I’m so hooked on the NFL that I look forward to the start of the season for months and play in all sorts of fantasy football and other competitions. Ah, the fresh start of the season, where I can just soak in the awesomeness that is football. It’s going to be at least a month before my spirit is crushed by the bad play of my favorite team. These are the good times.
Tonight we get the Titans(+6) at the Steelers in a matchup of last year’s best record vs last year’s superbowl champions (spit). Should be a good game.
The rest of the games:
Sunday 1pm
Miami(+4) @ Atlanta
Kansas City (+13) @ Baltimore
Philadelphia @ Carolina(+1.5)
Denver(+4) @ Cincinatti
Minnesota @ Cleveland(+4)
New York Jets(+4.5) @ Houston
Jacksonville(+7) @ Indianapolis
Detroit(+13) @ New Orleans
Dallas @ Tampa Bay(+6)
Sunday 4:30pm
San Francisco (+6.5) @ Arizona
Washington (+6.5) @ New York Giants
St. Louis (+8.5) @ Seattle
Sunday night game
Chicago (+3.5) @ GB
Monday night games
Buffalo (+11) @ NE (7pm)
San Diego @ Oakland (+9.5) (10:15pm)
It’s a list of ESPN’s week 1 power rankings from last year compared with their week 17 power rankings and team record. Shows much the NFL changes from year to year and how bad people are at predicting it:
The NFL thoughtfully scheduled the Raiders in this slot (again!) to ensure you won’t miss anything. As I recall last year, the announcing team of Mikes Greenberg & Golic were pretty awful and they got asked back again somehow.
I’m very excited about this season of football. I get chills every year when the title music plays on the first real game.
I’ve always been a lurker in these threads but plan to make an effort to actually, you know, interact this year. Joined the pick 'em, spread and confidence leagues. No time for the salary cap league with my other fantasy team.
Just to introduce myself, I’m a Baltimoron living in Madison, huge Ravens fan, strong Packers fan. The Steelers and Vikings can kiss my ass, and I’m looking forward to a strong season from both of my teams.
I can buy that score. But I think Palmer throws three TD’s, unfortunately one of them to Brian Dawkins.
If the line stays healthy and gives some protection, I can see Palmer coming back big time over this season. But he seemed a little overeager at times in the preseason and I can see the Broncos D looking shaky enough that he pushes a few questionable balls out there as the run game breaks down. Most will work. One won’t.
It’s tough to say how eager he was in preseason, considering he only played about a quarter in the first preseason game against the Saints and was held out of the rest of the preseason games due to an ankle sprain, which he suffered accidentally losing a pump fake into the turf.
The line looks vastly improved in pass protection. The run game is a question mark, but I can guarantee that barring injury, anyone who’s an NFL fan is going to know the name Bernard Scott by the end of this season. The guy is an electrifying running back with soft hands and incredible speed.
Our wideouts are a unit to be feared, as long as the blitz protection happens. I can’t think of a better starting three than a rejuvenated Chad Johnson, renewed Chris Henry and Laverneus Coles.
I forgot to add that for tonight, I am a Titans fan! GO TITANS!
Yeah, I know he barely played, but that’s all we can judge a lot of starters on in pre-season. He seemed to really be excited about playing - which is a good thing, IMO - and didn’t have that air of caution he had had while playing hurt/recovering. But, timing takes time to develop, and Coles in particular is going to vastly improve after three or four weeks, as he develop more comfort in the system and with Palmer.
I think you’re right on the wideout - probably the best trio out there. How do you game plan against that? With an accurate and smart QB throwing to 'em?
I foresee a lot of openings for the run game as teams gameplan for the wideouts in Cinci. I would plan on a lot of varied blitzes and giving up a lot of short pass yardage to protect the deep ball.
I can imagine the Bengals pulling a sleeper a la Arizona and slipping into the playoffs.
Good to hear. I snagged Bernard Scott in both of my deeper FF leagues and I’m hoping he beats out Cedric Benson at some point this season. You’d like my SDMB big league roster - I’ve got Chad Johnson (I refuse to use his stupid new name), Chris Henry, and Bernard Scott.
Scott may do just that. Even though he had some pretty bad personal problems in college (insert Bengal joke here______), he compiled some amazing stats and has looked really, really good in the preseason. I also happen to believe that Benson is going to surprise some people this year with his play.
I also picked up Henry as a bench option in all my fantasy leagues.
And I concur with you on Chad. I hate his showboating side, but man, let me tell you…he has been reborn. He looks incredible and is in amazing shape and he has a great attitude (for now).
NFL scouts will say Scott is not really fast, big or strong. But he is simply one of the most productive runners in college football history.
The 2008 Harlon Hill Trophy winner and two-time AP Little All-American rushed for 4,321 yards and 63 touchdowns from 2007-08, adding 93 receptions for 1,391 yards and 10 scores. That doesn’t even take into consideration his All-American 2006 season at Blinn JC (1,892 yards, 27 TDs) and a freshman year (played at Central Arkansas, from which his current ACU head coach came) in which he gained 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns. Had an arm span of 31 3/4 inches and a hand span of 9 1/2 inches at the combine.
However, his checkered past may catch up with him. He was kicked off his high school team for being part of a fight off campus, dismissed from Central Arkansas for - among other things - hitting a coach and has had multiple additional run-ins with police.
Scott’s combination of excellent vision and quick feet make him a fourth-round talent. But character issues will require a strong recommendation of Scott’s improved maturity (he did turn 25 in February) from coaches. That could get him a late-round selection or priority free agent call.
I set my DVR to record it, but I’d rather watch teh 49ers opener live. However, I’ll be in County Kerry at the time, where “football” means soccer, and I’d be lucky to see a MNF game in a pub.
