Yardbarker: Jake Delhomme

Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings - Quarterbacks

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:45:18 -0500

There is big news surrounding the quarterback position this week in the NFL. The biggest, of course, is that Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, has a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand and could miss up to four weeks, paving the way for backup Brad Johnson. In Buffalo, starter Trent Edwards, who had suffered a concussion after a taking a vicious hit in week 5, is back to practice after resting during the bye week. Buffalo has already gone on record saying he will start. Then, we have situations like Seattle, Cincinnati and Detroit, where injuries to starters caused for some atrocious play out of the backups, play that we may very well be privy to again in week 7. With four good quarterbacks on bye this week and many more injured, check out the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Week 7 Quarterback Rankings to help you decide who to start and who to sit. -------------------- 1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) at Carolina Brees and the Saints continue to play at a high level despite not having all their starters in place. Reggie Bush is still struggling as a running back, but has become a great receiving threat out of the backfield for Brees and that's helped open up the offense for New Orleans. On paper the Carolina defense looks stout, but look at who the Panthers have played so far this season. Out of San Diego, Kansas City, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Minnesota, only the Chargers could be considered an elite offense. Don't hesitate in playing Brees this week, it should be yet another good game for him. Point Projection: 24 Points -------------------- TO FIND OUT WHERE THE REST OF THE QUARTERBACKS RANK IN WEEK 7, CLICK THE LINK...

Plenty of Time to Put Sunday’s Loss Behind Them

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:22:12 -0500

It was a downer of a Sunday in Tampa Bay for the Bucs in just about everyway, but instead of being mad at what the Panthers couldn't do, give the Bucs and their defense some credit. Yes, Jake Delhomme and the offense had one of those types of days where they played more like [...]

Plenty of Time to Put Sunday’s Loss Behind Them

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:22:12 -0500

Sunday analysis ... Why the 49ers were more fun to watch when they got blown out in the 1st quarter

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:09:24 -0500

Without further ado, the games ... Philadelphia vs. San Francisco: The difference between watching the 49ers now versus the last couple of years? A small delineation: 49ers of 2004-2006: Horrible, but at least I can watch other, better games after the Niners go down 17-0 in the first quarter on the way to a severe beatdown. And we're going to get the first pick! Let's hope we choose someone good like Alex Smith. 49ers of 2007: They don't lose automatically, but they go down almost immediately and spend the rest of the day trying to whittle it down to a one score contest. This invariably fails. I flip over just in time to see the end of what appears to be a really sick game. 49ers of 2008: We're up? What? We're beating the (insert name here)? Are you kidding me? An hour later ... we're still beating the (insert name here)? Are you kidding me? And at the end of the game ... Damnit! We were beating the (insert name here) right until the 4th quarter, and then J.T. throws a pick and we're toast. And I missed several entertaining afternoon games to boot. Some analysis from this week's game? We had the momentum and a lead in a game we didn't deserve to even be in. Our special teams were giving us great field goal position and we kept blowing it, getting field goals when we should have TD's. And then the turnovers start. O'Sullivan was starting out so well, and his decision-making deteriorated towards the end. Our defense also dropped clear interceptions on TD drives in the 4th that would've kept the game in our control. Takeo Spikes is a definite bright spot, three straight games with a pick. He and Patrick Willis are an imposing duo. And the Eagles? They should've murdered us. They have real concerns calling that group McNabb plays with an offense without Westbrook. Hurry back Brian, because the Yard has a couple dozen denizens who are at the throat-slitting stage, and it isn't clear whose throat will get slit. All I know is Philly fans can't think of a better insult than "Go drink some Lysol, Lysol." Good one. If they were allowed to string together four-letter words and homophobic slurs, I'm sure I'd be put in my place properly. Unfortunately, Yardbarker has hamstrung the 9-year-olds by insisting on a cursing ban. Now if they would only ban posting in all upper-case like a psychotic idiot. St. Louis vs. Washington: Was this a letdown? Maybe the Redskins were due for some turnovers after being so airtight in the first month of the season. Between the bad decisions with a live ball and allowing four sacks, I'm tempted to pin the culprit label on the offensive line. But more likely this was a desperate team taking advantage of another team that wasn't expecting a battle. Carolina vs. Tampa Bay: I was surprised to watch this game get out of hand so quickly. The Bucs went up 14-0 in the first and never looked back. Delhomme shouldn't get reamed too badly, as it was bad luck that gifted two of those interceptions into Tampa Bay hands. But they put together three 10-play drives with only 3 points to show for it. The Bucs home-field advantage is underrated, and was in full swing yesterday. Cincinnati vs. New York Jets: This was a "somebody has to win" game. The Jets start with the ball in Cincy territory three times in the first half and once from their own 42 yard line, and they come away with 17 points. Two more drives in the second half starting in Cincy territory yield the remaining 9 points for New York. So basically, they won the entire game on a short field. For the Bengals, they had a fumble return for a touchdown and a hurry-up score before the half. Ugly game, but someone had to win. Oakland vs. New Orleans: JaMarcus may only have one INT, but there were a half-dozen dropped interceptions by the Saints D. I couldn't tell if he was telegraphing them or just hesitating too much. Does N.O. get credit for flustering him, or did he just make bad decisions? Either way, the Saints seem to be roughly the team they were when they pushed their way into the NFC Championship Game. Will this be the year that offense beats defense? Anything seems possible. Detroit vs. Minnesota: I don't know where I got the idea that the Vikings were going to crush the Lions. Maybe it's because they outhustled the Saints the weekend before, and I figured that since it was still a dome game ... A.P. was productive but turned the ball over on the Lions side of the field twice. The margin of victory over the Lions is a safety their QB incurred by voluntarily running out of the end zone? Between this, Green Bay's loss last week and Chicago's loss yesterday, the NFC North is looking pretty sad per usual. Baltimore vs. Indianapolis: Now this team looked like the Indianapolis Colts team I remember. I don't know when I stopped hating them and starting rooting for them, maybe I need them to be good so I can hate. Maybe I should take them off the list of teams I root against. But that list is a couple of years old. Anyways, opportunism on defense flustering and then capitalizing on Flacco, and alternating dink and dunk with long bombs on offense. If Bob Sanders wasn't hurt, they'd be the best team in the league. Miami vs. Houston: Pennington had a great game, and even his only mistake was covered up by a fumble. He was damn efficient, but Schaub stole the show with his last play. No faith in Miami's defense, that game should've been theirs. Entertaining game, but it sucked having to root for the team you picked rather than whoever had the ball last. Chicago vs. Atlanta: The Bears made Matt Ryan beat them, and he did. Down 19-10 they held Turner to three yards on six carries, and Orton came up with the improbable drive to go ahead. And then you allow them to one-shot themselves into field goal range for the win? Inexcusable, Mike Brown could very easily have just pushed Jenkins out of bounds before he caught the ball, not after. Game over. C'mon, Bears! Or is Atlanta starting to develop some grit? Jacksonville vs. Denver: This was exactly the type of game Del Rio is used to winning. Take an offensive juggernaut and frustrate them, try to hold onto the ball and rip it from the other team, and run the game out as soon as you get the lead. The Broncos have to be concerned. After that blowout win over Oakland in the first week, they won three games by a combined six points. So their offense isn't winning convincingly by itself, and you have to wonder if they have the manpower to race team to the finish week after week. Green Bay vs. Seattle: The Packers let Charlie Frye and a bunch of nobodies go down the field a couple of times. I'm bailing hardcore on the Packers, I think that Shinola on the first couple of games is obviously, well, not Shinola. Does that reference register with anyone? Oh well. This game should've been a blowout if GB was any good. Dallas vs. Arizona: Anybody who was worried about getting some negative attention this week, if you're not on the Cowboys don't worry about it. You could pull an O.J. and drive down the 405 with Al Cowlings, and whatever T.O., Pacman or Romo said would trump your indiscretion. The Bengals are throwing a party right now, I hear. Romo out? Now who's going to ignore Owens and get the ball to the open man like they're supposed to? You know Terrell is jonesing to throw a QB under the bus, so maybe he'll get his wish and unload on Brad Johnson after they lose to the Rams next week. Seriously, how do they outgain the Cardinals by 100 yards, win the turnover battle 3-1 and old the ball for longer than 30 minutes, and then lose? Maybe the 12 penalties are a good place to look. New England vs. San Diego: Wow. So that's what L.T. looks like healthy? It had been so long that I had forgotten. His stats won't blow you away, but you could tell how much healthier he felt, and how much more that opens up their offense. Rivers had a field day getting the ball to Vincent "Not Bo" Jackson over the head of Deltha O'Neal, and the defense chipped in with 4 sacks and under 200 yards allowed in the first three quarters while this was still a game. With road games in Buffalo and London vs. the Saints, if they can split the two games heading into the bye and emerge healthy, then I like them to win home-field advantage in the AFC. which, as we've seen, is virtually meaningless when it's in San Diego. B.W.B.'s standings for the week crimped by a combination of poor internet access and better things to do.

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings - Final thoughts: The refs didn't cost the Lions the game, but they sure as Hell helped

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:21:09 -0500

1. First things first. I realize all Lions fans are blaming the refereeing for the loss. And yes, I do agree the refs had not a clue, and made a couple of bizarre calls which royally screwed over the Lions. The big one was the pass interference call on Leigh Bodden. It was as bogus a call I've ever seen. A phantom penalty without question. The blown call gave the Vikings a short field, allowing them to play for the game winning field goal.

The "phantom" pass interference penalty.

I'm still PISSED over the blatantly bad call.

The other call was just as mystifying. I have no idea what the refs were looking at on the Calvin Johnson "fumble." I didn't know ripping the ball out of an in injured player's hands when he's down was considered a fumble! Let alone the fact Johnson was knocked out of the game on the same play thanks to an illegal helmet to helmet hit.

Sure, the refs were beyond awful to the point of blowing goats, and need to be called out. I'm sure the NFL will be hearing from the Lions tomorrow, not that it will make a whit of difference. But the loss is not all on the refs, and I bet Rod Marinelli says as much (along with "pound the rock," "it's on me" and "I already answered that") at the Monday presser. The Lions more than helped to dig their own 0-5 grave.

The offense was, for long stretches, incapable of getting positive yards. The defense played the best they have all season, but it's all relative. They still gave up 392 yards to a Vikings offense led by the immortal (only because he once knocked himself out of a game for celebrating a score by head butting a stadium wall) journeyman, Gus Ferrotte. At the very least, Ferrotte didn't run out of the back of end zone...

The Vikings aren't that good. Playing in the NFC North is the only reason they have a shot at the playoffs. So losing in the last second to such a mediocre NFL team is nothing to be proud of, even if the refs did have a hand in it. The Lions didn't deserve to win. Period.

One close loss after 4 blowout debacles is nothing to get excited about. This is still a lousy team that will lose 10 + games, and will have new coach in 2009.

Dan Orlovsky on his moronic safety: "Oh, you're just an idiot!"

I would have added "dumb ass moron!"

2. Dan Orlovsky running out of the end zone for a safety was INEXCUSABLE, and turned out to be the difference on the scoreboard. High school QB's have a better sense of field awareness than Orlovsky showed on the play. Such sheer stupidity from your most important player is how you lose games.

That's important to note, because Orlovsky isn't a playmaker. He is merely a game manager, and not a very good one at that. Your QB finishing 12-21-150-1 TD will not win you many games. When you can't win on your own, then you sure as Hell better not make mistakes that gives the opposition easy points.

Personally, I'm ready for the Drew Stanton era to begin.

3. Here's the stats for Detroit's running back tandem:

Kevin Smith: 5 carries, 62 yards, 12.4 YPC.
Rudi Johnson: 17 carries, 38 yards, 2.2 YPC.

Why is Smith's status as the Lions' best running back even in question? He should be getting the majority of the carries. I've given up trying to figure out Marinelli's depth chart, save for one thing that's obvious. Being a veteran player means more to him than having actual talent.

4. It took Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry 4 games to figure out his defense needed to blitz, and blitz often, in order to pressure the QB. After committing to the blitz, the Detroit defense ended up with 5 sacks, after having 4 in 4 games. I guess that's why Barry makes the big bucks, huh?

I know the Lions can't blitz every down, or even every series, as when you live by the blitz, you die by the blitz. NFL offenses will figure it out, and gameplan accordingly. But the Lions' coaches had to do something, anything, to keep the opposition QB's from picking the d-backfield apart. Bringing linebackers, corners and safeties on blitzes to pressure the QB was the obvious solution.

Blitzing early and often worked at times against Ferrotte, but he's a brain-addled version of Jon Kitna. Even with the pressure, Ferrotte still had 257 yards passing and a TD. There were still plenty of Vikings' wide outs running untouched in open space in the Detroit defensive backfield.

I doubt an everything but the kitchen sink blitzing strategy will work well against the likes of David Gerrard, Jake Delhomme, Kerry Collins, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. All experienced QB's who have had more than fair share of success, and then some, in the NFL. Meaning the Lions will ultimately have to get QB pressure from their down linemen.

We have yet to see anyt sort of consistent pass rush from the front 4 during Marinelli's tenure as head coach. For someone who was sold to the fanbase as a miracle worker with down linemen, his not developing a dominant d-line will be Marinelli's downfall.

5. After the game, Leigh Bodden was quoted as wanting an apology from the NFL.

"I hope we get an apology, but that's not going to get us a win," Bodden said. "And that really took us away from getting the 'W' today."

Bodden wants an apology from the league, and I want $10 million and a hot blonde to materialize out of thin air, and into my lap. Neither one is going to happen.

6. I'm drained. Fucking mentally drained. The Lions just drain the emotion out of me, and not in a good way. At least my head didn't explode this week. But it's a loooong season...

One more thing...

To all the fans bitching and moaning about the Lions not getting calls from the referees; BAD TEAMS DON'T GET CALLS!

Bucs Pound Panthers 27-3 at Home to Move to 4-2

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:55:06 -0500

There was plenty of talk about the Panthers being the best team in the NFC South. On Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, the defending NFC South Champion Buccaneers said "not so fast." Led by a stuffing defense and special teams that returned a blocked punt for a score, the Bucs pounded the Panthers 27-3 to improve to 4-2 and drop the Panthers to 4-2. The Bucs set the tempo right away, as the Panthers lined up for a punt on their first drive after a three-and-out. Rushing in, Jason Baker blocked the punt, and Geno Hayes took it back 22 yards for a quick score to make it 7-0 w/ 12:25 left in the first quarter. After a few back-and-forth series' the Bucs put together a drive as starting at their own 49 the team went 51 yards in just five plays as Jeff Garcia hit a five-yard score to Alex Smith to make it 14-0. Two series later the Panthers came back with a drive that went from their own 28 to the Bucs 2, but on third down Jake Delhomme went incomplete and the team settled for a short John Kasay field goal to make it 14-3. The Bucs came back with a Matt Bryant field goal to make it 17-3 at the half. Tampa Bay's defense continued to dominate, as they halted the Panthers most of the day both on the ground and in the air. They forced three Delhomme picks, and the Panthers were only able to rush for 40 yards on the day. They put up just two yards per carry, and DeShaun Williams had just 27 yards, and Jonathan Stewart 12 yards. Jeff Garcia played well enough vs the Panthers tough D, and was 15-for-20 for 173 yards with one TD and a QB rating of 117.3. They held the ball for 34:42 to just 25:18 for the Panthers, and the turnovers and lack of a running game kept the Panthers from really getting anything going all day. The Bucs outgained the Panthers 315 to 282. Earnest Graham ran over the Panthers for 115 yards on 22 carries with a score. The Bucs will be at home for a Sunday night matchup with the Seahawks.

NFL Open Thread - Week 6 Late Games

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:41:46 -0500

Tony Romo is going to sing us into the late slate of games, and don't forget about tonight's Patriots-Chargers live blog. Here are the games:

Fox:

Dallas @ Arizona - Dick Stockton, Troy Aikman
Philadelphia @ San Francisco - Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
Green Bay @ Seattle - Chris Rose, J.C. Pearson

CBS:

Jacksonville at Denver - Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf

Things we've learned from the early slate:

The Falcons stepped up -- they were up 9 on Chicago and stuffed the Bears on an important 4th and 1 at the goal line, but everybody's favorite Neckbeard ran the two minute drill to perfection and bombed it to Rashied Davis in the back of the end-zone for a go-ahead TD. Kyle Orton won this game for the Bears, if the lead holds up -- but it doesn't. Matt Ryan heaved a prayer to Michael Jenkins at the 33, he got out of bounds with a second left -- and Jason Elam hit a 48 yard FG to win the game.
Jake Delhomme was too good to be true earlier this season. He's got three picks and Jeff Garcia is playing out of his mind with Tampa up big.
Despite some reliable picks from the Gunslinger, the Bengals look headed to 0-6 in the Meadowlands.
Washington was losing to St. Louis by 6. That's right; the winless Rams were beating the Skins thanks to turnovers until rather recently. Zorn and Co. are up by 1...and they blow it. Field goal from Josh Brown gets the Rams their first win, 19-17.
Peyton Manning and Drew Brees opened pony kegs of whoopass on the Ravens and Raiders, respectively.
Houston is trying to scrap out its first win on the season, up by 2 with about 2 minutes to go -- but Miami has the ball -- and they've scored, but the Texans have the lead back again 29-28.
Detroit was somehow beating Minnesota 10-9 and I bet everyone in the Metrodome had a pitchfork waiting for Brad Childress' head if that held up -- but the Vikings got another field goal and pulled out a win.

OK. Let's have it out over the late games, and as usual, provide quotes.

Fantasy Football Week 6 Podcast - Start & Sit Advice

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:34:22 -0500

breakdown all the upcoming WEEK 6 games, analyzing who has a strong match-up and who has one you should stay away from. All 14 games with all the information you need for fantasy football success. Some of the topics discussed are.. How many combined points will the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys score in Week 6? After two big games will Ronnie Brown continue his torrid pace against the Houston Texans? Does Steven Jackson or any of the St. Louis Rams offense have fantasy value in Week 6? Has T.J. Houshmandzadeh shown enough to be plugged in as a WR1 on a weekly basis? and much much more.... To find out the answers to those questions, click the LINK below to listen NOW...

Key Fantasy Matchups for Sunday's Panthers-Bucs Matchup

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:53:15 -0500

From: KFFL.com Panthers QB Jake Delhomme vs. Buccaneers defensive backs Delhomme has been fantastic over the years against the Bucs. He's 7-1 with 13 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He faces a Bucs defense that ranks 21st in the league against the pass, so there will be some opportunities there. Wide receiver Steve Smith dropped two would-be touchdowns this past Sunday, so look for him to be fired up this week. Buccaneers RBs Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn vs. Panthers defensive linemen This season the Panthers have faced some top-notch running backs and shut them down. No back has run for 100 yards against the Panthers. That list includes the San Diego Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson, the Kansas City Chiefs' Larry Johnson, the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson, the Atlanta Falcons' Michael Turner and the Chicago Bears' Matt Forte. The Panthers have allowed only one rushing touchdown, and that was to a tight end. Graham struggled against the one tough run defense (Chicago Bears) he has faced. Dunn is real slicer type of back. He never gives a defensive lineman much to grab at because he runs low to the ground; he's almost sideways as he cuts through the hole. Buccaneers TE Jerramy Stevens vs. Panthers LB Jon Beason Beason is one of the better young middle linebackers in the game, but he struggles to turn and keep pace with tight ends running down the seam. Stevens is one of the best in the league at getting down the hash marks, so the Bucs will look to take advantage of that weakness by running Stevens down the seam repeatedly. Not only will that give the Bucs a favorable matchup in the passing game, it should also take Beason out of the box. That should open up some room for the backs to get to the second level.

Key Fantasy Matchups for Sunday's Panthers-Bucs Matchup

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:24:52 -0500

Week 6 Predictions

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:51 -0500

The Falcons won... I'm so happy I think I may be tearing up a little bit. These are the week 6 picks: Atlanta Falcons over Chicago Bears - The Bears wins are either flukes of versus bad teams. I don't think Kyle Orton is going to be able to keep up with Matt Ryan in all of his glory. The Falcons are just too good. That and I can't resist. Those who have read my picks before know all too well, the Falcons are my kryptonite. The Atlanta Falcons at 4-2... it's like music to my ears. Indianapolis Colts over Baltimore Ravens - The Colts are kind of iffy this year, and I am always tentative when I pick them. I was tempted to choose the Ravens because of their defense, but I opted to go with Peyton even though he hasn't been himself very often this year. Minnesota Vikings over Detroit Lions - The Lions are bad. The Vikings are mediocre. This one should be a blast to watch. At least the Lions will make the Purple look good this week. New Orleans Saints over Oakland Raiders - What better way to get over a heart-breaking loss than to play the Raiders the next week. The Saints should come out firing and I don't think this is going to be very close when it's all said and done. New York Jets over Cincinnati Bengals - Brett Favre versus the Bengals pass defense... I don't think it gets any more lopsided. On top of that, Carson Palmer isn't playing. Can we just give it to the Jets and save everyone time? Carolina Panthers over Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jake Delhomme looks really good after that Tommy Johns surgery. And the Chiefs made him look even better last week. I'm looking for that play to carry over versus the Bucs. Washington Redskins over St. Louis Rams - The Rams stink. The end. Houston Texans over Miami Dolphins - Houston HAS to eventually... Right? Denver Broncos over Jacksonville Jaguars - It's in Denver and I like the Broncos. Next. Dallas Cowboys over Arizona Cardinals - No Anquan Boldin means no chance for the Cardinals. The Cowboys shouldn't have any problems taking this one. Philadelphia Eagles over San Francisco 49ers - The Eagles can beat the 49ers. At least I hope they can. Otherwise 90% of the people on this site may have to be put on suicide watch. Green Bay Packers over Seattle Seahawks - A lot of the games this week can be chosen simply by saying "[insert team name] is bad." This is another on of those instances. The Seahawks are bad. The Packers will win. New England Patriots over San Diego Chargers - Both of these teams are kind of shaky this year. But, I have more confidence in the Patriots than I do the Chargers. New York Giants over Cleveland Browns - The Browns are bad. Look I got to use this reason again. I think that makes six times for this week. Those are the picks for this week. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Week Six Preview: Carolina Heads to Battle the Bucs

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:32:06 -0500

The Carolina Panthers enter Sunday's showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looking to put a strangle hold on the NFC South. At 4-1, the Panthers can move up two games over the Bucs, and depending on other results Sunday can have a solid early lead in the division. On the other hand, the Bucs want to ruin the early momentum that the Panthers have had, and get back to even in the division. Carolina last week played about as well as they could have played, shutting out the weak KC Chiefs at home 34-0. Jake Delhomme, who has a QB rating of 90.6 in five games, threw for two scores, and the team ran the ball well all afternoon. Their defense made life tough for the Chiefs, and by the end of the day wore out KC to the point where they probably had the plane running midway through the third quarter. The Bucs were losers in Denver to the Broncos 16-13. While their defense did a good job vs a good Denver offense, the teams offense had a major letdown vs a Broncos D that had given up a lot of points and yards. They lost QB Brian Griese to a shoulder injury in the second half, and while backup Jeff Garcia was able to get them a score, they were unable to pull it out in the three point loss. Tampa Bay should get a lift playing at home. They will look to run the football with Earnest Graham to set up the passing game. Garcia appears to be the man to get the start, as Griese is still ailing from the shoulder injury from a week ago. Look for Garcia to be his usual scrambling self, meaning that the Panthers DB's are going to have to stay with the WR's longer. It's a part of the game that when done right, makes Garcia dangerous. The Bucs D will look to put a stop to the Panthers two-headed monster of a running game of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They want to force Delhomme to throw, and at that point will unleash the dogs and try to force him into mistakes and turnovers. Delhomme has played well against the Bucs, throwing 13 TD's and 7 picks and has a QB rating of 93.6 in 9 games. Look for this to be your typical NFC South slugfest between two teams that know each other all too well. The Bucs are going to come out swinging, and the Panthers have to weather the storm early and then come back with some throws to Steve Smith and Mushin Muhummad to spread the defense. Won't be easy. Look for a bunch up at the top of the division after this one as Tampa Bay takes home a three-point with with a late field goal.

Week Six Preview: Carolina Heads to Battle the Bucs

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:32:06 -0500

Previewing the Panthers Showdown with the Bucs

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:38:53 -0500

Things I Now Know

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:21:37 -0500

The NFL is a weird league. How can Miami beat San Diego, how does Kansas City beat Denver one week and lose 34-0 the next? How can Washington look like they had their lunch money stolen from them against the Giants and then go into the two other NFC East buildings and beat them. With that said, there are things I think I now know and I am ready to share them with you. Can Favre klead the Jets to the playoffs? 1. The Giants are the best - Sorry to say, I think I now know the Giants are the best team in the league. You want to look at their schedule, that's fair, but they beat the Redskins…no wait, they embarrassed the Redskins. Meanwhile, the Skins beat BOTH Dallas and Philly on the road, that tells me the Giants are real good. Not to mention, right when the Seahawks were feeling better, getting healthy, the G-Men pound them 44-6. 2. Minnesota didn't show me anything on Monday night - The Saints gave Minnesota that game, and I still know that Minnesota can't move the ball. If you can't move the ball against the Saints, your offense stinks. The Saints just kept giving the Vikings the ball, gave up a blocked field goal touchdown. I'm still not sold on this team. (continued on PCPSPORTS.COM)