping Adrian Peterson in check for the most part, but their secondary had a lot of problems. Derick Martin (signed just 3 weeks ago) was starting at Safety due to injuries to Atari Bigby and the sudden release of Aaron Rouse. There were some mental errors by him causing a couple of big plays including a long TD throw from Favre (where Al Harris obviously played under Berrian expecting help from the Safety up top).

Where do I start talking about the GB offensive line? Coming in, they obviously were in shambles because of injuries. But its no excuse for the miserable showing by the guys who eventually played on the field. Rodgers was knocked around in the backfield and sacked 8 times, making it 20 sacks in 4 games. To be fair, on some of the sacks, it was Aaron holding on to the ball too long. But it is a problem they will have to fix to fare better against quality defenses. Even with all these setbacks, the Packers were a failed 4th and Goal from the 1 yard line TD attempt and couple of failed onside recoveries away from making it close towards the end.


"Favre the Almighty!!"

If you were tired of all the hoopla about Favre for a week before Monday Night, you can only imagine the hyperbole and eulogy about the great one on ESPN Monday Night. The pre-game was all about him, with very little coverage about the actual game and factors that may contribute to the outcome. The only one on the ESPN crew to (of like a dozen people) to show some amount of perspective to the actual matchup was Steve Young, who at point said "Enough with all the Favre Favre, Favre....and let's talk about the actual game tonight".

Even when the game was on, the guys in the booth were drooling about Favre's "fantastic" throws. To say Gruden and Jaws were exposing their "man-crush" on national TV would have been an understatement. A couple of deep completions of Favre (including a TD) were opportunities for these Favre-bots to extoll his arm strength and greatness. They did not even mention the defensive breakdown of the packers secondary during those plays.


Quick Fix??

The bye week cannot come at a better time for the Packers. Hopefully they will have Chad Clifton RT back from his injury, letting Daryl Colledge go back to RG and Splitz to C (their original positions). Also, they are about to re-sign Mark Tauscher back to compete with Allen Barbre for the LT position. Tauscher, although 33 is a veteran at the position and has a reputation in the league to know how to use his body and leverages. If the O line as a whole manages to hold up pass rushes a tad bit, and if Aaron can release the ball quicker it will help in reducing the sacks and hits on him too. Also the offensive play calling has to include more draw plays and quick screens to slow down the pass rush.

On defense, as far as the secondary is concerned, it gives more time for Derick Martin to learn the new scheme at GB, so that he doesn't have more break downs like against the Vikings. Moreover, if Bigby comes back from his injury as expected, it will move Derick Martin to the bench. And that in turn strengthens the secondary. Overall, Dom Capers also has to tune up the heat in his play calling too, with more blitzes.

The icing in the cake is that after the bye week the packers have a soft schedule against the Browns and the Lions. So they essentially have 3 weeks to get things on track before they host Favre and the Vikes in Lambeau. Revenge will be sweet!


Week 5 picks:

Browns (+6) at Bills
The Bills are coming off a disappointing loss to the Dolphins and would like to make amends by taking care of the Browns at home. Trent Edwards to TO should happen more often than the first quarter of the season.
My Pick: Bills

Steelers (-10.5) at Lions
The Steelers got off to a fast start last week against the Chargers, but coughed up most of that lead in the end. The Lions are no way as talented as the Chargers. And Stafford might not even play. I predict an "over" in the spread.
My Pick: Steelers

Cowboys (-9) at Chiefs
The Cowboys had a tough loss against the Broncos, and would like to redeem themselves against the Chiefs. The Chiefs have been sailing in rough seas themselves, but may not have enough to beat the Cowboys, who finally are running the ball more as they should.
My Pick: Cowboys

Vikings (-9.5) at Rams
The Vikings are soaring and would probably come back to Earth real soon, but not against the Rams. Expect Adrian Peterson to run all over the Rams after his poor outing against the Packers.
My Pick: Vikings

Raiders (+15) at Giants
How contrasting are these teams. Giants are an epitome of professionalism on how they play the game, the Raiders on the contrary have a crude way of running the team.
My Pick: Giants (even if Eli does not play)

Bucs (+14.5) at Eagles
McNaab is returning to the lineup, but is he going to be more effective than Kolb. That's what the Eagles are hoping. But its definitely gonna be enough to beat out the Bucs.
My Pick: Eagles

Redskins (+3.5) at Panthers
the Panthers are coming off a bye week and should be reset to start fresh and get their train on tracks. The Redskins could give them the perfect chance they need.
My Pick: Panthers

Bengals (+9) at Ravens
Welcome to the another of those AFC North rivalries. Only this time the Bengals and Ravens are both 3-1 and are pretty good. The Ravens would play harder to come back from the their heart breaking loss to the Patriots last week and moreover they play at home.
My Pick: Ravens

Falcons (+2.5) at 49ers
The Niners are gonna be without Frank Gore for another week at least. But Glen Coffee will want to do a better job replacing him this week than he did last. The Niners managed to beat the Rams with their Defense and Special teams. They will need more of an offense to beat the Falcons. Also the Niners are going to be excited to have Crabtree signed (although he is not playing this week). I Think the Falcons will struggle against the Niners D line because of their under size.
My Pick: 49ers

Patriots (-2) at Broncos
The Broncos are one of the most surprising teams this season going 4-0 so far. One might tend to think they were lucky with a fairly soft schedule and some luck. But their defense is for real. But this week, they are going against one of those elite teams and I do not see their winning streak continue.
My Pick: Patriots

Texans (+5.5) at Cardinals
The Texans and Cardinals are similar in the sense that they are both so unpredictable. They can burn you on offense when they are in a zone. Or could look real bad at times too. I think the Cardinals have an advantage playing at home here.
My Pick: Cardinals

Jaguars (NL) at Seahawks
The Jaguars are coming off an impressive win against the Titans. But the Seahawks have their own motivational aspects too, including the return of some of their injured starters, and none more important than the return of Matt Hasselbeck. I think that will be enough to put them over the Jaguars at home.
My Pick: Seahawks

Colts (-3.5) at Titans
I know the Titans usually play the Colts real close, but the line of 3.5 is a joke. I expect the Colts to dominate the Titans and maybe we see a little bit of Vince Young by the end of the game.
My Pick: Colts

Jets (-1) at Dolphins
The Jets have enough defense to stop all the variations of the Wildcat offense that Miami might throw at them. Sanchez gets back to being a rookie, not having to do too much, but just enough to score more than the Fish
My Pick: Jets

Record
Last Week: 11-3
Year to date: 46-16

"Corporate Communists are killing us"

This is a "must watch" (or "must listen" rather) for people who are naive enough to fall for all the "Capitalism is evil" chants by people like Micheal Moore. You point out to the flaws of the current system and say: Capitalism failed us. But the real question to ask yourself is : Is the current system really Capitalism?

Here is a clip about how CNBC analyst Dylan Ratigan coins the current flawed system: 'Corporate Communism'. It might sound harsh to people, but if you really look into it, it has some truth to it. Would you agree these are a few of the problems that exist in the current system: Lack of choice, lazy, unresponsive customer service, a culture of exploitation and a small powerbase formed by bureaucrats, cronyism and nepotism? These are the very features in a Communist society. And the similarities do not end there.

In the clip he starts with Health Care (insurance companies etc), then banking and all the bailouts. Here is a summary of facts highlighted by Ratigan that makes his point:

• "The beneficiaries of an ongoing $24 trillion taxpayer-funded bailout...$24 trillion dollars."
• "That is national capital that is being sucked into a broken banking system at the expense of the rest of our country. They continue to use "Too Big To Fail" as blackmail to the taxpayer in order to get us to provide capital to them."
• "It is a system that takes resources from the citizenry and redistributes it to a tiny elite."
• "A handful of weak, un-competitive, outdated companies and industries are purchasing control of the American political system in order to stay in business using their cronyism.
• "It is coming at the direct expense of the rest of us in this nation. And it's a total betrayal of everything that represents America."
  

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

SNL: The Obama address!!

Of late, the late night comics (Leno et al) have started poking into how to do funny comic pieces on Obama, without offending all the Obama-philes out there. They typically start doing it when they believe the majority of their viewers actually get what's going there. This skit by Saturday Night Live may only be the beginning:



Turns out, it is indeed pretty funny eh?

NFL 2009: Week 4 Picks

NFL Week 3 Review

Not so many surprises this past week. Also, we are starting to get an idea of who actually are 'contenders' and who still are 'pretenders' this season. There are a bunch of teams that are in the middle, with a lots of questions about themselves. In my opinion this is how they grade out:

Sign me up for January!

• Colts (3-0): Is there any other offense that looks so much in sync all 3 weeks yet. Watch out for the bend-but-not-break defense over the next few weeks though.
• Saints (3-0): The first 2 weeks had Brees throwing all over the place, the next they have their running game and defense pull them through on the road. They really do look like a complete team.
• Ravens (3-0): They have a stout defense (in spite of the points they have given up) and an offense to go on a shoot out with anyone.
• Jets (3-0): Rex Ryan has his defense ready at an elite level. But how long before Sanchez falls down to Earth with a thud and holds them back? or will he?
  
• Giants (3-0): Not too flashy in how they take care of business, but they sure do.
• Vikings (3-0): A Favre-magic moment away from being 2-1. But they would rather not be in a position to put the ball in Favre's hands.
• 49ers (2-1): A Favre-magic moment away from being 3-0. Only consolation: "You got Favre'd!! Weak NFC West...so should be fine.
  
• Chargers (2-1): Weak AFC West....so should be fine
• Falcons (2-1): Have to show more heart to prove you belong here.
  

Who am I?

• Patriots (2-1): Brady still shaking off rust. Do they keep running in the meanwhile?
• Eagles (2-1): No McNaab no problem, but what happens when he comes back?
• Bears (2-1): Good Cutler? Bad Cutler?
• Bengals (2-1): A fluky last second play away from being 3-0.
  
• Steelers (1-2): What happened to Steeler Football?? 2 plays from being 3-0..... or 1 play from being 0-3??
• Packers (2-1): On offense - 'protect, protect!!'. On defense - 'recover, recover!!'. And you should not have to make miracle plays (video below) to go down-field. You are better than that!

• Texans (1-2): Solid team on paper. Unpredictable is an understatement on field.
• Bills (1-2): Can you keep TO happy? Rather, you have to feed him anyways to get your offense going.
• Broncos (3-0): A fluky last second play, the Browns, the Raiders..... very impressive....not.
• Cowboys (2-1): Will the real Tony Romo please stand up??
• Cardinals (1-2): Its all about getting your offense going..... and your defense.... and special teams .....or.....just start over
• Titans (0-3): Do I say "It's all but over" yet??

Looking forward to the "Sam Bradford Bowl" of 2010!

• Lions (1-2)
  
• Browns (0-3)
  
• Seahawks (1-2)
  
• Chiefs (0-3)
  
• Redskins (1-2)
  
• Buccaneers (0-3)
  
• Panthers (0-3)
  
• Jaguars (1-2)
  
• Raiders (1-2)
  
• Dolphins (0-3)
  
• Rams (0-3)
  

Week 4 Picks

Lions (+10) at Bears
Can the Lions keep their winning streak going? That was a joke.... the Lions are not anymore.
My Pick: Bears

Bengals (-5.5) at Browns
Now, the Browns could be the joke of this year. Who thinks Derek Anderson will fare better than Brady Quinn? (silence.....) I though so.
My Pick: Bengals

Seahawks (-10.5) at Colts
Even if the Seahawks defense gets all their starters back healthy, I do not see them beating the Colts. Boy are the Colts good!!.... I mean scary good!!
My Pick: Colts

Giants (-9) at Chiefs
The Chiefs have no Tyler Thigpen to fall upon...... like that would make a difference. The Giants are on a roll, playing no nonsense football. The easiest pick to go 5-0 with Raiders next week.
My Pick: Giants

Ravens (+1) at Patriots
Now for the big guy league. The Ravens have looked formidable than ever till now, but the Patriots are finding their feet after 3 weeks. If Wes Welker does play, I do not see the Patriots losing at home.
My Pick: Patriots

Bucs (+7) at Redskins
Redskins will try to rebound after being the goat in snapping a 19 game losing streak. They definitely are the better team on paper. And I see it play out the same way on the field.
My Pick: Redskins

Titans (-3) at Jaguars
The Titans can't possibly lose another game to go 0-4, can they? They lost 4 games all of last season including the playoffs. They would not want to equal that in the first 4 weeks of the new season. And the Jaguars are not all that intimidating, even at home.
My Pick: Titans

Raiders (+9.5) at Texans
I am always skeptical to pick the Texans. But when I see the Raiders on the other side, I can boldly pick the Texans. The Raiders are a mess all over, from Jamarcus, Heyward-Bey, to the coaches, to the front office, the PR folk right up to Al Davis at the top. Hard to come out of a funk like that.
My Pick: Texans

Bills (-1) at Dolphins
The Bills have been in all games they lost so far till the fourth quarter. They just need more creative offensive play calling to pull away. Enough of those dinks n dunks, clearly depicting the mindset of the head coach Dick Jouron. As selfish and ego-centric as he may be, I take the side of TO here, you have to try get him the ball to make things happen. He might drop a few, but keep going back to him. He's done this before.
My Pick: Bills

Jets (+7) at Saints
This will be the only meeting of undefeated teams this weekend. The Saints at home will like to get their passing game on track after last week's outing at Buffalo. But it should not be a major concern as they seem to have the defense and running game to fall upon. But thing that is certain is Rex Ryan will unleash all kinds of exotic blitzes to try pressure Brees. Will be fun to watch this match-up. And will this be the weekend when the rookie Sanchez falters and plays like a rookie? The Jets may be in trouble if Brees and the Saints manage to turn it into a shoot out, and the rookie will have to make plays more often than the Jets would like to.
My Pick: Saints

Cowboys(-3) at Broncos
The Denver Broncos have been the most surprising team so far based on their 3-0 record. Not so surprising when you look at how they won their first game and their otehr 2 opponents. Still, you cannot discount them until they actually lose to someone. Dallas come off a shaky outing against the Panthers, despite what the final score might suggest. But Romo played within himself, mistake-free to make sure Dallas clinched the game down the home-stretch without making mistakes of their own. If he does the same against the Broncos, they should be good to come out of Mile High City with a win.
My Pick: Cowboys

Rams (+9.5) at 49ers
The 49ers had a gut-wrenching loss last week, as a result of some last second heroics of an old man named Favre. What better opponent to make sure you are not stuck in that funk than the lowly Rams. The niners will go in without Frank Gore, but they should have enough offense with Glenn Coffee and the resourceful Shawn Hill to take care of business at home. Rams are without their starting QB Bulger, and Brunell will take snaps under center this week.
My Pick: 49ers

Chargers (+6.5) at Steelers
This clearly is one of the most intriguing match-ups of the weekend. The Chargers never do great when they visit the Steel City during the regular season. But this time they are catching the Steelers with no visible running game and doubting themselves on finishing games. Chargers though have problems of their own, with Jamal Williams and LT injured. Mike Tomlin will have his team fired up after their two close losses the past two weeks and will just have enough to beat out the Chargers at home. But I think the Chargers still cover the spread.
My Pick: Steelers


Game of the Week: Packers (+3.5) at Vikings

This obviously is the biggest game of the week, with so many sub-plots and side stories to go along with the actual game. To add to this already spicy match-up Favre threw that last second TD against the 49ers last week to remind us that he is not washed up, yet. There are many interesting things to watch out on Monday Night, starting with how Favre greets with his old teammates not to mention his hand-shake moments with Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson. Obviously, the Packers didn't want this match-up to happen and hence traded Favre to the Jets last year. But, Favre, with a little help from Brad Childress and the Vikings managed to circumvent the efforts of the Packers and land as the Vikings QB this season. There have been rumors about the "revenge" factor behind Favre's presence with the Vikings, which he absolutely denies (but come on, everyone knows he felt he had scores to settle with his old team).

Coming down to the actual match-ups, here are my pointers to look out for:

Can the Packers D stop Adrian Peterson?
Well stopping him is out of the question, but they sure would like to limit him to less than 80 yards or so for the game. Last week, against the Rams, Don Capers used whats called the "Big Okie" formation on defense where he essentially played 3-5 (with 5 linebackers, one linebacker extra instead of a DB) to try limit the Rams running production. They were not too successful with it against Stephen Jackson, but at least they have a plan in place, which will definitely be more refined after a week of game-tape analysis. Ideally, they would like to make Favre throw with 2nd and long downs. Easy said than dont though.

The Packers Offensive Line
Chad Clifton may come back this week to start at Left Tackle, which means College and Spitz can go back to their respectable positions of strength Left Guard and Center (respectively). It doesn't mean all Packers Offensive line woes are solved overnight, but atleast it should be better than the second half of the Bengals game. UPDATE: Clifton did not practice Thursday, means he will most probably not play Monday. The two things they will concentrate on doing are: protect Aaron Radgers from not only getting hit, but also giving him enough time to throw downfield to Greg Jennings and Donald Driver and also maybe try executing their zone blocking schemes to aid Ryan Grant executing the run plays better (especially on first downs to avoid 2nd and long situations). It's a tall ask with Jared Allen going to be revving his motor all night against Clifton. Hopefully, the play-calling can include some quick slants and screens to slow down the initial burst of pass rush from the Vikings defensive front. If Rodgers gets chased around all night, its going to be a long night for the Packers.

Packers should make Favre throw
You think I am crazy? Believe me, I know what I'm wishing for. As an avid Packer Fan I have been following Favre over the last few years real up-close. As much as he may surprise you with a play like against the 49ers, he will also help his opponents throwing picks. Especially with old age, he does the latter more often. If I am his opponent, I would like my chances defending his throw than get bruised trying to stop Adrian Peterson all night. To do that, you have to limit Peterson on first downs. And more importantly, score more points making the Vikings catch up to you. If you turn it into a shoot out, then the Vikings will have no option but to keep throwing.


As far as my prediction for the game goes, my heart says "pick the Packers". But given the situation of the PAckers offensive line and the new unpredictable 3-4 defense, I would be a fool not to trust my head and pick the Vikings at home.
My Pick: Vikings

Record
Last Week: 12-4
Year to date: 35-13

Listen to "Overpaid Celebrities"!!

Here is a satiric video mocking the use of celebrities in some health care advertisements (or PSAs as they are termed). It is a parody of how people think "overpaid celebrities" are geniuses and always know what is right. Especially on this debate, how can you take the word of these "celebrities" over genuine doctors and health care workers, who actually deal with problems everyday? Pretty ridiculous eh?

Watch it and enjoy!!!.....and always listen to "overpaid celebrities"!!