Sunday again, and I haven't had time this week to do a writeup of last week. A few of the things that got to me about last week was how much more impressed I became with Josh Johnson - he was pretty sick - but how unimpressed I was with our receivers. If we'd have caught a few more passes and not "gone for it" on fourth down on the 30 yard line twice, we'd have given ourselves a chance.
However, the Eagles are a sick team, and I have them going far this season - regardless of their Vick "troubles" at the moment - Carolina are not. True, not much has changed since last year when we were both 8-3 and they suddenly ran all over us, but they just don't seem to be the same team this year.
I say we win today, and not just because its 10 minutes in and we're a touchdown up! My picks are below and they were done this morning! I think it's too easy to simply pick the games so I pick the handicaps. Obviously, the handicap is +3 to the Bucs, so I've taken it. But I really do think we've got a good chance this week. We're really not as bad as everyone seems to think - we've just played tough opposition: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles... I think this week is the best shot we've got at getting off the mark.
As for my other 13:00 picks:
Bengals -5 (vs houston)
Vikings - 3 (vs Ravens) - easily!
Kansas +6 (vs Washington) upset special?!
Detroit +14 (vs Green Bay)
Jacksonville -9.5 (vs Rams) - unsure though...
and of course, my Bucs +3 (vs Panthers)
and I completely missed the NO vs Giants line but I'd take NO up to -6. I seriously can't see them losing with Drew Brees under center at the moment.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Bucs vs Eagles Preview
Just watching the game now, wasn't sure how much I should type up so I just put it all. I wrote it earlier this morning on a train. Either way here it is...
Week 5 should bring more misery for the Bucs as Philli aim to go 3-1 with the return of McNabb under center.
For me, the McNabb factor is the overriding factor this week. I have no faith in Kolb and never will. Sure he has sat on the bench for the last four years and knows Andy Reids playbook inside out but this for me, should be no reason to start a guy ahead of two proven NFL qbs. Garcia is old, but let's not forget, he took the Bucs to an 8-3 start last season and I see know reason why he couldn't do a good job at another team for another year.
As far as Vick goes, I don't think the way Philli are handling him is wrong, I just don't think it's the way he should have come back. Assuming he truly is the same Mike Vick we all watched in awe, I have no doubts whatsoever that if he'd have joined the Lions or whoever else, he'd have a few wins under his belt. Heck, he'd have even done a few things for the Rams! The guy's nearly 30 years old, he's never been a great thrower, and hanging around on the sidelines as a wildcat option, waiting to inherit a team isn't going to help this. He's been out long enough and my best resolve would for him to have gotten back into regular football week in week out. Of course, while I'm not sure whether this will be the best option for him long term, this does help Philli greatly and I can see them going very far this year.
As far as this game goes, I don't see us having a chance. They were without McNabb and Vick for wks 1 and 2 and Mcnabb in wk 3. With both back this week, I can't see us holding out against them. These are two of the best qbs in the game - on one team - two - on one offense!
The under/over on the game (which I'm allowed to talk about because I'm British..!) is 15.5 in favour of the Eagles and despite the fact that I can see us being served up for lunch, I'm giving us a chance and taking the under.
First off, I can't imagine taking an over for anyone who isn't playing the Rams right now (11.5 this week... seriously!?!?).
Secondly, I have quite a lot of faith in Josh Johnson. Fine, he had a pretty bad second half last week but a few of the things he did caught my eye. I know the 'skin's D isn't too hot right now but he put up a couple of runs and quite a bit of movement out of the pocket that I simply haven't seen from a Bucs qb before. I've been a fan since the '98 season so I've seen quite a few qbs, but none really had much vigour or excitement to them. Take Shaun King, Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, I'm sure I've missed one, but with the amount of excitement we've had on our offense over the last decade, I just get excited when I see someone move out of the pocket and not lose 10 yards!
Many times last week he only managed to get back to the line of scrimmage but he showed some flair and awareness and I can see him getting better.
Consequently, I can see us clearing 15 points, although I'm not saying I think we'll win! I know I'm meant to argue the Buc's corner but Deshaun Jackson has been playing well and Brain Celek is one of the most on form TEs in the league right now. And I know we haven't seen much yet, but the Vick option just scares me; if he can get close to his former self, he's one sick guy.
So why are we not 15 points worse than the Eagles?? I have high hopes for Johnson like I've said, Aquib Talib was on form last week, and after a few comments about him in the week, I'd expect Cadillac to be on better form too. If Johnson performs, I can see Winslow showing up. He's a good player and is definitely due a break-out game.
Will we win? Nope! But I don't think it's as dull as it seems.
Week 5 should bring more misery for the Bucs as Philli aim to go 3-1 with the return of McNabb under center.
For me, the McNabb factor is the overriding factor this week. I have no faith in Kolb and never will. Sure he has sat on the bench for the last four years and knows Andy Reids playbook inside out but this for me, should be no reason to start a guy ahead of two proven NFL qbs. Garcia is old, but let's not forget, he took the Bucs to an 8-3 start last season and I see know reason why he couldn't do a good job at another team for another year.
As far as Vick goes, I don't think the way Philli are handling him is wrong, I just don't think it's the way he should have come back. Assuming he truly is the same Mike Vick we all watched in awe, I have no doubts whatsoever that if he'd have joined the Lions or whoever else, he'd have a few wins under his belt. Heck, he'd have even done a few things for the Rams! The guy's nearly 30 years old, he's never been a great thrower, and hanging around on the sidelines as a wildcat option, waiting to inherit a team isn't going to help this. He's been out long enough and my best resolve would for him to have gotten back into regular football week in week out. Of course, while I'm not sure whether this will be the best option for him long term, this does help Philli greatly and I can see them going very far this year.
As far as this game goes, I don't see us having a chance. They were without McNabb and Vick for wks 1 and 2 and Mcnabb in wk 3. With both back this week, I can't see us holding out against them. These are two of the best qbs in the game - on one team - two - on one offense!
The under/over on the game (which I'm allowed to talk about because I'm British..!) is 15.5 in favour of the Eagles and despite the fact that I can see us being served up for lunch, I'm giving us a chance and taking the under.
First off, I can't imagine taking an over for anyone who isn't playing the Rams right now (11.5 this week... seriously!?!?).
Secondly, I have quite a lot of faith in Josh Johnson. Fine, he had a pretty bad second half last week but a few of the things he did caught my eye. I know the 'skin's D isn't too hot right now but he put up a couple of runs and quite a bit of movement out of the pocket that I simply haven't seen from a Bucs qb before. I've been a fan since the '98 season so I've seen quite a few qbs, but none really had much vigour or excitement to them. Take Shaun King, Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, I'm sure I've missed one, but with the amount of excitement we've had on our offense over the last decade, I just get excited when I see someone move out of the pocket and not lose 10 yards!
Many times last week he only managed to get back to the line of scrimmage but he showed some flair and awareness and I can see him getting better.
Consequently, I can see us clearing 15 points, although I'm not saying I think we'll win! I know I'm meant to argue the Buc's corner but Deshaun Jackson has been playing well and Brain Celek is one of the most on form TEs in the league right now. And I know we haven't seen much yet, but the Vick option just scares me; if he can get close to his former self, he's one sick guy.
So why are we not 15 points worse than the Eagles?? I have high hopes for Johnson like I've said, Aquib Talib was on form last week, and after a few comments about him in the week, I'd expect Cadillac to be on better form too. If Johnson performs, I can see Winslow showing up. He's a good player and is definitely due a break-out game.
Will we win? Nope! But I don't think it's as dull as it seems.
Early Kick Off Handicaps
Just got back from a long train journey and thought I'd put up my picks up before the early kick offs reach half time. May I also note, I took the handicaps for the early games earlier today, and have not have only just started watching the Bucs game on an hour delay so I'm not cheating!
- Vikings -10 (vs Rams)
- Bucs +15.5 (vs Philli)
- Lions +10.5 (vs Steelers)
- Giants -15 (vs Raiders)
- Bengals +8.5 (vs Ravens)
- Chiefs +7.5 (vs Dallas)
- Bills -6.0 (vs Browns)
- Redskins +4.0 (vs Carolina)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Weeks 1-3, (Part 1: Raheem Morris)
Well if someone had told me that 3 games into the season, we'd be on the same record as Tennessee, I'd have taken it gladly. I didn't have much optimism leading up to the preseason, but it would seem things have gone from bad to worse.
Firstly, back in January I didn't know what to make of the Gruden sacking. To go from 8-3 to finishing 9-7 and miss playoffs is totally unacceptable, and on this basis I figured there was maybe some good reason for him to go. It was complicated because at the end of October, I seriously thought we had a good shot at the Superbowl and the breakdown could have easily been blamed on Monte Kiffin's ridiculously timed decision to make public his future plans. But Gruden had the responsibility in guiding the team to the playoffs, and on this aspect he failed. Was I surprised to see him sacked? Yes. And I did actually believe he deserved at least another chance. But on discovering that he had been sacked I figured we'd get someone just as good who could maybe put some more fire into our team.
What I did not expect was Raheem Morris. If you read the dudes cv, it's like putting a shelf stacker at wallmart on the board of directors just because you saw him down at Kmart. If only he had have gone to the Denver Broncos.
I don't want to write the guy off before he's completed a season but 3 straight losses are not exactly giving him a headstart and with the exception of the running game in week one, the teams performances couldn't have been much worse. I've heard people arguing that Tony Dungy started 0-5 back in his first season in '96, but I think they're forgetting he'd been defensive co-ordinator of both the Steelers and the Vikings, not to mention he'd had 14 years of NFL coaching experience behind him. Morris is 33 years old... If he'd been the head coach
Honestly, I like to think optimistically, and I'd like to think that Morris could turn out to be ok, but right now I see nothing to support this claim. My favourite coach in the NFL right now? Mike Singleterry. By a million miles. Ok, given the choice, maybe I'd take Bellicheck... But what singleterry brings to San Fransisco is optimism, hope, and hard work. And when I found out we'd hired Morris, I'd dreamed that he'd be something along these lines - not someone who gives ridiculous orders, continously plays a D that doesn't hold up, and then comes out and calls out half the team by name. Mangini is losing the support of his locker room and Morris will go the same way if he continues to reel off in the fashion he did last week.
Sure, we're crap right now. And we've got many many problems of which I will discuss in my next blog, but Morris is part of this team, and when we fail, he should stand up and take the rap with the rest of the team. And if he's not prepared to do that, then come out, show some determination and act like he cares.
On a final note, I'd like to reference the Mike singleterry rant which came around week 9/10 in their loss to seattle last seaaon. He openly admitted that his team lacked control and passion and let's be fair, they were utter crap - but he still came out fighting, seizing control of his team, leading them in the right direction. Would Morris have taken Vernon Davis out of the game? He'd have probably kept him on and then spend the post-match pconference moaning about how rubbish he was.
Am I hopeful? Not very.
Firstly, back in January I didn't know what to make of the Gruden sacking. To go from 8-3 to finishing 9-7 and miss playoffs is totally unacceptable, and on this basis I figured there was maybe some good reason for him to go. It was complicated because at the end of October, I seriously thought we had a good shot at the Superbowl and the breakdown could have easily been blamed on Monte Kiffin's ridiculously timed decision to make public his future plans. But Gruden had the responsibility in guiding the team to the playoffs, and on this aspect he failed. Was I surprised to see him sacked? Yes. And I did actually believe he deserved at least another chance. But on discovering that he had been sacked I figured we'd get someone just as good who could maybe put some more fire into our team.
What I did not expect was Raheem Morris. If you read the dudes cv, it's like putting a shelf stacker at wallmart on the board of directors just because you saw him down at Kmart. If only he had have gone to the Denver Broncos.
I don't want to write the guy off before he's completed a season but 3 straight losses are not exactly giving him a headstart and with the exception of the running game in week one, the teams performances couldn't have been much worse. I've heard people arguing that Tony Dungy started 0-5 back in his first season in '96, but I think they're forgetting he'd been defensive co-ordinator of both the Steelers and the Vikings, not to mention he'd had 14 years of NFL coaching experience behind him. Morris is 33 years old... If he'd been the head coach
Honestly, I like to think optimistically, and I'd like to think that Morris could turn out to be ok, but right now I see nothing to support this claim. My favourite coach in the NFL right now? Mike Singleterry. By a million miles. Ok, given the choice, maybe I'd take Bellicheck... But what singleterry brings to San Fransisco is optimism, hope, and hard work. And when I found out we'd hired Morris, I'd dreamed that he'd be something along these lines - not someone who gives ridiculous orders, continously plays a D that doesn't hold up, and then comes out and calls out half the team by name. Mangini is losing the support of his locker room and Morris will go the same way if he continues to reel off in the fashion he did last week.
Sure, we're crap right now. And we've got many many problems of which I will discuss in my next blog, but Morris is part of this team, and when we fail, he should stand up and take the rap with the rest of the team. And if he's not prepared to do that, then come out, show some determination and act like he cares.
On a final note, I'd like to reference the Mike singleterry rant which came around week 9/10 in their loss to seattle last seaaon. He openly admitted that his team lacked control and passion and let's be fair, they were utter crap - but he still came out fighting, seizing control of his team, leading them in the right direction. Would Morris have taken Vernon Davis out of the game? He'd have probably kept him on and then spend the post-match pconference moaning about how rubbish he was.
Am I hopeful? Not very.
Welcome - First Post!
With this being the first post, I guess I should introduce myself. I am a British University student, with a total addiction to the NFL. I have NFL network on most days, love the NFL rants and raves and ESPN Football Today podcasts, and watch every game in full on Sundays, Mondays, and the occasional Thursday.
Nevertheless, it isn't easy being an NFL fan in the UK, with absolutely nothing in the news over here and no publicity whatsoever besides the token London game once a year, it has next to no coverage. I mean, sure, we have four or five games a week on cable tv, but Brett Favre could literally walk onto a bus with Tom Brady and Mike Vick and no one would notice. In short, there isn't really any way I can get my opinion out; and if there is, it's with someone who watches a couple of games here and there and wouldn't really understand the difference between a zone coverage and man to man so there's not really much point in me complaining to him that my Bucs defense seem to be using the wrong one!
So this is my outlet! And if I get just one reader a week I will be very happy!
These are my views and opinions; my responses to those which I hear from across the Atlantic!
So thank you for reading, and if you don't agree with me, respond, by all means!
Nevertheless, it isn't easy being an NFL fan in the UK, with absolutely nothing in the news over here and no publicity whatsoever besides the token London game once a year, it has next to no coverage. I mean, sure, we have four or five games a week on cable tv, but Brett Favre could literally walk onto a bus with Tom Brady and Mike Vick and no one would notice. In short, there isn't really any way I can get my opinion out; and if there is, it's with someone who watches a couple of games here and there and wouldn't really understand the difference between a zone coverage and man to man so there's not really much point in me complaining to him that my Bucs defense seem to be using the wrong one!
So this is my outlet! And if I get just one reader a week I will be very happy!
These are my views and opinions; my responses to those which I hear from across the Atlantic!
So thank you for reading, and if you don't agree with me, respond, by all means!
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