Tap's Thursday Night Picks

NFL 

Kansas City (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1) 7:25 pm NFL Network - The first time playing against a former coach is always a little bit strange especially when the coach had been there for a long time with the team. For the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, they will see Andy Reid in a new color coaching from the opposite sidelines as Kansas City takes on Philadelphia in a great Thursday night matchup.

As a Packer fan, I only have dealt with this with one coach, Mike Holmgren. Things did not end on great terms with him as some people felt Holmgren was a foot out the door in 1998 when the Pack fell to San Francisco. In 1999, the schedule gods blessed them with a Seattle-Green Bay matchup in Holmgren's first year. This became a Monday Night Football game only to see the Packers lose by 20 at home with their new coach, Ray Rhodes.  Although the Packers got the last laugh with winning five of the last six games against Holmgren including two playoff wins. 

Kansas City and Philadelphia will not be meeting very often unless they will face off in multiple Super Bowls against each other. The game itself should be a fun one. Alex Smith looks good thus far in the Reid system, and I know he will try to drive his point across with him tonight. The Chiefs defense gets slept on. They did last year even as a 2-14 squad and it will be fascinating to watch Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and others against Chip Kelly's system. The same cannot be said for the Philly defense. They look troublesome right now and I cannot ride with Kelly's bunch until the defense can improve. Reid like his old coach Holmgren wins his homecoming. Kansas City 35-27 

College Football 

3. Clemson at NC State 6:30 pm ESPN - The Tigers play their first real competition since their first game against Georgia. Once again, it is on the road, but I have no seen anything from the Wolfpack to make me think they can beat Tajh Boyd and the boys.  Clemson will roll. CLEM 45-20  

Charlie. 

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NFL Week 2 Liquor Cabinet

For the entire NFL season, we will be breaking down the rest of the NFL not named Green Bay by looking at it like a liquor cabinet. Why did we choose this method? I like to booze and it makes things really easy to determine what's great, average and poor.  

TOP SHELF
Seattle looks decent - I talked about Seattle's struggles last Sunday and felt like San Francisco would make a statement in Seattle. The Seahawks made a statement and dominated all facets of the football game on Sunday. Russell Wilson did not have the best day, but he did not need to with how the defense played plus the rushing attack was solid. To think, they are missing four top flight stars as well makes Seattle pretty scary for the rest of the season.

Cutty comes back - 4th quarter comebacks are overblown, but I am impressed overall with the Chicago Bears offense. Jay Cutler finally has a tight end who can catch the football. Remember Cutler went to his tight ends fairly often even last year with Kellan Davis who dropped at least half of them last season. Cutler stayed protected for the most part as well.  Additionally, the worries about the Bears defense might be overstated.  Minnesota's defense and special teams both had a touchdown meaning Chicago only allowed 16 points.  

Denver just going to blow everyone out? - It looks like it right now.  Who cares if the Denver defense might not be that good, but their second half against New York was eye-opening. The Broncos had a slow build with it too. They scored a late third quarter touchdown with Knowshon Moreno who somehow is still on the Broncos, force the Giants with a three-and-out and they get another touchdown with Peyton Manning throwing to Julius Thomas. Trindon Holiday delivered the knockout punch with the punt return to put the Broncos up 21 points somehow in game that was close for three quarters.

Miami... Sneaky good or too early? - I sold low on Miami to start the year, but they are playing well so far this season. The Dolphins started out the season with consecutive road games and won both of them holding both Cleveland and Indianapolis under 20 points. Ryan Tannehill went for over 300 yards and got Mike Wallace's season started with a 100 yard game. One thing the young quarterback has to cut it is the fumbles. He lost three balls but thankfully, Tannehill recovered two of them.  We shall see how they look at home though as they have been worse there in years past.  

MIDDLE SHELF
Texans pull another one out of their asses - Everyone is talking about the Patriots being the worst 2-0 team right now, but why not Houston? They played one good quarter against San Diego and then they trailed Tennessee by eight with four minutes left in the game yet found a way to win the game in overtime. People will say the cliche line of 'Good teams find a way to win football games' but still, Houston seems a bit overrated to me.  

Atlanta holds on - The Falcons jumped out to a 24-3 lead on Sunday afternoon against St. Louis yet they could not stomp the foot on the throat.  Atlanta kept letting St. Louis come back in this game and thankfully got a big drive from Matt Ryan and Jacob Snelling in the fourth quarter. But the Falcons are going to be without Kroy Biermann, Sean Weatherspoon and Steven Jackson next week, all three are vital to the team's success. Biermann is done for the year, Weatherspoon is on selective IR but that's not a guarantee he will be back this season. Atlanta is much more of a mess than people are talking about right now.  

Joe Flacco does not catch flak... Surprising? - I am somewhat surprised Joe Flacco did not receive much backlash for not being there for the birth of his second child. I asked both my mom and dad about it because they had two kids. Both of them said the same thing, 'Well it's not the first child, the second child, it's more of a been there, done that.' If my sister Annie is reading, please take this up with them, not me.

Eagles score points but cannot stop anyone - Philadelphia might be a year away. It is still super early to say something like that, but it seems like there are some significant holes in that defense. Sure, they can put up 30+ points with the best of them, but their defense cannot stop anybody. I realize San Diego has some tools on offense yet I would never expect them to have 33 points on the road.

BOTTOM SHELF
Oh noooo Dez - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant balled out on Sunday with nine catches for over 150 yards, but he made two vital errors. Bryant had a crucial drop that probably cost the Cowboys a game. We can have a discussion about Dallas's inabilities to win on the road, but I feel that might be overstated. Dez also retweeted a picture of a vagina, not a great moment in social media.

Ron Rivera or Greg Schiano... Who gets fired first? - Oh boy, I think both of these coaches might be getting the pink slip before November 1st. Let's remember Carolina had the toughest schedule in the NFL before the season started this year.  The Panthers play New York Giants at home this week and then a bye week before two road games in Arizona and Minnesota. If they get blown out by New York, it becomes a real awkward two weeks for Ron Rivera. As for Tampa Bay, the chemistry seems completely off with Schiano and yes, they are two field goals away from being 2-0, yet it does not seem like a good situation.  They play in New England this week before heading home to play Arizona before a bye week.  I will take Rivera.

Poor Jacksonville - I just feel bad for Jacksonville. Just struggling. I am not really going to go in what's wrong with them because it does not matter as they have all sorts of problems. Also they have all the Tim Tebow shit, it is entirely annoying and I feel for the fanbase. Shock the world this week in Seattle.

Detroit remembers they are Detroit - Everyone started to get real excited about Detroit in Week 1 forgetting how much the Lions struggle on the road.  They had a 14-10 lead at halftime, but their offense went silent in the second half. DeAndre Levy netted them an interception return in the third quarter, but that was it for scoring from Detroit. Arizona's defense is good, but if Detroit is as good as everyone wanted them to be in Week 1, their offense does not go scoreless in the second half.

Charlie.

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NFL Picks Week 2: Where .500 Sounds Great

Usually, I would have something about a topic going in the NFL world, but I am pressed on time as I have to get out of here soon. Thanks for reading all of our content this morning. Six posts before noon is a record I think for me.   

St. Louis (1-0) at Atlanta (0-1) (-7) 12:00 pm FOX - An old NFC West matchup when both of these teams were struggling and the days of Chris Chandler and Jim Everett slinging the football around. No way the Falcons lose their home opener. Matt Ryan and the boys roll big time. ATL 30-14

Carolina (0-1) (-3) at Buffalo (0-1)  12:00 pm FOX - This is a tough one. I feel like Carolina should not be getting points on the road yet I think the Buffalo hype is overblown a bit. Cam v. E.J. should be a blast, both teams have great front-sevens but I will go with the Bills rushing attack being the difference. BUFF 20-17

Minnesota (0-1) at Chicago (1-0) (-6) 12:00 pm FOX - I told you the Bears scare me a bit this season and I feel like last week confirmed some of my worries. I also said the Vikings would regress greatly this year. Big day for the Bears defense and Jay Cutler makes it rain a couple times out there.  CHI 27-16

Washington (0-1) at Green Bay (0-1) (-8) 12:00 pm FOX - See our Packer preview which includes a Packer playlist to get you ready for the game.

Miami (1-0) at Indianapolis (1-0) (-3) 12:00 pm CBS - Tale of two teams here. Miami looked really good against Cleveland on the road with a defense forcing turnovers and holding them to 10 points. While the Colts barely beat Oakland at home.  The difference in this one will be Cameron Wake and the Phins front line against a weaker than talked about Colts offensive line. MIA 24-19  

Dallas (1-0) at Kansas City (1-0) (-3) 12:00 pm FOX - Like Scantron sheets in college, I left this one blank until I finished the other noon time starts because I have no idea whose going to win this one. Kansas City is tough at home and their fans will be fired up after a big win against Jacksonville. Dallas looked much more opportunistic on defense and could create some problems for Alex Smith on Sunday.  I am a little worried about Tony Romo and Dez Bryant's injuries especially against an above average defense. Chiefs eek one out. KC 21-17

San Diego (0-1) at Philadelphia (1-0) (-7.5) 12:00 pm CBS - Las Vegas obviously went six to midnight watching Chip Kelly's offense on Monday night.  Giving the Eagles, a team who won four games last year, seven and a half points after one game seems a bit outrageous. I think Philadelphia wins, but that's too many points. PHI 31-27  

Cleveland (0-1) at Baltimore (0-1) (-7) 12:00 pm CBS - I have no idea what to think about the Ravens right now. One of those teams where I do not think the first week is indicative to how they will be this season. The Browns looked putrid at home, and I feel like they cannot respond by winning on the road this week. Joe Flacco regroups and the Ravens win going away.  BALT 23-14

Tennessee (1-0) at Houston (1-0) (-10) 12:00 pm CBS - Another one where I feel like Vegas messed up because Houston is not ten points better than Tennessee.  The Titans might be that team where I can look back at what I said in August and say 'Welp, I am an asshat', this happens with at least one or two teams in the NFL and another three in college football, the life of a blogger. It cannot be understated as to how good their defense looked last week.  This is a physical, entertaining game and the Texans pull it out with a late field goal.  HOU 19-17  

Detroit (1-0) (-2) at Arizona (0-1) 3:05 pm FOX - I do not blame anyone for hyping the Lions up after Week 1. They looked really good, but heading to Arizona screams a letdown loss if I have ever seen one. Matthew Stafford always has had problems with interceptions and the Cardinals secondary is one of the best in the National Football League. Look for a big Patrick Peterson game along with Carson Palmer doing just enough with Larry Fitzgerald. ARI 28-20  

New Orleans (1-0) (-3.5) at Tampa Bay (0-1) 3:05 pm FOX - My guy Eric used to have a 'Lock It Up' post on SnoTap where he would lock a team or two in for the week of football. This would be it. I hate all of the captain controversy plus Josh Freeman missing team photos sounds like a team divided. New Orleans in a rout.  NO 35-17.  

Jacksonville (0-1) at Oakland (0-1) (-6) 3:25 pm CBS - Just want to let people know we live in a world where the Raiders are six point favorites.  I understand the Jaguars were bad last week and Oakland looked better, but really?  I cannot see the Raiders covering, but they will win this football game as the Jags are too banged up, yes even in Week 2.  OAK 16-14

Denver (1-0) (-4.5) at New York Giants (0-1) 3:25 pm CBS - I will never ever be able to figure out the Giants and everyone is riding them off because their running back situation is a bigger problem than my bank account so that means maybe they will win this one?  I doubt it. I hated all the turnovers last week and their secondary did not look good last week. Peyton Manning has a big day against baby bro. DEN 38-28  

San Francisco (1-0) at Seattle (1-0) (-3) 7:30 pm NBC - Hey remember when I have to stream this game instead of watching it on TV?  Thanks for your pissing match!  I cannot believe how little people are talking about how bad Seattle's offensive line looked against Carolina. How are they going to better against San Fran?  Marshawn Lynch could be the difference here as he dominated the Niners last year with two 100-yard performances. This is the toughest place to win a road game, but the Niners pull it out with an absolute classic on Sunday night. SF 27-24

Monday
Pittsburgh (0-1) at Cincinnati (0-1) (-7) 7:40 pm ESPN - I might be the last person outside of Pittsburgh who believes the Steelers can still be something, but the Bengals seem like they have more to play for knowing a game against Green Bay looms next week. They also played well for two and a half quarters before coming undone in Chicago. A.J. Green puts up another monster performance and Cincy escapes in a closer game than believed by the spread.  CIN 20-16

Straight up: 9-7
ATS: 5-11 (Complete newbie central here)  

Charlie.  

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NFL Liquor Cabinet: Week 1

We are back for another season of the Liquor Cabinet. Some of you are new to Sports News on Tap so let me explain... I look at the NFL week like I do when I head to Ray's Liquor Store in Wauwatosa. Top Shelf is all the booze I cannot afford to buy because I still work part-time at age 25 but it is the real good stuff thus the NFL moments are the real good ones from the week. The middle shelf is stuff I can afford but it is really not good booze meaning the above average/average moments of the NFL slate. The bottom shelf is the stuff guaranteeing you with a hangover that involving puking more than Jason Witten hence the bad stuff that happened this weekend.  

Top Shelf
Chip Kelly's 'gimmick offense' sure looked great - The Eagles ran 77 plays last night. They had 53 of them in the first half keeping an unreal pace that looked like Chip Kelly's Oregon teams with better athletes. LeSean McCoy looked like a new player and Michael Vick seemed to finally fit in an offense.  Philadelphia struggled a bit in the second half, but still, they looked tremendous. Like I said, this team would be a tough read and they are showing it thus far. Tap writer Pat Luce pointed out to me the Eagles only scored 33 or more points last year and it was in a defeat against the Dallas Cowboys.

Reggie Bush and the Lions defense dazzle - I am still not fully bought into the Lions hype, but I will say they looked great in their first game of the season. Reggie Bush played like a monster including people make ridiculous comparisons to Barry Sanders (SANDERS AND BUSH, ONE IN THE SAME? MY COLUMN:). He did play really well and creates a secondary threat for the Lions offense taking some pressure off Matthew Stafford. Their defense deserves some credit as they held Adrian Peterson to 15 yards after his 78 yard run to begin the season. While Ndamukong Suh gets the headlines, they were strong for the greater part.

Statement win by New Orleans - Like what I saw from New Orleans on Sunday. At least for one game, they showed more of a commitment to run the football by running it 29 times although it is still a running back by committee format which needs to change at some point this month.  They also held Atlanta to 17 points, one of the best offenses in the league. New Orleans forced two turnovers as well including a great stand to end the game. I like what the Saints have cooking here at least for the first game of the season.  

Andy Reid looks like a ketchup bottle and the Chiefs - Man, I love Andy Reid. Maybe it is because he looks like a walrus or Mike Holmgren's brother, but I just enjoy the guy and would welcome an opportunity to eat ribs with him. He looked like a bottle of ketchup Sunday, from now on, he is Mr. Heinz until further notice. The Chiefs played well against the Jaguars, but the jury is still out on them. Kansas City-Dallas at Arrowhead should be fun next week.

Middle Shelf
Smoke and mirrors in Seattle? - If I were a Seahawks fan, I would be concerned about Week 1.  If DeAngelo Williams does not fumble around the goal line, Seattle likely loses their first game of the season. Russell Wilson spent more time outside the pocket than inside as the Seahawks offensive line could not protect him to save their soul. All three NFC West foes have great defensive lines. I will be real interested to watch this line against the Niners next week.

T-PEEZY IF YOU'RE NASTY -  Probably too early to get excited about Terrelle Pryor, but he rushed for over 100 yards and kept the Oakland Raiders in a game on the road against a playoff team last season.  Pryor looked like an NFL quarterback out there, and I have always banged the drum that Pryor played in the wrong college system. If Pryor becomes a competent quarterback, it can make Jadeveon Clowney a no-brainer in the first round.

Still Unknown: Houston and San Diego - I have no idea what happened on late Monday night. The Chargers had a massive first half only to pull their best Norv Turner impression in the third and fourth quarter with the Texas imposing their will on offense.  I cannot believe the Texans found a way to win this game and how San Diego lost it.

Defining the Middle Shelf... Patriots win over Buffalo - Remember how we talked about what the middle shelf was earlier? The Patriots are defining it as of now. The Patriots hung in there for the whole game, but they did not really play well at all. They are all sorts of banged up for their Thursday night game against the New York Jets and I would be a little concerned if I were a Patriot fan.

Future is bright in St. Louis and Phoenix - Arizona and St. Louis played a pretty good game on Sunday. Jared Cook finally looked like he might be worth his potential. Larry Fitzgerald finally has a quarterback. Both defenses did alright. I feel like we are watching two teams on the cusp of really having something with their teams.

Bottom Shelf
Lavonte David... Not a wise move, bro - He is one of the best young linebackers in the league, but right now, the Tampa Bay linebacker is known as the guy whom pushed Geno Smith after he went out of bounds leading the Jets to getting a game-winning field goal. David will be fine, but this defines the Buccaneers right now. They still have yet to fix the undisciplined play and that should concern Bucs fans.

Let's talk about Pittsburgh - I picked this team to go to the Super Bowl and they only scored nine points against Tennessee. The Steelers also lost Maurkice Pouncey, Larry Foote and LeRod Stephens-Howling for the season, all three important players to this team. I am starting to believe the 2010 team sold their soul to the devil to get to the Super Bowl because they have not seem to catch a break in quite some time. It does not get any easier heading to Cincinnati on Monday Night Football.  Pittsburgh does not need to win, but they need to at least look like they have a pulse.

Giants might need a running back - The New York Giants running back combination of David Wilson, DaRell Scott and Michael Cox is not a good look for them right now. They had multiple turnovers and struggled the whole game. Willis McGahee and Michael Turner might be options for them. But the fact the Giants are looking at Brandon Jacobs should scare the complete shit out of New York.

Rey Maualuga loses his cool and the football game for Cincinnati - The Bengals looked like they were going to get another chance against the Chicago Bears and then the former USC standout had an unsportsman-like conduct leading to an automatic Bears first down and a Bears win. Cincinnati had an eleven point lead after having a punishing opening second half drive and they stalled from there. The Bengals had two three-and-outs plus a turnover in the red zone.  A team whose supposed to be a Super Bowl contender does not have games like this one.

Brandon Weeden's hype deflates like a popped balloon - Out of all the people who had bad starts, Weeden probably depressed me the most. I did not really buy into the Browns hype like others, but at the same time, I felt like their offensive could be much better than years past. Weeden had three interceptions in the first half and it was curtains from there. The Browns really do not have much moving forward at quarterback and they have to ride it out.

Charlie.

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Snotap Predicts... Kramer's NFL Picks

The SnoTap staff is making their predictions on the NFL season. Odds are one or two of us will be right, but in the end like most people, we will look like idiots. 

NFC EAST                                                                    

1. Dallas

2. NY Giants

3. Philadelphia  

4. Washington

- How bout dem Cowboys!!!

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay

2. Minnesota - Wild Card

3. Detroit    

4. Chicago

-I really wanted to pick Minnesota to win the division because I love the young talent GM Rick Spielman is getting on that team.  Still, I think a healthy GB Packers is a force to be reckoned with.  A Rod should make up for the O line issues, and that front 7 should be solid this year.

NFC SOUTH

1. New Orleans

2. Atlanta 
3. Tampa Bay

4. Carolina

-I think New Orleans will give New Englands point in a season record a run for its money this year. They will simply outscore teams, and Rob Ryan will be aggressive with his leads.

NFC WEST

1. Seattle
2. San Francisco - Wild Card

3. St. Louis

4. Arizona

-I said after the playoffs last year that the 2012 Seahawks reminded me a lot of the 1991 Cowboys. Just a year away from dominance. The 1992 Cowboys went 13-3 and won the Super Bowl. I think the 2013 Seahawks have a similar year.

AFC EAST
1. New England  

2. Buffalo
3. Miami   

4. NY Jets

-I really like the Bills team this year, and don't be surprised if they give New England some problems... but who am I kidding, NE is winning this division.

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore   

2. Cincinnati - Wild Card  

3. Cleveland
4. Pittsburgh  

- I think the Ravens are more talented this year than they were last year. Yup, more talented. Adding Dumervil, Michael Huff, Arthur Brown, Matt Elam, and getting Lardarius Webb back from injury will be huge. Baltimore picks up where it left off last year.

AFC SOUTH

1. Houston

2. Tennessee 
3. Indianapolis

4. Jacksonville

- Tennessee is a team that I think will give people problems this year, but Houston is a regular season monster.

AFC West

1. Kansas City

2. Denver - Wild Card

3. San Diego

4. Oakland

- To be fair, I picked the Chiefs to win this division last year. Whoops. I love what they did in the off season, and they should capitalize off their easier schedule. I think Denver struggles out of the gate without Dumervil and Von Miller, and will have to settle for a Wild Card spot.


Playoff
NFC: 3. New Orleans beats 6. Minnesota 5. San Francisco beats 4. Dallas
AFC: 3. New England beats 6. Cincinatti 5. Denver beats 4. Kansas City

NFC: 1. Seattle beats 5. San Francisco 3. New Orleans beats 2. Green Bay
AFC: 5. Denver beats 1. Houston 2. Baltimore beats 3. New England

NFC: 1. Seattle beats 3. New Orleans
AFC: 5. Denver beats 2. Baltimore

Super Bowl: Seattle beats Denver

I think the 2013-14 Seattle Seahawks will be one of those special teams that people tag the year with them, ala the 2007 New England Patriots. If they stay healthy and get Percy back in a couple of months, I don't see another roster in the league with the depth that Seattle has. The AFC is a toss up, but I think Pete Carroll will be hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy on the frozen Meadowlands in February.

Kramer.

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SnoTap Predicts... Adam Hatlak's NFL Predictions

The SnoTap staff is making their predictions on the NFL season. Odds are one or two of us will be right, but in the end like most people, we will look like idiots. 

NFC East

Cowboys

Giants

Eagles

Redskins

NFC North

Packers

Lions

Bears

Vikings

NFC South

Saints

Falcons

Panthers

Buccaneers

NFC West

Seahawks

49ers

Rams

Cardinals

AFC East

Patriots

Bills

Dolphins

Jets

AFC North

Bengals

Ravens

Browns

Steelers

AFC South

Texans

Colts

Titans

Jaguars

AFC West

Chiefs

Broncos

Chargers

Raiders

AFC Championship

Broncos over Bengals

NFC Championship

Seahawks over Saints

Super Bowl Champ

Broncos

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SnoTap Predicts... The Chief's NFL Predictions

The SnoTap staff is making their predictions on the NFL season. Odds are one or two of us will be right, but in the end like most people, we will look like idiots. 

NFC EAST                                                                    

Dallas

Washington

Philadelphia  

NY Giants   

- I am drinking the Dallas kool-aid for what feels like the seventh straight year. Maybe this will be the year!

NFC NORTH

Green Bay  

Chicago - Wild Card  

Detroit    

Minnesota

-The final game between Green Bay-Chicago could decide the division maybe even a spot in the playoffs. Don't get the sudden Lions hype.    

NFC SOUTH

New Orleans

Atlanta

Tampa Bay

Carolina

-New Orleans is going to be ridin' around with two middle fingers to Roger Goodell and Atlanta is overrated, their defense is awful.

NFC WEST

Seattle
San Francisco - Wild Card

Arizona

St. Louis

-Really thought about putting only one NFC West team, but I feel like sometimes when you try to be too outside-the-box, you get burned.

AFC EAST
New England  

Miami   

Buffalo  

NY Jets

-Cakewalk city.

AFC NORTH

Pittsburgh   

Baltimore - Wild Card  

Cincinnati   

Cleveland  

- I am the last person in America to not believe in the Bengals. I feel like Pittsburgh and Baltimore are better teams. This team just feels an 8-8 team after all the hype this offseason.

AFC SOUTH

Houston

Indianapolis

Jacksonville

Tennessee

- Houston wins this one by default. I think the Colts regress like everybody else.

AFC West

Denver

Kansas City - Wild Card   

San Diego

Oakland  

-Cakewalk city means the Chiefs and Broncos might get four wins before even leaving the division. Both will get enough to be in the playoffs.

Playoffs (Denver, New England get byes)
NFC: 3. Green Bay beats 6. Chicago 5. San Francisco beats 4. Dallas
AFC: 3. Pittsburgh beats 6. Kansas City, 5. Baltimore beats 4. Houston

NFC: 5. San Francisco beats 1. New Orleans 3. Green Bay beats 2. Seattle
AFC: 1. Denver beats 5. Baltimore 3. Pittsburgh beats 2. New England

NFC: 3. Green Bay beats 5. San Francisco
AFC: 3. Pittsburgh beats 1. Denver

Super Bowl: Green Bay beats Pittsburgh

I almost went without making a homer pick and taking the Packers. Honestly, I have not really seen the team at full strength nor do I know what they might be. The potential is very alluring and I like them versus the other teams in the NFC. San Francisco and Seattle are getting way too much hype to begin the year and I really feel like the NFC West will wear down the entire division. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just could not pick against the team.

As for Pittsburgh, the AFC is completely wide open. Denver and New England are getting byes because their division is so weak. Pittsburgh will find themselves in pole position in the AFC North and find a way to win on the road for two straight weeks. It's fitting to have these squads play in the first cold Super Bowl.

Charlie.

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32 in 31: Seattle Seahawks

Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August and September to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013

The Seattle Seahawks are the Nina Agdal or Ryan Gosling, whatever your attraction may be, of the National Football League.  Seriously, they could not be hotter right now. They are talking up the Seahawks to the highest levels. Many people have this team playing in the Super Bowl this season.  There are many things to like about this team and I could see the Hawks playing in the New York in their second Super Bowl appearance. But that does not mean there are not concerns with this team.

OFFENSE
Russell Wilson became one of the bigger fan favorites in the sport last season. Wilson is a shorter player thus being an underdog and everyone loves an underdog. Wilson made some great plays last year from throwing to running the football.  He does have a great defense behind him meaning he does not have to be great all the time, but Wilson  finds a way to make an impact. In a lot of ways, Wilson has similar personality qualities as Tim Tebow. I realize that's sort of obscure, but every positive personality trait about Wilson has probably been said about Tebow. Is this a #HOTSPORTSTAKE?  Probably because Tebow carries so much weight yet I feel like I am not wrong here.  

The Seahawks might have a loaded arsenal when it comes to running backs. Marshawn Lynch developed into a top-tier running back again after showing potential in Buffalo and going through some hard times. Now he is a dynamic runner who can wear down any opponent defense. They also have Christine Michael and Robert Turbin. The two young running backs have shown a ton of potential whether it is Turbin during the NFL season last year or Michael during the preseason this year.

DEFENSE
When talking about their defense we have to start in their secondary.  It is rare to see the secondary as the meanest part of their defense, but this is what the Seahawks have right now. They clearly have the best defensive nickname going right now with the 'Legion of Boom.'   Richard Sherman is a mean dude. Brandon Brower is a mean dude. Kam Chancellor is a mean dude. These men do not play any sort of games and are not afraid to throw around the lumber.  Have I called Sherman an asshole in the past? Yes I have, but that's only because I have watched him jaw at my team before. I would be remiss if I did not mention Earl Thomas whose also a mean dude at safety.

Chris Clemons practiced Wednesday, but the defensive end will not be playing in the season opener this year although he should probably be back in the upcoming weeks. Not to worry Hawks fans as they added Cliff Avril in the offseason and he can definitely be a player for this team. Avril still had a pretty solid year in 2012 even if it did not hit his 2011 levels.  They also added Michael Bennett who had a huge year for Tampa Bay last season. Now this could have been a player looking for a contract, but you never know until they play the following seasons.

SPECIAL TEAMS
They have a pretty good unit with Steven Hauschka and Jon Ryan.  I love Tim Masthay and I am glad he's with the Green Bay Packers because I honestly missed Jon Ryan for a long time.

KEY ADDITIONS
WR Percy Harvin, DE Cliff Avril, DE Michael Bennett, DT Tony McDaniel - Harvin tweeted he might be back by Week 7 coming off his hip injury. I doubt it personally, but him coming back mid-season will be a massive upgrade to the wide receiver position.

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
DT Alan Branch, LB Leroy Hill, DE Jason Jones, QB Matt Flynn

SEAHAWKS DRAFT PICKS
RB Christine Michael, DT Jordan Hill, WR Chris Harper, DT Jessie Williams, CB Tharold Simon, TE Luke Wilson, RB Spencer Ware, OG Ryan Seymour, LB Ty Powell, OG Jared Smith, OT Michael Bowie - Jessie Williams is a player I would keep my eye on.

GAME TO WATCH
Sunday November 10th at Atlanta 12 pm - A rematch of one of the better playoff games in the past couple of years with the Hawks collapsing late. Can they redeem themselves and will this game be important to NFC seeding?

WIN TOTAL
11-12 - I think the Hawks win the NFC West division. They could be the number one seed as well which would be bad news for the rest of the NFC.

Charlie.

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