NFLFan's Journal: NFL Week 5

The Fan's Six Pack:

1.) The Patriots, at 2-2, have yet to look good this season. Where has Corey Dillon disappeared to? Perhaps a defense that gave up some yards really can't sustain the loss of Rodney Harrison (along with Bruschi, Johnson, et al). Patriot players and fans are fond of saying that this team does not lose two in a row, if they do not improve fast it is going to be said that they do not win two in a row.

2.) The two best teams in the NFC are the Eagles and Falcons. Both have loop-sided offenses but one with the pass and the other with the run. Of the two, I like the Falcons because they are better at passing the ball than the Eagles are at running it. The question of McNabb's health is also troubling; Vick's dings do not seem to be nearly as serious.

3.) Jamal Lewis is not right. I do not how he is not right though. I think it is rather troublesome that Lewis only had 81 yards on 29 carries and Billick calls that effort, "Outstanding. Gutty. Tough."

4.) I never liked Plaxico Burress with the Steelers. Burress never quite fit in with the Steelers' run happy offense. It is rumored that Steeler insiders felt that Burress would lose interest in a game if he did not get the ball early and often enough. The papers criticized him for his drops, the poor route running, and poor efforts after the catch. Anyhow, Burress is now with the more pass happy Giants and Burress had a pretty good day against St. Louis. Every week, Burress is looking more and more like a perfect fit for the Giants.

5.) A lot was made of the defenses of the Chiefs and Colts early on this season. After consecutive loses, no one is talking about the Chiefs' defense anymore. So that leaves the Colts, their defense might appear to be playing well but consider their opponents: Baltimore, Jacksonville, Clevend, and Tennessee.

6.) I wonder what Brett Favre is thinking right now.

Picks:
Last week I went 10-4. Overall, I'm 36-24 (.600).

Sunday, Oct. 9
Baltimore at Detroit, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Lions. Baltimore's offense is worse than ever because they seemingly have forgotten how to run the ball in addition to just being unable to throw it.

Chicago at Cleveland, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Bears. Could go either way really.

Miami at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Dolphins. The Bills are just looking bad. I don't care who starts at quarterback.

New England at Atlanta, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Falcons. The Falcons are running the heck out of the ball and their defense is pretty good also. Vick's knee injury might be a little troublesome but I do not think it is serious.

New Orleans at Green Bay, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Saints. This is perhaps the toughest pick for me. I don't trust the Aaron Brooks or the Saints but the Packers are just bad.

Seattle at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Rams.

Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Buccaneers. Here is all you need to know about the Jets offense, it is worse than the Ravens!

Tennessee at Houston, 1:00 p.m.
I like the Titans. I don't think either team is that good but the Texans are worse.

Indianapolis at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.
I like the Colts. Alex Smith makes his NFL debut.

Carolina at Arizona, 4:15 p.m.
I like the Panthers. Arizona showed some signs of life in Mexico but they are back in the U.S. this week.

Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:15 p.m.
I like the Eagles. The Cowboys have not shown me enough for me to pick them.

Washington at Denver, 4:15 p.m.
I like the Broncos. Don't look now but the Broncos have looked really good as of late. The Redskins might be undefeated but they have not exactly looked good.

Cincinnati at Jacksonville, 8:30 p.m.
I like the Bengals. I really don't know what to make of the Jaguars; they still seem to have problems scoring points. I think the Bengals will win but this could be their biggest test yet.

Monday, Oct. 10
Pittsburgh at San Diego, 9:00 p.m.
I like the Steelers. The Chargers are coming off a big win against the Patriots and the Steelers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Patriots. The Steelers are also coming off of a bye week. Look for the Steelers to rebound in a big way.