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#22
August 17th, 2008, 21:08
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Definitely Tony, will be doing the same in terms of picking a couple of teams to actually win the SB/their conference and then having a weekly bet on the games on the handicap lines, which last year i was very successful with.
Been a few interesting scorelines this weekend - preseason games in the NFL count for about as much as our soccer pre season friendlies do - but there are always a few signs and clues, especially where there are new Head Coaches and big money trades. Plus, obviously, teams want some momentum going into the regular season, as well as for the most part you have second string players trying to make a point for inclusion into the starting line up, so very much worth keeping an eye on. I will post this round up tomorrow, and review another division...i'll stay in the NFC and do the NFC South, then the NFC West, before moving onto the 4 AFC divisions. 
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#24
August 18th, 2008, 08:01
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Preseason Week 2 - Review
The NFL spotlight this weekend was in New York, where Brett Favre made his return to NFL action but for the first time ever in a jersey other than the green/yellow of the Green Bay Packers...now he was suited up as a New York Jet, and they faced my Washington Redskins in a preseason match that usually would fall way off the radar.
Favre did ok - he threw his first, and the Jets only, TD pass - a 4 yard dump to TE Dustin Keller, but ultimately the rough n ready Washington defence got to him plenty and he soon gave way to the backup QB - nothing much to be read into that, as NFL coaches chop and change around alot, but Favre made a decent start. In the end, the Redskins won the game 13-10, and have now won all three of their preseason games - the standout record so far. Elsewhere, and concern at preseason favourites and last seasons nigh-on untouchables the New England Patriots, as they lost their second consecutive preseason game 27-10 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Patriots star QB, Tom Brady, didnt play, but alot of their main string and much vaunted offense did make starts and play series - but to little effect, as they seemed stuck in first gear and the Buccs beat them comfortably. A few injuries here for the Patriots and no real cohesion as yet...im not sure if this alone will start to make them drift in the market, but definitely something to keep an eye on. Another well fancied team that have lost both pre season games so far are the Dallas Cowboys (ha). They went down to the Denver Broncos 23-13 and whilst there are no alarm bells ringing just yet, already there are murmurs of discontent. Biggest concern result of the week at Favre's old club, Green Bay, where they got hammered by the lowly ranked San Francisco 49ers 34-6. The scoreline bad enough, but of most concern was the Pack's inability to stop the San Fran defence from getting to and hitting their rookie QB. When you consider the 49ers defence is no great shakes, it will be of a huge concern to the Packers with only two weeks left to go before the start of the regular season. Full scores from week 2 of the preseason Buffalo Bills 24 - 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Philadelphia Eagles 24 - 13 Carolina Panthers Tennessee Titans 17 - 16 Oakland Raiders NY Jets 10 - 13 Washington Redskins Atlanta Falcons 9 - 16 Indianapolis Colts Baltimore Ravens 15 - 23 Minnesota Vikings Jacksonville Jaguars 14 - 19 Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints 27 - 31 Houston Texans Kansas City Chiefs 17 - 27 Arizona Cardinals St Louis Rams 7 - 6 San Diego Chargers Denver Broncos 23 - 13 Dallas Cowboys Seattle Seahawks 29 - 26 Chicago Bears San Francisco 49ers 34 - 6 Green Bay Packers Cincinatti Bengals 10 - 27 Detroit Lions Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 - 10 New England Patriots playing tonight New York Giants v Cleveland Browns
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#25
August 18th, 2008, 12:30
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The Shark's Divisional Review (3)
Next on the list is the NFC South Division
NFC SOUTH - Teams : Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons Last Season : 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7 (Lost to NY Giants Divisional Champs Game) 2. Carolina Panthers 7-9 (Did Not Qualify for Playoffs) 3. New Orleans Saints 7-9 (DNQ) 4. Atlanta Falcons 4-12 (DNQ) TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS The Buccs are a no nonsense, what you see is what you get kinda team...no real stud players, sound offensively, sound defensively, difficult to beat yet always beatable - the kind of team you dont wanna see on your forthcoming schedule, but if you do, it doesnt send shivers down your spine. It is hard to place exactly where they are at right now...they currently have 4 QB's vying for the starters job, with Earnest Graham at RB keeping Carnell "Cadillac" Williams place warm whilst Cadillac recovers from injury, but doing a nice job in the meantime. Head Coach Jon Gruden will expect playoff football from his team, as they have been postseason regulars in the last few years...but you get the sense if one of their divisional rivals puts any kind of pressure on them they may struggle to hold the #1 spot in the NFC South. Offensive Rating : 6.5/10 Defensive Rating : 7/10 My Prediction : Something telling me this isnt gonna be a good year for the Buccs...dont really know why though. CAROLINA PANTHERS Alot will depend here on how their number one QB Jake Delhomme returns from injury and whether he will have star WR Steve Smith to throw to - and if he does, whether Smith can stay fit as well. Carolina are traditionally strong defensively and this remains the case, but they can become very one dimensional, relying heavily on their passing game to put points on the board. If injuries/fitness goes against them, they will lose more games than they win. Offensive Rating : Potentially 8/10 - also potentially 5/10 Defensive Rating : 8/10 My Prediction : Will look world beaters one week, no hopers the next. If Delhomme/Smith stay fit, they will have a winning season. Not much more though. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS This team could be an exciting one to follow this season. They have offensive weapons aplenty....Drew Brees is one of the premier QB's in the NFL and has a rising star of a WR in Marques Colston. They are strong in the RB department, with Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister back fit from injury. They have brought in one of the top Tight Ends (although i cant stand the punk) Jeremy Shockey and will score points with alarming regularity and pretty quickly as well. Can they stop teams from scoring though? That is what stops the Saints becoming one of the premier teams in the NFL, and why they end up losing matches they really should win. The Saints are alot of peoples "second" team, and no one really chunters if the Saints go marching to the Superbowl..they have never been there yet though...its gotta happen one year though...hasnt it??? Offensive Rating : 8.5/10 Defensive Rating : 6/10 My Prediction : The Saints could (should?) take the division this season and boast one of the hottest offenses around. Their games will be exciting to watch...could be a roller coaster season in NO. ATLANTA FALCONS Gotta feel sorry for the Falcons...they were crusing along with Micheal Vick as QB, and were primed for eventual success...then Vick goes and gets himself disgraced and jailed and the house comes crashing down around the Falcons. They had a terrible year last season being one of the leagues lowest scorers whilst having a defense that seemed to enjoy watching the opposition score. They have taken steps to redress this though - the signing of Michael Turner at RB from the Chargers being a fine capture, though you still fear for their passing game. I expect to see an improvement this year from the Falcons - to what ends i am not sure but they will close the division up. Offensive Rating : 6/10 Defensive Rating : 5/10 My Prediction : Better, but still not back to the glory days for the Falcons. NFC SOUTH OVERALL You wont find the SB winner - probably even the NFC representative at the SB coming from this division, but i expect it to be a close run league. The Saints should prove too strong for their 3 rivals, whilst the Falcons could clamber above the Panthers if injuries to the key men of Carolina take their toll. The Buccs will be competative, but their limitations will hamper their chances of success. 1. Saints 2. Buccaneers 3. Falcons 4. Panthers
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#26
August 19th, 2008, 07:18
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Just to update the Monday night game....and bad news for Tony....
New York Giants 37 - 34 Cleveland Browns.....but the Browns star QB Derek Anderson got injured during the game and it is being assessed as to how serious the injury is.
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#27
August 19th, 2008, 07:59
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The Shark's Divisional Review (4)
Up next is the NFC West Division
NFC WEST - Teams : Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St Louis Rams Last Season : 1. Seattle Seahawks 10-6 (Lost to Green Bay in Divisional Champs Game) 2. Arizona Cardinals 8-8 (Did Not Qualify for Playoffs) 3. San Francisco 49ers 5-11 (DNQ) 4. St Louis Rams 3-13 (DNQ) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Seattle have pretty much had this division to themselves over recent years - notoriously strong in their West Coast fortress called the QWest Stadium in Seattle (try and find some photos of it, or make sure you watch and look at the stadium when Seattle are home on TV - its awesome) the Seahawks have been the NFC's nearly men - but have always found a team or two just a bit stronger than them down the stretch. I suspect this season will pan out the same for the Hawks - they have also lost their stud RB in Shaun Alexander but will continue to be strong offensively with QB Matt Hasselbeck at the helm. Cant see anyone taking the Divisional title off them...but cant see them making the big dance either. Offensive Rating : 8/10 Defensive Rating : 7.5/10 My Prediction - Another NFC West title to Seattle and playoff football...but not much more. ARIZONA CARDINALS Pretty much every year for the last 4 or 5 the pundits/experts have been suggesting that this may well be the season for the usually maligned Cardinals to break out and bring playoff football to Arizona for the first time in....pffftt...pick a number. But season in season the Cards fail to live up to the hype and fail to make the postseason. The nucleus of a good team is there - an aging experienced QB in Kurt Warner mentoring an up and coming young QB in Matt Leinart....a very decent RB in Edgerrin James and a WR corps that is the envy of many a bigger NFL side, primarily thanks to the duo of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald - though there is much speculation about the future of Boldin currently. The Cards just dont get it done on defense though, and whilever they have this Achilles heel, i suspect they will always be close, but no cigar. Offensive Rating : 8/10 Defensive Rating : 5/10 My prediction : Should be Seattles closest challenger again, but will lose too many games to be a real threat. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers The days of Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice et all are long gone in San Fran, and for many a season now they have been almost the whipping boys of the NFL. There are signs of life starting to flicker in this former giant, but there are still way too many holes in both the offense and defense to expect anything much from the Niners. They do have an excellent RB in Frank Gore, but the QB situation is desperate, and they dont have much in the way of a receiving corps either. Defense is better than it was but still way down the rankings...think it will be a few years yet before gold is found in SF again. Offensive Rating : 5/10 (3 of those for Gore) Defensive Rating : 4/10 My Prediction : Hard to find many positive aspects for the 49ers this season...will lose (many) more than they win. ST LOUIS RAMS What has happened to the "greatest show on turf"? 3 - 13 last season was pathetic - and the Rams were as bad as the record sounds (where have i heard that sentence before?) True, the Rams were decimated by injury but that is an excuse more than a reason, and the old guard still in St Louis really are a last chance saloon this season. There must be, and should be an improvement - but a 7 or 8 game improvement to make the playoffs seems too big a bridge to cross. QB Marc Bulger will come out firing...RB Steven Jackson will grind out the yards and score the TD's...but i still dont think it will be enough. Offensive Rating - If all fit and on form 8/10 - otherwise 6/10 at best Defensive Rating - 6/10 My Prediction - A better season for the Rams - above the 49ers and will challenge Arizona for a possible wildcard spot behind the Hawks. NFC WEST OVERALL Probably the weakest division in the NFC - not far away from the weakest in the NFL - Seattle should again win the division with games to spare, but look for an improved St Louis to battle Arizona this time around. Rock bottom 49ers will only have a very good 2009 draft pick to look forward to. 1. Seahawks 2. Rams 3. Cardinals 4. 49ers
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#28
August 19th, 2008, 17:45
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A few ...........
Strange results there Mark but its only pre season and im sure like our football its a bit of a mix of players...i was quite pleased to see the Browns scoring 34 points but obviously not too happy about the 37 scored against and of course our quaterbacks injury.
Hopefully he will be fit for the start of the season and can help the Browns towards a good season..Very interesting write up and im sure this will come in very useful when we get going.. Keep the info coming m8..... 
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#29
August 19th, 2008, 22:48
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Very much so Tony - the preseason games are very much used as trials and it is very rare that first choice players, or starters, are used for anything more than a series of plays, or a quarter at the most - so results must be taken with a large pinch of salt.
However, that is not to say that any teams try or want to lose these games, as the players that do play them all have contracts and squad places to be playing for, plus of course the coaches want some winning momentum to take them into the season proper. It is interesting to note that of the 4 preseason games, most NFL sides usually make week 3 as their key game, where their stronger players see some action and gain some match fitness, whilst leaving them a week plus to recover for the first game proper of the season. This weekend is week 3...so if any of the preseason results are to be noted, here they come. Derek Andersons injury seems to be a concussion - like in racing, they take concussion very seriously and a question mark must be over the Browns #1 QB making the start of the season, which is a huge blow. Updates to follow as and when.
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#30
August 20th, 2008, 17:31
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Week three games..
Will be very interesting and will have a few pointers maybe to starting line ups etc for the real kick off.
I think if the Browns are going to have any chance of a sucsessful season they need very few injuries and none to crucial players.. I would be happy to see us have 3 wins from the first 4 matches but nowdays thats hard as the whole NFL is on a more leval playing field then it was a few years ago..
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