Week 2: No D in Big D, Giants Blow Out Rams, Bills Win Again

Week 2 was much different from week 1, no big names got hurt, not too many upsets and the Colts actually won a game.


The one name on the lips of everyone in week 2 was Matt Cassell. Cassell started his first game since high school and won. The New York Jets had a golden opportunity to possibly lock up the AFC East 2 weeks into the season and failed. Gang Green got very conservative when they gave the ball 3 times to Thomas Jones who failed to get into the end zone from about 3 yards away. Obviously Eric Mangini forgot he got Brett Favre to play QB as he refused to let him throw the ball. Maybe Favre just is not comfortable yet but there is no excuse to have him handcuffed and not let him sling it around the field. Do not take away from his arsenal and restrict him from doing what he does best. Pats win 19-10.


The New York Giants on the other side were beyond superior against the St. Louis Rams. Eli Manning threw for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns. Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Ahmad Bradshaw each scored for the G-Men. The defense was spectacular. They recorded 6 sacks and an interception by Justin Tuck who took it 41 yards to the house. The Giants put up 41 points and continue to prove that they are a top team in the NFL on both sides of the field. Tuck, Antonio Pierce, Jay Alford, and Fred Robbins were the sackers making the day a nightmare for Marc Bulger.

Last weeks 2nd biggest story, the Bills, won another game as they beat the Jaguars 20-16. Trent Edwards was 20-25 for over 230 yards and was the first player since Doug Flutie to complete 80% of his passes. Unlike their first game, this week the Bills just managed the clock well and Trent Edwards was the definition of efficient. Marshawn Lynch ran in for a touchdown and ran for 59 yards. The next test for the Bills will be the defensive dominated Raiders.

And speaking of the Raiders, they finally won a game all on the back of Darren McFadden. McFadden rushed for a very impressive 164 yards and a touchdown on just 21 carries. McFadden was on full display as Fargas went down, and proved to everyone why the Raiders drafted him so high.

The Cardinals are finally coming into their own, and leading the way is none other then Kurt Warner. Sunday, Warner threw for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns. All 3 tds were to Anquan Boldin. Boldin and Fitzgerald combined had 293 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cards are 2-0 and are looking like the toast of the town and possibly a division winner this year.

The wild game of the week award goes to the Chargers, Broncos game. Brandon Marshall had a coming out party as he came back from a suspension and caught 18 balls for 166 yards and a score. Ladanian Tomlinson played very sparingly as he is battling turf toe. But filling in for him was little Darren Sproles. Sporles had a career day, piling up 317 all-purpose yards on 14 touches, including a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first half and a 66-yard catch-and-run for the go-ahead score with 4:22 remaining. Jay Cutler continues to prove that he is the real deal as he threw for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns. None bigger than one coming with :24 seconds in the 4th quarter as Cutler found rookie and week 1 standout Eddie Royal for a 4 yard game tying touchdown. This of course coming after the biggest controversial play in the NFL this year. A ball that slipped out of the hand of Cutler, clearly a fumble was ruled an incomplete pass by ref Ed Hochuli. After the game Houchuli said he got the call wrong and now will be lowered on the totem poll by the NFL. After the touchdown Mike Shanahan put up 2 fingers signaling going for the 2 point conversion. So what does Cutler do? just throw it to Royal and he did and Royal caught it. Shanahan said it was a "gut feeling" and for the Chargers its gut check time as they are 0-2.

3 boring games of the week were the Titans vs. Bengals, Bears vs. Panthers and the 49ers vs the Seahawks. The only positives in the Titans game was that Chris Johnson is a beast running for another 100+ yards and Kerry Collins threw his first touchdown in almost 3 years. Although the ladder was actually an exciting game, no one is talking about it. The 49ers won the game in OT as Joe Nedney kicked a 40 yard FG to win the game. J.T O'Sullivan threw for over 320 yards but only 1 touchdown and was sacked an incredible 8 times. Patrick Willis was remarkable once again proving why he is a top defensive player in this league. Willis caught a tipped pass and took it all the way back to the house for an 86 yard touchdown.

The Colts and Vikings matched up in a game that would end with one of these 2 potential Super Bowl teams to be 0-2. The Colts thanks to a late rally by Peyton Manning and a clutch FG by Adam Vinateiri gave the Colts an 18-15 win. Adrian Peterson had a great game but never found the end zone. Peterson ran for 160 yards on 20 carries and caught 4 passes for 20 yards. The Vikings scored all their points on FG's and the lack of passing from Tavaras Jackson has the Vikings questioning their QB situation. Could we possibly see a John David Booty or Gus Frerotte soon?

The Sunday night game was a weather trenched game as it was pouring all game. The Steelers won 10-6 over the Browns as the only touchdown went to Hines Ward in the first half. The rest was all Steelers defense as sacks and interceptions were the key. Brian McFadden and Troy P both had interceptions.

The game of the week and the marquee matchup of the week was the Monday night game. A rivalry of NFC East warriors, the Eagles and the Cowboys squared off in the last opening game at Texas Stadium. The first half was a shootout as the 2 teams set the 2nd highest point total at the half for a MNF game. After an opening FG, Tony Romo went deep to Terrell Owens for 72 yards and a touchdown. After the Eagles ended the next drive with a FG, Felix Jones took the kick off to the house for a 98 yard TD return. And that was all in the first quarter. The 2nd quarter brought more of the same as Brian Westbrook scored 2 touchdowns 1 receiving and 1 rushing. Terrell Owens caught his 2nd touchdown of the game and Tony Romo fumbled a ball in his own end zone that was recovered by the Eagles for a touchdown. The 2nd Westbrook touchdown came Desean Jackson caught a 60 yard bomb from Donovan McNabb but started to celebrate early. He threw the ball behind him thinking he crossed the touchdown marker but actually was a yard early. The Cowboys challenged the play and it was overturned. A real bone head play. He was luckily saved by Westbrook. At the end of the half the score was 30-24. The 3rd quarter slowed down a bit as only 7 points were scored. Marion Barber caught a 14 yard pass for a TD, and off we went to the 4th quarter with the score being 31-30. Westbrook started the 4th quarter by capping off an 11 play 70 yard drive by scampering into the end zone for his 3rd touchdown of the evening. Marion Barber answered Westbrook's TD with one of his own later on in the 4th quarter putting the Cowboys up 41-37. The defense for the Cowboys then forced 2 sacks under 2 minutes left in the game and it was over. The Cowboys play in a wild one full of points and excitement.

MVP's Of Week 2 are as Follows:

- Brandon Marshall - 18 receptions, 166 yards, 1 touchdown
- Anquan Boldin - 6 receptions, 140 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Larry Fitzgerald - 6 receptions, 153 yards, 0 touchdowns
- Santana Moss - 7 receptions, 164 yards, 1 touchdown
- Terrell Owens - 3 receptions, 89 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Jason Witten - 7 receptions, 110 yards, 0 touchdowns
- Darren McFadden - 21 rushing attempts, 164 yards, 1 touchdown
- Adrian Peterson - 20 rushing attempts, 160 yards, 0 touchdowns
- Kurt Warner - 19 for 24, 361 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Aaron Rodgers - 24 for 38, 328 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Justin Tuck - 2 sacks, 1 interception, 1 touchdown
- Charles Woodson - 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown

Key Things To Keep An Eye On For Week 2

Week 1 was one of the most unpredictable weeks of football in a long time. The upsets, injuries and overall happenings of the start to the football season only establish one thing, this could be a season full of surprises.

In week 1 the Bills topped the Seahawks, The Titans edged out the Jaguars, rookies led teams to victory I.E - Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. Tom Brady went down and is out for the season, let that marinate. Michael "the burner" Turner rushed for an outstanding 220 yards. Willie Paker ran for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jay Cutler and Eddie Royal made the Raiders defense look like a pee wee team. Now its time too look at week 2, and how the outcomes and uncertainties of week 1 will effect these games.

The Jets have to take full advantage of a Brady-less Patriots offense. Yes Randy Moss and Wes Welker are still there but no Brady = Matt Cassel under center. Matt Cassell has not started a football game since he was in high school. If the Jets want to secure the AFC East they better win this game. Ths is not a must win game in the sense of saving the season, but it is a must win game if they want to win the division.

Can the Bills prove that they are for real? The Jaguars under performed like crazy last week and they lost to a now depressed and possible suicidal Vince Young. Bills vs. Jaguars, very intriguing match up. How will the Bills defense and special teams back up their efforts in week 1? Will Trent Edwards really be the saviour for the Bills this season?

Cowboys play the Eagles in a NFC East division rivalry. A win, win for my New York Giants but this will be a high scoring affair. In my opinion the game the Eagles played last week against the Rams was a fluke. No shot they put up over 21 on the Cowboys. That's a Dave guarentee. Romo to T.O all day, Eagles just do not have enough fire power on offense besides Brian Westbrook. No chance the Eagles win this one.

How will Matt Ryan bounce back from his great first NFL performance? Ryan and the Falcons now have to face the Buc's from Tampa Bay and their defense. I think Ryan and Roddy White, and Michael Jenkins have a big game again and Ryan improves to 2-0.

And the most surprising game of the week is Indy vs Minnesota. At the end of this game one team will be 0-2. Yes its early in the season but getting off to a start like this is not good. Manning needs to show everybody that he does not need Jeff Saturday to perform well. He seemed lost in the game against the Bears. And the Vikings need to just hand the ball to AP and let him carry them to victory. Tavaras Jackson just couldnt get it done through the air last week, let AP do what he does best.

Big week ahead of us, alot of division games and potentially a week that will be talked about late in december when we talk playoffs. (Cue Jim Mora soundbyte)

Warren Sapp's Cheap Shot At Raiders

Talk about a disgruntled former employee....

"As far as where the Raiders are going, they have unrealistic ideas about what their people can do," Sapp said on Showtime's Inside the NFL. "That was the experience I had in the four years I was there. They asked people to do stuff they were physically impossible of doing."

"They’re going to suck."


Yikes...Al Davis...Do something

Getting Ready For Week 2 : Real GM Review Week 2

New England at NY Jets--Unless you’ve been in a media-free vacuum, you’ve heard all about the Tom Brady knee injury and his replacement, unheralded Matt Cassel. Many people bring up the similarity between Cassel’s situation and Brady’s back when he took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe, but it reminds me more of another time. Back when Dan Marino’s Achilles tendon snapped in 1993, the Dolphins were coming off an AFC title game loss and a strong 3-1 start, looking very much like a Super Bowl team. Mitchell was a little-used young backup who stepped in for the legend, and expectations were grim. His first pass went for a pick 6 the other way, but he settled down and carried the shell-shocked Dolphins to a win in Cleveland over Bill Belichick’s Browns. Mitchell wasn’t Marino, but he wasn’t as bad as most people thought he would be. The Dolphins won 5 of their next 6 and would have made the playoffs if their defense didn’t give up 146 points in the last 4 games. These Patriots will be fine, so long as their defense doesn’t collapse like those Dolphins, which isn’t likely but also isn’t far-fetched. The Jets struggled to beat the Dolphins, who don’t have one WR who would ever see the field for the Pats and their secondary is even worse. Expect the Patriots to make a big statement that they are more than one man and they are still the cream of the AFC East crop. New England 27, New York Jets 10.

Philadelphia at Dallas--Statement game alert! With all apologies to the Giants, the winner of this battle will shoot to the top of the NFC pecking order and take control of the NFC East. There are loads of intriguing matchups in this one, but I think it will come down to which QB can make more plays when the actual play breaks down. Normally the Cowboys get that nod thanks to Jason Witten (but not TO, who loves to drop balls when wide open on broken plays), but I was genuinely impressed with rookie Desean Jackson in Philly’s yawner over the Rams. For a guy I slammed at every opportunity heading into the draft, Jackson showed me a heretofore unknown maturity and concentration that brought out the best in his dynamic speed and agility. The Browns failed to capitalize on some coverage lapses in the Dallas secondary, opportunities I think the Eagles will seize. Philadelphia 29, Dallas 27.

Indianapolis at Minnesota--One of the things that really grinds my gears is when a team has a player with non-traditional skill sets and tries to bang him into a traditional role. Vikings coach Brad Childress is doing just that with QB Tarvaris Jackson, and it’s why the Vikings are likely to fall to 0-2. Jackson excels at being on the move, rolling out, coming off bootlegs and using the threat of his legs to get receivers open behind the LBs, who are kept honest by the run potential. But Childress seems hellbent on turning Jackson into Drew Bledsoe, standing in the pocket and making quick reads. When Jackson got outside and on the move, he looked very good against the Packers, who should have been called for at least 4 more defensive holding penalties by my count. In the pocket and operating under the constraints of the traditional West Coast principles, Jackson is perhaps the worst QB this side of Charlie Frye. Expect a bug rebound week from Peyton Manning and his receivers, who were all out of sorts against Chicago. Colts 27, Vikings 20.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland--No team played a more dominant overall game against an allegedly worthy opponent (which leaves out Philly beating up the Rams) than Pittsburgh, who absolutely mauled the Texans in Week One. No allegedly good team laid a bigger egg than the Browns, who looked very much like the team we all predicted to finish 6-10 or worse in 2007. Pair that with the knowledge of how mercilessly the Steelers have routinely pounded the Browns over the last decade, and this really doesn’t look like much of a contest. But the Browns laid a similar egg in their opener last year (albeit against these Steelers) and rebounded quite nicely, so there is hope at the end of W. 3rd Street. For the Browns to have any shot, the absent pass rush has to pressure Ben Roethlisberger from more than one spot, and the corners have to remain alert when Big Ben is on the move. Stranger things have happened (see: the success of Hinder, now apparently channeling Jackyl), but the forecast isn’t real sunny for Browns fans. Pittsburgh continues their mastery over Cleveland 34-24.

San Diego at Denver--I have a strong inkling that this is one of the matchups where you can ignore both teams’ openers. The Broncos are in for a rude awakening if they think the Chargers are going to come out dead like the Raiders did Monday night. For all that the Broncos did well, they still looked vulnerable to patient RBs and slip routes to the TE. San Diego has future Hall of Famers at both spots, and the Bolts are fired up to avoid an 0-2 start. Chargers 33-19.

Chicago at Carolina--Two teams that knocked off playoff teams on the road in Week One meet in Carolina, where the Panthers have not played well in recent times. The Bears defense got back to 2006 form, functioning as a unit instead of a lot of talented individuals wearing the same uniform. That forces turnovers, and that is how the Bears have to win games. I believe they are helped by being on the road, where they don’t have to worry about the fans turning on them for every little mistake. The Panthers reshuffled OL looked real strong against the Chargers, and Jake Delhomme is back riding high in the saddle. Carolina looked very in synch, and I’m not yet sold on the Bears ability to sustain what we saw against Indy. Panthers 20, Bears 13.

Buffalo at Jacksonville: Buffalo won their opener in a driving rainstorm thanks to superlative special teams and the inability of Seattle to throw the ball thanks to bad WR play and shaky pass protection. The Jaguars are minus both starting guards and center Brad Meester on the OL, and top reserve lineman Richard Collier is also gone. Jacksonville couldn’t protect David Garrard against the Titans, though he wouldn’t have found many open receivers even with great protection. When I told you this offseason that the Jaguars were on the way down, few wanted to believe me. This game should cement their descent into non-contender status. Buffalo 26, Jacksonville 6.

New Orleans at Washington--Washington has to protect Jason Campbell better if the Skins are to have any chance. That’s a real tall order facing the Saints’ resurgent pass rush, as signing Bobby McCray appears to be a brilliant move to bolster the DE position. The Saints will miss Marques Colston, but they have enough WR depth to cover him. It helps that both Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs are walking wounded, putting extra pressure on the Washington front four. The road team has won the last 5 games in this series. The Saints make it 6 behind a big day from Jeremy Shockey. New Orleans 32, Washington 13.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay--The Bucs come off a tough divisional loss and must face the surprising Falcons sans QB Jeff Garcia. I don’t want to diminish all that Atlanta did well in Week One, but the Detroit defense was consistently terrible. The Bucs run the exact same defense, so maintaining gap integrity and having the safeties stay at home is integral to stopping the Falcons. The biggest question coming into the season for Atlanta was the secondary, but Jon Abraham and the pass rush took care of that deficiency quite nicely. If they can do the same to Brian Griese, who doesn’t have anyone to throw to except Joey Galloway, the Falcons should be able to hang tough and maybe steal a win. “Maybes” don’t play well in Vegas or on BetUS.com. Tampa Bay 20, Atlanta 17.

Green Bay at Detroit--Nice confidence-boosting debut for Aaron Rodgers, though it was the exceptional play of their lines that allowed the Packers to beat the Vikings. The Lions, well, they’re still the same old Lions. This game might very well decide Rod Marinelli’s future as Lions coach, because if the defensive breakdowns and sideline brouhahas don’t go away quickly, it shows he’s nothing more than a really great guy who isn’t cut out to be a head coach. Expect a better effort from the Motor City Kitties, but it are games like these that good teams don’t blow. This Green Bay squad is a good team. Packers 30, Lions 21.
San Francisco at Seattle--Two teams that did not show much in Week 1 face off and try to catch up with the Cardinals in the pathetic NFC West. Seattle struggled with the speed of the Buffalo defense, and the one thing the Niners have in abundance is defensive speed. The Seahawks are typically a different animal at home, and their defense needs to grow some teeth to slow down Frank Gore. But without their top 3 wideouts, they might have to gum the 49ers with the RB-by-committee, not an easy task against Patrick Willis & Co. My faith in the 12th man is the only reason Seattle is the pick. Seahawks 17-13.

Tennessee at Cincinnati--So the Bengals plan is allegedly to crank up the high-octane passing game and outscore their opponents? They went 3 and out on their first 6 drives against the Ravens, and Carson Palmer threw for under 100 yards in a game where their only TD was a fumble return. Oh yeah, they also allowed a lumbering rookie QB to run for a 38-yard TD. To be fair, the Ravens D was in fine form, but the Titans D is coming off a mighty impressive performance against the Jaguars. This is exactly the vintage Bengals I expected--underachieve through some almost unbelievably poor losses until mid-November, then start playing for contracts on other teams to get the hell out of the miserable excuse of a franchise that the Brown family runs. On the other side, no Vince Young means the Titans can actually throw the ball to complement their running game. Expect a big fantasy week from rookie RB Chris Johnson in a 33-16 Titans victory.

Oakland at Kansas City--Two things to take from the Chiefs near-upset of the Patriots in Week One. First is that they are going to bring the heat defensively and they have the physicality and speed to make it work. Second is that they have to bring that heat because they can’t cover anyone. Oakland absolutely stunk in their opener, and Deangelo Hall is well on his way to killing Lane Kiffin’s coaching career. The Raiders will probably look better, but until they get any sort of WR play and Jamarcus Russell gets more confident (those are not mutually specific) they aren’t going to escape the bottom 5 of any power rankings. KC over Oakland 24-16.

NY Giants at St. Louis--Rams fans have to be wondering which deity they ticked off. After their nightmare 2007, they open by getting annihilated by the Eagles and then draw the Super Bowl champs. Good Apollo will smile on you sometime. Just not this week. Giants 36-17.

Miami at Arizona--Game effort by the Dolphins in Tony Sparano’s coaching debut last week, but once the Jets remembered that Chad Pennington can’t zip the ball, the Miami offense did nothing. Arizona plays the same defense, with just as many playmakers. Losing rookie RG Donald Thomas is a big blow for the Dolphins. You fantasy geeks with individual defensive players will want to pick Darnell Dockett this week. Cards roll 30-13.

Baltimore at Houston.--postponed with no makeup date announced. Great decision by the NFL, but football-wise this couldn’t be worse for the Ravens, who were trying to build on a positive opener. Be sure to catch my man Reynolds Wolf on CNN for all your latest Ike coverage.

Week 1: Brady Goes Down, Bills and Eagles Fly High

Well the AFC has just taken one hell of a twist. It is as if Alfred Hitchcock penned his recent novel and titled it Week 1 in the NFL. By now you all have heard, the words that will be drilled into your heads for the next year, Tom Brady has a torn ACL, and will be out for the rest of the season.


Now that we got that out of the way, Matt Cassel stepped in Brady’s place and led the Pats to victory, something that now might come few and far between. The one bright spot was none other than Randy Moss. Moss finished the day with 6 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. But the Brady injury overshadows it all and now the Pats have called on Chris Simms to try out and possibly be apart of the team. Oh by the way the Pats won 17-10.


If you would have told someone that the Bills, Bears, Falcons, Panthers and Ravens would all be in first place after week 1, I think some people would have slowly walked away from you as if you had 9 heads. The Bills routed the Seattle Seahawks 34-10. The Bears threw all but the kitchen sink at the Colts in a rematch of Super Bowl XLI and easily ran to victory behind Matt Forte 29-13. The Falcons had a career day; rookie starting QB Matt Ryan completed his first pass for 62 yards for a touchdown to Michael Jenkins. Not to be out done new comer Michael Turner rushed for only 220 yards on 22 carries and 2 scores as the Falcons soared past the Lions 34-21. If anyone picked the Panthers to beat the Bolts in week one, they need to get their heads examined. Or do we? The Panthers behind the golden arm of Jake Delhomme beat the Chargers on a last second TD. Delhomme threw it into the end zone as WR Dante Rosario jumped high in the air and snatched the 14 yard pass to seal the game for the Carolina Panthers. The Ravens beat the Bengals as Carson Palmer fell on his face. Behind rookie QB Joe Flacco, who ran a ball 38 yards for a touchdown, the Ravens and their defense kept Cincy off balance and out of sync. New name WR Chad Ocho Cinco had only 1 catch for 22 yards.


The Bills are a big story in week 1. As I mentioned the 34-10 win was more than impressive, it was shocking. Seattle is known for having a stellar defense but it was as if the Bills were playing against no one. Trent Edwards went 19/30 for 215 yds and 1 td. Even Brian Moorman, the PUNTER had a 19 yard touchdown toss on a fake Fg to defensive end Ryan Denney. After receiving the stat sheet in the locker room Moorman said "I want to frame it." He wanted to see what it was like to have a perfect passer rating. Marshawn Lynch had a decent game as well rushing 18 times for 76 yards and 1 touchdown. Pure domination by the Bills, can it continue? Will this be the year that the Bills are a force in the AFC? Probably not, but this is one hell of a start.

Broadway Brett led the Jets to victory in his first official game 20-14. Chad Pennington held his own and kept the Phins in it till the final seconds. That is until Darrelle Revis intercepted Pennington in the end zone with 1 hand while falling down. Favre finished the day 15 of 22 for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown was to Jerricho Cotchery for 56 yards. The 2nd touchdown was to Chansi Stuckey on a floater to the end zone on a broken play for 22 yards. Thomas Jones even got in on the scoring party rushing for only his 2nd touchdown as a New York Jet. After the game #4 commented; "It was shaky, but it's a good start," Favre said. "It's a win, and you can never question a win." He then let everyone knows how he feels wearing the green and white. "I know I made the right decision," said Favre. "I'm a New York Jet. I don't know about a native New Yorkian, or however you say it. Hey, I'm happy to be a Jet."
Donovan McNabb had a field day against the St. Louis Rams secondary, 361 yards of a field day and 3 touchdowns. A 90 yard pass on a play action to Hank Baskett was the most impressive one. Greg Lewis and rookie Deshawn Jackson combined for 210 yards recieving, Brian Westbrook had 91 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, 1 rushing the other receiving. The final score was a blow out as the Eagles obliterate the Rams 38-3. The Giants, Cowboys and Eagles all won their first games as the NFC East is looking very tough once again.


The biggest lock of week 1 was the Steelers to beat the Texans and boy did that happen. Big Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker carried the Steelers to victory. Big Ben was efficient 13 for 14 for 137 yds and 2 scores. Parker did his part rushing for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hines Wards caught 6 passes for 76 yards and 2 scores. Final score Steelers - 38 Texans - 17.


In my opinion coming into the first week of the season the Cowboys vs. Browns was the most exciting match-up and had the potential for greatness. 1 powerful offense against another powerful offense. Braylon Edwards vs. Terrell Owens. Kellen Winslow vs. Jason Witten. Derek Anderson vs. Tony Romo. All signs pointed to amazing game, but not so much. Romo threw for 320 yards and a score to Terrell Owens. The TD was Terrell Owens' 180th TD tieing him with Walter Peyton for 8th on the all time list. Felix Jones on his first carry in the NFL took it to the house for 11 yards. Jason Witten had a nice game catching 6 passes for 96 yards. On the Browns side of the ball Anderson went 11 for 24 114 yds and 1 touchdown. Kellen Winslow had 5 catches for 47 yards and a score. Cowboys win 28-10.


The upsets were a plenty in week 1. The Tennessee Titans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-10 but it came at a cost. Vince Young sprained his knee and was on crutches after the games. The Bills upset the Seahawks in a run away. The Panthers had the biggest upset in my opinion beating the Chargers. And the Bears blew out the Colts in new Lucas Oil Arena.


The MVP's of week 1 are as follows;

- Michael Turner RB for Atlanta 220 yds 2 touchdowns.

- Reggie Bush RB for New Orleans 14 for 51 yds rushing and 8 receptions for 122 yds and a score.

- Willie Parker RB for Pittsburgh 25 carries 138 yards and 3 touchdowns.

- Donovan McNabb QB for Philadelphia 21 for 33 361 yards passing 3 touchdowns.

- Drew Brees QB for New Orleans went 23-32 for 343 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 int.


Week 1 culminates on Monday with the Green Bay Packers playing the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos taking on the Oakland Raiders.

Breaking Down the NFC

Now we move to the ever popular NFC. When we think of the NFC you instantly think of that brutal NFC East.

The NFC East is where we will start as I like many others believe that this is the best and toughest division in the NFL. In a division where 3 teams could make the playoffs every year, well that speaks for itself. The best team in this division is probably the Dallas Cowboys. They are the sheik pick for the Super Bowl but this was also said last year and they were up ended by the New York Giants. Coming in 2nd place as ranking teams goes are the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, then the Philadelphia Eagles and then the lonely Washington Redskins. The way this division will play out well the winner is a coin toss between the Giants and the Cowboys. Both teams have very easy schedules and this just might come down to the 2 games they play against each other (which I believe will be a split). The Eagles come in 3rd and after tonight’s performance against the Giants in the opener, (which I was at for my Birthday) I will be shocked if this Redskin team wins 6 games. Big names like Romo and Owens dominate the headlines of the NFC but right there will be Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Look for some explosive fire power out of the NFC East.

The NFC West is always a surprise. In a division that harbors the Cardinals, Seahawks, Niners and Rams finding a winner will be tough, and here is why. The Cardinals are very suspect when it comes to their running game and their front 7. Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson and Cromartie will sure up that secondary but that front 4 needs help. They lost Calvin Pace to the Jets so they will be struggling there. The offense will be explosive. Warner has been awarded the starting QB spot over Matt Lienart, and he will have a happy Fitzgerald and a angry but driven and motivated Anquan Boldin to throw to, and lets not forget 6'7 TE Lenard Pope. The Seahawks have Julius Jones as their starting RB and only 1 decent WR. After Deion Branch it seems like Matt Hasselbacks options are extremely limited. That defense will torment and haunt opposing offensive coordinators in their sleep. The 49ers have nothing on offense besides Frank Gore and have Nate Clements and Patrick Willis on defense, hard to win with out a lot of potent talent. And then there are the Rams, once known as the greatest show on turf, now...not so much. Issac Bruce is gone and Marshall Faulk has long said goodbye and this team is basically lead by Torry Holt and Steven Jackson. With just 2 playmakers and no defense it will be tough for them to do anything as well. If everything goes to plan I think the Arizona Cardinals will finally make the postseason as they win the NFC West.

The NFC North is an ugly division as well. The Bears are awful, they will be in the bottom 3 of teams in the NFL this year. I don’t see the Bears winning more than 3 or 4 games this year. Devin Hester is your #1 WR and your QB is Kyle Orton. Yea you have a good defense but the Bears wont score any points on defense. The Packers have their own QB troubles as Aaron Rogers has some big shoes to fill. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are still there and healthy as is Ryan Grant. The defense should be stellar once again but this will all come down to how well Rogers plays. If Rogers plays well the Pack will be fighting with the Vikings for a playoff birth. The Vikings have a human highlight reel in Adrian Peterson. With talent like that you don’t need much more A la Ladanian Tomlinson for the Chargers. And then there is the Lions. Jon Kitna is a QB that loves to air it out and has the arm to do it. He also has 2 great targets to throw it to in Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams. But that defense is awful and without a solid RB (sorry lost luggage or not Rudi Johnson isn’t a big time RB) the Lions wont win 10 games, Kitna, be happy with 8-8.

The NFC South will be won by the Saints, I don’t think that’s a question. What is a question is how many yards are they going to put up every Sunday and how many will that terrible secondary give up? Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey. Sign me up. The Panthers have nothing on offense after Steve Smith but I will be following rookie Jonathan Stewart as I believe he will be a force to be reckoned with. The Buccs will have trouble on offense. That defense will shut down a lot of opponents but the offense is empty. Ernest Graham will have a nice year but after Joey Galloway, Jeff Garcia is dead to rights. And then there is the Falcons. Lead by rookie Matt Ryan and new RB Michael Turner, don’t be surprised if the Falcons knock off some teams. I think they will finish 3rd in the division with about a 6-10 record. And for a team lead by a baby I don’t think that’s to bad.

Football Time: Breaking Down the AFC

I can smell it in the air, pig skin and BBQ...its that time of year again...and the first kick off is just 3 days away as the NFL Season kicks off in New Jersey at the Meadowlands with the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants take on division rivals the Washington Redskins.

The NFL announced today that every team will be honoring the late Gene Upshaw with a patch reading GU and his number 63 for the entire season. Upshaw’s Wife and children will be on hand for the opening coin toss at Giants Stadium. The Raiders, who Upshaw played for will be honoring him with a video tribute and a patch painted on to the field.

On to a more lighter note as football nears its time to look at some of the teams that will be making noise and reacting to what they did in the offseason.

Let’s break it down by division. In the AFC East I don’t know if you guys hear but some guy name Favre is now wearing green and white. The addition of Brett Favre instantly catapulted the Jets from an 8-8 team to an 11-5 team and contender for the playoffs via the wild card. Because don’t forget they have the team that lost in the Super Bowl the Patriots. With the loss of Donte Stallworth in the off season to the Browns, Randy Moss and Wes Welker will be targeted on more. But with Brady under center they have nothing to worry about. They will go 14-2 and dominate the AFC once again. But their biggest concern should be their defense. This week the cuts were in and John Lynch didn’t make the team, the potential HOF'er is now job less as he just couldn’t keep up with the Pats.

In the AFC West the Chargers still reign supreme and that will not change this year. But there is a new fighter in the Oakland Radiers. The Raiders made huge moves in the offseason stabilizing their defense and making it the best in the league. Al Davis lured in Deangelo Hall, Javon Walker and drafted Darren McFadden adding more explosiveness to their offense which has struggled in recent years. The Broncos have a great defense but a very suspect offense. Yes Mike Shanahan teams are known for dynamic no name running back getting it done, but with only 1 solid WR in Brandon Marshall who is suspended for the first game of the season it will be tough for them to win games. The Cheifs have serious QB and total offense troubles. Besides Dwayne Bowe the offense is dry. Sure Larry Johnson is there but hes been ridden like a dessert mule and who knows when he breaks down.

The Crazy AFC North which always goes down to the wire, this year I feel will be a little different. The Steelers have upgraded their team and I feel are hands down the best team in the division. Adding Limas Sweed the 6'4 wide receiver and Rashard Mendenhall added to an already dominant backfield with Willie Parker, the Steelers will run away with the division. The Ravens defense is solid it has been for years, but with a first year starter at QB and no play making WR this will be another tough year for them. The Bengals will have a great offense, with TJ and Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer, the Bengals offense wont have trouble. That defense though, that’s another story. The Bengals have cut RB Rudi Johnson and now have a large void in their RB spot.

The tough AFC South has been dominated by the Colts for years, as Peyton Manning has lead the Colts to the playoffs, and Super Bowl all out of the AFC South. This year should be no different as Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clack and Anthony Gonzalez round up a stellar receiving corps that should take the Colts to the playoffs again. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the team the Jets will be fighting for the wild card. The Jaguars have added some wide receivers to help QB David Garrard. Jerry Porter, Troy Williamson, add that to Reggie Williams, Mercedes Lewis at TE and a running duo of Fred Taylor and MJD, the Jags will be a force to be dealt with. Other teams in the division the Titans and the Texans each have their troubles. The Titans have added Alge Crumpler but have not improved their defense or other WR to become a true contender. RB Lendale White needs to prove he can get it done again as draft pick and lightning quick RB Chris Johnson could see significant time as well. The Texans still have Matt Shaub and Andre Johnson but that is about it. It seems like they are the footballs version of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Well that’s the breakdown of the AFC; it will be a tough division with a lot of drama. Look to see the Steelers, Colts, Pats, and Chargers to come out of the AFC with the Jets, Jaguars, Browns and Raiders fighting for the wild card. NFC Breakdown next, stay tuned.