NFL Pick 'em Week 1

[Ryan Pode]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis

Sunday Early
Philadelphia at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota
Miami at Washington
Kansas City at Houston
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville
Denver at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis
New England at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle
Chicago at San Diego

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas

Monday Night
Baltimore at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco


As always, pick's in before gametime. I.E. make a seperate post for your Thursday pick, then the rest if you wish.


Good luck.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

The first few weeks are always coin flips.

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

Sunday Early
(W) Philadelphia at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota (W)
Miami at Washington (W)
(W) Kansas City at Houston
(W) Pittsburgh at Cleveland
(W) Tennessee at Jacksonville
(W) Denver at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis (W)
(W) New England at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
(W) Detroit at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle (W)
Chicago at San Diego (W)

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (W)

Monday Night
(W) Baltimore at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco (W)


Also, Pode. Accept my trade!

[Liam Jinn]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia (W) at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota (W)
Miami at Washington (W)
Kansas City at Houston (W)
Pittsburgh (W) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville (W)
Denver (W) at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis (W)
New England (W) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit (W) at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle (W)
Chicago (W) at San Diego

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (W)

Monday Night
Baltimore (W) at Cincinnati
Arizona at San Francisco (W)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Thursday
W New Orleans at Indianapolis

Sunday Early
W Philadelphia at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota W
Miami at Washington W
W Kansas City at Houston
W Pittsburgh at Cleveland
W Tennessee at Jacksonville
W Denver at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis W
W New England at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland W
Tampa Bay at Seattle W
Chicago at San Diego W

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas W

Monday Night
W Baltimore at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco W

[Rutabaga]

Football! Football football football!!!!! :dance

Now, time to see if I can defend my crown this season ;). As per last year, my choices will generally be made on gut instinct, luck, and sentimental feelings. Anything could happen! Stay tuned! :dance


Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia (W) at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota (W)
Miami at Washington (W)
Kansas City (W) at Houston
Pittsburgh (W) at Cleveland
Tennessee (W) at Jacksonville
Denver at Buffalo (W)
Carolina (W) at St. Louis
New England (W) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit (W) at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle (W)
Chicago at San Diego (W)

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants (W) at Dallas

Monday Night
Baltimore at Cincinatti (W)
Arizona at San Francisco (W)

[Miranda Tarkin]

I get to play this year!!! Yay!!!!

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia at Green Bay (W)
Atlanta (W) at Minnesota
Miami at Washington (W)
Kansas City at Houston (W)
Pittsburgh (W) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville (W)
Denver at Buffalo (W)
Carolina (W) at St. Louis
New England (W) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit (W) at Oakland
Tampa Bay (W) at Seattle
Chicago (W) at San Diego

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (W)

Monday Night
Baltimore (W) at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco (W)

[Morgan Evanar]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia (W) at Green Bay
Atlanta (W) at Minnesota
Miami at Washington (W)
Kansas City (W) at Houston
Pittsburgh (W) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville (W)
Denver at Buffalo (W)
Carolina (W) at St. Louis
New England (W) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland (W)
Tampa Bay at Seattle (W)
Chicago at San Diego (W)

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (W)

Monday Night
Baltimore (W) at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco (W)

[JMK]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (w)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia at Green Bay (w)
Atlanta at Minnesota (w)
Miami at Washington (w)
Kansas City (w) at Houston
Pittsburgh (w) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville (w)
Denver (w) at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis (w)
New England (w) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit (w) at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle (w)
Chicago at San Diego (w)

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (w)

Monday Night
Baltimore at Cincinatti (w)
Arizona at San Francisco (w)

[Park Kraken]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia at Green Bay (W)
Atlanta (W) at Minnesota
Miami at Washington (W)
Kansas City at Houston (W)
Pittsburgh (W) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville (W)
Denver at Buffalo (W)
Carolina at St. Louis (W)
New England at N.Y. Jets (W)

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland (W)
Tampa Bay (W) at Seattle
Chicago (W) at San Diego

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (W)

Monday Night
Baltimore at Cincinatti (W)
Arizona at San Francisco (W)

[Kale]

Oh, good! I was looking for this thread...

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis WIN

Sunday Early
Philadelphia WIN at Green Bay
Atlanta WIN at Minnesota
Miami at Washington WIN
Kansas City WIN at Houston
Pittsburgh WIN at Cleveland
Tennessee WIN at Jacksonville
Denver WIN at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis WIN
New England WIN at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit WIN at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle WIN
Chicago at San Diego WIN

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas WIN

Monday Night
Baltimore WIN at Cincinnati
Arizona at San Francisco WIN

Seems to me for the most part, the first week is usually a crapshoot.

[Yog]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis (W)

(will submit the rest of my picks later)

[jjwr]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis(W)

Sunday Early
Philadelphia(W) at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota(W)
Miami at Washington(W)
Kansas City at Houston(W)
Pittsburgh(W) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville(W)
Denver(W) at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis(W)
New England(W) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland(W)
Tampa Bay at Seattle(W)
Chicago at San Diego(W)

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas(W)

Monday Night
Baltimore(W) at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco(W)

[Ryan Pode]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis Win


Sunday Early
Philadelphia Win at Green Bay
Atlanta Win at Minnesota
Miami at Washington Win
Kansas City at Houston Win
Pittsburgh Win at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville Win
Denver at Buffalo Win
Carolina at St. Louis Win
New England Win at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland Win
Tampa Bay at Seattle Win
Chicago at San Diego Win

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas Win

Monday Night
Baltimore Win at Cincinatti
Arizona Win at San Francisco

[Yog]

1 hour countdown to the start of NFL season. Are you ready for some football!? :D

[Liam Jinn]

I've been ready since the end of last season :)

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Thursday
New Orleans at Indianapolis WIN

Sunday Early
Philadelphia WIN at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota WIN
Miami at Washington WIN
Kansas City WIN at Houston
Pittsburgh WIN at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville WIN



Denver at Buffalo WIN
Carolina at St. Louis WIN
New England WIN at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late



Detroit WIN at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle WIN
Chicago at San Diego WIN

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas WIN

Monday Night
Baltimore WIN at Cincinatti
Arizona at San Francisco WIN

[Kale]

Yay! Games that mean something!

[Jedieb]

Indy
GB
Atl
Wash
NYJ
Jax
Den
Pit
StL
KC
Sea
SD
Det
Dallas
Cin

ARZ

[Yog]

Man, the Saints are getting steamrolled.

[Kale]

41-10.

Man, the Colts looked like they were in top form tonight. Just a few miscues early in the game that held the score to 10-10 at the half, but they came out huge in the third quarter, quickly racking up a pair of TD's and playing takeaway with Drew Brees on defense.

By contrast, the Saints looked timid on offense. Never really tried to challenge that Colts D deep until late in the game, when they got burned for interceptions. The Colts defense was aggressive and physical and completely grounded last year's number one offense, holding them to only a field goal.

Once again, AFC > NFC.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The Saints didn't play agressive at all. They were way too conservative. They needed to get out of the gate on the road. Got to question now if they have what it takes to make it to the SB. I thought they were the best but who knows now. The funny thing is I think indy is the third best team right now. I say the Chargers or Patriots are both better teams.

[Yog]

Colts looked really impressive in the preseason, so I am somehow not surprised. Although, I did not expect Saints offensive line to collapse like they did. Not sure how much that was because of Colts defense, or if it will be a reoccurring phenomena for the Saints in future games. It's hard to believe Saints were one of the most powerful offenses last year.

You can bet Brees, Colston, Bush and McAllister owners in fantasy were pretty frustrated last night, and there will be some trade offers by nervous managers in various leagues already. Somehow, I avoided taking any of their offensive line in the 4 fantasy drafts I participated in. My Peyton Manning pick looked really promising last night, god Peyton is such a monster. I also have to congratulate owners of Harrison, Wayne and Addai (in particular Addai). It's shaping up to become a fun season for them.. :)

[JMK]

Don't tell me that on top of being an offensive juggernaut that the Colts are going to be a defensive powerhouse too? They completely smothered the Saints potent offense. Sure they were at home, but the Saints aren't exactly the Raiders on offense. Great start for Indy - that was a statement game, if such a thing exists in week 1.

[jjwr]

Its only week 1 and they have the big home opener after the SB win....give them a few weeks and we'll know what kind of team they really are.

[Kale]

Its only week 1 and they have the big home opener after the SB win....give them a few weeks and we'll know what kind of team they really are.

This is truth for the Saints, as well. Season openers tend to be sloppy games, which was why I was so impressed that the Colts came out so strong. But a lot can happen in sixteen games. The Saints really looked no better than this in their first game last year, and, really, this is their first time trying to repeat a playoff appearance in over a decade. Good players and good coaches can rebound from a shellacking like this.

[Ryan Pode]

The Colts weren't as dominant as yall make them out to be. The longest pass the Saints tried to make was about 24 yards and that was late, late in the game. The Saints played into the Colt's cover-2 perfectly by dunking and dinking to backs and tight ends. As for the Colts offense, if Jason David gave the recievers anymore cushion, he'd be in the stands. Manning was off most of the night (he had maybe three good throws), but for the most part, the Saints are the defense we expected.

Wait until the Colts play New England, Baltimore, and San Diego. Hell, Ugoh was being manhandled by a second tier defensive end. I wouldn't be surprised if Mario Williams had his coming out party against him next week. He's got the size to bullrush him, but he's also got a lot of speed, something Grant lacks. And once a team has a premier rusher (Merriman, Suggs, Peppers), I'd be real worried about not only Manning getting blindsided, but the effect it will have on the run game, as they'll have to pull the guard to help Ugoh, as Merriman, Suggs, and Peppers all play the run really, really well.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think that young LTwill still be the Colts undoing. To me that retirement, along with the injury to the DT will keep them from the SB. I still think the SB will be between either the Chargers or Patriots. At this point a NFC team would have to really impress me.

[jjwr]

Manning was hitting some WIDE open receivers too. Saints aren't the strongest defensive team out there and it showed.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The Saints had a chance though. It was 10-10 at halftime. If they had played more agressive early they could have took a decent lead and changed the game.

[Kale]

Me, I'm looking forward to having more games to talk about. :)

Incidentally, if you're not sure what games will be covered in your area, I highly recommend this site (http://www.the506.com/nflmaps/), which posts weekly TV distribution maps for all local-coverage NFL games. He does a very good job of researching. He usually uploads the map for each week sometime around Wednesday.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Based on that I get either the Jets and Patriots or Dolphins and Redskins. I rather have the former because the latter will probably be a rough game.

[Kale]

If you know where your CBS affiliate is located, that's the location that really matters for you. I live north of Cincinnati, but we get CBS stations from Cincinnati and Dayton. Sometimes that means we get to see two different games on CBS.

[Jedi Master Carr]

My Affiilate is Augusta, GA so I think I get the Patriots game tomorrow. I know I get the crappy Falcons on Fox. Those games are going to be a joke this year. Reminds me of the days when they won 3-5 games and when the 49ers and Rams beat the crap out of them.

[Kale]

Actually, I'm not convinced the Falcons are going to be all that worse off than if they still had Michael Vick. Even with Vick, they depended on their running backs and defense far more than their passing game. Yes, Vick's running was a threat that had to be accounted for, but I think his inaccurate passing was a gamebreaker more often than his running abilities. Joey Harrington's got much better players around him than he did back in Detroit. He's not going to put up Pro Bowl numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but he should be decent for them.

They're certainly not playoff contenders, but I don't see them dropping to the basement of the league, especially not in a still-weak NFC.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Go to a sports bar and watch all the games at the same time. ;)

[Jedieb]

No, get the NFL Sunday Ticket and watch them all from your own couch! :cool

The Colts looked better than I thought they would, especially on defense. This is how Indy usually starts their season. They've the last team to lose or one of the last teams to remain undefeated for the last few seasons. I think they're looking at another fast start. It's just one game and week 1 still isn't here yet, but things couldn't have gone much better for Manning and the Colts Thursday night.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

But you couldn't watch them all at the same time unless you have six big screens. ;)

[Ryan Pode]

Bar is cheaper than direct ticket. :p

[Jedi Master Carr]

Actually, I'm not convinced the Falcons are going to be all that worse off than if they still had Michael Vick. Even with Vick, they depended on their running backs and defense far more than their passing game. Yes, Vick's running was a threat that had to be accounted for, but I think his inaccurate passing was a gamebreaker more often than his running abilities. Joey Harrington's got much better players around him than he did back in Detroit. He's not going to put up Pro Bowl numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but he should be decent for them.

They're certainly not playoff contenders, but I don't see them dropping to the basement of the league, especially not in a still-weak NFC.

I think Warrick Dunn is out the first two games though. I just think they will have their problems, especially with Harrington. They should sign Leftwich, he is way better than Int Harrington.

[Ryan Pode]

Dunn is the starter. Playing. Unless he got hurt since the end of preseason.

[Yog]

Thursday pick in previous post.


Sunday Early
Philadelphia (W) at Green Bay
Atlanta at Minnesota (W)
Miami at Washington (W)
Kansas City at Houston (W)
Pittsburgh (W) at Cleveland
Tennessee at Jacksonville (W)
Denver (W) at Buffalo
Carolina at St. Louis (W)
New England (W) at N.Y. Jets

Sunday Late
Detroit at Oakland (W)
Tampa Bay at Seattle (W)
Chicago at San Diego (W)

Sunday Night
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (W)

Monday Night
Baltimore at Cincinatti (W)
Arizona at San Francisco (W)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Dunn is the starter. Playing. Unless he got hurt since the end of preseason.

I thought I read somewhere he was suspended for two games for some violation. I think he got caught drinking and driving or something.

[Yog]

In 15 minutes, the season starts for real. Man, I am so excited! :crack

[Ryan Pode]

Dunn is the starter. Playing. Unless he got hurt since the end of preseason.

I thought I read somewhere he was suspended for two games for some violation. I think he got caught drinking and driving or something.

He's got carries in the first quarter.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Dunn is the starter. Playing. Unless he got hurt since the end of preseason.

I thought I read somewhere he was suspended for two games for some violation. I think he got caught drinking and driving or something.

He's got carries in the first quarter.

I guess I heard wrong about him, must have gotten him confused with someone else.
Chief fans are going to kill that kicker after missing a 30 yeard FG.

[Yog]

Chiefs suck :p

I am watching Panthers vs Rams. Exciting game, although I bet Rams offense will win the day in the end.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Chiefs suck :p

I am watching Panthers vs Rams. Exciting game, although I bet Rams offense will win the day in the end.

Well their defense is playing pretty good. The problem is special teams and now they are suffering injuries. Kennison got hurt which makes it harder with their WR's.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am getting good fantasy numbers from Brady.

[Yog]

Apart from Brady and Moss, almost everything out there tanks fantasy wise right now.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I wish I had Moss in our league. I have him in another one. I look brilliant right now having Moss and Brady in that one.

[Yog]

Harrington is an utter disaster.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Harrington sucks, they need to sign Leftwich tomorrow. Also I have to say the Patriots looked very impressive. I say there win was more impressive than the Colts on Thursday because it was on the road.

[Yog]

Holy crap!! Did you guys see the last minute drama in the Broncos game?? Elam botched it twice, and then becomes the hero kicking 42 yarder with 00 seconds on the clock.

[Rutabaga]

Holy crap!! Did you guys see the last minute drama in the Broncos game?? Elam botched it twice, and then becomes the hero kicking 42 yarder with 00 seconds on the clock.

They beat my Bills, wwwaahhhh! :cry

And to top it off, my local Fox affiliate, which is obviously beholden to/afraid of the Raiders fans in the area every freaking season, is showing the Raiders/Lions game and not the Chargers/Bears game. :shakefist

That sucks. :shootin

[Kale]

Yay, Jason Elam saves one of my picks!

But obviously my faith in Joey Harrington was sadly misplaced. :p

I'm 6-4 so far, not a great start - in addition to the Falcons sucking up the field, Green Bay pulls off the upset thanks to a muffed punt which set up a last-second winning field goal, Houston makes Kansas City look silly, and the Panthers overpower the Rams. But at least I got the easiest pick of the week right - the Steelers continue their dominance over the Browns, and Coach Tomlin gets his first career NFL victory! :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yay, Jason Elam saves one of my picks!

But obviously my faith in Joey Harrington was sadly misplaced. :p

I'm 6-4 so far, not a great start - in addition to the Falcons sucking up the field, Green Bay pulls off the upset thanks to a muffed punt which set up a last-second winning field goal, Houston makes Kansas City look silly, and the Panthers overpower the Rams. But at least I got the easiest pick of the week right - the Steelers continue their dominance over the Browns, and Coach Tomlin gets his first career NFL victory! :D

I'd say Kc's offense makes Houston's defense look great. 3 of Houston's scores come of Kc's offense and Special team mistakes. Kc's defense played solid but the offense and special teams were so bad that it didn't matter. I guess I will be rooting for the Patriots pretty much this season.

[Yog]

[I guess I will be rooting for the Patriots pretty much this season.

Oh GOD NO!!! You traitor!!! :shootin

[Jedi Master Carr]

[I guess I will be rooting for the Patriots pretty much this season.

Oh GOD NO!!! You traitor!!! :shootin

Traitor :p Well I am from Rhode Island originally and am a big Red Sox fan. I would consider the Patriots my second favorite team.

[Yog]

Of all the teams in NFL you had to pick Patriots :cry

Half time..

Bears look really great. If they had a decent QB, they would have been spanking Chargers right now.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Heh can't help I was born there. I know about the Bears, Grossman is just horrible. SD's defense looks great too.

[Yog]

It is almost impossible for the human mind to conceptualize how horrible Grossman is.

[Liam Jinn]

I'm glad I lucked out and got SD Defense for the fantasy league :) Not doing too shabby this week for never having played before. HA! Turnover :D

[Yog]

Yeah, you are doing great. A win in your first week for sure.

[jjwr]

Traitor Well I am from Rhode Island originally and am a big Red Sox fan. I would consider the Patriots my second favorite team.

Thats right join us! There is plenty of room for all!

How about the Randy Moss show? WOW!!! Pats have NEVER had a WR that could do that...this is going to be a really fun year! I don't think its a stretch to say with the road win over the only credible team in the division that the Pats just locked up the AFC East.

[Figrin D'an]

New England was impressive.

So was Indy on Thursday.

I think the Chargers are going to be in trouble with Norv Turner as their head coach. They got rid of Schottenheimer, couldn't win the post season, and replace him with a guy who can't win the regular season to even GET to the post season. They may make the playoffs, just because they'll out-talent their coaching staff's bad schemes at times, but it'll be as a wild card team. Denver will win AFC West.

Green Bay's defense was really impressive today. McNabb always has big games on opening day, and they made him look pretty pedestrian. Had the Packers offense actually done anything, that game could have been rather one-sided.

Adrian Peterson could be a beast for the Vikings in a couple of years, as long as he stays healthy.

[Yog]

Chargers had 1 yard to go, and then this happens..

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5620/3ac04e9c345544f0882f2ebut6.jpg

Unbelievable that play is not reviewed.

[Kale]

By the current rules, it's non-reviewable. Perhaps offsides will be added to the list of reviewable infractions, but I doubt it - very rarely is it so much of an issue. I think the bigger issue is that Pete Morelli is continuing to prove himself as the worst head ref in the NFL. I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a deciding factor in this game.

Anybody watching the Raiders and Lions? What looked like another snooze fest is turning out to be a quite interesting game. It probably has to do more with defensive breakdowns than anything else, but still - after the Raiders fell behind 17-0, I was surprised to see they had taken back the lead 21-20. Now Detroit has scored a touchdown to go ahead, and the Raiders are driving with under four minutes to go.

Of course, if it's up to the Raiders offense to win this game, they'll find a way to screw it up.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Pentalies aren't reviewable (I think that is what happened. I didn't see the play because I was out). SD has a very good defenese, how impressive this win is debable. I disagree with you Fig about SD winning the Wild Card. The should win at least 11 games. No way does Denver win more than that. The Broncos are a 10 win team, IMO. They barely beat a mediocre Buffalo team. Also that Bears-Chiefs game next sunday should be one a lowest scoring game, unless the Bears score on defense.

[Jedi Master Carr]

By the current rules, it's non-reviewable. Perhaps offsides will be added to the list of reviewable infractions, but I doubt it - very rarely is it so much of an issue. I think the bigger issue is that Pete Morelli is continuing to prove himself as the worst head ref in the NFL. I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a deciding factor in this game.

Anybody watching the Raiders and Lions? What looked like another snooze fest is turning out to be a quite interesting game. It probably has to do more with defensive breakdowns than anything else, but still - after the Raiders fell behind 17-0, I was surprised to see they had taken back the lead 21-20. Now Detroit has scored a touchdown to go ahead, and the Raiders are driving with under four minutes to go.

Of course, if it's up to the Raiders offense to win this game, they'll find a way to screw it up.

I am not surprised its close. Detroit is all offense. Their defense is terrilbe.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Of course, if it's up to the Raiders offense to win this game, they'll find a way to screw it up.

You sure nailed that one :p I am just glad the Raiders are in the same division as the Chiefs because I think they are still worse than KC.

[Morgan Evanar]

I'm 7-6 so far >_<

[Rutabaga]

If I'm counting correctly, I think I'm 10-3 so far. :)

But here it is, only the first weekend of the season, and I already have an ulcer. I swear, when the Raiders went ahead 21-20, I almost turned the game off. But I hung in there, and I'm glad I did. They had one good quarter or so, but the rest of the time, they were their usual suckalicious selves. :dance

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am 8-5, going against the Colts was probably dumb on my part. The Eagles and Rams let me down. I am not sure why I picked Oakland now.

[Liam Jinn]

9-4 so far, ditto on the Eagles and Rams. Doesn't matter though, the Dallas game is about to start :)

[Kale]

9-4.

Woah, Eli's off to a pretty good start - Plax just burned the Dallas D for a 60 yard TD.

And the PAT is no good!

[Ryan Pode]

Mario Williams has more TDs than Bush. Who's laughing now?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Mario Williams has more TDs than Bush. Who's laughing now?

I am sure that will change.

[Liam Jinn]

Nice TD run on 4th down by Barber :) Cowboys up 10 - 6

[Rutabaga]

Kevin Everett of the Bills may be paralyzed...sad. :(

[Liam Jinn]

Beautiful one-handed catch for a TD by T.O!


Kevin Everett of the Bills may be paralyzed...sad. :(

I didn't see the play where that guy got hurt, but they showed a clip of the team around him kneeling and praying. That really kinda put a knot in the middle of my stomach. :\

[Kale]

D'oh, I was really hoping the Giants could pull it out, but their secondary can't cover for anything. R.W. McQuarters just got burned by the fourth receiver on the depth chart.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Eli got hurt and the Giants are down by 10.

[Liam Jinn]

Dallas wins :)

[Yog]

I am 10-4 before the monday games.

[JMK]

11-3 so far. Not a bad start. I'm not sure why I took Oakland either. They are the most untrustworthy team in history...but the Lions are right behind them. It was a battle of dumb-dumbs out there and the Raiders just confirmed they are the dumbest.

[Rutabaga]

10-4 now for me...picking New York was one of those emotional things, since I hate the Cowpies so much. What a topsy-turvy game, ugh.

[Kale]

Barring counting errors, here's where we stand so far.

JMK - 11-3
Nathanial K'cansce - 11-3
jjwr - 10-4
Kale - 10-4
Liam - 10-4
Miranda - 10-4
Rutabaga - 10-4
Yog - 10-4
Carr - 9-5
Jedieb - 9-5
Aurelias - 8-6
Morgan - 8-6
Ryan - 8-6
Park - 7-7

For the remaining two games, ten people picked Baltimore to four Cincinnati, and two people picked Arizona to twelve San Francisco.

Ken Wisenhunt gets no love.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I've got my fingers crossed for San Fran. :)

[jjwr]

I picked the 49'ers but got Cardinals! Pats have that niners 1st rounder next year and I want it as high as possible!

[Kale]

Wow, what a wild start! Three consecutive Ravens drives end in fumbles. Bengals kicker Shayne Graham is injured on a missed FG return, causing the Bengals to miss an extra point. And Ray Lewis is nursing some sort of injury to his right arm. Unsuprisingly, this game may defy the narrative all the commentators have been setting up for it.

[Ryan Pode]

Three fumbles lost, only down 12-10 at the half. Could be worse. Knock on wood.

[jjwr]

Jaworski is great! So much better than Theisman, why did it take them so long to try him?

[Ryan Pode]

I agree. Jaws and Tony have great chemistry, very humorous. I am enjoying the broadcast. Much better than Al Michaels sucking upto Madden. Although, Madden is unintentionally funny. Which is still good.

[Rutabaga]

Due to the time difference, I haven't seen much of the Bengals/Ravens game at all. But it's the Niners/Cardinals game I'm really looking forward to.

BTW, update on Kevin Everett of the Bills, the injury is "catastrophic":

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/09/10/bc.fbn.bills.everetthur.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

It's tragic, absolutely tragic. We're huge Bills fans since my family originated in Buffalo, and Everett is at the hospital where both my brother and sister were born. Plus the play was a clean play. Seems like it was one of those proverbial on in a million things. :(

[Kale]

Actually, the old Sunday night crew of Theisman, McGwire, and Patrick, was my favorite crew back when they were still together. Tirico, Jaworski, and Kornheiser are fine, but I really loved the chemistry the old crew had.

I really dislike Madden and Michaels. They're both full of themselves, and they routinely miss entire plays and get the rules wrong when they try to explain them.

But the two worst commentators on TV are Randy Cross and Chris Gumbel. They're the kind of announcers who try to force their narrative onto the game, regardless of whether it fits. Any time one of them is commenting, I usually watch the game muted.

[Ryan Pode]

Can't win with seven turnovers.

[Rutabaga]

Holy cow, did you see that? Absolute heartbreaker if you're a Ravens fan.

[Kale]

Oh, good grief. The refs have just messed this up big-time.

Kyle Boller threw a fade to Todd Heap for a TD on fourth and goal from inside the one, and the official threw a flag for offensive pass interference. Replays showed it was a phantom call. That's bad.

On fourth and goal from the ten, Kyle Boller threw incomplete over the middle, and the refs called defensive holding. There was some back-and-forth contact, but nothing worth a foul. It was clear a make-up call. That's worse.

As it turned out, the Bengals made the pick in the endzone for a touchback and the win. I rarely say something like this, but I feel bad for Ravens fans. The refs really screwed that one up.

[Liam Jinn]

Wow.

As much as I want to give Pode a hard time, I can't. Ravens were robbed a TD.

[Kale]

GOOD GRIEF, the 49ers and Cardinals offenses look terrible. With the third quarter over, Alex Smith and Matt Leinart combine for 127 yards through the air. Everybody's dropping passes - even the DBs.

Here I thought this would be a decent offensive showdown, but the offenses haven't shown up. Even though the 49ers are ahead, it looks like Edgerrin James is going to be the difference late in the game, and if the 9ers can't get Frank Gore rolling, they're going to lose.

[Kale]

Grah, the officials manufactured that TD drive for the Cardinals. They turned a five-yard facemask into a personal foul and automatic first down, and they overlooked an obvious holding penalty to allow Matt Leinart to scramble for 20 yards, then added a taunting penalty to the end of it. The hold was awful - had the 49er defender completely wrapped up from behind, and that was the sole reason Leinart made it out of the pocket. What a horrible job of officiating.

This game calls to mind the tagline from Alien Vs. Predator.

No matter who wins, we lose.

[Rutabaga]

What a sloppy game. Thank goodness the Niners pulled it together at the last minute when they really needed to. They were lucky to win, but like they said in the booth, all that matters in the end is the "W." I'll take it, no matter how flawed it was. :)

[Jedieb]

Nobody loves to rag on Kyle Boller and the Ravens more than I do, but they both got hosed last night. That should have been a TD and the Bengals should have gotten the ball with under 2 minutes with a chance to avoid OT. The Bengals looked alot tougher than I thought they would. They stood up to the Ravens and punched them right back and that's part of the reason they got so many turnovers.

Attention Pats; you cheated and it's going to cost you some draft picks. Honestlly, why does Bellichek do this kind of stuff? It's beneath him.

The Giants are going to be horrible in September. QB out, RB out, I don't know what their schedule looks like, but unless they play the Browns every week in September they're done.

[Ryan Pode]

Bengals were up because it was Monday night, their house, they hate the Ravens. I don't expect the Bengal defense to play that way again this season. Conversely, the Ravens offense, apart from the turnovers, looked like it can be effective, provided play calling improves.

[JMK]

Attention Pats; you cheated and it's going to cost you some draft picks. Honestlly, why does Bellichek do this kind of stuff? It's beneath him.


I don't think it is. This isn't the first time the Pats have been called out for this. I'm sure he's not the only one that has ever tried this, but where there's smoke, there's fire. Twice now he has made headlines for trying to steal signs, which is clearly against the rules, and punishable. And let's not forget how "friendly" Belichick was after the Jets game last season when Mangini went to shake his hand. More and more I'm losing respect for this guy. He may be a good coach, but he's coming across as no more personable than Barry Bonds and doesn't seem to mind playing dirty either.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Attention Pats; you cheated and it's going to cost you some draft picks. Honestlly, why does Bellichek do this kind of stuff? It's beneath him.


I don't think it is. This isn't the first time the Pats have been called out for this. I'm sure he's not the only one that has ever tried this, but where there's smoke, there's fire. Twice now he has made headlines for trying to steal signs, which is clearly against the rules, and punishable. And let's not forget how "friendly" Belichick was after the Jets game last season when Mangini went to shake his hand. More and more I'm losing respect for this guy. He may be a good coach, but he's coming across as no more personable than Barry Bonds and doesn't seem to mind playing dirty either.'

I think most teams do it and get away with it. I have heard talk about other coaches that were guilty of this. It is like stealing signs in baseball.

[Rutabaga]

Holy cow, a miracle may be happening in Buffalo.... :eek

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/09/11/bills.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

[Ryan Pode]

John Ogden may be done forever. Doesn't look good for him and that damned toe.

[Ryan Pode]

Your official Week One totals:

JMK 13-3
Nathanial K'cansce 12-4
Rutabaga 12-4
Yog 12-4
jjwr 11-5
Kale 11-5
Liam Jinn 11-5
Aurelias Kazaar 10-6
Jedieb 10-6
Jedi Master Carr 10-6
Miranda Tarkin 10-6
Morgan Evanar 9-7
Ryan Pode 8-8
Park Kraken 8-8


Remember, it's a long season.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Holy cow, a miracle may be happening in Buffalo.... :eek

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/09/11/bills.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

That is great news. I hope he can at least walk again.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I'm kinda glad Pode never acknowledged my trade of Willis for Moss. *keeps Moss forever and ever*


I watched that hit real time... not pretty. :(

[jjwr]

I don't understand by the Pats would be blatant if they wanted to try it. Word is a lot of teams do it but why be so blatant about it? I'd really like to hear more about this but knowing the Pats they won't really talk about it and we'll never know the thought process behind it and how far it went. As Mike & Mike said this morning what about Weis, Crennel, Mangini, etc...these guys were all a big part of the Pats and if they have done this for a long time then they were involved too. Then again maybe its only something recent, again we don't know.

[JMK]

We know it goes back at least one year. Maybe since Belichick lost all of those great assistants, he needed to resort to some other tactic in order keep up.

I think other teams do this, but since the Pats have been accused of it before, they may be watched a little more closely. I will be very interested to hear the penalty - how many draft picks they will lose, and in which round(s).

[jjwr]

I think other teams do this, but since the Pats have been accused of it before, they may be watched a little more closely. I will be very interested to hear the penalty - how many draft picks they will lose, and in which round(s).

I've been reading that its something every team does, just not as obviously as the Pats did it. Guy on NFL.com had a article on it and said just about all teams have someone up in the coaches booth with a big pair of binoculars trained on the opposing coaches calling the plays.

If thats the case its not really any different than what the Pats did, the Pats just crossed a line by having a camera on the sideline...possibly because they recorded it?

[Kale]

Patriots under investigation for following rules, guidelines violations ...
1. Page 105 of the Game Operations manual says: "No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game." It later says: "All video shooting locations must be enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead."

2. And, a memo from Ray Anderson, NFL head of football operations, to head coaches and GMs on Sept. 6, 2006 said: "Video taping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent’s offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches’ booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game."

Comes from this article (http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d802456c2&template=with-video&confirm=true) on NFL.com.

The issue is the use of a video camera, especially since the Patriots were explicitly warned about it in the past. That makes this at least a second offense.

And, yes, many people are giving the same sort of arguments you hear about performance enhancers - everybody does it, cheating is just part of the game... But I'd hesitate to say that everybody does either one, and, just as with the performance enhancers, you have to address and discipline confirmed violations. A couple years ago, the Steelers mistakenly violated salary cap rules, a violation which they brought to the league's attention, and they were docked a pick in the following draft. Given that the Patriots were caught red-handed doing something they were warned against in the past, I think the penalty here has to be more severe.

As to what other forms of espionage are being employed around the league, I really don't know how you combat that. Maybe there's only so much policing the league can do. The owner's committee did vote down a proposal that would have allowed one defensive player on each team to wear a radio receiver in his helmet so the sideline coaches could radio in the signals. Bill Parcells suggested giving the defenders quarterback-style wristbands with the defensive schemes listed by number and changing the numbers every week. Not really sure how that'd work better than signals from the sidelines, though.

[Ryan Pode]

What the patriots are doing is cheating. It's only gamesmanship if its not explicitly outlawed. Like trashtalking or watching the opposing sideline's coaches. That's why they hold the clipboard over their mouth.

[Ryan Pode]

http://100percentinjuryrate.blogspot.com/2007/09/patriots-are-not-good-at-subterfuge.html

Picture and commentary of the guy with the camera.

[Park Kraken]

You have my scores reversed. With the two Monday night wins, I would be at 9-7, not 7-9.

[jjwr]

What the patriots are doing is cheating. It's only gamesmanship if its not explicitly outlawed. Like trashtalking or watching the opposing sideline's coaches. That's why they hold the clipboard over their mouth.

So its gamemanship if the teams have a guy in the booth with Binoculars watching the coaches and radio'ing the signals down but its cheating if its done from the sidelines? Thats an awefully fine line. No doubt the Pats broke the rules by using a camera but the act is exactly the same and is trying to achieve the same result.

If this was the Browns no one would care, Pats have been the top dog for a while now and people are piling on while they can.

[Kale]

That's the point - they broke the rules, and, what's more, this is a repeat offense. Other teams have violated various league rules before. They have been punished, usually with fines or draft picks. If this was the Browns, people would indeed care, and they'd face a similar punishment.

Now, I will agree that many fans, team organizations, and media figures are overreacting because it is the Patriots, and I've heard some ridiculous penalties bandied about - force them to forfeit their win against the Jets, or even bar them from the playoffs - these measures are not even on the table for Goodell. It'll be a draft pick, or it'll be two if they want to crack down harder.

I have to admit I'm not sure how to think of it in terms of cheating or gaining an unfair advantage. I've heard the same things about other teams using other measures of intercepting signals. And I've heard widely varying accounts of how effective they are. And, frankly, I don't know enough about them to be able to judge for myself. The only differences I can see are vantage point and that you're recording the signals for later study. Recording is apparently something the NFL has decided to focus on. I think it's likely that the league has just decided its ability to police this sort of thing is limited, so it's chosen to crack down on the more intrusive methods. It has nothing to do with singling out the most successful team in the last decade.

[Nara McKenna]

Shouldn't week 2 be up? There a thursday game tonight?

sorry to cut in

[Ryan Pode]

Nope. No Thursday night game this week. The thread will be up later though, for Sunday's game. Kraken, I counted your total again, you're 8-8. I counted like five times.

[Ryan Pode]

The only differences I can see are vantage point and that you're recording the signals for later study.

They do play the Jet's again. Makes sense really.

[jjwr]

It has nothing to do with singling out the most successful team in the last decade.

If this was any other team except maybe the Colts this would be a blip on the radar screen, its because its the Patriots. No doubt Belechick lacks tact and I'm sure he's pissed off a lot of people through the years and now everyone is seeing their chance to get back at them and they are jumping at it.

A lot of people don't seem to be bringing up or realizing that in a game last year in Miami the Dolphins admitted to stealing the Patriots calls on the field and recorded them with audio devices. This was a game the Pats lost 21-0 and looked completely flustered. Dolphins players admitted it in the media but no one cared. If the Pats had won that game they would have hosted the Colts in the AFC Championship game.

[Nara McKenna]

Nope. No Thursday night game this week. The thread will be up later though, for Sunday's game. Kraken, I counted your total again, you're 8-8. I counted like five times.

Ah! Okies :) least I didn't do too bad with 10-6 for my first time doing this :lol

[Jedi Master Carr]

It has nothing to do with singling out the most successful team in the last decade.

If this was any other team except maybe the Colts this would be a blip on the radar screen, its because its the Patriots. No doubt Belechick lacks tact and I'm sure he's pissed off a lot of people through the years and now everyone is seeing their chance to get back at them and they are jumping at it.

A lot of people don't seem to be bringing up or realizing that in a game last year in Miami the Dolphins admitted to stealing the Patriots calls on the field and recorded them with audio devices. This was a game the Pats lost 21-0 and looked completely flustered. Dolphins players admitted it in the media but no one cared. If the Pats had won that game they would have hosted the Colts in the AFC Championship game.
I agree and if they are going to be fair, they better crack down on everyone. Even if that means fining all 32 teams a draft pick, if everyone is doing it.

[Jedieb]

Goodell and the league have come down hard on the Pats:
$500K fine for Bellichek
$250 fine for the Pats
1st round pick if the Pats make the playoffs
2nd and 3rd if they don't

Seems fair, now that it's done we can just get back back to football. I hate the Pats, but people outside of NY should just let it go now.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Goodell and the league have come down hard on the Pats:
$500K fine for Bellichek
$250 fine for the Pats
1st round pick if the Pats make the playoffs
2nd and 3rd if they don't

Seems fair, now that it's done we can just get back back to football. I hate the Pats, but people outside of NY should just let it go now.

I think it sets a fair precident, but they need to investigate the other teams that do it. I am sure there are several other teams that are doing it too.

[JMK]

I think they should make the penalties stiffer and stiffer for each subsequent team they catch. Notice has been served, and cheaters will not be tolerated. The next team to be busted should lose their first AND second rounders, and face harsher penalties. If you still want to roll the dice and spy like this, then be prepared to pay the price.

[jjwr]

No question the Pats deserved what they got, they knew the rules and broke them. The fine has been levied so now they have to move on.

What I'm really getting annoyed at is all the other teams/players coming out and questioning what the Pats did in the AFC Championship games or the Superbowls. You can't tell me that if they tried the whole camera thing in those games that they wouldn't have been noticed, they played the Eagles once and that was in the SB but some Eagles players are now questioning what the Pats did. How about they were the better team? How about they were better prepared, have smarter coaches, a better QB, etc?

[Jedi Master Carr]

No question the Pats deserved what they got, they knew the rules and broke them. The fine has been levied so now they have to move on.

What I'm really getting annoyed at is all the other teams/players coming out and questioning what the Pats did in the AFC Championship games or the Superbowls. You can't tell me that if they tried the whole camera thing in those games that they wouldn't have been noticed, they played the Eagles once and that was in the SB but some Eagles players are now questioning what the Pats did. How about they were the better team? How about they were better prepared, have smarter coaches, a better QB, etc?

I agree also the thing is those cameras don't do much for that game, it only helps against future meetings against that team. It would had been a waste of time doing that in the SB.

[JMK]

Well just like performance enhancers, when this "cameragate" came to light, people are wondering how much of it is legit, and how much of it was because of cheating. Did the Pats stymie the Eagles in the SB because they knew what was coming, or were they just the better team?

Did Rafael Palmeiro reach 3000 hits and 500 HRs by his own ability, or did he get help? It's the same sort of thing that they're asking, and while I think it's legitimate to wonder, it's in the past and there's no use in talking about it or complaining about it because nothing will be done. It's not like they will strip the Pats of any titles, so just let what happened in the past go.

[jjwr]

Well just like performance enhancers, when this "cameragate" came to light, people are wondering how much of it is legit, and how much of it was because of cheating. Did the Pats stymie the Eagles in the SB because they knew what was coming, or were they just the better team?

This makes no sense though, the Pats only played the Eagles once and that was in the SB, how could they have stolen their signs? They had a lead early and lost it late, if they were stealing signs then the Eagles would have never come back and made the game close. Its just ridiculous.

[JMK]

I agree that it's a reach on the Eagles part, but it isn't completely impossible. Who knows how widespread and deep their 'cheating' went. Maybe they sent 'spies' to Eagles games, or any NFC contender for that matter...who knows? It wouldn't surprise me.

Anyway, at this point whatever cheating that may have occured should just be thrown in the trash unless there's solid proof.

I wonder if teams are going to stop doing this, or if they will just look for different ways to steal.

[jjwr]

I agree that it's a reach on the Eagles part, but it isn't completely impossible. Who knows how widespread and deep their 'cheating' went. Maybe they sent 'spies' to Eagles games, or any NFC contender for that matter...who knows? It wouldn't surprise me.

You can say the exact same thing about every other NFL team...thats called scouting. The Pats staff prepares heavily, watching NFL released tape and studying an opponent is part of the game, these teams were beat fair and square but now see an out to make themselves feel better.

[JMK]

Well there has to be some sort of difference between scouting and videotaping signals. One is allowed, the other is in the rule book as a no-no. Studying NFL-approved tapes of formations and schemes is a lot different than having a camera trained on the signal callers and KNOWING what's going to happen.
In fact, Belichick is LUCKY that his "penalties" don't even impact his team this year. Sure they lose a draft pick, but they'll replace that, they always do. And I'm pretty sure Mr. Kraft will help out Belichick with the fine. Suspending Belichick for a couple games and having taken away from the team for 2-3 games would have been better than a fine.

[jjwr]

I agree its different, especailly in the case of the Jets where they could have used those tapes when they played them again next year. I honestly wonder why would they do it against certain teams though, like the Packers last year? Almost no chance they would meet them in the playoffs and they were a far superior team and didn't need help to beat them.

The only explanation I can think of is Belechick really is that overzealous in his preperation that he likes to document everything just in case it could come in handy down the road.

Also the above comments don't mean I agree with it, do it like everyone else and watch with binoculars from the coaches box, its just stupid to use video.

[Figrin D'an]

What this situation really shows is that Roger Goodell doesn't appear to want to be as harsh with management as he is with individual players. You can bet the NFL Players Association is going to bring this up the next time the league office wants to levy a half or full season suspension on someone. If Goodell really wanted make a statement about zero-tolerance for cheating, and ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again, he should have hit Robert Kraft with about a $10 million fine. That would pretty much have guaranteed that Kraft, whether he was knowledgeable about this situation or not, would have called Belichick into his office to say "This stops now, and it better not happen again."


Did the video taping help the Patriots in their winning of three Super Bowls? Probably. Was it as much an advantage as some people seem to think? Probably not. The likely reality, as usual, is somewhere in between the extremes being provided by Patriot's fans defending their franchise and the sour grapes of those who feel that the Pats dynasty is now somehow disavowed.

However, it was a form of cheating, according to the rules of the league. And if there is going to be zero-tolerance for players cheating via steroids, then there needs to be zero-tolerance for illegal forms of espionage.

[Ryan Pode]

If anyone actually saw the eagles players talk about it on ESPN, you know they were mostly kidding. That may have been lost in TV to print translation.

[jjwr]

Thanks for pointing that our Ryan, I only read it and it sounded like they were quite serious.

I honestly think Goodell didn't get carried away with this because most/all teams "cheat" at some level and if he had completely hammered the Pats with it whats to say they wouldn't all of a sudden try and dig up as much dirt on all the other teams? This could get ugly in a hurry. I think he wanted to send a warning, point out its not right and not do it again and move on.

[Figrin D'an]

I think it's important to point out though that Goodell has also said that he reserves the right to revisit this and increase the punishment if the league finds anything else inappropriate going on (he said as much in his interview with Bob Costas on the Sunday Night Football pregame show).


I wonder if maybe the league will also finally tell Belichick he has to abide by the same rules everyone else does regarding weekly injury reports.