http://www.yardbarker.com/users/Lysol4Real Recent Yardbarker Articles: Lysol4Real en-us What's wrong with you, Lysol? Why are you calling your shot on an injury? Especially to a Yard full of rabid (and I mean that literally) Philly fans, especially when D.F. McNabb has his publicist post his blog on this very site? Because you can already tell that the Eagles aren't going to make it through this season healthy. Which, unfortunately, means the Eagles will once again be sitting in the "Wait until next year" seat. The good news? They've worked themselves into a comfortable little groove in that seat. I'm not hoping one of them gets injured. Love both players. Westbrook is a man's man for flipping the bird to his fantasy owners and making the game-smart play. McNabb is just a warrior, and from a historical aspect he is probably the best black quarterback ever. But they have such a hard time putting together a healthy season! They played 13 games together last year, but only 9 games the year before, and 9 games the year before that ... Whenever one of them is hurt, the team takes a serious hit. Well, anyways, to the games ... St. Louis vs. Washington. Besides a possible letdown after accomplishing the unthinkable (consecutive road victories against NFC East opponents) I see nothing that prevents Washington from using St. Louis as a practice squad come Sunday. This weekend is when we start hearing the "no fluke" talk. Redskins by 23. Cincinnati vs. New York Jets. I'm overthinking this one. Palmer might be back healthy, the Bengals aren't as bad as their record indicates, the Jets are still figuring out who they are ... but it doesn't matter. The Jets win this one by eight. Oakland vs. New Orleans. I have to believe that if the Saints can contain Adrian Peterson, they can keep the Raiders running game in check. That, plus the Raiders have been abysmal on the road as of late, with the inexplicable exception of Kansas City. Saints win by 10. Detroit vs. Minnesota. I was tempted to give the Lions a fighting chance due to the rivalry factor. But Minnesota has won 9 out of the last 10, regardless of where the game was played. So I'm banking on another murderous blowout. Vikings win 38-13 after late Lions scores prevent the shutout. Baltimore vs. Indianapolis. Indy is going to win this one. Doesn't matter that their secondary is decimated, or that Baltimore has an excellent run blocking scheme that might just put up 200 yards on the Colts without Sanders. Even though Baltimore is starting LeRon McClain, a back who barely has college speed. Seriously, this guy is painfully slow. Indy has a little bit of veteran magic that carries them through these kinds of games. Just look at what happened last week. They better win, because good teams don't lose their first three games in their brand-new taxpayer-bought stadium. Colts by 3 in a come-from-behind victory per usual as of late. Miami vs. Houston. If I felt I had an accurate gauge on the Texans' level of desperation, I could make a committed pick. Steve Slaton is quietly putting together a ROY campaign of his own, but the Dolphins are giving up around 80 rushing yards per game, roughly half of the average they gave up last year. Big difference. Does Houston make it a game? Sure, why not. The only team Miami has really torched this year is the Pats. Dolphins by 4. Carolina vs. Tampa Bay. These teams are just too evenly matched, I can't break either way convincingly. Do I take the Panthers' loss to Minny as a fluke? Do I give TB the benefit of the doubt for staying in every game they've played so far, losing two games by a combined 7 points? I'm going with Tampa, even if I hate backing a Griese-led team. If Carolina can pull this off, it will really mean something. Bucs win off of a field goal in overtime. Chicago vs. Atlanta. In it's own way, this is a statement game for both teams. Each has alternated looking deadly and dead out there in different games. I wish I knew how serious Roddy White's head injury is, because he is the key. Without him they load the box and sit on Turner's runs all game long. Even without an effective White the Bears will get to Ryan ease, they'l be bringing the corner blitz because their CB's are beaten up and can't stay with anyone deep right now. Which is where White comes in. I'm giving it to the Bears by a touchdown. Jacksonville vs. Denver. Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall are the leading receiving duo in the league, but Cutler will be playing without his third leading receiver and safety valve, Tony Scheffler. Expect a lot of passing in a matchup between the 26th and 30th ranked passing defenses, but Del Rio will try to stuff the ball down the Broncos throat with the run if he can. Even if his offensive line is healthy, I'm not banking on the cohesion necessary. I found a reason to go with the Jags, and that is the turnover margin for the Broncos. It's -3, unbelievable for a 4-1 team. Opportunism is the heart of Jacksonville's team concept, and they will capitalize. Jaguars win a barn-burner 38-34. Green Bay vs. Seattle. Don't overthink this one, Lysol. Green Bay has lost three in a row, but a game against the Seahawks is just what the doctor ordered. Packers by 10. Philadelphia vs. San Francisco. This is the first game of the year I'm not picking the 49ers to win. There are several reasons why I believe this, but they're too depressing to get into in depth. Suffice to say that if I'm wrong, I'll be glad. And if the 49ers beat the Eagles? You know I'm going to be blowing up the Yard on Sunday, laughing it up as Philly fans begin preaching the End of Days. I'm not going with a score, just an Eagles win. Dallas vs. Arizona. I think I remember reading an article about how the Cardinals were requiring anyone who bought tickets for this game to purchase tickets for a preseason game as well, in a blatant attempt to eliminate the Cowboys long-standing home-field advantage in Glendale. In fact, I saw an article that referenced an 8-2 home record under Whisenhunt as evidence that Arizona now has a raucous home crowd to support it. Right. As much as I would love to see the implosion a loss would cause the Cowboys, I can't see it happening, no matter how badly the Cowboys secondary will get schooled come Sunday. Cowboys win this one 45-43 after Arizona fails to convert a two-point attempt to send it into overtime. New England vs. San Diego. This is sad. A game to decide which team has fallen further? And these teams hate each other, too, but the key participants in this heated rivalry are on IR or limping badly. L.T. is going to go out there with something to prove. Do the Chargers recognize any symbolism left in this game? Because they haven't been coming out very fired up so far this season. But I think a night game in San Diego gives a certain atmosphere that will allow them to step their game up. You know L.T. keeps a private jet at the airport! Step your game up! Chargers win by 9. New York Giants vs. Cleveland. I'm not even the slightest bit inclined to think Cleveland makes this a game. Giants by 34. When the B.W.B. fellas get their picks all together, I'll post them. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:18:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/347815 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/347815 Where have the dominant teams gone? We don't even have any semi-dominant teams, like the Colts with their offense. The Titans' defense doesn't rank up there with the crazy Bears and Ravens squads of the earlier half of the decade, sorry. So, without further ado, this weeks rankings (last week's rank in parentheses) 1. New York Giants (1) Every team looks deadly after playing someone in the NFC West, particularly the Seahawks and Rams. I still have killer instinct questions, maybe those will be answered when they play Pittsburgh in Week 8. But will Pittsburgh be good (healthy) enough to constitute a legit threat? After that the schedule gets brutal, with their remaining 5 division games being played in a seven week span. 2. Tennessee Titans (2) Hopefully the dust-up between Finnegan and Bulluck is over, because when it's all said and done, the two of them and Haynesworth combine to be the best DL-LB-DB combo in the league. When you have a dominant player at each level, there's a lot of leading by example going on. I still have faith in VY, even if most of you don't. But I had faith once in a young Jake Plummer as well ... 3. Washington Redskins (4) What to think of a team that wins without it's big-ticket defensive end and best cover corner. I credit the workhorse linebackers. Marcus Washington is solid, Rocky McIntosh holds his own and London has turned this team into his crew, the way the Rams defense was when they won the championship. Jason Campbell needs to be able to handle pressure off the field, which still hasn't hit him. But when the expectations start piling up, things get a lot rougher. 4. Dallas Cowboys (5) I can't drop them any lower, but this is still a rapidly disintegrating situation. The players who go to play for the Star don't seem ready to handle the pressure that goes with it. Turns out, there's a reason why the Raiders' "sign everyone" policy hasn't helped them out very much recently ... 5. Carolina Panthers (10) Call it an overreaction to last week's game, but I saw a running game there that is always lacking with the Panthers. Call it an assumption that the defense is a strong unit that can adjust to their mistakes and rebound strongly from defeats. Just don't call it a comeback. 6. San Diego Chargers (3) Again, this team is too talented, I have to believe that they could beat any of the teams ranked below them. But can they find the key to scoring early? This team is set up to play with the lead, not come from behind. How much of L.T.'s reduced productivity is the offensive line's fault? 7. Pittsburgh Steelers (unranked) This ranking is based on Big Ben staying healthy, which, I admit, is a longshot. But Troy Polamalu could make an average defense look excellent, and this defense is much better than average. How do they win without a running back? I don't know, ask Jacksonville. 8. Philadelphia Eagles (7) I have to believe that they can pull this together. Fans on this site overreact so much to every ebb and flow in the Eagles season: they weren't as good as they looked in weeks 1 and 2, but they aren't as bad as they look now. Reid always gets criticized for playcalling, but few coaches have a better reading on their team than Reid. If they can get the handoffs down ... 9. Buffalo Bills (6) Trent Edwards elevated the level of play for his team, and they look terribly average without him. I'm not saying Edwards could've accomplished that comeback, but it wouldn't have surprised me. They need Roscoe Parrish back, or for Leodis McKelvin to step up his productivity, because the Bills were winning games in September based on the third of the game that no one focuses on, special teams. 10. Denver Broncos (8) Seems like they decided that, since they can't stop anybody, the Broncos are going to pin their ears back and go after the passer. That's not a bad plan, but they're horrible against the run as well, and since there isn't a lot of speed in the LB's they remain vulnerable to the screen pass. But the offense remain bonafide, at least in appearance. Indy and New England are attempting to creep back onto this list! Both face moderate challenges this week, New England more (vs. San Diego) than the Colts (vs. Baltimore). Both of them are displaying the "find a way to win" mentality that has guided them through past injury-plagued seasons. But I'm not buying it just yet. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:46:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/347023 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/347023 Round 1: 1) Bulls vs. 8) Cavs Hah. Even in fantasy all-time make believe games, MJ screws the Cavs. This one isn't even close, Bulls in 4. 2) Knicks vs. 7) Celtics The Celtics players are old, but still put together a solid series. Reggie Lewis and Allan Houston cancel each other out, Oakley and McHale struggle bitterly in the middle, and Mark Jackson runs circles around Dee Brown. Bird dominates the first game to draw the win on the road, but injures his back halfway through the second and is out for the series. Going back to Boston 1-1, the young combo of Pierce and Walker get hot in Game 3 and put the Celtics up 2-1. Then Ewing takes over. Parrish held up adequately for three games, but from this point forward Ewing averages 35, 15 and 3 as the series swings 3-2 in the Knicks favor. Depleted and without their leader, the Celtics lose game 6 and fade away. Knicks in 6. 3) Heat vs. 6) Pacers Epic matchup. Miami looks to be the favorite based on the front court, but they get beaten up pretty badly early in the series. They head to Indiana for game 3 tied 1-1. P.J. Brown is employed as the heavy-handed response to the Davis brothers and McKey, and he sends Antonio to the locker room for seven stitches in the second quarter of game 3. Both benches clear, and Jeff Van Gundy appears out of nowhere to attach himself to Mourning's leg. When the dust settles the Heat have more players left than the Pacers, and pull off the win. Heading into game 4, Miami is missing P.J. for two games for starting the fight, and several of their reserves for leaving the bench (Leonard, Majerle and Owens). indiana is missing McKey and both Davis' for one game. The Heat take advantage, pounding the ball at Rik Smits, now flying solo at the defensive post. Miami wins game 4. In game 5, Reggie goes Reggie. 45 points, 21 of it in the 4th quarter, ten three-pointers in all, and the series goes back to Indiana. Momentum is on their side, and the game turns into a outside shooting duel. A duel that Indiana wins, at least in game 6. Game 7, Hardaway and Mourning come out with a vengeance, leading by 25 at half and never looking back. Spike Lee is spotted courtside making the choke jesture at Miller. At the end of game 7, Reggie walks over calmly and actually chokes out Lee. Heat in 7. 4) Magic vs. 5) Pistons Penny and Grant Hill cancel each other out, and Shaq does the rest. Magic in 4. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:52:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346457 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346457 Round 1: 1) Lakers vs. 8) Hornets The combo of Alonzo and Larry Johnson is no match for Magic, Kobe and Shaq! Lakers win in 4. 2) Blazers vs. 7) Sonics The Sonics put out one hell of a defensive backcourt, effectively shutting down Porter and Drexler for most of the series. But Rasheed in his Blazers incarnation from the year they got owned by L.A.? Kemp has nothing on that. Cliff and Co. on the Blazers bench outscore the Sonics bench, which is also more defensively oriented. Blazers in 4. 3) Suns vs. 6) Warriors Kidd and KJ and "Thunder" against Run TMC? Matchup for the ages. But Barkley keeps Webber in foul trouble, forcing an aging the Warriors to guard Chuck by committee. Nothing they throw together works, so they just try to outscore them. It works once. Suns in 5. 4) Rockets vs. 5) Spurs Hakeem and Otis are fully neutralized, and Barkley gets thrown out of the second game and is suspended for the third game. Coming into game 4 down 2-1, the Rockets rally, knocking down their threes and Francis comes up big. This one goes to 7 games, but in the end Duncan outshines the rest of the game with his fundamentally sound passes and pivots. Spurs in 7. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:36:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345865 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345865 Let's get straight to the games! Washington vs. Philadelphia: Nobody else is going to win two road games against NFC East teams, so you have to tip your hat to the Redskins for that accomplishment. But Philly, why must you beat yourselves? Missed field goals, stupid penalties that gave Washington excellent field position, poor play-calling. Should Andy Reid be fired? Not because of what's happened so far. But Reid looked hesitant to use Westbrook, and they don't have a running game without him. Doesn't help that your two best players, Westbrook and McNabb, average almost a full separate injury per person. But give Washington credit. They ran the ball effectively, Portis is looking good, and Jim Zorn's plays work better when he has WR's that can catch. And yes, that is a direct shot at Seattle. Funny, for a team that "didn't have a two-minute offense" in week 1, the Redskins are now running the best 2 minute drill in the league. Seattle vs. New York Giants: Best team in football, the Giants. Not much else to say. San Diego vs. Miami: L.T.'s injury is harder to hide in the red zone. It limits their play selection, because his effectiveness as a decoy has declined. Why are the Chargers taking so long to wake up? And why couldn't they just smash that Widlcat offense? Ronnie Brown is now officially the most underrated player in the league. When a running back lines up as the QB that many times and can remain effective, then he's doing something right. The Dolphins are now a longshot to make the playoffs, but those are odds any "Phins fan would've taken at the beginning of the year. I'll say it again: Rest L.T.! Man needs some recuperative time, and they can survive with Sproles for a week or two. Indianapolis vs. Houston: If any player has ever proven why they are a career backup, it was Sage Rosenfels this weekend. Granted, Houston usually needs a hero, but they didn't need one yesterday and Sage shouldn't have tried so hard to be one. Protect the football! Indy's defense ratcheted up to a pro level in the 4th, but they were nonexistent the rest of the game. They can still be run on, and even the passing game was clicking early against their Sanders-free secondary. Major alarms going off in Indy. Atlanta vs. Green Bay: Gotta hand it to my boy Bzr034, he pulled out the major onions picking the Falcons on the road, and it paid off. Is Aaron Rodgers all right? Can't tell if he's playing hurt or if opposing defenses have figured him out, but it didn't help that the Packers running game has all but disappeared. Don't they remember how they got so far last year? It was rushing, all the way. The Falcons controlled the line of scrimmage, and Michael Turner seems to be head and shoulders above anyone else for ROY. Chicago vs. Detroit: This one was the bad beating the worst. Nobody thought Detroit would resemble a professional football team on Sunday, and they were right. I wish the 49ers played them twice a year, the NFC North gets all the luck ... Kansas City vs. Carolina: Carolina made a point early, calling six straight running plays en route to their first touchdown. But it didn't really matter what they did, it worked yesterday. KC showed just how real that upset victory over Denver was: not at all. This one was ugly, Carolina could be a good team if they improve their consistency. But given this year so far, consistency would be the exception rather than the rule. Tennessee vs. Baltimore: The first of the two games that tested the remaining undefeated AFC teams. A defensive battle, to be sure. Collins was rattled early but managed the final drive admirably. Sign for concern: Tennessee couldn't run the ball at all. If they had been able, it wouldn't have been nearly this close. Tampa Bay vs. Denver: What's there to say? No seriously, I can't think of anything interesting to say about this game. Denver wins. Bucs lose. New England vs. San Francisco: So we're up 14-7 and we pick Cassel for the second time in the 2nd quarter. And I'm thinking, the only way we can keep this up is if we win the turnover battle. Then J.T. throws an INT deep in Niners territory that leads to a touchdown that puts NE up 10. Three drives later, after we scored to get the game back down to 9 and stopped the Pats, momentum on our side, and he throws another pick that pretty much seals the deal. The 49ers will never beat a quality team making that many mistakes. Cincinnati vs. Dallas: T.O. can complain all he wants, but this is how the Cowboys should be winning games. Their rushing attack is the best aspect of their offense, and it sets them up perfectly. Cincy started drives in Cowboys territory four times, and came away with 15 points. If they could've capitalized on that field position, the game would've been theirs. Dallas really needs to get its cover teams straightened out. Buffalo vs. Arizona: The second test for an undefeated AFC team. The margin was wide enough that it's fair to question whether or not Edwards playing a full game would've changed anything. I think the game would've been completely different, but then again Edwards wasn't allowing all those passing TD's, the defense was. It was unlikely that Trent would've given up three turnovers by himself. I want to give Michaeldeluca credit for picking the Cards, but I don't think he called that injury. He won this week, for the second week in a row, so he's not lacking in accolades. Pittsburgh vs. Jacksonville: This game was chalk full of stupid penalties that kept drives alive and moved the ball down the field when punts should've occurred. The Jacksonville offensive line is in dire straits if they can't get their running backs more yardage than that. Big Ben is an NFL titan, but even he can't survive a full season with this kind of pounding. They rarely win games that don't involve a highlight run from either Mojo or Taylor. Tomorrow: Team Rankings Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:16:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345707 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345707 The B.W.B. consensus suffered last week (3-3), but we were 6-1 two weeks ago and I feel another strong showing this week. So much so that I thought about reneging on one of my picks! Without further ado, the unanimous decisions ... Carolina over Kansas City (I'm surprised that this is a unanimous decision, but we did all pick the Broncos last week. No faith in Herm Edwards? Nah, tons of faith in the guy who plays to win the game. No faith in his team this year.) Chicago over Detroit San Diego over Miami New York Giants over Seattle Dallas over Cincinnati Atlanta vs. Green Bay: Bzr034 pulls out the onions and goes against the flow, picking the Falcons. The rest of us are playing it safe. Washington vs. Philadelphia: I'm not gonna lie, I felt like changing my pick after I saw the rest of the guys go with Philly. But I'm sticking with the Redskins, even if everyone else is going with the Eagles. Tennessee vs. Baltimore: I don't know where Legitcity and Bzr034 came up with a Ravens win, but they did. Maybe they were impressed with the MNF game and thought they saw a real trend. How about, this Sunday they'll see a real defense. Indianapolis vs. Houston: Do the Texans have the kind of post-natural disaster home advantage that the Saints had after Katrina? Legitcity thinks so. The rest of us are picking the Colts. Tampa Bay vs. Denver: Legitcity picks the Bucs, while the rest of us figured the home field advantage would be enough to tip the scales in favor of the Broncos. Buffalo vs. Arizona: The Balls Pick O' The Week for sure! Michaeleduca has it on authority that this is the week that Buffalo loses. Naturally, the rest of us aren't buying it considering the only potent part of the Cards, the passing game, will limp into Sunday. We all chose the Bills, but not Mikey. Make his the Cardinals. New England vs. San Francisco: I was sure I'd be alone on this one, but Michaeleduca has been kind enough to throw his weigh behind the Niners. So now I don't feel so bad. Everyone else has the Pats, and I don't blame them. Coming off a bye week and the most humiliating loss the franchise has suffered in its modern dominant incarnation? Whatever. Go Niners. Pittsburgh vs. Jacksonville: This one's split down the middle. Legitcity and myself are going with the Jaguars, while Michaeleduca, Bzr034 and Enriquefed chose the Steelers. Can't fault either side, but the Jags have two things the Steelers don't: a running back and a healthy defensive line. Minnesota vs. New Orleans: I'm always intrigued when a dome team goes on the road. If Minnesota can knock the crowd out of it early, it'll practically be a home game. That being said, only Legitcity and Bzr034 are going with the Vikings. Enriquefed, Michaeleduca and myself are picking the Saints. So Michaeleduca, with a comfortable lead in the standings, goes with the Balls Pick O' The Week (sponsered by Right Guard) and chooses the Cardinals over the Bills. Stay tuned ... Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:16:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344343 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344343 So I've learned my lesson, I'm going with who I think is the better team. Without further ado ... Seattle vs. New York Giants. I have to believe the G-men will be able to get the job done at home against the Seahawks. But they have only looked impressive when they wanted to/had to. This one is closer than it should be. Giants by 11. San Diego vs. Miami. Not going to waste any more time on this pick than I have to. Will SD score any points in the first half of this game? Are they trying to turn every second half into a two minute drill? The way this season is going, maybe learning how to play from ahead is something they don't need to learn. Chargers by 17. Indianapolis vs. Houston. I'm tempted to say this will be a close one because the Texans have played Indy tough in the last two years, losing to the Colts by three in 2007 and beating them by three in 2006. But Indy is coming off a bye week healthier than they've been in a while. Saturday is one of the best line generals in the league, and you'll see the difference this makes on Sunday. Steve Slaton gashes them for over 150 all-purpose yards because Sanders is out, but the Colts take it by 15. Atlanta vs. Green Bay. The Packers are beat up, but Matt Ryan's blindside (do I harp on this every Falcons prediction? Yes!) is going to be rushed by KGB mercilessly. I can't see Green Bay losing this game at home, no matter how badly they played last week. Packers by nine. Chicago vs. Detroit. This will be your scoring blitz game for the week. Detroit against banged up Bears cornerbacks is part of the recipe, mixed with Chicago throwing deep on whoever the Lions trot out on the field. Bears win by 6, 37-31. Kansas City vs. Carolina. The Chiefs beat the Broncos because the Broncos couldn't stop anybody. Carolina can. I don't think this one will be a blowout, though. Give it to the Panthers by five. Tennessee vs. Baltimore. Any way you look at it, Tennessee wins this game. The question is by how much. I think it'll be similar to the Titans game last week, where they stayed ahead and ran up the score off of mistakes made by the other team as they try to take the lead. Pretty solid way to play football. Titans by 17. Washington vs. Philadelphia: Are any of the gnarly Eagles fans reading this? Probably not. Well that's good now I don't have to worry about them getting all butt-hurt because I picked against them. Maybe Philly fans should back their team a little more (not mindlessly repping them to other fans, but actually supporting the players and not booing them every time they make a mistake), maybe they'd have a home field advantage. Instead, they have a 3-5 home record from last year and a crowd that jumps on anyone the second the do anything wrong. Class? Whatever. Jason Campbell throws his first pick to Samuel, Philly's defense keeps them in it. The real reason why Washington wins? They've collected six turnovers and haven't committed one themselves. Philly's +3 turnover ratio is buoyed by 9 takeaways, hiding the fact that they've coughed it up six times. Expect a highlight involving a member of the Redskins front seven recovering a fumble or picking McNabb and then rumbling the other way with it. Redskins by two. Want a score? 30-28. Tampa Bay vs. Denver. I can't tell if everyone on the Broncos is injured, or if Shanahan is pulling a snow job on us. This game is strength against strength (Denver O vs. Tampa D), weakness against weakness (the flip side). This one is too close to call, so I'm going with the home team. Broncos on a last minute field goal to put them up 1-3 points. Low scoring game early breaks into a TD-fest late in the game. Cincinnati vs. Dallas. Hmmm. A struggling win-less team either starting a nobody or an injured somebody versus a team looking to regain its dominant image after a close loss to a legitimate team. I'm going to go with Dallas by 24. Cincy puts up points too, but too little too late. 45-21 Cowboys. New England vs. San Francisco. Why must you do this to me, Fate? Just when I'm rationalizing not picking the 49ers, you give me the hardest team to read in the league, and you bring them into Candlestick (or whatever it's called now). Reasons why the Pats will win: they're defense is intelligent and J.T. is still green, nobody will be able to get to Cassel to pressure him, and Randy Moss will run relatively free. Reasons why the 49ers will win: New England's defense is old and the 49ers have problems with speed, and Frank Gore can gash a defense that is giving up almost 150 yards per game on the ground. Too bad Mike Martz won't call his number incessantly like he should. I'm still going with the 49ers, though!. Hope springs eternal, I guess. 49ers by 8, but only because I don't think they can win a close game. Buffalo vs. Arizona. This one is easy. I gotta go with the Bills, and even if I didn't, I have to go against the Cardinals. Bills by ten. Pittsburgh vs. Jacksonville. Maurice Jones-Drew, meet Pittsburgh's battered run defense. Pittsburgh's battered run defense, Mojo. Now then. Can we agree that Pittsburgh will attempt to stop you, Mojo, and for your part we can agree that you will run right by them and try not to laugh too much in the end zone. Seriously, the Steelers were getting tore up by Le'Ron McLain, the Jacksonville duo shouldn't have any problems. On the other side, did I mention Pittsburgh is completely out of running backs? Jaguars win this by 13. Minnesota vs. New Orleans. Another tough one. The Saints should have a lot of people at this game, seeing how AP is now the sudden big-ticket attraction. I'm going with the home team on this one too, just a hunch. I like the Reggie Bush matchup against Minny's linebackers. New Orleans by three. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:17:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343545 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343545 G: Rod Strickland G: Calbert Cheaney F: Juwan Howard F: Chris Webber C: Harvey Grant And off the bench ... Michael Adams Pervis Ellison Rex Champan Gheorghe Muresan Tracy Murray The last team, kinda anticlimactic ... eh? Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:03:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343231 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343231 G: Tim Hardaway G: Steve Smith F: Glen Rice F: Jamal Mashburn C: Alonzo Mourning And the bench ... Billy Owens Rony Seikaly Voshon Leonard Dan Majerle P.J. Brown Good team, great starting lineup. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:52:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343229 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343229 G: Stacey Augmon G: Steve Smith F: Dominique Wilkens F: Kevin Willis C: Dikembe Mutombo And off the bench ... Mookie Blaylock Alan Henderson Tyrone Corbin A spectacularly mediocre showing, wouldn't expect anything less from Atlanta. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:42:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343227 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343227 G: Nick Anderson G: Penny Hardaway F: Dennis Scott F: Horace Grant C: Shaquille O'Neal And off the bench ... Scott Skiles Rony Seikaly Darrell Armstrong Donald Royal Not much depth because their best players actually stuck around. Shows how valuable the Florida tax break is. Hey, why do you think Shaq has played for both teams in the state? Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:33:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343224 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343224 G: B.J. Armstrong G: Michael Jordan F: Scottie Pippen F: Horace Grant C: Bill Cartwright And off the bench ... Steve Kerr Ron Harper Toni Kucoc Luc Longley Elton Brand Ron Artest The last two were babies on the Bulls. These guys should sweep through the East, but can they take on some of the West's top 1990's All Star Teams? Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:23:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343221 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343221 G: Alvin Robertson G: Ray Allen F: Glenn Robinson F: Vin Baker C: Frank Brickowski And off the bench ... No one. Team has been terrible since as long as I can remember. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:17:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343218 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343218 G: Mark Jackson G: Reggie Miller F: Derrick McKey F: Dale Davis C: Rik Smits And off the bench ... Byron Scott Detlef Schrempf Antonio Daivs Jalen Rose Travis Best Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:11:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343217 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343217 G: Mark Price G: Terrell Brandon F: Larry Nance F: Tyrone Hill C: Brad Daugherty And off the bench ... Zydrunas Ilgauskas Chris Mills Bobby Phills Shawn Kemp Craig Ehlo Hot Rod Williams Wesley Person Super-average team ... Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:03:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343211 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343211