It's football time again...
 

Ah yes...time for another year of sitting around on Sundays, drinking, watching football, losing my mind, and getting another free meal out of Hubris. :)

How wonderful...the Rams are the first game on today on FOX here in Philadelphia. God's Team took a beating last year, but it looks like the Rams of old might be back in the house. And they're playing the Giants, so a Rams win only helps the Eagles.

Oooh...and the Ravens are the first game on CBS. I don't think it's gonna be a good year for them, but one can hope...it's not like that Super Bowl team of 3 years ago was that good either. Rams are better though, so Rho will be delegated to the bedroom TV. :D (Griff, they're playing the Steelers, so you might be interested in that game, if you can get it.)

Eagles are on Monday Night Football. The defense is dropping like flies...too many injuries. I see a good season ahead...I dunno if they'll go 12-4 again, but one can dream.

I haven't followed pre-season much this year, so I don't know much about the predictions. I know the Rams were picked to win the NFC West, as their only real challenge is San Francisco.

Here's what Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post picks:

And now, the fearless picks. In the NFC, the Rams, Packers, Bucs and Giants will win their divisions. The Eagles and Saints will earn the wild-card spots. Favre will be the MVP. In the AFC, the Raiders, Steelers, Colts and Dolphins will win their divisions. The Chiefs and Ravens will earn wild cards. Portis and Williams will rush for 2,000 yards and Williams will be the MVP.

Tampa Bay will repeat by beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

Hmmm...he wasn't very good at predicting when I watched him on TV in Washington, so we'll see.

Well Kurt Warner looked like the Warner of last year, not the Warner of the Bowl year. 3 lost fumbles, 1 INT, looked just terrible most of the time.

They just announced he might have had a concussion after the first fumble. That doesn't explain why he looked so terrible up to that point.

The concussion was confirmed...and that was 6 total fumbles.

His numbers, all in all, don't look that bad: 34 for 54, 342 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. And he was holding up pretty well, given that he took a pounding. But those fumbles...and Faulk was completely ineffective today. And why oh why are we only running with 3 WR's? Defense was decent, offensive line is concerning...this was not a problem until last year.

Maddox was 21-of-29 for 260 yards 3 touchdowns no interceptions. Art Modell's team cannot lose enough games. Now if the Steelers could just stay out of nightclub shootings through January...

Giants over Steelers in the Super Bowl - there's my call.

Four turnovers forced against the Rams for 13 points total, Warner sacked six times, Barber - 146 yards rushing, Toomer averaged 49 yards/reception, Shockey 12 yards/reception, Collins went 14/26 for 202 yards and no INTs...this is it. This is the year. Steelers even look like they could make it to the finish too.

Man...a smack-around of the Steelers in the Super Bowl...that would just be a dream come true.

Priest Holmes will win the rushing title, no doubt about it. He's fast, smart, he jukes like Marcus Allen, he's got an overwhelmingly superior offensive line in front of him and he's got Tony Richardson lead blocking much of the time...and Tony is one of the best blocking backs I've ever seen.

Chiefs win the AFC West, though. A much improved defense and a high-octane offense make a combination that Oakland can't beat this year.

Then the Chiefs lose in the first round of the playoffs, and Dick Vermiel retires for real this time.

Rams go 8-8, and people in St. Louis (and Sycamore) start wondering how they fell so far so fast. :D

Couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

You work for the Tribune-Review, don't you Griff?

The Eagles game made me want to hurl. I don't think I have much else to say.

First games are sometimes not representative of the whole season...

I am begging the people who kidapped Donavan McNabb free him! Free McNabb!

Hmmm...it seems that my Chiefs are going to be playing the likely favorite of many Cellar denizens, the Steelers this Sunday.

Any friendly wagers? Hmmm...? The current line is KC by 3.5 over Pittsburgh. I'll take KC and give 3 points for a twenty spot, payable via PayPal...

Yeah, I know it's just one game... but they looked useless. Even if you stipulate that the Bucs got 2 touchdowns off of highly unlikely circus catches that were otherwise well-defended, the Eagles offense did nothing. If they basically lloked good & were just not finishing off drives to score, I'd be a little more optimistic.

Eagles-Bucs: Poor offense. Donovan almost made Kurt look great. Make no mistake, the Bucs are fierce. Their defense has been tough for a while now, but Monday night...damn.

I don't think the Eagles will do as well as last year. They didn't do much during the off-season. And the defense is not as strong as it was last year. But yeah, it's still only one game: I'll give the Eagles a wild card at 10-6, behind the Giants in the East.

Mike needs to pull his head out of his ass though if he thinks the Giants are that good.

Ep Ep Ep...those Chiefs. Perennial disappointments. Remember Christian Okoye? Yeah...you MIGHT get a wild card.

Dick Vermeil is the anti-christ. I hate him.

Rams...*shrugs*...10-6, they'll play the Eagles or Packers in the wild card.

No, no...Al Davis is the Antichrist. Dick Vermiel's final designation in the book of Revelations is as yet undetermined. Chiefs go all the way, he's Jesus. Chiefs bomb in the first round of the playoffs, he's Satan himself.