Week 7, a trip into the unknown with the Brooklyn Hillbilly(6-6)

Ah, if only life worked like that.

Lets just start off by saying last week was a collapse on many levels, financial, political(at least for Mac) and for the good teams of the NFL. Pretty much every team I thought was a lock shat the bed like Dan Wheeler in last nights Sox-Rays game. But what do you really expect in a week where none of the games looked interesting. SOMETHING had to happen.

The jersey they confiscated from Ed Hoculi.

San Diego at Buffalo(-1, 44)
My only regret about this game is that its on at the same time as the Steelers, so I will be too distracted/drunk to watch. This is the sort of game that makes the case for starting the Flexible Scheduling for Sunday Night Football after week 4. But don't get me started on NFL television issues, Ill only end up threatening Roger Godell's life and having the secret NFL police that arrest Elks Club and VFW members for having Super Bowl(I said it!) parties come after me.

Anyway, about this game. Don't hold last week against the Bills, you would lose whatever it is you were doing if J.P. Losman was integrally involved in the effort, whether it was trading stocks(uh...), simultaneously fighting two regional wars in Islamic countries(uhhh......), or trying to rescue the world economy from decades of lax regulation and corporate malfeasance(What Im saying JP, you are such a fuckup, dont follow in Heath Shulers footsteps, you are the W of the NFL.) This is still a good team, as long as Trent Edwards is taking snaps. The D lapsed in Week 5, fo sho, but giving up points to the Cards isnt as ignominious as it has been in years past(see: Romo, Tony and the Cowboys). This pass D is as good as any, and they can stop the run reasonably well. I see them being able to bottle up a hobbling LT, but as much as I hate to say it, Darren Sproles is the most exciting guy on the field for San Diego now and the true threat to break the big play for the Chargers.

A leader and teacher on and off the field.


Phillip Rivers has been an amazing presence for the Chargers this year, and since his gutsy if flawed performance in last years AFC championship game hes established himself as one of the marquee QBs in the league. I still stand by my prediction made on Draft Day 2004 that Rivers would have a better career than Eli. This guy is gonna be around for a long time, its just a question of whether ownership wants to give him a better coach to work for than Norv Turner. Only time will tell.

Zeus is a Charger fan from the Fouts era.

But as of now, you cant help but think the Chargers missed the peak of their defenses prowess. They are currently ranked 22 against the run and 31 against the pass. I like Rivers, but hes not Peyton Manning yet, so he cant drag this team deep into the playoffs by himself. A defense this bad will get you nowhere outside of this division(the Broncos are arguably the Chargers equal in defensive ineptitude, but they did win the first shootout this year, barely).

Thats whats going to make this game so interesting. The Chargers have the weapons to make fools of the Bills D, but will they? The same question could be asked going the other way, will a still-woozy Trent Edwards be enough to give Marshawn Lynch some room to run, chew up the clock and keep the Chargers offense off the field? In these situations, I tend to go with the team that plays better D, and in this matchup, its Buffalo. But this is a tough one, as all good games should be. Bills rally late to win 27-24.