What do we have in Matt Cassel?

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The Kansas City Chiefs' starting quarterback has been everything we've been asking for over the past month. In fact, no NFL quarterback has posted a higher QB rating since the calendar page flipped to October. Matt Cassel has given us two of his best performances of his career the past two weeks to silence the critics that were growing louder by the week. All you heard the first four weeks of the season was how good the Chiefs could be if they had a good QB. Cassel has quietly put together some solid stats though, and there has never been any question about his dedication to the team or his passion to win.

Tell me if this picture, combined with his recent behavior, reminds you of anyone?

The feistiness. The fire. The fist pumps. The over-exuberance. The dorkiness. It could only be one man: Jake Delhomme. Look, Delhomme was not the most talented quarterback to come along, but he inspired his teammates and they believed in him. They went to battle with him because they knew how much he wanted to win. Jake the Snake came into the league under similar circumstances as Cassel (Delhomme undrafted, Cassel a 7th round pick). Delhomme didn't get his first chance to lead a team until 28 (Cassel at 26). They were both counted out and have both shown an incredible amount of heart. Delhomme, paired with a strong running game and stout defense, led his Carolina Panther team to a Super Bowl. Can Matt Cassel be our Jake Delhomme?

The three main responsibilities of a quarterback are:

1. Be efficient on 3rd downs.

2. Avoid mistakes like interceptions, fumbles, and sacks

3. Be at your best in the 4th quarter.

So how is Cassel fairing in these three categories? Let's dive into it....

1. Third Downs:

• Cassel's stats on 3rd downs: 25-47, 328 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 89.7 QB rating.
• Chiefs 3rd down conversion rate: 29-77, 37.7%, 21st in NFL.
• Chiefs 3rd down conversion rate (last 2 games): 15-27, 55%, would be good enough for #1 in NFL.
• Analysis: Cassel has shown improvement over the last two games. The third down stats are a bit skewed because of our inability to run for 3rd and short yardage (which is perplexing given our gaudy rushing game stats). This is, and will continue to be, the ultimate judgment stat on Cassel in my eyes.
• Grade: C+ (would've been D two games ago)

2. Avoid Mistakes:

• Cassel's fumbles: 1 fumble (you might remember this as the play he fumbled twice), 0 fumbles lost: Chiefs have fewest fumbles and fumbles lost in the NFL.
• Cassel's INT's: 3 interceptions: Tied for 3rd best in NFL
• Cassel's sacks: 5 sacks (fewest in the NFL!).
• Analysis: Cassel's worst trait coming into this year was his affinity for getting sacked. Leading the league in that category is astonishing and speaks for both Cassel and the offensive line's improvement. The lack of interceptions and fumbles is just gravy on top. I had no idea the Chiefs were that effective in these categories until I looked them up.
• Grade: A+

3. 4th Quarter:

• Cassel's 4th quarter stats: 23-42, 225 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 78.0 QB rating.
• Cassel's 2nd half stats: 43-72, 586 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT, 108.9 QB rating.
• Cassel's stats in last 2 minutes of half: 15-25, 196 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 81.4 QB rating.
• Analysis: Cassel has been good but not great in the 4th quarter. He played mistake free in the 4th against San Diego (partial credit). He put together somewhat of a game-winning drive in the 4th quarter against Cleveland (full credit). He couldn't come up with a play against Indianapolis (full blame). The Texans game came down to a called pass play on 3rd and 2, where I'm not sure how much choice Cassel had in the matter, with the primary receiver smothered (partial blame). Jacksonville and San Francisco games were already decided. Adding it up, it's a complete wash.
• Grade: C

Other intriguing situation stats from Matty Ice (geek alert!):

• When throwing "Wide Left" (2010): 11-30, 143 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 46.9 QB rating.
• When throwing on 4th down (2010): 3-4, 31 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 136.5 QB rating.
• When throwing on 4th down (career): 18-24, 186 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT, 101.7 QB rating.
• When throwing with a lead in the game (2010): 108.0 QB rating.
• When throwing when behind in the game (2010): 65.9 QB rating.
• All 3 INT's of 2010 have happened in the 2nd quarter.
• Cassel actually posts his lowest QB rating on 1st down (71.9), universally considered the friendliest QB down.

His Deyirknessssss

Nebraska Cornhusker Recruiting: Bubba Starling

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His Dirkness finds himself in a unique position to cross-analyze a specific player between two of my current activities, writing for Husker Corner along with assisting the Blazer Broadcast Network for Gardner-Edgerton High School Football games.

Well who happens to play for the Trailblazers? None other than Derek "Don't call me Bubba" Starling. Nah, of course you can call him Bubba!

According to Rivals, Bubba Starling is the #1 player in the state of Kansas, the #5 rated "
dual-threat Quarterback" in the nation, and the #110 rated prospect overall of any position. These are extremely high grades, especially for someone coming from the boonies of Kansas.

You may have caught a glimpse of Bubba on national television this past week, as Gardner-Edgerton hosted their rivals, St. Thomas Aquinas, on ESPNU on Friday night. Well, I've been getting an up close and personal look at him all season.

It's hard to evaluate Starling moving on the next level. Simply put, he is bigger and faster than every opposing kid on the field. It's similar to watching LeBron James (in the pros, not in high school--nothing is like that). However, it's neither of these skills that impresses me most. The pure ferociousness that he finishes runs with reminds me of Adrian Peterson. He absolutely refuses to go down when on some runs, and has no problems delivering the punishment instead of receiving it like most ball carriers.

With almost 1,500 rushing yards on the season, along with 21 touchdowns, he is able to run the ball whenever and wherever he wants (part of the reason the Blazers are ranked #1 in the state and #2 in the Kansas City area--behind Rockhurst).

He proved that theory correct on Friday, racking up 310 rushing yards (260 in the first half!) and 3 touchdowns under the biggest spotlight of the season thus far. He only needed to throw the ball three times, completing two of them, one for a touchdown. Here are his highlights and interview following the nationally televised game....

Click here to read the rest of this story on HuskerCorner.

Quick NFL Picks ~ Week 7 (and Week 6)

I know, I know, I let down all my biggest followers last week by not posting my picks for the games. But you shoun't worry, because the picks were made, was just too phogged over from Nebraska's loss to Texas to even approach a computer that night. And, amazingly enough, I went 14-0 on those picks. No, seriously. Damnit, I'm lying.

I wanna start by reminding everybody to check out my Power Rankings posted this week, because well, it deserves to be read.

A few thoughts on the Chiefs game before we get to the picks. I think Todd Haley should calm down the aggressiveness tomorrow and take points when they present themselves. I was all in favor of it in tough matchups on the road, but you need to be flexible in your strategy based on the opponent, and the Chiefs are superior to the Jaguars. There's little need for over-aggression. With Todd Bouman most likely at the helm for the Jaguars, it could be goodnight sweetheart if the Chiefs get a lead at all. The Jags will come out and run, run, run in effort to hide Bouman's shortcomings and to shorten the game as much as possible. It's been effective for them in the past. This won't be a walkover, but it is a game our Chieves should win.

PreDirktion: Chiefs 24-13

Week 1 record: 9-7
Week 2 record: 12-4
Week 3 record: 11-5
Week 4 record: 10-4
Week 5 record: 5-9 (Ouch!)

Week 6 Picks:
Bears over Seahawks-L
Ravens over Patriots-L
Giants over Lions-W
Falcons over Eagles-L
Steelers over Browns-W
Packers over Dolphins-L
Chargers over Rams-L
Saints over Bucs-W
Chiefs over Texans-L
49ers over Raiders-W
Jets over Broncos-W
Vikings over Cowboyz-W
Colts over Redskins-W
Titans over Jaguars-W

Week 6 Record: 8-6

Overall Record: 55-35 (ick....)

Week 7 picks.........

NEW ORLEANS over Cleveland-L
KANSAS CITY over Jacksonville-W
Washington over CHICAGO-W
MIAMI over Pittsburgh-L
ATLANTA over Cincinnati-W
TAMPA BAY over St. Louis-W
BALTIMORE over Buffalo-W
San Francisco over CAROLINA-L
TENNESSEE over Philadelphia-W
SEATTLE over Arizona-W
DENVER over Oakland-L
New England over SAN DIEGO-W
Minnesota over GREEN BAY-L
DALLAS over New York Giants-L

Thy Sheeveness

2010 NFL Power Rankings (Plus Pass Interference Thoughts)

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Ever since the Indianapolis Colts complained endlessly after playing like girls and getting curbstomped by the New England Patriots in the 2003 AFC Championship game, the pass interference rule in the NFL has gotten out of hand. It had a major part in deciding three (count 'em 3!) games this past weekend.

Chiefs~Texans


Cowboys~Vikings


Broncos~Jets
(insert video here)

All the talk surrounding the hard legal hits from this past weekend has kept NFL fans in the dark about a much bigger problem that needs to be discussed. This would've been the perfect week to talk about it. Damn you James Harrison (you should probably retire) and Brandon Meriweather (dude probably brings his helmet to gang fights).

I'll let you slide Dunta Robinson (sorry Smiley)....


Ay Chihuahua that's a big hit! The Pass Interference did pick up some steam from a few familiar voices on Twitter this weekend. Let's check them....

Jason Whitlock: Pass interefernce is the biggest plague in football. It's worse than the BCS.

ESPN's Sports Guy: Here's what I don't get: why don't bad teams just throw deep every down + try to get long pass interfererences? Seems like they'd hit 20%.

A spot foul is just too big of a penalty for what can be, and oftentimes is, extremely minor contact. Too often teams are throwing jump balls down field, with a receiver and cornerback handfighting each other evenly, only to see the defender get flagged resulting in a 50 yard gain. It's too much. Like Sports Guy suggests, teams are designing plays in hopes of drawing the penalty. As a league, this isn't what you want. Penalties are designed to intervene when one side unfairly gains an advantage, but should remain the backstory to the actual play on the field. Having teams purposely try to draw flags penalties/fouls is against the spirit of the game. It's terrible. It's one step closer to the NBA.

You have two options when deciding how to fix the rule.

Option 1: Take a page from the college rule book, and make all Pass Interference penalties 15 yards and an automatic first down. Any infractions shy of 15 yards, should be marked at the spot. Way less complaining in the college game than in NFL you might notice.

Option 2: Instigate a minor and a major infraction. Make the major call a spot foul. Make the minor call a 10 yard penalty. Anything short of 10 yards wouldn't need a minor/major designation and would be a spot foul plus automatic first down. An automatic first down would accompany both major and minor calls as well.

I prefer Option #2 personally. I think it would be the fairest way to enforce the penalty. However, I would be very pleased with option #1 as well, in order to keep things easier, and leave less rule intrepretation for the officials, who have a hard enough job already, and take enough blame from fans and media for their team's losses.

On to the rankings....

NFL Power Rankings: Week 6 Edition

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. New York Jets
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. New England Patriots
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Indianapolis Colts
8. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Tennessee Titans
10. New York Giants
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Kansas City Chiefs
13. Green Bay Packers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. Houston Texans
16. Washington Redskins
17. Seattle Seahawks
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Cincinnati Bengals
20. Chicago Bears
21. Dallas Cowboys
22. St. Louis Rams
23. San Diego Chargers
24. Denver Broncos
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Detroit Lions
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
28. San Francisco 49ers
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Oakland Raiders
31. Carolina Panthas
32. Biffalo Buffs


{Geek Alert}Statistical Analysis: Comparing these rankings to my previous rankings(after Week 3) and to the Evil Empire's rankings.....

Biggest Risers: 

1. New York Jets +13

2. Baltimore Ravens +10

3. New York Giants +8

3. Kansas City Chiefs +8

5. St. Louis Rams +7

Biggest Fallers

1. Green Bay Packers -11

1. Houston Texans -11

1. San Francisco 49ers -11

4. San Diego Chargers -10

5. Cincinnati Bengals -9

Most Overrated Teams (compared to ESPN's Power Rankings)

1. Chicago Bears -8

2. Arizona Cardinals -7

3. Houston Texans -6

Most Underrated Teams (get this....same formula)

1. Seattle Seahawks +6

2. Miami Dolphins +5

3. Dallas Cowboys +5

Thy Dirty Shirkness

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans

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I have returned from my first experience of cheering on my Kansas City Chiefs on the road, in another team's home stadium. Everything about the game was magical up until the final 30 seconds, which was obviously a bummer. It was the kind of trip that doesn't gain true perspective until you're able to look past the result of the game and focus on the total experience. I will offer some lightning quick analysis before telling the story of the game through numerous pictures and videos, sure to entertain you.

Quick analysis: It sucked how well we played as a team for 3 1/2 quarters, but weren't able to close it out. We ran all over one of the top run defenses in the NFL, and Matt Cassel got into his first true rhythm of the season. Dwayne Bowe made me look good for sticking up for him all week by going off for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, the defense, which had played so well this season, gave up four straight touchdowns to the high-powered Texans. It's no shame allowing a lot of points to one of the better offenses in the league, you just wish they could've stopped them one more time, or at least held them to a field goal to set up a game-deciding coin toss. The biggest play of debate was the 3rd and 2 tight end throwback, a play that always seems to work, and one that I didn't mind at the time. However, as time has progressed, so has my hatred for that play call. You're a running team. You'd been running all over them all day. You have a coach that would most likely go for it if presented with a 4th and 1. Unquestionably, you have to run the ball there. My biggest fear now is that the team (particularly the defense) has lost some confidence and/or swagger and carries the end of this game over to the next. If they're able to let it go, and play to the level they've set for themselves, the AFC West is the Chiefs division to lose.

On to the pictures.....

Dirkness' home away from home: The American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks.

They had a cool system where you park away from the stadium and ride the Metro.

These Chiefs fans hooked us up with beer and gave us the scoop on where the hottest chicks in the parking lot were.

   

There were Chiefs fans everywhere, especially when walking around the parking lot. Every pack of Texan tailgaters had at least one token Chiefs fans to display proper tailgating techniques. Texans fans were nice, even the one who yelled, "Get a haircut," presumably at some nerd behind us.

Clearly a Donald Washington jersey

This dude's Matt Schaub jersey read "Thanks Atlanta"

Beer for 4 dollars?!? And it was Shock Top on tap.... 

We took the Texans pregame festivities very seriously.

Todd Haley playing catch with Tyler Palko before the game. He had a designated receiver so he wouldn't injure a finger.

A fine looking modern gentleman inside Reliant Stadium

Chiefs cuddle puddle before the game

Scott Pioli paying off the ref and Clark Hunt acknowledging us for yelling like crazy people at him.

President George Bush (the good one). Probably the closest I will ever get to a president. I could have spit on him.

We asked the President to take this picture for us. Fantastic seats.

We sat 3rd row right by the Texans' entrance tunnel. Andre Johnson made love to me with his eyes.

Picture sparked an interesting debate. Mike Vrabel or President Bush?

D-Bowe's touchdown. No shortage of highlight plays for us to cheer about.

Players heading into the locker room at halftime. Some boo's. A nice beard. For some reason I sound like I'm cheering them on. I should've tried to get Pollard to attack me. Yea refs I see YOU!

Demeco Ryans tore his achilles and was escorted out right by us.  He denied my interview request but took my business card.

Pivotal play of the game. Non-call on Andre Johnson was bad enough, but to call Pass Interference on Brandon Flowers may have made this the worst call I've ever seen. Peter King called it the worst Pass Interference call of the year.

Three dejected Chiefs fans after taking the walk of shame around the entire stadium. Needless to say, abuse took place.

And remember kids, Fuck Texas.

2010 College Football Top 25: Week 6

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His Dirkness' Top 25:

1.Oregon (6-0)
2.Ohio St. (6-0)
3.Nebraska (5-0)
4.Boise St. (5-0)
5.TCU (6-0)
6.Alabama (5-1)
7.Auburn (6-0)
8.South Carolina (4-1)
9.Oklahoma (5-0)
10.Michigan St. (6-0)
11.LSU (6-0)
12.Iowa (4-1)
13.Arkansas (4-1)
14.Stanford (5-1)
15.Florida St. (5-1)
16.Utah (5-0)
17.Nevada (6-0)
18.Arizona (4-1)
19.Missouri (5-0)
20.Michigan (5-1)
21.North Carolina St. (5-1)
22.Oregon St. (3-2)
23.Florida (4-2)
24.Miami (3-2)
25.Virginia Tech (4-2)


New to the Rankings: North Carolina St, Oregon St, Virginia Tech
Dropped from the Rankings: Texas, Wisconsin, Baylor

Biggest Rise: South Carolina~13 spots (21 to 8)
Biggest Fall: Arizona~11 spots (7 to 18)

Most Overrated Team (Dirkness 25 to USA Today Poll): Wisconsin~9+ spots (unranked/16th)
Most Underrated Team: North Carolina St~4+ spots (21st/unranked)

2010 Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) Thoughts

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I'd like to start by saying the Chiefs satisfied all of my expectations against the Colts, a Super Bowl team in a near must-win situation at home. I sense people freaking out a little bit today, perhaps because we had such a good chance to win the game, but I assure you we need not. Lets just dive right into the thoughts....


~Most people are fretting over our unconventional wisdom used in attempt to win the game. I liked (didn't love) the opening onside kick (which would've been recovered if not for a bad bounce and backwards roll-possibly the first thing that didn't go our way this season). I didn't like (but understand why) we went for it on 4th down on our opening drive, believing that field goals weren't going to be enough to win this game. Haley may have felt a bit overmatched in the game, and found it necessary to take those risks to give us a chance. If we learned anything from the game, it was that we weren't inferior to the Colts. Haley was incorrect in his thinking prior to the game although I don't fault him for thinking that way. I thought the same way. And the fact that we weren't overmatched is great news.

Next I'll address the two goats from Sunday...

~Goat #1- Matt Cassel- He is what we thought he was. All of Cassel's problems stem from a lack of experience. Remember he didn't play a lick in college, so he's entering his third season as a starter since high school, which is behind where most rookies are when coming into the NFL. Is this a defense of him? Kinda. He needs experience. The problem is, if we give him the experience, I don't think the payoff is worth it. So I'm ready to move on from him, only a solution isn't to be had until the season is over. This means constantly complaining about him isn't the answer. As fans, supporting him is all we can do. Despite the temporary enjoyment booing provides, it isn't the answer. If things got bad enough, and they'd have to be pretty bad, I would consider giving Crodie Broyle a shot, but we'd have to be pretty desperate.

~Goat #2- Dwayne Bowe- Obviously, the drop was a killer for this game. Obviously, he needs to make the catch. Should we stop throwing to him? No. I'd throw it to him more. Almost inexplicably, I believe D-Bowe is going to make up for it. Just call it a hunch. We will be singing Bowe's praises before the end of this season. We can't afford to get rid of him, he's all we've got. You would really see a lack of a passing game if we ridded ourselves of him. The troubling part of his drop was how well he went through all of the motions prior to (not) hauling it in. It's just a matter of concentration. I know he's on everyone's last nerve, but sometimes patience can pay off dearly.

How about some heroes from the game, most of whom reside on the defensive side of the ball...

~Glenn Dorsey- This man has developed into a beast. He's all over the field. I'm convinced he is the next Richard Seymour. Remember, this is only his second year at this position, and he has been rapidly improving. A few more years of that and he'll find himself at a Pro Bowl. Romeo Crennel is a defensive line guru, given the improvement of all the linemen from last year to this year. This should also give us hope for the future of Tyson Jackson, who has been less than impressive in his year and a game thus far.

~Tamba Hali- Searched frantically for a picture of Hali bleeding profusely and rubbing it all over Peyton Manning while screaming, "You don't know where I've been!" ala Tyler Durden. Couldn't find it. I'm not sure if he was chewing glass during the game or ceremoniously bit the head off of an animal during halftime, but he should keep doing it. The man singlehandedly rattled Peyton Manning and dominated the 3rd quarter. Also, he has finally earned the nickname that I've been saving for him, Muhammad Hali.

~Branden Albert- The question mark has been detached from Albert's label as a Left Tackle. He dominated Dwight Freeney on Sunday. Freeney made a nice play on a Charles draw (which wasn't Albert's fault) and drew a (bogus) holding penalty on Albert. Don't remember hearing his name another time. Also, Albert didn't mind me interrupting his quiet dinner with three lovely ladies following the NBA game in KC on Monday night, which you have to respect.

~Brandon Flowers- It's time for this kid to start getting mentioned along the top cornerbacks in the game. Does he even allow completions anymore? If he's not playing the week before the Super Bowl this year, it'll be a crime. I could not be more excited about his matchup with the best WR in the NFL, Andre Johnson, next week. Can he handle his height and strength?

~Other unsung bright spots from Sunday's game:

• Jon McGraw- Usually saved for punchline status, he filled a nice role shutting down Dallas Clark most of the day. He even picked off a pass and then searched for the first Colt to softly coddle him to the ground.
• Brandon Carr- Did a solid job opposite B-Flow, almost had a one-handed INT in the end zone, and played a few passes as well as he could before they were ultimately caught.
• Brian Waters- Anybody notice him step in at Left Tackle when Albert missed a series due to injury? I believe we ran to the opposite side of the line on those plays, but the versatility is awfully impressive.
• Wallace Gilberry- Is it me or does this dude make a big play every game? LOVE me some Wallace Dean Gilberry (eh eh?)
• Derrick Johnson- He done played good.

I love where the Chiefs are at and loved watching the team take part in a nationally relevant game. And I love how mentally soft the San Diego Chargers proved to be in their loss to Oakland, making our loss all but a wash in the division. I saw more things to like out of our team on Sunday than things not to like. My biggest question now is how do we respond to a loss? Can we keep our confidence about ourselves? I'll be in Houston, to find out for sure, in a very winnable game against a struggling Texans team.

Dirkness

The Evolution of NFL Picks~NFC (Quick Picks Week 5)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Evolution of the AFC - written 10-6-10

Still coming at you Family Feud style (inappropriate kisses included)....


NFC EAST

Initial Prediction: Dallas Cowboys
Evolved Prediction: DARWIN SAYS.....Anhhhhh.....Dallas Cowboys
Explanation: Yes, I'm aware they currently have the worst record in the division. Don't care. After all, science is just a theory too. The Giants are headed for a schizophrenic 8-8. The Redskins are headed for an overachieving 8-8. The Eagles are headed for an overly dramatic 8-8. Where does that leave us? The Cowboys winning at least nine games to win a division that their rivals blew by not building a lead in the standings while they encountered their struggles. I feel so much better after coming out of the closet about my Romosexuality.

NFC NORTH

Initial Prediction: Green Bay Packers
Evolved Prediction: DARWIN SAYS.......Anhhhhh....Green Bay Packers
Explanation: They remain my pick to win the division, however the more dangerous team has become the Minnesota Vikings after the addition of Ran D. Moss. I decided to give the dangerous receiver a second chance at an interview after dropping some profanity in my AFC column.

"So, Randy, were there any discussion about how the Vikings would compensate you contractually?"

"Straight Cash, homie."

"Hmmm....ok. What are your thoughts on the upcoming rematch against Darrelle Revis on Monday Night Football?"



".......That is a disgusting act by Randy Moss. How do you sleep at night?'

"Damn you look cool Randy. All is forgiven. We should hang out sometime, yanno, go fishing or watch some NASTRUCK."

That is just further proof that you absolutely can judge a book by its cover. I kind of love the Favre-Moss marriage that's now upon us. All Dongslinger wants to do is chuck it deep. All Scary wants to do is catch the deep ball. Should be fun, success or failure. Oh yea, they have 'All Night' Adrian Peterson too. And they have the offspring of Moss and Jerry Rice due back at midseason (Sidney Rice). That is, if they aren't out of the race yet. Next four games are: @Jets, Dallas, @GB, @NE. Ouch babe.

Kinda forgot about the Packers there. They have absolutely no running game sans Ryan Grant and totally blew it by not making a play for Marshawn Lynch and his ugly ass Yahoo Fantasy Football picture...

NFC SOUTH

Initial Prediction: Atlanta Falcons

Evolved Prediction: DARWIN SAYS......annnhhhhhhhh.......Atlanta Falcons

Explanation: The New Orleans Saints haven't recaptured the magic from last season yet. They've been very unimpressive but still sit at 3-1. The Falcons have been very impressive but only sit at 3-1. But, the Saints were yesterday's news, while the Falcons are tomorrow's news. Today's news? Well, Brett Favre has been sending girls pictures of his dong (analysis article of the pics coming next week). Hey, you asked.

NFC WEST

Initial Prediction: San Francisco 49ers

Evolved Prediction: DARWIN SAYS.......ding ding ding......Seattle Seahawks

Explanation: This could be the worst division of all time. I'm predicting the Seabags literally win it at 7-9. I kinda like Pete Carroll's pizazz. It should last this season and maybe half of next year. Then he can just pay players to take it from there. Oh wait...This division has earned no other words said about it.

Quick NFL Picks:

Week 1 record: 9-7
Week 2 record: 12-4
Week 3 record: 11-5

Week 4 record: 10-4

Total Record: 42-20

Jacksonville over BUFFALO-W

BALTIMORE over Denver-W

INDIANAPOLIS over Kansas City (I know...i know)-W

Green Bay over WASHINGTON-L

DETROIT over St. Louis-W

CAROLINA over Chicago-L

CINCINNATI over Tampa Bay-L

Atlanta over CLEVELAND-W

HOUSTON over NY Giants-L

NEW ORLEANS over Arizona-L

DALLAS over Tennessee-L

San Diego over OAKLAND-L

SAN FRANCISCO over Philadelphia-L

MINNESOTA over NY Jets-L

Prove me wrong Chiefs PLEEEEEEEASE!

His Ridiculousness

The Evolution of NFL Picks~AFC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The NFL is the most constantly evolving sport in the world. It achieves success through great parody, a trait that all other leagues are jealous of (except for the NBA, which strives for the opposite). So why can't my predictions evolve along with the season (Original predictions here)? I got a chance to watch a lot of other teams during the Chiefs bye week, and assess just how much better the Chiefs are than all of them. After all, they are the last undefeated team in the NFL (odds of that: 1000/1).

So I will be taking a look back at my preseason predictions and adjusting wherever necessary. And we will be presenting the revised predictions the only way I know how, Family Feud style, with our host, Charles Darwin, the "Father of Evolution." Let the games begin...


AFC EAST

Initial Prediction: Miami Dolphins
Evolved Prediction: Charles Darwin SAYS.....New York Jets
Explanation: I was all set to potentially hand it to the Patriots and then...they traded who? Randy Moss? WHAT?!?!?!?! Bill Belichick has grown so incredibly arrogant in trying to win trades with teams and arguments with players that he has lost total sight of the big picture. Yes, it's a good trade because they'd be losing him after this year and they're getting compensation for him while they can. But, in a season with seemingly no dominant team, they threw away any chance they had at making a run for a title. So enjoy your 3rd round picks and your playoff losses (if you make it that far) Billy Boy. It's looking more and more likely that Scott Pioli was the long-term mastermind behind the Patriots. YES!!! Oh and by the way, the Vikings play the Patriots on Halloween. When I reached Randy Moss on twitter and asked him if he had any regrets on his Patriots tenure, he simply replied, "Next time I show my di......" Whoa, Randy, easy tiger. This is a family blog.

Oh yea, the Jets. I wasn't buying them before the season one iota. I got one leg up on the bandwagon now, though. Sanchez has been much better than I anticipated and LaTom is doing some work. And to tie everything together, The Jets now play the Vikings on Monday Night Football this week in a Moss-Revis rematch where shiite talking has already commenced. I'm predicting Moss goes off for 150 and touchdowns.

AFC NORTH

Initial Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals
Evolved Prediction: Chales Darwin SAYS.....Pittsburgh Steelers
Explanation: Darwin has a hold of me man. He makes some pretty strong points. We just got done discussing how the Steelers are probably the Super Bowl favorites right now. And Troy Polamalu is the most valuable non-quarterback in the NFL. Their defense is dominating teams like Ben Roethlisberger dominates women. Whoa, you can't say that. Just remember, those are Darwin's words, not mine.

AFC SOUTH

Initial Prediction: Indianapolis Colts
Evolved Prediction: Charles Darwin SAYS....Annhhhh....Indianapolis Colts
Explanation: I'm not fully sold on the Texans or the Titans overtaking the Colts yet. I think Indy's struggles continue, but they gut out the division title with something like a 10-6 record.

Semi Chiefs/Colts preview: I think the Chiefs can hang with them, as long as they don't get behind at all. There's a definite chance for a 41-10 blowout if the Colts get rolling. But, we match up well with them. Our secondary is strong to match up with their passing game. Our strong running game should be able to pound their weak run defense. Why can't we compete with them? Everybody is worried about them coming off of a loss, but Peyton is at his worst under immense pressure (PLAYOFFS?!?), and all of a sudden, their regular season is filled with pressure games. I'm not ready to pick the Chiefs, but I think we have a strong chance of winning, probably a better shot than at the Texans the next week. Oh, and I have pledges all over town that I'm doing naked cartwheels in the street if we win. Pictures available on this site.

AFC WEST

Initial Prediction: San Diego Chargers
Evolved Prediction: Charles Darwin SAYS.....Kansas City CHIEFS!!!
Explanation: This is a completely unbiased evolutionary process that is taking place. Natural selection is a better explanation. Or as Justin Timberlake eloquently puts it in The Social Network, "This is our time." Yea, Justin is right! If I can change, and J.T. can change, then everyone can change. Besides, everybody is tired of the whiny ass female doggs that play in San Diego. You're done, saun.


NFC Evolution Post coming later this week.....

His Dirkness

Huskercorner.com

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His Dirkness has recently taken his Nebraska Cornhuskers writing to http://www.huskercorner.com/. All things Nebraska, and most of my College Football posts, will be written on that site from now on. I will be posting links to columns that I believe my regular readers might be interested in. I will still be posting on all other sports on this site, and plan on writing regularly, especially for all things Chiefs (until Clark Hunt scoops me up that is). I've had a lot of fun writing over the past year or so, and think I may have found my true calling in this world through this site. Thanks to anybody who has read what I've written, it truly means a lot.

So check out my site if you get a chance. I'll be posting pretty regularly, about 5-7 times a week.

http://www.huskercorner.com/

His dirkness

Quick NFL Picks: Week 4

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Why why why why why why why why why do the Chiefs have a bye week this Sunday?? Momentum plays such a big part in the NFL that I can't help but worry that it might be lost after inactivity this Sunday. There is a strong chance that the Chiefs could find themselves as the last undefeated team after this weekend with Pittsburgh welcoming Baltimore to town and the overrated Bears traveling to New York to play a Giants team with their backs against the wall. Not sure if that means anything, but it gives me something to root for on this painfully positioned bye week for the Chiefs.

Week 1 record: 9-7
Week 2 record: 12-4
Week 3 record: 11-5
Total: 32-16

On to the picks.....

ATLANTA over San Francisco-W
NY Jets over BUFFALO-W
Cincinnati over CLEVELAND-L
GREEN BAY over Detroit-W
TENNESSEE over Denver-L
ST. LOUIS over Seattle-W
NEW ORLEANS over Carolina-W
Baltimore over PITTSBURGH-W
Indianapolis over JACKSONVILLE-L
Houston over OAKLAND-W
SAN DIEGO over Arizona-W
Washington over PHILADELPHIA-W
NY GIANTS over Chicago-W
MIAMI over New England-L

His Dirkness

College Football Week 5: What 2 Watch 4

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With bye weeks looming for both of my teams this week, I thought I'd take a more expansive look at what's happening around the country this weekend, starting with College. I'll share any and all thoughts I have for this weekend's run of games. Quick note: It's going to be tough for any team to out-impress Nebraska's 17-3 victory over South Dakota St. last week. They completely dominated the Jackrabbits.

On to the games (teams ranked according to Dirkness Top 25):

11am- Kansas at Baylor- The Bears have been steady so far, blowing out three lesser teams and getting blown themselves by their big little brother, TCU. The Jayhawks have been anything but stable, somewhere between this guy and this guy. They tend to show up on even numbered weeks (beat GT, blow out NMSU) and fall flat on their face on odd numbered weeks (losses to NDSU and S-Miss). That's good news for lil' Baylor, who's Robert Griffin (III!) is rounding back into form after missing all of last year. KU might be set up for the future with a freshman quarterback and running back leading the way, but they ain't there yet. Predirktion: Baylor 27-17.

2:30- (22)Texas vs (8)Oklahoma- This game lost a lot of its luster after the Longhorns crapped the bed against UCLA (who had already lost to K-State and to Stanford 35-0). Oklahoma has three different one-score victories to their credit over mediocre teams (Utah St, Air Force, Cincinnati) coupled with a stomping of Florida St, who should prove to be the toughest of those teams. So is motivation the problem? Or did they just play over their heads that one game? Something tells me both of these teams are overrated in one of the worse Red River Shootouts we've seen in a while. If that's true, then the Big 12 is headed for a down season (good news for the Huskers!), its last in existence. I think Texas comes out fired up, but this game rarely produces upsets, which makes it a relatively overrated rivalry in my books, so I'm going chalk. Predirktion: Oklahoma 20-19.

7:00- (9)Florida at (2)Alabama- The Gators have improved every week after (literally) fumbling 15 snaps in its first game. That decision to cancel fall practice so the team could watch Tim Tebow preseason highlights may have backfired. Alabama expended a lot of energy in their comeback victory over Arkansas last week (and it doesn't get easier traveling to South Carolina next week). Will that play a factor? I say yes. Their defense looked vulnerable, and if Arkansas would've kept their foot on the gas they would have come away victorious. The Tide rolls with RB's Mark Ingram (averaging an astonishing 9.3 yards per carry) and Trent Richardson (7.6 ypc). The Gators counter with the 11th ranked rush defense in the country. Strength vs. strength. Florida has been looking forward to this game all offseason. They want to be the team to spoil Alabama's shot at a repeat, much like 'Bama did to them last season. Florida has to manufacture points to win which puts this game squarely on Urban Meyer's shoulders. I think he's been saving just enough. Predirktion: Florida 20-17.

7:00- (3)Stanford at (4)Oregon- Possibly the Dirkness Game of the Year. Regular season Dirkness-favorite Stanford travels to the renowned Autzen Stadium, home of preseason Dirkness-favorite Oregon.  The Mighty Ducks gave up 597 total yards to Arizona St. last week, and probably would've lost if they hadn't forced 7 turnovers, which solicited a demotion in the Dirkness 25. Meanwhile, Stanford is crushing opponents (on the road nonetheless) at an impressive, albeit nationally unknown, rate. If I were in charge, and the first rankings didn't come out until three weeks had been played, Stanford would be properly rated in the Top 5 right now. The other top storyline of this game is the rise of the Pac-10, with three Top 10 teams in my latest poll (most of any conference). The Cardinal are led by Andrew Luck, who has defaulted his way to the top of my Quarterback list (after Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett's failures- might just be his turn this week). This game should be a shootout with two of the Top 4 scoring offenses in the country (Oregon-1st, Stan-4th). The difference will be Jimmy Harbaugh's stout defense. This game is MUST SEE TV! Predirktion: Stanford 34-30.

His Dirkness