Week Fifteen in th NFL.....

Once again starting off the Football Weekend with a win as Thursday Night Football seems to agree with me. Another winner. Now to the record and not so good week last week. 8-8 for the week and overall 124-84. As I said the further into the season we go the harder it is to pick winners simply because you are not in those locker rooms listening to what's going on. We really do not know who is still playing with passion. But here it goes anyway from the fan's perspective.....Out the gate the Saints are in frigid Baltimore with another opportunity to prove they belong with the elites of the League. It really doesn't get any better. Win the game and more than likely they secure a playoff spot and make a statement to the rest of the League that they will challenge again for the title. It looks to me that the Saints are starting to hit their stride. The Ravens gave up 28 points to a Texans team that is trying to pattern themselves after the Saints. Fifteen of those points came in the last 6 minutes of the 4th Quarter and tied up the game which the Ravens had to win in OT. The Saints are deadly in the 4th Quarter and the guess here is if the game is close in the 4th the Saints will be the ones who prevail. Saints win and separate a little more from the pack. For the rest of my picks go to www.footballfancrazy.blogspot.com. Enjoy the game! It should be a doozy!

Week Fourteen in the NFL......

Well I started off this week with a win on Thursday Night and I needed it after a dismal 8-8 last week moving my season total to 116-76. Let's get the Party started.....The Saints entertain the Rams at the Superdome in New Orleans. Sam Bradford is looking like a seasoned QB not the rookie he is. For Saints fans let's hope Gregg Williams can show Bradford a few things he hasn't seen. On the offensive side, Coach Payton needs to show a little patience and not always try to hit the home run play every series. Sometimes the best defense is keeping their offense off of the field. With a weapon like Chris Ivory the Saints need to run the ball more and use up that clock in long sustained drives. Keeping Bradford off the field could be the best defense. Saints win in a close one.To see the rest of my picks go to www.footballfancrazy.blogspot.com. Have a Great Football Weekend!!!

Week Thirteen in the NFL......

Saints are at Cincinnati where the high temperature today is supposed to be 33 degrees. A huge contrast to the Superdome where it's a balmy 72 degrees. The Saints travel well but not necessarily in cold weather. For the Saints to win they will need to use their work horse Chris Ivory and soften up that Bengals defense. If Drew Brees has to throw the ball more than 30 times the Saints might be in trouble. Still I have to pick the Saints to win in this one as they seem to have found their mojo. Look for Greg Williams' defense to aggressively go after the ball as the Bengals have quite a few turnovers this season. For the rest of my picks go to www.footballfancrazy.blogspot.com.

Week Twelve in the NFL............

I am getting ready for church so I will try not to be too wordy this morning. Here we go......Jaguars at the New York Giants. If the Giants don't win this one, they might as well put a wreath on the front door of the facility and I don't mean a Christmas one. Giants win. The Packers are in Atlanta today to face the Falcons. Two very good teams heading in the same direction. The way the Pack dismantled the Vikings would lead one to believe they can do the same this week. The Falcons though, are not the Vikings. For selfish reasons I wouldn't mind seeing the Packers win but the Falcons are at home and I believe that will give them the edge here. Falcons win. Pittsburgh at Buffalo. Okay so I was wrong about the Bills one game winning streak last week. I will not be wrong today as it does end at two against the Steelers. Steelers win. Panthers at the Browns. You got a feel for John Fox. More injuries than a MASH unit and starting a quarterback that until last weekend was "Chucking Wood". Browns win at home. The Vikings at the Redskins. Conventional wisdom would be to pick the Redskins but teams always seem to respond to a new head coach and I believe Leslie Frazier(Vikings new head coach) will also give them a spark not to mention that the injury bug has hit Washington pretty hard. Vikings find a way to win. Titans at the Texans. Can anyone tell me what has happened to Tennessee? Apparently there is a dispute between head coach Jeff Fisher and owner Bud Adams as to the value of Vince Young. This is another case of an owner who just gets himself too involved in personnel decisions. There is a reason Jeff Fisher has been successful year in and year out and that's because Adams had seemed to learn his lesson from Houston. From all reports Vince Young is a "head case". Talent or no talent you cannot coach a guy who doesn't want to be coached. There will be a lot of good head coaching opportunities in 2011. Bud Adams should tread softly or else Jeff Fisher may decide the grass is greener in another NFL city. Titans find a way to win. Fisher will coach them up. Tampa Bay at Baltimore. Like the Saints the Bucs must win in a cold city. A true test of their mettle. Unfortunately for them the Ravens are a better team right now. Ravens win. Chiefs at Seattle. Will the real Seahawks please stand up. Please don't tell me that an 8-8 team will win the division in the NFC West. I'll go with the home team to pull it out. Seattle wins. Dolphins at Oakland...Too much Raider defense. Raiders win. Rams at the Broncos...Broncos at home win. Bradford puts up valiant effort but all in vain. Word is you may see a little more of another talented rookie QB wearing a Broncos uniform. Eagles at Chicago...How do you pick against the Eagles with the way Michael Vick is playing. Eagles win. Chargers at the Colts...C'mon MAN!!! Colts at home. Are you kidding me? Colts win. Finally, the "Who Cares Bowl" on Monday Night Football. 49ers at the Cardinals.....I am only picking the 49ers because basically I give the edge to San Fran for having a better quarterback. 49ers win and muddle up the NFC West a little more. Well, that's my picks for the week. Let me hear yours! Have a great football weekend!

Thanksgiving Picks........

Who will be the Turkeys on Thanksgiving Day? There are three games on tap to give you a reason to eat early. The first game of the day features Detroit hosting the Patriots. Some people say Detroit's time to host a game on this holiday has passed. I say give Jim Schwartz a year or two more. I believe this is the first time the Lions have had a decent coach in a long time. Now for the reality of the current situation.....Prior to letting last week get out of hand the Lions had lost the previous two games by 5 points going down to the wire with a not so bad Bills team and losing in overtime to a very good Jets team. The Patriots on the other hand have posted convincing victories over two great teams in the Steelers and Colts. If we were talking a healthy Lions team I might give them a chance at home, but too much Tom Brady. It is as simple as that. Patriots win.
In the next game we have the Saints traveling to Dallas to play the new and improved Jason Garrett led Cowboys. Based on previous experience with my beloved Saints this will NOT be an easy game. There will be two factors that will play into this game for the Saints. The first will be the way the Cowboys embarrassed them last year. Although the final score was 24-17, it was not that close as the Saints self destructed with several turnovers early in the game and had to play catchup the rest of the way. I believe the revenge factor will be present as the Cowboys spoiled the Saints shot at a perfect season. The second and probably more important factor that will affect the game will be the return of Reggie Bush. Sean Payton gave him an extra week of rest on purpose so he would definitely be fresh on the short week. It also looks like Darren Sharper was the beneficiary of an extra week of rest as well. Jeremy Shockey will more than likely be a gametime decision but if I were a betting person (and you know I am not), I would say Shockey will want to be suited up for this one. He loves the "Big Stage". This game will probably come down to whoever has the ball last and the winner will get by with a win on 7 points or less. Saints will bring Dallas down to earth and win a big one in "Big D".
Finally, the late game has the woeful Bengals traveling to New York to face the Jets. Marvin Lewis is a nice guy but I believe he has worn out his welcome in Cincinnati and will no doubt be one of the coaching casualties of this season if he lasts to the end of it. One coach going in one direction and Rex Ryan on the brink of something special. Jets will win this one but if the past few weeks are any indication they will let the Bengals hang around long enough to make a game of it. Ultimately though the Bengals will succumb to the better team. Jets win.

Season Stats...

Forgot to give my Week Ten results which were 9-6 and 83-62 overall. Then there was this past weekend with my picks going 7-8 to bring me to 90-70 overall for the year. Let's hope Week Twelve is a little better. See you for the upcoming picks.......

Week Eleven in the NFL.........

Welcome to "Crunch Time" Part One in the NFL. There are plenty of teams hovering around 5, 6, and 7 wins in both the NFC and the AFC. This is the time of year when the good teams start to distinguish themselves and separate from the pack. In a few weeks we will discuss "Crunch Time" Part Two when the Great teams separate from the Good. This week we should start to see a little separation. In that spirit I will make my picks for week Eleven.......And Away we go.......In the early games we have the Texans at the Jets.....I am going off the rails here because I believe the Jets luck has to run out at some point. Too many close games including two overtime wins. Texans win. Packers travel to the warm confines of the Metrodome at Minnesota. I still believe Brett has enough in the tank to get a little payback from the first meeting in Green Bay when the Packers squeaked one out in a 28-24 win. Look for the Vikings to come out inspired for this one. Vikings win. The New & Improved Cowboys entertain the Lions. Most teams that get a mid-season head coaching change seem to do well in the game immediately following that change however, usually the following week they have a let down. The emotion is just now there. This week the Cowboys face a Lions team that in spite of its record has played tough and to the final whistle. Last week they lost by 2 points to the Bills who also are not as bad as their record says and the previous week to a very good Jets team by 3 points in overtime. I am leaning towards the Cowboys having that letdown. Lions win in a close one. Redskins at the Titans. Titans need this one to keep pace and they are at home. Titans win. Cardinals at the Chiefs.....same scenario Chiefs win at home. Ravens at the Panthers....... Unfortunately for the Panthers they don't spot you any yards or points because your roster looks like an emergency room after a barroom fight. Ravens win BIG! Browns at Jacksonville...Again, a very good Cleveland team that has just come up on the short end of the stick a few times. But let me remind you that they soundly beat not one but two Super Bowl teams in the Pats & Saints. I am going with the Browns defense to confuse David Garrard who is no Brady or Brees. Browns win. Raiders at Pittsburgh....If the Steelers take this one too lightly it could go bad quickly. I am looking for the Steelers to bounce back this week and win. Bills at the Bengals...Bills win streak stops at one. Bengals win. Bucs at the 49ers.....Niners finally starting to find a way to win. I believe they will find a way today and win. Falcons at St. Louis......Saints fans can hope & pray.....Sam Bradford has been impressive to say the least. When the season began I was one that questioned his durability and I have been proven wrong. This kid is for real and he is a hell of a competitor and leader. I am going out on a limb with my upset special. The Rams at home beat the Falcons in a shocker. The game of the day is the Colts at New England.....this game comes down to injuries...and the Colts just have more of them. I have to go with the home team. Pats win. Of course I saved the last late game because it is the Saints at home against the newest version of the Seahawks. For the Saints sake they better not take this one lightly. In the Sean Payton era the Saints are 1-4 coming out of a bye with the first win coming last year against the Giants. Look for the Saints to have another repeat performance especially if Reggie gets going. Pete Carroll will get a more than a few flashbacks. Saints win. Giants are at Philadelphia...So far no one seems to have an answer for Michael Vick. Neither will the Giants. Eagles win at home. Lastly, Monday Night Football has the Broncos going into the warmer weather at San Diego to face the Chargers. This game is anybody's guess considering you just don't know what team on either side of this one will show up. Sooooo......I will GUESS.... I 'll go with the home team Chargers to win in a very strange game.....
Make your picks and see how you fare against me......Have a great week and I'll see you on Thanksgiving Day for more Football Fanatics!

Thursday Night Football.......

Well here we go with back to back Thursdays and a Football game is on. Guess what? Next week will be no different other than we will be enjoying a little Turkey with our Football. And.....for the first time in their history I am told the Saints will be playing on Thanksgiving Day in a game that some thought at the beginning of the season would be meaningful. We can only hope....
Enough of the Chit Chat let's get on with it.......The Bears are in Miami to play the Dolphins. This game intrigues me because of how well Tyler Thigpen came in and played last weekend in an emergency role. My gut says the Dolphins are tough right now but my intellect says that they are just too banged up. The only team with more key injuries is the Carolina Panthers. I have to go with the Bears tonight simply because they are just healthier. The Dolphins will play the Bears tough but ultimately I believe the Bears defense will wear down the Dolphins offense and the Bears offense with Jay Cutler at the helm will do enough to win the game. Bears win. Keep up with me this weekend when I make my Sunday Picks and give you my season record.........Have a great football evening!       

Week Ten in The NFL......

Well better than last couple weeks 9-4 and 74-56 overall last week. Oh and by the way already one for Thursday Night Football as the Falcons came through as predicted. Saints are off so we can say they are safe of course and resting comfortably in their Lazy Boys' this weekend watching everyone else. They will need the rest for what's ahead. So here are this week's prognostications.....Panthers at Tampa Bay...Are you kidding? Bucs better win this one. Bucs win at home. The "Big" game on Fox is the Vikings at Chicago. Brett loves the big stage and although I believe Chicago will come after him, Vikings will find a way to win. Vikings win. Detroit travels to Buffalo...this is the last time I pick the Bills. Bills win first one. Jets at Cleveland....This is where we separate the men from the boys. Cleveland has been playing over their heads the last few weeks. Today the Jets bring them down to earth. Browns not quite ready for primetime. Jets win in a close one. Texans at the Jaguars....Will the real Houston Texans please stand up and be counted!!! Jags playing with a lot of confidence but I don't believe the Texans will let 2 in a row slip away. Slight edge to the Texans but this could go either way. Texans win. Bengals have to play the Colts in Indy not an easy task. Unfortunately for the Bengals they don't have Michale Vick starting at QB. Look for the Colts to keep Pace with Tennessee. Colts win. Titans at Miami...Too much Chris Johnson not enough Ricky Williams. Titans win. Chiefs at the Broncos...Can anyone tell me what the hell happened to the Denver Broncos?!?! Kansas City too much for Denver. Chiefs win. Cowboys have to travel to New York to face the Giants after the EGG they laid in Green Bay last week. Not to mention a new coach in Jason Garrett. The Cowboys don't need a new coach as bad as they need a new owner or at least one that doesn't mettle as much as Jerry Jones. Some are saying the job will go to either Tony Dungy or Bill Cowher. Dungy is finished coaching. If the Cowboys go with a NAMED coach one with experience then "HE" will demand total control and Jerry to take a backseat. I am not sure Jerry can do that. Anyway my pick if he does decide to do that is "Chucky" former Bucs coach Jon Gruden. I believe he would be a perfect fit for "Big D". As far as today's game goes the Cowboys will fare no better against the Giants with their new coach. Giants win. Seahawks at Cardinals...If the Cards have any hopes of winning their division they will need this one. Cards win. Rams at 49ers...I'll take San Fran at home. 49ers win. Patriots at Pittsburgh....Both teams seem to play well in the spotlight but I am leaning toward the Pats. Patriots win. Finally, Monday Night Football has old rivals Philly and Washington squaring off. Philadelphia seems to have hit their stride. I am going with the Eagles to win. See ya next week.......

Thursday Night Football.......

How could I forget ??? But I must get my pick in before gametime which is about 40 minutes from now. If you want to see an excellent game tonight, this would be the one you want to watch. Two teams heading in the same direction but only one will finish victorious. For selfish reasons I hope the Ravens win, however the Falcons are at home and will be tough to beat. Unfortunately for the Saints they must travel to Baltimore in the winter months to face the Ravens. Since the Falcons get this one in the Georgia Dome I am going with the Falcons to go one up on the Saints. Falcons win in a close dogfight. If the Saints want to keep pace with the Falcons,  they will have to win on the road in December at Cincinnati and at Baltimore and of course let's not forget the Monday Night Matchup with the Falcons in Atlanta. The Saints can solidify their home field advantage with a sweep of these three games. What's your take?

Week Nine in the NFL.....

This week I am starting with the Home Team....What a WIN against Pittsburgh last week.  If you were paying attention, it was quite different than the win against Tampa Bay. In the the win against the Bucs, it felt like the Bucs just played poorly not necessarily that the Saints played well. However, in the game against the Steelers we definitely played a much more complete game which now has me convinced we have turned the corner. We shall see....So here we go into the wild world of predictions......Got to go with the Saints against Carolina...and if I am reading the right signs, this could be a blow out. Saints win. Next up Dolphins at the Ravens. I have to go with the Home Team here. Ravens win. An interesting game and a big test for the Tampa Bay Bucs who travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. If this were in Tampa I might pick the Bucs but on the road against a good Falcon team will be tough. Falcons bring the Bucs down to earth. Falcons win. The Bears are just what Buffalo needs to cure there winless ills. The Bills have never given up and have been close against some stiff competition. Today they get the right opponent. Bills win first one. Patriots at Cleveland. I would love to see Cleveland play like they did against the Saints but the Patriots won't take them so lightly. Patriots win. The Jets at the Lions. You just have to know Rex Ryan is steamed about the loss last week and getting shut out. Jets will come out with focus and win. San Diego at Houston.....this will be a battle. If the Chargers hope to salvage their season they will have to win out....a pretty tall order. I believe the Chargers problems will continue. Texans win. Norv, start looking for another job. Cardinals travel to Minnesota....Look for Brett to make his 293rd consecutive start and lead the Vikings to a win at home. Colts at the Eagles....this game comes down to two things....Too many injuries for Indianapolis and the return of Michael Vick for the Eagles. Eagles win at home. Giants at Seattle...It appears that the Giants have settled down. Giants win in a close one. Chiefs at the Raiders...Wow! What can you say about this one? Finally a meaningful game between two old arch rivals. This too will come down to the last possession. Chiefs win. Dallas at Green Bay.....At one time this was a meaningful game but not today. Cowboys troubles continue. Packers win in Lambeau. Wade may not finish the season at the rate he's going.  Finally Monday Night Football with the Steelers at Cincinnati. Pittsburgh rebounds from the loss at New Orleans and takes out their frustration on the Bengals. Steelers win. You really should challenge me after the last two weeks I've had. Last week a horrible showing of 5-9 and total for the season 65-52. Let's see how it goes this week. Hope you have a Great Football Day!    

Week Eight in the NFL.....

Since it is Halloween and weird and spooky things always happen on this unusual day I am devoting a special section for tonight's game between the Saints and Steelers at the Superdome. In their last eight nationally televised games the Saints are 7-1 and 9-5 overall since Sean Payton took over as head coach. The Saints are 6-7 overall against the Steelers since they first met in 1967. Sean Payton is 0-1 against the Steelers losing in his first season to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field 31-38 in November of 2006. An interesting fact that you may have forgotten is that the Saints do have a special connection with the Steelers. In 1987 on November 29th at the old Three Rivers Stadium the Saints won a close game 20-16 with an incredible goal line stand which gave the Saints their first winning season. Again, this is Halloween so generally crazy things happen. I honestly believe you can throw the records out for this game. This one will probably come down to who has the ball last. Possibly a Jeff Reed or Garrett Hartley FG. Unfortunately Saints fans as much as I love the Home Team, I must be objective. The Steelers are plus-9 in turnover ratio and the Saints are minus-5. Pittsburgh won 3 out of 4 games before their starting QB was back in the lineup. This will be a tall order for the Saints and Coach Payton. Any mistakes or turnovers in a game like this will be magnified. I have not seen the focus from any of the players that we had last year especially Drew Brees who at times this season has looked very average. For a Super Bowl MVP just 8 short months ago Brees seems confused at times and he and Sean Payton do not seem to be on the same page with regards to the play calling. The Saints must do what other teams have done to us. Long sustained drives. The Saints must run the ball and trust Chris Ivory with more carries especially when he is getting 4 and 5 yards a pop. This will keep "Big Ben" on the sidelines and wear the Pittsburgh defense down. We will not win passing the ball 50+ times. Now, the big question is can Sean Payton make that kind of adjustment? Tonight we will see. But until I see some consistency out of our home town heroes I can't objectively pick them to win. By the way on a side note the Steelers are 1 1/2 point underdogs in this game if you can believe Vegas. I say take the points and the Steelers. Pittsburgh will win outright. Let's just hope Halloween doesn't turn into FRIGHT NIGHT!

Week Eight in the NFL.....

Not a good week last week going 6-8 but still a commanding 60-43 ahead of 4 out of 6 of the Times Pic Prognosticators....Last week I went with my heart instead of my gut. That will not happen this week. So....here we go for another ride into the unknown....1st up Jaguars at Dallas....Look for Jon Kitna to have an outstanding day for the Cowboys and show Dallas fans that "YES" they can win without Romo. Cowboys win at home. Packers travel to New York to face the Jets. Simple...too much Jets defense will make life miserable for Aaron Rodgers. Jets win. Redskins at the Lions....this is where the phrase "Any Given Sunday" will apply. Mike Shanahan's team takes a step backward. Lions win. Dolphins at the Bengals....Sorry Bengals like several other teams that I have picked you will have to prove you can close the deal on a good team. Until then I will pick against you. Dolphins win. Buffalo at Kansas City....I know this looks like a no-brainer but keep in mind what I said last week. A team that hasn't won is a very dangerous team. The Bills have come very close and I believe the Chiefs are a little full of themselves. Chiefs overlook Bills and Buffalo gets their first win today. Panthers at the Rams....this one I am strictly going with my gut and say the Panthers win in an upset. Call it my upset special. Broncos at the 49ers...What is going on in Denver??? I've got to go with the Home Team. 49ers win. Another mystery the San Diego Chargers...who are at home against the Titans. Part of me wants to say the Chargers have to win so they will...but they seem to keep finding ways to lose. If they hope to salvage any kind of a season they will need to win today. What's crazy is they have the Number 1 offense and defense and they are 2-5. This is the last time I pick them if they lose today. I am going to say Chargers find a way to win today and start the turnaround with a close win over the Titans. Remember it's Halloween! Vikings at the Patriots...Wow! what can you say about this one? Well for one thing Brett Favre will make his 292nd consecutive start. The question is can he hold up for the entire game? Also, can he be effective? I believe you will see a steady dose of Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart to keep the heat off of Favre. Vikings in a must win situation and Patriots may be looking past this one. I am going to say Vikings win and just maybe Tavaris Jackson gives the them a little help. Bucs at Arizona....If Tampa Bay wants to be serious contenders these are the games you must win. This is another gut feeling...Cardinals need a win more and they are at home. Arizona wins. Seahawks at Oakland...How about 'dem Raiders?!?! Man 59 points last week! Incredible! I am going with the hot team at home. Raiders win. Texans at the Colts on Monday Night Football....Here is a chance for the Texans to do what they have never done before which is sweep the Colts. The Colts are pretty banged up and will be without the services of Austin Collie plus a number of key players will be limited. Look for the Texans defense led by Mario Williams to put a lot of heat on Peyton Manning and the Texans offense will do enough to get the job done. Texans win in an upset and sweep the Colts for the first time. 

Week Seven in the NFL.....

Well...I am feeling a little better this week so let's see if my picks will follow. I had a good week last week but as I said each week gets a little harder. First up the Saints entertain the Browns at the Superdome. Wow! Offense sure looked like it was back last week. Can the Saints put back to back weeks together is the question? I am going to say that they will. Saints win at home...close in the first half then Saints pull away in 4th Quarter. Next up Division rivals' the Atlanta Falcons are at home against the Bengals. I just see this as a must win for the Bengals at 2-3 in 3rd place in the AFC North, I don't see how they can afford to lose. Bengals upset the Falcons at home in a close one down to the gun. 49ers at Carolina...too much 49er defense and Alex Smith finds Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis open all day. 49ers win. Rams at the Bucs...Bucs bounce back and win at home. Redskins travel to Chicago to face the Bears. Too much Matt Forte. Bears get back to basics and had the ball off to number 22. Bears win. Bills vs Ravens...It just keeps getting harder and harder for the Bills but keep in mind the two teams you don't want to play....those who haven't lost and those who haven't won. Unfortunately for the Bills this will not be their week either. Ravens win. Eagles at the Titans...even though the Eagles seem to have found a rhythm they are just too beat up and without Deshawn Jackson their big play guy it could be a long day for Kevin Kolb. Titans win at home. Jaguars at the Chiefs...Look for the Chiefs to bounce back as well Chiefs win in front of home crowd. Steelers travel to Miami to face the Dolphins. This one also will go down to the wire. For the Dolphins they must be able to run the ball to be effective today. Oddsmakers are giving the Steelers a 3 point advantage. Dolphins at home win in a close one. Seahawks entertain the Cardinals. Too much 12th man. Seahawks win at home. Patriots vs the Chargers in San Diego. If the Chargers don't win Norv Turner may be looking for a job real soon. Chargers find a way to get back in it and win at home. Raiders and Broncos face off at Mile High or whatever the stadium's called now...Broncos win get back on track. Look for Tim Tebow to get some more playing time. Vikings at Green Bay...Brett has his old team's number plus he'll be super pumped for this one. Vikings win on the road. Finally, Giants at the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. This will be possibly the final nail in Wade Phillips' coffin. Early Halloween Horror Show with the Giants massacring the Cowboys on national TV. Jerry Jones turns so red people think he's on fire. Giants put an end to Dallas' hopes of making the Super Bowl at their home stadium. Giants win.
Now, it's your turn to match up with me......

Follow Up On Weekly and Season Totals...

So far no challengers.....Let's see what YOU can do. Total for Week 5 was well WEAK with 6-8 and pushed overall to 45-31 for the season. But this past week I was like Drew Brees...ON FIRE! Week 6 came in at 10-4 to push my season total to 54-35. Can anyone compete with me?

Week Six in the NFL.....

Sorry guys for the brief picks this week but still in a lot of pain from the surgery...I will do my best to Man-Up!!! I Bleed Black & Gold but I also must be objective when making my picks. So here I go....
My heart wants to say pick the Saints today against the Bucs in Tampa Bay. However, until the Saints can show me some offensive consistency in scoring TD's in the Red Zone instead of FG's. I am going to say Bucs win by a FG and the controversy will be that Hartley missed one that could have tied or won the game. Seahawks vs Bears...Bears too strong at home. Bears win. Dolphins vs Packers. Dolphins arrive beat Pack at home. Miami wins.Chargers at the Rams. If any coach's head is on the block, it is Norv Turner. A loss here could spell the end of not only the season but an era. I believe Chargers will get back a little life today. Chargers win. Ravens travel to Foxboro to face a very good Patriots team. I believe Bill Belechik will have an answer today for the Ravens run game. Patriots get the edge at home and win. Lions at Giants. Must win for Giants and they do win. Falcons vs Eagles....Although he isn't starting,  Micheal Vick will be available. Also, the game will be in Philly. Eagles win in a tough battle. Browns vs Steelers...Honestly I've never seen a more snake-bitten team than the 2010 Cleveland Browns.
Pittsburgh will win but it won't be a nice welcome back for "Big Ben". Ben will look rusty and Steelers defense and running game save the day. Steelers win. Chiefs at Texans. Two teams coming off of disappointing losses. Chiefs are for real. Chiefs win on the road. Raiders vs 49ers...another golden opportunity for Mike Singeltary's team. Only because they are at home...and I mean that...it will be that close...49ers win first one. Jets travel to Denver...Question for Broncos fans is...Which Broncos team shows up? I have to pick the Jets to win.  Until I see something different from the Broncos.....????  Cowboys at the Vikings....This is where the rubber meets the road. The final nail in the coffin for Jerry's fantasy of playing in the Super Bowl at home in Jerry World. Vikings win in a very physical game.Colts vs Redskins...until Colts show any thing different I am on the bandwagon. Too much Manning..."Peyton" that is. Colts win. Titans at Jaguars...Jags can't play over their heads for too many weeks in a row. Plus time for Garrard to show his usual trait of inconsistency. Titans win behind running of Johnson and passing and running of Young and a stout defense.
Time for all you challengers to Man Up with me. Show me what you got!

Game Review...

Can somebody please tell me what's wrong with Drew?!?! And don't tell me the Cardinals' DB's are that good. Drew held on to the ball forever and still couldn't find a receiver! What's up with that? There is more going on than meets the eye for sure. Nothing seems to be clicking for our Home Town Heroes! The play calling of Sean Payton is also lacking and he needs to take responsibility in this too! Gregg Williams!!! Where's that great defensive scheme?!?! Are you telling me you can't confuse Max "The Rookie"!?! All I can say is "COME ON MAN"!!!

Week Five in the NFL........

I've always said each week gets tougher to pick....but I will take a whack at it anyway......By the way last week 10-4 and 39-23 overall. Only one of the Times Pic prognosticators ahead of me....So here we go again into the land of prediction......Saints on the road at Arizona...Rookie QB...Gregg Williams Defense...What do you think??? Saints score big even with all the injuries and take over in second half to cruise to victory. Saints win. Bills at home against the Jags...Jaguars a little over confident after beating the Colts. Bills sneak up with a win at home...My First Upset. Bucs on the road at Cincinnati....honestly if the Bengals were not at home I wouldn't pick them....call me stupid...Bengals squeak out a win at home. Falcons on the road in Cleveland....the euphoria has worn off...Too much Matt Ryan  for the Browns...Falcons win. Rams at the Lions...simple Lions at home...Lions get their first win. Chiefs travel to Indy to play the Colts. The timing couldn't have been worse for Kansas City. Playing the Colts at home after the Colts suffered a huge loss last week. Colts bring high flying Chiefs down to the ground. Colts win. Packers at Washington....this is another intriguing game...the Redskins are playing with a lot of confidence unfortunately so are the Packers who continue to find ways to win even when it looks like they won't. Packers win in a close one. Bears at Carolina....  My fellow predictors seem to think this is an opportunity for the Panthers to win one. As I said to my friends last week the Panthers played way over their heads because it was a Division game against the Super Bowl Champions...It won't matter that Jay Cutler is not playing...The Bears have enough defense to stop the Panthers running attack and make them one dimensional with Jimmy Clausen. Then of course it's all over for Clausen. On offense the Bears will just hand the ball off to Matt Forte to see if Carolina has answer...They don't...Bears win. Denver travels to Baltimore...On paper this looks easy but you have got to give credit to QB-Kyle Orton who is putting up incredible numbers. Here is my next surprise pick Broncos win in a close one on the road. Giants at the Texans...the Giants found their defense last week against the Bears the question is can they do it 2 weeks in a row? I am going against the grain again...Giants win in a close one. Chargers at the Raiders...Chargers found their offense last week. Chargers will find more of it this week...Chargers win. Titans at Dallas in Jerry World.
Look for the Cowboys to be sluggish after a Bye week of getting fat and sassy. Titans come up big...upset the Cowboys at Home. Titans win. Eagles at the 49ers. No Michael Vick...Need I say more. 49ers win.
Vikings at the Jets on Monday Night Football...I know I know more controversy with Brett Favre and of course their was the Randy Moss trade. Something Brett has been working on for a few years. Look for the Vikings to pull together for this one and upset the Jets at home. Brett throws at least one touchdown pass to Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson keeps the Jets defense off balance just enough to keep the heat off of Brett. Vikings win.

Week Four In the NFL.....

 No challengers yet??? Last week I was 10-6 and 29-19 for the season. Pretty good so far. Let's see how I do this week...now that it gets a little harder. Here we go...for Week 4....starting with you guessed it.....
 My Home town boys! They are entertaining the 0-3 Panthers. There are two teams you do not want to face the...ones that haven't lost...and the ones that haven't won. The Saints must find an answer to their rushing defense or it will be a long season. Look for the Saints to get back on track this week. A loss last week was just what the doctor ordered to get their focus back Saints roll and win this one.     
It would be easy to dismiss the 49ers after an 0-3 start especially facing the Falcons in Atlanta...And the question begs did Atlanta play over their heads last week because it was the Super Bowl Champion Saints. I am going out on a limb and picking the 49ers to win in my upset of the week. Next up the Bengals at the Browns...even if Jake is healthy it will be a tough road and Cincy is trying to keep pace with the Steelers. I 'll go with the Bengals to win. Jets at the Bills....Will Buffalo ever find itself...not this week Jets win. Rams host Seattle...Seahawks win on the road. Pete Carroll has something special going. Denver at Tennessee....this is truly a turning point for Denver. They must get a fire going soon or their season is over. Maybe the spark they are looking for is on the bench...Can any one say "Tebow"?!? Broncos win in an upset. Detroit at Green Bay...It just doesn't get any easier for the Lions. The Packers win in a close one. The slugfest of the day is The Ravens at the Steelers. Steelers lose this one. Ravens prove their defense is still good enough to keep the offense in the game. Ravens win. I have another upset for you...The Colts travel to Jacksonville where they always have a tough time. The Jags win in a close battle probably by 4 points or less. Texans get back on track against the Raiders in Oakland. Texans win. Washington at Philly....Lots of Michael Vick but I am leaning towards the better coach in Mike Shanahan to prevail. Redskins find a way to win. Arizona at San Diego...What is going on with the Chargers?!?  If it were any other team I'd pick against them but got to go with the Chargers at home to win. Norv Turner will be in a world of trouble if they lose this one. The Bears at the Giants...here is another make or break game...if the Giants don't get on track today it is close to being over. Giants upset Bears and give them their first loss. Giants win at home. For Monday Night Football 2 teams...Patriots and Dolphins...that are very evenly matched so I'll go with the Home Team...Miami...to win.
Have a great week and I am still looking for some challengers........ 

Week Three In The NFL.......

Last week much better on my predictions as I went 12-4....Any Challengers out there...Overall 19-13 for the season. By the way last week should be a good example of why you don't come here for point spreads as I was WAY off on the one game I did comment about the point spread. That is also why I don't give scores. What does it matter. The Win or Loss is the only thing that matters.
So, it's Sunday morning around 9AM and I am having my coffee.....Here we go for another exciting week in the NFL. 1st game on tap is my Saints. If they weren't at home this would be even tougher to call but I 'll go with the Saints to pull this one out in the 4th Quarter. Saints win. It could however come down to who has the ball last.
Titans travel to New York to face the Giants. I gotta feel like the Giants will get back on track at home. Giants win. The Steelers at Tampa Bay. Everyone is picking the Steelers because of the great defense they are playing. I believe the Bucs will show they have a pretty good defense as well. Bucs playing with a lot of confidence and again at home I am going with the Bucs to win in my Upset Special.  Bengals at Carolina....no contest the Bengals win in a rout. John Fox is running out of QB's & options. He will be lucky to finish the season as the head coach. Browns at Ravens...Are you kidding me??? Too much Ray's as in Lewis and Rice. Ravens win easily. Cowboys at the Texans...Here is another team on the ropes and the Texans are a team that can deliver the knockout punch. Look for Jerry Jones to turn BEET RED if Dallas loses this one and more than likely it will spell the end of the Wade Phillips Era. Texans are at home...see my theme today. Texans deliver....Goodbye Dallas....No Home Super Bowl this year.  Texans win it in 4th quarter last minute drive. 49ers at Chiefs. San Fran has to win. 49ers win in a close one. Lions at Vikings...this is what they call NUT CRUNCHING time for the Vikings. If they lose their season could be over. Vikings at home will get back on track and win. Patriots host the Bills. What do you think??? Patriots win...COME ON MAN!!! Washington at St.Louis...I am going to go with the Rams again at home one more time...Too much Stephen Jackson and Donovan has off day...Rams win. Eagles at Jacksonville...if Kolb was starting instead of Vick I would pick the Jags at home but Vick IS starting soooo...Eagles win. Raiders at Arizona...The Cardinals better get on track after an embarrassing loss at Atlanta last week. Cards get win at home. Chargers take the short flight to Seattle. Chargers win in a close one. Colts go to Denver...it was like watching two different teams from week one to week two. Peyton is back! Colts win. The Jets vs the Dolphins....The Jets need this one more...Jets win. Finally Monday Night Football has a good one between the Packers and the Bears. The Bears will be up for this one in front of the Home Crowd. Bears win in a dogfight...probably a last second field goal.

Week Two For The NFL.....

Well let's counted 'em up.....7-8 this past week but still believe I had the Bears-Lions game....HORRIBLE CALL in the endzone. Why is it when your are running the ball you just have to break the plane but when you are catching the ball, you must maintain control all the way to the bench! STUPID RULE!!!
Now for this weeks picks. Lots of surprises last week...as expected it always happens in a new season. So..Here we go again...Bears at the Cowboys.....the Bears didn't win last week the Lions lost. Cowboys redeem themselves at home and win for the fans at home. Falcons at home against the Cardinals...the Cardinals struggled against the Sam Bradford led Rams last week and almost lost it. Falcons will win at home. Buffalo at Green Bay...It's bad enough when you have to play Green Bay at home but in Lambeau that's a tall order for any team. Packers win at home. Eagles at Lions.....this would have been close if Matt Stafford and Kevin Kolb were starting at QB. Unfortunately for the Lions, the now fully healthy and back to his old running self Michael Vick will start for the Eagles. Too much Vick for Lions to handle. Eagles win on the road. Steelers at Titans...should be a slug fest but I'll lean to the home team on this one Titans win with Chris Johnson's running. Ravens at the Bengals...the Ravens were not as good as they played last week and the Bengals are not as bad as they played look for the Bengals to get back on track with the Home Field advantage. Bengals win in a close one. Chiefs at Cleveland....Poor Jake he just can't get a break. Although Senaca Wallace will have a good game and probably steal the starting QB job from Delhomme the new and improved Chiefs who showed last week they do have a defense. Chiefs win. Tampa Bay at Carolina....I really don't know what people see in the Panthers but they keep picking them. If Matt Moore gets the start he will struggle & the upstart Bucs will win their second in a row for the first time since Jon Gruden was the coach. The Dolphins travel to Minnesota. If this were in Miami the outcome might be different. Look for the Vikings to get back on track at home. Vikings win. This week we will find out if the Seahawks are for real or not as they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. I can't see Josh McDaniels not having his team ready to play at home. Broncos win. Rams at Oakland....I am just going to go with the home team simply because the defense did a pretty good job for most of the game last week against Chris Johnson...and if the Rams can't run the ball Bradford is in for a long day...Raiders win. Here's another game to see if a team is for real...the Texans at Washington. Although the Redskins played good defense, they still haven't shown if they can score on offense. I'll lean toward Houston...Texans win. Jaguars at Chargers...the Jags actually surprised me last week but I'll go with the Chargers to get back on track in front of the Home crowd..but I will say this if the Chargers lose and go 0-2 this could spell the end for Norv Turner if he cannot right the ship real quick. Chargers win at home. The Patriots at the Jets....Are the Jets as good as they say they are...we will see this week in another tough test. I believe the Jets will get back to good defense and find a way to harass Tom Brady. The AFC east is a tough division and the Jets cannot afford to go down 0-2. Jets win at home. The big game Sunday is Manning vs Manning in the Manning Bowl. I warned all of you last week the Colts are in trouble. Too many key injuries. Look for the Eli led Giants to upset the Colts at home. This is one time if I were a gambler I'd  take the 5 1/2 points with the Giants. Giants win a big one and Colts go 0-2 for the the first time since Jim Mora was the coach. Finally......what you all have been waiting for the Monday Night Matchup with the Saints traveling to San Francisco to play the 49ers. The 49ers are not as bad as they looked last week. They just read to many of their own press clippings. The difference in this game will be the defense....New Orleans' defense. They held Brett Favre and the Vikings to ZERO points in the second half of last weeks game plus they have almost had a bye week being off for eleven days. The Saints under Payton have done well out of a bye week. It will be close in the first half but then the Saints will pull away in the second half. Saints win and go 2-0. Don't forget to give me your predictions and see how well you can pick against me.

The Season Has Started...

You may ask what's so great about a 14-9 decision? I 'll tell you what so great about it. We won for the first time in Sean Payton's Tenure with a stifling defense...something we are not used to seeing in the new Saints era of high scoring offenses.All of the previous games under Payton when the Saints scored 14 points or less they lost the game. This is something new. I thought it was common sense that the defense would be better this year simply because we are under Gregg Williams for the second year in a row. Once again the naysayers said we wouldn't be that good this year. Not me. If you go back to the archive you'll find my comments were that we would be better. Make no mistake, just because the Vikings were missing Sidney Rice and maybe Percy Harvin wasn't 100% the Vikings are by no means a bad team. As predicted here they will be in the playoffs. We were again just the better team. We held a very potent offense scoreless in the second half. Let's see if anyone else can duplicate that the rest of the season. Call it an ugly win I really don't care. We are still ONE & O and the next big challenge is a week from tomorrow when we play a very much improved 49er team in San Francisco onMonday Night Football. Should be a great show on Primetime!

Final Predictions...

In the AFC the Chargers and Jets will get the Bye with the Chargers having Home Field thru out the Playoffs. In the Wildcard Round the Bengals and Titans survive. The Patriots and Broncos go home for the Holidays. In the next Round Jets win at home against the Bengals and the Phillip Rivers led Chargers finally get to the AFC Championship game beating the Titans in San Diego. In the AFC Championship game the Chargers finally use home field to their advantage. LaDamian Tomlinson once again is on the outside looking in. Jets cut Tomlinson after game saying he's a Jinx. The Chargers are smoking hot at home. Phillip Rivers picks on Darelle Revis and Revis is burned for 2 touchdowns in the game. Rex Ryan is overheard asking  Revis for his signing bonus back after the game. Chargers are on their way to the Super Bowl.
In The NFC the Saints and Packers get the Bye with the Saints edging the Packers by one game to get Home Field advantage thru out the Playoffs. For the 2nd year in a row the road to the Super Bowl goes thru New Orleans.Vikings and Falcons survive the Wildcard Weekend and the 49ers and Eagles going home for the Holidays. In another addition of last years NFC Championship part 3 the Vikings once again lose to the Saints and Brett Favre has FINALLY had enough...this time FOR REAL! He takes more punishment in this game than all 3 combined. After the game Favre is quoted as saying "My body is shot" "I am done for good" Favre retires after 20 long NFL Seasons with his consecutive game streak in tacked at 301 starts in the regular season. In Lambeau the Packers are too much for the Falcons in the Frigid Frozen Tundra. Packers win easily. In New Orleans the Saints defy the odds and using the "WHO DAT NATION" as their inspiration beat the Packers in Overtime. The new overtime "Brett Favre" rule actually works to the Saints advantage as they quickly move the ball down field to score a touchdown....GAME OVER!In the Super Bowl the starry-eyed Chargers can't believe they made it finally and get caught up in the hoopla while the Sean Payton/Drew Brees led Saints are all business on their way to a 2nd consecutive Super Bowl proving all of the naysayers wrong. As the Saints approach the podium to accept the Lombardi Trophy fans have already started chanting "THREE DAT"!
Now it's your turn to give me your predictions....FIRE AWAY!

The AFC Picks.............

Let's start with our favorite home town alum Peyton Manning and the Colts in the AFC South. Should be another banner year right? Wrong! The Colts will struggle this year. Already injuries are hitting them hard with Addai having a concussion and Bracket the starting All-Pro Linebacker hurting along with starting OT Tony Ugoh. This is not going to be Peyton's finest hour. He will have more than one game to win all by himself.  The question is how many can he pull out? It will be a tough race between the Titans and the Colts. This year, though, I believe will belong to Chris Johnson and Vince Young along with one of the longest tenured coaches in the League, Jeff Fisher. The Titans ended their season last year on a high note and that will carry over into this season. Look for the Colts to finish 2nd and the Texans 3rd with the Jags bringing up the rear again. This should finally spell the end for Jack Del Rio. Del Rio could never find a quality quarterback to lead his team and ultimately that will cost him his job. Titans win division and the Colts don't make the Playoffs.
In the AFC North my surprise pick(and NO I am Not on DRUGS) is the Cleveland Browns to not only have a better season but I will go out on a limb and say they will upset a few teams and probably be the spoilers for a few more. A slim chance at a Wildcard spot but a lot of things will need to fall their way along with not being bit by the injury bug AND they get great quarterback play from Jake Delomme who definitely wants to prove he is NOT washed up.. Look for the Bengals to win the Division. It's a toss up between the Ravens and the Browns for 2nd place and the Steelers have too many off the field problems plus a very tough schedule(which includes the Super Bowl Champs IN New Orleans) to finish any place but last.In the AFC West The Chargers will dominate again with the Broncos the only challenger. The Chiefs and the Raiders are in rebuilding mode and don't stand a chance against the other two. Chargers win the Division and the Broncos get a Wildcard Spot....My surprise pick in this Division is Tim Tebow. Watch for Tebow to start by mid-season should Kyle Orton not be getting the job done. Josh McDaniels will not hesitate to pull the plug on Orton if he feels Tebow can give him a spark. Tebow will still get playing time in a Michael Vick type situation.
Lastly, let's look at the AFC East.....Lots of talent and only time will tell but this is a prediction so here I go.....
I am going to go with the Jets to win the Division. I really like what Rex Ryan is doing up there. He may end up being a better coach than his dad. The Patriots will get the Wildcard---TWO WORDS---Bill Belichick. The man is a flat out winner and it's hard to bet against him. It will be tough for the Dolphins to match up and unfortunately for the Dolphins they have to play the Jets and the Patriots twice. They will finish with a winning season though, just in 3rd place in a very tough Division. In Buffalo the Bills are still searching for an identity. They will come in last....again.
Tomorrow........Who wins in the playoffs and who gets to the Super Bowl and the winner of that game.

Season Begins Thursday......

The matchup is awesome! Of course I am a little prejudice to say the least considering the home town boys are playing. So let's take a look into the future of this NFL football season and see what Frankie Raye has to say. I won't pick wins for every team this year but I will give you my take on what teams will show their stuff including a couple of MY surprise teams of 2010.
Let's take it by Divisions first and we'll start with the NFC South. Don't believe all that curse stuff and teams that won the Super Bowl have a hard time repeating. I remember all the Naysayers last December telling everyone who would listen that "No Team that lost its last 3 games had ever made it to the Super Bowl" let alone win one. Strike that one down. We are in a different NFL world these days and normal rules don't apply. The Saints will win the NFC South with a strong challenge from the Falcons but ultimately they will succumb to the Saints. The NFC South looks like this Saints(Division Winners), Falcons(2nd Place and a Wildcard in Playoffs), Bucs will be improved and finished 3rd, while the Panthers finish dead last and John Fox good coach that he is will be looking for a job.
In the NFC North a much improved and well coached Packers team will win the Division with the Vikings getting enough out of Brett Favre to garner the other Wildcard spot. The Lions will surprise and finish 3rd getting to .500 and showing some promise. Lovie Smith, however, showing that he has worn out his welcome in Chicago will be looking for work as the Bears will finish last in the North.
In the NFC West.....WHO CARES??? The 49ers will take the whole enchilada and win their 1st Division title since Steve Young was quarterbacking. The rest of the pack is hard to distinguish one from another but I'll say the Cardinals have enough talent left over to finish 2nd but it won't get them to the Playoffs this year. The Seahawks are in transition and I do not believe Pete Carroll will make that much of a difference. His previous stints in the NFL as a head coach were less than spectacular. The Seahawks will finish last and the Rams will get enough of a spark from new quarterback Sam Bradford to finish at .500 and 3rd place in the West.
In the NFC East many are picking the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl. I believe the Cowboys will have enough troubles getting out of their own way. There is something wrong in Dallas and we'll probably never know the answer but it ain't pretty. The Eagles and Giants are pretty evenly matched and will fight for the title this year. The team that really intrigues me is the Redskins. Now there is a coach(Mike Shanahan) who can make a difference. Look for the Redskins to be the spoilers of more than a few teams including the ones in their division. The biggest problem the Redskins will have is the same problem the Eagles had over the last several years...Can Donovan McNabb stay healthy for an entire season??? I am going to call it this way....Eagles(Win Division), Giants come in 2nd and out of the playoffs with the Cowboys finishing 3rd and possibly Wade Phillips looking for a job as well. Redskins will finish strong but not enough to get out of the cellar this year.
Tomorrow the AFC...........

Training Camp still rolling along

Today the bad news was P.J. Hill going on injured reserve. Out for the season. So, the Saints bring in another running back Deshawn Winn(hope I spelled it right;just got the news). A former Green Bay Packer with supposedly a lot of promise. We'll see. Chris Ivory just moved to the front of the line behind Reggie and Pierre. Keep checking us out as the closer football season gets the more active we'll be. Now go watch Monday Night Football you Crazy Fans!

Still In Training Camp Mode.....

Good news Robert Meachem is back on the practice field claiming that the pain in his toe is still there but he will play thru it. If we were playing a game we all know there are deadening agents that will likely take care of any game time pain. Welcome to the world of antidotes Robert.
I meant to make a comment about this USC situation with Reggie Bush...................
WILL YOU GUYS IN THE MEDIA JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!!!
I am sick and tired of hearing about something that happened 5 or 6 years ago and ultimately is the fault of the Head Coach(Pete Carroll)! I don't see any one in the media grilling him! He knew EXACTLY what was going on and that is why he left USC. A local radio guy made a very intuitive comment...he said "I don't see USC giving back all the money they made on Reggie Bush Jerseys" and "I don't see USC giving back all of the Bowl money they received as a result of having a dynamic player like Reggie". I agree. When is the NCAA going to get REAL!!! If not for these players they wouldn't have these huge TV contracts paying their Universities MILLIONS of dollars every year. It's a business for them but for the students it's just for fun and games. And don't give me that B.S. that they get an education. If it was really about an education the NCAA would see to it that ALL students left with a degree. But they could care less as long as they are filling the University coffers. I really could care less if a college program gives a poor student athlete a place to stay with his folks or a new car to drive around in. I only wish I would have had that kind of talent when I was in college. I say WHO CARES!!! Enough already! Leave Reggie alone!!!
In other news as expected the Saints like having experienced players so they signed Ladell Betts for some insurance at running back. I guess will see how quick he can catch on to the system. This is definitely a stong signal to Hill and Ivory that if they want to make the team they need to step it up because Betts isn't going anywhere. Either Hill or Ivory will be out by the end of the Pre-Season. Right now it looks as if Ivory has the edge. We shall see.

Camp Notes......and other things

We made it thru with little or no injuries in Thursday's Pre-Season game. I do believe though we had a couple of bruised egos based on the way the First String of the Patriots handled the First String of the Saints on both sides of the ball. It took Drew Brees and the offense 3 series to finally settle down for a 20-play drive taking 10:00 minutes off the clock. Let's hope there are more of those and less of the 3 & outs we saw Thursday.
It is no secret that Sean Payton has scheduled a tough Pre-Season for his offense going up against teams that primarily use a 3-4 alignment. Payton purposely did that because when the games start counting we will play several games during the season against 3-4 defenses. Yes, they are more difficult to contain and that is exactly why Sean Payton chose to get as much practice as possible against that defense. Look for a much better outing this week against the Texans, a team the Saints and Payton are a little more familiar with. The Saints should have a little more success this week. 

Check It Out.....

Make sure you go to www.saintspartyreview.blogspot.com for my thoughts on Rickey Jackson and his induction into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.

More Camp Notes.....

I've been saying all along this years defense will be markedly better than last year. They have been showing all camp that they have a chip on their shoulder because they keep hearing from the national media that they are
"not that good" and it's pissing them off. The defense has dominated several times when the first strings have gone against each other. I will be surprised if they don't finish the 2010 season in at least the top 10 if not the top 5.
This will only help improve an already high powered offense motivating Drew Brees to work even harder, if that's possible. I will not make my prediction for the season until after the final pre-season game but so far it's looking awfully good provided we have no major injuries.

Saints Camp Notes....

Initial reports are that Pierre Thomas will be okay. I 'll wait for the X-Rays. As I talked about earlier, you just never know who is going to go down with an injury. The good news is it is early in camp and hopefully Thomas will be healed and ready for the start of the season. It appears that everyone including ESPN, has no more info than anyone else on the injury. As usual Coach Sean Payton does not believe in giving anymore to the media than he is bound to by League rules. We will not know the true extent of the injury until Payton is ready to tell us period end of story.
In other camp news Marques Colston, much to the delight of Drew Brees and Coach Payton, seems to be close to 100% and was back on the practice field. If Sean Payton learned anything from the 2007 and 2008 seasons it was that it is not necessary to push the veteran players or hurry them back to the practice field. They are professionals and when they have to can kick it up a notch. Archie Manning once said that some players just have that ability when game time rolls around to change gears fairly quickly and perform well on the field even though they had little or no practice during the week. I submit to you that we have probably several players that fall into that category. Players like Sharper, Shockey, Colston, McCray, Vilma, etc,etc,etc. These players are the elite of the NFL. I am not suggesting that they do not need to practice at all but more than likely these players could get away with less practice than your average player and still have a respectable performance on Sunday.
Condolences out to Matt Tennant and his family with the death of his Mom this past week. You really want to pull for this guy to make the team just because of how tough it must be on him. Considering we need a good backup for Goodwin at center, he should have ample opportunity to prove himself. Good Luck Matt!
Finally, the defense is just looking awesome in practice. Remember, they face the Number One offense every day. This can only make them better. If the our defense can stop our offense, there aren't too many offenses out there that can beat us. This just might be the year that our defense outshines the offense if that is possible. Time will tell.

Tracy Porter.....

I don't know if you feel like I do, but I highly doubt that Porter our best cover corner will be used as a punt returner. Especially in light of the fact that when he was out last year for 4 games our defense was noticeably lacking in cornerback play. Does Sean Payton really want to take that chance with a star player? You can decide for yourself. With all the talent on this team, you can't tell me that someone else can't backup Reggie Bush. If Lance Moore goes down, no offense to Moore, but we have a little more depth at that position. Players who can step right in as evidenced last year when Moore was hurt for most of the year. Do we have any one proven that can step in for Porter and not miss a beat? I don't think so and again that was proven last year. Now, with the addition of Patrick Robinson this year, we might have a suitable replacement but it is way too early to make that call.
On another note don't forget to check out my other blogs...www.footballfancrazy.blogspot.com and www.saintspartyreview.blogspot.com

Continuing Camp Coverage...

I am not saying I have ESP but if you read some of my previous blogs, you'll notice that I am way ahead of the local media. If you woke up this morning and read the Sports section of our local newspaper, it's almost like they read my blog then asked the questions. Gregg Williams basically was quoted as saying exactly what I said here several days ago...The MAIN reason he signed on with the Saints was the fact we had Drew Brees and the other team didn't. Not to mention an explosive offense surrounding Brees which makes him that much better. Williams knows on any given Sunday for whatever reason your defense can have an off day. On those occasions he likes knowing that there is a leader(Brees) on the other side of the ball who can bring the team back or if you like "COVER"  for the mistakes that the defense might have made. Williams is smart enough to know very few defenses can play perfect ball week in and week out. He likes that fact that if his defense happens to give up 21 points that our offense can rack up 30 or better. This is another reason why you see the emphasis by Coach Williams on running to the ball, stripping the ball, batting the ball into the air, etc to create turnovers. If his defense can create a couple turnovers a game, that puts the ball in Drew's hands for one more scoring opportunity. If by some chance with a little luck his defense can score as they did last year, then all the better. Last season the Saints had 35 turnovers of which 26 were interceptions 7 returned for touchdowns. I just love to hear the football gurus go on about how it is unlikely the Saints can duplicate those numbers. On the contrary I'll be very disappointed  if we do not improve upon those numbers. As long as we can stay healthy we should do better than last season in both the play of the defense and turnovers created. Jonathan Vilma already stated that they left a lot of turnovers on the field. This is a defense which realizes they missed opportunities last year and intend on improving. Watch out Saints fans this defense is just getting started.

Camp Notes...

Well it finally got to Gregg Williams like it got to the rest of us fans...He's tired of hearing all of the negativity. In a unusual step in to the spotlight Williams finally exploded on the media, and justifiably so. Said Williams "I keep hearing you guys talk about this Super Bowl hangover, and it's starting to chap me a little bit, it really is." He went on to say that the leaders of the team,  like Drew Brees and Jonathan Vilma,  were the reason there would be no drop off from last year. Basically they(the leaders) are the engine that drives this team. The players all realize that they have an unprecedented opportunity and they intend on taking full advantage of it. Kudos to Gregg Williams for letting the media have it. As fans we are behind you Coach Williams 100%! The one thing that has impressed me as a fan is what I keep hearing from everyone in the organization...We must get better! Now I am not sure what was said by other Super Bowl Champions but I don't recall many of those players talking about getting better. They talked about repeating and defending the Title and everyone will be out to get us. But I really don't remember any of them saying we need to get better. I truly believe Drew Brees when he says I need to improve my game. I also believe the rest of the players when they say the same thing. I believe all of them will tell you there is room for improvement. THAT is a good thing!
In other camp notes...It looks like we will have another good crop of receivers plus a few good ones that will not make the team. All should be healthy and 100% by the start of the season and if not guys like Adrian Arrington and Rod Harper will make nice fill ins should we need them. Even Courtney Roby could make an appearance if necessary...Don't be surprised if Patrick Robinson gets a crack at running back punts and kicks. With his speed it might just be another way to get him on the field to make a play...After a couple of practices it appears as if Gregg Williams is trying to light another fire under Darren Sharper. Sharper who is limited right now watched from the sidelines as Malcolm Jenkins started in his place with the 1st string defense. "Darren Sharper had a chip on his shoulder last year. He wanted to prove me wrong, Mickey Loomis wrong, and the Minnesota Vikings wrong, and he did. Now, is he going to have that chip on his shoulder this year?" said Williams. Then Williams went on to say if not he'll be competing for another job...in the media. If that's not calling Sharper out I don't know what is. As long as Sharper comes back healthy, he should regain his starting position. If not Jenkins will do well. He showed several times last year why the Saints drafted him. He has a nose for the ball.  

Road to Repeat Begins

Well today is the 1st day of Training Camp for the Black & Gold and the start of something new for our boys...   Defending a Championship. Of course the pundits are already saying that we need to see lots of energy on the first day to determine if we are serious about defending the Title. I say RIDICULOUS! Anyone with half a brain will tell you that you know absolutely SQUAT after the very first practice. We will have a more solid idea around the end of August after a couple of preseason games under our belt...Enough said about that.
A few players to keep your eye on during the preseason warm ups...Patrick Ramsey for one will have to prove he is no Joey Harrington. Otherwise Chase Daniel with a year in the system under his belt could easily win the backup position...don't believe all that BS about needing experience behind Drew. We all know if Drew goes down for any considerable period of time our shot at repeating will be just as challenging no matter who's under center. I don't buy in to that "we need a veteran" stuff. What we need is a capable QB that will run our system and manage the game with as few mistakes as possible and use the talent around him to win games. I am still on the fence as to whether that individual must be a veteran. Ultimately, the preseason should tells us who will do the best job. Sean Canfield will have to show quite a lot to keep himself off the developmental squad.
Another player to watch is the continuing development of number 30, Lynell Hamilton. He really finished the season strong which made letting Bell go to the Eagles easier to stomach. Hamilton is a tough kid and should secure his place behind Pierre Thomas. We know he will get a lot more touches this year than last. Whlie we are talking running backs don't be surprised if P.J. Hill makes the team this year. The kid had a strong preseason last year and just got caught up in the numbers.
Barring any injures the Saints will keep 3 tight ends...Shockey, Thomas, and of course the rookie Jimmy Graham. Look for Graham to get lots of playing time in the preseason. He will be basically taking a crash course in Football 101. 
On the Defensive Side of the ball Gregg Williams will be looking for the most aggressive and intelligent players of the assembled cast. There will be some new names that make the team. Players to watch...At Linebacker look for Stanley Arnoux to push for a spot on the roster. Although injured last year the Saints like this kid and he will get a fair shot. Dunbar and Casillas have shown flashes. The Saints have 9 Linebackers in camp and only 6 will make the team. This will be a tough cut for a couple of players...Along the defensive line the Saints are deep and this will also be a tough cut. Look for Al Woods to make the developmental squad unless injuries occur...At defensive back again plenty of depth. I would like to see Chris Reis return to the type of player he was his rookie season when he intercepted 2 passes in preseason and was all over the field. Unfortunately for Reis, if he doesn't come on strong in camp and preseason this year he will succumb to the Turk. With Malcolm Jenkins moving to safety along with Usama Young, Reis is a bubble guy. Also, on the bubble is Roman Harper. He still made a lot of mistakes last year and he is another player that has not shown a lot since his rookie year. Of course Darren Sharper's health will play a big part in what happens with these  players chances.
So, there you have it...my prognostication of the coming Training Camp watches. Give me your opinions. Let's hear what you have to say.

Questions Abound!

If you are a true fan as I am you are probably as sick of the all of the stupid questions about the Saints upcoming season. We all know the statistics...Over the last 11 years only one team managed to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Five missed the playoffs altogether and 10 out of 11 did not make it to the conference championship. BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! It wasn't that many months ago(6 months) that we were hearing from all of the gurus that NO team had ever lost its last 3 games and made it to the Super Bowl let alone winning it. I believe that myth is BUSTED!
Then we have the what I call the "What If er"s". What if Darren Sharper doesn't return to ProBowl form? What if Sedrick Ellis cannot stay healthy? What if we can't stop the run? What if we cannot find a suitable replacement for Charles Grant? And of course the most common "what if"...What if Drew Brees gets hurt? Football is a team sport and while I agree that the Saints can't afford to lose a great player to injury neither can 99% of all the other teams in the NFL. So, how do we respond to all of the doom & gloom media? It's simple. We ignore them and put our faith in the only coach to take the Saints to the promise land. I know he's not a miracle worker but he is doggone close. Trust me Saints fans he has a backup plan.
Another question...how will the fat and sassy Saints get motivated to win another Championship? My guess is that Sean Payton will use the above statistics telling his team if they don't work twice as hard they will end up as just another statistic. We know Sean Payton is a great motivator so if anyone can find a way he will. As camp opens up today I envision a Team Meeting sometime tonight spelling out exactly what the team is up against this year. He will tell them that history is against them. The stats are against them. That every team has a huge bullseye on the Saints with their particular game against us circled in red. Payton will also point out the importance of starting strong out the gate against a very motivated and pissed off Vikings team. He will tell them that the window of opportunity only opens for a brief period and as their motto is this year states it is "Our Time"! The Saints have a chance to be one of the best. This team has enough leaders to keep everyone focused.

Not All Saints...

Being a football fanatic sometimes means commenting on more than just the home team....Condolences to Jack Tatum's family one of the Great's to play the game. Tatum who played for the Oakland Raiders was a punishing  safety and one of the NFL's most feared hitters/tacklers. Unfortunately for Tatum he will always be remembered as the guy who paralyzed Darryl Stingley. Stingley a 5-yr veteran wide receiver at the time for the New England Patriots ran a slant route across the middle of the field and as he and Tatum left there feet to go for the ball, a major collision occurred leaving Stingley with severed fourth & fifth vertebrae and paralyzed from the neck down. Stingley went on to lead a productive life working 12 years as a consultant with the Patriots as well as writing a couple books. He never blamed the "game" for anything always having a forward view positive attitude. He died at the age of 55 in 2007.

Tatum, 61 yrs old died of a heart attack. He recently within the last several years had been diagnosed with diabetes and had a leg amputated because of it. Jack Tatum played for 10 years in the NFL before retiring with 37 interceptions and enough vicious hits to be nicknamed the "Assassin". He was not only a part of a dark moment in the NFL, he also was a part of some of the most memorable plays in NFL history...One of which everyone has seen a million plus times on NFL films replays. In a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders were leading the game 7-6 with 22 seconds left. With fourth down facing  Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers, Bradsaw threw a pass down the field intended for John "Frenchy" Fuqua. As the ball arrived so did Jack Tatum with one of his signature hits sending the ball careening into the air, only to be scooped up just before hitting the ground by Franco Harris("Immaculate Reception") running in full stride in the direction of the Steeler endzone to complete a 60 yard touchdown play and give the Steelers the "Immaculate Win". Tatum, who never apologized for the way he played said "I play a hard hitting game. I just like receivers to think about me a little bit when they are trying to catch the ball". More than likely because of perceptions of being cold hearted, Tatum  stays on the outside of the NFL Hall of Fame. However, it was the opinion of John Madden that Tatum never got over the hit to Stingley,  " It was something that ate on him for his whole life" said Madden. What a shame that a player like Jack Tatum should be kept out of the Hall based on how other people feel about him. No one can know what really was going on inside Tatum's head except the man himself. We could all use a little forgiveness. Let's hope the Almighty is more forgiving to Tatum than the rest of us.God bless you, Jack Tatum.  

Another Draft Pick Signed and other things

2nd Round Pick Charles Brown inked his deal...time for 3rd round pick Jimmy Graham to sign his...once the guy in front of you(2nd rd pick) has signed and the guy behind you(4th rd pick) has signed there is enough leeway to get a deal done. Come on Jimmy Sexton(Graham's agent) let's get this guy to camp! 1st Round Pick Patrick Robinson is a different story. He probably will not roll into camp until later next week with so many 1st Round Picks unsigned.
Moving on....this Patrick Ramsey watch is got me kind of confused. If the Saints were so interested in him why not sign him ASAP on Thursday(Allowed by League to sign FA)before anyone else(if he's that good). Maybe Sean Payton knows Football a little more than some reporters do. Keep in mind Chase Daniel has been in the fold since last year and we also drafted a quarterback(Sean Canfield). Just maybe Sean Payton knows a little more than we do. We at least owe him the benefit of the doubt. Remember, there was a little known backup quarterback(Curt Warner) from the Arena League that carried the Rams to a Super Bowl victory as well as another unknown backup(Tom Brady) who has several Super Bowls under his belt with New England. Just maybe the Saints head coach with his background with quarterbacks might know something we don't. We still haven't gone to camp yet so anything is possible. I am just saying,  let Coach Payton do what he does best....COACH!
A quick comment on the Brett Favre watch...JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! If he comes back GREAT! We will remind him on Sept. 9th why he should have stayed retired. But if he does return for a 20th season this will be the only reason to fear the Vikings. Favre is the difference of the Vikings going back to the playoffs or being home for the holidays. If Brett doesn't come back this season then it should make the Vikings easy pickin's considering without a quality quarterback/leader they do not stand a chance of repeating especially the way the Packers finished the season.If Brett stays in Miss, look for the Packers to take the North.
Finally, a BIG THANK YOU to New Orleans' BEST Ambassador since Archie, Drew Brees,  for going to all of those book signings(which had to be trying) and politely sign THOUSANDS of autographs. What an incredible person! We are so blessed and lucky to have Drew as OUR quarterback and Team Leader. When you see someone like Drew do what he does off the field, how can you doubt that we do not have a REAL chance to repeat with another Championship. He is very focused and determined to "BE SPECIAL" not just for one season but for an entire career.

Bobby McCray Quietly Returns

The Saints quietly returned Bobby McCray back in to the fold---personal issues and all. The thought here is that even if he is suspended by the League for poor conduct or whatever else he will still be available to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks when the Saints need him most---at the end of the season and into the postseason. Plus it doesn't hurt to have a good pass rusher at a Bargain price. By waiving McCray when they did the Saints saved themselves about 1 to 1.5 million in additional money. More than likely the surprise response and look on Bobby's face was all an act. I am sure he was well aware of what they were going to do. It also makes sense for McCray signing a one-year deal because another solid year could lead to much bigger bucks somewhere else if he should choose to move on.

Times Pic Sports---Duncan Story

Jeff Duncan is all wet when it comes to the Status of Gregg Williams....If Williams wanted to leave he had many more opportunities than Mr Duncan claims. First of all there was Seattle. The Seahawks I would guess only went to Pete Carroll after at least a couple of turn downs. I am not sure Buffalo or Washington would exactly be a step up even if both sides were interested. However, you failed to mention the job in Cleveland. With Mike Holmgrem coming aboard Eric Mangini's job was not exactly that secure and easily if Gregg Williams had put his name out there several other teams may have elected to pull the trigger a year early...ie the Bengals, Bears, or Jaguars. I submit to you that Gregg Williams is happy being a BIG fish in a little POND. As long as Sean Payton can put an offense led by Drew Brees on the field,  it is this FAN's belief that Gregg Williams will stay right where he's at for a run at several Super Bowls as opposed to a possibly short run as a head coach in the
"Win today not Next year" NFL world we live in. Gregg is here to ride that train until they kick him off!

Upcoming Season

Get PUMPED UP for Football Season!


My friends and and I can't wait to get this party started!!!


How about you???


Are YOU ready for some football???


HELL YEA!!!