I would be remiss to head right into the column without a moment of silence in remembrance of what happened a year ago today.
May people all over the world see better days ahead.
NFL WEEK TWO
"We shall never find
that lovely land
of might-have-been"
-- Land of Might-Have Been, Moore/Novello
How can it be, you may ask yourself, that only one week has passed of the season, only one game has been played, and yet Tim in his infinite wisdom will now hand down to you the list of teams that will be going nowhere in 2002?
It is simply because in the NFL there are certain cosmic signs that tip-off the sagacious seers as to what is to come. Here then are the notable notes to be noted:
Teams going nowhere in 2002
- Baltimore - yes everyone was saying they would struggle, and indeed after one week I am prepared to say "it is so."
- Cleveland - aye they shoulda won, and true it is that Holcomb produced more points in one effort than a season of Tim Couch...but that loss, that defeat, that helmet being taken off when it shouldn't have....that will live on in their minds forever and deposit the Browns in the horrible defeat funk all year.
- Dallas - you don't lose to an expansion team in their very first real game and live to tell the tale unscathed. By year's end the overhaul will be mighty, with Hutchinson as the QB, Hambrick as the RB, and a lot less current Cowboys on the roster.
- Detroit - only when the Millen/Mornhinweg combo is gone from Car city and the curse of Barry Sanders is lifted will the Lions be able to once more resume NFL competitiveness.
- and of course...my beloved Bungles. Could Cincinnati have topped that first week appearance? Another double digit loss season looms mercilessly overhead
Of course, what do I know, I wrote off New England early on last year too. Let's move on to the selections du jour.
Tim's WIN-O-RAMA picks
I like to break out my plays by category based on my reasoning behind them. This week I am providing four fabulous 'Rama picks for your perusal.
Turnover play of the week:
The TwoMinuteWarning moles tell me that there is no predictive value with turnovers in week two...I'm supposed to wait until week five at which point they become 'super duper good' at nailing the matchups from a spread perspective. WIMPS! I say hit it with the turnovers in week two.
Those awful Lions take on the unbeaten Panthers down in Carolina and the turnover data so far is Detroit -2 net, Carolina +1 net. That's a three-turnover difference after only one game and since Rodney Peete is still the QB as far as I know in Carolina, I'm a taking the points. Go Detroit +3.
Contrarian Bridgejumping play of the week:
Those TMW moles also say pass on the bridgejumping until week five...WIMPS! Those Miami Dolphins had a nice start, beating the spread by 19 points. At the same time the Colts choked! choked I tell you! I mean, stop the bleepin' two point coversion try and they'd have covered! So anyway the Contrarian Bridgejumping gap is vast, a veritable chasm of opportunity for a turnaround, a reversion to the mean, a balancing of the fortune that has fallen. There's also another big reason to like the Colts, via the Horrible Defeat Syndrome. Take Indianapolis -2.5.
Angle play of the week:
There's some angle that says playing an away team in week two that lost in week one versus a home team that also lost in week one is a good idea. This week that points you to Cincinnati (ugh), New York Giants (hold me, I'm scared facing the Rams), Buffalo (had enough of their special teams misadventures already) and Tampa Bay (a road favorite of more than a field goal...gasp! says the audience, does this fool not realize that home dogs rule in the NFL?) None of the above get me too excited, but why not back those hapless Bengals again, since I'll be watching the game anyway, I might as well wager on it. Take Cincinnati +4.5.
Overlay pick of the week:
Surely you jest! The Eagles are favored on the road against mighty Steve Spurrier? My word, what is happening here? My boldest prediction of the season, made prior to training camps opening was that McNabb will be injured and knocked out for the year before the end of September. Injury watch continues here...take Washington +3.
Last week: 1-3
tim@twominutewarning.com
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