Ravens flying high into Foxborough

The 3-0 Ravens come to town this week in what is supposed to be another wet day at Gillette. Last week we saw the Patriots beat the then undefeated Atlanta Falcons. Brady didn't look sharp again and New England left points on the field. There is much less room for error this week as the Ravens boast one of the top defenses in the league. Two big factors for the Pats will be the availability of Wes Welker and Vince Wilfork. Brady needs Welker as an outlet. He was a big part of the win against Baltimore a couple years ago when the Patriots squeaked out a win on there way to an undefeated season. Wilfork is a big factor against the run. With the excellent vet Matt Birk towing the line for the run heavy Ravens he could be dominant with the missing Vince in the middle. The forecast is rain all weekend and the focus will be on the run which is Baltimore's forte anyway. If Vince and Wes are missing I think the Ravens will pound the ball and take time off the clock. Leaving zero room for error for Brady and the passing attack. The line looked good against an inferior defense last week. But the Ravens have an excellent line and linebackers. Not to mention a very good defensive backfield. I see a low scoring game with the Ravens taking this one 17-10. If Welker and Wilfork play and the Patriots can establish a decent running attack to stay on the field things could work in their favor. This is a real test for New England. If they do lose, it's not the end of the world. The next 3 games are winnable heading into the bye week. The week after the bye Miami comes to town. Miami is not the same team they were a year ago. So the patriots should go into the Indy game at 6 - 2 with Jerod Mayo that much closer to returning and Brady that much sharper. The Patriots are in good position with Mayo back for a tougher stretch against Indy, New york Jets and New Orleans. They should end up 12-4 or 11-5. I think this team should really hit it's stride in mid November. just in time for a playoff run to a Championship.

Week 3 Pats need to win

After not looking good against the Jets last week. The Patriots need to get a win against a 2 and 0 Atlanta team. Atlanta has an explosive offense that has been retooled by former Patriots director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff. Second year pro Matt Ryan has been excellent in developing into an NFL quarterback. Tony Gonzalez will be a tough opponent for the Patriots linebackers. If they can limit his production and take Roddy White out of the team with double coverage the Patriots have a chance to win this one. I think Tom Brady will have a break out game this week. The Atlanta secondary isn't very good. Randy Moss should have two td's and if Welker can play he should get a ton of receptions. If Brady has a break out game this will limit the monstrous Michael Turner's carries. They need to make sure John Abraham doesn't put a lot of pressure on Brady. Matt Light needs to step his game up. I'd like to see New England establish a running game if they can get a lead. It will not be a blow out. Atlanta will put points on the board. I see a 35 to 24 win with a late score and a couple of sacks on Matt Ryan to end this one. They need to take this one with Baltimore coming to town.

Off the field highlight

In sports, especially in the NFL. Off the field incidents are often negetive. But Wednesday Vince Young took deceased Steve McNairs kids out for a father son breakfast. The school has an annual father son breakfast and McNairs two kids were left fatherless when he was murdered in July. Young and McNair had grown close years before Young entered the NFL. Young had promised the two boys he would remain in their lives. He ended up paying for all the families that came out to the breakfast. With all the domestic altercations, DUI's and other criminal activity surrounding the league it is a breath of fresh air to see someone doing something positive.

Holes in the defense

Jerod Mayo is out six to eight weeks with an MCL injury. This causes a major hole for the defense. Mayo's loss highlights some poor drafting by the Patriots the past few years. They left themselves vulnerable by not addressing this problem the past few years. Jerod mayo was a great pick last year. Tyrone McKenzie was taken this past April in the draft and went out with a season ending injury in rookie camp. I thought in 2006 they should have grabbed Houston middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans instead of Moroney. You could see the linebacking core getting older every year and they weren't addressing it aggressively enough. The signing of Adalius Thomas hasn't worked out as planned. He has been ok. The Colvin signing in 2004 backfired when he was injured with a broken hip. He wasn't the same after that although he had some decent moments. But injuries happen, there is nothing you can do about that. Trading Vrabel backfired because now you basically traded him and Cassel for Patrick Chung who at this point isn't ready to contribute on a full time basis. Derrick Brook's name is being tossed around to come play here. But how much of a difference would he make? Not enough. Junior Seau is another name being tossed out there. He may be a better fit for the pats. He can play inside and add to pass coverage. But he is old too. The pats have a tough three game stretch coming up with the Jets, Falcons and Ravens. All three teams can run the ball. Gary Guyton needs to step up for this defense. I'm looking for him to make a solid impact. I don't think a trade would make sense. The Pats value their picks and the season is under way. It takes time to learn a play book. The offense better start putting up 35 points a game. A running game will be needed also to take time off the clock. What do you think the Patriots should do?

Say good bye Seymour

The Pats traded Richard Seymour yesterday for a first round pick in the 2011 draft. Seymour goes from an NFL dynasty to a joke of a franchise. The Raiders have no stability through the coaching ranks. Al Davis is making all the shots on players and has o clue what he is doing. Look at this years draft. The Patriots must see something dwindling in Seymour's play. They got a future first round pick instead of letting him walk at the end of the season. With the new 4-3 alignment, Derrick Burgess and Jarvis Green will be needed to add pressure on the quarterback. Myron Pryor and Mike Wright are more effective against the run. I don't love or hate the deal. I'm glad they got something instead of nothing. Seymour has been frequently hurt and in my opinion overrated. He had a good year in 2008 with a team leading 8 sacks. But 8 sacks doesn't exactly wow me. Coach Belichick must think he is less valuable to the team in the new defensive scheme. This defense has plenty of question marks. At some point this season they are going to need to find an identity to go all the way.

Super Bowl Pick

A preseason Superbowl pick is more fun than anything. A lot can happen between now and February. So here it goes...

AFC Championship

New England
Baltimore

NFC Championship

Philadelphia
Atlanta

Superbowl

New England
Philadelphia

New England over Philadelphia

Who do you think has what it takes to go all the way?

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals - ( 10-6 ) - Kurt Warner is back after an excellent season. He still has all three targets in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. All had over 1,000 yards last year. Leonard Pope seems to have stepped up is receiving game a bit as well. Pope is not a huge threat but another target is great to have. Tim Hightower and Chris Wells will do the running. Hightower was valuable in short yardage situations last year scoring 10 touchdowns. He also had 34 receptions making him a threat in the passing game. Chris Wells will probably be broken in slowly. He has a history of getting injured. He will be a nice change of pace. Hightower is be the starter. The offensive line finally came together last year. It had been a major problem. All five starters are back. Starting end Antonio Smith is gone so Calias Campbell will get his chance to start in his second season. He has had a solid preseason. The rest of the starters on the line are back including stand out Darnell Dockett. The linebackers are a good unit led by Karlos Dansby. Rookie Cody Brown will try to make an impact rushing the passer but Victor Hobson has made the most of his opportunity this preseason and should start at the other outside linebacker spot. The secondary looks great. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played well as a rookie. Bryant McFadden who played great against the Cards in the Superbowl will get the other corner sport. Left void by the departure of Rod Hood. Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson are excellent safeties. Back to the post season for the Cardinals in this terrible division.

Seattle Seahawks - (7-9) - The success of this teams will be keeping Matt Hasselbeck up right and healthy. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the dominant number one wide receiver they have been looking for. Hasselbeck and Houshmandzadeh have been hooking up for TD's all preseason. John Carlson should take another step forward after an impressive rookie season. Finding guys to fill in the blanks around them will be the big key. Nate Burleson needs to stay healthy. Deion Branch could be a cap casualty and is always hurt. Look for rookie Deon Butler out of Penn State to make an impact this year. Julius Jones will be the feature back. Even with the signing of Edgerin James, who seems to understand the team concept of using multiple backs from what he has been saying to the press. The line is not very impressive. Rookie Max Unger could be a breath of fresh air. They need to find stability at the tackle positions. The defense has some holes. Especially in the secondary. Ken Lucas was brought in to give this team 2 good corners. But Marcas Trufant but he has been pup on the P.U.P list (Physically unable to perform). They are not sure when his back will get better. Deon Grant and Brian Russell are average and below average safeties. The good news is Aaron Curry has been everything they expected in the preseason. Combing with Tatupu and Hill will make this a strong linebacking core. The line looks pretty good. The additions of Cory Redding and Colin Cole will bolster this group. I think if they can find some guys to step up on the offensive line and Josh Wilson and Kelly Jennings can fill in well while Trufant is out, the Seahawks could be a surprise team coming out of the west. I don't think they have enough of a total package to make the playoffs however.

San Francisco 49ers - (7-9) - Shaun Hill is the starting QB. He has a 7-3 record as a starter and is efficient in short yardage passing plays. Michael Crabtree still hasn't signed a contract leaving Issac Bruce, Josh Morgan and Jason Hill as the starters. None of which are dominant players. Can Vernon Davis finally play to his potential is the big question? Frank gore is a tough runner who will need to carry a heavy load for the offense. The line is led by center Eric Heitmann and Left tackle Joe Staley. The rest of the line is a question mark. Marvel Smith needs to stay healthy and play consistent football. Chilo Rachal and Tony Wragge will battle for starting spots. The defense is led by Patrick Willis. Arguably the best linebacker in the NFL. Justin Smith was amazing last season in his first year with he team. Rookie Kentwan Balmer will push for time at the other end. Issaac Sopoaga will probably move to nose. Nate Clements has been a good player for the 49ers after signing a huge contract. Safety Michael Lewis is great in run support. This is a team on the rise. They could make a push for the playoffs with solid offensive line play. a weak division helps.

St. Louis Rams - (5-11) - QB Marc Bulger is starting the season with a fractured pinkie finger in his throwing hand. He also has nobody to throw to. Donny Avery is the top wide reciever on the team and suffered a broken foot during camp. He will be ready to play but at what speed. Steven Jackson could have a monster year. He will need to catch a lot of passes and run the ball. The team has been trying to better the offensive line for a couple years. They signed center Jason Brown and drafted Tackle Jason Smith 2nd overall in April. The defense is switching to a 4-3 from 3-4. Chris Long should benefit from the change at end. James Laurinaitis was selected 34th overall. He isn't the fastest guy on the field but is a sure tackler. The secondary is okay. Led by safety Oshiomogho. He is one of those guys you don't here much about. But he is a star. There are holes all over this team. They will be better than last year. But that's not saying much.