Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

Brotherly Love

The predictions made here each week do not represent the views of everyone on FIC and should not be used for gambling purposes.

Some try blind guesses by having their pets pick the games each week based on which treat they decide to choose. Others make themselves out to have bizarre psychic nicknames. Still more throw darts at a board and pick whoever it lands on. And, yes... there are a few actual experts, but I'm not one of them. Kick off every weekend with "The Mutt" as he tests his skills all season long against a few of our correspondents in the race for the FIC Cup.

Official FIC Cup Standings will be updated very late Friday evening, as time is a bit pressing this week.

Brotherly Love

After having met two consecutive years in the wildcard game, what seems to be budding into a nice rivalry will have another chapter in Philadelphia on Sunday when the Bucs come to town. The Eagles have won both of the playoff games in tight, defensive matchups, and little has changed. Can Gruden and his new offense get the Bucs over the proverbial hump this time?

Game of the Week: Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (-3)
Bucs Offense vs. Eagles Defense
Now under head coach Jon Gruden, the Bucs are a much different offensive team. In years past, they have primarily used the ground attack to set up plays downfield, with platoon running backs Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott combining for a fire and ice combination. This year, they're doing just the opposite, as they've spread the field a bit more and now have two straight ahead grinding running backs. Alstott remains, but Michael Pittman has replaced Dunn as the primary halfback. Pittman brings Dunn's receiving element, but is much more of a straight ahead, between the tackles back who likes to punish defenders. Brad Johnson is adequate, at best, as a signal-caller, but has two very talented wideouts in Keyshawn Johnson and Kennan McCardell that help to inflate his numbers and ability.

The Eagles defense appears to have no holes, as they're third in the conference in both passing defense and rushing defense. Corners Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent are both Pro Bowlers who shouldn't have too much trouble containing what has been one of the better passing offenses in the NFC. They're also both strong against the run, as are Michael Sinclair and Hugh Douglas. The Bucs will have a lot of trouble generating offense in this one. Advantage: Eagles

Eagles Offense vs. Bucs Defense
Donovan McNabb is without a doubt the most dynamic player in the league right now, as he's posted nearly 1,300 passing yards (5th in the NFC) and currently leads his team in rushing yardage with 241 through the first five games. His accuracy tends to fade at times, but he has tremendous arm strength and just plain makes plays happen. Duce Staley is a threat in every aspect of the game in the backfield, as he's rushed for over 200 and has over 200 yards receiving already this season. He can't dominate between the tackles, but is solid up the middle and has tremendous lateral movement. James Thrash and Todd Pinkston combine with newcomer Antonio Freemand and TE Chad Lewis to form one of the more underrated receiving units in the league, and the team is leading the NFC in both scoring and yardage offensively. The biggest issue? The team has rushed for just six TDs since last December, and McNabb has half of them.

The Bucs defensive unit is as sound as ever, and currently leads the NFC in total defense. Derrick Brooks will likely serve as a spy on McNabb for much of the game, and is as capable as anyone in the league at containing him. Warren Sapp may struggle to get to the speedy QB this week, but he will force McNabb out of the pocket a bit more often than McNabb wants. Ronde Barber and John Lynch are both capable of turning a game around in one play, and the Eagles should struggle a bit in all facets of the game. Despite the fact that the Bucs haven't played anyone who's as tough to defend as McNabb, the edge is theirs. Advantage: Bucs

Special Teams
Bucs PK Martin Gramatica hasn't been quite so automatic this year as he has been in the past, missing three of ten from 30-50 yards and is just 10-14 on the year. On the other hand, David Akers has been flawless so far this year, and is 10-10 with field goals and 17-17 on PATs. Akers doesn't quite have the range of Gramatica, but is 65-74 since the start of the 2000 season. Perhaps the bigger edge here is in the punting game, though, as the game projects to be low scoring and field position should play a key role. Sean Landeta and Tom Tupa are each averaging around 43 yards per kick this season, and have both locked the opponent up inside the 20 nine times. These numbers match up pretty well with each of them career-wise, but Tupa had arguably his worst season last year, and has already had one kick blocked/intercepted in the end zone this year. The units are both very good, but I'll give the Eagles a slight nod. Advantage: Eagles

Coaching/Intangibles
Jon Gruden the offensive savior, blah blah blah. Andy Reid has led his team to two consecutive playoff appearances, too, and has the role players around Donovan McNabb firing on all cylinders right now. Gruden's a tremendous coach in his own right, and his players are starting to come around with the system, but the weak schedule they've faced so far doesn't seem to have them prepared for a game of this magnitude. By the way, man can those fans in Philly get nasty! Advantage: Eagles

The Crystal Ball
Take McNabb and Co. to the bank in this one, as Gruden doesn't have his team ready for the dynamic play of Philadelphia's offense. Sure, the Bucs have only given up 56 points through six games.... against one (potentially) good offense which has looked like they're trying to pull themselves out of the garbage heap all year (St. Louis), one team that's actually a very good offense (Week One vs. New Orleans, their only loss), and four offenses that might struggle against a high school team (Atlanta, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore). Now they get to face the best offense in the NFC, and if they can't hold them under 17 points, the Bucs have no shot in this one. Eagles 24, Bucs 13

Lock of the Week: Dallas at Arizona (-3)
The Cards are no longer a doormat! Plummer is finally putting it together a bit, and the defense is holding up. What better way to prove just how improved your defense is than facing the Cowgirls pitiful excuse for an offense. The Cards may not put up much, but Bill Gramatica alone should give them enough to cover at home here. Cardinals 23, Cowgirls 9

Upset Special: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh (-5)
The Steelers may have found some way to stop the pass against the Browns and Bengals, but that's not exactly stopping Manning to Harrison. Edge should bust loose a few times in this one as well, as the Dolts always find ways to score. Can they keep Pittsburgh off the board? While the Dolts D bends (and breaks often), it doesn't snap like the twig that the Bungles call a defense. If Pittsburgh puts up 34 in this one, The Mutt really needs a leash on him. Colts 34, Steelers 23

And now a few things to think about while we figure out who's a more popular figure in Cali this week.... The Rally Monkey vs. Barry

R.D.C.I. - Dayne Cheeseburger Consumption 90, Giants 86
Number of TDs produced by Marc Bulger last week: 4
Number of TDs produced in the first five weeks by the Rams: 8
Runs scored by the Halos in the 7th inning of Game Five: 10
Runs scored by the Twins in the entire ALCS: 12

Denver (-3) at Kansas City - The Broncos are coming off of two losses in their last three games, and will be facing one of the better offenses in the league this weekend. Green has finally started to click with the passing game, and the Chiefs are dangerous enough to be called more than just spoilers in the best division in football. Expect a shootout. Chiefs 38, Broncos 34

Buffalo at Miami (-4) - Best way to keep the Bills from scoring? Better hope it's a bye week. Ray Lucas gets a shot to try and lead the 'Phins offense this week, but it's all a charade. Ricky may rush for 200 in this one, and take the over again! Dolphins 35, Bills 31

San Francisco at New Orleans (-2.5) - Fact of the week: Monday Night winners are 5-0 the following Sunday so far this season, with all but Baltimore winning those games in blowout fashion. The Saints are the best team that a Monday Night winner has faced so far this year, and it'll be close, but take the Niners and the points. Niners 27, Saints 24

Minnesota at New York Jets (-3) - Fact of the week #2: Teams coming off a bye have lost just three games this year, and one of those was in a game between two teams with byes (Minnesota-Detroit last week). Curtis Martin may finally be well-rested enough, and Chad Pennington should provide a boost at QB. The Jets still have a lot of holes, but look for them to win for the first time since Week One. Jets 24, Vikings 20

Seattle at St. Louis (-3) - Bulger for MVP? Nah! He should put up another decent game this week against a Seahawks secondary that's spotty outside of Shawn Springs, and Faulk looks back on track. Rams 34, Seahawks 20

Carolina at Atlanta (-3) - Vick is supposed to be back, and Peete is out for about three weeks. The Panthers started last season 1-0 and finished 1-15. This year, they started with three wins, but the well seems to be running dry. Falcons 20, Panthers 13

Jacksonville at Baltimore (-2) - Taylor, Taylor, and more Taylor. Some trend seems to have been bucked here, but The Mutt just can't put a paw on it. Jamal Lewis will find a seam or two himself, but it won't be enough. Jags 23, Ravens 17

Chicago (-3) at Detroit - Harrington has progressed nicely every week so far this season, but he hasn't faced a turnover-happy defense like the Bears yet. Look for him to have his worst week of the year so far. DaBears 27, Lions 17

San Diego at Oakland (-7) - The Raiders will feel that they have something to prove after getting blown out by the (now) 1-5 Rams in St. Louis last weekend. Brees looked fantastic against the Swiss Cheese known as the Chiefs defense last week, but he may struggle here. Raiders 34, Bolts 17

Houston at Cleveland (-9) - Expansion Bowl! It should be interesting to see what kind of reception Browns QB Tim Couch receives when he takes the field. Hopefully, the fans in the new Dawg Pound are classy enough to avoid throwing beer bottles at him..... at least he doesn't play in Philly where they're armed with batteries at all times. Side note: The Texans will cover Browns 17, Texans 13

Washington at Green Bay (-7) - The Tundra's starting to feel frozen in St. Louis, so The Mutt doesn't want to imagine what it must be like in Green Bay right now. After all, Spurrier's one of those wussy warm weather coaches. Packers 27, Redskins 17

On The Year:
Overall: 42-43-3
Game of the Week: 3-3
Lock of the Week: 1-4-1
Upset Special: 2-4

Want to state your case on what the "Game of the Week" should be each week? Starting with Week Three, we'll be running a poll each week to decide which game deserves the honor. If you'd like to vote in this poll, please click this link (won't be up until Friday night) to take you to the forum!

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