Sports

[gardenman]

We're back! The new season starts a week from today (as I'm writing this.)

Game one is the Thursday night matchup between the Bills and the Rams. This could also be a Super Bowl preview. These two teams are that good. Barring injuries to their QBs, both teams should be in contention all season. Aaron Donald is in fighting form as he swung helmets at a "friendly" joint practice. I'll give a slight edge to the Rams here, but it should be a good game.

The Sunday slate kicks off with the Saints at the Falcons. I'm not sure what to think of either team this year. A new head coach for the Saints in Dennis Allen, who hasn't been terribly successful as a head coach. Lots of change for both clubs. The Saints made a run for Deshaun Watson then waited until late to resign Jameis Winston. The Falcons are dusting off Marcus Mariota and seeing if he's gotten better with time. I'm giving a slight edge to the Falcons in this one. 

Cleveland goes to Carolina in the Baker Mayfield Bowl. Baker wants to show the Browns what they're missing, while the Browns are wondering why they're spending so much on QBs and starting Jacoby Brissett. I like Baker and the Panthers in this one. The kid is good. He's cocky, arrogant, and a bit of a jerk, but he's also good. 

The Niners take on the Bears in a battle of the kid QBs. Well, for now anyway. If things go badly with Trey Lance, we could see Jimmy G get dusted off in week one and tossed in to try and save things. The Bears figure to be a bad team. A new coach. A limited amount of talent on offense and defense. They could be in contention for that first overall pick in 2023. I'll take the Niners in this one.

The Steelers take on the Bengals. Someone will be the quarterback for the Steelers. Kenny Pickett? Mitchell Trubisky? Mason Rudolph with his nose so bright? A player to be named later? They know, they're just not telling us. The Bengals are the better team by a good margin, but Tomlin always has the Steelers ready to play. I'll take the Bengals in this one. It should be a fun game.

The Eagles head to Detroit to take on the Lions. Nick Sirianni has a lot of new toys to play with thanks to GM Howie Roseman's wheeling and dealing. (Howie got a fourth and seventh-round pick for Jalen Reagor who has career stats of 64 catches for 695 yards, while the Cowboys got just a fifth for Amari Cooper who just last year had 68 catches for 865 yards. Howie's a wizard!) The Eagles should win this one without a lot of trouble. They're just better at nearly every position on the field. 

The Colts take on the Texans. The first real test for Matt Ryan as a Colt. The Texans exceeded expectations last year. (Many thought they'd lose every game, so it wasn't hard.) The Colts' big issue will be reconfiguring their coaching staff yet again. Nick Sirianni stole some guys in 2021. Matt Eberflus took some more in 2022. The Colts are the better team though. I'll take the Colts. 

The Patriots take on the Dolphins. A fun early-season matchup. The Dolphins are a good team. The Patriots are a well-coached team. Tyreek Hill gives the Dolphins a weapon there is no good defense against. I'll give an edge to the Dolphins here.

The Ravens take on the Jets. The Jets should be better than they were. Not that it's hard. The Ravens are relatively healthy compared to last year. They do still have the two hundred-plus (or so) million-dollar question of paying Lamar Jackson. The Ravens are the better team, I'll take the Ravens.

The Jaguars take on the Commanders. The Jags may have the more talented roster. Both teams should be well-coached. I like Carson Wentz in this one. He's healthy, unlike last year when he dealt with a broken foot, two ankle sprains, and then covid. I'll give the edge to the Commanders, but the Jags will be a handful for them.

The Giants go to Tennessee to get slain by the Titans. It's hard to find a game on their schedule where you say, "The Giants should win this one." They will, or should, eke out a few wins here and there, it's just hard to see where now. I'll take the Titans in a romp.

The Chiefs take on the Cards. The first game in the post-Tyreek Hill era for the Chiefs. He won't be easy to replace. I'll still take the Chiefs for the win though.

The Raiders take on the Chargers in what should be a playoff preview. Both teams are pretty good and should make the playoffs. (Barring injuries and whatnot.) I would expect the Raiders to feature Davante Adams quite a bit in game one. I'll give a slight edge to the Raiders in this one.

The Packers take on the Vikings. As long as the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, it's hard to pick against them. Kirk Cousins is the white Dak Prescott with all that brings with it. (Kudos to Amari Cooper for an inverted version of that, but it fits.) I'll take the Packers in this one.

The Bucs take on the Cowboys. Whoever the right defensive end is for the Bucs (Shaq Barrett?) will be drooling at going against an untested, barely practiced, rookie left tackle for the Cowboys. That's a huge mismatch and it's not going to end well for the Cowboys. I don't see this being a good week for Dallas. I'll take the Bucs in this one.

And on Monday night, Denver takes on Seattle. So, a highly motivated Russell Wilson on a very talented team against Geno Smith and a less talented team? Yeah, I'll take the Broncos here. Seattle is looking at a long, long season. That's a tough division they're in and their QB situation isn't the best.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman @teganslaw @Black Cat Back @sunshine45 @AuntG  and ALL!!!! 

UPDATE---I corrected my Panthers/Brown pick I guess I flashed back to those Progressive Commercials with Baker and accidently chose the wrong team---Corrected to PANTHERS-hope Baker gets REVENGE!

Awwwww....I'm ready for some REAL NFL FOOTBALL!!!...the NFL season begins, fall is around the corner.....😁!  Why you can smell and feel the humidity in the air .....🙄...A cool front would be nice to start the season.....

This is a tough week to pick games cause we dont know what to expect, but here goes---

BILLS vs RAMS-----Perhaps a Super Bowl preview....an East Coast team goes west.....I guess I'll go with THE RAMS!

SAINTS vs FALCONS----New QB for the Falcons....new coach for the Saints!  I think Ill go with the SAINTS!

BROWNS vs PANTHERS----BAKER's REVENGE!!! Going with the PANTHERS! GO BAKER! 

49ers vs BEARS----With all the media talk surrounding the 49ers despite the unsettlement at the QB spot....guess Ill go with the 49ers...The Bears are a mess, as always!!!!

STEELERS vs BENGALS---my cat Figgy is ready to cheer on her team.....The Steelers have a question mark as to who will take the reins and Big Benn's place....I bet they start with Trub....Im going with JOE COOL AND THE BENGALS!

EAGLES vs LIONS---The Eagles have loaded up their roster, now they need to get in a rthym and make it work, and it starts with Hurts.  Campbell has the Lions on the right track, and Goff's girlfriend to distract the Eagles.....But I think the Eagles have better personnel overall---EAGLES for the WIN!

COLTS vs TEXANS---The Texans begin their Watson-less-era.....The Colts have a new QB and their bull dozer Jonathan Taylor---COLTS!

PATRIOTS vs DOLPHINS---Will Marc Jones take the next step????  Will we see an improvement in Tua this year!....Im going with THE DOLPHINS at home! 

RAVENS vs JETS----Well the Jets starting QB is injured and the Raven defense will be licking their chops.....Going with the well coached RAVENS for the "W"!!!

JAGUARS vs WASHINGTON---Wentz meets up with the team that resulted in a bad ending for Wentz and his firing from the Colts---I think Wentz will have REVENGE on his mind, and Washington has added to their offense to help him out...questions still remain on the D with Chase Young out, the team didnt resolve the LB issue, and the secondary has a few holes....STILL its exciting to see Washington with the best QB they've had in ages!! The Jags do a do-over with a new coach---Im going with WASHINGTON FOR THE WIN!

GIANTS vs TITANS--- Well lets see how Daniel Jones does with yet another new coach and new stystem...on the postive they have their RB Barkley back...but same ole problems on the o-line.  The Titans have that power house Derrick Henry and a solid D---TITANS will get the VICTORY!

CHIEFS vs CARDS--Patrick Mahomes looked a bit vunerable last season...and there have been some changes with Hill gone....The Cards looked promising and then faltered....Im taking THE CHIEFS!

RAIDERS vs CHARGERS---This should be a very good game.....Carr has his WR buddy with him now and are ready for some fireworks and the Chargers have Herbert and company and a solid team....Ill give a slight edge to the RAIDERS at home! 

PACKERS vs VIKINGS---Lets see Aaron Rodgers with few weapons, versus the same ole underachieving Capt Kirk! Gotta go with RODGERS and a PACK win!

BUCS vs COWBOYS---Will Tom Brady be rusty due to his taking some time off....Will the offense be impacted with Gronk who now turns shoe salesman instead of an NFL TE......The Cowboys limp in with less weapons on offense, a weakened O-line, and holes on the defense.....we could see more running yards from Dak than Zeke---Im going with THE GOAT, Tom Brady and friends! BUCS!!!

BRONCOS vs SEAHAWKS---Russell Wilson jettisoned to mile high, ironically he starts his Bronco career going back home....The Seahawks are unsettled at QB and in other positions as well.  The 12th man wont save them and Russell and his new team, THE BRONCOS, will get the WIN!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 

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[teganslaw]

The Colts lost LB Sterling Weatherford to the Bears. Weatherford flashed in training camp and preseason games, also was a fan favorite. Good pickup for Chicago. 

Russell Wilson signed a 5 year contract for 245 million. 165 million is guaranteed. I think he's second highest paid QB right behind Aaron Rodgers. 

[Spurt]

More changes for Washington---

David Mayo released and LB Joe Bostic was released by Washington signed by the Saints, and then released, and now re-signed by Washington......

[gardenman]

The Bears went on a shopping spree after the cuts. I believe they picked up six new guys. That's more than one-tenth of the team they replaced. It gives you some idea of how bad their roster was at the end of training camp. The Bears and Giants are at least realistic about their roster composition. They know their rosters are bad and are looking to improve them. I would expect their end-of-season rosters to be vastly different than they were at the end of training camp. And not just because of injuries. New coaches and new GMs want "their guys" on the roster. And teams don't need new coaches and GMs unless the old guys weren't getting the job done.

We'll see lots of roster shuffling all season from those clubs as they try to find good players. The Giants are still in cap trouble also being about $4.5 million over the cap as I type this. There's some chatter they'd move Daniel Jones or Saquon if the right offer came along just to lose their salaries. They'll be an interesting team to watch this year.

[Spurt]

Washington decided to place Brian Robinson on non-football injury list to create a roster spot and re-signed David Mayo......

[gardenman]

The Eagles are up to something again. When talking about QB Ian Book, Nick Sirianni mentioned they cut LB Davion Taylor to make room for him. The Eagles already had an open roster spot though. Nick said something about that spot being filled, but he couldn't talk about it yet. That sounds like another trade is in the process of being completed. RB? WR? Probably not safety after getting the kid from the Saints.

Kareem Hunt has been a rumor for a while. The Eagles and Saints are trading a lot this year. The Saints need to cut $47+ million from next year's cap. Alvin Kamara? They traded Darren Sproles to us in the prime of his career. Kamara/Sproles are similar types. He's a $16+ million cap hit for the Saints next year. Could be? We'll have to see. It would be a huge win for the Eagles.

[teganslaw]

I watched a few minutes of GMFB on the internet. The hosts are bullish on the Vikings this year. They like the new coach, and think that the Vikings could be playoff bound with their offense. The defense has to be better, though, and not give up so many points. 

Some also think that this is a good opportunity for Jalen Reagor. He could improve in the new system. Time will tell. 

The MNF games in September will be broadcast on ABC along with ESPN. Then ABC won't have the next game until December. I thought ABC gave up all rights to MNF, but they must have worked out some kind of deal.

[gardenman]

The Eagles did use the roster slot for an RB, but a waiver claim instead of a trade. They added Trey Sermon from the Niners.

[gardenman]

The Russell Wilson extension will likely have Dak Prescott's agent on the phone to JJ wanting a meeting. Wilson had two years remaining and so does Dak. Now, Dak is an even better spot as the Cowboys can't tag him and he's younger. JJ likely felt a sharp stabbing pain in his wallet hearing of Wilson's deal.