2 quick items

1. STEELER FANS - DO NOT BUY THESE SEATS FOR TONIGHT'S GAME. Wow....




2. Quite possibly the greatest Sweatshirt there ever was. I wonder if theres a big Penguin on the back. If I remember the Gin & Juice video correctly, I wouldnt be surprised if there was. Go get em Snoop.

Steelers @ Redskins Preview

REDSKINS vs. STEELERS
Monday, November 3, 2008

So here we go. November 3 is upon us. The game that us DC area Steeler Fans had highlighted since the schedules came out. The schedule makers love to work those interesting angles, and it doesn’t get much better than two top tier teams battling in our nations capital the night before the Presidential election. The NFL and ESPN have gone as far as to include interviews with John McCain and Barack Obama that will air at halftime of the broadcast. Your resident psycho, will be at the game and will miss all the hoopla, including Tony Kornheiser undoubtedly reminding the masses repeatedly of the election trend that shows Redskins wins corresponding to incumbent election victories and opponents victories leading to the opposing party gaining the presidential nomination. Anyway, that’s all we'll get into about any political aspect of this game. Let's take a little look at what may transpire on the field.

The Skins faithful around here seemed pretty confident that the Steeler pass rush can't get to Campbell because they couldn't get to Eli Manning last week. "Everyone knows that to beat the Giants you have to pressure Eli!" one Skins fan reminded me. He must have forgotten that the Giants won the Super Bowl last year and are 6-1 this year. He's right, Eli gets rattled when pressured, but that Giants O line hasn’t allowed people to get to him very often this season. That said, the Redskins have a very good offensive line as well. Chris Samuels should be back after missing last weeks game, and the Skins line as a whole has only allowed 16 sacks all season. That would be an average of 2 per game, math majors. The Steelers have sacked the opposing quarterback 25 times, or about 3.5 times per game. Skins QB Jason Campbell has also had a little bit of trouble holding on to the ball when sacked. Seeing as the Redskins have yet to throw an interception this season, the defense will need to create turnovers any way they can. Pittsburgh comes in even in turnover ratio, but that’s slightly misleading in that they were +4 prior to last week, where they couldn’t generate a turnover, and the Giants picked Roethlisberger off 4 times. I'd say the Steelers have a distinct advantage in pressuring the quarterback, but the Skins have been proficient in holding on to the ball all season long, so we'll give them the edge in the turnover battle.

Next up, running games. Coming in to this game, the Redskins bring the 2nd ranked rushing offense in the league, but the Steelers have the 3rd ranked rushing defense. The Steelers haven't allowed any one individual running back to gain more than 63 yards on them all season. Clinton Portis has gone for double that in each of his last 4 games, and 121 in the game prior to that string. The Steelers tend to prefer going up against the big, bruising backs such as Brandon Jacobs and Jamal Lewis, who they had good success against in earlier games. Portis is more of a slasher. Definitely has a power back mentality, but is a little bit quicker on his feet, and finds holes sooner than the bruisers. He's been nagged by hip and ankle injuries this week, but will definitely play. This week will assuredly be the biggest test the Steelers run defense has faced this year. Word out of Pittsburgh is that neither Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith have practiced this week. Hampton has a toe injury and Smith an undisclosed personal matter. Given the Steelers 3-4 scheme, missing 2 of your top 3 against the rushing yardage leader doesn’t bode well. I'm sure both will play, but it will be interesting to see how they respond after missing practice all week.

Pittsburgh should get Willie Parker back, as he's practiced all week, and despite Mewelde Moore giving some very solid efforts in his place, having Willie back will bring a different dynamic to the offense. I'm not sure how great Willie will do coming off the injury, but I think he'll get the bulk of the workload, with Moore as a more than capable alternate. The key to beating the Redskins in my opinion, is keeping Big Ben upright. I don’t think it should be that hard, as the Skins have only sacked the opposing quarterback 10 times all season, and they'll be without their latest big name, little production signing, Jason Taylor. Parker should be able to create enough space to not allow the Skins to key on blitzing Ben, though I'm sure Greg Blache will try. I would hope that more short routes are implemented into the Steelers scheme, seeing as all the downfield routes that took forever to develop last week were critical in the loss to the Giants. Granted, Roethlisberger needs to make good decisions, as the Redskins secondary, even without Shawn Springs, is playing very well. Carlos Rogers is playing (as I prepare for spontaneous combustion) Pro bowl caliber football (OK, I think I'm good), Smoot is always scrappy and should match up well with Hines Ward if the situation calls for it, and the safeties in LaRon Landry and Chris Horton can create turnovers and/or make big hits when needed. I do, however like the idea of running a lot of 5 wide. The more the Steelers can coax Washington into putting Leigh Torrence on the field, the better their chances at winning. Burgundy and Gold faithful better hope that Smoot and Rogers don’t get caught by a Hines Ward block, or we may see Torrence a lot. If that’s the case, the odds of a Steeler victory move exponentially higher.

All things considered, this game should come down to the quarterback play. I don’t see either team running the ball with substantial success, so it will come down to who can hit their passes consistently and minimize turnovers.

Next, there are two things that concern me about the Redskins. Both surround the number 89. First is Santana Moss on punt returns. He came in last week, in a close game, after Randle El failed to muster any significant returns (we remember), and promptly returned a punt for a touchdown, all but sealing the game for the Redskins. The Steelers special teams of course took a big hit last week when Long Snapper Greg Warren tore his ACL and was put on injured reserve. Punter Mitch Berger is also banged up and may not play. That means the Steelers may have a rookie long snapper and rookie punter, each playing their first NFL game, against a dangerous tandem of return men. Don’t underestimate the importance of this matchup, should Berger not be able to play.

The second concern is the bubble screens to Moss that the Redskins LOVE to run. The Steeler corners line up about 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage on about 90% of plays. One quick step move by Santana Moss around Ike or Deshea, or a double move and deep pass, could mean 6 points for the Skins. The Steelers have long been vulnerable to these types of plays, and a team like the Redskins, who run them regularly, may be able to exploit that.

That leads me to two other concerns, now that I think about it. Just as the Steelers have shown difficulty covering quick screens or shifty receivers such as Moss and Randle El, they CONSISTENTLY fail to cover running backs coming out of the backfield on passing plays, and tight ends. Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley both are fantastic receivers for their positions, and could give the Steelers trouble in the flat all game long. Portis worries me a lot more than Cooley does, but remember, of all the Giants weapons on offense, the only one who found the end zone against the Steelers was TE Kevin Boss…My final (I think) concern revolves our old friend Antwaan Randle El. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he's been like a little puppy dog following Jim Zorn this week BEGGING to get a pass play in. Whether it be something similar to what we saw in Pittsburgh with the option reverses, or cross field laterals, or a Redskin modified version of the Wildcat, anytime El gets the ball behind the line of scrimmage, the Steelers better make sure they cover down the field. This is where they'll miss Ryan Clark even more so. Tyrone Carter loves to play aggressive, so he would be susceptible to a play or two like this.

We'll be at the game, 50 yard line, 2nd to last row in the stadium :-) Only the best for the Ward. We may have some photo journal pics from the game, but either way, we move from the outhouse to the Penthouse in a mere 6 days, as next week we'll be on the field for the Colts-Steelers matchup at Heinz Field. First things first though, lets get through Monday night alive, healthy, at 6-2, and ready to move into an extremely tough 2nd half, current opponents records be damned. With the Ravens now right on their tail, every game will be an important one for the black and gold. Hopefully it all begins tonight!!

Wow...

Haha....I'm hoping to get a decent amount in today, but this could not go unnoticed, and had to be posted immediately.

Regarding todays Victory Parade for the Phillies:

"This is a bright and shining moment," Mayor Michael Nutter said. "We're going to have a great time."

But he cautioned against the scattered vandalism that marred the postgame revelry late Wednesday and early Thursday. Police reported 76 arrests and several vandalized businesses; they are also examining photos and video of the crowds to identify and arrest additional offenders.

"You can be joyous; you cannot be a jackass," Nutter said. "That kind of idiotic, destructive behavior will not be accepted in the city of Philadelphia."

There goes any chance this guy had at re-election. He must have no idea where the hell he's at...

2008: The Year of the Douchebag Fan.

A subdued congrats goes out to the Philadelphia Phillies, for finally getting the citys first Sports championship since the 83 Sixers. It's sad that the choking streak won't continue, and it's also sad that there are some very likeable guys on the Phillies roster. So while I congratulate them as a team, I don't congratulate the city. If nothing else, hopefully this will take the edge off for at least a year or two. The Rays played a spectacular season, coming from nowhere to make the World Series, and giving a little bit of hope to the long suffering fans of teams like the Royals and our Pirates.

The Phillies World Championship unfortunately solidifies 2008 as the year of the douchebag fans. I really have no problem with Detroit hockey fans, so I'll exclude the Red Wings from this analysis…but consider the cities and fan bases of the champions from each of the other major sports leagues. Boston wins the NBA title, New York wins the Super Bowl, and now Philadelphia wins the World Series. Here's hoping for a better outcome in 2009.

NBA Preview is on hold, on account that my links got deleted. Operator error at best. Instead we'll try to get back into some Power Rankings, and a full preview of this Monday's Steelers - Redskins game. Picks should be up this weekend as well.

Shame that the biggest game of the season for us DC area Steeler fans has also turned out to be a very busy week for me personally. Updates have been sporatic, but we're workin on it!

The Jon and the Terrible, horrible, No Good, Very bad weekend

T'was a very bad weekend for the Steel City sports squadrons.

The Penguins allowed 2 goals in the third period, including one in the final seconds before falling to the hated Rangers 3-2 in a shootout.

The #17 Pitt Panthers dropped another home game as heavy favorites. Not only did they lose, they got demolished, 54-34. Rutgers QB Mike Teel threw for 6 touchdowns. Coming into the game he had thrown for 3 ALL SEASON. In addition, Pitt QB Bill Stull was carted off the field. Word is that he'll be fine, but suffered a concussion.

And the beloved Steelers let one slip away as well. A 21-14 loss to the Giants, combined with wins by the Browns and Ravens tightens things up a bit in the division. Luckily, the Ravens and Browns play each other this week, but the Steelers have no cupcake, as they hit the road to play the 6-2 Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday Night.

The common factor amongst all? The vicious bite of the injury bug. I know it's no excuse, but there's no denying the big part that injuries played over the course of the weekend.
With the Penguins, they have been, and will continue to be without their top two defensemen at least until the calendar shifts into 09. The young guns filling in have done so admirably, but hopefully Saturday nights collapse won't be the beginning of things to come. We mentioned Stull's injury, but at the same time, the performance of the Panther defense was one we havent seen since the Navy game last season. In a word, terrible. Theres no reason that a quarterback should be allowed to throw twice as many TD passes in one game then he had the previous 7 combined. More on the Steelers infirmary below.

Here are my observations on the Steelers - Giants game:

1. The offensive line did not play as everyone wants to say they did. The difference is this. The Giants came in with a game plan to combat the Steelers zone blitz scheme. Quick hitters, screens, dump offs, etc. The Steelers did not. Ben continued to hold on to the ball entirely too long, and they did not effectively run quick patterns to offset the Giants pass rush. Not having Santonio Holmes hurt, as it was well documented that it would. At no time was that more evident then on a slant pass that went off the hands of Nate Washington, and was intercepted by the Giants. One of 4 picks by Roethlisberger on the day.

2. The injuries to Greg Warren and Mitch Berger. It's true that you never hear about a long snapper until they screw up. Or in this case, get injured. Warren tore his ACL and is now done for the year. Berger strained a leg muscle early on in the game, and while remaining effective throughout the game, his injury impacted some of the coaches decisions to go for it on 4th downs, and his free kick following the safety suffered as well. The playcalling leading up to the errant long snap which caused the safety should not be overlooked. The holding penalty on Willie Colon that nullified what would have been Nate Washington's 2nd touchdown catch of the day can't be overlooked. And the fact that the Giants had a better scheme than the Steelers did as a whole, can't be overlooked.

We all know that it's pretty tough to get outcoached by Kevin Gilbride, but Bruce Arians, you achieved that yesterday.

We all know that the key to beating the Giants is to pressure the hell out of Eli Manning. The Steelers, despite being having the number one ranked defense, and leading the leage in sacks coming in, did not sack Eli once. Chalk that up to great offensive line play by the Giants, and good play calling allowing for short drops and getting the ball out quickly.

Long story short, there is still plenty of room for improvement for the Steelers moving forward, but there is also plenty to be excited about. They 'should have' beaten the defending Super Bowl champions despite the following:

1. Losing their #2 receiver after the game plan had already been devised and implemented.

2. Not having their top Defensive lineman or Strong Safety practice all week.

3. Injuries. They played the game without starters Willie Parker, Kendall Simmons, Marvel Smith, Daniel Sepulveda, or Bryant McFadden, and lost Ryan Clark and Greg Warren during the game.

I don't mean to make excuses. The Giants made the plays that needed to be made for them to win, so I give them credit. But at the same time, the Steelers turned the ball over 5 times. The defense continued to play brilliantly despite being back up in their own end for a better part of the game. They stifiled Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward (84 yards on 31 carries) but were not able to pressure Eli to the point that he became frazzled. It's a shame too, because the game started off so well, with the Steelers forcing New York into a 3 and out, then marching down the field and scoring on Mewelde Moore's 32 yard run. But the Giants regrouped, hung around, and then essentially dominated the 4th quarter.

It bothered me that during the last drive, the middle of the field was WIDE open, and the Steelers never once tried to run a route there. They had enough time, and a time out remaining to try to run some short to mid range middle routes, but Arians was so intent on getting to the sidelines, which the Giants had blanketed, that they had no chance.

All things considered, 5-2 at this point is solid. And hey, they have yet to lose outside of the state of Pennsylvania. Unless the Redskisn play a much improved game than they have the past 3 weeks, then I like the Steelers chances to rebound strong a week from today.

PICKS RECAP:

The Jon comes into Monday Night with a moderate 6-6-1 showing. The Virus may well have rather had a virus than review his 3-9-1 showing. They share differeing opinions on tonights game as well, so we'll see if The Jon can build on this inaugural week lead, or if the Virus can save a little bit of face moving forward.

TOMORROW:

A little NBA for you.

NFL Picks - Week 8 - Challenge us Both!

There was a little bit of consistancy this past week in the NFL. The top teams for the most part won, Dallas continued to unravel, and the picture is starting to become a little bit clearer moving forward. One thing there was no consistency in was the spreads that the Virus had as opposed to my own in generating last weeks picks. We've gotten that all cleared up for this week, so the challenge is on. I'll be in black, the Virus in the Garnet (thats right).

Tampa Bay (+2.5) over DALLAS: Just too much going on in big D right now. This is a huge game in the NFC, as both teams are in dog fights (sorry...would it be better to say battles?) in their respective divisions. The Cowboys secondary is still decimated, and the more work that Jeff Garcia and Antonio Bryant get in with each other, the more formidable a tandem they become. Former Panther Bryant has put up significantly better numbers with Garcia as quarterback, and with the injuries around the Cowboys defensive backfield, I think that will continue. DeMarcus Ware could set a record in this game. With a sack, he'll have posted at least one sack in 11 straight games. Also of note, Cadillac Williams practiced with the Bucs this week, for the first time since suffering what some thought might be a career threatening knee injury. Not that he'll be a factor in this game, or even this season, but nice to see him fight back and look to be successful. Anyway, I like the Bucs D to keep constant pressure on Brad Johnson, and the O to be able to put up enough points to bring home the W and keep pace in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay (+2.5) over Dallas:

"Cuz I'm freeeeee. Freeee faaaaallin." Suddenly, 4-12 doesn't look that unreasonable.

Washington (-7.5) over DETROIT: Well, the Rams came in to DC a few weeks ago looking like the worst team in football and beat the Skins. Sorry Detroit, no such luck for the Lions this week. The Roy Williams trade now allows defenses to key on Calvin Johnson, and the Rudi Johnson/Kevin Smith duo just ins't getting it done. Dan Orlovsky will be pressured early and often, even with a hobbled Jason Taylor. Portis may run for 250 against Detroit, who rank dead last in team defense, allowing an average of 418 yards per game. The sputtering Skins offense should get back on track this week, and cruise easily past the 7.5 spread, gearing up for their big game next Monday when the Steelers pay a visit.

Detroit (+7.5) over Washington:

The Redskins don't make it easy on their fans. Portis and Shaun Alexander (yeah that's right) may set the record for most rushing yards in a game, but the Redskins haven't been able to blow out an opponent yet and I see no reason why this week should be any different, even if they're playing the Lions.

Buffalo (-1.5) over MIAMI: Since Marsha Brady has been in the news lately, lets give her a quasi shoutout in relation to this game...Marshawn, Marshawn, Marshawn!! The Buffalo O has come together a bit lately, to compliment their defense, who have been stellar all year. The league is slowly catching up to the wildcat, and the Bills defense is fast and athletic, which should help them counter those tricks. I dont think that the Dolphins have enough standard plays to be able to hang. I like Lee Evans in this game as well.

Buffalo (-1.5) over Miami:

Mine and Jon's picks aren't that fun this week yet considering we're on the same page about the first 3 games we've picked. Frankly I'm stunned that Buffalo's only giving 1.5. The Ravens murdered the Wildcat last week and are facing 27 consecutive life sentences. And speaking of murderers, we all know who used to be Running Back for the Bills. All these signs can't be ignored and the Dolphins are going to lose again, unfortunately for the viewers who find the wildcat irresistable.

NEW ENGLAND (-7.5) over St. Louis: So maybe not all hope is lost for the Rams. They have won 2 in a row over NFC East beasts, and now travel to the east coast to take on one of the AFC's finest. To say the Pats season has been a rollercoaster would be an understatement. Brady goes down, Cassel comes in and performs well, then terrible, then brilliantly...so who knows what's to come next. The running back matchup this week features Steven Jackson agains BenJarvis Green-Ellis. Wow. Despite that, now that they've been able to open up the playbook a little bit, the Pats may hit their stride. I think they have a lot of margin for error this week against the Rams, so I see no reason why they shouldnt be able to win by more than 7.5.

New England (-7.5) over St. Louis

Here's a statistic I heard on the radio yesterday. Bill Belichick has played against the NFC West 14 times in his career. Of those times, he is 7-7 against the spread. And by 7-7, I mean 14-0. When Belichick plays the west, you take the Patriots.

NEW ORLEANS (-3) over San Diego (@ Wembley Stadium, London, England): I hate to call this a home game for the Saints, as the NFL does...but oh well. We know Reggie Bush is out. We know the NFL is investigating 3 Saints players for illegal substances, 2 of which are starters. But look at what San Diego does on the road. Especially when coming East. They thought they couldnt come farther East than New York, then the NFL sends them to England. England thinks they're gonna see Shawne Merriman and LaDanian Tomlinson, and they get just L.T. at about 75% at best. The Chargers may get Chris Chambers back for this one, but won't know til gametime. I still like Brees and compnay to fight through the turmoil, and rebound big after last weeks embarrassing loss. They'll need to to keep up with the Bucs, Panthers, and Falcons.

San Diego (+3) over New Orleans

Finally, some dissent among the ranks. Too many distractions going on in New Orleans, and the Saints don't seem to be doing their part to take advantage of the season Brees is having. Meanwhile, Phillip "Anger Management" Rivers is also making his case for MVP, and it seems that the Chargers are healthier and less distracted than the Saints. The only losers here are those poor Brits who got the Giants and the Dolphins last year and are getting a depleted Saints - Chargers game this year. The NFL is trying too hard to be the good ex-boyfriend. America won the Revolutionary War AND the War of 1812, leave those Brits alone and stop extending the Olive Branch. No one wins when the NFL does this

Kansas City (+13.5) over NY JETS: Sorry, I'm not picking a team that lost to the Raiders to beat anyone by 2 touchdowns.

New York Jets (-13.5) over Kansas City:

Let's have some fun in the "You Play To Win The Game" Bowl. The Jets are such an enigma this year that it wouldn't surprise me if Pinnochio Favre threw for SEVEN touchdowns this week.

Atlanta (+9) over PHILADELPHIA: It rarely happens that the Iggles are overshadowed in their hometown, but with the Phillies coming home for the middle 3 games of the World Series, this is one of those times. Since I dont expect there to be many Falcons fans in the stands, the Philly faithful will resort to fighting each other over parking spaces between leaving the Linc and getting into Citizens Bank for game 4. So if game 4 isn't sold out, you know why. Need tickets? Check the Philadelphia emergency rooms for tickets. You may miss the first few innings, but hey, no one will be the wiser. Anyway, in this game I'd like to say I expect the Eagels D to bring the same pressure they brought on to Roethlisberger, but they havent been able to match that since then. I like the Eagles to win, but 9 is a lot against a still improving Atlanta team. Brian Westbrook should be back, whoich should directly correlate into more points for the Eagles, but I think Michael Turner, Matt Ryan, and Roddy White will have their opportunities as well.

Philadelphia (-9) over Atlanta:

At first I was ready to pick the Falcons, in shock that they were GETTING 9. But then I thought about it some more and decided to change my mind. I just don't fully believe in the Falcons yet. If they win this game, they'll have my support.

CAROLINA (-4) over Arizona: As was reaffirmed last week, home records vs. road records is a pretty valid stat. The Redbirds aren't too swift on the road, and Carolina is lights out at home. The Panthers stifled a strong New Orleans offense last week, so I like them to do the same against Arizona. The Cardinals may get Anquan Boldin back for this one, much sooner than expected, but I dont know that he'll be a huge upgrade over what Steve Breaston has done in his absence. I like Arizona, I really do...but after last weeks display, I can't pick against the Cats at home.

Carolina (-4) over Arizona:

Most complete team in the NFC?

BALTIMORE (-7) over Oakland: Stover vs. Janikowski. Unless Sebas can hit from 77, or whatever it was, I dont know that the Raiders will be able to score.

Baltimore (-7) over Oakland:

I picked up Flacco this week cuz Aaron Rogers is on a bye. If they can't throw up more than 7 over Oakland, they should be contracted. They stifled Miami in Baltimore, and Miami looks like the September through Early November 2007 Patriots compared to the Raiders. Thus begins the battle of the douchebag fan bases.

Cleveland (+7) over JACKSONVILLE: Eh, I'm not really too fond of this pick, but it seems like every time we get close to Brady Quinn time, D.A. has a big game. Jones-Drew should put up huge numbers, but I like the Browns to keep it close, and maybe even pull off a road win. Hopefully they wont, but I wouldnt be shocked to see it happen.

Jacksonville (-7) over Cleveland:

No way does Cleveland get within 7 of Jacksonville. Too much turmoil up in the land of Drew Carey. Meanwhile, Jacksonville's locked in a heated struggle with the Colts for #2 in the AFC South.

HOUSTON (-9) over Cincinnati: I am willing to bet anyone that this is the most that Houston has ever been favored by in franchise history. If anyone can prove me wrong, I'll owe you a coke. Schaub has continued his mini resurgence, and Steve Slaton has continued to run with that chip on his shoulder. The Bengals of course are without Keith Rivers, Carson Palmer may now finally announce that he's done for the year, and there's very VERY little to look at as a positive in jungleland. I might actually take the Texans at double that spread (another set o words that has probably never been muttered!)

Cincinnati (+9) over Houston

Just to dissent with Jon up there. 9 is a lot for an NFL game (and I use the term "NFL" VERY loosely).

PITTSBURGH (-3) over NY Giants: Dammit Santonio...It's not like he got busted before a Bengals game, or some lesser opponent, he waits til the meat of the schedule comes around then fires up some doobies. Even still, I like the Steelers in this game. I know the Giants have a nice pass rush, but I dont think the Steeler O Line will get embarrassed like they did against Philly. (By the way, Darnell Stapleton has filled in brilliantly for Kendall Simmons thus far, didn't I tell you Simmons going down was the biggest improvement the Steeler line could get?) So no Willie Parker, no Santonio Holmes, but I still think the Steelers have enough firepower to put up some points on the G men, and Dick LeBeau will have Woodley, Harrison, Farrior, Timmons, and Foote in Eli's face a lot, someway or another.

New York Giants (+3) over Pittsburgh

I think New York will win this game. Therefore, I obviously think they will cover the spread. I WANT Pittsburgh to win so that the Giants will drop in the NFC East standings and so Pittsburgh will be getting a little too cocky when they roll into Raljon next Monday Night, but I honestly don't see it happening. Sorry Jon, sorry self.

San Francisco (-5) over Seattle: Mike Singletary, meet Jim Haslett. The 9ers have talent, but a fresh approach on the coaching staff I think will help. Frank Gore will respond from last weeks abysmal game to run rampant over the Seahawks. Just cant help but continue to feel bad for Seattle's sports output in the past year.

San Francisco (-5) over Seattle:

Gore's doing some nice work in the land of the Grateful Dead. The Seahawk is STILL not a real bird. This one's a no-brainer

Indianapolis (+4) over TENNESSEE: Tennessee aint goin 16-0. While the Colts have only shown up in spots, they tend to play well in big games, and on national television. Tennessee isn't quite ready for their close up. Sure they have beaten up on inferior opponents, but now that the Colts come to town, I think the decline begins. I think Tennessee will definitely be a force throughout the year and into January, but their winning streak comes to an end on Monday night. Mercury Morris, get the champagne on ice.

Tennessee (-4) over Indianapolis

This is the first big test for a young Titans team (with the exception of Kerry Collins), featuring YOUR next President of the United States of America/NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Mr. Albert Haynesworth vs a battle-tested but aging and struggling Colts team. The balance of power in the AFC is shifting and Tennessee seems poised to take the reigns from their big brothers in the AFC South.

Steelers vs. NFL Collection Agents

More news regarding fines, or lack thereof, for the Steelers. Apparantley Ray Anderson, NFL's executive Vice President of Football Operations, took some time out to pay a personal visit to the Steelers facilities yesterday to discuss some of the questionable fines some of the players have received recently, comments made by Troy Polamalu about the NFL becoming a 'pansy league', and to discuss the block that Hines Ward put on Bengals LB Keith Rivers that broke Rivers' jaw and put him out for the season. I applaud the league for making the gesture. Again, it wont change the way that the Steelers play, but it was a good, borderline necessary move to get everyone on the same page.

All sides seemed to have a better understanding of each other at the conclusion of the meeting. When asked why players were fined for plays that were not even penalized on the field, Anderson stated the following:

"It is not a requirement that, in fact, a flag be thrown before a person can be fined for a foul," said Anderson, who said there were 139 fines distributed so far leading into last week's games. "What we explained to the players is about 40 percent of our fines are assessed against plays that are actually not flagged on the field."

139 fines and we're moving into week 8. Yikes. Now I'm no math major, but lets do some numbers here:

139 fines divided by 7 weeks: 19.85 fines per WEEK. Meaning on average, every game you watch, someone will be fined for something that either happens in the game, or is said about the game afterwards. And more often than not, unless they happen to your team, you'll never know about 40% of them. I wish they also specified a monetary value of those 139 fines, so that we could get an average amount per fine.

In researching this, here is a listing of infractions that, if caught (and oh, you WILL be caught) will reserve players a nice NFL letterhead delivered by FedEx on Wednesday morning.

Fines listed are minimums unless otherwise specified. Other forms of discipline, including higher fines, suspension and banishment may also be imposed, based on the circumstances of the particular violation. Players who were fined for violations in 2007 and whose fines were either partially or fully upheld, will be considered second and/or repeat offenders under this policy. Rescission of fines for first offenders shall not be automatic.

Offense Against Game Official:

Physical Contact with Official:

First Offense: $25,000

Second Offense: $50,000

Verbal or other Non-Physical Offense Against Official:

First Offense: $20,000

Second Offense: $40,000

Flagrant Personal Foul:

Suspension or fine; severity to be determined by degree of violation; the fine may be $10,000 or higher for first offense.

Fighting:

Fighting:

First Offense: $10,000

Second Offense: $25,000

Unnecessarily Entering Fight Area (active involvement):

First Offense: $5,000

Second Offense: $10,000

Unnecessarily Entering Fight Area (no active involvement):

First Offense: $2,500

Second Offense: $7,500

Sportsmanship:

Excessive Profanity; other Unsportsmanlike Conduct (e.g., toward opponent(s), game personnel, fans, etc.):

First Offense: $10,000

Second Offense: $20,000

Taunting:

First Offense: $7,500

Second Offense: $10,000

Football Into Stands:

First Offense: $5,000

Second Offense: $10,000

Uniform:

Foreign Substances on Body/Uniform:

First Offense: $10,000

Second Offense: $15,000

Personal Messages:

First Offense: $5,000

Second Offense: $10,000

Chin Straps:

First Offense: $7,500

Second Offense: $10,000(Additional fines may be imposed on team management and coaching staffs for condoning, permitting, etc., violations in this area)

Other Uniform/Equipment Violation:

First Offense: $5,000

Second Offense: $10,000

On Field Logo Violation:

Preseason and Regular Season

First Offense: $10,000

Second Offense: $20,000

Playoffs (Including Pro Bowl)First Offense: $50,000

Second Offense: $75,000

Super Bowl$100,000

Gang Signing:

Considered conduct detrimental to the League; suspension or fine; severity to be determined in accordance with provisions of the Personal Conduct Policy.

The thing I actually take most from this is the 5 G's for tossing a ball into the stands. Hines does that after every touchdown, and it appears to me that Fast Willie did it after each of his three in the opener as well. That's in addition to the fines that Hines would receive for "Unnecessary Roughness" agains the Ravens.

Does the $5,000 fine also apply to those who keep the ball after they score a touchdown? I knew there was a charge for the balls that people kept or tossed up into the stands, but 5 G's. Damn!

Finally on this topic, they also discussed this apparant bounty that is on Hines Ward for the rematch against the Ravens on December 14. Again, opponents have been trying to get shots in at Hines his whole career, with very little success. If FrankenBerry (T-Sizzle), Ray Ray and mini me (Bart Scott) want to try again then so be it. Mr. Anderson did say that the league would look into the same bounty that Suggs admitted that the Ravens put on Ward and Mendenhall in their first meeting, and take appropriate action, if necessary. I don't really know what else there is to look into, the guy admitted they did it...but we'll see what happens. I have another clip for Mr. Anderson and the league offices. Of course ESPN miked up Ray Lewis for the Monday Nighter at Heinz. Go to the clip they showed of him huddling the defense up before kickoff. I dont remember the exact quote, but it was something like "EVERY TIME SOMEONE TOUCHES THE BALL, THEYRE GETTIN KNOCKED OUT, LETS GO!!!" No doubt, something commonly said amongst defensive captains league wide, but when paired with admission of a bounty on specific players, can be rather incriminating.

How dumb is it to admit that your team went out with the intent to injure players? I guess Ray Ray already knows he's above the law, given his status as a free man. As for Suggs...well, you ask him to draw you a picture of stupid and he'd eat his crayon.

More later, friends.