NFL Week 2 thoughts

[Valuist]

Yes, this is NOT a political thread....thank God.

Here are my early thoughts on some of the week 2 matchups:

JVILLE +3 over Denver- Jax is much tougher defensively than KC. Griffin was really flattered by that awful Chief defense. Also think Denv is a team who is decidedly worse away from their home field. I'll take the home doggie here.

Houston +3 over DET--Houston was hurt by turnovers in week 1. I was not impressed by Detroit; they were outplayed and outgained but came up with a freakish play to get that road losing streak monkey off their backs. True, they've always been better at home but this could be a letdown.

Chicago +9 over GB-Like I said above, I thought they outplayed Detroit. Defense looked sharp, giving up only 13 pts. Offense must improve and must cut down on penalties. As for GB, they're coming off a big Monday Night road win over defending NFC champ who they would've faced last year, had they not blown the 4th and 26. They've owned the Bears over the years so they probably take them lightly. Toss in the short week and a divisional rivalry game and 9 pts seems like a lot.

Sea/TB- not sure here. Seattle makes a real long road trip here, 2nd long trip in 1 week and will either have Alexander out or limited. Tampa has real problems; with no Galloway, Pittman or McCardell, there is no team speed on offense. I'd lean strongly toward UNDER the total but if Alexander is out that could mean more passes from Seattle. Holding off for now.

Miami +5 over CINCY- Yes, Miami is weak offensively. But 5 pts in the NFL is not a small # with 3 and 4 being key numbers. Miami is the better defensive team and getting more than 4 pts makes this hard to pass. Palmer looked decent in week 1 but I'm sure Miami's D will throw the kitchen sink at him.

PHILLY -3 over Minn--I hate to say it since I've got Culpepper on my Fantasy team but Philly's defensive strength is their pass defense and that could really pose problems for the Vikings. Minny had a lot of trouble on the road last year, losing to poor teams like San Diego, Arizona, Chicago and Oakland. Despite the big win last week, Minny's pass D looked weak as Vinnie lit them up pretty good.

[betchatoo]

Houston +3 over Detroit:
Two improved teams but this is the kind of game that Houston wins.

St. Louis +2.5 over Atlanta:
Both squeaked by their first week but Atlanta was outgained by a weak San Francisco offense. Their "D" is not ready for the Rams

speaking of San Francisco

New Orleans -7 over San Francisco:
Saints have covered 7 of last 8 against the 49ers. Make it 8 out of 9 after Sunday

[Valuist]

NO is probably the right side in that game. Dorsey makes his first start, and obviously, his first start on the road. New Orl has already lost one home game; they cannot afford to start out 0-2 at home. I would expect a strong sense of urgency from them.

[Valuist]

Great start to the new season at 4-1. Minnesota's home/road dichotmy still is in tact.

[brdman12]

Interesting. Here's my thought. Defenses seem to be ahead of the offenses. Joe Gibbs team comes to mind, they are not there yet. Chicago's defense might steal a few wins for their offense, which should get better. And maybe..we'll see...the Giants might be Greatly improved with Warner.

[Valuist]

Amazing in the Wash game was that the NYG were +6 in turnovers and still had a chance to lose the game. Only a truly terrible team could do that. Probably only a matter of time before the whole situation w/Coughlin and the 2 QBs becomes really problematic.

[andicap]

Originally posted by Valuist
Amazing in the Wash game was that the NYG were +6 in turnovers and still had a chance to lose the game. Only a truly terrible team could do that. Probably only a matter of time before the whole situation w/Coughlin and the 2 QBs becomes really problematic.

That's because the offense did very little in the second half. The defensiive backfield is much improved and it looks like the pass rush and run tackling is better as well. The LB core is still up in the air.

There's no QB controversy. Warner is the QB, a good idea since Manning is obviously not ready.

Giants Achilles Heel is their terrible offensive line. That will likely mean Warner will get another concussion sooner rather than later. Also, Warner had his best years behind that Rams offensive wall -- he's not mobile and rushes his passes when he doesn't have time. Kind of like Collins was.

NFL is very competitive this year. No super teams so the Giants might go 7-9 or 8-8 with any luck. If their OL sustains more injuries we could be looking at 4-12.

Couglin's tough ways will play OK only as long as the Giants win. If they get on a losing streak, the team could implode and throw in the towel the way they did last year on Fassel.

I'm not a Jets fan but you've got to love that offense. They've got to get Kevin Maewe back soon though -- one of the best centers in the game.

[Valuist]

I think there might be a little less parity this year in the NFL. There's a number of teams that just cannot move the ball. In the AFC, New England and Indy seem to be a cut above everyone else, and in the NFC I would rank them 1)Philly 2)Seattle 3)Minnesota.

[Hammerhead]

J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!!!

[Zaf]

Originally posted by Hammerhead
J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!!!

:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

ZAFONIC

[brdman12]

Also...Corey Dillon will make New England even better...And the most exciting player in the NFL is back in Atlanta.

[sq764]

When did Mcnabb get traded to the Falcons?