Broncos Outlast Bengals in Week 2 Victory

The Broncos got their first win of the 2011 season with a win over the Bengals at home 24-22. The win evens the Broncos record at 1-1, and they head to Tennessee to take on the 1-1 Titans on Sunday. This was a weird game, and a game that someone had to win. The Broncos are banged up and depleted severely with injuries, but they were able to find a way to win a game that they controlled for the most part. The fact that this game was even decided on the Bengals last possession was almost criminal, but in the end the Broncos were able to win a game they had to win. Give the Bengals credit for coming back and mounting a comeback, but Denver's injuries and lack of depth really might have been the real factor in spurring the comeback. The Broncos get the victory, but with injuries mounting and issues still coming up on both sides of the ball, this Bronco team could be in trouble going forward. Here are my quick thoughts and observations on the game....

1) Beautiful first drive by the Broncos to start the game. Nice mix of pass and run that was capped off by Willis McGahee's one yard touchdown run. Remember when the Broncos always used to get off to a fast start at home under Mike Shanahan? Well, that was what Denver did on Sunday and jumped out to the early 7-0 lead.

2) Denver's defense did a nice job of forcing punts after two series in which they faced third and one situations. Their defense played well early on in the game.

3) Kyle Orton played well through the first three quarters. His 25 yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker was a beautiful paly, and gave the Broncos a big 17-3 lead early in the third quarter.

4) Up 17-6 midway through the third quarter, the Broncos offense seemed to fall asleep. Instead of keeping the foot on the gas, they took it off the gas a little and it gave the Bengals a chance to get back into the game. The Broncos and Kyle Orton need to get more aggressive there and finish off these type of games.

5) After an Andy Dalton touchdown pass to cut the lead to 17-12, Denver starts to lose control of the game. Orton gets sacked and fumbles, he always seems to have a critical fumble, and now the Bengals have completely turned this game around. The Broncos were able to hold the Bengals to a field goal and keep the lead, but this game completely turned on Denver and gave the Bengals hope.

6) Ryan Clady's holding call really backed up the Broncos prior to Orton's fumble. Is anyone else worried about Clady? Does he get called for a big holding penalty everygame dating back to last season? Keep an eye on Clady, and I hope he snaps out of it.

7) Give Orton credit because he made a great throw to Eric Decker for a 52 yard touchdown and give Denver a 24-15 lead. Great throw, great adjustment by Decker, and that play was huge in getting the Broncos back to a nine point lead.

8) I'm not going to kill the defense in this game because they are without three of the best players on their unit, but you can't give up an 84 yard pass by Andy Dalton two plays later. Dalton then hooked up with A.J. Green for a five yard pass and cut the Bronco lead to 24-22. At this point, you had the feeling that the Broncos were somehow going to blow this game.

9) The Broncos going three and out, and you can't have that in that situation. Two runs by McGahee and an incomplete pass by Orton gives the Bengals a chance to take the lead. You have to get a few first downs there. You can't go three and out.

10) The Broncos get the ball back after forcing the Bengals to punt. With 3:04 left, Clady gets called for holding on first down which was a killer penalty. The Broncos run three times with McGahee, who for some reason gets tackled out of bounds, and they have to punt the ball back to Dalton and Bengals.

11) Give the Broncos credit, their defense made a stop when they had to in order to win the game. The big play was the sack by Wilhite on 2nd and 10 at the Broncos 48. Two incomplete passes later, and the Broncos had their first win and the first win for John Fox as Broncos head coach.

12) As stated before, it was a gutty win because of all the injuries the Broncos have endured so far this season. Eddie Royal and Julius Thomas both suffered injuries on Sunday, and they are both expected to miss at least a few weeks.

13) Next week's game at Tennessee will be a real test, and it will be a challenge for the banged up Broncos to go on the road and take care of business against the underrated Titans.

NFL Week 2 Picks!

Week 2 of the NFL season is upon us, and this week can be very deceiving. Why is that? It is pretty simple: We don't really know for sure who is good and who is bad. Obviously, we know New England is good, but really how good is Baltimore? We know that Green Bay is good, but just how good are Oakland or Buffalo? Is Kansas City that bad? Are the Falcons and Steelers in trouble? There are so many questions in the league right now, and Week 2 won't be able to answer all of them. It will just provide us with some more clues into who is going to be really good this year, and who will be really, really bad. Remember the first three or four weeks of the NFL season can be tricky. Some teams will start off hot, but fizzle down the stretch. You can't win the Super Bowl in September, you can only put yourself in position for November and December. Onto the the picks for Week 2....

Last Week's Record: 9-6-1
Overall Record: 9-6-1
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

NEW ORLEANS (-6) over Chicago: The Bears really shocked me with their blowout win over Atlanta, but they come back down to Earth this week. The Saints have 10 days to prepare for this game, and eventhough they are banged up at wideout, Drew Brees still should be able to carry them to victory. Expect a close game, but the Saints win by a touchdown late.


Kansas City (+8) over DETROIT: The Lions will probably win the game, but I think this line is a little too high. The Chiefs were embarrased last week at home against Buffalo, and the KC is in for a long season, but if they had any spine they will play well enough to keep this game close. The young Lions shouldn't be eight point favorites over anyone at this point. Look for a closer game than many people think.

NY JETS (-9) over Jacksonville: This line can't be high enough. The Jags come into this game at 1-0, but they are in deep trouble. You can't bet on Luke McCown on the road against anyone-especially the Jets. The Jet defense should have a field day on this Jaguar offense. This seems like a 27-3 type of game. The Jets get to 2-0.

Oakland (+3) over BUFFALO: The Bills came out flying on Sunday and buried the Chiefs 41-7 in Arrowhead. The Raiders churned out a 23-20 win over Denver on Monday Night. This easily becomes one of the best Week 2 games featuring two teams at 1-0. I was very impressed with the Raiders defensive line on Monday Night, and their front seven will be the difference as the Raiders get to 2-0.

WASHINGTON (-3) over Arizona: This game could be very entertaining. Mike Shanahan always has his team ready for the start of a season. That was very evident as the Redskins defeated the Giants last week. The Cards come in after a victory over the Panthers, and this looks like a very good game on paper. Take the Skins laying the three points. Look for Rex Grossman to continue his solid play at home.

TENNESSEE (+6) over Baltimore: Are the Ravens as good as they looked on Sunday in their win over the Steelers? In my opinion, I don't think so. Everyone is going to underestimate the Titans after their loss to the Jaguars in Week 1. Don't sleep on the Titans, and this game could be one of those "head scratchers" that you see on the scroll on the bottom the screen during one of the other early games. The Titans come out and play hard, and get the win at home.

Seattle (+14) over PITTSBURGH: Let me make this clear: I am not picking Seattle to win the game. The Steelers will win this game and win it convincingly, but I just can't lay the 14 points. This has a Tavaris Jackson back door cover written all over it, but expect the Steelers to bounce back from last week's loss and play very solid this week. Tarvaris Jackson and that offensive line on the road in Pittsburgh is a pretty ugly matchup.

Green Bay (-9) over CAROLINA: Everyone will be drinking the Cam Newton Kool-Aid this week and for good reason. The kid threw for 422 yards in his first ever start, but I have a feeling Dom Capers will come up with a nice little defensive scheme to contain him. Look for the defending Super Bowl Champions to roll on the road in Carolina.

MINNESOTA (-3) over Tampa Bay: I'm still not sold on the Bucs, and last week's loss at home to Detroit just added fuel to the fire. As bad as Donovan McNabb looked last week, I think he can still play a decent level. Look for a lot of Adrian Peterson, and look for McNabb to play a lot better at home this week. It seems like no one like the Vikings at all, but they played hard last week and almost pulled off the upset in San Diego. They beat the Bucs this week to get to 1-1, while everyone's darling falls to 0-2.

Cleveland (-2) over INDY: How are the Browns not favored by a touchdown in this game? Doesn't anyone see how bad the Colts are without Peyton Manning? The Browns struggled last week, but look for them to play better and get more out of Colt McCoy. The Colts will probably play better too, but it won't be enough as the Browns take them down in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Dallas (-3) over SAN FRANCISCO: Remember when these two teams were the two best and most popular teams in the NFL? This was the matchup to watch back in the 90s. Now, it is a game with Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick calling it for FOX instead of Pat Summeral and John Madden. The Niners are getting better and Jim Harbaugh will get it turned around. I was really impressed with the Cowboys last week. Eventhough they lost, their offense and pass rush impressed me enough to think that they could definitley be a playoff team. The Cowboys win this one late in SF.

Houston (-3) over MIAMI: This game seems so obvious on paper but in reality it might be a lot more difficult to figure out. Just how good are the Texans after they destroyed the Colts without Manning? Is the Dolphin defense that bad after it got scorched for over 600 yards of total offense to Tom Brady and the Pats? This game looks like it will be all Texans, but I'm not so sure. This one could end up being a lot closer, but in the end look for the Texans to pull it out late and avoid the upset.

San Diego (+6) over NEW ENGLAND: Great matchup in the late window on Sunday afternoon. The Chargers special teams gave away so many games last year that you would expect them to really tighten things up in that area going into the 2011 season. The result of all that hard work on special teams: The Chargers give up the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Minnesota to start their season. You have to like how SD bounced back and regrouped from that and being down 17-7. They ripped off 17 unanswered points, and defeated Minnesota 24-17 at home. The Patriots looked like the Patriots. Brady throws for over 55 yards, including a back-breaking 99 yard throw to Wes Welker, and the Patriot offense looks in midseason form in a 38-24 win over Miami last Monday Night. The Chargers always have trouble in New England, but this week just feels different. Look for San Diego to put the ball in Philip Rivers' hands and make him go after the New England defense. This could be a shootout, but I'll take Rivers and the Chargers in an upset in Foxborough.

Philadelphia (-2) over ATLANTA: The Sunday Night game is a real good one too. Mike Vick goes back to Atlanta as the Eagles starting QB. The real storyline in this game though is the Falcons. What happened to Atlanta in Week 1? Are they okay and ready to rebound? Well, we will find out this week. It is a tough game for the Falcons, but now they are banged up on the defensive side of the ball. It is hard to see the Falcons being able to stop the Eagles consistently in this game. Look for it to be close, but the Eagles will make the plays when they have to in order to win the game.

NY GIANTS (-6) over St. Louis: This game would have some serious upset potential, but the Rams are just too banged up.The Giants are 0-1 and have had a dark cloud hovering over them since the lockout ended. Last week's loss didn't help to appease the critics. The Giants always seem to play well when their backs are against the wall. It seems like they like the "Us Against the World" mentality. They get a break this week at home on Monday Night because the Rams are battered and bruised. The Giants need a win, and they get it done this week.

DENVER (-3) over Cincinnati: Speaking of dark clouds, the Broncos host the Bengals in Week 2. The Bengals come in at 1-0 on the heels of their victory over the Browns on the road last week. It looks like Andy Dalton will start for Cincy on Sunday. The Broncos have had one hell of a week. If one more national NFL analyst questions why Broncos fans booed Kyle Orton and want him out of there, then I am going to seriously jump through my television and punch one of these guys? They make it like Orton is a top 10 QB. You know why Bronco fans want Orton out? Because he is not the answer to our QB situation!!!! Can someone stop looking at stats and watch a game with Orton as the Broncos starting QB? Did anyone mention that he is 5-19 in his last 24 starts as a Bronco? Bronco fans just want something different that's all! Stop making it out like Orton is the next Joe Montana. Also, Denver lost Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil, Knowshon Moreno, and Brandon Lloyd to various injuries. It looks like Bailey and Moreno won't play this week, Dumervil will not play and might not be back until next week, and Lloyd might indeed play. The deck looks pretty stacked against Denver and they are playing a team that is really underrated. The Bengals defense is pretty good, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them give Denver's offense some problems. The Broncos are going to get a heavy dose of Cedric Benson after their run defense got gashed by Oakland. This looks like one of those games where Denver goes out and lays an egg to Cincy. That could happen, but I'm going to go out and say that Denver shows some guts this week. If Denver were to lose this week, then the Broncos are 0-2 and staring at games at Tennessee, at Green Bay and home to San Diego. 0-5 might not be very far behind. I think the Broncos put enough together to get the job done this week. Even with all the injuries, the Broncos will find a way to get this game home. I could see the Bengals jumping out to a 10-0 lead, but then the Broncos settle down and play well enough to pull this one out. Denver wins a tough one at home.

Final Score: Denver-19 Cincy-13

Raiders Bounce Broncos in Season Opener

I told myself I wasn't going to get too worked up this season. The past five seasons have been tough for Broncos fans. 2006 ended on New Year's Eve with a brutal overtime loss to the Niners that knocked Denver out of the playoffs at 9-7. CB Darrent Williams was subsequently killed that night. 2007 was a miserable season that left Denver out of the playoffs again, but the only silver lining was the Jay Cutler-Brandon Marshall connection (That lasted long huh.) In '08, Denver was 8-5 and only needed one win or a Chargers loss to make the playoffs in the final three games. That three game collapse led me into a dark and desperate drinking binge as I watched the Broncos implode and finish 8-8. 2009 brought us the 6-0 start, and then a record of 8-4 with four games to play. Denver loses all four and finishes 8-8 and out of the playoffs again. 2010 was a debacle, and the season was over by Halloween, and the Bronx finished 4-12.

I vowed to myself that this season I would just relax and try to not get too angry at a team with a new head coach, and the greatest player in team history coming back to run the organization. Well, that lasted until about 1:00 am on Monday Night in the season opening loss to the Raiders in Denver. At about that time Kyle Orton simply dropped the ball as he was about to throw to a wide open Daniel Fells, who walks into the end zone, that would have given the Broncos a improbable 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter a game that they had no right winning. It also might have been the moment that turned Orton's career around in Denver. Of course, Orton drops the ball and the Raiders recovered and turned it into a 23-13 lead and pretty much ended the Broncos hopes.

It wasn't the way that John Fox, John Elway, or Kyle Orton had the 2011 season transpiring, but once again the Raiders come into Denver and beat down the Broncos 23-20. That is four straight wins in Denver, and Darren McFadden simply owns Denver. There is so much to discuss here, but to me the real story is and always will be around Orton. He played terrible last night, and his two turnovers were backbreakers. I can't say this enough but Orton simply isn't the guy. He isn't the guy you can just hitch your wagons to and win games with. Did you know that Orton is 5-19 in his last 24 starts? What QB would continue to keep their job after losing 19 out of his last 24 games as a starter? Forget about who would replace Orton at this point, the bottom line was last night was exactly what we have seen in Orton. At some point, the Broncos simply have to put Orton on the bench and move on, preferably with Tim Tebow. How much longer do we have to put up with this? Watching last night's game, I am pretty sure that this team is simply not good enough to make the playoffs. 8-8 would be a great season for the Broncos, so why not give the ball to Tebow and find out what we have in a future QB. Three starts by Tebow is not enough to see if he is the real deal, but the last 24 starts by Orton have proved exactly what he is.

Here are my other quick thoughts and observations from last night's game:

1) What a start for Von Miller with the hit and forced fumble on Jacoby Ford on the Raiders first play from scrimmage. Unfortunately, the Broncos couldn't convert and had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

2) After going up 3-0, the Broncos really didn't do anything at all offensively. Knowshon Moreno fumbled a few series later, and next thing you know Denver was down 10-3.

3) I hated the call by Fox when he went for the 56 yard field goal attempt. I thought Fox was conservative and loved to punt the ball down. Instead, Fox sends out Matt Prater to attempt the kick, but that was the wrong call. Denver's defense wasn't playing that bad at that point, and they should have punted down and played defense and field position. Prater missed and the Raiders used the field position to take a 13-3 lead.

4) Orton's pick came at a terrible time, and give Sebastian Janokowski buries a 63 yard field goal as time expires in the half. To add insult to injury, a Raider kicker ties Jason Elam's record field goal in Denver.

5) At 16-3, the Broncos seemed like they were dead in the water. Eric Decker brought some life back with a 90 yard punt return early in the third quarter. That was a huge turning point, and got Denver back into the game.

6) Orton drove the Broncos down inside the Raiders 10 on the next series (Thanks to a crazy amount of Raiders penalties), but once again Orton can't convert in the red zone, and the Broncos settled for a momentum-killing field goal to cut the lead to 16-13. A touchdown there would have been a huge moment in this game.

7) After the infamous Orton fumble, Darren McFadden sliced through the Broncos for a 47 yard run down to the one. A Jason Campbell plunge gave the Raiders a 23-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter. That was such a pivotal moment and a 14 point swing.

8) Of course, Orton gets hot down 10 with Tebow chants resonating through the crowd. His touchdown pass to Lance Ball cuts the lead to 23-20, but the Broncos couldn't get the ball back because the Raiders got three first downs to run out the clock. When you need a stop with around four minutes left and two timeouts, your defense needs to get off the field. The defense couldn't and that was the ball game.

9) Too many fights and penalties marred this game. The game was ugly and rain added to the sloppiness. The game was chippy all night, and the constant flags were ridiculous.

10) As bad as a loss this was for the Broncos, they are not as bad as you might think they are. It doesn't help that Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil, Brandon Lloyd, and Knowshon Moreno all might miss next week's game with various injuries. Remember this about Week 1: Your team is not as bad as you think, and your team is not as good as you think.

11) The Broncos will try to rebound next Sunday at home against the Bengals. The Bengals look a little dangerous after their 27-17 road win over Cleveland. This could be a very tricky game-especially if the Broncos are without some of those four players mentioned above. If Denver starts off 0-2, Orton might literally get run out of town. I am serious he really might have to pack up and move out of Denver!

COMING FRIDAY: WEEK 2 PICKS!!!!!

What We Learned from Week 1.....So Far

Week 1 of the NFL season is about to conclude with two Monday Night Football games tonight (NE/MIA and of course Denver/Oakland). With everyone either jumping on someone's bandwagon (The Bills are back!) or jumping off someone's Titantic (The Steelers are done!) let's see what we learned so far about the NFL in 2011.

1) The Colts are really screwed without Peyton Manning. Losing Manning is everything to Indy, and their 34-7 loss to Houston wasn't even that close. The Colts are in serious trouble this year.

2) The Steelers will be fine. Yes, they got blasted by the Ravens 35-7, but I'm pretty sure the Steelers will regroup and be okay. They are still a good team, and opening up at Baltimore is not an easy draw for Week 1.

3) The Packers are still the team to beat in the NFL. The belt that the Packers flaunted after their Super Bowl win last year is very symbolic because they looked like the best team in the NFL on Thursday Night. Yes, I know their defense gave up 34 points, but Aaron Rodgers and that offense looked unstoppable.

4) If the Cowboys stay healthy and don't shoot themselves in the foot (Yes you Tony Romo) then they are going to be a playoff team. They had the Jets dead to rights on Sunday Night and couldn't finish them off. Their passing game is the real deal.

5) The Chiefs look like they are headed for a long, long season. Not only do they fumble the opening kickoff of the season, they lose Eric Berry for the year to a torn ACL, and they get blown out by the Bills 41-7 at home. Thanks for coming down KC!

6) The Jets just seem to ride a magic carpet ride under Rex Ryan. Sunday Night's win over the Cowboys was not only the best game of the day, but it was like the 3,000th time I counted out the Jets in a game in the last three years, only to see them come back and win the game.

7) Settle down Houston. You beat the Colts without Peyton Manning. You didn't win the AFC South yet.

8) The same goes for fans of the Ravens, Redskins, and Bears. Nice wins by all three, but let's wait and see how this season plays out a bit before we start crowning these teams division champs.

9) Don't jump off the bridge Giants fans. It looked pretty bad yesterday in the loss at Washington, but the G-Men will be competitive this season. The Giants seem to thrive on being the team with their backs against the wall.

10) St. Louis by far had the worst opening day. They lost 31-13 at home to Philly, and they got banged up in the process. Steven Jackson went down with a quad injury, Sam Bradford hurt his finger, Dan Amendola hurt his elbow, and O.J. Otogwe got injured as well. Not a good start for the young Rams.

11) Anytime a rookie QB throws for 422 yards in his debut, that is pretty impressive. Cam Newton might just make the Panthers relevant again.

12) Lastly, the NFL did a really nice job with all their pregame ceremonies dealing with the 10th anniversary of September 11th. It was touching, well done, and touched the right nerve. Good job NFL!

NFL Week 1 Picks!!!

Yes, it is that time of the year again. The NFL kickoff is right around the corner, and everything starts to get going again. Pregame shows, fantasy football leagues, suicide pools, wall-to-wall coverage of the NFL on television, the radio and the internet, highlight shows, and of course all the action that the NFL delivers. Every Sunday is like Christmas morning from now until the Super Bowl in February. The other exciting aspect of the NFL season starting is of course gambling and betting on all the games. Last year, I had a breakout season with my picks. I finished the regular season 132-118-8. That is not a bad year, but the challenge will be to see if I can keep it up and continue to have success this year. This season will be tough because with the lockout wiping away most of the offseason, how many teams are really prepared for the beginning of the season? How many teams might have lost a step due to the lockout? These first few weeks could be hard to navigate, but I'll try to find my way through it. I'm just glad we are finally talking about Week 1 and picking games! Onto the picks......

Last Season: 132-11-8-

This Season: 0-0

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

New Orleans (+4) over GREEN BAY: A thrilling matchup of the past two Super Bowl winning teams to kickoff the 2011 season on Thursday Night. Usually, the defending champions have success in their Thursday Night opener-each Super Bowl winner has won their opener dating back to the 2004 season- but I have a feeling the Saints will be ready to go and pull the mild upset in Lambeau. It should be a fun game, and a wild shootout between Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, but take the Saints and the points on the road.

Pittsburgh (+2) over BALTIMORE: What a slugfest right out of the gate to start season on Sunday afternoon. I love this matchup, and these two rivals always produce great drama. Don't be shocked to see the Steelers win a close one on the road. These games are always tight and almost always come down to a few plays in the fourth quarter. The Steelers come up with just one more play yet again to knock off the Ravens in Week 1.

Detroit (+1) over TAMPA BAY: Another road team takes down the home favorite in Week 1. This could be the Lions coming out party. I love them in this matchup. I'm not sold on the Bucs this season, and this is the type of game that Detroit makes a statement. Look for the Lions to win and win convincingly.

Atlanta (-3) over CHICAGO: My fourth road team to win outright this week so far. The Bears are due for a really down year. Atlanta is a solid team, and they will be able to bring offense anywhere they play. This one looks like a marquee game on paper, but it smells like a blowout. The Falcons take care of business methodically at Soldier Field.

Buffalo (+5) over KANSAS CITY: The Chiefs have had a terrible run since the day Charlie Weis announced he was leaving to go to the University of Florida. Their preseason was no better than the end of last season. To make matters worse, KC lost starting TE Tony Moeaki for the season in their last preseason game. Matt Cassel also injured his ribs in that game, but he should be able to start. Even if he does start, I still like the Bills to pull the upset. Buffalo played them tough last year in Arrowhead, and actually they should have won the game late. The Chiefs are going nowhere this year, and it starts off with a thud at home. Look for the Bills to come out on top.

HOUSTON (-8) over Indy: I know this is setting up as one of those classic "Obvious Games." Those games look so good on paper, and you think that there is no way a certain team loses this obvious win. Of course, the total opposite happens and you realize that there is no winning in betting. This game has the obvious potential of a Houston rout because of the fact that Peyton Manning won't play barring a miracle. Manning means so much to the Colts that there is no way they can recover for this game. I don't care if Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter or even "Captain Comeback" Jim Harbaugh starts at QB for the Colts, Houston rolls in a laugher.

Philly (-5) over ST.LOUIS: I love the Eagles in this game. Even with all the hype surrounding them, I have a feeling they come out smoking in Week 1. The Rams are a lot better, but everyone is handing them the NFC West, and I'm not so sure about that. Look for the Eagles to bring their "A" game and take out the Rams on the road.

CLEVELAND (-6) over Cincy: The Browns are my sleeper team this year, and I think they get off on the right foot with a win over Cincy. This won't be an easy game for the Browns, but they will do enough to win by a touchdown.

Tennessee (+3) over JACKSONVILLE: The Jaguars are a strange team to pick every week. They have no real name players, yet you look up in early December and they are 7-5 and in prime position for a playoff berth. Then, the roof caves in and they fall apart and miss the playoffs. This year will be different for the Jags, and I think they struggle from day one. The Titans are better than people think, and now that Chris Johnson is signed and ready to go, the Titans will get off to a fast start with a win on the road against their AFC South rivals.

WASHINGTON (+3) over NY Giants: The Giants just completed one of the worst preseasons ever. The Osi Saga started things off, and then they lost popular players like Shaun O'Hara, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss. The G-Men also took a hit when they lost CB Terrell Thomas to a season-ending knee injury. Prince Amukamara is out for a few months and Marvin Austin and Clint Sintim are both gone for the year. It just seems like a black cloud is hanging over this team right now. On the other hand, the Redskins had a great preseason and looked really good. Rex Grossman gets the starting nod, and Mike Shanahan usually has his teams prepared and ready to go early on. Look for the Skins to bury the Giants in Washington.

ARIZONA (-7) over Carolina: The Kevin Kolb Era vs. The Cam Newton Era! I can see Newton making some big plays with his feet in this game, but he should struggle in his first ever NFL start. This game is tailor made for the Cards to get off on the right foot with a win, and they will pretty decisively.

SAN FRANCISCO (-5) over Seattle: Last year, San Francisco rolled into Seattle in Week 1 and got smoked. That loss set the table for a bad season for the 49ers. This year the tables could be turned. The 49ers will jump all over Tarvaris Jackson and the Seahawks early, and Jim Harbaugh will notch his first NFL head coaching win.

Minnesota (+8) over SAN DIEGO: The Vikings might not win this game outright, but that spread is way too high. Donovan McNabb has a lot to prove this year, and this could be one of those games that he does just that. How about a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson all day long? The Chargers are shaky early in the season, and they'll probably pull out the win, but this should be closer than people expect.

NY JETS (-4) over Dallas: An entertaining matchup to kickoff Sunday Night Football on NBC. This should be a close game, and the Cowboys might be able to create some problems for the Jets defense, but I can't see the Jets losing their opener at home. The Jets should do just enough to win this game by a touchdown.

New England (-7) over MIAMI: New England struggled to defeat Buffalo a few years ago on the season opener of Monday Night Football. That game sticks in my head when looking at this matchup. It looks like a no-brainer to pick the Pats to win easily, but this game could be tricky. In the end, I'm going to take New England because of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but this could be a close one.

DENVER (-3) over Oakland: The Raiders are probably a better team than Denver right now, but this game seems to favor the Broncos. I am worried about Denver's run defense against the Raiders running attack with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. The Broncos should be able to unleash Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil all night on Jason Campbell. The Broncos will probably struggle to run the ball effectively early, but if they can get the lead, then they can continue to hammer at it and try to impose their will on the Raiders. This game looks very close on paper, but there are a few key factors that sway me to the Broncos. First, they are opening against the Raiders. Secondly, the Broncos are opening at home for the first time since 2004. Third, they should have the memory of last year's 59-14 debacle fresh in their minds. Fourth, they have a new head coach making his debut. Lastly, they are wearing the orange alternate jerseys! All the signs point to a tight game, with Kyle Orton (Shockingly!) leading the Broncos down the field for a late score and the win. God it is great to have football back.

FINAL SCORE: Denver-24 Oakland-20

2011 Predictions Revision and Cheat Sheet 2.0

Okay, so I already changed my picks once, but I still have to right to revise the picks before the season actually kicks off on Thursday. I have to bail on Indianapolis. It looks like Peyton Manning is going to be out indefinitely and no one knows when he is coming back. I can't stick with the Colts if he is going to be out any extended time. I'm taking the Colts out of the playoffs and putting the Jets back in. I'm going to give the Jets the 10-6 record and bump the Colts to 8-8. So here is my final revision for the 2011 AFC predictions.....

1-San Diego (12-4)

2-New England (11-5)

3-Pittsburgh (10-6)

4-Houston (10-6)

5-NY Jets (10-6)

6-Cleveland (9-7)

AFC Wild Card Weekend

5-NY Jets over 4-Houston (The Jets win their 5th road playoff game in three years.)

3-Pittsburgh over 6-Cleveland (The Steelers edge out their longtime bitter rivals.)

AFC Divisional Round

1-San Diego over 5-NY Jets (Chargers get revenge from 2009 Divisional loss.)

2-New England over 3-Pittsburgh (No way Brady and Belichick lose four straight playoff games.)

AFC Title

1-San Diego over New England (Chargers get to first Super Bowl since 1994 season.)

Here are my NFC Playoff Predictions (No Changes Made):

1-Philly (12-4)

2-Green Bay (11-5)

3-New Orleans (10-6)

4-Arizona (9-7)

5-Dallas (10-6)

6-Detroit (9-7)

NFC Wild Card Weekend

3-New Orleans over 6-Detroit

5-Dallas over Arizona

Divisional Weekend

1-Philly over 5-Dallas

3-New Orleans over 2-Green Bay

NFC Championship

3-New Orleans over 1-Philly

SUPER BOWL

San Diego over New Orleans

After all that I finally have nailed down my picks. My formula still applies. I have the following:

1) 6 out 12 new playoff teams (San Diego, Houston, Cleveland, Arizona, Dallas, Detroit)

2) 6 playoff teams from 2010 dropping out (Baltimore, Kansas City, Indy, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago)

3) At least 4 out of 8 division winners different from 2010 (SD, Houston, Arizona, Green Bay, and New Orleans)

4) At least one team that lost 10 games in 2010 makes the playoffs (Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Detroit, Arizona)

So there it is the 2011 NFL predictions revised and ready to go. Maybe next year I should wait just a little longer before I make all my predictions.

Broncos 53 Man Roster Set.....For Now

The Broncos made their final roster moves on Saturday afternoon to get the 53 man roster. The Broncos also announced their practice squad on Sunday. They made one additional roster tweak on Sunday when they waived S Darcel McBath and signed CB Johnathan Wilhite formerly of New England. McBath's release is just another stain on the Josh McDaniels Era. All three of McD's second round picks from 2009 (McBath, Richard Quinn and Alphonso Smith) are all gone in less than two years. Here is the current 53 man squad and practice squad roster. As always this is a fluid situation and there are obviously more moves that could be made in the next week leading up to the opener on Monday September 12th against Oakland:

QBs (3)

Kyle Orton

Brady Quinn

Tim Tebow

*I guess Merrill Hoge wasn't right when he said Denver should cut Tebow.

RBs (3)

Knowshon Moreno

Willis McGahee

Lance Ball

*No surprises here with this group.

FB (1)

Spencer Larsen

*Larsen continues to me a one man gang at FB.

WRs (5)

Brandon Lloyd

Eric Decker

Eddie Royal

Matthew Willis

Demaryius Thomas

*I'm shocked that the Broncos announced that Thomas was cleared and ready to practice. That was the downfall for Britt Davis and David Anderson.

Offensive Line (9)

Ryan Clady

Chris Kuper

J.D. Walton

Zane Beadles

Orlando Franklin

Manny Ramirez

Herb Taylor

Chris Clark

Russ Hochstein

*No surprises with this group, but the backup O-Line is really weak and a big dropoff.

TEs (3)

Daniel Fells

Julius Thomas

Virgil Green

*I like Gronkowski, but the upside of Green did him in.

Defensive Linemen (10)

Elvis Dumervil

Robert Ayers

Broderick Bunkley

Kevin Vickerson

Marcus Thomas

Mitch Unrein

Ryan McBean

Jason Hunter

Derrick Harvey

Ty Warren

*I would expect the Broncos to eventually put Warren on season ending IR at some point early in the season. I was kind of surprised that McBean and Hunter survived the cut, but when you look at it the lack of depth on this D-Line kept them around.

LBs (7)

Von Miller

Joe Mays

D.J. Williams

Wesley Woodyard

Nate Irving

Mario Haggan

Mike Mohammed

*Haggan surviving was interesting, but this group looks okay to me. Mohammed will be a special teams guy early on, and Irving might end up starting at MLB in no time.

Cornerbacks (5)

Champ Bailey

Andre Goodman

Cassius Vaughn

Chris Harris

Johnathan Wilhite (Signed on Sunday)

* The big news was the release of Perrish Cox. His play in preseason and his upcoming sexual assault case were too much to keep the former starter around. Chris Harris is the only undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster.

Safeties (4)

Rahim Moore

Brian Dawkins

David Bruton

Quinton Carter

*Darcel McBath got the cut on Sunday, and the only other surprise was Kyle McCarthy missing out on the list.

Practice Squad

QB Adam Weber

DE Jeremy Beal

S Kyle McCarthy

WR Eron Riley

WR D'Andre Goodwin

T Adam Grant

RB Jeremiah Johnson

FB Austin Sylvester