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NFL Pro Football 2009 Preseason Week 1 Picks
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DTMagazine Home Pro Football Preseason Week 1 Picks - late games
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Fearless Rick's NFL Preseason Week 1 Picks - Early Games
Rick Gagliano | August 9-17
All times Eastern - Click here for late games.
Hall of Fame Game
Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans (-3, 31), at Canton, Ohio (NBC) (Aug. 9) - It doesn't get any tougher than this early tilt because both teams had exceptional pre-season records in 2008. Buffalo was 4-1 straight up, losing only to Arizona in their extended get-ready period. The Titans were a perfect 5-0 in last season's tune-ups, covering all but their last game, a 13-10 win over Baltimore.
The Vegas line expects this to be a defensive struggle, though both teams will be testing out their backup QB's arms. Vince Young will once more be active, and he will be looking to impress his many doubters, while on the Buffalo side of the field, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who made his name last year with the Bengals, will get a good number of snaps.
It would be easy to take the Titans here, as they are a superior defensive team, but the angle is that Vince Young's return to action won't go as smoothly as planned and the Bills will either get excellent field position or score via turnover on defense. In a game which doesn't appear to be headed for the high-scoring stratosphere, all the Bills need is one break to turn the tide their way. Both coaches like to win, whether the game has meaning or not, but Buffalo may have more incentive and more players looking to make the team than the Titans.
PREDICTION: Bills 17 Titans 10
Thursday, August 13
7:30 pm New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles (-3, 35) - The buzz is all about Tom Brady starting for the Patriots, the first time he's been on the field since being injured in the first regular season game of 2008. That is significant because Brady has much to prove after sitting out nearly a full year. Will his knee hold up? Will he still have the zip and accuracy on his passes? Can he take a hit? All of these questions should be answered in this important debut.
On the Philly side of the field, expect Donovan McNabb to play two series at most and then turn the ball over to Kevin Kolb and A.J. Feeley, who will be battling for the second string QB job. Watch for 2nd round pick, RB LeSean McCoy, to get some carries, but it's doubtful that Jeremy Macklin, the Eagles' first round selection, will see much playing time, if any. He's just ended a holdout and signed a deal, but he's been absent until just last week and doesn't yet have the playbook down. Instead, 2nd year receiver DeSean Jackson may have some balls thrown his way. It shouldn't matter much, because this will be a defensive struggle with the Pats getting a minor upset.
Prediction: Patriots 13 Eagles 10
Lean toward a blowout, as the Ravens expose many Washington weaknesses. Besides, this is somewhat of a natural rivalry, and the Ravens are stacked with quality players.
Prediction: Ravens 31 Redskins 10
The star QBs - Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner - won't likely play more than a series or so, but there's plenty of incentive, especially on the Arizona side of the field, to win this game, so don't look for any letdown on either side. The few new players who will get looks include RB Chris Wells, DE Cody Brown and DB Rashad Johnson for the Cards and WR Mike Wallace and DT Ziggy Hood for Pittsburgh. The most interesting aspect is how well Matt Leinart adjusts to life as a second stringer with capable Brian St. Pierre gunning for his job. The Cards will get production late in the game and achieve some small measure of respect.
Prediction: Cardinals 24 Steelers 17
The Cowboys, on the other hand, are probably coming into this contest quite a bit overconfident, thinking that all they have to do is show up preseason to ready themselves for the real deal in September. The young, aggressive Raiders will shock everybody but their own coaching staff.
Prediction: Raiders 21 Cowboys 13
7:00 pm St. Louis Rams at New York Jets (-3, 34 1/2) - The Jets and the rest of the world get their first look at wunderkind QB Mark Sanchez, who is expected to be NY's starter come regular season. That concept probably isn't going to be well received by either Kellen Clemens, who has NFL experience, or Erik Ainge, who was a standout in college. All three QBs will have plenty of time to make their cases in this one, as the Rams don't possess much of a pass rush nor do they cover well. The Jets also have competitions in the receiving corps, so look for New York to throw the ball a minimum of 40 times and complete an inordinate number of downfield throws against a weak Rams team.
Prediction: Jets 24 Rams 6
If either or both of the Viking QBs excel, its going to produce a long day in the Indianapolis secondary, not a particularly bright spot for the Colts in the first place. The Vikes are a very dangerous team offensively, especially with the addition of Florida playmaker Percy Harvin and the Colts will be hard-pressed to keep pace with them. Manning won't have old reliable Marvin Harrison on one side, so there may be some mixups in the Colts' offense. Jim Caldwell also replaces retired Tony Dungy as head coach, so don't expect everything to go swimmingly for the Colts in this game.
Prediction: Vikings 23 Colts 17
Of course, the Bengals are interested in seeing what Carson Palmer has after a year off due to injury, and they're likely to send Chad Ochocinco deep a few times just to test Palmer's arm strength. The Saints don't exactly impress in pass defense situations, so there's the potential for a real shootout here, with both defenses questionable.
In that case, take the last team with the ball, which in this case could be the Bengals and third string QB Jordan Palmer, with a year and a little playing time under his belt in his first season out of UTEP. He and Maurice Purify (2nd year out of Nebraska) may make some noise late in the game.
Prediction: Bengals 33 Saints 30
Denver has no defense to speak of, however, and the 49ers are engaged in a QB battle between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. The 49ers won't have two of their better receivers, though, as Brandon Jones will miss 8 weeks with a fractured shoulder and Michael Crabtree, San Fran's top draftee, is still holding out. Denver may see more of Alabama RB Glen Coffee than they wish. He's a bruiser, and San Francisco's line should dominate up front. Denver may surprise, but the 49ers seem to hold the upper hand.
Prediction: 49ers 23 Broncos 14
All times Eastern - Click here for late games
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