As a lot of you know, it is football season. That means seventeen weekends of agonizing over match-ups, seventeen weekends of quarterback debates, seventeen weekends of fantasy football match-ups and seventeen weekends of judging who has the sharpest decline: Brett Favre or John Madden. For the record, Im taking Madden.
As part of the excitement, I partake in HBO.coms Beat the Inside the NFL Hosts (registration is free) and would like to share with all of you my picks for week two of the NFL season.
Miami v. Buffalo
Daunte Culpepper is inconsistent and Ronnie Brown needs to run way better than he did against Pittsburgh. However, I just dont see Buffalo pulling out this one, especially after the way they collapsed last week against New England.Pick: MIAMI
Minnesota v. Carolina
Before last week, Carolina was an attractive Super Bowl pick. Then Atlanta shut down their offense and manhandled the defensive line. WR Steve Smith as of now is questionable and Carolinas offense will struggle if Smith isnt back. The Vikings offensive line tandem of Steve Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie should provide QB Brad Johnson with all the time he needs.
Pick: MINNESOTA
Chicago v. Detroit
Detroit couldnt get a touchdown against Seattles defense last week and arent likely to find it any easier against divisional rival Chicago.
Pick: CHICAGO
Indianapolis v. Houston
Given their recent trade for running back Samkon Gado, how much does Houston regret passing up Reggie Bush? Probably not as much as rabid Texan fans are.
Pick: INDIANAPOLIS
New Orleans v. Green Bay
Here we have two bad teams playing against each other. Both have terrible offensive lines and lousy defenses. Ultimately, it comes down to the play of the quarterbacks and Im probably going to regret this but I think Drew Brees will pick apart the Packers defense while Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister run over it. This goes along with Favres likely three interceptions.
Pick: NEW ORLEANS
Philadelphia v. New York Giants
In the battle of the divisional foes, we have two very talented teams. It should be a close match and could go either way. Ultimately, I like Donovan McNabb over Eli Manning and I think the Eagles defense is for real. Sorry Eli.
Pick: PHILADELPHIA
Baltimore v. Oakland
Both teams were part of 27-0 shut outs last week, Baltimore being on the winning end against Tampa Bay and Oakland being on the embarrassing end against San Diego. That tells you everything you need to know right there.
Pick: BALTIMORE
St. Louis v. San Fransisco
St. Louis pulled off an upset against Denver last week while San Fransisco lost a close one to Arizona. If the 49ers' quarterback throws interceptions like he did as a rookie season, the Rams will take this because they have shown a better defense than the Cardinals have. Given that San Fransisco beat St. Louis last year, though, I could be regretting this pick.
Pick: ST. LOUIS
Kansas City v. Denver
Kansas City is going into this with Damon Huard, who hasnt had a snap in six years, as the quarterback while Denver comes in with a massive chip on its shoulder. If Jake Plummer throws this game away like he did last week against the Rams, expect the Jay Cutler chants to pick up ten-fold.
Pick: DENVER
New England v. New York Jets
New England played poorly against Buffalo but demonstrated why they are contenders when they triumphed. The Jets on the other hand are rebuilding and, unlike their last opponents, the Titans, the Patriots have quarterback woes to speak of.
Pick: NEW ENGLAND
