The guy is reliable. He’s essentially been the only receiving option on every team he’s played on yet he’s only averaged 1 100-yard game per season for the last 6 seasons. He’s a #1 WR who you can count on 3-6 catches and 40-70 yards from each game, that’s nice, but nothing special. The guy has never finished better than 15th in the league in yardage since 2003. In the context of the discussion at hand shutting down a Derrick Mason who’s in his 13th season is not an accomplishment.
The Buccaneers are going to win this week. I guarantee it. The game will be a shootout decided by a late pick 6 from Delhomme to Aquib Talib.
I happen to think it is pretty good. It comes up with big plays when it matters. We have arguably two of the best CB’s in the NFL. Our linebackers are awesome (Rivers, Maulauga) or vet-savvy (Dhani tours the world). Our defensive line has the NFL’s sack leader in Antwan Odom and a wonderful DT rotation of Domata Peko, Tank Johnson, Pat Sims and Johnathon Fanene.
We may give up a lot of yards, but they are meaningless yards. We’re giving up less than 20 pts per game.
I sometimes forget but he struggled in coverage his first couple of seasons. He had the speed but not the subtle skills that good coverage guys use to get in position. His reaction time is otherworldly.
I won’t quite say I’m worried but I don’t think we should underestimate the Browns. The played better against the Bengals than we did and Anderson’s 2-17 last week was an anomaly. Peyton Manning might have completed more than 2 but still would have found it tough throwing in that wind. Anderson will be looking to redeem himself and in a shitty season the players will be very keyed up to play well against the defending champions who just happen to be a hated rival.
Why don’t you just install another browser and use one each? That’s what the wifey and I do- she gets Firefox, I get Chrome, and we don’t have to log out of stuff we both use like Yahoo! and Facebook.
Well, I agree that the Steelers have been awfully inconsistent this year (to my constant annoyance), but I disagree with you about both a) Mendenhall being the engine for the offense, and b) the Steelers not being able to rely on the passing game.
Mendenhall has been great the last two weeks, for sure, but Roethlisberger has been spectacular this season. He’s thrown two picks that were truly his fault (and the one against he Lions was bad), but two hail Marys and a blown route caused the other three, so they hurt stats, but don’t speak to his abilities this year.
So far this year, he’s thrown for 1470 yards, second only to Peyton Manning, and on pace for 4,704 for the season. He’s thrown for 8 touchdowns and 8.55 yards per attempt, 4th in the NFL. He’s got a 102.6 passer rating has has completed an NFL best 73.8 percent of his throws this year, and as evidenced by the 8.55 yards per attempt, these aren’t dinks and dunks. He’s playing out of his mind this season, and if the defense and special teams hadn’t handed back what should have been two sure-fire victories over the Bears and Bengals, the Steelers would be 5-0. Roethlisberger is definitely the offensive engine of this team, and the passing game has been sensational this year.
Late Games
** Philadelphia 14 OAKLAND 40½ **
I guess we should just start getting used to seeing a slew of predicted blowouts and huge spreads every week. With as many as 9 terrible teams and about as many very good teams there just isn’t much of a middle class this year and the numbers dictate at least 3 two TD spreads every week at this point it seems. You know, I just don’t have the enthusiasm to make fun of the Raiders and JaMarcus Russell any more. It’s too easy. Really, what point spread would this have to be for you to take the Raiders? 20? 25? 30?
The Pick: Eagles 40 - Raiders 9
** SEATTLE 2½ Arizona 47 **
The Seahawks are recruiting guys off the street to play O Line and they are favored against the defending Champs who seem to be getting their legs back? That makes no sense. Really, the as well as the Seahawks played last week against the Jags I just don’t see them repeating anything close against the Cards. The Cards won’t be caught off guard by the Seahawks crowd and they won’t be benching their best WR minutes before the game. The Cards need to run the ball to slow down a very potent pass rush and they need to keep the mistakes to a minimum on the road. The Seahawks will struggle to handle the Cards WRs in coverage. The Seahawks certainly could make a game of it if they can force a couple mistakes and Hasselbeck gets a little help from the running game but overall I think the Cards matchup better up and down the roster.
The Pick: Cardinals 26 - Seahawks 20
** NY JETS 9½ Buffalo 37½ **
This spread seems like another one week over reaction. The Bills are atrocious and Jets are still a pretty good football team with a good defense, Wildcat or no. The Bills MLB weighs 205 pounds and will have to fend off the likes of Mangold and tackle Thomas Jones or Dustin Keller. I don’t see it happening. The locker room doesn’t seem to be solidifying around Jauron, which you’d expect considering the criticism he’s getting, and that offense just isn’t showing any signs of life. I think the Jets will come out and play pissed off football and the Meadowlands will crush any momentum the Bills might sniff out. Edwards has had a tough time completing passes and he’s got no mobility on the pocket, Revis and the Ryan blitzes will eat that shit up.
The Pick: Jets 27 - Bills 10
** NEW ENGLAND 9 Tennessee 43 **
Do we think that the Titans suck? I mean, it’s clear that they aren’t good but I’m not entirely convinced that they are really on the level of any of these other winless teams. They are probably better than all of the 1 win teams and even the 2 win Redskins. I’m having a tough time pinning down exactly what is wrong with them to tell you the truth. Their pass defense has been pretty bad, but their run defense is still very good. They’ve had a ton of injuries in their secondary which accounts for much of the issues on defense, but they still aren’t awful. The offense has been a little inconsistent, Collins has thrown far too many interceptions and their WRs are dropping a ton of balls which accounts for their inability to drive the ball and convert third downs, but Chris Johns is still averaging 6 yards per carry and is productive in the passing game. REally, there is problems with this team but none which seem to surpass those of several of the average and better teams in the league. I still think the Titans end up somewhere closer to 8-8 than 4-12 but unfortunately this isn’t the week where they get right. The Pats aren’t killing people and Brady is a little shaky still but this will be the week where that passing game gets going. The Pats won’t be able to run the ball once again against the Titans, but I expect them to practically abandon it here. Usually that’s cause for disaster but against this weak Titans pass defense Moss and Welker will clean up and move the chains without issue. That Pats need to check Chris Johnson but if they get a lead Johnson won’t be able to get the touches to hurt them.
The Pick: Patriots 23 - Titans 16
I think the biggest problem with the Titans is that Kerry Collins realized he was Kerry Collins. He’s just never been all that great, and unless I’m mistaken, they don’t have very good receiving options. Ergo, they rely too much on their running game, and if you can tone that down and force Collins to beat you with his arm (since their defense is lacking compared to last season), they become pretty beatable when they are down a couple scores.
Ben’s been very good. Not great, I think his numbers are a bit misleading, they had been trying to compensate from a useless running game for a few games there and the passing numbers added up. Those tawdry passing numbers haven’t produced many points afterall. While Ben puts up the big yards, an effective running game from Mendenhall is what seems to be generating points and making them money in the red zone. Without that running game Ben ends up getting sacked and hurried and his WRs end up dropping key throws, when they are running well Heath Miller and the deep passes start opening up. I think it’s Mendenhall that elevates this offense from decent to scary.
I think so too. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be at full strength this week because of his flu though. The new strategy is to start Mendenhall, get the Browns D sick and then run Fast Willie through the back-ups. 
Nah, look at the numbers. Collins is pretty much doing exactly what he did last season. He was never very good but he kept defenses from loading up on the run. When you watch the game you see that Britt, Washington and Gage are open quite a lot and Collins gets them the ball on time, they just drop too many passes. In addition to the drops, Collins is throwing too many INTs but I’m not really sure how much of that simply is out of desperation from their struggles. The team’s making mistakes but the stats don’t seem to justify such a severe turnaround.
** ATLANTA 3½ Chicago 46 **
See my overlong Bears analysis if you’re curious where I stand on their fates right now.
This game will be an interesting one. I’m sure the Bears defense will have that failure from last season fresh in their mind and we’ll have to hope that that motivation equals results. Turner is a load and just the type of back who can make the Bears struggle, especially with Urlacher out. He’s got size and speed and falls forward, he could be tough to battle in short yardage situations. Matt Ryan will have a little tougher time against the Bears secondary this season than he did last, no more free lunches thankfully. Of course the addition of Gonzo to that package will hit the Bears right where they are weakest in the middle, Nick Roach and rookie Afalava will really need to step up. The game will probably be won or lost by the Bears front 4. If they can get a big push, harass Ryan and disrupt the running game by getting into the backfield then the Secondary should be able to contain White and Gonzo. If we need to blitz too frequently and predictably it could be a long day.
Offensively this is a completely different beast than last season and the Falcons with have their hands full. The Falcons are soft against the run and it’s absolutely critical that Forte get on track to exploit that. Coming out of the Bye I hope that the coaching staff has done something to address the blocking issues up front, this Falcons team can be manhandled in the trenches and Forte needs to pound the ball between the tackles avoid dancing in the backfield. If we need to move laterally we play into their hands. Cutler should have another strong outing against those corners and I suspect Knox and Hester will each have productive nights but more than anything I hope this is the week that Olsen gets on track. Getting Olsen going in the seam and over the middle will make the Linebackers soften up on the run and fear the play action, it will keep the safeties from bailing and give our speed guys a chance for the big play. So far Olsen has been used sparingly, this is the week to start forcing the action with him.
I worry that Cutler could get too amped up for this Primetime game like he did in Green Bay, but if he’s steady I like our chances. Forte doesn’t need to outplay Turner, but so long as he matches him the passing game and defense favor the Bears and we should walk out of ATL with a W.
The Pick: Bears 24 - Falcons 23
Monday, Oct. 19
** SAN DIEGO 4 Denver 44 **
People still seem to be loving the Chargers. They haven’t shown anything. Rivers is outstanding and Jackson and Gates will put points on the board, I have very little question about that. But this Chargers defense is weak, weak, weak. Orton and Moreno will dink and dunk them to death and boom there goes Marshall for a big play. Expect Marshall and Royal both to have big games and I suspect the Chargers will start imploding in the second half when they get down. The pressure is mounting and you’ll be seeing some legitimate panic from them once the Broncos start pushing them around. I’ve been at the front of the The Broncos Aren’t For Real-train all season long and I’m still not convinced they are a 11 or 12 win team but the Chargers aren’t the team that will bring them back to Earth.
The Pick: Broncos 34 - Chargers 28
Just thought I’d share with people that think the Bengals defense isn’t for real: we’re allowing an average of 15.2 points per game, 4th best in the NFL. That’s really the only stat that matters to me. I don’t care if we give up 500 yards a game, as long as the points aren’t forthcoming. OK, well, I care a little, that would be kind of embarrassing!
But you get the point. Our redzone defense has been excellent, and we do a good job of limiting opponents to poor third down conversions when it really matters.
In other news, it took a 24-hour extension, Motorola, and Chad Ochocinco to ensure the Bengals game wouldn’t be blacked out.
You know, I can understand somewhat why people wouldn’t support their team when they’re doing poorly, but they’re 4-1. The Steelers have been sold out for decades no matter how bad they play.
So much for that strong Cincinnati support. It’s easy to see why they suck so much year after year, they have trouble drawing even when they’re good.
I’m genuinely surprised by that. In 2005, the Bengals fairweather fans came out of the woodwork in droves. Why isn’t that happening this year? Is one enthusiastic season per decade the most they can be bothered with?
OK. Pittsburgh has a better history of winning, for one (SIX RINGS! SIX RINGS!!). They are also a larger city for two. For three, the Texans aren’t exactly a premiere franchise, and their limited fanbase apparently doesn’t travel well.
Four…the economy in this area fucking sucks…how is that an indictment against Bengals fans, again? We shed 15,000 season ticket holders after last season’s debacle. How do we get them all back in five games’ time?
I wasn’t surprised at all. The Bengals viewing area includes former manufacturing based cities like Toledo, Columbus and Dayton (especially Dayton) that have been hit HARD by the economic recession, and particularly the downturn in GM’s fortunes. We’re in the rust belt. Why would anyone be surprised by that?
Seriously, you guys can’t come up with anything better? The Bengals are one of the smallest population cities that have an NFL franchise. It does indeed make a difference, along with aforementioned issues.
Airman, I take offense to your comment. There’s a lot of people hurting here that can no longer afford to go to games, or that gave up after about 20 years of futility. When you have those combination of factors, get back to me. When is the last time the Steelers were terrible for over 15 years? The answer: never.
You guys are dicks.
I’d like to see Mendenhall run on a team that can stop the run before I anoint him as the missing piece of the puzzle.
Cleveland’s economy is hit worse than Cincinatti. They are roughly the same size. Cinci may even be a little bit bigger. They have similar second market areas. And the Browns are 1-4, with that 1 win being the most pathetic game of the year, and outside of one loss, the team hasn’t even put forth a real effort - and yet the Browns are in no danger of blackout. And the team has no recent history of success really, it’s not like it’s a one-off bad year.
Your fans suck. I’m not saying you do, obviously you seem pretty dedicated. But your fanbase is weak. You’re taking it too personally - I’m not intending to malign your personal fandom.
Cleveland is the second biggest city in Ohio behind Columbus. Anyway…thanks.
I don’t think our fans suck, they’ve just been subjected to far more losing seasons that even your fanbase has, and sometimes people just have had enough. And the economy sucks. And we’re playing an expansion team with hardly any fanbase, and the ones they have apparently don’t travel and buy tickets at all.
Being 4-1 doesn’t erase the period from 1992-2002 for many people spending big bucks to watch a team fail time and again, especially in light of 4-11-1 last year.
Anyway, sorry guys. Sore point with me.
Nobody said that the Bears were thinking about it. The TO to the Bears idea was always presented as pure speculation in response to the question of what other moves similar to Braylon Edwards might make sense as the trade deadline approaches.
Wow, an NFC East game you actually want to see? I’m stunned. heh. Seriously, though, I guess the 8-8 Saints didn’t merit scheduling preference back in April or whenever it is the schedule comes out. They should have seen this coming, though, since they had one of the best offenses in the league last year. This should definitely have been a 4pm start. Unless they projected the Giants to be weak?
Speaking of which, now for the second time in 25 years the Giants and Jets will be playing at the same time due to the Giants @ Eagles game in a couple weeks getting moved from 4pm to 1pm to accomodate a possible Phillies World Series. Annoying, IMO; the Jets should get moved to 4pm that day. But at least I can understand the reasoning behind moving the Giants game.
Yom friggin’ Kipur is NOT an acceptable reason to move the Jets game three weeks before kickoff, also displacing a U2 concert in the process. The Yom Kippur calendar was set when, 3000 years ago? I mean, seriously, WTF? I’m all for respecting Yom Kippur as long as you do it when you make the fucking schedule in the first place. Don’t mess with the schedule once the season starts unless something happens during the season that necessitates it. Like the Philly fans needing the shared parking lot.
Actually, now that I type that out it seems pretty fucking weak to me. Why can’t the NFL tell MLB to go pound sand just like they did to for the play-in game in Minnesota? What, did the NFL spend all their bargaining capital on the Vikings/Packers and now the Jets/Giants get the short end of the stick? Seems weak.