NFL Week 9

[BruteSquad_BRODY 0]

Sunday, Nov. 02

Game Time TV

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm

Detroit at Chicago 1:00 pm

Jacksonville at Cincinnati 1:00 pm

Baltimore at Cleveland 1:00 pm

Tampa Bay at Kansas City 1:00 pm

Houston at Minnesota 1:00 pm

Arizona at St. Louis 1:00 pm

Green Bay at Tennessee 1:00 pm

Miami at Denver 4:05 pm

Dallas at N.Y. Giants 4:15 pm

Atlanta at Oakland 4:15 pm

Philadelphia at Seattle 4:15 pm

New England at Indianapolis 8:15 pm

 

Monday, Nov. 03

Pittsburgh at Washington 8:30 pm

 

Open date: Carolina,New Orleans,San Diego,San Francisco

 

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The Niners are supposedly trying to lure Condoleezza Rice to be a executive in the organization. This may include being the team's president.

 

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[Scroby 0]

Go Oakland!

 

Do we actually have a chance against the Falcons or are we fucked against this team as well?

[Richard 0]

Chargers won't lose this week!

[2GOLD 0]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Niners getting rid of a LOT of people next year. I think Vernon Davis and J.T O'Sullivan are just two of the guys who will be out of San Fran. Hell, they would probably get rid of them now if they hadn't already went past the trade deadline. Davis has already made himself out to be a disrespectful little bitch to "Coach Sig" so I think that's it for him. Shaun Hill has been made the starting QB so if Coach Sig stays, don't be surprised if Martz leaves. Mike has already calmly informed him they are going to start running and playing ball control offense more which is definitely not the kind of offense the mad scientist knows.

 

In other news, Coach Rod of the Lions as declared losing a disease. Someone has been watching "The Natural" too much.

[cabbageboy 0]

Predictions:

 

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm: Favre was horrid at times last week but managed to win. Buffalo lost a tough one at Miami. Bills will get back on track here though. Buffalo by 7.

Detroit at Chicago 1:00 pm: The Bears will beat the Lions yet again but it might be a little closer this time. Bears by 14.

Jacksonville at Cincinnati 1:00 pm: The Jags are just a puzzling, enigmatic team. That said, this is Cincy we're talking about here. Jacksonville by 10.

Baltimore at Cleveland 1:00 pm: Could the Browns be ready to turn around their season? I think so actually. Cleveland by 3.

Tampa Bay at Kansas City 1:00 pm: Tampa is just not a good road team at all, just 1 win away from home thus far. That said, their D is still solid enough to grind out a win here. Tampa by 6.

Houston at Minnesota 1:00 pm: Should I get back on the Texans bandwagon to some extent? Sure, why not. The Vikings are unspectacular. Houston by 4.

Arizona at St. Louis 1:00 pm: Hard to predict this since Steven Jackson is banged up. I'll say that Warner sticks it to his old team and the Cardinals manage to win a wild shootout 35-31.

Green Bay at Tennessee 1:00 pm: Titans actually can't afford to slip up at home before they have a couple of tough road games. Packers are decent at times but I can't see them winning this one. Titans by 7.

 

Miami at Denver 4:05 pm: Denver is just baffling beyond words. Miami is also pretty puzzling. Since it's in Denver, I'll take the Broncos by 5.

Dallas at N.Y. Giants 4:15 pm: Dallas barely scraped by Tampa's bleh offense. This one just isn't going to happen however. NYG by 13.

Atlanta at Oakland 4:15 pm: Oakland is fairly tough to beat at home, but the Falcons somehow will find a way to get by on the road. ATL by 3.

Philadelphia at Seattle 4:15 pm: Eagles look somewhat back on track and I don't really buy the Seahawks even with their win over SF. Philly by 10.

New England at Indianapolis 8:15 pm: Okay, the Colts flat out cannot afford to lose this game at home, not if they want any hope of making the playoffs. Indy by 7.

 

Monday, Nov. 03

Pittsburgh at Washington 8:30 pm: The Redskins find ways to win but they don't exactly impress all that often. If the Steelers can protect Roethisberger better then I think they can take this game. Steelers by 4.

 

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Let's see what version of the Bills shows up this week. If it's the one that effectively shutdown a potent Chargers offense while efficiently moving the ball on offense, it's a fairly easy win. If it's the one that showed up last week, hello 5-3.

[Wally Balls 0]

Predictions:

 

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm: The Buffalo Bills are pretty inconsistent this season, and are now tied with the Pats for 1st place. I think the Bills inter-division woes continue and the Jets steal this one.

 

Detroit at Chicago 1:00 pm: Neither team is that good. I don't understand all the love for the Bears, they're in a pretty weak division and I don't think deserve the praise they get. I still think they manage to beat the Lions, but not by much.

 

Jacksonville at Cincinnati 1:00 pm: Jacksonville isn't living up to their expectations, but they should still put it to Cincy pretty badly.

 

Baltimore at Cleveland 1:00 pm: A tough inter-division game with both teams needing a win to stay in the hunt. The Ravens looked really well last week against Oakland and I think their success continues this week as well.

 

Tampa Bay at Kansas City 1:00 pm: If Tampa's offense decides to show up this week, they shouldn't have much trouble with the Chiefs.

 

Houston at Minnesota 1:00 pm: The Texans looked good last week against the Bengals, but then again, so does everyone else. The Vikings will be a bit more of a challenge, but I still think the Texans get the win here.

 

Arizona at St. Louis 1:00 pm: This should be a high scoring game with both teams probably scoring 30+ points. I think the Cardinals win this one and continue to dominate their division.

 

Green Bay at Tennessee 1:00 pm: Are the Titans for real? They certainly looked that way against the Colts. The Packers aren't a push over and I predict this will be a close game. With that said, I still think the Titans keep their perfect season going.

 

Miami at Denver 4:05 pm: Denver is an example of another team who is in first place in a bad division. Miami always plays tough and I think they get the upset here.

 

Dallas at N.Y. Giants 4:15 pm: Without Romo, this game could be a disaster for my Cowboys. If the Dallas defense plays like they did against Tampa Bay, they have a good shot at winning this one. The offense can't afford to score only one touchdown this week against NY. This is a game that could go either way. A lot of people are quick to count out the Cowboys just like they did last week, but I'm not counting them out yet. I think Dallas gets the huge upset here.

 

Atlanta at Oakland 4:15 pm: The Falcons...another team that's confusing to analyze. One week they look great, the next, not so much. Still, they're playing a not so good Raiders team. I think Matt Ryan and the Falcons get the win here.

 

Philadelphia at Seattle 4:15 pm: The Seahawks looked great against the Niners, but the Eagles are a much tougher team than the Niners. I'll take Philly in a rout.

 

New England at Indianapolis 8:15 pm: NE is coming on strong and Indy is falling fast. Indy really needs to win this game in the worst way, but I don't see it happening. I see NE coming out with the win and going up to 1st place in their division.

 

Monday, Nov. 03

Pittsburgh at Washington 8:30 pm: This is almost a repeat of last week. The Giants and Redskins are both tough opponents, although I think the Redskins have a better offense than NY. Pittsburgh's D will really be put to the test, but I still think they manage to hold off the Redskins.

[jimmy no nose 0]

Pittsburgh-Washington is a really interesting matchup. They look like the 2 least healthy teams in the league right now, but have managed to hang in just about every game so far.

 

The Steelers are already missing 2 starters on the offensive line, corner Bryant McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall is done for the year, Willie Parker is still a question mark even though he was supposed to play week 7, Ryan Clark separated his shoulder this week but expects to play, and the long-snapper situation hasn't been sorted out yet. Aaron Smith is probably the most underrated defensive lineman in the league and seems to be the biggest factor in that dominating run defense based on the end of last season, but he's dealing with a very serious family issue and apparently just showed up at the stadium Sunday after not having practiced all week. He'll have to make his decision earlier this week since they're on the road. Santonio Holmes is supposed to be back this week assuming there's no discipline from the league.

 

On the Redskins side Shawn Springs and Jason Taylor are both expected to miss the game. Santana Moss has had the hamstring issues pop up again, Portis has some kind of ankle issue, and their left tackle Chris Samuels missed last week and is supposed to need some kind of surgery. All three of them are supposed to give this week a try, but how effective they will be seems a bit uncertain at this point.

 

They should hopefully both benefit from the extra day off this week and maybe play at something closer to full strength.

 

I'm hoping Green Bay-Tennessee will be carried in my area, although I doubt it. I'm sure we'll get Giants-Cowboys as the 4:00 game since for some reason we get the Cowboys every single week no matter who they play or when. I don't think I know more than 2 or 3 Cowboys fans in the area, but they've even shown Dallas games opposite the Steelers on a couple occasions.

[devo 0]

Unbelievably important game for the Jets. If they lose, their playoff chances become very, very slim. If they win, possible first-place tie (three-way, and with a loss to the Patriots, but still).

 

The fact that they're banged up and that Favre can't seem to hit anyone in green and white does not inspire confidence.

[NoCalMike 0]

Chris Samuels is getting surgery at the end of the season.

 

Portis & Santana Moss are fine.

 

Springs & Taylor our OUT.

 

This is a very hard game to predict. This could be the game where the Skins lack of Pass Rush finally haunts them, especially with Springs being out. The Redskins secondary when healthy seems to perform well even when there is a lack of pass rush but with Springs out, I dunno.

 

Portis vs. Pittsburgh Run D is also an interesting matchup.

 

The Redskins have a bye week after this game so they should be willing to go out there and play the most physical game of football they have played all season.

 

I think Cooley has a big game and a late TD and the Skins win a close one, although I won't be suprised if Steelers win either.

 

The big factor in this game I think will be turnovers. The games against the Rams & Lions were the first time the Skins started getting sloppy with the ball. 3 Turnovers against the Rams and one against Detroit led to oppurtunities for both of those clubs. They still one the game against the Lions, but probably won't be able to overcome turnovers against a solid Steelers team.

 

Of course for all the talk of them having "let downs" and "playing down" to their competition, it makes me excited to see them face a team that they will have to "play up" to. Cause so far that has had them playing their best football.

 

Redskins 20

Steelers 17

[Guest C*Z*E*C*H]

I don't understand all the love for the Bears, they're in a pretty weak division and I don't think deserve the praise they get.

There isn't all that much love for the Bears. You're making it up. Realists understand this is yet another mediocre team, and if all the breaks go their way, they could win eight, maybe nine games before soundly losing to a wild card team. That's exactly what I'd say about the Packers and the Vikings, as well, and I'm sticking with Minnesota winning the division, like I said when Favre fake-retired this year. The Bears are odd this year, more than most years, because at everything which they profess to excel, they're terrible, and at everything they disavow, they're okay. You know, all that Lovie bullshit about "we come off the bus running" and "we're a defensive team," yet the running game is adequate at best, and the defense has to be one of the worst in the league. Maybe even one of the worst Bears defenses in many years. And yet Kyle Orton and the receivers have been pretty good.

 

The best thing I can say about the Bears is that they've yet to have their asses handed to them from wire to wire in a game. This is a damning little compliment, because the three games they did lose were squandered late, sometimes in hilarious fashion. (Note that I'm not employing Dave Wannstedt/Marvinisalunatic logic, that if you take away the big plays, the Bears are 7-0. No. This is what they are.) This partisan correspondent might have preferred that the Bears indicated their intent to epic-fail early in the 1st quarter so that the afternoon would be free.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I wasn't aware that the Bears got any praise at all. It seemed that everyone was picking them to lose 12 or more games this past offseason. They certainly aren't that bad, and might even win the division, but who's talking them up?

[cabbageboy 0]

What the hell, I'll defend the Bears to some degree. They are only 4-3, but consider those 3 losses. One was a road loss at Carolina in the last few minutes. Another was a tough OT loss to Tampa that they should have won. And the 3rd was that bizarre last second FG loss against the Falcons. If the Bears could finish games they would be 6-1 right now, and I do think they are the best team in that division.

[Guest C*Z*E*C*H]

Did you not just read what I said about not un-losing those games because they were close? The Falcons outplayed them. They didn't put away the Buccaneers and Panthers when they had the opportunities to do so, and that's why they lost. That's why the Bears beat the Eagles. They're what they should be. Why should they be 6-1, cabbageboy? Which loss are you not taking off the books? Or are you tacking on a fake loss to the Eagles in exchange for the fake wins? I never get this shit.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I said this in the NFL threads a couple weeks back, but the Bears and Packers are pretty much neck and neck right now, essentially fielding what seems to be the exact same team. A 2005 draft pick leading the team to a surprisingly strong passing game, a disappointing defense and an adequate at best running game. Chicago and Green Bay are not only at the same record, but they have the same record against the same opponents and their PF/PA is practically even. Despite how much better Frerotte has been than Jackson, Minnesota doesn't seem like they're good enough to overtake either one of those other teams. The NFC North is a pretty tough division, not as hard as the NFC East or anything obviously, but the out-of-division schedules they've had to play this year are absolutely brutal, with the surprising AFC South and the tough NFC South on schedule this year.

[The Niggardly King 0]

It's terrifying to think that it's going to be a Titans/Skins or Cardinals Super Bowl.

 

Damn, just look at the Top 10 Power Rankings Bullshit of the NFL... nobody had that shit close.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

It should be interesting to see who gets the start and more playing time either Bollinger or Johnson.

 

 

I wanna see what Johnson can do for the offense.

[Bored 0]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Niners getting rid of a LOT of people next year. I think Vernon Davis and J.T O'Sullivan are just two of the guys who will be out of San Fran. Hell, they would probably get rid of them now if they hadn't already went past the trade deadline. Davis has already made himself out to be a disrespectful little bitch to "Coach Sig" so I think that's it for him. Shaun Hill has been made the starting QB so if Coach Sig stays, don't be surprised if Martz leaves. Mike has already calmly informed him they are going to start running and playing ball control offense more which is definitely not the kind of offense the mad scientist knows.

This is all assuming Coach Samurai will be back next year since again he still just the interim coach. Everyone loved his postgame rant but the Niners are going to have to show some signs of improvement by the end of the year if they are going to retain him. I don't think anyone could realistically look at O'Sullivan as a long term solution to their quarterback problems anyways.

[NoCalMike 0]

It's terrifying to think that it's going to be a Titans/Skins or Cardinals Super Bowl.

 

Damn, just look at the Top 10 Power Rankings Bullshit of the NFL... nobody had that shit close.

 

What would be wrong with the Skins in the SB? They are a pretty historic and storied franchise, although not of late.

[Skywarp! 0]

Historically a Giants Super Bowl victory is followed by a Redskins one. Doesn't mean anything, but it's an interesting trivia nugget.

[bob_barron 0]

The Saints cut their punter (again) and their kicker (again)

[CanadianChris 0]

The Saints cut their punter (again) and their kicker (again)

I'm waiting for them to announce open tryouts. You too could be an NFL player!

[cabbageboy 0]

The Redskins don't do a whole lot for me. They just aren't.....impressive? As in they lost to the Rams at home and struggled to beat teams like Detroit and Cleveland.

 

CZECH, I can't even compliment the Bears at all? I don't recall exactly what I've said in the weekly NFL predictions, but I would think I picked the Bears to win nearly every week aside from Carolina. The Eagles game was at Soldier Field, so I had the Bears winning a close one. I think they can win the division if nothing else and maybe get to the 2nd round.

[bob_barron 0]

The Saints cut their punter (again) and their kicker (again)

I'm waiting for them to announce open tryouts. You too could be an NFL player!

 

New Orleans Saints auditioning kickers and punters

by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune Wednesday October 29, 2008, 9:28 AM

The Saints are auditioning several kickers and punters today, according to league sources. Among the candidates at kicker are Billy Cundiff, Aaron Elling, A.J. Haglund, Garrett Hartley and Dave Rayner. Cundiff and Elling worked out with the team earlier, the others are coming in today.

 

At punter, they're looking at Josh Miller and Glenn Pakulak, among others. We'll keep trying to track down some more names, and check back here for bios on these players in a little while.

 

 

I don't know who any of these people are, maybe they won the punt, pass and kick contest?

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Cundiff kicked for Dallas (I believe) a few years back.

[sfaJack 0]

Kansas City, too. You don't really want Billy Cundiff to be your kicker.

[CanadianChris 0]

The funny thing is that Cundiff was on the Saints two years ago, doing kickoffs

[Kinetic 0]

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo

 

The Bills are at home and coming off of a loss, so I like them here. Favre throws 3 picks.

 

Detroit at Chicago

 

Should be a cakewalk for the Bears, as Detroit is bad and not getting any better. Chicago's march to a division title and one-and-done playoff appearance begins here.

 

Jacksonville at Cincinnati

 

I don't know what to think of Jacksonville, but I know for a fact that Cincinnati is terrible. Jags win this one.

 

Baltimore at Cleveland

 

Hmmmm. Tough one. I'm thinking that Cleveland is starting to snap out of their early season fog, but I don't know that they'll be able to move the ball on Baltimore's defense. Still, it's in Cleveland, so I'll say Browns.

 

Tampa Bay at Kansas City

 

I think Tampa wins this one, but I pray to god that the good, efficient offense shows up. I'd rather not have to sit through another game like that shitfest in Dallas last weekend. The Bucs need this one to be a respectable 6-3 going into their bye week.

 

Houston at Minnesota

 

Hmmm. Another tough one. Two teams that I have no idea what to make of. Houston is actually playing pretty well right now, but it's in Minnesota and the Vikes are coming off of a bye. I'll have to go Minnesota.

 

Arizona at St. Louis

 

Hmmm. A lot of this depends on the status of Steven Jackson. I don't really like Arizona, but I think I'm going to be forced to pick them anyway. Boldin and Fitzgerald should have big days on that surface in the dome.

 

Green Bay at Tennessee

 

Tennessee is going to have to lose sometime, but I don't know if Green Bay is the team to give them that loss. Although the Pack did look good in dismantling Indy and are coming off of their bye. Still, it's in Tennessee and I can't pick an undefeated team to lose at home. Titans take this one.

 

Miami at Denver

 

Denver is another mystery team. If they can regain their offensive potency from the first couple of weeks, they should roll the Dolphins. But that defense is a concern. I'll have to take the home team, I guess. Denver wins.

 

Dallas at N.Y. Giants

 

The Giants should crush Dallas here. That Dallas offense just isn't clicking at all without Romo and, unlike the Bucs, the Giants have a QB who isn't completely terrified of throwing the ball more than five yards downfield, so their depleted secondary can be exploited. New York wins running away.

 

Atlanta at Oakland

 

Atlanta is actually pretty damn good, all things considered. They've struggled on the road, but Oakland shouldn't present much of a challenge. Roddy White torches DeAngelo Hall repeatedly and the Falcons win by double digits.

 

Philadelphia at Seattle

 

Seattle is total garbage, Philly is starting to get their legs underneath them. No problem for the Eagles here.

 

New England at Indianapolis

 

Hmmmm. Some marquee matchup here. I don't think either team is that great, but Indy is unbelievably mediocre this year. I think the Pats drive the final nail into the coffin this week.

 

 

Pittsburgh at Washington

 

Interesting game. I think a lot of people are underestimating Washington. Both teams are banged up all over the place. I like Washington in this one.

 

 

 

 

 

[Perfxion 0]

Sunday, Nov. 02

Game Time TV

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm

Jets need to win here, but Buffalo should win this one. Thanks a couple INTs by Farve and one being a "pick6". 27 to 20.

 

Detroit at Chicago 1:00 pm

DET goes 0-8 21 to 9.

 

Jacksonville at Cincinnati 1:00 pm

CIN goes 0-9. 19-14

 

Baltimore at Cleveland 1:00 pm

New browns beat old browns. 28-24

 

Tampa Bay at Kansas City 1:00 pm

Pissed off TB wins this one easy 35-6. No LJ makes this one no contest.

 

Houston at Minnesota 1:00 pm

HOU comes back down to earth by being run all over the place. 26-16

 

Arizona at St. Louis 1:00 pm

Rams win again, to suprise many. Make this a divisional race. 17-16

 

Green Bay at Tennessee 1:00 pm

TENN by 10. 31-21

 

Miami at Denver 4:05 pm

Denver slows this one down so they can win it. 16-13

 

Dallas at N.Y. Giants 4:15 pm

My heart wants the Dallas to win it. But my head says take the champs. Giants 35-14

 

Atlanta at Oakland 4:15 pm

ATL wins again, but its like stealing from a kid with downs syndrome. 35-3

 

Philadelphia at Seattle 4:15 pm

Close ugly game that shouldn't be. East coast Birds 17-14

 

New England at Indianapolis 8:15 pm

Last year, this was a MAJOR game. This year, not so much. But the Colts win it to stay somewhat in the divisional race.

 

Monday, Nov. 03

Pittsburgh at Washington 8:30 pm

Coin toss yielded a Pitt win, so I will say them by a touchdown. 28-21

[Just John 0]

The Saints cut their punter (again) and their kicker (again)

I'm waiting for them to announce open tryouts. You too could be an NFL player!

 

New Orleans Saints auditioning kickers and punters

by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune Wednesday October 29, 2008, 9:28 AM

The Saints are auditioning several kickers and punters today, according to league sources. Among the candidates at kicker are Billy Cundiff, Aaron Elling, A.J. Haglund, Garrett Hartley and Dave Rayner. Cundiff and Elling worked out with the team earlier, the others are coming in today.

 

At punter, they're looking at Josh Miller and Glenn Pakulak, among others. We'll keep trying to track down some more names, and check back here for bios on these players in a little while.

 

 

I don't know who any of these people are, maybe they won the punt, pass and kick contest?

 

 

Billy Cundiff's longest tenure was with the Cowboys a few years back. Dave Rayner kicked for the Chiefs not too long ago. I believe he was cut by the Packers beforehand. Josh Miller is a name that sounds familiar. I wanna say he was with the Pats at one point. I don't think there's any chance of these guys being a substantial improvement over whoever you just cut.