THROWING KNIVES: WHAT A WEEKEND

by BD, Epic Carnival

A number of questions have come out of yesterday's NFL slate. Are the Saints the team we thought they were? Can even Indianapolis beat New England? Are the Lions officially a legitimate team? Should London have happened? And so on and so forth. I'll be addressing those and others. Also, somehow Arizona State and Oregon are the Pac-10's best two teams. Who seen that coming? Ohio State will go undefeated, but can they beat anyone other than Boston College? And finally, just in case you hadn't noticed the Boston Red Sox won the World Series last night. Sadly, it's unlikely to be their last of the decade. It was quite an interesting weekend throughout sports and as baseball ends basketball begins. Tomorrow that is, expect the conclusion to my NBA season preview tomorrow along with other things. Today's TK girl is Lauren Pope, no clue who she is, but I'm impressed with her nonetheless.

To the NFL in a minute, but first....

Sox Win World Series
At no point was it in question as the Red Sox swept the long-shot Rockies before you could blink. The worst part about it is the fact that this team could win it all again next year and the year after. They're that stacked and most of the team isn't going anywhere. The only potential loss is Mike Lowell and I have a feeling if he does leave they'll replace him with someone of equal caliber.

Despite the outcome and how it happened the Rockies shouldn't hang their heads. They put together the greatest run I've ever seen and it's unlikely I, or anyone else, will forget it anytime soon.

Arod Opts Out
Horrible timing for what was predictable. I have no idea where he'll end up, but my best guess would have Arod landing with the Cubs. That said, with their ownership up in the air they might not be able to make the move. I for one am just happy he won't be back in New York as an avid Yankee hater.

Ohio State Your Next National Champion?
They should be able to run the table, but I have a hard time seeing them winning if BC isn't their opponent. LSU, Oregon and Oklahoma would all be heavy favorites to beat the Buckeyes from my perspective. If Arizona State knocks off Oregon you can add them to that list as well (replacing Oregon,of course).

A Few NFL Questions I'm Pondering

1. Can even Indy knock off the Pats?
At first glance, I'd have to say no. But the Pats are almost assured to lose at some point. So why not this week? The easy answer is this: Because of what happened last time these two teams met. The Patriots don't want to just beat the Colts. They want to finish what they had started in the first half last January. They want to dismantle them. Will they? I wouldn't say dismantle, but the Pats will win and I wouldn't be shocked if they do easily. My best guess would be to book the Pats for at least a TD win, but expect it to be a little higher.

2. Have the Saints righted the ship?
It certainly looks like it, but a while the defense has been fantastic over the last couple of weeks. They really haven't played anyone. Their three wins have come against an overrated Seahawks team, the Falcons, and the offensively challenged 49ers. Until the Saints play one of the top tier teams we won't know who they are, but they don't have any tough opponents left on their schedule. The exception is Jacksonville who they'll play this week, but without David Garrard I don't put a lot of weight in knocking off the Jags. Suffice to say, the Saints could sneak into the playoffs in a weak NFC, but that's about as far as I can see them getting.

3. Should the Giants-Dolphins game have even been in London?
I'd say no. The field quality was atrocious and in my opinion had a significant effect on both teams. On top of that I don't think the NFL will succeed overseas unless a team is put there. As having a game a year over there isn't going to birth any diehards as those fans will be seeing different squads every year and its tough to latch onto a team under those circumstances.

4. Are the Lions a legitimate NFC contender?
I still don't think so, but they look like they can become one as the season wears on. In the past the Lions would have went into Chicago and gotten throttled regardless of the talent on either side of the ball. They were as inferior mentally as they were physically against the Bears (as well as every other team). Not this year, this year they went into Chicago and proved they can play winning football for the 2nd strait week. The pounded the ball on the ground and didn't turn the ball over. The defense, meanwhile, picked off Brian Griese 4 more times (to go with the 3 from the previous game) and continued to surprise. All of that aside, the Lions D isn't great, but they're improving. The offense will always be good, but can the keep the turnovers down? I', not sure, but regardless the Redskins, Giants, and Cowboys are still better teams.

The NFL Rehash
Lots of things going on throughout the league yesterday and this is the spot in which I'll go game-by-game with my thoughts. In some cases, such as Jets-Bills, the only thought is a sympathetic one. For those forced to watch it. Without an alternative.

Indy 31, Carolina 7
The Colts looked as they have all season in dominating the Panthers. As for Carolina? They still hold a tie for the lead in the NFC South, but David Carr is not an NFL QB and if Testaverde cannot play the Panthers are in a whole lot of trouble.

Detroit 16, Chicago 7
The Lions dominated in virtually every facet of the game. They even managed to take Devin Hester out of it for all but one play. That play? A fantastic return that lead to the Bears only TD. Must be rough to be a Bears fan when your best player can be removed from a game so easily.

Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 13
The Steelers remain the a cut-above the rest of the AFC North and they'll cruise into the playoffs. Cincinnati isn't going to get any better with all of the injuries up front, but will they annex Chad Johnson when it's not his fault? And how in the hell for the 2nd strait week does the defense only have 10 guys on the field? Unbelievable.

NY Giants 13, Miami 10
Brandon Jacobs is an absolute monster and he's only going to get better. The field played a lot into how close this ended up in my opinion. The Dolphins remain the leagues worst team as they're relying on their backup QB, RB, a rookie wideout, and Derk Hagan a 2nd year wideout on offense.

Philadelphia 23, Minnesota 16
The Vikings flat out cannot stop the pass and it killed them again. They've apparently given up on Tavaris Jackson and it's hard to blame them. The Eagles remain the worst team in their division by far and I don't see it getting any better.

Cleveland 27, St. Louis 20
What's more depressing: Being 0-8? Or, letting the Browns rally from a 14-point deficit to beat you? I'd say the former, as this isn't the same old Browns team. But they're still not very good.

Tennessee 13, Oakland 9
It was ugly as you'd expect. How long do you wait to throw Russell in there? The Raiders aren't going anywhere. The Titans just win, and they do it in a different way every week it seems. But, it all comes back to their defense. Which held Oakland to 92 rushing yards.

Buffalo 13, NY Jets 3
I feel bad for you if you had to watch this one. Kellen Clemens it appears will take over as QB next week and it's about time. Pennington just isn't getting it done and Clemens might as well get acclimated. Not that it's going to make that much of a difference, though.

San Diego 35, Houston 10
The Chargers are kind of under the radar after the way they started the season, but they remain one of the most talented teams in football. A team that could crash the Indy-NE party in the AFC Championship game. Houston is just decimated by injuries and that's all that needs to be said.

Jacksonville 24, Tampa Bay 23
I thought Tampa Bay would get the job done at home with David Garrard out. Either I've underestimated the Jags, or the Bucs are worse than I thought they were. One things for sure, Jeff Garcia's INT-less streak came to an end as he tossed 3.

New England 52, Washington 7
I've got nothing to say... total domination.

New Orleans 31, San Francisco 10
The Saints defense is looking a lot better, the secondary especially. Drew Brees is consistently throwing the ball to his teammates and Reggis Bush just might be a feature back after all. But, as I said above the Saints haven't beaten anyone and they aren't likely to beat anyone worth mentioning, either.

Scoreboard - October 28th - 2007

For the NFL box scores click the above links.

World Series
Red Sox 4, Rockies 3
Win Series 4-0