Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

Black, Blue, and.... Orange????

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 (Last Week in Parentheses)

Tim Noakes 63-47-6 (6-7-1)
Jeff Brown 56-54-6 (6-7-1)
The Mutt 54-56-6 (7-6-1)
Jay Schell 49-61-6 (7-6-1)
Chris Wang 46-48-6 (7-6-1)* Missed Week One
Zach McCann 46-64-6 (9-4-1)

Be sure to vote in our weekly Game of the Week Poll and shout out your argument on why you chose the game you selected. You just might get a chance to be our Guest Columnist for Week Ten!

Black, Blue, and.... Orange????

Yes... the Browns did strike a nerve with almost half the football viewing nation when they donned the bizarre flourescent orange "throwback" unis a few weeks ago. If you'll pardon the pun, though, the orange unis helped to spark the team to consecutive wins that leave the Browns sitting just a half game back of division leading Pittsburgh as those same Steelers come to town this weekend.

Since our Game of the Week is in the Neo-Dawg Pound, it's about time for a little update on The Mutt himself and the happenings of the FIC Cup. The Mutt is reeling right now in third place, nine games behind leader Tim Noakes (Cowboys correspondent), and is two under .500 for the year. ESPN's Nick Bakay has nothing on this ultimate loser, who has won just one of his nine locks this year, pushing on two. Can The Mutt get out of his rut? The season's still not quite halfway over, so we'll see.

Look for a special midseason report sometime during the week where The Mutt tries to analyze where he's gone wrong, and even the few things that he's gotten right throughout the course of the year.... Oh.... there'll be a bit of a report on the NFL season too ;).

Game of the Week: Pittsburgh (-3) at Cleveland
Pittsburgh Offense vs. Cleveland Defense
It's been a tale of two seasons in Pittsburgh. Life with Kordell was awful, as the unit could barely function at all during the season's first two and a half games, posting just 37 points and coughing the ball up 11 times over the season's first 11 quarters. After Stewart, though, life is beautiful in the Steel City. After Tommy Maddox replaced the ailing Slash in week four (ironically, against these same Browns), the team has gone on a tear. After completing a comeback from a 13-6 deficit against the Browns, the Steelers have reeled off four wins in their last five games (only loss 32-29 at New Orleans) and are once again looking like one of the favorites in the AFC. Maddox has been efficient and effective as he's led the team to 123 points over those 17 quarters.

The Bus even started to get on track for a little bit, finally cracking the century mark in week five, but remains doubtful for the second straight week with tendonitis in his knee that he suffered against the Colts on Monday night a couple of weeks ago. "Famous" Amos Zeroue, normally more of a change of pace back, has been solid in his stead, and almost always seems to break one long run. Chris Fuamatu-Maafala (probably mis-spelled.... let's just call him Fu) would normally see his fair share of carries between the tackles, a la Bettis, but will also be out. If Maddox and receivers Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward can keep it rolling, this team will be hard to stop.

The Browns continue to boast a defense that is capable of an interception at any time, but had yet to prove their meddle as a unit this year until they trailed 21-0 in the second quarter against the Jets last week. After having allowed 132 yards on the Jets two scoring drives (the Jets first TD was on a punt return), the second of which ended 37 seconds into the second quarter, the Jets managed just 100 yards the rest of the way. The club effectively shut down one of the better running backs in the game and toyed with first-year starter Chad Pennington for the last three quarters in a hostile environment. The Browns defensive unit will have to carry that enthusiasm into this week's matchup with their most bitter rival. Advantage: Steelers

Cleveland Offense vs. Pittsburgh Defense
Most teams that can effectively shut down the pass will be able to stop this unit. Rookie William Green was supposed to be a future stud running back, but looks a lot more like Ryan Leaf might had he been a running back right now. Starter Jamel White has posted over 65 yards on the ground just once, and the Browns rank 32nd out of 32 teams in rushing so far this season. There may be one favorable matchup involving the running game this week, however.... White's only game with over 65 on the ground was in week four, at Pittsburgh, as he carried 16 times for 105 yards.

Tim Couch may have heard a lot of applause when he was carted off the field a few weeks ago after suffering a concussion, but he remains the key to this team's success. The Browns may not have any one receiver who truly strikes fear into the hearts of their opponent, but they have as deep a receiving corps as can be found in the NFL. Couch has become a bit more adept at exploiting the other team's weaknesses by spreading the field and finding the open man in his fourth season, and could threaten to throw for 300 yards for the second consecutive week.

Turnabout is fair play. After surrendering over 400 yards passing in each of the first two games, the Steelers are still struggling to get their overall numbers to look respectable against the pass. However, in the recent five game stretch since the Steelers have begun to look more like the force they were last year, the Steelers have allowed just three touchdown passes and picked the opposing QB off eleven times. The Steelers have adapted, and it will take a balanced attack to exploit their offense the rest of the way. Advantage: Steelers

Special Teams
Cleveland's Phil Dawson has gone 15/17 on the year and has good range, while Chris Gardocki is a solid veteran punter. A couple of the young Wide Receivers (Dennis Northcutt and Andre' Davis) form a fantastic return tandem, and each has found the end zone once on a return this season. The coverage is a question mark after Santana Moss burned them for a 70-yard TD last week, but all in all, the unit is solid. The Browns special teams did, after all, redeem themselves by blocking John Hall's last second game-tying field goal attempt last week.

Steelers PK Todd Petersen conjures images of The Mutt taking his own shot at being an NFL place kicker. Josh Miller is quality, but has seen a punt shoved back in his face once already this year. The coverage is there, and Antwaan Randle-El is as exciting a return man as there is in the league, but the unit as a whole just doesn't match up. Advantage: Browns

Coaching/Intangibles
While Bill Cowher is a fantastic coach, and currently has the longest tenure in the league, Butch Davis is no slouch either. He's taken these Browns from doormat to contender in just over a year, and led his Miami Hurricanes to a couple of national titles during his stay in college. The Steelers have a bit of a psychological edge after a comeback victory the last time the two teams met, but the home field in Cleveland can be brutal. It's pretty even, but how can The Mutt go against the Dawg Pound? Advantage: Browns

The Crystal Ball
The game should be tight throughout, and the fate of the division could very well hinge on this game. When all's said and done, Couch may have the fans in Cleveland back on his side as he'll deliver on a late touchdown drive after the Steelers are unable to kill the clock. Browns 23, Steelers 21

Lock of the Week: Philadelphia (-6.5) at Chicago
As if being predicted as The Mutt's Super Bowl Champs wasn't enough, the Eagles will receive yet another curse this week by being named the Lock of the Week. Truth be told, this defense looks downright scary right now, and the Bears have been struggling to do anything lately. McNabb returned to his hometown last year in the playoffs and shredded a very strong Bears defense for 299 total yards and three scores in a 33-19 rout that wasn't as close as the final score indicated. With the Eagles soaring and the Bears hibernating right now, expect more of the same as the site switches to Champaign. Eagles 27, Bears 10

Upset Special: Minnesota at Tampa Bay (-7.5)
Call it a hunch, but Minnesota finally looks like they're ready to show up. They're incapable of holding the Bucs to the 12 points that they scored against the Panthers last week, but unless the Bucs find some way to jump start their offense, they'll be hard pressed to keep up with a Vikings offense that finally seems to be coming to life. Vikings 27, Bucs 23

A few things to think about while Emmitt revels in having taken down Sweetness.....

R.D.C.I. - Dayne Cheeseburger Consumption 118, Giants 89
Rushing Yardage for Michael Vick each of the last two weeks - 91
Total Rushing Yardage (combined) in the Jets-Browns game last week - 108
Total Miles that Emmitt has rushed for in the NFL: 9.51
Congrats Emmitt!

New England at Buffalo (-2) - Bledsoe... Brady.... not the game of the week!!!! Ok.... that's enough. The Bills have proven to be a much better team on the defensive side of the ball lately, and the Pats have yet to show anything on either side of the ball since week three. If the Pats can find a way to remove the rust from their offense, the last team with the ball will win. Bills 31, Patriots 27

Baltimore at Atlanta (-7) - The line on this game is a bit of a shock, but Michael Vick is just plain electrifying. Without Ray Lewis again, who may be gone for the year, look for the Ravens to slowly fade away. Vick will continue his ascent as the Falcons will roll.... he may finally throw a pick, though. Falcons 27, Ravens 16

Dallas at Detroit (-3) - Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.... Now that Emmitt's broken the record, the Cowboys can once again focus on becoming the official doormat's of the NFC East. The Lions are already doormats of the North, but take the home team as the two turkey day losers face off. Lions 20, Cowgirls 14

Cincinnati at Houston (-3) - Shockwaves went through the NFL last week when the Texans picked up their first ever road win. Their reward? They get to come home and be favorites for the first time in franchise history against the NFL's last chance in 2002 to see a team with an unblemished record. This may be the Bungles last chance to win a game in 2002, but Kitna will botch it up somehow...... Texans 23, Bungles 17

Tennesssee at Indianapolis (-3.5) - After watching the Jags fall apart and the Colts crumble, maybe The Mutt's preseason AFC Champ has a chance to come back from their woeful 1-4 start. Despite struggling to win against division I-AA Cincinnati last week, the Titans will look to claim a tie for the AFC South lead with a third straight victory this weekend in Cincinnati. Eddie George looks revitalized after the bye two weeks ago, and the Dolts couldn't stop the hapless Redskins offense last week. Titans 23, Colts 20

New York Jets at San Diego (-7.5) - Quitters? Coach Herman Edwards went off on the media for associating that word with his team this past week, and assures that his team won't quit. The Mutt doesn't doubt him, but they're overmatched this week against a tough Bolts team that leads the AFC and is coming off a bye. Bolts 27, J-E-T-S 16

San Francisco at Oakland (-3) - Once considered the NFL's best offense, the Raiders seem to have lost their edge, putting up just 10 points on the road against the NFL's worst defense last week. After scoring 30 or more in their first four games, the Silver and Black have posted just 44 points in their last three, and will be facing a stubborn San Francisco defense that has something to prove after yielding 35 two weeks ago to the Saints and almost blowing a huge lead at home against the Cardinals last week. The Battle of the Bay.... 49ers 27, Raiders 20

St. Louis (-3) at Arizona - Only in Vegas could a 2-5 team be favored over a 4-3 team when they play the same schedule, but...... Faulk, Faulk, and more Faulk has finally become a winning formula for self-proclaimed genius Mike Martz. Bill Bidwill thinks that the team that he moved away from St. Louis over a decade ago finally has what it takes to stick it to the city of St. Louis one more time, but don't count on it. Rams 34, Cardinals 24

Washington at Seattle (-3) - Matt Hasselbeck just knows how to lose ball games. Shane Matthews looked pretty good when he was back at the helm for the Skins last week, and it should continue in the Emerald City. Expect Jeff George to be warming up by the middle of the third quarter, but that would be way too late. Redskins 27, Seahawks 17

Jacksonville at New York Giants (-3) - After losing to the (cough) Texans at home last week, the Jags take to the road and actually find that they're playing a worse offense than they saw last week. Fassel continues to go with his stone-aged offense, and may lose for the fourth straight week to his own backup tailback's cheeseburger consumption. Jags 17, Giants 13

Miami at Green Bay (-4) - Favre is supposed to be back. Fiedler is not. As a fantasy football owner, The Mutt always thought that Fiedler was pretty worthless.... then he saw Ray Lucas try to lead this offense. It's in the 30's in St. Louis right now, so the Tundra must be freezing a little further north. If the Pack can stack the line against Ricky, the Mammals will be swimming home with their tails between their legs. Packers 27, Dolphins 17

On the Year
Overall: 54-56-6
Game of the Week: 5-3
Lock: 1-5-2
Upset Special: 3-5

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