10.10.10 will not be a day to remember for the city of Cincinnati, Ohio and their professional sports teams. Yesterday was filled with disappointment for the Queen City as the Philadelphia Phillies completed the sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the first ever playoff game held in Great American Ballpark. This all came after the Bengals lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after more mistakes from quarterback Carson Palmer. Where does Cincinnati go from here?
Southwest Ohio should be proud. After years and years of dreadful sports franchises the city finally seems to be on the rise. Even though the Reds suffered a no-hitter tossed by Roy Halladay in their first MLB postseason game in 15 years and were swept by the Phils, the Reds did win the NL Central quite handily. Also, Bengals fans should be happy that they have to nitpick to find mistakes in the Bengals games. Back in the "can't win a game to save their lives" days and the infamous 2-14 season, the Bengals have been to the playoffs twice under Marvin Lewis. The Bengals have only lost their last two games by three points apiece, which means they have the ability to win those games. They just have made a few small mistakes. Last week it was the run defense as they gave up 102 yards to Peyton Hillis. This week it was three interceptions from Palmer. 2-3 going into the bye week is not where the Bengals would like to be, but it is not the end of the world. The schedule does not get any easier as the Bengals will face the Falcons (4-1), Dolphins (2-2), Steelers (3-1), and Colts (3-2), but the bye gives them time to hopefully work out the kinks and all is not lost with just three losses.
To the people of Cincinnati, do not lose hope. Remember the NL Central Champion Reds and the playoff Bengals of 2009-2010 (plus Terrell Owens) when you are feeling glum. If these two teams do not pan out, Cincinnati still has the Kelly Cup Champion Cyclones to cheer on.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Week Five
Owning Up
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| Chad Henne (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) |
Who would have guessed that in a game in which Randy Moss catches no passes that the Patriots would completely oust the Dolphins? I guess they don't need Moss anymore (obviously, because they traded him). I watched a good portion of this game and I think the Dolphins' big loss could have been avoided without a few errant throws by Chad Henne. It seemed last week that Henne had the offense moving and high gear and they did not play too poorly last week either. One pass way behind Brandon Marshall over the middle was picked off by Rob Ninkovich. Henne later threw another pick to Ninkovich and one to Patrick Chung. A combination of those poor throws by Henne and absolutely hideous special teams play by the Fins spelled out doom.
Predictions
Last week was another middle-of-the-road one for me as I went 8-6 bringing my season record after two weeks (pitiful right?) to 17-13. That's not playoff material, my friends! At least I'm over .500. Let's see if we can get it back on the right track this week. Here we go:
Bills over Jaguars I know the Bills are 0-4 and the Jaguars are coming off a thrilling victory over the Colts, but despite the Bills' record they were able to put up 30 against the Pats and 14 against the Jets, both not easy tasks. I expect them to grab their first win this week. 28-20
Bengals over Buccaneers The Bengals had a rough go at it last week against the Browns. However, despite having their run defense embarrassed by Peyton Hillis, Carson Palmer and Terrell Owens were clickin' like chicken. Look for the Bengals to finally get it right this week. 35-21
Falcons over Browns The Falcons continue to pull out terrific last-minute wins. I don't think this one will have to be a last-minute save by Matt Bryant's leg. 20-14
Rams over Lions I've picked against the Rams in the past two weeks and both weeks they have won. Maybe I've smartened up this week, we'll see. I'm calling this, yes the Rams and Lions, as the best game of the day. 28-27
Chiefs over Colts Is it wrong that I want the unbeaten to remain unbeaten? Is it even worse that I'm picking the Chiefs to beat my AFC Champion pick the Indianapolis Colts? Maybe. Maybe I'm crazy, but the Chiefs are on fire right now. End of story. 27-24
Packers over Redskins The Packers' victories have not been as demanding as we may have thought coming into the season, but the fact that Aaron Rodgers isn't playing up to his potential and is still putting up insane numbers should make opposing defenses quiver. Rodgers gets it together this week. 35-10
Bears over Panthers Is it possible for the Bears to win without Jay Cutler? I think so. It will not be a pretty game by either the Bears or Panthers. This will just be an all-around ugly game. 9-7
Broncos over Ravens I would not be surprised if the Denver Broncos turned out to be a dark horse this year, no pun intended. Peter King wrote in last week's "Monday Morning Quarterback" about how the Broncos may have gotten the better end of the Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton deal. I'm starting to agree with it. Broncos upset the Ravens this week. 21-17
Texans over Giants This is another difficult pick for me. The Giants had an incredible defensive performance against the Bears last week, but I have a hard time seeing that happen again against the Texans. Then again, I have been wrong before. 28-14
Saints over Cardinals Are these the same NFL Champion Saints that we saw last year? They sure have not looked like it. Although they are 3-1, they have not had that same domination that came last year. This is their chance to get it back against a far below average Cardinals team and rookie quarterback Max Hall. 42-14
Titans over Cowboys I'm sticking to my guns on this one. Although the Cowboys defeated the Texans pretty handily before their bye week last week, I don't think this team is anything to write home about. I think their far overrated and the Titans should have their way with them today. 28-7
Chargers over Raiders What has happened to the San Diego Superchargers? Here they are at 2-2 going against an inferior Raiders squad, but I am actually questioning whether they win or not. This should be an easy pick for me! I'll take the Chargers, but I'm not happy about it. 17-14
Eagles over 49ers Hollywood couldn't write a crazier story than the one playing out in Eagles camp. Kevin Kolb went down in week one with a concussion from a Clay Matthews mauling, Michael Vick is put in the game and shines. Vick is named the starter for the Eagles and goes down in the next game, a homecoming for Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb. Now Vick has a rib injury and Kolb is back in as the starter. We can only wonder what will happen if Kolb plays well before Vick gets back to full health. 28-21
Jets over Vikings The New York Jets are making believers out of the doubters. The Vikings did get a big help from the trade for Randy Moss, but I still don't know if birthday boy Brett Favre is where he needs to be this season, for he hasn't been up to snuff so far. We will see how Moss help him. The Jets, on the other hand, are on fire and get Santonio Holmes back from suspension this week. Look for a shootout in this game. 42-35
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Week Four
Owning Up
This section is dedicated to owning up to my mistakes last week.
As much as I hate to say it, the Dallas Cowboys proved me wrong. After ranting about how terrible the Cowboys were, they went out and handed the Houston Texans a crushing defeat, 27-13. Tony Romo threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns. So much for my prediction. Does that change my opinion on the Cowboys? Absolutely not. As cliche as this is, even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
Predictions
My record for last week was 9-7. I am proud to say that I picked the Seattle Seahawks to defeat the San Diego Chargers and they came through for me. O happy day. Here's what I have this week:
Falcons over 49ers The Niners are not living up to the high expectations this year as they find themselves at 0-3. Look for their struggles to continue this week. 24-13
Jets over Bills Although the Bills had quite an impressive performance on the scoreboard against the Patriots last week, their quarterback issues are worrisome (the team released Trent Edwards). We shall see how Ryan Fitzpatrick can handle the team, however, they will lose this week to a hot Jets team. 28-14
Bengals over Browns Quarterback Carson Palmer has not been very impressive in the Bengals' victories (nor in the loss for that matter), so this is his chance to prove himself against a weak Browns squad. I still expect Peyton Hillis to have a stellar game against the Bengals, but Cincinnati will eek out a victory against their in-state foes. 20-17
Packers over Lions After a heartbreaker last week, the Packers are looking to get back on track this week against division rivals, the Detroit Lions. Aaron Rodgers will have his best performance to date. 42-10
Broncos over Titans This could be the most interesting matchup of the day. Both the Broncos and Titans will fly under the radar this year, but still impress. This is a close one...very close. 21-20
Seahawks over Rams After the Rams shocked the Redskins and the Seahawks shocked the Chargers last week, this game will probably lack the same shock value. I see the Seahawks advancing to 3-1 after this one. 24-17
Saints over Panthers Bad luck plagued the Saints last week as kicker Garrett Hartley missed a short field goal that would have won the game in overtime. However, even bad luck could not keep the Saints from handling the Panthers. 31-7
Ravens over Steelers Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch proved me wrong last week as he hooked up big-time with Mike Wallace for a pair of scores (as he sat on my fantasy bench). However, I feel this game will be a battle of great defenses. Only field goals for this one. 9-6
Texans over Raiders Look for the Matt Schaub and the Texans to get back on track this week. 32-14
Colts over Jaguars Peyton Manning is having one of his best seasons in a while. He is simply playing lights out. Look for it to continue this week. 42-7
Eagles over Redskins Donovan McNabb returns to Philly this week to see the man who unexpectedly took his job, Michael Vick. I give the advantage to the Eagles with Vick playing like the Vick of old. 20-14
Chargers over Cardinals Don't look for another upset of the Chargers this week. Leon Washington made big special teams plays for the Seahawks to defeat the Bolts last week. The Cardinals don't have that same kind of playmaker. 28-14
Bears over Giants Who would have guessed that after a dismal season from Jay Cutler and Matt Forte that the Bears would be 3-0 to start 2010? "Not I," said the fly. Still, Cutler looks to have his game back and Forte has a new dynamic as a receiver out of the backfield. Bears take it. 24-14
Dolphins over Patriots UPSET ALERT! Chad Henne had the Dolphins offense rolling last week against the Jets, hooking up frequently with Brandon Marshall and Brian Hartline. Watch for the Dolphins to shock the Patriots this week. 27-24
This section is dedicated to owning up to my mistakes last week.
As much as I hate to say it, the Dallas Cowboys proved me wrong. After ranting about how terrible the Cowboys were, they went out and handed the Houston Texans a crushing defeat, 27-13. Tony Romo threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns. So much for my prediction. Does that change my opinion on the Cowboys? Absolutely not. As cliche as this is, even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
Predictions
My record for last week was 9-7. I am proud to say that I picked the Seattle Seahawks to defeat the San Diego Chargers and they came through for me. O happy day. Here's what I have this week:
Falcons over 49ers The Niners are not living up to the high expectations this year as they find themselves at 0-3. Look for their struggles to continue this week. 24-13
Jets over Bills Although the Bills had quite an impressive performance on the scoreboard against the Patriots last week, their quarterback issues are worrisome (the team released Trent Edwards). We shall see how Ryan Fitzpatrick can handle the team, however, they will lose this week to a hot Jets team. 28-14
Bengals over Browns Quarterback Carson Palmer has not been very impressive in the Bengals' victories (nor in the loss for that matter), so this is his chance to prove himself against a weak Browns squad. I still expect Peyton Hillis to have a stellar game against the Bengals, but Cincinnati will eek out a victory against their in-state foes. 20-17
Packers over Lions After a heartbreaker last week, the Packers are looking to get back on track this week against division rivals, the Detroit Lions. Aaron Rodgers will have his best performance to date. 42-10
Broncos over Titans This could be the most interesting matchup of the day. Both the Broncos and Titans will fly under the radar this year, but still impress. This is a close one...very close. 21-20
Seahawks over Rams After the Rams shocked the Redskins and the Seahawks shocked the Chargers last week, this game will probably lack the same shock value. I see the Seahawks advancing to 3-1 after this one. 24-17
Saints over Panthers Bad luck plagued the Saints last week as kicker Garrett Hartley missed a short field goal that would have won the game in overtime. However, even bad luck could not keep the Saints from handling the Panthers. 31-7
Ravens over Steelers Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch proved me wrong last week as he hooked up big-time with Mike Wallace for a pair of scores (as he sat on my fantasy bench). However, I feel this game will be a battle of great defenses. Only field goals for this one. 9-6
Texans over Raiders Look for the Matt Schaub and the Texans to get back on track this week. 32-14
Colts over Jaguars Peyton Manning is having one of his best seasons in a while. He is simply playing lights out. Look for it to continue this week. 42-7
Eagles over Redskins Donovan McNabb returns to Philly this week to see the man who unexpectedly took his job, Michael Vick. I give the advantage to the Eagles with Vick playing like the Vick of old. 20-14
Chargers over Cardinals Don't look for another upset of the Chargers this week. Leon Washington made big special teams plays for the Seahawks to defeat the Bolts last week. The Cardinals don't have that same kind of playmaker. 28-14
Bears over Giants Who would have guessed that after a dismal season from Jay Cutler and Matt Forte that the Bears would be 3-0 to start 2010? "Not I," said the fly. Still, Cutler looks to have his game back and Forte has a new dynamic as a receiver out of the backfield. Bears take it. 24-14
Dolphins over Patriots UPSET ALERT! Chad Henne had the Dolphins offense rolling last week against the Jets, hooking up frequently with Brandon Marshall and Brian Hartline. Watch for the Dolphins to shock the Patriots this week. 27-24
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