QB: Ben Roethisberger
RB1: LaDainian Tomlinson
RB2: Brandon Jacobs
WR1: Hines Ward
WR2: Donald Driver
WR3: Joey Galloway
Flex: Adrian Peterson
TE: Greg Olsen
DEF: Seattle
Under the radar picks:
David Martin (TE, MIA)
Vincent jackson (WR, SDC)
Kerry Collins (QB, TEN)
Dwayne Jarrett (WR, CAR)
Oakland Defence
Sunday 14 September 2008
2008 Week Two Preview
Tennessee at Cincinnati
Titans too strong, even without Young. Bengals D is a travesty. Could all be very different if the Cinci passing attack gets going, as the Titans lack the playmakers to chase a game.
Green Bay at Detroit
Even though Detroit are better than their loss last week to Atlanta, they are no match for a Packers team that has not missed a beat since Aaron Rodgers took over.
Oakland at Kansas City
A strong rushing attack is Herm Edwards' worst nightmare. Fortunately, that uis all Oakland has. It should still be too strong for the Chiefs, but we like them a lot better with Damon huard under centre.
NY Giants at St. Louis
The Rams are one of the few teams that have little home advantage, and facing a strong road team in the Giants is not their ideal start to the season.
Indianapolis at Minnesota
Both teams struggled in week one, but the Colts have a strong passing game that can take advantage of the 32nd ranked team against the pass last season. Dallas Clark's loss is a blow, but expect the team to utilise 3 WR sets, as Jacob Tamme - Clark's understudy - is also out.
New Orleans at Washington
The Saints march on Washington with a big advantage in confidence. Both teams faced tough divisional matchups in week one, but the big difference was that the Saints managed to find a groove, whereas the 'skins didn't trouble the Giants one bit. It will be interesting to see Reggie Bush try to build on a strong opening week.
Chicago at Carolina
Both teams upset strong AFC challengers on the road in week one, but the Panthers hold a big edge offensively. Jake Delhomme looked sharper than we gave him credit for, and whilst Kyle Orton is certainly not as bad as people make out, he is not the kind of guy that can break down Defences if the team falls behind.
Buffalo at Jacksonville
Upset? Perhaps not. the Jags O-line could struggle mightily against a player - in Marcus Stroud - who knows their weaknesses. Coupled with a strong offensive showing in week one, and it could be another long day for Jags fans.
San Francisco at Seattle
The Seahawks still look far better than the 49ers despite last week's loss to the Bills, and the 49ers stumbling offence should struggle against what we still consider to be the best Defence in the league. Yes, even after last week.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
Let's not get carried away - the Falcons are about as good as we thought. They have the chance to win a few games like last week's game against Detroit, but they are still a long way from the finished article. The Bucs could struggle on offence with Brian Griese under centre, but overall, they should do a far better job of stopping the run than Detroit. One interesting side-story: Warrick Dunn's return to Atlanta.
New England at NY Jets
Contentious? You bet. The Jets could argue they have a stronger team right now, and we may agree. On the other hand, the nucleus of the great New England dynasty runs through the heart of this team, and Matt Cassel could surprise a few people - despite not starting a game since High School.
Miami at Arizona
To some this will look like an upset, but after seeing the Dolphins last week, they are one or two big performances at key positions away from winning games. Chad Pennington has revitalised the passing game, and if the Defence gets the hang of Boldin and Fitzgerald (no mean feat), then we think the Dolphins will have the edge.
San Diego at Denver
People are jumping on the Broncos bandwagon, but as we said last week, Jay Cutler is not the issue, the issue is whether the team can stop strong, balanced teams such as the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson's status is probable, but he will be good to go. Barring a miracle, the Chargers should slice through the Broncos front seven.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Two great games to finish the weekend, and the first is by far the closest. Cleveland are still contenders in the AFC North, but teh STeelers set out their stall last week as one of the strongest teams in the NFL. Can the Browns stop them? Yes. Of that there is no doubt, but they need to get Braylon Edwards involved very early for a shot. last week we said the same thing - they didn't. The result was a heavy defeat to the Cowboys, something that they will hopefully learn from.
Philadelphia at Dallas
Both teams were impressive last week, but the class of opposition was completely different. We don't think the Eagles are bad - far from it - but we do believe they are still slightly behind the Giants in the race for second in the NFC East. Neither team is particularly strong at Receiver, but we like what we've seen of Felix Jones, who should be a big play threat whenever he touches the ball.
Titans too strong, even without Young. Bengals D is a travesty. Could all be very different if the Cinci passing attack gets going, as the Titans lack the playmakers to chase a game.
Green Bay at Detroit
Even though Detroit are better than their loss last week to Atlanta, they are no match for a Packers team that has not missed a beat since Aaron Rodgers took over.
Oakland at Kansas City
A strong rushing attack is Herm Edwards' worst nightmare. Fortunately, that uis all Oakland has. It should still be too strong for the Chiefs, but we like them a lot better with Damon huard under centre.
NY Giants at St. Louis
The Rams are one of the few teams that have little home advantage, and facing a strong road team in the Giants is not their ideal start to the season.
Indianapolis at Minnesota
Both teams struggled in week one, but the Colts have a strong passing game that can take advantage of the 32nd ranked team against the pass last season. Dallas Clark's loss is a blow, but expect the team to utilise 3 WR sets, as Jacob Tamme - Clark's understudy - is also out.
New Orleans at Washington
The Saints march on Washington with a big advantage in confidence. Both teams faced tough divisional matchups in week one, but the big difference was that the Saints managed to find a groove, whereas the 'skins didn't trouble the Giants one bit. It will be interesting to see Reggie Bush try to build on a strong opening week.
Chicago at Carolina
Both teams upset strong AFC challengers on the road in week one, but the Panthers hold a big edge offensively. Jake Delhomme looked sharper than we gave him credit for, and whilst Kyle Orton is certainly not as bad as people make out, he is not the kind of guy that can break down Defences if the team falls behind.
Buffalo at Jacksonville
Upset? Perhaps not. the Jags O-line could struggle mightily against a player - in Marcus Stroud - who knows their weaknesses. Coupled with a strong offensive showing in week one, and it could be another long day for Jags fans.
San Francisco at Seattle
The Seahawks still look far better than the 49ers despite last week's loss to the Bills, and the 49ers stumbling offence should struggle against what we still consider to be the best Defence in the league. Yes, even after last week.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
Let's not get carried away - the Falcons are about as good as we thought. They have the chance to win a few games like last week's game against Detroit, but they are still a long way from the finished article. The Bucs could struggle on offence with Brian Griese under centre, but overall, they should do a far better job of stopping the run than Detroit. One interesting side-story: Warrick Dunn's return to Atlanta.
New England at NY Jets
Contentious? You bet. The Jets could argue they have a stronger team right now, and we may agree. On the other hand, the nucleus of the great New England dynasty runs through the heart of this team, and Matt Cassel could surprise a few people - despite not starting a game since High School.
Miami at Arizona
To some this will look like an upset, but after seeing the Dolphins last week, they are one or two big performances at key positions away from winning games. Chad Pennington has revitalised the passing game, and if the Defence gets the hang of Boldin and Fitzgerald (no mean feat), then we think the Dolphins will have the edge.
San Diego at Denver
People are jumping on the Broncos bandwagon, but as we said last week, Jay Cutler is not the issue, the issue is whether the team can stop strong, balanced teams such as the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson's status is probable, but he will be good to go. Barring a miracle, the Chargers should slice through the Broncos front seven.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Two great games to finish the weekend, and the first is by far the closest. Cleveland are still contenders in the AFC North, but teh STeelers set out their stall last week as one of the strongest teams in the NFL. Can the Browns stop them? Yes. Of that there is no doubt, but they need to get Braylon Edwards involved very early for a shot. last week we said the same thing - they didn't. The result was a heavy defeat to the Cowboys, something that they will hopefully learn from.
Philadelphia at Dallas
Both teams were impressive last week, but the class of opposition was completely different. We don't think the Eagles are bad - far from it - but we do believe they are still slightly behind the Giants in the race for second in the NFC East. Neither team is particularly strong at Receiver, but we like what we've seen of Felix Jones, who should be a big play threat whenever he touches the ball.
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