Good Monday morning to
everyone! I hope that you have a wonderful, relaxing and fun-filled
weekend!
I think I have learned something from writing this website that
should not have taken me so long to learn. Sleep is a good thing.
Now that it is the off season for the Twins, I do plan on getting to
sleep much, much earlier during the week than I did during the
baseball season. So many week nights, I was up until anywhere from 1
a.m. to 3 a.m. writing this site up and getting it posted. Again, I
am not complaining at all, as I find the information and research
fun and interesting (and I hope you do too). The problem with only
getting four to six hours of sleep each night is that I pretty much
am a bum all weekend. Let’s look back at this weekend. I was tired
at the end of the work day on Friday, so I went to a local video
store and rented three movies and decided to veg out and watch them.
I got home at about 5:30 and had to watch Thursday night’s episode
of Joey (still loving the show!!). That finished and I just
laid there. I fell asleep and woke up at 8:30. I watched a movie and
when it finished, I started a second one, but I fell asleep pretty
much as soon as I started it. That’s just sad. I even slept in until
about 9 on Saturday morning! Now that is cool! I ended up doing a
lot of housework (it’s weird how much you can get done when you just
do it!) and watched the other two movies, with the Gophers debacle
at Michigan State in the background! I went out Saturday night until
late, which made Sunday a complete bum-like day! At noon, I watched
football on both TVs. Fell asleep from about 1:15-1:45. By 3:15, I
had a second game on CBS while watching the Cardinals/Astros Game 4
on TV2. By 4:00, I actually went to bed for a real nap! Got up about
5. And then, got up and decided to write a little of this before the
Vikings game.
Yes, I acknowledge… I am one pathetic loser, but that’s ok!
Staying along those lines, I
thought I'd throw in a quick picture of myself. It's probably
against my better judgment to include the picture, but I want to
know if there are any ladies out there reading my site and I figured
maybe a little eye candy might
encourage the
ladies to e-mail me and say hi! (I hope you realize the 'eye
candy' comment is full of sarcasm!) And yes, I do still wear the
Nebraska hat from time to time!
Anyway, I am going to try to be done by midnight every night!!
Starting tonight. Today, I will be covering a number of topics.
Baseball, Football,
Basketball, Movies, and
we’ll see what else.
So, I hope you enjoy, and have yourself a great week!
If you have any questions or comments or ideas for future topics,
please e-mail me.
BASEBALL TOPICS
The Twins did decide to buy out the 2005 contract of Cristian Guzman. This certainly comes as a surprise to no one. Guzman, as he has every right to, will likely test the free agent market to see what is available to him and what the market is telling him. Depending on what he finds out, he could very well still be back if he is willing to take a pay cut. The Twins Geek did a two part posting on Guzman last week, where he was projecting his value. Please check out Part 1 and Part 2. He also started to discuss the value of Corey Koskie.
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The Yankees and Red Sox played two LONG games after Game 3 was postponed on Friday night because of rain.
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The Yankees won a laugher on Saturday night by a score of 19-8.
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Hideki Matsui may be the most underrated player in baseball. Why? Because he is surrounded and hidden by some big names on his own team. But the man can hit. He is such a professional, well-rounded hitter. In Game 3, he was 5-6 with two homers and two doubles with five RBI. Gary Sheffield and Bernie Williams each had four hits.
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Bronson Arroyo started and gave up six runs in two innings. The Red Sox threw five more pitchers in the game and each gave up at least another run.
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I know that a lot of stat-heads don’t like the term "clutch", but I think it may be fair to say that David Ortiz has had a way with hitting some very important home runs the last couple of years. Last night, or early this morning depending on where you are, Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning off Paul Quantrill to give the Red Sox a 6-4 win. It also kept the Red Sox season alive for at least one more day!
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Mariano Rivera is human. At least he is against the Red Sox, he is. During the season, he was 0-2 with three saves in five chances, and a 4.22 ERA against Boston. Last night, Rivera came in to hold a 5-4 lead and send the Yankees back to the World Series. He allowed a leadoff single to Kevin Millar. Dave Roberts, who pinch ran for Millar, stole second base. And then Bill Mueller singled up the middle to give to score the game-tying run.
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Tonight, in Game 5, the Yankees will start Mike Mussina against the Red Sox Tim Wakefield.
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The Astros evened up their best-of-7 series with the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend by winning games on both Saturday and Sunday.
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Seriously, Carlos Beltran is the all-new Mr. October. In the bottom of the 7th, he hit his 8th home run of the post season to give the Astros the lead they would never relinquish. He was 2-3 in the game and is hitting .538 in this division series. We all knew he was great and that he was going to be the #1 free agent on the market in the offseason, but if it is possible, he is raising his status even further.
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Brad Lidge is another guy really stepping up and making a name for himself in the postseason. He pitched another scoreless two-inning stint for the Astros yesterday for his second straight save. He has just nasty stuff and is almost unhittable! And Phil Garner is going to him at all times!
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Don’t forget Albert Pujols though. He was 3-4 with a walk yesterday. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Roy Oswalt to give them the early lead. Yeah, he’s good.
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With the series tied at two games a piece, the Astros will send Brandon Backe to the mound to face Woody Williams of the Cardinals.
VIKINGS THOUGHTS (VIKINGS 38, SAINTS 31)
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People, including all the skeptical Vikings fans, are just waiting for for Daunte Culpepper to implode. Well, he just continues to explode. Last night, he just ripped through the Saints defense. He completed 26-37 passes (70%) for 425 yards and five touchdowns (remember, he had five TD passes last week too). He did have two interceptions, but for the most part, he is just making the right decisions, hitting the right receivers, calling the right audibles and not turning the ball over. To this point, through six weeks, Daunte Culpepper is clearly the NFL’s Most Valuable Player!
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Can you believe that there are still Vikings fans that think that Gus Frerotte would be the better QB for the Vikings?
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Mewelde Moore did it again last night. I am so impressed with him. 109 yards rushing on just 15 carries. Impressive because he runs so low to the ground. He’s so strong. I’m not making the comparison or saying that he’ll ever be as good, but Mewelde Moore’s style of running is very similar to Barry Sanders. Moore already has shown that he is a better receiver than Sanders ever was. Last night, he had 7 catches for 78 yards. He also had 3 kickoff returns for 51 yards. So, that’s a nice 238 yards that the rookie accounted for. Who needs Michael Bennett or Onterrio Smith, right?
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The offensive line played it’s best all year. They kept the penalties down, the pass protected well for the most part, and their run blocking was also greatly improved. I am fully of the belief that the best teams are those with the best offensive and defensive lines.
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Speaking of the defensive line, Kenechi Udeze looked good last night. But Fox’s Jay Glazer reports that the Vikings are definitely looking to trade Chris Hovan. I wonder if anyone would even have any interest in him, and what he would even be worth in a trade.
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The Vikings offense just has so many weapons. Randy Moss had 2 catches for 89 yards. He pulled his hamstring late in the first half, so I’m sure many wondered what would happen to the Vikings offense. But with Moore playing like he was, I really wasn’t worried. Also, I thought last year already that Nate Burleson was the real deal. He had 6 catches for 134 yards last night, but I was impressed by his speed. He was talked about like a possession receiver, but he is clearly more than that. He’s the full package. And adding Marcus Robinson has finally paid dividends the last couple of weeks with him at full strength. He was mainly known as a tall, TD-type receiver. But he has good speed and (for the most part) good hands. It’s also nice having two tall options to throw to at the end zone! Oh, and Jermaine Wiggins makes a lot of big plays as a Tight End, including two TD catches last night.
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The Vikings win, coupled with the Lions loss, means that the Vikings now lead the NFC North by a game at 4-1. Next up is a noon match up with the Tennessee Titans next Sunday.
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Reuben Droughns, after an incredible collegiate career at Oregon, is finally getting a real chance to play some tailback in the NFL. He had played as a fullback in previous years and early in this season. Before last week, when he made his first start at tailback, Droughns had rushed 50 times for 127 yards since his rookie year of 2000. Last week, against Carolina, he rushed 30 times for 193 yards. Yesterday, he rushed 38 times for 176 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby!
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Speaking of those Raiders, Kerry Collins completed passed to eight different receivers, none of which was Jerry Rice. That is the third time in five weeks he has not caught a pass. They either need to trade him by this week’s deadline, or release him!
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It was really just a matter of time, and with Travis Henry injured, Willis McGahee grabbed his first start and responded with 111 yards rushing and 31 receiving. Granted, it was against Miami, but is it a sign of things to come? And what will happen with Henry? Vikings fans realize how important it can be to have two, or even three, quality running backs available throughout a season!
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Speaking of Miami, is it possible that they won’t win a game all year? I say Yes!
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Wasn’t everyone just talking about how Clinton Portis just wasn’t getting the job done and the Redskins were not using him right? 36 rushes for 171 yards? That’s pretty good. That’s getting the job done!
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99 yard touchdowns are cool. Jeff Garcia and Andre Davis connected and Davis outran the Bengals defense. It was Davis’s only catch of the game. Lee Suggs caught a 59 yard touchdown pass on his way to 100 yards receiving. Dennis Northcutt also had a 50 yard reception. Now, in each of these cases, most of the yards came after the catch. That’s how Jeff Garcia can throw for 311 yards and 4 TD!
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Big day for the Packers! Where did that come from? Actually, you had to know that they would break out like that at some point. It is actually most impressive to me because the Packers beat a decent Lions team 38-10, but because they did it in such a team way, without any huge individual performances. Brett Favre threw for 257 and 2 TD. Ahman Green ran for 80, but he threw a TD pass to Donald Driver, who finally had a Driver-like game with 111 yards receiving and two TDs.
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Speaking of a team without a real superstar, the New England Patriots won their 20th straight game. Corey Dillon, who was all about being a superstar with the Bengals, has fit well into the team concept of the Patriots. But yesterday, he played well with 105 yards rushing and two TDs, including a game-clincher. Tom Brady never puts up big numbers. I mean, compare his career numbers to Peyton Manning, but which one leads his team to wins? And their defense is arguably the best in the league, and outside of Ty Law and Willie McGinest, they don’t have many big names. They just win.
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When did things finally click for Tim Rattay. He was great in college, but early in the year, I (and probably many others) wondered if they would ever win a game. Now, they won’t win many, but Rattay is starting to show that he can throw the ball a little in the last couple of weeks. I’m not saying it will lead to many wins this year. Much of his yardage comes from the fact that they will be behind much of the time. But he is showing the abilities necessary, and maybe soon defenses will have to respect him enough to open things up for Kevan Barlow.
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That Donovan McNabb to Terrell Owens combination isn’t slowing down at all. And neither is that Eagles team.
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I think rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger is getting a little more credit for the Steelers winning all four of his starts. But then yesterday, they came back from behind to get a win over the Cowboys (With some help from a Vinny Testaverde fumble late in the game). Roethlisberger finished the game by completing his final 11 passes. He was 21-25 for the game. That’s not bad! When it came to actual collegiate numbers and success, Roethlisberger was every bit as successful as Eli Manning or Phillip Rivers.
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Any NFL thoughts? E-mail me.
GOPHERS HOPES CRUSHED
People were so worried about the Gophers going to Michigan State and showing up flat (as they did last year) following a tough loss to Michigan the week before. Well, I don't know if they were flat, but by the end of the game (or near the end of the first half), the Gophers were completely flattened by the Spartans. The Gophers lost 51-17. At no point was this game even close! Michigan State's defense held the Gophers incredible running back duo of Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney to just 90 yards... combined. So, now where do they go from here? If they can win out, they could end the season 9-2, which is good, but not good enough, it seems, to impress all Gophers fans. Fact is, there is no way that the Gophers will beat Wisconsin this year, so 9-2 is pretty unlikely. (I like saying 'no way' because I am wrong so often, and maybe the Gophers do match up well against the Badgers.)
My alma mater, Concordia College (Moorhead) got a field goal with under 30 seconds to go, to beat the Division III National Champions, from St. Johns by a score of 21-20.
PRESEASON -
TIMBERWOLVES 76, PISTONS 70
The Wolves beat the NBA’s defending champions, the Detroit Pistons
yesterday in an exhibition game. It, of course, means nothing. Here
are some quick game notes:
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For Wolves fans, the most important thing always is, "How did Kevin Garnett do?" Well, he was 4-9 shooting, but did score 9 points and grabbed four rebounds (and 5 steals) in 24 minutes.
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Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, Fred Hoiberg and Ervin Johnson didn’t play.
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The Wolves player who spent the most time on the court was rookie Kasib Powell, a 6-8 rookie forward from Texas Tech. He put together and impressive line in his 31 minutes. He scores 8 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 8 assists! And no, he won't make the team!
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Our 12th man watch - Eddie Griffin had 7 points and 9 rebounds in 24 minutes. Rick Rickert scored 4 points (2-4 shooting) in 6 minutes. John Thomas got the DNP-CD.
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The Star-Tribune had an article on how Trenton Hassell can shoot and score. Then yesterday he went out and was 1-10 from the field.
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The Wolves only draft pick, 2nd rounder Blake Stepp of Gonzaga, went 5-6 from the field for 11 points. But he is a point guard and in 16 minutes, he had 6 fouls (my assumption being that he is too slow to guard NBA PGs) and 5 turnovers (something that I’m sure Flip Saunders noticed)
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Wally Szczerbiak led the team with 14 points, but was just 5-14 from the field.
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Kandi Man - 10 points, 12 rebounds. If he can be healthy, I still believe he can be a good player!
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Any Wolves questions or comments? E-mail me.
So, I haven’t had a good movie night or movie weekend in a long
time. I am pretty far behind and there are a lot of movies available
for rent now that I need to see! It was actually pretty tough for me
to figure out which three to rent. I almost picked our like five of
them! Anyway, here are some quick thoughts on the three that I
watched. At the end of the first two movies, you will see a link to
Brent Hanson’s DVD Reviews of these movies. He does a far
better job of reviewing not only the movies, but the extras and
other phases of the DVD, including the Extras.
I really didn’t know a lot about this movie, other than that Ben
Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were in it, along with Liv
Tyler. I’d seen the previews and the whole "what are your
intentions with my father?" line made it look pretty funny. But as
the movie went along and I saw more and more, I began to see a
couple of things that should have told me why I liked it.
Affleck’s character, Ollie, is a powerful entertainment mogul in New
York City. He falls madly in love and married Gertie (J-Lo’s
character). She become pregnant, but Gertie falls victim to an
aneurism and dies in child birth. Ollie names his daughter Gertrude.
After making a huge mistake (saying that The Fresh Prince would
never make it in movies!), he lost his job and moved in with his
father, played by George Carlin, in New Jersey. In his pain,
he is a terrible father, but through some other circumstances, he
becomes a world-class dad while working for his New Jersey city.
Then he meets Maya (Liv Tyler’s character) who works at the local
video store, and the two engage in a series of interesting
conversations and activities. In the end, he has a choice to make
between a job back in New York City and keeping his life and family
in Jersey. There is a lot of irony involved in who gives him the
advice he needs to make his final decision!
This is definitely a chick flick, but with an edge. I mean, there is
more adult comedy and situations than you find in your standard
chick flick. Terms and topics (porn) that you don’t normally see
were included. Obviously I don’t mind. I mean, part of what I loved
about American Pie was the fact that it included topics that
you just normally do not see talked about in movies. Maybe it’s that
surprise, or shock factor that makes me like a movie. It is taking
standard comedy or drama to a more risqué level.
And then the cast that includes Ben Affleck and George
Carlin started to tell me more as well. Jason Biggs gets
a spot on the DVD’s cover despite having a very small role. But when
Jason Lee and Matt Damon had bit roles, it suddenly hit me
why I liked the movie. It’s a Kevin Smith movie! I should
have known that, but had forgotten.
I was introduced to Kevin Smith movies late, just a couple of
years ago when I watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I
laughed hysterically through the whole movie. At that point, I went
back and watched many of his previous classic movies: Clerks,
Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma. He was also
involved in Good Will Hunting. Kevin Smith is a comic
genius, perfectly measuring crossing-the-line comedy with excellent
plot formation.
So, I would definitely encourage everyone to watch Jersey Girl.
And when you have time, be sure to check out as many of Kevin
Smith’s movies as you can! (unless you’re too young, or easily
offended!)
BrentNet’s Review of Jersey Girl.
FAHRENHEIT 9/11
OK, I almost felt guilty for renting this movie, figuring that in
doing so, I was actually supporting the movie. I actually frequently
watch Bill Maher on HBO, something that I watch just to
become upset and try to hear a completely liberal perspective on
things (as you all know now, I am rather conservative). Michael
Moore was a guest on Maher’s panel. The token Republican
panelist made some comment about this movie, and Moore’s comeback
simply was, "Did you watch my movie?"
The Republican said no, he hadn’t.
Now, I happen to think that Michael Moore is a terrible
person with a major agenda. Before watching it, I thought that this
movie, or documentary, would just be liberal propaganda. And maybe
it was, but I do think that it is absolutely fair and necessary that
I should watch this film before judging it. So I did.
And after watching it, I still totally believe that it is liberal
propaganda, but only now is it actually fair for me to say that. In
watching the debates last week, both John Kerry and George
Bush threw out a lot of statistics and then argued all of them.
We, as listeners, were kind of expected to just believe it all and
take it for what it’s worth.
I felt a similar feeling watching this film. Moore did throw a lot
of numbers and it felt like a six degrees of separation kind of
thing. For instance, Moore draws the connection between the Bush
family and the Bin Laden family. He then talks about a company
called Halliburton, which following the US invasion of Afghanistan,
received the bid to build an oil pipeline through the country.
Halliburton, of course, was owned by Dick Cheney.
I was actually waiting for Mr. Moore to just come right out and
claim that George Bush worked with the Bin Laden family to
terrorize the US so that Bush’s and Cheney’s companies could make a
lot of money.
Now, you would assume based on my analysis and my beliefs that I
would not recommend this movie to anyone. That is not the case. I do
fully believe that people need to at least see the other
perspectives, even if they are not what you believe, or are brought
up with, or agree with. This is a very interesting documentary and
certainly tells a very slanted story of this whole situation. I
believe that you have to take everything for what it is worth. But I
will not say it is a bad movie to that it isn’t worth watching. Just
watch it with an open mind, yet don’t just agree with it all because
it’s on the movie. Make up your own mind.
Oh, and for those of you in North Dakota, Democratic Congressman
Byron Dorgan is in this movie sharing some of his thoughts a few
times.
BrentNet’s Review of Fahrenheit 9/11
OK, I watched a chick flick, followed by a documentary, so if you
know me, I had to watch a straight-up comedy! I had heard good
things about Starsky & Hutch, but I have to admit that I am
too young to have ever seen the old TV show. But an old classic show
movie always seems to work, at least to some genres. And then a cast
led by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson is just perfect for
this movie. Both seem to dive into their roles and have great
comedic timing throughout.
Ben Stiller plays Starsky, a cop who takes his job very
seriously. Owen Wilson plays "Hutch" a cop who is anything
but, frequently acting more criminal than law enforcement. They are
teamed together and the crazy times ensue. They are investigating a
murder, and it turns into a big drug sting. With the help of Huggy
Bear, they (and I don’t think I’m giving away too much) capture the
bad guys!
(Sports Note - Snoop Dogg plays Huggy Bear in this
movie. In the original TV show, the role of Huggy Bear was played by
Antonio Fargas. He is the father of Oakland Raiders RB
Justin Fargas.)
As far as recommendations, I would encourage people to watch it. It
is good as Wilson and Stiller really play off of each other well. It
actually is a very typical ‘80s comedy. That’s not a bad thing. I
like 80s comedies! But they are all pretty much the same. But in a
way, that makes this movie refreshing.
Oh, and Carmen Electra and Amy Smart is always a good
thing for a movie!
Any other suggestions for new released that I should rent and watch? Or, do you have any movies you would like to ask me about? E-mail me.
We had five of our 12
"experts" get at least ten games correct, but we have a new winner.
Ryan Maus of Twins Chatter fame will be the Week 6
winner. Through the Sunday games, he is 12-1 on the week. The only
game he got wrong was the Texans/Titans game. Michael Labuda
and David Bergner each got just two wrong, however, every
person picked the Rams to beat Tampa Bay tonight, so Ryan can not be
caught. Congratulations Ryan!
| Seth Stohs | Melissa Olson | Ben Jacobs | Aaron Gleeman | John Bonnes | Ryan Maus | |
| SethSpeaks.net | SethSpeaks.net | Hardball Times | Aaron's BB Blog | Twins Geek | Twins Chatter | |
| San Francisco @ NY Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Carolina @ Philadelphia | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Kansas City @ Jacksonville | Chiefs | Jaguars | Chiefs | Chiefs | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| San Diego @ Atlanta | Falcons | Falcons | Chargers | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons |
| Miami @ Buffalo | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Washington @ Chicago | Bears | Bears | Bears | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins |
| Cincinnati @ Cleveland | Bengals | Browns | Browns | Bengals | Browns | Browns |
| Seattle @ New England | Seahawks | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots |
| Green Bay @ Detroit | Packers | Lions | Lions | Packers | Lions | Packers |
| Houston @ Tennessee | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Denver @ Oakland | Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders | Broncos |
| Pittsburgh @ Dallas | Cowboys | Steelers | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Steelers |
| Minnesota @ New Orleans | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| Tampa Bay @ St. Louis | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Michael Labuda | David Bergner | David Bloom | Vic Quick | Michael Brasel | Jeremy Kovash | |
| ChiSox Daily | Baseball Savant | Ya Gotta Believe | KDUH-Sports | FFB Guru | Wolf Lake Mgr | |
| San Francisco @ NY Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Carolina @ Philadelphia | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Kansas City @ Jacksonville | Jaguars | Jaguars | Chiefs | Jaguars | Jaguars | Chiefs |
| San Diego @ Atlanta | Falcons | Falcons | Chargers | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons |
| Miami @ Buffalo | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Washington @ Chicago | Bears | Redskins | Bears | Bears | Bears | Redskins |
| Cincinnati @ Cleveland | Browns | Browns | Bengals | Browns | Bengals | Browns |
| Seattle @ New England | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Seahawks |
| Green Bay @ Detroit | Packers | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Houston @ Tennessee | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Denver @ Oakland | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders |
| Pittsburgh @ Dallas | Steelers | Steelers | Cowboys | Cowboys | Steelers | Steelers |
| Minnesota @ New Orleans | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| Tampa Bay @ St. Louis | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
And that is it for today! Have yourself a wonderful week! If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future topics, please e-mail me.