Under Further Review: Week 2 Fallout

Day 327

Hey Revis?! How is that hammy treating you? That's what you get for skipping training camp!

There is nothing more comforting than having football on the television on a Sunday afternoon. Especially when the Jets pull off a win. Hey Jason Taylor! I accept you being a Jet after your strip sack of Tom Brady last Sunday.

Week Two is a fun week. You get to see if the last week winners are for real and you get see the early season panic of teams that might be facing a 0-2 deficit.

Rising: Houston Texans. At first I thought that they might crumble under the emotional win against the Colts last week. And perhaps the Redskins are for real. And then the 4th quarter rolled around and the Texans showed up to come from behind to win on the road. I know it is real early to know how a team will be for the whole season but I do see similarities between this team and the Saints of last year. Last week the Texans won with their running game, this time they won with their passing game.

Falling: Dallas Cowboys. What will give out first? Jerry Jones's temper or his heart? The Cowboys do not look in sync at all and are crumbling right before our eyes. They do have time to get things together but the pressure is mounting. Jason Witten's possible concussion doesn't help matters either.

Rising: Pittsburgh Steelers. Even without their big QB they continue to win. The Steelers defense unit is keeping this team in games.

Falling: Minnesota Vikings. That 4th down stand that the Dolphins made against Adrian Peterson was impressive and could be the play that starts the downward spiral for the Vikings. It doesn't look good.

Rising: Chicago Bears. QB Jay Cutler looked pretty good in Dallas last week and the Bears are playing with a little more gumption. An early 2-0 record will give the Bears confidence and with the Vikings 0-2, they have a real shot at making some noise in the NFC North.

Falling: San Fransisco 49ers: I thought the 49ers looked good Monday night against the Saints but a loss is still a loss. They can rebound from an 0-2 start but will they crumble under the pressure? I still think they can take the NFC West.



I scored another 9/16 in my picks (at least I am consistent). This week I will finally get into the double digits. So what does Week 3 entail?

Tennessee at NY Giants:
Both teams are coming off horrific losses. But I see the Giants edge the Titans in this game only because the Giants are at home and they don't have to deal with the shaky psyche of Vince Young.
Winner: NY Giants

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay:
This will be a true test for the 2-0 Bucs. While I do think they are a better team than last year, I don't think they are better than the Steelers. QB Charlie Batch starts the game for the Steelers which will allow the Bucs to hang around but the Steelers win it on defense.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers

Cincinnati at Carolina:
The Bengals bounced back last week with a great divisional win over the Ravens. This carries right over into this game.
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland at Baltimore:
I never thought I would see Ravens QB Joe Flacco look so discombobulated. Good thing for the Ravens that the Browns are coming to town. The Ravens right the ship and get the win.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens

Dallas at Houston:
Oh boy, I hope this is televised. Houston can take a gigantic leap by going 3-0 in their division and the Cowboys can really do themselves in if they lose. If this was in Dallas I might go for them but this is in Houston and that place will be rocking. Another big test for the Texans that they will pass.
Winner: Houston Texans

San Francisco at Kansas City:
I feel bad for the 49ers. They took it to the Saints but came up short. The defense looked good and should be able to contain the Chiefs. But the Chiefs are at home and the 49ers lost on a Monday night. It will come down to wire but I think the Chiefs will use their early momentum to snag a win away from the 49ers.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

Detroit at Minnesota:
Nothing cures losing better than a visit from the Detroit Lions. But this isn't your daddy's Lions which is a problem. This will be a tougher and closer game than anyone expects but the Vikings will get an emotional win.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Buffalo at New England:
The Pats will do what they do best. Rebound. The Bills will play tough but not good enough to take down the Pats. The Pats will miss RB Kevin Faulk more than they realize which will make their offense not as dominant.
Winner: New England Patriots

Atlanta at New Orleans:
The Falcons sure looked good last week but that was against the Cardinals so I wouldn't hold too much stock in that. New Orleans might be in trouble with RB Reggie Bush out but they still have enough firepower to match anyone in the league. I am predicting an upset here, I think the Falcons will steal this game away from the Saints much like the Saints will steal one later in the season at Atlanta.
Winner: Atlanta Falcons

Washington at St. Louis:
The Redskins lost an emotional game last week that will take its toll giving the Rams an early lead. But QB McNabb is too much of a professional and will win it in the 4th quarter, much like what happened to him last week.
Winner: Washington Redskins

Philadelphia at Jacksonville:
QB Michael Vick certainly looked like he has not lost a step. The Eagles look better than the Jags at this point but it wouldn't surprise me if the Jags took this game. Coin toss! Tails...
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles

Oakland at Arizona:
Oh boy... this could be quite a game but more than likely a snooze fest. I don't know which underachiever will actually go for a win.
Winner: Oakland Raiders

San Diego at Seattle:
The Chargers looked a lot better last week than the week before and Seattle's first win in Week 1 looks like a fluke.
Winner: San Diego Chargers

Indianapolis at Denver:
I told Daniel that I will go for the Broncos this week. But that doesn't mean I will pick them.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts

NY Jets at Miami:
If the Jets play like they did last week this should be a fun game. The 2-0 Dolphins will get an early test by a terrific Jets defense and the Jets are looking to avenge being swept by the Fins last year. Close game but the Jets roll on in the 4th quarter.
Winner: NY Jets

Monday Night
Green Bay at Chicago:
Which team is for real? I expect the Bears to blitz the crud out of the Packers to make it close but the Packers make just enough plays to get ahead. Bears QB Jay Cutler reverts to form and the Packers capitalize on the turnovers.
Winner: Green Bay Packers

I am looking forward to the games this Sunday. Should be some classics.

Tanks

Day 267

Kristy left this evening to go to a fireside with some of the Young Woman in our church group leaving Logan and I home by ourselves.

Normally we eat treats and play Mario Kart but tonight we played Tanks with his marbles. My dad taught me this game and actually taught Logan how to play too. All you need for Tanks is a bunch of marbles and one larger marble (like a Boulder). We couldn't find a larger marble so we used a golf ball.  You take a bunch of marbles and set them up in groups of four.

A view from my side of the battlefield looking at Logan's.

You set up your army of tanks on one side of the room and your opponent sets his up on the other side. You use three for the legs and a marble on top for the head. You can set up as many tanks as you want. We usually do between seven and ten. Then you secretly choose a captain without letting your opponent know.

My Captain. He's special because of his head.

An helicopter view of my team. And yes, I was making helicopter sounds.

Then the battle begins! You take turns rolling the larger marble at your opponent's tanks until there is one team standing. If you kill the Captain, you get a bonus roll. If you accidently knock down your own guy during gameplay, he is dead. If he falls down because you didn't set him up good enough, he is dead. You can knock more than one down at a time. If a tank falls because it was hit by a tank's "body parts" he is dead. And of course, you can make up any other rules you want.

Here is Logan taking a shot. You can barely see the golf ball at the lower left.

Logan is a little over-dramatic. I just killed his last-standing tank. Knocked the head clean off!

Victory!

It is quite a simple game but one that I could play for hours. Logan is quickly picking up the game though and will soon challenge his old man.

Life with Logan: Sunday Night

Day 71

Late church (1:30!) + NFL playoffs = Late Unthought-of Blog.

I just don't know what I should blog about today. And to be honest, I am not in the mood to blog today either.

After watching the Cards win against the Packers with a defensive touchdown (a real rarity for those watching the games) we ate dinner (Sweet Pork Tacos) and then watched AFV (Logan's favorite show). After we caught the Simpsons and Logan was so excited to watch the 20th Anniversary Special since it was in 3D and on ice. He ran to find his glasses just so he could watch them. I warned him beforehand that he would have to go to bed before it was over. So he got ready as quickly (well, as quickly as Logan could) get ready for bed so he could spend as much time watching the show.


About half way into it, a commercial came on and I told him let's go to bed. He was FURIOUS! "I didn't even get to watch anything!" He exclaimed. For those that didn't watch the special, it was just a documentary on how the Simpsons were made and what effect they had on culture. Logan thought it would be a cartoon and he was mad. He started to cry a bit and stated "I hate this show, it is stupid!"

Unfortunately Logan learned a valuable lesson about life. Things will never live up to your own hype!

So tomorrow night, we are going to watch a "special" episode of the Simpsons. He was so looking forward to seeing it in 3D. Kristy and I laughed our heads off at the end of the special when the Simpson's themselves complained that there was no 3D. Then for the last minute or so they had it.