Have been terrible about my picks over the past few weeks, and I'm not going to give a full breakdown for all the games, but first let's take a look at some interesting matchups this Sunday (Jets already beat the Bills) and then let me express my thoughts about the New York Football Giants.
Here we go.
Eagles-Falcons
Matt Ryan is out, DeSean Jackson is out, Michael Turner is out, Brian Westbrook is out. I think the Eagles win, and even at full strength, the Falcons weren't as strong as they were supposed to be.
Lions-Bengals
I'm really happy the Lions played CalJohn and Stafford on Thanksgiving. They still lost, but hey, good effort fellas. Are the Bengals legit this year, can they go far in the playoffs? This week is no test, but might be a nice "Bye" going into the final weeks.
Titans-Colts
The Titans are red hot, and the Colts have yet to lose. Do the Colts go undefeated? Eh, I don't think they have to. I say the Titans pull off an upset. Defense looks better, and the Colts will have to have a running game, which I submit has been getting worse in the past years.
Patriots-Dolphins
AFC East battle of 1st and 2nd Place in the division - it will be a good one, but I think the Patriots destroy. Essentially they were embarassed by the Saints this past Monday, no way does it happen again.
Texans-Jaguars
I'm honestly surprised that the Jags are 6-5. I think the Texans still have some ground to make up to be the sleeper pick of '09, so they'll have to even it up at 6-6 to get that going.
49ers-Seahawks
I have a feeling this will be a good game. Might not mean much in th scheme of things, but whatever. Love Mike Singletary.
Vikings-Cardinals
Vikings are the better team, but are they really the 2nd best team in the NFC? We'll see in the coming weeks and into the playoffs. I say no (because I don't want them to be).
Now onto the Giants...
The interesting stories from the Giants this week were about the starting front defensive line, and Eli Manning tagging a bathroom in the New Cowboy Stadium. FYI, both have nothing to do with anything. To me, the biggest issues are Ahmad Bradshaw and Eli Manning's ongoing injuries, not to mention Danny Ware's out with a concussion.
Osi Umenyiora and Fred Robbins worked with the second team during some practices this week. Are the demoted, or going to play less? Who knows, but it will light a fire under their asses. At the end of the day, the reason the Giants defenses were so dominant in past years was because of its depth. In 2007's Super Bowl season, Justin Tuck didn't even start. Dudes a beast. The team has a chance this year, but part of the team's goals should be to continue to build talent for future seasons.
The problem with Bradshaw and third stringer Danny Ware are that they support Brandon Jacobs, who has yet to go into "I'm the Juggernaut" mode, as of yet. Both Danny Ware and Ahmad Bradshaw have a lot of talent and can do a fantastic job supporting the bruiser Jacobs - Ware is most likely going to be out with a concussion, and Ahmad Bradshaw has been playing through a broken bone in his foot, and now has an ankle sprain he's been dealing with. The Giants running (and passing) game with have to rely more heavily on BJake. He's been slow to get going. And if he has to put his arm out onto one of his blockers backs, forget it, the run is over in a yard or two. If he gets a full head of steam, he is borderline unstoppable and good for a minimum of 6 yards. Dude isn't done, he just has to manage to learn how to run the ball which suits his style best.
The facts for tomorrow game are this: this isn't the same Giants team as in Week 2, and this isn't the same Cowboys team either. The three headed hydra that is the Cowboys running game (Barber, Felix, Choice) is much more affective than they get credit for, and guess what people, we're in the Miles Austin era of Cowboy receiving football. He's good. Why didn't you hear about him in college? He played for Monmouth University and even though he lit it up there, the Hawks don't get much national play. Personally, from what I've seen in a few games of the Miles-era-'Boys, he's legit.
Also, Eli Manning suck. Psych. Dudes awesome, and I get more and more impressed with him. Unfortunately for Eli, his last name is Manning, and he's not Peyton. He's Eli! He's done a hell of a job managing the New York media (no doubt, winning a Super Bowl has earned him some leeway), and he's done a hell of a job this year getting an aerial attack going. The loss of Plaxico Burress was huge. Since Eli came into the league, he and Plaxico were among the QB-WR combo with the most touchdowns during that time period. Eli and Jeremy Shockey started off well together, but Shockey's attitude issues seemed to force Eli to go elsewhere. The abilitiy for Eli to find targets in Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, and Domenik Hixon is as much a testament to the receivers as it is to Eli as a quarterback. Still happy to have him as the team's QB.
More than likely, the Giants season will end this year in Week 17. I still have hope, but dammit, you just can't assume that it's going to happen that way. I think Denver is good, but you need to score a touchdown. Tomorrow at 4:15 PM ET we could either have a nail in the coffin situation, or a scenario where the Giants turn it around and give a little hope to the rest of the situation. Go GMeN.
See the following articles that reference the Giants from earlier in the season:
[NFL Week 2 BuDa Pick'Em!]
[RECAP: NFL Week 2 BuDa Pick'Em!]
[NY Football Giants Test #1: FAILURE]
[NFL Week 8 BuDa Pick'Em!]
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