Been a Helluva week..

Things are starting to get back on track around here so I can continue with my posting on a more regular basis. Look for a new NFL Prospect profile tomorrow some time in the afternoon. In the meantime, NFL.com just posted a new highlight reel toy that proves to be an excellent distraction from all you wish to be distracted from. Check it out...

Then come back here!

Don't Miss the Poll!

I've instituted a poll here at The Home Field to get your take on who's finishing last in the NFL. Even if you don't know (like I do), take a crack at it anyways. No one will hold it against you if your wrong.

Jack'd Up (in a not so funny way)

You hear about this one? Anquan Boldin took a serious hit yesterday, but fortunately it looks like he'll come out of it relatively unscathed. As one of my personal favorite receivers it pains me to even look at this video, but I feel it's my duty to provide my audience with the big hits. Enjoy with discretion.

Pick 'Em Week 4

After last weekend's record of 8-8, there's no real reason I can give for you to believe me on these. In my defense, I didn't TOTALLY rule out a win for Miami, and you probably did.

Atlanta at Carolina- This is a fairly uninteresting game if you're not an avid fan of either team, so in the interest of moving on with things I'll say uh.... Carolina by 10.

Cleveland at Cincinnati- If you missed last year's version of this game, I forever feel sorry for you. This year it probably won't be so good, however, so if you're not in Ohio and you don't have a satellite, don't worry about it too much.

Houston at Jacksonville- Last week's last second defeat of Indianapolis has me more or less back on the Jax train. This could be one of those upsets, though. For the sake of being dangerous, I'll pick Houston.

Denver at Kansas City- Denver. Definitely Denver... by like 42.

San Francisco at New Orleans- New Orleans needs to play some catchup in a division that shouldn't be so competitive. They'll do it here.

Arizona at New York Jets- This might be the hardest call of the week. With a combined QB age of 75, this one will come down to who shows up on defense. My money's on Arizona. I know, weird.

Green Bay at Tampa Bay- Battle of the Bays. Green Bay should be able to pull ahead early and stay ahead in this one.

Minnesota at Tennessee- These teams have two things in common. Both have shutdown defenses, and both are on their second quarterbacks this year already, albeit for different reasons. Tennessee is going to continue their undefeated run, for this week anyway.

San Diego at Oakland- San Diego looks like they're poised to take back control of the division, and who can recall the last time these two met that didn't result in a San Diego win?

Buffalo at St. Louis- What sucks more than your home state's NFL franchise being mediocre? Why, having BOTH of your state's NFL franchises be mediocre, of course. It pretty much blows to be in Missouri right about now.

Washington at Dallas- As I was saying earlier this week, Dallas is unquestionably the strongest team in the league, and Washington won't be bringing question to that statement any time soon.

Philadelphia at Chicago- This could go wrong for Philly if Westbrook is out and Chicago's defense shows up strong. But probably not. What a crummy Prime-time game.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh- Could Baltimore really take control of the division? Probably not.

Is anybody out there?

Well after some strange events unfolded, we're finally back up and running. Things may be a bit slow around here while I try and get things sorted out but everything should be back to normal starting next week. Thanks for coming back around.

AAHHH!

For some reason this site is down and that is very unsettling. I hope I can find a way to fix it FAST!

We Did It!

www.thehomefield.net is FINALLY up.




Make sure to update your bookmarks and enjoy typing less when your coming by. Of course, the old address will still work for the foreseeable future, but why get caught up in all those letters?

Thanks to everyone who was patient. I'm sure it tore you all up just as it did me.

Check it out...

You'll notice to the right of this post there's a new link up. This is a blog which gives new meaning to the word blog. It's easily one of the most thorough and intensive blogs I've ever seen. The site covers everything from high school to the pros, and take it from me, that's not easy. Anyways, go check it out and keep your eye on it, it's gonna go places. Oh yeah, I will too.

Week 3 Picks

Kansas City at Atlanta - Matt Ryan should be able to manage this game well enough to bring the Falcons a second win. Look for Michael Turner to run all over the hapless KC D. It's a sorry time to be a Chiefs fan.

Oakland at Buffalo- Sexy Pick Alert. I got to have on every week. I think the defense which looked so bad Week 1 can win this one for Oakland. Someone has to rain on the parade in Buffalo, and they may be viewing this as a gimme, which is a bad move in any game.

Tampa Bay at Chicago- The decision to bench Garcia for Griese was a strange one in my mind. But alas, Griese will square off with his former team and likely will be happy he moved by the end. Chicago's got the D, but Tampa has the O and the D. Get it?

Carolina at Minnesota - Minnesota needs a win bad, and Gus Frerotte's been after a starting job for a long time now. I think he'll manage the game, as stated previously, just well enough to beat out the competition in Tarvaris Jackson. They should be able to win at least 8 games with their running game and the stout defense alone. If he can complete a few passes and avoid interceptions, Minny can still look forward to playoffs. It's a make or break day for this unit.

Miami at New England - Wouldn't it be great to see the mighty Patriots fall to lowly Miami? That's a pretty wild pick, however, and one that I won't be taking a risk on. It's certainly not out of the question.

Cincinnati at New York Giants - The defending champs are having a nice start to their season, and Cinci is shaping up to be one of the worst teams on both sides of the ball. How could an offense with Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and TJ Houshmandzadeh fail you ask? Beats me.

Houston at Tennessee - This is another risky pick, but I like Houston's D and Andre Johnson is one heck of a weapon. If they had a decent running game (think '09 draft, guys) they could really go places. Kerry Collins is a backup for a reason.

Arizona at Washington- I like Arizona to break their playoff drought this year, and if they hope to do so they'll need to win games like these. This could go either way, but I like Arizona by a field goal.

New Orleans at Denver - It doesn't seem like anyone can top red-hot Denver at the moment. The Saints minus Marques Colston lacks a certain amount of firepower needed to win.

Detroit at San Francisco- I think this week is Detroit's week. I can't tell what's gone wrong since last September and this one in Detroit, but I imagine they will win at least 4 or 5 games this year. A rebuilding team like the 49ers is just the type they should be able to beat. Of course, Atlanta is the definition of a rebuilding team and we saw what happened there.

St. Louis at Seattle- Terrible Defense at Terrible Offense in other words. I think here the offense will win as the defense gets tired out. Steven Jackson needs a big game. It's looking good for Seattle to go first-to-worst. Though sooner or later their receivers will return to the field for the most part. Hopefully for them it won't be too late.

Cleveland at Baltimore- Cleveland needs it BAD. Look for a good turnout by Braylon Edwards who's been dropping a lot of balls as of late.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis - This game could go either way, especially if Indy feels they can dominate on defense alone. The Jags have been getting beat up on the line, but David Garrard is still fairly capable and could embarrass Peyton and Co.

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia - A classic battle of NFC vs. AFC. I make this pick not only due to the NFC's dominance at this time, but also because McNabb looks as good as ever. Finally. Pittsburgh's pass D isn't good enough to shut them down either. Let's hope we've seen the end of DeSean Jackson's celebratory mood after the major embarrassment he suffered on Tuesday. Did they show anything else on ESPN that day?

New York Jets at San Diego - San Diego should be able to get back on track here after the second consecutive slow start. If they lose this game, they will be losing a lot of ground to Denver which would be a big, big shock to a lot of analysts' preseason predictions.


Last Week's Pick Results: 10/15

Check the Record...

In I-told-you-so news, Tarvaris Jackson has been benched in favor of an old, reliable backup named Gus.

Now, I know I didn't tell you ALL that, but I did predict Tarvaris Jackson was going to be a reliability issue in Minnesota. Would I have predicted Gus Frerotte would be the guy to replace him? That's like replacing a rotten orange with a three week old banana. Neither one is gonna do you any good, and they both stink.

HOWEVER, if Frerotte can manage to be a better manager of the game than he'll have an early edge on Jackson, who Jim Rome predicts we've seen the last of this year. If Frerotte can hand the better off better and get away with a few short passes down the middle than I'll agree with him. If can complete a pass to Bernard Berrian (Jackson didn't), he'll be a hero in Minnesota. Let's hope it lasts, because I'll relish using that picture his entire career.

This immediately puts Minnesota in the QB market once this years draft rolls around. Unless of course John David Booty turns out to be the answer. Naaaaah...

Goodell's Whip Comes Down... Again

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell went to great lengths in these past couple days to ensure his players are aware of the risk associated with the use of illegal contact and excessive force. In order to ensure his point has been made with the entire league, he has asked GMs, coaches, and team executives to make a declaration to all players about the little tolerance that will be shown to future offenders of the leagues contact policies. Once this warning has been absorbed, team executives are being asked to report back to the league to provide verification.

Goodell is clearly avoiding a situation where a player pleads ignorance to the policy after committing an infraction. When the dirty player comes crying that he didn't know, Goodell can simply ask if he missed that memo. Here's (part of) his official letter to the teams:

“Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players — offense, defense, and special teams — from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits. From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense. Playing by the rules shows respect for your fellow players. No one wants to see unnecessary injuries. Let’s have a safe and exciting 2008 season.”

Surprise!

A new layout is among us. There's still likely to be many a radical change around here as my HTML IQ increases, but it's a good start for now, yes? If you have any suggestions I'd be happy to not take your advice. Just kidding.

Maybe. Now let's get back to talking football.

Thanks for Making Us #1

...in my heart.

The last two days have seen record numbers in terms of individual visitors to this site. Thanks to all my readers and everyone who stumbles across this page in error. You make me feel good.

As an update to the whole moving situation, I'm STILL working with Google to get the domain cleared for use. Basically the system says someone else is hosting on the new domain when if one looks at it (www.thehomefield.net) they will find that there clearly isn't. To top it off, the easy fix for this is impossible because in order to register for the site I have to prove ownership of the domain to Google support because somebody hijacked the domain for their own (assumedly) perverted purposes. Did you get all that? Don't worry about it. The point is soon, SOON I tell ya.

NFL Prospects 2009

#9- Chris "Beanie" Wells

Indisputably the most coveted running back in the upcoming draft, Beanie Wells is a shoe-in to be a top-10 pick, so long as someone in the top 10 range has need at the position. Though he is a junior this year, most analysts agree that he'll make the jump to the NFL while his draft stock is peaking. Unfortunately, his lingering foot injury may be damaging his stock somewhat. Certainly there will be a wealth of questions waiting for him at the NFL Combine. He ran for 1,600 plus yards last season though, and has proven he has the dynamics to be a quality back with power and burst. Further evidence of this: his lowest run average was 5.5 yards per play, well above the acceptable standard in the NFL of around 4.5 yards. So far this year, through just one game, he's sitting on an 8.5 average. Don't expect this to be the season-ending average. In addition to being a sure-fire Top 10 pick, Beanie Wells is also a definite contender in the Heisman Trophy race IF he can get back on the field and showcase his talent. Otherwise, he could fall to the second or third round should his foot injury hamper his entire season. One analyst has the star running back going to Cleveland in the first round, a fitting pick due to Cleveland's lack of running game this year, not to mention Beanie being an Ohio native.

All this aside, it's interesting to note how little need there is in the NFL at the running back position. At a time when teams can't get enough quality QBs to fill their needs, running backs seem to be in great surplus. I predict this will be forcing a lot of college backs to take a hit in their draft stock and lose a lot of money in contract negotiations. Stay tuned for more on that.

Jack'd Up Week 2

This is freakin' hilarious. It's not a big hit like we all would like to see each week on Jack'd Up, but it still probably hurts a bit if you're an eagles fan.



Relax Bird Brains.. They spot the ball on the 1-yard line and Westbrook takes it in for the touchdown. Which worked out well for my fantasy team, actually.

Like always, let me know about the big hits.

Week Two is (almost) over..

What did we learn?

1. The Patriots can still win without Tom Brady. The Jets seemed more than capable of beating a squad with a backup QB, even with a narrow win against Miami the week following. In short, they proved they couldn't. This immediately takes the Jets out of the division title formula and jettisons the Buffalo that much further into the equation. Of course, that's assuming that the Bills can defeat the somewhat hobbled division champs. It also assumes that the Bills will beat the Jets. My safe pick is 1 of 2.

2. Again with the Bills? Yes, they took out playoff favorite Jacksonville yesterday in a fairly decisive showing. It's hard to recall when these guys have been so very much in the picture. They were preseason darlings a year ago to go .500 but.. well, not much else since I've been around.

3. Pittsburgh puts on the slowest, most agitating prime time show in the league. A year after "routing" the Dolphins 3-0 (yes, final score), the Steelers "rallied" to beat division rivals Cleveland a whopping 10-6. That's three field goals and one touchdown. Total. I feel sorry for anyone that watched that entire game. I watched half and I feel sorry for myself.

4. The Colts can still pull ahead. But the Vikings? We knew this match would pit two teams together that didn't want to go 0-2, but it looks as though Minnesota could be going 0-3, 0-4, and so on. Tarvaris Jackson just isn't the man in Minny. The final score of 18-15 saw six field goals total, FIVE of them belonging to Minnesota, which adds up to their final score. That many opportunities in enemy territory can NOT be wasted on field goals. The Colts didn't look so hot themselves, and will need to seriously boost the O-line performance from here on out.

5. The Raiders aren't quite as bad as we thought. At least they can still take on Kansas City. Again, Kansas City is my hot pick to get the first pick in April.

You may have noticed a lack of posts over the weekend. This may become typical as the ratio of weekday visitors to weekend visitors is stunning. As much as 8:1 stunning. Everyone deserves a day off or two right?

By the way..

As an update to my move from here to thehomefield.net, I regret to say that it's been a tremendous hassle through and through. At every step there's a new problem, and basically for whatever reason google is not recognizing my domain name as being mine. Basically it's been hijacked by spammers or something. This is disconcerting, to say the least. Patience bring promise, however, so stay tuned.

NFL Picks, Week 2

Ahh, another Week 2 of topsy-turvy W-L records where nothing is the way it seems. The NFL loves its reputation for having so much parity, you know. Anyways, I'll make some picks based on some combination of what I knew and what I now know. Oh yeah, red wins.

Indianapolis at Minnesota- The Colts still have some issues to resolve, and Matt Forte looked like, well, Adrian Peterson, against that shoddy run defense last Sunday. Until Peyton gets back to his old self and can support a shaky D-line, they can expect to go 0-2, 0-3, and so on.

Chicago at Carolina- I think the rain's coming down on Chicago's parade fast. They gave the Chargers a run for their moneey (oh, and won) last week, so Chicago's defense won't be able to support their offense. Yes, Chicago's offense is still mediocre. Trust me.

Tenessee at Cincinnati- Because they're home.

Green Bay at Detroit- Doesn't matter if they're home, it's lights out.

Oakland at Kansas City- Until Oakland gives me a reason they can win a game, I'm not holding my breath. I will, however, take an unpopular pick here and there to stay edgy.

New York Giants at St. Louis- Pretty much the same reason as the last one, but here I won't be going with the edgy pick.

Buffalo at Jacksonville- Seriously, I like Buffalo to make the playoffs, but I like Jacksonville to make it too so they need to win these games.

New Orleans at Washington- Washington may surprise a lot of people this year with their lame duck performances. They need to season that rookie out of Hawaii and institute a regime change.

San Francisco at Seattle- This would've been one of those edgy (plain insane) picks two weeks ago, but think about it. Hasselbeck has NO ONE to throw to and San Francisco's defense really help up pretty well last weekend. If nothing else, SF wins it with their running game.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay- Time to bring the rookies (QB and Coach) back down to Earth in Atlanta. Even without Garcia playing, I think Tampa wins it, and big too.

San Diego at Denver- Let's face it, San Diego has got Denver's number in these games. Look for the Broncos to come up on the Chargers some time in the next decade or two.

New England at NY Jets- I wanna pick the Jets, I really do! Unfortunately, I don't think this is Brett's miracle season and New England does have a running game, despite what they've shown in recent history. Still, this one could be a close one and really could go either way. I'll be watching.

Miami at Arizona- Miami's not ready for a win just yet. It's coming though, seriously.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland- Sound the upset alarm, folks. This one should be a shooutout, and my money says Braylon and Co. get the best of ol' Steel Town. If they want to make the playoffs they need to beat 'em once, right?

Philadelphia at Dallas- I've made enough upset picks, and this one has gotta to be close in the odds anyways. This is another game not to miss. Since it's Monday night, you probably won't.

Baltimore at Houston- Unless you're watching this game. Due to Hurricane Whatserface, this game's been moved to Monday night as well, but unless you live in the Baltimore/Houston areas or have the Sunday Ticket like me, you won't see it anyways. Suckers.

NFL Prospects 2009

In a blatant attempt to throw some college football culture in around here, I've decided to start a new series on the top prospects of the 2009 NFL Draft class. Granted, the season is VERY young yet, and it's impossible to know what will happen between now and then, both in terms of player performance and team needs, but I'm gonna take a crack at it anyways. This won't be as regular as the NFL preview was, but I should have a nice little top 10 hammered out by season's end. Let's get started shall we?

Prospect #10, Rey Maualuga.

Let me start by saying that as a writer of all things football, I do NOT relish having to spell that last name for the next ten years or so. Unfortunately, his name will likely be coming up a lot as he prepares for a solid career in the NFL. Maualuga, a linebacker at USC, is in his senior season and is a Pac-10 first team honoree. This guy's got all the intangibles coaches on the NFL level love, and has one helluva mean streak, which goes a long way in intimidating an offensive line. That said, the guy can get out of hand and cause some trouble for the defensive unit when he let's his aggression get the best of him, but this isn't a crippling weakness by any means. His linebacker teammate Brian Cushing will likely be drafted ahead of him barring any setbacks, but Maualuga is still considered a first-round pick.

I'm thinking he'd look good in a Bengals uniform, don't you?

We're Moving!

In just another day or two (whenever Google decides it's the right time) I'll be moving the site to it's new, more respectable home of http://www.thehomefield.net/. Fear not, all you with anemic memories, as the address you've come to know and tolerate will gladly redirect you to the appropriate place. In other words, you can still come here and get all the wonderful wisdom you crave. Thanks to everyone (er... one person) who made a contribution in order for the new domain purchase to be possible. Your recognition is soon to follow!

In a rare bit of baseball news, anybody see them Giants sweep the Diamondbacks? I guess we kinda did the Dodgers a solid there.

Oh, and the Angels clinched the AL West today. Thanks for making me sound smart so far.

Look who's talkin'... (AKA find the link)

Time is short today and I need a diploma bad, so I'm going to let some pros do most of the talking for me. Let's see what's happening on NFL.com

It's hard to believe this guy won Rookie of the Year, took his team to the playoffs the following year and now is enduring this kind of hardship...

An apparently drunk/high Vic Carucci lays out his power rankings after Week 1. Chicago Bears the 6th best ranked team? That was what I like to call a fluke win, Vic.

Did you draft Marques Colston this year? Me too, and you're not gonna like this news.

I'm glad that's over...

I'd ask if anyone caught that Raider game yesterday but I fear the entire world likely did. I turned a blind eye with about half of the fourth quarter to go, so forgive me if I miss anything in my rant here.

First off, the special teams coach should be fired and exiled immediately. Those guys couldn't tackle OR block to save their lives. The only positive of the bunch was some quick feet on Johnnie Lee Higgins who somehow managed to chew up some yards in that fiasco.

More importantly, what happened to the exalted secondary? Gibril Wilson and DeAngelo FREAKIN' Hall are brought in to lock it down, and they end up looking like they're a bunch of fat kids chasing Usain Bolt (topical, eh?). Not only that, but Hall basically got in a Denver uniform, went 30 yards down field and caught a pass to put Denver in the red zone. Quit hitting rookies late, you jackass.

Speaking of rookies, that rookie, Eddie Royal is looking to be quite the stat monster. It's a bit early for rookie of the year considerations but if the season ended today... it'd be a really short season.
Oh and he'd probably be a shoe-in for the award.


McFadden didn't do half bad either.


More on what we learned this weekend a bit later...

Seen any good hits lately?

In the midst of all the excitement, I almost had to hold off on the weekly Jack'd Up segment, namely for a lack of material. In my defeat, I was planning on posting some standard Associated Press vid that highlighted all the big headlines. That's when I realized the BIGGEST story was also the BEST Jack'd Up to date. You guessed it, poster boy Tom Brady's been ousted for the season. Christmas come early.



Sorry about the stupid music.

Feel like talking sports?

These guys have put together a killer forum that offers TONS of categories for all your sporting needs. It's well moderated and there's a pretty high population, so you'll have plenty of people to argue with about which rookie quarterback is going to have a better year. Check it.

Oh yeah, if you want to get back to this link, it will be on the ALL NEW Links page which is in the works. Look for it in a few days.

Let's play October...

As I've been ignoring baseball in such high demand football times, I'm going to do a little bit of analyzing on the season as it stands today. This will include a prediction or two about the way playoffs will shape up, and as we all know, I'm NEVER wrong.

We'll begin in the American League, where the lead is shared by Tampa Bay and Anaheim. It's been that way for a while and, despite Tampa's losing some key games, I think this will remain static. The Chicago White Sox lead in the American Central, but I'm thinking they'll be overtaken by the Minnesota Twins. This is irrelevant for the most part, as this is the weakest division in the league and will be taken out in the opening round. I would love to see Ken Griffey Jr. get his title, but it's not happening this year. I think it's safe to say Boston will take the wild-card spot if their play stays even.

This pits Boston against Anaheim in the first series, as Tampa Bay is in the same division as Boston and will not play them even if Tampa has the best record. In turn, Tampa will play Chicago. Although it's a touch call, I'm going to play it safe and call Anaheim in the first series. And as it is not a tough call at all, I'm sticking with Tampa.

Tampa vs. Anaheim. A world-series caliber game in the ALDS. I have to give this one to Anaheim, as Tampa's play has fallen off lately and Anaheim boasts so much more depth than the upstart Rays.

This puts Anaheim in the World Series. Hardly a stretch, right?

Well the National League promises to make it more interesting.

This is also where things get a bit shakier as far as making the call of who even wins the division. Particularly in the NL West, where the standings will likely shift constantly throughout the next month. For the sake of choosing some underdogs, we're going to assume the Dodgers take the NL West. At least we can be sure no one else from the NL West can be a wild card. Well, pretty sure. In the NL Central, the Cubs have a win in their division all but locked up. The NL East is another situation where it's a tough call, and once again I'm going to with the Phillies as an underdog. I just don't think the Mets have the pitching it takes to make it to the postseason. From the start of the season it was clear they had no place in the playoff picture anyways. Miwaukee grabs the wild card spot.

Chicago finishes with the best record but as with the AL, they can't play a division rival in the first round so they will take on Philadelphia. This sucks for them, but I give Chicago the win in 7 games. It will be THE series to watch in the postseason. This leaves LA to take out the Brewers, which I believe they'll fail at. The NLDS will come down to division rivals Chicago and Milwaukee. Who takes it? The fun answer would be Milwaukee, but as long as Zambrano can contribute I think it's the Cubs' turn, at long last.

World Series 2008: Angels vs. Cubs

Winner? Tell me what you think..

Big things ahead...

Sorry it's been a bit quiet around here today. I've been busy promoting the site all over this huge interweb thing. It takes quite a bit of time. There's some big things on the horizon, including a move to a more reputable URL. I now own the .net I intend to use for the long term, and will be working on getting a host in the days/weeks to come. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I'm going to see about updating some of my claims throughout the NFL analysis section, as Detroit suddenly does have a legitimate runner and Baltimore has a new QB. I hope updating these pays off in the end.

"He got JACKED UP!"

Remember a couple of years ago during halftime of Monday Night Football when there was a segment called "Jacked Up" highlighting all the most brutal hits of the week? Well it is no more, and likely was deemed too insensitive by the higher-ups to be laughing at the expense of those less fortunate than us. Here at The Home Field, however, we don't concern ourselves with such things. So, on a "most weekly" basis, I will be posting the best hits of the week right here for all to enjoy and laugh at. Sure, it might have hurt a lot, but that guy just got paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to take that hit. That makes it all the more funny. I'll rely heavily on others posting this stuff on YouTube, and if anyone has a worthy submission PLEASE let me know about it.

As a special Opening Day Jacked Up, you get to watch LaRon Landry get absolutely pummeled by Brandon Jacobs. Seriously, it looks like he ran into a freight truck. Enjoy!

Go ahead...tell me I'm wrong!

Ever wanted to walk right up to my face and and call me a liar? Have an itch to give your opinion on webspace you haven't sufficiently paid for? Feel free! This is the internet, and therefore everyone wants to hear from YOU! To do so, just click under any of my "master posts", as we'll call them from here on out, on the time it was posted (for example, Posted by MC at 9:45, you would like 9:45) and you will enter a new screen which allows you to say whatever you want about whatever you want. Thanks mom!

Happy Kickoff Day!

Party's at my place. You all know the way. I've been hearing a lot of hooplah about how the Giants are out to prove something after getting the media attention siphoned from them by their stadium-mates the Jets and their new messiah at QB. Look for some aggressive D and a notch under the Win category for the returning champions. Most are giving the Skins favorable odds, but I think there's some things going on in DC that haven't reared their ugly heads yet. More on that later.

For now, enjoy the game (just three hours way OH BOY!) and fire your weapons in the air at kickoff.

Fear Not! The Donate Button has returned!

After reports of the Donate button not working, I immediately fixed it and wanted to make sure anyone that tried to click on it (I know you did... come on now) knew it was back online. Just to reiterate, you can donate any amount you like and it is entirely tax refundable (I assume). Otherwise, enjoy the site for free and thanks for reading!

I hope you're all excited for kickoff tonight, WAS vs. NYG, NBC 4pm. If you're working until 5, you better start acting sick now.

The Big West Finale!

Alright, sports fans, it's time to cover the final two divisions in the league: the AFC East and the NFC East. My apologies on the tardiness of this post, I like to have them busted about 3pm pacific but it was one of my busy days. Not to mention the woo of the wii. Let's do it.

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers- On a personal note, I'm quite excited to see these guys for the first time in years due to J.T. O'Sullivan, the seven year journeyman turned starting quarterback being an alumnus from MY high school. How cool is that? To be honest, though, I'm not sure how long he'll hold on to the position. He got the nod due to his familiarity with Mike Martz' vertical offensive system, but his very light experience level will probably make a lot of guys upstairs pretty impatient. By around week five or six, I think Mike Nolan's going to be fearing for his job and wondering what the other two guys have learned. Anyways, the 49ers have dropped a few wideouts and picked up a few more. They got rid of Darryl Jackson after a one year bust, and cut former first-round pick Ashley Lelie due to his lack of playmaking ability. In return, they signed graybeard Issac Bruce after he was cut by St. Louis, and got what's looking to be a monster deal in sixth-round pick Josh Morgan. This kid was a serious stud in the preseason, making the team's first touchdown catch and a few big plays after that. The rapport he's developed with O'Sullivan may be the QB's saving grace. Frank Gore returns to be his usual badass self, and the always underacheiving DeShaun Foster will finally have a good fit as his backup. The defense should be a lot better than it is, but look for another big year from linebacker Patrick Willis, and maybe Nate Clements will earn his money too. No playoffs this year, guys.

St. Louis Rams- I recall reading a publication around this time last year predicting St. Louis to make it to the Super Bowl. I bet no one asked him this year. They were a popular pick to win the division and at least make a playoff run, that is until the @#%$ hit the proverbial fan and numerous starters went down with injuries. Due to a mostly patchwork offensive line, QB Marc Bulger and elite RB Steven Jackson both went down with injuries and missed at least a 1/4 of the season. Oh, Steven Jackson still managed to run for over a thousand yards. This year the team has hopes of making good on their injury woes, but nothing is guaranteed just yet. Star tackle Orlando Pace managed to do some damage to his healing shoulder during preseason and may miss some time because of it. Hopefully it won't last, however, as this team clearly needs his help. With a decent line in place, Jackson should be good for at least 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's a quality every-down back with some serious speed and power. The defense was poor at best as well last year, but they made some efforts at improving it over the offseason, headlined by drafting Chris Long, a defensive end that they're hoping will look much like his daddy. These guys probably will finish third, but if they can pull it together I can see them pulling a worst-to-first run at the playoffs. Stay tuned.

Seattle Seahawks- Aaah what can be said about this perrenial division champ? For years they've had little to no competition from their foes, and even when they underperform and lose winnable games like they did so often last year, the three divisional opponents just can't catch up. That could change this year, as Seattle has become noticeably thin at the receiver position. Deion Branch is a total mystery (I think he's dead and no one will admit it..), Bobby Engram is out until at least week five, and D.J. Hackett went to Carolina. Probably should've matched his deal, guys. This leaves Nate Burleson as the #1 receiver and God-knows-who on Hasselbeck's other side. There's the good news, though: if you're going to have mediocre receivers, you better have a damn good athlete to throw the ball at them. They do. Matt was quietly one of the best QBs to take the field last season and should show no faltering this season. Gone are the days of Shaun Alexander, however, which brings about the all-powerful era of.... Julius Jones? Hey, it could work. He's got Maurice Morris (who didn't do so bad last year either) and a bruiser in T.J. Duckett to steal his touchdown carries a la Marion Barber in Dallas, so he should feel right at home. Can you tell I spent all of last season staring hopelessly at his stats while scoring 6-7 points on my fantasy team? The defense is going to be one of the finest in the NFC, second only to the Vikings and possibly the Cowboys. I'll leave it at that, as usual. This may be the year they get unseated, however.

Arizona Cardinals- A few days ago, Whisenhunt (Wizz-in-hunt) announced Kurt Warner as his starting quarterback. This was a very good move to start the season. Matt Leinert just doesn't seem to have that burning passion for the game, and until he figures out why he got into this in the first place he should hold the clipboard. It'll cool his ego a bit. Plus, if Kurt goes down with an injury, the Cardinals' hopes won't be completely lost, as they can still hope for a breakout. Kurt's got the upside of an '85 Datsun. He performs now, but, who knows when it'll give out. These two guys have something in common as well. Their starting receiving unit is the envy of the entire league. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are beasts on field, and their tremendous stats are often difficult to distinguish from one another, essentially giving Arizona two #1 receivers. Their backfield isn't so blessed with an aging Edgerrin James leading, but rookie Tim Hightower has been impressing people in mini-camps and the like. I haven't seen him in action yet so I'll reserve judgment. The o-line which has classically stunk has improved drastically over the past two seasons and should do the same this season. The achilles heel of this team may always be the defense, but if they perform at all on par with the offense they have a chance of winning a few games and maybe ending a serious playoff drought. Probably too soon for that though.

OK, on to the AFC East

San Diego Chargers- Expect results similar to last year, as little has changed. Jacob Hester will be the new Michael Turner, and the defense, as well as the offense, will still rock. Do you love seeing Phillip Rivers meltdown at opposing fans as much as I do? See Playoffs '08 vs. Titans if you don't know what I'm talking about. Or vs. Patriots if memory serves.

Oakland Raiders- This is a team I expect is going to surprise a lot of people this year. No, they won't make the playoffs, but they'll win more than 4 games too. I see them as a 6-8 win team, which is more than any other analyst will give them. When you spend as much as Uncle Al did over the offseason, how can you not expect a direct influx of wins? JaMarcus looked comfortable in the preseason and seems to know the offensive system, while Darren McFadden has been a workaholic learning all the schemes. I expect he'll start by game four, and LaMont Jordan will be a terrific backup. Javon Walker will likely prove to be a mistake as he can't keep his head in the game and had to be talked out of retirement about a month ago. That doesn't exactly spell determined and dedicated. Fellow free agent signee Drew Carter is out for the season as well. This leaves pretty much the same batch of wideouts they had last year, plus a couple rookies. I expect Johnnie Lee Higgins to hold on to the #3 receiving spot. He showed flashes of potential last year. The defense should be pretty intimidating with the Asomugha/Hall combo at corner, and teams will thus likely be running a lot against the Silver and Black. That's why they paid Tommy Kelly 50 million to stick around and stop them. When this team amasses 6-8 wins, just remember, you read it here first.

Denver Broncos- If nothing else, this team has conviction. In the offseason they dropped dopehead Travis Henry for not being commited enough to pass a drug test and cut Javon Walker because he's a diva. This leaves a RB to start who was an undrafted rookie last year (albeit a damn good one) and Brandon Marshall as the big man catching balls. Mike Shanahan announced in a news conference that Marshall was forbidden to eat McDonald's near an entertainment center, however, so the injury concerns should be pretty well solved. Jay Cutler is a bright young talent, however, and should do fairly well regardless of who he has to throw to. On that note, interestingly enough Tony Scheffler is NOT the starting tight end this year after having an amazing end to last season. Who is? I couldn't tell you, but I think that's a mistake. When a guy's hot you gotta play him, simple as that. The Bronx are on their third defensive coordinator in as many years, and they're hoping this time they got it right against the run. Their run-happy division opponents are hoping they didn't. No playoffs this year, boys.

Kansas City Chiefs- Let me put this bluntly. Brodie Croyle is NOT a starting quarterback. Neither is Damon Huard. Tyler Thigpen? Probably not. This team is my hot prediction to be the worst in the league, maybe just above Miami or Atlanta in the standings. Larry Johnson should bounce back and run all over opponents, but what happens when defenses learn they can stack the box and leave receivers with man-to-man due to an ineffective quarterback? Then what? On a positive note, I am excited to see Glenn Dorsey perform. I think he'll be a powerful defender for them throughout his career. This team is being built around youth and are too young at this time to be taken too seriously. But for the most part, it's a start.

Welcome!

Welcome to everyone who is visiting this site for the first time. Below you will find a wealth of posts mostly football related due to the present time. I've been doing a daily division-by-division preview of the NFL, so look for your favorite team and read my outlook on their season. Sorry to some and you're welcome to others. Thanks for stopping by and please come back often so I can stop talking to myself so much.

Another guy shot...

So in "again, really?" news, a tackle on the Jaguars named Richard Collier was shot multiple times early this morning while waiting in his car for two women he and a friend met at the club. Authorities have no suspects or motive, and he remains in stable but critical condition.

These guys are professionals at being in the wrong places at the wrong time. Of course, that's not to simply blame circumstance and cosmic coincidences. These guys are just willfully going to the wrong places. Sure, they should be allowed to go out and have a good time like anyone else, but when they're getting shot at in/near clubs annually, it may be time to reevaluate where you choose to entertain yourself.

A public service announcement brought to you by Home Field... because we care!

Let's talk NFC South

I usually open up with some sort of general observation here, but there's much to be done tonight so let's get right down to it, shall we?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Last year's worst-to-first division shocker came about largely as a result of the signing of Jeff Garcia, who was largely believed to be on his way out during the whole Favre ordeal. When asked about this, the guy showed the utmost class, admitting he was powerless to control the situation and would find a home elsewhere if necessary. The guy get's paid near the veteran minimum and took these guys to the playoffs and was one of the most accurate passers of last season. For loving quarterbacks so much, Gruden sure doesn't go to the plate much to get these guys paid. But I digress. The Bucs are still looking for a good wideout to complement long time starter Joey Galloway, and the search has become an annual failure. Fortunately, they're deep in running backs, and found a diamond in the rough last season with Earnest Graham. He's the projected starter with old man/new signee Warrick Dunn backing him up. While they were hoping for a return from Cadillac Williams, he's been put on the PUP list and won't be eligible for at least the first six games. Bummer. On the other side of the ball, the Bucs are hoping for a breakout year from former first round pick Gaines Adams, who showed flashes late last season. This year they signed Aqib Talib of Kansas (CB) with their first pick, and should contribute immediately in nickel formations. As always, the defense will take care of business. A repeat division win? Not likely.

New Orleans Saints- Not likely because of this unit. Two years ago they played in the NFC Championship game for the first time EVER. Last year... they blew it, going 0-4 to start the season. This year, I expect a full return to form with some new talent on defense and some added experience on offense. The Saints were given a divine gift in free-agent pickup Drew Brees two years ago, because as anyone will tell you it's damn near impossible to get a quarterback of that caliber on the open market. Reggie Bush has been a different story, and for the most part has not delivered in the ways they hoped. He performed well in a backup/sidekick role with Deuce McAllister who returns this year, but he likely will be asked to take on a more dominant role than he was given two years ago. Old Man Deuce can't take too many more hits to those rebuilt knees. Another gift from above came in the form of sixth-round pick Marques Colston. How in the world did this elite wideout fall all the way to the sixth-round? A lot of sixth-rounders get cut in their first offseason, this guy was handed the starting job right out the gate. He got a big pay raise during his off-time and will be wanting to prove his worth. Someone will end up starting opposite him but who really cares who at this point. Patten, Meachem, whatever. These guys should win their division but likely their defense will have them eliminated as it's still a work in progress.

Carolina Panthers- I try to keep my opinions on teams to myself to maintain neutrality, but I have to admit that this team just bores me. Aside from playmaker/sucker puncher Steve Smith, there's just no one else to talk about on this team. Maybe Jonathan Stewart will change all that. I'd enjoy seeing him in action. Jake Delhomme returns from Tommy John surgery, and this is unfortunate as I predicted he'd be sidelined last year. Only problem is they STILL have no one to replace him. They picked up Josh McCown after he was thrown out of Miami, but he's just a fail-safe bridge-gap sorta guy.

Atlanta Falcons- They'll remain in the NFC South basement, but I like how Matt Ryan's looked in the offseason. He's smart, has a long ball, and seems to generally understand the game. Michael Turner was signed to handle the rushing load, and there's really no reason to believe he can't do it, despite what many analysts are saying. If the O-line can be at all capable (maybe not) he'll just have to remain healthy. The defense will still stink but I heard they traded for Dominique Foxworth, a nickel cornerback from Denver, today so that will be a boost. DeAngelo Hall is in Oakland now so the big time playmaker is gone. Everyone should wish this team well after being dragged through the mud and beaten while down throughout last year. Unfortunately, er fortunately, competing teams won't go easy on them.

The Mighty South (Let's Pick On Old Guys!)

Today I'll be covering the AFC South. It's a bit out of order from my original pattern. Sue me. Anyways, this division has been dominated for several years but for the first time it appears the mighty Colts could actually be unseated. Here we go...

Indianapolis Colts: With 22 starters returning, there's no reason to believe this team won't return to the form they showed during their Super Bowl season. Most of their hopes will be resting on Peyton being healthy and his favorite target Marvin Harrison recovering from an injury which sidelined him last season. He's also quite old. If he can't cut the mustard, look for a breakout season from second-year wideout Anthony Gonzalez, who performed well in Harrison's absence last year. Otherwise you'll see him line up in the slot. The defense needs no introduction with Pro Bowlers Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders returning from injuries.

Houston Texans: These guys showed flashes of a winning spirit last season in their first non-losing season ever (they went 8-8). Houston will be hoping for little more than their first WINNING season this year in an ultra-competitive division. Last year, Matt Schaub was brought in to bring some actual talent to the quarterback position, and he performed quite well until he went down with an injury. His favorite target, the elite Andre Johnson, also suffered a setback or two and missed significant time because of it. With both returning, if they can still healthy I can see these guys pulling a few surprise wins here and there, and quite possibly putting together the nine win season they're hoping for. Will they rank higher than the Titans at season's end? Probably not. If the defense and running game (the latter suspiciously absent last year) can be highly productive than they would have a chance of finishing third in the division, but it may be a season or two too early for that.

Jacksonville Jaguars- With the quarterback questions answered definitively, this team looks poised for a seriously deep playoff run. The defense is a perrenial monster (they drafted two ends in the first two rounds to fix that issue) and their running game is quite proficient. David Garrard was one of best protectors of the ball last season, only being intercepted a handful of times. This is particularly impressive considering he had very little to throw to. Jacksonville has been collecting wide receivers over the offseason to correct this, but not in the way one would usually go about it. Rather than trying to woo elite receivers from free agency or making trades for them, the Jags decided to take chances on more questionable talent such as Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson. Still, Porter should be an instant upgrade over Dennis Northcutt or Matt Jones the drug addict, and could provide a good 5 or 6 touchdowns for the team. Look for short man Maurice Jones-Drew to take on a bigger load in the backfield this season, due to Fred Taylor's being old.

Tennessee Titans- It's a make-or-break year for Vince Young. We've all seen he can run, but he needs to learn to pass well to make it in this league. Of course, in typical Tennessee fashion they're doing nothing to help him, such as signing or drafting some talent at wide receiver, but new tight end Alge Crumpler, however old he may be, should provide a good safety net for the young field general. The defense will win games for this team more often than not, but I am excited to see first-round pick Chris Johnson in the backfield. No one saw this guy getting drafted so early, so the Titans must know something we don't. He looked good in the preseason, anyways. I can see him overtaking LenDale White for the starting job midway through the season. It's a make-or-break year for White as well. I'm not sure I see these guys making the playoffs again this year. They have the talent to make it, but I just think someone else will take their wild-card spot. Like the Jags. Or Cleveland.