Monthly Archives: September 2008

Week 2 in the NFL. Now we have it…I, ahh, think

Posted on September 11, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

I’ll be the first to admit, Week 1 did not go well.

 

Remember the headline? All you need to do is scroll down.

 

“We like the Browns, 49ers and Dolphins in upsets.”

 

Wrong. All of it wrong.

 

Last week, Week 1 of the 2008 NFL schedule, we went 7-9. We accept your brickbats, but we will not give up. It’s like our own little NFL surge.

 

On to Week 2….

 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Green Bay Packers (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1)

Honest, I still don’t believe Aaron Rodgers is the answer.

Take Detroit.

 

New York Giants (1-0) at St. Louis Rams (0-1)

The Giants go to 2-0. When someone mentions the Rams all season, all I’ll see is that hit on Stephen Jackson.

Take the Giants

 

New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Washington Redskins (0-1)

I didn’t think Washington played that badly against the Giants and I didn’t think New Orleans was that dominant against the Bucs. At home, the Redskins should win.

Take Washington

 

Buffalo Bills (1-0) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

Jacksonville is better than they showed last week in Tennessee. I like the Bills a lot, just not this week.

Take Jacksonville

 

Tennessee Titans (1-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

Chris Simms vs. Carson Palmer. Palmer couldn’t beat Joe Flacco, but then again what Palmer couldn’t beat was a very good Baltimore defence. 

Take Cincinnati (just because they’re at home)

 

Oakland Raiders (0-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

The NFL should not permit youngsters to watch this game. The potential ineptitude will be too frightening for children.

Take Kansas City (just because they’re at home)

 

Indianapolis Colts (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (0-1)

Brad Childress gets one more week. Lose this one and he has to be fired or 2-14 is a reality.

Take Minnesota

 

Chicago Bears (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (1-0)

Potentially the best game of the week. Carolina’s come-from-behind, last-play win is already a legend and the Bears defence is a monster. This could be great.

Take Carolina (just because they’re at home)

 

Atlanta Falcons (1-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

Flip a coin.

Take Tampa Bay (just because they’re at home)

 

San Francisco 49ers (0-1) at Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

Call 9-1-1! Call 9-1-1!

Take Seattle

 

San Diego Chargers (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0)

San Diego lost, at home, to Carolina. Denver won, on the road, against Oakland. OK, so Carolina is a much better team than Oakland, I still don’t see Jay Cutler losing at Mile High.

Take Denver

 

New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)

This game has outstanding potential even with Matt Cassel at the helm for New England. The Brett Favre Era could really arrive this week.

Take the Jets

 

Miami Dolphins (0-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

Arizona proved last week that they will be tough. I like the Cards in a romp.

Take Arizona

 

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at Houston Texans (0-1)

This is a big week for Houston QB Matt Schaub. A collapse this week, like the debacle in Pittsburgh last week, and the Houston fans will be demanding the return of David Carr (OK, maybe not, but you get my drift).

Take Houston

 

SUNDAY NIGHT

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)

OK, kids, can you say “Blowout.” I knew you could. 

Take Pittsburgh

 

MONDAY NIGHT 

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

Could be one of the best Monday Night games of the decade. 

Take Dallas (just because they’re at home).

 

Last week: 7-9

 

Season: 7-9

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A week of CFL shake-ups: Matthews back, Taafe gone and the Bombers acquire Zeke Moreno for virtually nothing. What does Hamilton know that Winnipeg doesn’t?

Posted on September 10, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

Let’s start with our list:

 

1. In Toronto, the Argos fired Rich Stubler, the head coach of a struggling 4-6 team — a 4-6 team that should be better — and replaced him with 69-year-old Don Matthews. Not quite as old as Cliff Fletcher, but much older than Cito Gaston. No wonder all the teams in Toronto wear blue uniforms. The owners just rummage around in a big blue box and come up with anything recyclable (Hey, is Isiah Thomas coming back to the Raptors?).

 

2. The 2-8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats fired head coach Charlie Taafe (2-8 this season and 5-23 over a season and a bit) and no one argued in the least. Not even a peep. Taafe is replaced by offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille.

 

3. The 2-8 Bombers signed 28-year-old import defensive end/outside linebacker Kai Ellis, a recent cut of the Montreal Alouettes. With Joe Lobendahn and Ike Charlton nursing injuries, Ellis will start on Friday in Toronto. 

 

4. The on-going carnival in Winnipeg continued to sell out, but this week it got really crazy — again. After blowing a 31-14 lead with 11 minutes to play, the Bombers lost 34-31 to Saskatchewan in front of a sold-out crowd in the fifth annual Canwest Banjo Bowl on Sunday. You can bet head coach Doug Berry wasn’t going to take the blame for that mess, so he started the week by throwing safety Ian Logan under the bus. In the end, however, he didn’t trade or bench Logan. Instead, he traded defensive end, Tom Canada, one of the city’s most popular players, to Hamilton in exchange for the league’s leading tackler Zeke Moreno (Remember, River City Sports can provide you with a brand new Zeke Moreno jersey at any of its Winnipeg locations).

 

Starts out, Canada isn’t going to report to Hamilton, but he goes for his physical anyway, and finds out he has an enlarged spleen, After a trip to the hospital, he’s put on the nine-game injured reserve list and is out for the season. Still, Bombers GM Brendan Taman is able to finish the deal with 2-8 Hamilton, getting Moreno and a conditional draft pick in exchange for the Bombers first overall pick in the 2009 CFL draft plus the rights to their No. 1 pick in 2007, offensive lineman Corey Mace, who is on the practice roster of the Buffalo Bills. In the end, the Bombers didn’t have to move Tom Canada, but what do the Tiger-Cats know about Moreno that Winnipeg doesn’t? Did Ticats GM Bob O’Billovich get fleeced or has Moreno lost a step? Guess we won’t know until Moreno starts on Friday night in place of the injured Joe Lobendahn against the 4-6 Argos in Toronto. 

 

Meanwhile, Canada is a happy guy even though he spent time in the hospital with an enlarged spleen and will be on injured reserve for the rest of the year. Canada’s happy because he wasn’t traded to Hamilton this week. And that might be OK for awhile, but he’s still finished as a Blue Bomber, at least under Doug Berry’s watch. Fact is, Canada was shopped around to the entire league. Berry doesn’t want him and even though he’s on the injured list for the rest of the season, Canada is only a Bomber because he was too physically damaged to be traded (ules of course, Berry is gone before next spring’s training camp).

 

I have my own opinions on this mess and you can probably detect a little sarcasm in my usually objective accounting of events, so I thought I’d share some e-mails from Bomber fans(?) I received this week:

 

Scott,

 

Here is the skinny. You are (CEO) Lyle Bauer’s boss. That ‘group’….You go to him and say this is what happens today. Berry gets released. Bob Cameron is named as head coach for the balance of the season. Troy Westwood will be the punter for the remainder of the season. Lyle balks at the idea. You give Lyle a fat lip and fire his ass. I tell you what, Bob Cameron is the cure. How long was he on the side lines? How many coaches listened to his ideas? Henry Rosolowski, Winnipeg

Scott,

Incredible. No wonder the Bombers are in disarray! Who is letting this idiot Taman run the club into the ground!  YOU DON’T TRADE TWO NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICKS AWAY UNLESS YOU ARE GETTING THE SECOND COMING OF JOE MONTANA!  

 

The season is lost and even if by some miraculous event they did make the playoffs, how far do you think this team is going to go?  TIME TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE, NOT NOW!  

 

If and when 2007 first round pick Corey Mace does come to the CFL, the kid is going to be an impact player! The inept Bombers have the best chance right now to have the #1 draft pick next season. Do you know what kind of stud they could draft to go along with excellent rookie Labatt on the O-Line, which is a must in the CFL!  You need the big talented Canadian kids to build your O-Line. And simple football 101 states that if you have no O-Line you have nothing!  

 

Or at least you could draft the best Canadian kid in the country for that porous D-Backfield which, lord knows, under Taman has been the worst secondary in CFL history! You only make a trade like this if you have a bonafide chance to win the Grey Cup. Other than that YOU KEEP YOUR DRAFT PICKS AND FUTURE TALENT! No wonder they have not won a Grey Cup in 18 years and now sit last in the league!

 

Ted Arichteff, Winnipeg

 

(Wow! A lot of capital letters)

 

Scott,

 

Thank you for a great report this morning (on 92-CITI-FM). Honestly I’m not a CFL fan, unfortunately I’m a Dolphin fan (yes they are brutal), but my true love is NCAA football. 

I’m a huge Gator fan and watching them dismantle Hawaii a few weekends ago was a joy. The Bombers have two WAC QBs (Dinwiddie and Chang) and that is a joke. The WAC is a poor conference and the Bombers seem to think these two QBs from there are s-o-o-o good. 

You are 100 per cent right. Drop all these bozos and let (Bryan) Randall play. I watched him at Virginia Tech and he is one hell of a QB! Why don’t the Bombers make a deal with Montreal for Chris Leak. He’s on the inactive roster. I watched him and the Gators take apart Ohio State.I don’t even listen to classic rock but I listen to you guys every morning.

Derek Capri, Winnipeg

The great thing about the Bombers is that EVERYONE (speaking of capital letters) has an opinion. And when they’re 2-8, most of those opinions are not flattering.

 

Friday night, Winnipeg plays in Toronto. The Argos are only four points ahead of the Bombers in the race for second place in the Eastern Conference. If Zeke Moreno and Joe Smith and Kai Ellis and all the big names can get it done, this Bomber team can make the playoffs. If they don’t, it’s time to look at a real, legitimate shake-up.

 

Meanwhile, win or lose, the Bombers will look great in their new retro jerseys supplied by, you guessed it, River City Sports. 

 

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We like the Browns. Dolphins and 49ers in upsets. It’s our fearless NFL Picks for Week 1.

Posted on September 6, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

As every Canadian (and, of course, our friends along the U.S. border) who regularly plays Pro Line or Point Spread knows, picking winners in the National Football League is never easy. If it was easy, we’d all be gambling for a living and we’d probably all be millionaires.

 

That’s why, for those of us who put our picks out there every week, picking NFL winners can be a contact sport. And we’re the ones getting blindsided by some pretty solid shots. 

 

But that’s great. It’s part of the game and we’re ready to play. Bring it!

 

Week 1 is always the toughest. Pre-season is completely meaningless, coaches are experimenting with quarterbacks (Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, J.T. O’Sullivan, Kurt Warner?), injuries are already a factor (the Giants won their opener without the retired Strahan and injured Umenyiora) and the Detroit Lions look like they’re capable of winning 10 or 11 games. It takes a few weeks to get this thing sorted out.

 

But we will soldier on.

 

On Thursday, Joe Aiello and I picked our Week 1 winners on 92-CITI-FM. I picked the Giants in the opener, he took Washington. For the sake of season-long accounting, I will accept a victory in Thursday night’s game and continue, 1-0, toward Sunday. Thank you. Thank you very much.

 

In past years, I would add  the following disclaimer. “Remember, these selections are for recreational use only. No gambling.” However, now that I’m working closely with the nice folks at Manitoba Lotteries, I would like to provide this bit of advice to all Sport Select players: Please, purchase your tickets before the Sunday morning rush. 

 

Those of us who will be rushing over to the nearest Mac’s Convenience Store on Sunday morning with 10 minutes left until kickoff, appreciate your consideration.

 

THURSDAY

Washington Redskins at N.Y. Giants

Eli Maninng vs. Jason Campbell. You decide.

Take the Giants.

 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Detroit Lions at Atlanta

This is the first time in 23 games that the Lions have been road favourites and only the fourth time this decade that Vegas oddsmakers have made the Lions a favourite on the road. Stick with the karma.

Take Detroit

 

Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills

If these two teams were headed to the Super Bowl, I might take Seattle. But IN Buffalo in Week 1, you have to like the Bills.

Take Buffalo

 

N.Y. Jets at Miami Dolphins

The Jets won four games last season and Brett Favre won’t make them that much better. The Dolphins won once so that bthrows any argument I have out the window. I just think Ricky Williams latest comeback is the charm.

Take Miami 

 

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

If they actually had to amputate Tom Brady’s sore foot, he’d still lead the Pats past K.C.

Take New England

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

The Saints are improving while the Bucs are spinning their tires. When these two teams meet in Tampa on Nov. 30, I’ll probably take the Bucs, but right now…

Take New Orleans

 

St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have been to four conference championship games and a Super Bowl in Andy Reid’s nine seasons as head coach, but they’re pretty lousy 3-6 on Kickoff Weekend. That changes to 4-6 this year.

Take Philadelphia

 

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers

Seriously, dude…

Take Pittsburgh

 

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

This game has the potential to be much better than advertised. Of course, if the two-headed monster of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew run wild, it might be a blowout. And another thing, how will Vince Young’s hamstring hold up?

Take Jacksonville.

 

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

Carson Palmer vs. Joe Flacco. Flacco might be good some day, but not yet.

Take Cincinnati

 

Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers

This will be a great football game. The Panthers hit hard and the Chargers run hard. I’m a Philip Rivers believer and L.T. has some spark left in those legs.

Take San Diego

 

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Whatever? It’s a toss. Try the home team.

Take San Francisco

 

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns

Experts say Dallas is unbeatable. They say the Cowboys will unseat the Giants in the NFC East. That might be true, but I really like Cleveland at home and I believe the Browns defence is better than them experts think.

Take Cleveland

 

SUNDAY NIGHT

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning with a sore bursa sac in his knee is more fearsome than Kyle Orton “managing” a football game.

Take Indianapolis.

 

MONDAY NIGHT

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Oh, sorry, Aaron Rodgers ISN’T an experiment? 

Take Minnesota.

 

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Everyone says Jay Cutler is “for real.” I’ll believe everyone this week.

Take Denver  

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It’s Week 11 in the CFL. Time to take this Weekly Picks thing seriously again.

Posted on September 5, 2008 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

Last week, we threw all of our theories out the window and, as a result, we burned big time for that one bad decision.

 

Taking Winnipeg to win the Labour Day Classic in Regina was a dreadful mistake. It reminded me of the last time I ran into the old Bomber coach, Jeff Reinebold. It was at the last Super Bowl in Tampa and Jeff walked up to me with a big smile on his face and said: “T.J. Rubley!???!! Scotty, what was I thinking?”

 

Reinebold’s deadly choice of quarterback in Winnipeg didn’t quite equal my stupid choice of the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic, but it was a dumb mistake, nonetheless. The Bombers simply don’t win the Labour Day Classic in Regina. Someday, I’ll learn. 

 

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Bombers can’t win the re-match at home and we’ll talk about that in a second, but first, what a week in the CFL.

 

In Winnipeg, the Bombers traded Charles Roberts in an ugly divorce. It started out ugly when most fans (a truly vast majority of fans) vented to the local newspapers over the trade — Roberts to B.C. for I-travel-to-the-beat-of-my-own-drummer Joe Smith — that it might have been the worst deal in Bomber history, but it got even uglier when Roberts filed a little missive on ourbombers.com which read, in part: “The natural reaction for me would be to be enraged, and ordinarily I would have been considering what I have done for that organization. I am not, however, because of the events leading up to the trade. (Bombers GM) Brendan (Taman) called me into his office about eight o’clock Monday night and, as I got to the stadium, Doug Berry and I pulled into the stadium parking lot at the same time. Once he figured out it was me, he mysteriously pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared. For a man to have publicly claimed that the reason for trading me is because I had lost a step, how come he couldn’t face me? How come he ran off like a coward instead of facing me man-to-man and telling me what he felt?”

 

What a mess. On Friday morning, Smith stiffed a Winnipeg radio show and won a few more fans. He’ll need a good day on Sunday to win over the masses.

 

Meanwhile, Roberts was dealt 13 yards shy of the 10,000 mark which is something that says as much about the state of the Bombers franchise as it does about the trade itself. 

 

In Calgary, the Stamps were licking their wounds after getting drilled by Edmonton at home in Alberta’s version of the Labour Day Classic, but they were even more worried when they learned quarterback Dave Dickenson would be gone for the season with post-concussion syndrome.

 

In Toronto, the Argos revealed that they were in negotiations for former Saskatchewan Roughriders runningback Kenton Keith who was released by the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts last week, a nod to the fact their running game is one of the weakest in the league.

 

And in Saskatchewan, they were working with and hoping for quarterback Michael Bishop, a young man who won his opener as the Riders QB, 19-6 over Winnipeg, but looked horrible doing it.

 

This will be a very interesting week. 

 

Calgary Stampeders (5-4) at Edmonton Eskimos (6-3)

 

Friday, 8 p.m. CT, TSN

 

It’s hard to imagine the Eskimos are going to let the Stamps off the hook after drilling them 37-16 last week in Calgary. Ricky Ray went 26-for-38 for 376 yards and three touchdowns and his offensive line gave him, at times, what seemed like hours, to throw the football. You just have to love Edmonton, with ease, in the re-match. In fact, another performance like last week’s in Calgary and the Eskimos might just grab the mantle as “Best Team in the CFL.” Then again, if ol’ Brain Fart Burris avoids his inevitable brain farts, the Stampeders have enough offence to beat Edmonton. Even on the road.

 

Pick: Edmonton

B.C. Lions (4-5) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-7)

Saturday, 3 p.m. CT, TSN

The Lions should have beaten Montreal on the road last week, but came up short three times at the one. That won’t happen again this week. Especially with Charles Roberts alongside Stefan Logan in the Lions backfield. I would normally take Hamilton — yes, lowly Hamilton — at home against a 4-5 B.C. team, but the way the Lions played last week suggests they are, indeed, better than their record indicates. As well, they’re a good Western team playing a last-place Eastern team and, as a result, should win handily. With a victory, the Lions will bury Hamilton and could pull three full games ahead the two Eastern cellar-dwellers, should Winnipeg implode on Sunday.

Pick: Winnipeg

Toronto Argonauts (4-5) at Montreal Alouettes (6-3)

Sunday, Noon CT, TSN

This one is a no-doubter. Anthony Calvillo, Avon Cobourne, great defence… Montreal by three touchdowns.

 

Pick: Montreal

Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-2) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-7)

Sunday, 2 p.m. CT, TSN

On paper, and after watching last week’s game in Regina, it’s hard to imagine that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a chance against those same Saskatchewan Roughriders in Winnipeg this week. But the key is, “it’s in Winnipeg this week.” Home teams win a lot of games in this league and in Winnipeg’s case, the Bombers are 2-3 at home and 0-4 on the road this season. Is Winnipeg good enough? Probably not. But Winnipeg IS at home and it IS the Banjo Bowl and more often than not, in the CFL, emotion can carry a team a long way. So although the Bombers might not be good enough to win, they can find a way to win. And besides, if they don’t win this week, they can write off the playoffs and they’ll all know exactly what they’re made of.

 

Pick: Winnipeg

Last Week: 1-3

Season: 19-9

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Put on your fantasy thinking caps. The 2008 NFL season starts tonight.

Posted on September 4, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

Say whatever you like, but this is the greatest moment of the sports calendar.

 

The National Football League, the greatest sports league on the planet, opens a new season tonight with the Washington Redskins at the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants (that’s still hard to write with a straight face), and I have just spent an entire morning answering questions like these…

 

“I have a choice. The Lions defence in Atlanta or the Jags defence in Tennessee? What do you think?”

 

I like the Lions defence, not because I particularly like the Lions defence per se, but because the Lions are favoured on the road for the first time in 23 games and only the fourth time this decade, so since hell has indeed frozen over again, I fear Vince Young more than I fear Matt Ryan.

 

“I have a choice between Matt Hasselbeck in Buffalo or Derek Anderson at home against Dallas. What do you think?”

 

I hate road openers (unless it’s Detroit in Atlanta), and I’m not sure Dallas is as good as everyone thinks. Derek Anderson will put up some points at home. I’m not sure Hasselbeck, against a pretty decent Buffalo defence playing in their own backyard, will do much of anything.

 

“I can either go with Arizona’s Anquan Boldin at San Francisco or the Jets’ Jerricho Cotchery in Miami. What do you think?”

 

Boldin is a great receiver, but Kurt Warner will look for Larry Fitzgerald first (wouldn’t you?). Boldin doesn’t even want to be in Aizona anymore. Brett Favre, meanwhile, seems to love Cotchery. Big target who runs Brett’s routes. Take Cotchery simply because he’s going to see the football.

 

Isn’t this fun? It’s football season. Real football season. Major league football season. And there is nothing more fun than lining up your fantasy team in Week 1.

 

So without further adieu, here are the 10 things you need to know heading into the NFL’s Kickoff Weekend:

 

1. The Lions and Vikings will battle for first in the NFC North. Barring catastrophic injuries to either team, they could both battle for the NFC crown. In fact, if you’re looking for a sleeper team in the NFC this season, look out for Detroit. they have an easy travel schedule (only 11,860 miles, making them 27th on a list led by Seattle at 34,766 miles) and their quarterback, Jon Kitna, is not as inept as his reputation would suggest. In fact, Kitna threw for 4,068 yards last year, his second with the Lions, becoming the first quarterback in club history with back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons.  Kitna, who passed for a career-high 4,208 yards in 2006, ranks fourth in the NFL with 8,276 yards over the past two seasons. The 12-year veteran has thrown for 200 yards in 28 of his 32 starts with Detroit, the most 200-yard games in the NFL during that span. If the Lions get any defence at all, they could win a lot of football games. 

 

2. The New York Giants won an NFL single-season record 10 consecutive road games in 2007, going 7-1 in the regular season. Considering they opened the year in London, England, they travelled 15,618 total miles. They won’t do that again and, as a result, won’t win the NFC East.

 

3. Watch out for teams with a “tandem backfield.” In 2007, 12 clubs boasted two running backs each with at least 500 rushing yards apiece, including five playoff teams: Dallas, Indy, the Jags, the Giants and Seattle. In fact, in Jacksonville, Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor (1,202) combined for 1,970 yards and they went 12-4 with a first round playoff win.

 

4. RUN THE FOOTBALL!!! Last season, teams with a 100-yard rusher won 73.4 per cent of the time, compared to 56.9 per cent for teams with a 100-yard receiver and only 53.1 per cent for teams with a 300-yard passer. Run the football, win the game.

 

5. Oh yeah, and force turnovers. San Diego led in takeaway-to-giveaway ratio with a plus-24 takeaway differential and finished 11-5 (it didn’t hurt to have LaDainian Tomlinson either). 13-3 Indy was next at plus-18 while 16-0 New England was third at plus-16.

 

6. The New England Patriots went 16-0 last season. They also finished first in fourth-down conversions, going 11-for-11 and second in sacks with 47. The Super Bowl champion New York Giants led in sacks with 53, but both defensive ends Michael Strahan (rertirement) and Osi Umenyiora (knee injury) are gone.

 

7. Win in Week 1: According to the NFL’s media department, there are never any guarantees, “but there are trends and they start in Week 1.” History is clear that the best way for a team to start its drive towards a possible Super Bowl championship is to win its opening game. The 42 Super Bowl winners have a 34-7-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons. However, as the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants proved, a loss on Kickoff Weekend can still lead to a championship season. According to the league, since 1978, when the NFL went to the 16-game schedule, and excluding the abbreviated season of 1982, teams that are victorious on Kickoff Weekend are more than twice as likely to reach the playoffs than losers of an opening game. 

 

8. Once again, you have to like Pittsburgh. After all, QB Ben Roethlisberger is chasing his third divisional title in five years. Roethlisberger has a 39-16 (.709) regular-season record and was named to his first Pro Bowl after shattering the Steelers’ single-season record for passing touchdowns (32) and passer rating (104.1) last season. Yeah, it’s hard NOT to like Pittsburgh.

 

9.  A team that’s been forgotten during the pre-season is Tampa. The Bucs won the NFC South last year and have won the division three times under head coach Jon Gruden. In fact, under Gruden, the Bucs are 17-0 since 2002 when not committing turnover. Meanwhile, quarterback Jeff Garcia was named to Pro Bowl last year and in his career (incl. playoffs), Garcia’s teams are 32-12 (.727) when he has 95+ passer rating. The Bucs will not roll over this year.

 

10. Can the Giants repeat? The short answer is no, but until we meet up in Tampa in January, who really knows, right?

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Roberts traded for a guy who doesn’t like football. 2-7 remains everybody’s fault but the coach’s.

Posted on September 2, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

One of the greatest players in the history of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a guy who was only 13 yards shy of becoming just the fifth player in CFL history to rush for 10,000 yards in a career, has been traded to B.C. for a guy who missed a practice this season because he was gardening.

 

Well, he sure won’t like the gardening weather in September in the ‘Peg.

 

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have traded runningback Charles Roberts to the B.C. Lions in exchange for occasional runningback Joe Smith. Smith was the 2007 CFL rushing champion, but he’s had a horrible 2008 campaign. H’s been slowed by a rotator cuff injury and has told the media in Vancouver that he really doesn’t like football all that much. It’s sort of, something he does.

 

Smith lost favour with Wally Buono this season when he missed a practice and told reporters — and his coach — he was working in his garden. Guess he lost all track of time. 

 

The Lions have been trying to move Smith for weeks and on Monday they found the sucker born every minute.

 

In the meantime, Roberts leads Smith in every rushing category except fumbles.

 

Of course, in fairness, Smith won’t get the ball much in Winnipeg anyway. On a team that doesn’t run-block very well, Smith won’t have to carry the load. Last week, Roberts got the ball only 13 times against the best defence in the CFL. There were no holes, so the run was once again abandoned. Charlie finished with 48 yards as Saskatchewan beat Winnipeg 19-6 in one of the worst CFL games ever played. When a team doesn’t bother with a running game, the defence knows it’s going to pass. The Riders knew exactly what Kevin Glenn was going to do last Sunday and it certainly showed.

 

So in order to make a change, head coach Doug Berry and GM Brendan Taman dealt away the Bombers’ history and tradition. It happens in sport, but Charles Roberts should have retired a Blue Bomber. He should have at least reached 10,000 yards as a Blue Bomber. This is a team that has lost all sense of its own history.

 

At 2-7 Winnipeg still has a shot at the playoffs. That’s a sad commentary on the CFL, not the Bombers.

 

So what the heck. Maybe, by bringing in Joe Smith, it might force Berry and his genius coaching staff to run the football. Couldn’t hurt.   

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