let's first give props where props are due. the mnf b-team was f'n awesome. nessler + vermeil + jaws >>>>> tirico + theismann + kornheiser. read this in case you don't know who jaws is. read this if you think i'm full of shit with regards to dick vermeil's usefulness in the booth. he didn't cry once!

so let's look at my afc playoff teams. the broncos were shut down on offense, with plummer reverting to... well, plummer form. couple that with the chargers showing and philip rivers's debut and i feel not so good about my afc west pick. however, both those teams should still make the playoffs. the steelers looked solid as always on thursday night, riding a strong defensive showing and a competent performance by charlie batch (who had the lowest expectations of any nfl quarterback ever) to victory over the dolphins, who i still think won't make a run at the postseason. the bengals looked strong, even if they played a little dirty. the patriots overcame early adversity to pull out a win, but the offense was not that impressive. i don't think this will be a consistent problem for the patriots throughout this season, though. they should be able to figure it out. the colts beat a surprisingly good giants team on the road on national tv with some help from the refs but also by somehow executing very well offensively despite being extremely one-dimensional. this, this might be a problem for the colts all year, and i feel a bit wary about having them go deep in the playoffs.

i will mention here that the ravens and jaguars were the two very surprising teams in the afc, for me. if the ravens show that kind of offense all year and the jaguars show that kind of resiliency all year, the later months of the season could get real, real fun.

nfc playoff teams have me, overall, a bit more comfortable. the vikings played well enough to win on the road last night against a pretty decent redskins defense. i have doubts about the vikings running game, but chester taylor looked pretty good last night. the bears defense was, as promised, real f'n good... but they played favre and the packers, and favre was a horse that thad and i wrongly backed last year. i won't make that mistake again, and i think the week 3 bears@minnesota game should be pretty telling. the giants were pretty impressive on sunday night, and eli manning started proving me right... he had two tough mistakes, but botched handoffs will happen in week one (brunell, savvy veteran of 14 years, made the same mistake last night), as will interceptions when you're deep in your own territory on 3rd and long, down by 2 with time running short. my big rebound team, the eagles, made me proud, but just like the bears, i'm not sure if the opposition was really up to the task. next week's giants@eagles game should be circled on everyone's calendar. if you have a calendar, of course.

the panthers didn't have steve smith. also, i'm kind of regretting this pick after their defense got torched by vick. i'm not sure HOW it happened, but it happened, and i'd like to see if the panthers can bounce back before i stand behind my vote for them as my #1 team in the NFC. next weekend at minnesota, week 6 at baltimore - both games that might tell us something. though caraolina's schedule is a joke.

i'm leaving my nfc super bowl pick (and super bowl champs pick) seattle for last. why? because... not to sound like a broken record, but what the hell happened? i didn't see any of that game, all i know is that they barely squeaked out an opening week win against the lions and scored 0 touchdowns in the process. i'm fucking wary, but we'll see if the addition of deion branch does... anything to the apparently stagnant seahawks offense. branch will take a little time to get into the flow of things, so the week 3 giants@seattle game may be too soon to judge his impact. maybe coming off the bye in week 6 when seattle visits st. louis. jury's out til then, at least.

the giants have a fucking brutal schedule, huh? them and the bengals got the rough treatment.

nfc surprises: atlanta, though they weren't tested really on defense with steve smith being out... but man, vick looked good. then again, doesn't he always have one or two games that make everyone say "DON'T FORGET ABOUT RON MEXICO"? maybe that's just me. also, props to st. louis. i might have glossed over the nfc west a bit too fast...

what did you guys think about week one? any overreactions by me? any possible themes that are unnoticed right now?

i MIGHT share a few picks vs. the spread on friday. maybe. if you want 'em, say so.

thanks for indulging me.