Archive for October, 2005

Hockey Picks

I’m moving the NHL picks to it’s own section.
NHL Picks

They will get better, and they will probably not be posted until between 6:00pm and 6:30pm each day.

The coin flip challenge will continue to run for all other sports.

Friday Football (picks edition)

The Mirl is having some computer related delays in getting the Week 8 picks up, so I’ve posted mine below. Beach went 13-1 straight up last week, moving back into first place. Normally that means I’ll lose 5 or 6 this week.

When he gets back up and running, the Week 8 compilation will be here. And until then:

DAL - CHI - CLE - CIN - JAX - NO - CAR - TEN - NYG - KC - DEN - TB - NE - PIT
Best Bet: Denver (and Jacksonville too)

Also, my boy keg is 33-11 ATS in college football this season. This week he likes:
CMU +7.5 Toledo
Ohio -5 Buffalo
Colorado -7 KSU
PSU -15.5 Purdue
Stanford +7 UCLA

Thursday Football

I’ve got something to say here, so just two games for now.
Maybe more later.

New Orleans Saints:
Below, under the stats, I put an asterik next to Ernie Conwell. The stats say he didn’t have a catch, but that’s because both he and the Saints were absolutely screwed by the NFL’s so-called replay policy.

Dear Socrates:

“I think that football doesn’t need instant replay. It’s better off without it.”

“How can you say that? Think about how silly it would be that a game may be decided by a wrong call and in this age of technology and instant everything, we can’t use a tv monitor to get the play right.”

“Okay, agreed. So tell me why it is then, that every play isn’t reviewable.
Why are plays ‘blown dead’? Why do we need ‘challenges’ under your arguement? “

The above story is a dramatization of this:
-The current use of NFL replay is horrible. Refs purposely let plays go on so that they can be reviewed, but if there isn’t enough evidence to overturn, the plays stays the same, despite what that ref may have originally thought. And that only can happen if a team has and chooses to use a challenge.
The NFL has the best referees in the world.
Why don’t they use them.

Make every play a reviewable play. Let refs call the game as they see it.
Make every play a reviewable play.

Oh, and the Saints aren’t playing bad football. They were rolling over the Rams in this game for the first quarter. But they’re not playing good football either, or else they would have continued to blow out St Louis.
TARGETS(catches):
Stallworth- 11(4)
Hakim- 9(6)
Stecker- 7(3)
Henderson-6(2)
Smith- 3(2)
Conwell- 2(0)*
Hilton- 1(0)
Karney- 1(1)


St. Louis Rams:
If the Saints had any luck at all, it would still be bad luck (or however that saying goes). St Louis trailed this game 7-17 in the fourth quarter, but they could have easily been down by 20 instead of 10. To their credit, the Rams never moved from their game plan, and they steadily pulled their way back into contention. But don’t let the final score fool you, this was a game that the Rams could have very easily lost (see above rant).

St. Louis might have injuries at key positions all over the field, but their offensive line did a real good job in this game allowing Jamie Martin operate the offense.

Jeff Wilkins missed a 48 yard field goal in the first quarter. It was right down the middle, and about five yards short. He must have had the wind in his face or something.
TARGETS(catches):
McDonald- 8(2)
Faulk- 6(5)
Curtis- 5(4)
Looker- 3(3)
Jackson- 3(2)
Manumaleuna- 1(1)
Thompson- 1(1)




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Pittsburgh Steelers
What can you say. These guys tell you what they are going to do and most of the time, they do it. Run. Stop the run, pressure the quarterback. The recipe on how to beat them is there, but many can’t or don’t use it. Oh, and look at how many players caught a pass from Ben.
TARGETS(catches):
Miller- 6(4)
Ward- 4(3)
Wilson- 3(0)
Randel El- 2(0)

Cincinnati Bengals
If you’d ask Charlie Weis how to beat the Steelers defense, he’d probably say stretch the field with 4 and 5 wideouts, and throw short passes. And why did Cincinnati struggle to move the ball in this game? They ran mostly 2 and 3 wide sets and fell victim to what Pittsburgh does best. If you only give them three guys to cover, they’ll blitz you from all sides and still be able to play a safe cover 2- under man.

The best way to beat that is to declare off the line of scrimmage 4 or 5 wide and make them put a man on each of them. It’s something Indianapolis hasn’t been able to do to New England, and it’s something Cincinnati didn’t do to Pittsburgh.

The IND/NE comparisons don’t stop there for me. This Steelers/Bengals matchup is very similar in so many ways. Cincinnati reminds me a lot of the 2002 or 2003 Colts and I’m afraid they may have just as hard of a time beating the Steelers as the Colts do the Pats.

And as many expected, the Bengals defense had a hard time stopping the Steelers’ run game. They are too undisciplined, and too inexperienced to do what they need to do.

Chris Henry, you have to catch that first touchdown throw. You just have to. The Bengals scored their first and only touchdown of the game with a minute and fifty seven seconds left in the fourth quarter. I said last Thursday that the Steelers would have been my best bet for the week if I knew on Thursday (when we submit our picks) Ben Burger was playing. He did, and it really was that easy for the Steelers.
TARGETS(catches):
TJ- 11(7)
CJ- 8(4)
Perry- 5(5)
RJohnson- 4(2)
Henry- 3(0)
Washington- 2(1)
Kelly- 2(2)
JJohnson- 1(0)

Wednesday Football

Watching a lot of hockey and game four of the series tonight, so only two games to add this evening:

Buffalo Bills
Here’s what the Bills have done on their opening drives this season:
10 plays, 65 yards, FG
3 plays, 5 yards, punt
13 plays, 50 yards, FG
10 plays, 75 yards, TD
8 plays, 67 yards, TD
10 plays, 60 yards, TD
14 plays, 77 yards, TD

Okay, so Buffalo has scored 112 total points this year, 34 of them (30%) have come on their opening drives. An interesting stat, and one that probably means that the Bills offense is a well prepared group that doesn’t execute as well as they are coached to.

Buffalo’s coaches did made a key mistake in this game, and one that too many teams still do too often. Down by 14 with plenty of time left in the third quarter, the Bills came out trying to throw the ball on every down and they ended up falling further into a hole. Why do teams panic so much with their play calling when there is so much time left?

I remember the playoff game that Kelly Holcomb played against Pittsburgh a couple of years ago. He was more of a gunslinger back then, but with the Bills now, it’s like they’ve asked him to be just a game manager and it’s not suiting him.
TARGETS(catches):
Moulds- 6(4)
Evans- 5(3)
Reed- 4(4)
campbell- 3(2)
McGahee- 3(3)
Smith- 2(1)
Williams- 1(1)
Shelton- 1(1)

Oakland Raiders
Having an injured Randy Moss may be the best thing to happen to this offense all year. Turner used to be the kind of coach that would run his RB into the ground, but Jordan hasn’t been getting consistent carries this season. Hopefully, they’ve realized that Lamont is a 25-30 carry guy who can also carry a team.

It looked like Moss was used mostly near the 30 yard line and in- much like how he was played last year when he had that ankle problem.

To start this game, the Raiders defensive line went back to standing straight up on the snap of the ball. They certainly do take a lot of plays off. And they definitely took the whole first series off. Oakland did have a nice goalline stand halfway through the second quarter, but I attribute that more on the Bills calling two awful goalline plays on thrid and fourth down. They seem to be able to play good D when they want to, but now that they’ve lost SS Gibson and FS/CB Woodson, their young secondary will surely be tested. Oakland does not have a good pass rush to help either.
TARGETS(catches):
Gabriel- 7(5)
Moss- 6(3)
Porter- 6(4)
Jordan- 4(4)
Foschi- 2(2)
Whitted- 1(0)
Crockett- 1(1)



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Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings’ offense was so bad in the first half, the best play they ran was the hail mary on the last play. The only thing they are doing well right now is completing the short stuff, but they’re not doing nearly enough of that. The running game is going well enough to keep them balanced, if they had a passing attack. The Vikings just have to learn to be more patient and finish their drives for touchdowns. It looks like Troy Williamson is getting to do more on offense and he’s doing a great job at returning kicks.

It’s almost like Michael Bennett has a polar force attracting him consistently into the nearest defensive lineman.

Minnesota’s defense is finally improving. They came out fired up after halftime and held GB to just 3 points. Pat Williams was a force for all 60 minutes.
TARGETS(catches):
Wiggins- 7(6)
Moore- 6(4)
MRobinson- 5(3)
Taylor- 3(3)
Burleson- 3(3)
Williamson- 2(1)
KRobinson- 2(2)
Kleinsasser- 2(1)

Green Bay Packers
This team had just no rhythm in the second half. Losing Green and Ferguson definitely hurt them. But they did put something together to tie the game 20-20 inside two minutes. Still, down to their third RB and fourth WR, things are not getting any better in Green Bay.

Robert Ferguson’s injury was a turf casualty. This new rubber stuff still doesn’t give enough and Ferguson hyperextended his knee by just landing on his left leg while it was extended.

I wouldn’t expect much from Tony Fisher. Antonio Chatman, however, will benefit from the increase in playing time.
TARGETS(catches):
Driver- 11(8)
Chatman- 7(5)
Martin- 3(2)
Franks- 3(3)
Lee- 3(3)
Green- 3(2)
Ferguson- 2(2)
Henderson- 2(2)
Fisher- 2(2)

Puck Periodic

Looking at some of tonight’s matchups:

Capitals at Sabres
• The Caps’ defense is struggling. Check out this line from Washington’s last opponent:

  “Olie let in four goals and I think he should have been the star (of the game),” Carolina’s Ray Whitney said. “The stops he made, the plays he made, they were simply amazing.”

• Washington is 0-3 after a win, and 2-3 after a loss this year, and they have been outshot in every game so far.
• Buffalo leads the league in shots on goal
• The Sabres’ 6-2-0 start is their best since winning eight straight to open the 1975-76 season.

Predators at Blue Jackets
• The Preds are, as we know, undefeated in eight games. They’ve been outshot in six of them.
• If you haven’t picked up defenseman Dan Hamhuis in your hockey league, do it before you’re too late.
• This will probably be a battle of backups. I suspect that Nashville will start backup Chris Mason in goal tonight. He last appeared in their 5-4 OT win in Phoenix on the 13th. Martin Prusek will go for Columbus

Lightning at Devils
• Tampa swept this season series last year, 4-0.
• The Devils are 3-1 at home this year. And both teams are coming into tonight’s game off a loss. NJ is 2-1 after a L, and TB is 1-0-1.
• Torts, on what is ailing the Lightning:

  After watching tape of Friday’s loss to Ottawa, Tortorella said it was evident what is lacking in the Lightning’s game.
  “To me, after I coach the [Ottawa] game and then I looked at the tape, it was a wake-up call for me on how we are just not detail-oriented right now,” he said. “After watching the tape, it is so evident in all parts of our game. Now we’ve seen it, they’ve talked about it, we’ve looked at it … now we have to solve it. There’s no sense in belly-aching about it now, now we just have to solve the problem.”

Sharks at Stars
• San Jose will play their fifth game of a six game road trip tonight. They are 0-4-1 so far.
• The Sharks are 0-5-1 in their last six in Dallas.
• SJ GM Doug Wilson:

  “Like the rest of us, I’m frustrated by the results,” Wilson said. “But I’m not disappointed by how we’re playing 90 percent of the time.”

  This is a team that is still one of the league’s best, so don’t be surprised if they start winning more often.
• PJ from SharksPage has more on where SJ ranks and where others think they should be ranked.

Tuesday Football

San Diego Chargers
The Chargers put themselves in a position to lose this game because of penalties, plain and simple. They had 9 for 72 yards, but every one was huge. The Eagles picked up 4 first downs via a SD penalty.

Both teams looked real sloppy, but San Diego was especially bad.

Caldwell was having a nice game until he fumbled on the 18 yard line with a 1:30 left in the game.

The Chargers only pass rushed 4 players for most of game. Sometimes, they’d send a 5th, but for the most part it seemed they were protecting their secondary. And the Eagles offensive line is one of the best pass blocking units in the league. They had no trouble with the Chargers’ rush.

Don’t worry about Tomlinson. The Eagles did not so much stop LT as they stopped Marty-ball.

In the second half, San Diego found ways to move the ball by using Brees on more short drops with quicker throws. They also began to vary their formations and sets, often lining up Gates in places where they could dictate his matchups. Welcome to the modern day NFL Marty. Guess what, everyone does this from the opening kickoff- not after halftime.

Attention san diego playoff chances, Nate Kaeding is scary. His kicks are still real ugly.
TARGETS(cathces):
Gates- 12(8)
MCCardell- 8(5)
Caldwell- 7(4)
Tomlinson- 6(4)
Parker- 2(0)
Peelle- 2(1)
Osgood- 1(0)
Neal- 1(1)

Philadelphia Eagles
I don’t know why some thought after the Eagles’ week 5 loss to Dallas, that they could not stop the run. In fact, I’ve seen them play extremely well against their opponents’ rushing attack this season and this game against San Diego was further proof of that. The middle of the DL did a good job of collapsing the interior of SD’s offensive line into the backfield.

And Washington should take note, those power right and power left plays that Marty and Gibbs like to run aren’t going to work against Philly.

L.J. Smith looked healthy and showed no ill effects from his ankle injury a couple of weeks ago.
TARGETS(catches):
Westbrook- 13(10)
Smith- 11(6)
OWens- 10(7)
Lewis- 6(4)
Gordon- 5(3)
Spach- 4(1)
Parry- 3(2)
Brown- 1(1)
McMullen- 1(1)



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Indianapolis Colts
Why does anyone ever blitz the Colts?

Don’t look at the score, this game was never close.
Indianapolis was flat for the entire game, and still it was an easy win for them.
TARGETS(catches):
Harrison- 9(7)
Wayne- 9(9)
Stokely- 5(1)
Clark- 5(3)
James- 1(1)

Houston Texans
The Texans’ offense didn’t really get back on track with their 20 points in this game, but they did show a little life. Houston played a smart first half by giving the ball to Dominick Davis over and over and over again. But there is still just nothing going in the passing game and this team will continue to strike out on third downs. I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but Houston’s only chance to produce points on offense is if they move more towards a similar offensive philosophy to what Mike Shannahan has going in Denver. Houston is the perfect fit for a one cut running game and bootleg quarterback. The only plays they are making this year are just that. David Carr threw just 9 passes all game.
TARGETS(catches):
Gaffney- 5(4)
Bradford- 1(0)
Mathis- 1(0)
Davis- 1(1)
Rivers- 1(1)



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Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs came out again with a number of three wide receivers sets. And they’re able to run the ball out of those sets often and effectively. With Sammy Parker out with an injury, Marc Boerigter had a busy night. Tony Gonzalez picked up 7 more catches on the night, but a majority of those came in the fourth quarter when KC had a comfortable lead. The Chiefs held the ball for 41:40 of this game.
TARGETS(catches):
Gonzalez- 9(7)
Boerigter- 7(2)
Hall- 4(3)
Kennison- 4(2)
Holmes- 3(1)
Horn- 2(1)
Dunn- 2(2)
Richardson- 1(1)
Johnson- 1(1)

Miami Dolphins
Gus Frerotte played a terrible game. He was highly inaccurate throughout the contest, until he was pulled late in the fourth. It seems to me like he’s forcing too many deep throws and passing up some of the shorter options. And again, his accuracy was just awful. Gus should have had two touchdown passes in the first half (which would have made it a 14-14 game) but he twice missed open receivers in the end zone on third down.

The Chiefs’ aggressive defense gave Miami’s line trouble. They had just 17 rushing yards in the first half. And other than Ronnie Brown’s impressive 65 yard TD run, the Dolphins’ running game was empty (13 carries for 29 yards).

All Wes Welker does is make plays. He deserves more chances.

Chris Chambers’ first catch of the game came with about 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. And his second catch, the big touchdown score, came from Sage Rosenfelds with two and a half minutes left in the game.
TARGETS(catches):
Chambers- 11(2)
Booker- 6(2)
McMichael- 6(3)
welker- 4(2)
Brown- 2(2)
Williams- 1(0)
Evans- 1(1)



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Denver Broncos
Despite their early season success, I still don’t see how this Broncos’ team can go far with Plummer as their quarterback. What he does well is just too limiting. And on a couple of key throws in the third quarter that could have shifted momentum and stick the Giants behind by 17 points, Plummer had time to throw but missed open receivers on back to back plays.
Opposing defenses really have to take into consideration Denver’s FB Kyle Johnson. This guy has some moves and he can really get open.

Denver’s secondary has a lot of talent, but I think the Broncos’ put them in plays with single coverage and little help. Far too often they have to play 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and make things happen on their own.
TARGETS(catches):
Putzier- 6(3)
Lelie- 6(5)
Smith- 4(3)
Alexander- 4(3)
Bell- 4(2)
Johnson- 2(2)
Jackson- 1(0)

New York Giants
Tiki Barber’s fumble in this game came as his body was nearly horizontal, trying to keep his balance. It had nothing to do with his past fumbling problems and should not be of any concern.

The Giants did a great job at containing the Jake Plummer bootleg while still holding their own against the run.

And I don’t think New York’s secondary will suffer without longtime veterans Will Allen and Will Peterson. Both Deloatch and Webster are good, young corners and they have the potential to be solid starters. In fact, this Giants defense has young talent at all three levels.

The crossing routes to Shockey are really working well for this team right now. Opponents are going to have to make that a point of focus for their defenses.
I don’t know why only now people are saying that Eli Manning is a good quarterback. Was that ever up for debate, really? He did spend too much of this game making throws off his back foot. He’s got to learn to stand in the pocket a little better or he runs the risk of turning into Joey Harrington.

Despite his great numbers this season, Plaxico Burress is still not a consistent receiver. With five minutes to go and down by 6, he dogged it on a post pattern and allowed Champ Bailey a chance to make a great interception. The Broncos got the ball on their own 40 and could have closed the game out right there.

This was a great game on both sides, much like last week’s KC/WAS match. Both teams are playing good football right now.
TARGETS(catches):
Burress- 13(6)
Toomer- 13(8)
Shockey- 7(3)
Barber- 7(6)
Carter- 2(0)

Puck Periodic

Still trying out new ideas for this space…

One site I’ll surely be checking daily is Hockey Analysis. Lots of good stuff going on there.

Ottawa at Carolina

• The Senators are 8-1-3 against the Hurricanes in the past 12 meetings, and their last road loss came on Nov. 12, 2000. Since then, they’re 5-0-2 in Raleigh.
  
• Tonight’s game will be just their third in 10 days. And after tonight, they have to wait until Thursday to play again. The Lightning started with a similarly slow schedule last season and I think it really helped them get off to a good start.
  
• Carolina’s good start has been a surprise to some. They’ve gotten a point in each of their last four games. And they’ve only had two home matches so far.
• Eric Staal has 10 points and 24 shots in his last 5 games.
• Goalie Cam Ward, who left Saturday’s game after less than four minutes with a left elbow injury, underwent an MRI exam on Sunday. The Canes likely will wait until today to decide on his status. Expect Martin Gerber to be in net tonight against Hasek.
  
  Detroit at Columbus
  
• Mike Babcock reiterated that Manny Legace is the team’s #1 goalie. Chris Osgood is back with the team, and he’s backing up Legace.
  
• Steve Yzerman is schedule to miss tonight’s game, and make his return on Thursday.
• Detroit ranks first in the league, with 36 goals.
  
• Both of the Jackets’ wins this season have come after a loss.
  
• Columbus’ penalty kill is 7th in the league. They will be facing the league’s 3rd best power play.

Monday Football

• Again, many key injuries: Ahman Green, Robert Ferguson, Charles Woodson, Kevin Johnson, Gary Baxter, Bob Sanders, Terrance McGee, Brandon Jones and Billy Volek, Dre Bly, Shaun Rogers, Derrick Gibson Tebucky Jones.


• Lots going on in PFW’s the Way We Hear It today:
  
  • BUF- We hear that the Bills will stay with Kelly Holcomb as the starting quarterback as long as the team remains in contention in the weakened AFC East.
  
  
  • MIA- Though QB Gus Frerotte has strong leadership qualities and makes good decisions, we hear that there are questions about his passing accuracy and ability to make all the throws required of him by the Dolphins’ offense…. The subpar performance at the QB position has head coach Nick Saban leaving open the possibility of starting backup Sage Rosenfels in Sunday’s game vs. the Saints.
  
  
  • BAL- As an organizational philosophy, the Ravens prefer bigger backs to small, shiftier ones. That’s why Jamal Lewis is going to keep getting opportunities to turn his season around. Lewis remains the starter in Baltimore, even though reserve Chester Taylor played well in a part-time role…. Both Lewis and head coach Brian Billick believe Lewis has struggled facing defenses geared to stop him, while Taylor has benefited somewhat from being regarded as the team’s back in passing situations.
  
  
  • CLE- There’s a feeling Carthon was impressed with QB Trent Dilfer’s nice start to the season and decided to make the passing game the focal point of the offense. RB Reuben Droughns’ workload bears watching in the weeks to come, with some team observers believing he finally will start to get more carries.
  
  
  • IND- “People have played us trying to take away the deep pass,” head coach Tony Dungy said. “We’re seeing a lot of two safeties deep.” And as long as that continues, Moore says, opponents can expect to see more and more of RB Edgerrin James, wholed the NFL in rushing after seven weeks.
  
  
  • NYG- One interesting development following Giants RB Brandon Jacobs’ critical goal-line fumble in the Week Six loss to the Cowboys was the fact that Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said that Jacobs should get the ball more.
  
  
  • GB- Team observers believe the Packers’ OL woes have been slightly overstated.
  
  
  • MIN- Without DE Kenechi Udeze and given the poor play of rookie Erasmus James, the Vikings might stick with the 3-4 out of necessity until Spencer Johnson (knee) is back to full speed. But if the results prove positive, given Minnesota’s depth at linebacker, Cottrell said he might not bring the 4-3 front back full time.
  
  
  • TB- Sources close to the Bucs have indicated that Simms, who is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and Rattay are already auditioning for next season.
  
  
  • ATL- Michael Vick’s passing numbers are suffering again this season, and a weak receiving corps seems to be the culprit. But a solution may be coming. As of this writing, we hear the Falcons are ready to bench starter Dez White. His job was in jeopardy in training camp, but he managed to hang on to it, which is something he has failed to do with the ball. White has only two catches this season. He will be replaced by veteran Brian Finneran
  
  
  • STL- There’s a remote chance QB Marc Bulger, who suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder in the Rams’ Week Six loss to the Colts, could be available for this Sunday’s game vs. Jacksonville. But it remains much more likely Bulger will remain sidelined until the Rams’ Nov. 13 game in Seattle (they are on bye in Week Nine).


• And a few highlights from PFW’s Whispers:
  • It’s bad enough that Cardinals rookie RB J.J. Arrington has oftentimes looked clueless on the field this season. Making matters worse, we hear, is the second-round pick’s apparent lack of hunger. Our sources tell us Arrington is surprisingly nonchalant, especially compared to fellow RB Marcel Shipp, who couldn’t be more driven.
  • We hear the Packers are smitten with practice-squad RB Samkon Gado, a 5-10, 226-pounder claimed from the Chiefs last week. One scout said Gado, who attended Liberty, runs a 4.43 40-yard dash, 4.13-second short shuttle and has serious upside, and he even called Gado the next Willie Parker.
  • Our sources in St. Louis tell us it wouldn’t be a surprise if WR Isaac Bruce, who continues to be bothered by a nagging turf-toe injury, remains on the sideline until after the Rams’ Week Nine bye.
  • With teams increasing their focus on defending the run, expect to see the Broncos open up their previously conservative offense a little more in the coming weeks and take more shots downfield to WRs Ashley Lelie and Rod Smith.

Saturday Football

Filling out the rest of week six, below. I’m borrowing today’s NCAA picks from a fellow named Keg. He’s doing much better than my 23-30 this season. And if he finishes 0-4 today, I’ll kindly apologize for passing on my curse to him and I’ll pledge never do it again.



New York Jets TARGETS(catches): McCareins- 11(5) Coles- 7(4) Martin- 2(2) Chrebet- 1(1) Baker- 1(0) Dreesen- 1(0) Buffalo Bills: TARGETS(catches): Moulds- 9(7) Evans- 6(3) McGahee- 4(3) Campbell- 3(2) Reed- 1(1) Smith- 1(1) Peters- 1(1)

St Louis Rams: TARGETS(catches): Holt- 8(6) Jackson- 6(5) Curtis- 5(3) Faulk- 4(4) Looker- 2(2) Manumaluena- 2(1) Cleeland- (2) Indianapolis Colts: TARGETS(catches): Wayne- 10(7) Harrison- 7(4) Stokely- 5(4) Clark- 4(3) James- 4(3) Rhodes- 2(1)

New England Patriots: TARGETS(catches): Givens- 13(7) Branch- 12(7) Pass- 7(6) Dwight- 5(1) Watson- 4(1) Johnson- 1(0) Zereoue- 1(1) Graham- ??? Denver Broncos: TARGETS(catches): Smith- 7(6) Lelie- 4(3) Putzier- 4(3) Bell- 4(3) Johnson- 2(1) Adams- 1(0) Alexander- 1(1)

Thursday Football

The Week 7 Mirl Picks are out. I have a feeling that Houston pick from last week is going to cost me big time.

I’d like to also call out all these people who keep picking double digit favorites as their best bets. Guys, try picking someone besides the Colts and/or whoever is playing the Texans/49ers. So far this year, I’ve gone with KC, PIT, IND, JAX (loser), GB, and CAR as my best bets. And this week I reluctantly like Atlanta at home on Monday night (I’d rather pick a team that wasn’t such a favorite, but I’m still the lone Atlanta best better- not all the picks have been posted yet though). I was tempted to go with the Steelers, but Ben Burger’s health left me with some doubt. That’s going to be one heck of a game.

Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons need to be worried about their run defense. Maybe they’re missing Hartwell’s presence in the middle, but for the second week in a row they were gashed by an opponents’ ground game. Lucky for them, they get to face a banged up Jets team this week on Monday night before going into their bye week. Were it not for their fantastic special teams, the Falcons would have probably been blown out in this game.
TARGETS(catches):
Crumpler- 7(4)
DWhite- 4(0)
Jenkins- 3(2)
Dunn- 2(2)
Griffith- 2(2)
Finneran- 1(0)
RWhite- 1(1)
Blakley- 1(0)
Duckett- 1(0)

New Orleans Saints
The Saints always seem to play the Falcons tough and they also seem to playing well in their adopted home of San Antonio.

I didn’t get a chance to mention last week my thoughts about the McAllister injury. But as I wrote here in the Swamp the day after Duece’s injury, the Saints have two decent runners in Stecker and Smith, but more importantly, McAllister wasn’t really tearing things up anyhow. To me he looked a step or two slow in the Saints’ first three games, then improved a little in week four against Buffalo, only to then fell apart in Green Bay. And as this game against Atlanta showed, New Orleans probably isn’t going to miss McAllister too much this year. It’s kind of like they were already missing him.

The Saints do need to get Joe Horn back and 100%. He’s a guy they can’t afford to keep missing.
TARGETS(catches):
Hakim- 9(6)
Stallworth- 8(7)
Henderson- 8(4)
Stecker- 3(2)
Horn- 1(0)
Poole- 1(1)
Hilton- 1(1)
Karney- 1(1)



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Minnesota Vikings
How did this game get so out of hand? The Bears had 31 total yards of offense in the first quarter and the score was tied 0-0 with the Vikings driving into Chicago territory. The Vikes had already botched one field goal attempt when Edinger shanked a 52 yard try to start the second quarter. Minnesota then recovered a Bears’ fumble at mid-field, drive the ball down to the 2 yard line, and then had to kick a 23 yard field goal. After surrendering 28 unanswered points, nothing that happened during their bye week kept them from sucking.

The Vikings began three of their first eight drives at the 50 yard line and all they did with the ball was find different ways to not score. Looking back, I don’t know why I picked them to win this week against Green Bay.

Jerome Wiggins is essentially a wide receiver who was asked a long time ago to weigh 30 pounds more than he ever should.
TARGETS(catches):
Wiggins- 15(10)
Williamson- 12(4)
Moore- 9(5)
MRobinson- 6(4)
Taylor- 4(2)
KRobinson- 1(1)
Kleinsasser- 1(0)
Williams- 1(0)

Chicago Bears
The Bears didn’t do anything on offense in the first half until Bobby Wade set them up at mid-field with a 49 yard punt return. Chicago ended up leading 7-3 at the half, even though they could have easily been down 21-7. They have played so much better at home over the last few years, probably because they are eternally led by some kind of young quarterback. Orton again played well enough to keep the Bears in the game, but as I mentioned above, Minnesota had plenty of chances to take a commanding lead. This game was only 14-3 going into the fourth quarter. Yet still I picked them to win this week because they host a team that is almost a mirror image of themselves (Ravens). Key on the word ‘host.’
TARGETS(catches):
Muhammad- 12(5)
Clark- 4(4)
Bradley- 3(1)
Edwards- 2(2)
Wade- 1(1)
Reid- 1(1)
TJones- 1(1)
Peterson- 1(1)



---

Carolina Panthers
Ugly, lucky, and with a bye this week.
TARGETS(catches):
Smith- 9(6)
Proehl- 9(5)
Gardner- 5(4)
Colbert- 3(3)
Goings- 3(2)
Mangum- 1(0)
Seidman- 1(0)
Robertson- 1(0)

Detroit Lions
The Lions defense played aggressive and fast in this game. They deserved a better fate but when it came down to it they were responsible for keeping Carolina out of the end zone on the game’s final drive and they couldn’t come through.

The Lions have a good chance to defeat each of their next four opponents; starting this week in Cleveland. With the defense playing as well as they are, a change at quarterback may be all they need to kick start a 4-0 run. And it is indeed time for a change. Harrington just is not a play maker at the position and that Garcia is. After facing the Browns this week, the Lions are at home against the Bears, then at Minnesota, and home vs the Cardinals. They need to be 6-3 when facing Atlanta in week 11, cause they also still have the Steelers and the Bengals on their schedule.
TARGETS(catches):
KJohnson- 6(4)
Pollard- 5(3)
KJones- 3(2)
Martinez- 3(0)
MWilliams- 2(0) Vines- 2(1)
Fitzsimmons- 2(1)
Bryson- 2(2)
Pinner- 2(1)
Smith- 1(1)



---

New York Giants
The Giants were a +3 in turnovers during the first half but they were held to a total of just 6 points because they could not contain a strong Dallas pass rush.

I have no doubt that the sun/shade spots on the field- caused by the late start time- causes problems for both passing games. There were numerous occasions where receivers could not track the ball in or out of the sun/shawows. Plaxico Burress in particular had noticeable trouble picking up the football.

The Giants host Denver this week, and NY has scored 42 and 44 points at home so far this year. Their struggles on offense against Dallas began and ended with their inability to give Manning time to throw. Eli did improve in the fourth quarter by looking more for the underneath passess and towards Shockey.

I wouldn’t completely blame Brandon Jacobs for his late goal line fumble. Derrick Ward served as Tiki Barber’s running back for all of the game until that play just inside two minutes. Why would the Giants’ coaches put a guy in a position like that who’s been standing on the sidelines for the last three hours. TARGETS(catches):
Burress- 11(5)
Shockey- 10(5)
Toomer- 3(2)
Carter- 3(1)
Barber- 1(1)

Dallas Cowboys:
With Julius Jones sitting out, the Giants had little reason to fear the Cowboys running game going into this match and Dallas did very little to change New York’s mind. Despite being one of the deepest teams in the NFL at the RB position, Dallas came out throwing and did little to establish a rhythm or balance on offense. If Jones misses more time, Tyson Thompson is really the teams best run option on first and second downs, with Barber coming on a third down.

This was a real sloppy game on both sides; one that featured 8 turnovers. Through the end of regulation time, Dallas held the ball for 36:59, compared to NY’s 23:01.
TARGETS(catches):
Johnson- 14(8)
Glenn- 8(6)
Witten- 5(5)
Crayton- 4(4)
Barber- 3(2)
Campbell- 1(1)
Thomas- 1(0)



---

Houston Texans:
I really did think the Texans had a chance here. They ran the ball well against the Titans last week and Seattle has a tough time getting pressure on the quarterback with just their front four. With Engram and Jackson still out, and following a big win against the Rams, I really thought this was a game that Seattle might sleep on. I guess not, and I guess the Texans are destined for one of those awful 1-15 type seasons. Good thing they get to face the Colts this week.
TARGETS(catches):
Gaffney- 13(10)
Bradford- 9(4)
Davis- 3(2)
Wells- 2(1)
Armstrong- 1(1)
Rivers- 1(1)

Seattle Seahawks:
How many touchdowns does Shaun Alexander have in prime time now? TARGETS(catches):
Jurevicius- 5(3)
Warrick- 5(3)
Strong- 4(3)
Urban- 2(2)
Stevens- 2(2)
Alexander- 2(1)



---

Three more games to cover tomorrow or Saturday morning.

Wednesday Football

Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Lewis may have outsmarted himself to start this game. The Bengals came out and tried to play a conservative, ball control road game in the first half. But with two minutes left, they were losing 0-10 and Plamer had thrown just six passes so far. So in their hurry up offense, the Bengals came out and ran 9 plays (all passes, all completions) for 79 yards and a touchdown. This Titans team is better than most think, but their one obvious weakness is against the pass and you’ve got to come out flying in order to beat them. And to second that point, Palmer completed 81.8% of his 33 pass attempts in the game.

Chris Perry got 4 chances (run and pass) inside the red zone, giving him 10 on the season. That’s second on the team behind Rudi’s 17.

The Bengals still have not found a way to keep teams from running up the middle against them. And they have to face the Steelers this week.
TARGETS(cathces):
Johnson- 9(8)
CPerry- 9(9)
Walter- 5(4)
Washington- 3(2)
JJohnson- 3(1)
Henry- 2(1)
RJohnson- 1(1)
Schobel- 1(1)

Tennessee Titans
The Titans really picked up a couple of good receivers in last year’s draft (Jones, Roby). And it’s a good thing too. Tyrone Calico hasn’t looked like much more than a 4th receiver this season. He was solely to blame on McNair’s first INT that Odell Thurman returned for a touchdown.

In only one game this season (week two) have the Titans tight ends, as a group, been thrown less than 11 passes.

I’m not exactly sure who it was, but the play-by-play man covering this game for CBS must have used the word ‘beautiful’ to describe a pass at least 15 times, and I’m not exaggerating. At one point, it did so on four straight plays and only a McNair incompletion could stop him.

This game ended with a real smart job of coaching on the part of Jeff Fischer. Down by 11 with less than a minute to go, the Titans were able to get a first down on Cincy’s 30 yard line. And rather than spend more time trying to get a touchdown, the Titans spiked the ball to stop the clock and then kicked a field goal to bring them within 8 points of tying the game. Tennessee did not retrieve the resulting onside kick, but you still have to appriciate what that kind of winning attitude will do for a young team like this.
TARGETS(cathces):
Jones- 12(5)
Bennett- 11(7)
Kinney- 5(4)
Troupe- 5(4)
Brown- 2(3)
Calico- 2(1)
Roby- 1(1)
Scaife- 1(1)

—
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens finally played fast and physical on defense and special teams. For the first time this season, they looked to me like a hungry team.

Anthony Wright played a smart game, but by no means was he a playmaker out there against the Browns. He did do a good job at getting the ball to the guys that need to get it most: Mason and Heap. The Browns could not cover Todd Heap. He finally looks healthy and ready to make a difference.

Mark Clayton had an end-around touchdown called back by a holding penalty. The Ravens had 11 total penalties for 97 yards. That’s 32 for 244 in two weeks.

Dear Jamal: HIT THE HOLE RUNNING! You’re dancing behind the line like you think you’re Michael Jackson. Lewis was easily the third best running back on the field this past Sunday in Baltimore.
TARGET(catches):
Mason- 8(8)
Heap- 7(6)
Taylor- 6(4)
Lewis- 3(2)
Hymes- 2(1)
Clayton- 1(1)
Wilcox- 1(1)

Cleveland Browns
This game was a lot like the first three quarters of the Browns game last week against Chicago. The Ravens’ offense was unable to score in the second half, but unlike the Bears, Baltimore’s defense held up. And despite the final score, the Browns were competitive throughout this game.
TARGETS(catches):
Norhtcut- 9(4)
Bryant- 6(4)
Heiden- 5(4)
Shea- 4(3)
Jackson- 3(0)
Droughns- 1(1)
Green- 1(0)

—
San Diego Chargers
With an early lead, the Chargers played a real conservative football game in Oakland. They also used Antonio Gates as a decoy for most of the game; often throwing underneath his routes to Peelle, Neal, or LT.

Keenan McCardell dropped an easy pass in the end zone. It would have been his 6th touchdown of the season.
TARGETS(catches):
Tomlinson- 5(2)
Gates- 4(2)
Neal- 4(4)
McCardell- 3(2)
Peelle- 3(3)
Parker- 1(1)
Caldwell- 1(1)

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders’ defense started this game fired up and ready to stop the run. But their offense wasn’t up to the task. Collins was forced to rush his throws thoughout the game.

This team can still move the ball with Jerry Porter and Doug Gabriel as their top wideouts, but it’s really the play of their underachieving offensive line that is going to determine whether or not Oakland can get back into the playoff race.
TARGETS(catches):
Porter- 12(5)
Gabriel- 11(5)
Jordan- 7(6)
Anderson- 6(2)
Whitted- 5(4)
Moss- 3(0)
Zlemister- 1(0)

—
Washington Redskins
Another game is in the books where Clinton Portis looks great running in a single back set, and not so great having to find room behind lead blockers.

The Redskins have done a great job at getting Santana Moss the ball where he can do the most damage; near the line of scrimmage or way down the field. Over last three weeks, Moss has been thrown 12, 13, and 14 passes respectively.

Fox Sports brought in an interesting stat. After Tony Gonzalez drew a defensive pass interference call on the Redskins with 5:40 left in the first quarter, Fox noted that it was the first of such penalty Washington’s defense has been guilty of all season.

Chris Cooley really does a good job playing that tweener H-back spot for this team. And he runs faster than I thought he could.
TARGETS(catches):
Moss- 14(10)
Cooley- 8(6)
Patten- 6(2)
Thrash- 4(2)
Portis- 4(4)
Royal- 2(0)
Sellers- 1(1)

Kansas City Chiefs
With Willie Roaf back in the lineup, it was believed that Tony Gonzalez would see more opportunities to catch the ball. Over the last few weeks, KC has had to use their tight ends in pass blocking a little more than they are used to and it obviously hurt Gonzo’s already slipping pass production. In this game, the Redskins often used three defenders to contain Gonzo, but on those downs #88 was left to run against single coverage, Green looked for him immediately.

KC seems to be using more 3 WR sets than I remember them running in the past. And I wonder what happened to their high hopes for TE Kris Wilson. I didn’t see him at all in this game.

The Chiefs came out in the second half running a couple of different of screen passes and they ended up scoring on their first possession of the third quarter. Then on defense, KC came after Mark Brunnell hard until Moss hit that 80 yard flanker screen. Later in the game, the Chiefs scored the game winner on another screen pass, this time a 60 yarder to Holmes.

This was a strong game from both teams and one that could have gone either way.
TARGETS(catches):
Gonzalez- 6(2)
Holmes- 6(5)
Parker- 3(2)
Boerigter- 3(2)
Hall- 2(2)
Kennison- 2(0)
Dunn- 1(1)
Johnson- 1(1)
Richardson- 1(0)

Tuesday Football

Just a couple games tonight, as I work to catch back up:

Jacksonville Jaguars
Greg Jones was a surprise starter in Fred Taylor’s absence (all indicators pointed to Pearman) and the former Seminole did a good job for the Jags when running in between the tackles. I know Jones wasn’t happy when the Jags asked him to be a fullback this year, so it’s nice to see him getting some time with the football. Alvin Pearman looked like he was trying to bounce the ball wide to many times.

A few weeks ago, I speculated that the Jags would end the year with around 12 wins. I’m not so certain about that anymore. Their schedule looks relatively easy after they come off their bye this week, but I really think they should have been able to hand it to this Steelers team- without Ben, Ward, and off that big Monday night win in San Diego. 12-4 is still very possible, based on their schedule, but this team has further to go than I thought.

Nice one handed touchdown catch by Matt Jones, but that’s still really all he can do well right now.
TARGETS(catches):
Williams- 9(3)
Smith- 8(3)
Pearman- 5(5)
Brady- 3(3)
MJones- 2(2)
Wilford- 2(2)
Wrighster- 1(0)
GJones- 1(1)

Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers tried to keep their pass plays simple for Tommy Maddox (lots of screens, quick hits), but he still managed to throw two first quarter INTs and the game-winning INT in OT. And their first scoring drive was aided by a long pass interference penalty on Jacksonville that was caused mostly because Maddux underthrew his intended receiver by so much, the Jacksonville DB wasn’t able to turn and adjust to the ball properly because he didn’t think the pass would be so badly underthrown.

By the time the fourth quarter had started, the Jags had more than twice the total yardage as the Steelers and Pittsburgh’s two big plays came courtesy of their special teams (Randal El punt return TD) and Jacksonville’s defense (aforementioned pass interference penalty).
TARGETS(catches):
Randel El- 10(3)
Miller- 6(4)
Wilson- 4(1)
Morgan- 4(2)
Parker- 2(0)
Haynes- 1(1)

—
Miami Dolphins
On the Dolphins first drive, they ran an end-around with Chambers that went for 19 yards. Two plays later, they ran that same great looking reverse that went for 61 yards (Chambers would have scored had he not stepped out of bounds) in week one against Denver. This time, it would have be good for a 40 yard TD had it not been called back by penalty.

I know Miami needs to work in Ricky Williams, but the difference between he and Ronnie Brown right now is great enough to consider keeping Brown at 20+ snaps a game.

All three of Wes Welker’s catches came in the fourth quarter.

Miami’s offensive line really struggled with the speed of this Bucs’ defense.
TARGETS(catches):
McMichael- 8(3)
Booker- 7(1)
Williams- 6(6)
Chambers- 5(3)
Welker- 4(3)
Brown- 3(2)
Morris- 3(2)
Gilmore- 2(1)
Boston- 1(0)
Heller- 1(0)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs Oline has done a good job this year in both run and pass blocking, but the latter is in part because Griese has done a good job delivering his passes on time. Now that Simms is the starter, it will be interesting to see how their line will hold up when their quarterback becomes more indecisive, as young QBs are prone to do. They did pretty well against the Dolphins in the second half of this game.

And for those that did not see Griese’s injury, it was very similar to Ben Burger’s on Monday night last week. But, obviously, the consequences of the hit were very different.

Tampa Bay really dominated the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. As mentioned, their front four had their way with the Dolphins line. This really is such an improved run defense with a healthy McFarland and with the addition of Hovan.

Normally young QBs struggle the most on third downs, and the Bucs are a 8-10 play drive offense. This is going to be a tough trick for them to pull off if Simms has a hard time moving the chains.

Backups usually look for receivers they practice with on the second team, and Simms found Ike Hilliard a couple of time in key situations on Sunday.
TARGETS(catches):
Galloway- 14(9)
Smith- 4(2)
Clayton- 3(2)
Hilliard- 2(2)
Becht- 1(1)
Pittman- 1(1)
Alstott- 1(1)

Monday Football / Admin

Sorry for crying wolf on the Texans there. I really thought they’d be able to run the ball like they did against the Titans last week. Thankfully, the loss won’t put us any more behind in the picks competition (an average 10-4 on the week, assuming Indy wins tonight).

I’ll have limited access until Tuesday night, but the usual stuff should start back up then.

Friday Football

The picks for Week 6 are up. Thanks, as always, to Eric Mirl for gathering up all 34 of us. The Beach is back in second place, after a 9-5 week 5. I’d also like to point out that I’m picking Houston to win on Sunday night in Seattle. It’s crazy, and it’s probably a loser, but it’s a statement pick. If you’re still in a survivor pool, go with someone other than Seattle this week. I just have a feeling the Texans are going to give the Seahawks a game here. I am, however, the only one on the list to take Houston and in fact I’m going against 16 best bets. Sounds like a winner to me.

Miami Dolphins
Ronnie Brown continues to improve. He’s running with a good burst and on one particular play in the second quarter he laid a great pass block on a Bills’ DT who came in free off the snap. That play allowed Ferrotte to stay in the pocket long enough to hit Chris Chambers down the sideline for a nice gain. And on the Dolphins first TD drive, Brown had a really sharp looking 28 yard run that got Miami down to the two. Who knows what the plans are with Ricky back, but Ronnie Brown is just starting to get it and it would be nice to see what he can do. Still you’ve got to do the same for Ricky. Though situation.

Gus Ferrotte had two INTs in the first half that came in Bills territory; one of which was picked in the end zone.

The Bills played okay in this one, but Miami just killed themselves for three quarters with penalties and turnovers.

On the final Miami drive, down 14-20, the Dolphins were moving the ball well. Buffalo kept blitzing and the Dolphins just took the easy throws and executed all the way down the field until Brown fumbled on the Buffalo 15. They could have easily won this game on that drive.
TARGETS(catches):
Chambers- 9(4)
Brown- 7(6)
Booker- 5(3)
Welker- 3(2)
Diamond- 2(1)
Evans- 2(2)
McMichael- 1(1)
Heller- 1(1)
Morris- 1(1)

Buffalo Bills
Kelly Holcomb must have drawn the Dolphins off-sides about four times in the game’s first twenty minutes. That’s already something you can point to and say that Losman would have not done this season.

Sam Adams received a red zone target on the first drive and it took a pass interference penalty to keep him from scoring on the play.

Lee Evans is immediately worth a pickup now that Holcomb is playing QB. Evans will end up being a top tier WR sometime over the next two/three years. He’s not as shifty as someone like Steve Smith, but Evans has that rare top end speed and understanding of the position combination.

A couple games ago, McGahee was criticized by his head coach for his passive running style. Willis is doing a better job at hitting the hole now but he’s still not making things happen on his own as much as one would like to see out of a #1 back. And Shaud Williams has been subing for McGahee on passing downs quite frequently of late.

The Dolphins were 5 for 6 in stopping the Bills from scoring from the one yard line. So the third time Buffalo got down there, they put the ball into the end zone by throwing it.
TARGETS(catches):
Moulds- 9(7)
Evans- 3(3)
Campbell- 3(3)
McGahee- 3(2)
Shelton- 3 (2)
Reed- 2(2)
Williams- 2(1)

—
Carolina Panthers
Like I haven’t told you Steve Smith is good. Last year for the Panthers, Mushin Muhammad caught 93 balls for 1405 yards on 159 targets. Well, Smith is on pace right now for 105 catches, 1513 yards and 160 targets.
TARGETS(catches):
Smith- 12(8)
Magnum- 3(3)
Proehl- 3(1)
Gardner- 3(3)
Colbert- 2(0)
Foster- 2(2)
Gaines- 1(1)
Hoover- 1(0)
Goings- 1(0)

Arizona Cardinals
The roles of Marcell Shipp and J.J. Arrington looked more defined in this game. Shipp was getting carries as the team’s #1 back and the Cards were using Arrington more as a Brian Westbrook-like tweener. Arrington looked healthy and very comfortable when doing the things he’s used to doing. I still think Shipp is and should be this team’s first option, but it’s good to know that Arrington is improving on his terrible start to the season. Regardless, this team still can’t run the ball.

Fitzgerald and Boldin were making plays all over the place. That’s one thing Josh McCown allows his receivers to do. McCown will makes his share of errors, but he trusts his receivers and gives them a chance to make plays. Kurt Warner just held on to the ball way too much for this team. Arizona has two of the best receivers in the league and McCown is giving them a chance to make plays. Just think about that pass he threw to Nate Poole to end the Vikings’ 2003 season. Take a look at the target stats below!

Key play of the game: 13:21 left in the second quarter, the Panthers have 3rd and 10 from their own 20. The Cards show only three down linemen, dropping 8, and they end up forcing an incompletion. But Bertrand Berry jumped off-sides giving Carolina a free play, which they convert on a much easier 3rd and 5. The very next play, Steve Smith catches a pass 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage and beats rookie corner Eric Green for a 65 yard touchdown. You just can’t give good teams cheap scores like this.
TARGETS(catches):
Boldin- 17(10)
Fitzgerald- 16(9)
Ayanbadejo- 4(4)
Shipp- 3(2)
Arrington- 2(1)
Johnson- 2(2)
Lee- 1(1)
Bergen- 1(0)

—
Denver Broncos
The Broncos never trailed in this game, and that’s the recipe for success with this team. For the rest of the year, I’ll probably be refering to my preseason write up on Denver and Jake Plummer. Basically, if you put Jake in a shootout, you’re probably going to lose. And this week’s game versus NE looks like it’s going to be a shootout.

I saw a stat this week in the print edition of Pro Football Weekly that said that the Broncos are 9-1 when Plummer throws for less than 200 yards. Weird. But I completely understand it.

Ashley Lelie finally scored on that end zone fade they’ve been working on this year.
TARGETS(catches):
Lelie- 7(1)
Smith- 6(2)
Adams- 3(2)
Johnson- 3(1)
Putzier- 2(1)
Alexander- 2(0)
Anderson- 2(2)
Bell- 1(1)

Washington Redskins
I really feel bad for Clinton Portis. I don’t know if it is as easy as the Redskins changing their blocking schemes, but on the few plays I saw Portis get a chance to run behind a line that zone blocks straight ahead, he looks like a 1600 yard runner. But when he has to wait for a guard and/or a fullback, well Washington might as well have Betts in there.

It was nice to see David Patten play his first productive game of the season.
TARGETS(catches):
Moss- 13(8)
Cooley- 12(8)
Patten- 11(7)
Thrash- 3(1)
Portis- 3(2)
Betts- 3(2)
Royal- 2(1)
Sellers- 1(1)

—
Cincinnati Bengals
Perhaps Chad Johnson was crying because he missed his friend, T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
TARGETS(catches):
Johnson- 8(5)
Walter- 6(3)
Henry- 5(3)
Schobel- 4(3)
Washington- 3(2)
Perry- 2(2)
RJohnson- 2(2)
JJohnson- 2(1)
Kelly- 1(1)

Jacksonville Jaguars
TARGETS(catches):
Smith- 8(3)
Williams- 5(2)
MJones- 3(0) Wrighster- 3(2) GJones- 2(0) Wilford- 1(1) Brady- 1(1) Pearman- 1(1)

—
New Orleans Saints:
TARGETS(catches):
Hakim- 11(5)
Conwell- 6((3)
Stallworth- 5(1)
Henderson- 3(0)
McAllister- 3(3)
Hilton- 3(1)
Smith- 1(1)

Green Bay Packers:
TARGETS(catches):
Driver- 7(5)
Fisher- 7(6)
Ferguson- 4(3)
Martin- 4(2)
Chatman- 2(0)
Henderson- 1(1)
Lee- 1(1)
Davenport- 1(1)
Leach- 1(1)

Puck Periodic

• For just about every minute of play so far this season, Tampa Bay has been lacking that winning intensity they showed over the last two seasons. They lost only 22 games in 03-04 and already after five games they are under .500. The Bolts finally did get their top two lines going last night, but there’s nothing crisp about the power play and I don’t think this Tampa team is going to benefit from shootouts. Still, last night was an improvement as long as Tampa continues to come out swinging every night.


• Jes Golbez was watching the Tampa/Buffalo game last night:

  This Sabres/Lightning tilt is 3-3 in OT and has been a pretty exciting game. Two fast skating teams playing a back-and-forth game…
  
  Edit: Great…so a great 3-3 game is now ruined thanks to a stupid shootout. Why reward both teams with a point for fighting to an even draw when we can give away a bonus point for lucking out in a skills competition *fumes*
  
  Why do the announcers/PbP assume that all the fans in attendance love the shootout? If I were attending the game, I wouldn’t suddenly start falling in love with the damn things.

  A group of friends that I attended this game with promptly left after the end of OT and just before the shootout. It didn’t seem that they were too interested in the game to begin with, so their walkout was more indifference than organized protest. But after Thomas Vanek scored the winner, I found myself asking out loud how many people there wished we still had ties afterall. As it turned out, the murmors I heard on the way down the forum stairs were still one of satisfaction. The spectacle just witnessed was something they had not seen before, so to many it was a wowing to be able watch their team’s stars skate in alone on goaltender Ryan Miller. Still, I reckon the fans’ response more to one of someone who hear’s a new pop song for the first time. And I wonder, after they’ve heard it played over and over enough times, if the novelty of shootouts will get old and eventually expose what they really are:a bad long-term solution.


• Predators’ Den on last night’s victory:

  Nashville didn’t look good tonight - in fact, at times they looked downright awful. But they’re still undefeated and off to what is by far the best start in franchise history. As head coach Barry Trotz said after the game, “They don’t ask how, just how many.”

• An interesting note about youth leagues adapting to the NHL’s new rule enforcement, from the NY Daily News via Kukla’s Korner.


• Things are bad for the Flames. Just ask The Battle of Alberta. Calgary lost their home opener last night, 3-2.


• Tonight’s game info up later.