LCB NFL Picks: Week 17

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+3 Chicago Bears (9-6) @ Houston Texans (7-8): Langston's Pick: The Bears need to win to keep their playoff chances alive while the Texans are playing for respect, contract incentives and jobs. Houston has been playing consistent football all season long, and their record is a product of being in one of the toughest divisions in football. I like Steve Slaton and the Texans to vault the Vikings to the playoffs with a win. Texans by 6. LCG's Pick: Bears. However I believe Houston will play hard, just not as hard as the team from the Windy City.

+7 New York Giants (12-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (9-6): Langston's Pick: The Giants will be doing their best to rest up for the playoffs, while the Vikings have their eyes set on the playoffs. I like Adrien Peterson and the Vikings defense to carry this team into January. Vikings by 3. LCG's Pick: No Plax + rest + nothing to prove + annoying amounts of drama= loss, Vikings by 6.

-6 New England Patriots (10-5) @ Buffalo Bills (7-8): Langston's Pick: I would really like to see the Patriots lose, but I don't see it happening. The Bills are just too inconsistent and cannot match the level of talent the Pats wield. New England by 10. LCG's Pick: Buffalo makes me uncomfortable. The Pats leave me disheartened. I would like to see the Patriots blow their shot at the playoffs before NY and Miami decide their fate, but the Bills don't have the talent to pull off this upset. Patriots by 7.

+3 Miami Dolphins (10-5) @ New York Jets (9-6): Langston's Pick: The Jets should have already locked up a playoff spot, but they struggle mightily on the west coast. The Dolphins are one of the surprise teams in the league, going from 1-15 to playoff contenders. The story in Miami is a great one, but their season ends here. The Jets are dynamite at home and should roll over the Dolphins in the Meadowlands. Jets by 7. LCG's Pick: Dolphins are my pick. I understand picking the Jets but Miami just speaks out to me.

+1 Dallas Cowboys (9-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (8-6-1): Langston's Pick: The Cowboys are the more talented team. The Eagles are the better team. However if the better team always won, watching football wouldn't be as much fun as it is. I like the Cowboys to take this game and their malfunctioning attitudes to the playoffs, where they can implode in front of the entire nation. LCG's Pick: I hope that the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl, but they need a win and a whole lot of help just to make it into January. Dallas is kind of bs. Any time these teams go against each other no matter what season, I feel inclined to take Philadelphia every time.

+8 Denver Broncos (8-7) @ San Diego Chargers (7-8): Langston's Pick: Earlier in the season the Broncos needed a bogus call to beat the Chargers. Tomorrow, they will be lucky if the bad calls will even matter. Rivers is on a mission to take his douchey attitude and his team to the playoffs, and with the way he is playing I wouldn't bet against him. Chargers by 6. LCG's Pick: I like the Chargers to take the game and the AFC West. Denver has been doing their best to blow this season, and they give me no reason to believe tomorrow night will be any different.

Time Waster: You Get To Spend More Time With Gisele

Ryan Parker has been dedicating songs to NFL players and doing it well for quite some time. His newest song about Tom Brady, "You get to spend more time with Gisele" , does not disappoint. The song is about getting Tom to look at the bright side of having his ACL shredded to resemble pulled pork:

Go check out his website for more songs- Ryan Parker Songs

Tom Brady's Injury Update

During the second drive of the game against the Chiefs, Tom Brady completed a pass to receiver Randy Moss, who consequently fumbled after a 28-yard gain. But it turns out that the fumble wasn't remotely close to being the worst part of the play. Brady was hit low by safety Bernard Pollard (see: picture and If you haven't seen the video, think Carson Palmer in the 05-06 playoffs) causing Brady's knee to buckle. With help he managed to limp off the field, and from the news coming out it is amazing he didn't leave on a cart. According to Michael Silver of Yahoo! sports, Brady is expected to miss the rest of the 2008 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Two sources indicated it involved serious damage to the knee.

“It’s bad,” a team source said. “We’re going to have
to play without him.”

Tom Brady was replaced by backup Matt Cassell who completed 13 of 18 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown, but let me remind you they were playing the Chiefs. Alright so there are two major questions that have resulted from this. 1)Who do I replace Brady with on my fantasy team? 2) What are the Patriots going to do? Well I have no idea who I am going to replace him with probably Derek Anderson while the Patriots have a guy who has been a career backup in college and as a pro. Matt Cassell has not started a game since high school and trying to fill the shoes of a three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback is a monstrous task for a glorified clipboard holder. The Patriots realize that and according to what Al Michaels said, they are bringing in Chris Simms for a workout Monday. Simms likely would step in as the primary backup to Matt Cassel, that is, if Brady is done for the year. And if the rumors are true, has there ever been a more devastating/ season changing injury in the first week of the season?

2008 NFL Season Preview: #1 New England Patriots

Division: AFC East
Last Years Record: 16-0
Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Offensive Coordinator: Josh McDaniels
Defensive Coordinator: Dean Pees

Key Additions:
LB Jerod Mayo
S Tank Williams
WR Sam Aiken

Key Losses:
CB Asante Samuel
WR Donte Stallworth
LB Rosevelt Colvin

Offensive Breakdown:
The Patriots of 2007 had about as perfect a season as is imaginable. After finishing the regular season with an unblemished 16-0 record, the Patriots beat Jacksonville and San Diego in the AFC playoffs, and were one victory away from becoming the first NFL team to ever go 19-0.

But one memorable drive derailed their march towards perfection. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s found the ability to elude pass rushers like his name was Randall or Donovan, it concluded with a pass to David Tyree. Where his helmet contributed to one of the greatest plays in Superbowl history. Manning capped off the drive by hitting Plaxico Burress in the end zone. On the last possession of the game the Patriots efforts were thwarted by the Giants defense. The game ended, Giants were Super Bowl Champions and New England came away with an 18-1 mark.

Tom Brady played like man possessed last season. The final numbers look more like Madden statistics then real stats. A record breaking 50 touchdowns, only eight interceptions, an outstanding 4,806 yards, and a ridiculous 68.9 completion percentage. The Jets may have added the greatest quarterback of all time to their roster, but the Patriots have the best quarterback of this decade. Since his unexpected emergence seven years ago, Brady has guided the Patriots to six AFC East crowns, five appearances in the AFC Championship game, four Superbowl trips and three Superbowl victories. He has the complete package; the arm, the accuracy, the cleft chin, the supermodel girlfriend, and he is as clutch as Joe Cool. The most remarkable thing about him, he’s still only 31.

Brady's favorite targets, are maybe the best wide receiving combination in the NFL. Wes Welker and Randy Moss are complete opposites but are possibly perfect complements for each other. Wes Welker stands only at 5'9 while Randy Moss stands at a stout 6'4. Moss can hurt you anywhere on the field, he can hurt you with short quick passes, across the middle, but most notably the home-run ball. Moss has rejuvenated his career going from team cancer to a perfect Patriot. Don't expect Moss and his numbers to decline much as Welker should draw some more attention after his league-leading 112 receptions. Welker relies on his quickness underneath and undoubtedly benefits from defenses rolling coverage to Moss. Randy had 98 more receptions for the Pats and led the team in receiving yards with 1,493, and touchdowns with 23 while Welker had 1,175 receiving yards and eight scores. Jabar Gaffney and tight end Benjamin Watson had 36 catches apiece, and combined for 11 touchdown receptions. The receiving core will not be as deep with the losses of veteran Troy Brown and Donte Stallworth, but New England expects Sam Aiken and rookie Matthew Slater to fill the void that they left. Kelley Washington should continue to see plenty of time on special teams.

The ground attack has no standout as this year looks to be another committee effort. Laurence Maroney, the Patriots’ leading rusher gained only 835 yards last year with a team-best six rushing touchdowns. But if he stays healthy (something he has failed to do in his short career), the quick and powerful Maroney could have a fantastic year. Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk should continue to see plenty of time as the backups, Faulk is a good receiver out of the backfield and the Patriots will continue to use that ability. Heath Evans returns as the starting fullback, he is a powerful blocker and runner who gets all of his carries in short yardage situations. He managed 3 touchdowns last season on a mere 34 carries. Lamont Jordan comes to the Patriots from Oakland and looks like the fourth running-back option.

The offensive line remains intact, and it is one of the best in the NFL. Center Dan Koppen, left tackle Matt Light and left guard Logan Mankins were all 2007 Pro Bowl selections. Filling out the line are right guard Stephen Neal and right tackle Nick Kaczur. This line played spectacularly all season, until Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo found the secret to slow down the Patriots. To get pressure on Brady, Spagnuolo overloaded New York’s pass-rush up the middle. This obstructed Brady’s vision and rattled the cages of Patriot guards Logan Mankins and Steve Neal, as well as center Dan Koppen. It also forced New England running backs to direct their pass-blocking help inside. This left Patriots tackles Matt Light and Nick Kaczur on an island, where they were manhandled by Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan. The Patriots will need to put more focus on the running-game if they don't want that to happen again.

Defensive Breakdown:
The front three of the Patriots is a force, if you outrun one of them most likely you are being tackled by the other two. Defensive ends Richard Seymour and Ty Warren return to be grouped with tackle Vince Wilfork. Each of the three are a force on their own, and create a devastating defensive front.

Pro Bowlers Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel return to their jobs at outside linebacker. They combined for 19 sacks last season and with Thomas' role to be expanded, you can expect these two to punish even more opposing QBs this season. They are joined by veteran Tedy Bruschi and rookie Jerod Mayo. Mayo has the athleticism and intelligence that the Patriots covet. He played all three linebacker positions as a Volunteer and projects as Bruschi’s heir apparent. Bruschi is getting older at 35, but the Patriots defense allows defenders to play longer as they are consistently in one-on-one situations. Pierre Woods and Shawn Crable are the backups on the outside, while Gary Guyton and Eric Alexander are the backups on in the inside. Veteran Larry Izzo should see most of his time on special teams.

They lost their best corner in the off-season to free agency, but the Patriots much like the Steelers seem to let their best defenders go grab a huge paycheck from a different team each off-season. It never seems to affect them, but I don't know if they have the talent on this team to replace the abilities of Asante Samuel. Ellis Hobbs gives the Pats a solid right corner-back, and rookie Terrence Wheatley out of Colorado is starting at left corner-back. They are backed up by Deltha O'neal and Jonathan Willhite. Rodney Harrison, 35, is back at strong safety. Young James Sanders is the starting free safety. Brandon Merriweather provides depth as the backup safety. Wide Receiver Matt Slater could end up becoming the next Troy Brown, as he is listed as the backup at strong safety.

Season Outlook:
It seems highly unlikely that the Patriots could go 16-0 for a second straight season, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. They have the easiest schedule in the league, with an opponents' 2007 winning percentage of .387. They should easily get to 13 wins but the games that could stop them from reaching 16-0 for a second straight season, will be a tough West Coast swing against Seattle and Oakland late in the season. The Patriots will be back with a vengeance this season, and don't be surprised if they are back in the Super Bowl because they still have savvy head coach Bill Belichick. (clips not safe for work)





I had to do it



Schedule:
Week 1: Sep 07 KC @ NE 1:00 PM Tickets CBS 706 7061 147 126
Week 2: Sep 14 NE @ NYJ 4:15 PM Tickets CBS 714 7141 123 126
Week 3: Sep 21 MIA @ NE 1:00 PM Tickets CBS 707 7071 107 127
Week 4: Bye Week
Week 5: Oct 05 NE @ SF 4:15 PM CBS
Week 6: Oct 12 NE @ SD 8:15 PM NBC
Week 7: Oct 20 DEN @ NE 8:30 PM ESPN
Week 8: Oct 26 STL @ NE 1:00 PM FOX
Week 9: Nov 02 NE @ IND 8:15 PM NBC
Week 10: Nov 09 BUF @ NE 1:00 PM CBS
Week 11: Nov 13 NYJ @ NE 8:15 PM NFL NETWORK
Week 12: Nov 23 NE @ MIA 1:00 PM CBS
Week 13: Nov 30 PIT @ NE 4:15 PM CBS
Week 14: Dec 07 NE @ SEA 8:15 PM NBC
Week 15: Dec 14 NE @ OAK 4:15 PM CBS
Week 16: Dec 21 ARI @ NE 1:00 PM FOX
Week 17: Dec 28 NE @ BUF 1:00 PM CBS