I want to take this time to address the Ray Rice saga. During the initial stages of this situation, everybody wanted to see the video from inside the elevator because that is all the evidence one needed to make a rational decision on punishment. Now that we have seen the tape it makes the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell and the Baltimore Ravens look almost as bad as Rice. There was an uproar when the NFL handed Rice a mere two game suspension initially but gave Browns WR Josh Gordon an entire year suspension for smoking weed. It boggles my mind that with all the money and resources the NFL has, this was the first time they saw this video. So basically what you're telling us is that TMZ (who leaked the video) has better investigators than one of the most powerful businesses in the country. The Ravens I will give the benefit of the doubt because maybe they were expecting the NFL to do their due diligence and acquire this video from the hotel or the police. But if the NFL and Roger Goodell thinks we believe them when they tell us they never saw the video, they are sadly mistaken. NFL fans, and the general public, are smarter than that. You are already hearing some serious backlash towards the league and its commissioner, not only from fans but from players as well. Now the fact that a report from law enforcement stating they sent the NFL the elevator video and have a voicemail confirmation from the NFL receiving this video, the NFL and Goodell now find themselves in a very sticky situation. This means either A) they lied about seeing this video or B) they saw the video and did not take proper action against Rice. Either way it will be very interesting to see how this plays out for Roger Goodell and the entire NFL brass. Like Goodell said during the New Orleans Saints "bountygate" scandal, ignorance is not an excuse.
Anyway, Week 1 of the NFL season was definitely a struggle. It was the week of the Road/Dogs as they had a 9-4 record with Road teams going 10-6 and Underdogs 11-5 individually. The worst for me was the St. Louis Rams pick. I thought they would put up a better game being at home but Minnesota was a big surprise. I guess that's what I get for trying to outsmart the wiseguys. The Seattle Seahawks looked great in the first game of their title defense against what will be a solid Green Bay team. The biggest surprise to me was the Buffalo Bills taking down the Bears in Chicago in overtime 23-20. Two other head turners were the Tennessee Titans big win over the Kansas City Chiefs 26-10 and Miami Dolphins shutting out the New England Patriots in the second half to win 33-20. This week is usually tough to pick due to over reaction on Week 1. Hopefully for us we will have a winning week.
SuperContest Picks (Home team in CAPS)
Steelers +2.5 over RAVENS
Big rivalry, one team in major turmoil, and had no running back. Sounds pretty simple right? Baltimore looked bad on the field in Week 1 against Cincinnati when they only had a minor Ray Rice issue. Now that is an enormous issue and it will only make things worse within the locker room. Without Rice on the field the Ravens have a big question mark at running back. Bernard Pierce continued to disappoint and although Justin Forsett was a pleasant surprise with 70 yards on 11 carries, the Ravens decided to throw the ball 62 times with Joe Flacco. Baltimore isn't going to win many games if Flacco airing it out that much. Pittsburgh on the other hand was far more balanced and Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a very efficient 23 for 34 with 365 yards. Even though the Steelers needed a last second field goal to dispose of the Browns in Week 1 they were up 27-3 at the half and became complacent. Le'Veon Bell also had a big game with 109 rushing and 88 receiving yards. If Flacco is forced to throw again this week, Baltimore will find itself on the losing end two weeks in a row.
BILLS PK over Dolphins
Both of these teams had big wins in Week 1 as already stated but I think the Bills was more impressive. Chicago has been a team talked about quite a bit in the offseason as a team to make a run at the NFC North title with all the weapons at Jay Cutler's disposal. But Buffalo was able to escape Soldier Field with a W and now return for their home opener with a lot of confidence. Both of these teams had almost identical offense numbers in their first game and the both gave up 20 points, so it is a pretty even matchup. But the way to beat the Bills is through the air and I don't think Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill can do that. Miami RB Knowshon Moreno had one of the biggest games in the league Week 1 rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown. But two is always better than one and Buffalo's RB combo of CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson had the Bills as the second best running team in 2013. Young QB's always play better at home and EJ Manuel will manage the game enough to get the Bills off to a 2-0 start.
TITANS -3.5 over Cowboys
Not many teams looked worse than the Dallas Cowboys last week and not many look as good on both sides of the ball as the Tennessee Titans. In 2013 Titans QB Jake Locker had a nice 4-2 record before going down in Week 10 with a season ending injury. Now back and healthy he has this Titans team ready to make a run at the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC South. New Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt looks to have this team focused on defense as well holding Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles to only 19 yards on 7 carries. As for Dallas, Tony Romo still can't get out of his own way throwing 3 INTs against the 49ers in Week 1. But it wasn't just him as Dallas RB DeMarco Murray's early fumble led to the first TD of the game against the 49ers. Tennessee's defense will force more turnovers which will lead to more points and a Titan win.
Falcons +5.5 over BENGALS
I'm not sure how many of you watched HBO's Hard Knocks with the Atlanta Falcons this Summer but that series is always a great. But what I've realized is that depending if I'm connecting with the team during the series will affect how I see them performing during the regular season. Sometimes my view has been skewed. So as usual, I went into this year thinking the Atlanta Falcons were going to have a huge bounce back year after a 4-12 record in 2013. It was only one game but right now Matt Ryan has the Falcons offense on point. After an injury plagued year where the best WR tandem in the league, Julio Jones and Roddy White, saw limited action, they are back healthy and looked great in Week 1. In their stead a year ago we saw the emergence of WR Harry Douglas, who had his first 1,000 yard season and not to mention they added WR Devin Hester. I believe the Bengals have one of the top 5 best defenses in this league and are very deep at the CB position. But there is only so long you can hold this receiving corps down before one of them breaks loose. I do think the Bengals will win because of their defense, however Atlanta covers.
COLTS -3 over Eagles
Both teams started off slow in Week 1 scoring a combined 7 points and giving up a combined 41 points in the first half. Fortunately for Philadelphia they were playing against Jacksonville and were able to have a come from behind victory. Indianapolis on the other hand was playing in Denver and although they didn't win, were able to manage a backdoor cover. This should be an exciting game to watch as there will be plenty of scoring. The thing here is that Colts QB Andrew Luck won't have as bad of a game he had against Denver. Luck threw 2 INTs and was stuffed on a 4th and goal from the 1 to start the second half. The bad news for Indy is they received word this week their leading defender, LB Robert Mathis, is out for the year with a torn Achilles. He was serving a 4 game suspension for PED use but this is a big blow. That will bring the Colts season win total down a bit but I still like their chances in this game.
Other NFL in 10 or less
Lions +3 over PANTHERS Lions' offense looks great and Cam still hurting
Jaguars +6 over REDSKINS Jaguars put together a whole game this time
GIANTS +2.5 over Cardinals Late MNF game and cross country flight hurt Arizona
Patriots -3 over VIKINGS Brady can't start 0-2, can he?
BROWNS +6.5 over Saints Cleveland keeps is close but Saints win
BUCS -5.5 over Rams Can't trust the Rams, now on their 3rd QB
CHARGERS +6 over Seahawks Could be trap game for Seattle looking toward Denver
RAIDERS +3 over Texans There's just something about that Black Hole
Jets +8.5 over PACKERS Big line for a good Jets defense
BRONCOS -12 over Chiefs KC looked terrible on offense, can't score enough
49ERS -7 over Bears Bears looked unimpressive against Bills last week
SuperContest
Last Week: 2-3
Season Total: 2-3
Overall
Last Week: 6-10
Season Total: 6-10
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