Join me as I live blog this game on The Score – Link

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PREVIEW

The Cowboys will not blow 2 chances in a row to get a win at their new home. The NFL made it easier by scheduling them to play the Panthers on Monday night in front of what should be another audience of more than 100,000. Marion Barber has been ruled out of the game but Felix Jones and Tashard Choice are more than capable of getting it done. Both should have a coming out party tonight. The Dallas D has been leaky at best this season but they have a chance to right the ship tonight against sack magnet, Jake Delhomme. After a epic fail game v/s Philadelphia for the home opener, Delhomme managed to get back on track against Atlanta but the outcome was the same. If Delhomme can get more passes to Steve Smith than the Cowboys corners, it should be considered a successful outing.

Dallas is in a must win situation. After this one they are heading off on the road and can ill afford to start the season 1-2 in a very tough division. They should have help from the Panthers tonight to make sure they get it done…

Last Weekend was a reality check for the Patriots as Brady struggled to get anything going. He may be healthy but 2 weeks into the season we can see he has a ways to go before returning to pre-injury form. The Jets found ways to take advantage and pulled off what most considered an upset. This week the Falcons will come in with a similar mindset but Brady should be able to get back on track. I expect New England to get their running game back in order and take care of business against the Falcons – But it won’t be easy!

The Cowboys came into the season with arguably one of the best group of running backs. Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice could all start for an NFL team. There are just not enough possessions to get the most out of every guy over the course of a game. This week should be a coming out party of sorts for the 2nd and 3rd guys on the depth chart if Marion is ruled out for Monday night. There are still decisions to made before now and game time, but I expect Barber to sit out letting his very capable counterparts carry the load in what should be a win for the Cowboys.

Picking the rest…
Baltimore Ravens over Cleveland Browns
Washington Redskins over Detroit Lions
Houston Texans over Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings over San Francisco 49′ers
Tennessee Titans over New York Jets
Green Bay Packers over St. Louis Rams
New York Giants over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints over Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears over Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers over Cincinnati Bengals
Oakland Raiders over Denver Broncos
San Diego Chargers over Miami Dolphins
Indianapolis Colts over Arizona Cardinals

Anyways, it was the second Sunday of the regular season, but the first one I could really appreciate because of terrible migraine that blurred my last week’s experience. So first things first – I got a football jersey – and this was just the beginning of fun. It didn’t fall down to my knees like some of the basketball jerseys I have (like the Garnett’s from Minnesota, which I usually use as a bathrobe), but seemed to be broader in the chest, although certain ‘female attributes’ still looked rather funny, but who cares?

Next picking up the games. I’m not such a vet like in basketball to watch 4-5 games in the same time and know what’s going on. So one game at 1pm, another at 4, and last at 8. Also, not all of them are available – so I chose: Patriots – Jets, Bills – Buccaneers and Cowboys – Giants. As a freshman I knew I could pick any team to root for in each match-up, with an unbiased, cold judgment. So:

1. Jets over Patriots. Reason? The bitter taste after the Bills’ loss to the Pats last week. I was so sure Bills were going to win, and the loss was just heartbreaking! And on the top of that I read that the Buffalo’s losing streak against NE is 12 games! I hated the Pats straight away! By the way, Sanchez looked for me more likable than Brady – so why shouldn’t they win? And I was completely right – NY won 16-9, and Brady looked kinda bored during this game.

2. Of course Bills over Buccaneers! Bills are my favorite team! There was a moment of doubt – the Bucs defense line looked so big – maybe it’s their colors, but they somehow looked twice bigger than the Bills. Poor skinny Trent Edwards… But they did it! They did it! And Terell Owens got his first TD with Buffalo. The final score was 33-20.

3. Cowboys – Giants. Difficult choice. But then I noticed Mr Bush watching the game and he was certainly rooting for Dallas, which meant I couldn’t do it. Adding Tony Romo dating Jessica Simpson – NO WAY! Giants had to win. And again my pick was correct – 33-31.

I knew it. I should have gambled a dollar or two on the outcome of the games. Somehow, without reading the statistics and in depth analysis I managed to pick the winners correctly. But seriously, I am gonna read a little bit more about numbers before next Sunday, so I’ll be able to make serious recaps.

Join me as I live blog this game on The Score – Link

*This live blog is accessible through the web, your iPhone/iPod Touch (Details) or Blackberry (Details)*

PREVIEW

The Dallas Cowboys make their home debut at the new billion-dollar stadium Sunday night. I am sure the Giants would love to spoil that party while getting a key victory against a division foe. Dallas is favored here but the Giants should give them all they can handle.

With no more T.O, Tony Romo was able to spread the ball around evenly in week 1. The combination of Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams amassed over 200 receiving yards, but it was the Cowboys defense that let up and let a struggling Buccaneer team put up 21 points on the board. The Giants too were very effecting with their passing game in week 1. Both their young receivers, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, managed to convert on long yardage plays. Their RB’s Jacobs and Bradshaw should be able to feast on a porous Dallas defense that gave up big yards to a recovering Carnell Williams. I expect the Dallas D that let down their team in week 1, to pick it up in a big game under the lights. The Giants defense is not to be underestimated here and if they manage to mesh, barring injuries should make it very difficult for Romo to repeat his performance from last week.

Meetings between these teams are always unpredictable and usually highly entertaining. The toughest test for the Giants will come in trying to defend the Cowboys’s newly resurrected passing game. And for Dallas, doing a better job containing the Giants running backs should be the key. As long as the game doesn’t come down to a punt hitting the monster HD screen, we are in for a good one…

Minnesota Vikings Prediction (11-5): *Sigh* I can’t believe I am talking about Brett Favre again! Minnesota took a gamble with this move but it will pay off over the course of the season. They have arguably the most explosive RB in the league in Peterson, add in the arm of Favre and its sure to notch a few extra wins. This division will be hard fought but the Vikings should be the team strutting into the post-season.
Chicago Bears Prediction (9-7): Jay Cutler may have an attitude but he is also one of the best young QB’s in the league – good thing for the Bears is, he plays for them now. If Matt Forte has another productive year, an upgraded O line and the thoughts of Cutler looking down field to Devin Hester have me excited to watch this team (yes Cutler is on my FF team as well so there is added incentive for him to succeed).
Green Bay Packers Prediction (8-8): Tough break for the Packers, they are good but their division got a lot better. They have a new defensive scheme in place this season which calls for adjustments, but it had to be done since it was the weak spot for them last year. Rogers is a sound QB and if he can elevate his game, it should keep the Packers in the division race though the season.
Detroit Lions Prediction (3-13): The Lions probably aren’t winning anything more than the #1 draft pick in the 2010. Rookie coach Jim Schwartz has a daunting task ahead of him and if he can direct the team to notch a few wins, that in itself should be considered a success.

Philadelphia Eagles Prediction (12-4): Its the toughest division in football and the Eagles made some major waves by signing Michael Vick. People may think I am bias here, but this team did make it to the conference championship game last year and the core offense has improved. They lost some major contributors on the defensive end, but with new defensive coordinator running similar stuff to what Jim Johnson used to, they should be fine. As for Vick, I was not a proponent of the move but don’t see him factoring in as much as people think once the season gets under way.
Dallas Cowboys Prediction (11-5): Last year was supposed to be “THE” year… well with the Cowboys that seems to be the story every year. They lost several marquee players and this is now Tony Romo’s team. With T.O gone and Jessica Simpson discarded off, all eyes are on Romo to see if he can finally deliver. The way this division is looking, its going to be a last man standing battle to the end.
New York Giants Prediction (9-7): This team was smooth sailing until Plax gone shot himself in the leg last season. Plaxico may be gone but they still have one Eli Manning who can do wonders with the ball. Insert Osi Umenyiora (missed 2008 with a knee injury), a workhorse in Brandon Jacobs and a lock down defensive unit the Giants look like they can topple any of the teams ahead of them.
Washington Redskins Prediction (8-8): Even the last place team in this division should finish around .500. Jim Zorn’s success goes hand in hand with how Jason Campbell performs. After a blazing start last season the team came back to reality and will probably remain there. In any other division this is a team good enough to make the playoffs.

New Orleans Saints Prediction (11-5): This team goes as their offense does and though Reggie Bush has yet to deliver the goods, they still have one of the best QB’s who can rack up the yards along with a good receiving core. The last few seasons, the defense and play on the road has let the team down, but in this division I don’t see them letting go of the top spot.
Carolina Panthers Prediction (9-7): They come in looking the same as last year but probably wont get to repeat their performance and win the division. A favorable schedule and no major injuries helped them, but if they see more performances from QB Delhomme like they did in the playoffs (6 turnovers against the Cardinals), they will be not be on the field in January.
Atlanta Falcons Prediction (8-8): They were the surprise team to many with their run to the playoffs last season. I struggled to put them 3rd in this division but the possibility of Matt Ryan falling into a sophomore slump, the defense failing to improve and a much tougher schedule has me doubting that this team is legit. It does help that Ryan has Tony Gonzalez as an option on the field but that may not be enough.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction (5-11): Another team in full rebuilding mode. They will have the chance to bring along rookie QB Josh Freeman, restructure a once great defensive unit and hope that Cadillac Williams can bounce back from lingering injury issues.

Arizona Cardinals Prediction (10-6): The Cardinals lost (both coordinators) more than they gained this off-season. Good thing they still have Fitzgerald, because with a similar offensive scheme as last year, even an older Kurt Warner can keep this team winning. Add on a good looking rookie RB and this is still the team to beat in this division.
Seattle Seahawks Prediction (8-8): A healthy Hasselbeck and the addition of T.J Houshmandzadeh could make it hard for the Card’s to control this division. The thing that could help the Seahawks push past, is if their health holds up and the defense steps up to the challenge.
San Francisco 49′ers Prediction (6-10): Drama once again surrounds this team as rookie daft pick, Michael Crabtree is threatening to hold out for the season. Not to mention the starting QB job is still not set. Coach Singletary had a rough task last season but they managed to finish strong. Even if the defense improves, the key to their season will be in how they come out of the gates.
St. Louis Rams Prediction (4-12): I don’t really have much to say about this team except that their fans will have to endure another losing season. They did manage to pick up some solid contributors in the draft but its going to take time for the whole vision to come together.

Jumbotron-Gate: Jerry Jones went all out on the new Cowboys stadium, and the largest HD video screen in the world was the centerpiece of his vision. One problem… the dang thing is too low. How the hell the NFL didn’t put out guidelines for this pre-construction baffles me. They seem to have a guideline for every other little thing to do with their game. Even if the NFL didn’t say anything it would have been wise to send out the punter for some dry runs before committing to something that will now cost about $2 million to fix.
It seems Jerry Jones has the League in his pocket and will not be asked to raise the roof per say, rather the NFL has instated a new rule regarding balls hitting the screens. It’s ridiculous that a game already hampered by the million stoppages will now have to endure another one thanks to the screen sitting atop Cowboys Stadium.

Twitter-Gate: Unlike the NBA, the NFL is a lot less accepting of changes in the way fans and players are interacting with the help of social networking platforms. Some of the most recognizable players like Terrell Owens, Shawne Merriman and Chad Ocho Cinco have adopted the new technology and successfully built a strong following on Twitter. But the NFL, even though they claim to be moving with the times, laid down the law yesterday by creating a game day social media policy.
Ocho Cinco’s plans to have guests tweeting for him during games are essentially squashed with the new media policy. I was planning to live blog the upcoming Eagles game as a test run for the regular season, but the new policy implies I would be breaking the law. When the NFL started penalizing TD celebrations – I was mad. When they decided to change up the rules on a catch by a player pushed out of bounds – I was scratching my head. With this new policy, the league has set themselves back a few years.