NFL STRAIGHT PICK-EM WEEK THREE

LAST WEEK RECORD: (12-4)

Just the way we drew it up.

SEASON STATS

OVERALL RECORD (20-12)

THURSDAY NIGHT RECORD (2-0)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD (1-1)

WEEK THREE WE SALUTE THE OLD SCHOOL BARE FOOT KICKERS

WEEK THREE

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT HOUSTON TEXANS

I’m shocked that Sam Darnold is 2-0 under center for the Panthers. Jets fans have to be pissed off seeing Darnold having success this quickly for another team. Houston has another problem at quarterback. Texans starting a rookie Davis Mills for the injured Tyrod Taylor. Deshaun Watson is still having women problems. Carolina’s defense has been very good so far this season and will be the key to another victory in week three.

OUR PICK: PANTHERS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT DETROIT LIONS

Ravens coming off a huge win over the Chiefs. The Lions played one good half again as the Packers came back and won. Lions will hang with the Ravens in this one for awhile, but in the end, Baltimore will win by two scores. Ravens have too much talent to lose to a doormat Lions team.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

ATLANTA FALCONS AT NEW YORK GIANTS

For the Falcons, how is that tight end they picked in the very first round, working out for the dirty birds? Obviously, he can’t play defense. Falcon defense is that girl in the neighborhood when you’re younger who gave every boy there an easy double, and possibly heading for third base standing up. Giants had played two tough games so far coming away with nothing. I like Saquon Barkley getting back on-track and having his best game since coming back from his injury last season.

OUR PICK: THE G-MEN

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT TENNESSEE TITANS

Colts schedule has been very difficult starting off with the Seahawks and the Rams now facing division foe the Titans who won their first game last week. Can the Colts contain Derrick Henry who steamrolled Seattle’s defense last week? Colts defense, still a pretty good unit, will give up chunks of yards to the Titans and bend but not break. The Titans defense is the weakest link in this contest. A perfect opportunity for Carson Wentz to exploit and win his first game in a Colt uniform.

OUR PICK: COLTS

LA CHARGERS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

If you have any players from either offense on your fantasy team, put them in this week because this will be a shootout between the Chiefs and Chargers. The Chiefs defense seems to arrive in the second half of the season. I toyed with the idea of Chargers coming into Kansas City and escaping with a victory. Chiefs losing two in a row is hard to believe. Chargers losing two in a row has been done and is the norm.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers need to do a complete overhaul on Big Ben Roethlisberger’s body like in the movie Robo Cop. A robotic arm installed so Big Ben can throw the ball down the field. Mistakes cost the Bengals last week versus the Bears. Steelers will be without T.J Watt in this week three match up. When Steelers went sour last year, was when the defense took on too many injuries. Look for the Bengals offense to clean up the mistakes, play a clean game, and get a key division win.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

CHICAGO BEARS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS

Justin Fields will get his first start in the NFL. The Browns survived last week versus the Texans because Tyrod Taylor left the game with an injury. Browns get their dog, Odell Beckham Jr., back from the pound. Can the Bears defense stop the Browns ground attack? This is a game during which the Browns defense has to make a statement, especially against a rookie quarterback. Bears receivers will make too many drop balls to kill off drives is my feeling. Justin Fields will lose his first game on Ohio soil.

OUR PICK: BROWNS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

I’m not there yet jumping on the Patriot bus because they beat the Jets. Saints looked bipolar in week 2 compared to their big win in week 1. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is still a work in progress. Meanwhile Sean Payton is still rewiring Jameis Winston.

I like the Saints in a full rebound in this one. I think Sean Payton will win more games quicker without Drew Brees than Bill Belichick without Tom Brady.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are learning on the job. Cardinals are off to a great start. Cardinals have shown their high powered offense with a better defense than last season. Jaguars have done some nice things on offense but have shown they can’t stop anybody on the defensive side of the ball. Kyler Murray will have another big game. Lawrence will continue to make progress in his third NFL start.

OUR PICK: CARDINALS

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM AT BUFFALO BILLS

Taylor Heinicke won in his first start of the season for the Team last Thursday. Bills rebounded last week after losing to the Steeler team in week one. Both teams have solid defenses. Josh Allen has yet to play his best game and is due to have a breakout game in week three. I find it very hard for the Bills to lose in two straight home games. Especially with the Bills mafia watching in the stands.

OUR PICK: BILLS

NEW YORK JETS AT DENVER BRONCOS

Zach Wilson is counting down the days until his Darnold exit out of New York. Broncos move in & getting Teddy Bridgewater has paid off big time for Denver. Broncos defense has also been solid. Just the way Head Coach Vic Fangio pictured it taking the job a few years ago. Jets have no chance in this one. The game will be over after the first whistle.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Raiders looking like a force in the AFC after two weeks. Should Kansas City be concerned? Miami hands over the keys to the quarterback position, to veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett after Tua Time went out with a rib injury last week versus Buffalo. The Dolphin defense does not look like the same unit they had last season. Raiders offense has been clicking on all cylinders and will be too much for the Dolphins defense to handle.

Is this the team Chucky aka Jon Gruden has been dreaming of since coming back to the Raiders?

OUR PICK: RAIDERS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Talking about losing games at the wire in week two for both the Vikings and the Seahawks. Both teams are having problems stopping teams on defense. Look for another shootout and the game being decided at the end of regulation.

We flipped a coin on this match up.

OUR PICK: VIKINGS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT LA RAMS

Looks like we have a heavyweight fight coming our way in week three. Is it too soon to say this is a preview of the NFC Championship game between the Buccaneers and Rams? This game will have two solid defenses and two solid offenses. In big games, in big moments, you have to give the edge to Tom Brady over Matthew Stafford.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Aaron Rodgers’ performance last week brought all the Cheese-heads off the cheese grater. San Francisco is healthy so far and they look like their former selves when they played Green Bay in the NFC Championship a few seasons ago. Can Rodgers win in the state of California where he has had problems in the past? The way Aaron Jones ran the ball last week has me thinking it’s hard to bet against the Packers.

OUR PICK:PACKERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS

Both these dreaded NFC East teams from last year are playing very well this season. Both teams have identical records 1-1. I like the Cowboys being at home. Having Dak Presott healthy and playing better and better each week gives the Boys the upper hand. Philadelphia will have a hard time with that Cowboy receiver core. On any given Sunday, any one of them can have a big game.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

NFL STRAIGHT PICK-EM WEEK TWO

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (8-8)

We are hopeful we learned from being sent to the penalty box after week one’s horrible picking.

SEASON STATS

OVERALL RECORD:(8-8)

THURSDAY NIGHT RECORD: (1-0)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD: (0-1)

WEEK TWO WE ARE A GO!!!!

THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

NEW YORK GIANTS AT WASHINGTON “THE TEAM WITH NO NAME”

Giants are still trying to find themselves. Running back Saquon Barkley trying to knock off the rust from last year’s injury. Washington has a new quarterback Taylor Heinicke as Ryan Fitzpatrick is out. Watch Heinickle take the starting quarterback job for good. Last season Heinicke impressed me with the plays he made behind center giving the Buccaneers a scare in the first round of the playoffs. Heinicke makes use of the Washington’s weapons and the defense rebounds in Washington victory.

OUR PICK: “THE TEAM”

THE SUNDAY SLATE

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS

What do Jets’ quarterbacks and speed bumps have in common? They both get run down. Rookie Zack Wilon sacked six times and hit a total of ten times. You know Evil Bill Belichick will exploit the Jets offensive line and have his way in week two. Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones will gain confidence and make some nice throws to get his team’s record even at 1-1.

OUR PICK: THE NEUTERED EVIL EMPIRE

DENVER BRONCOS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

The Broncos defense is much better than what the Jaguars faced in week one versus the Texans. Trevor Lawrence was good, bad, and ugly in his debut. I think the Jaguars will clean up their mistakes from week one. Jacksonville is still a very young team and they will give the Broncos a solid game. Teddy Bridgewater with that balanced offense not making mistakes, and the Broncos able to play solid defense they will be 2-0 out of the gates of the 2021 season.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

BUFFALO BILLS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS

Should Buffalo Bills fans worry about their opening day loss to the Steelers where they were up 10-0 at one point? Miami squeaked out a close one with the Patriots last weekend. Josh Allen will rebound and is due for a bigger game from him. The Bills defense played well last week, so look for that to continue. I felt the Steelers had some lucky catches on key plays last week. Dolphins will keep this one close until late in the game when Buffalo finally put the fish on ice for good on South Beach.

Is Pinto Ron grill equipped for a huge fish fry?

OUR PICK: BILLS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Here’s where things get interesting with two teams winning last week facing off in week two. Both the 49ers and Eagles played bad teams. My first thought was picking the 49ers because they are fully healthy and ready to take that leap back to the post-season. Lions made that a game last week versus the 49ers. Meanwhile Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni has come up with a solid game plan for his young quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Which includes a running game with two running backs and easy quick passes to avoid the pass rush. Quick tempo to speed up the game. Eagles defense will make a few plays to keep Philadelphia undefeated.

OUR PICK: THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

LA RAMS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The Colts seem like they always get off to a slow start in the standings. Colts with a very tough schedule to start; first the Seahawks and now the Rams. LA Rams man handled the Chicago Bears with ease last weekend. Both teams have new quarterbacks behind center this season. Matthew Stafford will adjust to his new surroundings quicker than Carson Wentz. This game will be a battle through all 4 quarters. I think Rams squeak one out on the road.

OUR PICK: RAMS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

These two teams have old time history with each other. Epic playoff battles in the AFC that are still talked about today. Steelers defense came to play last week as they contained Josh Allen and their high octane offense. Raiders had a thriller with the Ravens on Monday night at home forcing overtime and eventually winning their home opener. Steelers are always tough at home. It looks like Big Ben Roethlisberger’s arm is about to fall off completely however he will be able to do enough to that Raiders suspect defense. Last season, the Steeler defense was awesome early on as they were healthy then. Look for that unit to slow down the Raider offense from exploding late in the game and containing Vegas weapons of mass destruction.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CHICAGO BEARS

Week one both these teams are the tale of two cities. Bengals winning in overtime over the Vikings, gives their fan base excitement. Meanwhile, the Bears fans are angry over the play of their team and that rookie quarterback Justin Fields is not on the field for the entire game. Which happens in these situations… the following week both teams do a 360. The Bears will play like World beaters while the Bengals will turn into the Bumbles once again. This game will belong to Andy Dalton. I will call this chapter, “The Rifleman Will Shoot Your Eye Out.”

OUR PICK: DA BEARS

HOUSTON TEXANS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS

Cleveland looks like an elite team from their play last Sunday in that loss to the Chiefs. Tyrod Taylor resurfaces in Houston while Deshaun Watson is looking for a new massage therapist that won’t tell all. Browns have a better defense with a two headed monster running game. It might be the best tandem in the entire league. Houston defense is suspect. Tyrod Taylor has problems throwing down-field if Texans get behind early. Taylor can dink and dunk all day. Browns will score points and Houston will have a major problem keeping up.

OUR PICK: BROWNS

SAINTS AT PANTHERS

Many Saints coaches are out with Covid.

Perhaps the staff went out and celebrated their Packers victory with some drinks and new beads, somewhere not in The Big Easy. Did Sean Payton fix Jameis Winston? Can Sam Darnold find a permanent home in Carolina? Both teams won their first game last Sunday. Saints are the better team in this match-up. New Orleans has more weapons it seems on offense, plus not missing a beat on defense after losing guys to free agency. Winston being controlled by Payton and not making mistakes, he has a big arm. Just hope he stays away from the crab legs.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS

Give the Viking head coach Mike Zimmer a shovel because he’s digging a hole which he may not get out of once again. Vikings lost to the Bengals in Overtime and have a difficult match up with the Cardinals in week two. Cardinals fixed their defense this off-season, adding some nice pieces to that unit. Look for the Cardinals to put the Denver boot on Dalvin Cook. Kirk Cousins will make mistakes when the pressure mounts. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray will run up the score.

OUR PICK: CARDINALS

ATLANTA FALCONS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Atlanta looked like the worst team in the entire NFL last Sunday. Tom Brady is already in mid-season form and looking now to play until he’s 50. Hearing that just makes you ill. Falcons defense still has problems stopping teams. A lingering problem in Atlanta for several years now. Looks like the Julio Jones departure has taken the heart and soul out of that Falcon offense. This is going to be a bloody path as Tampa Bay pirate ship will run out of cannon ammo from all the scoring.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

TENNESSEE TITANS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

This match-up has shoot-out written all over it. Seattle looked awesome last weekend versus the Colts. Titans struggled versus the Cardinals. I like Seattle at home, but then I don’t. Seattle seems to be playing better on the road than at home the last few seasons. I like a Titan rebound in week two as the ground game will be huge for Tennessee and keep drives going and longer while Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines. Derrick Henry was contained last week. So look for a big game against from him versus the average defense Seattle has.

OUR PICK: TITANS

DALLAS COWBOYS AT LA CHARGERS

Chargers offense were able to beat a very good Washington defense. Cowboys defense is better than last season’s garbage they trotted out there. Dak Prescott did not miss a beat being back from last season’s injury and almost pulled out victory against the world champs on Thursday Night Football. My gut tells me Justin Herbert will have a monster game versus the Cowboy defense. I think this game will be a shootout. It will be the first game at which Chargers have fans at the new stadium they share with the Rams. Do Charger fans even exist anymore? I feel the Cowboy fans will invade that stadium and it will feel like a home game for Dallas instead. In the end, the Cowboys will be last team standing victorious in this one.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS

Chiefs won a well-fought game last week versus the Browns. Ravens watched the Raiders storm back and beat them in overtime in Vegas. Ravens last season started out of the gates slowly. Patrick Mahomes versus Lamar Jackson has always gone the Chiefs way. Ravens struggled against winning teams last season. Chiefs improved their protection in the off-season of their man Mahomes. Upgrading their line. Mahomes with more time will find the holes in the Ravens defense. Chiefs defense will just do enough to throw off Lamar Jackson’s timing and contain some of the big runs.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

MONDAY NIGHT GAME

DETROIT LIONS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS

Packers played like cheese whiz last Sunday. Lions almost made one of the impressive comebacks that fell short at the end of regulation. Aaron Rodgers historically does not do well in the state of Florida. When everybody thinks Rodgers is ready for the retirement home and the Packers are going to be bad, then suddenly the script is flipped the following week.

I would love to see the Packers become the doormat of the entire NFL. It just doesn’t work that way because the Packers suddenly have the Lions and Bears even the Vikings that come to the dinner table gift wrapped. Lions will be the resurgence meal tha tthe Packers will gladly devour to give this Green Bay drama back to Superbowl talk on Rodgers’ revenge tour.

OUR PICK: PACKERS

The Chicago Bears have never fired a head coach during regular season play. After watching the first game of the 2021 season, the Bears should give Matt Nagy, Head Coach of the Bears, the ax. In my opinion, Matt Nagy should have been kicked to the curb last season with his entire coaching staff and thrown in the front office. The Bears should have cleaned house & gave the garbage truck driver a tip to take away the trash that they have running this team right now. The Bears defense on Sunday night was lifeless versus the Rams. Bears linebacker Alec Ogletree even said, “We didn’t play with enough energy.”

fThen Bears wide receiver Marquise Goodwin questioned Matt Nagy’s game plan. Matt Nagy’s game plan should be questioned with his team only making two passes the entire game longer than ten yards versus the Rams. The handling of Justin Fields has you scratching your head after game one. Bears and the fans of Chicago got a broken hollowed out branch half eaten by termites of the Andy Reid coaching tree. It’s time to lop that sucker off. It’s been the defense side of the ball that has helped Matt Nagy actually have a winning record in the NFL. The Bears defense Nagy inherited from the John Fox era made the jump to the top defensive team in the league in his very first season on the Bears sidelines. Credit defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, now Denver’s head coach. After Fangio left to take the job as head coach in Denver, the Bears defense has slowly digressed. Chuck Pagano the last two years could not get the pressure on the quarterback like that 2018 unit did the last year Fangio was in Chicago. Pagano retired from the game after last season. Matt Nagy’s list of replacements on the defensive side turns up nothing so Bears promote Coach Sean Desai. The players love Coach Desai. This was the move when Head Coach Lovie Smith replaced the defensive coordinator at the time, Ron Rivera, who was up and coming with his Buddy Bob Babich in 2007. Now the Bears have an aging defense and a defensive coordinator way over his head in his first year on the job. This unit can’t tackle. With no great defense in place, Matt Nagy is about to take the plunge on the big slide in the game of chutes and ladders.

The War and Peace playbook of Matt Nagy should be tossed in the garbage can. In the Rocky movies, the neighbors of Rocky Balboa would stand around a burning can with flames shooting out singing and drinking. Burn baby burn this play book could supply heat to the homeless all winter in downtown Chicago. This play book of Matt Nagy’s might work if he has all the pieces in place. We have heard similar words like that at Halas hall from another former coach with a mustache. Andy Dalton and Nick Foles last year complained Matt Nagy does not get the plays into the quarterbacks fast enough. The wording is too long perhaps. Matt Nagy says the playbook can take up to 4 years to learn. How many quarterbacks has Matt Nagy already had in 4 seasons in Chicago? Mitch Trubisky regressed in his second year when Matt Nagy turned to page two of this book.

The Josh Fields situation bothers me. The General Manager Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy could hide behind landing Fields in the draft and use that to stay working in Chicago longer. Using the excuse we are still developing our guy. I feel bad for Andy Dalton. Dalton should be a starter somewhere else in the NFL with a good offensive line and a strong running game. Dalton could be successful. Not in Chicago. The Bears line is weak. The running back David Montgomery for the Bears can run with the rock but Nagy’s play calling limits the young tail back’s talent. Dalton a statue back in the pocket with no running game in the game plan and a bad offensive line that is homicide. The question should Justin Fields play or sit has been an argument for weeks around Chicagoland. Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes waited before they got their chance and they are two of the best in the league along with Tom Brady. That’s 3 of the top tier in the league. What about Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson who played right away? It can go either way. In week one around the league many rookies were starting and making plays for their new team. Except the Bears, they put Justin Fields in for a handful of plays throughout the game. If the Bears brass got it right, they would have waited & signed Andy Dalton last season as he was cut loose by the Bengals. Instead typical Bears trading for Nick Foles means more draft capital wasted and more money down the drain. Now with Justin Fields, I see Matt Nagy stunting the growth of huge talent. Imagine two top picks in the last five years at the quarterback position wasted because Bears can’t develop them.

d,Marquise Goodwin a new Bears player signed in the off-season, saying the game plan last Sunday with all the short passes played into the defender Jalan Ramsey on the Rams instead of stretching the field. A weakness for the corner back. Goodwin is right. Is Matt Nagy going to get into the receiver’s face and scream at him for talking to the media on sensible topics that should be addressed behind closed doors? Another reason Matt Nagy should be shown the door is he does not hold any of his players accountable. All the stupid penalties his guys get, especially Akiem Hicks last season. It was just dumb mistake after dumb mistake last season. Not going to name names, but Dumb and Dumber are two of Nagy’s receivers. They were ejected last season in both Saints games with the same corner back involved. Matt Nagy is too busy with the offensive play book. He has lost any thought about the rest of the game that is going on. A Head Coach’s job is to make the tough decisions and hold everyone accountable for their errors. Instead Matt Nagy is scheming how to abandon the run and pass more. Nagy was supposed to be the quarterback guru when he was hired and Mitch Trubisky looked sharp in pre-season with the Bills as their game plan involved working to his strengths. Nagy quickly abandoned Trubisky’s strengths. Trubisky’s best games for the Bears were when Matt Nagy dumbed down the playbook and used what worked best for Mitch. His legs rolling out passing. Bears were lucky last season getting into the post-season. I don’t see the Bears getting back to post-season any time soon with too many weaknesses on that roster. This Bears team should be scrapped. Completely gutted top to bottom. The Bears need to find a new GM and head coach that can keep some of the young guys and find a way to build around Justin Fields. First throw the Matt Nagy branch into the shredder sooner than later and give the reins to Justin Fields and let him steer the ship the rest of the way. All’s Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy have brought to Chicago is the reincarnation of the famous Bulls Gar/Pax tandem. Nobody wants to remember Gar Forman, John Paxson, and what they did to the Chicago Bulls.

STRAIGHT PICK-EM

WEEK ONE NFL PREDICTIONS

LET’S ROCK WEEK ONE OF SOME VERY BAD PREDICTIONS !!!!!

THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

DALLAS COWBOYS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Any time Tom Brady gets an award, the great Tampa Tom will stroke his Buccaneer in front of the entire NFL nation. Dak Prescott returning after an injury last season will get his feet wet but not enough to give last year’s champions a loss.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT HOUSTON TEXANS

I’m not Lovie Smith-ing the Texans right now. The sexual predator DeShaun Watson will have plenty of lonely nights, not being behind center. Maybe he can be the master of his domain. Week one, I’m going rookie Trevor Lawrence. Besides, it seems the Jaguars’ only game they can win is opening week.

OUR PICK: JAG BAGS

LA CHARGERS AT WASHINGTON TEAM WITH NO NAME

I like Washington’s defense in this one especially with LA traveling from the west coast. Will Justin Herbert be a victim of the Sophomore jinx? Who ever Washington is rolling out at quarterback in this game, is already better than week one of last season. I have a feeling it will be the Beard. The Chargers will be in a hairy situation in week one.

OUR PICK: WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Colts are a slow starting team especially last year in week one with a new quarterback when they were upset by the Jaguars. I like the same plot this time. Seahawks are a better team winning on the road. Last few years, Russell Wilson has been very good as a Road Warrior.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

NEW YORK JETS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Sam Darnold revenge game!!!

OUR PICK: PANTHERS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS

Both teams last season played poorly on the defensive side of the ball. Can Joe Burrow rebound from his injury last season? Vikings have the better coaching staff in this one. I feel like the Viking defense will show up this season. Vikings will still lose the big prime-time games. Bengals are never on prime-time. They are lucky if they make the Spanish stations.

OUR PICK: SCREAMING VIKINGS

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT TENNESSEE TITANS

This match up to me has offensive shoot out written all over it. I think it will be close game. JJ Watt will find it hard once again to stop the train at the end of the game with Titans running back Derrick Henry running through a Cardinal defense. There will be some new faces but the same results.

OUR PICK: TITANS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT DETROIT LIONS

If only the Lions could assemble the old Detroit Piston team, the bad boys for week one on their defense.

San Francisco is healthy and should dominate a Lion team that may be one of the worst teams in the league this season.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT BUFFALO BILLS

Last year the Steelers were beating the bad teams and got off to a hot start. When Pittsburgh played the tougher teams, they could not win. Buffalo will do the same thing they did to Big Ben and that Shower Curtain defense. They’ll win convincingly in front of the Bills Mafia in a packed house. Bills will provide the one wrestling table crunching move to prevent the Steelers winning week one on the road.

OUR PICK: BILLS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT ATLANTA FALCONS

Who’s knows who will win the battle of the birds. In the end, the black birds will prevail in hot Atlanta in a messy affair.

OUR PICK: FALCONS

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Browns had a hard time beating winning teams most of last season. I think the Chiefs upgrade on their offensive line will be the difference in this one.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

DENVER BRONCOS AT NEW YORK GIANTS

This one will be a defensive battle. I like Teddy Bridgewater not making the mistakes that will cost his team. Bridgewater and a strong running game by the Broncos will be the difference.

OUR PICK:BRONCOS

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (IN JACKSONVILLE)

Aaron Rodgers’ farewell tour will start in Florida where he has done very poorly in his career. I think this will be a close one. Saints mistake late in this game will give the Packers the road win. Cough Cough… Jameis Winston !!!

OUR PICK: PACKERS

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Not getting on board the Patriots train. Rookie quarterback versus a pretty good Dolphin defense in my book will give Bill Belichick problems his first game of 2021.

OUR PICK: DOLPHINS

CHICAGO BEARS AT THE LA RAMS

Andy Dalton better have some life insurance because the Rams defense will use the Bears offensive line like a turnstile. Picture a mob going through the doors of Filene’s basement on the biggest sale of the year.

OUR PICK:RAMS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

This actually looks like a decent looking game for Monday Night. It should be close. At the end, Lamar Jackson legs out the winning score.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

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The Chicago Bears announced before the final preseason game versus the Tennessee Titans, that Andy Dalton will be their starting quarterback when the team takes the field in week one versus the Rams. Many fans are disgruntled as they had hopes of seeing Justin Fields behind center when the Bears faced the Rams in LA. The Bears coaching staff were in love with the red headed rifleman, Andy Dalton, before the 2020 season. Bears could not finagle a trade with the Bengals who drafted Joe Burrow out of LSU. Bengals ended up releasing Dalton who went on to sign a deal with the Cowboys to back up Dak Prescott. Bears could not pounce on Dalton because they have pulled the trigger on Nick Foles in a trade with the Jaguars. Bears coaching staff thought Nick Foles would be the answer. This is the grand scheme to move on from Mitch Trubisky. Foles did not look like his days in a Eagle uniform. Bears let Mitch Trubisky walk. Bears coaching staff finally got their second guy this off-season as they inked Andy Dalton to a one year deal. Then the football draft took place and suddenly the Bears found themselves with a chance to land Justin Fields, the former Buckeye. That moment, as if time paused, Andy Dalton became enemy number one to Chicago Bears fans. Are the Bears doing the right thing starting Dalton over Fields?

Does pre-season tell you the tale of the tape for both these quarterbacks? The eye test would tell you Justin Fields looked better overall in the pre-season games than Andy Dalton. Then you bring in the debate of which Quarterback played with the varsity class and which one played with the Frosh/Sophomore squad? Let’s not forget starters the Bears rested, that did not play in any of the pre-season games. Plus, let’s not forget the teams the Bears faced in pre-season who did play all their guys. In a bar stool debate, you can throw stats in any of these games out the window. What I saw in pre-season was Andy Dalton got lucky on a big gainer for a touchdown where the receiver stripped the ball from the defender in mid air. He ran for the long score while the corner back fell to the ground. I noticed Justin Fields hangs on to the ball way too long. I remember the play when the Buffalo Bill defender made chop suey out of Fields as his helmet came off in the collision. I did notice Fields has the escape ability when the pocket is closing up like the walls closing in on Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and the Princess, in the movie Star Wars. The next question I have which we do not know the answer to is… how did both quarterbacks do in practice? I would never buy anything the Bears brass is selling. The tells the General Manager Ryan Pace has in the press conferences let me know he would be the first to lose his shirt in a poker game.

What is the best way to start a young quarterback who you think is the face of your franchise for years to come? Should Justin Fields hold on to a clip board and learn the NFL on the sidelines from the veteran bridge quarterback that Andy Dalton has become? Bears tried this with Mitch Trubisky. Mike Glennon was that veteran in an experiment gone badly compared to the laboratory that produced the Covid virus. Trubisky would play decently in his first year behind center where he had no receivers. Everyone likes the road Patrick Mahomes took with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes learned from Alex Smith who had a great year. Chiefs made the playoffs. Mahomes played in a meaningless game at the end of the season that year. Could Andy Dalton keep Fields on the bench and play well? Dalton signed with the Bears to be QB number 1. Dalton was probably told he was. Any veteran player, especially with the mentality of a quarterback, are going to play with a chip on his shoulder. Dalton will be looking for a contract beyond this season. Obviously with another team. Could Dalton drive the car how Ryan Fitzpatrick did in Miami last season & then hand the keys over like the Beard did to young quarterback Tua Tagovailoa? Miami would have made the playoffs if they went with Fitzmagic the entire season. Miami came close in the tough AFC with Tua Time mania on South Beach. Many people would say throw the young quarterback into the pit of snakes and let him get his bites and lumps in. How Peyton Manning and other greats have done it since the league formed. Getting the experience of on the job training. Some people compare the Bears quarterback saga to Russel Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson’s first year he beat out the one-game-wonder, Matt Flynn, who got a big contract from Seattle that off-season. Seahawks’ two Superbowls and multiple playoff appearances later have Russell Wilson looking like a future Hall-of-Famer.

When it comes down to the way the Chicago Bears do things, it’s an automatic wrong way. I get the thought process behind putting Andy Dalton in versus that stud defense the Rams have. Many believe the Rams defense is the best in the league coming into the 2021 season. Plus, the Bears have a 39-year-old left tackle to protect Dalton’s blindside. Jason Peters has not played in any pre-season game. Peters has had a great career, but how much does he have left in the gas tank? Bears do everything on the fly. Nothing seems like an intelligent plan when it comes to the Bears. Like drafting Justin Fields, like someone left a bag of cash on your front steps. You take it, but then the Bears don’t know how to use it. I would have fired this current coaching staff last season. Bears got lucky and found their way into the playoffs from a broken Cardinal team and the expanded post-season last year. This probably did save Head Coach Matt Nagy’s job. I can see Matt Nagy not playing Justin Fields right away to stay employed. Use the excuse that it takes time to develop a young quarterback. Then GM Ryan Pace got another chance at selecting a quarterback. By drafting Justin Fields, does that take him off the hook for picking Mitch Trubisky over DeShaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes? The front office should have been eliminated as well last season. Pace’s draft history is horrible. The Bears GM still has never addressed the offensive line. You have a head coach who’s supposed to be the QB whisperer with a War and Peace style playbook and has failed to run a top-tier offense. Blame that on a bad line, bad play calls and not developing your quarterbacks. It has been the defense that Nagy inherited that has his coaching record with more wins than losses. Andy Dalton will get a raw deal and move on from Chicago next season. Dalton might be the best choice versus the Rams or will end up as the sacrificial lamb in week one. Fields could also find himself damaged goods if he played versus a defense like that in week one. In the long run I think it will take another head coach to get the best out of Justin Fields. Lets just hope Fields is not permanent damaged goods when the new staff comes in.