In an attempt to revitalize the THUD love of the NFL, we introduce the new vs. column. Terry being in Korea has hurt his free agency value, and Tim has taken a coaching job and is doing enough administration for CHUD that he passed the torch. I am looking for a writer to join in and start a new football rivalry. If you are interested, let me know below and we can work things out.
Hitpoints
- Cleveland offers two views into their future Yahoo &
The Onion - The Replacement Refs show that the bitching about the true refs could be worse!! (Yahoo Sports)
- Jerry Jones is so stuck on himself he won’t clean his own glasses (Yahoo Sports)
- Everybody but Cleveland mourns the passing of former Browns owner Art Modell (ESPN)
- Celebrate good times, but do it at home!!!! (NFL.com)
Do You Feel Lucky Punk? Go Ahead, Make My Week: Clint Pickens
Thursday
Chicago Bears (1-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Clint: Green Bay came out last week and laid an egg, offensively speaking. The talk around town was the defense was to be greatly improved this year, but Alex Smith looked like the Aaron Rodgers of last year. Da Bears got Andrew Luck in his NFL debut, and Luck was anything but Lucky against them. Brandon Marshall appears to be the ointment to satisfy Cutler’s itch, but da bears won’t withstand the rebound of the Packers:
Packers
Sunday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1)
Clint: This is about as unpredictable game as we have this week. Tampa Bay came out and played better than anyone expected last week to best the speculated better Panthers. The Giants did exactly what was expected and went into the Superbowl Slump and lost the game to Dallas. I personally think the Giants are starting another year looking for their identity, and Tampa knows they are the underdog that wants respect in a division that has tunnel vision for the Saints. Predicting by gut alone, I give the edge to the hungry. : Buccaneers
Oakland Raiders (0-1) at Miami Dolphins (0-1)
Clint: The who cares game of the week. I’m sorry, but if the Raiders tank this game, it’s on them. The Dolphins have 11 players on defense and Reggie Bush on offense:
Raiders
Houston Texans (1-0) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
Clint: Schaub is back in the lineup for the Texans. It gives them something they had to work without for most of last year, and it looks as if a lot of people have him very underrated. Look at that O-line. I could get 100 yards rushing behind it and I have a pig valve. Jacksonville will play them hard, as it is a division game, but I just don’t see them able to steal a win:
Texans
Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
Clint: The who cares second game of the week. Weedon. All that needs said. He got caught under the flag before the game last week, and that was almost the only thing caught for the entire team. Doesn’t matter that the Bengals looked strong on Monday night, and look like an AFC North contender, the only way the Browns could beat them is if their bus got lost on the way through Ohio. Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1)
Clint: After the embarrassment that was on the field against the Jets last week, the Bills hope to look like something better than a peewee league. It is shocking that the Bills didn’t have one of the underperforming rookie QBs on their team. C.J. Spiller will ensure no one misses Fred Jackson, but the Chiefs aren’t much better with their new head coach and the Hillis/Charles running back tandem. Even so, I give the advantage to a visiting Chiefs
Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0)
Clint: The Cardinals only won due to the refs, at least according to Seattle. Being from Pittsburgh, I heard that for years from them. Even if the refs didn’t hand them the game, the Pats looked as if they played in the Superbowl last year, and will continue to route another team by a significant amount this week. Josh Mcdaniels is back as the offensive coordinator and media supervisor. He has a new camera too. Anyone thinking Spygate III?
Patriots
Baltimore Ravens (0-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
Clint: This is a battle to see which set of bad fans gets more people arrested while watching (I am from Pittsburgh and consider this area to the be the armpit most people call New Jersey, sorry but I never said I wasn’t biased). The fact the Eagles barely beat Weedon and the Browns sets them up as possibly one of the weakest teams in the league, regardless what they look like on paper. Ravens
Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Clint: This is the battle of two offenses based on singular stars. Robo-Peterson vs. Rookie Luck. My money goes to experience, but I think Luck will look much better in his second week than he did against da Bears:
: Vikings
New Orleans Saints (0-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-1)
Clint: Interdivision play from two teams that should not have lost last week. This game went from a little interesting to game of the week potential very quickly, due to last week. I don’t think the Saints get their old Aints label back just yet, though a few bounties might help them out of their funk faster:
Saints
Washington Redskins (1-0) at St. Louis Rams (0-1)
Clint: RGIII looked good last week. Shananigans will choose a running back that is currently a free agent to carry the ball and the Rams will place all their hope on the head coach, Jeff Fisher. I expect the momentum of both teams to continue: Redskins
Dallas Cowboys (1-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
Clint:The replacement refs will once again have a call that will be blamed for giving the game to the obviously corrupt Jerry Jones Organization. A couple thousand fans will lose their seats and there will be fans blinded by the high def screen. That or Seattle just isn’t good enough to win this one:
Cowboys
New York Jets (1-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)
Clint: This should be a role reversal from last week. I don’t see Sanchez being able to put in two strong weeks in a row, and my Steelers normally bounce back well after heartbreaking losses. Revis suffering from concussion symptoms may also help, if he is unable to play. Having Clark back opposite Polumalu will surely hinder the annoying Rex Ryan’s gameplan.
Steelers
Tennessee Titans (0-1) at San Diego Chargers (1-0)
Clint: The Chargers are currently a one dimensional offense. Until Ryan Matthews comes back, they seem to be limited to hoping their WRs are better than the opposing safeties and CBs. Tennessee on the other hand has Chris Johnson, and we know he is the best back in the game, right? He held out for all that money last year, and the Titans have gotten a big return on investment, right? Well maybe he can get 80 all purpose yards this week and capture some hope for his team. I give the advantage to the team in their own time zone.
Chargers
Detroit Lions (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
Clint: Before last week, I would have put this down as an interesting game that I may have flipped back and forth between Boardwalk Empire with. It is now one of the better games this weekend. I felt the Lions struggled more than I expected them to in the first week, and most people predicted the 49ers to fall to the Packers. Stafford and Johnson should challenge the San Fran defense, but I feel they will ultimately go out with a whimper and not a roar:
49ers
Monday
Denver Broncos (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0)
Clint: Denver is going to the Superbowl. At least that seemed to be the consensus after he threw his 400th touchdown in an impressive comeback against the Steelers. Matt Ryan looked like John Elway last week, obliterating the Chiefs with a dominating passing attack. Even though the Falcons look to be a strong team this year, I believe the elder Manning wants one more ring before he moves into coaching off the field:
Broncos
The Rub
Hopefully I find a partner to work with for next week, which should make this a little more fun to read. Feel free to take us (me currently) on at the boards or in the comments section as we (I) defend our poorly constructed opinions. It’s an NFL silly season, and we (I) want to hear from some chewers. See you next week!