NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Week 2 Results ATS: 5-10-1

Season Record ATS: 12-17-3

4-star game, 4 on the confidence meter: Tennessee Titans @ New York Giants (-3) – Eli will have more time to breathe, more time to locate his three amigos Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, and Steve Smith.  Tennessee Titans 13 New York Giants 20

2-star game, 8 on the confidence meter, “Back door cover Special”: Buffalo Bills (+15) @ New England Patriots – “Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey announced that he is looking for a spark and that Ryan Fitzpatrick will start at QB Sunday at New England.”  Call me crazy, but I like it.  Bills reveal Spiller…finally…  Buffalo Bills 17 New England Patriots 31

3-star game, 12 on the confidence meter: Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens (-11) – When was the last time Cleveland beat Baltimore, let alone any one decent on the road?  Cleveland Browns 3 Baltimore Ravens 24

4-star game, 5 on the confidence meter, “UPSET Special“: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) – Josh Freeman, next star QB?  Looks promising.  Raheem Morris, Mike Tomlin’s protege, next defensive mastermind head coach?  Looks like the real deal.  Mike Williams, why did he fall so low?  Next prime time #1 WR.  Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19

4-star game, 3 on the confidence meter: Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers (+3.5) – Panthers to fans: We gladly welcome you to the Jimmy Clausen era: Where we get back to what we do best, running the football, 30-35 times a game.  Cincinnati Bengals 21 Carolina Panthers 23

5-star game, 16 on the confidence meter, “LOCK Special”: Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints (-4) – Saints don’t lose at home in the Superdome.  Team is so balanced, so good, its defeated two playoff-caliber teams playing C+ football.  Atlanta Falcons 14 New Orleans Saints 34

4-star game, 13 on the confidence meter: San Francisco 49ers (-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs – Mike Singletary. 49ers shut down the run.  0-3 is not in store.  San Francisco 49ers 23 Kansas City Chiefs 13

4-star game, 9 on the confidence meter: Detroit Lions (+11) @ Minnesota Vikings – LeSean McCoy lit up Detroit.  Adrian Peterson?  Jahvid will be limited/contained.  Detroit Lions 21 Minnesota Vikings 30

5- Star Game of the Week Nominee, 15 on the confidence meter: Dallas Cowboys (+3) @ Houston Texas – Shootout?  I don’t think so.  Give Dallas in a low-scoring affair.  Intense, physical battle favors ‘Boys, trumps Texans.  Dallas Cowboys 24 Houston Texans 20

1-star game, 2 on the confidence meter: Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams (+4) – I like my chances with Sam Bradford against Washington’s secondary.  Steve Jackson gets going, Donovan looks ahead to reunion with Philly.  ‘Skins reeling from Houston heart breaker.  Letdown.  Washington Redskins 15 St. Louis Rams 17

4-star game, 11 on the confidence meter: Philadelphia Eagles (-3) @ Jacksonville Jaguars – Vick is the answer.  Offense will be electrifying against shoddy Jags defensive backfield.  Run game exists with #7 under center.  Eagles are poised to go into Week 4 against Washington strong, ready for old signal caller.  Philadelphia Eagles 29 Jacksonville Jaguars 19

3-star game, 14 on the confidence meter: Indianapolis Colts (-6) @ Denver Broncos – No Knowshon.  Colts will tee off on Orton like did Peyton’s brother.  Manning will feast on banged up Denver DB’s.  Colts look scary good.  Indianapolis Colts 44 Denver Broncos 21

2-star game, 6 on the confidence meter: San Diego Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks (+6) – Sneaky back door cover.  San Diego’s just better than Seattle.  Tolbert will be load to handle.  San Diego Chargers 25 Seattle Seahawks 20

1- star game, 1 on the confidence meter: Oakland Raiders (+4.5) @ Arizona Cardinals – Max Hall sighting?  Bruce Gradkowski, actually like Oakland when he is in.  Different, more confident club.  Nnamdi will take care of Larry.  McFadden looks really good, best since days at Fayetteville.  Oakland Raiders 17 Arizona Cardinals 14

4-star game, 8 on the confidence meter: New York Jets (+2) @ Miami Dolphins – Mark Sanchez was impressive against Patriots.  Defense appears to be fine without Revis.  Jets are more aggressive than Dolphins with play-calling, this will be the clincher.  New York Jets 20 Miami Dolphins 17

5-Star Game of the Week Honors, 10 on the confidence meter, “Battle of the QB’s”: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (+3) – Jay Cutler will protect rock better than Aaron Rodgers.  Bears Matt Forte is the MVP of MNF showdown for NFC North supremacy.  Chicago’s defense bends, but doesn’t break.  Green Bay Packers 17 Chicago Bears 26

After coming out with guns blazing in a 31-6 Week One upset victory at home against San Francisco, Seattle's role reversed last week as it faced the Denver Broncos' firing squad in a 31-14 loss in the Mile High City.

"We didn't take our game on the road," said Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll at his Wednesday press conference from the team's Renton, Wash. facilities.

Despite the loss, Seattle (1-1) sits tied atop the NFC West standings and will look to break free from its first-place deadlock with Arizona when the Seahawks play host Sunday to the San Diego Chargers (1-1).

"This is a huge week for us, a week to get back on track," said Carroll.

Should Seattle get back on track, it will mean the team was able to silence a San Diego squad loaded with talent that had its way last week against Jacksonville.

Cornerback Antoine Cason was the linchpin. Of the Jaguars' first four possessions, Cason personally saw to it that three of them ended abruptly. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Cason forced a fumble and intercepted two passes from Jacksonville's David Garrard.

Following Cason's lead, San Diego added three additional turnovers over the span of Jacksonville's next four possessions. The six forced turnovers were the Chargers' best single-game total since a December 16, 2007 matchup against the Detroit Lions and was one that's been topped only five other times in the team's history.

"They were on fire last week," said Carroll of San Diego's defensive play in the Chargers' 38-13 triumph over the Jaguars. "The ball was getting tipped; they knocked it out, force fumbles. They did everything."

The Chargers' defense isn't the only thing the Seahawks will have to worry about.

Despite not having wide receiver Vincent Jackson because of a combination of a suspension and a holdout, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers hasn't missed a step.

"He's a natural football player," said Seattle's Carroll. "He's an incredible passer. He's always shown that."

Rivers' penchant is for the big play to All-Pro Antonio Gates, but if he can't find his tight end, the seven-year veteran still can lead a lethal attack.

"They've got a real style about them," said Carroll. "We have to make adjustments to it or they'll tear you up."

"The thing that they're so good at is they stretch the field and they look for their opportunities and if they're not there they dump the ball down so well with a lot of spacing for their check downs."

Limiting the Chargers' offense will be a little more difficult than it otherwise would have been for Seattle with the news that linebacker Leroy Hill will miss the game due to an Achilles injury.

Facing a high-octane offense that can score in bunches; Seattle will need its own to perform at a high level. The onus will fall squarely on the shoulders of the Seahawks' starting quarterback. With four interceptions and a quarterback rating of 74.1 after the team's first two contests, Matt Hasselbeck hasn't done much to put his team in a consistent position to win ballgames.

One offensive player that has, though, and is someone that Hasselbeck will look to get the ball to Sunday is second-year wideout Deon Butler.

"We looked at him on film last year, we thought, 'Boy it's going to be a long ways to get him to be a factor for us,'" said Seattle's head coach. "We just didn't really know what we had."

After hauling in a touchdown against San Francisco to start the season, the 5-foot-10 Penn State product made an even bigger splash in Denver, sharing the team-high in catches with five.

While Carroll was quick to mention the receiver's route running as a strength, it was something God-given that got the first-year Seahawks coach buzzing.

"Love the fact that he's so fast."

Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. Eastern Sunday at Qwest Field.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab?  Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

Okay, Bruce, now what? Oakland Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable did a gutsy thing on Wednesday by naming Bruce Gradkowski his starting quarterback after Bruuuuce led the Raiders to 13 points and a come-from-behind win over the Rams last Sunday. But let's be honest: beating the Rams is about as impressive as beating the Washington Generals.

The fans wanted Gradkowski, the offensive coordinator wanted Gradkowski, the Head Coach wanted Gradkowski, Carly Fiorina wanted him, Barbara Boxer wanted him, cats, dogs, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, even Lindsay Lohan (most prisoners are Raider fans) wanted him.

Cable didn't make this decision for the fun of it. He did it to win games. This team isn't good enough to have a quarterback who just can't lose games, and at best, I think that's what Jason Campbell is. On a really good team, Campbell could be a Trent Dilfer. The kind of guy who could learn how to not lose a Super Bowl, but not the kind of QB who could actually win one. There's nothing wrong with a quarterback like that, it's just that they need to be surrounded by lots and lots of talent. Look around–this ain't 2002.

After two weeks of play, the Raiders are 1-1. They were thoroughly embarrassed by the Titans, who were then beaten handily at home by the Steelers, followed up by their win over St. Louis. So although the results aren't overly impressive, they are somewhat predictable. That being said, I think for the first time in years, the Raiders actually have some talent on this squad. Super Bowl talent? No. When you've lost 11+games a year for an NFL record 7 straight seasons, it's all about baby steps.

So now comes the hard part for Gradkowski. For the first time since Rich Gannon was at the helm, there are expectations for the Raiders. Not Dickensian great ones, but expectations nonetheless (good thing they went with Great Expectations as the title, because Expectations Nonetheless would have really sucked). A win on Sunday would go a long way towards meeting those. Two years ago the Cardinals almost won the Super Bowl, but that was with future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner slinging the ball. Derek Anderson is not Kurt Warner. In other words, the Raiders can win this game.

To do so, they'll need someone to stop Larry Fitzgerald. They'll need the O-Line to create holes for Darren McFadden. They'll need to pressure the quarterback, and make plays on special teams. They'll need to do all the things that good football teams do to win games–something they haven't done on a regular basis for almost a decade. And most importantly, they'll need a quarterback to lead them. Can Gradkowski do it? As Mr. Jaggers said to Pip, "Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule."

I'll let you know if my expectations were met… on Monday.

Jclombardi previews Packers vs Bears, “Bears still suck”, and headlines.

Guest senior writer jclombardi @ http://lombardiave.com

Practice report: Desmond Bishop, LB Hamstring Full Participation. Chad Clifton, T Knee Full Participation. Daryn Colledge, G Knee Did Not Participate. Tom Crabtree, TE Arch Did Not Participate. Korey Hall, FB Hip Did Not Participate. Cullen Jenkins, DE Hand Full Participation. Brad Jones, LB Knee Limited Participation. Derrick Martin, S Ankle Full Participation. Clay Matthews, LB Hamstring Full Participation. Mike Neal, DE Side/Rib Did Not Participate. Charlie Peprah, S Quadricep Did Not Participate. Brady Poppinga, LB Knee Limited Participate. Brandon Underwood, CB Shoulder Full Participation. Charles Woodson, CB Toe Limited Participation. Ryan Pickett , DE Hamstring Limited Participation. Coach Mike McCarthy said: "Pickett just kind of tightened up today, yesterday Colledge was rolled up on and had some swelling. Chad Clifton is doing better. He feels good. Neal took a step backwards. Quarless is ready (if Crabtree can't go) and I would be very comfortable with Andrew in there."

Packers Headlines: Wilde writes Atari Bigby is looking forward to his return, Bryan Bulaga is waiting on Chad Clifton, and Bears' Cutler is a new QB this year. Bedard reports Packers' defensive coordinator Capers and Bears' offensive coordinator Martz match wits Monday night. Silverstein discusses B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett'slarger roles on defense. Bedard and Silverstein address the fact that Bulaga prepares as if he was a starter. Polzin reports a committee approach will replace Ryan Grant and Bulaga may have a true test Monday. Oates writes too many "good hands" people is a good problem to have.  Dougherty says if Clifton's knee isn't ready Bulaga may startand Demovsky reports Rodgers keeps everyone happy and Cutler shows signs of promise for Bears.

Committee meeting: McCarthy said this week that he won't be making Jackson the primary ballcarrier, neither Monday night against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, nor beyond that game. His reasoning: Partly because Jackson is still valuable as a third-down back, and partly because he's not sure Jackson, who has missed 11 games over the past three seasons with injury or illness, can handle the toll physically.

Week three of the NFL season is already upon us, and it is do or die for some of the 0-2 teams around the league that are seriously putting themselves behind the 8-ball for a run into playing into January and maybe even February.

In checking out the sportsbook as to the lines, there’s one 0-2 team that seems to be getting a lot of love as a road favorite this weekend, that being the San Francisco 49ers.

The Niners are three points favorites as they head to Kansas City to play a 2-0 Chiefs team. Many feel that the Chiefs are not as good as their record, despite being unbeaten in ugly but effective wins over the Chargers and Browns.

Another battle of two 0-2 teams that you need to keep an eye on is the game in Minnesota between the Vikings and Lions. Detroit could easily be 2-0 after losing to the Bears and Eagles in close games, while the Vikings looked bad in their four-point loss to the Dolphins last weekend.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t have much of an impact on the line, as Minnesota is giving the Lions a huge spread – 11 points. Anytime a spread is over 10 in NFL football betting, it’s a good bet the boys that make the odds think it will be a blowout.

So keep you eyes on these and other lines this weekend, as those 0-2 teams fight for their lives in trying to stay out of the dreaded 0-3 hole.

The Broncos have lost a big piece of their offense heading into Sunday’s game, as running back Knowshon Moreno will miss the game after suffering an arm injury.

Knowshon Moreno has sustained an injury in practice this week that will keep him out against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels just announced. Moreno was previously unlisted on Wednesday or Thursday’s injury reports. McDaniels said he expects recently acquired running backs Laurence Maroney and Andre Brown to aid Correll Buckhalter and contribute in the running game.

With the Colts in town, and the Broncos needing to run the ball to keep Peyton Manning off the field, this is a big injury that could prove impossible for the team to overcome heading into Sunday.

Browns QB Jake Delhomme still is not on the practice field, but for whatever reason, Eric Mangini is still not rushing to name Seneca Wallace the starter for Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

"I don't know," Mangini said Friday before practice. "He's very aggressive with his rehab. It's like everything else he does, he does it very aggressively and each day it gets a little better. I have total confidence to operate the plan if he is available. We'll just have to see if he's available."

Delhomme sprained his right ankle in the opening loss at Tampa, and last week watched as Wallace was the starter during the teams 16-14 loss at home to the Chiefs.

There was a rumor that the Browns made a phone call this week to the Eagles about their now backup QB – Kevin Kolb. That report was disputed, but a number of NFL sources said the Browns do have interest in Kolb.

On another note, running back Jerome Harrison didn't practice again because of a thigh injury, increasing the likelihood James Davis will get his first significant action this season.

Matt Forte: Star of the show?  Move aside Cutler-Rodgers.

What to expect, not to expect, and the unexpected:

1. Interested to see how the rook does against Julius.  Talked about this earlier in the week.  I would absolutely love to see Julius be a game-changer or Mark Anderson get to Rodgers because of his presence.  Can we see the rookie version of Mark?  How thrilling would that be?  Expect a heavy dosage of Julius/Mark in the Green Bay backfield.  Don’t Expect Rodgers to get rattled. Unexpected would be Mark Anderson sacking Rodgers.

2. Watch out for the draws/delays.  GB will sneak in some runs.  Don’t be too overaggressive.  Don’t overly be outrageous in pursuit.  Be smart.  Stay focused.  I don’t want to get burned on a 3rd and medium on a run play because we’re trying to kill Aaron.  Stay home, defend the run still.  Don’t be too reckless because you know the QB can scramble (leads QB’s with 10 rushing TD’s since ‘08).  He can kill momentum, prolong a drive, and suck the air out of the defense with a big run while the coverage is downfield.  Don’t forget about him.  Expect Packers “running backs” (not Rodgers) to generate next to nothing, yet expect Rodgers to be a factor someway or another.  Don’t Expect them to completely abandon run, don’t expect Rodgers not to get his.  Unexpected would be any run play for more than 10 yards by a “RB”.

3. Speaking of being overaggressive, that’s one thing the Bears haven’t been.  You’ve seen ‘em past years open up the season by revving up the blitz calls to full-blast in hopes of penetration.  This season, exact opposite.  Holding off the dogs.  We’re getting enough penetration as it is by not blitzing.  I mean, if you don’t have to then don’t, and its working as you can see, as they rarely utilize the blitz.   So the blueprint has been two-fold: combination of front four pressure and dropping back the LB’s in coverage, this allows you to provide the shaky secondary secondary with more than enough help.  The pass rush, they don’t have to cover for too long.  The ‘backers, they get extra support.  They are giving up yards, however, not many points.  That’s all that matters.  This is how you play Cover-2.  This is how you make up for a bad secondary.  This is a winning formula, especially considering the way Jay/offense is clicking on all cylinders.  Lastly, he’s the linebacker who gets the least notoriety, Pisa.  I have a hunch/feeling he will be talked about a lot emphatically by Jon Gruden: “This guy, he’s all over the field making plays”, “He should be more of a household name, if anything, by the end of the night he will become more known because of his play in this game -he’s that impressive”.  “This guy’s fast, he’s an absolute terror!”  “Now here’s a guy that could have played for me, I would have wanted him on my team, I wish he would’ve played for me.”  Expect: Aaron Rodgers to figure out this defense, especially on 3rd downs.  Don’t Expect: Bears Charles Tillman to shutdown anybody, but also don’t expect the Packers receivers not to be worried about his “Peanut Balboa” personna.  Unexpected would be to see Tommie Harris make much, if any difference at all.  Israel is more disruptive, play him more, even Melton.

4. I would love to see the Bears spread out the RB’s/TE’s wide to attract a Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, or Nick Barnett.  Make them cover.  Get them out in space, see how they defend in the open field with our athletes.

Decoys?  Why not?  Exotic packages, flashy formations, show ‘em different looks, that kind of thing.  Make up ‘em show their hand first, then realign.  Have ‘em cover the whole field.  Show pass set-up with wide spread, then run.  Watch CREATIVITY burst out, Martz’s playbook is going to be fully revealed, unleashed, oozing out for this rivalry.  You know the mastermind of offensive uniqueness is loaded.  The guru will be pulling out all the stops.  No holding back.  The offense will be at its finest.  This game is big.  Its Green Bay.  Its for 3-0!  Soldier Field is going to be one raucous atmosphere! Expect Matt Forte to be the Bears leading pass catcher, make one game-altering catch.  Don’t Expect Chester Taylor not to join in on the fun, as he will make at least two third down conversions with his hands, and also don’t expect Greg Olsen to do much damage.  Unexpected would be to see Clay Matthews completely neutralized in coverage, he will be unfazed.

5. What if we do the exact opposite?  Any chance #4 is Plan B?  Whereas, Plan A is surprise them with the run, go old-fashioned Bears power football, and just run it down their throats?  We have two more than capable backs.  Together they can wear down the 3-4.  Control ball, clock, game?  Keep defense fresh?  What are the chances?  I’d love to be shocked.  Let Forte and Taylor go to work, they have the wiggles, jiggles, jukes and jives to make this happen.  If we show that we can win a game black ‘n blue style, that will separate us from the rest of the “pack”.  It would drive defenses crazy, how would they be able to key on the run with our flamboyant aerial display?  Balance.  Time to pull out the bag of tricks, and run.  You know there will be game that we’ll have to win playing like because the pass game isn’t all clicking.  So, Plan B becomes Plan A, Plan A switches to Plan B?  Opens up the possibilities, makes the offense more difficult to defend, enabling the play-action to be executed to perfection.  If we can successfully start the game by going Plan B, it’ll set the tone of the entire game.  It would catch G.B. off-guard and force ‘em to bring up the safeties.  Stick to our guns, strengths, and Jay?  Or mix in a balance, and run more than usual?  Run more than pass?  I can go for the ladder, let’s show ‘em who’s tougher, and control the game.  Let’s not make this a Cutler-Rodgers shootout if we don’t have to -I rather not.  I believe they will have a tougher time winning the game say Rodgers doesn’t play all that well as opposed to if that scenario is true for Jay.  In essence, let’s make this a battle in the trenches, and run, run, run.  Expect Matt Forte/Chester Taylor to touch the rock more than any other Bears playmaker; translation: Expect the unexpected, running the football early & often.  Don’t Expect the unexpected, Forte for more than 30 rushes.  Unexpected would be to not dismiss the unexpected, I see Forte making one or two big-time runs that will allow us to consistently stick with the run -more than 5 yards per carry, now that’s stretching it, right?  Maybe not.  The spotlight shines on the QB’s, they are the captivating stars, yet despite its luring of us in, at the end of the night, you will see a RB getting the pub.   Expect the unexpected!

Bonus: Expect both Devin Aromashodu and Earl Bennett to be open most of the time, they will make their presence felt.  Defensively, Chris Harris will get burned more than once, Danieal Manning will make a big play, along with a costly error.  Don’t Expect Martz to dial up the pass too much because of an opportunistic Packers defense.  Unexpected would be to see Hester or Knox go over 100 yards, we spread the ball around too much, and GB won’t give up any huge pass plays with Woodson and Collins lurking in centerfield.

For continued coverage, we got ya’ covered extensively, insightfully, and dynamically all throughout the week leading up to the big game at Bears Gab

Also, don’t forget to come over and  join us at Bears Gab for our Live Chat Monday Night: Bears-Packers

SportsGab Editor Matt Loede takes a look and previews this week three matchup between the Lions and Vikings in Minnesota.