Hello and welcome the second edition of FanNation NFL GameDay.  This will be a weekly feature in which LP, Agrippa, a guest, and I, Pitt Panther, answer questions and have discussions about the NFL, and make predictions about the coming week's games.

Our guest this week is Dyhard

To volunteer to be a guest on a future show, go here

Question 1: Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?


LP: One of the most overrated players in the NFL is Jeremy Shockey. He made a name for himself when he was with the Giants, but he went downhill from then. He is getting injured, and he isn't playing as good as he was. Shockey is still a good player, but he is overrated.


Agrippa: I'm going to have to go with Chad Johnson. I think we can all agree he is an immense talent but when things get hard he has totally disappeared. Carson has been ailing this season but it's not excuse for his lack of production. In the off season he demanded a trade and became a bigger distraction than he is worth. Over 8 games he has 312 yards and 2 TD's. I don't care who is under center this is just horrible play. Yet Chad still manages to make headlines with his empty challenges too opposing defensive backs without 1 win this season. This is worse than what Moss did while in Oakland. Great talent but still overrated


Pitt: My pick for the most overrated player in the NFL is Michael Turner. Everyone is on his jock at the moment because he's put up some big numbers, 3rd in the NFL in rushing. However, most of those numbers come from terrible run Ds. When he to go up against good run Ds, he shrivels up faster that Agrippa when he sees a woman. Here are his stats on the season, not including his games against Detroit, Kansas City, and Green Bay, who are all ranked 25th or worse against the run:

74 carries, 210 yards, 0 TD, 2.8 avg

He's also a non-factor as a receiver, catching just 3 passes for 11 yards on the season.


Dyhard: I'm going to go with Brett Favre here. He is a good player, but he is just being overrated. He has 11 INT with only 15 TD passes and 1611 passing yards. He has thrown 2 or more INTs in his last 3 games, with 2 against the Bengals, 2 against the Raiders, and 3 against the Chiefs in a game they almost LOST. In his last three games, he has 7 INTs with 3 TD passes and only 676 yards. He had 6 TD against the Cardinals, but other than that game, he had only 9 TD with 11 INTs, which is not good at all.


Pitt: I think everyone had pretty good choices. I think Shockey was getting too much attention from the start. He ran over a guy in the preseason and the media was ready to crown him king of tight ends.

I think Chad Johnson is a little overrated, but not by too much. A lot of his drop in production has to do with the crappy QB play and the fact that he's got Housh who gets a lot of balls thrown away. Overrated? Sure. Most overrated? I don't think so.

Brett Favre has always been hyped up a lot by the media. They have a collective boner for him and "the way he plays the game". Unfortunately, the way he plays the game entails a lot of interceptions. Good pick.


Dyhard: Michael Turner is a pretty good pick, but think about the team he is playing for. I mean, he is a good running back, but his team's O-Line is not very good, and he has been leading the Falcons, along with Matt Ryan to the team's current record right now. He is not more overrated than Chad Johnson or Brett Favre. Jeremy Shockey isn't really that overrated because he hasn't been talked about too much as of late, but in the beginning of the season he was VERY overrated.


Agrippa: I can agree on all picks to a certain degree but I ask you this. Has Michael Turner been a main contributor to making a horrid Atlanta team decent? Has Favre made the Jets better? There should be no deliberation that the answer is an astounding yes.

No matter what Turner does I think he is overachieving in every aspect. I didn't know Turner was rated at all. Everything he does to help that struggling franchise win and renew confidence in gravy in my opinion. Same thing with Brett. Did the New York faithful think they had a chance with Pennington? Well they have one now in Favre.

I agree the lack of QB play has hurt Johnson but that's not the main reason he is overrated. Players like him who have been touted as great not only by himself but the media as well should find ways to motivate and lead when your Captain has gone down. He has done nothing of the sort this season.


LP: Brett Favre is a good pick also. He has 15 TDs and 11 interceptions. If Favre keeps throwing like this, he will have more interceptions than touchdowns. In the last 3 games, he has thrown 3 TDs and 7 INTERCEPTIONS! He has also been sacked 6 times and fumbled 4 times in the last 3 games. Brett Favre is much too overrated.


Pitt: Michael Turner has helped the Falcons, but only in games against opponents with bad run defenses. He's gotten a lot of attention for the numbers he's put up, but it's undeserved. I'm not saying he's a bad running back, I'm saying he's an above average running back who people have been recently treating like a very good or great running back. Hence, overrated.


LP: Good point there Pitt. He has gotten 100-yard games against the Lions (31st), Chiefs (32nd), and Packers (25th). The games that he has gotten less than 100 yards were against the Bucs (8th), Panthers (14th), Bears (6th), and the Eagles (9th). Turner was a good acquisition, but he is still overrated.


Agrippa: I see where you are coming from Pitt but you take Turner off that team they lose those games to those teams with bad run defenses. Let's not forget this team is not even a year removed from going 4-12.




Question 2: Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?


Agrippa: Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? I'm going with Kerry Collins! Surprised? Well I am too. This player is getting no credit for what's going on in Tennessee and a lot would say there is a perfectly good reason why. Defense. We can all agree D is one of the main reason the Titans are undefeated however the complexity of NFL football revolves around more than just one side of the ball. Collins has managed the games and taking what the defense gives him versus forcing the game to come to him. He is almost playing the same role Trent Dilfer did with the Ravens in 2001. It saddens me to say it but we all know what was happening in Tennessee when there was a lack of solid consistent play at QB. Collins has changed that this year and in my opinion is the main reason they are still undefeated.


Pitt: My choice for most underrated player is Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals. While most every knowledgeable NFL fan knows him, not very many know just how great he is. Although Larry Fitzgerald gets all the attention in Arizona, which is not undeserved, Boldin is on Fitzgerald's level. The only problem Boldin has is that he's a bit injury prone. Despite playing in just 5 games this year, he was 7 touchdown receptions. Here are his 2008 stats projected over a 16 games season:

115 receptions, 1,373 yards, 22 TD

That's comparable to what Randy Moss did last year. Despite this, he gets overlooked by everyone, including his own organization.


Dyhard: The most underrated player in the NFL is Roddy White. How many people are talking about him? I don't hear a lot of people talking about him for anything; yet, he is leading this Falcon team with 679 receiving yards and has 5 TD with no fumbles. He is a very good player, yet a lot of people are not talking about him, or talking about how he is doing at all. If you have seen his stats before, they haven't been good, but this year, they are very good.


LP: One of the most underrated players in the NFL is Oshiomogho Atogwe. St. Louis Rams' safety is tied for 1st with 4 interceptions, is 9th in the league with 91 interception return yards, and is tied for 2nd among DBs with 2 forced fumbles and 1 TD. He is only in his 4th season and he is making big plays this year. He already has his 2nd best career record with 4 interceptions and I can guarantee you that he gets more than 8 interceptions this year. He averages about 5 tackles a game and that isn't bad for a safety.


Dyhard: Anquan Boldin is not the most underrated player in the NFL. He isn't even the BEST WR on his team. He has 7 TDs, but that is because of some big plays. Larry Fitzgerald deserves more attention than Boldin, because Fitzgerald is a better WR than Boldin. They are both good WR, but Fitzgerald beats him out.


Pitt: I don't think Kerry Collins is underrated in the slightest. He's mediocre at best. At most, he's a "game manager", which is just code for a below average QB on a good team who doesn't make mistakes.
If you think Kerry Collins has anything to do with Titans' success, you're sorely mistaken.

Both Atogwe and Roddy White are definitely underrated. Good picks.

I agree that Boldin is not quite as good as Fitz, but few are. My point is that he gets little to no attention from the media or his organization despite being an elite receiver.


Dyhard: Boldin has been a good WR, and he is a little bit underrated, but he hasn't really been doing amazing this year. He gets attention from the media, not as much as he deserves, but he has received some. He also gets attention from his organization, but I don't know what else kind of attention he needs?


Agrippa: Is it possible to be "below average QB" on an undefeated team. If you believe that then you may be the one mistaken. Collins has had a decent career but what many people don't give him credit for this year is his decision making. The duties of a QB go beyond managing a game. You cannot trivialize his importance when looking at what they have done this year. Do you think they would be undefeated with VY playing? I implore you too look at this from a team perspective versus individual stats or merit.

I'm going to have to agree with Boldin being underrated. Dyhard is right he is not the best receiver on his team for now but given the chance to be the number 1 guy on another team he could rival what Fitz has been able to do thus far.

I can also concur that both Atogwe and Roddy White are definitely underrated. Difference is White is playing on a team that is overachieving by leaps and bounds and is a main reason for it.


Pitt: He doesn't get attention from his organization. They signed Fitzgerald to a long term contract. Then, they broke a promise they had made to Boldin to sign him to one. This is what I mean when I say he doesn't get enough attention from his organization.

Kerry Collins has never been that good of a QB. Even with this season, he has an under .500 record as a starter. He has just 2 more TD than INT. The highest QB rating he ever had in a single season was 85.4. He's only had 2 seasons with a QB rating of at least 80. He's not a very good QB. He's rated exactly how he should be rated; as a mediocre QB who can manage a game.

With Vince Young, they might not be undefeated, but then again, Vince Young sucks. You can pretty much take the starting QB from any other NFL team, with few exceptions, and have them start for the Titans and they would be undefeated. He is not leading this team; he is riding its coattails.


LP: Like Pitt said, Kerry Collins has never really been that good of a QB. He hasn't even gotten a 200-yard passing game this year. He only has 3 TDs and has never thrown 2 TDs in the same game this year. He also has 3 INTs. Collins has only had ONE 40+ yard pass this whole year so I don't see how he is underrated when he isn't even that good.


Agrippa: Well gentleman we will have to agree to disagree. You prove my point though. I never contested he should be considered a great QB. I was merely stating he is getting no credit when he is the QB for an undefeated team.




Question 3: Who has been the most surprising team?


Pitt: My choice for most surprising team is the Tennessee Titans. Nobody expected their season to go like this. This is the only team I can remember that lost its starting QB after the first game of the season, but still start the season 7-0. If you look up surprise in the dictionary, you'll find the definition of surprise, and then you'll think to yourself, This reminds me of the Tennessee Titans. I would say they are a "surprise."

Personally, I had them fighting it out for the Texans for 3rd place and a playoff spot, while Indy and Jacksonville battled for the division crown. Now, after 8 weeks, they're leading the division by 4 games. WHAT?!


Dyhard: I'm going to say the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, they are very surprising this year. I had them at winning the division, and they are competing for LAST place in the division. Granted, they have had a LOT of injuries to the team, and that has affected them, but they also have played like garbage. They are not a good team, and they have only beaten the 49ers and the Rams, two teams that are contending WITH the Seahawks for the division cellar.


Agrippa: Indianapolis Colts. This team is not what it used to be and seems to be on a downward spiral. Peyton Manning, a one-time Super Bowl MVP, is having a horrid year with a 79.0 QB rating and 1 more TD than he does interceptions. The Colts were 13-3 last year! They have 4 losses and its only week 9, with both offense and defense struggling week in and week out. I don't think anyone saw this coming and the losses keep coming. Can they bounce back?


LP: If it isn't the Titans, Seahawks, or Colts... then it has to be the Carolina Panthers. I know I didn't predict them to be 6-2 right now after their 7-9 season last year. In 2007 they went 7-9 and 2006 they went 8-8, missing the playoffs both years. So for a team finishing at .500 and below the last 2 years, 6-2 is a very surprising record. Who knew DeAngelo Williams would be having maybe his best year ever. They also have rookie RB Jonathan Stewart who almost has 400 yards already. Then they have Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad at WR and Jon Beason leading the team in tackles with 64. The Panthers are a very surprising team this year.


Pitt: Both the Colts and Seahawks are very disappointing. They were the favorite of man to win their divisions, now there's a good chance that neither makes the playoffs. It seemed going in like both of them might be a little worse than they were the year before, but no one expected them to be this bad. Good picks.

I don't think the Panthers are as surprising as the others, but they are definitely a surprise. They had potential, but I don't think people thought it would materialize so quickly. Also a good pick.


Dyhard: The Titans are a great pick. I agree with that along, with the Seahawks. The Colts have not been as bad as people think that they are. They have just had a couple injuries at the wrong time. The Panthers are a pretty good pick, and I had them in 3rd. You COULD argue that the Falcons have also been a big surprise this season.


LP: I am very surprised with the Seahawks. They were predicted to win the division and finish around 10-6. It just sucks for them with Hasselbeck's problems and their WR problems. Hasselbeck only has 656 yards and 2 TDs this year and their leading receiver is John Carlson... wait... who? John Carlson? He is a rookie TE from Notre Dame and he has 214 yards and 2 TDs. I just don't see how they can win with their QB and WR problems. Their RB situation isn't the best either.

Seattle is lucky they played the Rams early in the season, because if they would have to play them twice later in the season, that could be bad. The Rams are playing a lot better than they did the first 3-4 weeks. Otherwise the Seahawks may only have 1 win.





Prediction records:
Pitt: 10-4
Agrippa: 10-4
LP: 5-9


Question 4: New York Jets at Buffalo.  Who wins?


Dyhard: The Bills will get the win in this matchup. They have a good team, and they are coming off a loss to Miami, so they will be hungry to win against the Jets and prove to everyone that the Miami game was just a fluke. The Jets almost lost to the Chiefs, and they don't have enough talent to pull off the win. Buffalo wins this game.


LP: The Bills lost last week to the Dolphins and the Jets squeezed passed the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. Brett Favre hasn't looked good these past two weeks. I think the Bills bounce back at home and win this game.


Pitt: I'm taking the Jets to upset the Bills here.  The Bills loss to Miami was very disappointing.  The Jets have a good run D and should be able to keep Marshawn Lynch in check.  It's going to come down to Trent Edwards and the passing game.  The key matchup in this game will be Darrelle Revis vs. Lee Evans.  Who wins that matchup could decide who wins the game.  I'll go with Ruh-Ruh-Ruh-Revis and the Jets.


Agrippa: I like the Jets in this one. Favre does have a tendency to go on interception tangents but he also has the propensity to have great games when in need. Neither team was impressive last week but I like the Jets in this game.



Question 5: Detroit at Chicago.  Who wins?


Pitt: I'm taking the Lions here in my upset pick of the week.  I'll go into more detail about the game in question 18.  The Bears have a huge chink their armor, and its pass defense, they rank in 29th in NFL.  The passing game is the only aspect of the Lions that doesn't COMPLETELY suck.  If they can exploit that, they can get their first win of the season.


LP: The Lions lost last week in what actually turned out to be a close one against the Redskins. They go up against the Bears who are coming off of a bye and Kyle Orton has looked good. The last time these two teams played, the Bears destroyed the Lions at home. The Bears will win this one at home also.


Agrippa: Have to go with Chi town in this one. Bears are a little banged up but I like the leagues #3 scoring offense over the 32nd ranked defense in points allowed.


Dyhard: Chicago will kill Detroit here. Chicago has one of the BEST defenses in the league, and their offense is actually together this year. The Lions have no defense, and their offense is bad. Chicago will win this in a landslide.



Question 6: Jacksonville at Cincinnati.  Who wins?


Agrippa: Jones-Drew and Taylor should have a field day against a Bengals D yielding 146.9 yards per game. Bengals stay winless.


Dyhard: Jaguars get this game. They have a good running game with Jones-Drew and Taylor and they have a good passing game with Garrard. Their defense is pretty good, but it will be able to stop the Bengals, who will lose their 8th game in a row and go 0-8 so far this season.


Pitt: In the battle of the disappointments, I'm taking the Jags.  The Bengals are more dysfunctional than The Royal Tenanbaums.  Not the family depicted in the movie, the movie itself.  Did not care for it.
Anyways, the Jags will be able to run all over the Bengals crap run D.  Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew should combine for at least 150 yards or so.


LP: Not much to say about this game... the Bengals are 0-8 and are looking pathetic. Maybe they can get 1 or 2 wins this season. This one goes to the Jags.



Question 7: Baltimore at Cleveland.  Who wins?


Agrippa: The Browns have not been playing up too there potential although there schedule has been amongst the hardest the first half of the season. Should prove to be a close game.


Dyhard: Baltimore will win this game. They have a good offense, with a very good defense. They have Joe Flacco, who had a rushing TD, a passing TD, and ALMOST had a receiving TD, which would've been a first. The Browns aren't good, and their pass D is going to take a big hit this game. Baltimore wins this game.


LP: Cleveland beat the Jags last week and go up against a division foe. I was impressed with the Browns against the Jags, but the Ravens have this game.


Pitt: Ravens all the way.  Baltimore likes to run the ball, Cleveland can't stop the run.  Hmmm....I wonder what will happen on Sunday...
My personal prediction: Derek Anderson will get benched during the game for poor play and the Brady Quinn era will begin for Cleveland.  Before the start of the season, I predicted Quinn would be their starting QB by the end of the season.  So, I want to thank Derek Anderson.  His suckiness has made me look clairvoyant.



Question 8: Green Bay at Tennessee.  Who wins?


LP: Can you see the Titans going 8-0? Because I can't. I just cannot see a team with Kerry Collins at QB going undefeated through 8 games. The Pack are coming off a bye and a crushing of the Colts. They are recovering from their bad injuries and will be a playoff contender. So here is the upset alert... Packers WILL beat the Titans in Week 9.


Pitt: I'm taking the Titans to win handily.  This is a very good matchup for them.  Green Bay's strength offensively is the passing game where they're ranked 10th.  Tennessee's defense is 4th against the pass and leads the AFC with 12 interceptions.  Green Bay's weakness defensively is against the run, where they rank 25th.  Tennessee has Chris Johnson, who leads the AFC in rushing, and Lendale White, who leads the NFL in rushing TDs with 10 (the next closest have 7).
I expect big days for Chris Johnson and Lendale White and a big win for the Titans to stay undefeated after 8.


Dyhard: I gotta go with Green Bay to pull this win off. They are a good team, with a lot of talent on the offensive side especially with young QB, Aaron Rodgers at the helm. They have Ryan Grant running the ball, who has been getting better and better ever since the season started. They have a good defense, which has been racking up INTs and then TDs off of those INTs this year. Green Bay will pull off the win for this game.


Agrippa: Something has got to give but I don't see the Titans losing this one. That D is ferocious, as is their run game. Packers are 24th in the league in rush yards allowed. I see a big day ahead for White and Johnson.



Question 9: Tampa Bay at Kansas City.  Who wins?


Agrippa: They have to still be reeling of that heartbreaking loss to Dallas. That stout Buccaneers defense has to be salivating at the prospect of facing the un-drafted 2nd year T. Thigpen.


LP: The Bucs lost last week to the Dallas Cowboys. A game, I think they should have won big but Dallas' defense shut them down and held them to 3 field goals. Don't look for a repeat against the Chiefs. Tampa Bay will bounce back and win on the road.


Pitt: I'm taking the Bucs in a blowout.  Tampa will come into this game with a head of steam after losing an ugly game they should have won to the Brad Johnson led Cowboys.  I think the Buccaneers take out their frustration from that game on the Chiefs.  Kind of like Agrippa takes out his frustration from not being able to bang Fizzle and takes it out on me by spreading rumors of bestiality.  Rumors that are true, but nonetheless hurtful!


Dyhard: The Buccaneers will win this game, as they have the better team, and the better defense. The Chiefs are not a good team, even though they almost beat the Jets, but that was because of Favre throwing INTs, and Thigpen having 0. Thigpen will get at least 2 INTs this game, and the Bucs will win.



Question 10: Arizona at St. Louis.  Who wins?


Agrippa: Arizona is a decent team and can beat anyone on any day. I think St. Louis is over there upset streak and will come down to earth with Warner lighting up one of the worst pass defenses in the league.


LP: Both of these teams lost in close games, the Cardinals surprised me by putting up a real fight against the Panthers. They got Anquan Boldin back, and he scored 2 touchdowns. The Rams lost to New England and was probably a defensive stop away from beating them. St. Louis is at home, but the Cardinals offense is too good right now. I am taking the Cards in a close one.


Dyhard: Arizona has the WR, and has a good running game. The Rams are just a horrible team, and they are going to lose this game. Arizona will be able to outscore the Rams, and just keep pouring it on, until the game clock is at 0:00 4th Quarter. Arizona wins.


Pitt: Arizona has one of the best passing attacks in the league; the Rams have one of the worst pass defenses in the league.  What do you think will happen?  Expect HUGE days for Kurt Warner and his receivers.  We could see 3 receivers (Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston) have over 100 yards receiving.  If you like watching teams like Texas Tech playing scrubs, then you won't want to miss this game.



Question 11: Houston at Minnesota.  Who wins?


Agrippa: I like Houston in this one. They are on a 3 game winning streak and there defense has been playing phenomenal as of recent. The key will be Shaun and Johnson who has four straight games with at least nine catches and 130 yards. Vikes pass d is ranked 20th overall. If AP can be contained Houston wins.


LP: The Texans were on a roll, winning three games in a row. Of course of two these games were against the Bengals, Dolphins and Lions (which have a combined record of 3-19), but last weekend they destroyed the Bengals and this week they face the Vikings. The Vikings are coming off a bye week and should be well rested, but I think the Texans will be the better team.


Dyhard: Houston has won 3 consecutive games for the first time in the history of the Texans. Can they make it four? No. Why? Minnesota has a very good Defense, and they have a pretty good offense which they will be able to overcome the Houston D and be able to win this game at home.


Pitt: This is a very interesting matchup, but in the end, I must go Vikings, simply because of home field advantage.  I think talent-wise, they're pretty much a draw.  Expect Adrian Peterson and the Vikes to have a lot of success running the ball.  Also, expect Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson to have a lot of success through the air.  I expect a great game, with Minnesota pulling out a nail-biter.



Question 12: Miami at Denver.  Who wins?


Dyhard: Denver wins this game at home, against Miami. The Dolphins are not a good team, as they have a bad QB situation and a bad everything. The only thing that is a positive for this team is the running game. The Broncos at least have a good QB (Cutler) their running game is good (Pittman) and they have a good WR core (Marshall, Royal, and others). The Broncos will win this game by about 10.


Pitt: I think the Broncos win this one and snap out of their skid.  Miami's pass defense is just not good enough to stop Jay Cutler.  They're only chance in this game is to slow the game down, limit possessions, get a lot of pressure on the QB, and hope Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams can carry them to victory.  I don't see all that happening, W for the Broncos.


LP: Dolphins are an on-and-off team. I think they will beat the Broncos this week.


Agrippa: Denver's spanking before their bye week had to be eye opening. They have had a whole week to think about that loss and should be able to enact some revenge on a Miami team. If the Broncos concentrate on running the ball they should win this game.



Question 13: Atlanta at Oakland.  Who wins?


Agrippa: Turner has been stellar against weak run defenses. Oakland is no exception ranked 27 in the league and give up more than their average as the Raiders woes continue.


LP: The Falcons lost to the Eagles last week, and they will bounce back against the Raiders. Falcons in a blowout.


Pitt: I gotta go Falcons here. These teams are pretty similar; both teams are starting inexperienced QBs, have below average defenses, and are pretty good at running the ball.  The difference is discipline and intangibles.  Atlanta has been penalized 38 times, while the Raiders have been penalized 51 times.  They're like the Raiders of the 70's, except without all that talent.  Atlanta will win and Michael Turner will pad his stats and make people think he's better than he is.


Dyhard: Atlanta will win this. They have a good running game in Michael Turner, who will just run all over the Oakland D. Matt Ryan has Roddy White and others to throw to, and the Oakland D can't stop them. The Falcons are going to KILL the Raiders.



Question 14: Dallas at New York Giants.  Who wins?


Pitt: I've got to go with the New York Football Giants.  While I don't think they're the best team in football, as some claim, they're a very good balanced team, and Dallas just cannot do anything offensively without Tony Romo.  Even Marion the Barbarian struggled against Tampa Bay, rushing for just 71 yards on 25 carries.  I'm taking Dallas to win big and Brad Johnson to wish he had retired.


Dyhard: The Giants are going to win this game, as they just recently beat the Steelers, so they are going to beat the Cowboys, as they probably won't have Tony Romo, and Brad Johnson isn't going to get them anywhere. The Giants are just the better, healthier team, that is going to win.


Agrippa: I see this being another close game. Dallas D was great against Tampa but I see Manning being able to change that trend. NY's D will pressure Johnson or Bollinger all day forcing turnovers. NY wins this one easily.


LP: Cowboys are riding a roller-coaster, and this week the roller-coaster goes downhill. Giants beat the Cowboys by 10+.



Question 15: Philadelphia at Seattle.  Who wins?


LP: Philly will easily take Seattle. Westbrook will have over 100 yards and they will win in Seattle.


Agrippa: Watch out if Westbrook has another game like he did last week. That fact is Seattle's D cannot play with the like of Eagles at times explosive offense. Eagles win this one.


Pitt: Although Seattle is usually good at home, I'm taking the Eagles to win handily here.  The only thing Seattle has been able to do is run the ball.  Philadelphia is 9th against the run and held Willie Parker, a similar back to Julius Jones, to 20 yards rushing on 13 carries.  Look for Jones to struggle similarly and the Eagles to win by two scores.


Dyhard: Philadelphia is going to win this game with their offensive team of Westbrook and McNabb leading the way. They have a great team, and they don't have injuries that are nagging them. They actually have a good QB and they actually have a RB that is top tier, and that is going to help a lot. Seattle will lose this game at home.



Question 16: New England at Indianapolis.  Who wins?


Agrippa: This is one of the best rivalries in the NFL and I think Indianapolis comes pumped to play after what the Titans did to them on Monday night Football. Cassel has 7 TD and 6 picks. He will find no love against the 2 ranked pass defense in the league as the Colts win a crucial game to get to .500.


LP: Colts have played bad the last 2 weeks, but they will get their game back and beat the Patriots at home. Colts improve to 4-4.


Pitt: I'm taking the Colts to get a much needed win here.  The Patriots could easily win this game if they could exploit Indianapolis's poor run D.  The problem?  They'll be without Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Lamont Jordan.  I'm sorry, but I don't think Kevin Faulk will be able to take the Pats on his back and carry them to victory.  Colts win.


Dyhard: Indy is going to win this game. They are at home, and they are actually healthy. The Pats are pretty good, but they are on the road, and they have their back-up QB in, with one part of their defense injured. It looks like the Colts are going to win this game, because they are at home, and they are healthy.



Question 17: Pittsburgh at Washington.  Who wins?


Agrippa: The Steelers have another tough game in Washington but this one they win. I think this will be a low scoring affair with Pitt coming out on top. Whoever controls the clock wins this one.


Dyhard: I am going to go with Washington winning this by 3 points. They have Clinton Portis, who is one of the best RB in the NFL this year. The Redskins also have Jason Campbell who has YET to throw an INT this ENTIRE season. The Redskins are at home also, so they will get the win here.


Pitt: This game would be a lot easier to pick for the Redskins if Jason Taylor was healthy.  Unfortunately, it appears as though he'll be out this week.  Still, I'm picking the Redskins to win here.  It will be an ugly smash mouth low-scoring affair, with Washington able to pull out a victory.  They'll be able to stop the Steelers' running attack quite easily and the game will be on Big Ben's shoulders.  I don't think he'll be able to get it done, as too often, his shoulders are on the ground.  Clinton Portis, the MVP so far, will carry them to victory.


LP: Clinton Portis will still have 100+ yards against the 3rd ranked Steelers rush defense. Redskins win in an exciting game.



Last week's upset alerts:
Agrippa: Seattle over San Francisco, Seattle won
Pitt: New Orleans over San Diego, New Orleans won
LP: Indianapolis over Tennessee, Tennessee won


Question 18: Who should be on upset alert?


Pitt: As I alluded to earlier, my pick for the upset of the week is Detroit over Chicago.  I think the Lions will catch the Bears (oh my!) looking forward to their next week's game against the undefeated Titans.  It's the perfect trap scenario, and the Lions will exploit it through Calvin Johnson and the passing game.  Dan Orlovsky can be good if given the opportunity.  If you project his stats from his 3 starts over a 16 game season, here's what you get:

240/432, 55.6%, 3403 yards, 16 TD, 0 INT, 93.5 Rating

The Lions will get their first win of the season with a HUGE upset of the Chicago Bears


Agrippa: Vikings: Houston has been playing well with an improved defensive front and per stellar linebacker play. I see AP having another bad day and Houston winning this one.


LP: Titans... watch out for da Pack. They are coming off a bye week and they crushed the Colts the week before. Tennessee will not be going 8-0 this year. Packers by 7.


Dyhard: Pittsburgh should be on Upset Alert.
Also Tennessee should. Look at those game explanations on WHY they are on Upset Alert.



Last week's players to watch:
LP: Matt Schaub: 24/28, 280 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 144.0 rating
Pitt: Thomas Jones: 14 rushes, 54 yards, TD, 1 reception, 6 yards
Agrippa: Plaxico Burress: 3 receptions, 15 yards


Question 19: Who is your player to watch?


LP: Lee Evans. They play the Jets this week and Trent Edwards is emerging into a solid QB. Evans is averaging over 100 yards in his last 3 games. Watch for Lee Evans to get 125+ receiving yards.


Agrippa: Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning has a 60.1 passer rating over his last two games and this has to be an anomaly. Look for him to get back into the season with a solid game.


Pitt: My player to watch is Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles.  McNabb appears to have finally recovered from his knee injury.  He is looking like the McNabb of old.  Here's what he's on pace for this year:

352/560, 62.9%, 4181 yards, 18 TD, 7 INT, 91.4 rating

Here's what the Seahawks have allowed to opposing QBs, projected to a 16 game season:

352/526, 66.9%, 3925 yards, 25 TD, 5 INT, 100.8 rating

Using these numbers, here's what I project for McNabb:

22/34, 64.7%, 253 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 106.6 rating


Dyhard: Kyle Orton. He is on the Bears who are playing against the Lions and the Lions have a bad secondary, and they have a bad overall defense, so Kyle Orton should have a very good game here. make sure that if he is available in Fantasy, you pick him up!



Last week's players to disappoint:
LP: Edgerrin James: 7 rushes, 17 yards, 0 TD, 0 receptions
Pitt: Michael Turner: 17 rushes, 58 yards, 0 TD, 0 receptions
Agrippa: Kurt Warner: 35/49, 71.4%, 381 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 99.1 rating


Question 20: Who is your player to disappoint?


Pitt: My player to disappoint this week is Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers.  In the Packers' last game, against the Colts, Jennings had just 3 catches for 32 yards.  I think he'll have a similar performance against a very tough Tennessee Titans defense.  He will not be able to produce at the level that fantasy owners have come to expect this season.


LP: Jamal Lewis. He has gotten 80+ yards in his last 3 games, but the Browns go up against the NFL's best rush defense.. the Ravens. Watch for Jamal to get less than 80 yards this week.


Agrippa: Matt Cassel. I don't think he gets into the swing of things with stellar Colt pass coverage. The Pats will be forced to throw after the run game fails and he will make mistakes that will cost New England the game.


Dyhard: I'm going to go with Kerry Collins is your player to disappoint. Just look at the Packers secondary, and just look at their pass D. They will intercept Collins about 2-3 times, and they will sack him 2-3 times. Just watch out for the Packers pass D. This should be hard for the Titans to be able to pass well, so they should have to commit to running the ball.



Pitt: That's it for us here with FanNation NFL GameDay.  Thank you for joining us Dyhard.

Dyhard: Thank you for having me.  This was fun.

Pitt:  On behalf of myself, Agrippa, LP, and Dyhard, I'd like to thank you for reading.  We'll see you next time on GameDay.