Monday, October 29, 2007

NFL Week 8: Running With The Devil

If you're searching for a Halloween costume, go as the scariest thing a defense coordinator can imagine: Bill Belichick. Everyone was up in arms this morning about his running up of the score during Sunday's 52-7 massacre against Washington. I, for one, have no problem with it. It is real simple, if you don't want a team running up the score on you, then don't let them. If you can't stop them, then guess what, they are going to score on you. It works that way from quarters 1-3, and it doesn't cease during quarter 4. The only problem I would have is if I were a Patriots fan, fearing an unnecessary injury to Tom Brady or Randy Moss during garbage time. As it stands, my sister is killing me in my fantasy league due to Brady's 100 points a game, so I welcome it with open arms. Oh, and if the Patriots end up destroying the Colts as well, don't even think about Belichick running the ball in the second half. If it means Wes Welker getting meaningless touchdowns that propel me to a fantasy win, so be it.

On to the games...

Cleveland at St. Louis, 27-20, 24-20
Steven Jackson promised me that he would do well, and he was, before he got injured. Again. As I said last week, trade trade trade Derek Anderson. Well, unless you have no other decent quarterback. His next three games are against Seattle, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Can the Browns seriously keep playing this well? OK, they aren't playing that well, considering they might have lost to the winless Rams if Jackson stayed on. Did anyone watch this game, by the way? I had Cleveland covering the -3, and they won by 7.

Indianapolis at Carolina, 31-7, 30-14
It's still hard to believe that the Colts defense is really this good. I mean, it's the Colts! I think what is worth noting about this game was that Marvin Harrison was out, and Peyton Manning still had 255 yards, 168 of which were to Reggie Wayne. I also saw a new Manning commercial, which by my count is the 372nd different one. But let's face it, what everyone wants to see is next week's showdown against New England. And did you know that Indy is called "The Amateur Sports Capital of the World"? Just saying. I has Indy covering the -7, as did everybody else.

Detroit at Chicago, 16-7, 27-18
No really, the Bears aren't any good. Nobody (including Vegas) seems to understand this fact. And when Brain Griese is your quarterback, it is indeed a fact. I was actually impressed by both defenses, expecting a higher score than this. But another division lost for Chicago is making their already deep hole harder to get out of. Detroit, however, is 3-0 in division games, though they are giving up more points than they've scored this season. I had Detroit covering the +5, and they did.

NY Giants at Miami, 13-10, 35-17
A lot closer than most people thought this game would have been. It just goes to show that you can not predict how players will to react to the long flight, the new country, the neutral field, the London rain, and so on. I still find it funny that we sent over the worst team in the league and the "other" Manning. It was also reported that most of the fans in attendance were actually Americans, either ones who lived there and were just happy to see a game or guys rich enough to make the flight. Oh yeah, Europe loves us. I had the Giants covering the -9.5, and they only won by 3.

Oakland at Tennessee, 9-13, 17-14
Alright, let me explain: when I made this pick, Kerry Collins was thought to be starting. It all worked out though, since Tennessee failed to cover the -7 spread. Vince Young lit up LP Field with an outstanding 42 yards passing. He had 6 pass completions and 7 rushes. But you know what, he still wins these games. Don't ask how, he just goes out there and puts the Ws on the board. And that's what it's all about.

Philadelphia at Minnesota, 23-16, 17-21
This game really surprised me. Minnesota is a decent team, even better at home, and Philly has been awful. But as the song says, it just goes to show you never really can tell. The Eagles defense actually found a way to stop Adrian Peterson, a feat that seemed almost impossible. At least Brad Childress limited Chester Taylor's carries to only 6, but I fear the loss will force him to keep splitting the carries 50/50, which would be a huge mistake. Stick with Peterson, coach. I had the Vikings covering the +1, and they loss by 7.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 24-13, 30-27
I hated this, since I had Cincy covering by half a point, which they did not. Here's what T.J. Houshmandzadeh had to say about the game, "Good teams put it in the end zone. Teams like us kick field goals". And Carson Palmer about the season thus far, "I never would have guessed it. I never would have thought it". Apparently I'm the only one who thought the Bengals were no good. Time to call Bill Cowher.

Buffalo at NY Jets, 13-3, 14-20
I waaaay overestimated the Jets' offense. Apparently, so did Eric Mangini, who announced today that he will be benching Chad Pennington for Kellen Clemens. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Jets are 1-7 since Mangini's Sopranos cameo. Plus, they only have one more game against a team with a losing record, which is December 2nd at Miami. OK, so they'll go 2-14. I had the Jets covering the -3, and they lost by 10.

Houston at San Diego, 10-35, n/a
No prediction on this one for obvious reasons. Let me say this though, I am officially on the Chargers' bandwagon. Yeah, I know, later than most. But the way they were able to focus and just lay a beat down on the Texans was extremely impressive. And the only competition they have in the AFC West is the Chiefs, who we still aren't totally sure how good they really are. And my advice to play Rosenfels wasn't that bad, since he did have a touchdown, and it was a stingy day for quarterbacks.

Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, 24-23, 10-14
Well, I started off strong. The fact that Tampa Bay lost at home to a Jags team led by Quinn Gray is just staggering. I really feel as if Jon Gruden will lose his job after this year if they can't pick themselves up. With New Orleans regaining 2006 form, they cannot afford to be losing these kind of games. Hats off to Jacksonville though. It looked as if the loss of David Gerrard would be too much, but they came through with a huge win. I had Tampa covering the -3.5, and they lost by one.

New Orleans at San Francisco, 31-10, 24-15
This one was quite obvious. The other neck-tied coach in the NFL, Mike Nolan, can't overcome his injury problems. What a disappointment they have been. And what a disappointment the Saints were, until coming back with three straight wins. They are right in the mix in the NFC South. I get the feeling that Drew Brees and Reggie Bush have decided to carry this team, realizing that they are New Orleans only hope. What a duo those two have become. I had the Saints covering the -2.5, and they for sure did.

Washington at New England, 7-52, 10-30
I knew it was going to be bad, just not this bad. There's nothing more I can say that hasn't already been said. I had New England covering the -16.5.


I went 6-5 this week, not counting tonight's game. That makes me 31-30-2. Finally over .500!

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