NFL Week 4 Picks from the Sportswire

On the Sportswire, Nick Malone and I pick the six NFL games based on the potential they have. There are no obvious landslides. There are no cheap points. There is no easy way out.

Cardinals @ Jets

Max - Jets

Nick - Jets

Atlanta @ Carolina

Max - Atlanta

Nick - Carolina

Minnesota @ Tennessee

Max - Tennessee

Nick - Minnesota

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay

Max - Green Bay

Nick - Green Bay

Cleveland @ Cincinnati

Max - Cleveland

Nick - Cincinnati

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

Max - Pittsburgh

Nick - Pittsburgh

Tune in on Thursday at 9pm on mywcwp.com for the fallout from the Week 4 picks and the 1st score update of the season.

Max Caster

NFL Picks Week 4

Another week, another rough outing for me.  It's time that I, Matt Soldano, turn up the heat. Onto the picks...

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers - Carolina is too powerful for the Falcons who have shown some signs of a positive future.  Steve Smith goes off and Panthers win.

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati wins their first game and the end of the Danderson Era in Cleveland is evident.  Bengals 24 Browns 14.

Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars - I picked the Jags to go to the Super Bowl and last week's victory against the Colts should set them up for a prime run.  Houston continues to be a huge disappointment.  Jags win big.

Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans - I've been picking Minnesota but Tennessee was #3 in my recent power rankings.  This team is for real and their defense is scary.  Tennessee wins a close one.

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs - Denver wins huge.  This time the defense won't let the Chiefs back in it.  

San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints - If the Saints want to show everyone they are going to make a run at this thing.  Now is the time to do so.  They must overcome their injuries. The Saints win but it may be closer than you think.

Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I think Tampa is overrated.  Green Bay played very poorly last week but they bounce back and win on the road.  Green Bay by two scores.

Arizona Cardinals @ New York Jets - This is a must win for the Jets in my opinion.  Jets win only if Favre can play and play 100% better than last Monday night's game.  I think he does and Jets go to 2-2.

San Siego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders -  This is by far the biggest blowout of the afternoon. Advantage Chargers. 

Buffalo Bills @ St. Louis Rams - The rams suck big time, and the Bills are for real.  Bills go to 4-0 and Rams drop to 0-4.

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys - Cowboys win the NFC East showdown.  Im not sold on the Skins

Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears  - Philly wins.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pitsburgh Steelers - RAVENS win and improve to 3-0.  This is my upset of the week.

Last week: 7-9

Overall: 18-29

-Matt Soldano

ND Falls to a better team....and why it legitimatly bothers me

I'll keep this relatively short. Yesterday's Notre Dame loss to Michigan State really bothers me. I don't really get all that upset if my team gets outplayed and looses. I understand the circumstances of the game of football (especially in the college ranks). Sometimes you just get outclassed. It happens at least once to the majority of non-BCS schools over the course of a season. Their isn't such a saying as "Any Given Saturday" in this game because that saying would come with a lot of holes. In the NFL, the talent level of teams are more or less on the same plain. They may be at vastly different levels of that plain, but its generally on the same one. That's not the case in college football. Some teams are just better and theirs not a whole lot players or a coaching staff can do about. That was not the situation yesterday in East Lansing.

The Bad:

- I was on the record as saying that the Irish would fall today, but I never could have predicted how they fell. To me, they beat themselves. You cannot turn the ball over three times and expect to win. Michigan showed that in South Bend last week. What killed you about the turnovers was that they came at critical moments. The two Clausen interceptions came when ND was driving and looking crisp on offense. This was surprising considering the conservative nature of the play calling in the first quarter. Its one thing to have turnovers, but its quite another to have back breaking turnovers like they had yesterday. That's what lost them the game.

- The running defense was poor. I know that Javon Ringer is good, but their is no excuse for him to rush for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns on 39 carries *side note: M-State better be careful about giving their star RB 39 touches in a week three out of conference game* That being said, the defense kept ND in the game. I'm not going to go crazy over the final score. Realistically it was a 16-7 game. That final missed FG for ND in the fourth ended it. The game was lost and everyone in the world knew it. As for the final M-State score, I can't kill a defense for giving up points on what was essentially one long run and not a sustained dominant drive. The defense overall was better then I thought it would be.

The Good:

- Despite the two bad picks, Jimmy Clausen looks better and better every week. He's making mistakes that you would expect a sophomore who's getting his first legitimate action to make. I've written many a time that I have absolved Clausen of any blame for last season. He was 24/41 for 242 yards, 1 TD, and 2 picks. That's not a great stat line by any streach, but if you watched the game he looked more poised in the pocket and his throws were downright fantastic most of the time. The stats will come. This kid has got it. Watch out for Jimmy Clausen in his Junior and Senior year.

- My new favorite player? Golden Tate. He had five catches for 83 yards today and has big play potential every time he touches the ball. He and Michael Floyd may not be a half bad tandem for Clausen to throw to.

The mistakes yesterday were ones of youth. What's encouraging is the fact that its still a young team and sometimes that will show. Their youth certainly lost the game today. The Irish need to get better on defense and establish some sort of run game. I was encouraged at how close today was, but at the same time discouraged about the way they lost. It was an incredibly winnable game. People say football is a complicated game. Its not. It's quite simple actually. If you can't stop the run and you end good drives with turnovers, you will loose.

and that's exactly what ND did

Jordan Lauterbach

Week 3 NFL Picks

I've been taking a lot of heat on the C.W. Post campus lately.  It starts on Sunday nights when Mike T.  and I host the WCWP NFL Wrap-Up show.  It then continues on to the rest of the week with Jordan who reminds me about how poor my NFL picks were.  I'm here to prove them wrong. I'm guaranteeing more correct picks than Mike and Jordan this week.  Onto the picks.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons - Right off the board, this takes the cake for being the most uninteresting game of the weekend.  In case you did not hear. I had the Chiefs ranked 32 in my power rankings on the show Sunday night.  Falcons win.

Oakland Raiders @ Buffalo Bills - Okay, enough picking against the Bills.  I am 0-2 when I do that, enough is enough.  Bills win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Chicago Bears - I still do not trust Griese as a starter in this league. Nor do I trust Orton.  But I like Matt Forte against the aging Bucs defense.  Daaaa Bears win.

Carolina Panthers @ Minnesota Vikings - I am pretty much forced into this pick after arguing with Mike about whether the Vikings are a playoff team.  I still think yes, but after this week that can call change.  Must win-game for Minnesota.  Vikings win.

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots - Patriots win, no elaboration.

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Giants - Giants win easily, I hope.  Carson Palmer is getting bruised up and there is no defense for Cincinnati to speak of.

Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans - My upset pick of the week perhaps.  Houston wins in Tennesee after having a very early bye week because of Hurricane Ike.  Texans win 24-23

Arizona Cardinals @ Washington Redskins - I am going with the Cards in this game.  High powered offense against a defense who has not been able to do anything really.  They got away with a win against the Saints last week.  Look for this one to be high scoring but the Cards to pull out with a win.

New Orleans Saints @ Denver Broncos - New Orleans redeems themselves with a win against Denver.  I haven't bought into Denver yet.  Saints win 30-20.

Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers - This is perhaps the toughest game for me to pick.  I will go with Detroit because I think their recievers can have huge games.  But I don't say that with confidence.  Detroit wins 27-24.

St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks - Seattle wins, St. Louis sucks.

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens - Much like the Vikings, if the Brownies want to make the playoffs, this is a must-win game for them. They cannot start 0-3 in the AFC.  Browns win fairly comfortably.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts - Colts win in their own house to put Jacksonville in a very tight predicament.  I would pick Jacksonville though if Del Rio realized he did have Fred Taylor and Jones Drew on his team to give them the ball.  Colts win 24-21.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Philadelphia Eagles - Steelers gain supremacy in Pennsylvania.  Steel always beats birds.  

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers - Green Bay moves to 3-0, Giants are in 1st place baby.

New York Jets @ San Diego Chargers - I am sorry but the Jets have no chance in this game. NONE.

Last week: 6-9

Overall Record: 11-20

Lack of Thought, Lack of Judgement, Lack of Respect

Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard right now is in hot water.  To me, that's an understatement.  What he said recently at Allen Iverson's chairty flag football event is an utter disgrace.  In case you are not familiar with what I am talking about, here is an abbreviated version. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi523TdWj_E)

In case you could not make out what Howard said, he stated, "The Star Spangled Banner is going on right now, I don't even celebrate that (expletive).  I'm black."  He then proceeds to make some slurred comments about Barack Obama.

Upon first hearing about this I could not believe it.  I immediately went to the closest computer, searched it on YouTube and sure enough, there is one of the NBA's bright young talents being a complete ignorant fool.  Let me clear up a few things here.

This is coming from a guy who before he came into the league, admitted to smoking marijuana as a student athlete at Wake Forest.  This is coming from a guy who got in a bit of trouble after willingly opened up that he occasionally smokes some dope during the season, is fond of it, and knows of other players who occasionally use the Mary Jane to get high.  This is coming from a guy who also last year, after suffering a loss to the New Orleans Hornets in a playoff series, threw himself a birthday party hours after leaving the arena!  For all these reasons, I am shocked at the comments, but not by the mouth that they came out of.

To me, Howard has caused damaged to four groups or people by these stupid comments.  First off, he has hurt his own personal image due to all of the reasons I stated above.  Josh Howard is one of the Dallas' Mavericks most versatile and talented players.  He can do stuff on the court that not many other players in the League can do. With that being said, sometimes the off-the-court antics (the OTCA) as I love to call them frequently are more significant than the talent. Just ask Pacman.  What makes this situation worse is that Howard was at a charity event when he made these remarks.  He wasn't at some strip club with his boys throwing ones in the air and making it rain.  Howard has also done damage to the League.  After coming off a fantastic summer in which the USA came back from overseas with a Gold Medal from the 2008 Beijing Games, David Stern now must deal with this.  Now I am not surprised at all why Howard wasn't part of the Redeem team in mid-August.  Those athletes acted as true professionals and and embodied what it means to represent a league and most of all a country.  Josh Howard has also cast a dark cloud over another group.  His own race.  I'm sorry but the "I'm black" part of his comments just really eats at me.  It would be one thing to just say, I don't celebrate the song. Hell, I've seen fans at baseball games sit down when they play the anthem or not take their hats off, but Howard finds it necessary to specify why he doesn't celebrate it.  Oh yeah, because of his skin.  Howard simplifies an entire race that if you are indeed African American the song does not pertain to you.  As for the Obama reference, I am sure that is something Barack would love to hear.  Especially coming from an athlete who professionally plays his favorite sport.  I wasn't aware the Anthem just pertained to White-Americans, thanks for clearing that up Josh.  And lastly, and perhaps the most significant group of people that Howard has hurt is all the men and women who have ever fought for this country, who have ever lost a loved one fighting for this country, for all the men and women who have died fighting to protect our country.  To anyone who has been indirectly affected such as the attacks of 9/11.  Even though I did not know anyone personally who died or who has fought in the Iraq War, my life changed forever that day.  

If I'm David Stern, I suspend Howard for what he said.  I suspend him for at least 10 games.  It is perhaps one of the most distorted and unintelligent remarks I have ever heard.  This story is not overblown by any means. Just imagine when the Anthem is playing before every 82 games in the regular season starting next month and Howard is standing on the sidelines.  What will his reaction be then?  

Sports have in ways unified Americans in times of turmoil and adversity, and it is the Anthem that reminds everyone (not just Whites, Josh) how great of a country we live in today.

- Matt Soldano

Week 2 NFL Picks

Last week I started out 5-3 with my picks and then proceeded to drop the next 8 games.  Overall an embarassing 5-11 record to start the season.  Now on to Week 2...

Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers - Matt Forte surprised everyone last week rushing for over 120 yards against the Colts.  It's the Panthers home opener however and I am not doubting them again.  Carolina wins.

Tennessee Titans @ Cincinnati Bengals - I really do not know what to make of these teams right now.  Even though he dismissed the concerns, I still worry about Vince Young's state of mind. Cincy, well they just plain stunk last week.  Tennessee at least has a formidable defense and above average running game.  Tennessee wins.

Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions - I was wrong about Aaron Rodgers and I was wrong about the Lions last week.  Well, Rodgers seems to be fine and the Lions are bar none, the worst team in the league.  Packers win big.

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars - Jaguars have to rebound from the biggest disappointment in the league last week.  Jones-Drew and Taylor have to each touch the ball at least 15 times this game.  Buffalo will be a test but the Jags earn their first W.

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs - Wow, what a game this will be.  I feel sorry for the guys at CBS covering this game.  Right now the Raiders have more to work with on both sides of the ball.  Raiders win.

Indianapolis Colts @ Minnesota Vikings - To me, this is the toughest game of the week to pick for me.  Peyton was not the same old Peyton last week and the inexperience of Tavaris Jackson glowed brightest in the final two minutes in the Packers game.  I will go with Minnesota at home but only by a point.

New York Giants @ St. Louis Rams - If at 3:30 on Sunday, I am not sitting down and feeling comfortable knowing that the Giants earned the second win of the season, with minutes left in this game, I will not be a happy person.  Giants should win by 15 but probably won't and make this game a contest.  G-Men win.

New Orleans Saints @ Washington Redskins - New Orleans without Marques Colston has some questions on offense but not as many as a healthy Redskins offense.  New Orleans wins.

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks - Despite all the injuries the Seahawks have too much talent at the quarterback position and on defense to drop another game, especially at home against a division opponent.  Seattle wins big.

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2 wins in a row for the Falcs??? You bet! No Garcia hurts the Bucs and that Tampa D is too slow to catch up to Michael "The Burner" Turner.

Miami Dolphins @ Arizona Cardinals - The Phins vs. the Birds.  Offense struggle but the Phins win on a Chad Pennington 12 yard bomb as time expires!

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos - The Broncos looked very efficient on offense against the Raiders and the Chargers choked against the Panthers.  But me picking the Chargers to go to the AFC championship game, they have to get a win in one of their first 2 games.  San Diego wins, and Cromartie picks off Cutler in the endzone as time expires, preventing another gag.

New England Patriots @ New York Jets - Oh the Jets just may win the division now.  And they take another step in doing so by winning their first two divisional games laying the smackdown on Matt Cassel.  Once again, Jordan is thrilled.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns - With the way these two teams played last week there is no way I could possibly pick the Browns. The Steelers roll and continue their quest to be the #1 team in the AFC.

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles - I am going to go with the Eagles in this game.  McNabb is playing with a sense of purpose and quite frankly, I just cannot stand the Cowboys.

Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans - Houston rallies together and picks up their first victory against the Ravens.  Big game for Andre Johnson once again.

Check back next week to see picks for week 3

Last Week: 5-11

Overall Record: 5-11

-Matt Soldano

Erik Boland on the Sportswire TONIGHT!!

Erik Boland from Newsday will be appearing on tonight's edition of The Sportswire to discuss the Jets upcoming game against the Patriots.

The Sportswire can be heard live at 9pm eastern time on http://mywcwp.com or on http://youcastr.com keyword 'Sportswire'

If you missed the interview live, you can go to our podcast site http://sportswireonwcwp.mypodcast.com or listen to the archived edition on our youcastr page.

-Max Caster

Great Lineup for Off The Glass!

Matt Soldano and Mike Tramantozzi are bringing you a very special Off the Glass on WCWP from 9-10 PM tonight!  They will begin the week by week division by division preview, as they take a close look into the Atlantic Division.  Will the Celts defend their division crown?  Can the Knicks get out of the basement?  Is Philly a contender with Elton Brand?  We also have Shaun Powell of Newsday joining us to talk more about the New York Knicks and their upcoming season.  Listen live on mywcwp.com or youcastr.com and click on the Off the Glass archive at 9 PM!

- Matt Soldano

Week 1 NFL Picks

The season is upon us, time for the picks...

I picked the Giants earlier in the week so I believe that makes a perfect 1-0 for the season thus far, now to the 15 other games...

Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons - Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are ready to show the league how dominant these receivers can be. Detroit is the pick.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens - Bengals are in turmoil and the Ravens are starting a rookie quarterback, I'll go with the team who has a player with the coolest last name. Hmm, that must be Chad Ocho Cinco.  Bengals are the pick.

Seattle Seahawks @ Buffalo Bills - Seattle's receivers don't have much depth and the Bills are a much improved team.  Marshawn Lynch will have a big season.  Bills are the pick.

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins - The Favre Era in New York starts off with a win, a convincing win at that.  Jets make Jordan thrilled.

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots - The Chiefs have a chance in this game.  A chance that they wont be losing by 40 at halftime.  Pats with the most convincing win in the weekend.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints - I picked the Saints to win the division and this will be the first step in doing so.  Look for Reggie Bush to have a breakout year (finally...)  New Orleans goes 1-0.

St. Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles - Eagles do not have the receivers right now, but they still have the most versatile player in the game in Brian Westbrook.  Eagles continue their roll from last week, Philly is the pick.

Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers - I want to pick Houston really badly in this game.  They could be the shocker in the NFL this year.  Pittsburgh though is a playoff team with high aspirations.  Oh what the hell, Houston by a field goal.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans - On the Sportswire, I picked the Jaguars to win the Superbowl against the Dallas Cowboys.  David Garrard and the two-headed monster in the running game put up more points than the weak and inconsistent Titans offense.  By the way, Vince Young has just looked awful in the pre-season.  Jaguars win.

Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns - Dan-derson! Dan-derson! Derek Anderson comes back from his concussion and leads the Browns down the field in the final moments of the game to upset the Boys from Dallas.  Big game for Braylon Edwards.  Cleveland is the pick.

Carolina Panthers @ San Diego Chargers - I'll be holding my breath every minute Shawne Merriman gets near a play on defense.  I don't have a whole lot of confidence in that knee. However, I have confidence in the rest of the team, especially that guy with the visor who runs the ball for the Bolts.  Chargers win.

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers - Niners win the game, in perhaps the most uninteresting game of the weekend...that's all I have to say.

Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts - Colts open up in their new stadium with a big win against a team who will struggle on offense and be overrated on defense.  Indy is the pick.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers - Adrian Peterson my pre-season MVP Pick has a big game against a team he struggled against last year.  After seeing Favre get a win the day before, Packer fans will be crying into their cheese after watching Aaron Rodgers performance against the best D in the League.

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders - Run DMC leads da-da-da-da Raiders against the Horses.  No Marshall, big problem for Cutler.  

That's it for me, check out next Saturday to see my next picks and how I did this week.  Peace.

-Matt Soldano

My Season Starts Today- Week Two College Football Picks

Yes!! Its here. Last week I wrote about how hard it was for me to watch almost every College Football fan in the country get to watch their team while mine decided to wait another week. But that long week is over and Notre Dame will finally begin the long road back to respectability tomorrow. I'm not really sure what to expect in this game. Last year was so bad that I find it hard to believe they can be nearly as bad. The offense should be a lot better. The line bulked up in the off season. This will bode tremendously week for Jimmy Clausen. A lot of people feel that Clausen was a colossal bust last season. I disagree. I don't put any of the blame for last year on Clausen. He was thrown into a situation in which he was way over his head. It was impossible to get a read on Clausen because he was always on the ground. In only ten games, Clausen hit the grass 34 times. Its really tough to accumulate any sort of meaningful stats when you can't stay upright. He showed flashes of what he was recruited to be. He threw for three touchdowns in both the Duke and Air Force game. As long as Clausen is standing up (which I think he will), look for a big year and a big game tommorow. ND will also run the ball a lot better this season. It starts tomorrow. San Diego State allowed 263 yards rushing in a loss to Cal Poly last week. I'm not all too worried about the ND offense. The defense is what scares me. This is a secondary that has been historically bad in recent years. In the Cal-Poly loss, Ryan Lindley three for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns. This could be a problem. A major one. If ND looses this game, it will be because Ryan Lindley and receiver Vincent Brown (7 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD last wk) tore them apart. Expect a shoot out tomorrow. Defense will be hard to come by. It becomes Lindley v. Clausen in the second half. And for the first time of many, Clausen shows why he was a blue chip coming out of high school. The Irish win 35-28.

Top 25- Week Two

#2 Georgia over Central Michigan

#3 Ohio State over Ohio

#4 Oklahoma over Cincinnati

Miami over # 5 Florida

#6 Missouri over Southeast Missouri State

#8 West Virginia over East Carolina

#9 Auburn over Southern Miss

#10 Texas over UTEP

#11 Wisconsin over Marshall

#12 Texas Tech over Nevada

#13 Alabama over Tulane

#14 Kansas over Louisiana Tech

Washington over #15 Brigham Young

Stanford over Arizona State

#17 South Florida over UCF

Oregon State over #19 Penn State

#20 Wake Forrest over Mississippi

UNLV over #22 Utah

#24 Illinois over Eastern Illinois

Other games I like:

Uconn over Temple

Pittsburgh over Buffalo

Michigan over Miami (OH)

Go Irish!

-Jordan Lauterbach

It Wasnt Pretty, But I Will Take It - Thoughts on Opening Night

Led by Michael Strahan's resounding pre-game speech to a sold out sea of blue and white in Giants Stadium, the New York Giants played their first real action since their insurmountable Super Bowl title run.  

The defense is what made them last February and it seemed to carry over to Thursday night in their victory against the division rival Washington Redskins 16-7.  Eli Manning and the offense came out as sharp as possible on their first drive, which resulted in a Manning TD run.  However, after that, the touchdowns disappeared for the Giants and the offense appeared to be very lethargic.  The running game looked dominant, and when I mean dominant, I mean running over people and stomping on them, literally, just ask Laron Landry.  Brandon Jacobs carried the ball 21 times for 116 yards.  Derrick Ward also chipped in 39 yards on 9 carries. I just want to know, where was Ahmad Bradshaw?

In terms of the passing game, one word to describe it is inconsistent.  Eli put up typical Eli numbers (typical pre-playoff run).  He went 19 for 35 for 216 yards with 0 TD and 1 very awful looking pick.  But let's put those numbers in perspective.  Plaxico Burress who wins my vote for player of the game, had 10 receptions for 133 yards (I told you he didnt need practice Jordan.) That is more than half the receptions and yards that Manning was credited for.  No Giant reciever had more than 2 catches and 25 yards.  Obviously, these numbers cannot be repeated later in the season if the Giants want any chance of contending because sooner or later, defenses are going to learn to gear onto Burress and guys like Toomer, Steve Smith, Kevin Boss are going to have to be playmakers.  

The special teams looked good especially 212 year old John Carney.  After going 3/3 in his field goal attempts, the Giants should feel a great deal of relief about their kicking situation.  Let's just see how long it can last...

Now to the defense...

Osi who? Michael who?  Okay Okay, I am aware I am extremely ahead of myself but the best thing that could have happened for the Giants defense on the first play was what exactly did happen.  A Justin Tuck sack.  It was the only sack for the Giants in the entire game but, they were in Jason Campbell's face all night.  Just look at the statistics...Campbell went 15/27 for just 133 yards. He was never in a rhythm  and just looked extremely uncomfortable.  It seems to me that the Jim Zorn offense is a major experiment in progress down in D.C.  The run defense played solid as well.  Clinton Portis carried the ball 23 times and gained 84 yards.  Okay, but not terrible, but not great.  The Giants secondary was never beat by a big play, always kept the speedy Redskins receivers in front of them and had several past deflections.  The one thing that the Giants must get better at is forcing turnovers.  They were never a turnover oriented defense.  They were never the Vikings and Chargers in that aspect.  What made their unit great was the pass rush.  Without the likes of #92 and #72, turnovers are even more of a crucial necessity in the season.  

Overall, I am going to give this performance by Big Blue a B.  And to be honest, that is totally fine with me.  They showed no signs of a Super Bowl hangover and once again were pumped up to play for the big moments, as shown by their defense and the first offensive possession.  But the offense lack luster and imbalance performers by receivers are somewhat of a question mark.  The Redskins were probably the toughest team scheduled for the Giants before their bye week in Week 4.  Week 2 they play in St. Louis and then in Week 3, they are home for Chad Ocho Cinco's Bengals.  Don't be shocked if the G-Men are 3-0 at the start of their Bye.  

-Matt Soldano

Let the Picking begin

A full picks column will follow before the glorious opening on Sunday,but for now I wanted to open with a quick one for tomorrow nights opener.... And how fitting it is that its a Giants game.

If your a long time reader of this site, you may remember that the night before the Super Bowl I spent paragraph after paragraph writing about how much of an idiot you were if you thought the Giants had any chance to beat the Patriots. Not twenty four hours later, I looked like the idiot. Stuck with my tail between my legs, I endeared an entire off season of ribbing from my Giant fan friends. It also took Giants winning the Superbowl for me to come to the realization that all my friends are Giant fans, save for a few. But now its done. The dark period is over. The NFL is here again....

Redskins/Giants- ...and it starts much the same way that 2007 ended, with a Giants victory. I just don't see how the Redskins win this game. If theirs one thing this Giant team thrives on, its the big moment. The crowd at Giants stadium tomorrow night is going to be absolutely raucous. Why shouldn't they be? For one thing, its the first regular season game. But whats more is that its the first regular season game since becoming Super Bowl champions. That's huge. I don't see how Jason Cambell will be able to figure out the Giants secondary. I think the one thing Giants fans have to worry about is the run defense. The loss of Umenyoria hurts almost as much on the rushing stopping side then it does on the pass rushing side. Clinton Portis may cause a bit of a problem, but this won't be enough. The Giants offense will put up a lot of points. Jason Taylor's not playing in the game. This only helps matters. I think the loss of Taylor and the spectacle that will be Giants Stadium on opening night will be way too much for the Redskins. Giants win big.

.......And it continues...............

More before the glorious opening on Sunday

Jordan Lauterbach

Gwaltney is coming.........

Newsday is reporting that former LI standout and WVU transfer Jason Gwaltney has enrolled in C.W Post and may play on Saturday against IUP. Gwaltney graced many a Newsday cover as a high schooler, but quickly fizzled in division one. Report floated that disagreements between Gwaltney and then WVU coach Rich Rodriquez fueled his departure. Gwaltney also suffered a knee injury and was said to have stopped attending classes at WVU. This is a very interesting pickup considering the new "reevaluation" of the football program. We'll get as much as we can on this in the coming days and have plenty on Saturday

Jordan Lauterbach