2010 Week #2

Here are the picks for Week 2.

Fav	Spread				Dre	Jay
Bal (1-0)	2 1/2	CIN (0-1)			Bal	Cin
MIN (0-1)	5 1/2	Mia (1-0)			Mia	Min
DAL (0-1)	7	Chi (1-0)			Dal	Chi
Phi (0-1)	6 1/2	DET (0-1)			Det	Det
ATL (0-1)	6 1/2	Ariz (1-0)			Ariz	Ariz
CLE (0-1)	3	KC (1-0)			KC	Cle
GB (1-0)	13	Buf (0-1)			GB	GB
TENN(1-0)	5	Pit (1-0)			Pit	Tenn
CAR (0-1)	3	TB (1-0)			Car	Car
OAK (0-1)	3 1/2	StL(0-1)			StL	Oak
DEN (0-1)	3 1/2	Sea (1-0)			Den	Den
Hou (1-0)	2 1/2	WASH (1-0)			Wash	Hou
SD (0-1)	7	Jack (1-0)			Jack	Jack
NE (1-0)	2 1/2	NYJ (0-1)			NE	NE
		Sun. Nite
IND (0-1)	5	NYG (1-0)			Ind	Ind
		Mon. Nite
NO (1-0)	5 1/2	SF (0-1)			SF	SF

Some of our thoughts and observations included:

• Jason still believes in the Cincinnati Bengals as a quality team, even after they got debacled in New England.  I disagree.  I was never sold on the whole T.O. & Chad Ochocinco Show because it came along about five years too late.  The Ravens should feel like this game is a breeze after the bright lights of New York on Monday night.
• I don't love the Dolphins covering 5 1/2 against the Vikings, but of course I must take them due to the Brett Favre Rule.  I can make the case that Miami's running game should keep them close, especially with the Minnesota run defense looking like they're fading away against the Saints.  But I don't believe in the pick very strongly.
• Jason has a sixth sense when it comes to smelling a Chicago Bears improbable road upset, and he's on board here, taking them to beat the Cowboys straight up.  While I agree that Dallas has been overrated by all of the pundits, I think this Bears secondary is a nice place for Tony Romo and the Boys to recover from their Redskins whooping and find their way back to the end zone.
• Vickamania has hit the country and hit it hard, and the Eagles are all the rage in Vegas this week, sporting almost a touchdown spread at the Detroit Lions' home opener.  We're not buying it, not ATS anyway.  Jason thinks the Lions with a week to prepare for Michael Vick will figure out a way to collapse the pocket and put pressure on him to make good football decisions, which has not historically been his strong suit.  I see that angle, and I also don't like the Eagles missing their middle linebacker Stewart Bradley.  Detroit could actually sustain a running game this week.
• Atlanta should still compete for a playoff spot this year, but we'll take those Arizona Redbirds to cover that number, which is a little big for the Falcons until they prove otherwise.
• Jason thinks the Monday night love that Kansas City felt in pulling off their upset of the Chargers will wear off, and they will come crashing back down to earth against the Browns in the Dawg Pound.  I couldn't go with Jake Delhomme at QB for the Browns last week, and I can't go with Seneca Wallace this week.  The Chiefs may not be much, but they're young and talented and good enough to beat the Brownies.
• We both love the Packers to pound the Bills by more than two touchdowns, but we see it playing out a little differently.  Jason has QB Aaron Rodgers lighting up the sky with bombs everywhere, throwing for 4 TDs or so in the 1st half.  I think Rodgers will take it relatively easy on the arm knowing he doesn't have to fling the pill around everywhere to beat Buffalo, giving the running game and the #1 waiver-wire pickup in fantasy this week, RB Brandon Jackson, time to shine.
• Jason thinks that Tennessee is the goods this year, and it's hard to argue, but I'm skeptical because they played the Raiders in Week 1, and anyone can look good playing the Raiders.  Pittsburgh's D really looked good to me, so I'll take the Steelers to cover the number in a low-scoring, physical affair.
• Jason didn't learn his lesson, going against Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers yet again.  Let's see how many weeks he picks against Tampa before he fully commits to the Free Love bandwagon.  (I'm also against TB this week, so I'm not paying attention either.)
• Speaking of those Raiders, Jason will ride them this week against a rookie QB and an awful St. Louis outfit, but I can't see myself picking Oakland anytime soon.  The whole organization is so horrifying, they should have a documentary made about them and release it in time for Halloween.  What house decorations could be scarier than a big screen showing Al Davis drooling all over himself and staring the camera down without blinking?  I think Al is actually no longer with us and they're wheeling him around "Weekend At Bernie's" style.  I also think that the Rams should be smart enough to give the rock to RB Steven Jackson and let him dominate time of possession.
• Neither of us are fans of Josh McDaniels and the misfits that are the Denver Broncos, but we have to make Pete Carroll and the Seahawks show us a reason to believe in them again before we make that commitment.  This time, they're on the road in a tough venue for visitors.  Big advantage, Broncos.
• Maybe the Houston Texans really have arrived.  If you ask the Colts, they'll say, absolutely.  I'm still not totally convinced.  Jason points out that an offense with a potent RB, like Arian Foster, added to an already dangerous QB-WR combo, like Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, must be respected because having those "triplets" usually brings much success to a team.  I still need to see Foster do that against a good defense before I even consider calling them the New Triplets.  The Redskins were flying to the ball on D last week against the Cowboys, and they gave up a respectable 4.0 yards per carry last year, so I'd call them a good defense.  If Foster shows up against them and goes for anywhere close to 200 yards, then call me a Monkee because I'll be a believer.  But until then, I'm taking the Skins.
• For the second week in a row, we're both calling a big upset straight up.  Last week, it was Chiefs over Chargers, and this week it's Jaguars over...oh, um, it's the Chargers again.  Notice a pattern?
• Our Jets hate is well documented, but I'll throw in an extra reason why I like New England to tap dat ass:  Randy Moss is PISSED.  The Patriots gave some straight cash homie to Tom Brady but refuse to extend Moss beyond this, his last year of his contract.  Moss had some choice words about the matter last week after the win over Cincy, making it clear that he doesn't feel appreciated and that he doesn't want to discuss it after every game.  I think he's going to go out and try to tear the league up every time this year in order to show the Pats what they have and what they may lose.  And this week, Moss will surely be covered by the premier CB in the league, Darrelle Revis, who historically has shut down Moss.  If there's one game where Moss feels that he has to prove his greatness, I think it's this one against Revis Island.  On top of that, Revis supposedly has a hamstring issue, which Jason thinks is a lie.  But if it's not, Brady and Moss will find out quickly and exploit it all day.
• We both like the 49ers to cover Monday night in their home opener against the Saints.  Coach Psycho, Mike Singletary, has presumably been tearing the whole squad a new asshole all week in practice after that shameful effort in Seattle, and San Fran should come out with much better effort against the Super Bowl champs.