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NFL: Analyzing the Monday Night Game – Pats at Saints

Charlie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:55:23 +0000

The media is really hyping the Monday night game this week. There is some reason for the hype too. The Saints are undefeated and the Patriots come into the game looking to knock them off. Not only are the pats pretty much one of the top teams in the league every year, they also don’t want to allow the Saints to be the second team to go 16-0 in the regular season. Of course the Pats are the only team in history to go 16-0. (The 1972 Miami Dolphins went 14-0 and finished perfect at 17-0.)

But this game might wind up being a lot more hype than the media is expecting. You see, I don’t know how the Patriots are going to stop the Saints offense. They just aren’t good enough. There only chance to keep New Orleans under 30 – and possibly under 40 points – is to get at least 3 turnovers. Other than that, the Saints should be lighting up the scoreboard pretty good.

I know the Pats will be able to put up some points too. In fact, the Pats only chance to win this game is to score a lot of points. But the Saints defense is much improved this year. Under their new defensive coordinator, Greg Williams, the Saints have really been able to play great defense. But their defense is made even better with all the turnovers they’re able to generate. If the Pats can protect the ball then they will have some success.

In the end, I see the Pats putting up maybe 27 points on the Saints. But I see the Saints putting up at least 38 points. That’s actually a pretty good score. We’ll go with 38-27.

But we’ll also say this: This game will tell a lot about both of these teams. We’ll find out if the Saints are a legitimate Super Bowl contender and we’ll also see if the Pats are maybe a little better than just a good, middle-of-the-road NFL team.

NFL: Picking 5 for Week 8

Charlie — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:16:15 +0000

This week there are a lot of big games. So many that I’ll have to make 2 entries to cover all the games. So, let’s get started right away.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

The undefeated Denver Broncos go into Baltimore to take on the Ravens. The Ravens have fallen to 3-3 on the year. The Broncos still get very little respect while the Ravens get too much respect. I have to admit that I’m guilty of not respecting the Broncos too. But I’m going to go against my gut and take the Broncos in this one.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

3 weeks ago the Jets were on top of the world and the Dolphins were at the bottom. Then the Dolphins beat the Jets and fortunes changed. Not the Dolphins seem to be rising while the Jets are sliding. The momentum stopped last week but it will continue this week. The Dolphins will win this game.

San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts

Again, Singletary is doing a good job with coaching but the Niners won’t win more than 8 games this year. They are 3-3 right now and they’re about to become 3-4. This game won’t even be close.

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

The Seahawks are injured and limping into Dallas. The Cowboys played their best game of the season last week. The Cowboys should be able to get their offense rolling. It will be interesting to see how Miles Austin does in this game. He’s coming off 2 huge games. Can he make it 3? I’m not so sure but the Cowboys should win this game easily.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

The Titans are a shocking 0-6 in this game. However, they are about to win their first game of the season. Vince Young will provide the spark they need to finally play a decent game this year. The Jags are trying to salvage their season but they will take a major blow this week.

NFL: AFC East is Going to be Fun

Charlie — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:10:05 +0000

Now that we’re 5 weeks into the season, one thing is becoming clear: The AFC East is going to be a lot of fun to watch. The New York Jets, the New England Patriots, and the Miami Dolphins are all going to be battling it out for the division all season.

At the beginning of the season it looked like the Miami Dolphins were going to be in a lot of trouble. They started out 0-3. That’s not good, especially when you have to compete against the Pats and the Jets, a team that looks to be much improved. But now the Dolphins are turning things around.

The Dolphins have risen up and won the last 2 weeks. They just beat the New York Jets on Monday night. So, now the Dolphins are 2-3 and just a game behind the Pats (3-2) and the Jets (3-2).

The Pats are a team that was supposed to be better then they actually have been so far. You have to believe that they’ll get things turned around before the midway point of the season, but maybe now. Tom Brady just doesn’t look like himself. If he continues to play scared then it will be tough for the Pats to make it into the playoffs.

The Jets have a good defense but the Dolphins exploited some weaknesses in that defense. Still, they are much improved on that side of the ball. And they have a dynamic rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez. Throw in Rex Ryan as their head coach and you’ve got a team that’s on the rise and will be a lot of fun to keep an eye on.

Obviously the Dolphins are the defending division champs. But they aren’t the favorite to win the division this year. In fact, there is no clear favorite right now. The AFC East is going to be a lot of fun to watch and will probably come right down to the final week of the season.

NFL: Picking 5 Games for Week 5

Charlie — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:23:25 +0000

Now is when we really start to get an idea about the teams in the NFL this year. Were the first 4 weeks just for fun? Were they nothing more than a mirage? Of course not. But there were some teams who were nothing but pretenders. And there were other teams that struggled but will turn things around and become a great team in the next 12 weeks.

So, here we go with picking 5 games here in week 5.

Oakland Raiders at New York Giants

In this game the Giants are favored by a whopping 15 points (15.5 for some places). That’s a lot of points. Especially considering the Giants might be without Eli Manning.

But the key to this game is the Giants defense against the Raiders offense. That is such a mismatch. And that alone will allow the Giants to win by 3 touchdowns. So, I’m going with the Giants.

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers

The Niners are favored by 3, which is what they get for being the home team.

I like the Falcons to win this game outright. With getting 3 points, I’m definitely taking Atlanta.

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

The Broncos are 4-0 and even the odds makers are giving them any respect. The Pats are favored by 3.5 points.

I don’t believe in the Broncos either and I think they lose this game by at least 10. So, I take the Pats.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

The Colts are favored by 4 points and for good reason. But the winless Titans know their season hangs in the balance. They will be fighting for everything for the season.

I say we see a Titans team that plays really well and a Colts team that doesn’t play quite as well as they’ve been playing. I take the Titans.

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are better than their record. They finally played up to their potential last week. Yet, it’s the Jets that are favored by 1.5 in this game.

I take the Dolphins. They’ll win outright. And they’ll also get to Sanchez and shake him up a little.

NFL: At the Quarter Mark… What Do We Really Know?

Charlie — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:24:23 +0000

With most teams now 4 games into the season, we’re now right around the quarter mark. And what do we know about this season?

Well, we don’t know all that much. But we do know a little bit and now is the time when we’re going to find out a lot more.

So, what do we know? Well, we know that the Minnesota Vikings are a really good team. Some “media experts” are calling the me the favorites for the Super Bowl but they aren’t. At least not yet. Yes, they have a great running back and a decent quarterback and a great defense. But Favre won’t be nearly as sharp as he was last night once the calendar turns to November. He’ll become a liability. Or at least that’s something the Vikings have to worry about.

We also know that the Saints are a good team. In fact, the Saints and the Vikings look like they are clearly the 2 best teams right now. The Saints have a really good offense and a defense that looks to be improved. We’ll see how each side of the ball does as the season wears on.

In the AFC we know that the there is no dominant team. And that’s about all wwe know. Sure, the Colts are undefeated but they haven’t been overwhelming with their play. The Broncos are 4-0 but they got really lucky against the Cowboys and the Bengals. They could just as easy be 2-2. And I think they’ll be lucky to finish 10-6 this year. If their division was any better than I wouldn’t think they’d be any better than 8-8. Even with their 4-0 start.

The best teams in the AFC are yet to show themselves. Could be the Colts. Could be the Steelers or the Pats. Could even be the Jets. Who knows? Nobody.

In fact, we don’t know much at this point of the NFL season. But we’re about to start finding a lot out.