Denver
@
The Kyle Orton project officially begins and who knows if the Broncos will even put Brandon Marshall on the field seeing as he knows very little (if any) of the new playbook. Orton has been on the hot seat for most of the preseason and has done nothing to convince this writer that he has what it takes to replace Jay Cutler. He will have his hands full with a
Minnesota
@
I think everyone’s eyes will be on No. 4 on Sunday, but I’m going to tell you to watch elsewhere. The Vikings’ passing game has been relatively stagnant over the past couple years, but the combination of Favre and Bernard Berrian could become one of the best in the league. Berrian has been knocking on the 1,000-yard door for quite some time now and will be a Top 10 WR in 2009; that all starts on Sunday when I expect him to outshine even Adrian Peterson on the field.
Just as much as everyone is interested in seeing how Brady Quinn does as the Browns starter (let’s all admit that Mangini will name him the guy) I am more intrigued by the situation behind him. It was rumored on cut day that Jamal Lewis might not even make the squad, which shows me the faith that the organization has in him. Rookie James Davis will be pushing Lewis for playing time and, if given the opportunities, will be one of the top rookie rushers in 2009. He is owned in just 17 percent of Yahoo leagues and would be an ultimate steal in the final round of any drafts you still have or a solid waiver wire pickup.
Washington @ New York Giants – 4:15 FOX
This will be Jason Campbell’s second year in an offense for the first time since college and that can only mean good things for him as he enters his contract season. It’s also the second year for WR Devin Thomas and let’s not forget that
The big question facing
San Francisco
@
Frank Gore has only played in a full 16 games once in his career, but he continues to be the guy who carries this team on his back.
Kurt Warner has proven to be an ageless wonder. He led
St. Louis @ Seattle – 4:15 FOX
The team was lucky to get Donnie Avery back so quickly and now that their offensive line isn’t decimated by injuries, there will not be any more excuses if the St. Louis offense doesn’t put up decent numbers. Marc Bulger broke a finger a couple of weeks ago which threw Kyle Boller into the starting spot for the team’s final two preseason games, but he should be back for Week 1. Steven Jackson cannot carry all of the weight on his shoulders so it will be imperative for Bulger and Avery to hook up early and often in 2009.
This team is my pick to win the NFC West because of their stellar passing game which now includes T.J. Houshmandzadeh to go along with Nate Burleson and Deion Branch, who will be moving to the slot position on the team which is where he excelled in
Chicago
@
Jay Cutler looked pretty lackluster for most of the preseason, but turned it on against his former team in his third game when he went 15-for-21 with 144 yards and a touchdown. Many are saying that he lacks the weapons that he had in
Aaron Rodgers has been a hot commodity as of late to the point where he is the fourth QB taken off the board in many fantasy leagues. I think we all know what Rodgers has to offer, so a bigger question surrounds RB Ryan Grant. Despite rushing for over 1,200 yards in 2008, Grant found the endzone only three times on the ground last season. If he can become the running threat that the Packers’ front office thought they signed when they rewarded him with a big contract prior to last year,
Buffalo @ New England – Monday 7:00 ESPN
Terrell Owens might be the big story of the night for
Everyone is in love with the fact that Tom Brady is back from his knee injury and I have no doubts that Brady will pick up right where he left off. Therefore, I am going to turn my attention to the
San Diego @ Oakland – Monday 10:15 ESPN
Philip Rivers signed a huge contract extension in the offseason, LaDainian Tomlinson is back and Darren Sproles has become one of the most electric players in football. All of the time in the spotlight for these three guys has left one man lurking in the shadows: Vincent Jackson.
Darren McFadden is back at full strength now and ready to prove to the world that he is one of the best backs in football. In limited action last year, McFadden carried the ball only 113 times. However, he managed to put up 499 yards on the ground as well as 285 yards as a receiver on 29 catches. His role in the
E-mail comments to: gregdietz2@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/gregdietz