NFL 2006 - 2007 Season

[Ryan Ruck]

Palmer looked great in his return. It just bugs me no end that the Bengals try to put all their eggs in his basket though. They're a very good team without him also. Yet they often feel that without Palmer they don't stand a chance. Someone on that team other than Palmer or Lewis needs to step up and be a leader and say... Ok... We lost Palmer for a bit. That sucks but lets win this Mother******!!! Because they can and should be able to play without him. Palmer would be a crap QB in many eyes if the other members weren't doing their job also so obviously talent isn't lacking. That tells me Palmer is integral but shouldn't be key.

This is mostly true...

But, I think the inability to deliver without Palmer last year was simply because Kitna just flat out wasn't the man for the job.

Kitna excelled at the short range game. And this was fine when the Bengals didn't have any sort of a running game! But, with the Bengals getting their running game up to snuf, there simply was no need for a QB that could only deliver at short range. This was very apparent when Kitna stepped in after Palmer's injury. He just couldn't make many medium range plays and even fewer long range plays.

Anthony Wright is a much more well rounded QB than Kitna was and with him now in the #2 QB spot, I think that should a situation arise where Palmer cannot play, the situation will be much more different than it was last year.

[Brian Baldwin]

I don't really agree. In that game Kitna actually played well enough at first. But they kept showing the players on the sidelines with defeated looks on their faces. They beat themselves and the Steelers saw it and went after it like a pack of wolves. Kitna isn't the best backup for the Bengals... That's true. Anthony Wright is better suited to the team. But their players have to figure out that it doesn't matter if your QB is Bill Gates all of the sudden. Play to win no matter what. The reason I'm resolute on this is because if Palmer does go down and attitudes haven't changed then Anthony Wright won't have any better luck than Kitna did really. I even saw an interview with TJ on NFL network where he said that Palmer should be ready for opening day and then they'll have their game back. Wrong thing to think. Really it is considering they'd already brought in Wright. TJ and Chad are great receivers. Do they really think only Palmer is capable of throwing the ball to them?

A better example of a bad QB situation would be the Steelers last season. Big Ben is out and Batch is in. We win two. Batch get's hurt and Maddox is in... We barely lose. Why? Because Maddox really did suck as a QB by then. But the players still made great plays and almost pulled it off anyway.

The Bengals/Steelers game should really have been a Bengals win. I say should have been because the team had some better talent in certain positions. But instead they gave the win to Pittsburgh because Palmer got hurt. I felt ashamed for Cincy fans. You were robbed in the end by your own team. Lewis was even guilty of it a bit there. That was a real shocker. I finally turned the game off and I'm one of the world's biggest Steelers fans.

If Lewis has his composure back and he convinces his team that they are the sum of ALL their parts and not Palmer's personal posse. Cincy WILL go to the Super Bowl this year. Otherwise they will be number 2 in their division with another disappointing post season.

[Ryan Ruck]

Hadn't heard about that interview with TJ but, you are right. That is the wrong way to go about looking at things.

While it might be nice to have a superstar in a certain postition, one man does not fully make or break a team.

[Brian Baldwin]

Basically you said in two sentences what I was bloviating through several pages. One man doesn't make the whole team. Simple and to the point.

[Brian Baldwin]

Ok. Preseason is pretty much over and Teams must have their final cuts in pretty quick now. The games this preseason were fairly unexciting except for the Return of Carson Palmer. I think most people were pulling for him to have a complete recovery and he played very well in his first appearance.

Here is where I will point to teams I think will be among the top teams or most improved and why. After this I will begin my prognostications each week and list a couple of must watch games with the scores. But for now lets take a look at what we gleaned from Preseason.

Most Likely Team to Clinch their Division first in the AFC...

Cincinnati Bengals. Yep I said it. I'm a Steelers fan but not while I write these articles. Cincy is the bomb. They have the talent and the fire inside to approach each and every game with a kind of desperate energy that makes a team do wonderful things. Palmer's injury was a fluke really last season and I don't see it happening again this season. He'll be there the whole way. They'll likely split the wins against Pittsburgh but should easily defeat Baltimore and Cleveland in both meetings. Look for band wagon jumpers to act like they thought Cincy was everything and a donut from the begining when this becomes clear.

Most Likely Team to Clinch their Division first in the NFC...

Dallas Cowboys. Well that leaves an ugly taste in my mouth. lol But seriously... I know you're going to see many people predict Carolina all the way but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Carolina is a good consistant team that will once again make the playoffs but Dallas with or without T.O. and his idiocy will clinch first with a very improved and dynamic team.

Other AFC Division leaders...

Indianapolis Colts. Because they are the only NFL team in that division.
Denver Broncos. May even be a Super Bowl team this year.
Miami Dolphins. Sorry. Patriots just aren't an actual dynasty. Really.

Other NFC Division leaders...

Seattle Seahawks. They'll clinch and make the playoffs. Not much else.
Carolina Panthers. They're good. Maybe Super Bowl good.
Chicago Bears. Made some solid changes this year.

Possible AFC Wild Cards...

New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. These teams could even upset the division leaders under the right circumstances.

Possible NFC Wild Cards...

Arizona Cardinals, N.Y. Giants, Tampa Bay Bucs, Atlanta Falcons, and Green Bay Packers. These teams likely won't upset the division leaders under any circumstances.

Most Improved AFC Teams...

Oakland Raiders. Good chance this team may be in the right place of their rebuild to actually get noticed and could even make the playoffs though unlikely.

Houston Texans. They really only could improve. This isn't a compliment.

Most Improved NFC Teams...

Philadelphia Eagles. Without T.O. They were destined to do better.

San Francisco 49ers. Are they still a team? Yes and they're much improved these days.

Most Boneheaded Offseason Move...

I give this to the New Orlean Saints for firing their head coach after a season where they had no real home. Not only was it bad ownership it was just plain wrong. He should have been given one more year due to the circumstances. Follow up would have to be giving to Indianapolis for letting Edgerin James go. What were they thinking? They must have had their crowd noise volume turned up too loud because it affected their thinking.

Most Beneficial Offseason Move...

Philadelphia wins this hands down for sending T.O. Packing. This single individual can ruin any team and actually tries his best to do it. Runner up would be Miami bringing in two veteran QBs that others thought were washed up but just didn't realise the QBs were fine but it was they themselves that were actually malfunctioning.

Best New Head Coach...

Only one comes to mind and that's Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers. I have a feeling that Ted Thompson is in for a shock when he finds out that McCarthy is more in charge than Ted likes. Could be just what the Pack needs to move forward.

10 Burning Questions For this Season...

1.) Will the Steelers repeat and be the first team to win 6 and the first team to repeat 3 times?
1.) Well I think they can even though history shows its a rarity for any team to repeat. They'll have to forget that they're the champs now though.

2.) Will T.O. finally settle down and play football?
2.) No chance in hell.

3.) Can Peyton Manning ever break his curse and make it to the big game?
3.) Time is running out for Manning but the short answer is yes. Maybe not with Indy but he can do so.

4.) Will the Bengals ever make it back to the big game?
4.) Of course. If the team is smart that is. First the owner must keep Lewis regardless, and the team must realise that it's a team. I think they make it next season to be honest.

5.) Will Detroit ever make it to the Super Bowl?
5.) HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! whew! That's funny. Ummm. No. Well... If they fire Milner....

6.) Who will likely be in this year's Super Bowl?
6.) Honestly? I have three possible teams for each conference... Denver, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh will take the AFC side. And Dallas, Carolina, or Seattle will take the NFC side.

7.) But what about my favorite team [blank]?
7.) Sorry. Maybe next season. Unless you're a Lion's fan. (snicker).

8.) Will Coach Cowher retire after this year?
8.) I think so. I also believe that is a major reason Ken Wisenhunt told Al Davis he wasn't interested in coaching the Raiders.

9.) What two teams are most likely to end at the bottom this season?
9.) My guess is Detroit and N.Y. Jets.

10.) Will the new Commisioner, Goodell, have as much impact as Tagliabue did?
10.) I hope so. Positive impact that is. He could just as easily have a negative impact. But the owners like him, and he seems to be on the ball.

[Ryan Ruck]

Unfortunately, I was unable to watch the Bengals-Colts game as I was at my brothers' football game and the stupid VCR decided not to record. At least the Bengals won though.

For anyone who cares, the older of my younger brothers had 11 tackles and the youngest had 9…

But, back to Bengals news… Two surprising cuts that were made, RB DeDe Dorsey and WR Reggie McNeal. Two players with a lot of potential but, I guess the Bengals were a bit heavy in those areas and as a result, they got the ax.

[Brian Baldwin]

I was shocked that the Steelers cut power running back John Kuhn in favor of keeping Duce Staley. The Duce didn't produce like Kuhn did this preseason but since I'm not in the front office I can not guess why that happened.

[Brian Baldwin]

Tomorrow night is the season opener with a game between Miami and Pittsburgh. Even with Roethlisberger out for an appendectomy we should still see a pretty good game. Batch filled in for Big Ben last season when he had knee surgery and the team was 2-0 under batch. So it shouldn't be too surprising that Pittsburgh will play about as well as always. Miami will play as the visiting team tomorrow and that's an immeadiate disadvantage. But will the two disadvantages even out the teams? Could be. Miami has a couple of seasoned QBs this year and a decent depth at some key positions. Their main problem, like many teams, is their offensive line. Pittsburgh has more talent maybe, but they have their early injuries and loss of starting QB to contend with. Basically what we have here is a game of defenses. Obviously the edge goes to Pittsburgh due to home field and a rock solid defense that no coach questions. I believe this game is going to be about as tight as a game can be unless one team just gives up early. But either way I'm giving the win to the home team.

Pittsburgh 24 - Miami 17

[Brian Baldwin]

Wow. The year went by quickly. Faster and faster as you get older but this particular year seemed to go by quickest of all. But it's only September you say. Well I count years in terms of Football. Our calendar and all our holiday's should be set around the football season. Super Bowl Sunday should be a gift giving Christmas like affair with children being told that their favorite team isn't playing because they weren't well behaved enough during the season. Ok. Ok. That may be too far, but you can see how much I enjoy football. So for me the Year starts Thursday Night with the Dolphins coming to Pittsburgh for the season opener. It's New Year's Eve so to speak and I'm about as happy as a hooker at on a Minnesota pleasure cruise. It also means it's time for me to detail this weeks picks and games to watch. I've already pointed out the Steelers - Dolphins game above so we'll concentrate on the rest from here.

Usually I pick two games per week to watch but I just couldn't help myself this week and actually picked out FOUR!!! The Steelers and Dolphins above. And then the normal two on Sunday; Plus, one very late night Monday game. We'll start off with the two for Sunday.


Cincinnati at Kansas City.


Cincinnati has been the darlings of the media of late, but that cuts no mustard with me since everyone who is a member of this site knows the media is full of hot air. I always hate when a team is slated to go all the way for no other reason than they're popular at the time. Underdogs are generally loved but that doesn't mean much in my book. It's all about heart, players attitudes, and talent. Talent both in coaching and in the players. Cincy has the talent without a doubt and they've worked hard in the off-season to add more depth. They have the Heart too as they seek to do what has been almost forgotten by everyone not a Bengals fan by making it back to the top. Attitudes can be adjusted and hopefully a few found that out after their season ended abruptly last year.


All of that aside, the Bengals look scary good this year. Palmer is tough and unfazed by his unfortunate hit in the playoffs that injured his knee. If it's even possible you could swear he's playing better because of it. He has a good receiving duo and a great defense that allows him and his offense to rest while he's not on the field. That a great balance by any standard.>>


The Chiefs have had some unfortunate breaks and a new head coach this season. But they have always been willing to play 100% even in their worst days. I like the look of some of their newer players and Edwards is as sharp a coach as anyone could want to have. If you have to lose a coach like Vermeil then you want a Herm Edwards to be his replacement. The problem is they are coming into this game as raw talent rather than honed talent like the Bengals. While I don't see a potential upset here I think it's going to be an exciting game all around. But the Bengals will walk away with this one. Were they to meet later in the season I wouldn't be so sure though.


Cincinnati Bengals 31 - Kansas City 16

Dallas at Jacksonville.


Dallas improves by leaps and bounds each season, as Jerry Jones seems to finally be allowing a coach time to rebuild his team. In my opinion this is the worst owner of the NFL at times due to his never being willing to stay out of his coaches' way. But he does in the end write the check and Parcells has a way of encouraging people to respect his space. They've addressed many of their shortcomings from last season and aside from the total brain fart of bringing in T.O. in hopes of seeing if Parcells would have a major stroke, they have done well on most of their fronts. This is one team I believe could make it to the Super Bowl this year and this game is going to set the tempo because they're facing a very unpredictable team in the Jaguars.>>


Jacksonville on the other hand is chock full of talented players with incredible layers of depth to their team. But they too have a questionable owner. This one likes to hire really bad coaches. That was evidenced by Del Rio's retarded choice to play a still injured Leftiwych in the playoffs ending any hope at a Super Bowl last season. Their offensive coordinator seems to pick plays at random and what were they thinking when they brought in Mike Tice? That maybe he could scalp enough tickets to fill the stands? So even with the handicap of having one of the slowest thinking Quarterbacks and a plethora of putrid coaches their one shining glory is their defensive coordinator who just may be a candidate for a top ten spot. Jacksonville has an explosive defense that makes the game saving plays and can disrupt a team so badly they are unable to recover. Home field advantage, a great defense and all their talent probably won't be enough to pull off their first win but it will be exciting and close. But Dallas will win this one on their road to winning a playoff spot.

Dallas 35 - Jacksonville 27


Then we have an unusual Monday night. Two games played this evening with one being incredibly late in the evening. This redeye game will be a good one if you can stay up late enough to see it.>>


San Diego at Oakland.


Oakland surprised me with their great plays during the preseason. They showed a lot of growth and that perhaps Art Shell was always the right choice and Al Davis had been stupid to fire him the first time. I liked the way the team came together this preseason. I like the execution of their plays and their improved defense. With their home field advantage they should put up quite a fight in Oakland Monday night.


San Diego is about the same team it was last year as they kept most of their key players with the exception of starting QB Drew Brees whom they knew they would have to let go if they wanted to get any return on the investment they paid out for First round pick Philip Rivers. If Rivers is as good as his paycheck then the Giants may be kicking themselves in the rear when they think about the strange trade they made in order to get Eli Manning almost three years ago. I expect San Diego to depend heavily on the running skills of L.T. this evening and rightfully so. It will open up their passing game where needed and Oakland, like most teams, will find it incredibly hard to stop this power house RB. So even though Oakland was a surprise during the Preseason, they will lose their week one game to San Diego and help Rivers get baptized into his starting role.


San Diego 24 - Oakland 10


I'd like to include one side note here as to the Denver Broncos. Jay Cutler may just be the best QB in the NFL in some ways. I think for the Broncos to repeat their last season performance and make the Super Bowl they will have to replace Plummer at some time this season. And if not they certainly will next.

Here are the rest of my picks.

Carolina over Atlanta
Chicago over Green Bay
Indianapolis over N.Y. Giants
Tampa Bay over Baltimore
Denver over St. Louis
New Orleans over Cleveland
Tennessee over N.Y. Jets
Philadelphia over Houston
Seattle over Detroit
Arizona over San Francisco
Washington over Minnesota

[Brykovian]

Well ... I lucked into a ticket to the opener in Green Bay this weekend.

I haven't been to a game inside Lambeau Field since the Bengals had their name written on the side of their helmets. My dad took me and my brother to that game when I was around 9 years old.

We plan to get to town as early as possible to soak up the atmosphere and don't plan to return until the next day ... so it should be a good time.

Only 1 minor problem ... I'm going with a Bears fan. (But he's a good guy otherwise, so I guess I can forgive him about his one major flaw. )

I'll give an AAR next week!

-Bryk

[Brian Baldwin]

I've never been to a live game. I hear there's nothing quite like it. Let us know about your experiences.

[Brian Baldwin]

Yo Ryan! Did you watch last night's game? This was my exact point about Palmer being injured. A team as talented as the Steelers or the Bengals have NO excuses for losing with the loss of just one player. LOL

Steelers beat the Dolphins 28 - 17. Culpepper looked sharp too. Unfortunately Miami's offensive line was weak and couldn't stop the blitz packages the AFC North likes to run. Saban shouldn't have been gentlemanly about throwing that red flag either. It cost him, but his team would have lost anyway. He has brought his team pretty far and if he can get them to gel together then we're going to see Miami replace New England on top of their Division.

Overall I liked what I saw with Miami. They stayed in the game up until the last five minutes when the Steelers just wreaked havoc on them. The second interception Culpepper threw seemed to be like blood in the water for the Steelers defense. After that we saw the Defense that got the Steelers to the Super Bowl last year.

Miami's Defense wasn't any slouch though. Breaking up plays and forcing a turnover themselves, they gave the Steelers Offense a run for their money. Eventually though they wore down with the constant running of Fast Willie until he went from 2 yard gains to 7 yard gains on average.

I can honestly see Miami going to another Super Bowl before this decade ends under Coach Saban. And I could see the Steelers repeating this year if they play like they did last night in the fourth quarter; every quarter.

[Sean Osborne]

I've never been to a live game.

Wo! Dude... seriously, you've never been to a live NFL game?

Okay, now that just cuts it...

Everybody dig into their pockets, I am hereby launching the "Send Brian Baldwin To A Real NFL Football Game TAA-Forumathon."

Who's with me?

[Ryan Ruck]

Yo Ryan! Did you watch last night's game? This was my exact point about Palmer being injured. A team as talented as the Steelers or the Bengals have NO excuses for losing with the loss of just one player. LOL

Steelers beat the Dolphins 28 - 17. Culpepper looked sharp too. Unfortunately Miami's offensive line was weak and couldn't stop the blitz packages the AFC North likes to run. Saban shouldn't have been gentlemanly about throwing that red flag either. It cost him, but his team would have lost anyway. He has brought his team pretty far and if he can get them to gel together then we're going to see Miami replace New England on top of their Division.

Overall I liked what I saw with Miami. They stayed in the game up until the last five minutes when the Steelers just wreaked havoc on them. The second interception Culpepper threw seemed to be like blood in the water for the Steelers defense. After that we saw the Defense that got the Steelers to the Super Bowl last year.

Miami's Defense wasn't any slouch though. Breaking up plays and forcing a turnover themselves, they gave the Steelers Offense a run for their money. Eventually though they wore down with the constant running of Fast Willie until he went from 2 yard gains to 7 yard gains on average.

I can honestly see Miami going to another Super Bowl before this decade ends under Coach Saban. And I could see the Steelers repeating this year if they play like they did last night in the fourth quarter; every quarter.

Yep, caught most of the game (though I was cheering for the 'Fins! ). It looks like you were nearly dead on with your prognostication of a 24-17 game… I hope you had money on the game! LOL!

You are right, Culpepper did look pretty good. The only exception being when he threw those interceptions that the Steelers capitalized on.

Also thought that was pretty interesting with the whole challenge thing from the 'Fins coach going unnoticed. That might have made a little bit of a difference in the outcome of the game. I wonder if they are going to be rethinking the choice to get rid of the buzzers?

Wo! Dude... seriously, you've never been to a live NFL game?

Okay, now that just cuts it...

Everybody dig into their pockets, I am hereby launching the "Send Brian Baldwin To A Real NFL Football Game TAA-Forumathon."

Who's with me?

Don't worry Sean… Brian is supposed to be visiting me next year right around the time of the – game. For his first in person NFL game he is going to see his Steelers get mauled in The Jungle!

[Brian Baldwin]

For me it was more about not liking a lot of people around me than it was about finances. LOL I'm social enough here but in real life I'm just a wee bit anti-social. I don't like crowds and can even get pretty mean if too many people are around me at one time. I think if I can make it to Cincy to watch a game with Ryan though, I'll be alright. Probably not that bright for a guy that doesn't much care for people in general to go to the Bengals stadium wearing Steelers garb though. LOL. What an outing that will be.

Maybe instead of trying to send me to the game you all should show up for it too so we can all drink beer and get to know each other. That and watch me get into fights.

[Sean Osborne]

I don't like crowds and can even get pretty mean if too many people are around me at one time...

Man, you'd have made the perfect paratrooper. Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane into a zone populated by a lot of people who don't much care for people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. Yup, the 82nd Airborne and you would've been perfect together.

Maybe instead of trying to send me to the game you all should show up for it too so we can all drink beer and get to know each other. That and watch me get into fights.

Before the game...

The TAA Crew



By halftime...


Brian's somewhere in the crowd here...

Ryan and Sean

:ttiwwp: The rest of the TAA Crew

[MinutemanCO]

You guys are truly hilarious. The multifaceted, highly intelligent, intellectual, intelligence gathering/disseminating, truth analyzing, beer-drinking, gun shooting, a** kicking group of fine Americans. Boy am I happy I'm with you and not against you.

Meeting for that game sounds like fun, despite the fact that I'm a Giants fan.

[Sean Osborne]

Okay, my first serious post for this new football season...


27
0

[Brian Baldwin]

Chargers flat out dominated that game last night. Unbelievable presence. If they continue to play in that manner the Chargers could end up in the Super Bowl. Was a fantastic debut of Philip Rivers, showing that San Diego made the right choice on keeping him.

Aren't you glad that Eli refused to play for your team now? Both Rivers and Roethlisberger turned out to be better choices than Eli in my opinion.

[Brykovian]

Chargers flat out dominated that game last night.

How many times was Mr. Brooks assisted to the turf? 9? 11? I lost count. That one SD LB is a machine!

-Bryk