Why the New York Yankees are NOT the team to beat this October.

Yes, I know that they are the defending world champions. Yes, I know that until you are dethroned you are still the king. However, neither the ALCS or World Series goes through New York this year, and here is why.

1) Matchups: Yes, the Yankees have what will be the AL Cy Young award winner. But the other 3 teams that will be in the AL playoffs all match up with the Yanks very well. So far this year against the Tampa Bay Rays the Yanks are 6-6 with 4 games still to go. Against the Rangers they are 4-5 and losing 4 of their last 6 and 3 in a row against them. Against Minnesota they are 4-2. That being said. Yes, they do have a winning record against the rest of the playoff contenders. But by a close margin. 3 games over .500 against 3 teams is not alot.

2) Age: The Yankees average age is 29.37 with 6 players 35 or older. The average age for all MLB players is 27.2 (bleacherreport.com). A-Rod, Jeter, Pettite, Rivera and Posada are all over 35. Jeter has seen a 60 point drop in this batting average over the last year. He is normally a .320 hitter and now he is right at .260.

3) Injuries) Andy Pettite comes back from an injury on Sunday. Meanwhile Nick Swisher was hurt in the series against the Rangers. Jorge Posada has been relegated to pinch hitting duty due to a concussion and Mark Texiera has a broken toe. How healthy they are come postseason time is vital to their success.

4) Peak performance: Yes, both the Yankees and Rays are still playing good baseball, perhaps the Rays better than the Yanks of late. But, nonetheless they are both still great teams. It seems as though the Twins and the Rangers have started peaking at the perfect time, just before the playoffs start. If the Yankees have all of their key components playing and healthy come playoff time, they will be a force to be reckoned with. But with their age, that is a big step right now.

5) scheduling for the rest of the regular season: with 18 games to go, the New York Yankees are half a game out of first, and lead the Red Sox by 6 games in the wild card. they have a 7 game stretch in their final games where they face the Sox for 6 and the Rays for 4. What's not to say that the Sox get fired up and make a late season push for the wildcard? Yes, they are still injured, but they are also still capable. Do i expect this? no. But it is possible.

At the end of the day, the AL East is the most interesting storyline in all of baseball as it is seamingly every season. One thing is for sure. There's still a lot of baseball to be played, and it's going to be fun!

Week 1 Fantasy Impact

Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books, and what a definitely entertaining week 1 it was.  From a fantasy football perspective, there were definitely some big performances and developments which will play a huge role all season long.  From breakout performances (Arian Fosterand Hakeem Nicks) to damaging injuries (Ryan Grant), the impact will surely be felt by owners.


Biggest developments of the week


 

Foster scored at will against the Colts
porous run defense in week 1

 Arian Foster (RB, Texans) - To the hardcore fantasy football players, this doesn't come as quite as big of a surprise as it does to most others, as with the loss of rookie running back Ben Tate in the preseason and the fact that Steve Slaton has completely fallen out of favor in Houston meant that Foster was the lead guy, and with all the talk of his talent, he was going to bust out at some point, but nobody expected it to be week 1 of the season, against the defending AFC champion Colts, and to this extent.  He carved up the porous Colts defense to the tune of 231 yards and 3 TD's on 33 carries, making everyone further forget about Slaton, and remember the terrible Colts run defenses of recent years. 


Will he perform like this game in and game out?  Well no, that's a phenomenal game and far to much to expect, but he is a definite threat to put up triple digit yards and multiple scores every game, and highly reward fantasy owners who snagged him up anywhere from the 3rd to 6th round.


Ryan Grant (RB, Packers) - This one is nearly as big a story as that of Foster, but unfortunately, for a completely opposite reason.  Grant started out his season looking strong in the Packers high octane offense, tallying 45 yards on his first 8 carries.  But on that 8th carry, Grant went down wrong on his ankle, and left week 1 with what was said to be a sprained ankle.  As a fantasy owner, you hear sprained ankle for a running back, and you hate it, because it could so easily be a high-ankle sprain, and force them to the sidelines for multiple weeks, but you don't ever anticipate to hear out for the season from an ankle sprain.


Well, unfortunately, this case is one of the latter.  It has been determined that grant damaged ligaments in his ankle, likely forcing surgery, and ending his season nearly as quickly as it began.  This can potentially be devastating to fantasy owners, as he is a late 2nd and early 3rd round pick, and an every week starter.  Fantasy owners everywhere will be fighting on the waiver wire to pick up new Packer starter Brandon Jackson, especially owners of Grant.  As an owner of Grant myself in a big league, one in which I am left with Beanie Wells and Jerome Harrison as my only 2 backs who will get many touches, it damages my team quickly, because I am in a bad waiver position and will not get Jackson.




Matt Forte catching the go ahead TD,
A catch many receivers may not have made

Matt Forte (RB, Bears) - Yes, it was against the Lions, so owners of Forte need not get over excited, but wow, what a huge game for the 2009 first round fantasy bust Forte.  He only had 50 yards rushing on 17 carries (less than 3 yards per carry), but it was as a receiver where Forte blew up.  He totaled 151 yards on 7 catches, including an 89 yard catch and run for a score, and later adding an acrobatic 28 yard score, making fantasy owners extremely happy, at least for the time being.  He nearly added a 3rd TD but failed to get in from 1-yard out, or else he would have taken over the star of the week and overshadowed Foster.
It is worth noting that Chester Taylor was not completely quiet on the week, as he had 12 touches totaling 73 yards on the day, and will definitely get his share going forward, but owners of Forte are clearly happier this season so far than they were a year ago.




Hakeem Nicks catching
one of his 3 scores

 Hakeem Nicks (WR, Giants) - Think Plaxico Burress, take away the gun toting in the nightclub, subtract a few years off his age, and you get Nicks.  He showed signs a year ago of being primed to breakout as a star, and in week 1 of his sophomore season, he came through already.  He caught only 4 passes on the day from Eli Manning for 75 yards, but 3 of them for scores.  He was drafted significantly lower than teammate Steve Smith in fantasy drafts, mainly because Smith will catch a ton of balls, but Nicks will almost undoubtedly have more yards many weeks, and is a much better chance to score.  By years end, he will make owners regret drafting Smith over him, although I do think Smith will produce quite well on his own.


Peyton Manning (QB, Colts) - It seems every year he gets bumped down in fantasy drafts by another quarterback or two, going behind Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers often times this year, but every year, all he does is reward those owners who took him.  On Sunday, he put up 433 yards, and 3 scores on 57 pass attempts, AND THEY LOST!  That last part was thrown in because it cannot be expected that Manning attempts 57 passes very often, but if their run defense cannot keep teams in check, Manning may be throwing even more, and this is Peyton Manning people, he completes a ton, and makes receivers fantasy stars, as he did with Austin Collie this week, connecting 10 times for 131 yards and a score with the second year wideout, and making people quickly realize that Anthony Gonzalez is the definitely 4th receiver, and 5th option once Dallas Clark is factored in.


Week 1 disappointments


Week in and week out, there are sure to be plenty of disappointments from a fantasy perspective, and the biggest of those usually always comes from the guys who are drafted in the first few rounds, because they have the most stock and hopes put on them, and when they don't put up big numbers, it can mean a loss for an owner, and so often, panic.


The key is to not panic, and relax, and realize, it's one week.  You drafted these guys for a reason, and as long as they remain healthy, almost undoubtedly, they will produce for you. 


It's those guys who disappoint week after week that you must truly worry about.


There were plenty of highly drafted players who failed to put up numbers to satisfy owners in week 1...


Quarterback


Aaron Rodgers - It may not be his fault, as he has very little time to throw the ball with that line, but if that continues, it will be quite tough for him to threaten 5,000 passing yards, and there will be more turnovers than owners would like to see.  He threw for 2 scores, but only 188 yards from Rodgers is far below expectations.


Drew Brees - The Saints took the opening kickoff of the season, marched down field in 2 minutes and 4 second, and scored on a strike from Brees to Dev Henderson, and we all thought, here we go! That was pretty much it for him on the night, however.  He got to 237 yards on the night, but only the 1 score, and missed some open receivers on a night when the Vikings were more less than thin at the cornerback position.


Matt Schaub - He puts up 107 yards compared to Manning's 433, and he beat Manning?!?  Schaub went only 9 of 17, with 1 score and 1 interception, but all he really needed to do was give it to Foster on the day to win.  He will heat up quickly with wideout Andre Johnson and company.


Running backs


Michael Turner - He put up a whopping 42 yards on 19 carries, and only added another 7 yards on one catch.  Yes, it was against the Steelers tough defense, but still, it was definitely expected that Turner would average far better than 2.2 yards per carry, but he will be just fine going forward, and there is no sign that any carries will be vultured away from the fantasy workhorse.


Cedric Benson - The guy who it seemed like nobody wanted to buy into as a top tier type running back, and people dreaded drafting because after all, it's still Cedric Benson, and he did little to put owners at ease against New England.  Sure, he did score late, but still averaged less than 3 yards per carry on 15 carries.  With T.O. in town, and rookies Jermaine Gresham and Jordan Shipley to go along with Chad Ochocinco, the passing game will undoubtedly take away from Benson's opportunities as the year progresses.


Shonn Greene - His chance to take over the starting gig, and what did he do with it?  He fumbled twice, one of them caused by his own offensive lineman's backside, and lost 1. All told, he only carried the ball 5 times for 18 whole yards in week 1. Meanwhile,  LaDanian Tomlinson took full advantage of his chance, running for 62 yards on 11 carries and adding 16 yards on 2 receptions, all against one of the toughest defenses in all of the league in the Ravens.  Perhaps, LT wasn't done after all, and this could get quite interesting going forward.


Wide Receivers


Andre Johnson - The unquestioned star of the receiving group this year did very little in week 1, catching only 3 passes for 33 yards, but this had nothing to do with him not getting open and catching passes, the Texans simply did not have the need to throw with that performance by Arian Foster.  He's still Andre Johnson, the Texans will throw plenty, and he will still make owners very happy.


Larry Fitzgerald - The guy who is right there with Johnson as the top receivers in the NFL, also did little in week 1.  He did score late to salvage the day a bit, but only caught 3 of 15 passes thrown his way.  This is due to the lack of time in the preseason with new quarterback Derek Anderson, and with some time to build some chemistry together, it will most likely be Fitzgerald catching the bulk of the passes for more than 100 yards instead of Steve Breaston.  Though it is worth noting that Breaston is poised for a big year with the departure of Anquan Boldin.


Michael Crabtree - This guy wasn't drafted quite as high, but the hopes sure are high for him.  He rewarded fantasy owners with a stellar 12 yard performance on 2 catches.  This is due in part of Alex Smith, but he must get open.  That time not on the field in August showed right away.


Transaction of the week


Ryan Grant (drop) - With the news of Grant being out for the season, he can obviously be dropped in leagues, and owners all over will be going after incumbent running back Brandon Jackson.


Fred Taylor (add) - He showed at the ripe old age of 88, he can still run, racking up 71 yards on 14 carries.  With the news coming out today that Laurence Maroney was traded to the Broncos, and Sammy Morris only getting 1 carry on Sunday, this job appears to belong to Taylor.


Mark Clayton (add) - He only joined the Rams just over a week ago, and still has rookie Sam Bradford to toss him the ball, but he got 16 targets, and caught 10 for over 100 yards.  He is the most experienced receiver they have, and showed it in week 1.


Mike Thomas (add) - Mike Sims-Walker was drafted relatively high in most drafts.  Mike Thomas went largely undrafted.  Thomas caught 6 balls for nearly 100 yards.  Sims-Walker failed to record a catch.  Could be a sign of things to come going forward.


Kyle Orton (add) - This guy seems to continuously be overlooked as a fantasy quarterback.  No clue as to why.  Is it because people somehow think Tebow is going to take the job?  Can't be.  He got in for a few plays, but never threw the ball, all the while Orton nearly threw for 300 yards on the day in the sweltering heat, and looks poised to have a very nice season throwing the ball.  You can do worse.


Keep and eye on these guys


Lance Moore (WR, Saints) - The Saints throw a ton.  Lance Moore was their main guy just 2 seasons ago, before being hurt much of last season.  He's the best slot option they have, and is now healthy. He won't be a Wes Welker type out of the slot, but he will work his way back into a bigger role in that high octane offense.


Early Doucet (WR, Cardinals) - The Cardinals will throw a lot with Anderson, contrary to what people thought with the departure of Warner.  Doucet, when healthy seeing as how he left week 1, will take over the role that Breaston played for the last few years and can put up some nice games.


Larod Stephens-Howling (RB, Cardinals) - If Hightower continues to have fumbling issues, then even with Wells back, LSH can play a larger role, seeing as how he is the quickest of the backs they have, and a great change of pace guy.  If an injury plays a longer role with either Wells or Hightower, he can get some good work in both running and receiving.


Dmitri Nance (RB, Packers) - Brandon Jackson now is the lead guy.  John Kuhn is a bruiser who may score the TD's.  But Jackson once lost the job before in 2007 to Grant, and he has never shown to take a lot of punishment.  Nance was just signed, and most assuredly will get work going forward.


Kevin Faulk (RB, Patriots) - The other 80+ year old back on the Pats.  He's the guy who catches a lot of passes, and does a lot with his limited carries.  May see a few more touches without Maroney around to take any.




He can win some games for you

 Mike Vick (QB, Eagles) - It's not secret what he can do, it's just how often will he get the chances.  Kolb may be out a few weeks, so Vick will get his chances for now.  Just who knows what chances he will get once Kolb is back.  Vick has potential to win you some games.
















Don't even bother


Brandon Lloyd (WR, Broncos) - He has teased at times for years, then disappears.  He had a nice week 1, but the Broncos and Orton will use Jabar Gaffney, Eric Decker, and Demaryius Thomas more going forward, and Lloyd will probably fade.


Deion Branch (WR, Seahawks) - The guy has done little with the Seahawks.  They let go of Houshmandzadeh, so the thought it Branch should get more chances.  Sure, he caught a TD in week 1, but only caught 3 balls, and the other Deon is better, and will catch more as weeks go on.


Good luck as your seasons go on.  Enjoy football as much as you can, it's not here long enough.


Stay tuned for more fantasy information and my thoughts on the upcoming games as well as each week's recap.

September baseball!

Once again, it is September and once again, the Colorado Rockies are surging. Having won 17 of their last 22 and just coming off 10 wins in a row they have closed to within 2.5 games of the Padres in their division race and are 3.5 games out in the NL wild card with 18 games left. Of the 18 games left, only 5 of them are against the 2 teams ahead of them in the division. Although, only being down 2.5 games anything can happen.

The NL East is another big story. Two months ago it was seemingly Atlantas division to lose. Well, they have. It seems as though the Phillies just weathered the storm until they had everyone healthy and off to the races they went. The Phillies lead by 1 game, however the Braves lead the wildcard over the Giants by 1.5. The only race in the NL that isnt close by anymeans is the NL Central where Joey Votto and the Reds are rolling along and up by 7 games.

The AL East is a fun one. Everyone knew coming into the year that it was going to be a 3 team race, and it was for a decent portion of the season. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they couldn't hold off the injury bug, and for about a 2 month stretch, they were playing w/ players i had never heard of. When you lose Ellsbury, Pedroia, Buckholtz, Beckett and Youkilis for a good portion of your season, you are going to hurt for a while. The fact that they are only 7.5 out of first with all of those injuries is a testament to how good of a job Terry Francona does of managing that club. This division will have 2 teams in the playoffs and home field advantage is going to be a dogfight until the end for the Rays and Yankees. If the season ended today, the Rays and Rangers would meet up in the first round, and the Yankees and Twins would meet up in the first round.

Being that it is September it's getting close to time for the 6 major end of season awards. Here are my picks:

NL Rookie of the year: Jason Hayward, He started off strong with a 3-run home run in his first at bat of the season and is ending strong batting nearly .400 for the last 7 days.

NL Cy Young: There can be a case made for Adam Wainwright and Roy Halladay who both are within striking distance of 20 wins. But in my mind it goes to none other than Ubaldo Jiminez. Jiminez is 18-6 with a 2.75 ERA. Yes, this is very comparable to the other two. But, Jiminez pitches in a much more hitter friendly park than that of Halladay or Wainwright. Everygame this guy pitches from here on out is a big game, and he is a big game pitcher. If his team makes the comeback as we have been acustomed to, then he deserves it even more in my opinion.

NL MVP: Since the all-star break, 2 names have been being dropped for the MVP. Alber Pujols and Joey Votto. Both are very good and are having stellar years. We are used to it from Pujols, yes, and in a few years we will be used to it from Votto. I had been on the fence about who i liked in this race. I like Votto's spunk. He has been thrown out of 4 games this year by arguing for himself and his team. Pujols on the other hand is the consumate professional, currently in his 9th straight year with 100 RBI's and a absolute beast at the plate. Tim Hudson was coined with saying "If you get too much of the plate with this guy, you are either backing up 3rd base or getting a new ball." and he is 100% correct. As i said, both are deserving. But my choice for NL MVP is Carlos Gonzalez out of Colorado. He leads both in batting average, is close in RBI's and is only 1 home run behind Votto (neither will catch Pujols). If you take any of the 3 away from their team, the teams are no where close to where they are. CarGo has burst onto the scene and was part of the deal with Matt Holliday a few years ago.

AL Rookie of the Year: Okay, this is the part where you all will call me a Homer. If i had a vote, it would go to Neftali Feliz, he is currently 1 save away from tying the rookie save record set by Kazihiro Sasake of the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Although, any year that a rookie closer has had a comparable year, and another rookie batted .300 or better, the hitter has always won. Austin Jackson of the Tigers is batting .305 this season, but only has 3 HR and 32 RBI's. My choice is still Feliz.

AL Cy Young: I've heard people say Felix Hernandez should be the shoe in, I've heard people say Clay Buckholtz. It seems they are overlooking the most obvious choice. Yes both of those guys have great stuff. But, Felix pitches in no big games, because the M's have been out of it since about May 5th. Buckholtz was injured for around a month. But C.C. Sabathia has been nothing short of stellar this season. He is the best. Without him the Yankees wouldnt be in such a tight race with the Rays right now, and that's a fact.

AL MVP: A month ago. It was Josh Hamiltons, who had done everything and anything for the Rangers, except for pitching (which is what he was drafted for by the Rays). Then he ran into a wall in Minnesota and hasnt played a game since. No player has ever won a MVP and played less than 10 games in the month of September. He is slated to come back on Thursday to open a set with the Mariners. If he does that, he will play around 15 games in September. If he comes back to the way he was the rest of the year. Then yes, he should win the MVP. Otherwise It will be Miguel Cabrera, who is on pace to break the AL record for most intentional walks.

Hope you all have a great day!

Editors note.....

this is how my Wednesdays feel sometimes..

Hi kids... A couple of changes we are going to make this week...

- the Cheat Sheet will not feature the CFB preview for the week anymore. Instead, the Cheat Sheet will be Tyson's fantasy forecast for the upcoming NFL weekend. We tried to come up with a name for his FF posts, and I couldn't think of anything else, so when you see the Cheat Sheet, know it's not the college forecast.

- The new name for the college preview will be "Study Hall". Sounds more collegiate. I have a friend who is working on better food/beverage combo's, as well as keeping an open mind for other things you folks want to read about.

- I also have been meaning to get out a summarization of the College Football weekend, but due to some time issues on the weekends, I haven't been able to get those out very well, and for that I apologize.

We thank every single one of you for visiting us, no matter what brings you here. Keep visiting, reading, and telling your friends about us.

BT, Tyson, Gid, and DL3

Football Monday; knee-jerk reactions and a deeper look

With the first Sunday of the new NFL season in the books, and what an extremely entertaining one it was, there will be plenty of knee-jerk reactions to the day's actions, especially by the fans.  Many are already approaching freak-out status, while many others are undoubtedly trying to look for deals to Arlington in February for the Super Bowl.

Some of these reactions deserve a deeper look however, and may not be just a jerk of the knee afterall.

What did we gather from this Sunday's action, and even last Thursday with the Saints-Vikings...

1. The Cowboys have a LONG way to go if they are to be true Super Bowl contenders.

You mean you aren't allowed to grab
the neck?

The knee-jerk part: Immediately after the holding call by Alex Barron that will be talked about for weeks because it took away the touchdown that would have won the game as time expired, there are cries all over to just flat out leave the guy in D.C., and even right along side him, leave Tashard Choice after his first half ending fumble which was scooped up by DeAngelo Hall to give the Redskins a 10-0 lead at halftime rather than just 3-0.  Never mind looking deeper into it, just cut those guys here and now right?

Taking a step back: Had Alex Barron not grabbed Brian Orakpo by the neck there, it looked like there was a pretty good chance that Orakpo was going to get to the scrambling Tony Romo and perhaps end the game even without a throw, or surely not give him enough time to find Roy Williams in the front corner of the end-zone.  Also, it's easy to blame Choice for the fumble, as it is his responsibility to protect the ball and get to the ground there, but why in the world are they running a short dump off pass play like that in the waning seconds when it had no chance of scoring?  Jason Garrett must be held accountable for that one right with Choice.  Just take a simple knee and go in down 3-0.  Instead, with that, you're down 10-0, and it completely changes the complexity of the game.  Garrett is moving right up my list of people who should still be cut/fired!!!

Bottom line is the Cowboys had offensive issues all preseason, not being able to move the ball enough to put up points, and while people wanted to say the oft-used phrase "it's only preseason", well, it doesn't appear to be changing much, as the same exact problems persisted.  Sure, they can definitely right the ship and win a bunch of ballgames with the talent they have and the line could gel, but until that begins to happen, it's going to be some hard living on the offense, and most notably, the running game.

The Cowboys have been a sexy Super Bowl pick all off season, and really, most people don't know why.  They have won a grand total of 1 postseason game in 14 years, and most recently, scored 3 against the Vikings last January, and the line was the big issue then.  Romo is doing all he can, but he needs some blocking to get his offense clicking.

2. The AFC South is going to be a ton of fun to watch unfold

Knee-jerk reaction: The division is now the Texans to lose after a 34-24 defeat of the defending AFC Champion Colts. After losing 15 of their first 16 meetings with the Colts, they finally thoroughly outplay Peyton and friends behind the breakout performance of running back Arian Foster (Steve Slaton who?) who rumbled for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day.  It's so each to say this is a sign of things to come, but on top of the Colts, there are still the Titans and the pesky Jaguars to deal with.

Taking a step back: This is still Peyton Manning and this is still the Indianapolis Colts, who have all the experience in the world in getting to the second season, compared to none from Houston.  Yes, it was a very nice win for the Texans, but the game was in Houston, and playing at home is always an advantage, and they have been showing vast improvement for a few years, but one week is not enough to say it's time for them to own this division.  But if Foster keeps running like that and they can win without a big performance by Andre Johnson, and the Colts with Bob Sanders keep struggling against the run, there could be some struggles in this division for the Colts when they still have Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew to face twice, and we could be in for a very exciting divisional race between these 4 teams.

For 1 week at least, the Colts sit dead last in the AFC South with their 0-1 record.

3. Mike Vick can still play, and play effectively

The decision of who should start got
a bit more cloudy on Sunday, once
 Kolb is healthy that is.

Knee-jerk reaction: Vick needs to be the starter for this team and Kolb already should go back to being the back-up, with or without the injury.  Vick did play great in place of Kolb after Kolb went down with a concussion, going 16 of 24 for 175 yards and a TD, along with 103 rushing on 11 carries and nearly leading the Eagles to a comeback against the Packers, and he very well may get more time as the starter as a concussion can obviously linger, especially in the case of quarterbacks, but at the very least, Vick has forced Andy Reid to give him more time on the field.

Taking a step back: This is still Mike Vick, the guy who has never been a great passer in the NFL, often times is too quick to abandon the pass and go to the run, and the guy who missed multiple seasons while in prison.  He definitely still has all the talent in the world, and is a very dynamic player, but it's far to soon to make the rash decision to give him the starting job once Kolb is healthy and ready to play again, be it next week or in a few weeks.

Either way, it gave the Eagles fans another element to watch for and made the game with Green Bay exciting quickly.

4. Not so fast on the crowing the 49ers NFC West Champs already

Knee-jerk reaction: The knee-jerk reactions for this one began way back in January with the retirement of Kurt Warner, leaving a void at quarterback in Arizona.  From that very moment on, it was so trendy to pick the 49ers as easy NFC West Champs in 2010, even before the Super Bowl took place last season.

Then, after the drubbing on Sunday at the hands of the Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks 31-6, all of a sudden the Seahawks are all the way back, and getting ready to re-take control of the division.  Suddenly, the 2-time defending champion Arizona Cardinals are a complete afterthought to those with their quick rash reactions.

Taking a step back: I have said all along, that the 49ers are still led by Alex Smith, and are one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL, right along with the Seahawks.  The 49ers have had games over the past couple season where everything clicks and they play well, with games like their dominance over Arizona in December of last season, then have far to many games like this Sunday against the Seahawks.  Then, there's the Seahawks, who undoubtedly got a very nice win over San Fran, but may be even more inconsistent than the 49ers, and are still coming off back to back terrible seasons.  The Seahawks hype will fade much quicker, but the 49ers still have plenty of issues.

Meanwhile, Arizona goes out, and wins their first game sans Kurt Warner behind new quarterback Derek Anderson.  No, it's wasn't pretty by any means in a 17-13 victory over rookie QB Sam Bradford and the Rams, but it was a victory on the road no less, which is always tougher no matter who a team faces.  Anderson went 22 of 41 for 297 yards, but most importantly, no interceptions.  He had obvious timing issues with star receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who was out for the majority of the preseason, only completing 3 of 15 attempts to him.  With some time to build chemistry together and get on the same page, along with Steve Breaston helping people quickly forget about Anquan Boldin, things may only get better.  The real issue lies with Tim Hightower and his fumbles, losing 2 yesterday.  Beanie Wells has had his issues as well, no doubt, but it's his opportunity to seize after the performance by Hightower.

Bottom line is, it is far to premature to crown the 49ers already.  They still have Alex Smith, defensive backfield holes, and Frank Gore showed his inconsistency again with all of 28 yards on 17 carries.  The Cardinals are not a team to sleep on just yet.  I will stick by my prediction that the Cardinals can still scratch out another divisional title.

5. The Giants are healthy on the defensive line again, and dangerous.

Just going to skip the reactions on this one, and get right to it.  Just 2 seasons ago, the Giants dominated the NFC in the regular season following a Super Bowl title before losing to the Eagles in the postseason.  Last season, they had all the defensive line issues in the world, and couldn't pressure opposing QB's.  They got healthy this off season, with Umenyiora fully healthy to go alongside Justin Tuck, then they added potential superstar Jason Pierre-Paul in the draft.  Kenny Phillips is back at safety after missing much of 2009, and Antrel Rolle is next to him back there, both are incredible ball hawking safeties.

Yes, they still have Eli leading them an his tendency to make mistakes, and he was no stranger to them this Sunday with 3 interceptions, but he also threw 3 touchdowns, 2 to up and coming star receiver Hakeem Nicks, and the team finally decided to give Ahmad Bradshaw the bigger share of carries over Brandon Jacobs.  Yes, it was against the Panthers, who many feel are in a downward swing currently, but it was a nice win no less.

All that added together, and the Giants are a very dangerous team once again, and a serious contender for the NFC East title.  They have been my pick to win that division all along, and with the struggles of Dallas, it looks just a little more like a possibility after 1 week.

Some other quick takes...

-Lions quarterback Matt Stafford already is injured, once again with shoulder issues.  The kid has all the talent in the world to be a good QB, but cannot avoid injury early on.

-The Lions also lost after having a go ahead TD taken off the board when Calvin Johnson did not "complete the process of the catch". Yeah, baffled me too. But I suppose the right call. read about it here.

-Matt Forte was a superstar yesterday, but not because of his running, but his receiving, going for 151 yards on 7 catches and 2 TD's, helping make QB Jay Cutler look good.  (On a side note, I had the decision to start either Cutler or Stafford at QB on a fantasy team this week.  I took Cutler, good call by me)

-The Dolphins and Bills played, and the Dolphins won 15-10, but it was painful to try and watch. little else can be really added, other than the Bills have no clue who should carry the ball.  Rookie C.J. Spiller was a complete disappointment in his debut.

-Tebow got on the field against Jacksonville in a 24-17 loss, but did nothing, only totalling 2 yards on 2 carries.  Meanwhile, Kyle Orton played quite well, and isn't relinquishing that job anytime soon.

-Atlanta and Pitssburgh got into a field goal battle, went into overtime, and the Steelers finally found the end zone on a 50 yard game winning run by Rashard Mendenhall.  Meanwhile, the ageless Hines Ward continues to perform, going for 108 yards on 6 catches, helping ease Dennis Dixon at quarterback.

-Tampa Bay and Cleveland may have been one of the least watched games in recent memory.  Are you really surprised?  Oh yeah, the Bucs won 17-14 with some help by Peyton Hillis and his red zone fumbling.

-The Saints and Vikings may have been involved in the most disappointing game of the week.  We all expected points, points and more points.  We got 14-9.  Either way, the Saints are defending champs, and already 1-0.  A strong start for sure.

With 2 more games tonight yet to go between the Jets/Ravens and Chargers/Chiefs, we still have plenty of football left to feed our never ending desire of football.

I will leave with some quick predictions on the night.  The Ravens win 20-13 with some help of Mark Sanchize and his errant passing.  LaDanian Tomlinson leads the Jets in rushing on the night.

In the week 1 finale, the Chargers get off on the right foot with a 34-20 victory, with a nice debut from rookie Ryan Matthews.

Once the night is over with, Sunday cannot come soon enough again.