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WEEK 3 NFL PICKS (continued)

September 20, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cinininati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detriot Lion, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Cheifs, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, NFL Picks, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennesse Titans, Washington Redskins, Week 3 No Comments →

Hello and welcome back to the site.  Like promised I am back to give you the rest of the NFL picks.  However, I am still a little bit under the weather (like yesterday, which is why I didn’t finish the picks in the first place) so the post today will just be the picks.  Sorry no insight for today.  Let’s get it started.  I’ll run down all of the pick (including yesterdays).  My picks are in bold.

Oakland Raiders (+9.5) @ Buffalo Bills

Arizona Cardinals (+3) @ Washington Redskins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) @ Chicago Bears

Kansas City Cheifs (+6.5) @ Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans (+5) @ Tennesse Titans 

Cinininati Bengals (+13.5) @ New York Giants

Miami Dolphins (+13) @ New England Patriots

Carolina Panther (+3.5) @ Minnesota Vikings

 St. Louis Rams (+10) @ Seattle Seahawks

New Orleans Saints (+6) @ Denver Broncos

Detriot Lions (+4.5) @ San Francisco 49ers

Jacksonville Jaguars (+5) @ Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers (+3.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles

Cleveland Browns (+3) @ Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers (+3)

New York Jets (+8.5) @ San Diego Chargers

WEEK 3 NFL PICKS

September 19, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Boldin, Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Chicago Bears, Clinton Portis, Darren McFadden, Devin Hester, Houston Texans, JaMarcus Russel, Jason Campbell, Jerious Norwood, Justin Fargas, Kansas City Cheifs, Kurt Warner, Matt Cassell, Miami Dolphins, Michael Turner, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay, Tennessee Titans, Tom Brady, Washington Redskins No Comments →

Here at the Bills Blog we are very capable of changing things up.  This week I’m calling an audible and going to give you my NFL picks for Week 3 against the point spread.  This is going to be a weekly post that will happen every Thursday from now on (remember every Tuesday is also the Bills Player Bio of the Week).  Why am I still talking?  Let’s start it up.

Oakland Raiders (1-1, +9.5) @ Buffalo Bills (2-0)

OVER/UNDER: 36.5 Points 

Oakland lost their top back in Justin Fargas to a hamstring injury so the workload will go between rookie Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush.  I think the Bills Defense is going to be able to stop the run with Marcus Stroud just terriozing the Raiders O-line.  If they can’t run the ball, then the pressure will be put on 2nd year QB JaMarcus Russel who has not looked very strong.  The guy only had 55 yards last week through the air against a weak Kansas City defense (he went 6 for 17 which is good for a 35.3% completion).  Not to mention that the defense has been terrible.  They have let up an average of 24.5 points per game and 315 yards.  The Bills offense should have a big day.  The only question is will the Bills blow them out?  This is a game they are suppose to win big and it is tough whether or not they will step on their throat and blow them out of this game. 

THE PICK: I have to go with the Bills in this one.

OVER/UNDER: I’ll go with the OVER.   

 

Arizona Cardinals (2-0) @ Washington Redskins (1-1, +3)

OVER/UNDER: 42.5

Kurt Warner looked the right choice after all after he has led the team to a 2-0 start to the season.  He looked great last week against the Dolphins (but who doesn’t).  The Redskins secondary hasn’t looked great, so expect Warner to have another strong game with Fitz and Boldin running the show.  Clinton Portis is going to have to led the Redskins in carrier and be their workhorse in this game.  Jason Campbell looked sharp last week, like he was suppose to look like this season.  I think the Redskins are still a pretty good team.  Look for a high scoring game.

THE PICK: I really do like the Redskins with the 3 point spread in this one.

O/U: It might be a pretty high scoring game but my gut tells me to go with the UNDER.

 

KANSAS CITY CHEIFS (0-2, +5.5) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

O/U: 36.5

This game could be the possible stinker of the week.  Kansas City is terrible but the Falcons aren’t too much better.  Neither team has a QB (sorry Matt Ryan Fans) but both do have some running backs.  Look for the Falcons to win the running battle with Turner and Norwood.  Two awful teams going head to head. 

THE PICK: Turner will have a huge game.  Falcons are my pick.

O/U: These teams might not even get passed the 25 point mark.  I’m taking the UNDER.

 

HOUSTON TEXANS (0-1, +5) @ Tennessee Titans (2-0)

O/U: 39

This will be the Texans fist game in 2 weeks as they had a “bye week” last week due to the Hurricane.  The Texans looked terrible in their first game and I expected that to continue especailly because they don’t have a running back.  The Titans will have to not turn the ball over and stop the Texans in the air to win this one.  Should be a low scoring game.

THE PICK: I like the Texans with the +5 points.

O/U: Like I said, I think this one will be low scoring.  I’ll take the UNDER.

 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1-1, +3) @ CHICAGO BEARS (1-1)

O/U: 35.5

The biggest question with this line is how is the over/under 35.5?  Neither team will score much in this game.  Both teams have a decently strong running game but passing is the big question.  Kyle Orton is not going to put up big numbers and Devin Hester, the Bears top playmaker might not even play in this game.  He has missed three pratices in a row this week due to a rib injury.  How are they going to get into good field postion now?  Their offense certainly won’t be able to do it.  This game should be another stinker.

THE PICK:  No Hester equals No Win.  I’ll take the Bucs with the 3 points to spare.

O/U: Under for sure.

 

CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-2, +13.5) @ NEW YORK GIANTS

O/U: 41.5

Can the Giants cover the spread?  They certainly will beat the joke of the NFL in the Bengals but by almost 14 points?  Their offense will put up some big numbers over a very poor defense (don’t give me those numbers of where the D is ranked, they are terrible).  The X-Factor in this one is Carson Palmer.  He has looked terrible for the Bengals in their two losses.  I have a feeling he bounces back in this one.  And hey maybe Chad Johnson (no I will not refer to him by his stupid spanish name that translates to eight five, not eighty-five) might accuatly come out and play a game of football.

THE PICK: Palmer bounces back in this one and the Giants, who win, just can’t cover the spread.  I’ll go with the Bengals, although I proabably will regret it. 

O/U: Over.  This game will have a pretty high score at the end.

 

MIAMI DOLPHINS (0-2, +12.5) @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-0)

O/U: 36.5

The Dolphins will play this game close, until halftime where they will eventually be blown out by the Pats.  Miami’s defense will not be able to stop the run or pass, even without Tom Brady.  The national betting scene is all over the Dolphins but let’s be honest here.  The Pats have too much firepower for them to handle.  It won’t be a high scoring game but I wouldn’t be suprise if the Dolphins get shut out. 

THE PICK: Not following the national media on this one.  I’m going with the Patriots.

O/U: Neither team will score much.  UNDER.

 

CAROLINA PANTHERS (2-0, +3.5) @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS (0-2)

O/U: 37.5

The Panthers are the underdogs in this one?  Watch Gus Frerotte be terrible this week and Tavaris Jackson wins back his spot.  The Panthers of course will have to stop AP and Chester Taylor on the ground.  That is no small task.  However they have won their first 2 games without their best player in Steve Smith.  Look for him to have a big game in this one.  I don’t usually go on trends but QB Jake Delhomme for the Panthers is 22-4 as an underdog in his career.  I expect that record to improve after this game.

THE PICK: Going with the Panthers on this one as everyone in Minnesota realizes their team is in deep trouble.

O/U: Steve Smith is back remember?  Going with the OVER on this one.

 

That covers all of the early games for Sunday.  Didn’t feel the need to bore all of you guys tonight.  Check the site tommarrow evening for the rest of the games.  Also remember, this post will be done on Thursdays from now on.

 

High Disagree with one of my picks?  Think I’m an idiot?  Want to praise me for picking your team?  Write a comment in below and tell me what’s up. 

Giants Claimed Kurt Quarterman

June 25, 2008 By: Keith Category: Atlanta Falcons, NFC East, NFC South, NFL, New York Giants No Comments →

The Giants claimed G Kurt Quarterman off waivers from the Falcons, according to Rotoworld.com.  Quarterman will probably be just a body the Jints carry to camp, then cut.  Kurt doesn’t have any stats in the NFL yet, but he graduated from Louisville in ‘05 so you can check out his Player Bio.

Trade Rumor: DeAngelo Hall to Oakland

March 16, 2008 By: Keith Category: AFC West, Atlanta Falcons, NFC East, NFC South, NFL, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders Comments Off

DeAngelo HallBased on the accuracy of this ESPN report, Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger passed on this trade rumor: the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to trade DeAngelo Hall to the Oakland Raiders for a second round draft pick.  Garafolo believes that Hall will get a six-year contract close to the six-year, $57 million deal that Assante Samuel recently signed.  The Giants weren’t going to come near that number.  Mike reminded us that the Giants are still interested in other big-time corners like Nnamdi Asomugha of the Raiders and Marcus Trufant of the Seahawks.

I was a fan of Hall’s skills on the field, but not all of the crap that comes with him - and a contract around six-years, $57 million to boot.  I didn’t want the Jints to trade for him so it can’t happen now if that report is accurate.  I’m happy.  It seems like Oakland is really shelling out the cash this year.  Now we have to wait and see what moves the Giants make…

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Monday’s Giants News

February 25, 2008 By: Keith Category: AFC East, AFC South, Atlanta Falcons, Gibril Wilson, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jerry Reese, Kawika Mitchell, Miami Dolphins, Michael Strahan, NFC East, NFC South, NFL, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Reggie Torbor No Comments →

Road WarriorsLast night, I watched Super Bowl XLII for like the 20th time, and then I turned on the NFC Championship game for like the 20th time.  I fell asleep around halftime or the beginning of the 3rd Quarter.  I have watched the Cowboys, Packers, and Patriots games so many times since there is nothing else on television right now.  I am fortunate enough to have DVR through my cable company so I saved all of the Playoff games permantly.  I was wondering if any of you have done the same thing through DVR or TIVO.  I can’t get enough of those Road Warriors…  I just tried to track down some Giants pictures by looking for ‘Road Warrios’ and check out what I got…The original Road Warriors.  Hawk and Animal baby.  Google rocks!

Giants.com:

Fans Take - Fans talk about their emotions throughout the 2007 Giants season.

New York Times:

Reese Enjoys the Fruits of His Role in Scouting

The Star-Ledger:

RU’s Rice fulfills need for speed - Mike Garafolo covered how Ray Rice, of Rutgers, performed at the Scouting Combine.  Garafolo provided the latest on Gibril Wilson which is that the Giants still haven’t resigned him.  Previously, there were reports that the Eagles were interested in Wilson.  Yesterday, there was a report that the Jaguars were interested in Gibril.  Garafolo reminded us that both of those teams expressed interest in Wilson.  Mike also pointed out that Reggie Torbor will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, and the Dolphins are interested in Torbor.  Garafolo also stated that Kawika Mitchell will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, but the rumors are that Giants will sign Mitchell to a three-year deal.

Giants have Plan B if Hall slips by - Mike Garafolo revealed Plan B.  If the Giants are unable to get DeAngelo Hall, then they will look into drafting another corner.  Garafolo included some names in his article like Antoine Cason of Arizona, Leodis McKelvin of Troy, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee State, and Aqib Talib of Kansas.  Mike also provided some details about each of these players.

Rotoworld.com:

Rotoworld.com - “NFL Network’s Adam Schefter reports those close to Michael Strahan expect him to play football again in 2008.”

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Friday’s Giants News

February 22, 2008 By: Keith Category: AFC East, Atlanta Falcons, Bill Belichick, Craig Dahl, Derrick Ward, Gibril Wilson, Jerry Reese, John Mara, Kawika Mitchell, Michael Strahan, NFC East, NFC South, NFL, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Reggie Torbor, Tom Coughlin No Comments →

Bill BelichickYesterday, I was wrong about why Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese were holding those press conferences.  They were holding them to discuss the Combine, not Tom Coughlin’s contract extension.  There is plenty of Giants news today which is surprising because it’s the offseason.  Most of it is revolving around the ongoing rumors about New England videotaping opposing defenses.  Now a story was written about the Giants being videotaped during a Preseason game in 2006, and another story was written on how the Patriots have been doing it since 2000.  Also, there is a rumor that the Giants are interested in trading for DeAngelo Hall of the Falcons.

Newsday:

WFAN’s Boomer, Carton ‘having a blast’ - The G-MEN are not mentioned in this article, but Newsday categorized it as a Giants article. 

New York Daily News:

Giants: We’re open to new Strahan deal - Ralph Vacchiano provided us with a few notes about Big Blue.

  • The Giants announced that they might be open to redoing Micheal Strahan’s one-year deal which is currently $4 million.
  • John Mara stated that all of the Giants’ Assistant Coaches were given 2-year or 3-year contracts with raises.
  • Last, rookie S Craig Dahl had a torn ACL which led to him failing his physical so he was cut by the Giants.

New York Post:

GIANTS TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN - Paul Schwartz lets us know how the Giants are taking care of their own:

  • The Giants and Tom Coughlin are still working on the contract extension.
  • Tom Coughlin will speak at the Combine today, and Jerry Reese will speak at the Combine tomorrow.
  • Gibril Wilson and Kawika Mitchell are set to become unrestricted free agents so the Giants want to re-sign them before they hit the open market.
  • The Giants already re-signed Jeff Feagles and Lawrence Tynes, but they want to bring back Reggie Torbor and Derrick Ward.
  • “For the second consecutive offseason, the Giants do not figure to be huge players in free agency. However, according to a published report, they are exploring the possibility of trading their first-round draft pick (31st overall) to the Falcons in exchange for cornerback DeAngelo Hall.”

REPORT: PATRIOTS* TAPED GIANTS IN 2006 - The NY Post continues to use an asterisk next to anything related to the Patriots.  The Post Staff Report wrote this “The Patriots were caught videotaping Giants assistant defensive coaches in the final preseason game of 2006, according to a new report.”  Nowhere does it say ‘allegedly’.  But seriously, nobody cares about the Preseason.  Following that, the Post Staff Report went on to say “The incident led the NFL to send out a letter to teams detailing interpretations of the rule against taping an opposing team’s signals, the New York Times reported today.”  It’s funny though.  You never heard of any of this stuff until the Jets allegedly tipped off the NFL about the Patriots stealing signals in Week 1.  Since then, other teams keep adding their two cents.

New York Times:

New Claim of Taping Emerges Against Patriots - When you open up the article, the picture is of Bill Belichick and Drew Bledsoe so you know it’s old.  John Branch and Greg Bishop wrote that this videotaping of opposing teams supposedly began in the preseason of 2000 (which is when Belichick became the Head Coach of the Pats), and those are the words of a “former Patriots player”.  I find that interesting because in 2007, supposedly none of the players knew what the coaches were doing…hmmm, makes me wonder.  Belichick told Commissioner Goodell that he misinterpreted the rules.  Many people have been questioning how much of an advantage this gives the Pats, so Branch and Bishop included on-the-field examples of how the Patriots would execute play calling by recognizing the formation of the defense.  I wrote it when the New York Football Giants won Super Bowl XLII, and I’ll write it again…God set things straight in the Super Bowl because the Patriots cheated.  The same thing happened in the World Series when the Tigers cheated and lost to the underdog Cardinals.

Giants Set to Reward Coughlin With Multiyear Deal

The Star-Ledger:

Coughlin’s press conference - Mike Garafolo provided the transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference.

DeAngelo is in Indy - Mike Garafolo lets you know the rumors why Hall is in Indianapolis.

NY Giants pursuing Falcons’ CB Hall - I already included the rumor about DeAngelo Hall, but he went on to discuss the topic more in depth.  The Giants originally were interested in Marcus Trufant (Seattle) and N’namdi Asomugha (Raiders), but both of them were franchised by their respective team.  Good thing we didn’t end up with Trufant because he was part of that Seattle team that quit once it started snowing in the Divisional Playoffs in Green Bay.  Trufant looked soft and did nothing.  Another player that the Giants were interested in was Asante Samuel (Patriots), but the Giants believe that most of his success has been due to the scheme rather than his individual talent.  Now back to Hall, he’s the real deal as far as Cornerbacks are concerned.  With that said, Hall comes with a whole lot of baggage.  He was fined $100 thousand last season for shouting at the Coach of the Falcons, Bobby Petrino.  Personally, I don’t want any part of DeAngelo Hall.  I don’t want the clowns of the NFL on the Giants.  We have Strahan and that is more than enough for me to handle.  The Giants are expected to cut R.W. McQuarters very soon, and they would cut Sam Madison as well if they work out this deal with Hall.

Coughlin’s deal a matter of time - We already covered the status of Coach Coughlin, but here’s a sidenote at the bottom of the article that I found interesting, “The Giants coaches and scouts had dinner last night at Shula’s Steakhouse in the Westin Hotel that’s connected to the RCA Dome. The irony of dining in a restaurant owned by the coach of the 1972 Dolphins a few weeks after preserving their spot as the only perfect Super Bowl champ in history wasn’t lost on Mara.  “I was a little disappointed to find out Coach Shula wasn’t picking up the tab,” Mara joked.”

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