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Pete's Picks: Ravens will take down Chargers
By Pete O'Brien, USA Today
September 17, 2009
Thanks for welcoming me back with your kind comments last week, and my apologies for the stupid Panthers pick. I was rusty and got too eager to pick a home underdog.
I have to say though, I was little bummed no one called me out. Hopefully, the seven underdogs I'm going with this week will make you question my sanity. You can prove you're superior by playing the Pigskin Pool (weekly prizes people, join anytime).
On to the picks. As always, my picks are real but reality and fantasy get a little fuzzy for me when it comes to the comments.
Oakland (+3) at Kansas City
We are gathered here today to celebrate the glorious union of Butt and Awful....
RAIDERS, 27-17
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Houston (+61⁄2) at Tennessee
The Titans are 6-1 at home against the Texans. Fantasy owners should buy extra stock in Chris Johnson and LenDale White.
TITANS, 24-17
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New England (-3) at New York Jets
Hey Rex, if you want to get Jets fans geeked up, you don't have to leave them some doofy voice mail. All you need to rock the house is $2-off beers coupled with "1978 Chevy Impala Appreciation Day."
JETS, 21-20
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Cincinnati (+9) at Green Bay
Hey, didn't you used to be Carson Palmer? (By the way Esteban, Pedro Loco Selecto owned you last week).
PACKERS, 31-13
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Minnesota (-91⁄2) at Detroit
Geez, a guy throws for 110 yards, and fawning commentators everywhere marvel at the old wizard's game management. Well this week I'm predicting Brett the Purple will once again use the sacred Handoff spell to tame the mighty beasts of Detroit.
VIKINGS, 34-16
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New Orleans (off) at Philadelphia
There's no line currently because of Donovan McNabb, but I'm guessing he'll take Sunday off.
SAINTS, 27-23
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Carolina (+6) at Atlanta
John Fox delivered an unusual motivational speech to his team this week: "If I'm going down, I'm starting Delhomme and bringing you all down with me."
FALCONS, 24-14
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St. Louis (+91⁄2) at Washington
The Redskins could use some Sacrificial Ram.
REDSKINS, 23-9
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Arizona (+3) at Jacksonville
Going with the dry heat over the offense that makes me dry heave.
CARDINALS, 23-16
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Seattle (+11⁄2) at San Francisco
I'm slowly buying into the 49ers but I'm swayed by Matt Hasselbeck's mastery of the NFC West and his 8-2 record vs. San Francisco.
SEAHAWKS, 20-17
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Tampa Bay (+5) at Buffalo
The Buccaneers visit Buffalo for the first time in their franchise's history. After 33 years of blatant favoritism, you have to wonder how they finally got on the schedule makers' dung list.
BILLS, 23-17
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Cleveland (+3) at Denver
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a lifelong Broncos fan. One thing everyone should do before they die is don an Elway jersey and walk around Cleveland Stadium. Browns fans yell at you, calling you names like "Sir" and "Master."
BRONCOS, 26-16
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Baltimore (+31⁄2) at San Diego
After I made the Ravens my preseason pick to win the Super Bowl, one reader commented, "Pete O'Brien must be high." I can assure you I'm not. (But if you're holding, let me know.)
The Ravens are the Upset Special.
RAVENS 27-20
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Pittsburgh (-21⁄2) at Chicago
Fear not Bears fans, Jay Cutler (who reportedly favored responding to Josh McDaniels by text while firing his business manager via the same method) is better than he showed in Green Bay. He's roughly 70% wOOt! and only 30% wtf?
BEARS, 24-23
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New York Giants (+21⁄2) at Dallas
During the player self introductions for the Sunday night game, I'm still waiting for someone to say they're from "THE Womb."
GIANTS, 20-17
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Indianapolis (-3) at Miami
The Colts have won four consecutive road openers and seven of their last eight on Monday Night Football. Indy fans will learn to love new defensive coordinator Larry Coyer by season's end.
COLTS, 28-17
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The unexpected: Five who surprised by earning NFL jobs
By Tom Pedulla
September 17, 2009
Top draft picks comprise only part of 53-man NFL rosters. USA TODAY looks at five first-year players who overcame long odds to make the cut:
WR ROD HARPER, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
» Career path: Former Toys 'R' Us sales clerk played for Arena 2's Arkansas Twisters last spring, ranking among league leaders with 107 catches, 1,375 yards, 38 TDs. Undrafted Murray State graduate, signed by Green Bay Packers in May, 2008, was cut seven weeks later.
» Potential impact: Harper, 24, emerged as big-play threat in returning 12 punts for preseason average of 15.3 yards with two TDs. Six-foot, 209-pound wideout has chance to be another weapon for prolific QB Drew Brees.
» What they're saying: "He made plays on offense and on special teams … He maximized his opportunities and kept gaining on it." —Head coach Sean Payton
KR/PR STEFAN LOGAN, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
» Career path: Twenty-eight year-old rookie was away from football for five years before starting college career at South Dakota. Gained Steelers' attention by producing 1,366 yards from scrimmage for CFL's British Columbia Lions in '08.
» Potential impact: Electric return man made eye-opening debut in bringing back four kicks for 116 yards — a 29-yard average — with a long of 39 yards. Coach Mike Tomlin intends to limit 5-7, 185-pounder to special teams for now.
» What they're saying: "I want to be a best-kept secret. That's fine with me." —Logan, on ESPN.com
DT OGEMDI NWAGBUO, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
» Career path: Worked in customer service for Enterprise Rent-a-Car in San Diego last year after being dropped from N.Y. Giants' practice squad. Never played football before enrolling at Southwestern College in San Diego. Eventually gained Michigan State scholarship.
» Potential impact: Fans may soon get to know his name (pronounced OH-gem-dee NEW-wah-boe). Nigerian first name translates to "my time will come." Has size (6-4, 303) and athleticism to make that happen.
» What they're saying: "He's earned it every week. He's earned it from the start of our offseason program." —Head coach Norv Turner
LB CAMERON WAKE, MIAMI DOLPHINS
» Career path: Unable to stick with N.Y. Giants as undrafted rookie in 2005. Joined British Columbia Lions and became two-time Defensive Player of the Year in CFL with 39 sacks.
» Potential impact: Showed versatility as linebacker and defensive end at Penn State. Dolphins will look to move him around on passing downs to capitalize on his rushing skills.
» What they're saying: "I'm seeing progress but we're really patient. We do hope that he's going to provide pressure on the passer." —Head coach Tony Sparano
C EDWIN WILLIAMS, WASHINGTON REDSKINS
» Career path: Received 2008 Wilma Rudolph Award for overcoming odds to achieve academic success. Three-year starter at Maryland went undrafted.
» Potential impact: Williams (6-3, 315) won over team he grew up rooting for with work ethic and versatility. Heady player who can handle all three interior line positions.
» What they're saying: "I am now teammates of players that I looked up to and admired … I am just excited to be a member of the Redskins." —Williams.
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Executives against concept of pick protection
By Charles Robinson
September 17, 2009
Two days after San Francisco 49ers team president Jed York opened the door for a détente with unsigned NFL draft pick Michael Crabtree(notes), the standoff still lingers between the team and agent Eugene Parker. And as the clock ticks, the lack of sympathy from the rest of the NFL only becomes more apparent.
On the heels of York’s offer, Yahoo! Sports reached out to highly placed personnel men from seven NFL teams, polling them on whether they’d support the establishment of draft pick protection. Crabtree has become the fourth top-10 pick in the past eight years to hold out into the regular season. Cornerback Quentin Jammer signed with the San Diego Chargers after the team’s week 1 game in 2002. Offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie didn’t sign with the Minnesota Vikings until Nov. 1 that same year. And quarterback Marcus Russell missed the season opener for the Oakland Raiders in 2007. So a simple question was posed: In light of threats about Crabtree re-entering the draft in 2010, would personnel men be in favor of adopting some form of Major League Baseball’s practice, which awards an additional draft choice to franchises which failed to sign a first- or second-round pick the previous year.
The answer? A resounding no, with all seven men coming out strongly against the idea.
“We shouldn’t become a league that rewards failure,” said one NFC North executive. “Why would I want to end up with a lower pick in [a subsequent] draft because another team couldn’t sign a player? … We’ve had very, very few [holdouts] like Crabtree, and fewer times where a player actually went back into a draft.”
The last first-rounder to sit out an entire season was Kelly Stouffer, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) with the sixth pick in 1987. The former Colorado State quarterback had his rights traded following the season to the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent five seasons.
“If you can’t find a way to sign a draft choice, it puts you in some bad company,” the aforementioned NFC executive said. “Somewhere along the way, you really [messed] up.”
Asked if that was meant to be a poke at the 49ers, he replied: “Read your history. Things like this are never one-sided.”
He wasn’t alone in that cynicism. While public and media sentiment have been overwhelmingly against Crabtree and Parker, all seven executives agreed the impasse marks a significant failure by the 49ers, too. While second-guessing is easy in hindsight, it didn’t stop some from suggesting that they saw a nasty impasse coming as soon as Crabtree slipped out of the top five and then had Oakland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey selected in front of him at No. 7 – particularly considering Crabtree was represented by Parker, who has a history of holdouts with draft picks.
“[Crabtree] didn’t even work out for teams, and he still had it in his mind that he was the best player in the draft,” the NFC North executive said. “People were in his ear telling him that from jump street. Honestly, I thought it could have been a problem if Seattle would have taken him [at No. 4]. Then they would have been asking for No. 1 money.”
Added an NFC general manager: “He was represented by Eugene Parker. That was kind of a giveaway right there.”
That lack of compassion appeared to be the foundation of why executives weren’t receptive to the idea of pick protection. As a fraternity, many executives subscribe to an every-man-for-himself attitude – feeling that when it comes down to business, it’s up to you to protect yourself. It can sound like a cold philosophy, but it is a distrust that stems from dramatically spiking rookie salaries inside the draft’s top 10 choices, and a finger-wagging nature that often ensues after teams sign what are considered to be “bad deals.”
The New York Jets, for example, continue to be heavily criticized amongst other front offices, largely because they have a history of lavishing contracts that were considered too favorable or “over slot” to rookies. Three Jets contracts in particular – Dewayne Robertson in 2003, Darrelle Revis in 2007 and Vernon Gholston in 2008 – have all been consistently lamented as bad deals in many other personnel departments. And by extension, such deals have fostered a belief amongst many executives that other teams can’t be trusted to make good decisions and negotiate solid deals.
“Sometimes the teams negotiating are just as much at fault as the agent,” an AFC executive said. “Conceptually, [pick protection] is a fair idea if the agent is holding an unfair gun to the head of the club. But the reality becomes, how do you determine that? Because there are some clubs that do some stupid [stuff] and aren’t negotiating in good faith. The bad faith negotiating happens on both sides of the ball. To me, the bigger problem lays in what has happened historically. This top 10 [financial] mess is a top-10 mess because agents have squeezed teams and teams have caved. Predecessors with organizations and clubs have had no [guts] whatsoever.”
Another AFC executive echoed those sentiments – that too many teams lack the intestinal fortitude to negotiate correctly.
“It’s spelled out very clearly for both parties,” he said. “If you don’t sign with us, we’re out a player and you can move on with your life. And we’ll give you a timetable of your life as a draft pick. Your money is there now and it will be decreased over time – decreased, decreased and decreased. That’s it. Game on.”
And that’s how many executives feel the 49ers should be conducting themselves now – with a defiant stance that forces Crabtree to follow through with his threat to re-enter the draft. Indeed, some say it’s a decision that should have been made before Crabtree was even selected at No. 10. Once he was available to San Francisco at that pick, executives suggest the franchise should have been prepared to make one of three decisions: draft him and walk away if he wouldn’t sign for No. 10 money, draft him and overpay him, or pass on him and select another player.
“Part of the art of the draft is making sure you pick the right guy,” the aforementioned NFC general manager said. “You owe it to the owner and the organization to pick the right guy in the right situation. Traditionalists are going to look at [Crabtree and his agent] and say ‘You should have known with this guy.’ … Just because he’s the best player on the board at the time you pick, you can’t just throw caution to the wind and say ‘well, we’ll be the one to change him.’ ”
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Naylor's picks
By David Naylor, The Globe and Mail
September 18, 2009
Arizona Cardinals (plus 3) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Can Arizona’s defence negate the Jags’ main weapon, RB Maurice Jones-Drew? Jaguars
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Carolina Panthers (plus 6) at Atlanta Falcons
Carolina QB Jake Delhomme can’t possibly have a horrendous hat trick of games. Can he? Panthers
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Cincinnati Bengals (plus 9 1/2) at Green Bay Packers
No last-second deflections here. Bengals
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Houston Texans (plus 6 1/2) at Tennessee Titans
The former Houston franchise is 11-3 against the current one. Make that 12-3. Titans
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Minnesota Vikings (minus 10) at Detroit Lions
Another exam Vikings QB Brett Favre and RB Adrian Peterson should easily pass. Vikings
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New England Patriots (minus 4) at New York Jets
Last time Jets beat Patriots in Meadowlands, Al Groh was their head coach. Patriots
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New Orleans Saints (minus 3) at Philadelphia Eagles
Philly QB Donovan McNabb’s cracked rib makes him uncertain. Saints
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Oakland Raiders (plus 3) at Kansas City Chiefs
Both teams had decent 2009 debuts. They also both lost to quality opponents. Raiders
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St. Louis Rams (plus 10) at Washington Redskins
New Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo knows the Redskins well. Rams
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Seattle Seahawks (plus 1) at San Francisco 49ers
The winner leads the NFC West at 2-0 and gets big dose of confidence. Seahawks
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (plus 5) at Buffalo Bills
If the Bills lead by five in the final minutes, does Leodis McKelvin field a kick in the end zone? Bucs
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Baltimore Ravens (plus 3) at San Diego Chargers
Baltimore’s usually stingy defence sprung a few leaks last week, but the Ravens can score now. Ravens
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Cleveland Browns (plus 3) at Denver Broncos
Hard to imagine Broncos at 2-0. Browns
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Pittsburgh Steelers (minus 3) at Chicago Bears
The Steelers are missing S Troy Polamalu. The Bears will miss LB Brian Urlacher a lot more. Steelers
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New York Giants (plus 3) at Dallas Cowboys
Would owner Jerry Jones let his Cowboys flop in the first regular-season game at their billion-dollar palace? Giants
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Monday
Indianapolis Colts (minus 3 1/2) at Miami Dolphins
Last time Peyton Manning was in the Dolphins’ ballpark, he won a Super Bowl. Colts
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