NFL Pick 'Em, Week 1

[Figrin D'an]

It's that time of year again. Time for weekends to be spent parked on the couch in front of the TV, emmersing ourselves in the glory of a new season of our favorite sport. Put on your favorite team's colors, break out the snacks and chill the beer, because it's time for some football. :)


For the n00bs, here's how the Pick 'Em competition works - -

Each week (usually about 3-4 days before the first game), a thread listing the NFL matchups for that week will be posted here in the Boxoffice forum. To play, simply copy that info into a new post, and place a "(W)" next to the team which you believe will win each game.


Examples

Indianapolis (W) at New England

or

Indianapolis at New England (W)


Do this for each of the matchups, and submit your post. After the games for the week are completed, the 'wins' and 'losses' for each player will be tallied and posted. Results will also be tallied into overall Season standings which will be posted each week as well. At the end of the season, the player will the most 'wins' (ie. most correctly picked games) will be crowned the 2004 SWFans.Net NFL Pick 'EM Champion. Fame, bragging rights and perhaps even a fabulous prize could be yours. But, only if you play!


Additional Important Rules:

1. Place all of your picks for a given week into one (1) post only (unless otherwise noted).

2. Do not make additional posts for the purposes of changing or adding to your picks for a given week. If you need to change a pick, edit your original post.

3. All placement of picks, and editing of picks, must be completed by the kickoff of the first game in a given week, unless otherwise noted. Editing picks after the kickoff deadline will result in ALL picks for that week being voided. Late submission of picks is allowed, but only those games that have not yet kicked off at the time of submission will be counted in a players tally.

4. The Pick 'Em contest begins with the first game of the NFL regular season on Thursday, Sept. 9th, 2004 and will end following Super Bowl XXXIX on Sunday, February 6th, 2005.

5. Please check the opening post of each week's Pick 'Em thread for any special rules or conditions that may apply for that week. Weeks in which there is an altered schedule may have special rules for submitting picks.

6. Direct any questions about the Pick 'Em contest to Figrin D'an (http://sw-fans.net/forum/member.php?action=getinfo&find=lastposter&threadid=36471), via PM or IM.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now, the schedule for Week 1. Please note that the first game is this Thursday night. Because of this, each player will have the option to either:

a) submit his/her pick for the Thursday game first in one post, then submit the remaining picks before kickoff on Sunday in a seperate post.

-or-

b) submit all of the picks for the week before kickoff of the Thursday Night game.



Week 1


Thursday Night

Indianapolis at New England



Sunday, Early

Seattle at New Orleans
Cincinnati at NY Jets
Arizona at St. Louis
Tennessee at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh
San Diego at Houston
Jacksonville at Buffalo
Detroit at Chicago
Baltimore at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington


Sunday, Late

Atlanta at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota
NY Giants at Philadelphia


Sunday Night

Kansas City at Denver


Monday Night

Green Bay at Carolina


The Thursday Night game kicks off at 9PM Eastern. The first games on Sunday kick off at 1PM Eastern. Please remember these times so you can get your picks in on time. Good Luck, and have fun. It should be a very entertaining season, and the Pick 'Em contest always manages to make it more fun for those who participate. :)

[Darth_Sauron]

Indianapolis

Seattle
Cincinatti
St. Louis
Tennessee
Pittsburgh
Houston
Jacksonville
Detroit
Baltimore
Washington

Atlanta
Minnesota
Philadelphia

Denver

Carolina

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Ooooh, color coded.

Man, the first week (as wellas the first 4 weeks) are just so much fun to pick. It's like putting the names in a hat and flipping a coin at the same time.

Thursday Night

Indianapolis (toughest pick of the week. The magic coin of anyomity +50% ability and luck tells me Indy)



Sunday, Early

Seattle
Cincinnati (bungels, don't let me down!)
St. Louis
Tennessee
Pittsburgh
Houston
Buffalo
Chicago
Baltimore
Tampa Bay


Sunday, Late

Atlanta
Dallas
Philadelphia


Sunday Night

Kansas City


Monday Night

Carolina

[Darth_Sauron]

Ooooh, color coded.

:D
I always type in color. makes it easier to find my posts and read replies!

Plus, it satisfies my need to be different. lol:lol

[Figrin D'an]

Please do not color code your picks. It makes them more difficult to read.

[Ryan Pode]

hursday Night

Indianapolis at New England Win



Sunday, Early

Seattle at New Orleans Win
Cincinnati Win at NY Jets
Arizona at St. Louis Win
Tennessee Win at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh Win
San Diego at Houston Win
Jacksonville at Buffalo Win
Detroit Win at Chicago
Baltimore Win at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington Win


Sunday, Late

Atlanta Win at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota Win
NY Giants at Philadelphia Win


Sunday Night

Kansas City Win at Denver


Monday Night

Green Bay at Carolina Win

[Jedieb]

Thursday Night
Indianapolis

Sunday, Early

New Orleans
NY Jets
St. Louis
Tennessee
Oakland
Houston
Jacksonville
Detroit
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

Sunday, Late
Atlanta
Dallas
Philadelphia

Sunday Night
Denver

Monday Night
Green Bay

[Cyrel Annat]

Week 1


Thursday Night

Indianapolis at New England (W)



Sunday, Early

Seattle (W) at New Orleans
Cincinnati at NY Jets (W)
Arizona at St. Louis (W)
Tennessee (W) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W)
San Diego at Houston (W)
Jacksonville at Buffalo (W)
Detroit at Chicago (W)
Baltimore (W) at Cleveland ((Another 300+ game for Jamal?))
Tampa Bay at Washington (W)


Sunday, Late

Atlanta (W) at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota (W)
NY Giants at Philadelphia (W)


Sunday Night

Kansas City at Denver (W)


Monday Night

Green Bay (W) at Carolina

[JMK]

Thursday Night

Indianapolis at New England (W)



Sunday, Early

Seattle (W) at New Orleans
Cincinnati (W) at NY Jets
Arizona at St. Louis (W)
Tennessee at Miami (W)
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W)
San Diego at Houston (W)
Jacksonville at Buffalo (W)
Detroit (W) at Chicago
Baltimore (W) at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington (W)


Sunday, Late

Atlanta at San Francisco (W)
Dallas (W) at Minnesota
NY Giants at Philadelphia (W)


Sunday Night

Kansas City (W) at Denver


Monday Night

Green Bay at Carolina (W)

[Syren Wyssholt]

I know absolutely nothing when it comes to football. However, Cyrel has been trying to teach me and to get me motivated for it. So, he's set me up with a fantasy football team and now I figure to go ahead and prove how little I know by participating in this! GO ME!

Week 1


Thursday Night

Indianapolis (W) at New England



Sunday, Early

Seattle (W) at New Orleans
Cincinnati at NY Jets (W)
Arizona at St. Louis (W)
Tennessee (W) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W) - I hate Oakland
San Diego (W) at Houston
Jacksonville at Buffalo (W)
Detroit at Chicago (W)
Baltimore at Cleveland (W)
Tampa Bay at Washington (W)


Sunday, Late

Atlanta (W) at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota (W)
NY Giants (W) at Philadelphia


Sunday Night

Kansas City (W)at Denver - Cyrel's going to kill me for this one


Monday Night

Green Bay (W) at Carolina

[Cyrel Annat]

Originally posted by Syren Wyssholt


Kansas City (W)at Denver - Cyrel's going to kill me for this one

Yes, he will. Enjoy the couch, baby.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Indianapolis at New England WIN

Seattle WIN at New Orleans
Cincinnati at NY Jets WIN
Arizona at St. Louis WIN
Tennessee at Miami WIN
Oakland WIN at Pittsburgh
San Diego WIN at Houston
Jacksonville at Buffalo WIN
Detroit WIN at Chicago
Baltimore WIN at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington WIN

Atlanta WIN at San Francisco
Dallas WIN at Minnesota
NY Giants WIN at Philadelphia

Kansas City at Denver WIN

Green Bay at Carolina WIN

*crosses fingers* :D

[jjwr]

Good luck everyone! With luck I will win again this year :)


Indianapolis at New England(W)

Seattle at New Orleans (W)
Cincinnati (W) at NY Jets
Arizona at St. Louis (W)
Tennessee(W) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W)
San Diego at Houston (W)
Jacksonville at Buffalo (W)
Detroit(W) at Chicago
Baltimore(W) at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington(W)
Atlanta(W) at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota (W)
NY Giants at Philadelphia(W)

Kansas City at Denver (W)

Green Bay at Carolina(W)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Thursday Night

Indianapolis at New England W

Sunday, Early

Seattle at New Orleans W
Cincinnati at NY Jets W
Arizona at St. Louis W
W Tennessee at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh W
San Diego at Houston W
Jacksonville at Buffalo W
W Detroit at Chicago
W Baltimore at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington W


Sunday, Late

W Atlanta at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota W
NY Giants at Philadelphia W


Sunday Night

W Kansas City at Denver (sorry had to take my Chiefs :p)


Monday Night

Green Bay at Carolina W

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Thursday Night

Indianapolis(Win) at New England


Sunday, Early

Seattle(Win) at New Orleans
Cincinnati at NY Jets(Win)
Arizona at St. Louis(Win)
Tennessee(Win) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh(Win)
San Diego at Houston(Win)
Jacksonville at Buffalo(Win)
Detroit(Win) at Chicago
Baltimore(Win) at Cleveland
Tampa Bay(Win) at Washington


Sunday, Late

Atlanta(Win) at San Francisco
Dallas at Minnesota(Win)
NY Giants at Philadelphia(Win)


Sunday Night

Kansas City(Win) at Denver


Monday Night

Green Bay(W) at Carolina

[darth_mcbain]

Well, football's not really my thing, but I'll give this a go...


Indianapolis at New England (W)
Seattle at New Orleans (W)
Cincinnati at NY Jets (W)
Arizona (W) at St. Louis
Tennessee (W) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W)
San Diego at Houston (W)
Jacksonville (W) at Buffalo
Detroit at Chicago (W)
Baltimore (W) at Cleveland
Tampa Bay (W) at Washington
Atlanta at San Francisco (W)
Dallas (W) at Minnesota
NY Giants (W) at Philadelphia
Kansas City at Denver (W)
Green Bay at Carolina (W)

[Master Yoghurt]

Indianapolis at New England (W)

Seattle at New Orleans (W)
Cincinnati (W) at NY Jets
Arizona at St. Louis (W)
Tennessee (W) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W)
San Diego at Houston (W)
Jacksonville at Buffalo (W)
Detroit (W) at Chicago
Baltimore (W) at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington (W)

Atlanta at San Francisco (W)
Dallas at Minnesota (W)
NY Giants at Philadelphia (W)

Kansas City (W) at Denver

Green Bay at Carolina (W)

[Figrin D'an]

Thursday Night

Indianapolis (W) at New England



Sunday, Early

Seattle (W) at New Orleans
Cincinnati at NY Jets (W)
Arizona at St. Louis (W)
Tennessee (W) at Miami
Oakland at Pittsburgh (W)
San Diego at Houston (W)
Jacksonville at Buffalo (W)
Detroit (W) at Chicago
Baltimore (W) at Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Washington (W)


Sunday, Late

Atlanta at San Francisco (W)
Dallas at Minnesota (W)
NY Giants at Philadelphia (W)


Sunday Night

Kansas City (W) at Denver


Monday Night

Green Bay (W) at Carolina

[Figrin D'an]

Important Game Note:

Because of the expected landfall of Hurricane Ivan on Sunday, the Tennessee/Miami game has been moved to Saturday at 1PM Eastern. Please make sure your picks are in on time.

[ReaperFett]

New England

Seattle
NY Jets
St. Louis
Tennessee
Pittsburgh
Houston
Buffalo
Detroit
Baltimore
Washington

San Francisco
Minnesota
Philadelphia

Denver

Carolina

[Jedieb]

Gawd do I hate the Patriots. :x

[Jedi Master Carr]

It was a heck of a game though. That sack was huge there at the end. Pushed them out of field goal range.

[Figrin D'an]

Good game between the Colts and Patriots... much much better than the AFC Championship game last season. Although in the end, I found myself laughing at the Colts uncanny ability to allow negative plays to occur in critical situations. They get a pass interference call in the endzone in their favor, giving them 1st and Goal at the 1, and lose a fumble on the very next play. Then, on their final drive, they get the big pass play to get into easy field goal range for Vanderjagt, and on the following 3rd down, Manning gets blindsided and sacked, changing the situation from a 36 yard attempt to a 48 yard attempt, which Vanderjagt missed.

It's almost to the point of being comical.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah you know it was. Unbelievable that last five minutes.

[jjwr]

Awesome Game! At 2 or 3 Points there in the 4th Quarter I figured the Pats had blowed the game but they always managed to hold just when it mattered most.

Like Figrin said, the Colts would pull off a monster play and then come up short.

What bothers me most is the game should never have come down to that final FG. Pats had the ball with just over 2 minutes to go, 2nd and 5 and a brusing back like Dillon and they come out with 2 straight passing plays. RUN THE BALL! 2 Rushses, 5 yards, they could have sealed the game right there with a first down.

Dillon averaged 5.7ypc, the guy looked fantastic, its too bad he didn't get the ball more.

Brady looked incredible, the throws he was making, he really has gotten better each year and this year the reciver corps are the best he's ever had. With Dillon rushing and Brady throwing like that the Pats could have a monster year offensively.

Another funny note, and no insults are intended but all the stuff I've heard about Vanderjadt, great kicker, never misses, etc. Game on the line, huge season opener, 48 yards....and he misses it.

In that situation is there any kicker other than Vinatieri you would want kicking that ball? Vanderjadt is a great kicker but like Al was saying Vinatieri has to be the greatest pressure kicker of our era. Its possible he could have missed that one too but with the game on the line I'd take him over anyone.

3 More wins to break the record! Next week against the Cardinals should be a win but after that its on the road against the Bills which will be a hard game, then at home against the Phins, not easy any means.

[Jedieb]

I knew Vanderjadt was going to miss that kick. It was just a given. The Colts self destructed inside the red zone 4 different times (3 turnovers and that last sack). But that's what the Pats FORCE teams to do. It's not an accident. If you can't take care of the ball, they will stick it to you and make you pay. The one glaring weakness I saw for NE last night was their run defense. They have to get that taken care of or it'll cost them at some point in the playoffs. Dillon is obviously going to give them a running game they haven't had in years.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Jedieb
The one glaring weakness I saw for NE last night was their run defense. They have to get that taken care of or it'll cost them at some point in the playoffs.

Very true. Keith Traylor's best years are behind him. He's no replacement for Ted Washington. In a 3-4 defense, it's vital to have a dominant run stopper at nose tackle, or the linebackers will be forced to play closer to the line of scrimmage more often. That's part of the reasons why the Colts were able to get some big plays down the field last night. Not that New England can't find a solution for it and overcome this problem, because they have been able to over come others 2 of the last 3 seasons, but it is a major issue for them.

Anyway... championship teams find a way to make big plays when the have to. The Patriots find ways to win, and that's all that ultimately matters.

[jjwr]

The run defense was definetly a issue, 202 yards....ouch!

On the bright side these were the Colts, most teams won't have a Combo of RB, WR's and QB like the Colts do. Not that its a good excuse but against say the Ravens they can queue off on the run as they don't have a great passer or receivers.

Traylor didn't look great and Wilfork isn't quite ready. Ty Warren their other DE/DT played well, as did Seymour, by the end of the year Wilfork will hopefully have a more solid grasp on the position.

The Pats have definetly been doing this for the past Year+, its not a co-incidence at this point, it just keeps happening.

The big difference this year looks to be the offense, the Cardinals should get a heavier dose of Dillon than the Colts did this week.

[Jedieb]

And of course we're projecting after the first game of the season. Last year, after the first 2 games of the season it looked as if the Pats wouldn't even make the playoffs. By the end of the season the Pats could have the best run defense in the league. The only thing we know for sure is that it has to improve.

That was a GREAT start to the season. Hopefully, this weekend will have a few gems as well.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The Denver-Kansas City game should be a great game.

[Jedieb]

They're not televising the Fins game outside of Miami and Tenn. NOt even on DirecTV. It'll get show on tape delay. I'm listening to it on the radio right now. Fiedler is playing HORRIBLY. He's thrown some INT's. The Titans scored off of one of them. The fans are booing him mercilessly. He just missed an open receiver and almost threw another pic. ugg, this could get ugly.

[JMK]

Originally posted by Jedieb
Fiedler is playing HORRIBLY. He's thrown some INT's.

WTF??? Fiedler is AWESOME! He never plays badly. He is both extremely accurate and a very quick thinker, to say that he is playing horribly is just stupid and boorish.
[/sarcasm]

That dope overthrew Marty Booker by 5-10 yards on a deep pattern towards the endzone and had it picked.

I gave props to Wanny for pulling the plug on him so quickly (I suppose the boos helped out there), but I quickly pulled away the props when he decided to punt on a 4th and 1 down by 14pts in the 4th qtr...Tennessee promptly made them pay and made it a 3 score game. Thanks, Dave. You're a brilliant coach, your coordinators are extremely heady and confident, and your selection of QB's is impeccible.

I'm going to enjoy 4-12. :cry

[Jedieb]

:lol

I feel bad for you JMK. From what I heard of the game, the defense put up a respectable effort, but that offense was just putrid. 5 or 6 wins may be all that the Dolphins can hope. I'll tell you this, the fans were all over Fiedler and Wanny. I could barely hear the play by play at times because the boo birds were so loud.

[Ryan Pode]

Minus his Interception, from what I heard when I listened to it on the radio, Feely sounded not terribly bad.

[jjwr]

There is a big Dolphins fan where I work and we were talking about the team, we both agreed the team NEEDS to tank this year so they can finally rebuild with youth.

For a while now they post solid records but always lose early in the Playoffs, so maybe this year they'll bomb, get a high draft pick which they haven't had in ages, maybe pick up a QB of the future. Cut aging stars and go with youth and aim for 2006!

[Jedieb]

The sad thing is, I can see their defense carrying them enough so that they'll be competitive enough in their games to pull out 4-8 wins. They won't even be able to lose enough games to get the benefit of a top 3 pick.

Pre-game shows are just around the corner. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

[jjwr]

Almost there!

NFL Live on ESPN was just talking about the dolphins and pretty much has said the same things. The team has underachieved for years, its time for a fresh start.

[Ryan Pode]

OMG!!! Deion almost had to make a tackle!!!!!!

[jjwr]

NO WAY!!!

:)

Carson Palmer is looking really good, Bengals could have finally found their QB of the future!

[Jedieb]

OMG, someone make sure Ryan didn't kill himself!!!! ;)

I went with too many road teams today. Uggh. :

[Ryan Pode]

Eh. There were mistakes. We shall see who is making jokes at who's expense come week 14.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Cleveland pulled off a shocker. I think they could be a surprise team this year now. Also I think Denver is going to regreat giving up Portis, what a game he had.

[Ryan Pode]

Yes, and Buffalo was the team to beat after week one last year as well. Good thing everyone did.

[jjwr]

The biggest problem with the Ravens is their passing offense still looked inept, that could be a huge problem for them.

I had a few sure wins stolen....Bills & Bengals were my stretch picks but I lost both...d'oh!

[Ryan Pode]

My biggest problem was Ethan Brooks. He could not pass or rush block to save his life. Kyle Boller had his moments of both sides.

McNabb is keeping T.O Happy, but how many more games do you think T.O will get 3 TDs?

[Jedieb]

McNabb and Owens look great. I can't stand T.O., but I think he's going to have a great year in Philly. He doesn't have to score 3 TD's every game, the Eagles just have to get their receivers the ball. There's no way Pinkston and (scrub who's name I can't remember) are going to put up the same inept numbers they did last year with Owens on the other side. The Eagles' biggest problems will come on defense, their offense is going to be much better than last year, even without Duece.

The Niners look pathetic at times. Rattay is no Garcia and when Dorsey is your backup you've got problems. They could easily lose 10 or more this year.

The Vikings are piling up points, but Vinny and the Cowboys are moving the ball up and down the field. The Vikings are playing the same pedestrian defense they did last year.

[Jedieb]

Oh, and does anyone think Kurt Warner will still be the starter come October? It's not all his fault, receivers are dropping balls, Dayne is tap dancing again, and the line isn't giving him time. I can see Manning getting the ball pretty soon if this keeps up. Especially if they play like this at the Meadowlands.

[Ryan Pode]

I think, as long as Kurt plays well, Eli will sit.

[Jedieb]

Rattay has looked better at the end of the game, but he's getting pummeled by the Falcons defense. The Niners might still be able to send this to overtime. As for Kurt, he didn't play badly today, but people around him let him down and he had a fumble inside the 5 that didn't help his cause. I just didn't see anything from the Giants today that made me think they were going to challenge Philly, Wash, or even the Cowboys. But, it's early. Who the hell knows what will happen 4 weeks from now.

[Ryan Pode]

Oh man, if the niners win... whoa.


Nevermind.

[Jedieb]

The Niners are done. Manning is in the game and he could be leading the Giants to his second TD drive. The game is a lost cause, but if he gets some more points on the board the NY papers are going to have a field day this week.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Great opening drive by Kansas City. Now for their defense :p

[Ryan Pode]

Hahahahahaha.... Defense. Kansas City... hahahahaha

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well it look better on that first drive. They were more aggressive that was for sure.

[Jedieb]

I really think that both Denver and Wash. are going to benefit from the Bailey/Portis trade. Denver has a system in place that has allowed them to plug in one successful RB after another. They may not get the exact same numbers without Portis, but they'll get close enough. In Bailey, they're getting a guy that can make a big impact on defense and occasionally on offense. Meanwhile, the REdskins get a stud RB. Both sides will do well.

On the down side, my fantasy opponent's starting QB is Trent Green. He's had a miserable first half, but if it's a blow out he could get big numbers if KC is forced to throw for the rest of the game. Damn it!

[Figrin D'an]

My fantasy weekend sucked. I got nothing out of McAllister or any of my wideouts, and the stupid freakin' Dallas defense gave up so many points they ended up with a negative fantasy total for the week.

*sigh*

I have a feeling this is going to be a long season fantasy-wise. Last year I could score a ton of points, but every other team would have their best games of the season against me. This year, I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to score anything of significance.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well it's only 17-7, KC's defense hasn't played that bad the offense is out of sync not sure if is the crowd noise or the fact that some of the WR hadn't played much training camp (might be the latter). They could still come back. Also what about those moronic zebras? They can't even mark off a penality not once but twice mess it up.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The same here fig. I don't think I did that good either.

[Jedieb]

I'm doing decent in Fantasy, but I could easily lose. I've got to go up against Green's second half, Carolina's D, and Ahman Green tomorrow night. It'll be close.

KC stayed in the game when they kept Denver from scoring on their last drive. They've got to stop Denver on this first second half drive. You don't want a shoot out at Mile High.

[Jedieb]

The second half couldn't have started any better for you Carr. And can you believe it was a defensive play?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Lol yeah. Still got a FG, the defense has been getting better over the course of the game.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Another Interception and then Holmes scored again. Not sure if this is the defense or Plummer.

[Jedieb]

Plummer has been your most effective QB tonight. ;)

[Jedieb]

Told ya Denver can crank out RB's. Don't worry Carr, you guys are still close enough to unleash the Priest.

[jjwr]

Ah so thats you I'm playing Jedieb :)

I need Green to throw a TD or two! Ahman tomorrow night should get me some solid points though.

[Jedieb]

The Priest is keeping Green from piling up points. Go Holmes!!!! Now I just need a cheap TD return from Hall.

Ahman could easily win you the game tomorrow night. But if he piles up yards and TD's it could sink your defense. You probably should have played your backup D.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well if Holmes keeps getting TD's forget that :p A 33 yarder wow. That was an incredible run. It looked like Denver had him and then boom, TD. That is #3 for him.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Another turnover by Denver and this one was huge. Griffin fumbled the ball trying to go into the End Zone that was a huge play.

[Jedieb]

Your D is bending, but they are coming up with some big plays. Denver just forced a punt and now they're back in business. Great game. It looked as if it was headed for a blow out.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah it was actually, the D steped up. The biggest problem I see is they are over agressive sometimes which has led to some big runs by Griffin. The other problem is I worry about the corners. I am not sure if they are good enough at playing man-to man. I think one of them is but the other I don't think he can.

[Jedieb]

Am I the only one who misses Mike Patrick (at least that's what I think his name is) in the booth? ESPN had some chemistry with that Sunday Night crew. I love Pat Summeral, but he's at the tail end of his career and I don't he works as well with Joe and Paul as Patrick did. He still calls a solid game though.

[Figrin D'an]

None of you have anything to complain about fantasy-wise. Just take a look at what's happened to my team and you'll see why.

Another week of this and I'll scrap the whole thing.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I would never have went with Plummer he is too erratic. It is only week one. I wouldn't worry yet.

[Figrin D'an]

I admit I took a chance on Plummer. But the fact that I got NOTHING out of ANYBODY ELSE, save my kicker, is just damn depressing.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Gonzalez is having a bad game. Hey I will take him from you heh. Still who knows he could catch a TD pass, of course not going to do you that much good.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well it was a valiant effort the defense was worn out at the end. Still this was a better performance than last year in Denver. KC got blown out in that game. I don't think they have beaten Denver in Mile high in a few years. The last time might have been either in 94 or 95. I know they won in 94 when it was Montana over Elway.

[Cyrel Annat]

Clinton who?

Granted, I have no delusions that Griffin will play anything like this with any consistency throughout the year but good lord, what a game he had. The goalline fumble was about his only mistake that I can think of off-hand. As the announcers said, his style and looks while running the ball are quite reminiscient of Barry Sanders. If he ends up as half the back Barry was in the long-run, Denver should be happy.

For Plummer, a couple of costly turnovers though the first one to open the half I give more credit to KC's linebacker than I do to it being a mistake. On the ground one second and then springing into the air the next? Hard to read that one. The southpaw attempt was just a reminder of his years in Arizona when he had to carry the team. 80% of the game, I felt he played quite well. Not great in fantasy numbers, but not a terrible line when all is said and done. 200+ yards and 2 TDs, along with some timely runs.

In all, a good game and a big win for Denver. Only 18 more to go. :) Next week, a surprising Jacksonville team. What a stunner they had.

[jjwr]

>Ahman could easily win you the game tomorrow night. But if he >piles up yards and TD's it could sink your defense. You probably >should have played your backup D.

Yeah that would have meant I was planning ahead though :)

First week kind of took me by suprise and I just left them as is. Oh well, week 2 I'll actually pay attention to stuff like that :)


Am I the only one who misses Mike Patrick (at least that's what I think his name is) in the booth? ESPN had some chemistry with that Sunday Night crew. I love Pat Summeral, but he's at the tail end of his career and I don't he works as well with Joe and Paul as Patrick did. He still calls a solid game though.

The sad thing is Patrick is about the only good one on the Sunday Night Crew. Paul McGuire is horrible, about all he does it complain, whine, get in fights with Theisman, etc....what a joke. I hate the guy.

[JMK]

Which one of those clowns says "I'll tell you what" on each and every play? That guy drives me nuts.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by JMK
Which one of those clowns says "I'll tell you what" on each and every play? That guy drives me nuts.

That's Paul McGuire. He's knowledgable about football, but he just isn't that great a color commentator. Theisman is pretty good as a color commentator. I, too, miss Mike Patrick calling the games. Not that Summeral is bad, but I agree that Patrick worked better with Theisman and McGuire.

I tend to think that several of the guys who call college games for ABC/ESPN are better than this group, though. And, for NFL games, you don't get much better than Al Michaels for calling a game.

[JMK]

I wish Al Michaels could be everywhere at once. He's amazing.

Maguire is knowledgeable, but man does he need a new line.

[Jedieb]

I like McGuire because he was always getting razed by Theisman and Patrick. Patrick was very professional and he helped keep the other two in line. Now, it's almost as if Theisman has to grow up a bit to pick up the slack. Again, Pat Summeral is as classy as it gets, but he's just a bit slower than he was 10 years ago.

I'll be lucky to scrape together 9 wins this week. Did anybody have a good week?

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I've got 6 wins thus far. Not good. Not good. :(

[Master Yoghurt]

Think I did terrible :x

(dont even want to check how many I got right)

[jjwr]

I managed 9, had a really rough mid stretch where I lost like 4 straight.

McGuire I just don't like, I remember at some point last night Summeral had to say something to stop the bickering between those two.

[Ryan Pode]

Originally posted by Jedieb
Am I the only one who misses Mike Patrick (at least that's what I think his name is) in the booth? ESPN had some chemistry with that Sunday Night crew. I love Pat Summeral, but he's at the tail end of his career and I don't he works as well with Joe and Paul as Patrick did. He still calls a solid game though.

Mike Patrick had surgery, he'll be back later in the season though, I think... unless he died? :(

[Jedieb]

Holy crap, that sounds brutal. I hope the guy is alright.

Favre Is Playing, Enjoy It While You Can
I'm not a Packers fan or huge Brett Favre fan, but I know greatness when I see it. Yes, he's erratic at times. He can throw the big INT, or just go off the rails and throw 7 INT's against the Rams in the playoffs. But he's a future Hall of Famer. A guy who's already set the consecutive starts record. He could even surpass Marino's TD record and Elways win record. Every once in awhile I wish I could watch a game with Marino, Elway, or Montana again. Favre is in that group. Forget about where he ranks amongst them. He's only going to stick around for a couple more years. I want to try to catch him whenever I can and enjoy it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah he is. Speaking of great QB games I remember the Montana vs Elway game. That is probably one of the best games I have ever watched, so watching Elway now is something special.

[jjwr]

Blah!

I hate Favre, a few significant sportswriters fawn over everything he says or does and then others will call them on it that Favre is a can't do no wrong point.

If I'm not mistaken Favre admitted additiction to pain killers.

He also laid down for Strahan to break a major NFL Record.

Pick a player....lets say some young, 2nd or 3rd year player, brash, big mouthed, does the same thing. Media, fans, etc would be all over them for either but with Favre its hardly a blip on the radar for both.

Has the guy been great? Of course, you can't deny that. Thing is he hasn't been great in years. Montana, Elway, etc never threw so many INT's that lost their team games as Favre did. But its Favre so its overlooked.

And not to sound harsh as I've been there but the MNF game last year where Favre dropped the 399....I don't know the deal was but the Raiders didn't play defense in that game, Favre threw up a number of 40+ yd jump balls and they would go through 2 and 3 defenders and get to the revievers. Greatness? Luck, he could have just as easiliy had a 4 INT game, but then everyone would say well his father just died so its expected.

Speaking of that, later in the year, I don't recall which game, down the stretch he tried the same throws and that was one of the games he cost his team.

His consective game streak? Impressive, no doubts. On the other side how many minor injuries has he had that cost his team games that he should have sat out instead?

[Jedieb]

And not to sound harsh as I've been there but the MNF game last year where Favre dropped the 399....I don't know the deal was but the Raiders didn't play defense in that game, Favre threw up a number of 40+ yd jump balls and they would go through 2 and 3 defenders and get to the revievers. Greatness? Luck, he could have just as easiliy had a 4 INT game, but then everyone would say well his father just died so its expected.

They did a feature on that game at halftime. It's going to go down as one of his best games ever. Madden called it one of the greatest things he'd ever seen in sports. Most people aren't going to see it as a lucky night. But hey, if ya hate the guy, ya hate him. ;)


His consective game streak? Impressive, no doubts. On the other side how many minor injuries has he had that cost his team games that he should have sat out instead?
All QB's play hurt to one extent. But a banged up Favre is better than anything GB has had on the bench behind him. Injured he's better than many of the QB's in the league, just ask the Dolphins, Ravens, lsat year's Browns, etc. Hell, Favre with a broken thumb led the league in TD's last year. GB is better off with him on the field then on the bench.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Green Bay is having there way with Carolina. Is it just me or is Carolina going to be like Oakland and the Rams the last two years and implode after the SB.

[Jedieb]

Let's not forget about my Bucs! Look at how they crapped out last year. I think either the Saints or the Bucs could win the division from Carolina. They won a lot of close games last year and got hot at the right time, but they had a lot of things fall their way to make it to the Superbowl. I think they're a good team, but I wouldn't be surprised if they failed to make the playoffs or had an early WC exit.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think Atlanta wins that divison. With Vick healthy they are a heck of team. I think Carolina will win 7-9 games. They are in a tough divison. They also might start 0-2, with having to go into Arrowhead next weekend.

[Jedieb]

Yeah, I knew there was another contender in that division. I think those teams are going to feast on each other. The winner will be lucky to get 10 wins.

jjwr, you poor bastard. Green piled up the points, but he devasted your Carolina defense. You'll get close, but no cigar. Victory is mine! :evil

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by jjwr
If I'm not mistaken Favre admitted additiction to pain killers.

Yes, he did. He got help, and the matter was resolved. So this makes him a bad person?




He also laid down for Strahan to break a major NFL Record.


It was dubious, yes, but he's hardly the first guy to do something like this in sports.



Pick a player....lets say some young, 2nd or 3rd year player, brash, big mouthed, does the same thing. Media, fans, etc would be all over them for either but with Favre its hardly a blip on the radar for both.


The pain killer thing was a fairly big deal initially, but the fact that he came forward about it and was honest in admitting his problem, not trying to hide it until he was caught, made the difference. Unlike so many other players who try to hide things like that, he realized it had become a problem, came forward publically, and then sought help. People appreciated his honesty in the matter, and that's why they were willing to quickly forgive him for it. As for the Strahan sack, as much as I may agree that it wasn't all that appropriate a way for the record to be broken, his reputation allowed him to let it occur with little reprecussion. Same could be said if it would have been Dan Marino or John Elway or Joe Montana, etc, back there doing the same. That's part of sports. Guys who have established themselves as superstars on the field will tend to get the benefit of the doubt in on-the-field situations. This is hardly exclusive to Favre or football.





Has the guy been great? Of course, you can't deny that. Thing is he hasn't been great in years. Montana, Elway, etc never threw so many INT's that lost their team games as Favre did. But its Favre so its overlooked.

I beg to differ. You're overlooking his leadership and his competitiveness. His affect on his team is well beyond his ability to throw the football. Take away his presence, and the Packers become , at best, an average football team, even with Ahman Green toating the rock. On only needs to look at the game a couple of seasons ago when Favre was hurt in a game against the Redskins. When he left the field, that team wasn't the same. They still won, but they had to had to hang by their fingernails to pull it off. Even if there are others that have surpassed his physical skills, he's still one of the best QBs in the league because he can will his team to victory. How many other QBs in the history of the league, much less playing currently, can do this?





And not to sound harsh as I've been there but the MNF game last year where Favre dropped the 399....I don't know the deal was but the Raiders didn't play defense in that game, Favre threw up a number of 40+ yd jump balls and they would go through 2 and 3 defenders and get to the revievers. Greatness? Luck, he could have just as easiliy had a 4 INT game, but then everyone would say well his father just died so its expected.



Or perhaps, it was the fact that the Packer's receivers just played great, stepping up because they knew how important that game was to the team and to Favre. Sure, he threw some passes that would have been picked off. He does that every game. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. The bottom line is, far more often than not, he makes a play. Call it skill, call it luck, call it whatever you want. The guy just makes plays and finds ways to get his team to win football games.




His consective game streak? Impressive, no doubts. On the other side how many minor injuries has he had that cost his team games that he should have sat out instead?


As I said before, imagine the Packers without him. It goes beyond his skills to throw the football. Like John Fox, Carolina's head coach, said in an interview snippet during the game tonight, Favre has a presence on the field that is matched by no one else in the league. It affects everyone around him, not just the Packers. It's that natural charisma and innate leadership that makes him such a formidable opponent. More than his career numbers, that's the reason why he deserves to be mentioned with the likes of Unitas, Montana, Elway, Marino, etc.



Yeah, I'm a Packers fan, and I'm biased. But I really don't understand why you hate Brett Favre so much. Even if you don't like the team he plays for, or his style of play, you have to admit that he just loves the game and he gives his all everytime he takes the field. How can one not appreciate and respect that?

[Figrin D'an]

Week 1 Results


Darth Sauron: 11-5
Nathanial K'cansce: 6-10
Ryan Pode: 9-7
Jedieb: 9-7
Cyrel Annat: 12-4
JMK: 7-9
Syren Wyssholt: 11-5
Lilaena De'Ville: 9-7
jjwr: 10-6
Jedi Master Carr: 10-6
Drake Shadowstalker: 11-5
Darth McBain: 6-10
Yoghurt: 8-8
Figrin D'an: 10-6
ReaperFett: 11-5



As always, if you find any errors in score tabulation, please let me know.

[jjwr]

All QB's play hurt to one extent. But a banged up Favre is better than anything GB has had on the bench behind him. Injured he's better than many of the QB's in the league, just ask the Dolphins, Ravens, lsat year's Browns, etc. Hell, Favre with a broken thumb led the league in TD's last year. GB is better off with him on the field then on the bench.

Oh I don't deny that he's a very good qb, I don't question his talent. GB has never had a solid QB behind him, and that could be the reason why he's always played through the pain, he knows that if he goes down the team is SOL. I think they have what, Pederson behind him yet again?


jjwr, you poor bastard. Green piled up the points, but he devasted your Carolina defense. You'll get close, but no cigar. Victory is mine!

Yup! Like I said I didn't really think ahead on my week 1 selections, week 2 I'll make sure not to double dip like this :)


Green Bay is having there way with Carolina. Is it just me or is Carolina going to be like Oakland and the Rams the last two years and implode after the SB.

The big problem with Carolina going into the season was their totally rebuilt offensive line, I think 4 new starters? And it showed last night, the Green Bay line mauled them!

Look, my problems with Favre is the guy can do no wrong, while those two infractions seem like minor things if Ray Lewis had done both everyone would be after him. Its just like Jordon during his hey-day. I for one am sick of Favre and all the stories about him.

But to tell you the truth once he retires I will have no problem with him what-so-ever, heck the various commercials he does are great, I love the Monday Morning QB one. Again though its the fact that everything the guy does is rosy and all the praise people gush on him, it just gets really old.


Or perhaps, it was the fact that the Packer's receivers just played great, stepping up because they knew how important that game was to the team and to Favre. Sure, he threw some passes that would have been picked off. He does that every game. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. The bottom line is, far more often than not, he makes a play. Call it skill, call it luck, call it whatever you want. The guy just makes plays and finds ways to get his team to win football games.

I understand what your saying, but look at the replays....yes the guy has a great arm but he has been known to throw the ball up and let what happens happen, in this game he did it and the in a lot of cases the recievers were double or triple teamed and the ball always seemed to make it through the defenders. Yes the receivers made the catch but for the ball to even get them, on just about every throw was lucky.

Again its not Favre's fault, I totally understand what he was going through and thought it was great that he was playing, what I hated most was all the media BS about it and then the media BS after the game.

[JMK]

You've got to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky. Favre is both, but is he luckier than good or vice versa? I think most would agree that he is very good and therefore very lucky. This can and probably will be argued long after he retires, but like it or not, his legend will always have him in the same breath as the Elways and Montanas of the world.

All that being said, I am a little tired of everyone fawning over the guy and every single second of spare time (especially on MNF) is about him.

As far as this week's picks go, 7 wins is just straight up ugly. I'm very lucky I went with Detroit or I'd be crying in my sleep until next week.

[jjwr]

It was a ugly week all the way around.

Again, the guy is a great QB, no doubts about it. I don't have a problem with him, like you I have a problem with everyone fawning over him.

[JMK]

Well as much as that may be true, once he is gone, your boy Brady is next in line. People already drool over him (for good reason I guess) and I will be sick of him even faster.

[jjwr]

Agreed, already seeing quite a bit of it. Just like Favre the guy is playing to the point where he deserves his props but at some point its gonna be too much.

Take last year for example, Brady had some good games and carried the team in the Superbowl but as a whole last year was about the Defense, not Brady. As a whole the offense was pretty inept and in quite a few games their lack of being able to score kept the other team in the game and the defense saved them.

Yeah the defense gets credit but like your saying you hear more and more about Brady and it being him.

That being said it is fun to have such a good QB on the team, in 2001 when Brady replaced Bledsoe I won't deny I was cheering against him, I had been a huge Bledsoe fan for 9 years and all of a sudden he gets replaced by this kid. I was bitter no doubt. Since then he's grown on me, like Favre he goes out there and gives it his all and he's only getting better. The guy just knows how to win.

All the same can be said for Favre, almost the same starting situation as well as Favre took over for fan favorite Machowski(sp?) way back when.

I'd just like to see a QB get lambasted when they mess up.

As good as he's been Manning gets roasted for losing the "big games", Favre in the same situation does not. Brady, well right now he's never lost the big game but when it happens it would be nice to at least see the media not totally suck up to him.

[darth_mcbain]

Ouch - gotta do better this week... :)

[Nathanial K'cansce]

You and me both. -_-

[Jedi Master Carr]

Brady is being dubbed the next Montana, valid or not (if he wins another SB I will say he is Montana like). Other than Manning and Brady there aren't many young good QBS out there. I guess Vick but he is still young. You got McNabb, Culpepper and Green I guess.

[jjwr]

I like what a few people have said about Brady, he's not the next Joe Montana, he's the first Tom Brady. He does play a lot like Joe, manages the game, pin point throws, good pocket movement, etc...but he's not Joe.

Theres actually a lot of good QB's in the league now, a few years ago there was a big lack of them but its becomeing a very deep position league wide.

Pennington, Brady, Culpepper, Delhomme, Palmer looks like a keeper, plus tons more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah I think the comparrisons to Montana are unfair myself. Montana was a great QB in his own right and it is unfair to say that about Brady when he can make his own mark on the NFL.

[JMK]

I guess the jury is still out on Boller, but there are also guys like McNabb who aren't that old and still have a lot of great years ahead of them; David Carr, Drew Brees (who I still think is underrated, misused and without support in SD).

[Jedi Master Carr]

Brees could be a great QB somewhere else I agree there. You have Trent Green though he is the Mcnabb category I guess 33-34 still could play 5-8 years and have a great career.

[jjwr]

Don't forget A.J.Feeley!

:)

[JMK]

Trust me, I'm watching Feeley with great interest this season! Especially now that he's supplanted that bum Fiedler for week 2, he'd better do something well aside from going 21/31 for 142 yards!

[Ryan Pode]

Boller won't ever be great a great QB, like Montana or Elway, he'll probably end up like Rypien or McMahon. A good QB who won't lose the game. While he had two turnovers in Cleveland, he didn't lose the game. The defense did.