Football Analysis

Since most teams in the country already have four games in the books, it is now time to begin evaluating which players can lay a legitimate claim upon the Heisman Trophy. The three early favorites (Tim Tebow, Darren McFadden and Andre' Woodson) all call the SEC home, but surprising names like Oregon's Dennis Dixon and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford have entered the fray. Read more »

Houston head coach Gary Kubiak defended the selection of defensive end Mario Williams over dynamic running back Reggie Bush, saying they want to stop the Indianapolis Colts, not out-score them. In other words, don't play their game, play our game. Read more »

This week marks the beginning of the power poll rankings. I steadfastly refuse to rank the teams until I?ve seen real games to base upon. Also included are game-by-game predictions, including Sunday night's NFC battle. Read more »

These certainly aren?t your father?s Texans. Not your mother?s, or even yours, for that matter. It?s not necessarily that the Houston Texans, the NFL?s laughingstock since their inception in 2001, are 2-0, though that is quite amazing in itself. Read more »

The NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978 and only 21 teams have qualified for the playoffs after starting the season 0-2. Two of those teams have won the Super Bowl (1993 Cowboys, 2001 Patriots) and only one other reached the Super Bowl (1996 Patriots). The Dolphins, Jets, Bills, Chiefs, Raiders, Eagles, Giants, Rams, Falcons, Saints and Rams are all 0-2. Can any of these 11 teams reach the playoffs? Read more »

Week Two was a week of fantasy miracles for Andrew Perna, who enjoyed everything about this week's action except the Patriots win and the play of his Eagles. Read more »

Going strictly off the point differential totals through Week 2's games, we rank all 32 teams of the NFL. The winners of the past three Super Bowl's enjoy the top placement, but two teams from Texas round out the top-5. Read more »

Two weeks are in the books, which means we now have a solid baseline of data and observation on which to build better forecasts. Sunny skies in Dallas, Pittsburgh and Detroit, with clouds in New Orleans and St. Louis. Read more »

The New England Patriots have always looked for a reason to believe they were being disrespected. Whether it was real or created out of their own interpretations, it's how they motivate themselves. The disrespect is real now. Read more »

What we see over the next few weeks from several teams will be vastly different than how they weathered opening weekend. In the meantime, Jeff Risdon predicts all 16 games, including a potential AFC Championship preview. Read more »

If the NFL is back in action, that means so is the Keyboard Quarterback. Make sure you check out a retooled edition of the KQ with our very own Andrew Perna. Read more »

Going strictly off the point differential from Week 1's games, we rank all 32 teams of the NFL. With the Colts and Saints (+/- 31) bookending the rankings, where are the other clubs and who are the biggest surprises? Read more »

The question that needs to be asked in New England is whether it was apathy and a bad Oakland club or an overall decline in play that led to his poor showing with the Raiders. And whether Week 1 was an aberration that shocked Eric Mangini who thought single coverage would be sufficient or if this is indeed the best Minnesota import since David Ortiz. Read more »

When Rodney Harrison returns, it will be business as usual. There will be the initial circus when Rodney comes back with the media asking the questions he never gave them the chance to ask when he announced his suspension through a conference call. But that scrutiny will be short lived. After a week of being back, the transgression will be forgotten and all will be Read more »

The first week is always the toughest to forecast because there is no track record and no real sense of the prevailing winds. But there are potential Super Bowl previews in Indianapolis and San Diego. Read more »

With opening day here, Randolph Charlotin runs down David Garrard, Jack Del Rio, Rodney Harrison, JaMarcus Russell, Eli Manning, Rex Grossman and more. Read more »

I am a believer in young Head Coach Lane Kiffin, and I have too much respect for the Raiders defense to call for another 2-14 season. But it?s not going to be easy to surpass that win total despite a schedule with a lot of down opponents. Still, it?s real hard to be that bad two years in a row. 4 wins and 12 losses. Read more »

The difference between the Falcons and teams like the Browns and Raiders is that Cleveland and Oakland?s problems are a lack of talent, depth and experience. Even without Michael Vick, the Falcons possess all three of those key characteristics. Read more »

The Niners have become a trendy pick as a breakout playoff team, but I?m not sold. Despite all the upgrades, there are still some serious questions in several spots. If all those questions (WR, DL, QB, PR, thin OL, Gore?s health) get answered positively, this team can achieve those increased expectations. Read more »

The defending Super Bowl champs stumbled, but very quietly the Steelers re-emerged as a team to be reckoned with by winning 6 of their last 8 games, often in impressive fashion. Almost all the key components from the Super Bowl run are still in place as well. Read more »