College Watch- Julio Jones

Alabama is ranked #6 on the AP Poll and #7 in the BCS ranking after recently slipping from the #1 position because of a loss to South Carolina. They are 7-1 overall and 4-1 in their divison. The Crimson Tide has one of the best bunch of upper class men and potential future NFL draft picks. One such potential is wide receiver Julio Jones.

Coming out of high school Jones was a highly recruited player. He came to Alabama and was the first receiver to start as a true freshman. He finished his first year with 58 receptions for 924 yds and 4 TDs and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. His sophmore year he was voted to the All-SEC Coaches' Football Team and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a BCS National Championship. So far this season he has 45 receptions for 669 yds and 3 TDs.

Jones is 6'4"/220 lbs and is likened to Terrell Owens or Larry Fitzgerald. He is big powerful elusive and quick with very sure hands. With so many NFL teams looking for such a receiver, his potential to be a high draft choice is great. He would be welcome at almost every team in the league.

Rookie Watch- Dez Bryant

Every rookie class has a star athlete who due to some issues in college gets pushed down the draft board. Determined not to make the mistake he did with Randy Moss, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went after the controversial WR Dez Bryant.

Bryant is a 6'2"/217 lb menace on the field. While his early numbers havent been impressive, his last 2 games he has managed to score 3 receiving TDs and 1 punt return TD. Bryant is built like a slightly shorter Moss with speed, an amazing vertical leap and catching ability and sure hands. His yards after the catch are impressive to watch in action. He is self assured and a bit cocky, but his ability speaks for itself. With a healthy QB and a good receiving corp around him, he should have a bright future in the league.

Week 7 Predictions

Ok so your girl finished a respectable 8-6 last week..not bad. Let's see if we can improve upon that..let's go!


Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) vs Kansas City Chiefs (3-2)


Jags come in off a terrible beat down last week at home in which they lost starting QB David Garrard to a concussion and back up QB suffered a sprained right thumb. The status on both QBs is questionable at this point so the Jags have signed Todd Bouman and Patrick Ramsey as insurance if neither can start. Jags have been disappointing this season. WR Mike Sims-Walker has only received 2 TDs so far this season and RB Maurice Jones-Drew has rushed for only 1 TD to date. Jags defense definitely need to stop the running game of their opponents. Chiefs are a half game ahead of their division rivals in the AFC West. They got off to a fast start and rattled off 3 wins but have now dropped their last 2. QB Matt Cassel had a great game last week finishing with a QB rating of 122.9% completing 2o of 29 for 201 yds and 3 TDs. His #1 wideout Dwayne Bowe had 6 receptions for 108 yds and 2 TDs and RB Jamaal Charles had 16 rushes for 93 yds. Whether the Chiefs can stay atop their division remains to be seen but they need to get this win in order to help accomplish that goal. Prediction: Chiefs


Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) vs Tennessee Titans (4-2)


Eagles are coming in off a convincing win against the Falcons at home last week. QB Kevin Kolb finished with his highest passer rating with 133.6% by completing 23 of 29 for 326 yds, 3 TDs and 1 INT. His #1 WR DeSean Jackson is out this week recovering from a concussion suffered last week. This means WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy will need to step up very big to make up for the loss. Their defense has played very well the last 2 weeks even with injuries on their D line. Titans are coming in off a blow out win over the Jags last week in Jacksonville. QB Vince Young was lost early in the game with a knee injury and his status for this week is uncertain. His back up QB Kerry Collins finished the game completing 11 of 16 for 110 yds and 1 TD. RB Chris Johnson had 26 rushes for 111 yds and 1 TD. Titans defense has played fantastic the last 2 games having 6 INTs total. This should be a good game. Prediction: Eagles


Buffalo Bills (0-5) vs Baltimore Ravens (4-2)


Bills are an awful team coming in off a bye last week. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has an overall passer rating of 99.9% with 7 TDs and just 2 INTs but he has a terrible receiving corp and a rookie RB. This team may get a few wins this season but not against the Ravens #2 rated defense in the league. Prediction: Ravens


Cleveland Browns (1-5) vs New Orleans Saints (4-2)


Browns are coming in off a crushing defeat against the Steelers last week in Pittsburgh. In the game they lost WRs Joshua Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi to concussions are still questionable this week. Their QB situation is also questionable with both Seneca Wallace & Jake Delhomme still nursing ankle injuries which may leave QB Colt McCoy getting his 2nd career start. They are facing a Saints team that has looked shaky at times but their defense should be able to stop the injury plagued Browns. Prediction: Saints

Washington Redskins (3-3) vs Chicago Bears (4-2)

Redskins are coming off a loss last week against the Colts at home. QB Donovan McNabb completed 29 of 45 for 246 yds 1 TD and 2 INTs in an ugly performance and loss. The bright spot of the game was RB Ryan Torrain who rushed for 100 yds on 20 carries and 2 TDs. The offense is in need of healthy reliable receivers who can catch consistently catch the deep pass Donovan can throw. Their defense has struggled with mounting injuries each week. Bears come in off a close loss last week against the Seahawks in Seattle. QB Jay Cutler completed 17 of 39 for 290 yds with WR Johnny Knox catching 5 passes for 120 yds. Despite rushing for only 11 yds RB Matt Forte did score 1 TD. Bears defense is playing solid and should have a good game this week at home. Prediction: Bears

Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) vs Atlanta Falcons (4-2)

Bengals are coming in off their bye last week. Their last game was a surprising loss to the Bucs at home. In that game QB Carson Palmer threw 2 TDs but also 3 INTs. WR Terrell Owens had 7 catches for 102 yds and 1 TD and RB Cedric Benson rushed 23 times for 144 yds. Bengals defense started out quick but has looked subpar the last few weeks. Falcons come in off a bad loss last week against the Eagles in Philly last week. QB Matt Ryan completed 23 of 42 for 250 yds 2 TDs and 1 INT. Their defense needs to pick it up to get back on track. Prediction: Falcons

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) vs Miami Dolphins (3-2)

Dolphins are undefeated on the road but winless at home. Steelers have the #1 ranked defense in the league. Nothing else to say. Prediction: Steelers

San Francisco 49ers vs Carolina Panthers (0-5)

49ers finally got their first win of the season last week against the Raiders in Oakland. They have played well each week and lost close games. Panthers have had to scramble to sign receivers with Steve Smith being injured. They are playing poorly on both sides of the ball every week. Prediction: 49ers

St. Louis Rams (3-3) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)

Rams are a suprising 3-3 team. They are playing pretty good behind rookie QB Sam Bradford and the strong rushing of RB Steven Jackson. Bucs are inconsistent but good enough to stay competitive in the tough NFC South division. This game should be interesting but Bucs should be able to pull it out. Prediction: Bucs

Arizona Cardinals (3-2) vs Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Cardinals have a horrible QB situation. Even with 1 of the top receivers in the league in WR Larry Fitzgerald the problem at QB has been the killer. Seahawks have been inconsistent but looked great in their wins. This should be a good battle in the NFC West. Prediction: Seahawks

New England Patriots (4-1) vs San Diego Chargers (2-4)

Pats are 1 of the better teams in the league. They are facing a Chargers team who is slow out the gate and has been facing several injury issues. How soon they will turn it around remains to be seen but this wont be the week. Prediction: Pats

Oakland Raiders (2-4) vs Denver Broncos (2-4)

AFC West is a bad division. This division rivalry is always good since both teams hate each other. QB Kyle Orton has looked super so far this season. With Broncos being at home they should beat the Raiders. Prediction: Broncos

Minnesota Vikings (2-3) vs Green Bay Packers (3-3)

This will be a great game against 2 very tough NFC North division rivals. Minnesota got off to a slow terrible start and Packers started out quick but has faltered the last few games. Whichever QB can hit their receivers deep will win this game. Prediction: Packers

New York Giants (4-2) vs Dallas Cowboys (1-4)

Despite the Cowboys poor record this should be a great divisional match-up. These 2 teams always play each other tough. But Cowboys offense is still having problems playing cohesively on offense and has commited far too many penalties (1st in the league). This should be a good game but expect the Giants to pull out the win. Prediction: Giants

College Watch- Demarco Murray

This weekend Oklahoma beat Iowa State 52-0 to take the #3 spot in the current AP standings & #1 spot in the first BCS ranking of 2010. The Sooners are a superb high scoring fantastic team who are solid on both sides of the ball. Their offense can score at will & this is due in part to their running game behind the great rushing of senior DeMarco Murray.

Murray is a 6'1"/207 lb running machine. He set Oklahoma's all time touchdown record with 58 this past weekend. This season so far he has already rushed for more than 600 yds and 11 TDs. He is a complete back with blocking and receiving ability and has already caught an additional 2 TDs this season. He is a work horse who worked his way back from an injury early in his college career to become one of the premiere backs in college football. He is a dominant presence on the field. Considering his rushing and receiving ability he may be a high draft pick next April in the NFL draft.

Week 6 Predictions

Last weekend was the weekend of upsets and clearly I was upset by my poor showoing on my picks. After finishing a lousy 6-8 last week, I am hoping to redeem myself this week. Let's get started:

Atlanta Falcons (4-1) vs Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)

After losing the season opener against the Steelers, Falcons have rattled off 4 straight wins. They have had done so in hard fought fourth quarter comeback fashion. Last week QB Matt Ryan threw for just 187 yd and 1 TD in their win against the Browns. RB Michael Turner had 140yds on 19 carries & WR Roddy White had 5 receptions for 101 yds and Ryan's only TD. Falcons are winning games behind the strength of their defense who has stepped up for them this season. Eagles won a tough battle against the winless 49ers last week in San Francisco. QB Kevin Kolb started last week in place of the injured Michael Vick and finished with 253 yds and 1 TD. RB LeSean McCoy finished with 18 rushes for 92 yds and 1 TD. Eagles defense looked good at the end of the game last week and hope to carry it over into this week at home. Prediction: Falcons

Cleveland Brown (1-4) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

The Browns pulled a shocker by beating the Bengals 2 weeks ago, but this week they will be starting rookie QB Colt McCoy against the #1 rated defense in the league. Enough said. Prediction: Steelers

Seattle Seahawks (2-2) vs Chicago Bears (4-1)

Seahawks are coming in off a bye last week. Their last game was a 20-3 loss to the Rams in which Hasselback threw 0 TDs and 1 INT. Seahawks are just a half game back of the division leading Cardinals but they will need to drastically improve to go anywhere this season. The Bears have their starting QB Jay Cutler back this week after having him out in week 5 due to a concussion suffered in a week 4 loss to the Giants. Cutler is having a much better season thus far compared to last season. His overall qb rating is 102.2% and he's thrown for 912 yds, 6 TDs and just 3 INTs. His running game behind Matt Forte has looked stellar. Last week Forte rushed for 166 yds on 22 carries and 2 TDs. Bears have one of the best defenses in the league and will need to keep up their aggressive play to stay ahead of the tough NFC North division. Prediction: Bears

Miami Dolphins (2-2) vs Green Bay Packers (3-2)

Dolphins are coming in off a bye last week. Dolphins are a fun team to watch who are surprisingly good when they win and disappointingly bad when they lose. Week 4 was a crushing loss to the Patriots at home. In that game QB Chad Henne threw for 305 yds, 2 TDs and 3 INTs. In that game RBs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown and WR Brandon Marshall all were held without a TD. Their defense looked terrible against the Pats and need to make vast improvements to stay competitive in the AFC East. Packers suffered a shocking upset last week to the Redskins in Washington in overtime in which Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion at the end of the game. He is probable for this week. He threw for 293 yds, 1 TD & 1 INT that game & got his lowest passer rating of the season at 75.7%. His running game behind Brandon Jackson rushed for 115 yds. Packers defense has played well and take them into the post season. Prediction: Packers

Detroit Lions (1-4) vs New York Giants (3-2)

Lions got their first win of the season last week against the predictably bad Rams. QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson are listed as questionable for this game and RB Jahvid Best is listed as a probable. Lions defense is atrocious. Giants are on a 3 game winning streak with their defense finally playing solid. They should easily manhandle the Lions at home. Prediction: Giants

New Orleans Saints (3-2) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)

Saints have not looked like the defending champs this season. Their loss last week in Arizona showed them to be disorganized and chaotic. QB Drew Brees threw 2 TDs but also 3 INTs. With injuries to RBs Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Chris Ivory, Saints signed RB Julius Jones who will make his start this week to try and salvage a running game plagued with injuries. Despite having a solid defense the lack of consistency on offense has hurt the Saints tremendously. They must find a way to get this offense to play with some consistency or will not make the playoffs. Bucs won a surprising upset against the Bengals in Cincinnati last week. QB Josh Freeman completed 20 of 33 for 1 TD & 1 INT. WR Mike Williams finished with 99 yds on 7 receptions and Freeman's only TD. Their defense has played very solid and helped lift them to victories. This game will be a test for the Bucs who have struggled in the running game. But they are off to a much better start than last season so should finish with a modest record. Prediction: Saints

San Diego Chargers (2-3) vs St. Louis Rams (2-3)

Despite having the same record coming into this game, Chargers are a much more high flying offense than the Rams. Chargers are a far better team than their record indicates and always start poorly at the beginning of the season. Rams have beaten weak unprepared opponents and have not faced a team quite like the Chargers. This should be a W for the Chargers. Prediction: Chargers

Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) vs Houston Texans (3-2)

Chiefs suffered their 1st loss of the season last week to the Colts in Indianapolis. Matt Cassel completed 16 of 29 for just 156 yds as the Chiefs failed to score a single TD in the game. Chiefs may be atop their division for now but must get more big plays out of their offense to stay that way. Texans suffered a crushing defeat last week against the Giants at home. QB Matt Schaub failed to throw a single TD finishing with just 196 yds and an INT. Texans defense is good but with a banged up offense (RB Arian Foster and WR Andre Johnson are both probable for the game) they may struggle down the stretch. Despite this expect a bounce back from last week's debacle. Prediction: Texans

Baltimore Ravens (4-1) vs New England Patriots (3-1)

Ravens beat the Broncos last week in Denver. Credit this to the #2 rated defense in the league and their great running game behind RB Ray Rice who finished with 133 yds on 27 carries and 2 TDs. Whatever Ravens may lack on offense they more than make up for with that stifling defense. Patriots are coming in off a bye last week. Their last game was a crushing defeat of the Dolphins in Miami. Since that time they have traded WR Randy Moss to the Vikings and traded a 2011 4th round draft pick to bring WR Deion Branch back. Brady and Branch are very comfortable with each other and should easily get into full swing again, but Ravens defense may prove to be a bit too much for the Pats this week. Prediction: Ravens

Oakland Raiders (2-3) vs San Francisco 49ers (0-5)

The Raiders are coming in off a shocking upset of the Chargers last week at home. QB Jason Campbell will get the start this week. He came in after Gradkowski was injured and finished with 159 yds and 1 TD. Their defense finally stepped up big for them and if they can continue to play at that kind of level may be competitive in the terrible AFC West division. 49ers are still looking for their 1st win of the season. QB Alex Smith has more INTs (9) than TDs (6) so far this season. This team is so poor on offense that their defense spends too much time on the field. They need more reliable play from Alex Smith if they hope to win any games this season. Prediction: Raiders

New York Jets (4-1) vs Denver Broncos (2-3)

Even without Darrelle Revis, Jets have a smothering defense. QB Mark Sanchez has still yet to throw an INT this season. Their running game behind RB LaDanian Tomlinson has looked superb. Broncos may have the #1 rated passing offense but their running game is banged up (RB Knowshon Moreno is still questionable with a hamstring injury) and their defense is terrible. Being at home will not get them the win this week. Prediction: Jets

Dallas Cowboys (1-3) vs Minnesota Vikings (1-3)

2 awful teams who were much hyped before the season began. Cowboys have looked lost and confused on offense and are not playing with any type of cohesion. They suffered an embarassing loss at home last week against the Titans in which QB Tony Romo threw for 3 TDs but also 3 INTs. RB Felix Jones did have a big game finishing with 109 yds on the ground. Cowboys defense has not been able to stop their opponents from scoring and desperately need their offense to play together with urgency to keep them off the field so much. They are predicted to be in the superbowl but if they cant find a way to get wins they may not even make the playoffs. Vikings are coming in off a loss last week to the Jets in which QB Brett Favre suffered from tendinitis and is still questionable for the game. He did manage to throw for 3 TDs and just 1 INT in the game and WR Percy Harvin caught 2 of those TDs. RB Adrian Peterson only has 3 TDs so far this season. He will need to play bigger for them with Favre playing injured. Now having a deep threat WR in Randy Moss this should open up the Vikes passing game and give opportunities to other receivers to score. They need solid play from their defense if they have any chance of winning this game. Prediction: Vikings

Indianapolis Colts (3-2) vs Washington Redskins (3-2)

Colts come in off a sloppy win in Week 5 over the Chiefs. QB Peyton Manning finished with just 244 yds and 1 INT for the game. Colts running game has been poor with Addai playing hurt. Their secondary has only 1 starter remaining from the season opener and they have struggled severely in the passing game. Redskins won a surprising upset in overtime last week against the Packers. They are in a 3 way tie for the NFC East division lead. They are still without RB Clinton Portis & his replacement RB Ryan Torain only ran for 40 yds last week. The bright spot for the Redskins is a healthy Donovan McNabb who last week completed 26 of 49 for 357 yds, 1 TD & 1 INT. Brian Orakpo is a monster on that D line. Both of these teams are badly banged up so it may be a tougher battle than many expect. Prediction: Colts

Tennessee Titans (3-2) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)

Titans are coming in off an impressive win over the Cowboys last week in Dallas. QB Vince Young finished with 173 yds and 2 TDs in the game. RB Chris Johnson finished with 131 yds and 2 TDs. Titans defense when they show up are impressive. Jaguars are coming in off a win against the lowly Bills. QB David Garrard looked good throwing for 3 TDs and just 1 INT. His RB Maurice Jones-Drew has only scored 1 TD so far this season. This team plays so inconsistent from week to week it is hard to know which Jags team will show up to play. Expect a good battle between these AFC South rivals. Prediction: Titans

Key Injuries/Signings/Trades of the Week

Injuries

Browns- The much anticipated start of QB Colt McCoy may happen this Sunday in Pittsburgh. Both Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace are battling ankle injuries that could potentially leave both sidelined for several weeks.

Jets- Darrelle Revis is once again battling with his left hamstring injury suffered in Week 2. He is questionable with Rex Ryan saying he will have the final word on whether Revis starts this week against the Broncos.

Vikings- CB Cedric Benson is out for the season with a torn right ACL. This is a disappointment for Benson who came back this season from a torn left ACL. He will be replaced by CBs Asher Allen and Lito Shepherd.

Chargers- Shawne Merriam was placed on injured reserved this week with a calf injury. Once healthy they will release him. He was a phenomenal player his first 3 seasons with the Chargers but has been injury plagued and had some off field distractions the last 2+. What the future holds for the once great and promising OLB remains to be seen.

Signings

Vikings- On top of Asher Allen and Lito Shepherd taking over CB for Cedric Benson, Vikes signed CB Frank Walker. He played last season for the Ravens but was unsigned this season til now.

Saints- With both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush hurt, Saints signed RB Julius Jones who was released by the Seahawks. Saints are ranked 31st in rushing and hope to make some improvents with Jones as well as Ladell Betts and rookie Chris Ivory.

49ers- still winless this season the 49ers tried to shore up their special teams by signing safety CJ Spillman who was cut by the Chargers last week.

Panthers- With Steve Smith out injured, the winless Panthers have scrambled to find healthy receivers to start for them. After signing David Clowney last week, they signed the recently released Devin Thomas this week. Panthers are on bye this week so Thomas wont make his start for them until the 24th against the 49ers.

Trades

Eagles and Browns decided to flip-flop their running backs by trading Mike Bell from the Eagles to the Browns and Browns trading Jerome Harrison to the Eagles.

Patriots- After trading Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks in 2006, the Pats traded a future draft pick to have him back. After trading Randy Moss last week to the Vikings, Patriots are in need of a deep threat receiver and Branch was a standout in his previous stint with the team. This season Branch had 13 catches for 112 yds and 1 TD through 4 games. Playing with Brady again should improve his numbers.

College Watch- Mark Ingram

Alabama took a tumble last week from #1 to #8 after losing to South Carolina 35-21. Despite this they have 1 of the top rated rushers in the country in runningback Mark Ingram, Jr.

At 5'10"/215 Ingram is a a smaller faster back in the style of Ahmad Bradshaw. He is that rare combination of power and speed. In his sophomore year he won both the Heisman Trophy and the BCS National Championship and set an Alabama single season rushing record.

This year Ingram is a junior and he has already rushed for 6 TDs and 355 yds. Many suspect Ingram will forego his senior season next year and turn pro. A speedy power back would be a welcome addition to many NFL teams.