Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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 68-55-7 (5-8-1)
Jeff Brown 64-59-7 (8-5-1)
The Mutt 59-64-7 (5-8-1)
Jay Schell 55-68-7 (6-7-1)
Chris Wang 51-56-7 (5-8-1)* Missed Week One
Zach McCann 46-64-6 (0-0-0)

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 Eleven!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

For decades, the blue collar Steelers have thrived on playing smash mouth football in front of their raucous crowds. To some, running a 250-pound tailback headlong up the middle isn't beautiful football. There's little flash to that type of game, but if it works, it can be beautiful to any fan that's donning the black and gold. With the bus broken down along a Pennsylvania highway somewhere, the gritty Steelers have added a much more diverse passing game, led by former XFL MVP Tommy Maddox, to the mix, as well as a more flashy running back named Amos who is capable of running laterally as well as the traditional "north-south" style that the Steelers have always liked to employ. Still, when The Mutt thinks of the Steelers, he thinks of a team befitting of the name; one that likes to grind.

In steps perhaps the flashiest young player in the game today, ready to lead a contrast of styles into the Steel City to lead his Falcons onward and upward. The Dirty Bird was last successful four years ago, when they used, ironically, a smash-mouth running game led by Jamal Anderson and boasted one of the top defenses in the league. However, Michael Vick is out to bring respect to a franchise that has seen little success in its history. Vick is as dynamic a player as there is in the game today. He can beat you with his arm, as he's thrown for over 1,000 yards and four touchdowns against just one interception so far this season. He can beat you with his head, as he's managed to engineer the Falcons to tight victories in the past two weeks against two of the better defenses in the league. Most importantly, though, he can beat you with his legs. Vick has rushed for over 350 yards so far this season, and is a threat to burst out of the pocket every time he touches the ball. These kind of mind games make him nearly impossible to defend, but that will be the Steelers job this Sunday when the Falcons visit the Steelers in our....

Game of the Week: Atlanta at Pittsburgh (-5.5)
Atlanta Offense vs. Pittsburgh Defense
Running Backs by committee usually spell doom for teams that are in the thick of a playoff hunt, as neither back really gets into much of a rhythm. However, the Falcons have made tremendous use of both Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett, playing them each in just the right situations so far this season. Dunn is fantastic as a receiver out of the backfield and moves well laterally while Duckett can smash into the line and wear down the opposing line. Provided that Reeves continues to use them properly, the triple threat that the Falcons provide out of the backfield should be able to do some damage even against the vaunted Steelers line.

Vick has been tremendous through the air so far, particularly considering that Brian Finneran is his number one receiver. The Steelers will be playing guessing games every time that Vick fades back to pass, and a spy will have to be employed in order to keep Vick from getting too far out of the pocket. Provided that they can make Vick air it out when he fades back, the Steelers corners have what it takes to cover Finneran and Shawn Jefferson... Vick will have to look to Alge Crumpler to come up with some big catches in order to keep the ball moving. Only because of the threat that Vick can be when he has the ball..... Advantage: Falcons

Pittsburgh Offense vs. Atlanta Defense
Tommy Maddox has established a great rapport with his top two receivers, Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward, since taking over for Kordell Stewart in Week Three. They shredded a strong Cleveland defense for 240 yards and two touchdowns through the air last week, and there's no reason to think that they won't torch the Falcons slightly above average secondary for similar numbers.

The Bus may be back in action this week, but likely won't do anything other than offer a change of pace from Amos Zeroue. If Bettis is at least 90%, he should be able to wear down Atlanta's front seven and open up the passing lanes, as well as give Zeroue a little more of an opportunity to burst outside from time to time. This offense is really gelling right now, and it should be interesting to see how the return of Bettis will affect their play as a unit.

The Falcons have quietly put together a very solid defense that is among the top ten in the league against the pass. They've been around the middle of the pack against the run all year, and, to be blunt, four of the eight offenses that they've faced this year have been borderline awful. Facing one of the more balanced offenses in the league this weekend, the Birds could be in for a long day. Advantage: Steelers

Special Teams
Jay Feely has taken a very good rookie year as the Falcons place kicker and built on it. Feely is 18/21 on the year, including 7/10 from 40+. Chris Mohr is a solid, veteran punter who can handle pinning the Steelers back if it turns into a field position game. The Falcons also boast a top ten punt returner in Allen Rossum and the #1 and #5 return men on kickoffs (Travis Jervey and Brian Kozlowski). The only positive for the Steelers from a special teams standpoint is Antawn Randle-El. Advantage: Falcons

Coaching/Intangibles
Dan Reeves and Bill Cowher are two of the longest tenured coaches in the league, and each has been to many big games. The problem with both of them? They lose those big games, as Reeves is 0-4 in Super Bowls and Cowher is 0-1. Regardless, they're both quality coaches who are much more likely to call a key play or keep their team focused than they are to blow the game from the sidelines. Both teams are on fire right now, leaving little edge in either direction. The Steelers will take advantage of their home field, but the Falcons are the team that needs this win more.Even

The Crystal Ball
Vick will certainly create a lot of opportunities for his team, regardless of who they're playing, but it seems that his lack of a supporting cast will eventually be the Falcons downfall, at least in this game. The Steelers should be able to keep pace with Atlanta's three-headed backfield and should be able to blanket a weak receiving corps to keep Atlanta from putting too much on the board in this one. The Steelers offense should put up a methodical 20+ points, which should give them this game. Steelers 27, Falcons 16

(cough) Lock of the Week: New England (-3.5) at Chicago
Champaign still just doesn't have the same ring to it. Despite a good effort against one of the best teams in the NFC last week, Da Bears are ready to fall back to being the lone cellar-dwellers in the NFC North. Brady, Smith, and the entire Pats team showed that their slump may be coming to an end with last week's thrashing of the Bills. Patriots 31, Bears 13

Upset Special: Cincinnati at Baltimore (-5.5)
Stop the presses! That's right. The Mutt is going to go against the alignment of the planets this week... against any forces that say that it should be illegal to actually believe that the lowly Bungles can win a game... two in a row, even. The Bungles have a long way to go to prove that they actually belong in the NFL, but the Ravens just look like they've lost their will to live without Ray Lewis. Bungles 23, Ravens 20

And now, as The Mutt enjoys the silence as his phone is no longer ringing with recorded messages from annoying politicians about election day.....

R.D.C.I. - Dayne Cheeseburger Consumption 132, Giants 113
Points that the Bungles gave up in Week Nine - 3
Average points against in their other seven games - 31
Number of people supporting a bill that would outlaw Lions/Cowgirls games: Infinite

Indianapolis at Philadelphia (-9) - After a subpar showing in Champaign, Illinois last weekend, the Eagles are ready to return to dominance this week at home. Tony Dungy was supposed to improve an ailing Dolts defense, but he's also found a way to make the offense as punchless as the teams he coached in Tampa Bay. Eagles 31, Colts 17

Detroit at Green Bay (-9.5) - The Mutt will do his best not to curse the Packers big spread against the Lions by making this his lock, as he did earlier this season. The Pack really has nothing to lose at this point but home-field advantage. The Lions will be much luckier to get in the end zone this week than they would have been last week, and three field goals won't keep them within twenty points this time. Cheeseheads 31, Lions 6

New York Giants (-1) at Minnesota - Jim Fassell thinks that calling the plays himself will help to turn one of the worst offenses in football around. Sounds about as realistic as The Mutt thinking that he'll end up over .500 with his lock of the week. They'll score some points against the porous Vikes defense, but that's little more of an accomplishment than putting up 24 on the hapless Jags right now. Take Moss and the Vikes in the dome. Vikings 27, Giants 20

San Diego at St. Louis (-6) - Even had the Bolts won last week and moved to 7-1, they would most likely have been dogged at the 3-5 Lambs. In the preseason, the Bolts shut down the Greatest Show on Turf, but that was preseason. The Lambs look like they know what's going on now that Coach Martz has handed the whistle over to Marshall. Take the Bolts and the points, though. Rams 24, Chargers 20

Houston at Tennessee (-10.5) - This would be a much better story if the game were in Houston, which it will be later this season. Right now, the Titans are playing better ball than anyone in the AFC South, which is about as good as most of the teams in Conference USA. Titans 30, Texans 6

New Orleans (-4.5) at Carolina - Is Rodney Peete back from hip replacement surgery yet? Carolina's young defense is among the best in the league, but so is the Saints.... the difference? The Saints have something resembling an offense. Saints 27, Panthers 3

Washington at Jacksonville (-2) - This game will have all of the meaning to the NFL season that a game between BC and Florida would have on the current BCS implications. Spurrier will return to the state that loved him for so long and should romp over a reeling Jags squad. The highlight of the game will be Spurrier vs. his former star running back at UF, Fred Taylor. Redskins 23, Jags 17

Seattle at Arizona (-3.5) - Matt Hasselbeck may last until halftime in this one. Mike Holmgren will be lucky to last until the end of the year. The Cards haven't looked like the same team that started out 4-2 the past few weeks, but the Seahawks should cure their ailments. Cardinals 27, Seahawks 17

Kansas City at San Francisco (-6.5) - The Niners are just way too complete a team to be beaten by the Chiefs last-ranked defense. Jeff Garcia seems to be getting better every week, and he should have his best game of the season this week. Holmes, Green, Gonzalez, and Co. will put a few on the board themselves, but it shouldn't be enough. Niners 37, Chiefs 27

Miami at New York Jets (Pick'em) - While it's supported by many of you on the site as the best division in football, The Mutt will give a little credit to the AFC East. It's the most balanced, mediocre division in the league. Miami better start praying for Jay Fiedler before their lead is totally diminished, which should happen some time this weekend. Jets 27, Dolphins 13

The George Costanza "Opposite" Lock of the Week: Oakland at Denver (-5.5) - The Broncos are well-rested coming off of a fifteen-day layoff. The Raiders are reeling right now, and have lost their last four after starting out 4-0. Sounds like a blowout, so....... Raiders 27, Broncos 24

There will be no guest columnist this week, as I was unable to contact the winner of our poll/contest. There are still plans to enact the guest column for next weekend's games. To cast your vote and state your opinion on why you've selected what you selected as the game of the week, click here to go to our Game of the Week Poll.

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