Friday, September 30, 2011

NFC East Week 4- San Francisco vs. Philadelphia

I have been way off the mark on my picks for the Eagles the first three weeks, but in my defense, they have been way off the mark on defense. The two losses have nothing to do with Michael Vick getting hurt, as last time I checked, he does not play on that side of the ball.

While I will admit there have been some questionable calls by Andy Reid, especially the fourth-down call to go for it on short yardage at mid-field against the Giants, but you have to have some kind of confidence that your defense can stop the opposition with the game on the line.

It is still early, but a loss on Sunday would dig a hole that Birds probably would not be able to climb out of unless the rest of the teams in the NFC East go into the tank. For that reason alone, I see the Eagles rolling in this game, as under Reid, they have always shown the ability to bounce back from a bad loss.

Below is a link to my complete preview of Sunday's game as originally posted on Cappers Picks

NFC East Week 4- San Francisco vs. Philadelphia

NFC East Week 4- Detroit vs. Dallas

The undefeated Detroit Lions put their perfect record on the line against a banged-up Cowboys team that is coming off a couple of scrappy wins. It appears that the Lions are for real after spending the last few seasons stock-piling talent through low picks in the draft, but this will be their first real test of the season on the road.

Dallas is already an early-season MASH unit with Miles Austin out of the lineup and Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and Felix Jones all nursing injuries. This has the Boys as just one-point home favorites in a game that they desperately need to win. Dallas is actually is one of my 'best bets' for the week no matter how much it pains me to pick this team.

Below is a link to my complete preview of this game as originally posted on Cappers Picks

NFC East Week 4- Detroit vs. Dallas

NFC East Week 4- Giants vs Cardinals

New York comes into this game with a ton of momentum after a huge 29-16 road victory over the Eagles last week, but do not be surprised if the Giants lose this game outright as one-point road favorites.

Consistency has been an issue in the past with this team, and it is a rare occurrence for Eli Manning to go two straight games without turning the ball over. Of course this may be just wishful thinking as I do not have all that much faith in Arizona, but maybe Kevin Kolb will do his old team a favor with a big day on Sunday.

Below is a link to my complete preview of this game as originally posted on SportsBook Lists

NFC East Week 4- Giants vs Cardinals

Sunday, September 25, 2011

NFC East Game Previews- Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

This Monday night's matchup pits the 2-0 Redskins verse the 1-1 Cowboys in a battle for first place in the NFC East. The Giants victory over the Eagles earlier today moves them to 2-1 on the year, so a Dallas win would create an early three-way log jam atop the division. A Washington win would not only keep it undefeated on the year, but raise its record in the East to 2-0 after already beating New York 28-14 on opening day.

Below is a link to my complete preview of this game as originally posted on Cappers Picks.

NFC East Game Previews- Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

Friday, September 23, 2011

NFC East Week 3- New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles will look to bounce back from last week's fourth quarter collapse in a 35-31 loss to Atlanta when they welcome the New York Giants to the Linc this Sunday afternoon in their home opener.

This could be the perfect team at the perfect time, given that Philly has beaten their division rival six straight times. A few of those victories were gift-wrapped and delivered on a silver platter due to some Giant mistakes, but as they always say 'a win is a win' in this league.

The big story surrounding this game has been the health of Michael Vick, who was knocked out of last Sunday night's game after receiving a concussion on a collision with one of his own players. The doctors have cleared him to play, so barring any unforeseen setback, you can expect Vick to be in the starting lineup come Sunday.

While it is only the third game of the season, this is actually a crucial game for both teams. Past trends have shown that teams starting 2-1 have a significant edge in making the playoffs as opposed to ones that start 1-2. While one game may appear to be a subtle difference, in a 16-game schedule this actually equates to a huge gap, especially when it comes to a team's record within its division. The Giants have already lost to Washington, so a 0-2 hole in the NFC East could be hard to climb out of.

This game is shaping up as another classic Giants-Eagles battle that will most likely go down to the bitter end. The two keys to a Philadelphia victory this Sunday will be its ability to first, stop or at least slow down Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs in the running game, and two, force Eli Manning to make some bad decisions throwing or even running the ball. He has already turned the ball over twice this season after throwing 25 interceptions and losing five fumbles last year. If the Birds' front four can keep constant pressure on Manning, he is bound to cough the ball up somewhere along the line.

Below is a link to my complete preview of Sunday's game as originally posted on Bang the Book.

NFC East Week 3- New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

Friday, September 16, 2011

NFC East Football Previews- Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons

If I had to grade last week's performance, the Eagles would get a B-. They won the game with relative ease, but the offensive line remains a serious concern as Michael Vick took way too many hits against a team that is not known as a quarterback-killer. The linebacking corps is another area that needs improvement as Philly could have ended-up losing this game if Steven Jackson does not get hurt.

Atlanta comes in with a solid running game led by Michael Turner and a capable quarterback in Matt Ryan. You would have to believe that this offense will do a much better job this week after being held to just two field goals against Chicago in a 30-12 opening day loss.

Of course, the big tagline in this game is Vick's return to the Georgia Dome as a starter for the first time since his playing days with the Falcons. He was pretty much a non-factor in a 2009 visit as a back-up, but with a national audience tuning in on Sunday Night Football, I fully expect him to light things up with another memorable prime time performance.

Below is my complete preview of this game as originally posted on SportsBook Lists


Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons

NFC East Football Previews- St. Louis Rams vs New York Giants

The Giants come into this game licking their wounds after a demoralizing 28-14 loss to Washington in their opener. Once again, New York shot itself in the foot one too many times and suffered the consequences with a loss in a game it should have won.

The Rams come into this game with some actual wounds after losing a couple of key players in last week's loss to the Eagles. Running back Steven Jackson could be ready to go by Monday night, but if he is sidelined for this game, it would be a huge loss for St. Louis.

Below is a link to my complete preview of this game as originally posted on SportsBook Lists


St. Louis Rams vs New York Giants

NFC Football Previews – Arizona vs Washington

The Redskins come into this game flying high after a huge 28-14 upset of the Giants in their home opener. Rex Grossman turned in a workman-like performance with 305 yards passing and two touchdown throws, but Washington capitalized more on New York mistakes rather than winning this game on its own merit.

Former Eagle QB Kevin Kolb will be making his second start for the Cardinals. Last week he threw for 309 yards and two TD's as Arizona outlasted Carolina 28-21 to start the season on a winning note.

Below is my complete preview of this game as originally posted on Cappers Picks


Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins

NFC East Football Previews – Dallas vs San Francisco

This game is already a must-win for the Cowboys after they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a disheartening 27-24 loss to the New York Jets last Sunday night. A solid performance by Tony Romo became completely unraveled on a pair of costly turnovers, so it will be interesting to see how he responds this week against San Francisco.


Below is a link to my complete review of this game as originally posted on Cappers Picks



Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers

Saturday, September 10, 2011

NFC East Week 1- Eagles-Rams

The Eagles head to St. Louis to take on the Rams in what should be a cake walk in their season opener. Unfortunately, this one will not as easy as you might think. Philly will have its hands full come Sunday afternoon as St. Louis is a much better team than the one that won a total of six games from 2007 to 2009.

Last season the Rams finished 7-9 and this year they will make a serious run at the NFC West division title. They are led by an up and coming quarterback named Sam Bradford and while his overall numbers last season were by no means overwhelming, he knows how to manage the game and is beginning to learn how to win.

Have no fear, the Birds will be victorious in this game, but it will be a close, hard-fought battle deep into the fourth quarter before we can chalk this one up in the win column.

Below is a link to my complete preview and prediction for Sunday's game as originally posted on Cappers Picks

Eagles vs. Rams

NFC East Week 1- Cowboys-Jets

Dallas will be looking to erase the memory of last season's 6-10 debacle with a big win against the Jets in its 2011 season opener this upcoming Sunday night.

Below is a link to my complete preview of this game as originally posted on Cappers Picks

Dallas vs. New York (Jets)

NFC East Week 1- Giants-Redskins

The NFL regular season kicked off with a bang this past Thursday night with the Packers beating the Saints 42-37 in what is sure to be an instant classic. The battle for this year's NFC East title gets underway this Sunday afternoon and to keep you in the loop in this season's race, I will be posting a preview of every game in the division this season.

Below is a link to the New York vs. Washington game as originally posted on Cappers Picks


Giants vs. Redskins

Saturday, September 3, 2011

2011 Philadelphia Eagles Schedule: Game by Game Predictions

The Philadelphia Eagles kick-off their 2011 regular season next Sunday against the St. Louis Rams so it is that time of year when I release my official picks for all 16 games.

In case you forgot, last season I predicted a 10-6 finish and low and behold, the Birds finished 10-6, so if I were you, I would pay very close attention to the following if you want to know in advance how they will do this season. As an added bonus for anyone who likes to place a friendly wager on the games, this season I am providing the final score so you know how they will do against the spread as well.


Philadelphia Eagles 2011 Schedule

Week 1 – September 11, 2011 – at St Louis (1:00 PM) 24-17 W

Week 2 – September 18, 2011 – at Atlanta (8:20 PM) 30-13 W

Week 3 – September 25, 2011 – vs New York Giants (1:00 PM) 34-31 W

Week 4 – October 2, 2011 – vs San Francisco (1:00 PM) 27-10 W

Week 5 – October 9, 2011 – at Buffalo (1:00 PM) 20-13 W

Week 6 – October 16,2011 – at Washington (1:00 PM) 24-21 L

Week 7 – BYE

Week 8 – October 30, 2011 – vs Dallas (8:20 PM) 34-28 W

Week 9 – November 7, 2011 – vs Chicago (8:20 PM) 17-16 W

Week 10 – November 13, 2011 – vs Arizona (1:00 PM) 33-13 W

Week 11 – November 20, 2011 – at New York Giants (8:20 PM) 28-27 L

Week 12 – November 27, 2011 – vs New England (4:15 PM) 33-30 W

Week 13 – December 1, 2011 – at Seattle (8:20 PM) 17-10 L

Week 14 – December 11, 2011 – at Miami (1:00 PM) 38-13 W

Week 15 – December 18, 2011 – vs New York Jets (4:15 PM) 24-23 L

Week 16 – December 24, 2011 – at Dallas (4:15 PM) 24-23 W

Week 17 – January 1, 2012 – vs Washington (1:00 PM) 28-10 W


The final tally for the season is a record of 12-4


I will update this post as the season progresses to track how my fearless prognastications have held up.