JG's Week 2 Picks

The second week in the NFL season can make or break a team's year. Since 2000 only 7 teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-2. Now to the picks.

Carolina (+6) @Atlanta- Jake "Daylight come and you gotta..." throw interceptions? That's certainly how it has looked for the man that was almost the Super Bowl XXXVIII hero. Jake was benched after throwing four picks last week against the Eagles. This was all while Atlanta was making short work of the Dolphins. Atlanta puts away the Cats in this one.
Falcons 28- Panthers 17

Houston (+6.5) @Tennessee- Woeful Houston made the rookie qb lead Jets look like the '72 Dolphins. The Texans had just 183 yds of offense while giving up 462 to Rex's squad. The Titans, who played on Thursday, have had over a week to prepare for this game. The superior Titans

take this one with ease at home.

Titans 24- Texans 14

New Orleans (-1) @Philadelphia- If Donovan McNabb plays in this game, the Saints D, who gave up 27 points to the Lions, has an even longer day against a stout Eagles offense. Unfortunately for Eagles fans it looks like Kevin Kolb will get his first start. The Saint's offense looked great last week as they smashed Detroit in the house that Aaron Brooks built. Even if Kolb has a decent day at the Linc, he won't be able to keep up with Drew Brees and the Saints high flying offense.

Saints 31- Eagles 24

St Louis (+9.5) @Washington- Do not be surprised if the St Louis Rams go into Landover Maryland and take down the Redskins just as they did a season ago. That being said, its tough to pick a team that has only won six games over the past two years. Despite the Redskins atrocious offense, they will win but not cover.

Redskins 17- Rams 10

Oakland (+3) @Kansas City- The circumstances surrounding Matt Cassel's status for the game are still uncertain. This means the status of the Chiefs' offense remains uncertain. With Mr. Alabama Brodie Croyle at the helm, the Chiefs could only muster 188 yards of offense. The Raiders didn't look bad on Monday night against a good team in the Chargers. Jamarcus has a big day and the Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiders get the win.

Raiders 27- Chiefs 24

Arizona (+3) @Jacksonville- Two teams trying to relive great seasons from 2007 and 2008 respectively. Last year in the regular season the Cardinals were 0-5 when traveling to the eastern time zone. That combined with the fact that the every Super Bowl loser except one (2006 Seahawks) has missed the playoffs the following year since 2000.

Jaguars 20- Cardinals 14

New England (-3.5) @New York Jets- This bout between two classic AFC rivals is quietly becoming one of the best matchups of the weekend. Jets safety Kerry Rhodes has certainly given Tom Brady and the Patriots. Rhodes said that the Jets not only want to beat the Patriots but want to embarrass them. The problem for Gang Green is that Tom Brady has gotten the rust off and comes into this game in full form. The Patriots don't blow out the Jets but do enough to win and cover.

Patriots 28- Jets 17

Cincinati (+9) @Green Bay- The Bengals did not look good last week but I really believe that this will be a good offensive day for Esteban's crew. Coming off of a huge win vs. Chicago, this game sets up as a perfect trap for the Pack. The Packers pull this one out but not by much.

Packers 27- Bengals 24

Minnesota (-9.5) @Detroit- If we learned anything from the Vikings shellacking of the Browns last week, it was that Brett Favre has embraced his role as a game manager. He seems to understand that as long as the Vikings are running the football well, he just needs to not make mistakes. Although the Lions played the Vikings close twice last year, this is a different Vikings team under Favre.

Vikings 31- Lions 14

Tampa Bay (+4.5) @Buffalo- Monday Night looked like it would be the start of something special for the Bills. This was until Leodis McKelvin fumbled a kickoff for Buffalo that allowed Mr. Bundchen to finish off a comeback and keep their 12 game winning streak over the Bills intact. This week the Bills take on a Bucs team that gave up 462 yds to the Cowboys. Buffalo will be angry and Dick Jauron will have his guys ready to play.

Bills 17- Buccaneers 10

Seattle (+1) @San Francisco- This week two matchup could go a long way in determining the NFC West. If Julius Jones can get some running room early in the ballgame, Seattle's play action passing game will develop wonderfully and allow John Carlson and TJ Housyourmama to have good days. Sean Hill may show why he had spent most his carreer as a third stringer. Although Matt Hasselbeck's game won't be over until he has his EAS, then he can stand at Candlestick park and say, "Now I'm Done"
Seahawks 24- 49ers 17

Cleveland (+3) @Denver- It seemed to be all over for the Broncos last week. Down 1 point on their own 16 yard line with just second to go. This was when the football gods remembered who they were playing and found a way for the Bengals to blow it. Denver will ride their 1-0 momentum into a matchup with another horrific team. Kyle Orton and the Broncos start a surprising 2-0
Broncos 21- Browns 14

Baltimore (+3) @San Diego- Joe Flacco looked fantastic last week as he threw for 307 yds and 3 TDs and it seems that he is capable of making the jump from game manager to playmaker. The Chargers on the other hand struggled with Oakland. Baltimore makes the long trip out to San Diego and take care of the Super Chargers.
Ravens 30- Chargers 27

Pittsburgh (-3) @Chicago- Crybaby Jay Cutler looked like a deer in headlights against Green Bay's decent Defense. I can't wait to see what he does against the Steelers even without #43. The Steelers coming off a long week can't hurt either.

Steelers 25- Bears 16

New York Giants (+3) @Dallas- A great Sunday night game caps off the second sunday of the year. The game will be the first regular season game in new Cowboys Stadium. The game will come down to who can dominate up front. Both offensive lines looked good in week 1. The Giants D though will be a lot tougher for the Cowboys O line to handle than Tampa Bay's. New York establishes their thunder and lightning attack with Jacobs and Bradshaw which allows Eli to just make the throws he needs to. Remember though, the game could always come down to a do over punt.

Giants 20- Cowboys 16

There are your week two picks, now for some words of wisdom courtesy of Shane Falco, "Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory...lasts forever.

Week Two Fantasy Studs and Duds

After an average week one in my picks I am ready to bounce back this week. I was a hit on all three of my duds, Jason Campbell, Chris Johnson and David Garrard, but a miss on all of my studs, Reggie Bush (sucks), Eddie Royal (0 points in standard ESPN leagues), Carson Palmer (after seeing the end of that game I will never pick a Bengal for anything again). Here are their stats:

Studs

Reggie Bush-7 Att 14 yards 5 Rec 55 yards 2 Fumbles-Miss

Eddie Royal-2 Rec 18 yards 3 punt returns 17 yards 2 kickoff returns 17 yards 1 fumble-Miss

Carson Palmer-21/33 247 yards 2 int-Miss

Duds

Chris Johnson-15 Att 57 yards 1 Rec 11 yards-Hit

David Garrard-14/28 122 yards 4 Att 14 yards-Hit

Jason Campbell-19/26 211 yards 1 td 1 int 2 fumbles-Hit

Record 3-3

Week Two: Studs

1. Greg Jennings WR-GB -Jennings is going up against a Cincinnati D that looked solid against the Broncos last week, untill Leon Hall decided to tip a ball into the air to let Stokley catch it and go for the game winning TD. The Rogers-Jennings combo though should do a lot better against this D. With Driver, Nelson, Jones and Lee there also it will certainly free up Jennings. Should be a big game for Jennings and the Packs offense as a whole. 

2. DeAngelo Williams RB-Car -Going against the Falcons is not a great matchup for Williams by any means, but did you see Jake Delhomme last week against Philly? Well I did, and Carolina is going to rely heavily on their running game this week. After a five pick game what team is gonna try and throw all day again? Williams also only had 37 yards last game so he wants to show last year was no fluke and tear the Falcons up.

3. Brett Favre QB-Min -I hate picking on the Lions so much but it is just impossible not to. This could be Brett's biggest game of the year. Drew Brees just torched the Lions D for 6 TD's last week and made it look easy. Look for the Wrangler man to throw some TD's this weekend. You never know when he will decide to retire (hopefully not before this game) so watch him while you can. 

I really hope I get one of those picks right...

Week Two: Duds

1. Dwayne Bowe WR-KC -Dwayne going against a decent looking Oakland and possibly no Matt Cassel again does not bode well for Bowe. He has to go against a man who likes to train in fire, Nnamdi. I dont trust Tyler Thigpen to get Bowe the ball as he will most likely be avoiding Asomugha at all costs. I expect Bowe to miss the target in this one.  

2. Cedric Benson RB-Cin -Benson had a very solid game against Denver last weekend which was great to see from the underachieving Benson, but this week he is going against a real run defense. The Packers did a great job against Matt Forte holding him to a measly 55 yards and more surprising zero catches. So far their new 3-4 D has looked good and I expect Cinncy and Benson to have a hard time against it. 

3. Julius Jones RB-Sea -Jones had a great game against the Rams, but the Rams could not have stopped a middle school running back. Patrick Willis is a true superstar at middle linebacker and with a supporting cast of Manny Lawson, Takeo Spikes and Justin Smith they have developed a nice group of players in the front seven. Seattle will look to the air more this game. 

There are my week two studs and duds, hopefully I will crack the .500 line this weekend. Also I want everyone to know that Jets Saftey Kerry Rhodes made one of the stupidest remarks possible. He is planning to "Embarrass" the Patriots this weekend. Hahaha, good luck. 

MH

Washington Capitals 2009-2010 Preview

The Caps enter the 2009-2010 season coming off of back to back Southast Division championships. Although winning the division and earning home ice in the first round is certainly an accomplishment to be admired, the Caps are looking to take home Lord Stanley's Cup for this first time in franchise history this year.

Forwards

Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Nicklas Backstrom lead a dynamic offense that was third in the league in scoring last year. Ovechkin is one of the greatest players this league has ever seen and has won the hart trophy (the NHL's equivalent to an MVP award) the last two seasons. Michael Nylander is back, for now, talks of Nylander either getting traded or released have been ongoing the entire off season. Nylander was brought in from the Rangers two years ago but has looked more like Happy Gilmore than his former self. 37 year old Mike Knuble was brought in from the Flyers in July to help solidify their second line. Losing Donald Brashear certainly hurts from the team's toughness standpoint, but they are not losing out on much scoring. The biggest question mark in the offensive zone is team captain Chris Clark. He is no doubt the team's leader, but how well can he lead when he has missed 114 games the last two years? Overall though, with all the fire power in this unit, it is no doubt one of the best in the league and gets a 4.5/5 rating.

Defensemen

The Capitals defense received a lot of compliments from around the league last year for their ability to score, especially #52 Mike Green, who lead all of the league's defensemen in scoring. For as much praise as Mike Green got in the regular season, he faced just as much criticism for his lackluster defense in the playoffs. Although this defense may be flashy, they were 19th in the league in goals against. For the Caps to be a truly great team, they will need to toughen up and play hard nose physical defense at all times. Tom Poti, John Erskine, Milan Jurcina, and Jeff Schultz will all be back along with the 5th pick in the 2007 draft Karl Alzner. Alzner flirted with being a regular in the rotation last year, but wound up playing most of the season for Hershey. This seaon Alzner is expected to play the whole year with Washington and make a sizeable impact. Even with this defenses ability to score the puck, their lack of physical play in the defensive zone brings their rating to 3.5/5.

Goaltenders

The goaltending situation may be the most prevolent issue on Capital's fans minds right now. In 2008 the Caps GM George McPhee brought in former Hart Trophy winner Jose Theodore to replace longtime beloved goalie Olie Kolzig. There was a lot of exitement surrounding Theodore to begin the season. Eyebrows began to raise though when he gave up 6 goals to division rival Atlanta before being pulled in the first game of the year. Jose played out the season and was relatively average yet began to show serious holes down the stretch to the playoffs. After an awful outing vs. New York in the first game of the playoffs, he was benched in favor of 20 year old Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov played well in the playoffs, other than miserable game 7 vs. the Penguins. Many Caps fans believe that Varlamov has locked up the job for 09-10, yet it seems that going into training camp it is still an open competition. The goalie position this year has the potential to be outstanding if either goaltender reaches his full potential. Right now though, with an over the hill goaltender and an unproven one, the position gets a 3.5/5 rating.


The Capitals should have no problem wrapping a weak Southeastern Division. If any team could pose a problem it would be Carolina, who had a fantastic stretch run last year that boosted them past #1 seed Boston and into the Eastern Conference finals. Aging captain Rod Brind'amour (right) is certainly not the player he once was and the Capitals are much more talented team. The mindset for the Caps this year must be Stanley Cup or bust because any exit prior to the Cup will be considered a dissapointment. If the Capitals can find solid play out of their goaltender don't be surprised to see the former bottom feeders still skating in June.

-JG

Spoiled By The Sports Weekend

It seemed that all the other sports realized that the NFL season was kicking off this weekend and did not want to be lost in the greatness of the National Football League. This was fantastic news for all those sports fans out there. From Thursday-Monday great game after great round after great match spoiled every sports fan out there. Starting with Opening Kickoff in the NFL Thursday Night between two power house teams, the Steelers and the Titans, and ending with the US Open finals Monday evening between arguably the greatest athlete of the era, Roger Federer, and rising superstar, Juan Martin Del Potro. Everything in between was also just as spectacular. 

We saw a true freshman quarterback go into Columbus, Ohio and take down the #8 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes by commanding the game winning drive, leaving only one minute left on the clock. We saw the #5 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys fall to the Houston Cougars, the #19 North Carolina Tar Heels score 12 fourth quarter points to rally back and beat the Uconn Huskies and the reemergence of the Michigan Wolverine football program. Oh yeah and a 78 point shootout thriller between the Georgia Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks. Just to name a few stores from college football.

We could not believe one of the most unusual and crazy finishes in an NFL game in recent history...the Bengals are cursed, clearly. The Steelers overtime victory over the Titans on thursday...Hines Ward was the happiest man on earth when Jeff Reed's field goal went in in OT. A 6 TD game from Drew Brees, a 180 yard game from All Day, another victory from a first time rookie starter, a four pick game from Jay Cutler and last minute victory led by Aaron Rogers on Sunday Night Football, and we have not even had the Monday Night Games yet. 

We witnessed one of the greatest rounds Tiger Woods has ever had, and he has had many many many great ones. Tiger blew away the field with an Eight shot victory at the BWM Championship putting him back in first for the Fed Ex cup, which concludes this weekend...I wonder who will win... We saw Ian Poulter hit a ball in the water on the 18th hole sunday to miss the cut for the final round of the Fed Ex by less than half a point, poor guy. And we finally saw Sergio Garcia come out from hiding notching a top 10 finish. 

We watched in awe of Roger Federer as he had possibly the greatest shot of his career against Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals, and he has many many many great shots. We were pleasantly surprised by a U.S. player finally emerging onto the scene, and Melanie Oudin could not have done it in a bigger way, knocking down three top 30 players before falling in the quarter-finals. We were shocked by Serena Williams as she lost her head and her match as she threatened the poor line judge. We were reminded of who Kim Clijsters was and just how good she is, as she came out of retirement and cruised through her opponents in winning the US Open. And last but certainly not least we were baffled by the 20 year old Juan Martin Del Potro stunning Roger Federer in a five set thriller to halt Federer's streak of Five US Open championships in a row, which capped off an incredible two weeks.  

Sports fans I hope you enjoyed this weekend as much as I did because it could be a very, very long time before you get to see such a great weekend of sports again. And as the first Monday Night Football game kicks off all I can say is...

Are YOU Ready For Some Football?

MH

JG Monday Night Picks

Pats-Bills=Pats Win and Cover the spread

Chargers-Raiders=Bolts win but dont cover the spread