No team can succeed with Kordell Stewart in the backfield. Really, there is absolutely no need to analize this further. Kordell and Cowher need to break off the oral sex for playing time agreement so Kordell can get to bagging groceries like he’s destined to do. The Steelers D is decent, but not great, most of the statistical numbers have been ballooned in games against crappy teams, and team playing crappy football. The will be no Steelers in the or any postseason for a few years to come.
The Queens will lose this week. Even with a scuffling Rams team, they are going to be at home, Warner and Faulk (and Hakim in fantasy hopes) have more time to start gelling again, and the Rams need this game more than the Queens do. The Rams D has looked better lately, and the only reason the Queens D hasn’t been maligned all year is because the Rams were worse. The most important factor is the Queen track record, the clock is up on their 15 minutes and this is precisely the time when the bottom falls out of their Super Bowl aspirations. Just watch this game for a dumb play, a big injury, or some major letdown to deflate them for the rest of the season.
The Jets-Radiers game is tough, I think both teams are worse than their records, and neither will be around past the first match up of the playoffs. In this one its gonna depend on who is able to make the least mistakes. I think a defensive score puts the Raiders on top after a Vinny INT. Gonna be snug though, and I’d take the under.
Gazoo, the real blunder this week looks to be picking the ‘Phins. The Bucs are firing on all cylinders and they are finally playing like the Super Bowl contender they’ve always been pegged as. Lets face it, Miami is winning with no friggin’ offense. Fielder can’t stay error free against a D like the Bucs and Thomas won’t gain a yard out of the backfield. Oh, and the Fins have Wanny who’s just lying in wait to fuck this up. I don’t see the Bucs lighting up the Miami D either, but I think the Buc D will cause more turnovers. Look for Gramitica to score big (mmmm, fantasy field goals)
Patsies-Bears, I have a feeling who ever wins is going the blow out the other team. Could go either way, Bledsoe has been starting to play like himself, and the Bears might love the sigh of relief they’ll get if Cade plays a decent game, not to mention the recievers actually showing up when they get a guy who can throw more than 6 yards downfield. I totally disagree with the idea that the Bears D has quit, they’ve been looking better and better every week. I wouldn’t be the least bit suprised to see them cut Bledsoe’s confidence with a few big turnovers. But Cade might totally suck too, and then its all moot.
Fantasy Notes:
Who the hell do I start at QB? I have Aaron Brooks, who’s looked like a word beater in the stats categories the last few weeks. He’s matched up against a craptacular defense. I have Jeff George who’s gotten the starting job for the rest of the year, but I have no idea what to expect out of this new coach. He seems like the type that would run Davis 50 times, but George tends to thrive in the type of turmoil this team has. Also playing a piss poor defense. I also have McNown and Bledsoe, who are playing one another in Chicago. The weather isn’t supposed to be terrible that day, and Bledsoe looked unstoppable on Monday night. The rest of the season he’s sucked, and as I’ve said I think the Bears D could come up big. McNown is having his first game back, usually I’d take this as a sign to bench him, but he’s just the kind of guy to run for 2 TDs and throw for 2 more just to show up the fans. A little advice please, weather forcasts in SF and big D?
Also, both may starting RBs are matched up in the Titans- Bengals game…lets hope its a good field, and the QBs get banged around. Could size up to be a combined 300 yard, 5 TD day.
Finally the Iggles will win, but I see the Brownie’s D playing well, and the Philly offense still failing to show any relaibility. Did I mention I have the Brownies D starting?
I hope so, but I really don’t think it’s going to happen.
[My emphasis added] Omni, put the crack pipe down a second. Miami is winning with no offense? Look again. Here’s the Bucs passing game the last three weeks - v. CHI 91 yds., v. BUF 106 yds, (23 on a screen to Dunn), and v. DAL 65 yds. The Miami defense is going to eat them up and spit them out. Meanwhile, Fiedler threw three TD’s and Smith ran for 100 yds. and a score in Buffalo last week.
FYI - McNown is not starting. He has been relegated to back-up for the remainder of the season. Shane Matthews and the receiver-less Bears will not win another game this year. I’d start Aaron Brooks.
stuffinb, I think the aberration he was referring to was the meltdown by the Saints defense. I agree, that their defense will bounce back and be as tough as other this week.
Well I think everone is just trying to kick the Niners while they’re down, and refusing to see that they’ve got up swinging. No matter, I’ll put my sig on the line to show my confidence, anyone willing to risk theirs?
BTW, Omniscient I agree with your Raiders assesment, but if you’re looking for a team to shoot itself in the foot, you can’t go wrong with the Raiders. It’s their signature. I’m taking the Jets, and looking forward to the Raiders meltdown in the playoffs.
Yup, the aberration I meant was the Saints D allowing 251 yards to a rookie. A phenomenal rookie, but a rookie nonetheless. Who would have thought that New Orleans would be the team to fold like that?
The Niners offense has always clicked - yup - they’re like St Louis Lite, scoring high but with a weak defense. I won’t put my sig on the line, though, as I’m not 100% confident of the game – I only ranked it worth nine points to me. The only thing I’ll wager on is that the Vikings will make the playoffs.
On a side note- in my fantasy league, I had a 6-5-2 record going into last week (the wildcard round) and didn’t bother to set a lineup as I didn’t think I even qualified. Halfway through the Denver game, I looked at the website and saw that yes, indeed, I was a wildcard, and yes, I did leave Mike Anderson on the bench. I cried throughout that game until I saw that I won in a squeaker. Now I’m going to the conference title game, with Mike Anderson and Eddie George both going against weak defenses, and Culpepper throwing to Cris Carter against the Rams … I’m gonna make it to our Super Bowl, woohoo.
Gazoo, thanks, I hadn’t seen the update on McNown’s status. That makes one decision for me.
And, while firing on all cylinders was a bit of hyperbole on my part, the Bucs are playing some of the best football in the league right now. Even when they were picked as a SB contender they were putting up sub 200 yard passing performances. I don’t think anyone places the burden of winning on Shawn King’s arm. I’m also still firmly convinced that Fiedler is a fluke, he hasn’t played a good defense all year and he benefits from the defense winning the field position battle. They won’t against the Bucs D. Don’t forget that the Bucs have alot more on the line as well.
Actually, no. The Vikings will continue to kick total ass all the way to the NFC Championship when they’ll suddenly transform themselves into a Pop Warner team and lose by an absurdly lopsided score.
In a perverse way, I’m glad Gary Anderson shanked the only kick of 1998 that mattered and kept us out of the Super Bowl. I didn’t think that we could beat Elway’s last gasp, and I’d rather stay at 0-4 all-time than go to the game and end up being 0-5.
However, this year I’m more than content to trounce the Raiders or the Titans in the Super Bowl this year - my lad Daunte is the second coming of Christ.
Or, well, maybe not, but I believed in him from so early on that I even have a jersey of his with #12 on it, not #11 …
Gazoo, I’ll believe The Curse is over only when it’s over.
I remember too many of these damned Dallas games. Famous moments such as Darrell Green’s first NFL game ('Skins blew a 23-3 lead), the last game of the '79 season (with aobut 3:40 to go, 'Skins up 34-21, a first-down away from FG range, lost to Staubach), and of course, the Clint Longley game ('Skins, up 16-3 in 3rd qtr, knock Staubach out of the game, lose 24-23), back in 1974.
I was old enough to legally drink for all of those games, and a good thing, too.
On a sports talk radio station I listen to, I heard a proposed headline for this weekend that I liked. “Cowboys ignore Snyder’s request; Still own Redskins”. I loved it. Of course, being a diehard Cowboys fan, I could be prejudiced.
I really like your predictions Gazoo. I don’t always agree, but I always read them. Hope to see you next season too!
End of the 3rd quarter and my Cowboys are dominating the Redskins in every aspect of the game. I’m speechless; I’m giddy; [sub]I’m praying they don’t fall apart.[/sub]
Seriously, as a DC area resident, I’ve been watching the Redskins all year. It’s been a good year for me, but even I can’t remember them playing this badly.
At Falcon’s excellent party today, I remarked that The Streak is phenominal. There’s no way to pick a team’s game right, or wrong, thirteen weeks in a row. Unbelievable.
Even if you picked the Chargers to lose every week, or the Rams/Vikes/Eagles to win every week, you’d still be wrong once.
Gazoo, I’m in awe.
Oh, and Falcon, even when the Eagles stank, I didn’t turn away and hide.
The only thing I’ll wager on is that the Vikings will make the playoffs.