NFL Week 2 Preview & CSC Pick 'Em League Recap

by Jon Banks on Sep 17, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

"How awesome am I? This look just won me an award."

So the first week is already in the books and the Saints lost. That's bad. However, the rest of the NFC South lost and the Saints can put their hardest opponent behind them. That's good.

That's Week 1 however. Coming up this weekend is the next round of football games for our entertainment and delight. And what about that gosh darn pick 'em league we got going on?

To see a league preview and pick 'em league recap, you'll have to make the jump.

Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) @ Detroit Lions (1-0) 12:00 PM CST

I really think that the Chiefs are going to turn around after that bad game they had last week and really kick it into anoth...er... wait...I think they suck and last year was an anomaly.

WINNER- Lions

Seattle Seahawks (0-1) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) 12:00 PM CST

A rematch of Super Bowl XLI, complete with the same referee who was accused of giving the game to the Steelers! What can go wrong? Both teams flat out sucked last week. I thought the Steelers defense was really going to drop off in quality (if you're wondering why, go check out some of the ages of those guys). Still, I'll take the has-been's over the never-was's any day.

WINNER- Steelers

Chicago Bears (1-0) @ New Orleans Saints (0-1) 12:00 PM CST

WHO DAT!? Wait, I need actual analysis? Er...well... I feel really good? Does that work?

Seriously speaking, I like the Saints chances versus Cutler and the Bears. Their receivers aren't the highest quality, unlike the Packers. Cutler is a very hot/cold quarterback. They have poor pass protection and the Saints have a mediocre pass rush. Granted, I'm not exactly thrilled about Jermon Bushrod blocking Julius Peppers, but hopefully David Thomas will be ready to go as a consistent blocker. Otherwise, Drew's going to need surgery to have eyes put into the back of his head.

WINNER- Saints

Green Bay Packers (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers (0-1) 12:00 PM CST

The Packers just had their hands full with the Saints and came out with a win. If they lose to the Panthers...

WINNER- Packers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (0-1) 12:00 PM CST

This is one of those games when you could pick any team, make some flimsy argument, and most everyone would agree with you. The Vikings showed some effort versus the Chargers, a favorite Super Bowl pick. The Bucs lost to the Lions at home, but the Lions weren't exactly slouches. My head says Buccaneers, my heart says Vikings. I'm going with my head.

WINNER- Buccaneers

Arizona Cardinals (1-0) @ Washington Redskins (1-0) 12:00 PM CST

I thought both of these teams would lose last week. I was wrong. The Cardinals showed that their pass defense is very suspect after trading away Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rex Grossman looked...decent? While the Skins defense looked...somewhat competent? I'm going with the team that makes me question reality.

WINNER- Redskins

Cleveland Browns (0-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (0-1) 12:00 PM CST

BEEP. BEEP. THIS IS AN AUTOMATED PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JON BANKS URGING ALL READERS TO NOT WATCH THIS GAME. THIS MESSAGE REPEATS: DO NOT WATCH THIS GAME.

WINNER- ~~People who don't have to watch this game~~ Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) @ New York Jets (1-0) 12:00 PM CST

I got into an argument with a Jaguars fan online. He said the Saints suck worse than the Jaguars because the Saints are 0-1 and the Jaguars 1-0. I then told him that the Saints were a half-yard away from potentially tying the game against the best team in the league, while the Jaguars barely beat a team that may be in a position to draft Andrew Luck. He responded by saying, "...SAINTS ARE LOOOSERRRS!!!1 LOL".

The winner of that argument is clear, just like who the winner of this game will be.

WINNER- New York Jets

Oakland Raiders (1-0) @ Buffalo Bills (1-0) 12:00 PM CST

The Raiders and Bills are tied for the division lead. Now that's something you only hear in Week 1 of the season. I wasn't impressed with the Raiders showing on Monday night. However, the Bills blowing out the Chiefs makes me think they were able to actually put something together. Enough together to have another mediocre season at least.

WINNER- Bills

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) @ Tennessee Titans (0-1) 12:00 PM CST

"B-L-O-O-D-B-A-T-H" What does that spell!? The final score in the Ravens-Titans game!!

WINNER-Ravens

Dallas Cowboys (0-1) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-0) 3:05 PM CST

Show me this matchup last Saturday night, I pick the Cowboys without reservation. Instead, the 49ers beat the Seahawks by three scores while Tony Romo did his trademark Romo move on national television. If you want to find a winner, I'd suggest you not watch this game.

WINNER- 49ers

San Diego Chargers (1-0) @ New England Patriots (1-0) 3:15 PM CST

The Patriots just dominated a strong Dolphins defense. If the Packers weren't so good, New England would easily be the team to beat in football. The Patriots at home versus a team that struggled with the Vikings?

WINNER- Patriots

Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) @ Denver Broncos (0-1) 3:15 PM CST

The Bengals beat the Browns and scored somewhat easily on the Browns underrated defense. The Broncos lost to the Raiders in a close game, but were only in the game because the Raiders committed 15 penalties. This is going to be a boring game with a lot of sloppy play. I'm giving the edge to the Bengals since they actually have an offense.

WINNER-Bengals

Houston Texans (1-0) @ Miami Dolphins (0-1) 3:15 PM CST

The Dolphins defense gets absolutely no break. Right after fighting the Patriots and their 600+ yards of offense, they get the Houston Texans, who are coming off their domination of the Colts. Though the Texans won by the same margin as they did in 2010, they scored 34 points in two quarters and then let off the gas for the next two quarters. What's more, they were without star running back Arian Foster, who will be back this week.

WINNER- Texans

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) @ Atlanta Falcons (0-1) 7:20 PM CST

I can't believe I'm going to say this. GO EAGLES!!

This matchup is highly in favor of the Eagles. The Falcons made a lot of efforts to improve their passing game in the off-season but that will be negated by Philly's corners. Though the Eagles DT and linebackers are suspect, as is their right side of the O-line. The Falcons pass rush is somewhat mediocre outside of John Abraham and I don't see Dunta Robinson stopping DeSean Jackson.

WINNER- Eagles

St. Louis Rams (0-1) @ New York Giants (0-1) Monday 7:30 PM CST

If there's one thing I've learned from watching Giants games, it's that they are almost always blowouts, one way or the other. They are also a hot and cold team. So expect them to come out swinging on prime time against the Rams.

WINNER- Giants

CSC Pick 'Em League Recap

So after the first week has passed, who gets to claim the vaunted and fictional Drew Brees Award for Pinpoint Accuracy? The highest record for the week was a 12-4, but there was a tie. So we will go to the person who scored the most points of the two, which means the winner is...Bondcrash (107 points)!

However, showing why the confidence point system makes everything more interesting, Bondcrash is not our league leader. That honor, and the Super Bowl Swagger award, goes to northfan (113 points)! Congratulations to northfan and bondcrash who are at the top of the league. Now, onto the minor awards.

"Should've put money on it" Award: 77 out of 81 pickers correctly picked the Houston Texans to beat the Indianapolis Colts.

The "We're Dumb" Award: 80 out of 81 pickers incorrectly predicted the Cleveland Browns to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sippin' on the purple drank: Only Big Eazy and Hellspawn put down the maximum of 16 confidence points on the New Orleans Saints. Too bad they weren't repaid.

"Should be Ashamed of yourself" Award: 17 people correctly picked the Green Bay Packers over the New Orleans Saints. YOU ARE HORRIBLE PEOPLE AND SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. For those wondering, I did pick the Packers, and I too, should be ashamed of myself.

Sean Payton's Brass Balls Award: KilnBill was the only picker who selected the Cincinnati Bengals. They were the biggest underdog to win this week, and KilnBill was rewarded with 6 points.

The Sean Payton "Obvious playcall is obvious" Award: This award goes to those pickers who picked against the 8.5 point favorite Houston Texans. Showing why putting your faith in Kerry Collins is very misguided.

The "1970's New Orleans Saints" Award: This award goes to the picker who had the least amount of points in the week. The award goes to two pickers: DrZin and NOLAnyc, both of whom had exactly 0 points. I don't think they realized that you have to set confidence points on top of picking an actual winner. Make sure you do that pickers, otherwise you'll wind up having to relive every decision the Saints made in the 1970's...FOR-EV-ER!

Top-Five CSC Pick 'Em League

Rank, Name, Points, Record

1	northfan	113	11-5
2	TEAM DEATH	109	11-5
3	Bondcrash	107	12-4
4	Server	100	12-4
5	WHODAT228	100	11-5

Don't forget to get your picks in at least 5 minutes before the first game ladies and gentlemen!

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Comments

I was an atrocious

7-9 in my pickem from last week. I just know it can’t get any worse. I did take the Cowboys over the 49ers this week though.

The key to life isn't doing what you are told not to do, it is knowing what is worth doing when told not to do it.

by SaintsFanInIraq on Sep 17, 2011 11:20 AM CDT reply actions

I was 9-5

But points wise I just missed the top 5. Had 99 points for 6th place. Did better points wise than some who went 11-5

INGRAMANIA equals LOMBARDI 2012

by cajuncommando58 on Sep 17, 2011 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions

that one.. & indy at home in the..

do not watch, game..

by the 9th plague on Sep 17, 2011 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions

I went 9-7 because I'm a homer

I had the Packers picked from the beginning and changed it right before the game started. Ah well… only cost me 2 points. I’m feeling pretty confident about moving up from 15th this week.

by HB-NOLA on Sep 17, 2011 1:04 PM CDT reply actions

strong Dolphins defense

What part of the Dolphins defense looked good? When the Pats went no huddle, the Dolphins were lost. They couldn’t pressure Brady at all, even after Koppen went down. They were even worse than the Saints at covering the TEs.

[Chargers] struggled with the Vikings

I don’t know that I’d use the word “struggled” to describe a team that held the Vikings to 28 net passing yards and Peterson to under 100 yards rushing. Chad Henne passed for over 400 yards – what do you think Rivers is going to do the Pats’ secondary?

by HB-NOLA on Sep 17, 2011 1:22 PM CDT reply actions

nice audits

WIN NOW
WINGRAMANIA!!!!

by Hans Petersen on Sep 17, 2011 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Um excuse me

The Bengals BEAT the Browns, not lost to them. Unless you determine the game winner by the score at the end of the third quarter, the Bengals actually won by two scores. (28-17)

That said, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The Bengals have a LONG way to go, and as long as Mikey Boy is still running the show they’ll find a way to screw up eventually. Maybe this week, maybe not.

But at least get their current record right, please.

by FriarBob on Sep 17, 2011 7:31 PM CDT reply actions

This is in response to this little mistake, with the errors in bold:

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) @ Denver Broncos (0-1) 3:15 PM CST

The Bengals lost to the Browns. The Broncos lost to the Raiders but were only in the game because the Raiders committed 15 penalties. This is going to be a boring game with a lot of sloppy play. I’m giving the edge to the Bengals since they actually have an offense.

WINNER-Bengals

by FriarBob on Sep 17, 2011 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Weird.

I got it right at one spot, and got it wrong at another. My apologies though, I probably just need to stop writing these at 1:00 in the morning.

Canal Street Chronicles-A place of great Saints news and information. Oh and the stuff I write!
Bring back Aaron Brooks! He's the only one who can save us from the evil that is Drew Brees!!

by Jon Banks on Sep 17, 2011 8:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Pick’em:
Year to Date: 6 wins, 10 losses (4-1 with best bets)

Last Year: 157 wins, 99 losses

Best Year: 170 wins, 86 losses

This Week’s Picks: After my worst ever opening week-end in 15 years, I need to rebound in a bad way.

Buffalo over Oakland— I didn’t have the courage to go with the Bills last week, and though I initially picked Oakland, I later changed it. And since Oakland always does opposite of what I think they’ll do, both games cost me dearly last week. I’m taking the Bills because I believe both can run the ball but Fitzpatrick and Co. can stretch the field better than the Raiders. Plus Oakland is terrible at traveling to the east coast. Confidence- 3

Detroit over Kansas City – If I were a Chiefs fan, I’d be ready to hit the panic button. They’ve looked nothing but horrible since the lock-out was removed from our vocabulary, and I really don’t care for their head coach. Detroit will be a force, and KC isn’t built to exploit their weakness. Confidence- 15, best bet.

Baltimore over Tennessee – I didn’t have the guts to pick the Ravens in week one, despite the fact I picked them to win their division. This one is almost a no-brainer. I’d start playing Jake. Confidence – 12, best bet.

Cleveland over Indianapolis – I wonder if a healthy Andy Dalton translates to a Cleveland win last week. Color me shocked, I thought this team was ready to move in the right direction. While I don’t think the Colts are that bad without Manning, I think they need more than a week to get over it. Confidence – 4.

Tampa Bay over Minnesota – Upset #1 – While we should root against the Bucs as a matter of principle in "know who to pull for", I don’t have any faith in McNabb. Confidence – 2.

New Orleans over Chicago – It’s a good match-up for the Saints; they’re built to exploit the Bears, not vice versa. Confidence – 11.

New York Jets over Jaguars – I picked Jacksonville to win last week, and just like Oakland, I changed my mind a few days later. And just like the Oakland game, it cost me. If I just kept those two the same, I’d be 8-8 and not ashamed to show my face in public (6-10 sounds horrible). I don’t think Blaine McCown stands a chance, no matter how horrible the Jets offense can look at times. Confidence – 13, best bet.

Pittsburgh over Seattle – I wonder if the silent H stands for holy **** we just lost another offensive lineman, again!! No matter, wundercoach Carroll went all Shannahan with his QB’s and when it’s over, he’ll look like Ditka (Saints Dick, not Bears). Confidence – 14, best bet.

Washington over Arizona – It is strange to say I believe in Rex Grossman, but I do. This week. Confidence – 7.

Green Bay over Carolina – If Cam Newton pulls off a win here… I don’t want to finish the thought. Welcome back to earth rookie. Confidence – 16, best bet.

Dallas over San Francisco – I love nothing more than watching Dallas implode, but I just don’t think they can blow this one. Then again, if you’ve ever looked at the trees when crossing the Sabine, you’ll notice they all lean towards Texas. Know why? Because Dallas sucks so ******* much. Confidence – 10.

Denver over Cincinnati – I think Kyle Orten is better than Bruce Gradkowski. I also think the Bengals are too young to know they are supposed to suck, so this is kind of a tough call. Confidence – 6.

Houston over Miami – Chad Henne looked very good last week, but Miami is without a running game. Houston can rush the passer, and has the capability of being a balanced offensive juggernaut. Yet they are being given the division on a platter, so could they get complacent? Confidence – 8.

New England over San Diego – The Chargers looked to have survived there perennial slow start against the Vikings, but can they slow down Tom Brady? I hope so, but not enough to pick against the Pats. Confidence – 9.

Philadelphia over Atlanta – I am very biased when it comes to this pick. In a close call, my hatred would never allow me to go out on a limb for the Failclowns. That said, I hope it isn’t close. Confidence – 1.

New York Giants over St. Louis – I might consider pulling a Rams upset if Amendola and Jackson weren’t hurt. If the Gmen lose this game, the sky will fall in New York. The Giants need it more. Confidence – 5.

Stop wearing a wishbone where your backbone ought to be. Would you be convicted in court of being a Christian? Happiness is shared, and comes from sharing.

by Preston J. Gary, Jr. on Sep 17, 2011 8:26 PM CDT reply actions

I'm very dissapointed with my results last week.

i went 8-8 and took a few too many chances with my confidence points. Hoping I rebound this week by alot!

Now that we have a 2011 season let's win the Superbowl!

by skinnykinney on Sep 18, 2011 1:39 AM CDT reply actions

I was wondering what that was rattaling in my trousers was?

Brass balls……………humph……imagin that.

"Daddy, them cigarettes are gonna kill you". My aunts last words to my 96 year old grandpa before he fell out of bed and broke his neck reaching for a full pack.

by KilnBill on Sep 18, 2011 9:09 AM CDT reply actions

I'm number 1! I'm number 1!

Mark Ingram-OROY
Cam Jordan-DROY
New Orleans Saints-2012 Super Bowl Champs

by Alex Swift on Sep 18, 2011 1:40 PM CDT reply actions

This week...

I’m kicking butt so far… only one bad pick…

of course, it was my top confidence (16) pick…. any guesses?

I bet it was many people’s mistake, if not everyone’s mistake.

"We got 99 problems, but a Brees ain't one!" by ShadowFlash

by Dan Kelly on Sep 18, 2011 6:51 PM CDT reply actions

I know your pain

Titans-Ravens, right? I did much better this week than last week, but not superb. I was a tad better than middle of the fence I guess. So far 11 good picks, 4 bad ones, and waiting on the Monday Nighter to see my final pick com to fruition (I hope)

The key to life isn't doing what you are told not to do, it is knowing what is worth doing when told not to do it.

by SaintsFanInIraq on Sep 19, 2011 6:03 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep… Titans/Ravens. I haven’t seen the highlights yet… can’t wait to see how they pulled off that miracle.

"We got 99 problems, but a Brees ain't one!" by ShadowFlash

by Dan Kelly on Sep 19, 2011 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions

If Eagles hold on, I’ll be 14-1 heading into Monday night. Needed that after last week.

Stop wearing a wishbone where your backbone ought to be. Would you be convicted in court of being a Christian? Happiness is shared, and comes from sharing.

by Preston J. Gary, Jr. on Sep 18, 2011 9:45 PM CDT reply actions

Damn… I was in the same boat.

I can’t wait to see if everyone got the Titans vs Ravens wrong, like I did.

"We got 99 problems, but a Brees ain't one!" by ShadowFlash

by Dan Kelly on Sep 18, 2011 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions

I did

INGRAMANIA equals LOMBARDI 2012

by cajuncommando58 on Sep 19, 2011 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions

Me too.

This comment was written by a reader and member of Canal Street Chronicles. It does not necessarily reflect the views of CSC and its staff or editors.

by cscmember on Sep 19, 2011 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions