NFL Week 5 Predictions – The Duke’s Picks

3 10 2008

by Michael DeLuca

17-12 against the spread thus far for the Duke’s Picks in the 2008 NFL Season. The Raiders’ late game implosion was certainly a big let down, but inspired play from Houston and Baltimore kept us on track. We’ll take the win from Cleveland, but they still looked downright heinous on the offensive side of the ball. Without further ado, here are the week 5 Duke’s Picks.  Home teams are in caps, Duke’s Picks are in bold.

Indianapolis Colts -3 HOUSTON TEXANS – The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Indianapolis Colts. They are expected to have RT Ryan Diem, LT Tony Ugoh, and C Jeff Saturday all healthy for Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans. This will be the first time all season that the Colts’ line will be at full strength. Peyton Manning has been under intense pressure through this team’s first 3 games and Joseph Addai has had very few running lanes. All that should change this week. Read the rest of this entry »


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NFL Power Rankings – Week 5

30 09 2008

by Michael DeLuca

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a better start to an NFL season.  Week four featured upsets galore, some key injuries, and much much more.  Without further ado, I present the week 5 NFL Power Rankings.

1.  New York Giants (3-0) - Sure they ascended to the top spot by virtue of a bye, but they are undefeated and are defending Super Bowl Champions.  They haven’t seemed to miss a beat on defense despite the losses of Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season ending injury.  They coasted to wins in their first two games, but were just barely able to get past the lowly Cincinnati Bengals in week 3, winning by a field goal in overtime.  They’ll be without Plaxico Burress (suspended) in week 5 in what should be an interesting matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, who may have their top two receivers returning from injury.

2.  Tennessee Titans (4-0) – Best defense in the league thus far, hands down.  Albert Haynesworth is a beast and Cortland Finnegan is gaining prominence as one of the league’s top cover corners.  Chris Johnson is a lightning bolt.  Kerry “Cocktail” Collins makes this offense more stable, allowing the defense to do what it do.

3.  Dallas Cowboys (3-1) – Their dominating performance in Cleveland in week 1 was followed up by a week 2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.  In week three they traveled to Green Bay, where they had never won a game, and took it to the Packers for an impressive victory.  Rookie Felix Jones has proven to be a dynamic playmaker, but inexplicably didn’t receive a single touch in the week 4 loss to the Washington Redskins.  Some knuckleheads will argue that the Redskins should be above the Cowboys since they have the same record and Washington beat Dallas, but you can’t forget that Dallas has scored victories over both Philadelphia and Green Bay. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Football, Giants

Week 4: NFL Ramblings

29 09 2008

by Michael DeLuca

Talk about parity!  Two major upsets, even more see-saw battles, and lot’s of late game meltdowns.  Here’s your rambling rundown of week four in the NFL…

NY Jets (56) over Arizona Cardinals (35) – The New York Jets might want to make a permanant switch to their throwback New York Titans AFL jerseys. Six touchdowns for Brett Favre.  Wow!  And it wasn’t against a cracker jack defense, Arizona can bring it.  My guess is Ken Whisenhunt’s brilliant idea to stay on the road won’t be employed EVER again.  Kurt Warner lost his longtime battle with fubmlitis, coughing up the pigskin four times, three of which were recovered by the Jets.  He also threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for paydirt by Darrelle Revis.  Anquan Boldin was carted off the field after suffereing a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit in garbage time. Boldin was immobile and, initially, onlookers couldn’t help but fear the worst. Luckily, Boldin did not suffer a neck injury and should regain his senses sometime before the New Year. Read the rest of this entry »


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The Duke’s Picks – Week 4

25 09 2008

by Michael DeLuca

The Duke’s Picks is off to an amazing 14-8 start, with three consecutive winning weeks to start off this year’s slate of NFL Football Games!  I’m still stewing over Denver’s inability to polish off a potential blowout of the Saints last week, but hey…you can’t win them all.  Let’s see if we can keep the ball rolling.  Home teams are in caps, Duke’s picks are in bold.  Away we go…

NEW ORLEANS -6 San Francisco – No Colston, no Shockey….ouch.  Now let’s add in to that the suspension of starting left guard Jamar Nesbit for violation of the league’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. Oh, and Pro Bowl left tackle Jammal Brown’s hip has limited him in practice this week. Get the point? Take the 49ers, their relatively healthy and not half bad. Read the rest of this entry »


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NFL Power Rankings

23 09 2008

by Michael DeLuca

Yet another exciting week of NFL football has come and gone.  Some major upsets, close calls, and key injuries have really shaken up our rankings.  Let’s have a look at the rankings as they stand heading into week four of NFL action…

1.  Dallas Cowboys (3-0) – Their dominating performance in Cleveland in week 1 was followed up by a week 2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.  In week three they traveled to Green Bay, where they had never won a game, and took it to the Packers for an impressive victory.  Rookie Felix Jones has proven to be a dynamic playmaker.  Marion “The Barbarian” is an absolute beast.

2.  New York Giants (3-0) - Defending Super Bowl Champions haven’t seemed to miss a beat on defense despite the losses of Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season ending injury.  They coasted to wins in their first two games, but were just barely able to get past the lowly Cincinnati Bengals in week 3, winning by a field goal in overtime. 

3.  Denver Broncos (3-0) – The offense is explosive, while the defense is atrocious.  Brandon Marshall may have taken over as the premier wide receiver in the NFL.  Jay Cutler continues to show poise in the pocket, a rocket arm, and deadly accuracy.

4.  Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) - Despite injuries to Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, the Eagles held on for a hard fought victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Jim Johnson’s defense did what they do best, blitz.  In week 2, Philadelphia hung through 4 quarters of football with the best team in the NFL…in their own building.  May be a different story when  these teams meet in Philly. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cowboys, Football

NFL Power Rankings – Week 2

16 09 2008

by Michael DeLuca

With a wild week 2 wrapping up with an insane NFC East Monday night showdown, it’s time for the pcpsports.com power rankings.  With a lot a nailbiters this week, things have really tightened up.  Let’s have a look at the rankings as they stand heading into week three of NFL action…

1.  Dallas Cowboys (2-0) – Their dominating performance in Cleveland in week 1 was followed up by a week 2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.  Terrell Owens owned the first half and Marion “The Barbarian” owned the second.  Felix Jones looks dynamic on kickoff returns.  Philadelphia did expose Dallas’ defensive weaknesses, but not many other teams will have the firepower to capitalize.

2.  New York Giants (2-0) - Defending Super Bowl Champions haven’t seemed to miss a beat on defense despite the losses of Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season ending injury.  They’ve coasted to wins in their first two games, Washington and St. Louis, and appear solid on both sides of the football.

3.  Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) – Week 1 featured an impressive victory over the Houston Texans.  Week 2 was a windy mess and the Steelers managed to sneak away with the victory in Cleveland.  Good teams find ways to win under adverse conditions.  Roethlisberger’s shoulder will cause problems as the season rolls on and the loss of DE Brett Kiesel will be felt immediately. 

4.  Denver Broncos (2-0) – I’ve told you already that Jay Cutler is the next big thing in the NFL.  Despite a late game miscue, Cutler still maintained his composure and found rookie Eddie Royal for both a touchdown and two point conversion for the victory.  Brandon Marshall had 18 receptions in his first start of the season, that’s the second highest reception total in NFL history.  While the Broncos were recipients of two giant gifts from the officials, they still managed to capitalize and turn the errors into 15 points and a victory. Read the rest of this entry »


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NFL: Week 1 – The Duke’s Picks

4 09 2008

by Michael DeLuca

If there’s one thing I can do well (and it might very well be the only thing), it’s picking the NFL games by the spread.  I’ve got a handful of games that I love for week one so let’s get right into it.  Picks are bold, home teams are capitalized.

PITTSBURGH -6.5 Houston - This might be the only chance all year you get to bet on a 100% healthy Texans squad, take advantge of it.  The Steelers defense isn’t quite what it used to be and Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson should both shine.  Offensively, the Pittsburgh line is in disarray after the loss of Alan Faneca.  The run game will suffer. Read the rest of this entry »


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NFL POWER POLL – PRESEASON EDITION

15 08 2008

By Mike Gill

The NFL season is under three weeks away, here is my first look at this years teams. 

32 – Atlanta Falcons – Questions at QB, a bad O-Line and questions on D make this the worst team in the NFL.

31 – Miami Dolphins- They will be much better, especially on offense.  But their defense is dreadful, could be historically bad.

30 – St. Louis Rams – The Rams are missing their best player in Steven Jackson.  The sad part is, even if he signs, they don’t move up.

29 – KC Chiefs- Brodie Croyle is the man under center, just because they figured that out doesn’t mean they will win many games this season – very young team. Read the rest of this entry »


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Are the Texans ready to take the next step?

7 08 2008
The Texans need Schaun to stay on the field to make the playoffs

The Texans need Schaub to stay on the field to make the playoffs

The Texans joined the NFL as a 2002 expansion team. They have never made the playoffs.  Could this be the year that end that drought?  “They are very close,” said Adam Wexler, from the Texans Radio Network, Sportsradio 610 in Houston.

Last season, the Texans achieved their best record ever at 8-8.  The feeling is that if quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson could have stayed healthy they could have bettered their record.  Schub came over from the Falcons and in 11 games threw for 2,141 yards and nine touchdowns.  “They love the way he plays, said Wexler.  “But he just couldn’t stay on the field.  As for Johnson, the talented wide-out “looks pretty good so far,” according to Wexler. 

But in 2007, Johnson missed seven starts due to injury. During his injury, the Texans went 2-7 without him. However, when he returned, he immediately revisited his Pro-Bowl numbers as he finished the season with 851 Read the rest of this entry »


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