Tag Archive for 'NFL'

2008 NFL Season Predictions

Published
by
Jake
on September 4, 2008
in NFL and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

What could compel me to post on this oft-neglected little blog? Why the start of the 2008 NFL season of course. Might as well get some predictions on record before the kickoff tonight, so here you go:

NFC

East: A challenging division to predict, due to the quality of the teams and my inability to suppress my homerism for the Skins. Pretty much everyone thinks the Giants will be mediocre after their miraculous playoff run and the Cowboys will be good. I agree on both counts. People are hyping the Eagles but I just don’t see it. McNabb is going to get hurt, like he always does. Relying on a rookie WR seems dubious to me. As for the Skins….I’m not really sure what i think of them. Call it: Cowboys, Skins, Eagles, Giants

North: Some intriguing teams with glaring holes. The Minnesota and Green Bay defenses are pretty nasty. Chicago has potentially the worst QB situation in the league. The Lions are, well to be cliche, the Lions. I’d take the Vikings running game and D over the Packers, so lets say Vikings, Packers, Lions, Bears.

South: Outside of Atlanta, who are awful, I think this whole thing is a tossup. Tampa seems like a 9-10 win team to me, the Saints have a kind of under the radar sick offense and Carolina has their QB back. I’m going with New Orleans to win, followed by Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta but I could just as easily see Tampa or Carolina winning it.

West: Usually this is an easy one, just pick the Seahawks and move on. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Arizona Cardinals win the division. Defense is pretty good, the QB drama scares me but if they can settle on Warner I think they’ll be alright. Cardinals, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers.

AFC

East: Anyone in the world not picking the Patriots to win? Didn’t think so. Patriots, Jets, Bills, Dolphins

North: I’ve seen some weird picks for this division, people picking the Ravens, which I don’t see at all. I know they’ve taken some hits on the offensive line but people are sleeping on the Steelers. I’m going Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Ravens.

South: Like everyone else I think this is the Jaguar’s year. Manning’s dinged up, Harrison is coming off injury, same with Freeney, this is the year Jacksonville gets over the hump. Also maybe the year Vince Young gets exposed as a non-NFL QB. Jaguars, Colts, Texans, Titans.

West: No way Shawn Merriman makes it through the year and its borderline criminal he’s being allowed to play. Having said that, very much like the offense and the D will be alright once Merriman’s knee explodes. Even still, my sleeper team this year is the Broncos. I’m on the Cutler bandwagon, that defense is underrated, screw it the Broncos are winning this division. Broncos, Chargers Raiders, Chiefs.

To recap:

NFC Division Winners:Cowboys, Vikings, Cardinals, Saints

NFC Wild Cards: Skins, Packers

AFC Division Winners: Patriots, Jaguars, Broncos, Steelers

AFC Wild Cards: Colts, Chargers

For the actual playoffs I’m saying it’ll be the Cowboys over the Vikings to represent the NFC and the Jaguars over the Patriots to represent the AFC. Cowboys win it, 34-27. There you have it. And yes I would be more then happy to have the Skins win it all instead.

Published
by
Jake
on November 7, 2007
in Odds and Ends
. 0 Comments

Len Pasquarelli gives Sean Taylor some love, naming him to his midseason defensive all-pro team.

Look at Jason Campbell

Published
by
Jake
on October 11, 2007
in Redskins
. 0 Comments

Day late on this but big congrats to Jason Campbell for winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He certainly deserved it, playing without his #1 wideout for the whole game and without his #2 for the second half.

Published
by
Jake
on September 11, 2007
in Odds and Ends
. 1 Comment

Carefully look at the small picture in the upper left of this article if you would. Notice anything? (via Agent Steinz)

About Springs not starting

Published
by
Jake
on September 11, 2007
in Redskins
. 0 Comments

I was at the win on Sunday and one of the things I noticed almost immediately, and kept pointing out to my Dad throughout the game, was that Shawn Springs was being used as the 3rd CB. Smoot seemed to be out there on every play with Rogers and Springs would come in on 3rd downs. The best football beat writer in the world, Jason La Confora, addressed this yesterday in his Monday Morning Half-Back:

I am baffled that in the fourth quarter, while Chris Chambers was picking about Smoot and Rogers, that Springs was on the bench. I guess I get the fact the Skins want to look at their younger corners, and it’s been pretty clear to all parties for a long time that this is probably Springs’s last season here anyway. But still. The dude was making plays and Smoot came real close to costing the Redskins the game on several occasions and was rough all around.

snip

And all the while I can’t help but be baffled by Spring’s standing on the sidelines. Gregg Williams says he wants to keep the guys fresh and rotate and all of that jazz, but ain’t no way I don’t have Springs out there. Heard that after the game Trent Green was asked some of the Skins players what was up with that, ’cause the Dolphins went into the game hoping to pick on the guy not on Shawn’s side, and ended up only facing Springs in the nickel package for the most part. Springs is healthy, and I’d be playing him like heck now.

I too find this weird. If Springs is healthy, and he says he is, then put him out there. Are the coaches saying Rogers and Smoot are better then Springs? That would be news to many I think. Things are not cleared up in Jason’s Redskin Notebook today:

Gibbs said that Springs was not breaking full speed as he normally would and was “holding up a little bit,” although he practiced fully. “I felt better going into that game Sunday than I have in four years,” Springs said. “I don’t know what Coach Gibbs is talking about.”

Well that explains…nothing. Springs says he’s healthy, Coach Gibbs says he doesn’t look like it. I guess the only reasonable conclusion to draw from this is that the coaches think Springs is the 3rd best CB on the roster. Even if he is making $5 million this year.

I was going to write a Skins season preview….(UPDATED)

Published
by
Jake
on September 8, 2007
in Redskins
. 3 Comments

UPDATE: As noted in the comments by the man himself, Chris Mottram, not brother Jaime, actually wrote the preview. My deepest apologies sir.

…..but when Chris Mottram (the sports blogging Godfather) rounds up Unsilent Majority, Skin Patrol and Agent Steinz, why even compete? Read it, its good. For the record I’ve got the Skins going 10-6.

Published
by
Jake
on September 7, 2007
in Odds and Ends
. 0 Comments

The Big Lead is one of my favorite sports blogs…..but saying the Skins might win only 6 games is insanity.

Simmons on the Skins

Published
by
Jake
on September 6, 2007
in Redskins
. 1 Comment

The Sports Guy is doing a pre-season power poll and he puts the Skins 24th. Here’s his take:

Coming off an injury-riddled 2006, the Skins have Sleeper Potential for a variety of reasons — multiple impact guys, a full season from Jason Campbell (who’s not bad), an impact rookie (safety LaRon Landry), an impact free agent (London Fletcher), an easy first six weeks (Miami, at Philly, NY Giants, bye, Detroit, at Green Bay), and even a full year for everyone to absorb Al Saunders’ 700-page playbook. Does any of this change the fact Joe Gibbs is starting to look and act like Uncle Junior during the final season of “The Sopranos?” No.

(Random note: The recent trend of successful athletes with conventional first names that start with “La” — like LaMarcus Aldridge and LaRon Landry — has me more excited than ever to name my first son “LaBill Simmons.” My wife is less excited.)

I like Bill…but he’s wrong on this one. Skins make the playoffs, book it.

Published
by
Jake
on September 5, 2007
in Odds and Ends and Redskins
. 0 Comments

Andrew Perloff names Rocky McIntosh as one of his predicted breakout stars of the season.

Good news for Art Monk fans

Published
by
Jake
on August 27, 2007
in Redskins
. 0 Comments

From Peter King’s MMQB:

…supporters of Art Monk, Andre Reed, Andre Tippett and the late Derrick Thomas should be happy this morning. Their guys have a better chance to get into the Hall of Fame today than they did a week ago.

In the last four years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has had a maximum of six slots open for entry. But in each of those years, two Seniors Committee candidates were up for entry, and seven of those eight total players have been enshrined. What that means is that only four spots were then available for modern-era candidates. Last week, the Hall announced the maximum annual class would increase from six to seven members, with this proviso: The maximum modern era class each year would be five. If either or both of the Senior candidates were not elected, no more than five of the modern guys would get in.

Cut out the gobbledygook, and this is what just happened: The backlog of worthy candidates should begin to break. As one of the selectors, I’ve seen a thaw in the borderline candidates, starting with the election of Harry Carson a couple of years ago. And I would be surprised if guys such as Monk, Tippett, Charles Haley and Richard Dent (and Thomas, for that matter) continued to get shut out. I’m not saying all of them will get in. They won’t, at least not in the immediate future. But now at least there’s a chance for a seven-man class each year.

My guess is that Monk and Tippett, of the candidates who have been on the bubble in the past few years, have the best shot of breaking through in 2008.

The Hall also has okayed increasing the number of selectors from 40 to 50, to be phased in gradually over the next few years. This year the room will have 44 voters. That’s good if you think — as many of you do — that the limited number of voters has had too much power over the process, and more voters should cut down on the prejudices that keep some candidates from entry. Personally, I don’t think it will matter much, but we’ll see.

About freaking time. Monk not being in the Hall of Fame is an outrage.