Week 2 Emotional analysis

@DEN vs CLE; DEN is favored by 3; I think this will be a very tough game. I watched the CLE/MINN game and if Favre is not on MINN, then CLE wins. CLE is a tough team that wore down against a very good team in MINN. CLE played like last year's team. After a couple calls and drives stalled, they just started to wear out.....they lost belief. They will start to perform to their potential when they shake the stigma from last year's team. This requires pulling out a tough win. If Quinn does it, even better. The NEW identity will be set and they will start to challenge for the AFC North.

This is a game between two future playoff teams....don't tell the MSM. It will be a tough fought game and the winner has the potential to really start to hit a stride.....especially if the victory is close. When teams are pulling out close wins, then belief just soars. These teams are deciding their identity for the year in these early games. Right now DEN has the advantage and I hope they keep it....I'm of course rooting for DEN all the way!!

@KC vs OAK; KC is favored by 3. This is a standard spread for a home team. I don't think either team has found an identity despite their surprisingly tough performances in Week 1. OAK was getting abused by the MSM prior to the SD game. I think that abuse and the absolutely pathetic preseason performance, especially towards the end, caused them to reconsider their approach going into Week 1. I think they played well and SD was not prepared. If OAK already thinks they are a tough team, KC will punish them. They have to play like they have something to prove. The longer this game stays close the greater the chance KC wins........I like Haley to pull this victory out big or small.

@NYJ vs NE; NE is favored by 3.5. I like Ryan as a coach, but doesn't he know that his father's demeanor was what kept him from being a "great" head coach. This is a great spot for NYJ to surprise NE. Instead, Ryan has his whole team talking smack to a "proven" NE team. It just doesn't make any sense. The NYJ never played NE scared the last several years.....what's the benefit here?? The result is Ryan has added tons of pressure to Sanchez, who Belicheck will cook up a difficult scheme for (I think it will be heavy on 8x man pass coverage). NE wins handily (may be a close score)

@WAS vs STL; WAS is favored by 9.5. This is a great spot for STL. WAS is a team of talent with no focus or cohesion. Its hard to build a team when D. Snyder makes his coach apologize for being the HC and making decisions (like benching a whining Portis). WAS will have little respect for STL going into this game just like everyone else. STL really struggled against the pass in Week 1, but Campbell can't really pass. Besides, Spags knows WAS very well. I expect him to have his team ready in a game that STL will fight hard to avoid meeting everyone's expectations. STL covers easily and could win.

PITT vs @CHI; PITT is favored by 3; Wow, no respect even @ home for CHI. There is no QB in the NFL with more pressure on than Jay Cutler. Everytime he says last week was no big deal, he actually makes the pressure worse. I'm sure everyone has seen someone who deals with pressure by not dealing with it. WR scramble assignments aside, it is going to take a very strong hand by Lovie Smith to avoid disaster in this game. Chicago must run the ball and take the pressure off Cutler. He shouldn't throw a pass in the first quarter. Let him get a feel for the game and keep the calls simple. If he gets pressure on him, its gonna be INT after INT after, etc. If Forte doesn't rush over 30 times, then CHI loses, probably big.

IND va @MIA; IND is favored by 3; Pennington failed MIA in Week 1. They need better QB play. He rarely plays poorly two games in a row. IND is not the same IND. This year will not be like the last several. They were really lucky to beat JAX at home last week. MIA's D is gonna bring the wood to Manning. Expect some fireworks. MIA is one of the best trained, toughest football teams in the NFL. This is their TEAM mentality.They will challenge IND from the beginning and I expect IND to falter in responding....its not business as usual. IND needs to find its NEW identity. MIA wins at home and roughs up IND.