TimesFour

Expect passing this week. Griese had just a stupid 67 pass attempts last week against the Bears. Gruden wants to throw. That is part of who he is. The running game is the best thing going for him. Graham is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and Dunn is getting 5.2 yards per carry. Griese is an 83.2 career rated passer and in the midst of a 71.3 rating for this season.

Three picks in a game is just not going to help. Still, Tampa has the 27th ranked pass defense and the Packers are locked in the 22nd ranking so far. This game also pits the Bucs’ sixth ranked pass offense against the Packers’ seventh ranked passing offense. Packers injuries and Bucs age in the defensive backfield will only add to the barrage. Expect to see the ball in the air a lot.

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Ok, I admit it. I’m really not that psyched about this week’s pick column. I’m not sorry about it or anything. I’m sure even Charles Dickers had his bad days…..I mean, Barnaby Rudge…are you kidding me? In fact the whole prediction thing was going so bad this week that I resorted to going with an all “In a related story” theme. Still it’s the best I can come up with for this week so have a look. I promise to do better next week, unless I get too busy playing Bejeweled. Now there’s something I’m always good at. At least the byes will help my winning percentage.

Week 3 Results:10-6
Season Total: 30-18

Colts receive a Bye: Ha!!! I’m 1 and O already for this week. In a related story: Peyton Manning has filed suit with the FCC complaining that with the large number of political commercials being broadcast this time of year he is falling far short of his usual being in 33% of all commercials aired each Sunday.

Dolphins receive a Bye: 2-0 Baby. In a related story, with last week’s success running the single wing, the Dolphins are considering going back to an even less complicated offense, the old grade school “everybody go out” offense. They hope to have it installed after about 5 minutes of practice.

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…1955: Packer fans were bracing for a beating. Green Bay had finished the previous year in 5th place with a 4-8 record under first-year coach Lisle Blackbourn, losing their last four games in the process. Prospects didn’t look much better for 1955 with the Detroit Lions as the Packers’ opening-day opponent.

Though it’s hard to believe now, the Lions were an NFL power at the time, having won the last three Western Conference championships, and two of the last three NFL championships. What’s more, they had beaten the Packers 11 straight times. Led by future Hall-of-Famers Bobby Layne,

Doak Walker, Jack Christianson, Lou Creekmur and Joe Schmidt, the Lions had little reason to believe they wouldn’t maul the Pack in front of a less-than-capacity City Stadium crowd.

The Lions roared to a first-quarter lead on a Layne touchdown pass, but the Packers fought back with two field goals. By the midway mark of the third quarter, Green Bay found itself behind by 11, but behind the running of Howie Ferguson and Floyd “Breezy” Reid, mounted a drive ending with a Reid score that made it 17-13 Detroit.

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As it is often with professional sports, the team with the best players usually wins the game. And while it does not always hold true with football (look at last year’s Super Bowl), last night’s thrashing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys was a reminder to the Packers that the Cowboys really are the most talented team in the NFC and they face an uphill climb to match them come January.
Felix Jones and Marion Barber III running for 217 yards contained a very specific message- the Packer defensive line is a potential long-term problem.

Packer Management rolled the dice in a big way when they kept just 3 defensive tackles on the roster after training camp (with Harrell on the PUP list into October), the thinking being that Cullen Jenkins will be able to fill a Justin Tuck-like role and Mike Montgomery or Kabeer Gbaja Bialmila adequate to fill in outside. On the Felix Jones 60 yard touchdown, it was Montgomery that allowed Jason Witten to seal him inside, allowing Jones to cut back and have nothing but green Lambeau Field grass between him and the end zone. Contrast that play to later in the game, with the exact same play run and Jenkins at right defensive end, the play resulted in a 5 yard loss.
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — On an uncharacteristically quiet night for Terrell Owens, the Dallas Cowboys leaned on their defense and running game — then unleashed little-known wide receiver Miles Austin to put away a 27-16 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

Marion Barber ran for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown, and rookie Felix Jones added a 60-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Austin, a backup who plays mostly on special teams, sealed the win with a 52-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

Tony Romo was 17-of-30 for 260 yards and Owens was held to two catches for 17 yards as Dallas (3-0) joined the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants as the NFC’s only undefeated teams.

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