The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are undefeated, 2-0, to lead the NFC North.  The Bengals score 45 points but lose to the Cleveland Browns.  Oh but wait. There's more! The Houston Texans are 2-0 and are tied atop the AFC South with the Super Bowl champ Colts. That is amazing enough but they are only a few points behind them in scoring for the season.  That is jaw dropping.

 

Remember that team that grinds out the clock with run after run? Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers are only a single field goal behind Peyton and the Colts.  And no one is even close

 

Dear Jamal,

 

I owe you an apology.  While I still think some of those long runs you got against the Bengals were more a case where the Bengals defense is terrible, than your own ability, I have to say that you showed me that you were not "washed up" as I must've said around 1,000 times in the past 3 years.  You started out poorly vs. Pittsburgh and for a quarter vs. the Bengals, but then you blitzed the Bengals for 216 yards!!!!  Not only did you actually show a burst through some of the big holes you had, you showed breakaway speed, which

After my initial column on the Patriots, I figured I would take a more realistic approach to the subject now that the punishment has been handed down.  Do I still think that the offense was minor?  Yes.  I believe that this is another method of scouting, no different than reviewing film.  The problem is that the NFL said this was not allowed, and the Patriots did it anyways.  I may not agree with it, Bill Belichik may not agree with it, but it is still the rule, and the Patriots broke the rule.

As for the first round pick, I agree with that, simply based on

You know its a crazy week when Duke gets a win (20-14 over Northwestern). Here's just a quick rundown of thoughts from a wild Saturday in college football. More to come later in the week.

- Florida is for real. Tebow and the Gators have proven that yes, Urban Meyer's spread offense will work anywhere, even in the SEC.

- USC isn't going anywhere. Several voters dropped the Trojans out of the top spot (which I was actually ok with) but they pounded Nebraska in what was supposed to be a tough road contest. Stafon Johnson was walking through

There are some things in life that are over-rated, and some things that are not.  Expensive sun glasses are over-rated.  I don't think I've had the same pair of sun glasses for more than a year, and even that is pushing it.  Three months is my average, then they either get lost or broken.  A $100 pair of Ray Bans is going to block the sun the same as a $10 pair of Wal-Mart shades, and they'll get lost just as easily.  The only upside is that you can say that the glasses are expensive, so you're basically paying for a lot of hype.

If you want something

Packers (+1.5) over Giants

I like the Packers outright.  The Giants Defense looked horrible, and their only offense was exploiting Plaxico Burress deep since Roy Williams' has trouble helping out on deep balls.  The Packers Defense will win this game as they are the best unit that will take the field.

Minnesota (+3.5) over Detriot

WHAT?!? Minnesota is the UNDER DOG?  That makes no sense at all.  They are a much better team than Detriot and should be favored by 2 - 2.5 points in Detriot. 

 Seattle (-2.5) Arizona.

I don't like

A quick viewing guide for week three of college football with teams either getting ready for or opening up conference play all over the country.  Division 1A/FBS games only (luckily for Michigan and Iowa St.)

Game of the Week:

1a) #22 Tennessee at #5 Florida:  The Tim Tebow show finally goes to prime-time against Erik Ainge and the Vols.

1b) #1 USC at #14 Nebraska:  Sam Kellar finally gets another shot at a top-ranked Trojan team, and the Cornhuskers get a chance to rejoin the elite of college football.

Biggest Blowouts

The internet hype has been endless for West Virginia freshman Noel Devine. The pint-sized running back from Florida became an instant 21st century legend when his high school highlight tape began making the rounds on YouTube and throughout the rest of the internet. Now I'm normally wary of these kinds of viewings since often times these elite athletes are going against sub-par competition, but I have to admit I was impressed, and I've been waiting to see what he'd do in Rich Rodriguez's offense. Well, the wait is officially over. The kid is good.

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Week two is a tough week when you are basing your information on stats.  There are tons of questions that are hard to answer.  Is the Lions offense this good, or are the Raiders a bad defense this year?  Do the Texans really have an elite defense, or is it just that the Chiefs are a horrible team?  In 2005 Detroit was a 7-0-1 team over Chicago in week two.  Chicago ended up going 11-5 that season.  Detroit finished up 5-11.  The reason for the lopsided prediction in week two?  In week one Detroit played a 4-12 team, while Chicago played a 10-6 team. 

To get a good idea of the history behind my NFL system, I am back tracking and calculating week two of the 2003-2006 seasons, in hopes of finding some solid trends to use.  Below is the data for week two of the 2006 season, using the week one data.

DET vs CHI:  CHI 5-2-1
Spread:  CHI -8
Winner:  CHI

OAK vs BAL:  BAL 7-0-1
Spread:  BAL -13
Winner:  BAL

NYG vs PHI:  NYG 4-3-1
Spread:  PHI -1.5
Winner:  NYG

KC vs DEN:  KC 4-3-1
Spread:  DEN -10.5
Winner:&