Tuesday Night Long-Snapper: Week 2 Edition

We apologize for the delay, but it's finally here. The Gatorade Dump's Monday Tuesday Morning Night Long-Snapper, Week 2 edition! In this week's edition, we discuss the importance of Week 2, attempt to separate between the contenders and the pretenders, talk to Grade A asshole Jay Mariotti, and take a quick look at Week 3's huge, huge games.

Let's get into it!

Monday Morning Long-Snapper, Week 2 Edition

Other than the playoffs, it's entirely possible that Week 2 is the most important week in the NFL. In the past 3 years, only the 2003 Eagles have started 0-2 and made the playoffs. The Chargers made a run at the postseason after starting 0-2 last year, but fell just short. History is therefore not on the side of Carolina, Tampa Bay, Washington, Detroit, Miami, or Kansas City.

Fear not Skins fans...at least we still have last year.



More incredibly, however, Week 2 gives us a fantastic indication of who's going to be playing in the postseason. While the preseason may be useless, and Week 1 a bit premature, Week 2 is the first (and possibly only) week that gives us a true idea of postseason contenders. You can look no further than the Washington-Dallas game from last year. If Santana Moss doesn't make those two catches, the Skins are 9-7 and Dallas is 10-6. The Cowboys would have made the playoffs; the Skins would not. Of the 12 postseason teams last year, 10 won in Week 2. The only teams that lost fell to fellow playoff teams (New England to Carolina and Jacksonville to Indianapolis). Certainly, this knowledge is a very good omen for teams like the Giants, Jacksonville, Seattle, San Diego, Denver, Dallas, and Minnesota, among others.

That being said, there are still 14 games and 15 weeks of football to be played. A lot can still happen between now and the start of the postseason.

Press Report

Each week, Pradamaster and Jumbomaster sit down with a talking head as they ask us questions. This week, we sat down with Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun Times and ESPN's Around the Horn. Ron and I both are now deaf for listening to Jay yell.

Hello idiots and sports-wannabes, this is Jay Marrioti. I may be universally hated, but if there's one thing I know, it's sports, and all the Ozzie Guillens and Woody Paiges can take that and stick it right where it came from.

Anyway, since I never go into the locker room, I don't really know how to ask an actual question. That's okay, because you both know what I say stands.

1. I'm also too lazy to do my research with the Chicago Bears, but I'll just leave you boys with this comment on your sad excuse of a weblog.

"I think your constant underestimation of the Bears shows a serious misunderstanding of the game and a stubborness that no serious sports fan should have. Frankly it makes me wonder why you guys are making football predictions at all. Not only is the Bears defense completely dominant, but their offense showed they can take over a Lions defense you guys raved about. Give them some credit and stop being so stubborn with your initial criticisms that have been proven unfounded." -Anonymous

Jumbomaster: While the Bears defense surely has looked impressive, their competition has not. Green Bay and Detroit are two of the weakest teams in the NFL. If Chicago shut down the Indianapolis offense then it would be a different story. I will say that Chicago has a top defense, maybe not the best in the league but certainly up there, and barring no injuries they should be back in the playoffs due to an improved Rex Grossman.

Pradamaster: Typical Jay...too lazy to do his own work. Seriously though, I think I may need to hightail my way off the Detroit Lions NFC North Championship bandwagon ASAP. The theme of this edition of the long-snapper is to place a lot of importance in Week 2 games. Chicago has shown that they have a legitimate offense that--while not dominant against teams not named the Packers or Lions--can at least give them enough production to win if their defense lets them down. Next week will be an interesting test against Minnesota, but this is now three strong Rex Grossman games in a row, if you count the playoff game against the Panthers. Maybe the Bears are a legitimate threat.

2. Let's talk about the major eagles choke job, why don't we. 24-7 turns into 30-24. Clearly, the eagles miss TO and were stupid to even think about giving him up. I mean, they're a goddam mess right now!

Jumbomaster: The Eagles were victim to bad luck this past week, and being unable to run out the clock. Brian Westbrooks fumble, and Burress's fumble into the endzone were 2 very unlucky plays. Philadelphia does not miss TO because Stallworth is playing very well, as is LJ Smith, and Reggie Brown as well. Westbrook has a swollen knee, but has also played well. The Eagles biggest hole is actually on defense, with Lito Sheppard out as well as Jevon Kearse done for the season. If Philadelphia cannot stop the run they will not make the playoffs, because they are not a running offense, and as a result they will lose the time of possession every game. Look for Jim Johnson to show his best coaching as this team wins the division without Kearse.

Pradamaster: I hate to bring this game up again (who am I kidding), but this game reminds me so much of the Dallas-Skins game last year. As we mentioned already, one spell, one game, can make all the difference in this league. Week 2 is the most critical week of the season, and the Giants got a huge boost with this win, especially considering next week's game against Seattle. T.O. is not the problem Marrioti. He's stinking it up in Dallas. The problem is the defense, and with Jevon Kearse out for the year, that's a major loss for Phily. Their pass defense is remarkably thin now. They will need to blitz too many guys to get a good pass rush, exposing their secondary.

3. Dallas loses in Week 1, Phily chokes to the Giants, the Skins score 0 offensive touchdowns in Week 2. What happened to the great nfc east that we were supposed to see? Clearly the division is the worst in football.

Jumbomaster: For those who do not know, I predicted the Redskins to have a very bad season, so this is no surprise to me. While the Redskins have been very bad, the other 3 teams have looked very good. While they other 3 teams are all 1-1 they all have good QBs and good RBs and even WRs. These 3 teams are very good, and the NFC East is not overrated.

Pradamaster: Rubbing salt in the wound Jay, real classy. The NFC East is exactly what I expected it to be. Four evenly matched teams beating each other up over and over again. None of these teams are going to be 12-4, but they're also not going to be 4-12 (except the Skins maybe). I like the Giants to come out now thanks to that Week 2 win this week, but it will be a tight one the entire season.

4. Kansas City and Denver may be two of the most pathetic teams in football. I mean, how does a Mike Shanahan team not even score a TD and still WIN!? The AFC West, long seen as a top-notch division, sucks. San Diego is the only legitimate team.

Jumbomaster: I think it is too early to tell on the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the Denver Broncos. Both teams have not looked good this season, but they both have decent defenses with a coach that loves to run. It is simply too early to count them out.


Pradamaster: San Diego certainly looks like the clear favorite, but the Broncos should be there until the very end. With all the new faces (Mike Bell, Javon Walker) on offense, they will learn how to gell and figure their games out. The Jay Cutler watch needs to stop until the Broncos go into a serious tailspin.

5. Tell me, what the hell was up with that Monday Night game? How do the defending champions of the National Football League fail to score against the pathetic Jacksonville Jaguars? Bill cowher is the most overrated coach in football.

Jumbomaster: I think Big Ben was not ready to play this past week. Combining this with a run that was unable to work led the Pittsburgh offense to 0 plays inside the opponents 40 yard line as well as 0, that's right, 0 rushing first downs. Pittsburgh's offense was simply horrendous, but for as bad as the offense was, the defense was simply stellar. 9 points on Monday night at Jacksonville is quite impressive especially considering Big Ben had 2 Ints. Pittsburgh has shown a lot of weakness these first 2 weeks, and with the toughest division in football things go uphill. Pittsburgh has a ton of weapons on offense between Parker, and Najeh Davenport, as well as a slew of receivers and tight ends. When the QB doesn't play well the offense does not play well, and Big Ben had a bad game. Look for him to bounce back.

Pradamaster: It's hard to believe I'm saying this. Pittsburgh misses Jerome Bettis. Willie Parker can't handle the load on his own, and Najeh Davenport and Duce Staley are no Bettis. When the running game struggles, Big Ben struggles, especially when you consider it was his first game back. All the credit in the world has to go to the Jaguars, but until Pitt can find some offense, they could easily be running third in the three-horse AFC North race.

Jumbomaster's Fantasy Studs and Duds

STUDS

• Peyton Manning: 26-38, 400 passing yards, 3 touchdowns
• Rex Grossman: 20-27, 289 passing yards, 4 touchdowns
• Eli Manning: 31-43, 276 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
• Rudi Johnson: 145 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
• Baltimore Defense: 6 points allowed, 6 sacks, 1 safety, 3 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries

DUDS

• Edgerrin James: 64 rushing yards, 33 receiving yards
• Randy Moss: 32 receiving yards
• Terrell Owens: 19 receiving yards, 1 injured thumb
• Willie Parker: 20 rushing yards, 6 receiving yards
• Tiki Barber: 51 rushing yards, 57 receiving yards

Crystal Ball

A quick look back at Week 2 and a look ahead to Week 3.

Prada: Alright Ron, so Week 2 is in the books, and while only 1 team in the last three years has made the playoffs after an 0-2 start, we can still hold out hope for our Skins
Jumbo: The Washington Redskins have as good of a chance of making the playoffs as the refs of the Oklahoma-Oregon game have of refereeing the national championship game
Prada: Depressing, but it may be true

Prada: Still, Week 2 is the week where we start to figure out trends and we start to realize who the true contenders are
Prada: So I ask you this Ron. Pick 5 teams that have a legitimate shot to win the Super Bowl, and tell me why they will win
Jumbo: 1. Baltimore Ravens-They have an offense, and the scariest defense I have seen since their 200 defense
Prada: They have also played Oakland and Tampa Bay. Worth mentioning
Jumbo: 2. Seattle Seahawks-They have given up 13 points this year against Arizona and Detroit, 2 teams who supposedly have decent offenses. Also they have the best wideout tandem in the league and last years MVP.
Jumbo: 3. Jacksonville Jaguars-Last night they showed they are for real. Their defensive line is scary with Stroud, and Fred Taylor looks healthy for once. This team will be considered over-rated all year, but I would have to play a team that went 12-4 last year.
Prada: Jacksonville definitely showed me something last night, even if I didn't watch
Jumbo: 4. Indianapolis Colts-Arguably one of the best teams EVER last season gets very unlucky against Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Joseph Addai is playing very well, alongside Peyton Manning and his slew of weapons. This defense is young and fast and home field advantage will make this team very tough to beat.
Prada: Who do you take in the AFC South? Indy or Jacksonville?
Jumbo: I think it will be a great race, I will go with the Colts for now, just because Manning is better than Leftwich.
Prada: We shall see who gets the upper hand next week
Jumbo: 5. Pittsburgh Steelers-You can't pick the top 5 teams and not have the champs in there. The Steelers are back this year and although don't seem very good through weeks 1 and 2, they are just getting over some injuries. Look for Heath Miller to break out alongside Santonio Holmes, as Pittsburgh makes another run.
Prada: Your bias always shines through. Pittsburgh can't win if they can't score

Prada: Anyway, don't forget about a couple other 2-0 teams
Prada: Atlanta has looked really good so far and finally look like they've figured out how to use Vick
Prada: More importantly, they're already 2-0 in the division and two games up on Carolina
Jumbo: And don't forget the New Orleans S-A-I-N-T-S SAINTS SAINTS SAINTS
Prada: Also, don't forget about my new bandwagon team, Cincinnati
Prada: And finally, what about Chicago? They certainly showed me something with that 34 point explosion this week
Jumbo: Also, Phillip Rivers and the surprising Chargers.
Prada: Of course
Jumbo: Honestly, Chicago has faced some weak competition.
Prada: It's true. But so have the Chargers, Falcons, and Ravens
Prada: In fact, the only 2-0 teams to have played teams that are 1-1 so far are Jacksonville, New England, and Seattle
Jumbo: I guess those teams are "weak" because they lost.
Prada: Anyway, there still is a jumbled picture, but we have an idea

Prada: And this brings us to next week. If last Saturday was Separation Saturday in college football, this coming Sunday has to be the NFL's Separation Sunday. There are so many key games between contenders
Prada: Let's start off with the aforementioned AFC South battle. Jacksonville travels to Indianapolis. Can the Jags get the win?
Jumbo: I think so. Jacksonville has a very good defense that can put pressure on Peyton Manning. The issue is that they will not hold the Colts to 0 points. Can Jacksonville put up 17 points against the Colts, I don't know.
Prada: Will they? I'm holding you at gunpoint here
Jumbo: I don't think so. The receivers don't look good enough, they dropped a bunch of passes and they took no big shots down the field.
Prada: Bold prediction here
Prada: Jacksonville 14, Indianapolis 12. Colts are held out of the end zone. Bill Simmons rants about how big a choker Peyton Manning is. Pandemonium in Indy

Jumbo: I think a huge game this week is Chicago @ Minnesota.
Prada: Yes, Chicago Minnesota is big. Two teams neither of us liked in the pre-season
Jumbo: I am starting to be a big Minnesota fan. Granted they should have lost last week, but they still hung in there.
Prada: So you like the Vikes?
Jumbo: I do, but also, Rex Grossman was very impressive last week, putting up 4 TDs
Prada: He sure was, where did that come from?
Prada: I honestly think Minnesota got lucky in both Week 1 and Week 2. I like Chicago to roll, throwing all over the poor Minnesota secondary. 24-13 is the final score.

Prada: Finally, no Tuesday Morning Long Snapper would be complete without a Steelers game to talk about. Cincy comes to town riding high after two blowout wins. Could Pittsburgh really go to 1-2?
Jumbo: Its very possible. If Big Ben is healthy, I think Pittsburgh rolls in this one. Pittsburgh secondary is very under-rated and they should perform very well against Cincinnati, because Rudi will not be able to run.
Jumbo: I think this game will be very tight, much like Pittsburgh’s game last week. Look for a kicking affair where Pittsburgh wins 24-21 all field goals.
Prada: 8 field goals?
Jumbo: vs. 7 field goals
Prada: Maybe I should pick up Jeff Reed and Shayne Graham in my fantasy leagues
Prada: I love Cincy, they're my pick from the AFC. But Pittsburgh is a desperate team this week. If they lose, and Baltimore wins (which will most likely happen), they'll be 1-2 and 2 games back of both Cincinnati and Baltimore. They won't let that happen
Prada: Steelers 27, Bengals 24

Prada: And we haven't even discussed some other games, like NY-Seattle (Seahawks kick ass), New England-Denver (Broncos suck) and the surprising Monday night game with unbeatens Atlanta and New Orleans
Jumbo: Matt Stovers where its at, my MVP!!!
Prada: Whatever you say

Prada: Anyway, that concludes another Tuesday Morning Long-Snapper. We'll see you next week!