Identity Check Time

10-4 this week. Not bad, eh?

Let's get right to it.

Baltimore over Oakland, 29-10
My Pick: Baltimore over Oakland, 16-10
Hey, this was an outstanding win for the Ravens. I was especially happy to see that not only did Troy Smith get some time on the field, but Baltimore's coaches devised a game-plan that actually allowed him to showcase his unique talents in a meaningful way. Great, great job there.

And here's who the Ravens are: obviously, the Ravens have a hell of a defense. Their secondary is overrated, but they make up for it by having the most under-the-radar defensive line in football. Seriously, and not to take anything away from the Titans, but Baltimore's 3-man front is every bit at dominant as Tennessee's. Haloti Ngata is a friggin' animal.

The Ravens can beat just about anybody if they can just avoid killer turnovers and stupid penalties. Once or twice a season, every team is going to run into a fluky offensive explosion by an opposing offense, like Baltimore did in their loss to Indianapolis. Those games aside, I honestly think the Ravens might have the NFL's best defense. They swarm and punish as well as any other defense in football, they're impossible to run on, and the fact of the matter is, they spend more time on the field than any other defense in the discussion.

I can pick the Ravens to make any game close, but it will be very difficult for me to pick them against any team that is consistently professional on the offensive side of the ball and has any ability at all to rush the passer and cover down-field. Still, this is a dramatically improved Baltimore team, and an entertaining one at that. Hats off to John Harbaugh, a dark-horse candidate for Coach of the Year.

As for the Raiders, they're nothing if not maddeningly mistake prone and inconsistent. We know they can run the ball. We know they're capable of roughly 2.5 quarters of strong defense. We can also be certain, certain, that they'll turn the ball over and commit stupid penalties just about the time their defense decides to shut it down for the day. I probably won't be able to pick them again this season, not unless they do something special to convince me Tom Cable can get these guys to focus for four quarters.

Really, really nice win for the Ravens. In order to take them seriously at 4-3, you need to be able to see two things on their resume: they can hold their own against some big-dog teams (check), and they can take care of business against bottom-feeders (check). I said they'd hang around in the North all season, and I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Carolina over Arizona, 27-23
My Pick: Carolina over Arizona, 28-24
Wow was I close on this one. I overestimated each team by a point.

If you're Arizona (or any NFL team for that matter), you just can't go on the road like this. It's silly. And I know they played pretty well, but c'mon. 7 penalties, 2 turnovers, and only 14 running plays on the day. It won't work! Being "good" is only part of the equation, you have to also have a goddamn clue how winning on the road actually works, and these guys don't have a clue. You don't go into the home of one of the NFL's best defenses and win when you only call 14 running plays. That's a Jack Del Rio move: "hey, they've got a heck of a run defense over there, so let's not even go down that road. It might surprise 'em!"

Still, this was a sharp, tough, entertaining-as-hell slugfest between two very talented teams. It's pretty embarrassing how Arizona a) can't stay out of their own way, as in Edgerrin James fumbling the ball deep in Arizona territory with a 7-point lead, and b) can't open up a lead on the NFC West, despite being at least a bazillion times better than any other team in that division. Come playoff-time, Arizona is going to really regret not taking care of business and earning a home game, for two reasons: 1. Arizona is crap on the road, and 2. with as bad as the NFC West has been , they're spoiling a prime opportunity to lock this puppy up and get some rest in the last few weeks of the regular season. No other team in the NFC will have that luxury, Arizona might have been the only one, except they're too silly-headed to know how to go about actually winning on the road.

Winning on the road is different from competing on the road, and right now I feel like all Arizona knows how to do is compete on the road. And that brings us to who these Cardinals are: this is a super-talented team with good scheming . . . no, great scheming on both sides of the ball, but as an organization they don't know jack shit about the process of winning a game. It's like they're too self-conscious for their own good. Everything that happens in an Arizona game happens in a vaccuum, each play is an island unto itself. They know how to throw a deep ball, they know how to dial up a blitz. They just don't know how to win a football game. They have an idea how to not lose a game, but that's a long way off. They're the exact opposite of the Redskins: the Redskins might be a little too focused on winning, if such a thing is possible. There's no dominance in Washington's blood, no need to show anybody up, not as a team, nor as individuals. In Arizona, they know how to own guys in individual match-ups and they know how to rip off a big play on anybody, but they don't know a goddamn thing about winning. They know how to be better than you, but not how to beat you. I played in approximately 10 million pick-up basketball games when I was a teenager in which my team knew how to be the better team and sincerely wanted to win, but didn't have a friggin' clue. That's the Cardinals. Winning is incidental. Fortunately for their fans, we're not talking about the Cowboys or the Eagles or the Chargers here, we're not talking about a team that doesn't feel like they should have to win football games. Arizona wants to prove they're a good team, they just don't have the first clue how it's done.

And that's why they'll win their division at something like 9-7 or 10-6, then get smothered in the playoffs.

As for Carolina, I love the balance in their offense, but I still feel like they're the NFC's Jacksonville/Pittsburgh. They're far too turnover prone at the quarterback position. Jake Delhomme is the kind of quarterback who can complete 45% of his passes one day in a win, then go out and miss on only two of his passes the next day, but have both incompletions intercepted and returned for touchdowns. He's erratic. He forces the ball a lot, and it's always a gamble picking them in any game because of it. That's why this team goes as the running game goes: if they don't need Delhomme's production, they can beat anybody. I love their defense. I love that they don't seem to be overlooking anybody. I love that they're taking care of business at home, and all that crap about Arizona aside, this was a very good win for the Panthers. They're suddenly in strong position in the South, and they come out of their week 9 bye with a pair of bottom-feeders (Oakland and Detroit) in a row. They're in great shape.

Dallas over St. Louis, 13-9
My Pick: Dallas over St. Louis, 20-17
Not a whole lot to say about this.

Dallas: the only way a silver lining can be found in what has otherwise become an embarrassing disappointment of a season is in the hopes that a few weeks of middling with Brad Johnson at quarterback and sliding towards the bottom of the division will get this team focused and serious about winning football games. That is, unless they don't completely implode first. I honestly can't remember a more fragile team than this. There's a certain naked insecurity about Wade Phillips, and I'm sure it can be blamed in large part to the fact that his boss has pretty much already supplanted him from within his own coaching staff. The Dallas roster is deep with notoriously fragile egos, and as sure as I am that Wade Phillips could be a solid coach of a solid NFL team, the absolute worst case scenario with a team as loaded with uber-sensitive types as Dallas is a head coach who can't even begin to hide his own victim mentality. I've never been so glad I'm not a Dallas fan. I mean, this is really a perfect storm of personality conflicts: a domineering owner, the NFL's second-most defensive, insecure head coach, an annointed golden boy quarterback with a short but telling history of imploding in big games and being distracted by off-field issues, and the NFL's Worst Ever Poison Pill at, of all positions, wide receiver, where he's in prime position to derail his team's rhythm with just the strength of his will and the threat of his murcurial personality.

But Dallas isn't done. Under no circumstances will the Cowboys finish worse than 10-6 this season. If Romo gets healthy at the right time and they're able to win either of their next two games, both huge division contests, they could get an upswing in the locker-room and put together some big wins. I'm not ready to fork 'em just yet.

As for Tampa Bay, this much is certain: their defense will keep them in every game this season. If you're out there holding off on declaring Jon Gruden an ass, an over-stuffed one-trick baloney artist, wait no longer. No coach in the NFL undermines his own offense more than Jon Gruden. He couldn't more obviously hate running the football without calling up the NFL Network and announcing to Rich Eisen, on the air, "I hate running the football". He's so in love with his own cute little version of the West Coast offense, he'd rather lose showing it off than win any other way. His quarterback has a mutinous hatred towards him because Gruden is so in love with the smell of his own shit he couldn't stand the guy getting any credit for the team's success in 2007. Tampa's decent record at the end of 2008 will be almost entirely the result of the hard work of a few tough, savvy players on Tampa's offense and Monte Kiffin's fine-tuned Tampa-2. And Jon Gruden will probably get votes for Coach of the Year, despite being one of maybe two or three coaches in the NFL who actually hurts his team's chances of winning.

So there.

Washington over Detroit, 25-17
My Pick: Washington over Detroit, 21-14
This game was both closer than it should have been and not as close as it looked, but no matter which way you slice it, it wasn't pretty. And you know what? Who cares!

At this point, I think we can safely make the following declarative statements about the 2008 Redskins:

1. They run the ball very, very well. Washington can run the ball on anybody. The timing of their running game is sublime, and I hope Clinton Portis appreciates that. Jim Zorn should teach a class on the rhythm of playcalling in the ground game.
2. The no-interceptions thing? It's actually not a fluke at all. Every quarterback in the NFL sometimes bounces a ball off a defenders chest or hands, including Jason Campbell. What he doesn't do is throw the ball when he isn't ready, and that's where most of the interceptions in the NFL come from. Jason Campbell will throw interceptions this season, but he's showing the world what it actually means to protect the football and manage a game.
3. The defense is very stout in a super-literal interpretation of the concept of defending. They have one mission on the football field: keep the other team from moving the ball down the field, and they do a great job of it.
4. Washington's defense is as bad as any defense in the NFL at pressuring a quarterback and forcing turnovers. Turnovers don't "come in bunches", as Vinny Cerrato would have you believe. What is it, El Nino? It doesn't work that way. There's no voodoo or karma in football. You're either pressuring the quarterback consistently and successfully playing the ball, or not. The Redskins are bad at pressuring the quarterback, and they're bad at playing the ball. Eventually, it will hurt them very badly. Sad, but true.

Still, I love this team. I love the coach. I love the players. I love the toughness, the hang-it-all-out-there-and-feel-good-in-a-humble-sort-of-way-about-winning attitude. I wouldn't trade this Redskins team for any outfit in the NFL.

One thing I will say, however, is this: what is Clinton Portis so moody about? Jesus. Since he's been here, he just can't get happy. At first I thought he wasn't happy about the scheme. Then they changed the scheme to fit his style. Still not happy. Then I thought he wasn't happy because he was unhealthy, but he's been as healthy as any back in the NFL for two years now. Still not happy. Recognition? Nope. He's gone to the Pro Bowl a few times now. Still not happy. Ah HA! The Redskins aren't winning enough for him. Now they're 6-2, surely the monkey is off this guy's back a bit, surely he's happy and settled in Washington, happy to be leading the league in rushing, happy to be such a big part of his team's offense and their success, happy to be winning consistently, happy to be getting some national recognition, happy to have a settled roster around him, happy to be the face of the franchise . . . nope. Not happy. Still sullen, still moody, still defensive, still fragile. What the hell? I can't shake the feeling this guy's gonna derail the whole deal one of these days because his coach grills him on the sidelines. Seriously, man, you're my age, the time of your life where you were allowed to be moody, sensitive, defensive, and volatile, ended a decade ago.

And I have nothing at all to say about the Lions. You know who they are: they stink.

Miami over Buffalo, 25-16
My Pick: Buffalo over Miami, 24-21
Now I know who the Bills really are!

Seriously, if I pulled that shit now, I'd have to hang myself in shame. I told myself I wouldn't do it, I wouldn't be the asshole who waited for them to disappoint before evaluating them. I can't do it, that's some evil shit.

Let's pretend, instead, this game happened weeks ago. Buffalo enters week 9 at 5-2, having exceeded just about all expectations. We know the following: Trent Edwards is capable of playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL against just about anybody, but he isn't invincible. He can lay a boner, and it can cost his team a victory, as it did in this one. Marshawn Lynch is a tough, durable, steady runner, but so far he's no game-changer. The defense is solid but unspectacular. For the most part, Buffalo can be counted on to compete with anybody and give themselves a chance to win, and so far they've been able to convert those chances into victories at a healthy clip. All that said, this was an ugly, discouraging loss. Trent Edwards looked truly poor for the first time this season. The defense was gashed left and right by Ted Ginn Jr., of all people, and Chad Pennington carved them to pieces.

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this, but Buffalo just played their first division game of the entire season. They played a team they ought to beat, and they not only lost, they played poorly and got dumped. That's discouraging, any way you look at it. That 5-1 start was impressive, but to be honest, it won't really mean a damn thing 3 weeks from now if it turns out Buffalo can't take care of business in the division. Next up, a home date with the Jets, then a road game in New England. It's possible the Bills could be rock bottom in their division 2 weeks from now. Imagine that for a second. It wouldn't be the kind of thing the Bills couldn't recover from, but what a blow.

Miami played very well in a conventional sort of game. I'm still getting a read on the Dolphins, but I feel like this much is certain: they play to win, they believe in themselves, they'll rarely implode, and they're having fun. That last bit makes them a dangerous team for anybody to handle, especially in Miami. They're in the middle of a stretch of 5 of 6 games at home, so they've got a chance to hang around and maybe pick up a spot or two in the division if they can take care of business.

New England over St. Louis, 23-16
My Pick: New England over 31-17
I think flying under the radar suits the Patriots a bit better than last year's media orgy. Frankly, I'm starting to worry about the Patriots all over again. I might be the one person left in the world who doesn't think Tom Brady is as great as . . . well . . . almost any other quarterback in the history of football who has ever been considered "great", so I'm not yet ready to bet against Matt Cassel throwing 55 touchdowns next season if Brady is forced to miss more time. The fact is, if Tom Brady were 34 years old and Matt Cassel were . . . well, Matt Cassel, he'd be the talk of the NFL right now, the guy who hadn't played since high school who was managing to lead the veteran Patriots to a 5-2 record. In fact, that's who Tom Brady was only a few years ago. He didn't light the world on fire, just kept the Patriots winning. Seriously, you look at the Patriots roster this minute, take last season's success out of the picture, and tell me with a straight face this team scares anybody. Doesn't that mean Matt Cassel is doing a great job? They're 5-2 for fuck's sake, and this guy hasn't started a game since friggin' high school.

As for the Rams, I'm genuinely happy for them that they've rediscovered how to compete each Sunday. It may not yet be time to stash any hope for a division run, either. They've still got 5 (yes, five) division games left on their schedule, and nobody's running away with the NFC West. I'm keeping an eye on these plucky bastards.

New Orleans over San Diego, 37-32
My Pick: New Orleans over San Diego, 23-21
First of all, I think some respect is due to these two teams for traveling a hell of a long way and putting up a hell of a show in what is basically a massive publicity stunt for the NFL. Both teams essentially flushed an actual regular season game down the toilet so the NFL could make a silly-headed attempt at courting perhaps the least attainable sports crowd in the world, but they played their balls off out there. Good on 'em.

New Orleans . . . fuck I'm sick of thinking and writing about these guys! Yes, they won, and huzzah, they're back to .500. Now let's all take a deep breath and recite, for the 25th consecutive week of regular-season NFL football: "if the Saints can string together some wins here, they're still in the running in the NFC!" Don't forget to join me next week, as we practice reciting, "This was a tough loss for the Saints, I think they might be in too deep a hole for this season."

And the Chargers . . . fuckin' A. I don't know. Know what? Go into my archives and look at any goddamn paragraph I've written about this team all season. I'm so fucking resentful of this AFC West embarrassment. I can't effing believe the Chargers are still in this thing. It'll be like the whole shame of their season is lost and forgotten if they win two straight to close the season and wind up tumbling into the post-season. I can't believe I'm in a situation of having to root for the goddamn Broncos just so the national sports media can eat some shit on all the pre-season felatio about San Diego. I'm sick of this whole situation. The NFL's western divisions went a combined 1-6 on Sunday, with the only win coming in a divisional match-up. 4 coaches from the AFC West and NFC West have been fired this season already, and there's every chance Norv Turner, Herm Edwards, and Mike Shanahan will be gone before next season. Why, why, why are any of these teams allowed in the playoffs? It's bullshit. Somebody from the NFC South, somebody from the NFC East, some good, tough, consistent team with a great record is going to be denied a playoff spot so the goddamn NFC West champion can back in and get destroyed in a wild-card game. Bullshit.

And now this crap: apparently the fall guy for San Diego's disappointing play is Ted Cottrell, who was fired today. First of all, Ted Cottrell ain't the reason San Diego sucks, he's just part of the reason. Second of all, Cottrell did deserve to get fired, as does the rest of San Diego's coaching staff. Adios, buddy.

New York Jets over Kansas City, 28-24
My Pick: New York Jets over Kansas City, 45-13
Fuckin' A. I really don't care about this shit.

Brett Favre was garbage. I'd like to buy every New York Jets fan a beer today for having the testicular fortitude to boo his sorry ass at home on Sunday. That was maybe the best thing that's happened all season. He's just the most overrated player in NFL history, and if you can't see that, you should have your football watching rights taken away.

And don't get your hopes up in Kansas City, either. Tyler Thigpen was fine, sure, but he's not the answer. That has a lot more to do with his coach and the fact that Herm Edwards is deliberately breeding a culture of losing in Kansas City than anything else. Know what? If these fucking retarded ass bullshit NFL franchises can't get their shit together and take themselves seriously, they don't deserve words in my blog. The Jets are crap because they sold out to a 40-year old loser with a bullshit, inflated career stat-sheet that tells a bunch of slobbering homo ESPN douchebags he's worth a damn. The Chiefs are garbage because ownership is standing by with a blank stare as the single worst coach in NFL history actively and purposefully dismantles and devalues the franchise just to lower expectations for his job performance. Screw the both of 'em.

Philadelphia over Atlanta, 27-14
My Pick: Philadelphia over Atlanta, 27-20
Ultimately, this was a well-played game between two pretty good teams. It played out the way you'd expect: the veteran team, at home, took care of business. The younger team, on the road, couldn't overcome their own mistakes. And Brian Westbrook was awesome.

One quick little observation: Brian Westbrook had himself a little premature celebration on his long touchdown run and was damn lucky the ball wasn't poked out at the five yard line. If I'm Andy Reid, I'm having an long, angry talk with my team about how touchdowns and victories count, looking good and talking big don't. It's an extension of that same attitude Donovan McNabb expressed in the off-season and after the Redskins loss, that the Eagles don't have to produce anything to be considered an elite team. See, a long run isn't dick if it doesn't get you points. Celebrate in the endzone.

Atlanta showed up and fought, and they weren't too far out of this one. They were able to drive the ball pretty well at times. I'm convinced: this Falcons team will be around all season, I really believe that. Matt Ryan turned the ball over a few times, but he played damn well for a rookie, on the road, against one of the league's most aggressive, confusing defenses.

Cleveland over Jacksonville, 23-17
My Pick: Jacksonville over Cleveland, 28-10
See, a funny thing happened between week 6 and week 8: the Jaguars had a bye week, and I forgot all about the fact that they'd notched a good win in week 6. What did I say after that week 6 win?
"As for Jacksonville, now they'll go and drop a game in week 7. I don't even need to look at the schedule. They suck, they're inconsistent, they're banged up, their coach is crap, they suck."

Turns out Jacksonville didn't play in week 7, which caused me to forget about week 6, which led to this:

"I see Jacksonville moving the ball at will against the Browns, and I see the Jaguars taking advantage of Anderson's inaccuracy to much greater effect than the Redskins. I really do think this'll be a laugher. If I'm wrong, I'll feel pretty silly about it."

And goddamn it, if I'd just done a little more thinking and digging, I'd be able to sit here and say "Told y'all!" today. THIS IS WHO JACKSONVILLE IS. 2-5 AFTER THE BYE WEEK UNDER JACK DEL RIO. THAT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

As for Cleveland, look: you can't play any worse than that and win a road game in the NFL. I mean, that's just horseshit. They played awful football on Sunday, especially on offense. Derek Anderson was garbage again. The running game was bad. Jacksonville had a 10-minute time of possession advantage and outgained the Browns through the air and on the ground. The Jaguars killed themselves, and the Browns weren't there to stop them. This was about as fake a win as they're likely to get all season. I still think the Browns are a bad football team, their passing game is a mess. It's so bad, in fact, the Browns can't overcome it. The Browns are so bad at passing the ball they're a worse team than last season, despite a much improved defense and a solid running game. I see them topping out at maybe 7 wins, but I doubt very seriously they'll look like the same team in any set of consecutive games.

Houston over Cincinnati, 35-6
My Pick: Houston over Cincinnati, 31-20
Man, what an ass-whupping. Holy hell. When I do my NFL rankings tomorrow, I'm putting the Bengals in last place and I'm not putting anybody at second-to-last. They're that bad.

On the other hand, Houston is hotter 'n hell right about now. Matt Schaub is on fiyah! What impresses me about Houston's offense is how easily they take big bites out of the field. I wish they'd commit a bit more to Steve Slaton in the running game, but other than that, I really love what they're doing on that side of the ball. And Cincinnati did a lot to make them feel great about that defense, too. Houston could find themselves in second place in their division a week from now, and that would be just incredible. Look around the AFC: where are the wild-card teams? One will likely come out of the AFC East, but the North is top heavy and I think it might be a bit much to ask of the Ravens. The West is a goddamn joke. The South is tough, but the Texans are right in there! Week 9's match-up against Baltimore is (holy shit!) a big game with playoff implications! I'm telling you, I really think those two teams will be at the top of the wild-card race down the stretch. I almost can't believe I'm thinking that.

New York Giants over Pittsburgh, 21-14
My Pick: Pittsburgh over New York Giants, 23-19
Friggin' Pittsburgh.

I have a create-a-team from Maine in Madden. By design, that Maine team takes a screwy, balls-to-the-wall approach to offense. The running game is used almost exclusively as a distraction for the defense, to buy an extra second for play-action deep balls. When it clicks, it's a thing of beauty. When I'm off a little, or distracted, like when I have to play with the volume down because my wife is making business phone calls or practicing the piano or listening to the radio or some shit, it can get ugly. It turns into an endless repetition of second-and-longs followed by third-and-really-longs, with the odd really embarrassing interception and fluky 75-yard touchdown pass thrown in there. Usually, when it gets like that, I turn the game off in the third quarter after looking at my quarterback's stats and the sack totals. Usually, I go several days without picking the game up again. And that's Pittsburgh's offense. It's a joke. I can't take it seriously, I can't take that team seriously. Their offense is such a friggin' joke. We crap on their offensive line, but no offensive line in the world would be able to hold up as long as that line is expected to hold up play after play while Roethlisberger drops 7 steps, pumps, pumps, scrambles, pumps, scrambles . . . it's crap. The plays themselves are bullshit, the play-calling is bullshit, and Ben Roethlisberger's execution is bullshit. It's exactly like a game of Madden you don't really care about: trying to hit big plays on every down, regardless of the situation, the down-and-distance, the score, the field position, etc. Gross. I'm getting depressed just thinking about it. I want Mike Tomlin to be a great head coach. He can coach effort, that much is certain. His offense is about as air-headed an outfit as I've ever seen on a good team. I hope he's not playing Madden out there.

As for New York, I'm going to go ahead and call this a great win for them, even though Pittsburgh gave it to them and they didn't play especially well. The pass-rush was strong and Eli made some clutch throws down the stretch. If only Tennessee would drop a game, we could all go ahead and say New York is the best team in the NFL and right now the league's only serious Super Bowl contender. They're the only team of the actual contenders that has their kind of balance, and this was a big statement for them. I can't wait to see their match-up in week 9 with the Cowboys in New York. That should be interesting to say the least.

Seattle over San Francisco, 34-14
My Pick: San Francisco over Seattle, 20-14
Honestly, seriously, who thought I might care about this game?

And here's my brief take on Mike Singletary's rant: it was bullshit. To hell with him.

Two things happened on Sunday in this game that stuck with me: J.T. O'Sullivan threw another bad pick and one guy on San Francisco busted his ass chasing the ball-carrier down the field 70 yards: Vernon Davis. The other thing that happened? Mike Singletary went before a room full of national media and accused Vernon Davis of not being a winner, of not trying hard for the team, of putting himself before the team's success. Forget, for a second, that he kicked the guy out of a game, and think about the fact that he went before the media and basically pulled a Matt Millen on the guy, calling him everything but a coward. That he was just using Vernon Davis as an excuse to make an early statement about how tough and old-school and serious he is couldn't have possibly been more transparent. And what an easy target Davis makes: he was a high first-round pick that hasn't panned out. But I'd like to ask, who on San Francisco's roster has sacrificed more for the 2008 49ers than Vernon Davis? The team only went out and got an offensive coordinator who specifically doesn't use tight ends, and Vernon Davis didn't say a damn thing. He's been used overwhelmingly as a blocker this season, and he's done a hell of a job under the circumstances. Mike Singletary made that move yesterday exclusively and overtly as an audition for another coaching position, and that's bullshit. A move that should have bought him credibility in his locker-room probably has him hovering over the edge of mutiny right now. And the fact is, it's deterring everyone from mentioning that the 49ers just played their worst game of the season by far against a bottom-feeding division rival at home in a must win situation. So he screwed the pooch in game prep, screwed the pooch in gameday coaching, lost his temper with a player over something that happens several times a week around the league, made an embarrassing, distracting spectacle of himself, and we're supposed to forget all about it. Why? Because he totally threw one of his youngest, hardest working players under a bus. What an asshole. What a total, total asshole. Coach your team in practice, in the locker-room, and on the field, but not through the media. Classless bush-league bullshit. Mike Singletary should be punched in his over-stuffed blow-hard mouth.

Tennessee over Indianapolis, 31-21
My Pick: Tennessee over Indianapolis, 24-17
Indy didn't have it. Indy doesn't have it, come to think of it. They're done. D-U-N.

As for Tennessee, man they look awesome right about now. As impressed as I am by their defense, I'm a thousand times more impressed by their offensive line. Those guys are friggin' lights out. I don't think they're the best team in football, which is to say, I wouldn't pick them in a neutral site over the Giants today, but they're definitely the hottest and probably the toughest. And they do have the Jeff Fisher factor: they have the best head coach in football by a wide margin. I watched the ESPN pre-game bonanza Monday night, and I saw a brief clip of Fisher talking about Vince Young, and how he's learning a lot and in a great position and doing really well and was going to come back better than ever, and I found that I wasn't marveling at his ability to bullshit, or at his inability to bullshit, nor was I skeptical at all of what he was saying. I was totally convinced by Jeff Fisher, such is my faith in his ability to coach players and mold a competitive team. If the Titans signed Adam Archuleta today and I found out Jeff Fisher signed off on it, I'd expect Adam Archuleta to suddenly become a major impact player on the Titans roster, to play better than he'd ever played and blend seamlessly into their defense. And that's saying something, because Adam Archuleta is an NFL placenta if ever there was one.

Somebody's going to beat the Titans this season, but it won't ever be easy, and damn if I don't expect to see Tennessee in the Super Bowl. And if they make it, there's only one team in the NFL I'd root for against them, and I'm sure you can guess who that is.


I'll be doing rankings tomorrow. I got a very late start on my recap today, and I'd rather not be typing at 9pm tonight.