Week 2 Recap:
Vs. W-L: (12-4)
Vs. Spread: (11-5)
Vs. Over/Under: (5-11)
For the Season:
Vs. W/L (21-11)
Vs. Spread: (20-12)
Vs. +/-: (9-23)
After two weeks, I’m ahead of 5 of the 6 "CBS Sportsline Experts" who pick the spread. Not bad for a kid who doesn’t gamble. As I indicated last week the slate of games on the schedule didn’t have many difficult choices. As the season progresses, the matchups (especially those intra-divisional tilts) will be harder to forecast.
The Good: Atlanta has had a terrific start, especially in the running game.
Buffalo has played two tough, hard nosed games. They may finish .500 but they will give you a football game. The Ravens have been awesome on both sides of the ball. Chicago’s defense has been as advertised. Barring injuries, they will cruise to the NFC Central Title.
The Bengals were expected to do great things, and so far they have lived up to the hype. It’s the same thing with Seattle, a team that’s coldly efficient. San Diego has also gotten off to a great start, out scoring the opposition by a score of 67-7. So far, Rivers has adapted well to the system. Time will tell. Jacksonville is also for real. They duked it out with Pittsburgh and did not back down an inch. Beating a physical team at their own game this early in the season sens a message around the NFL, LOUD AND CLEAR.
The "B" Squad: Those G-Men pulled off an OT win for the ages Sunday at Philly. A win like that can propel a team on a string of wins. Look for Coach Coughlin’s crew to really play with passion.
Surprising: The Vikes are 2-0. Brad Johnson may not be the flashiest dude in town, but is he ever effective. The Saints (while not facing legit contenders) have also started fast. They finally get to "go home" next week at last. The J-E-T-S have really done well so far, one win, and one tremendous comeback v. NE that just fell short.
The "We Don’t Know Yet:" Indy can beat up the likes of Houston all they want. It means nothing. We’ll find out all we need when Peyton faces the Jags. Similarly, there were high hopes in Big D this year. Though they had little difficulty handing the ‘Skins, TO is down for 2-4 weeks. The QB situation also bears watching.
Lukewarm: New England has underperformed to date, and their record is deceptive. This week they’ll host Denver with a score to settle from January. They have to play much better. The Broncos needed an OT field goal at home to squeak past the Chiefs. Jake The Snake is not an NFL-caliber QB. After a few losses perhaps Shanahan will determine that it’s Jay Cutler’s turn.
The Steelers: In my preseason forecast, I looked at Pittsburgh as a team that will probably have a hangover season. Whoever escapes the AFC North will be lucky, because that is hands-down the most talented division in the NFL.
The Disappointing: How did Miami ever start 0-2? Is it just a bad start, or do they really suck? Man, that O-Line needs some help or Daunte won’t make it to October. For that matter, what’s going on with Carolina? This is a team that holds super Bowl aspirations. Steve Smith or not, one TD in two games just ain’t gonna do it. There is no way that Philly should’ve lost at home to the Giants. The had the game salted away and let NY back in to steal the win. A defeat like that may wind up sinking the Eagles for ’06. Washington seemingly puts together a contender on paper every year. Two uninspiring defeats put them in the basement of the competitive NFC East.
They Are Who They Are: Arizona has finally put together a balanced offensive attack, but after losing in Seattle, they have a long way to go. Cleveland is off to an 0-2 start, which is no surprise. Presently they are bringing up the rear in the AFC North. Expect them not to rise any higher. San Francisco is a team on the way up. They will take their lumps along the way, but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. St. Louis is rebuilding as well. However, they have quite determined in which direction…
The Bad: Tampa Bay has really played surprisingly poor for two straight weeks. Maybe this was a team that never had the horses to start with, but they’ve been awful. The Texans? Forgetaboutit…and the Pack just do not seem to have enough talent surrounding Favre. The Titans are a bad football team; there is presently nothing that requires amplification. With Trent Green, KC was a fair to middlin’ team. Without him, the defense will need to step up big time inorder to survive his absence.
The Horrid: The Oakland Raiders. "Just win, baby." Indeed. The Detroit Lions were smacked around in Chi-Town last week. Any positive karma they may have had dissipated on the Soldier Field turf. Someone who has proved NOTHING has the temerity to call out his coach? Can you imagine what Bobby Layne would say about that?
Vs. W-L: (12-4)
Vs. Spread: (11-5)
Vs. Over/Under: (5-11)
For the Season:
Vs. W/L (21-11)
Vs. Spread: (20-12)
Vs. +/-: (9-23)
After two weeks, I’m ahead of 5 of the 6 "CBS Sportsline Experts" who pick the spread. Not bad for a kid who doesn’t gamble. As I indicated last week the slate of games on the schedule didn’t have many difficult choices. As the season progresses, the matchups (especially those intra-divisional tilts) will be harder to forecast.
The Good: Atlanta has had a terrific start, especially in the running game.
Buffalo has played two tough, hard nosed games. They may finish .500 but they will give you a football game. The Ravens have been awesome on both sides of the ball. Chicago’s defense has been as advertised. Barring injuries, they will cruise to the NFC Central Title.
The Bengals were expected to do great things, and so far they have lived up to the hype. It’s the same thing with Seattle, a team that’s coldly efficient. San Diego has also gotten off to a great start, out scoring the opposition by a score of 67-7. So far, Rivers has adapted well to the system. Time will tell. Jacksonville is also for real. They duked it out with Pittsburgh and did not back down an inch. Beating a physical team at their own game this early in the season sens a message around the NFL, LOUD AND CLEAR.
The "B" Squad: Those G-Men pulled off an OT win for the ages Sunday at Philly. A win like that can propel a team on a string of wins. Look for Coach Coughlin’s crew to really play with passion.
Surprising: The Vikes are 2-0. Brad Johnson may not be the flashiest dude in town, but is he ever effective. The Saints (while not facing legit contenders) have also started fast. They finally get to "go home" next week at last. The J-E-T-S have really done well so far, one win, and one tremendous comeback v. NE that just fell short.
The "We Don’t Know Yet:" Indy can beat up the likes of Houston all they want. It means nothing. We’ll find out all we need when Peyton faces the Jags. Similarly, there were high hopes in Big D this year. Though they had little difficulty handing the ‘Skins, TO is down for 2-4 weeks. The QB situation also bears watching.
Lukewarm: New England has underperformed to date, and their record is deceptive. This week they’ll host Denver with a score to settle from January. They have to play much better. The Broncos needed an OT field goal at home to squeak past the Chiefs. Jake The Snake is not an NFL-caliber QB. After a few losses perhaps Shanahan will determine that it’s Jay Cutler’s turn.
The Steelers: In my preseason forecast, I looked at Pittsburgh as a team that will probably have a hangover season. Whoever escapes the AFC North will be lucky, because that is hands-down the most talented division in the NFL.
The Disappointing: How did Miami ever start 0-2? Is it just a bad start, or do they really suck? Man, that O-Line needs some help or Daunte won’t make it to October. For that matter, what’s going on with Carolina? This is a team that holds super Bowl aspirations. Steve Smith or not, one TD in two games just ain’t gonna do it. There is no way that Philly should’ve lost at home to the Giants. The had the game salted away and let NY back in to steal the win. A defeat like that may wind up sinking the Eagles for ’06. Washington seemingly puts together a contender on paper every year. Two uninspiring defeats put them in the basement of the competitive NFC East.
They Are Who They Are: Arizona has finally put together a balanced offensive attack, but after losing in Seattle, they have a long way to go. Cleveland is off to an 0-2 start, which is no surprise. Presently they are bringing up the rear in the AFC North. Expect them not to rise any higher. San Francisco is a team on the way up. They will take their lumps along the way, but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. St. Louis is rebuilding as well. However, they have quite determined in which direction…
The Bad: Tampa Bay has really played surprisingly poor for two straight weeks. Maybe this was a team that never had the horses to start with, but they’ve been awful. The Texans? Forgetaboutit…and the Pack just do not seem to have enough talent surrounding Favre. The Titans are a bad football team; there is presently nothing that requires amplification. With Trent Green, KC was a fair to middlin’ team. Without him, the defense will need to step up big time inorder to survive his absence.
The Horrid: The Oakland Raiders. "Just win, baby." Indeed. The Detroit Lions were smacked around in Chi-Town last week. Any positive karma they may have had dissipated on the Soldier Field turf. Someone who has proved NOTHING has the temerity to call out his coach? Can you imagine what Bobby Layne would say about that?
posted by Richard | 3:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home