Are You Ready For Some Football Week 2 Style

Originally posted on Quick Thoughts on September 15, 2006.

Finally, a bit of fun in this space has shown up. I have decided to provide you, the lovely reader, with my NFL picks for the week. I came to this brilliant idea for a column through several reasons, including, but not limited to, ease (since I am already in a pool and need to do it anyway), for fun and not another long diatribe on something down (is it just me or has death been a prevalent feature here lately). It is one easy column a week because I have the topic and I love football and to be honest, at heart I am a lazy man. And most importantly, since every other expert does it, why cannot I? Heck, I watch and read enough about football to know something about who may or may not win. Why not put it in writing so I can look back and see how right on or wrong I was? Sounds like fun to me.

Now, a couple notes about my picks. First, I will not try to be Nostradamus and give you a final score. That is asinine and almost impossible. One of my favorite writers, Gregg Easterbrook, used to track the final score predictions of the New York Times when they still attempted to do this. I believe, by the time they stopped this practice, their success rate was 2 in roughly 1000 final scores predicted correctly. And if I remember the column when he wrapped up his tracking, this was about the same success rate if you just gave the same score for every game over the same amount of games. Breaking it down, over the next 1000 games, if I say 24-21 home team wins every time, I am bound to get 2 correct. You will definitely not see me rushing to Vegas with those odds tucked in my back pocket. So no scores. Plus, what if I was dead on every time? It would take the fun out of it for everyone, although I would definitely find a sports book to move into and fast.

Second, I do not bet the spread. These are just straight winner/loser picks. Not that I have a problem with the spread or some moral objection. I just find it a distracting addition. Why muddle it up with something like, oh, I think Green Bay will lose, but not by 15, so I will pick them. No, that means little to me since I have no money on the spread. My money is only on straight wins and losses, so that is where my guess will reside.

Third, you will not find any fantasy gems here, at least not intentionally. I do not have a fantasy team, nor am I in a league. I would be a horrible fantasy owner since all I would do is spend the whole draft looking for ways to acquire every Steeler player I could. And since that is not how you win in fantasy football, I tend to avoid the whole fantasy aspect possible. But, if you dig the fantasy, I may throw out a team tidbit here and there that could help. And if so, I get a cut of your winnings. Make the check out to cash, much easier that way.

That is about it. After that, its pretty fair game. Now, just so you know, I do not work nor am I affiliated in any way with the NFL, any major network, any sports magazine or internet site or with anyone affiliated with them, except in some far off, distant cousin sort of way I may not know about at present. These are from nothing more than a fan who reads a handful of weekly columns on a regular basis, peruses a few others along the way, has a subscription to Sports Illustrated and a much loved subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket. I do not have a notebook or anything of the sort, and when I write them, it will be from absorbed knowledge of the previous week and my own assumptions. Although, I will fact check if I decide to put additional information in. I know me some football from years of watching, learning and hanging out with the old man, who has probably forgotten more than I will ever know about the game. So why should you read this? What makes my picks better than yours, since I know as much as you? Well, no reason. But I am putting mine out there, so Nah. Plus, it will give you something to laugh at when my picks go horribly wrong.

Each week, I will also post before the picks my results from last week. Maybe even with a quick recap of how wrong I was on the games. Depth of the recap will always depend on two factors. First being if I actually watched the whole game and not just the highlights (there are always bound to be about 4 games that get the good treatment, and you are right, the Pittsburgh game will ALWAYS get the good treatment). And second, it will depend on whether I am smart and write down my thoughts as I am watching, or if I forget, get too wrapped up in the game, and then remember I forgot to write them down 3 days later and then try to restructure the thoughts that have already disappeared in my mind. So yeah, some games may be detailed, and some will just be much like, uh, I screwed up. But to save space, this week I’ll only post last weeks record, since there is no picks to go from, and I really do not feel like trying to reconstruct them.

Last Week: 10-6
Season to date: 10-6

Not too bad of a start. Let’s see how consistent I can keep it up. Although last week was a weird one with 11 road teams winning. Usually, most teams in the first few weeks of the season get a bump at home, but who knows. It takes a few weeks to find out who really has a shot and who is just smoke and mirrors. But keeping road performance in mind, I am saying home field advantage be damned!

I may add or subtract a few things as the weeks go on. Plus I am not sure exactly what I will write for each game. I guess that will come to me as I work on each one. I am trying something new, so we will see how it goes. But for now, without further fanfare and babbling, here are my choices for this week.


Cleveland at Cincinnati

Division rivals square off in Cincy’s home opener. The Browns looked ok vs. New Orleans last week, but show that year two of Romeo Crennel’s rebuilding will be only a little less painful than year one. The Brownies still have a ways to go, but are showing some signs of life. Having Kellen Winslow actually playing will go a long way in making progress. Center Hank Fraley, acquired in a trade from Philadelphia, showed signs of not being fully acclimated to the Browns playbook and terminology, but he is a grade A center and will catch on fast. Cincinnati showed me little in beating the heck out of the Chiefs last week, whom I do not rate too highly. More on that later. But, they are the defending division champs, and Carson Palmer does seem to be back to his old self. We should see for sure when he goes up against the Browns secondary. Truthfully, I do not think we will see how good the Bungles can be until they face a quality opponent, and they face far more this year than they did last year. I question their secondary and I do not think they did anything to improve their run defense. But this week, it will matter little.

Cincinnati over Cleveland


Tampa Bay at Atlanta

Wow, what the deuce happened to Tampa Bay last week? Opening game jitters? Forgot the plays due to over exuberance? Gruden had them wound too tight? Yikes, you tell me. I have no idea. And many had them as a sexy preseason Super Bowl pick. It is hard to tell a lot from just one game. Remember, last season Denver got shellacked in Miami on opening day, and they ended the season in the AFC Championship game. So you cannot take too much from one performance. Start taking more from it when you see two or three like that. As for Atlanta, where can I turn in my Michael Vick fan club membership? Not to bust too much on Vick, because he is a superior athlete, but he is a terrible quarterback. Sure, he can be great now, and Atlanta is being smart by learning how to really utilize his skills and his legs. But who will he be when he starts to slow down and his legs can no longer skirt him downfield to avoid danger or make something happen out of nothing, and he still cannot hit a target? Oh, I know, the answer is Kordell Stewart without the fragile ego! John Abraham, though, was a fantastic pick up for them in the off season, but does he really have a groin injury, or is it smoke and mirrors? I guess we will see on Sunday. A tough one for sure, but someone has got to win. I think Gruden will have the boys looking to take their embarrassment out on someone, and the Falcons, riding a little too high, will be that someone.

Tampa Bay over Atlanta


Buffalo at Miami

It seemed for a time there Buffalo might join the ranks of the road warriors last weekend and pull out an upset in New England. But the Patriot machine managed to roll back; grasp the lead and not let go, letting poor Buffalo fans bemoan another loss. Of course, I am not sure if that shows there may be signs of life in Albany, or perhaps the Pats are not yet up to snuff. But the Pats are for later. Buffalo for once showed some strength. We’ll have to see how long it lasts. Miami, well, they are starting Daunte Culpepper at quarterback. Daunte seems healed from his knee injury, but not his bad decision making. I thought he was exposed last year when he no longer had Randy Moss to save his bacon, but after getting his knee torn apart he was given a pass. Maybe the change of scenery will help, but having Mike Mularky as his offensive coordinator will not. Regardless, I don’t think Saban will make the same mistake with the challenge flag this week, and if they get Ronnie Brown some more carries, they’ll take this game.

Miami over Buffalo


Detroit at Chicago

Is there a new wind blowing in Detroit? It seems as though Rod Marinelli has the Lions playing tough, as shown by taking the NFC champs to the wire. But, they are still the Lions, and they are still run by Matt Millen, so until they start racking up some wins, no benefit of the doubt will be given. The Bears still have their crushing defense, not like Green Bay is much of a test, and Rex Grossman seems desperate to put to rest any inkling of a quarterback controversy. Once again, not that Green Bay is much of a test. I think the Lions will put up more fight than the Packers, but Da Bears will shut them down in their home opener.

Chicago over Detroit


New Orleans at Green Bay

Oh when the Saints, go marching in….Oh when the Saints go marching in. Yes, the return of the NFL gypsies’ ladies and gentleman. America’s favorite team is back, and apparently for once, retooled in a positive way. While still waiting for their triumphant return to the Superdome, the Saints play their second game of the season on the road as well. Not like it affected them much, as they played a good one in Cleveland last week, and showcased the debut of Reggie Bush. Ok, I know it was only one game, but he sure did look good, did he not? I wonder how many Houston fans watched that game and threw up in their mouths as they screamed, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD HIM!!! Probably more than they would care to admit. Now Mr. Bush gets to try his hand at fabled Lambeau field, where the current version of the Packers would make Vince Lombardi say, Green Bay? Nope, I never coached there. The Pack keeps holding on to their mid 90’s glory with Favre, and it seems so does Favre. The worst kept secret of this travesty being that Favre came back hoping to get traded to a contender and let the Pack get something for rebuilding, although he would never say that for fear of open fan revolt. And the Pack would never trade away Favre, knowing how he can still move the turnstile and merchandise, also for fear of open fan revolt. I am a huge fan of a player staying with one team his whole career, but Favre should either be more open to helping Aaron Rodgers along or moving along himself so Green Bay no longer lives in his shadow and can properly rebuild with a real coach and not some goofy choice because he once worked with Favre. Ugh. Many have already said it, and I agree it’s going to be a long season for the Packer faithful. Unless there is a little magic left in number 4, or some others start picking up the slack, I see another debacle on the not yet frozen tundra. I almost cannot believe I am saying this, but……

New Orleans over Green Bay


Houston at Indianapolis

I feel bad for Houston fans. They loved their Oilers back in the day. And then they got screwed by yet another greedy owner and lost their team, only to watch them go to the Super Bowl a few scant years after bolting. I would be willing to bet a few of them felt some satisfaction watching them fall a yard short of winning. After the wound heals, they finally get their own franchise again, and then they have to watch this travesty take the field. From first glances, it seems they might finally have a decent coach, who looks even in the first game to be making some progress with David Carr. I do believe Carr can be a good NFL quarterback. But one thing seems to still be escaping them. To be a good quarterback, Carr needs to remain VERTICAL. He was sacked 5 times last week. I think by the time they give that man some protection, he’ll have fallen apart. Plus, they watch the team not take Reggie Bush, and then watch Bush tear it up for New Orleans. Where does the pain end? Not in Indy this week, that is for sure. Peyton and the boys looked a little rusty and sloppy last week, although so did a lot of teams. And for once Peyton seemed to be able to throw under pressure. Something he had lots of trouble doing in the divisional playoffs last year, much to my joy. I think after enduring the slugfest in New York last week, they will feast on the Texans. Although, Indy’s lack of finishing drives last Sunday did give me pause, but that could be just opening game rust. Or it could be a sign of bigger problems with a diminished running game. It will be interesting to see how that development plays out.

Indianapolis over Houston


Oakland at Baltimore

Good Lord, how bad was Oakland on Monday night? Well, I guess so much for better matches on Monday Night Football. They keep showing games like that, no one is going to tune in, no matter how good Tony Kornheiser will be. And one side note on the crew. I like Kornheiser, I thought that was an excellent call, and he seems to be proving it so far. And while I cannot stand Theismann in any way, it is nice to hear Tony call out the stupid things that come out of Joe’s mouth. That is almost worth listening to Joe’s nonsensical comments. Seriously, did this guy really play football? I know more than this nimrod! And Mike Tirico? Talk about bringing absolutely nothing to the table. If they are going to save this crew, keep Kornheiser, drop Tirico and bring in a more dynamic and knowledgeable play by play man, and give Tony a cut off switch hooked up to Theismann’s mic. Then you might have something. Ok, back to the game stuff.

Seriously, Oakland, I really do not know what to say. For years, it seemed like the place where older players went to rot and die, and that perception is only slightly altered. I believe Al Davis has completely lost his mind. How can they justify the decisions they made in the off season? Do they really think Aaron Brooks is an upgrade at quarterback? Did they not watch any Saints games over the past 6 years? They would have been better with the immobile Collins under center. Hiring Art Shell, who has not coached in the NFL since Oakland FIRED HIM 14 years ago? I have no idea where that came from either. It’s like they completely forgot why they fired him, although it was pretty much on display Monday night. I mean its 4 and goal with 6 seconds left in the game. You’ve been decimated by a shaky Chargers team. Go for the easy field goal points, avoid the home shutout, and give your boys a little dignity and maybe a slight bit of hope for next week. What does he do? He runs a long, drawn out play that wastes all the time and gets nothing out of it. If I were a Raiders fan, I would be livid. Most of them are probably numb by years of this and keep themselves medicated on tailgate brews. I do not blame them one bit. They will need more this season. I honestly got online to look at their schedule to see if they had any hope for a win, and it really does not look good. I am glad we play them, though. I am already counting that one as a shoe in win.

And tell me how Baltimore, who were horrid last year, can go from NFL also ran to Super Bowl XLI champs in one game? Ok, yes, they destroyed Tampa Bay, no doubt about that. But it is still only one game. And while Steve McNair looked good, what happens when he has his inevitable injury that puts him on the bench for 3 or more games? Then they have to turn to Kyle Boller, who they managed to emasculate and crush his confidence by taking his job away from him and giving it to McNair. Then it all falls to the running game and the defense, and you can stop a one dimensional offense. So like the last few years, they look to their D to keep them in games, and BOOM, looks like a losing streak to me, especially with 4 tough division games this year in the super tough AFC North, 2 against Pittsburgh and 2 against Cincinnati. Until I see a few more wins like last week against quality opponents, I am not buying it. Of course, that may be because I do not want to buy it. This week, however, they should roll and roll hard.

Baltimore over Oakland


NY Giants at Philadelphia

Not a bad first showing by the Giants last week. The defense looked tough, and their rookie backup running back looked strong. They played stupid though. Their running game was obviously clicking. They have two really good backs, and Tiki Barber looks like he is picking up where he left off last year. But instead of jamming the ball down the Colts throat, as they should have because it was working on the Colts undersized D, they went too much to relying on Eli to win the game with his arm. They could have pounded the Colts all night into submission with their stellar run game, but chose not to, and then when they had to win with the pass, they were almost out of time and out of time outs. Plus, they had too many stupid decisions. Shockey, when you have less than a minute left and no time outs, STEP OUT OF BOUNDS. High school players know that. They have a pretty good team there, but a lot of tough games and if they keep looking to Eli to be Peyton now instead of the third year quarterback he is, they will lose them. Philadelphia, on the other hand, looks rejuvenated with a healthy McNabb and a great new dangerous deep threat in Donte Stallworth. That was a great pick up before the season. Philly should be congratulated on a smart move that is already paying dividends. And while they did not play a quality opponent in week 1, they are the only team in the division with a win. And now they get to take that momentum and open at home. The birds will get their first true test of the season, and I think they will pass.

Philadelphia over NY Giants


Carolina at Minnesota

Wow, so much for the preseason Super Bowl winner. I know, only one game and Steve Smith did not even play due to two, count them two, bad hamstrings. But does not Jake Delhomme know he has other receivers? They have a few on the team, maybe he should look for them once in a while. He may find it helps them win a game or two. And I cannot decide if Minnesota looked good, or if Washington was just playing that crappy. Still hard to tell, maybe this week will help. Two things I do know, Hutchinson was a great addition to their line, and the new uniforms look like crap. What was wrong with the old purple ones? They brought back images of the Purple People Eaters, and there is nothing wrong with reminders of previous success. I think Carolina will start to right the ship. They have a few huge injuries, but their biggest issue last week was watching Vick give them fits with his legs. Brad Johnson could not be as mobile as Vick if he were strapped to a Segway. That alone might make life for their defense a little easier.

Carolina over Minnesota


Arizona at Seattle

Welcome fans to perennial sleeper pick Arizona! Yes, each year they are called out as a sleeper pick by EVERYONE, thus negating them as sleepers, and each year they fall flat. Not this year, though. This year they have a brand spanking new stadium, sold out on season tickets, stole Edgerrin James from the Colts, drafted uber QB Matt Leinart and are poised for greatness! Except, they had to fight for a win with a shootout against San Francisco, which I chalk up to bad defense on both sides as opposed to good offense. But at least they won. And the Edge had a decent game, but every yard was tough. Their main problem? They have the same crappy offensive line as last year. I do not care how good your skill position players are, if they are not protected, they cannot win games. Watch them, and you will see. A good defense will exploit that line, stuff the Edge and put Warner on his back. It will happen. And then the Arizona coaching staff will look around like they cannot believe this is happening. It is high comedy. Speaking of good defense, this week they play Seattle. Now, Seattle had way more trouble with Detroit last week than they should have and it could be from a multitude of things. First game jitters and rust, haunted by the demons of Ford Field from Super Bowl XL (and no, I really could not help myself), not feeling it because even though they are the defending NFC champs they start the season not in a marquee game but against crappy Detroit, or even they are feeling the loss of Steve Hutchinson more than they realized. It could be any or none of those items. But unless they are about to suffer the Madden Curse, or really are going to live up to the recent Super Bowl Loser curse, I think they still own this division and will give the high flying Cards a large dose of reality, especially in Qwest Field.

Seattle over Arizona


St. Louis at San Francisco

Well, I think St. Louis might really be a sleeper pick this year. I read a column by Bill Simmons, and he was jumping on the St. Louis bandwagon, stating they were going to be the true sleeper this year. Considering the running game they showed, and a rather stout defense, I am somewhat inclined to agree. However, it was only one game, and they were not able to finish any drives. All their points came on field goals last week. Perhaps they are still getting their legs underneath them, but that is not a great sign. You need to be effective in the red zone to win consistently, which seems like a no brainer, but some teams just act like they cannot grasp that concept. But, it is only one game. San Francisco, however, seems like they might be working their way out of the cellar. Not far, but at least out. Alex Smith showed some maturity, and their offense showed some signs of life battling Arizona. They might win a few this year, but not their home opener.

St. Louis over San Francisco


New England at NY Jets

Is the party over? I must say, the mighty Patriots did not look all that mighty on Sunday. Playing at home, with a raucous crowd behind them, they pretty much stunk up the joint. And if it were not for a few bad decisions by Buffalo, they very well could have lost. I think this off season, New England has created too much bad karma for themselves and now it will catch up with them. For years they have been fine with cutting people and filling in the gaps instead of paying for them, and now I believe they have gone too far. They dumped defensive leader/linebacker Willie McGinest, who then followed his previously departed defensive coordinator to Cleveland. Right before the season, they find themselves in a linebacker shortage, so what do they do? They sign freshly retired and then unretired Junior Seau, who has not been effective in about 4 years. They say goodbye to Adam Vinateri, their clutch kicker who won them two, count them two, Super Bowls on his foot alone. Instead they pull Martin Gramatica out of moth balls and draft some kid out of college and look to them to make their big, clutch kicks. I bet that kid shanks one when it really matters. Vinateri was immediately snatched up by the Colts, who put him on display Sunday night. Yep, he still looks good to me. Kickers can play a long time, all they do is kick. They wear out a lot less quickly than other players. He could have been their clutch kicker for the next 10 years. I mean, seriously, isn’t Gary Anderson still kicking somewhere? Then they get into a contract dispute with Deion Branch, their only proven, healthy receiver, and instead of working it out, they ship him to Seattle. The current receiving corps numbers from last week? 4 catches for 51 yards. Yeah, it really seems like they can live without Branch. The almighty Brady cannot work his magic if he has no one to throw the ball to that can catch it. And who are the coordinators for this team, or did Belichick decide that he can coordinate both the offense and the defense, as well as be a fashion model for bum wear and cure cancer all while walking on water during each game? I know every Patriots fan is parroting the same thing, oh, Belichick has done it before, so it will be fine. But I am wondering if any of them really believe that this time. You dump your defensive leader and your clutch kicker then send your best receiver, a Super Bowl MVP no less, packing, it seems like you might have gone too far pinching pennies. I guess we’ll see, but if you have that much trouble putting away the Bills, it means either the Bills are much better, which does not help in your division, or you are much crappier than anyone thought. I hope for the latter. Meanwhile, the Jets put in a surprising effort on Sunday to pull out a win in Tennessee on the twice repaired arm of Chad Pennington. They looked pretty good, especially for being in their first year under a new coach and playing Tennessee. Who knows, maybe they will be the surprise of the division and blow away the Pats and the Dolphins. But this week, I think the Jets, riding high from Tennessee, will down the Patriots in an upset.

NY Jets over New England


Kansas City at Denver

It seems like doom and gloom for the Broncos right now. They could not get anything going against the Rams, and the talk is all about rookie Jay Cutler taking away Jake Plummer’s job at starting quarterback. Ahhh, what short memories everyone has these days. Remember the Broncos opener last season, when Denver went to Miami and got trounced? They bounced back from that pretty well, if I do recall. Not as well as Bronco fans would have liked, but I bet almost every other team in the AFC would have liked to have gone to the championship game. They will settle down, and Shanahan will work his magic this season by literally pulling a guy out of the stands and letting him rush for a 200 yard game. It really is only a matter of time before that actually happens. I would love to see that. The Broncos really should run a contest for a fan to be a back for a game. Who wouldn’t love that? They would sell a million tickets! They could advertise it, start yourself in your fantasy league and rack up points. It would be brilliant. But now we have to look at the sticky situation that is Kansas City. I said before the season even started that they would go down the toilet. Half of their offensive line retired. That right there told me the season they would have. Teams win with a consistent offensive line that plays together for a long time. One of the reasons KC has had such a great running game is consistency on the line. With 2 of the 5 gone and new guys stepping in, that is a lot to overcome. If they cannot establish a running game, then teams will just play pass, and they will get nowhere fast. Some were saying the window is closing, I say it has closed. Plus, the whole mess they created with the Herm Edwards poaching from the Jets, and you have added bad karma and a coach who has shown he can only make a mess of things. I used to be an Edwards fan, but seeing how much he screwed up in New York, now I am not so sure. Plus, add to that the loss of Trent Green for who knows how long after taking a vicious hit from Cincy, and suddenly you are relying on a rebuilt line and Damon Huard at QB? It does not spell success to me. No, Denver will assuage its battered ego this week at home against KC.

Denver over Kansas City


Tennessee at San Diego

It looked like the Titans won the quarterback lottery with stud Vince Young. But somewhere along the way, did something go wrong? Look, I know it is hard to transition to the NFL, some make it easy, and some take a long time. Couple that with trying to learn the QB position, and it could be darn near impossible. Cincinnati sat Palmer his rookie year, to help get him acclimated. Pittsburgh planned on doing the same with Roethlisberger, until Tommy Maddox went down, and then Roethlisberger changed everyone’s perception of what a rookie quarterback can do. So maybe Vince is taking a little longer to get adjusted. No biggie there. But something does not seem right when you dump your longtime franchise quarterback, actually bar him from the building, and then the two you keep are so atrocious you call in Kerry Collins, who to that point had been sitting on his couch eating Cheetos as far as anyone knew, and a week later start him in your first game. And Kerry did not have a great game, although they did stay in it. It makes me wonder how far away Tennessee may actually be. And as for San Diego, I just do not know where they are at. Sure, they looked dominant Monday night, but they were playing the Raiders, who we have already determined stink worse than limburger, and even near the end of the third quarter had only managed to put up 13 points with new starter Philip Rivers at the helm. Plus, they made a journeyman defensive tackle look like a hall of famer with all the penetration he managed to get on the Chargers O-line. I do not think we will see how good or bad the Chargers are or how well Rivers can play until they play a quality opponent. Unfortunately, that will not be this week.

San Diego over Tennessee


Washington at Dallas

Big NFC East match up of two long time rivals comes to NBC’s second Sunday night game. I am not sure what to make of this game. Washington should have beaten Minnesota last week. They have plenty of weapons thanks to Dan Snyder’s big off season shopping spree, and the addition of Al Saunders on an already crowded coaching staff should add another dimension to their offensive game plans. I know having Sean Springs out hurt, but it seemed to me they underachieved. I wonder if Antwaan Randle El is regretting his decision to follow the money since he seemed to be horribly underused in their offensive plans. And also that maybe Mark Brunell is not the answer they hoped for at quarterback. I wonder how long it will be until they promote Jason Campbell. On the other side of the ball, it would seem that Dallas has its own QB controversy brewing between Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo. Dallas would be better to look at the future sooner than later. Bledsoe can be rattled and is about as mobile as concrete. He starts clanking too many passes, TO will quickly lose his good teammate image he is desperately trying to show us and slide right back into TO, locker room cancer. As soon as he starts feeling like he is getting short changed, look out. Dallas, you have been forewarned. Although in this game, I think he will celebrate on the star again, this time to a cacophony of cheers.

Dallas over Washington

Pittsburgh at Jacksonville

Ahhhh, the game of the week, well, at least in my opinion. The big Monday night showdown between the Super Bowl champs and the team that came into Pittsburgh last year and beat the future champions on their own field in an overtime game. One we should have won. It was a good game, but mistakes ultimately derailed Pittsburgh. Both of the teams match up well with each other and this figures to be another heavyweight slugfest. Oddly enough, this is Pittsburgh’s only Monday night appearance all year, although they do have several prime time games scheduled. Pittsburgh is hoping for the triumphant return of Ben Roethlisberger after yet another medical setback, this time an appendectomy. He has been practicing, but it looks to be a weekend decision by Bill Cowher. Even if he is not ready to go, Charlie Batch has shown he can handle the pressure of starting for the Steelers. Of more concern may be Troy Polamalu, who is currently listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. If Troy does not play, that severely limits some of the fire zone blitzing schemes that Uber defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau loves to throw at offenses. On the other side, Jacksonville is riding high off of a nice home opener win against Dallas, and feeling their oats. They know they beat the champs last year in their house, and now have the newly crowned champs marching into Alltel Stadium. They believe they can win, and will go in ready for Pittsburgh’s best shot. But, the loss of defensive tackle Reggie Hayward for the year due to an Achilles tendon injury will surely hurt their defensive line. This will be a good game, a real slugfest. But despite Troy’s shoulder, the Jags toughness and whether or not Roethlisberger will start, or even be effective in his first action of the year, I am going with Pittsburgh to win. Like you thought I would pick otherwise.

Pittsburgh over Jacksonville

That about wraps this up. Tune in next week and we will see if I have any skill at this, or maybe just a few wise cracks.