Sunday, November 11, 2007
(12:42 AM) | Brad:
Football Blogging: One More Boring Thing To Do On Sundays
The only good thing about Monday Night Football's snooze-fest between San Francisco & Seattle is that it means I won't get stuck with two horrible Bay Area football games. We dodged a bullet last week, when enough Raider fans decided they'd rather see the Colts-Pats game -- preventing the much-dreaded sell-out that would've put the Raiders-Texans game on my tv instead. Ever since the Warriors playoff run last spring, this area has had some horribled sports. Be it the A's or the Giants, Raiders or the 49ers, and now an 0-5 Warriors team that can't hit free throws, either way I'm stuck with a lot of bad sports. We had hopes for Cal. But reality struck quick, and since then it has struck often.A few interesting games this week:
(1) Cleveland @ Pittsburgh: The Steelers are giving up 9.5 points here. I'm leery, but for some reason (in defiance of good reason, I might add) I've not trusted the Steelers at any point this year. Oh well, I'm jumping aboard this week. Willie Parker should have a field day. Weird to think, though, that the Browns are a couple of draft picks and free agent moves away from a really quality team.
(2) Jacksonville @ Tennessee: This is one of those really significant games that hardly anybody gives a crap about. One of these teams will likely make the playoffs as a wildcard, and will almost certainly get destroyed. Neither are especially good. And yet, there they stand, halfway through the season, and they're currently AFC powers. Albeit, incredibly ugly powers. Fortunately for Tennessee, they're a little less ugly. They'll give up the four points and breeze.
(3) Indianapolis @ San Diego: Take heart, Indy fans. You held your own against a Pats team that only had to play eight minutes of quality offense in order to win -- but you did it w/out future Hall of Famer, Marvin Harrison. Unfortunately, this week both he & Alex "Who Burned Down My House This Week" Gonzalez are out again, and Ugoh & Clark are questionable. One of those last two need to play for them to win this game, against a SD team utterly & completely embarassed by Adrian Peterson (and him alone) last week in Minnesota. I'm very curious how they approach the Colts defensively, and whether they'll have anything close to an answer for Addai. Merriman, I'm sure, will take an extra dosage of his "supplement." At the end of the day, the Chargers need this game too badly -- not to mention, they're pretty great at home (during the regular season, anyway). Their getting 3.5 points. I'm taking them and calling Chargers here -- if we're lucky, maybe we'll see Tomlinson cry out of joy. How odd will it be to be over halfway through a season and, potentially, seeing the Colts & Titans w/ the same record -- the Colts in first only by virtue of head-to-head matchup? Maybe only for a second. Personally, I don't think it's significant at all, because there's no way the Colts lose any games to their divisional chumps.
(4) Dallas @ New York (Giants): I don't know what to think of this game. I don't really like this Dallas team too much. But I don't yet have any faith in this Giants team -- even though I've thoroughly enjoyed watching their defensive line dominate the trenches. Romo might be too mobile for them, though. Though, I wouldn't be too surprised if he had a 3 interception day. Sigh. Too tough to call. I'm going w/ the home team to take the points (1.5) and run.
[Is there even a fifth game of consequence this week? I guess, the MNF football game kind of is. If SF can somehow win -- HA! -- they'll only be one game back in the West. But, no, that game is on the level of bukkake midget porn. I refuse to comment on it. But, hey, let's stay in the West!]
(5) Detroit @ Arizona: Every year for the past five or so years, the pre-season cool pick for the playoffs is Arizona. And every reason they slurp shaggy balls. This season is, thus far, no different. What's odd, though, is that they remain one of those teams that people keep expecting to make a late run to end the season. And apparently Vegas agrees. A 6-2 Detroit Lions teams that has won three straight is going against a 3-5 Arizona Cardinals team that has lost three straight, and Detroit is getting a point? I mean, I know it's in Arizona, but c'mon. Chicago is favored by 4 this week in Oakland, and Detroit is the underdog in Arizona? Oh god, I just realized I've drank the Kitna Go-Go-Jesus Kool-Aid. Onward Christian Soldiers, marching on to ten wins!
BONUS: I'm not picking this game, but I'm really curious what you think about it. Carolina is giving up 4 points to Atlanta. This is one of the shittiest games of the week, but it's a line that really intrigues me. Am I crazy to even think Atlanta has a chance of covering? Also, for your consideration, will Jake Plummer be next year's mercenary formerly retired QB? Or are there contractual obligations, what w/ his lame out-of-the-blue retirement, that makes this impossible?
