Well, i did it… i broke 100 last week – two weeks earlier than i did last year… and since i got it right for a second straight Thursday, i’m already on the path to crush last year’s numbers… though, with the large amount of teams that are just plain terrible this year, i suppose it’s somewhat of a shallow victory… but i’ll still take it… this week, besides picks, i have a few things to talk about that are related… and we’ll see where this all goes…
WOE BILLS, I MEAN GO BILLS…
now playing: Streams of Woe at Acheron – Falling Up
Well, the Bills really outdid themselves last week… they turned a respectable game into a blow out in the blink of an eye… two fourth quarter pick-sixes – one from each QB and suddenly they’ve lost by 24 points… and then… and then… Dick Jauron gets fired and Perry Fewell takes over… and then… and then… before Fewell even cuts his teeth as a head coach, the Bills contact Mike Shanahan and possibly Bill Cowher… seems like an odd method of leadership, quite honestly…
Fewell has done a great job with the defense this year and it makes perfect sense to give him the chance to step up, but it almost feels like he’s being immediately distracted by a need to find a job for next year… the pursuit of a new coach make it clear that Wilson doesn’t expect this to be a long-term promotion… and we all know that when a new head coach/GM of any known caliber comes on board, the entire coaching staff gets a reboot… thus not only will Fewell be out at the head spot, but very likely at defensive coordinator as well…
this dynamic appears to be playing out at the quarterback position… Fitzpatrick has been named the starter for this week, perhaps giving him the opportunity to step out of the back-up role he’s played to Trent Edwards… and this is deserved since he did pretty well during Trent’s injury… however, before the first snap, the Bills have brought in a new QB in Brian Brohm, effectively communicating a distrust in both QBs… (not that it’s unwarranted)…
of course, this all began at the beginning of the season when Wilson hamstrung the offense by axing offensive coordinator Turk Schonert the week before the season began… Alex Van Pelt hardly had a chance to really plan or prepare to run the entire offense… and i should mention that if the Bills bring on Cowher, we will officially be at an impasse… don’t get me wrong, the Bills are still my team, but that would be… ugh…
anyway… looking forward… Ralph Wilson promises to overhaul the team and that sounds good… definitely need some work there and they’re probably not going to be able to bring back Flutie, which is always my solution… Jauron certainly needed to go – as nice a guy as he may be, he coaches a legacy of losing and that’s clearly not changing anytime soon… TO probably won’t be back – maybe they’ll trade him to the Patriots, Dolphins, or Jets so that he can have a great season crushing them… coupled with the drama of the Redskins, it’s just a rough year for the teams i pay attention to most…
THE OWNER’S BOX…
now playing: Man Watcha Doin? – FM Static
well, i went a little long in the first section there… and i kind of touched on some of the points i was going to touch on here, only as they apply to the Redskins… and since, i had also planned this as a tease to a larger writing effort, i’ll simply say that the NFL owners have provided a number of wonderful examples of bad leadership this season… and i’ll have more on that at a later date…
YOU CAN’T PICK YOUR FRIEND’S NOSE…
now playing: Pick Up Sticks – The Dave Brubeck Quartet
i’m going to go ahead and say that this is a must win week for every team… the number of elite teams has dwindled to four (Colts, Saints, Vikings, and Bengals) and, there’s still about eight absolutely terrible teams, but what’s left is a big mish-mosh of teams hoping to still make the cut… and so, we’re actually seeing some good matchups… as such, i’m going to pretty much do straight picks this week… my time is limited and i have so many non-football things to write and do… anyway… off we go…
early games…
- Steelers over Chiefs
- 49ers over Packers
- Lions over Browns
- Colts over Ravens
- Vikings over Seahawks
- Cowboys over Redskins
- Bills over Jags
- Giants over Falcons
- Saints over Bucs
middle games…
- Cards over Rams
- Pats over Jets
- Bengals over Raiders
- Chargers over Broncos
Sunday Night…
- Eagles over Bears
Monday Night…
- Titans over Texans
and i’m on my way…
peace… love… bdg…