Titans Officially Emerge

As one of the last people to come around to the thought of the Tennessee Titans as an elite team, I have to admit that they looked great against the Colts on Monday Night Football. At 14-6 I was certain my +4 bet on the Colts was the wisest choice of the week in The Lock, but instead I suffered my first losing week (2-3) in over a month and the Titans proved how tough they really are. Down 8 points to the traditionally dominant team in the division, the Titans rallied and scored 25 unanswered and closed the door on the AFC South. The season is only half over, but the Titans have a 4-game lead on the rest of the division and holds the tie breaker.

The Giants, Steelers and Redskins all look good, and the Sunday afternoon game between Pittsburgh and New York looked like a potential Super Bowl preview, but the fact remains that the Titans are holding a perfect record and played like the best team in football tonight. Peyton Manning was relatively sharp compared to some early season efforts, but the complete inability to run the football allowed Tennessee to control the game. Their speed in the secondary and strength up front proved a dangerous combination as the defense stepped up to stop the Colts on two critical fourth down situations in the second half.

The next set of the Power Rankings will be coming soon and the Titans will hold the No. 1 ranking. Their rank will not be by default, but rather as a reflection of their dominating defense and strong rushing attack. Kerry Collins showed he is not simply a 'manager of the game' as suggested constantly by the MNF commentators, but systematically led the Titans downfield in the fourth quarter with a pass heavy attack to kill the Colts chances of a comeback.

0-16 Looming Large for Lions, Bengals

While I often make fun of Lions' fans for looking ahead at the NFL draft only a few weeks into the regular season, there at least will be one distraction keeping them busy in 2008. The Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals have realistic chances of going 0-16 this year, and fulfilling one of my dreams of seeing a team run the table in reverse.

Again this week Detroit looked good in spurts. I had to watch the game as a Michigan resident as only the Lions-Redskins and Jets-Chiefs were options. But, through some unseen force, perhaps the power of Matt Millen willing the team to even lower standards after his departure, the Lions found a way to lose. The commentators even stated, "It's like the Lions are waiting for something bad to happen." That statement describes the entire Rod Marinelli era in Detroit and certainly explains the 2008 season thus far.

For the Bengals week 8 was another non-competitive showing. Aside from a close loss to the Giants, Cincinnati has been just as pathetic as Detroit this year. Cincinnati has scored 104 points this season, while giving up 217. Detroit, 114 vs. 212. Looking ahead at their two schedules, Detroit truly has the opportunity to go 0-16, while Cincinnati holds an outside chance as well.

Detroit's remaining schedule includes Chicago, Jacksonville, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Green Bay. Only two of those teams (Jacksonville and Minnesota) have losing records.

Cincinnati is half way to its quest of a winless season and has games against Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Washington, Cleveland and Kansas City. Sadly, Kansas City could be a spoiler at the end of the season and Baltimore's offense has been inconsistent enough to make them vulnerable to upset as well.

Could both of these teams finish 0-16? Only time will tell, but their combined 0-15 record to this point demonstrates the pathetic nature of both these franchises and further confuse fans as to how these coaches are still employed. Look out second half of the NFL season; while many teams will be fighting for the playoffs, these two teams will battle it out for the first overall draft pick and a season for the record books.

As if the 4th quarter effort on Sunday wasn't enough to tell you that the Lions players have given up, the trade of Roy Williams to Dallas and placement of Jon Kitna on IR signals the end of an era.

ESPN Coaches Approval Ratings

ESPN offers one of my favorite polls every year and this one runs during the NFL season. Approval ratings for head coaches. The highest rated head coach? Jim Zorn at 94%.

Also rating over 90% approval rating: John Fox, Jeff Fisher, Tony Sparano, John Harbaugh, and Tom Coughlin.

Bringing up the rear was Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati at 13%. Under 20% are also Herm Edwards, Brad Childress, Rod Marinelli and Norv Turner.

Looking at the results, and the 15% approval rating for Norv Turner, makes me wonder how long he'll be employed. After several failed stints as a head coach, Turner miraculously landed the job in San Diego where he was given one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.

Coaches who will likely be polishing their resumes this offseason: Marinelli, Edwards, Turner, Lewis, and Wade Phillips (43%).

Complete Ratings

The Lock - Week 8

It was another profitable week here at Sportsomniac. While my 401k may be dissolving, my betting book is getting fat after a 4-1 week and a 20-12 overall record against the spread. There are few more things than getting a huge amount of points and watching your 'dog get the outright win. Look below for even more picks sure to cash in as Vegas is giving the favorites a lot of points in week 8.

The Lock:
Houston -9.5 vs Cincinnati
The Marvin Lewis era needs to end and a blow out loss to Houston will help to further convince Bengals' fans of that fact. While Houston is far from an elite team, even they have enough talent to dominate the hapless Bengals.

Cleveland +7 at Jacksonville
Anyone who knows me, knows I love the Jaguars' defense and focus on the run. That said, Cleveland's defense has been impressive the last two weeks holding the Giants and Redskins to 14 points each. Jacksonville should get the win, but it will be close and it will be late.

The Coinflip:
Buffalo -1.5 at Miami
In a classic trap game, Buffalo travels to Miami to take on the Dolphins. While this game features two teams on the opposite spectrum of the divisional standings, Buffalo isn't the clear favorite they probably should be. Expect the Bills to win going away to the tune of 29-17.

Take the Points:
Atlanta +9 at Philadelphia
As I said at the top, Vegas is giving a lot of favorites too many points, and this is just one more example. Atlanta recently showcased two impressive wins against Green Bay and Chicago and will be well rested coming off their bye as they travel to Philadelphia. While I like the Eagles who will view this as a must win game, they don't have enough to bury the Falcons like the line would have you believe. Expect a close game and consider the Falcons for the outright upset.

The Upset:
Indianapolis +4 at Tennessee
Despite the temptation to take the Rams looking to upset another top team in the Patriots, I have to go with Indianapolis here. While Tennessee enjoys the league's best record and the top spot on our recent Power Rankings, the Colts will show their experience here as they'll win on the road on Monday Night Football.

The Sportsomniac takes no responsibility for any money won or lost due to betting on these picks.

Mood: Missing Tom Brady

To answer the questions in advance that the title may bring to mind I am not an emo blogger who starts each post with an emotion, I don't have a man-crush, and I do not have Tom Brady on my fantasy football team.

Most years in the NFL we have an idea of the elite teams by the quarter mark of the season, or certainly by the half way point. In the upside down world of the 2008 NFL season I'm still waiting for the Titans and Bills to be exposed and any other franchise to step up and take the season by the reigns.

The Colts dominated the Ravens in week six, only to crumple to the Packers on Sunday. Dallas was clearly the best team in the NFL a few weeks in, and now has back to losses and Brad Johnson at the helm. The Broncos and Saints were offensive juggernauts and now are looking sluggish with defenses that ride the short bus to games.

So with no team really stepping up to look truly dominant, I can't help but miss the evil empire to cheer against. I'm not from New York, but that doesn't mean I can't hate the Patriots as much as everyone else. Without the villain or the dominant team to cheer against, the league is a little duller in 2008.

There are still great matchups each week and my Bears keep every game interesting, even to the final play, but the season of true parity is making me miss some predictable blowouts. The Rams shouldn't be beating the Cowboys and Redskins. The Bills' one loss shouldn't be to the Cardinals. The Lions shouldn't...nevermind, I don't know where I was going with that thought.

What I'm really getting at, is that while I love the 'any given Sunday' mentality of the NFL, I do miss the one team that you love to cheer against and can get mad at when they smoke your hometown favorite by three touchdowns. At least for Lions & Bengals fans they'll have plenty of beat downs to suffer and a host of losses to experience, regardless of the mediocrity of the rest of the NFL.

NFL Power Rankings

While others may say they have them, at the Sportsomniac we are proud to offer the true NFL Power Rankings; a 1-32 listing of each NFL team. Through six weeks of the season, we are now getting a sense of which teams are for real, and which are not there yet. I must say that in all my years following the NFL, I cannot recall a time where the league seemed so soft at the top where there is no dominant team.

1. Tennessee Titans (5-0) - This is a team I never thought would have the top ranking before the season started, but no franchise has matched the Titans' offensive and defensive intensity. After KC this week, the Titans will face a grueling stretch with matcups against Indianapolis, Green Bay, Chicago, Jacksonville and the Jets.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) - While this team has been struggling with injuries all season, Willie Parker is due back this weekend and the team is still 4-1. Despite a strong showing from the Browns on MNF, the Steelers are the best team in the AFC North.

3. Indianapolis Colts (3-2) - This likely isn't a popular pick among anyone, like myself, who watched the Colts' first four games. However, despite some awful performances from the offensive line and struggles to run the football, the Colts are 3-2 and Peyton Manning finally looks 100%.

4. New York Giants (4-2) - The Giants were run out of Cleveland on Monday night but a big win against San Francisco at home this week and they'll be poised to face the Steelers in week 8 in a potential Super Bowl preview.

5. Washington Redskins (4-2) - A week 6 loss to the Rams doesn't bode well for the 'Skins, but Washington has proven they can beat anyone (at least those teams with a win already, 0-2 against winless teams - although I don't know if the 0-0 Giants really count).

6. San Diego Chargers (3-3) - An impressive win over New England got the Chargers to 3-3 and with some better breaks they'd be leading the AFC West right now.

7. Tampa Bay Buccanneers (4-2) - With perhaps the fewest star players among the top teams in the league, the Bucs keep finding ways to win and the defense continues to impress, remaining one of two teams having given up less than 100 points through six games (Carolina is the other).

8. Dallas Cowboys (4-2) - For all the talk on ESPN about Dallas falling apart and looking like they're going to miss the playoffs, this team still has a ton of talent. Having Tony Romo go down will be a blessing in disguise as America's Team will realize how effective Marion Barber can be when rushed 25 times per game.

9. Denver Broncos (4-2) - Many experts will rank the Broncos higher than I do at 9, however a team with so little defense almost always seems to struggle in the playoffs and down the stretch and I expect the Broncos to do exactly that.

10. Carolina Panthers (4-2) - The Panthers had a chance to vault into the top five with a win over Tampa this past week, but a 27-3 drumming barely kept them in the top ten. With key matchups against New Orleans and Arizona the next two weeks, the Panthers will make or break their season in the next two weeks if both games have the same outcome.

11. Chicago Bears (3-3) - I give the Bears the second spot among 3-3 teams due to their nearly 5-1 record. Chicago needs to figure out how to hold onto games or they won't make the playoffs, but they've played like the 2006 Bears at times as well.

12. New York Jets (3-2) - While they've been inconsistent, the Jets are doing a lot of things right. The next four opponents are Oakland, KC, Buffalo and St. Louis. The Jets could be 7-2 by week 10 and running away from the Patriots.

13. Buffalo Bills (4-1) - Only one loss and outside the top ten. Maybe it's true that Buffalo doesn't get enough respect, but I'm still not convinced they're the class of the AFC East.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) - The Jags enter the bye at a great time and will face a soft schedule the next few weeks. With Cleveland, Cincy and Detroit coming up before a pivotal division showdown with Tennessee, now is the time for Jacksonville to make up ground in the AFC.

15. Arizona Cardinals (4-2) - While we're all still on injury watch for Kurt Warner, the Cardinals are quietly two games up in the NFC West and the offense looks great, even without Anquan Boldin.

16. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - The Eagles seem like an afterthought in the NFC East but are capable of beating anyone and are one of the most balanced teams in the NFC. Nothing from 8-8 to 11-5 would surprise me, but this division is tough.

17. Green Bay Packers (3-3) - The Packers started out as one of the best teams in the NFL but Aaron Rodgers and company have slipped of late. However, a great win on the road against Seattle will give this team a boost.

18. New Orleans Saints (3-3) - Drew Brees looks like an MVP candidate if he can get the Saints over the hump. Matchups with Carolina and San Diego before the bye will tell us how good the Saints are at the half way point of their season.

19. Atlanta Falcons (4-2) - While the Falcons continue to win I am still not a believer. You would think after doubting the Rays all season I would have learned my lesson, but Atlanta just doesn't have all the tools on defense necessary to win down the stretch. Expect the Falcons to fade with a brutal schedule coming up that includes Philadelphia, New Orleans, Denver and San Diego, Carolina. Only Oakland looks like a sure-fire win over the next several weeks.

20. Cleveland Browns (2-3) - A great win against the Giants goes a long way toward giving the Browns hope for the rest of the season.

21. New England Patriots (3-2) - It's tough to think of the Patriots as the 21st team in the NFL, but Matt Cassel has proven he can't hit open receivers beyond 20 yards down field, something the Patriots desperately need with a weapon like Randy Moss.

22. Minnesota Vikings (3-3) - While it may be painful to watch, the Vikings do seem to find a way to win games.

23. Baltimore Ravens (2-3) - The defense always looks good but without Willis McGahee eating up yards on the ground Joe Flacco can only do so much as a rookie QB.

24. Miami Dolphins (2-3) - There is one great thing about the Dolphins, and that is almost any high school football player could pick up their offense in a weekend if Ronnie Brown goes down. Did Urban Meyer take control of play calling for the Dolphins with nobody noticing?

25. Houston Texans (1-4) - A near-win against the Colts is as close as the Texans have come to relevancy this season. Andre Johnson, Steve Slaton and the defensive line look great, but the rest of the Texans need to catch up.

26. San Francisco 49ers (2-4) - The 49ers have done some good things this season but other than Frank Gore the team has not been consistent. The offense has found success, but the defense has more holes than a whack-a-mole game at the arcade.

27. Seattle Seahawks (1-4) - For a team that I picked to win the division and one with a ton of talent on defense, the Seahawks have looked awful. I still believe the Seahawks can win the NFC West, but their performance each week makes me question my own sanity.

28. Oakland Raiders (1-4) - The Raiders have been able to play well in spurts but are clearly a year away from any type of success. And if head coaches keep flying out of the organization like they have, we might never see JaMarcus Russell's potential reached.

29. St. Louis Rams (1-4) - The win against the Redskins was impressive but there still isn't much hope in St. Louis. With Dallas, New England and Arizona all on the schedule the next three weeks, a 2-6 record would be a success after week 9.

30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) - The Chiefs haven't been able to get anything going all season with a combined 65-131 score against opponents this season.

31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-6) - Marvin Lewis can't seem to right the ship and this train is off the tracks. They just need to take one game at a time and play like a team. I figured some tired cliches were in order for a team with uninspired stars at the skill positions. What the hell, how about a John Madden quote to boot, "The team with the most points usually wins, and that hasn't been these guys so far this year."

32. Detroit Lions (0-5) - It's no mystery that this team is in disarray and an 0-5 start only tells part of the story in Motown. Three wins would be a successful finish for this awful franchise. How many more years will we have to watch the Lions on Thanksgiving?

For comparison, the ESPN Power Rankings, released a few hours after ours here at The Sportsomniac.

The Lock - Week 6

The Sportsomniac is back again with some picks to pad your pockets. The stock market may be crumbling but we're still raking cash here behind some strong picks.

The Lock:
New York Jets -9.5 vs Cincinnati
While the Bengals aren't quite as bad as the other winless teams in the NFL, but they are still inept enough to be run off the field by Brett Favre and company. Expect a big win for the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Chicago -3 at Atlanta
The Bears demonstrated last week that their offense is starting to come together and Kyle Orton looks competent enough to move the football. The Bears will make the Falcons look like one of the worst teams in the NFL like we all expected at season start.

The Coinflip:
Green Bay +1.5 at Seattle
Quest Field is possibly the toughest place to win on the road, but Green Bay has the ability to win this one on the road. There is still no continuity with Matt Hasselbeck and his receivers and a week's practice won't be enough to get Branch and Engram up to speed. Green Bay will keep it close, but will pull out the win.

Take the Points:
St. Louis +13.5 at Washington
I've done a 180 on the Redskins and picking against them versus the spread doesn't deter that, I simply don't see them as proficient enough to cover two touchdowns in this game. St. Louis will fall, but they'll lose to the tune of 23-12 or closer.

The Upset:
Miami +3 at Houston
I couldn't tell last week if Houston's rush defense just looked that good, or if the Colts offensive line is just that bad. That said, Miami is feeling very confident right now and as much as the Texans are looking forward to their schedule this month, the Dolphins are even more excited to move above .500 on the season.

The Sportsomniac takes no responsibility for any money won or lost due to betting on these picks.

Upcoming Content

The NFL season is in full swing and we're still struggling to make sense of what to think with the current NFL standings. Indy is 1-2 and Buffalo is 4-0. The Falcons have as many wins as the Seahawks and Browns - combined! With all that in mind, below is a quick preview of what is to come for the duration of the NFL season here at The Sportsomniac.

NFL Power Rankings
Stay tuned as after week 5 The Sportsomniac will give you our first mid-season NFL rankings. Based off our Preseason Power Rankings we will have some updates to make. Look for a full 1-32 style ranking with writeups for each position in the rankings. The rest of the way, the NFL rankings will become bi-weekly.

Playoff Outlook
Each week I'll outline which teams are facing a must-win game or how the playoff picture is shaping up. Each edition will be future-focused in order to give fans a real sense of what is to come for their favorite franchises.

The Lock
For the gamblers in the house The Lock will continue with its weekly predictions. To date we're sitting at 12-8 and Week 5 picks are below.

Weekly Recap
Despite taking a week off following week 4, the weekly recaps will resume as scheduled. Look for recaps to include anything from critical game breakdowns to deep dives into player performances, injury updates or anything else a die hard NFL fan could want.

Stay tuned for what will be an exciting NFL season both on the field and here in the digital world at The Sportsomniac.

The Lock - Week 5

In week 4 bettors again profited behind a 4-1 record with correct picks of Washington over Dallas, Tampa over Green Bay, San Diego -7.5 over Oakland and Cleveland over Cincy. We missed only on Atlanta vs Carolina. In week 5 there are some enticing matchups again and fresh off a trip to Vegas, I can tell you the sports books can expect some good betting on a few of these picks.

The Lock:
Indianapolis -3 at Houston
The Colts have struggled to find a rhythm but have shown fourth quarter promise against Minnesota and Jacksonville in consecutive weeks and a bye last week should have helped solidify the inconsistent offense. Look for the type of Colts offense we all expect this week in what will likely be a high scoring game won by the Colts going away.

Denver -3 vs Tampa Bay
As proven by my betting record in Tampa games, I really like the Buccaneers this season but this is a match up their secondary can't handle. Denver is looking too strong right now and while I think the Tampa offense will have some success against the Bronco defense, I don't see them keeping pace with Jay Cutler and company.

The Coinflip:
Buffalo -1.5 at Arizona
With the tightest line of the week Buffalo travels to University of Phoenix Stadium to play the Cardinals that are in the midst of an early season losing streak. For the Cardinals this is an important game to win but Buffalo is simply too focused right now to drop its first of the season here.

Take the Points:
Washington +6 at Philadelphia
For those who have been following The Lock since the start of the season it's been pretty obvious my feelings have changed on Washington, and I'm buying as much into Jim Zorn as Jason Campbell and the Redskins players. Playing at Philly in Week 5 is going to be difficult but the team is coming off a big win against Dallas and the offense is starting to click. Campbell looks comfortable in the pocket and Portis is finding running room. Even if Philly wins this game, it will fall within the 6 point spread. Take Washington and the six.

The Upset:
Detroit +3.5 vs Chicago
As an enormous Bears fan it pains me to pick Detroit as the upset of the week. The Lions have looked horrible all season but this is exactly the type of game Bears fans expect to slip up. With both starting corners out of the game Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson should find a lot of open room in the secondary and a few big strikes will be all it takes for the Lions to get ahead. Unless the Bears can put a lot of pressure on Jon Kitna early and often this will be a week 5 upset for the Chicago Bears.