American Sports Thread

[AZOffaly]

Go Cards!!!!!

[Crete Boom]

 Great comeback for my Bears against the Vikings. Bennett made the difference along with the D stepping up as usual. Fair play to the Vikings rookie with the kick return it just seemed to make Hester mad who had a great day on the returns for the first time in a long time.

Great wins for AZ's Cardinals ( I always have a soft spot for them must be because they use to be the Chicago Cardinals ) , the Chiefs, who when you look at their personnel you wonder how they were 2-14 last year and the bills with C.J. stepping up and getting his first win.
Special mention to the Browns who I think could take a couple of big scalps in their division this year and am I the only one who is loving the way Chip Kelly hasn't changed his offence style for the NFL which is going to mean entertainment all the way!!

[magpie seanie]

Yeah, great win for da Bears overcoming a few calamities to get a crucial W against the team that stole their playoff berth last year. Cutler isn't everyones cup of tea but he doesn't lack bottle - only Matty Ice and Peyton Manning have more 4th Qtr comeback wins since he's been in the league. Martellus Bennett is just a dream signing for that offense. Huge man that can move, good hands but also an excellent blocker. Bears will be a handful this season barring injuries of course. Was slightly disappointed with the pass rush, Ponder often had way too much time and it was the same the week before against the Bengals. Linebacking unit beginning to find its groove after the offseason changes. Devin Hester looks back to his electric best. Surely will get a couple of return TD's this season, he could have had at least 2 yesterday.

Looking forward to tonights game. Is Big Ben going to survive this awesome pass rush behind a paper thin o-line? Logic says no way but things don't always play out as you'd expect. Both sides are already in all sorts of trouble if they lose. Think the Bengals are too good for the Steelers to be honest.

[AZOffaly]

Some week so far in fairness. 15 games played, and 11 of them were settled by a single possession! (if you include a 2 point conversion as a single possession).  NFL Gamepass on the iPad is an absolute godsend. My sunday evenings are goosed. The TV has the redzone on, and I decide which game I want to watch then on the iPad. Then in work at lunch I watch the condensed version of the late games(s). Sometimes if I'm really nerdy I watch the coaches film to look at how the Cards O-Line gets whipped every week

Great win for the Cardiac Cards, but Larry Mac's injury is a worry. A hamstring is a hoor of a yoke, especially in that position and the way he plays it. Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts will need to step it up big time, and they could really do with Housler back at TE. Palmer is running for his life behind an O-Line that couldn't block a Pop Warner team, but he is doing well so far and I expect him to improve, especially if Larry and Housler are in the lineup. They'll be exciting again anyway. That's a points differential of +2 after 2 weeks, which is about par for the course.

The Pats need to get healthy quickly. If they can keep winning (I think the schedulers were kind to them with the way it worked out) and then get Gronkowski and Amendola back, they'll be grand, but their Running Game is pants. If they had played the Dolphins this week, or in week 1, I'd say they'd have lost. The Dolphins look okay. Millar can run, and Wallace had his predictable breakout week after sulking last week when Browns Corner Back Joseph had him in his pocket. The Jets have a good D but are cat offensively. Delighted for Manuel and the Bills. I like them as a little team fighting hard in a division dominated by the Pats, but even though CJ Spillar and Stevie Johnson are genuine All Pros. I don't think they'll hang with the really good teams. Still, putting up 24 points on the Panthers is a good achievement. At this stage I'm going to go 1. Dolphins 2. Pats 3. Bills 4. Jets

The AFC North looked like a really strong division on paper, but they went 0-4 last week, and the Ravens and Browns didn't exactly light up the universe last night. I'm disappointed with the Browns opening two games, although as I said Miami are sneaky good I think. Trent Richardson needs to be worked. I think he had something like 13 carries the first day and 18 yesterday. I think they need him carrying the ball more than that, as it's not like it's a running back by committee there. Jordan Cameron at TE is a big plus for the Browns, and Joseph is a lock down corner, but if Weedon is throwing the ball 50+ times they are not going to win. (He threw 53 times in a tight loss last week, and 33 this week).  I do think the Browns might be a good bet for 6 or 7 wins though. Baltimore are a pale shadow of a Superbowl Champion so far. Obviously Ray Ray is gone, and Ed Reed, but with Pitta out injured, the real loss so far is Boldin. He'd love that possession receiver type role, and while Torre Smith is a speedster, and Marlon Brown is the underneath guy, the good defences will take that away fairly easily. If Ray Rice is injured now, it might be good night Vienna for the Ravens. The Steelers and Bengals both need a win tonight, which is great drama, but pretty serious stakes so early on. Obviously going 0-2 won't kill you in a division where 9-7 or 10-6 might win it, but the stats work out something like 11% of 0-2 teams have made the playoffs since 1990. I don't think Big Ben or Andy Dalton want to be in that position. Roethlisberger needs to be protected though. He's a big strong lad, and more mobile than you'd think, but he's taken a good auld beating for a fair few years now, and if he gets pressure from the Bengals, the likes of Hines Ward and Heath Millar are not there at the moment, and the fact that hyphen (LaRod Stephens-Howling) has done his ACL is a complete sickener as he'd have been the outlet scat back. I think the Bengals will do this, but the Steelers D is good as well, and their running backs and WRs, where they have talent, will need to come to play. I'll say 1. Bengals 2. Steelers 3. Ravens 4. Browns

AFC West was supposed to be cat altogether, but while the Broncos look very good, and must be the #1 team easy in the AFC, the Chiefs got a great win, as did the Chargers. The Raiders actually looked reasonable against the Jets in Week1, and were too good for a Jacksonville Jaguars team that are as brutal as their helmets. Pryor is a work in progress at QB, but he has potential and can run. The main thing with him is to try and avoid the sacks (3 on sunday) and interceptions (0). Darren McFadden looks good in the early going, and he can help out by catching passes as well.  The Broncos should win this division, and the Raiders should finish last, but 2nd and 3rd might be a real dogfight. I hate that Malcolm Floyd got a bad knock last night. Receivers crossing the middle can get a bit wing mirrors after a belt like that, but I think Matthews, Rivers and the rejuventated Eddie Royal help the Chargers to 2nd. 1. Broncos 2. Chargers. 3. Chiefs 4. Raiders.

The AFC South is Houston's to lose, but they are trying their best to make hard work of it. The Chargers shoulda coulda beaten them, and the Titans threw it away as well. On the basis that the Colts had a soft schedule last year, and are still a bit green, and the Texans have Johnson, Foster, Tate, Daniels along with the new kid on the block, Deandre Hopkins, I think they'll be winners here. The Titans are another sneaky decent team though, Chris Johnson is still a good back, and Kenny Britt, Kendell Wright and Nate Washington are still serviceable WRs. Their defence has started pretty well, but they really should have held out yesterday. The Jags are brutal. The banged up Maurice Jones Drew and maybe Cecil Shorts are the only two real good players they have, and neither  Chad Henne or Blaine Gabbard are good enough to carry that load on their shoulders.  1. Texans 2. Titans. 3. Colts. 4. Jaguars.

I think the NFC is class this year. All 4 divisions have multiple good teams in them. The East might well be a toss up. The Redskins are looking down the barrel of that 11% statistic after being mutilated in 2 successive first halves, but they do have talent and potential. They just can't keep falling into huge holes. The Eagles are, as mentioned, exciting but will Vick stay healthy? He got cleaned up by one of the Chargers yesterday, and while Nick Foles has exposure to the fast paced offense that Arizona Wildcats used a bit, it's not the same as Vick back there. Jackson and McCoy are great through, and they'll be there or thereabouts. The Giants secondary is poor, and unless they get big pressure up front, they'll be picked apart in a division that has Romo, Vick and Griffin III at QB. Mind you they have a good one themselves in Eli, and Nicks and Cruz are top quality and Ruben Randle has potential as well. Myers is a good TE too but their Runing back situation is a bit of a mess. Wilson needs to get Coughlan's confidence back quickly because if Jacobs is the answer then you're asking the wrong question. The Cowboys will be up and down too, but I like their offense. Romo, Bryant, Austin, Witten, Murray and this running back Dunbar are all good, so I'm going 1. Cowboys 2. Eagles 3 Giants 4. Redskins (but 4 games could cover top to bottom).

The NFC South is also shaping up to be a humdinger. The Saints look to be the class of the field, but the Falcons will be loathe to give up their position. New Orleans really struggled past the Buccs, but they have the tools to win this division if their defense can improve a small bit. Sproles, Colston, Moore and the savage Jimmy Graham give Brees the options and he's one of the top QBs in the league. In fact Brees v Ryan may well be the contest that decides this division as the falcons are fairly loaded themselves. Gonzalez, Jackson (if fit), Jones and Roddy White (if fit) are the match for anything New Orleans can muster, and if Drew Brees was throwing to that lot, I'd have them winning the division. The Panthers are doughty and hard to beat. Their defense is good, especially the front 7 against the run, and with a pass rush. Their secondary can be got at if the rush doesn't get home though, as was evidenced by the Bills yesterday. Still Cam Newton with Steve Smith and Greg Olson are servicable, and DeAngelo Williams has skills, but you just get the sense when you see those names written down that they are level below the Falcons, Saints and other NFC top teams. The Buccs are getting horrible output from Josh Freeman, and I expect him to get benched fairly shortly to be honest. Mike Williams, Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin are elite type offensive weapons, but Freeman is just killing them. Having said that the backup is the rookie from Rutgers, Mike Glennon, so a change would essentially be writing off the season, so look for that to happen around week 6 or 7, unless the Buccs get a good veteran off the street.

The NFC North is, again, a very interesting division. A few eyebrows were raised when the Pack got beat up in San Francisco last week, but in fairness that is a hard place to go and play. The Packers looked unreal against the 'Skins until they took their foot off the gas, and then they reaccelerated when the Redskins had the cheek to get within 14. They took a knee with time running out after marching up the field to the Skins 11 as well so they were comfy all day really. I do think their defence can be attacked, as Boldin proved, but you won't have too many teams like the 49ers at home either. The Bears showed great guts to overcome some bad turnovers against the Vikings, and a shock looked on the cards. They have the holy triumvarate at RB, WR and TE though, in Forte, Marshall and Bennett and in Cutler they have someone that can make all the throws. Sometimes one of the things he throws though, is his head, so I think that will keep them from winning the division. The Vikings are going to ride Adrian Peterson until he is a broken man, but the unfortunate truth is they have to. Christian Ponder is average at best, and he is prone to the crazy decision, like the pick 6 yesterday. Greg Jennings is a veteran receiver who can help him, and Simpson and Patterson are young receivers with speed but if Adrian Peterson doesn't rush for at least 1600 yards the Vikings finish 4th I think. the Lions have the potential to be a very strong team, and like several teams in the current NFC would probably do well in a couple of AFC divisions. As it is, they're probably a 3rd place team in this division. Calvin Johnson is an animal, Reggie Bush is perfect for this offense, Stafford has a great arm and their defensive line is nasty with Fairley and Suh, but they are still a bit lacking all around. They probably need another threat to step up outside, and they need more from the TE position. Yesterday highlighted their flaws. Patrick Peterson was struggling on Calvin Johnson mightily (albeit manfully) but as soon as Bush went down, the Cards just gave him safety help over the top, and the Lions offense sputtered. I'm going 1. Packers 2. Bears 3. Lions 4. Vikings

Finally the NFC West, (where did this stream of consciousness come from?) and another tough division. My natural bias would be talking myself into picking the Cards to finish 2nd in most if not all other divisions, but you just can't see past the Niners and Seahawks here. The Seahawks handed it to the Niners last night, but I can almost guarantee the Niners will do likewise at Candlestick. I'd also expect both of these teams to finish 5-1 in the division, with the split against each other. Mind you the Rams and Cardinals are not monkeys either, and either or both could well take a game from the big two in Saint Louis or Glendale respectively. The Rams, on paper, are the weakest in the division in my view. Darryl Richardson is not Steven Jackson, and Tavon Austin and Chris Givens are good, but not elite just yet. Jared Cook, who torched the Cardinals, has a history of being a solid but not a top5 or 6 tight end. Bradford is also a QB I have a lot of time for, but he's just that level below the likes of Luck, Griffin, Wilson and other young QBs. I know they beat the Cardinals in week 1, but I see the Cards returning the favour in Arizona, and I also see the Cardinals doing a little better in the non-division games.  The Cardinals are much improved this year, but the schedule is not easy. Apart from 6 tough games in the West, they also play the NFC South and the AFC South. They may well be lucky to win 6 games which is tough. They will hope to bed in Arians, Palmer and Mendenhall though, and make a push next year if they can improve the O-Line. The Defense is sound normally, and very opportunistic, and I doubt if anyone has blocked more kicks over the past few years (another one yesterday), but they do give up some huge plays and they need to cut that out. Peterson is improving, Matthieu will get better, their linebackers will improve when Washington comes back, and the D-Line is solid and tough. Safety is a bit of a problem, but Yeremiah Bell is decent there too. Offensively they could be very good with Fitz, Floyd, Roberts, Mendenhall and Housler, or they could be very bad if they get injuries. Also Palmer needs to be protected. He is prone to awful interceptions at times, although not too often, but if he is running for his life, he may throw more than he normally would too. They need to tighten up there, and in fairness yesterday against a good Detroit Line, they held up reasonably well for most of the game. The class of the field here in this division is in the upper West Coast though. The Seahawks at home are unreal, the Niners at home are unreal. Which of them will get homefield in the playoffs, because I think these teams probably go 13-3 and 12-4 at worst respectively. I tend to think the Seahawks might be a little bit more rounded. QB is very similar, and probably a tie in fairness. I've been critical of Kaepernick in the past but I was wrong. He is the real deal and while he will make mistakes he can throw, run and make good decisions. Wilson is the very same. Running backs are also very tight with Marshawn Lynch probably just edging Frank Gore at this stage, but the backup RB is probably stronger in San Francisco with Kendell Hunter. The Niners probably hold a slight edge at TE as well with Vernon Davis seeming to be back on track, but Zach Miller is also a top end Tight End. I think the Seahawks hold the balance in the WR corps, as too much will be on Boldin I think in San Francisco  with Crabtree out. Patton is interesting, but raw. The Seahaks corps are not elite, but they do have more options with Sidney Rice, Golden Tate and even Doug Baldwin. Both defenses are very strong on paper, although only the Seahawks have shown that so far as the Niners have had 2 rough outings v Green Bay and in Seattle. Overall, I think there are just a couple of less questions on the Seahawks, but this is really splitting hairs. 1. Seattle 2. San Francisco 3. Cardinals 4. Rams

[deiseach]

Some week so far in fairness. 15 games played, and 11 of them were settled by a single possession! (if you include a 2 point conversion as a single possession).  NFL Gamepass on the iPad is an absolute godsend.

American sports will not conquer the world by staging matches in Wembley or the like. They will conquer the world via apps. The MLB one is superb. I wake up several time a night checking out the scores.

[magpie seanie]

Amazing how Cutler has those 4th quarter comebacks with him throwing the head all the time.

[AZOffaly]

He's good Seanie, but he has a tendency to do that. He's not a liability, far from it. He can make all the throws. He made some crazy throws yesterday, but as you say he has bottle.

The last 5 years, his touchdown to interception record is 19-14; 13-7; 23-16; 27-26; 25-18... That's too many interceptions. His QB ranking in that time is 20th; 13th; 16th; 21st and 16th.

[magpie seanie]

He's good Seanie, but he has a tendency to do that. He's not a liability, far from it. He can make all the throws. He made some crazy throws yesterday, but as you say he has bottle.

The last 5 years, his touchdown to interception record is 19-14; 13-7; 23-16; 27-26; 25-18... That's too many interceptions. His QB ranking in that time is 20th; 13th; 16th; 21st and 16th.

Hard to hit your receivers when you're on your arse or running for your life. Also, up to last year he had no decent WR's and the best pass catcher they had (Olsen) was shipped out. The 4th quarter comeback wins stat quoted last night during the game is more of a reflection of his ability to keep his cool when most needed. I watched every down of that game yesterday and can't remember any "crazy" throw. 1st INT was a ball that was tipped twice. It was a bad play call. 2nd INT was a perfect throw (which would have been a TD) where he just didn't see the safety coming across. Totally his fault but not crazy.

I don't like his demeanour or body language at times either but the guy has guts. Lesser men would be finished given the batterings he has got over the last 3-4 seasons coupled with bizarre play calling (I'm looking at you Mike Martz) and limited weapons (look at Tom Brady the last 2 weeks - has he suddenly become bad???). He's not one of the elite guys in the league but he's top 10-12 (real life, not fantasy).

[Crete Boom]

Some week so far in fairness. 15 games played, and 11 of them were settled by a single possession! (if you include a 2 point conversion as a single possession).  NFL Gamepass on the iPad is an absolute godsend. My sunday evenings are goosed. The TV has the redzone on, and I decide which game I want to watch then on the iPad. Then in work at lunch I watch the condensed version of the late games(s). Sometimes if I'm really nerdy I watch the coaches film to look at how the Cards O-Line gets whipped every week

Great win for the Cardiac Cards, but Larry Mac's injury is a worry. A hamstring is a hoor of a yoke, especially in that position and the way he plays it. Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts will need to step it up big time, and they could really do with Housler back at TE. Palmer is running for his life behind an O-Line that couldn't block a Pop Warner team, but he is doing well so far and I expect him to improve, especially if Larry and Housler are in the lineup. They'll be exciting again anyway. That's a points differential of +2 after 2 weeks, which is about par for the course.

The Pats need to get healthy quickly. If they can keep winning (I think the schedulers were kind to them with the way it worked out) and then get Gronkowski and Amendola back, they'll be grand, but their Running Game is pants. If they had played the Dolphins this week, or in week 1, I'd say they'd have lost. The Dolphins look okay. Millar can run, and Wallace had his predictable breakout week after sulking last week when Browns Corner Back Joseph had him in his pocket. The Jets have a good D but are cat offensively. Delighted for Manuel and the Bills. I like them as a little team fighting hard in a division dominated by the Pats, but even though CJ Spillar and Stevie Johnson are genuine All Pros. I don't think they'll hang with the really good teams. Still, putting up 24 points on the Panthers is a good achievement. At this stage I'm going to go 1. Dolphins 2. Pats 3. Bills 4. Jets

The AFC North looked like a really strong division on paper, but they went 0-4 last week, and the Ravens and Browns didn't exactly light up the universe last night. I'm disappointed with the Browns opening two games, although as I said Miami are sneaky good I think. Trent Richardson needs to be worked. I think he had something like 13 carries the first day and 18 yesterday. I think they need him carrying the ball more than that, as it's not like it's a running back by committee there. Jordan Cameron at TE is a big plus for the Browns, and Joseph is a lock down corner, but if Weedon is throwing the ball 50+ times they are not going to win. (He threw 53 times in a tight loss last week, and 33 this week).  I do think the Browns might be a good bet for 6 or 7 wins though. Baltimore are a pale shadow of a Superbowl Champion so far. Obviously Ray Ray is gone, and Ed Reed, but with Pitta out injured, the real loss so far is Boldin. He'd love that possession receiver type role, and while Torre Smith is a speedster, and Marlon Brown is the underneath guy, the good defences will take that away fairly easily. If Ray Rice is injured now, it might be good night Vienna for the Ravens. The Steelers and Bengals both need a win tonight, which is great drama, but pretty serious stakes so early on. Obviously going 0-2 won't kill you in a division where 9-7 or 10-6 might win it, but the stats work out something like 11% of 0-2 teams have made the playoffs since 1990. I don't think Big Ben or Andy Dalton want to be in that position. Roethlisberger needs to be protected though. He's a big strong lad, and more mobile than you'd think, but he's taken a good auld beating for a fair few years now, and if he gets pressure from the Bengals, the likes of Hines Ward and Heath Millar are not there at the moment, and the fact that hyphen (LaRod Stephens-Howling) has done his ACL is a complete sickener as he'd have been the outlet scat back. I think the Bengals will do this, but the Steelers D is good as well, and their running backs and WRs, where they have talent, will need to come to play. I'll say 1. Bengals 2. Steelers 3. Ravens 4. Browns

AFC West was supposed to be cat altogether, but while the Broncos look very good, and must be the #1 team easy in the AFC, the Chiefs got a great win, as did the Chargers. The Raiders actually looked reasonable against the Jets in Week1, and were too good for a Jacksonville Jaguars team that are as brutal as their helmets. Pryor is a work in progress at QB, but he has potential and can run. The main thing with him is to try and avoid the sacks (3 on sunday) and interceptions (0). Darren McFadden looks good in the early going, and he can help out by catching passes as well.  The Broncos should win this division, and the Raiders should finish last, but 2nd and 3rd might be a real dogfight. I hate that Malcolm Floyd got a bad knock last night. Receivers crossing the middle can get a bit wing mirrors after a belt like that, but I think Matthews, Rivers and the rejuventated Eddie Royal help the Chargers to 2nd. 1. Broncos 2. Chargers. 3. Chiefs 4. Raiders.

The AFC South is Houston's to lose, but they are trying their best to make hard work of it. The Chargers shoulda coulda beaten them, and the Titans threw it away as well. On the basis that the Colts had a soft schedule last year, and are still a bit green, and the Texans have Johnson, Foster, Tate, Daniels along with the new kid on the block, Deandre Hopkins, I think they'll be winners here. The Titans are another sneaky decent team though, Chris Johnson is still a good back, and Kenny Britt, Kendell Wright and Nate Washington are still serviceable WRs. Their defence has started pretty well, but they really should have held out yesterday. The Jags are brutal. The banged up Maurice Jones Drew and maybe Cecil Shorts are the only two real good players they have, and neither  Chad Henne or Blaine Gabbard are good enough to carry that load on their shoulders.  1. Texans 2. Titans. 3. Colts. 4. Jaguars.

I think the NFC is class this year. All 4 divisions have multiple good teams in them. The East might well be a toss up. The Redskins are looking down the barrel of that 11% statistic after being mutilated in 2 successive first halves, but they do have talent and potential. They just can't keep falling into huge holes. The Eagles are, as mentioned, exciting but will Vick stay healthy? He got cleaned up by one of the Chargers yesterday, and while Nick Foles has exposure to the fast paced offense that Arizona Wildcats used a bit, it's not the same as Vick back there. Jackson and McCoy are great through, and they'll be there or thereabouts. The Giants secondary is poor, and unless they get big pressure up front, they'll be picked apart in a division that has Romo, Vick and Griffin III at QB. Mind you they have a good one themselves in Eli, and Nicks and Cruz are top quality and Ruben Randle has potential as well. Myers is a good TE too but their Runing back situation is a bit of a mess. Wilson needs to get Coughlan's confidence back quickly because if Jacobs is the answer then you're asking the wrong question. The Cowboys will be up and down too, but I like their offense. Romo, Bryant, Austin, Witten, Murray and this running back Dunbar are all good, so I'm going 1. Cowboys 2. Eagles 3 Giants 4. Redskins (but 4 games could cover top to bottom).

The NFC South is also shaping up to be a humdinger. The Saints look to be the class of the field, but the Falcons will be loathe to give up their position. New Orleans really struggled past the Buccs, but they have the tools to win this division if their defense can improve a small bit. Sproles, Colston, Moore and the savage Jimmy Graham give Brees the options and he's one of the top QBs in the league. In fact Brees v Ryan may well be the contest that decides this division as the falcons are fairly loaded themselves. Gonzalez, Jackson (if fit), Jones and Roddy White (if fit) are the match for anything New Orleans can muster, and if Drew Brees was throwing to that lot, I'd have them winning the division. The Panthers are doughty and hard to beat. Their defense is good, especially the front 7 against the run, and with a pass rush. Their secondary can be got at if the rush doesn't get home though, as was evidenced by the Bills yesterday. Still Cam Newton with Steve Smith and Greg Olson are servicable, and DeAngelo Williams has skills, but you just get the sense when you see those names written down that they are level below the Falcons, Saints and other NFC top teams. The Buccs are getting horrible output from Josh Freeman, and I expect him to get benched fairly shortly to be honest. Mike Williams, Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin are elite type offensive weapons, but Freeman is just killing them. Having said that the backup is the rookie from Rutgers, Mike Glennon, so a change would essentially be writing off the season, so look for that to happen around week 6 or 7, unless the Buccs get a good veteran off the street.

The NFC North is, again, a very interesting division. A few eyebrows were raised when the Pack got beat up in San Francisco last week, but in fairness that is a hard place to go and play. The Packers looked unreal against the 'Skins until they took their foot off the gas, and then they reaccelerated when the Redskins had the cheek to get within 14. They took a knee with time running out after marching up the field to the Skins 11 as well so they were comfy all day really. I do think their defence can be attacked, as Boldin proved, but you won't have too many teams like the 49ers at home either. The Bears showed great guts to overcome some bad turnovers against the Vikings, and a shock looked on the cards. They have the holy triumvarate at RB, WR and TE though, in Forte, Marshall and Bennett and in Cutler they have someone that can make all the throws. Sometimes one of the things he throws though, is his head, so I think that will keep them from winning the division. The Vikings are going to ride Adrian Peterson until he is a broken man, but the unfortunate truth is they have to. Christian Ponder is average at best, and he is prone to the crazy decision, like the pick 6 yesterday. Greg Jennings is a veteran receiver who can help him, and Simpson and Patterson are young receivers with speed but if Adrian Peterson doesn't rush for at least 1600 yards the Vikings finish 4th I think. the Lions have the potential to be a very strong team, and like several teams in the current NFC would probably do well in a couple of AFC divisions. As it is, they're probably a 3rd place team in this division. Calvin Johnson is an animal, Reggie Bush is perfect for this offense, Stafford has a great arm and their defensive line is nasty with Fairley and Suh, but they are still a bit lacking all around. They probably need another threat to step up outside, and they need more from the TE position. Yesterday highlighted their flaws. Patrick Peterson was struggling on Calvin Johnson mightily (albeit manfully) but as soon as Bush went down, the Cards just gave him safety help over the top, and the Lions offense sputtered. I'm going 1. Packers 2. Bears 3. Lions 4. Vikings

Finally the NFC West, (where did this stream of consciousness come from?) and another tough division. My natural bias would be talking myself into picking the Cards to finish 2nd in most if not all other divisions, but you just can't see past the Niners and Seahawks here. The Seahawks handed it to the Niners last night, but I can almost guarantee the Niners will do likewise at Candlestick. I'd also expect both of these teams to finish 5-1 in the division, with the split against each other. Mind you the Rams and Cardinals are not monkeys either, and either or both could well take a game from the big two in Saint Louis or Glendale respectively. The Rams, on paper, are the weakest in the division in my view. Darryl Richardson is not Steven Jackson, and Tavon Austin and Chris Givens are good, but not elite just yet. Jared Cook, who torched the Cardinals, has a history of being a solid but not a top5 or 6 tight end. Bradford is also a QB I have a lot of time for, but he's just that level below the likes of Luck, Griffin, Wilson and other young QBs. I know they beat the Cardinals in week 1, but I see the Cards returning the favour in Arizona, and I also see the Cardinals doing a little better in the non-division games.  The Cardinals are much improved this year, but the schedule is not easy. Apart from 6 tough games in the West, they also play the NFC South and the AFC South. They may well be lucky to win 6 games which is tough. They will hope to bed in Arians, Palmer and Mendenhall though, and make a push next year if they can improve the O-Line. The Defense is sound normally, and very opportunistic, and I doubt if anyone has blocked more kicks over the past few years (another one yesterday), but they do give up some huge plays and they need to cut that out. Peterson is improving, Matthieu will get better, their linebackers will improve when Washington comes back, and the D-Line is solid and tough. Safety is a bit of a problem, but Yeremiah Bell is decent there too. Offensively they could be very good with Fitz, Floyd, Roberts, Mendenhall and Housler, or they could be very bad if they get injuries. Also Palmer needs to be protected. He is prone to awful interceptions at times, although not too often, but if he is running for his life, he may throw more than he normally would too. They need to tighten up there, and in fairness yesterday against a good Detroit Line, they held up reasonably well for most of the game. The class of the field here in this division is in the upper West Coast though. The Seahawks at home are unreal, the Niners at home are unreal. Which of them will get homefield in the playoffs, because I think these teams probably go 13-3 and 12-4 at worst respectively. I tend to think the Seahawks might be a little bit more rounded. QB is very similar, and probably a tie in fairness. I've been critical of Kaepernick in the past but I was wrong. He is the real deal and while he will make mistakes he can throw, run and make good decisions. Wilson is the very same. Running backs are also very tight with Marshawn Lynch probably just edging Frank Gore at this stage, but the backup RB is probably stronger in San Francisco with Kendell Hunter. The Niners probably hold a slight edge at TE as well with Vernon Davis seeming to be back on track, but Zach Miller is also a top end Tight End. I think the Seahawks hold the balance in the WR corps, as too much will be on Boldin I think in San Francisco  with Crabtree out. Patton is interesting, but raw. The Seahaks corps are not elite, but they do have more options with Sidney Rice, Golden Tate and even Doug Baldwin. Both defenses are very strong on paper, although only the Seahawks have shown that so far as the Niners have had 2 rough outings v Green Bay and in Seattle. Overall, I think there are just a couple of less questions on the Seahawks, but this is really splitting hairs. 1. Seattle 2. San Francisco 3. Cardinals 4. Rams

Wouldn't disagree with any of that! Do you watch any college ball AZ? Alabama Texas A&M was a bit more one sided than the final scoreline with Jonny football not having a great game. The Irish had a ridiculeous 4th quarter comeback but Purdue didn't look great either so I can't see where Notre Dame are going this year!

I got to see Floyd in the flesh for the Notre Dame  down in Stanford at Luck's last home game in Nov 2011. Stanford were heading for a blow out at halftime but Hendrix came in at QB for the Irish and Floyd took on Stanford on his own in the second half getting back to within a score( I think) before they ran out of steam. If the Cards can keep him off the booze (I believe he had a record amount of DUI's in college) I think he will be a great weapon for Palmer and the Cards. Personally I just don't trust Palmer since his knee blowout for the Bungles and think he is just too expensive for what he gives a team but he is definitely an upgrade on what happened for you at QB in the last few season.

For the Bears Cutler is Cutler. You either put up with him or really hate him but he is a good QB and definitely could take us on a long journey this season but the balance between Fotre's running game , Bennett at tight end and Marshall could be the real difference for Chicago this year. Also Alshon Jeffery just might up his production enough to make use of the one on one coverage he finds himself in so much. It's early days and the next two road games will tell a lot about where Cutler and this offence is heading!

[AZOffaly]

Those rankings are real life, not fantasy. I'm sorry but he has never been a top 10 quarterback in the last 5 years. I also feel like I'm having to slate him when I actually don't want to, just to make my point. I think he's a good quarterback with a bad attitude sometimes. But I think he does make bad decisions, and has made bad decisions, on the field throughout his career at vital times. I would still take him as the Cardinals QB in a heartbeat.

4th quarter comebacks are a bit of a 'hmmm' stat as well by the way. John Skelton had 6 4th quarter comebacks in his brief stint at Arizona. And he is shite.

[magpie seanie]

Those rankings are real life, not fantasy. I'm sorry but he has never been a top 10 quarterback in the last 5 years. I also feel like I'm having to slate him when I actually don't want to, just to make my point. I think he's a good quarterback with a bad attitude sometimes. But I think he does make bad decisions, and has made bad decisions, on the field throughout his career at vital times. I would still take him as the Cardinals QB in a heartbeat.

4th quarter comebacks are a bit of a 'hmmm' stat as well by the way. John Skelton had 6 4th quarter comebacks in his brief stint at Arizona. And he is shite.

What I'm saying is if they keep him protected this year (as they have thus far), judge him on that. The top guys are often lauded for cutting secondaries apart but they're well protected and have top receivers which makes life a lot easier.

Agree about Skelton but he had a bit of balls about him unlike Kolb, Leinart etc.

[AZOffaly]

Those rankings are real life, not fantasy. I'm sorry but he has never been a top 10 quarterback in the last 5 years. I also feel like I'm having to slate him when I actually don't want to, just to make my point. I think he's a good quarterback with a bad attitude sometimes. But I think he does make bad decisions, and has made bad decisions, on the field throughout his career at vital times. I would still take him as the Cardinals QB in a heartbeat.

4th quarter comebacks are a bit of a 'hmmm' stat as well by the way. John Skelton had 6 4th quarter comebacks in his brief stint at Arizona. And he is shite.

What I'm saying is if they keep him protected this year (as they have thus far), judge him on that. The top guys are often lauded for cutting secondaries apart but they're well protected and have top receivers which makes life a lot easier.

Agree about Skelton but he had a bit of balls about him unlike Kolb, Leinart etc.

Fair enough. As you say a QB sitting on his arse, or running for his life is a lot more likely to have a misfire than a lad that is sitting back picking teams apart. That's probably the reason why the O-Line is actually the most important line (arguably) on the field.

I will say this, if Jay Cutler had thrown some of the interceptions that even the great Peyton Manning has done in the playoffs, he'd be slaughtered. It happens to them all I suppose.

[AZOffaly]

Yeah Crete, I watch a good bit of the college ball as well. I used to live in Phoenix/Scottsdale, so I headed to a few Sun Devil games, did you see the finish to that game v Wisconsin on Saturday? Mad stuff altogether. I was a season ticket holder for the Cards as well, so I really got into the football, NCAA and NFL, when I lived over there. Since I've come home NASN, ESPN America and now Sky and ESPN are good, plus I have NFL Gamepass and ESPN Player, so I watch as much as I can on the tablet.

Notre Dame I can only see going 9-3 at best. Purdue should not have been that close, and I was worried by the lack of speed on the ND defense. They looked like they were running in mud. Having said that they did tighten up a bit in the 3rd and 4th quarters, but I can't see them living with a fast paced attack that has quality. (See Michigan).

The ND schedule to the end of the year (they are currently 2-1)  is ....

Home v Michigan State. Maybe a win at home, but far from a given. 3-1.
Home v #14 Oklahoma. I can't see them beating the Sooners. Beat them in Norman last year, so this is in South Bend, but I think the Sooner's speed will be too much. 3-2
V Arizona State at Neutral site. This is going to make or break the season I think. Sun Devils are quick, and can score, but I'm not sure they can beat Notre Dame at a neutral site. 4-2
Home v USC. USC are having a bit of a mare at the moment, and if they don't turn it around quickly, I can see the Irish beating them in South Bend. 5-2
Away @ Air Force. Should be able to win this handy. 6-2.
Home v Navy. Again, should be able to take care of these. 7-2.
Away @ Pittsburgh. Pitt are not going that well, but they will still be tricky. However if ND are going well at this stage, and 7-2, I see them winning this. 8-2
Home v BYU. If this was in Provo, I'd pick the Mormon lads. However in South Bend I think the Catholics will have enough, especially if 8-2 coming in. 9-2
Away @ Stanford. A big Uh-Oh I think. Stanford are tough, and physical and motivated to beat Notre Dame. Stanford could well be in the shakeup for a Rose Bowl or even National Championship game at this stage. 9-3

[tyroneman]

.         The Raiders actually looked reasonable against the Jets in Week1, and were too good for a Jacksonville Jaguars team that are as brutal as their helmets. Pryor is a work in progress at QB, but he has potential and can run. The main thing with him is to try and avoid the sacks (3 on sunday) and interceptions (0). Darren McFadden looks good in the early going, and he can help out by catching passes as well.             

Raiders played the Colts in wk1 and DMAC was awful. He played better yesterday when the focus was on TP2. 

Defence has looked good but the Donks will be the acid test of that.

[AZOffaly]

I thought McFadden wasn't brutal against the Colts. Wasn't exactly great either but he did have a touchdown run. His average was bad at less than 3 ypc. He did catch 3 passes as well. I think he'll help Pryor if he stays healthy.