Tom and Ben's NFL Rants

Week 2 Picks

2009-09-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Week 2 is done and what a week it was! I personally didn't do too well with my picks but Ben did pretty good. I know it's still early in the season but what a season it's shaping up to be! Here are our week 2 results.

Tom
Week 2: 8-8, Season: 20-12

*NO 48 @ PHI 22 (Right)
ARI 31 @ JAC 17* (Wrong)
HOU 34 @ TEN 31* (Wrong)
*OAK 13 @ KC 10 (Right)
CIN 31 @ GB 24* (Wrong)
*MIN 27 @ DET 13 (Right)
STL 7 @ WAS 9* (Right)
*NE 9 @ NYJ 16 (Wrong)
CAR 28 @ ATL 20* (Right)
*TB 20 @ BUF 33 (Wrong)
*SEA 10 @ SF 23 (Wrong)
*BAL 31 @ SD 26 (Right)
*PIT 14 @ CHI 17 (Wrong)
*CLE 6 @ DEN 27 (Wrong)
*NYG 33 @ DAL 31 (Right)
*IND 27 @ MIA 23 (Right)

Ben
Week 2: 12-4, Season: 25-7

*HOU 34 @ TEN 31 (Right)

*NO 48 @ PHI 22 (Right)
*ARI 31 @ JAC 17 (Right

*OAK 13 @ KC 10 (Right)

CIN 31@ GB 24* (Wrong)

*MIN 27 @ DET 13 (Right)

STL 7 @ WAS 9* (Right)

*NE 9 @ NYJ 16 (Wrong)

CAR 20 @ ATL 28* (Right)

TB 20 @ BUF 33* (Right)

SEA 10 @ SF 33* (Right)

*BAL 36 @ SD 21 (Right)

*PIT 14 @ CHI 17 (Wrong)

*CLE 6 @ DEN 27 (Wrong)

*NYG 33 @ DAL 31 (Right)

*IND 27 @ MIA 23 (Right)

Written By: Tom

The Falcons Defense Dishing Out the Pain

2009-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone is predicting Matt Ryan to have a huge breakout year. With the addition of Tony Gonzalez and the return of Roddy White, Michael Turner and a stout offensive line, Atlanta did not disappoint with a 19-7 win over a very good Miami football team. Though I tell ya, the thing that impressed me the most was not Atlanta’s stacked offense, it was their defense, the supposed Achilles heel to the team.

They caused more problems for the Miami offense than what drugs did for Amy Winehouse, forcing 4 turnovers (3 fumbles and an interception), sacking Pennington 4 times, and shutting down their gadget offense to just 7 points. If they can keep this up, what can this mean for the Falcons super bowl hopes?

One of the best compliments a high-powered offense can have is a defense that can produce turnovers. Simply because it allows more chances for the offense to score. Atlanta did that on Sunday. Also, combine that with the fact that Atlanta runs a Tampa 2 defense, which is a style of defense that drops everyone back in coverage and that invites offenses to throw the short passes, covering everything deep and not allowing the big play. It’s perfectly designed for when a team gets a good lead. When teams are losing and are forced to play catch up to the Falcons, they’re going to be forced to score in a hurry and attempt deeper passes, and when they do that they’re either going to get sacked by a great pass rushing front four which features long time pro-bowler John Abraham, or picked off by great coverage deep. The three forced fumbles indicate that they are also playing real fast and physical. If they keep this up, look for the Falcons to absolutely slaughter a lot of good teams because of their high-powered offense and a surprisingly fast, play making defense.

Written By: Ben

Week 1 Picks

2009-09-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

Like it was mentioned in the introduction post, here are the picks/results from week 1 in the NFL. I didn't do too well this week and so Ben ended up beating me by a win. So heres the break down.

Tom: 12-4
Week 1: 12-4, Season: 12-4

TEN 10 @ PIT 13* (Right)
*PHI 38 @ CAR 10 (Right)
KC 24 @ BAL 38* (Right)
DET 27 @ NO 45* (Right)
*DAL 34@ TB 21 (Right)
MIA 7 @ ATL 19* (Right)
JAC 12 @ IND 14* (Right)
*NYJ 24@ HOU 7 (Right)
*MIN 34 @ CLE 20 (Right)
DEN 12 @ CIN 7* (Wrong)
SF 20 @ ARI 16* (Wrong)
STL 0 @ SEA 28* (Right)
*WAS 17 @ NYG 23 (Wrong)
*CHI 15 @ GB 21 (Wrong)
BUF 24 @ NE 25* (Right)
*SD 24 @ OAK 20 (Right)

Ben:
Week 1: 13-3, Season: 13-3

TEN 10 @ PIT 13* (Right)

PHI 38 @ CAR* 10 (Wrong)

KC 24 @ BAL 38* (Right)

DET 27 @ NO 45* (Right)

*DAL 34@ TB 21 (Right)

MIA 7 @ ATL 19* (Right)

JAC 12 @ IND 14* (Right)

*NYJ 24@ HOU 7 (Right)

*MIN 34 @ CLE 20 (Right)

DEN 12 @ CIN 7* (Wrong)

*SF 20 @ ARI 16 (Right)

STL 0 @ SEA 28* (Right)

WAS 17 @ NYG 23* (Right)

*CHI 15 @ GB 21 (Wrong)

BUF 24 @ NE 25* (Right)

*SD 24 @ OAK 20 (Right)

Note: We'll be doing these picks every week so check out our blog and compare your picks with ours.

Written By: Tom

Will Troy Polamalu’s Injury Affect the Steelers Defense?

2009-09-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

As you all know, Troy Polamalu sustained an MCL injury during the Steelers season opener against the Tennessee Titans. While Polamalu was trying to recover the ball from a blocked field goal, big ole' Alge Crumbpler (TE) landed awkwardly on Polamalu's leg, crushing it and causing the MCL tear. The good news is, Polamalu will not need surgery and is hoping to be back in about 3 to 6 weeks. With Polamalu's absence, what fate does this hold for the infamous Pittsburgh defense AKA Blitzburgh?

Well... there's a reason why they're called Blitzburgh. No, it's not because they like to place everyone back in coverage, it's because they like to blitz. A lot. In Pittsburgh's 2008 campaign, their defense was responsible for 51 sacks, the second most sacks pummeled upon opposing quarterbacks that year. So on average, an opposing quarterback would be swarmed upon and mauled to the ground a bit more than three times per game by the infamous Pittsburgh defense.

So why is it that the Steelers defense is so dominate you ask? It's because of their front seven. The front seven of any defense is primarily responsible for stopping the run and putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Pittsburgh's front seven is rock solid to say the least. In fact, I would go as far as saying it is the best front seven in the NFL, featuring 4 pro-bowlers including last year's defensive MVP James Harrison. Their front seven is the reason why the Steelers can blitz, and therefore, because there are no critical injuries to their front seven, they will still be able to bring the heat upon opposing quarterbacks as well as they always have been able to. Blitzburgh will still be Blitzburgh.

Now, I'm not bashing Troy Polamalu. He is, in fact, one of the NFL's best playmakers. When Troy hits the field he makes big hits, he makes crazy interceptions, and he just flies all over the place. But in the end, he only compliments the best feature of Blitzburgh; the proven fact that the front seven can both put serious pressure on quarterbacks and completely shutdown the running game. And because Polamalu is not part of the Steelers front seven, his absence will not affect the play of the front seven.

Written By: Ben

Did Somebody Say... Football?

2009-09-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm Tom, and I'm one of the writers for our blog, "Tom and Ben's NFL Rants." I don't really need to get in depth into what this blog is about because the title says it all. Now don't expect too much in this post because this is just basically an introduction to this blog.

I've been watching football for about 11 years now and every year it gets more and more exciting. Now I know I may get negative comments about this but... I'm an Eagles fan! And no, it's not just because Vick came into town. To be honest, my favorite player on the Eagles would have to be Brian Dawkins. Hands down. In my opinion, he was the heart and soul of the Eagles defense, and when he signed with the Broncos, I was crushed. But I guess things happen right? Players move around, like who would have thought Terrell Owens would end up in Buffalo?

On the flip side, I am also a hardcore Colts hater. It's kind of funny because Ben, who is the other writer for our blog, is a huge Colts fan. I can honestly say that I love watching the Colts lose because it just gives me a sense of satisfaction everytime it happens.

Anyways, since I love football so much, I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog featuring all of our profound claims and senseless rants regarding the NFL. Ben and I both love to talk about football, so why not blog our thoughts and connect with other football fans out there?

Some of the things you will find in this blog is information, recaps, general football talk, our weekly picks, and so much more! There will be some good stuff on here so make sure you check it out!

Written By: Tom