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Keyboard Quarterback: Kickin' Off The Season
Authored by Andrew Perna - 4th September, 2008 - 9:40 am
Between 2002 and 2006, each school that came into the season ranked No. 1 in the nation ran the table in the regular season, but we've seen huge turnover in 07 and 08.
Baltimore wants Flacco to be their QB of the future. But the Ravens feel they have no choice but to start him now because Boller and Smith are unavailable. Wrong!
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It’s been seven long months, but football is finally back in our lives full-time. The Giants, coming off their surprising Super Bowl victory, will battle the Redskins on Thursday night to kick it all off in prime time.
Brett Favre dominated the headlines in the offseason, but Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have gained a significant amount of ground on the aging quarterback already this month. Heading into Week One, the health of Brady and Manning has been front page news across the country.
The start of the NFL season isn’t the only reason your life is about to get a heck of a lot better. The sight of John Clayton’s forehead also means that the 'Keyboard Quarterback' will be here at the start of each week to quench your pigskin thirst.
A little more than seven months ago, in the last edition of the 'KQ', I predicted that the Patriots would down the Giants, 30-21, on their way to a perfect 19-0 season and yet another Super Bowl title.
If you’re new to this column, or my writing, then you don’t know how pleased I was to have been wrong in February. I’ll let you decide whether it’s the Giants I like, or the Patriots I despise (ahem).
Before I preview some of the highlights to look for in Week One of the season, let me entertain you with my 2008 projections.
The AFC * - denotes a Division Title winner
** - denotes a Wild Card winner
AFC East New England Patriots – 13-3*
New York Jets – 9-7
Buffalo Bills – 6-10
Miami Dolphins – 4-12
AFC North Pittsburgh Steelers – 10-6*
Cleveland Browns – 10-6**
Cincinnati Bengals – 5-11
Baltimore Ravens – 4.12
AFC South Indianapolis Colts – 12-4*
Jacksonville Jaguars – 10-6**
Tennessee Titans – 9-7
Houston Texans – 4-12
AFC West San Diego Chargers – 12-4*
Denver Broncos – 7-9
Oakland Raiders – 6-10
Kansas City Chiefs – 3-13
AFC Playoffs Bye: New England, San Diego
Wild Card Round Indianapolis defeats Cleveland
Pittsburgh defeats Jacksonville
Divisional Round New England defeats Pittsburgh
San Diego defeats Indianapolis
AFC Title Game San Diego defeats New England
The NFC * - denotes a Division Title winner
** - denotes a Wild Card winner
NFC East Dallas Cowboys – 11-5*
New York Giants – 11-5**
Philadelphia Eagles – 9-7
Washington Redskins – 8-8
NFC North Minnesota Vikings – 11-5*
Green Bay Packers – 8-8
Detroit Lions – 7-9
Chicago Bears – 6-10
NFC South Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 10-6*
Carolina Panthers – 9-7**
New Orleans Saints – 9-7
Atlanta Falcons – 4-12
NFC West Seattle Seahawks – 10-6*
Arizona Cardinals – 8-8
St. Louis Rams – 6-10
San Francisco 49ers – 5-11
NFC Playoffs Bye: Dallas, Minnesota
Wild Card Round N.Y. Giants defeat Seattle
Carolina defeats Tampa Bay
Make sure you bookmark this piece so you can flood my inbox with e-mails reminding me of how little I know about football come December.
Now, onto the traditional sections of the 'Keyboard Quarterback'.
The Downs First Down...How Hurt Are They? Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady claim they’ll play in Week One for their teams, but fans in Indianapolis and New England won’t rest easy until they are on the field this Sunday. There is more mystery surrounding Brady's foot than Manning's knee, but I expect both to be playing - and dominating - this weekend.
Second Down...Who Will Surprise In 2008? I'm really high on a pair of NFC South teams: the Saints and Panthers. As you saw in my season projections, I see Carolina grabbing a Wild Card and bouncing division-champion Tampa Bay out in the first round of the postseason. If the Panthers don't make waves in January, I think it'll be the Saints, who could have the conference's best offense.
Third Down...Mr. Ocho Cinco Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson used to amuse me, but he’s starting to get on my nerves. In the beginning, I thought he was just a receiver that liked to have fun, but now he appears to need the spotlight glaring in his direction. Whatever his "problem" is, he’ll need to produce in Cincinnati this year to save their season and his reputation.
Fourth Down...You Again? It might not be a ratings-earner for CBS, but I'm excited about Sunday’s battle between the Jets and Dolphins in Miami. The game will pit Chad Pennington, the new starter in South Beach, against Brett Favre and his former team. I'll take New York in this battle, but it'll be because of Favre's supporting cast. Pennington will have the better stat line.
The 'Who The Heck' Stat Line of the Week... Andrew Perna, Senior Writer: 1,933 games of Madden on Saturday in anticipation.
My Keyboard Prediction for Week One Minnesota @ Green Bay, Monday 7:00 PM EST This game is important for a number of reasons. A lot of people are picking the Vikings to do some damage in the NFC this season - perhaps even going deep into the playoffs - so they’ll need to start off strong against the division-rival Packers. Green Bay will be looking to start off on the right foot, as well, after getting rid of Brett Favre and placing all their savings in the account of Aaron Rodgers.
The Keyboard Prediction: Vikings 24, Packers 13
My fantasy diary will debut next week after my first week of disappointment, so let’s move onto this year’s newest feature.
The Top Ten Fantasy Starters At Each Position For Week One Based On Prior Performance And Matchups
QBs 1. Tom Brady, New England versus Kansas City
2. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh versus Houston
3. Tony Romo, Dallas at Cleveland
4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis versus Chicago
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans versus Tampa Bay
6. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia versus St. Louis
7. Derek Anderson, Cleveland versus Dallas
8. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati at Baltimore
9. Philip Rivers, San Diego versus Carolina
10. Eli Manning, New York versus Washington
RBs 1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota at Green Bay
2. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego versus Carolina
3. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia versus St. Louis
4. Clinton Portis, Washington at New York
5. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis versus Chicago
6. Frank Gore, San Francisco versus Arizona
7. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo versus Seattle
8. Stephen Jackson, St. Louis at Philadelphia
9. Marion Barber III, Dallas at Cleveland
10. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville at Tennessee
WRs 1. Randy Moss, New England versus Kansas City
2. Terrell Owens, Dallas at Cleveland
3. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland versus Dallas
4. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona at San Francisco
5. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis versus Chicago
6. Plaxico Burress, New York versus Washington
7. Wes Welker, New England versus Kansas City
8. Roy Williams, Detroit at Atlanta
9. Andre Johnson, Houston at New England
10. Marques Colston, New Orleans versus Tampa Bay
TEs 1. Kellen Winslow, Cleveland versus Dallas
2. Jason Witten, Dallas at Cleveland
3. Antonio Gates, San Diego versus Carolina
4. Chris Cooley, Washington at New York
5. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City at New England
6. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh versus Houston
7. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis versus Chicago
8. Benjamin Watson, New England versus Kansas City
9. Vernon Davis, San Francisco versus Arizona
10. L.J. Smith, Philadelphia versus St. Louis
Ks 1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England versus Kansas City
2. Nick Folk, Dallas at Cleveland
3. Phil Dawson, Cleveland versus Dallas
4. Mason Crosby, Green Bay versus Minnesota
5. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis versus Chicago
6. Nate Kaeding, San Diego versus Carolina
7. Robbie Gould, Chicago at Indianapolis
8. Josh Brown, St. Louis at Philadelphia
9. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh versus Houston
10. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati at Baltimore
D/STs 1. Minnesota Vikings, at Green Bay
2. San Diego Chargers, versus Carolina
3. Pittsburgh Steelers, versus Houston
4. New England Patriots, versus Kansas City
5. Seattle Seahawks, at Buffalo
6. Jacksonville Jaguars, at Tennessee
7. Indianapolis Colts, versus Chicago
8. Philadelphia Eagles, versus St. Louis
9. Tennessee Titans, versus Jacksonville
10. Arizona Cardinals, at San Francisco
I hope you enjoy Week One of the season, and you actually made it through what will likely be the longest 'Keyboard Quarterback' of the season.
