(Oh, and I considered picking against the spread this year, but nahhh I'm going straight.)
1) Cowboys (0-0) @ Buccaneers (0-0)
No matter if you know me a little or know me a lot, you knew this was gonna be #1. I'm soooo ready for this game! Its like I'm hype for my 'Boys to get on the field, but I'm nervous about it all at the same time. How will we look offensively without T.O.?? Will the offense still be explosive?? Will our O-Line hold up?? Can Terence Newman, Miles Austin, Sam Hurd, and Felix Jones stay healthy?? Is Roy Williams going to show up?? So many questions, so little answers.
What's the good part about this all?? We're playing the Buccaneers!
Now, I'm not saying the Bucs are gonna return to their old pre-Dungy selves, but any team willing to fire their offensive coordinator 2 weeks before the start of the season doesn't deserve to have my confidence put in them. Cowboys winners, Bucs losers.
2) Eagles (0-0) @ Panthers (0-0)
The Eagles are already the consensus choice to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl this year. Of course, I hope they fall flat like we did last year though. They won't in Week 1 though because I don't see how Jake Delhomme comes back from that ummm "performance" against the Cardinals in the playoffs last season. He really wasn't that good all last season but the Cards really exposed him something serious.
If the Panthers want a chance to win they'll have to get to the quarterback. Andy Reid announced that Shawn Andrews will miss the game so that leaves Osi Umenyiora's career launching pad also known as Winston Justice. You don't get it?? Well remember back in 2007 when Osi had like 6 sacks in one game?? Well that's the guy most likely filling in for Andrews.
At the end of the day the Eagles have too many weapons to lose this game and Donovan McNabb will be looking to show out and prove this is still his team. Eagles winners, Panthers losers.
3) Bears (0-0) @ Packers (0-0)
I know it was just the preseason, but Aaron Rodgers looks like he's ready for a breakout season this year. Don't be surprised if he throws for 300 yards in this game.
On the other side Jay Cutler gets to officially debut in a game that matters for his new team. Unfortunately for him Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal didn't make the trip so his top receiver will be a converted kick returner.
I'm not loving the Chicago and their few offensive tools so I'm gonna say Packers winners and Bears will be losers.
4) Redskins (0-0) @ Giants (0-0)
Maybe I should bump this game up since it is a divisional game.
Anyway, I'm just gonna go ahead and call it now, this is gonna be the upset special of the week! I believe Jason Campbell is ready for a big year after a rocky offseason seeing this is the first time he hasn't had to learn a new offense in his pro career. Add that with the Giants banged up secondary and light receiving corp and I think the 'Skins can sneak one in New York. Redskins winners, Giants losers.
5) Jaguars (0-0) @ Colts (0-0)
As the Colts move into the post-Dungy and post-Harrison era, the Jags are also moving into the post-Taylor era. I think MJD will be fine as the featured back, the question for them is is their offensive line straight? I can't answer that, but I do know Reggie Wayne is ready to get it cracking' in a major way so I gotta go with Indy. Colts winners, Jags losers.
6) Dolphins (0-0) @ Falcons (0-0)
The 2 darlings of 2008 go head to head in the Georgia Dome to keep off the season. I'm gonna tell you this now, only one of these teams is gonna be good this year. I don't know which one, but I doubt they both win 11 games again.
As far as this game goes, I like the Atlanta's offense with Ryan in his 2nd year, Turner, White, and the new addition Tony Gonzalez. All signs point to them to win this game. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a close one though or if Miami actually won, but to play it safe I'm gonna say Falcons winners, Dolphins losers.
7) Bills (0-0) @ Patriots (0-0)
Y'all know I'm a big T.O. fan (or was until he did that promo pic for his reality show), but this isn't gonna go good for the Bills. Like I said earlier, you just can't trust a team that fires its OC on the eve of the season. The Pats, on the other hand, look to pick up where they left off in 2007, and I don't see any reason why they won't, especially not against the Bills. Even with the Pats potentially terrible defense, I don't see this one even being close. Patriots winners, Bills losers.
8) Vikings (0-0) @ Browns (0-0)
Do I even need to talk about this game?? The Browns have no chance and the only reason its this high is because I'm betting on it in Streak For The Cash lol. I guess we'll see how confused Minny's defense is since Cleveland didn't nam their starting QB until the last week lol. Whatever, Vikings winners, Browns losers.
9) Jets (0-0) @ Texans (0-0)
The Jets are throwing the rookie Matt Sanchez right into the fire this season and starting him from jump. There looking for some Flacco/Ryan results, but really, what's the chances that actually happens again this season?? It'll be a rough day for the Jets in Houston. Texans winners, Jets losers.
10) 49ers (0-0) @ Cardinals (0-0)
Look, I know the preseason doesn't count, but how confident should Arizona really feel after going 9-7 last season, getting hot at the right time, and losing every preseason game. My Cowboys went 9-7 too, but we're looked at like an abomination while they're heralded for winning a crappy division. Long story short, I have NO confidence that the Cards will be any good this season. And on top of that, the Madden curse is hunting Larry Fitzgerald's ass down. I don't know if this exactly counts as an upset, but I'm going 49ers winners, Cardinals losers.
11) Lions (0-0) @ Saints (0-0)
Are you serious?? The Lions will be lucky if they hold Drew Brees under 500 yards lol. Saints winners, Lions (still) losers.
12) Broncos (0-0) @ Bengals (0-0)
If Kyle Orton can't throw any further than 10-15 yards, how far can Kyle Orton with a fucked up finger throw?? I'm going with my boy Chad "Esteban" Ocho Cinco and saying Bengals winners, Broncos losers.
13) Chargers (0-0) @ Raiders (0-0)
I had a little bit of faith that maybe, just maybe, the Raiders could turn things around this season. Then Al Davis went and traded a 1st round pick (which will probably end up being a top 10 pick) to the Pats for a players that's going to be a free agent at the end of the season and is almost certainly not re-signing. That's right, they're basically renting Richard Seymour for a season. I couldn't in good judgment to pick them to win this game and that's even besides the act they're playing Phil Rivers and the Bolts. Chargers winners, Raiders losers.
14) Rams (0-0) @ Seahawks (0-0)
Is Marc Bulger healthy yet?? Oh okay, well Matt Hasselbeck is and he has a new weapon in T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Seahawks winners, Rams losers.
15) Chiefs (0-0) @ Ravens (0-0)
This one is gonna be UGLY! I predict Joe Flacco looking like John Elway in this game and the Ravens completely disrespecting the Chiefs. Ravens winners, Chiefs losers.
Overall Record: 13-3 (.813)
So Far This Week: 13-3 (.813)
(And yes, I did pick the Steelers to win Thursday so I am 1-0.)
