I wish I was a nice enough guy to let Steve catch up a little bit, but it’s just not happening. Quick baseball sidenote: If you lived in Boston, but didn’t like the Red Sox, would you go out and party with the celebrating fans in the Sox won it all? I know I wouldn’t. Call me a frontrunner all you please for being a Cowboys, Yankees and, uh, Blazers fan (real frontrunner there, I can backup all my teams) but don’t questions the sports integrity — sportstegrity, if you will.
Second sidenote: Is there anything more fun than seeing an entire team do the Soulja Boy dance? Saw it last night at a basketball midnight madness, and have seen football teams do it on the sidelines before. Never fails to make me happy.
And now, the picks.
Eagles over JETS
Westbrook is back after three weeks of rest. What that means is we should be feeling sorry for Jets fans right about now. Too bad the Jets D won’t be able to take advantage of that Eagles O-line like last time the birds took the field.
BUCS over Titans
Bout the time of year when Rhonde Barber gets two picks and returns at least one for a TD. Might end up being my dumbest pick of the week, but when you have two low caliber offenses and solid D’s like these two teams, anything can happen. So Steve went one way, I went the other, toss it up.
JAGUARS over Texans
He’s starting to get more attention this year, but Rashean Mathis is my pick for the most ridiculously underrated defensive player in the league. If you put a fast corner like him next to a more physical Terrance Newman-kind of player, you would have an unstoppable secondary. Just look at Denver, who already has a combo sort of like that. David Garrard is quietly becoming a pretty decent QB, which is notable because his wideouts are the Atlanta-point-guard situation of the NFL.
RAVENS over Rams
Until Steven Jackson and Mr. Bulger come back healthy, I doubt the Rams will come close to win a game, much less actually get a victory. Should be sack-city for Baltimore D fantasy owners.
BEARS over Vikings
If Minny could throw the ball with any sort of consistency, I might pick them, but right now they just seem like a poor man’s — yet healthier — version of the Bears. I’ll take the prototype.
Dolphins over BROWNS
Just feels like one of those games between two terrible teams where everyone takes the home squad just because. So what the hell, one team has to suck less than the other, right?
Redskins over PACKERS
The bad news for Brett Favre, the ‘Skins have a very good secondary. More bad news for Brett Favre, he would be better off calling up old-man Barry Sanders than letting these guys sputter their way between the tackles. But here’s the good news, he’s a much better QB than Jason Campbell, who still seems far too conservative for me to label him as the man.
Bengals over CHIEFS
Larry Johnson might actually get a heart portion of yards, but unless the Huard-Bowe connection gets them 250 passing yards and 3 TDs, this one is going to the team that still has a chance to be playing for the playoffs in a couple weeks.
CARDINALS over Panthers
Kurt Warner might be old, but he used to be really, really good — and has looked decent so far. Vinny Testaverde is really, really old, but he used to be, um, pretty ok? When was the last time two teams lost their starting QB’s for the season the week before they played each other?
CHARGERS over Raiders
You can kind of feel the Chargers beginning to pick up steam. While it’s not shocking anybody, Antonio Gates is having himself a career year. Culpepper is going to have to make plays in the pocket because, while the SD defense isn’t as good anymore, they are still fast on the edges.
COWBOYS over Patriots
See this post. Turns out Romo found out just days before the Buffalo game that his father has prostate cancer. He says it wasn’t bothering him, but how many of us believe that? I’m sticking with my guy at home.
SEAHAWKS over Saints
Last year I would have been hyped for this game. My how the tables have turned. You just don’t go against Seattle at home when they are playing anyone less than great.
Giants over FALCONS
Bobby Petrino, it’s time to give Jerious Norwood the bulk of the carries. He won’t save your season, but he could save your job.