Perry's Perspective NFL Preview
Linesmaker @ BetWWTS.com
NFL PREVIEW: CHARLIE IN CHARGE
Football is easily the most mechanical game of all the major sports in North America. Everything is broken down into thick, complex playbooks that rival anything da Vinci ever drew up. Then again, perhaps Franz Kafka and his detailed killing machines are more comparable, the way NFL players are being turned into pate this year. NFL: No Femurs Left.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked like he was a hair?s breadth away from giving us all another Joe Theismann moment last week. The former Miami-Ohio RedHawk had just completed a pass in the final drive of Pittsburgh?s Monday nighter against the Chargers when San Diego lineman Luis Castillo, already tackled on the play, lunged forward ever so slightly and contacted Roethlisberger?s knee with his helmet. Viewers winced nationwide, winces usually reserved for when someone takes one below the belt. ?Big Ben? had to be carted off the field to watch while Jeff Reed kicked the winning field goal in a 24-22 thriller.
Steelers fans could be wincing again this week when their club welcomes the Jacksonville Jaguars to Heinz Field. Tommy Maddox is also injured, leaving third-stringer Charlie Batch as a real possibility to start this Sunday afternoon. However, this isn?t an emergency of Brooks Bollinger proportions; we have the Steelers as 3-point favorites. Roethlisberger has a hyperextended left knee but no ligament damage, and Maddox?s calf injury isn?t as bad as originally feared. Even if neither takes the field, Batch proved himself NFL-worthy in four seasons with the moribund Detroit Lions. And he has an excellent running game to work with. Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley and Willie Parker should all see some action against the Jags. They?re the engine that powers the Steelers.
Batch fell through the cracks in Detroit after he injured his shoulder in 2001. With so many teams struggling to find a No. 1 quarterback, it?s amazing the Steelers were able to hang onto three proven starters. We?ll get to see another example of overlooked talent when Trent Dilfer and the Cleveland Browns visit the Baltimore Ravens. Dilfer took over the Ravens in 2000 and led them to the championship, only to be called the Worst Super Bowl Winning QB of All-Time. Imagine if Kerry Collins and the Giants had won that one. Regardless, after being reduced to No. 2 duties in Seattle behind Matt Hasselbeck, Dilfer is back and the Browns are 2-2, while the Ravens are 1-3 and still sorting out their quarterback mess after five years of trying.
Dilfer says he?s not bitter, but he also says he has a ?little bit extra? at stake when he faces the Ravens. He?ll need that revenge factor working for him. Reuben Droughns has been excellent at running back, but the Browns haven?t given him the ball enough. That should change this week. Baltimore has been uncharacteristically poor at stuffing the run, and Dilfer will probably be without wide receiver Braylon Edwards for the next month. We have the Ravens as 6-point favorites with a snore-inducing total of 34 ?.
You can?t blame Seattle for letting Dilfer go. Hasselbeck has grown into exactly the quarterback coach Mike Holmgren envisioned he would be ever since both were in Green Bay. The Seahawks sometimes play like someone sprinkled too much choke on their foamy lattes, but Hasselbeck hasn?t thrown a pick since Week 1 and Seattle finally put away those pesky Rams last week to take a firm hold on the NFC West. The ?Hawks should take another step in the right direction when they face the Houston Texans Sunday night at Qwest Field. Seattle is a big 9-point favorite with a total of 45 1/2.
This matchup has all the earmarks of another quarterback sacrifice. Remember the NFL commercials where David Carr lined up behind center with virtually no offensive line to protect him? That?s still the case. The Texans have the worst offense in the league. They?ve gained just 213 yards per game and have allowed Carr to get sacked - hold on to your helmet - 27 times in four outings. Houston isn?t making up for it on defense, either. The Texans have a grand total of zero takeaways thus far, compared to eight giveaways. Maybe Roger Clemens will be available by the time Week 7 rolls around.
Linesmaker @ BetWWTS.com
NFL PREVIEW: CHARLIE IN CHARGE
Football is easily the most mechanical game of all the major sports in North America. Everything is broken down into thick, complex playbooks that rival anything da Vinci ever drew up. Then again, perhaps Franz Kafka and his detailed killing machines are more comparable, the way NFL players are being turned into pate this year. NFL: No Femurs Left.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked like he was a hair?s breadth away from giving us all another Joe Theismann moment last week. The former Miami-Ohio RedHawk had just completed a pass in the final drive of Pittsburgh?s Monday nighter against the Chargers when San Diego lineman Luis Castillo, already tackled on the play, lunged forward ever so slightly and contacted Roethlisberger?s knee with his helmet. Viewers winced nationwide, winces usually reserved for when someone takes one below the belt. ?Big Ben? had to be carted off the field to watch while Jeff Reed kicked the winning field goal in a 24-22 thriller.
Steelers fans could be wincing again this week when their club welcomes the Jacksonville Jaguars to Heinz Field. Tommy Maddox is also injured, leaving third-stringer Charlie Batch as a real possibility to start this Sunday afternoon. However, this isn?t an emergency of Brooks Bollinger proportions; we have the Steelers as 3-point favorites. Roethlisberger has a hyperextended left knee but no ligament damage, and Maddox?s calf injury isn?t as bad as originally feared. Even if neither takes the field, Batch proved himself NFL-worthy in four seasons with the moribund Detroit Lions. And he has an excellent running game to work with. Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley and Willie Parker should all see some action against the Jags. They?re the engine that powers the Steelers.
Batch fell through the cracks in Detroit after he injured his shoulder in 2001. With so many teams struggling to find a No. 1 quarterback, it?s amazing the Steelers were able to hang onto three proven starters. We?ll get to see another example of overlooked talent when Trent Dilfer and the Cleveland Browns visit the Baltimore Ravens. Dilfer took over the Ravens in 2000 and led them to the championship, only to be called the Worst Super Bowl Winning QB of All-Time. Imagine if Kerry Collins and the Giants had won that one. Regardless, after being reduced to No. 2 duties in Seattle behind Matt Hasselbeck, Dilfer is back and the Browns are 2-2, while the Ravens are 1-3 and still sorting out their quarterback mess after five years of trying.
Dilfer says he?s not bitter, but he also says he has a ?little bit extra? at stake when he faces the Ravens. He?ll need that revenge factor working for him. Reuben Droughns has been excellent at running back, but the Browns haven?t given him the ball enough. That should change this week. Baltimore has been uncharacteristically poor at stuffing the run, and Dilfer will probably be without wide receiver Braylon Edwards for the next month. We have the Ravens as 6-point favorites with a snore-inducing total of 34 ?.
You can?t blame Seattle for letting Dilfer go. Hasselbeck has grown into exactly the quarterback coach Mike Holmgren envisioned he would be ever since both were in Green Bay. The Seahawks sometimes play like someone sprinkled too much choke on their foamy lattes, but Hasselbeck hasn?t thrown a pick since Week 1 and Seattle finally put away those pesky Rams last week to take a firm hold on the NFC West. The ?Hawks should take another step in the right direction when they face the Houston Texans Sunday night at Qwest Field. Seattle is a big 9-point favorite with a total of 45 1/2.
This matchup has all the earmarks of another quarterback sacrifice. Remember the NFL commercials where David Carr lined up behind center with virtually no offensive line to protect him? That?s still the case. The Texans have the worst offense in the league. They?ve gained just 213 yards per game and have allowed Carr to get sacked - hold on to your helmet - 27 times in four outings. Houston isn?t making up for it on defense, either. The Texans have a grand total of zero takeaways thus far, compared to eight giveaways. Maybe Roger Clemens will be available by the time Week 7 rolls around.
