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Oh
how the mighty have fallen. Can it really be that the spark of the
St. Louis Cardinals seemingly unbeatable offense is an undrafted
free-agent from the laughable Arena Football League? Could Curt
Warner really be that important to the offense? |
Apparently
so. Warner went down early last week as the Rams suffered a thumping
to the Kansas City Chiefs. That's OK, we thought, as we watched
Warner amble off, holding his broken thumb. With as much talent as
there is on this team, surely they won't miss him. But we were wrong
again. Trent Green took over at QB and the Rams offense sputtered.
The receivers, until it was too late, looked like they had never run
their routes before. And suddenly, one team in the NFL had figured
out how to stop the unruly Rams offense. And what's more, they did it
in true Rams style--running up the score.
Does
anybody else have a problem with the label of offensive genius that
Brian Billick carries around? Everybody keeps calling him an
offensive genius. Now, he may be a decent coach, but an offensive genius?
If
he's such a genius, why haven't the Baltimore Ravens scored a
touchdown in over 4 games (17 consecutive quarters without a TD)? Why
are his top two quarterbacks Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer? Why can't
he see what everyone else in America realized years ago--both of
those guys suck!
Meanwhile,
down in the desert, Arizona Cardinals President Bill Bidwill fired
Coach Vince Tobin after an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys in
which the Cowboys amassed a 27-0 lead before QB Troy Aikman even
completed his first pass. Two years ago, the Cardinals were the team
to beat in the NFC East, having made their first playoff appearance
since before they left St. Louis in 1987. Now, they are the laughing
stock of the NFL (OK, so maybe the Denver Broncos can share that
distinction this week after losing to the league's worst team-- the
Cincinnati Bengals).
As
usual the following picks are for purely recreational purposes, and
all of them fall with the statistical margin of error.
Carolina
at Atlanta: The Falcons are hurting at LB, especially now that
All-Pro Jesse Tuggle is sidelined for the year. Meanwhile, Panther RB
Tim Biakabatuka is averaging 4.0 yards per carry on the ground. Pick: Carolina
NY
Jets at Buffalo: The Bills are coming off a close loss to the
Vikings, while the Jets squeaked past the Dolphins in a miracle
finish. How many miracles does QB Vinny Testaverde have left? Pick: Buffalo
Cincinnati
at Cleveland: Since starting the season 2-1, the Browns have
been shut out 3 times in 5 games. The Bengals are flying high after
their first win of the season against the Denver Broncos. Browns
backup QB Doug Pederson managed an impressive 12.7 rating against the
Steelers last week. Pick: Cincinnati
Detroit
at Indianapolis: Two of the most disappointing teams of the
seasons square off in what could turn out to be a defensive struggle.
Lions RB James Stewart has finally gotten in a groove--but he's no
Edgerrin James. Pick: Indianapolis
Green
Bay at Miami: The Packers are coming off a bye week well rested,
but the Dolphins are coming off a last second loss to the Jets--and
they smell blood. Dolphin DE Trace Armstrong leads the league with 10
sacks. As inconsistent as Packer QB Brett Favre has been, this could
be a problem. Pick: Miami
Minnesota
at Tampa Bay: About a month ago, people were pointing at this
game as a possible precursor to the NFC Championship game. That was
before the Bucs dropped 4 straight games and put Coach Tony Dungy's
job in jeopardy. My "homeboy" Daunte Culpepper is the real
deal--you read it here first! Pick: Minnesota
Pittsburgh
at Baltimore: Neither team has a QB that can win games
consistently, but Pittsburgh has the edge of momentum. Suddenly, with
the Raven's in a red zone slump (see above), this is a VERY winnable
game for the Steelers. Pick: Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
at NY Giants: The Giants retired former RB Frank Gifford's
jersey number this week. The Eagles (winners of 4 of their last 5)
are looking to retire the Giants. Giants RB Tiki Barber had a big
game against the Eagles in Week 2. Pick: Giants
New
Orleans at Arizona: Could these Saints have really turned it
around so quickly? This was a team that lost to the expansion Browns
in week 8 last season. Ricky Williams has had 5 consecutive games
with over 100 yards rushing. The Cardinals fired Coach Vince Tobin
because they feared additional losses would harm their stadium levy
on election day. As if creating a controversy won't completely break
up any hope of salvaging the season. Bill Bidwill, you and Mike Brown
(Cincinnati) need huge wakeup calls from AARP. Pick: New Orleans
St.
Louis at San Francisco: Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have
laid out the blue print for beating the Rams, perhaps the 49ers can
take note. Though, at 2-6, the 49ers can hardly compare to the Chiefs.
One factor that the Chiefs handled well was Rams RB Marshall
Faulk--it ain't gonna happen again. Pick: St. Louis
Jacksonville
at Dallas: After a huge win with division rival Arizona, QB Troy
Aikman and the Cowboys silenced their critics. The Jaguars are tied
with Cleveland and 1 game ahead of Cincinnati in the AFC Central race
for the cellar and the No. 1 pick in the draft. Pick: Dallas
Kansas
City at Seattle: Easily establishing themselves as a formidable
AFC force after thoroughly whooping ass in St. Louis, the Kansas City
Chiefs appear poised to do it again this week. The Seahawks will at
least enjoy the homefield advantage. Pick: Kansas City
Oakland
at San Diego: Three words: the Chargers suck. At 0-7, Mike Riley
better start working on his resume, because he's liable to be
unemployed come December. Three more words: Tyrone Wheatley rocks.
Yet another shining example of the diamond in the rough. Pick: Oakland
Tennessee
at Washington: The Redskins offense finally sparked to life last
week against Jacksonville. After a shaky start, the $100 million
Super Bowl team appears to be on track. The Titans are coming off a
defensive struggle with Baltimore that left their top yardage
producer RB Eddie George with an MCL sprain. Pick: Washington
The
Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots all have BYE weeks
Last
week's picks: 8-6 (Overall: 29-25)
Jimmy
The Roman, a
salute to the deceased sports journalist "Jimmy the Greek,"
is a periodic columnist at YourMVP.net
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