Like It, Love It, Steer Clear of It- Week 2

Sean's Picks

Like It

Packers -10 vs. Panthers

Cam Newton had an impressive start to his NFL career, throwing for 422 yards and topping the rookie record. Cam Newton may see some success, but he does not repeat his week 1 performance against the Packers. Rodgers and Co. will be just too much for the Panthers defense and I don't think the Panthers can go touchdown for touchdown with the Packers.

Match-up to watch: Packers DB vs. Steve Smith. Cam Newton's favorite target will be blanketed with plenty of good defense.

Love It

Steelers -14.5 vs. Seahawks

Steelers were taken to the woodshed last week against the division foe, Ravens. The Steelers are going to take all of last week's frustrations out on the poor and lowly, Seahawks. Seattle struggled against the 49ers and I am almost scared for them to go up against a Steelers team that is most likely pissed and looking for some kind of self-redemption.

Match-up to watch: LaMarr Woodley vs. Breno Giocomini. YIKES! An All-Pro going up against a practice squad player...Tavaris better be able to run a lot.

Steer Clear of It

Saints -7 vs. Bears

This game is going to be a lot closer than people think. Saints have a good offense and the Bears have a good defense. Saints have an average defense and the Bears have an average offense. I believe this game comes down to the wire (much like the Saints last game). Cutler has to go knick-for-knack with Brees because regardless of how good a team's defense is, Brees will find a receiver. 

Match-up to watch: Any defender vs. Sproles. Sproles is a defense killer. If he is matched up against any linebacker and has an open field, the ball is going his way. 

Lally's Picks

Like It

New Orleans -7 vs. Chicago

I would normal stay away from Bears games but I don’t think the Saints will cover the 7 point spread.  This should be a great game and should be close through the game.  Can see either team winning the game but this game will come down to a field goal then a touchdown.

Love It
Lions -8 vs Chiefs
The Chiefs gave up 41 points to the Bills last week; I'll let that sink in for a minute. The chiefs also lost their best defensive player in Eric Berry for the season. They also only scored 7 points against a Bills defense. The Bills defense is not a top-notch defense but the Chiefs offense has not been the same since Charlie Weis announced he was leaving. Lions have a very good front seven which will put pressure on the Chiefs line. Thinking the Lions win by at least 10 points.

Steer Clear of It

Vikings -3 vs. Buccaneers
I would steer clear of anything to do with the Vikings until they decide what type of team they want to be. They kept a good offense in check last week, but McNabb only threw for 39 yards. That is just unheard of for a starting quarterback. I cannot see McNabb having such a bad day again. Also hard to get a feel for the Buccaneers team because they are young and won a bunch of games in the fourth quarter last year.

Good Bye, Rescue Me (2004-2011)

"Hello"
     All because of Cerc's recommendation of this series, I became a big fan of Rescue Me late in the game. I'd say I picked up with the series around season 4 or 5 (hard to remember), but being able to catch up and watch each season on my own time is what truly sucked me in. I usually watched 3-4 episodes a night, finding myself up at 2 a.m. saying, "just one more episode." 
     Episode after episode was filled with excitement from the beginning of the show to the last minute and I couldn't wait to watch the next episode. Within weeks, I finished watching multiple seasons in time to watch Rescue Me like the regulars; in front of my t.v. on a Wednesday night. This sucked for one reason...I had to wait an entire week to watch the next episode! The anticipation for next Wednesday was always there. Rescue Me basically started my television addiction.


"My Thoughts"
     I loved the beginning seasons. The constant fire fights, the drama in Tommy's family, the fire house jokes/pranks between the guys, and Tommy seeing and talking with the dead. The series did a great job of character build up. The show had its main characters, but never left out the smaller characters. I was always interested in everybody on the show and every story that revolved around each character. I felt like I was connected with the characters. 
     Throughout the series, I had made a "Please Don't Die List" that consisted of Sean Garrity and Mike Silletti because the constant dumb moments between the two, in which they thought they were intelligent made me laugh every single time. Tommy and Lou also were on that list, but that is a given. The friendship between them was amazing and with one gone, there wouldn't be the other.
     The series caught me off guard a few times with the unexpected deaths. The first and worst was the death of Tommy and Janet's son, Connor, in season two. I won't lie, it was a tear-jerker and blew me away. The scene sits in the back of mind anytime I watch Rescue Me because of how real they made it seem. Just the thought of someone losing their child that way is terrible. The other death was the suicide of Chief Reilly. This was a big character in the show and he went through a lot with his gambling issues, his wife having Alzheimer disease, he didn't agree with his sons (gay) life style, and he had a heart attack. The suicide didn't come out of left field, but it was a big death and loss in the cast. The death of Tommy's brother, Johnny, was also an unexpected death and really drew me in because it was around the time of his apology to Tommy for what he had done to the family.
     The constant betrayal between characters was interesting in this show. Tommy was a complete dirt bag and as a viewer, I didn't mind it at all for some reason. It could possibly be that you knew whenever Tommy cheated or did something wrong, it was always going to come back to bite him in the ass. For all the times that Tommy had cheated on Janet, I was absolutely appalled when Johnny (Tommy's brother) was sleeping with Janet (Tommy's wife). In the end, Tommy deserved it.
     The fight with alcohol was always there and lingered throughout most of the Gavin family. It was your typical Irish, middle-classed family and Tommy had the worst fight of them all. Again, this was a vital plot to the entire series. I loved following the struggle Tommy had with alcohol and was mildly upset when he became sober (seems so wrong to say). Colleen (Tommy's oldest daughter) also battled alcohol, but to me that was dumb. There was just something about her being the main focus in some episodes (and all of season 7) that I didn't care for.


"Good Bye"
     Seasons 1-5 were great, season 6 was alright, and season 7 was a complete nose-dive in my opinion. The show went from fighting fires, fighting each other, and complete dysfunction everywhere to fighting one or maybe two fires (in an entire season) and almost soap opera-ish.  
     Season 7 was the complete opposite of the feelings I had for seasons 1-6. Each episode didn't leave me waiting till next Wednesday. Instead of watching the show immediately, I put it aside...sometimes till the next day because I knew I wasn't going to miss much. The entire season's main focus was on Colleen's wedding (gag), which totally overshadowed the significance of the series final season being the 10th anniversary of 9-11. They hardly talked about it being 10 years, other than the news reporter's story that went no where and one to two flashbacks. 
     The last episode was...dry. They played their trickery with Tommy's dream to make us believe that 4 of the men have died. Jerks. Anyways, Lou dies and that means a big part of the show died. Instead of being an emotional ending, like the previews to THE FINAL EPISODE had shown us, it basically turned out to be an episode mocking Lou's eating habits while he was alive. Some people might like that, I didn't. This was supposed to be a series closer!!! 
     The best part about the final episode was the last portion. It was almost a mirror image of how the show started with Tommy giving a speech filled with the words douche bags and assholes to a bunch of "probies." This time when he got into his truck, he sees the ghost of Lou instead of his deceased cousin, Jimmy. That was an amazing ending and closing to a great series.


Good bye, Rescue Me.




I Should Mention...
My friends, Cerc and Munch, had brought up a good point about the series. It has paved a path for the successful, *newer* series today on cable. Series such as Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Breaking Bad, etc. Rescue Me was one of the first series that I have seen push the limits of what can be shown on cable television. From the sex appeal, to the brash language, to the drinking and drug addictions...it just seemed like there was never a boundary for the series. This made it even better as it gave you a feeling of reality. 
    Denis Leary gave everyone a great series built off a very tragic time of the United States. I couldn't have asked for a better series and honestly wish this was something I had started watching from day one. It is always sad to see something like this end after having such a long life (my last series was the Sapranos and the last season ended in a similar disappointing fashion). 

UFC Rio: The Picks

Brief explanation: I pick my fights with a confidence ranking from 1-the max number of fights. 1 is the lowest possible confidence rank. 

Rousimar Palhares (21-3) vs. Dan Miller (13-5, 1 NC) 

I took a little risk on this fight and went with Dan Miller. Miller is an exciting fighter and he took his last fight on short notice against Nate Marquardt, losing in an unanimous descision. Once again, Miller is taking this fight on short notice against another strong fighter in Palhares. Palhares is currently coming off a win (submission) from back in March on Versus 3 against Dave Branch. This will be an exciting fight, being ground out to a decision. 

Confidence: 1 point

Thiago Tavares (19-4-1) vs. Spencer Fisher (25-7) 

This will be an interesting fight. Both fighters have been very inconsistent in their past few fights and should be desperate for a win and they bring two completely different styles into the cage. Tavares is going to look to bring the fight to the ground and Fisher is one of the better strikers in the lightweight division and this is where I see him beating Tavares. Fisher's experience in the cage and striking > Thiago's ground game and inconsistency in the cage.
Confidence: 3 points

Luiz Cane (12-3, 1 NC) vs. Stanislov Nedkov (11-0)

Simply put, experience in the big boy league will trump the undefeated record Nedkov brings into his UFC debut. Cane possesses the punching power to knock his opponents out and has a black belt BJJ. I see this one ending early. Welcome to the UFC, Nedkov!

Confidence: 4 points

Ross Pearson (14-4) vs Edson Barboza (8-0)

This will be a great stand up battle. Pearson has only lost one fight (Cole Miller) since beginning his career in the UFC. Barboza is currently undefeated and faces his toughest competition yet in Pearson. Barboza is young, fast, and explosive but I think he meets his maker when he squares off against the more well-rounded Pearson. I look for this to be FOTN.

Confidence: 2 points

Minotauro Nogueira (32-6-1) vs. Brendan Schaub (9-1)

One fight I don't see experience playing a role. Big Nog has been great for the sport, but this can possibly be his last fight. Brendan Schaub can be deemed one of the better strikers in the heavyweight division. He has the accuracy and the knockout power to take down anyone in the heavyweight division. This is a HUGE stepping stone for Schaub and he can move one step closer to a title shot with a win over Nog.

Confidence: 6 points

Mauricio Rua (19-5) vs. Forrest Griffin (18-6)

A rematch that will most likely have a different look than the previous meeting. Griffin is coming off two wins and Shogun is coming off an embarrassing title loss to Jon Jones. I would still consider Griffin a hungry contender, but I think that Shogun will be looking for a big comeback this fight and that is the determining factor in what makes me choose Shogun over Griffin.

Confidence: 5 points

Anderson Silva (28-4) vs. Yushin Okami (27-5)

There is not a single doubt in my mind that Anderson Silva defeats Yushin Okami to remain the Middleweight Champion. I understand the whole marketing perspective of building up this fight, but  let's be real. I don't think Okami poses any possible threat to Silva and this ends very quickly, unless Silva decides to screw around again. Hearing Sonnen talk about Okami doesn't help his case either.

Confidence: 7 points

NFC North: WR Rankings

Based on the current depth charts of the teams, here is a look at what I think about the NFC North wide receiver groups. This will be based on receivers 1-4 on the depth chart.

1. Green Bay Packers

• Greg Jennings- 76 receptions for 1,265 yards- 12 touchdowns
• Donald Driver
• James Jones
• Jordy Nelson

The Green Bay Packers probably have one of the most lethal receiving corps in the NFL. Greg Jennings can be ranked in the Top 5 of wide receivers in the NFL as he has exceeded the 1,000 yard mark each season. The other reason for putting the Packers at the top is the depth that they have at this position. While Donald Driver might be nearing the end of his career, the Packers have talented back-up plans in Jordy Nelson and James Jones (and also added Randall Cobb through the 2011 draft).

2. Detroit Lions

• Calvin Johnson- 77 receptions for 1,120 yards- 12 touchdowns
• Nate Burleson
• Maurice Stovall
• Derrick Williams

Detroit Lions lean heavily on Calvin Johnson each season. He is a deep threat to any defense in the league and can make the impossible catches. From his 4 seasons, Johnson has notched two +1,000 yard seasons and that won't change this season. Nate Burleson is a mediocre wide receiver at best and will give you 50-60 catches in a season.  The Lions have a big drop off in production after those two players, but are looking to rely on rookie receiver, Titus Young.

3. Minnesota Vikings

• Percy Harvin- 71 receptions for 868 yards- 5 touchdowns
• Michael Jenkins
• Bernard Berrian
• Greg Camarillo

3 and 4 were a bit of a toss up, but the Vikings addition of Michael Jenkins puts them slightly above the Bears. Percy Harvin is an agile and reliable receiver (on the field). Percy has yet to hit a 1,000 yard season but as the number 1 receiver for the Vikings, I expect him to mark his first one with McNabb. With the addition of Michael Jenkins to the corp, the Vikings become a little better at wide receiver. 

4. Chicago Bears

• Roy Williams
• Johnny Knox- 51 receptions for 960 yards- 5 touchdowns
• Devin Hester
• Earl Bennett

The Bears are still trying to find their #1 wide receiver. In my opinion, it should be Johnny Knox because he has been anything but bad for the Chicago Bears. Knox is #2 on the depth chart behind Roy Williams now (could change by the beginning of the regular season) and I can't say much for Roy Williams and production. In Williams eight seasons in the NFL, he has posted one +1,000 yard season. Though Williams production has been lackluster in the past few seasons, he can possibly help the Bears in the Martz system. 

Hope you enjoyed this. Next up will be the tight end position.

- The Packer Meatball

NFC North: Offensive Line Rankings

To rank the offensive lines in the NFC North, I am simply looking at the stats from the previous year (rush totals and sacks given up) and the players. If a team kept each player on the line and added decent players through the draft, it will effect the ranking. I was a little shocked when I pulled up the stats of the NFC offensive lines.

1. Detroit Lions- The Lions had ranked 4th overall in sacks allowed (27), which far exceeds any team in the North. In total rushing yards, the Lions snuggle between the Bears and the Packers with 1,613 yards. The Detroit Lions starting offensive linemen are returning with the leadership of Dominic Raiola, making the Lions the top line in the North. One would think that with the injuries of the Lions quarterbacks, this offensive line doesn't deserve the top ranking. In my opinion, it is not always the offensive lines fault and a quarterback like Matt Stafford should be benefiting from the play of this offensive line.

2. Minnesota Vikings- Though the Vikings are aging, they still play exceptionally well. The Vikings didn't benefit from having a very immobile quarterback in Brett Favre last season as this didn't help them in the sack category (36). The offensive line of the Vikings helped rush for 1,942 yards and 16 touchdowns, which was the most in the NFC North. Of course, any current offensive line in the NFC North can do that with the help of Adrian Peterson. The Vikings are returning all of their offensive linemen and Steve Hutchinson and crew will benefit a little more this season with the addition (and mobility) of Donovan McNabb. Bryant McKinnie is one player that can be seen as a question mark with his mediocre play each season

3. Green Bay Packers- For the past couple of seasons, the Packers offensive line has been a shuffling game. Moving guys from position to position, the line was never concrete. Last season the Packers were able to settle rookie, Bryan Bulaga in at RT as the rest of the line stayed in tact. This season the Packers are working through camp to see which player (Lang, McDonald, and Sherrod) will take over at LG after the departure of Daryn Colledge. The Packers offensive line gave up 38 sacks and had an NFC North low of 1,606 total rushing. If the Packers can fill the question mark at LG and keep Chad Clifton healthy the entire season, they will undoubtedly have a better season.

4. Chicago Bears- The Bears offensive line had the highest amount of sacks given up last year in the entire league with 56. They ranked 9th in the NFC with 1,616 rushing yards. With the terrible pass protection and the numerous question marks along the offensive line, the Bears stand last. The recent departure of Olin Kruetz does not help the Bears. He may have been old, but he could block and he was an anchor of the entire team. The newest addition to the Bears, Gabe Carimi, has a lot riding on his shoulders. The good thing is he is good enough to carry the heavy load and will be a staple in the Bears offensive line for years to come.

NFC North: RB Duo Rankings

Ranking the running backs of any team can be tough. The NFL has mostly evolved into a 2-back system for most teams. Looking at the teams in the NFC North, all four have a 2-back system they are working with whether the time split is 50-50, 60-40, or even 80-20. Here is a look at how I rank the running backs of the NFC North for the 2011 season.

'10 stats: 283 carries for 1,298 yards
12 TD

1. Minnesota Vikings- Adrian Peterson is a beast and has been the face of the Vikings franchise for 4 seasons. He had a small bump in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, fumbling the ball 15 times. Peterson has had four consecutive seasons of 1,000+ yards rushing. What makes Peterson even better is he has been running behind a mediocre line most of his career. Toby Gerhart was added to the team last year and had minimal impact. When Peterson is in front of you, minimal impact is alright though. Gerhart had a 4.0 YPC average, but only saw the end zone one time last season. If Peterson were to go down with an injury, Vikings may as well call it quits. Adrian Peterson IS the Vikings.

Placed on IR in the 2010 season.

2. Green Bay Packers- The return of Ryan Grant puts the Packers at #2 and the post season performance by James Starks helps. In the '08 and '09 season, Grant was an exceptional back with 1,000+ yard seasons ('08- 1,203 yards & '09- 1,253 yards). He was also 44 yards shy of the 1,000 yard mark in '07, but with just 15 games played. Grant is a work horse for the team and should continue to make an impact post-injury. The Packers become a big 2-back duo with James Starks. Starks was able to make an impact during the regular season game against the 49ers and played exceptionally well in the post season for the Packers.

'10 stats- 237 carries for 1,069 yards
6 TD

3. Chicago Bears- Matt Forte is a big dual threat on his own. He can break the big run at any moment and he is a great receiving back. Forte has notched two 1,000 + yard seasons in '08 and '10 and was just shy of the 1,000 yard mark in '09. In each of his 3 seasons, he has had half of that in receiving yards as well. I expect big things from Forte in the 2011 season. It will be interesting to see how long he holds out for a new contract (if at all). Forte is followed by Chester Taylor and probably a good reason Forte is demanding more money. Taylor had a terrible 2.4 YPC average and didn't do much for the Bears last season. Taylor holds the Bears ranking down.

'10 stats: 171 carries for 555 yards
4 TD

4. Detroit Lions- Placed last for lack of production in 2010. Jahvid Best will most likely lead the backfield of the Lions in the 2011 season. Best didn't have a great season in 2010 and was followed by a few under-performing running backs in Morris, Smith, and Logan. The Lions drafted Mikel LeShoure (Illinois) in the 2011 NFL Draft and this makes the Lions backfield much better than the previous season. With a dual threat of Best and LeShoure, the Lions have a better running attack and fit the 2-back system the NFL has turned to. LeShoure may even become a starter for the Lions if Best has another average season.

NFC North: QB Rankings

Football is back and I couldn't be happier with all the news of free agency floating around the past couple of days. My eyes have been glued to Twitter when I am around the computer and NFL Network when I am around a tv. With the NFL season right around the corner and free agents being scooped up almost instantly (compared to the regular free agency period), it is time to rank the NFC North by positions. I try to be as fair as possible while ranking the positions, so the Green and Gold goggles are off.

On to the quarterbacks of the NFC North and once again, there are some new faces.

'10 stats: 3,922 yards, 28 TD/11 INT 

1. Green Bay Packers- The Packers can easily be named #1 in quarterbacks of the NFC North. Aaron Rodgers has put this team on his back since taking over and has improved every year. Last year, Rodgers was named Super Bowl XLV MVP and I believe he will have an even better season this year with the return of some key starters (Finley and Grant). If the Packers do re-sign James Jones, Rodgers has one of the best receiving cores in the entire NFL. That is dangerous.

'10 stats- 3,274 yards, 23 TD/16 INT

2. Chicago Bears- The Bears (as well as the Vikings and Lions) can be placed anywhere from 2-4 because I see them all as being pretty leveled out. However, Cutler is a pretty decent quarterback and he might enter the 2011 NFL season with a chip on his should (one that he placed there himself, in my opinion). Cutler is only a decent quarterback because he isn't surrounded by elite players. If he had time to throw the football and a true #1 receiver, you'd instantly see better results from him. With the addition of Gabe Carimi to left tackle, Cutler has backside protection now.

'10 stats: 3,377 yards, 14 TD/15 INT

3. Minnesota Vikings- The Vikings were going to be last, until yesterday's news. With the addition of veteran quarterback, Donovan McNabb, the Vikings become slightly better at the quarterback position. Though some think Donovan McNabb is washed up and done, I disagree. Not only does he add slight value on the field but he will be a sponge for the rookie quarterbacks that the Vikings have (Ponder, Bomar, and Webb). Hopefully McNabb still has some mobility left because the offensive line of the Vikings won't help him.

'10 stats: 535 yards, 6 TD/1 INT

4. Detroit Lions- The Lions can thank Matthew Stafford and his health for the last place standing. In two seasons, Stafford has only played 13 games. After Stafford, there isn't that great of a back-up in Shaun Hill and rookie, Zac Robinson. If Stafford stays healthy for an entire season, the Lions become an even scarier team.