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PREVIEW

NFL fans tuned in weekly to watch Hard Knocks but Tom Brady refused to be one of them. He was quoted in the off-season saying, “I hate the Jets, so I refuse to support that show.” Well, it’s week 2 and the Jets look undeserving of all the off-season hype. As the saying goes — Time to put up, or shut up!

Tom Brady had quite the week to start the season. A new contract, a TMZ worthy car accident and more importantly, a win. Brady settled in the pocket and amassed 258 yards and 3 TD’s in the win against the Bengals. A target for 2 TD’s, Wes Welker was back on the field earlier than expected. The Patriots offense was clicking like it was 2007 but the same can’t be said for the defense. They seemed to be a step slow against the Bengals but the young secondary has time to get better. Luckily they face the Jets this week and should be able to push Sanchez and his receivers around some.

If the Jets plan to become a dominant force in the AFC they first need to go through teams like the Patriots. For starters, they need to have a better plan on offense. Sanchez had an up ‘n down year last season and looked hesitant all game long in week 1. Rex Ryan needs to show some confidence in the kid and allow him to throw. The offense managed to get just six 1st down’s all game and never converted on 3rd down — absurd! Shonn Greene was pinned on the sidelines after two early fumbles but they are going to need him. LT needs a wingman. Defensively a sound team, the Jets were served a blow when they lost Kris Jenkins to an ACL tear last week. Revis should be blanketed all over Moss this week but the rest of the D needs to step up and help get the offense going.

I expect the Jets to bounce back from week 1 but not enough to topple the mighty Patriots. Expect Brady to spread the love and with one too many weapons, New England should walk out of the Meadowlands Stadium with a 2-0 record.

My Prediction: New England Patriots 28 – New York Jets 20

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PREVIEW

We are gearing up for what might be one of the most watched MNF games of all time as the NFL’s top offenses go head to head at the Louisiana Superdome tonight. The New Orleans Saints put their potent scoring and unbeaten record (10-0) on the line against the New England Patriots (7-3) who have become a measuring stick for success in the NFL. This may well be a possible Super Bowl preview to boot. Speaking of Super Bowls… this is the first time the Patriots are playing at the Superdome since they won it all in 2002 against the Rams on a last second Vinateri FG.

The Saints drive for a perfect season is about to face its toughest test… that is the only other team to accomplish that feat. They enter this game with the NFL’s #1 attack (420.5 YPG). Drew Brees, leads the league in TD passes (22) and 12 different players for the Saints have scored TD’s for the team coming in at a league-best 36.9 ppg. The Saints are on pace to score 590 points with would better the mark set just two years ago by tonight’s opponent (589 points).

The Patriots offense is nothing to scoff at. If there is one blemish it is the red zone offense (rank 24th in TD %). Settling for FG’s is not going to cut it against the potent Saints offense. To add fuel to this, the Saints rank 5th when it comes to red zone defense. If the Patriots find a way to crack this they should be able to put a stain on what has been a perfect season thus far.

No team has more takeaways than the Saints (29). Darren Sharper, playing out of his mind, leads the team with 7 picks. On the flip side, only one team has coughed the ball up less than the Patriots. After all is said and done tonight, that may just be the difference.

My Prediction: Patriots 31 – Saints 24

1. Falcons and Patriots – I picked the Falcons because I couldn’t get myself to root for the Pats. Why? I don’t know. Why do some people hate Lakers or Yankees? It may be the Epic Fumble Fail from the Bills – Pats game – or the fact that Tom Brady had people shot at his wedding. Somebody tried to convince me on Twitter, that Tom Brady is kind of girls’ favorite, but I didn’t buy it. C’mon, he always looks so bored during the games, with his cold stares and perpetual screaming at his receivers! I wouldn’t let anybody scream at me! Unfortunately, either the screaming helped or his bored face was just a poker bluff as Pats pulled out the win 26-10, which meant 0-1 for Kat’s picks.

2. Saints and Bills – I have made it no secret that the Bills are my team, I really like them. Did a little research, saw several games already and read a huge Football Preview magazine, so I knew, what we were facing. Drew Brees appeared as a fantasy football player’s wet dream, so I figured he would be scoring loads on the Bills. But as the Saints’ defense wasn’t the best I trusted that we might out-shoot them somehow. (Do you say ‘out-shoot’ like in basketball?) So I expected lots of touchdowns, and lots of fun. And I simply believed that I could just WILL the Bills into victory. Non-surprisingly Saints scored a TD in first 2 minutes and not long after that Bills got theirs. That was fantastic – they basically faked a field goal and planted a TD on surprised Saints. And then, I felt that something clicked, when my mild interest in the game started turning into love… Of course it had to turn into bitter tears in the end, as it was also the last good moment for the Bills, who decided to fold after that. Although they stopped the magical powers of Brees, they had no answers for the running back Pierre Thomas. Or should I say – flying back, cause it looked like that. Terrell Owens didn’t catch a single thing for the first time since his rookie season and Fred Jackson’s 71 yards didn’t help very much. Saints 27-7, Kat 0-2.

3. Colts – Cardinals. I don’t really like the Colts, so I didn’t root for them. But, after watching them for the second time, I figured out that Peyton Manning is simply a wild beast. I wonder if they only release him for the games and cage him in-between, because he is scary. He threw for 4 TDs! C’mon! Colts 31-10, Kat 0-3.

For the games I didn’t actually watch, Sunday looked like this:

1. Lions over Redskins 19-14. Well, Lions deserved a win, finally.

2. Packers over Rams 36-17. Packers are my second favorite team. Poor Aaron Rodgers had been sacked about 10 times heading in. Good for them.

3. Vikings over 49ers 27-24. Wow, saved by Grandpa Favre’s heroics and his TD pass with 2 seconds left. I saw the end of this game and it had the basketball buzzer beater quality. Freak-tastic!

4. Jets over Titans 24-17. I liked the Jets in this match-up. They are likable, Sanchez is likable. Look at this rook – he started his first 3 games and won all of them, like nobody else before. I was informed via Twitter that Jets were like 14-0 in the first quarter, then my source became quiet, so I guess the Jets blew they lead. But they held on long enough to pull out the win.

5. Eagles over Chiefs 34-14. Eagles are a better team, even without McNabb. Vick didn’t even have to put any significant numbers on the stat sheet. Talking about Vick, I found this in Sports Illustrated: ‘An animal-rescue group will donate five bags of dog food to a Washington D.C. shelter for every time Michael Vick is tackled when the Redskins play the Eagles next month.’ Beware, Mike!

6. Giants over Bucs 24-0. Giants are pretty good, Bucs are not. But to completely shut them down? Wow.

7. Raven over Browns 34-3. Browns are a really bad team. But, hey you can always cheer for Cavs when you’re form Cleveland!

8.  Jaguars over Texans 31-24. Jaguars wanted their first victory and Texan’s horrible defense delivered it to them.

9. Bears over Seahawks 25-19. Cutler debuted miserably, so he had to show up to redeem himself.

10. Bengals over Steelers 23-20. Not having Troy Polamalu and his curls must really suck for Pittsburgh.

11. Broncos over Raiders 23-3. No Cutler, no problem. Orton can make it – Denver is 3-0 already.

12. Chargers over Dolphins 23-13. Dolphins suck. 0-3 for the third time in six seasons.

For Monday night I am picking the Panthers over Cowboys. I cannot like anything George Bush thinks is good.

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.

Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction (14-2): The Champs didn’t change much from last season and should be the team to beat once again. It would take some pressure off from Big Ben if Willie Parker can stay healthy and contribute consistently. Defensively this team is as sound as it gets and it doesn’t hurt that the schedule this year for the Steelers creates an easier path to the post-season.
Cincinnati Begals Prediction (8-8): Carson Palmer’s elbow looks good but its a matter of “will it hold up”. They lost T.J but the combo of Laveranues Coles and Chad Ochocinco’s is very potent and if they can keep things focused on the game rather than off the field antics they should get a chance to make it to the playoffs.
Baltimore Ravens Prediction (7-9): They always look good on paper but it never translates. The Ravens success will rely heavily once again on the performance of Joe Flacco who has a year of experience under his belt. The departures on defense will hurt but this team has a chance to repeat last seasons success.
Cleveland Browns Prediction (4-12): The only good news for this team is that the schedule is favorable which should get them a few wins. Eric Mangini has discarded the Browns best player – Kellen Winslow, created a possible QB controversy and has no offensive weapons to work with.

New England Patriots Prediction (13-3): He’s BAAAAACK! The team barely missed the playoffs last year and with the additions of Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis, they instantly become contenders again. As a result, the Patriots could pick up where they left off in 2007, blowing out opponents for much of the season. If Brady returns to 2007 form, anything less than a division championship appearance should be considered a letdown.
New York Jets Prediction (8-8): The Jets are working with a new QB and a new coach – they are probably studying what the Raven’s did last season and hope to have similar success. On the positive though, the team is sound on D and have a reliable ground game. If they manage to find some receivers to help out the QB they should be able to make some noise this season.
Miami Dolphins Prediction (6-10): With the return of Brady, and the Jets looking better than expected, there is no chance in hell the Dophins can duplicate last season’s success. A brutal schedule will negate the positives the team added over the off-season. Essentially the team could be equal or better than last season but still finish with half the wins and no post season in sight.
Buffalo Bills Prediction (5-11): They are solid at WR with Terrell Owens and Lee Evans, while Marshawn Lynch has shown he can run with the big boys. A major weakness still lies on the O line which will make using the running game very challenging and the QB is going to face quick pressure from breakdowns. The team has no stellar defensive lineup to put on the field and will rely heavily on trying to put up big offensive numbers.

Indianapolis Colts Prediction (11-5): As far as coaching changes go, this one should be a smooth transition since Jim Caldwell is not a totally new face. Peyton Manning may have lost his favorite receiver but still has Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, rookie Austin Collie and TE Dallas Clark to connect with. Add in an upgrade on the offensive line along with a better running game should have the Colt’s back on top of this division.
TennesseeTitans Prediction (9-7): The loss of Haynesworth will hurt and their schedule to the start the season may send the team stumbling. Kerry Collin’s is the QB of choice for this team and needs to build chemistry quick with new WR’s on the team to take some heat off from RB Chris Johnson. They surprised people how good they were last season but this year people are watching and with a weaker defense, the Titans may be the surprise “disappointing” team.
Houston Texans Prediction (8-8): Going into the season under the radar, I expect the Texans to have a successful season. Add on a win or two playing behind a solid defense and they could see themselves playing in January. Andre Johnson is one of the best WR’s in the game right now and with a light schedule for the first part of the season, the team is well positioned to finally make some noise in the AFC.
Jacksonville Jaguars Prediction (4-12): The running game is fine with Maurice Jones Drew but David Garrard is no Tom Brady. The team plays in a tough division and the schedule isn’t doing them any favors. There are just not enough weapons on offense to offset the weak defense for this team to improve over last season. 

San Diego Chargers Prediction (9-7): I am assigning this as the worst division in the AFC and the Chargers should be a lock to finish on top. Philip Rivers will continue to do his thing but Tomlinson’s star is fading. If Gates, Tomlinson and Merriman all manage to stay healthy this team will be as dangerous on the field as they look on paper.
Denver Broncos Prediction (7-9): The Cutler drama may be in the past but Kyle Orton is no savior. With a new coach, a QB who threw 3 interceptions in his first season game and a disgruntled WR, the Bronco’s are going to struggle to put together a winning season.
Oakland Raiders Prediction (5-11): The Raiders are set at the RB spot and have one of the best corner backs in Asomugha. They may surprise and finish ahead of the Broncos at the end of the season but the usual drama that follows this team makes me believe something will go wrong before things fall into place.
Kansas City Chiefs Prediction (3-13):The Chiefs are in full rebuilding mode and that means a whole lot of L’s in the loss column. A weak O line and a QB who has no one to throw to when the season starts, this team is going to take a beating from the rest of the league.