Alex Smith isn't great, but he's Proven clutch this year

Last week was quite exciting as the Giants traveled out to Green Bay to stun the Packers. It was not stunning that the Giants won, they are a very talented team, it was stunning that they beat down the Packers in Green Bay. The Ravens on the other hand didn’t play a great game, but were able to overwhelem T.J. Yates and the Texans, though Arian Foster might now be the number one running back in the league in my mind. The Patriots absolutely walloped the Broncos and the 49ers played smash mouth football to upset the Saints, thanks in part to a large number of turnovers.

What will this week bring? Let’s check it out.

Baltimore +7.5 at New England

+7.5 Whew that seems like an awful lot of points. I’m one of the Joe Flacco “haters” and have never found him that impressive, but still I think 7.5 is way too many points for a team that can play defense. The Ravens also have a lot of talent on offense with good pass catching tight ends, the deep threat that is Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. They also have one of the best running backs in the league in Ray Rice. I think the Patriots can win this game, but I”m not willing to lay 7.5 points.

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NFL Picks vs the Spread Championship Weekend - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Jesse’s Giants are red hot right now, facing a Green Bay Packers team that barely skipped a beat when Matt Flynn took over as the quarterback in week 17.

My Broncos are getting ready for their second battle with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, a team that beat the Broncos earlier this season on Denver’s home field.

There are some other intriguing matchups this weekend, specifically the matchup taking place in San Francisco with arguably the best defense in the conference (SF) and the best offense (NO).

The Houston Texans will also try and beat the Baltimore Ravens on their home field, something that has not been done so far this season, as Baltimore is 8-0 on their home field.

Now, on to the predictions.

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NFL Divisional Round Playoff Predictions - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

NIc Perry Could Really Emerge During the Pre-draft proces

The Baltimore Ravens are one of the finest drafting teams in the N.F.L. This year they will have to do without their fourth round pick which they traded to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for speedy Wide Receiver Lee Evans. Evans, unfortunately has been injured much of he season so the trade has not yet paid many dividens.

I think the Baltimore have a lot more needs than most do, becauses they are an aging team and they need an infusion of young talent all over the field. They could use some upgrades along the offensive line, they could use a future replacement for Ed Reed (and even someone better to play next to Ed Reed), they could use another wide receiver because Anquan Boldin has a history of being nicked up. They could use another pass rusher opposite Suggs. They don’t have many major needs though, which is why they are winning a lot of football games.

Right now you have to assume that the Ravens will be drafting around 26th. I am not a Baltimore Ravens expert so feel free to disagree vehmently with me and let me know what I got wrong.

Round 1:  Nick Perry, OLB, USC

Perry is a very good athlete who is a bit of a project as a 34 OLB, but he has the ideal athletic ability that teams are looking for the 34 OLB spot. Perry has really emerged as a pass rusher this year and I think can eventually even end up a little higher than this spot here. The Ravens get to the quarterback, but it seems like no one else makes a big sack other than Terrell Suggs. Imagine if he could find a Robin to his Batman then this defense could be real scary.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft Baltimore Ravens 7 Round Mock Draft - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Will they get In?

The 2012 NFL season is winding down and the playoff picture is becoming clearer every week.  Last week I discussed the AFC/NFC East picture.  This week we will discuss the dominate AFC/NFC North conference playoff picture.  We will go into remaining schedules and predictions.

AFC North

Cleveland Browns:     The Browns have been out of the playoff race for a long time now.  They have a 4-7 record.  The Browns are a pesky team but lack the quarterback and playmakers to get over the 5-6 win hump.  This offseason the Browns will have 3 picks in the top 50 more than likely and will have to decide what to do at Quarterback and Running back.  Defensively the Browns are very stout and are only a couple players from being dominant.

Cincinnati Bengals:    The Bengals are 7-4 right now.  I do not think many people predicted this. Dalton has been efficient, the young playmakers have stepped up, and the defense has taken over many games.  Currently, the Bengals would be in the playoffs as the last Wild Card team.  Their schedule, however, is not favorable.  The Bengals play atPittsburgh,Houston at home, andBaltimore at home.  They do get a break with the Cardinals at home and atSt. Louis.  Bengals must win one of their hard games to get to 10-6.  This might be enough to get in.  It is between the Jets and Bengals for the last spot in the playoffs.

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Playoff Picture: Who’s in, Who’s Out? AFC/NFC North Edition - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Will it Last?

How many times do we see a team or a player exceed expectations in a football game and we think, there is no way that can last.  That player is either too young or not that good.  That team had an easy week or the ball just bounced that way.  Most times it does not last, but every so often those early signs are premonitions of what is to come.  In this weekly column we will look at 3 players and 3 teams who jumped out. 

Players

1. Matt Moore:              All of a sudden Matt Moore has looked like a competent, athletic, accurate QB.  He has Miami on a two game win streak and many wonder is this a streak or a trend?  It is a streak Miami fans.  Winning at Kansas City and at home versus the Redskins is nice but he was quiet for far too long.  Moore is a very solid backup QB who can get you by if you need him but he is not a starting QB.       Will not last

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Will it Last Part 7: DeMarco Murray reviving the Cowboys; Ravens destined for Failure this season - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

This week wasn’t a great week for N.F.L. fans as there were a lot of bad games out there, but some of the games really spoke volumes about different teams. First of all, the Chiefs Clearly do not understand the concept of “suck for Luck”. So they have lost out. The Ravens whooped down the Jaguars, and the Jaguars are just plain ol’ bad. That’s one of the worst situations in the league right there and one of the teams most likely to be hiring a new coach after the season.

33. Me, as a handicapper

My third straight rough week in a row picking N.F.L games vs the spread.  I was dominating early in the season, but now I might be slightly lower than .500.  I absolutely embarrassed myself on two picks this week. The first really bad pick was thinking the Colts could keep it close vs the Saints. I also thought that the Raiders would cover the spread (4). Speaking of the Raiders…well what can you say. Yikes.

32.  Indianapolis Colts (Previously Dolphins)

Obviously they weren’t going to go up in the power rankings. The only question is would they go down. I picked the Colts to cover the hefty spread vs the Saints because I thought this is a veteran team that is going to really play hard on prime-time and until they win a game. Oh well, guess I was wrong. The Colts will probably still win one or two games, but how many votes will Peyton Manning get as M.V.P this year while not even playing a game? He should win M.V.P. every year he plays until he retires if the Colts win 5 games or more. Anyone questioning his greatness now? All I’m saying is Brady out, Patriots go 11-5. Manning misses a season the Colts can’t even score 11 points.

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NFL Power Rankings: Ravens Are Not AFC’s Best, Chiefs Surging, Colts Suck for Luck - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers have started out 3-1. Where does that put them on my power rankings (the pewterplank.com)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have started the season 3-1 after a big win last night vs the Colts. It did’nt come easy, but a win is a win. Where does that put them in my power rankings? What about the Colts who have now started the season 0-4.  Has anyone been able to unseat the Green Bay Packers? Are the Patriots still the A.F.C. front runners?

32.  The Miami Dolphins (Previously Kansas City Chiefs)

The Dolphins are not the 31st least talented team in the league, but this team can not win Sparano as their head coach. I’m 100 percent convinced that failing to jettison Sparano is going to cost this team. In the summer after the draft, I ranked the Dolphins as the worst team in the league much to the dismay of many Dolphins fans precisely because of the coaching situation. Bad coaching situations rarely ever work out. Football is too much of a motivational sport.  The Dolphins have played their way back into the worst spot. This is contingent on Chad Henne being hurt. Henne’s not good, but he’s better than Matt Moore. Yikes. The Dolphins are in a for a very, very long season.

31.  The Minnesota Vikings ( Previously Miami Dolphins)

I’ve always admired and respected Donovan Mcnabb and even though he’s not the biggest reason the Vikings are playing so awful (0-4). He’s one of them. The Vikings will start playing Christian Ponder after a nother loss or two. The Vikings need more help on their offensive line. They need another wide receiver and they need to learn how to play a full game. They are one of the best teams in the league in the first half, worst team in the league in the second half.

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NFL Power Rankings: Week 4 - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Is Mr. Luck Packing His Bags For Kansas? (Picture courtesy of The110Report)

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford

The Chiefs will start fresh next season with a new quarterback under center along with getting both Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry back from their injuries.

2. Indianapolis Colts: Matt Kalil, Offensive Tackle, USC

Protecting Peyton Manning will be a key next season for the Colts. He will be coming off a few neck injuries that can’t be risked by a shaky offensive line.

3. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Barkley, Quarterback, USC

Both Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst aren’t the Seahawks now or in the future. Got to wonder if Pete Carroll is already planning the reunion party since he was the coach at USC during Matt Barkley’s freshman year.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft: The Chiefs Are In Luck! - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Who is going to replace Kenny Britt on your fantasy football team?

Do you have Kenny Britt on your team and you just recently heard about him being out for the year with a knee injury?

I had Kenny Britt on my fantasy football team till I heard that he injured his knee and was expected to be out for the year. I dropped Britt immediately once I heard the sorrow news, and then went on my way to the players list to see what wide receivers were available to replace him.

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Fantasy Football: Who should be Kenny Britt’s replacement on your Fantasy Football team? - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Cam Newton has over a 1,000 yards passing through three games and on Sunday he got his first career win.

The Rookie Hot list (or Rookie Watch) is a play on the Heisman Watch. I’ll be taking a look at how the rookies are faring so far early in the season. Cam Newton won the first two weeks, can anyone unseat him this week?

10. Jacquian Williams, LB, New York Giants

He made his first appearnce on this list last week with a 9 tackle performance vs the St. Louis Rams and followed that up with a 10 tackles performance vs the Eagles. Williams was the sixth round pick no one liked for the New York Giants in the 2011 N.F.L. draft, but early on in the season he has outshined Greg Jones, Mark Herzlich, and Spencer Paysinger who all played for big time programs and were big time names (Paysinger, not as much). Williams is playing a lot of meaningful snaps on passing downs. He has shown a terrific ability to play coverage and is a good looking tackler in the open field. He also has put a lot of pressure on the QB. No sacks yet, but close. It’s coming soon for Williams. I’ll admit my bias here, but he’s really played well above expectations and I’ll try to highlight a player at #10 who is playing well that most people don’t know. Let’s see who it is that steps up next week.

9. Mason Foster, LB, Tampa Bay

Linebackers are often overlooked so I’m going to show some love to rookie linebackers playing well early in the season.   Foster leads all rookies in tackles with 22 and also has 2 sacks and a forced fumble to boot. Foster is playing well early on in the season.

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Rookie Hot List (Rookie Watch) Week 3 N.F.L - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football