NFL Week 7

[Guest Vitamin X]

Bad Devo pun aside, here are the games coming up for the week:

 

1:00 games..

 

Dallas Cowboys @ St. Louis Rams

San Diego Chargers @ Buffalo Bills

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants

 

4:00 games..

 

Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans

New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders

Cleveland Browns @ Washington Redskins

Indianapolis Colts @ Green Bay Packers

 

Sunday Night Football: Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Monday Night Football: Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots

 

I'll update this post with coverage maps when they become available. Lots of good games this week, I bolded the ones that I think are ones to watch. Also on another note, Pro Bowl voting has begun! You can cast your ballot here:

 

http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot

 

I'll post later with my votes.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Here goes.

 

NFC:

QB - Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers.

RB- Marion Barber, Clinton Portis, Michael Turner

WR- Greg Jennings, Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald

FB- Leonard Weaver (this position is stupid to vote for in the Pro Bowl. It's a total crapshoot since fullbacks are hardly utilized in the traditional sense anymore)

TE- Jason Witten, Chris Cooler (this was extraordinarily easy)

C- Shaun O'Hara, Matt Birk

OG- Justin Blalock, Jahri Evans, Chris Snee

OT- Kareem McKenzie, Sam Baker, John Tait

DE- John Abraham, Aaron Kampman, Justin Smith

DT- Chris Hovans, Kevin Williams, Fred Robbins

OLB- Julian Peterson, DeMarcus Ware, A.J HAWK (Homerism! But he's a big time player on that defense..)

ILB- Jonathan Vilma, Patrick Willis

CB- Charles Woodson, Charles Tillman, Antoine Winfield

SS- Chris Horton

FS- Nick Collins

K- Jason Elam

P- Josh Bidwell

KR- Reggie Bush

 

AFC:

QB- Jay Cutler, Brett Favre, Phillip Rivers

RB- Ronnie Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson (this was tough as I only knew Ronnie Brown off the top of my head should make it. The other two were based more on stats than anything else)

WR- Brandon Marshall, Laveranues Coles, Reggie Wayne

FB- Le'Ron McClain

TE- Antonio Gates, Owen Daniels

C- Kevin Mawae, Nick Mangold

OG- Alan Faneca, Chris Kuper, Jake Scott

OT- David Stewart, Jake Long, Damien Woody

DE- Mario Williams, Robert Mathis, Shaun Ellis (I wanted to pick Terrell Suggs in place of Ellis, but the option wasn't available for some reason)

DT- Albert Haynesworth, John Henderson, Marcus Stroud

OLB- Joey Porter, Terrell Suggs, D.J Williams (impressive numbers)

ILB- Dhani Jones, DeMeco Ryans

CB- Cortland Finnegan, Rashean Mathis, Darelle Revis

SS- Troy Polamalu

FS- Michael Griffin

K- Matt Prater

P- Dustin Colquitt

KR- Darren Sproles

 

Kind of gets tough with the offensive lineman voting, but the way I did it was I looked at a couple things- which teams had a great rushing attack and whose guys have been sacked the least. The Titans' offensive line has been nothing short of incredible this season from what I'm looking at, same with the Giants. The Titans have only given up TWO sacks, one with Young in the first week, and Collins, the immobile statue that he is, also only sacked once.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

NFC then / AFC

 

QB (3): Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers, Brett Favre, Jay Cutler

RB (3): Clinton Portis, Michael Turner, Frank Gore/Larry Johnson, Steve Slaton, Ronnie Brown

WR (4: Greg Jennings, Roddy White, Bernard Berrian, Devery Henderson/Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson/Brandon Marshall

FB (1): Madison Hedgecock/Casey Cramer

TE (2): Jason Witten, Chris Cooley/Owen Daniels, Tony Scheffler *Where was Billy Miller?*

C (2): Todd McClure, Shaun O'Hara/Samson Setele, Casey Wiegmann

OG (3): Daryn Colledge, Steve Hutchinson, Jahri Evans/Mike Goff, Chester Pitts, Chris Kuper

OT (3): Jammal Brown, David Diehl, Chad Clifton/Ryan Clady, Michael Roos, Langston Walker

DE (3): Aaron Kampman, John Abraham, Justin Smith/Haloti Ngata, Robert Mathis, Mario Williams *Would've voted Terrell Suggs here*

DT (3): Kevin Williams, Fred Robbins, Pat Williams/Albert Haynesworth, Domato Peko, Tony Brown

LB (5): Patrick Willis, Jon Beason, Jonathan Vilma, London Fletcher,

OLB (3): Chad Greenway, Chris Gocong, Danny Clark/D.J. Williams, Rashad Jeanty, Freddy Keiaho

ILB (2): Jon Beason, Jonathan Vilma/Dhani Jones, Nate Webster

CB (3): Charles Tillman, Antoine Winfield, Phillip Buchanon/Antonio Cromartie, DeAngelo Hall, Cortland Finnegan *Where was Tramon Williams? Brian Williams?*

SS (1): Quintin Mikell/Troy Polamalu

FS (1): Nick Collins/Eric Weddle

K (1): Jason Elam/Matt Prater

P (1): Josh Bidwell/Dustin Colquitt

KR (1): Reggie Bush/Darren Sproles

ST (1): Stephen Nicholas/Kassim Osgood

 

For the offensive line, I looked at a mix of rushing success (i.e. which RBs had a high or solid YPC) and solid passing success. The defensive guys I chose solely on statistics when possible. The wide receivers and tight ends I focused more on YPR to help shy away from those who are lucky to play in pass heavy systems (thus I would've chosen Billy Miller at TE).

[Guest Vitamin X]

Tramon Williams is listed there- I didn't vote him because I feel he hasn't had a truly spectacular game yet, and he's just filling in while Al Harris is out. He's done a pretty damn good job in his place, though.

 

Oh, and by the way, your NFC picks are on crack. No Charles Woodson? No way. Woodson has been incredible with Al Harris out, much better than Philip Buchanon. Likewise, Daryn Colledge has been ridiculously inconsistent this year; if I were to vote anyone from the Packers' offensive line (and I didn't), it'd be Mark Tauscher, MAYBE Jason Spitz. Even Clifton has had kind of a down year. I don't blame you though, picking offensive linemen are tough.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

David Harris deserves some votes at ILB.

[CanadianChris 0]

Trent Edwards returned to practice today, giving the Bills some hope that they can at least be competitive this week.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Neither Larry Johnson nor LT should really sniff Pro Bowl votes given how up and down they've been this year, but I guess there aren't a whole lot of premier backs in the AFC this year, and they are the top two statistically.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Trent Edwards returned to practice today, giving the Bills some hope that they can at least be competitive this week.

 

Thank Christ for that. This is a huge game for the Bills and having Edwards obviously helps their chances.

[NoCalMike 0]

No love for Chris Samuels?

 

Redskins will get a tough game from Cleveland. Lets hope the Browns have an emotional let down after the huge win tonight.

 

At home, I'll take the Skins.

 

Redskins 28

Browns 17

[Guest Vitamin X]

Neither Larry Johnson nor LT should really sniff Pro Bowl votes given how up and down they've been this year, but I guess there aren't a whole lot of premier backs in the AFC this year, and they are the top two statistically.

 

That's exactly what I did my votes on. I guess I could've gone for Chris Johnson, but he hasn't scored that much this year; LenDale White's been the Titans' big guy in the red zone. Ronnie Brown is the only no-brainer in the AFC, but I think LT will kick it into a higher gear as the season goes on.

[cabbageboy 0]

Predictions:

 

1:00 games..

 

Dallas Cowboys @ St. Louis Rams: Wow, without Romo this looks iffy especially considering the Rams might have come to life. That said, I think the Cowboys somehow scratch out a win by 4.

San Diego Chargers @ Buffalo Bills: Chargers look good one week, look like crap the next. This is a week to look like crap, with a trip to the east coast tossed in as well. Buffalo by 7.

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers: Both teams are puzzling and both need a win here. When in doubt, go with the home team. Carolina by 3, but the Saints should get payback later in the season.

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears: I really don't buy the Vikings after nearly losing to the Lions. Bears are a good 3-3 if that makes any sense. Chicago by 8.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals: It's the Bengals. No Palmer. Steelers coming off a bye week. Pittsburgh by 10.

Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs: Part of me is thinking upset here since the Chiefs beat the Broncos recently, but I just can't see this somehow. Titans by 6.

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins: The Ravens looked like a joke against Indy this past week, while I would think the Dolphins would be pissed over their last game. Miami by 10.

San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants: Giants really laid an egg vs. Cleveland, so who knows how they will respond. Still, I can't see the Niners going to the east coast and winning here so I'll say NYG by 12.

 

4:00 games..

 

Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans: The Texans are pretty good for a 1 win team, while the Lions have to be deflated after that Minn game. Houston by 7.

New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders: Raiders may well be hopeless at this point, while Favre looks to be getting into a groove. Jets by 13.

Cleveland Browns @ Washington Redskins: This is the toughest game to call of the week. On one hand the Browns look to be shaping up. On the other, the Redskins can't lose 2 in a row at home to STL and Cleveland. I'll take the Redskins by 1.

Indianapolis Colts @ Green Bay Packers: If Matt Ryan can win at Lambeau, then Manning will win at Lambeau. Colts by 10.

 

Sunday Night Football: Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dare I say Tampa with Jeff Garcia might be the best team in the NFC? Bucs by 14.

Monday Night Football: Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots: Both teams need a win here but I can't really see Denver not putting up some points in a high scoring affair. Broncos by 5.

 

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

1:00 games..

 

Dallas Cowboys @ St. Louis Rams- The Rams looked like a different team against the Redskins and the Cowboys won't have Romo. However, I think Brad Johnson plays steady at QB and the Cowboys win by 10.

San Diego Chargers @ Buffalo Bills- The Chargers woke the fuck up against the Pats and look scary right now. This is first of many big tests for the Bills, but I don't think they will be able to handle the this one. Chargers win

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers- The Saints lit up my shitty Raiders and I think are back on track on offense. I like the Saints in this one

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears- This will be a defensive minded game. I still think Minnesota is overrated and the Lions game proved it. I like the Bears in this one.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals- Even with half of their offense gone, the Steelers will stomp the Queen City Kitties.

Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs- Tennessee will roll and will stay perfect.

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins are surprisingly compentent, and the Ravens are kinda lousy on offense. I like the Dolphins at home.

San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants- I think the 49ers will make it a game, but the champs will bounce back after their first loss of the season.

 

4:00 games..

 

Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans- Detriot sucks at every facet of football, so I like the Texans here.

New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders- Like LT, Brett Favre has made a career of torching the Raiders. The Raiders are hands down the most overpaid, untalented excuse for football team, so I hope the Jets pour it on here. I've converted to Al Davis must go side, and after the debacle on Sunday. I never thought watching football would be a chore.

Cleveland Browns @ Washington Redskins- The Browns have seemingly woken up and Redskins are coming off a terrible loss. I like the Browns to make it to .500 here.

Indianapolis Colts @ Green Bay Packers- Pack beat up a shitty Seahawk tean, but won't have any luck against the Colts here.

 

Sunday Night Football: Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers- What looked to be a good match up in August is an easy Buccaneer victory.

Monday Night Football: Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots- Payback will be a bitch (again) against a team the Pats have victimized in the past. Shanahan never forgets past transgressions and will run up the score here if given a chance too.

 

EDIT: Looking at history, The Broncos have actually had a pretty good record against the Pats, but Shanahan still will run up the score if it gets out of hand.

[Kinetic 0]

The trade deadline is in a few hours, so look for a lot of speculation but very few actual trades. That said, Kansas City and Detroit are rumored to have a lot of name guys on the block, and I sort of hope that Tony Gonzalez manages to get off of that awful Chiefs team. Although we've been fairly active in trades over the last few years, I don't see the Bucs doing anything this time around. Our only area of need right now is at FB, and I can't imagine our FO giving up a draft pick or anything to fill that position.

[BruteSquad_BRODY 0]

From Football Insiders:

 

John Madden To Miss Next Sunday's Game

John Madden will sit out next week's Sunday Night game to avoid having to take three consecutive cross-country trips. Of course, if I pulled that excuse when I had to travel every week, I'd have been out of a job.

 

The lesson here, kids: Make sure you have a good agent. Cris Collinsworth will fill in.

[Kinetic 0]

Just replace him with Frank Caliendo. No one would be able to tell the difference.

[Skywarp! 0]

The trade deadline is in a few hours, so look for a lot of speculation but very few actual trades. That said, Kansas City and Detroit are rumored to have a lot of name guys on the block, and I sort of hope that Tony Gonzalez manages to get off of that awful Chiefs team.

 

I read on Google news that he is asking to be made a Giant. However, the Giants don't need any more offensive weapons. What they're hurting for is a shutdown corner.

 

 

[BX 0]

Here goes.

 

NFC:

 

TE- Jason Witten, Chris Cooler (this was extraordinarily easy)

 

Who the hell is Chris Cooler?

 

Must not be as easy as you thought.

[Kinetic 0]

Pacman Jones has been suspended indefinitely by the league. How 'bout them Cowboys?

 

Is it really that hard to envision a scenario in which this team completely melts down and fails to make the playoffs? Romo's out for a month, TO is living on a powderkeg and giving off sparks, Pacman's been suspended, Terrance Newman and Sam Hurd and Felix Jones are also hurt, they've got a lame-duck coach...on and on and on. And they have a very small margin for error playing in that brutal division. I think these guys are in a lot of trouble.

[Celtic Guardian 0]

Pacman Jones has been suspended indefinitely by the league. How 'bout them Cowboys?

 

I'd be a lot more impressed by Goodell's tough guy act if he'd crack down on non-players too.

[jimmy no nose 0]

Has there been any attention nationally on Hines Ward being fined $15,000 over the last 2 games for "playing too rough"? The whole situation doesn't seem to make any sense. I don't think he's been flagged for anything in the 2 games and there hasn't been anything specific mentioned that he did wrong, just generally "being too rough". What happened to this league?

[sfaJack 0]

Is it really that hard to envision a scenario in which this team completely melts down and fails to make the playoffs?

No. They're headed for 8-8.

 

What happened to this league?

Roger Goodell is a large part of the problem.

 

Not for the stuff like suspending Pacman (that is deserved) but more for trying to eliminate the little things that make football, you know, FOOTBALL. "Playing too rough?" WTF does that mean?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Is it really that hard to envision a scenario in which this team completely melts down and fails to make the playoffs?

No. They're headed for 8-8.

 

What happened to this league?

Roger Goodell is a large part of the problem.

 

Not for the stuff like suspending Pacman (that is deserved) but more for trying to eliminate the little things that make football, you know, FOOTBALL. "Playing too rough?" WTF does that mean?

 

Because nothing says football like guys who can't walk when they're 35. This is actually a good thing that Goodell is doing for the league. It gives you extra years to enjoy your favorite players, as opposed to seeing their careers cut short by a cocaine addict running full speed at their legs.

[MFer 0]

Roy Williams is reportedly going to Dallas for a 1st, 3rd, and a 6th. I'm definitely satisfied with this because: 1. Roy was most likely gone after this season anyways and 2. Matt Millen will not be making those draft picks. I'm generally not in favor of getting rid of your best players, but this season is shot anyways so what does it matter?

 

Also, Jon Kitna was put on IR today so it looks like the Lions may finally be headed for the youth movement at QB. All Detroit needs is a competent GM and maybe they can be decent in a year or two.

[sfaJack 0]

A 1, 3, and a 6??? WTF?

 

There better be a new cap-friendly contract included with that deal.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I guess when ESPN said very rarely will Jerry Jones not get a player he covets so much, it meant that he'd be open to fleecing.

[Maztinho 0]

I get where you are coming from Porter, but what is the line for "too rough"? If he's not getting flagged for stuff, is there some sort of Big Hit Litmus test that he's using? Excessive physicality? I'm all for keeping the players around longer and not having Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies relying heavily on the wheel chair ramp, but this mystical definition of roughness is dumb.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Dallasnews.com says that the Cowboys are getting a 7th rounder back as well, but really? A first and a third for Roy Williams? Brutal.

[Kinetic 0]

That seems like a lot to give up for Roy Williams. Unless they thought Philly was going to get him if they didn't act now, I don't know why you wouldn't just wait until the offseason and try to sign him as a free agent. A lot of people have attributed Dallas's recent resurgence to the savvy of Bill Parcells and have predicted that they'd fall back into mediocrity after a few years of Jerry Jones making all of the personnel decisions. So, uh...yeah. I don't really get this trade.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I get where you are coming from Porter, but what is the line for "too rough"? If he's not getting flagged for stuff, is there some sort of Big Hit Litmus test that he's using? Excessive physicality? I'm all for keeping the players around longer and not having Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies relying heavily on the wheel chair ramp, but this mystical definition of roughness is dumb.

 

Oh I know that, but what I'm saying is it's not right to blame Goodell for trying to improve the quality of life for those players by making those "dumb" calls. Hines Ward, IIRC, has built a reputation as a liberty taking WR. Maybe he simply got caught on tape during a recent game taking a liberty or two that the referees wasn't seeing.

[Kinetic 0]

So, yeah, it's picks in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th rounds for Roy Williams and a 7th rounder. Remember when the Pats got Randy Moss for a 4th round pick? LOL.