Juuust a Bit Outside

NFL Week 6 Picks

Chris — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:58:24 GMT

Another Sunday of football is upon us, which means I get to sit here and try to pick winners for my own (and potentially a few of your) enjoyment. Last week was another decent, not spectacular, go round, as I went 9-5. The Trent Edwards concussion completely changed the complexion of the Buffalo game, San Diego looked more like the Chargers of the 70s (see: not very good) instead of a perennial playoff contender, and Washington burned me again on a NFC East road game.

Once again, do not go trying to throw around money, especially in the times of financial crunch, constraint, crisis, conundrums, or any other c word you can come up with on short notice. I pick the games for fun and don't throw money around (mainly because I don't have any), and the only advice I give is to people I really know and trust to accept responsibility for their actions. That said, let's pull the tarp off this week's schedule:

Oakland at New Orleans (-7): The Raiders are coming off an embarrassing 37-9 loss to the Bye Week, and Al Davis is already saying that new coach Tom Cable isn't what he thought he was, and that he should have ordered Direct TV so he could have NFL Sunday Ticket and watch any other game possible than his own sorry club. The Saints lost on Monday night to the Vikings 30-27, and have to wonder how in the world they pulled off giving up 30 to a team like that. Either way, take New Orleans and give the points. The Saints offense is good, the Raiders offense is bad, and things are grim in Oaktown.

Baltimore at Indianapolis (-3.5): That the point spread shows this game would be a pick em should it have been played in Baltimore attests to the struggles of the Colts. The run game has been anemic, Peyton Manning is getting hit as the line is full of injuries, and it took three late scores thanks to Sage Rosenfels playing like what he is, a back up quarterback, to rally for a win over Houston. The Ravens still have a rookie QB in Joe Flacco, but their defense will be hungry. That said, I think Indy can hold on due to the sputtering Baltimore offense.

Cincinnati at New York Jets (-9.5): The Bengals have stunk, losing their first five games. Chris Perry has lost five fumbles, more than anyone in the league. Then Friday, it was announced Carson Palmer was out with an elbow injury, meaning Harvard graduate Ryan Fitzpatrick would make his second NFL start. If I didn't like Cincinnati before, I like them less now. They might be able to cover, but if you were going straight win/loss, the Jets seem a lock.

Carolina (+1.5) at Tampa Bay: The Bucs will turn back to Jeff Garcia under center as Brian Griese is expected to miss the game with an elbow injury. Considering the lack of faith coach Jon Gruden has in Garcia, it could be a rough day for the Bucs. Carolina is on a roll, and blitzed the Chiefs into a 34-0 pounding last week, where Larry Johnson, who gashed the Broncos for 198 yards, was held to just TWO yards on seven carries.

Detroit at Minnesota (-13.5): How bad is Detroit? The Vikings are 18th in total offense, 22nd in points, and are STILL two touchdown favorites. Factor in that Jon Kitna is most likely out, or will be knocked out by the Vikings D, leaving Dan Orlovsky in under center, add that Detroit has not won in the Metrodome since 1997, sprinkle in Adrian Peterson, mix to combine, cook in a 70 degree dome for 3 hours and serve up another Lions loss.

Chicago (-3) at Atlanta: The Bears look good, and the Falcons have surprised people, as Green Bay found out last week. Michael Turner has been a bonus in the backfield for the Falcons, and Matt Ryan has been poised. Look for the Bears to eek this one out though in a hard fought game. Key for Chicago will be keeping NFL sack leader John Abraham off of Kyle Orton.

Miami (+3) at Houston

St. Louis at Washington (-12.5): The Jim Haslett era in St. Louis starts with a resounding thud. The Skins may be amped after two road wins in the division, but they won't overlook a free blowout win.

Jacksonville at Denver (-3)

Philadelphia (-4.5) at San Francisco: The Eagles are battered, but I picked SF to win at home last week and they tanked.

Dallas (-4.5) at Arizona: Shootout in the making.

Green Bay (+1) at Seattle: Rodgers needs a win over a beat up Seahawks team to quell the rumblings. Hasselbeck is not expected to play for Seattle.

New England at San Diego (-5): This is hopefully a big day for San Diego, so they can tank next week against the Bills.

New York Giants (-7.5) at Cleveland: Has any team been more sound than the Giants? Has any team other than the Bengals stunk as much as Cleveland, especially given the expectations? Kellen Winslow Jr. is still hospitalized, Plaxico Burress is back for New York, and this could be ugly.

Original Six Battle on Opening Night: Leafs clip Wings

Chris — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:13:24 GMT

In the ultimate example of talent versus grit, of superstars versus no names, of success versus recent hard times, the Toronto Maple Leafs headed to Joe Louis Arena to face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings in the season opening contest on North America last night. The NHL did open its season with games in Prague and Stockholm over the weekend, but this was the first game on the continent.

There was plenty of hoopla, pomp and circumstance going on in Detroit, as the banner was raised and the proverbial All Star lineup of the Red Wings was fully on display. The Leafs were a team in complete and total disarray, with no major returning stars and with a new head coach. Ron Wilson came over after San Jose let him go at the end of last season, along with assistant coaches Tim Hunter and former Leaf Rob Zettler. Gone are Mats Sundin, the team's captain since 1997, Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker, backup goaltender Andrew Raycroft, and others. In their places are a collective group of youngsters such as Luke Schenn, Nikolai Kulemin, John Mitchell, Jonas Frogren, Anton Stralman, Mikhail Grabovski and Jiri Tlusty.

Watching the game last night on Versus, seeing the talent gap more of a chasm that would shame the Grand Canyon into looking as no larger than a pothole, I was reminded of the movie Major League. If you are unfamiliar with the scene I am referring to, you see construction workers, and then a trio of guys in a diner, reading off the names of the Indians roster, which is followed by the articulate quote: "Who are these F'ing guys?"

When the horn sounded at the end of the third period, however, the visiting baby Leafs rode fortuitous plays off Detroit miscues and sound goaltending from Vesa Toskala to a season opening 3-2 win over the Red Wings before a raucous sellout crowd of 20,066 at the Joe. It was the Leafs first season opening win since the 2002-03 campaign.

Two of the Leafs three goals came directly off Detroit miscues, including the winner scored by Kulemin on a breakaway following a horrible clearing pass up the middle by Detroit's Dan Cleary. Expect Don Cherry to rail about that topic on Coach's Corner on CBC this weekend. That said, you do have to capitalize on the mistakes of your opponent, and the Leafs made them pay. Pavel Kubina scored the opening goal in the final minute of the first period on a giveaway by goaltender Chris Osgood. The other Toronto goal was perserverance and hard work by Dominic Moore, banging away before flipping the puck over Osgood. Tomas Holmstrom had both goals for Detroit.

At one point, in the dying seconds when the Red Wings had the six on four advantage seeking the equalizer, with Jamal Mayers in the box for delay of game, the Detroit players on the ice was staggering. Detroit had Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Tomas Holmstrom on the ice. The Leafs? Well, they did have Tomas Kaberle, to go with Moore, who won a pair of faceoffs in that penalty kill. Nothing like a group of traveling All Stars to be on the ice when you need a tying goal in the final minute.

While no one expects the Leafs to pull a Hollywood ending and be wildly successful a la the Indians in Major League, it showed that the team will buy in to the mentality of play that Wilson is willing to coach. It will be a while for the team to overcome the stigma of the John Ferguson Jr. era, but a step in the right direction. To look for a playoff spot may be farfetched, but to at least be competitive is not out of the realm of possibility.

The Leafs hope to up their record to 2-0-0 with a win in their home opener Saturday night against another Original Six team, the Montreal Canadiens. The puck drops at 7 ET and can been seen on CBC north of the border. If you want to check out NHL.com's new Gamecenter program, there is a free preview from now until Sunday. Check it out and let me know what you think. Of course, you always have the option of listening to the games via NHL.com's radio feeds as well.

Cubs growl falls mute: Dodgers to NLCS

Chris — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:18:57 GMT

Coming into the season, the Chicago Cubs were looking to end a drought of no championships since 1908, and no National League pennant since 1945. They were coming off a division title last season, but were swept at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Still, there was reason for optimism with the talent in the lineup and the rotation being as solid as ever. Lou Piniella was back as the skipper, with Larry Rothschild handling the pitchers.

The ownership situation was in flux, but the last thing one would have to consider with the rest of the organization was having to do employment screening for anything other than perhaps ticket takers and beer vendors.

The team roared through the regular season, racking up an impressive 97 wins, including 55 at home, the only team in the National League to win more than fifty games on their own field. Even more impressive, they had a winning road record, after being under .500 for much of the first four months of the season. They clinched the division title with over a week to go in the regular season, and home field advantage a couple of days later.

Piniella had the opportunity to rest some of his starters and give some bench players work down the stretch. They drew the Dodgers in the divisional round, a team that was below .500 even into September, but rode a hot Manny Ramirez, who hit .396 with 53 RBI in 53 games after being acquired from Boston, to the NL West crown and a chance to make the playoffs. It would seem that the Cubs would be primed to make an impact.

Instead, three games later, the season is over and the Cubs are left with another long winter of discontent, much to the chagrin of their fans, myself included.

What makes the defeat even more painful is the fact that the Cubs won five of seven with the Dodgers in the regular season, and had possibly the best four man rotation in the playoffs this season with Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden ready to go. Lilly particularly was on fire down the stretch, winning his final four starts, including a pair of near no hit works against Houston and St. Louis. He would never make an appearance.

For all the clutch hits we had during the season, they seemed to disappear from the bats in the postseason. Kosuke Fukudome was 0 for 8 in the first two games of the series and then benched. One has to wonder if he was the best choice given his second half struggles. Alfonso Soriano was 1 for 14 for the second consecutive year, and outside of Derrek Lee, the bats seemed to be in hibernation. Mark DeRosa was solid, but Aramis Ramirez was 2 for 11, Geovany Soto was just 2 of 10, and the Cubs couldn't buy a hit with runners in scoring position.

The Cubs failed to hit, scoring just six runs in the three games. They failed to field, as evidence by their four error performance in game two. They failed to pitch, as Dempster walked 7 in four and two third stressful innings in the opener, including opposing pitcher Derek Lowe twice.

So, another attempt at the realization of Eamus Catuli has gone by the wayside. However, hope springs eternal...even on the North Side of Chicago. Perhaps 2009 will be the magic year that the Cubs win that elusive World Series title. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable for what we were able to witness, and a true fan never turns their back, in times of good fortune and in times of turmoil.

NFL Week 5 Picks

Chris — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:24:53 GMT

Well, back by popular demand (at least in my own mind), are the NFL picks of the week. Last week was a bye for six teams, including the struggling Colts and Patriots, which made fantasy teams tough to fill out all over the place. It wasn't a bad week for me last week, as I hit on 9 of 13, and as far as I am concerned 9 of 12, as I made my selection before it was announced that Carson Palmer was an inactive for the Bungles.

As always, don't spend the rent, grocery, electric, cable or any other monies required for typical household expenses. Do not look at betting on pro sports as your attempt to become a handicapper in futures trading or anything else. I pick the games for fun and don't throw money around on them. That said, I will just list the games, the lines and who I think will win. Without further ado, here we go...

Indianapolis (-3) at Houston

Tennessee (-2.5) at Baltimore

San Diego (-6.5) at Miami: Probably my choice is I had to go for the proverbial "stone cold, lead pipe lock" of a game. The Chargers are pissed off and recovering, and Miami, even with the big win over New England, are not in the Bolts league.

Kansas City at Carolina (-9.5): Yes, the Chiefs stole one by beating a Denver team that laid an egg. Two in a row? Maybe if Carolina forgets to show up for kickoff.

Washington at Philadelphia (-6): Yeah, I picked against Washington on the road in a NFC East game last week and got burned. I just don't think they can do it twice.

Chicago (-3.5) at Detroit: Boring.

Atlanta at Green Bay (-3.5)

Seattle at New York Giants (-7): The Seahawks hope to get some receiving threats back, while the G men are minus Plaxico Burress as he serves a suspension. That said, the Giants are at home, and Seattle is still shaky.

Tampa Bay at Denver (-3)

New England at San Francisco (+3): Call it my upset pick.

Buffalo (+1.5) at Arizona

Cincinnati at Dallas (-16)

Pittsburgh (+5.5) at Jacksonville: This game could be 7-3 or 31-27.

Minnesota at New Orleans (-3)

Cleveland, New York Jets and the fired Doublemint twins, Oakland and St. Louis, are on byes this week.

Heads roll in St. Louis, Oakland: Linehan, Kiffin gone

Chris — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:10:57 GMT

A few weeks ago, I mentioned how time was not the ally of Rams coach Scott Linehan. Despite the blind support of local fans before the season started, the bottom line was that the team was in shambles. Linehan had lost the respect of his players, and the locker room became fractured. It came even more prevalent this week when for the first time since the 2003 opener, Marc Bulger was on the sideline instead of running the offense when he was healthy, as he was benched in favor of Trent Green. Add the release of starting corner Fakhir Brown and things were looking ugly, especially with the undefeated Buffalo Bills coming to town.

The Bills were also a connecting fiber in the saga in Oakland, as the Raiders blew a pair of nine point fourth quarter leads the week before, leading to rampant speculation that Lane Kiffin had coached his last game for the silver and black. This was merely the latest chapter in an ongoing saga in Oakland between Kiffin and owner Al Davis, who had been trying to oust Kiffin since January, saying he "wasn't the man I thought he was."

So with the Sword of Damocles swinging over the heads of both men Sunday, they went to do battle the only way they knew how. For those of you wondering about what the Sword of Damocles is, it stems back to the fourth century BC, when Damocles was a courtier of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a tyrant in his own right. Damocles stated that as a man of power and authority, that Dionysius was truly a fortunate man. Hearing that, Dionysius offered to change places with Damocles for a day, so the latter could see first hand what it was like to be the former.

In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging by a single horsehair directly above his head. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and beautiful boys, and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility.

The Rams came out fired up and actually held their first lead of the season, only to wilt in the second half, allowing Buffalo to score 25 unanswered second half points to roll to a 31-14 win. One of the signs in the crowd said "Congress, now bail out the Rams." They say that there were over 61,000 in attendance at the Edward Jones Dome, but I wonder if those were distributed seats. One has to think that scalpers took a beating, probably not even getting what would be deemed as wholesale prices. Meanwhile, the Raiders had San Diego by the throat, leading 15-0 at the half, before falling apart again, losing 28-18 to the Bolts behind a second half rally. With that, and the fact that both teams were heading into bye weeks, the inevitable happened.

Monday, the Rams announced that Linehan was fired, and would be replaced by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. Then Tuesday, the final straw came for Kiffin as he too, was fired, prompting a long, emotional news conference by Davis during which he stated that Kiffin was fired for cause and that Kiffin was a "flat-out liar" and a professional liar. He also said that Kiffin disgraced the organization during his tenure with the club and repeatedly mentioned that he "hired the wrong guy."

It is a strange dichotomy that the last two opponents of the Bills, a team who has struggled in recent years, would end up firing their coaches within a twenty four hour span. It is even more ironic when you factor in that the two franchises also were the two teams formerly in the Los Angeles market, one that has yet to be retapped by the NFL since the two teams' departures in the 1990s. It is no surprise at all that these two teams were two of the worst clubs in the NFL since the start of last season. The Rams are 3-17, the Raiders 5-15.

Will a coaching change help either club? Not likely in the imminent future. These teams are broken beyond repair, and it will take more than a quick fix to turn them around. This is basically an apocalyptic stance for two franchises who have fallen into a state of disrepair and who, without sudden change, will become a laughingstock instead of respected, even feared, opponents.

Playoff races right down to the wire

Chris — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:03:58 GMT

Every season in major league baseball, especially since the inception of the wild card, playoff races have exceedingly gone deeper and deeper into the season. Teams who in the old system would have been blown out of the water by the trade deadline have renewed vigor, something to fight for right down to the end. For those who are in a dogfight and come up just short, they have a chance to still make the playoffs despite their inability to win a division crown.

Once again this season, a couple of those races went right down to the final weekend, as both the AL Central and NL East and wild card were on the books to be had. The Mets, Phillies and Brewers were battling for the two slots in the NL, while the White Sox and Twins were going at it for the AL Central crown. Ironically, the Mets were facing the Marlins, the team that capped off the Metropolitans meltdown in September last season.

After the dust settled and the smoke had cleared, this much was clear: the Phillies would be the NL East champions, the Brewers would make their first playoff appearance since 1982, and the Mets...well, the Mets would fold up like a cheap tent in September again and miss the postseason for the second consecutive season in which they had a proverbial stranglehold when the month started.

Meanwhile, in the American League, the Twins and White Sox came to the point where nothing was settled, as the Twins battered the Royals 6-0 and the White Sox beat the Indians minus Cliff Lee by a count of 5-1 to stay within half a game. That means that the Sox have to play a make up game with Detroit today, and win that, in order to force a one game playoff Tuesday for the right to actually get in the division series. That's right, the Sox would have not one, but TWO do or die contests just to have the right to play in the do or die of October baseball.

The White Sox go with surprising Gavin Floyd, who won 16 games in the regular season, on short rest against a former White Sox pitcher who helped them to their World Series title in 2005, Freddy Garcia. Should they win the game today, that would line them up for a one game playoff against the Twins at US Cellular Field tomorrow night. Otherwise, the Twins line up to play Tampa Bay on Thursday in the divisional round.

The Brewers survived by the skin of their teeth, getting a two run homer off Bob "Gas Can" Howry in the eighth inning of a tie ball game Sunday that meant absolutely nothing to the Cubs and everything to the Brewers. Watching Howry pitch is like the repercussions of altering Mexican recipes: indigestion and bad gas. The Brewers then could celebrate shortly thereafter as the Mets completed their free fall, getting handled 4-2 by Florida to finish one game off the pace. The Mets bullpen faded late, giving up back to back homers to Wes Helms and Dan Uggla in the eighth.

That matches the Dodgers up with the Cubs, while the Brewers have to deal with a Phillies team that swept them in a four game set in September. In the AL, the Red Sox will get the Angels, the Twins or White Sox will lock up with the Rays.

One has to wonder how much faith the Mets will have in the managing style of Jerry Manuel or if the axe will fall on GM Omar Minaya. Couple that with the Yankees failure to make the playoffs in the final season at Yankee Stadium, and fans in New York are prepped for a revolt. Only the performance of the Giants and the Favre led Jets have kept the city from a full blown mutiny. This is the second consecutive crash and burn for the Mets, and in the final season of Shea Stadium, it seems only fitting that the team imploded much like both stadiums in New York City.

There can be little said or done to ease the pain of a sudden failure, especially in sports. There is nothing left but the echoes and memories of disappointment and heartbreak until spring training comes back up next February.

NFL Week 4 Picks

Chris — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:57:36 GMT

It's been a hectic week, so I apologize for not getting more stuff in this week...I do have a few things that I just need to put the finishing touches on that will end up preceding this post, so bear with me.

Last week was a week full of barn burners, close games, and surprises. For example, who figured that the Dolphins would throttle the Patriots, or that Brian Griese would throw the ball 67 times in an overtime win over the Bears? The Bills were down late in the fourth quarter, but rallied to sink the Raiders on a last second field goal. The Chiefs became the first team since 1960 to have three different starting quarterbacks in the first three games of the season, and unsurprisingly, all three lost.

That brings us to this week, where six teams are on bye weeks, meaning a shortened slate. Let's take a look at what that brings to the table:

Denver (-9.5) at Kansas City: The Broncos are 3-0 but could easily be 1-2 as they scraped by wins over San Diego (39-38) and New Orleans (34-32). Meanwhile, the Chiefs are terrible, and are leaning back toward Damon Huard at quarterback this week. They haven't scored more than 14 points in any of their first three games, and that bodes negatively for them against Denver.

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-3.5): What would be a pick em game if the game was played in Cleveland gives the Bengals the appearance of being a favorite in a battle of 0-3 stinkers in the Battle of Ohio. The Browns have been a huge flop after winning ten games a year ago and perhaps the schedule makers are getting queasy about their five primetime appearances. In the interim, the Bengals played their best game of the season in an overtime loss to the Giants. These two teams were involved in a 51-45 shootout last season and anything is possible. UPDATE: Carson Palmer is the emergency #3 QB. All bets are off on this game with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. I'd rather get in an accident without car insurance than lay money on this game.

Houston at Jacksonville (-7): The Texans came back flat from their unexpected bye week against Tennessee, while the Jaguars rebounded from a late fade against Buffalo to beat the Colts. The Jaguars one-two punch of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew should be able to gash the Texans defense and help Jacksonville get back to .500 with little trouble.

Arizona (+1) at New York Jets: This game features two gunslinging quarterbacks in Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. One would have to give the Cardinals the advantage in receiving threats, with Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald each big threats. Edgerrin James and Thomas Jones are a push at running back. It might boil down to a fourth quarter drive. Calvin Pace gets his first crack at his former team after signing a big offseason free agent deal.

San Francisco at New Orleans (-4): The Saints rally fell short against Denver last week in a two point defeat, while San Francisco throttled Detroit. J.T. O'Sullivan has really meshed in the Mike Martz offense and looks comfortable for the 49ers. The problem is that they might need 30 plus points in order to knock off the Saints and Drew Brees. This could be another high scoring shootout.

Atlanta at Carolina (-6.5): The Falcons are a stunning 2-1 after last week's blowout win over Kansas City, but now they get a team in Carolina that is not nearly in such a state of disarray, and a divisional foe at that. Steve Smith is back in his second game from suspension, and the dual threat of DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart at running back should give Carolina the advantage over rookie Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

Minnesota at Tennessee (-3): This game has all the potential of being a borefest. Both teams are starting backup quarterbacks, and both teams have potent running games but stout run defenses. It might come down to who makes the big play, Gus Frerotte or Kerry Collins. Both teams have solid kicking games, and it may very well be a field goal that makes a difference. Don't expect big numbers from anyone, even Adrian Peterson.

Green Bay at Tampa Bay (-1.5): The Bucs look to continue the momentum of an overtime win over the Bears last week, and have a home game to try and do so. Green Bay fell apart last week and were smacked around by the Cowboys at Lambeau Field, perhaps knocking some of the luster off Aaron Rodgers early performances. He'll need to throw and be successful that way, as the Bucs will most likely stifle Ryan Grant. Earnest Graham needs to get on track for the Bucs, or else Warrick Dunn will continue to eat into his playing time.

Buffalo (-8) at St. Louis: The Bills are 3-0 for the first time since 1992 after a pair of come from behind wins, one in Jacksonville, and then stunning the Raiders last week. Meanwhile, the Rams are in a worse state of disarray than the Falcons last year when Bobby Petrino quit. They've lost 16 of 19, benched Marc Bulger for the injury prone Trent Green, cut starting corner Fakhir Brown, and running back Steven Jackson says the locker room is "walking on eggshells." Look for Buffalo to hit 4-0 going into a road game at Arizona next week.

San Diego (-7.5) at Oakland: The Bolts got their first win of the season last week bombing the Jets on Monday Night Football 48-29. The Raiders took Buffalo to the limit, in a performance that may have saved Lane Kiffin for another week. JaMarcus Russell still needs to develop a passing game to help the run game spearheaded by Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. If he fails, this game will be a walkover. The Chargers have too many offensive weapons to be slowed for an extended period of time.

Washington at Dallas (-10.5): The Redskins have to play without All Pro defensive end Jason Taylor, who sustained a calf injury that could have him out an extended period of time. Jason Campbell will have to work the ball to Antwaan Randle El and Santana Moss, along with Chris Cooley, and Clinton Portis has to test the run defense for the Washington offense. In the meantime, Dallas's offense is clicking on all cylinders with Tony Romo under center and Marion Barber III running the ball with authority. It could be a long afternoon for the Redskins.

Philadelphia (-3) at Chicago: The Eagles are a force defensively, as evidenced by their nine sack performance against the Steelers last week. They have to worry about an injured Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, which could hamper them offensively. The Bears need something from Kyle Orton, and this is not the best matchup for him. Matt Forte is a solid running back for Chicago, but the Bears one dimensional attack will not benefit them in this contest.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh (-5): A battle of AFC North rivals on Monday night, as the battered Ravens take on the banged up Steelers. Willis McGahee might be out for the Ravens with an eye injury sustained last week, and they still have a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco. Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to deal with rookie Rashard Mendenhall as Willie Parker is out with an ankle injury. Ben Roethlisberger has a shoulder problem as well, but is expected to play as well. This could be another low scoring game between the two teams.

NFL Week 3 Picks and Predictions

Chris — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:52:08 GMT

Now, let me preface with a couple things here. I know I planned on doing this yesterday, but sometimes college football and other things get in the way. This is not anything I take overly seriously, I don't put money on games, I merely look things over and determine who I think will win based on performance and the like. I usually pick games straight up, but if I feel a team would cover with the points, I'll say that as well. Don't spend your grocery, rent, or online trading or 401K on the prognostications made here. If you do, well, then you are overly foolish and have no one to blame for your transgressions but yourself. That said, let's move on to the games, as we are about 40 minutes from kickoff on the early contests as I type this:

Kansas City at Atlanta (-6.5): The line shows just how poor things are for Kansas City. A team that was blown up last season with a rookie QB is favored by nearly a touchdown. Tyler Thigpen gets the start at QB for the Chiefs, the third starting QB in three games for them this season. I get the unfortunate pleasure of this game being on BOTH CBS stations that I get, the one out of St. Louis and the one from KC. Who in the hell did I piss off in the cosmos to subject me to this after last week's bore fest of early games that featured the Rams/Giants and Chiefs/Raiders?

Oakland at Buffalo (-9.5): The Raiders ran all over the Chiefs last week. Big deal. They can't pass, evidenced by JaMarcus Russell's 6 of 17, 55 yard performance, and the Bills run defense is stout with Marcus Stroud helping to plug the middle. Add Justin Fargas being out with a groin injury, Darren McFadden at about 70 percent and the Bills with a ton of confidence, expect a big win and a 3-0 start for Buffalo.

Houston at Tennessee (-4.5): The Texans had a surprise bye week thanks to Hurricane Ike, while the Titans ground out a win over the Bungles to go to 2-0 for the first time since 1999. I'm not convinced the Texans can win on the road, especially with a suspect run game.

Cincinnati at NY Giants (-13): So much for that high powered Bengals offense. They've scored 17 points in two games, and Carson Palmer has looked like Rob Johnson. I had to bench him this week in fantasy football thanks to his horrific performances. This looks like another walk in the park for Eli and company. I don't even know if Cinci can cover.

Arizona (+3) at Washington: Call it a gut feeling, but the Cards are ready to take the next step and with the NFC West looking like a sinkhole, they could win it rather easily. A good start in a road game today helps their cause.

Miami at New England (-12): All right, I know Miami sucks. However, they lost to the Jets by six, the Pats only beat the Jets by nine. So where does a 12 point line come in? Factor in injuries to Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan, meaning Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk will be toting the rock a lot if neither play, and while NE should win, I don't know if they cover that big a line.

Tampa Bay (+3) at Chicago: Snoozefest. Brian Griese gets the start for the Bucs, while Kyle Orton continues to show why he SHOULDN'T be a starting QB anywhere in the NFL. Look for a defensive contest.

Carolina (+3) at Minnesota: The Panthers get Steve Smith back, which alone helps their cause. Minnesota can stop the run, but is suspect against the pass. The Vikings turn to 89 year old Gus Frerotte at QB, replacing the now benched Tarvaris Jackson. You know, if they benched him last season, they might have made the playoffs.

St. Louis at Seattle (-9.5): The line is a clear sign of the Rams inability to play football. Two 0-2 teams who have been ineffective, and yet the line is nine and a half points. Despite trying to sign Steve Largent and Jeff Kane out of retirement, the Seahawks are poised to break in the win column. The Rams are a team in complete disarray, and I can't see how Scott Linehan and half the team for that matter, still have jobs.

Detroit at San Francisco (-5): Detroit can't play pass defense. J.T. O'Sullivan is coming off his first 300 yard pass game...doesn't bode well for the Lions.

New Orleans at Denver (-5.5): Has the makings of a shootout, if the Saints can adjust to the altitude.

Pittsburgh (+3.5) at Philadelphia

Jacksonville at Indianapolis (-4.5)

Cleveland (+2) at Baltimore

Dallas (+3) at Green Bay

New York Jets at San Diego (-8.5)

NFL News and Notes: Week 3

Chris — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:04:02 GMT

Two weeks are in the books now in the NFL, and there have been some surprising outcomes, a few stunning calls, and of course, disappointments and heartache. That said, let's sift through the wreckage and see what comes out of it all.

For starters, the Buffalo Bills have seemingly turned the corner after several seasons of mediocrity. After walloping the Seahawks in their opener, the Bills faced a tough task facing a playoff team of a year ago in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite the brutal heat and humidity (game time temperature was in the 90s with a heat index of 105), not to mention a dominating third quarter by Jacksonville, the Bills rallied for 10 fourth quarter points to win 20-16. Trent Edwards continues to mature, hitting 20 of 25 passes for 239 yards and the go ahead touchdown to rookie James Hardy with just over four minutes to go. The Bills get a fractured Oakland team next, followed by a road game against the self destructing Rams. 4-0 could easily be in the cards.

Speaking of the Raiders, they managed to get a win over the Chiefs last week amid speculation that Al Davis plans to fire head coach Lane Kiffin seemingly any time now. The Raiders did it with the ground game, as rookie Darren McFadden spearheaded an attack that netted 300 yards against Kansas City. They needed it, as JaMarcus Russell was just six of seventeen throwing the ball for 55 yards. However, the Raiders also have to deal with injuries, as McFadden has a turf toe issue that has him wearing a steel plate in his shoe, and Justin Fargas is expected to miss a few weeks with a groin injury. Couple that with the Buffalo run defense being stout with the addition of Marcus Stroud, and the Raiders might have to rely on Russell's arm, which as it stands, is a losing proposition.

The San Diego Chargers are 0-2, having suffered a pair of heartwrenching losses in the closing seconds, though the one Sunday shouldn't have happened. After losing on the final play against Carolina in week one, the Chargers led the Broncos 38-31 late in the fourth quarter. Facing a second down play deep in Charger territory, Broncos QB Jay Cutler lost the handle and San Diego pounced on the loose ball at the 10. Game over right? Wrong. Referee Ed Hochuli, who had a poor angle of the play, ruled the play an incomplete pass and blew the whistle. Denver retained possession and would score on the next play. Then, Mike Shanahan shocked the world by going for two, when an extra point would tie the game and send it to overtime.

What made this game even more frustrating for the Chargers was the fact that this was the second call that went against them. Early in the game, Champ Bailey took the ball away from Chris Chambers after he would have been ruled down by contact. Norv Turner threw the challenge flag to have the play reviewed, only to be told that there were technical difficulties, and the replay system was not functioning. Couple those two blown calls with the fact that LaDainian Tomlinson was ineffective with a toe injury, and the Chargers held their own more than adequately. There is no reason for the media to portray Turner as an overgrown child in need of baby clothes, as he had legitimate concerns on the matter.

One team that has stood out is the Chicago Bears. Sure, they are a much maligned team, I even threw them under the bus a couple weeks back. However, they came out and stifled the high flying Indianapolis Colts in week one on the road, and then gave Carolina all they could handle before fading late in a three point loss. Matt Forte has been rock solid in his first two NFL games, rushing for 215 yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The problem for the Bears still is at QB. First it was Rex Grossman, who was unspectacular while at the helm last season. Kyle Orton got the nod in camp this year, but has not established himself as anything worth writing home about. Sure, he has hit on 60 percent of his throws, but only has 299 passing yards to show for two games worth of work, with NO touchdowns and his longest completion is only 32 yards. He constantly fails in throwing an accurate deep ball and overshot several receivers against Carolina that could have led to easy points. He'll need to improve for the Bears to thrive.

The Patriots have scraped by two weeks in a row, edging a terrible Kansas City team by seven before beating Brett Favre and the Jets by nine in a game with no touchdowns at the half. The offense has been slashed in half, as they averaged nearly 36 points a game last season, while they are at 18 after two contests this year. Can Matt Cassel lead this team, or is it just proof that Brady was the spark that made the Patriot engine roar? We'll see, as they play the winless Dolphins this week.

Tomorrow, I will lay out my picks and predictions for week three action in the NFL, so make sure you stop by.

Cubs inch closer behind Zambrano's no hit gem

Chris — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:01:28 GMT

Six days ago, following a one run loss in the ninth inning at St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs were reeling. They had lost eight of nine. Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden hadn't thrown since September 2nd and August 29th, respectively. They weren't hitting, as evidenced by a pair of shutouts in a three game series with Houston. They weren't fielding either, and the solid relief corps was starting to get tagged a bit. Milwaukee was within 4.5 games and foaming at the mouth, even though they too, were struggling.

Fast forward six days now and see the sudden reversal in fortunes. The Cubs would go on to win the last two games in St. Louis. Milwaukee would go on to get swept over the weekend in a four game set with Philadelphia, dropping them into a tie for the wild card lead and now seven and a half games behind with 15 games left for the Cubs, and a dozen for the Brewers. The magic number went from 14 to 7 in that span, and the Cubs only played three games.

That scheduling anomaly was thanks to Hurricane Ike, which rocked Houston over the weekend, postponed games Friday and Saturday nights, shifting games to Miller Park, in Milwaukee, or as some call it, Wrigley North. The Astros were admittedly put off by the fact that the game would be played a short bus ride from Chicago. It turned out, at least Sunday, that their concerns were at least potentially founded in realism.

Carlos Zambrano threw the first Cubs no hitter since Milt Pappas in 1972 last night, blanking the Astros 5-0 in as dominating a performance as one has seen from the big right hander in some time. For all intents and purposes, the game was over after one batter, when Alfonso Soriano launched a leadoff homer off Randy Wolf to left center to stake the Cubs, and Zambrano, to a 1-0 lead. The Astros never threatened offensively.

Zambrano walked one, Michael Bourn, in the fourth, who was promptly erased when Miguel Tejada bounced into a double play. He also hit Hunter Pence in the fifth inning, and that was it for Houston. The hardest hit ball was a liner by David Newhan in the fifth that Derrek Lee leaped to snare, ending the threat. Zambrano got thirteen outs via the ground ball, and struck out 10 men, meaning just four balls were hit in the air, including one that was a pop up in foul territory hit by Pence that Zambrano grabbed in the eighth.

In the ninth, as the crowd that loaded the two lower decks of Miller Park chanting "Let's go Z," and as ESPN cut into the White Sox/Tigers game, affording people the opportunity to see history in the making, Zambrano went to work in the bottom of the ninth, needing three outs to finish things off. On the first pitch in the ninth, Humberto Quintero bounced a ball to shortstop Ryan Theriot, who threw to first for out number one. Jose Castillo, as a pinch hitter, then bounced to short as well for the second out, and the crowd got to its feet. Zambrano fell behind Darin Erstad 2-0 then battled back to a 2-2 count, then threw ball three. Erstad then chased a pitch down and away from the strike zone for strike three, to end the game, and giving Zambrano the no hitter. The bullpen phone, and for that matter, any unlocked cell phones, were quiet in Miller Park.

To say Zambrano was dominating would be an understatement. He was never in trouble, and kept his emotions in check. He only threw 110 pitches in the entire game, 73 for strikes. It was Zambrano's first complete game since last June against the Padres, when he lost 1-0 to Chris Young, in a game when he didn't allow a hit until the eighth, and then a solo homer to Russell Branyan in the ninth. It was his first shutout since April 2004, when he blanked the Rockies. In little known factoids, Zambrano is the first pitcher with the surname starting with the letter Z to pitch a no hitter.

The Cubs look to complete a two game sweep of this displaced series this afternoon as Ted Lilly goes against Brian Moehler. The team then heads back to Chicago for the final regular season homestand of the season with three against Milwaukee and then three against the Cardinals.

While no one expects Zambrano to pull a Johnny Vander Meer and throw back to back no hitters, this is a fortuitous sign for Cubs fans everywhere. Zambrano was on his game last night, Harden was effective in his start against St. Louis, and with Lilly and Dempster in the fold as well, the team has a formidable top four of a rotation that I can't say most other teams can match. If the offense continues to put up runs (the team has the best run differential in the bigs, and the most walks), this very well could be the year that the 100 year drought, Bartman, the goat, the black cat and all the other curses fall by the wayside.