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TSN: Week 8 primer: It's halftime


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Week 8 primer: It's halftime

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=29623

If I could deliver a halftime (of the season) speech to every NFL team, it would go something like this:

"We gotta run the ball, guys. Just look at the top eight rushing teams in the league -- from Atlanta to Indianapolis, they've combined for 39 wins already this season.

"We gotta protect the ball and take it away, guys. Just look at the 14 teams who are winning the turnover battle by at least one -- only one is below .500."

Funny how simple this game can be, isn't it? Now let's go out there and pick some games. ...

NFC GAME OF THE WEEK

Chicago at Detroit. Surprisingly, this game has first place in the NFC North at stake, despite the fact both participants are only at .500. The winner, with the Packers and Vikings having tough road matchups, should open up a nice little lead in the division.

Defensively, the focus for both teams will be keeping up with the Joneses in the running game. While the Bears' Thomas has been a prolific producer, the Lions' Kevin is in a sophomore slump. Neither will have too much room to operate however, as both teams will dare the opposing quarterback to beat them.

Bears rookie Kyle Orton isn't trying to do too much, except hand off to Jones and dump it off to tight end Desmond Clark. That lack of making plays downfield will hurt in this game, because veteran Jeff Garcia will find a way to make them when it counts. You can also expect the home of Super Bowl 40 to be rocking, and for Garcia to be pumped up and prove why the QB job is his to keep. Lions 16, Bears 10.

AFC GAME OF THE WEEK

Buffalo at New England. The bye week was perfect timing for the Patriots, as now there are hopes of two key defenders, end Richard Seymour and inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi, returning to the lineup. The way they have been Patsies against the run of late, that's a big boost.

So is playing at Foxborough in prime time on Sunday night. Many have already written off the Pats' injury-riddled season, but as long as they have Tom Brady throwing and Bill Belichick concocting schemes, they remain formidable.

The Bills found an offensive spark in a switch to Kelly Holcomb, but their run defense remains a major liability. Expect the Pats to pound it with a healthy, rested Corey Dillon. They'll then turn around and take away Willis McGahee, leaving Holcomb in trouble against Belichickian blitzes and coverage. Patriots 27, Bills 13.

ALEX SMITHS OF THE WEEK

Tampa Bay at San Francisco. The 49ers' rookie quarterback has been bruised and battered in a short time as the starter, and to make matters worse for them, his former competition, Tim Rattay, will be on the other Monster Park sideline this week. It's looking like Ken Dorsey will need to start in place of Smith.

The Bucs' rookie tight end of the same name made a splash in Week 1 with two TDs, and expect him to play a bigger role with Brian Griese out, as replacement Chris Simms should be helped with a stronger emphasis on the short passing and running games. That running game, with the 1-2 punch of Cadillac Wiliams and Michael Pittman, will be rested and ready to stay golden against a wilting San Fran defense. Buccaneers 24, 49ers 20.

RETURN OF THE WEEK

Nick Saban at Baton Rouge. Saban knows a little something about coaching at LSU, and he'll get a chance to do it again as his Dolphins are the first pro team to visit New Orleans' second alternate home. Because of what Saban did for their program, expect some fans to be cheering "Geaux Miami".

The Dolphins got plenty of boos in their loss to Kansas City last Friday, but they've had plenty of time to think about it, and Saban will have his defense rebound against the league's most mistake-prone offense. Don't expect a Hail Mary to former Fighting Tigers go-to-guy Devery Henderson to save the Saints. Dolphins 21, Saints 20.

SHOOTOUT OF THE WEEK

Washington at New York Giants. The casual NFL observer still stuck in the 1980s will a) try to Wang Chung tonight and B) think this is a defensive matchup. The Giants have mainly struggled against the pass, and the Redskins have struggled to create turnovers and stop teams on the road.

Then you have the red-hot offenses. Eli Manning and Mark Brunell. Tiki Barber and Clinton Portis. Plaxico Burress and Santana Moss. Last but not least, Jeremy Shockey and Chris Cooley. While this isn't exactly "fantasy football" for old-school coaches such as Joe Gibbs and Tom Coughlin, it's a reality with the identity of their teams. The G-Men take one late at home again.

Giants 31, Redskins 27.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Philadelphia over Denver. The Broncos love to stuff the run, but the Eagles don't run. The Broncos have a physical secondary, but Terrell Owens can outphysical most secondaries. The Broncos have speedy linebackers, but Brian Westbrook can leave the fastest of them in his tracks.

The Eagles were struggling against the run, the Broncos' bread and butter that opens up plays for Jake Plummer, but they proved otherwise in shutting down LaDainian Tomlinson last week. They also have Donovan McNabb, who can take advantage of blitzes with big plays against single coverage. Eagles 24, Broncos 20.

LOCK OF THE WEEK

Pittsburgh over Baltimore. The Ravens' 46 defense has been deep-sixed more often than I thought it would be, and now it's likely to be without its two best playmakers -- middle linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed -- against the reigning AFC North champs, on the road, on Monday night. The Steelers showed plenty of mettle with their running game last week; expect them to keep on pounding, especially with Lewis out.

I'm just getting to the Ravens' offensive problems. Jamal Lewis has put their running game in a funk, making Anthony Wright an even more ineffective passer. I tend to pick against Pittsburgh too often. To make up for it, I don't think they will allow any points this week. Steelers 24, Ravens 0.

REST OF THE WEEK

Arizona at Dallas. After splitting low-scoring games the past two weeks, it's time for Bill Parcells' team to overwhelm another poorly coached, less talented team. This isn't exactly Emmitt Bowl because both teams have struggled to find consistent running games for different reasons, but rookie Marion Barber is an advantage over rookie J.J. Arrington, who has run dry in the desert. As for Big D's D, it will fold any chance of a Cards comeback through the air. Cowboys 30, Cardinals 10.

Oakland at Tennessee. I've seen M*A*S*H of the Titans too many times, as Jeff Fisher's team just can't seem to shake the injury bug. Two things they will never shake, however, are hard work and determination. Look for their front seven to mask their secondary weaknesses with a strong pass rush, which will keep Kerry Collins in check just enough for them to steal this game late. Titans 19, Raiders 17.

Cleveland at Houston. It's a strange week when the Astros can't win a game but the Texans are likely to. While they couldn't keep with the Colts on the scoreboard last week, they found some offensive rhythm with Domanick Davis as the focus. Davis will run all over the Browns, and when Trent Dilfer tries to play catchup on the road, it will mean another step closer to Charlie Frye. Texans 20, Browns 17.

Jacksonville at St. Louis. The Rams' offense just isn't the same daunting unit without Mike Martz, Marc Bulger, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, and unfortunately for them, the Jaguars' defense isn't the same struggling unit as the Saints'. Look for the rested Jags to turn this from the Greatest Show to Smackdown, as they should play very physically and deliver hits on both sides of the ball. They'll also get some key turnovers against Jamie Martin to seal it. Jaguars 22, Rams 16.

Green Bay at Cincinnati. The Bengals will be itching to get their offense on track after being stoned by the Steelers, and Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson should have no problem making big plays against the Pack. Brett Favre's arm will keep his team in the game for four quarters, but the difference will be the running games, where Cincy has Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry to play clinchers. Bengals 27, Packers 24.

Minnesota at Carolina. Right when you think the Vikings have righted their boat (er, ship), they get a matchup that's just not right. Look for the Panthers' balance with Stephen Davis and Steve Smith to keep Minny's defense off-balance and their front seven to constantly put pressure on Daunte Culpepper. John Fox's team will be very tough to beat after a bye. Panthers 34, Vikings 20.

Kansas City at San Diego. This is the shootout sequel of the week. Both teams have Big Ten quarterbacks, big-time running backs and big-hands tight ends, and the favorable weather of SoCal should have both offenses clicking up and down the field. In this heavyweight matchup of Priest Holmes vs. Tomlinson, I'll go with the latter because he will get more touches. Chargers 27, Chiefs 23.

BYES OF THE WEEK

The Colts seem unstoppable, but everything they've done to go 7-0 will all be for naught if they can't finally get over the New England bump in Week 9. While I now have great confidence that they can finally get to the Super Bowl, they need to top the Pats to maintain the great confidence they've built this season. ...

The Jets' blues have continued with mounting injuries that have led to offensive inconsistency and defensive fatigue. Coach Herman Edwards deserves better luck, but you still can expect one thing out of his team: No matter how depleted its roster, his players will never quit. ...

With all due respect to Michael Vick, the most exciting Falcons player has been Warrick Dunn, one of the league's most complete backs. He runs hard inside, he runs fast outside and, despite being 30, he is enjoying his best season ever. Consider Dunn a sleeper MVP candidate. ...

The Seahawks are a pass-first team, but my question is, why? They're 4-0 when Shaun Alexander rushes for more than 100 yards, and they're 0-2 with another near-loss when he doesn't. Passing often is fine against the weak NFC West, but they will need to pound it more against tougher second-half competition.

STATS OF THE WEEK

Week 7 straight up: 10-4

Week 7 record vs. the spread: 6-8

Season record straight up: 64-38

Season record vs. the spread: 48-54

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Why the hell do so many media "experts" continue to think teams are gonna put up 30+ points on the Skins defense when they make their score predictions?...They DO know, don't they, that nobody has put up 30 or more points on the Skins defense since 2003, right?..That only three teams have put up over 21 points on the Skins defense out of their last 22 games??...

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Why the hell do so many media "experts" continue to think teams are gonna put up 30+ points on the Skins defense when they make their score predictions?...They DO know, don't they, that nobody has put up 30 or more points on the Skins defense since 2003, right?..That only three teams have put up over 21 points on the Skins defense out of their last 22 games??...

that's a good point. And the team that put up more than 21 this year only did because they had a defensive TD.......

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if the Gaints score more than 17 I'll be surprised

I expect us to give up at least 20, but not much more. While our defense has played at a very high level, our lack of turnovers will keep drives alive. Even against San Fran, we missed countless opportunities to take the ball away. We gave up 20+ on the road to Denver and KC, and I believe the Giants' offense is just as potent. They have probably the best redzone offense of any team we have played as of yet, and the combination of Shockey, Burress, and Barber in the redzone will be tough to stop.

I think we are the best 3 and out team in the league, but we have given up long drives for touchdowns in the past 4 games. However, the pass rush that we have so sorely missed erupted against the 49ers, and hopefully, that form will continue on Sunday. I also think that our offense will do more damage to their defense than vice versa, and we should win in a close one (what else would you expect with the Skins?).

Washington 27 New York 24

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Am I missing something, is our defense just staying home and not coming to the game? Funny how people seem to forget our defense doesn't give up 30 or more points, ever, and certainly not against the Giants.

I was thinking the same thing? What about the equally important defensive side of the ball? No, don't pay attention to the Giants 31st ranked defense or the Skins 4th ranked D, that won't influence anything. :rolleyes:

You know, these guys just want to be so right. They can't stand the Skins doing well and would love nothing more then to write another Eli article then to *stoop* to writing a Skins article.

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Why the hell do so many media "experts" continue to think teams are gonna put up 30+ points on the Skins defense when they make their score predictions?...They DO know, don't they, that nobody has put up 30 or more points on the Skins defense since 2003, right?..That only three teams have put up over 21 points on the Skins defense out of their last 22 games??...

You dont have the D of the following:

70's Steelers

85 Bears

86 Giants

00 Ravens

STOP TALKING ABOUT THEM LIKE THEY ARE GREAT!!!

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and eli isnt peyton, stop talking about him like he is

so true...im sick of hearing how eli is so great, or is gonna be great. he doesnt do anything special that any other QB does or has done. is he the highest rated passer in the NFL? no, o wait...thats Mark Brunell...my bad. is he even close? he didnt get sacked 1 time last week, i guess we'll see how he does under pressure (again), i would hope hes better than he was last year against the skins D...he looked like he was about to start crying.

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You dont have the D of the following:

70's Steelers

85 Bears

86 Giants

00 Ravens

STOP TALKING ABOUT THEM LIKE THEY ARE GREAT!!!

Dude, it isn't that we think they are great. It is just that nobody had hung 30 on this Williams coached Defense. KC had to have a defensive TD just to get to 28 on us their own house. NY could not break 20 against Dallas and they are ranked well below us in total defense while hanging an even more suspect secondary they you guys do.

Maybe if NY was averaging 40 points a game this season and had scored over 30 everytime out I could see this but you are aren't. You are averaging 28.5 which means that half the time (or more) you will be below 30. Why assume you will be above it against a Top 5 defense when 4 of the teams you have played to get that average have been in the Bottom 10?

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I'm also "enjoying" that:

Hmmm, we've got #1 vs #2 in the NFC East, which is, according to the W-L record, is both the closest division in the NFL, and the best.

And we've got #1 vs #2 in the NFC North, the worst division in the NFC. If Dallas (the worst team in the NFC East) were playing either of these teams, they'd be favored by 10.

I wonder which game is the Game of the Week.

-----

(I know, thought they were picking a Game of the Weak!)

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if the Gaints score more than 17 I'll be surprised
You guys don't think that our #1 offense will score more than 20 points on the Giants sub-par defense ? Did anyone see #56 on the field last Sunday ? How did the Niner QB like it ? How's Eli gonna like it ? SKINS 42 Giants 13:gaintsuck :eaglesuck
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Thanks for the avatar...Redskins stay classy as usual...pathetic f@gs

What's wrong with the avatar? You named yourself manning... you got what you asked for...:laugh:

We treat our loud mouthed, obnoxious fans well here. Had you been a bit more respectful (see Tom [Giants Fan]) you would be treated with equal respect.

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Thanks for the avatar...Redskins stay classy as usual...pathetic f@gs

ahhhh whats wrong little boy? Sucks to get abused huh? LOL funny how a susage smuggler like you finds his way here to troll around and will never show his retarded face around after his gstrings loose this sunday.

:D

:gaintsuck

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