NFL PICKS FOR WEEK # 3

Well after starting off strong in week one , week number two did a heck of job deflating my ego . When you win more games against the spread (10) than you did straight up (9) it's a sure sign of some serious misscalculation . Still doing well in both categories so far . 22-10 (69%) straight winners and 19-13-0 (59%) against the line . Here is how I see week 3 playing out .

-----------GAME---------------PICK------------VS SPREAD

(1)---WASH--@--DET----------DET---------DET--- +6-----W----W
(2)---G.B.----@--STL-----------G.B.--------STL---- +7 -----W----L
(3)---S.F-----@--MINN--------MINN-------MINN-(-7) ----W----L
(4)---ATL----@--N.E.----------N.E.---------N.E.----(-4.5) --W----W
(5)---TENN--@--JETS---------TENN-------TENN--+ 2 ----L-----L
(6)---K.C.----@--PHIL---------PHIL--------K.C.---- + 9 ----W----L
(7)---GIA----@--T.B.-----------GIA---------GIA---(-7) -----W----W
(8)---CLE----@--BALT---------BALT-------BALT--(-14) ---W----W
(9)---JACK--@--HOU-----------HOU-------HOU---(-3.5) ---L----L
(10)--CHI---@--SEA------------CHI--------CHI----(-3) -----W---W
(11)--N.O.---@--BUFF----------N.O.--------N.O.---(-6.5) ---W---W
(12)--PITT--@--CINN----------CINN------CINN--+ 4 ------W----W
(13)--DEN---@--OAK-----------DEN-------DEN----(-2) -----W----W
(14)--MIA---@--S.D.------------S.D.--------S.D.----(-6) -----W----W
(15)--IND---@--ARZ------------ARZ-------ARZ----(-2.5) ---L-----L
(16)--CAR---@--DAL------------DAL-------CAR---- + 9 ----W-----L
TOTALS-----------------------------------------------------(13)---(9)
WEEK 2 TOTALS --------9 - 7 AND 10-6-0
SEASON TOTALS--------22-10 AND 19-13-0

SPREADS USED FROM SPORTSINTERACTIN.COM

NFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 2

AHHHH there is nothing quite like the week 2 Power Rankings . Only in week 2 can we still have teams that win and drop posistions .


(1)--GIANTS------2 – 0----UP 2----BEAT CWBYS IN JERRYLAND OPENER
(2)--COLTS-------2 – 0----UP 2----OVERCAME DOLPHINS AWESOME EFFORT
(3)--BALT---------2 – 0----UP 2 ---GREAT WIN OVER CHARGERS
(4)--FALCONS----2 – 0----UP 3 ----BEAT CAROLINA
(5)--SAINTS------2 – 0----UP 6----CRUSHED EAGLES
(6)--STEELERS---1 – 1----DN 5-----LOST SQUEAKER TO BEARS
(7)--PATRIOTS---1 – 1----DN 5 ----GOT PUNKED BY THE JETS
(8)--VIKINGS----2 – 0 ---UP 2 ----BEAT LIONS 2ND BAD OPPONENT
(9)--JETS--------2 – 0 ---UP 5----BEAT PATRIOTS , GOT OT GIVE IT TO THEM
(10)-COWBOYS--1 – 1 ---DN 4----NEARLY BEAT THE GIANTS
(11)-CHARGERS-1 – 1---UP 2----ALMOST BEAT RAVENS WITHOUT LT
(12)-49ERS------2 – 0 --UP 6 ----BEAT SEAHAWKS
(13)-CARDINALS-1 – 1--UP 6---- REBOUNDED AGAINST JAGS
(14)-TITANS----0 – 2---DN 6 ----BEST 0 – 2 TEAM EVER
(15)-DOLPHINS-0 – 2---UP 6----2ND BEST 0 – 2 TEAM EVER
(16)-BILLS------1 – 1-----E------REBOUNDED NICELY AGAINST BUCS
(17)-EAGLES----1 – 1---DN 8----LOST OT THE SAINTS
(18)-TEXANS---1 – 1----UP 5 ---BEAT TITANS
(19)-BEARS-----1 – 1----UP 1----BEAT THE STEELERS
(20)-PACKERS--1 – 1---DN 8 --LOST OT BENGALS,MAJOR O-LINE WOES
(21)-BRONCOS--2 – 0 --UP 4 ----HAVE BEAT BOTH OHIO TEAMS
(22)-BENGALS--1 – 1 ---UP 5 ---LOOKED MUCH BETTER WHIPPING PACKERS
(23)-SEAHAWKS-1 – 1--DN 6 ---LOST TO UPSTART 49ERS
(24)-REDSKINS--1 – 1 ---E------BEAT RAMS , BARELY
(25)-RAIDERS---1 – 1---UP 4 ---WELL THEY ARE .500 NOW
(26)-CHIEFS----0 – 2 ----E------LOST TO RAIDERS
(27)-JAGUARS--0 – 2--DN 12----LOST TO CARDINALS
(28)-PANTHERS-0 – 2--DN 6 ---LOST TO FALCONS
(29)-BUCCANEARS-0 – 2-DN 1 --LOST TO BILLS
(30)-BROWNS---0 – 2---E-------LOST TO BRONCOS
(31)-LIONS------0 – 2 --E-------LOST TO VIKINGS
(32)-RAMS------0 – 2---E-------LOST TO SKINS

NFL POWER RANKINGS / AFTER WEEK 1

1.---STEELERS----1-0---E--Beat a real good Titans team despite running game
2.---PATRIOTS----1-0---E--Got away with one but you could see them get hot
3.---GIANTS-------1-0---E----Held serve against division rival Redskins
4.---COLTS---------1-0--UP 1--Beat the Jags ..... Barely
5.---RAVENS-------1-0--UP 1--Held on vs a suprisingly ready Chiefs team .
6.---COWBOYS-----1-0--UP 1--Crushed Tampa Bay just like thet should
7.---FALCONS------1-0--UP 3--Smashed last years cinderella Dolphins
8.---TITANS--------0-1--DN 4--Better than this ranking , but they lost so ....
9.---EAGLES--------1-0--UP 2--Destroyed Carolina but lost Mcnabb, we will see
10.--VIKINGS-------1-0--UP 2--Won impressivly , against Cleveland
11.--SAINTS---------1-0--UP 3--Looked like world beaters , against Lions
12.--PACKERS-------1-0--UP 5--Almost lost despite 4 INTS
13.--CHARGERS-----1-0--DN 5--Needed all 60 minutes to take lowly Raiders
14.--JETS------------1-0--UP 5--Solid versus a supposedly better Texans team
15.--JAGUARS-------0-1---E----Lost to the Colts .....Barely
16.--BILLS-----------0-1--UP 4--Snatched defeat from the jaws of victory
17.--SEAHAWKS-----1-0--UP 7--Shut-out the Rams
18.--49ERS----------1-0--UP 6--Beat one of two teams in last years Superbowl
19.--CARDINALS----0-1--DN 6--Lost to 49ers . Superbowl hangover ?????
20.--BEARS----------0-1--DN 4--Lost to Packers but not this bad
21.--DOLPHINS-----0-1--DN 3--Not enough power for Falcons
22.--PANTHERS-----0-1--DN13--Wow ! What was that ?????????
23.--TEXANS--------0-1--DN 2--Starting slow.......Again
24.--REDSKINS------0-1--DN 2--Lost to the Giants
25.--BRONCOS------1-0--UP 2--Needed a miracle to beat bengals
26.--CHIEFS---------0-1--UP 2--Fought hard against Ravens without Cassel
27.--BENGALS-------0-1--DN 4--Only scored once against Broncos
28.--BUCCANEARS--0-1--DN 3--This team has some issues
29.--RAIDERS-------0-1--UP 3--May have lost but looked like an NFL team
30.--BROWNS-------0-1---E----Lost to Adrian Peterson, it's O.K.
31.--LIONS----------0-1--DN 1--Wont be the last team to give up 50 to the Saints
32.--RAMS----------0-1--DN 1--Shut out in week 1. By the Seahawks. Wow.

Posting power rankings 12 hours before the next set of games is comical I know but I'm trying to get into a rythem here .

WEEK 2 NFL PICKS

Well I must say that outside of a few suprises ( ARZ , HOU ) and one terrible upset call on my part ( STL ) week one went pretty much as planned . 13 and 3 straight up was not too shabby but I did miss on alot of the afternoon scores . 9 and 7 versus the spread . So it seems that The Big Ragu is out and running to start the season . Lets see if I can keep it up in week 2 .

(1)--CAR--@--ATL----------ATL----------CAR ------ + 6.5------W---L
(2)--MINN@--DET----------MINN--------MINN-----(-9.5) -----W---W
(3)--CINN @--G.B. ----------G.B.---------CINN------ + 9.5 ------L----W
(4)--HOU-@--TENN---------TENN--------HOU------ +7.5 ------L----W
(5)--OAK--@--K.C.----------K.C.----------K.C.------- (-3.5) -----L----L
(6)--N.E.--@--JETS----------N.E.---------N.E.------- (-5.5) -----L-----L
(7)--N.O.--@-PHILI----------N.O.--------N.O-------- + 1.5 ------W---W
(8)--STL--@--WASH---------WASH-----STL-------- + 10.5 -----W---W
(9)--ARZ--@--JACK----------JACK------JACK-------( -3.5 ) -----L---L
(10)-SEA--@--S.F.------------S.F.--------S.F---------( -1.5) ------W--W
(11)-T.B.--@--BUFF----------BUFF------BUFF-------( -4.5 ) -----W--W
(12)-PITT-@-CHI------------PITT-------PITT-------( -2.5 ) -----L---L
(13)-CLE--@-DEN------------DEN--------DEN--------( -3.5 ) -----W--W
(14)-BALT-@-S.D.-------------BALT------BALT------- + 4.5 ------W--W
(15)-GIA--@-DAL-------------DAL-------DAL--------( -2.5 ) ------L---L
(16)-INDI-@-MIA-------------INDI------INDI------- ( - 3.5 ) -----W---W
TOTAL----------------------------------------------------------(9-7)--(10-6)
With apologies to the lateness of this post I have gotten them in while it is still Saturday .

WEEK ONE RECORD 13-3 AND 9-7
TOTAL 2009 13-3 AND 9-7

Best Day Of The Year

For those of us sports enthusiasts one of the greatest debates is this . In the 365 days in the calender year what is the most enjoyable single day ?????

Let me start this discussion with a disclaimer ..... those of you who love only one sport need not apply . This debate is clearly reserved for those of us who love all sports , ( probably because we are no longer good at any ) and get fired up for any sporting event . Also as a side note I am not speaking to you gamblers . I have no problem with gambling but your love for competition is not the same . If there was enough money involved you would be equally fired up about a high school lacrosse game as you would be anything else . No , I am only talking to the true sports nuts . You know who you ( we ) are .

Some would say it's the National Championship game in college football . A good day to be sure but not even in the top three as it does not have a tournament leading up to it .

Others would say that a game 7 of the World Series is the best day of the year . I'll admit that a 7th game in the world series could be something completely unforgettable . But it doesn't happen that often so it is likewise disqualified .

Same goes for 7th game NBA or NHL championship games for the same reason .

Now before we get to the top three days of the year we must talk about the Superbowl . How does an American institution like the Superbowl not make the top three ??????? I will explain soon . First things first . The top three days of the year do not include the best party of the year . That is an honor that unequivocally goes to the Super Bowl . Hands down . The reason ?? Besides the fact that it's the deciding game between the two best teams in America's real pastime , it's the only sporting event on North America that non sports fans gladly involve themselves in . Less than avid fans will congregate to watch this tilt . Citizens of the competing teams cities will come out just to talk smack , and best of all , hot , young , and ready to drank half naked wild North American Females will ( for one night ) pass up the downtown clubs to attend Superbowl house parties . Regardless of the teams playing . It's not about the game for them , and who are we to complain ?

This brings me to the 3rd best sports day of the year . The bronze medal winner . OPENING DAY . MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL . The date itself seems to change from year to year but man alive what a good solid day . Baseball is the ultimate game for the stat dork . You absolutely can not hide in Major League Baseball . The season is so long that all pretenders are ultimately exposed . The playoffs may hold surprises but in baseball .......you cannot get to the playoffs by accident . Even if you have some good players you will never make it through the 162 game grind without a quality organization supporting you . Which is why I love opening day so much . Baseball is the great statistic , and on opening day every single player ( pitchers and hitters alike ) have the same stats . 0000000 . Zeros , all across the board . Every team has hope , ( realistic or not ) and every player faces a new beginning. As for the fans ?? By this point we have seen "pitchers and catchers " spring training and the final projected lineups . Speculation abounds !!!!

The best part ? Opening day in the Majors is the only day of the year that all 32 teams run out the best (healthy) pitcher they have on staff . 32 aces baby . Personally it's a bar day for me . Belly up early in the afternoon and take in a full day of fresh beginnings . If you can't get down with that then you are dead to me .

So we come to the silver medal , second place . THE FIRST FULL DAY (WEDNESDAY) OF MARCH MADNESS . This day usually falls on the 17th or 18th of March but it is always on a Wednesday. Round 1 is wed - thur , Round 2 is sat - sun . It's actually the best 4 day span all year but we are talking single day . The opening day ( sans the play in game ) of the NCAA College Basketball tourney is the most called in sick to work day of the year . For good reason . You can actually do this on either of the first two days but day one is the bomb . If you have never taken this day off of work then you are missing out . It absolutely does not matter who was good in college ball that year day one is awesome . Why ???? Well for one the conference tourneys are over and half the field is in the top 4 or 5 of the 6 major divisions are in . Likewise the winners of about 25 divisions that only get the conference tourney winners are in . Plus about 5 to 10 teams that were just to good to leave out are in .

What ???? If it sounds like the best idea ever , that's because it is . Round one takes the tourney from 64 to 32 and half of that goes down the first day . 16 games and there are always some upsets . Always , every year . If you are lucky enough to be home drinking beer that day then your life is gold for a day . First game starts at 10 , and the last gets over at 10 . Plus it's the first time you get to score that bracket you worked on for a month . Even non basketball loving office employees play this game , because it is physically impossible to pick all the games right . It's just a great freaking day .

The gold medal ?? As if there was a question ! THE FIRST SUNDAY OF NFL FOOTBALL . Best day of the year hands down . All those others are good but this is far and away the best for me . Pro Football has an excruciatingly long off season . Free agency wakes us up a little . Pre Season gets us to salivating , and week one has us painting our faces and talking more smack than MMA fighters .

Holy crap week one is here !!! Even though there was a game on Thursday ( which I always enjoy ) the first day of football is on Sunday boys and girls and it is always awesome . The NFL is so violent that there are only 16 regular season games for each team . That means that unlike any other sport week one could potentially mean as much as week 8 , 10 , 12 or 16 . In a league where every player , at every position , on every team has a cold blooded killer ( and physical specimen )ready to not only take your job , but break your neck to do it , every game is a must win .

So if your team is one of the 16 to play at home week one then you know . YOU KNOW ! That your fans will be out in force . The opening game will be the first time since December that all 32 teams play the starters the whole game . It doesn't matter what your team is projected to do either . If you win in week one then your team is in first baby !!

Opening day Baseball is all day , and if you loose ?? Well you got 161 left to go . The first game in Basketball and Hockey is not that big a deal . But in football it's over so fast and a W could make your season .

Thank goodness it's here . We've all been waiting .

Air Jordan ...... Best Ever

The great Michael Jordan was inducted to the hall of fame today . In case you were hiding under a rock for the last 25 years you already know this . I have not seen the ceremony yet as I just got off work , but there is no need . I'm sure it was a fine ceremony but in the end just a formality .

The only reason I'm even writing this is because ( now that he is retired ) every time M.J.'s name is brought up it sparks the greatest ever conversations .

Ridiculous . There have been many times many unbelievable basketball players in the history of the sport . Guys who had skills that simply defied the senses , but if you want to say that anybody not named Michael Jordan was the best ever , then you my friend are an idiot . That's all there is to it . This is such a cut and dry conversation that I don't even need to bring statistics into the conversation . ( although I easily could )

If you want to say that Magic , Bird , Russel , Chamberlain , or anybody else was better than you are quite simply wrong . Don't get me wrong I love all those guys . They were all great . More than great actually . They were legends .

You could say to me that Larry Bird was the greatest shooter ever , ( and you would still be wrong because that distinction goes to John Havlechek ) and I would listen to your argument . If you want to say that Magic Johnson was the best point guard ever I would listen to that . Likewise if you want to say that Wilt Chamberlain had the most impact on the league in history , we could talk .

But when you want to talk about the greatest player of all time , in the history of basketball , offense , defense , and pure athletic ability , the conversation begins and ends with the man . M.J. and you know it .

Believe me as a long time Knicks fan it pains me to hype a Chicago Bull but it's true . If you don't agree then you are either the dumbest person on earth or you are a hater and just refuse to admit it . The only guy that even reminds me of his Airness is Kobe . ( another thing I hate to admit )

Like I said I need no stats for this argument . Just think about it . Think about the things you saw Michael Jordan do over his career . Just think about it . You know I am right .

NFL WEEK # 1 PICKS

Oh goodness here we go again . The 2009 NFL season is upon us and that means that it is time for me to make a complete ass of myself . Last year ( not published ) I scored a whopping 53 % against the spread and a less than impressive 69 % straight up . Those are win percentages for you non-gamblers . That being said I still believe that I am the worlds foremost authority on the NFL . So I will still put my picks out there before the start of the first game every week because I like the punishment . So here goes for week one in the 2009 NFL season . ( as a footnote I use the spreads on ESPN.com the night before the first game of the week )

--------GAME---------------PICK--------VS SPREAD----------RESULTS

(1) TENN @ PITT---------- PITT------------ TENN + 5.5--------W----W
(2) MIA @ ATL------------- ATL------------- ATL ( - 4.5)-------W-----W
(3) DEN @ CINN------------- DEN------------- DEN + 3.5--------W----W
(4) MINN @ CLEV---------MINN------------MINN (- 3.5)-------W-----W
(5) JACK @ INDI------------INDI-------------INDI (- 6.5)-------W-----L
(6) DET @ N.O.------------- N.O.------------- N.O.( - 11.5)-------W-----W
(7) DAL @ T.B.---------------DAL------------- DAL (- 3.5)--------W----W
(8) PHILI @ CAR----------- PHILI------------ PHIL + 0.5--------W----W
(9) K.C. @ BALT------------ BALT----------- BALT (- 8.5)--------W----W
(10)JETS @ TEXN---------- TEXN-----------TEXN (- 4.5)--------L-----L
(11)WASH @ GIA------------ GIA------------WASH + 6.5---------W----W
(12)S.F. @ ARZ---------------ARZ-------------ARZ (- 6.5)---------L-----L
(13)STL @ SEA---------------STL-------------- STL + 7.5---------L-----L
(14)G.B. @ CHI--------------- G.B.------------- CHI + 3.5---------W-----L
(15)BUFF @ N.E.------------ N.E.------------- N.E. (- 10.5)-------W-----L
(16)S.D. @ OAK--------------- S.D.------------- S.D. (- 6.5)--------W-----L

Well there you go sports fans . I will post the results on tuesday and the next weeks picks the night before the first NFL game , whether it be Wednesday or Saturday . Feel free to react .

NFL POWER RANKINGS

Well the season starts on thursday ( finally ) so it's time for my pre season power rankings . This is how I rank em going into week one .

(1) - Steelers - The Superbowl champs in 08 have the same players in 09
(2) - Patriots - Brady is back , until they loose ?? I say # 2
(3) - Giants - Cant have top 3 in AFC till it's proven
(4) - Titans - Great running , good passing , strong def . see how they do
(5) - Colts - Two words Peyton Manning
(6) - Ravens - If Flacco is better look out
(7) - Cowboys - No T.O. ?? No distractions ..... O.K. less distractions but still good
(8) Chargers - Poised to blow it up this year in a week division
(9) - Panthers - Hard to judge . wont be suprised if they go up or down
(10) - Falcons - If Matty Ice has no sophmore blues .
(11)- Eagles - Great offseason , then Vick . We shall see .
(12)- Vikings - Great team but Bert Favor will throw picks as well as TD's .
(13)- Cardinals- Not convinced after last years Superbowl run
(14)- Saints - Still not sold on defense in hard core division
(15)- Jaguars - Is Garrard the man ????
(16)- Bears - Cutler is good , so is Forte , Receivers and def scare me
(17)- Packers - Pack will be better . but playoff better ????
(18)- Dolphins- Patriots bring them back to reality
(19)- Jets - Sanchez ...yes Playoffs ... no
(20)- Bills - I like the Bills . Despite T.O.
(21)- Texans - If they can avoid the usual slow start , they will move up
(22)- Redskins- I hope Jason Cambell makes me look stupid
(23)- Bengals - Still not good but they are healthy
(24) -Seahawks- ditto
(25) - Buccanears- not healthy , and in a bad kinda transistion
(26)- 49ers - Love Mike Singeltary . That's about it .
(27)- Broncos - Train wreck in slow motion
(28)- Chiefs - This is actually an improvement
(29)- Lions - you'll see
(30)- Browns - Go Brady Go !!!! The mighty Quinn .
(31)- Rams - I actually think they are better but they have to prove it
(32)- Raiders - God help you Oakland . Everty time you win it makes the NFL that much more interesting .

As we know trying to rank the NFL after the pre-season is just about stupid , but that's why I am here .

College Football !! Blessed be thy name !!

Well how do you do sports fans ? Good heavens the college football season started in earnest today and all I can say is WOW !!! . I've been so preoccupied with the upcoming NFL season I kind of forgot about ol week one in the college ranks . That turned out to be a big mistake on my part as today's action was quite simply stupendous .

I scarcely know where to start . I can't remember the last time i was so intrigued by the first week in college ball . Even the the Thursday night game was something to watch . Despite the absolutely reprehensible sucker punch by one Legarret Blount at the end of the game there is nothing like a match up of 2 top 20 teams to kickoff the season . Even though # 14 Boise State basically dominated the # 16 Oregon Ducks all night it was still a compelling game . I knew Boise was good but since when do they push around big time schools in the trenches ? They did too , the score should have been a lot worse .

That was just Thursday . Today's action was even better . Obviously the Robo - Tebow led Florida Gators romped but how about those Oklahoma State Cowboys living up to the highest pre season rankings in school history by beating the # 13 Georgia Bulldogs ? Convincingly I might add . ( 24 -10 ) Take that SEC dominance .

Conversely the Iowa Hawkeyes had to reach down deep and block , not one , but two last second field goals to hold off a gritty Northern Iowa squad . Wow that is something you just don't see . Take a deep breath Iowa you just had a near death experience .

In a match up of top 10 teams # 5 Alabama needed all four quarters to finally put away # 7 Va Tech in a hard hitting game that was totally worth watching . The Golden Domers pitched they're first shutout since 2002 by blasting a decent Nevada team and the Naval Academy nearly took down the Ohio State Buckeyes .

Which of course brings us to the most shocking story of the day . The 20th ranked BYU Cougars knocked out Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and proceeded to upset the 3rd ranked Sooners . What ??? Really ???

Man alive that was one exiting first week in college football . Also on a personal note my beloved Syracuse Orange actually acted like a real football team . Regardless of the fact that they blew it in overtime to the Minnesota Golden Gophers . The opposition still had it's starters playing in the fourth quarter !! That's improvement for my squad .

So if you happened to miss any of that week 1 drama , well , that's why I wrote this .

NFL Prognostication .... NFC EAST

Well I hate to admit it but the absence of T.O. takes some of the hype out of the division , but I believe all four teams will be better for it . Think about it ! With the ultimate head case gone we can actually talk X's and O's instead of being constantly inundated with T.O.'s daily drama .

Now a division that sports Ed Werder's lot in life can never be without it's share of distractions ( see J.J.'s totally awesome mega tron ) but that's OK . There is plenty of good NFC EAST football to talk about this year . But where to start ?

Maybe in Washington where everyone has all the sudden forgotten that new defensive star Albert Haynesworth once ( not so long ago ) attempted to ruin a defenseless man's good looks by stomping him in the face with his metal cleats ?

Or perhaps in New York where the star quarterback does not seem to be satisfied with his new 90 million dollar contract and continues to alienate the universe by participating in cookie licking commercials with his brother .

Or better yet in Philadelphia . Oh Phily .The city of brotherly love , one of the country's most memorable cities . The place where fans will give a warm standing ovation to a convicted dog murderer and boo the man that brought them to 4 NFC title games without a superior offensive cast.

And lastly in Dallas where ..................... not all that much is going on . What ? Really ? The stadium and the mega tron are the big stories so far ? Wow .

Anyway the actual football in this division should be compelling this year for all the right reasons . The Giants may miss Plaxico ( his sentence is another discussion ) but they still may have the most balanced offense of the four . Great running game and a gritty defense remain potent and if WR. Steve Smith has a breakout year then look the hell out . All NFL teams have talent but the Giants have no rough stretches on the schedule .

Nor do the Cowboys but that defense gives me a false sense of security . With all 3 running backs ( Barber , Jones , Smart ) healthy this year look for the Cowboy offense to be as good or better than they were with T.O. . The defense however makes me nervous . They will bring pressure for sure but I get the sensation that they will give up big plays in the secondary .

The Washington Redskins once again will be a team that gives a great effort and has enough talent to win some games but just doesn't . Cambell , Cooley and Portis are just not enough to overcome mediocre wide receivers and O - Line . If Haynseworth turns that Defense into the Ravens then maybe they go better than 8 -8 but I just don't see it .

So we come to the ultimate wild card . The Philadelphia Eagles . Some say that the Eagles had the best off season of any team in the NFL . I might have agreed before they signed Mike Vick . Not because of his criminal record but because of his play . I didn't think he was all that good when he got arrested . Granted he did some crazy things his first two years but after that it seemed to me that M. Vick was developing a serious case of Culpepperism . A.K.A. fumbelitis . The Eagles are gonna have a good team if Brian Westbrook stays healthy all year . DeSean Jackson is poised to have a monster breakout year . I just think the whole Vick thing will be a huge distraction .

PREDICTION ..............

( 1 ) New York Giants 12 - 4
( 2 ) Dallas Cowboys 9 - 7
( 3 ) Philadelphia Eagles 9 - 7
( 4 ) Washington Redskins 6 - 10