After going 12-4 last week, things get a little tougher in week 3. One game that has my interest is Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay. Both teams are 2-0, which we expected  from the Steelers, but the Bucs are reminding many of the upstart Bucs that blossomed under Tony Dungy. A young vibrant defense and a unheralded leader in quarterback Josh Freeman has things looking up in Tampa.

Sunday September 26, 2010

Tennessee Titans (1-1) at New York Giants (1-1) 1pm - Not too concerned about which Vince Young shows up, the uncertainty lies with coach Jeff Fisher, meanwhile Kerry Collins would love to come in and steal one from his old mates. Brandon Jacobs won’t remove his helmet for any reason today.

Pick: Titans 20 – Giants 17

Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (1-1) 1pm – Imagine a combo of Terrell Owens and Steve Smith with that stud backfield in Carolina. Speaking of that backfield where have they been this season. Jimmy Clausen is handed the keys today -  and runs into a brick wall.

Pick: Bengals 30 – Panthers 9

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) at Tampa Bay Bucs (2-0) 1pm – I watched the poise of Josh Freeman when they defeated the Saints in New Orleans last season. I think that he stands tall today against the rabid Steelers defense, Charlie Batch at the helm for the Steelers opens this up for the Bucs.

Bucs 17 – Steelers 16

Buffalo Bills (0-2) at New England Patriots (1-1) 1pm – Can they put an “R” rating on this one, the Patriots were embarrassed last week and they’re ticked off – the Bills just happen to be in the way this week.

Patriots 35 – Bills 6

Cleveland Browns (0-2) at Baltimore Ravens (1-1) 1pm – See Bills/Pats - Only difference here, I don’t think the Browns score six points.

Ravens 24 – Browns 0

San Francisco 49′ers (0-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) 1pm - The Niners need this one bad – real bad. The Chiefs are winning in spite of Matt Cassell. Expect to see plenty of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones today. This one will be physical.

Pick: Chiefs 21 – Niners 20 (Sorry Michelle)

Dallas Cowboys (0-2) at Houston Texans (2-0) 1pm – The Cowboys are shocked and nervous, facing playoff – type pressure this early in the season isn’t good especially when heads could roll. The Texans give up yards and points in chunks, the Cowboys are going to run alot today and let Tony Romo pick his spots.

Pick: Cowboys 23 – Texans 22

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (2-0) 1pm – The Saints have to find a way to get yards on the ground (Pierre Thomas)  to have a chance against the Dirtys, I think this Falcons team is up for the challenge on the road.

Pick: Falcons 28 – Saints 24

Detroit Lions (0-2) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2) 1pm – The legend of Ndamukong Suh is real – so are the Lions chances in this game. The Lions looked good last week against the Eagles. Shaun Hill is holding his own. Brett Favre and the Vikings avoid being fed to the Lions – this time.

Vikings 24 – Lions 23

Washington Redskins (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-2) 4:05pm – This is your proverbial “trap game” , the Rams are facing a Redskins team that lost a frustrating game last week and could be caught looking ahead to Donovan McNabb’s return to Philly next week.

Redskins 21 – Rams 19

Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) 4:15pm - The Jags are giving up yards by the ton, and the Eagles run defense didn’t look great last week. If this thing gets out of hand - the Eagles could drop this one.

Pick: Eagles 27 – Jags 13

Indianapolis Colts (1-1) at Denver Broncos (1-1) 4:15pm – I like what Kyle Orton is doing this year but the last thing he needs at this point is to get into a shootout with Peyton Manning – who is usually quick on his draw.

Pick: Colts 30 - Broncos 17

Oakland Raiders (1-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-1) 4:15pm – Bruce Gradkowski gets the nod as the starter for the Raiders, was Jason Campbell really that ineffective. The Cardinals Derek Anderson could suffer the same fate this week.

Pick: Raiders 16 – Cardinals 10

San Diego Chargers (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1) 4:15pm – Vincent Jackson isn’t coming through that door – and Phillip Rivers and the Bolts needs to start playing that way. Seattle needs to run the ball by committee and keep Matt Hasselbeck upright to stand a chance.

Pick: Chargers 28 - Seahawks 20

New York Jets (1-1) at Miami Dolphins (2-0) 8:20 pm – Curious to see how Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall go after Jets corner Antonio Cromartie. The Wildcat will be used based on it’s effectiveness. I’m not sold on the Jets ability to move the ball with consistency.

Pick: Phins 24 – Jets 13

Monday September 27, 2010

Green Bay Packers (2-0) at  Chicago Bears (2-0) 8:20 pm – The Bears are coming together and the biggest reason is the play of Jay Cutler, the Packers will miss Ryan Grant in this one. Julius Peppers and the rest of the defense show America who’s for real.

Pick: Bears 27 – Packers 17

Last week picks 12-4, Season 14-4

I held off until after the second week of games to compile the power rankings. I considered waiting longer and rolling them out like the BCS Standings. As always I welcome your feedback.

Let’s get started.

1. New Orleans Saints (2-0) – The silver lining in the injury to Reggie Bush (approx. 6 weeks) is that the Saints play four home games with the only threat being the Steelers on October 31.

2. Green Bay Packers (2-0) – Could the Packers make a move for the Giants Brandon Jacobs by the trading deadline? Stay tuned.

3.  Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) – Mike Tomlin is in my opinion the best coach in the game right now. Whatever he said last week to put that defense into a frenzy needs to be bottled.

4. Miami Dolphins (2-0) – The Dolphins offense hasn’t really started to roll yet. Expect their battle with the Jets to be typical of their rivalry.

5. Houston Texans (2-0) – The “Best team in Texas” showed what they were made off last week against the Redskins. Andre Johnson has seen every coverage known to man and still racks up catches and yards. Matt Schaub is on the fast track to a 5,000 yard season.

6. Indianpolis Colts (1-1) – The Colts took their frustrations out on the Giants as they should have. Joseph Addai is the grinder in an otherwise finesse offense. The Broncos are next.

7. Baltimore Ravens (1-1) – Joe Flacco played ugly in a butt-ugly game. The Ravens normally win games like this - expect the defense to pitch a near shutout Sunday against the Browns.

8. New York Jets (1-1) - Sunday’s performance was what we’ve been waiting to see from Mark Sanchez. Monday night in Miami will be a great test for this defense. Falling two games behind the Dolphins could be a problem.

9. Chicago Bears (2-0) - Jay Cutler looks like he may be ready to break out, put that together with a defense that is gaining confidence by the week, and you have a Bears team that is going to be scary in the long run.

10. New England Patriots (1-1) – Want an elixir for last weeks embarrassing loss to the Jets? The Buffalo Bills at home.

11. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) – The Bengals beat the Ravens at their own game, they may win a few more like this. Expect the offense to put up some big numbers against the Panthers Sunday.

12. San Diego Chargers (1-1) – The Bolts whipped on the Jags to keep pace in the division. If Ryan Matthews is out against the Seahawks this week, things could get hairy.

13. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) – The Falcons bounced back in a big way on Sunday, they get their first shot at the champs on Sunday.

14. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) – The Chiefs welcome a frustrated San Francisco team desperate for a win. A Chiefs win on Sunday will definitely open up some eyes.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) - I almost forgot the Eagles had a game this week.  This game against the Jags is a classic trap game with Donovan McNabb and the Redskins on the horizon.

16. Washington Redskins (1-1) – The Redskins face a nice warmup before D-Mac’s return to Philadelphia.

17.Tennessee Titans (1-1)  – I don’t understand Jeff Fisher’s logic in benching Vince Young who can’t help but be looking over his shoulder the remainder of the season.

18. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-0) -  No one is talking about Josh Freeman or even the Bucs for that matter. If they give the Steelers a scare on Sunday it will do wonders for their confidence.

19. New York Giants (1-1) – The Brandon Jacobs situation isn’t going away until he’s traded - problem is, there’s no backup to Ahmad Bradshaw.

20. Dallas Cowboys (0-2) – The moving boxes are sitting inside Jerry Jones’ office. A loss on Sunday and they could be outside Wade Phillips’ door.

21. Minnesota Vikings (0-2) – I hope the Vikings don’t think that the Lions are going to come in and lay down for them on Sunday. No guarantees here.  Adrian Peterson needs the offense to go through him.

22. Denver Broncos (1-1) – Kyle Orton is playing like a man who wants to keep his job – it’s the running game that has the offense hamstrung.

23. Arizona Cardinals (1-1) – The Cardinals are going to get it together, they caught the Falcons at a bad time.

24. San Francisco 49′ers (0-2) – Mike Singletary gained confidence in Alex Smith and the rest of the team on Monday. Question here is can they get a win against a hot team on a short week?

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) – The Jags are giving up huge chunks of yardage, that could continue with the Eagles coming in this week.

26. Seattle Seahawks (1-1) – Last week’s Seahawks team is the one you can expect to see for most of this season.

27. Oakland Raiders (1-1) – So much for the Jim Plunkett comparisons  – the only starting QB to get a quicker hook was Kevin Kolb

28. Detroit Lions (0-2) – Was impressed with the Lions last week Jahvid Best started strong but faded in the second half, that needs to be balanced out.

29. St. Louis Rams (0-2) – Steven Jackson must really love the St. Louis area.

30. Carolina Panthers (0-2) – The Jimmy Clausen era is underway in Carolina, the Bengals defense will welcome him with open arms. 

31. Cleveland Browns (0-2) – Seneca Wallace will more than likely start again on Sunday.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-2) – Can they leave for Toronto now!

Today we wrap up our First Annual NFL Mock Draft and I must say I’ve had a blast. I’m sure the first round won’t pan out like this; with Miami signing #1 pick OT Jake Long yesterday I’m already in the hole. How about the Vikings giving up a first rounder to the Chiefs and meeting the $30 million in guaranteed money for DE Jared Allen. I’m far from a draft expert and from what I seen and heard so are a lot of others. I just wanted to add something to the site and since everyone and their mother does a mock draft, why not us.

We’ll wrap it up today with San Francisco, Green Bay and the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, so let get things going.

29.

What do the 49ers need?

• Wide Receiver
• Outside Linebacker
• Defensive Line

What will they do?

The 49ers are looking to add some life to their receiving corps, which didn’t have a receiver gain over 600 yards last season. Bringing in an aging Issac Bruce is more for tutelage than it is for on the field production, although Bruce will be looked upon to make a play or two. The Niners will miss Bryant Young , who has retired. His absence has left a hole in the 49ers 3-4 defense that may be addressed in the 2nd or 2rd round. The defense could also use a linebacker to play alongside 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Willis.

The Pick: The 49ers pick again at 39 and will look for help along the defensive line with that pick. For now they will turn this pick over to Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz and select a receiver.

(CNN.net)

Mario Manningham out of Michigan has a slender build, but has the abilty to get up field, making himself a deep threat. Manningham has a great senior season in spite of playing on an injury-riddled offense.

30.

What do the Packers need?

• Outside Linebacker
• Guard
• Tight End
• Quarterback
• Running Back (Depth)

What will they do?

The Packers have some pretty solid pieces in place for Aaron Rodgers as he replaces Brett Favre who retired earlier this season. Rookie Ryan Grant came from nowhere to be the catalyst in the Pack’s running attack. Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones were excellent targets for Favre. Just when you think Driver is beginning to slow down he does something to drop your jaw. There is a need for a tight end with the loss of Bubba Franks and a backup for Rodgers is needed.

Defensively, the Packers are looking for help at outside linebacker, they are set with A.J. Hawk on one side and Nick Barnett in the middle but Brady Poppinga and Tracey White haven’t been able to get it done so the pack will look to grab some help at #30. In the 2nd round Green Bay has 2 picks (56 and 60) and will look at possibly a guard and a backup QB for Rodgers.

The Pick: Ali Highsmith from LSU is solid in all areas and should fit in well at the outside linebacker position.

(lsuaf.org)

31.

What do the Giants need?

• Outside Linebacker
• Safety
• Wide Receiver

What will they do?

The Giants defense was hit hard in the opening days of free agency, the G-Men lost backup linebacker Reggie Torbor and safety Gibril Wilson but the biggest blow came when the Buffalo Bills signed starting outside linebacker Kawika Mitchell from them essentially leaving the Giants naked at outside linebacker. They were able to sign veteran Sammy Knight who is no spring chicken, so the Giants will also be looking to acquire a safety as well. Both Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are in their 30′s and now is the time to bring in a potential #1 guy when one of these two decides to call it a career (more than likely Toomer will be first).

The Pick: Jerod Mayo of Tennessee is just what the Giants need, a very physical player, although he lined up inside his speed may allow him to play outside. His experience at Tennessee on the inside has made him reliable against the run.

(Tricitisports.com)