Week 12 Picks

Jay Hoppie	Bucs
Perry Pao	Broncos

Week 11 Picks

For the first time in weeks, we have no duplicate picks! Everyone picked a different team this week. We have one person for the Eagles over the Bengals, one person for the Dolphins over the Raiders, and one person for the Colts over the Texans.

Daniel Brooking	Eagles
Jay Hoppie	Dolphins
Perry Pao	Colts

Week 10 Picks

Well, at least we won't have a repeat of last week, when everyone picked the Bears. This week, two people did pick the Panthers on the road over a DeAngelo Hall-less Raiders team, and the third picked the Chargers at home over a talentless Chiefs team. I guess we'll see how this plays out.

Daniel Brooking	Panthers
Jay Hoppie	Panthers
Perry Pao	Chargers

Week 8 Picks

We still have three people left, and none of them are going quietly. This week, we again have two people who picked the same team and one odd man out. So we could potentially see a winner this week.

Daniel Brooking	Redskins
Jay Hoppie	Redskins
Perry Pao	Eagles

Week 7 Picks

We could have a winner this week! If the Texans somehow lose to the Lions and the Bucs beat the Seahawks, Dan Brooking will be taking home a cool $967.50.  Here are the picks for the three remaining people.

Dan Brooking Bucs

Jay Hoppie Texans

Perry Pao Texans

Week 6 Recap

In 2005, “Crash” won the Oscar for Best Picture. I, as well as millions of other people, found this surprising. Not because it was a bad movie — in fact, quite the opposite. Despite the fact that the interweaving of storylines seemed just a little too convenient, it was an extremely well-made movie with surprisingly strong performances from a cast that included Matt Dillon and Sandra Bullock.

And it broached a subject that plagues this country and hadn’t been examined in a film in this way since “Do the Right Thing.” (Speaking of which: Seriously, Academy? In 1989 “Driving Miss Daisy” was the race-related film that got nominated for an Oscar and not “Do the Right Thing”? Good call on that one.)

But I digress. The point is, although “Crash” was a great movie, there’s no way it was the best movie of 2005. Just look at what it was nominated against: “Capote,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” and “Munich.” It was, at best, the fifth-best movie of 2005. But even though it wasn’t actually the best movie of the year, it won the Oscar anyway — and now Paul Haggis has a statue for his mantle.

In a way, the New York Giants are “Crash.” Last season, no one gave them a chance to win the Super Bowl. They were just a wild card, and they had to play at Tampa Bay (“Good Night, and Good Luck”), at Dallas (“Munich”), and at Green Bay (in January, that should probably make the Packers “The Godfather.” But we’ll just call them “Capote” for argument’s sake.). Then they had to face the undefeated Patriots — the “Brokeback Mountain” of the 2007 NFL season — in the Super Bowl.

Didn’t matter. The Giants knocked off the Pats and took home a statue of their own. Tom Coughlin was probably polishing the Lombardi trophy when the ESPN preseason Power Rankings came out, and he saw that, of course, his Giants were ranked first. Wait. What? Eighth?!

Doesn’t a Super Bowl victory get you a little leeway? If not the first spot, they should at least be fewer than seven spots behind the team they just beat in the Super Bowl. It kind of made sense, though. Michael Strahan, the centerpiece of the Giants defense, was gone, and the Patriots just finished 18-1 and were returning with pretty much the same roster, at least on offense.

But then Tom Brady got injured, and now the Patriots are sitting at 3-2, not even in first place in their division. And then the Cowboys came on strong and topped the power rankings. But then they lost at home to the Redskins, almost lost at home to the lowly Bengals, and lost to the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Giants were a (somehow) quiet 3-0. Then 4-0, with struggling Cleveland next on the schedule. 5-0, right? Oops. With the loss to the Browns, the Giants went tumbling back off the top of the pile (well, to second place).

And thus is the NFL. I was recently asked who I thought would win the Super Bowl. My answer? I have no idea.

It could be the Giants, but getting to the Super Bowl two years in a row is difficult for any team, let alone one with Eli Manning at the helm.

Same goes for the Patriots, except replace Eli Manning with Matt Cassel.

It could be the Cowboys, but they’re now without Tony Romo and I think we’re about to see the NFL version of the U.S. economic crisis — with the loss of Romo, the Pacman Jones issue, injuries in the secondary, Patrick Crayton calling out the coaches (really?), and the signing of yet another diva receiver (three on one team?!), the Cowboys are on the brink of an utter meltdown. Also, they play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, and they’re already in third place.

The Colts are looking better, but they have an uphill battle in the toughest division in the AFC.

It looks like the Chargers are sticking to the pattern they’ve established the past few years: start slow (check), finish strong (getting there), lose in the playoffs (probably). Also, in addition to meeting in the AFC playoffs the past two years and being ranked first and second in the preseason Power Rankings, the Patriots and Chargers share something else: They have both been beaten by the Dolphins this year, which accounts for Miami’s only two wins of the season and two of its three wins in the past 24 games.

A quarterback carousel never helps a team. Hear that, Tampa Bay?

I’ll believe in the Bills when they beat someone tough. Their opponents have a combined 10-17 record, and they lost by 24 to the only team they’ve played with a winning record.

The Broncos have a great offense, but a terrible defense that constantly puts their offense in tough spots.

The Titans have a great defense, but a terrible offense that constantly puts their defense in tough spots.

So who does that leave? Which teams don't have a glaring weakness? I settled on the Steelers from the AFC and, somehow, the Redskins from the NFC. I know! I was surprised that I came away with the Redskins, too. But here’s an interesting stat: There are only two teams that are in the top eight in the NFL in both total offense and total defense — the Giants, who I’ve already covered, and the Redskins. So maybe it will be the Skins. Or maybe it will be the Giants again. And maybe “Crash” really deserved that Oscar.

MVP
While we’re making predictions, I’ll go ahead and throw a name out there for MVP: Drew Brees. Look at his stats: 71 percent completion percentage (second in the NFL); 1,993 yards (first); 9.02 yards per attempt (second); 12 touchdowns (fourth), 105 quarterback rating (second).

Philip Rivers may be ahead of him in a couple stat categories, but think about this: Brees has been playing without his top three receivers. His go-to guy is Lance Moore. Lance Moore sounds like a hairstylist or a DJ, not a football player. There has been a lot of talk about the Seahawks injured receivers (and deservedly so — they have no one left), but look at what Matt Hasselbeck has done this season compared to Brees: 49.2 completion percentage; 656 yards; 5.2, yards per attempt; 2 touchdowns; 57.7 quarterback rating.

Also, Philip Rivers is totally classless. I rest my case.

Worst This Season? Or Worst Ever?
Here's a question that's almost as difficult to answer as the Super Bowl favorites question: Which team is worse — Cincinnati or Detroit?

In this week's ESPN Power Rankings, the Bengals and Lions occupy the 31st and 32nd spots, respectively. One of these two teams has occupied one of the bottom two spots 39 times since the beginning of the 2002 season (more than 36 percent of the time).

But which team is worse right now?

Well, the Bengals are dead last in total offense (the Lions are 30th) and the Lions are dead last in total defense (the Bengals are 16th). The lone bright spot for the Bengals is their pass defense, which, surprisingly, is ranked fourth in the league (maybe because they have the last-ranked rush defense, so no one even bothers throwing on them). Meanwhile, Detroit isn't ranked above 30th in any major defensive statistical category.

Both teams are having embarrassing seasons so far in 2008 — especially last week. Against the Vikings, backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky dropped back deep in his own end zone and, looking like he was chasing fireflies, wandered out of the back of the end zone for a safety. The Lions lost by two. Nothing could sum up the Detroit Lions of the past decade more perfectly than this single play.

And against the Jets in New York, the Bengals put on a clinic on the ground. Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who looks like a combination of Carson Palmer and Dwight Schrute, led the team in rushing — with 23 yards. Running backs Chris Perry and Cedric Benson had a combined 20 yards on 15 carries.

But the Lions are at least trying to move in the right direction. They fired Matt Millen, even though they were about three years late doing it (from the Power Rankings article from Week 15 of 2006: “Usually with bad teams at the end of the season, you look for bright spots, but are there any in Detroit? Maybe the fact that we can't see any way Matt Millen makes it through this?”). Now, they traded Roy Williams to Dallas for a bazillion draft picks; maybe they’ll follow the Chiefs’ model of getting rid of absolutely everyone and drafting an entirely new team.

The Bengals, on the other hand, can’t even get fans to come to home games. Marvin Lewis will probably be gone after the season, as will T.J. Houshmandzadeh, through free agency. But will anyone be willing to pay the price that the Bengals want for Ocho Johnson Chad Cinco now that he’s underperforming? Will the Bengals even be able to get the draft picks they need to rebuild? One good thing is that if they have the second overall pick behind the Lions, they can feel safe that they'll have first crack at the draft's top receiver to replace Houshmandzadeh and Johnson now that Millen is out of Detroit.

These are two horrendous teams, and I can see them being ranked in the bottom two of the power rankings for 39 of the next 108 weeks, too.

Fun Facts
Two fun facts: The Broncos have scored in 251 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Last week against the Bears, the Lions had minus-4 yards of offense after their first three possessions. On their fourth possession, Jon Kitna lost a fumble. But we already know that the Lions are just not good.

Week 6 Picks

It looks like a lot of you have gotten back to the strategy of picking whichever team is playing the Rams. And a new strategy seems to have emerged among some others: picking whichever team the Lions are playing. I'm not sure which strategy is more sound, but I do know that these are two of the worst teams I've ever seen. Good luck to all of you this week.

Chris Daily	Redskins
Daniel Brooking	Vikings
Gary Pomery	Redskins
Jay Hoppie	Vikings
Joe Esposito	Redskins
Justin Davis	Redskins
Perry Pao	Vikings
Rich Haddad	Redskins

Week 5 Picks

Here are the picks for Week 5. Very heavy on the Cowboys, as most of you probably assumed it would be. Since, ya know, the Bengals are a close second for the worst team in the NFL.

Chris Daily	Panthers
Daniel Brooking	Cowboys
Gary Pomery	Broncos
Jay Hoppie	Cowboys
Joe Esposito	Cowboys
Justin Davis	Cowboys
Perry Pao	Cowboys
Rich Haddad	Cowboys
Sue Christensen	Packers

Week 5 Schedule

Sunday, October 5
Kansas City at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Chicago at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Atlanta at Green Bay, 1 p.m.
San Diego at Miami, 1 p.m.
Seattle at NY Giants, 1 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Tennessee at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Houston, 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Denver, 4:05
Buffalo at Arizona, 4:15 p.m.
New England at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m.
Cincinnati at Dallas, 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 8:15 p.m. 

Monday, October 6
Minnesota at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.

Byes
Cleveland, Oakland, New York Jets, St. Louis

Week 4 Picks

There's a lot more variety than I expected this week; I was anticipating a heavy dose of Bills and Broncos picks. But it seems that people have moved away from the trend of picking whatever team the Rams are playing (complete trust in Trent Green, perhaps) and, like me, you have little faith in Denver's defense. 

Despite that, though, the Broncos were still the most popular pick, chosen by four people. Three picked the Chargers, and two chose the Cowboys and Jaguars. The Bills, Jets, Panthers, Saints, and Charlie Daniels were each picked by one person.

Brian Scherer	Broncos
Chris Daily	Saints
Daniel Brooking	Jaguars
Eric Pavony	Charlie Daniels
Evan Tobias	Cowboys
Gary Pomery	Chargers
Jay Hoppie	Bills
Joe Esposito	Jets
Jon Cavadi	Broncos
Justin Davis	Chargers
Mandi Nowlin	Broncos
Perry Pao	Panthers
Rich Haddad	Jaguars
Stan Golanka	Cowboys
Steve Kaplan	Broncos
Sue Christensen	Chargers

Week 3 Recap

I was standing on the corner of 14th and 8th yesterday, waiting for the traffic light to change, and I overheard part of a conversation between two homeless men. One of them was stumbling off, and the other one wished him well as he left. "Get home safely," he said. I thought that was a very strange thing to say to a homeless person.

You know what else is a strange thing to say? "I'm willing to stake my reputation on Matt's success." That's what Bill Ford, the owner of the Detroit Lions, said after Matt Millen was introduced at a news conference after his hiring in 2001. Since then, Millen's Lions have gone an astonishing 31-84 — more losses than any other team in that span. Coincidentally, the U.S. auto industry — and, by extension, Bill Ford's reputation — is doing just about as well as Millen.

And if the Detroit Lions are a microcosm for the U.S. auto industry, the quarterback position in Kansas City is analogous to a three-car pileup. Which brings me to the first of my tidbits, morsels, and nuggets this week.

1. Marques Hagans is the 21st-ranked quarterback (unqualified) in the NFL. Haven't heard of him? Neither had I until yesterday, which may be because he's the Chiefs' fifth receiver, and he was an undrafted free-agent rookie last season who had eight catches. But he is 1-for-1 for 2 yards, giving him a quarterback rating of 87.5 — the highest on the team. Damon Huard, who is starting against the Broncos on Sunday, has a QB rating of 70.6; Brodie Croyle is just behind him at 69.6; and Tyler Thigpen sits at an embarrassing 38.3.

2. In other poor-quarterbacking news, it turns out that Derek Anderson may not be so good. A Pro Bowler last season despite throwing 11 interceptions with only 12 touchdowns and a 56.2 completion percentage in the last nine weeks of the season, Anderson has posted a quarterback of 43.5, one spot ahead of the aforementioned Tyler Thigpen.

Although he's getting no help from his receivers (Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow drop the ball more than FEMA) and the defenses he has played all rank in the top 10 (and Baltimore and Pittsburgh are first and second, respectively -- possibly because they got to boost their numbers against the Browns), the truth is that when a team is drastically underperforming, the quarterback and the coach are the people to take the most heat.

And Romeo Crennel isn't messing around with leaving the heat on himself. He is giving Brady Quinn more reps in practice, paving the way for him to take over for Anderson sooner rather than later. If Anderson doesn't step up against the Bengals this weekend, don't be surprised to see Quinn under center after the Browns bye in Week 5.

3. Anderson isn't the only struggling quarterback in the AFC North. Ben Roethlisberger is by far the highest-rated passer in the division with a 98.6 quarterback rating, good for 11th in the league. Carson Palmer is 27th with a 63.8 rating (one spot behind Tarvaris Jackson) and Joe Flacco's 55.7 is good for 29th in the league. In Week 3, the four quarterbacks went a combined 67 for 120 (55.8 percent) for 671 yards (an average of less than 168 yards each), 2 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

4. Here's my weekly proof of how bad the St. Louis Rams are (other than the fact that they're ranked 31st in points per game and total yards per game, and dead last in points and total yards allowed per game). Last season, the Rams didn't get their first victory until Week 10. How does this year's team compare to that one?

2007 Rams
Lost 13 games by an average of 15.4 points.
16.4 PPG scored
27.4 PPG allowed
95.4 YPG rushing
222.5 YPG passing

2008 Rams
In three losses, they have been beaten by an average of 29 points. Their closest game so far was a 24-point loss to the Seahawks.
9.6 PPG scored (-6.9 from 2007)
38.6 PPG allowed (+11.2, but not in a good way)
56.3 YPG rushing (-39.1)
173 YPG passing (-49.5)

Just for kicks, let's compare them with the 2007 Miami Dolphins, who didn't get their first win until Week 15 and finished the season 1-15.

2007 Dolphins
In their 15 losses, the Dolphins got beat by an average of 11.7 points. They had six losses by 3 points or fewer. Surprisingly (or not), the 2007 Rams and 2007 Dolphins have nearly identical stats, which makes them significantly better than this year's Rams.

16.7 PPG scored
27.3 PPG allowed
98 YPG rushing
207.4 YPG passing

5. The Buffalo Bills, at 3-0, are now leading the AFC East after the Patriots got embarrassed by the Dolphins in Week 3. Not only do the Bills have a better record, they have scored more points (78 to 49) and allowed fewer (49 to 58). The Patriots haven't been out of first place in the AFC East since Week 4 of 2005; the Bills haven't been in first place since Week 2 of 2003 (they finished 6-10 that season).

6. Where is Randy Moss? I realize Matt Cassel isn't Tom Brady (or, apparently, JaMarcus Russell, Chad Pennington, or Kerry Collins), but he has to eventually get the ball to Moss. So far this season, Moss has 12 catches for 163 yards and 1 touchdown. Last season, Moss had eight single games with more touchdowns than he has in three games this season. And in weeks 2 and 3 combined, he had as many catches as Jabar Gaffney did on Sunday, for 4 fewer yards. On the upside, the Patriots face only two tough defenses the rest of the season — the Bills and the Steelers. And we'll see how long this surprising Bills defense can keep it up.

Week 4 Schedule

Here is the schedule for Week 4. The byes start this week, and the Lions are one of the teams. So everyone can't just pick the team playing them. Same goes for the Patriots.

Sunday, September 28
Minnesota at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Denver at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Arizona at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Green Bay at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Atlanta at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Houston at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
San Diego at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
Buffalo at St. Louis, 4:05 p.m.
Washington at Dallas, 4:15 p.m.
Philadelphia at Chicago, 8:15 p.m.

Monday, September 29
Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m.

Byes
Detroit, Indianapolis, Miami, New England, New York Giants, Seattle

Week 3 Picks

My apologies for the late post; I was out of town and just got back.

Well, for a while it looked like the Patriots were going to be this week's Giants (irony!). Last week, 16 out of 27 people picked the Giants to beat the Rams, and the first five picks submitted this week were the Pats over the Dolphins. But then the Bills came out of left field (which is, by the way, the team I would have chosen) and almost caught up.

This week's breakdown: Nine people picked the Patriots, seven picked the Bills, three picked the Seahawks (or, more accurately I assume, picked against the Rams), and one each picked the Broncos, Giants, and Chargers. And Eric's random pick of the week: the Rhode Island Sluts to win the Brewskee Mug Tournament — a true underdog story.

Below are the picks for Week 3.

Adam Carberry	Patriots
Brian Roundy	Patriots
Brian Scherer	Seahawks
Chris Daily	Bills
Daniel Brooking	Bills
Eric Pavony	RIS
Evan Tobias	Bills
Gary Pomeroy	Seahawks
Jay Hoppie	Falcons
Joe Esposito	Seahawks
Jon Cavadi	Giants
Jose Kalaw	Patriots
Justin Davis	Bills
Justin Morrison	Patriots
Kevin Bright	Patriots
Mandi Nowlin	Bills
Nicole Noel	Patriots
Pat Steines	Patriots
Perry Pao	Bills
Rich Haddad	Seahawks
Rodney Weiss	Patriots
Stan Golanka	Bills
Steve Kaplan	Chargers
Sue Christensen	Broncos
Wendy Li	Patriots

Week 3 Schedule

Sunday, September 21
Kansas City at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Oakland at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Houston at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Carolina at Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Miami at New England, 1 p.m.
Cincinnati at New York Giants, 1 p.m.
Arizona at Washington, 1 p.m.
Detroit at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.
St. Louis at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
New Orleans at Denver, 4:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 4:15 p.m.
Cleveland at Baltimore, 4:15 p.m.
Dallas at Green Bay, 8:15 p.m.

Monday, September 22
New York Jets at San Diego, 8:30 p.m.

Week 2 Recap

There was a slight return to normalcy this week as far as our league is concerned; only three people got knocked out this week, instead of the 16 of last week. As a reward for excellent play, I'm giving you all a gift — a recap of Week 2 with some stats, facts, musings, and predictions! I'm sorry — I'm terrible at giving gifts. If I were one of the three wise men, I would have been the dude who brought myrrh.

1. Last week, I made some bold predictions about the Denver Broncos: 1) Brandon Marshall will top 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, despite being suspended for the first game; 2) Eddie Royal will have a better rookie season than Calvin Johnson did last season; and 3) Jay Cutler will have a better statistical season than Peyton Manning. Let’s check up on those predictions after Week 2.

Marshall: With 18 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, Marshall is beginning to justify his billing as the next Terrell Owens. But is he confirming that I’m not an idiot? Kinda. Technically, he’s on pace for 1,328 yards and 8 touchdowns. But if you extrapolate his Week 2 numbers over the course of the 15 games he’ll play in, he’s on pace for 2,490 yards and 16 touchdowns. Unrealistic, obviously, but I take ’em when I can get ’em.

Royal: After two weeks, he has 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. At this point last season, Johnson had 131 yards and 2 touchdowns, so this one is close so far. (It should also be noted that Johnson sat out Week 4 of last season with a back injury).

Cutler: Here’s a quick stat comparison. Cutler: 650 yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 interception, 70.3 completion percentage, 118.6 quarterback rating. Manning: 568 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 61.5 completion percentage, 77.5 quarterback rating (15.5 points lower than Eli).

2. Matt Hasselbeck should make a guest apperance on CBS’s “Worst Week.” (I think. I'm not sure I totally understand what that show is about.) Worst. Luck. Ever. His top four receivers were already hurt, so backup quarterback Seneca Wallace was penciled in as a starter at wide receiver. But he pulled his groin in warm-ups. Logan Payne then started for Wallace and tore a ligament in his knee, ending his season.

I was just informed by Roundy, who apparently knows more about Seahawks receivers than Hasselbeck himself, that Seattle just traded a fifth-round draft pick to Denver for Keary Colbert, Denver’s stud fifth receiver (2008 stats: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns on a team that is in the top five in the league in passing attempts and yards, and leads the league in scoring). Update: the Seahawks signed Koren Robinson to a one-year contract.

The really sad thing is that, despite being 0-2 and having receivers with the athletic ability of Grimace, the Seahawks are still 10-point favorites over the Rams this week. Which brings me to my next point...

3. There are 10 teams in the NFL that are 0-2 (and another that's 0-1). So which winless team is the worst so far? No question, it's the St. Louis Rams. Here are a couple nuggets of information to back that up: they're giving up 481.4 yards per game (worst in the NFL) and 39.5 points per game (31st); their offense puts up a league-worst 183.5 yards and 8 points per game and is 3-for-26 on third down conversions, has given up 10 sacks, and has yet to run a play from inside their opponents' 20-yard line.

Not too far behind the Rams (well, pretty far) are the Chiefs and the surprisingly bad Bengals (Carson Palmer has 233 yards, no touchdowns and 3 interceptions). I'm leaving the Dolphins out of this one, because I think if the Dolphins and Bengals played each other right now, the Dolphins would win, 1-0.

4. On the flip side of that, who is the best 0-2 team? I think this is a close call between the Vikings and the Chargers. If not for injuries (and, okay, Ed Hochuli), it would clearly be the Chargers (but, then again, if not for injuries the Chargers could very easily be 2-0). I think the edge goes to the Bolts because they'll have a lot of injured players returning in the next few weeks, and I don't see Tarvaris Jackson learning how to play quarterback in the same amount of time.

5. Now it's time for the undefeated teams. Who is the worst 2-0 team? Could it be? No. It couldn't! My Denver Broncos? It's not a stretch to say that it is, based mainly on the fact that they have the 27th ranked defense in the league and one of the worst special teams units ever assembled. But at the same time they have the best offense in the league, and it's hard to say that a team that averages 463.5 yards and 40 points a game is the worst of this group. Because of the Broncos' powerhouse offense, I'm going to have to go with the Carolina Panthers (13th overall defense and 19th overall offense).

6. And the best 2-0 team? Cowboys? Giants? Patriots? Packers? Steelers? I'm going to say the Cowboys and offer no justification for that choice. Because honestly, it could be any one of those teams.

7. Shawne Merriman (what is with the E at the end of his name?) is still getting fined even though he's out for the season. Merriman was fined $7,500 for a cheap shot on Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme last week.

8. It appeared as though DeSean Jackson joined the Leon Lett Club in last night's game against the Cowboys when he started celebrating a 60-yard touchdown catch a little too early and dropped the ball at the 1-yard line. What wasn't immediately apparent, though, was that Jackson was already a card-carrying member of the club, having done something very similar in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl (video here). Jackson joins Lett, Chad Johnson, the 1972 U.S. men's basketball team, and Jason Alexander in the hall of fame of people who celebrated a bit too early.

9. A brief comparison of Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre so far this season.
Yards
Rodgers: 506
Favre: 375

TDs
Rodgers: 4
Favre: 3

INTs
Rodgers: 0
Favre: 1

Completion Percentage
Rodgers: 70
Favre: 68.8

QB Rating
Rodgers: 117.8
Favre: 104.1

Team Record
Rodgers: 2-0
Favre: 1-1

10. I love Romeo Crennel and everything, but dude -- grow a pair! (Or borrow Mike Shanahan's. Or Hillary Clinton's.) Last week against the Cowboys, down by 21, Crennel elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 17 with 10:13 left in the game. That put them down 18 -- still a three-possession game. That choice helped no one but the Cowboys.

And on Sunday, with 3:24 left in the game and down 10-3, he chose to kick a field goal again on fourth down in the red zone. That put the Browns down four, meaning they still needed a touchdown. They would have been no worse off had they gone for it and not got it. Needless to say, the Browns lost both games and are now 0-2, two games behind their arch-rival Steelers in the AFC North.

11. Four fun stats for the week: 1) J.T. O'Sullivan has been sacked on 23 percent of the Niners' pass plays; 2) the Colts have fewer rushing yards than 35 individual players, including four rookies, three guys over 30, and Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain, who has played in only one game this season; 3) despite missing last week due to a suspension for being a moron, Brandon Marshall has three more catches than any other receiver in the NFL; and 4) Zach Miller led the Raiders in receptions last week...with 2.

Okay, I'm done. This post is starting to look like it was written by Gregg Easterbrook.

Week 2 Picks

Week 2 has arrived and pretty much everyone seems to be aware of the same thing: the St. Louis Rams are absolutely terrible. Of the 26 people remaining in the pool, 16 picked the Giants over the Rams. Four people picked the Cardinals, three picked the Packers, and one each picked the Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs, and Seahawks. And Eric Pavony picked Sarah Palin. I hope he loses.

Here are the Week 2 picks.

Adam Carberry	Giants
Brian Roundy	Giants
Brian Scherer	Giants
Chris Daily	Giants
Christopher Wright	Chiefs
Daniel Brooking	Cardinals
Eric Pavony	Sarah Palin
Evan Tobias	Giants
Gary Pomeroy	Giants
Jay Hoppie	Giants
Joe Esposito	Steelers
Jon Cavadi	Cardinals
Jose Kalaw	Giants
Justin Davis	Giants
Justin Morrison	Giants
Kevin Bright	Giants
Mandi Nowlin	Packers
Michele Geronimo	Eagles
Nicole Noel	Giants
Pat Steines	Giants
Perry Pao	Cardinals
Rich Haddad	Giants
Rodney Weiss	Packers
Sonny Visco Seahawks
Stan Golanka	Packers
Steve Kaplan	Giants
Sue Christensen	Cardinals
Wendy Li	Giants

Week 1 Recap

As I said in my email earlier today, Week 1 was bananas. Yes, bananas. I can't recall an opening week as shocking as this one. But, then again, I don't even remember who won the Super Bowl last year. Oh yeah, it was the Giants. So I'll lead off with them in my recap of the week, which is essentially just a compilation of thoughts, observations, and predictions both bold and not so bold.

1. What do you think the odds are of Plaxico Burress being able to walk after his 40th birthday? I'd say about as likely as Earl Campbell beating Michael Phelps in the 400 freestyle. (I had to write something about Michael Phelps while people still vaguely care about swimming. Who am I kidding — no one cares.)

2. Watching the Rams play football is about as entertaining as watching Bea Arthur and Ethel Kennedy play bridge. The only emotion I saw from anyone on the offense is when Steven Jackson had a 24-yard reception and got smoked by Sheldon Brown. Jackson flew about 15 feet through the air and his helmet popped off (if John Madden were calling the game, he would have said, "I sure hope his head's not in there"), but he jumped right back up and got the team a little bit fired up. Marc Bulger was promptly sacked on the next play, killing the momentum. And the defense was even worse. They gave up 100-yard games to three wide receivers who aren't even good enough to beat out Reggie Brown for a starting job. But hey, at least they won the coin toss.

3. Speaking of the Rams, here's a bold prediction: The Brady-less Patriots will win two fewer games than they did last season, for a 14-2 finish. The Rams will also win two fewer games than they did last year, for a 1-15 record.

4. I know the Patriots are hoping Matt Cassel is the next Tom Brady. I mean, this is very similar to how Brady got his start in New England, right? Mo Lewis knocks Bledsoe out of the game, Brady comes in and leads them to the Super Bowl. Matt Cassel can do that, right? Well, probably. Verne Troyer could get this team to the Super Bowl. But what about Daunte Culpepper? In his four seasons with Culpepper in Minnesota, Randy Moss averaged 1,283 yards and more than 12 touchdowns. But, then again, Moss is on pace for 1,856 yards and 16 touchdowns with Cassel under center.

5. Bold prediction: Brandon Marshall will be this year's Braylon Edwards — 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns even after his suspension. Bolder prediction: Eddie Royal will have a more productive rookie season than golden boy Calvin Johnson did last season (48 catches for 756 yards and four touchdowns). Boldest prediction: Jay Cutler will have a better statistical season than Peyton Manning, but Manning will start in the Pro Bowl anyway because he's, ya know, Peyton Manning — and within the next three years Cutler will start in the Pro Bowl every year because he's, ya know, Jay Cutler.

6. I was going to write about how Shawne Merriman is an idiot for even trying to play this season and how he wouldn't make it through Week 3 without hurting himself so badly that he'd be out for the season. But he beat me to the punch.

7. Kyle Orton had the 14th-best quarterback rating in the NFL (83.4) this week. That is the highest he'll be ranked all season. He'll be benched for Rex Grossman by Week 6, who will in turn be benched for Orton by Week 10. Derek Anderson will be the starting quarterback for the Bears in 2009.

8. After he caught the game-winning touchdown pass against the Chargers, Panthers tight end Dante Rosario was named one of the UPS Players of the Game. Except what appeared on-screen was "Rosario Dawson" and not "Dante Rosario." That will not be the only time that happens this season.

9. The Seahawks' starting receivers are Courtney Taylor and Jordan Kent, who, between them, have seven catches for 57 yards and no touchdowns in their careers. Arizona Cardinals: NFC West champions by default.

10. Carson Palmer looks just like Pat Steines. Pat Steines picked the Eagles in our pool this week. Congratulations, Pat.

11. DeSean Jackson and Matt Forte will finish 1-2 in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, but not necessarily in that order.

12. On the schedule page on espn.com, the Broncos home stadium is still referred to as Mile High Stadium, not Invesco Field. That makes me smile.

Update: My friend Brian Roundy just pointed out that the Seahawks cut Jordan Kent and added Logan Payne. Here's what he had to say: "They have 2 (two) healthy WRs who know the offense named Courtney Taylor and Logan Payne. Sounds like a hot chick and a pro wrestler."

Week 2 Schedule

Below is the schedule for Week 2.

There are some match-ups this week that wouldn't typically seem like good games, but after the insanity that happened last week have now become must-see. The way Buffalo played far above its skill level and the way Jacksonville played well below its, this could be a great game. The Brady-Favre face-off would have been necessary viewing anyway, but now that Brady is out for the season, the Jets-Patriots game could actually be competitive. With it's first- through 14th-string receivers injured, Seattle's game against the Niners becomes more interesting. And the surprising (surprising because of how quickly they came into their own) duo of Michael Turner and Matt Ryan taking on the aging Bucs defense should be interesting -- I guess we'll see if the Falcons are a one-game fluke.

This week also has a match-up of the two teams that knocked off two of the "surest things" from last week. The Bears, who ripped apart the Colts, head to Carolina to take on the Panthers, who knocked off the Chargers with a last-second touchdown.

The Monday night game should be amazing as well, when the Cowboys host the surprisingly good Eagles. I personally can't wait for that one.

Sunday, September 14
Tennessee at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Green Bay at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Oakland at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
New York Giants at St. Louis, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Minnesota, 1 p.m.
New Orleans at Washington, 1 p.m.
Chicago at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Buffalo at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 4:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Houston, 4:15 p.m.
New England at New York Jets, 4:15 p.m.
Miami at Arizona, 4:15 p.m.
San Diego at Denver, 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 8:15 p.m.

Monday, September 15
Philadelphia at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Week 1 Picks

Here are the picks for Week 1. Eleven teams were picked this week — about a third of the league. By far the most popular pick this week was the Steelers, who were picked by nine people. Seven people picked the Chargers, six picked the Eagles, and five picked the Colts. The Patriots were picked by four people, the Bengals and Giants by three, and the Cowboys and Jets by two. And the Power picked the Lions. He's ballsy and I love it! 

Here's the breakdown, in alphabetical order by first name.

Adam Carberry	Steelers
Alicia Shafer	Bengals
Andrew Jacobs	Chargers
Andrew Litz	Chargers
Biren Khanderia	Colts
Brad Doyle	Bengals
Brian Roundy	Eagles
Brian Scherer	Patriots
Chris Daily	Eagles
Chris Morgenroth	Colts
Christopher Wright	Steelers
Clay Edwards	Chargers
Daniel Brooking	Jets
David McElhoe	Colts
Emil Patel	Chargers
Eric Pavony	Bengals
Evan Tobias	Steelers
Gary Pomeroy	Cowboys
Jay Hoppie	Eagles
Joanna Canlas	Colts
Joe Esposito	Giants
Jon Cavadi	Steelers
Jose Kalaw	Steelers
Juan Becerra	Chargers
Justin Davis	Patriots
Justin Morrison	Steelers
Kevin Bright	Steelers
Mandi Nowlin	Eagles
Michael Gidaly	Lions
Michele Geronimo	Giants
Mike DiMiceli	Chargers
Mike Merkur	Chargers
Nicole Noel	Steelers
Pat Steines	Eagles
Perry Pao	Jets
Rich Haddad	Patriots
Rodney Weiss	Steelers
Sean Milligan	Colts
Sonny Visco	Giants
Stan Golanka	Panthers
Steve Kaplan	Patriots
Sue Christensen	Eagles
Wendy Li	Cowboys

All Systems Go!

And we're off! Everyone is signed up and has their picks for Week 1 in. There are 43 people in the league, which means $967.50 to the winner. I'll have everyone's picks posted shortly (this takes a lot more time than I thought!)

Week 1 Schedule

The time is rapidly approaching! Who will you pick? The much-improved Jets over the slightly improved Dolphins? The Patriots over the lowly Chiefs? Or will you just flip a coin and choose either the Titans or Jaguars?

No matter which way you decide to go, it won't be an easy choice. The first week of the NFL season is kind of a toss-up. The preseason can be misleading, as can the media. But I'll tell you one thing -- call it my bold prediction of the year: my Broncos will not be winning the Super Bowl. That's my only prediction thus far this year, so take it to heart.

Anywhosers, here is the schedule for Week 1. Remember, there is a Thursday game, so all picks have to be in by kickoff (7 p.m. Eastern). I'll post everyone's picks at that time.

Thursday, September 4
Washington at New York Giants, 7 p.m.

Sunday, September 7
Detroit at Atlanta , 1 p.m.
Seattle at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
New York Jets at Miami, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at New England, 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
St. Louis at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Houston at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Carolina at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m.
Dallas at Cleveland, 4:15 p.m.
Chicago at Indianapolis, 8:15 p.m.

Monday, September 8
Minnesota at Green Bay, 7 p.m.
Denver at Oakland, 10:15 p.m.

Welcome to King of the Hill NYC

Welcome to King of the Hill NYC. What follows is a general outline of this pool.

Joining
1. The registration fee is $25 per entry; all of this money will go into one big pot — winner take all. I must receive your entry fee by the beginning of Week 2 (Sunday, September 14). If I don't have it by then, you won't be able to play. You can either pay with PayPal, pay me in person, or mail checks to:
Andrew Shafer
330 W. 15th Street, Apt. 1A
New York, NY 10011

If you mail a check to me, it has to be postmarked by September 14. If you pay with PayPal, however, the entry fee is $26, because I'm charged a $1 fee every time someone uses that method. Ah, the price we pay for convenience.

2. To join, send an email to kingofthehillnyc@gmail.com letting me know you want in. Also, as stated above, you must pay the entry fee before the start of Week 2 to be fully registered. You can enter as many times as you want, but it is another $25 fee for each additional entry.

General Rules
1. Pick one team per week to win its game. Point spreads don't matter — this is a win-and-you're-in pool. If the team you chose loses or ties, you are eliminated.

2. You can choose each team only once. If you choose the Patriots in Week 1, you can't use them again for the rest of the season — so choose wisely.

3. The last person standing will win the entire pot. (Full disclosure: The winner will actually get 90 percent of the entire pot. Ten percent will go to the manager and coordinator of the pool.) If all of the remaining people lose or tie in the same week, those people will continue the next week. They do not, however, get to choose their team from the previous week again. If more than one person is left at the end of the regular season, the pool continues into the playoffs. Each person will start fresh with teams from which to choose. If there is more than one person remaining after the Super Bowl, it becomes do-or-die in the Pro Bowl. Just kidding! Anyone remaining after the Super Bowl will split the pot.

4. Picks must be submitted before kickoff of the first game each week. If your pick is late, you're eliminated. Some weeks have Thursday games — including Week 1 — so pay close attention to the schedule. I'll try to send out an email reminder those weeks — I don't want anyone to be eliminated just because they forgot. Advance picks are allowed, so if you know you're going to be gone for a week, it's fine to submit multiple weeks at the same time. To submit your choices, email me at kingofthehillnyc@gmail.com with your name and pick. Please send picks to kingofthehillnyc@gmail.com and not my personal email address, so I can keep everything together. 

5. Your choices must be submitted by email, and not by phone call, text message, telegram, messenger pigeon, or anything else. The reason for this is that if there is a dispute over which team you chose or when you submitted the pick, there will be documentation with a time and date stamp.

Additional Info
1. For total transparency, I will be posting each person's pick on this blog before the beginning of the first game each week. I will also be posting the winners and losers after each week and some random updates here and there, so check back often. Also, to avoid any conflict of interest, I will not be participating in the pool.

2. Feel free to contact me at kingofthehillnyc@gmail.com with any comments, questions, etc.