13) Monday Night-Cowboys vs. Eagles

I'm back! Only this time I'm much more in tune with what's going on. I researched the Monday night clash and if you're betting on this game, logic will tell you to take the Cowboys. Go ahead and take that bet. I say that because it's too early to tell how good Philly is. I will say this, the Eagles have the best secondary in the NFL. They're playing in Dallas and it's Monday Night. Marion Barber is the X-Factor. He will run well but look for this game to be a low scoring affair. I don't see a shootout, Dallas has too many weapons. This one is hard to decipher, but I would take Cowboys to cover the spread. Home game--Monday night...it makes too much sense. I like the Eagles and they have a good coach, but I'm afraid this match will overwhelm them. My betting instinct tells me to stay away from this one, but you want my advice so there you have it. Stay tuned tomorrow, I'm going to have some good stuff layed out for you. Until then... ~Peace~ Joe

12) Week 2 Picks Continued...

Ok Sports Fans, week two is around the corner and there are some intriguing matchups. Right now the Atlanta Falcons are the feel good story of the year but it's only week one. The Saints are back on target and how about those cardiac Carolina Panthers? The Buccaneers are no pushovers either. It's gonna be a dogfight in the NFC South. Seahawks vs 49ers- 49ers tavel to Seattle for a good old fashioned NFC shoot out, right? Wrong. This will be a defensive battle with a lot of turnovers. Take the Niners and the 7 points. If the Seahawks win it will be by a field goal. Falcons at Tampa Bay- Ah yes, the feel good Falcons against those Buccaneers in Tampa's opener led by Brian Griese. If only it was his dad Bob Griese, the Bucs would be in great shape. Derrick Brooks won't be a 100% but Monte Kiffin has a few tricks up his sleeve for Matt rookie Ryan. Yo Matt, these aren't the Lions, buddy. Tampa Bay will beat the dirty birds. Oh yeah, they'll cover too. Saints at the Redskins -Jason Campbell tears his ACL in the first quarter and Todd Collins proves to be ineffective in the first half. Zorn plugs in the rookie in the third quarter. Colt Brennan throws for 265 yards and three touchdowns in a 28- 27 contest with the Saints. Sorry guys, I couldn't help myself. Take the Saints in a big win. Jason Taylor might get a sack but that's the only positive thing that will happen for the Skins this weekend. I'm not gonna lie to you guys, I haven't decided whose going to win the Monday night match up. Tune in tomorrow....

11) Week 2 Picks

Ok gang you asked for it, here it comes! Week 2 picks!! Bears at Panthers - I just can't see Kyle Orton becoming a star in this league, but the Bears are so good on defense, when healthy they made Rex Grossman look good. Bears are the underdog here. I would take the Panthers minus three. If I was betting money I would stay away from this game. Bills at Jacksonville- Jack Del Rio and the Jags have the 'injury curse' this year. Sorry Jack, it happens to the best of teams, it just happens to be your year. Buffalo is the underdog in this game and they get 5.5 points to boot. Take the Bills, this game is a lock. Colts at Vikings- Here's the deal with this game, the Bears had a rookie Running Back run roughshod all over the Colts Defense. Now the Colts lose their starting DT. This could be a trap, but I don't sense it. Take the Colts -2 and be happy about it. Dolphins at Arizona - They're giving Miami a 6.5 point spread. Frank Gore got 96 off the Arizona Defense on the ground. Mark my words, if Ronnie gets twenty touches the Dolphins win. I've come to the realization that a lot of people pray for Brett Favre, thats why he throws up these miraculous passes. Not too many people pray for Warner. Take Miami and the points. Giants at Rams -Yikes, do I have to explain? For some reason I feel that this is a trap game. The Giants will win, but I don't think they will cover. Rams are getting 8.5 points. They will be at home and that word pride keeps jumping out at me. Giants are Super Bowl champs they just won their home opener...yeah, it reeks trap, stay away guys. Jets at Patriots- Hey Brett, this is the defense you would have faced if you would have gone to the Super Bowl. Now this team is faced with adversity. This is a statement game for the Pats as well as every game after this one. To make it even worse for the Jets, they are favored by one. Hey, the oddsmakers aren't that stupid. Take the Pats and that lucky one point. This game is a lock. Packers at Lions- The Lions have bad juju surrounding their team and I don't know why. Nobody does. Maybe when Parcells is done in Miami, he should fix this team. Take the Packers -3. Raiders at Chiefs -Raiders are the underdogs here, but they will show some heart in this game. From here on through the rest of the season, Jamarcus will get better. This would be Yoda's second favorite team because Jamarcus is like a young Jedi Knight. He just hasn't found the force yet but when he does, look out. Take the Chiefs and the -3.5 points, this one is a lock as well. Ravens at Houston- If Yoda was for real, the Baltimore Ravens would be his favorite team. This will be a tough, low scoring affair. If Mario Williams is Darth Vader than Cam Cameron is Obi Wan and Flacco is C-3PO. He's not quite Luke Skywalker yet. Take the Ravens and the points. San Diego at Denver- The Chargers are favored by 1.5 at Invesco. I don't think so. The Chargers are a good team, a real good team, and once upon a time they had the best coaching staff throughout the land. They were playing this thing called Marty Ball, and he knew how to motivate his team before a game, which is a huge factor. Nothing against Norv Turner, but he looks more like a History Teacher then an inspiring coach. I mean last year, the Chargers were lucky because they had veterans who kept this team together. They took it upon themselves to figure it out. They were smart enough to know that Coach Turner was just decoration, plus they still had a little Marty left in them. Now this is a new year and Marty has faded, and losing Merriman isn't gonna help either. Take the Broncos, but Im not calling this a lock. Steelers at Cleveland - Poor Browns, they're probably playing the team that will represent AFC in the Super Bowl this year and they just got done playing the Cowboys--the team that will probably represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Hey Derrick Anderson, I feel a concussion coming on. I can't blame you. Take the Steelers and the -6 points, this is another lock. Titans at Bengals- With all the drama going on involving Vince Young, it could be a distraction for this team's play this weekend. I like the Bengals at home -1. Why? Because the Bengals will be in the jungle, that's why. Hey Kids, I'm tired. I'll give you the last four games tomorrow afternoon sometime (Pacific time) I promise. Plus, I'm still researching the Monday Night game. If you have any comments about my picks let me know, it helps me. It doesn't mean I will change them, but suggestions help.

10) Redskins & Raiders

What's up gang? I just finished looking at the Yahoo Sports line for this week's games. I'm really going to have to go to work tomorrow so I can give you some quality locks this weekend. I was reading up on the Redskins tonight, it's going be a long year for Campbell and I don't see an upside in the future. Jim Zorn is way over his head with this club and if he doesn't get a handle on this team early in the season, he'll lose this team's respect. There's one ACE card that Jim can pull if he's got the guts, but I doubt he'll do it. I'm going to give you some insider info that'll blow your mind. You see, the Redskins got lucky in the Draft. They drafted the next great quarterback since the Manning Bros., possibly better. Yup, Colt Brennan. He shows flashes of greatness already. I have a strong hunch about this kid. If Campbell falters three weeks into the season, Zorn needs to bypass Todd Collins and go with Brennan. The Raiders are another story. They have the parts, they just can't piece them together. The coaching staff and administration need to change next year. Yeah, I know they're not the ones out there playing, but somebody signed Javon walker. Look at the trifecta over in Miami. The Fin children almost pulled it out and they were dominated pretty well throughout the game, just as the Raiders practically were. So why did the Dolphins almost pull it out while the Raiders got lit up? The answer is simple--fear. The coaches for one team will say to a player, "Do that again and you're gone." The other coaches will add," This is what you did wrong, don't do it in the next game." All I've got to say is Eddie Royal 'b*tch slapped' the Raiders secondary on Monday night. Ok, Cutlers rollouts did help but come on...you know what? I'm speechless. This is a young talented team. They've got to stop embracing losing. Once upon a time, the Raiders were crazed lunatics who would play dirty--beat their opponent up and down the field, and if the other team won, they were feelin' it the next day. Now, it's just a football game. I never liked the Raiders, but I grew up watching a lot of their games Why? Because they were extremely fun to watch. Monday, I couldn't even finish the game.

9) The Plot Thickens

Ok, football fans, my Monday night match ups came through like I thought they would! My record is: 11 games were covered-7 were not. On Wednesday, I'll give you a run-down on week two, but I have to comment on the New England Patriots because of Tom Brady's unfortunate, season destroying injury. The Patriots will win the AFC East, They're just going to have to fight it out with the Bills. I hate to see someone like Tom go down, but now we're going to see the Patriots in a whole new light. This was a team that went undefeated during the season. Yeah,Yeah I know what you're thinking, "But Dolfan Corona, you said Quarterbacks win football games." This is true and I stand by what I said, but the situation here is a little different. Welker, Moss, Watson, Gafney, Faulk out of the backfield a decent running game. Matt Cassel now has the keys to the Porsche. I'm sure Matt will drive carefully. Damn that Brett Favre, I mean c'mon 4th and 13! Bret must have read my previous article about the MasterCard commercial. One final note, although everybody's picking the Cowboys to win it all, they are not going to. Like I said, the season is not a sprint. It's a marathon. The Colts looked sluggish against the Bears and the Chargers lost to a good team.. Both teams will rebound and win their divisions. If Ocho Cinco didn't like last season, he's going to go nuts this season. How ironic is it that Matt Cassel backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Lienart at USC, and now Carson is taking his lumps in Cincy and Matt is backing up Warner in Arizona? It's Cassel who will probably end up in the Super Bowl. It's the NFL and the Karma's for real.

8) Week 1 of the NFL Showdown

Well gang, the first week is almost in the books and I'm embarrassed to say I called seven right and seven wrong. That's 50-- percent which is unacceptable. Hey, I don't make excuses. I will say I never saw the Charger game coming! The other miscalculations were due to poor research. I promise you this won't happen again. I'm usually steady at 80 percent. I still have the Monday night games so I could possibly hit above 50 percent. I can tell you right now though that the Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles are on a mission this year. Keep an eye on them, they're better than people think. Those opportunistic Bears...sooner or later the offense will have to step up for the defense. I thought the 49ers would rock Arizona and the Dolphins would do the same to the Jets. How lucky can you be on 4th and 13...ah forget about it. One strength for the Dolphins is that they have a legitimate all Pro tight end in Fassano . The bad thing is that's the only receiving threat they have.. I'm tired. I will dissect the games further and give you some more info tomorrow. Please comment so I can gain some insight from you guys out there . I can learn from you as well. Peace (in the Middle East) Dolfan

7) Tomorrow's the Big Day Kids!

What I want you to learn while watching the games tomorrow is that 'no man is an island'. The teams that win will win decisively. No close shaves this week. If you've been following my team by team AFC East predictions, you will find that I believe the key to winning is not about focusing on the primetime stars, it's about the unsung heroes in the trenches. Look for Ricky to run wild tomorrow... and the funny thing is, the Jets know it's coming. I call Dallas 'the machine', they ~ will roll~, but the Browns will put up a good dog fight at the pound. Winslow will have a good game. La Dainian will also run wild at the Q. A team I want you to look real closely at is the Philadelphia Eagles. I'm not talking about McNabb, I'm talking about the best secondary in football, period. Well kids, that's enough for now. The Green Zone is spoiling you with all kinds of gift information. Comment me if you think I'm wrong. I double dog dare you!

6) Dolphins & Pennington

Well, its been a long week but the games are almost here. The final team Im going to talk about from the AFC East are the Miami Dolphins. This team completely had to clean house last year. They may have kept the equipment manager but everyone else got the A X E. Along came the trifecta and they restructured. It looks like they did a pretty good job in the draft. They drafted highly touted tackle Jake Long to anchor the offense and they picked up a solid quarterback in Chad Henne. The draft was pretty solid. It better have been, they picked first. A good draft, mixed in with some savvy veterans they picked up via free agency, really gave this team a face lift. But I'll tell you that the key aquisition was Chad Pennington. The Jets released him for another quarterback from Green Bay. The addition of Pennington will keep a young Miami team in every game. I believe Head Coach Sparano will have a good rookie campaign. From what I've been researching, the team respects him and they're ready to win for him. Bill Parcells lurking around the Davie training camp facility didn't hurt either. The running game will be explosive. I'm looking for Ricky Williams to have a big year. Ronnie Brown will be a great change of pace, but the key two players are Anthony Fassano and Ted Ginn. If these two develop any chemistry with Pennington--look out. This team will surprise. Look for them to go 9-7 this year. Joe a.k.a. Dolfan

5) The Bills and a Little Guinness

Welcome Fans! Tonight I will continue my crusade through the AFC East by talking about the Buffalo Bills. I wanna talk about the Defense first because my opinion is that this is the nucleus of the Bills. If they're going to go far this season, it's going start up front and boy did they land a gem in the off-season with Marcus Stroud from Jacksonville and Spencer Johnson. Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay make pretty good bookends on the defensive front. Add Kawika Mitchell and a healthy Paul Posluszny to the linebacker corp and you've got a pretty solid group. The secondary will be a high caliber group with Donte Witner and Ko Simpson. Include top draft pick, Leodis Mckelvin and you have a recipe for a pretty stout defense. Yesterday, I used the word vanilla to define the Jets. For the Bills, the word is stout. If this group stays healthy, you're talking about low scoring games, which will benefit the Bills. Injuries tore this team apart last year, and I'm not exaggerating about this either. They were headed for a wild card birth and then everything came unglued. Adding depth to the defense should have been a priority this season. I guess some people--or in this case, some general managers-- never learn. Who is the Bills' GM anyway? Now let's talk offensive side. An Achilles's heel or not? Trent Edwards, a smart quarterback out of Stanford, can and will lead this team to play off pastures if they find another go-to-guy opposite Lee Evans. Too bad they can't clone a younger Eric Moulds. That would be deadly. Robert Royal is a serviceable tight end and Marshawn Lynch has enough talent to keep the defenses guessing. The offensive line is average but they're a scrappy bunch. Somebody needs to pay Jason Peters now because he's worth every penny. After researching this team, I came away impressed but like Marcus Stroud said, "We look good on paper, we just have to show it in the game." This team lacks depth and anyone who knows the NFL will tell you the season is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Bills will remain healthy enough to stay competitive. I predict a 10-6 season, good enough for second place in the East. Dolfan

4) Taking on the Jets (fans)

I can't believe the season is already here! Yesterday, I talked about the New England Patriots and how they will conquer the AFC East. Well, I'm staying in the same division and I'm gonna talk about the J-E-T-S. JETS! JETS! JETS! Where do I begin with team 'Gang Green'? Oh yes, the quarterback. Brett is a perennial HOF but he inherited a mediocre football team. Brett won't have a bad season, but it's not going to be like last year. I'm reminded of a Mastercard commercial that Brett once did--a kid spilled chocolate ice cream on his sweater and Brett said, " I would have gone vanilla with that sweater." Well guess what? Brett is going vanilla this year with his uniform. Vanilla, i.e., where's the excitement? I'm guessing that Brett will probably start jelling midway through the year, but it's gonna take some effort. The offensive line is above average with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and Nick Mangold at center. Only problem is, Thomas Jones is just average. I think that Jerricho Cotchery is an underrated receiver and he'll be Brett's main man, but look for Laveranues Coles too. Bubba Franks knows the old gunslinger well, so he'll hook up with him a lot this year. Let's take a look at the defensive side of this team. Kris Jenkins- when healthy-is dominant Shaun Ellis is ok but doesn't really jump out at you. Darelle Revis has what it takes to be a Pro Bowler, but it's only his second year. Kerry Rhodes is ok at safety. Perhaps they can benefit from a weekend camp with Neon Dion Sanders...hey, I'm not joking! They can bring along Hank Poteat, Dwight Lowery, and whoever else wants to go from the secondary, because they will be exploited. Once again, vanilla. The addition of Vernon Gohlston can't hurt the Defense, but it'll be a few games before he starts making an impact. I must admit, I do admire Brian Schottenheimer's skills as an offensive coordinator, but ~please~ leave the 'genius' off of Eric Mangini's name because he's gonna be throwing more than Razor phones at trucks this year. I hope Mike Westhoff comes back and coaches the special teams this year. Now that's one coach whose entitled to have 'genius' tacked onto the end of his name. One player who isn't vanilla on this team is Leon Washington. The Jets have got to figure out how to get him the ball more this year. A special teams playmaker indeed. Ok, The NY Jets have some players, but overall they're going be very 'streaky' in their games. Meaning, they'll win maybe three straight then turn around and lose three straight. They just wont be cohesive this year, even with Brett. Maybe towards the end of the season they'll find their happy place....nah! Vanilla man, just vanilla. My predictions for Gang Green will be a 9-7 year. Hey, it's better than 8-8. I challenge any Jets fan to disagree with my prediction. I'm signing off now. I'm craving a vanilla shake. Priceless...

3) Ok, I Did My Research For the Monday Night Games...

...and I can tell you that it was pretty easy to decipher whose gonna win. First, let's start with the Broncos vs Raiders. It's obvious that the Raiders offense is not quite in sync yet and that's gonna cause some problems. Shanahan is a savvy coach who has been around awhile. This is gonna be a reckless game in the air. Both quarterbacks, I believe, are gonna let it fly in this game.but to make a long story short,. the Broncos will cover the spread easily. The second game between the Packers and the Vikings will be a little closer but the bottom line is the Pack have the best home field advantage in football. It also helps to have Al Harris and Charles Woodson at the corners. Packers will cover. Today, I'm gonna talk about the Patriots. They missed it by ~that ~much. That saying (from the movie Get Smart) reminds me of the Patriots last season. That's the only jab I'm giving this team on my blog. I run a clean show. They are on a mission this year and they very well might achieve it. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL to start with but there are some hole-or should I say leak-in the offensive line. Randy Moss will be electric again but not superhuman like last year. Picking up Lamont Jordan might be a genius move. When his back is healthy he can shred with the best of them. Welker 'the slot machine' will be reeking havoc. So will Maroney. Is it any wonder they lit up the league last year? Let's talk about the defense now, it'll make me feel better. Losing Asante Samuel is gonna hurt this team. Period. This defense isn't getting any younger but they really don't have to with that deadly offense. Harrison is getting older...and they just pick up John Lynch then turn around and release him? The secondary is vulnerable, make no mistake, but honestly that's about it. I do like the linebacker corp. Mike Vrabel is a gamer, straight up. He's been around the league awhile, but I feel age is not gonna be a factor with this cat. His 'lunch pail' mentality will keep the Patriots' defense stubborn, along with Bruschi and Richard Seymour (if healthy). Patriots will win the AFC East and go 12-4. Yes, they will lose some games this year, but like the saying goes," What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Nothing killed the Patriots last year except the last game of the season. Sorry Pats fans, I had to throw that one in there. Peace In The Middle East Dolfan Corona

2) NFL 09 Season Predictions-Week 1

OK Fans, I Promised You I'd Post Who Would Cover This Week So Here Goes... Redskins vs Giants: Redskins are -3.5 underdogs but the Giants will cover this bet. Bengals Ravens: pickem'...I say pick the Bengals. Jets Dolphins: Jets will not cover. There. I said it. Chiefs Patriots: They're giving the Chiefs 16.5 points. That's tempting, but the Patriots will cover. Steelers Texans: I said that the Steelers will pull away in the second half and I'm sticking to that. They will cover the -7 Jaguars Titans: The Jags will not cover. Lions and the Falcons: Lions will cover the -3. Seahawks vs Bills: pickem'-- I pick the Bills Buccaneers vs Saints: Saints will cover. Rams vs Eagles: The Eagles will cover with no problem. Cowboys vs Browns: The boys will have no problem covering a -3.5. Panthers vs Chargers: They're giving the Panthers ten points, it won't be enough. The Chargers will cover. Cardinals vs 49ers: The red birds won't cover. Bears vs Colts: The colts will cover the measly nine points. I'll give you the Monday night matchups tomorrow. I have to research the teams further. You don't just think I'm pullin' these picks out of my butt do you? Anyway, post some comments about my picks and tell me what you think. Oh, and by the way, every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday is Your Team Night on The NFL Green Zone when I will pick a team (out of my butt) and discuss what they're gonna do this year--or how they're doing this season. I'll probably finish covering all the teams by midway point in the year so it should be fun. Peace in the Middle East, Dolfan Corona

1) If You're a Betting Man, You Don't Know How Lucky You Are to Get This Information.

OK, here we go. The first game...Giants vs Redskins: I like the Giants at home. Jason Taylor is hurt, and I don't think that Jason Campbell will exploit the Gmen's secondary. No Superbowl jinx here, but the game will be semi-close. Bengals and Ravens: Quarterbacks win games. The Ravens are still looking for theirs. Take the Bengals on the road. Eagles and the Rams: This is a no-brainer. The Eagles will win big. Dolphins vs Jets: For some reason, the Dolphins are gonna pull this game out. Yeah, yeah I'm biased, but Chad Pennington is scrappy and smart. I wonder if they will run the ball? The Dolphins defense is much maligned, this game will be decided by a field goal. The Jets have a pretty good QB too. I have a hunch to take the Fins. Let's see now... the Patriots vs the Chiefs: This is gonna be worse than the Rams/Eagles affair. Patriots roll in this game. Houston vs Pittsburgh: This is gonna be a close game for awhile, but look for the Steelers to wear down the Texans at Heinz Field. Steelers will win. Jacksonville vs. Tennessee: The Jaguars are hurting, but the Titans haven't looked impressive either. I take the Titans in a close one. Bills vs Seahawks or, 'Battle of the Walking Wounded': Bills will win this one at Orchard Park with Edwards or Losman. Cardinals vs Niners: San Francisco will have a dominant defense this year and will showcase it this week against the Cardinals. Niners will win. Detroit vs Atlanta: This is Matt Ryan's rookie debut and he'll take his lumps, but he will show some grit. Still, I like the veteran Kitna and the Lions to beat the Falcons soundly. Tampa Bay at New Orleans: I believe New Orleans will win this game because they want to win it for the city of New Orleans. Hopefully, the Superdome will be intact when they play. Dallas vs Cleveland: I hate to say this, but Dallas is good. Not really good. But good. Unless Jessica Simpson becomes a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader and distracts Tony Romo, the Cowboys will win this game. Carolina vs San Diego: I hate to say this as well---San Diego is a good football team. A really good football team.They will pound the Panthers so bad that Josh McCown will probably finish the game.Take the Chargers. Colts, Bears, and Manning, oh my! More like, 'Oh My! the Colts trounce the Bears! Colts win!!' Packers vs Vikings: An intriguing matchup. Aaron Rodgers will play well in Lambeau. Take the pack. Finally, the Raiders vs Broncos: Broncos win. Jamarcus is still young and Deangelo Hall is hurt and that's a huge player to lose in that position. Anyway, here it is...just a sample of my NFL knowledge. Please give me some feedback if you disagree. Tomorrow I'll tell you who'll cover the spread and who won't. 'Peace in the Middle East' Dolfan Corona