Weekly Analysis

Analysis and Preview

Thursday, 25 September, 2003

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame.com

When?s Michael Vick coming back? The Atlanta Falcons are desperately waiting for his return, and will likely need a heroic effort from him to get into things. Soon to be free agent Doug Johnson has played so horrible that he probably won?t get another shot in the NFL next season. He has showed absolutely no ability in the pocket, and the only target he can hit is his tight end in Alge Crumpler. The Falcons were hoping that they could be at least .500 and not have to rush Vick back. Instead their season is hanging on thin ice this week against a talented Carolina Panthers team. Their defense is another negative, and if doesn?t change it won?t matter how well Vick plays when he returns.

How about the Arizona Cardinals bouncing back? After being totally destroyed a week earlier the Cardinals managed to pull this one out. The Cardinals don?t deserve to thank their fans, but the 106-degree weather helped out a lot. This team has plenty of talent and should win five to six games this season.

Miami fans had to be proud on how their team responded. Their dominating performance over Buffalo put them back into things in the tight AFC. We?ll see if they can sustain solid play, or end up hitting a speed bump.

Well here is a preview of week four

Philadelphia vs. Buffalo
This is going to be an extremely tough game for Buffalo. The Eagles are coming off of a bye week, and know that this is a must win game. Buffalo is coming off of a tough loss, and will likely be without running back Travis Henry. That means Bledsoe will be throwing a lot. If he throws anything like he did last week than the Bills are going to be in trouble.

Cincinnati vs. Cleveland
Kelly Holcomb came through in the clutch and will have the starting job for at least another week. Surprisingly the Bengals have the best duo of wide receivers in the league, and have played competitive football. If Cleveland struggles on offense like they have the first three weeks, than this will be a great chance for them to win their first game.

Arizona vs. St. Louis
The Rams blew another football game, and if it wasn?t for Cedrick Wilson the Rams could be 0-3. Dave McGinnis is probably the hardest working coach in the NFL, and he will have his team ready this weekend. The Rams need to get back on track in a hurry, or Mike Martz?s job will be in jeopardy.

San Francisco vs. Minnesota
Minnesota has calmed down a little bit this season and has taken over games with an effective running game. Their ball control offense has been effective, and Moe Williams has been the reason why. San Francisco is coming off of a very disappointing loss, and it goes to show that you need to score touchdowns in this league. Having a kicker is great, but you want him on the field only to kick extra points. The 49ers need this game just as bad as the rest of their NFC West opponents.

Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh
This rivalry was one of the best in football a few seasons ago. Now they?re both in separate divisions but we all know that they still have bad blood. The Titans are building for a great year, and the Steelers think they?re going to do the same. So expect a great, hard fought, fight to the finish football game.

New England vs. Washington
Patrick Ramsey is on his way to a Pro Bowl year, and he deserves to thank Steve Spurrier and Lavernues Coles. Coles has came in and made an instant presence on the field, and has thrived in Spurrier?s system. The Patriots have been quiet this season, but are quietly 2-1. There are so many teams to talk about in the AFC that everyone is forgetting about the Patriots. Well if they win this week, they will be mentioned again.

Jacksonville vs. Houston
Two weeks in a row the Texans hung around for the first half, and then folded in the second. This should be a defensive game, so expect Kris Brown to be on the field a lot. The Texans need more from running back Stacey Mack, who has failed to become a threat out of the backfield.

Kansas City vs. Baltimore
Jamal Lewis vs. Priest Holmes, what can you say? They are the two best running backs in football, and both want to prove it against each other. The way both defenses are playing though, it could be up to the quarterbacks. The Ravens secondary is very shaky, and Trent Green should be able to exploit it.

San Diego vs. Oakland
When a player comes out and speaks that usually doesn?t, that means something. Rich Gannon was one angry quarterback after Monday Night, and is obviously trying to send a message to this team. One year ago they were ripping a part teams, and now they are getting it handed to them. This is not the game you want to be playing in if you are the San Diego Chargers.

Dallas vs. NY Jets
Bill Parcells is back up in New York again, and it will likely end with another win. When you can?t run the football you?re not going to win, and that is the Jets problem right now. Testaverde did a solid job last week, but they relied on him too much. Eventually a quarterback is going to make a mistake, and it happened in a crucial point in last week?s game. People are saying that Curtis Martin is done. He needs more carries before we can justify that. Quincy Carter has been erratic in his short career, and will need to be consistent in the pocket for them to win this one.

Detroit vs. Denver
Jake Plummer has had two of the best first quarters from a quarterback in the last two weeks. Plummer looks like he should have another fine week, against a horrible Lions defense. Detroit is just struggling on both sides of the football, and are hurting even more without Andre Goodman.

Atlanta vs. Carolina
This is a statement week for the Carolina Panthers. Both of their wins so far have been tight games, but good teams win those types of games. Stephen Davis has been the train so far this season, and will ride the whole year out for Carolina.

Indianapolis vs. New Orleans
The Colts have waited forever for a second receiver to step up, and Reggie Wayne finally did it. Peyton Manning has calmed down in the pocket, and the Colts are letting their defense win them games. It?s a great game plan this week, because the Saints always hurt themselves.

Green Bay vs. Chicago
This is going to be one of those horrible Monday Night games to watch. The Bears are by far the worst team in the league, and the Packers aren?t too far behind. Green Bay just hasn?t got their team chemistry down yet, and we all are wondering if they ever will. Last week was supposed to be an easy win for the Packers, so don?t count out Chicago.

Week Two Analysis

Thursday, 18 September, 2003

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame.com

How about the Washington Redskins? That fun n gun offense is working out great for them, and for many fantasy football teams as well. Their division rivals in the Giants and Eagles both suffered losses, and now they are on top of the division. With the way the Eagles offense is looking, it might be a race just between the Giants and Redskins. You can?t count out the Cowboys either, especially if Quincy Carter can play consistent.

The main focus on week two was horrible special teams play. It cost the Giants and Buccaneers their games. It has to be hard on players, when their kicker comes out and can?t come through, especially in these two situations. Both offenses drove their teams down the field for touchdowns, and the pressure wasn?t even on the kickers. All Martin Grammatica had to do was make a routine extra point, and all Matt Bryant had to do was kick a football off. It wasn?t like they were on the field to kick a 52-yard field goal as time expired.

Of course you can?t forget Cedric Wilson?s bonehead mistake. Before the play even happened he knew that he didn?t have time to run all over the field. There really was no excuse for what he did, and that type of mistake kills teams. You can bet if that had been Terrell Owens, he would have gone straight down.

Offensively, Jamal Lewis was by far the fantasy football player of the week. His fantasy football points has to be the highest ever for a running back. In our league the person that had Lewis received 51 points for his performance. It was a good thing I didn?t play that team this week.

What did you all think of Marc Bulger?s performance? In my opinion it wasn?t that great, but he got the job done and won the game. Early on he struggled, but he managed to play better in the second half. The game turned around once Marshall Faulk broke off a 20 yard run, and they started running it more. Warner definitely still deserves a shot, but it doesn?t look like he?ll get it.

There has been a great change up in the AFC. Coming in everyone thought Miami, Oakland, and Tennessee were the powerhouses. Well Buffalo, Kansas City, and Indianapolis are proving that they are the teams to be reckoned with. It is going to be one of the best years ever to watch a playoff race, because the AFC is loaded.

League Info and More

Wednesday, 10 September, 2003

by Zack Cimini
NOTJUSTAGAME.com

In this article we will breakdown all different types of topics. Including the Rams quarterback situation, green bay?s wide receivers, and who is worth picking up on the waiver wire.

When is the last time Kurt Warner has been himself on the field? The answer to that is probably their Super Bowl lost a couple of seasons ago. Mike Martz is coaching like he wants to lose his job, and is making horrible decisions on the field. First, he keeps Warner in the whole game with a mild concussion, and now he decides to bench him this week. If Martz was paying any attention, he would have saw that Warner played very well in the second half.

Now, Marc Bulger will probably have a great game this week, and all kinds of trouble will start in St. Louis. I think Martz should have waited until the doctors diagnosed Warner?s concussion, instead of naming Bulger the starter on Monday. That type of move is only going to cause team problems.

If you look on the bright side, maybe this move will force Martz to use Marshall Faulk more. He has the best running back in the league, and didn?t even use him week one. With Marc Bulger in there, Faulk should receive plenty of carries and passes thrown to him.

Who knows what is going on in Green Bay. Brett Favre had an absolutely horrible game, and three of their receivers were hurt. Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson, and Karsten Bailey were all hurt in week one?s action. They?re hurting so bad that the Packers are looking into bringing back Antonio Freeman. Javon Walker is a definite start in your leagues, until their receivers are healthy.

How about that Arizona Cardinals offense? If their offense can play like that, they might be able to keep up with St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle. One thing is for sure, is that their defense is going to lose them a lot of games. Jeff Blake and Anquan Boldin probably won?t put up a game close to week one?s performance again, but should definitely be considered. Blake could be a solid backup quarterback, and Boldin a nice option at fourth or fifth wide receiver.

Joe Jurevicious isn?t to be considered as a starter, but more of a bye week option. He puts up tight end player type of numbers, and should get around eight touchdowns this season. Besides Jeff Blake, Jake Delhomme also deserves a solid look, after his great comeback for the Carolina Panthers this week.