Week 4 Preview

With week 4 upon us and armageddon descending upon Philadelphia or better known as Vickadelphia, we look at power rankings and the picks:

32. San Francisco 49ers (0-3)

31. Buffalo Bills (0-3)

30.Carolina Panthers (0-3)

29.Detroit Lions (0-3)

28.Cleveland Browns  (0-3)

27. Oakland Raiders (1-2)

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)

25. Denver Broncos (1-2)

24.Washington Redskins (1-2)

23.St. Louis Rams (1-2)

22. New York Giants (1-2)

21. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

20.San Diego Chargers (1-2)

19. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)

18. Arizona Cardinals (2-1)

17.Tampa Bay Bucaneers (2-1)

16.Seattle Seahawks (2-1)

15. Tennessee Titans (2-1)

14. New England Patriots (2-1)

13. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)

12. Houston Texans (2-1)

11. Miami Dolphins (2-1)

10. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

9. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

8. New Orleans Saints (2-1)

7. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

6. New York Jets (2-1)

5. Green Bay Packers (2-1)

4. Indianapolis Colts (2-1)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

2. Chicago Bears (3-0)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)

Now that we’ve put the Kansas City Chiefs as a top 3 team in the league and made everyone stand up and notice and start laughing, let’s look at the games:

TITANS (-6) over Broncos-  Chris Johnson didn’t really have a great game last week.  But he’s a stat compiler.  You watch them play and you think, man this guy is getting bottled up, and then look at the final stat line and the guy STILL gets his.  The great ones always do.  Johnson is only in his third year but his greatness is not to be questioned.  I love that he put aside his contractual demands to come back on the field, prove himself and give the Titans no alternative BUT to pay him.  He’s well on his way.  We’ll need to see if he can keep his word on the prediction of over 2500 yards this season.  He’s going to need a few 200 yard games after that 34 yard effort in Pittsburgh.  You would think it would start with the Broncos but statistically they are a top 10 team against the run giving up 94 yards per game, but the teams they’ve faced are the Jags, Colts and Seahawks.  Two of those teams don’t have a running back that scares anyone and the other (the Jags) has ONLY their running back so you can load up on him and focus on stopping the run.  He still went for 98 yards.  Johnson will most definitely go for over 150 yards today.  Also look for him to score a passing TD as well.

Bengals (-3) over BROWNS-  This is much more evenly matched than most people think.  Carson Palmer is not the fantasy QB I rode to a championship in 2006 when I stole him in the 8th round (ok, so I’m making that up because I really don’t care, I just know that I didn’t pick him in the first five rounds).   But their running game should be able to wear out the Cleveland Browns who play well at home.  I think this will be a blowout for the Bengals who just have not played like the contenders that we all (read: me) predicted they would be.

PACKERS (-14) over Lions-  If Matt Stafford were in this game, I’d still pick the Pack to win this game.  Revenge games are sweet, especially following a loss on Monday night in which the Packers beat themselves with all those penalties.  The Packers have some guys banged up (Brady Popinga- I love saying his name, so naturally I felt excited when I saw him on the injury report) that bring their depth into question but I do like the Pack to come out strong.

SAINTS (-13) over Panthers-  I’m not liking the fact that I’m picking all the favorites but the Panthers are so bad and Jimmy Clausen is coming into one of the worst stadiums to play if you’re a visiting QB.  Especially this being your second game.  I predict the Saints offense to score points, everyone proclaim them to be back and Steve Smith to get into some kind of altercation either with his own teammates or with one of the Saints.  Put it in the books.

FALCONS (-6) over 49ers- Speaking of being a mess, what about the 49ers who have just been brutal.  Fired Jimmy Raye who naturally went on radio and talked about only carrying out the coach’s orders.  Frankly speaking I think the Niners will play better this week but the Falcons are one long Rashad Mendenhall run away from perhaps being 3-0 and being at the top.  They played the best team in the league very well.  They have a good offensive game but its their young defense that’s going to lead them anywhere.  I like this Falcon team.  I really do.

RAMS (+2.5) over Seattle-  I don’t think the Seahawks are that good.  I think the Rams are on their way up.  I still pine for Steve Spagunolo to come back to the Meadowlands and be the defensive coordinator of the Giants.  Ok, now that i’ve established that there’s no bias, heres why I’m picking the Rams.  I just have this gut feeling about Sam Bradford.  He’s looked mature, and very capable despite a porous offensive line that rarely gives him time to throw.  I’m not saying they are going to be a playoff team, I just think that this Sunday, as he improves, he’ll be good enough to beat the Seahawks.

Jets (-6) over BILLS-  What more needs to be said?  So, on that note, I will use this space to leave comments on last week’s performance on the Jets and start with the QB.  Mark Sanchez made extraordinary plays including the second touchdown to Dustin Keller who is playing phenomenally in sync with the QB, but it was the throws he’s not making that have really impressed me.  On about 6 separate plays from my count, I saw him rear back ready to make a throw but think twice and make the safe dump off pass.  He didn’t force it, but he took chances.  Its that healthy balance that was lacking in the first game where it seemed that every pass was being completed to the RB for about 5 yards.  Sanchez has learned to take chances and when to do so.  He’s taking what the defense gives him but also willing to trust his ability to thread the needle which he did in the aforementioned pass to Dustin Keller where he put it right where Keller would be and no one else.  More than anything that’s the best.  As for those with limited brain cells who would want Darrelle Revis to play in this game instead of rest up and play against Minnesota on Monday Night, please try and get enough oxygen to the head before you make such stupid remarks.  Sometimes I hate talk radio.

Colts (-7) over JAGS-  This is a no contest.  No Donald Brown, no Pierre Garcon.  No problem.  Colts in a slam dunk.

RAIDERS  (+3) over Texans-  I think the Texans are NOT a good away team but more so than that, I think that Dallas game really deflated their egos.  It will take some time to regain that full head of steam they had coming into that Cowboy game and it won’t be for a while.  Meanwhile, I like this match up for the Raiders just because I think Matt Schaub is due for a really crappy game.  I’m still not buying into the Texans hype.

CHARGERS (-9) over Cardinals-  Nothing about Derek Anderson scares me.  In fact, nothing about the words Derek Anderson rolls back to pass scares me either.   If i’m the Chargers DB’s I’m hoping I hear that all day long.  You play bait with a fish, he’s bound to take the line.  Now imagine that fish is Derek Anderson: I’m predicting a few picks.

GIANTS (-3) over Bears-  This is not some sentimental pick.  I just don’t think the Bears are that good.  In fact, I think there’s a lot of hype over nothing in Chicago.  THIS will be the test to see how the Giants defensive line is.  If they can’t pressure Jay Cutler into mistakes, they will be in for a VERY long evening.  As for last week, there’s a big problem when after a loss in which you made mistakes killing any chance of making a run in the second half, and you continuously harp on the fact that you could’ve won the game, there’s something wrong there.  That picture tells me that this team is unwilling to realize its mistakes and unwilling to address them.  I also don’t agree with the Coughlin bashing, though the game plans these last few weeks fall on his shoulders.  This is not the way you play Giant football.  You run the football until they prove to you that they can stop it and then you pass which the Giants have proven they can.  But when you play one sided football, its not really all that great and results don’t vary, usually you lose.  Giants have gone into games, and Carl Banks put it best, “reactively and not proactively” meaning the Giants went in thinking that the opposition will play a certain way and try to beat them that way instead of saying this is our game plan and we dare you to try and stop it.  You’re putting your foot down and letting the defense know that this is how its going down today.  The Giants haven’t and the games have gotten away from them.

PATRIOTS (-1) over Dolphins-  Two years after the craze was introduced, the Dolphins enter this week’s game against the Pats as a more traditional team though their Wildcat remains steadfastly a part of this team.  The Pats have proven that their defense is not capable of handling a decent QB and so I don’t expect Chad Henne to play good, I expect him to play really good.  In fact, I expect Brandon Marshall to have a beastly evening in South Beach.  On the field I mean.  On the field.

Now for the main events of the evening:

STEELERS (-2.5) over Ravens-  In the Steel City with that defense.  I don’t think the Ravens have hit their stride yet.  Last week, Flacco and the Ravens got a glimpse of what its like to have a dependable WR when Anquan Boldin went and got 3 touchdowns.  Flacco’s been the real question mark here, whereas question marks were surrounding Mark Sanchez coming into the game, its more become when is Joe Flacco going to emerge?  He might have done that last week.  I think the Steelers are just playing much better and with this being the final week before Ben Roethlisberger can come back, the trap element is in effect: they can talk themselves into this not being so important to win since they are undefeated heading into the game.  Except its against the Ravens and pride is on the line and when that’s what’s at stake, even guys who make millions can put aside their fancy designer satchels and play smash mouth football which these two teams will do.

EAGLES (-5) over Redskins-  Look, I don’t know how the Eagle fans are going to respond to McNabb’s return.  Its going to be exciting to see just for that but the game will be closer than people think with the Eagles pulling away late.  I’m rooting for McNabb in this game but the more I read about Michael Vick and the more I hear his interviews in which he sounds sorry for what he did, and the more I continue to dislike PETA for their absolute backwards thinking on him, the more I want to see him succeed.  Then  I realize he’s an Eagle and all that disappears.  But yes, this country more than anything loves a comeback story.  Hollywood laughed at and trashed Mickey Rourke, yet applauded him at the Oscars when he was up for Best Actor for the Wrestler.  They hated Elliot Spitzer and yet gave him a half hour talk show close to primetime.  There was backlash for Howard Stern throughout his career and yet he’s signed to the most lucrative contract in radio history.  The point is, as many people there are against you there will always be a group out there that wants to see you get back to where you are if for no other reason than to be considered counter-culture.  Its why we desert bands that we discovered when they weren’t as famous and then we claim them to have sold out to corporate interests.  Its why people like something only to drop it once it becomes uncool to be part of the fray.  Counter culture is to support Mike Vick now, but to drop him once his story gets too much support.  Right now, its too cool to support Mike Vick so the original people who wanted to see his life succeed are gone.  Here now are the interviews by the Jim Mora’s of the world wondering why Mike had to ruin his coaching career.  THIS is where the real test is for Mike Vick: how does he handle success again?  He went from football icon, to pariah to resurrection story.  He’s basically run out of lives.  Now any negative press he gets will doom him.  No one will care, no one will root for him.   NOW is the time we see  whether our justice system doles out fair punishment and if its suitable.  Did everything get taken from him?  Yes.  But is it alright to root for him as he gets everything back?  Yes.  Is it ok to still be cautious of him because there’s this haunting feeling that the allure of fame and fortune won’t drag him back into a circle that will only ruin him?  Sure.  My whole point is this: Mike Vick’s opportunity begins after today’s game.  If they win, how does he handle success.  If he loses and people start second guessing him as a player how does he handle it?  Will he revert to his old ways of not preparing?  THE REAL TEST begins now.