So this is it, folks.  One final week for the NFL teams to work everything out before these teams hit the field for the regular season.  Only 9 days to go.  So as we head into the home stretch, here are the scores from last week’s games and a run down of a couple more teams.

Thursday, August 27
Jacksonville Panthers (32) v Philadelphia Eagles (33)
St Louis Rams (24) v Cincinnati Bengals (21)
Miami Dolphins (10) v Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6)

Friday, August 28
New England Patriots (27) v Washington Red Skins (24)
Green Bay Packers (44) v Arizona Cardinals (37)

Saturday, August 29
Indianapolis Colts (17) v Detroit Lions (16)
New Orleans Saints (45) v Oakland Raiders (7)
Buffalo Bills (0) v Pittsburgh Steelers (17)
Tennessee Titans (17) v Cleveland Browns (23)
Seattle Seahawks (14) v Kansas City Chiefs (10)
Sand Diego Chargers (24) v Atlanta Falcons (27)
San Francisco 49ers (20) v Dallas Cowboys (13)
New York Jets (27) v New York Giants (25)
Baltimore Ravens (17) v Carolina Panthers (13)

Sunday, August 30
Chicago Bears (27) v Denver Broncos (17)

Monday, August 21
Minnesota Vikings (17) v Houston Texans (10)

I think I may have managed to pick about half of the games.  Its’ an improvement from last week, I think.  But that’s all behind us now.  Let’s move on.  Here are a few thoughts on a couple of the teams as we move into the final week of the preseason…

Jets: Quarterback Mark Sanchez is certainly turning a few heads this season.  The SoCal rookie put on a pretty impressive performance in their last game against rival New York Giants.  It was his second start of the season, and his 13 of 20 for 139 yards definitely helped deliver a win for the Jets.  An impressive game after being named the starting quarterback.

Though the offense is shaping up with Sanchez at the helm, there is still plenty to work on for this team.  They had eight penalties in the first half.  The defense looks a little inconsistent.  And the offense, though they performed quite well against the Giants, were only 1 for 11 on third downs.  The team has been steadily improving under the direction of new coach Rex Ryan, so I expect they’ll have most of the kinks worked out by their final preseason game this Thursday.  There have been a few big changes to the team this year, so it might take a few games for everything to fall into place.

49ers: This is another team that is steadily improving as the preseason rolls on.  Their performance against the Cowboys was pretty impressive (wish I would have picked ‘em) with a few standout performances, including that of quarterback Nate Davis in the second half.  The rookie showed excellent decision making skills and a definite presence in the pocket as he helped the team gather 17 points and completed 10 of 15 for 132 yards.

Also adding to their fresh talent are running backs Glen Coffee and Kory Sheets.  The latter had a particularly good game on Saturday with 42 rushing yards and both of the team’s touchdowns.  The offense is shaping up for this team, unfortunately, pass-blocking is dragging them down.  Allowing three sacks and six other hits on their quarterbacks is not going to cut it in the regular season.  It’s definitely something that needs work before the regular season gets underway.

So, there you have it.  Just a few thoughts as we head into Week 4.  Speaking of which, here’s the schedule for the final week of the NFL preseason:

Thursday, September 3
Detroit Lions v Buffalo Bills
Philadelphia Eagles v New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens v Atlanta Falcons
Indianapolis Colts v Cincinnati Bengals
New York Giants v New England Patriots
Washington Red Skins v Jacksonville Panthers
Cleveland Browns v Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers v Tennessee Titans
Kansas City Chiefs v St Louis Rams
Miami Dolphins v New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers v Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals v Denver Broncos
Oakland Raiders v Seattle Seahawks

Friday, September 4
Houston Texans v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco 49ers v San Diego Chargers
Dallas Cowboys v Minnesota Vikings

Check out BetUS to check out the odds on offer for these games.  They’re also offering odds on the first week of the regular season, so get there and put down a wager on your teams before the games get underway on September 10.

Week 2 is done and dusted in the NFL preseason, and I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed in my picks.  I didn’t do nearly as well as in week 1.  Just goes to show how much a team’s game can change from week to week in the preseason.  Here are my thoughts on three more of the teams.

Cowboys: The Dallas Cowboys’ preseason got off to a bit of a rocky start with their 31-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders.  It looked like there was a lot to work on for the team, but their second preseason game saw them employing some improvements.  Quarterback Tony Romo put on another great performance, throwing 18 of 24 for 192 yards.  His patience when it comes to finding the open man has been stellar thus far.

Also adding to their offense was rookie receiver Kevin Ogletree.  If you missed the game, you might be asking yourself who this kid is.  Well, if he keeps performing as he did on Friday night, it won’t be long before all Cowboys fans know who he is.  He took in an impressive one handed catch for a touchdown late in the game, and made three grabs for 37 yards.

The defense, while it wasn’t overly impressive, is showing some improvement.  Some highlights of the night included Anthony Spencer taking down the Titans’ speedy running back Chris Johnson. Overall, the team still needs a bit of work.  The special teams isn’t quite there yet.  In fact, every aspect of their game needs some finessing, but if they continue with the way they’ve been improving my guess is they’ll be battle ready by the time the regular season rolls around.

Eagles: The Eagles have been in the press quite a bit lately, but unfortunately not for their game.  The shock decision to sign Vick has been leading the headlines, but they’ve also had some trouble with Juqua Parker and Todd Herremans getting arrested and cited for drug possession.  Besides all of the controversy, the team has racked up quite a list of injuries, leaving many wondering if they will be in shape in time for the regular season.

They’ve lost their first two preseason games, but their 23-15 loss to the Colts on Thursday night was especially disappointing.  Long time backup quarterback AJ Freely showed some pretty poor management skills, particularly on a pass to Eldra Buckly up the middle in the second quarter, making the previous 44 yard drive all for naught.  Not what you would expect from a 9-year vet.  Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin struggled (to say the least) on the punt returns, getting only 4 yards after two attempts.  Kickoff returns weren’t any better for the rookie as he only managed 22 yards in all three attempts and fumbled the ball for the second time.

Let’s not even mention the defense.  I’m sure you all saw the 76-yard touchdown by the Colts’ Reggie White in which there wasn’t a green helmet in sight to even attempt a tackle.  Overall, this team certainly has a long way to go before they’re ready to compete in the regular season.  Michael Vick is scheduled to make his debut at next week’s game.  We’ll see how well that goes over.  Not only for him but also for all of the animal rights activists that are determined to end his career.

Chargers: It seems that San Diego has learned a few things from their loss against the Seattle Seahawks in week 1.  They came back in week 2 ready to take on NFC champions the Arizona Cardinals and won 17-6.

The highlight of this game has to be the Chargers’ defense.  They proved that they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with come regular season right from the start of the game.  The special teams unfortunately allowed La Rod Stephens-Howling to return the first kickoff for 89 yards.  Fortunately the defense was up to the challenge of holding off a touchdown and forcing a 20-yard field goal.  Holding off a near touchdown once is good enough for the team that was rated second to last in 2008 for pass defense, but they did it twice!  Nearly the same thing happened again in the second half when Stephens-Howling returned another kickoff to the Chargers 30 yard line, which was followed up with a charge to the 5 yard line.  But once again, the defense held their own and Clinton Hart intercepted the ball.  Pretty impressive stuff, and a good indication of how they’re shaping up for the regular season.

The offense, on the other hand, does need some work.  There were a few moments in which the offense was showing what they’re capable of, including an impressive drive in the second quarter that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown run by Michael Bennett.  However, they are still lacking consistency.  If the offense can keep up on those impressive drives and catch up to the skill that the defense was showing, this team should be pretty great come regular season.

So, that’s how things are looking for now.  Can’t wait for week 3.  Speaking of which, here’s the schedule for the week 3 matchups:

Thursday, August 27
Jacksonville Panthers v Philadelphia Eagles
St Louis Rams v Cincinnati Bengals
Miami Dolphins v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Friday, August 28
New England Patriots v Washington Red Skins
Green Bay Packers v Arizona Cardinals

Saturday, August 29
Indianapolis Colts v Detroit Lions
New Orleans Saints v Oakland Raiders
Buffalo Bills v Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans v Cleveland Browns
Seattle Seahawks v Kansas City Chiefs
Sand Diego Chargers v Atlanta Falcons
San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys
New York Jets v New York Giants
Baltimore Ravens v Carolina Panthers

Sunday, August 30
Chicago Bears v Denver Broncos

Monday, August 21
Minnesota Vikings v Houston Texans

Check out BetUS for all of the odds on the week 3 games.  Brett Favre props are still up as well as some Michael Vick specials.  You may want to take a punt on how the infamous quarterback will do in his upcoming debut with the Eagles.

Since he confirmed his return to the NFL on Tuesday after a confounding 3-week retirement, Brett Favre has been getting constant press.  He signed with Minnesota for $12.5 million per year just in time to skip preseason training and prepare for their second preseason game on Friday, August 21.

Though we’re all pretty sick of Favre’s flip flopping ways and all the attention it seems to draw, I’m anxious to see how he’ll fit into the team.  As I commented in my last post, Minnesota’s quarterbacks weren’t doing for me.  I don’t even need to reiterate how poor Taravis Jackson’s performance was because I’m sure we all saw the game.  And though Sage Rosenfels’s performance was more inspired; Childress wasn’t rushing to give Rosenfels the starter position either.  I suspect the coach was holding out for Favre the whole time despite his comments that he would not be pursuing the former Green Bay quarterback.

Though Rosenfelds or Jackson may have eventually worked it out, let’s face it; it’ll be awhile before they’re in Favre’s league.  The guy’s list of records is pretty impressive (please disregard the record for most interceptions) and someone with his experience could definitely bring some stability to Minnesota’s offensive line.  He’s got a good arm and toughness in the pocket.  Combine that with Adrian Peterson and a strong defensive line and Minnesota looks like a team that could make it though the playoffs.

The only question that remains is: can he do it?  Favre originally turned down the Vikings’ offer in July because he wasn’t confident with his body.  He had surgery to repair his throwing shoulder in May, and though he’s been working out since, will he be ready?  Since signing with the team, he’s been saying nothing but optimistic things about his arm and his game.  That’s all well and good, but even if Favre’s arm isn’t quite up to scratch, playing with a team like Minnesota should make things a bit easier for him simply because of Peterson.  The man that leads the league in rushing will definitely take some of the heat off of Favre as it takes so much manpower to defend him.  In theory, this should give Favre a bit more time, but we won’t really know how it goes until he gets out on the field.

In the mean time, BetUS is offering a few Brett Favre Props such as:

Brett Favre Total Passing Yards
Over 3350 Yards: -130
Under 3350 Yards: -110

Total TD Passes
Over 21 ½ TD Passes: -120
Under 21 ½ TD Passes: -120

Total INTs
Over 19 INTs: -120
Under 19 INTs: -120

Will he retire after this season?
Yes: -200
No: +150

Will he make the NFC Pro Bowl Team?
Yes: -115
No: -125

Vikings win/loss record v the Packers in 2009?
2-0: -140
1-1: Ev
0-2: +300

Even if you’re tired of Brett Favre, you might as well have a little fun with it.  Get to BetUS and put down a wager on how you think he’ll do this season.

Week 1 has wrapped up and there were a few games that produced some surprises.  Before I get into my thoughts on the first week of the preseason, here are the scores in case you missed any of the action:

Thursday, August 13
Washington Redskins (0) v Baltimore Ravens (23)
New England Patriots (27) v Philadelphia Eagles (25)
Arizona Cardinals (10) v Pittsburgh Steelers (20)
Dallas Cowboys (10) v Oakland Raiders (31)

Friday, August 14
St Louis Rams (23) v New York Jets (20)
Minnesota Vikings (13) v Indianapolis Colts (3)
Cincinnati Bengals (7) v New Orleans Saints (17)
Denver Broncos (16) v San Francisco 49ers (17)

Saturday, August 15
Atlanta Falcons (26) v Detroit Lions (27)
Houston Texans (16) v Kansas City Chiefs (10)
Cleveland Browns (0) v Green Bay Packers (17)
Seattle Seahawks (20) v San Diego Chargers (14)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20) v Tennessee Titans (27)

Monday, August 17
Jacksonville Jaguars (9) v Miami Dolphins (12)
Carolina Panthers (17) v New York Giants (24)

As you can see from my picks last week I did pretty well, calling 12 out of 14 games (somehow I forgot to put Tampa Bay and Tennessee on the schedule so I can’t count that one).  Hopefully I’ll do as well in Week 2.

Now, as it would take me forever to go through all of the teams’ performances, I’m just going to pick out a few with a plan to cover all of them by the end of the preseason.  All right, here we go …

Houston Texans: I have to admit that their performance on Saturday surprised me.  I didn’t really think much of them previously, but after seeing their win and the crafty work of much hyped quarterback Matt Schaub I might pay more attention to this team.  Schaub completed 7 of 7 passes for 70 yards.  Helping him though was a pretty impressive offensive line, including Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and Steve Slaton.  As far as defense goes, newcomer Connor Barwin had an impressive night, sacking Brodie Croyle to force a fourth down and a punt.  It was a nice play from the rookie that definitely helped the Texans to their win.

Though the team played well against the Chiefs, it seems that their victory came at a pretty high price.  Coach Gary Kubiak confirmed that a pretty long injury list has formed after Saturday’s game.  Some of the more notable players that will be out for a few weeks include quarterback Rex Grossman, fullback Boomer Grigsby and safety Troy Nolan.  Just something to think about if you’re planning on putting down a wager on the Texans in Week 2.

Detroit Lions: Ok, ok, this is another team that I wasn’t that interested in.  Though the last second win in their game against Atlanta was one of the more exciting games that the preseason has produced thus far.  Like the Texans, they’ve got a nice pool of fresh, young talent beefing up their offense.  It’s nice to see that running back Kevin Smith has returned looking strong in his sophomore year rather than hitting that rookie wall that so many players seem to fall victim to.  He showed off his developing technique early on in the game when veteran quarterback Daunte Culpepper (who’s looking to be in the best shape of his life by the way) connected with him in the opening drives.  Add wide receiver Calvin Johnson, quarterback Matthew Stafford and tight end Brandon Pettigrew to the mix and this team’s offense has all the potential to develop into a force to be reckoned with.

Minnesota: I was so happy to see Minnesota take the win on Friday.  They are my favorite team and I know that I may very well be setting myself up for another frustrating year, but I will remain hopeful.  For the most part, they looked good against the Colts, but one thing that is lacking are the quarterbacks.  Tarvaris Jackson was very disappointing.  He hit 7 of 15 for only 39 yards.  Sage Rosenfels faired much better in the first half, throwing 10 of 13 for 91 yards.  But before you decide that Rosenfels should claim the starting position, word from training camp is that neither is ready for the job.  In fact, coach Brad Childress is in no rush to name either.  Fortunately for Jackson, he will have a chance to redeem himself, as he will be starting in the upcoming game against Kansas City.  Fingers crossed that he’ll be able to work things out because I’d really like to see Minnesota do well this year.

So … it’s a few things to think about as we head into Week 2.  Here’s what the upcoming schedule looks like (again, my picks are in green):

Thursday, August 20
Cincinnati Bengals v New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles v Indianapolis Colts

Friday, August 21
Tennessee Titans v Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs v Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta Falcons v St Louis Rams

Saturday, August 22
Carolina Panthers v Miami Dolphins
Detroit Lions v Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers v Washington Redskins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Jacksonville Jaguars
Buffalo Bills v Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints v Houston Texans
New York Giants v Chicago Bears
Oakland Raiders v San Francisco 49ers
San Diego Chargers v Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos v Seattle Seahawks

Monday, August 24
New York Jets v Baltimore Ravens

As always, BetUS is offering odds on many of the games.  Check it out if you want to put down a wager on your team.

It looks as though Michael Vick’s return to the NFL is official.  He began negotiations with the Eagles on Tuesday and finalized a deal on Thursday.  His agent Joel Segal confirmed that he would indeed be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles this season.  They agreed on a one-year deal with the team and a one-year option.  Vick will get $1.6 million for the first year, and $5.6 million if the Eagles take him up on the second.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see that the Eagles had signed him, considering that they were among the 26 that said that they had no interest.  Backup QB Kevin Kolb recently suffered a strained knee ligament, but even so the Eagles still have AJ Feeley waiting in the wings to take over if Donovan McNabb goes down.  That being said, many fans feel that Vick is an excellent backup choice for McNabb.

Now that he has signed a contract with the team, his conditional reinstatement allows him to participate in all preseason activities, including practices, meetings and workouts.  He will also be able to play in the final two preseason games.  As of now, he is not eligible to play during the regular season, but can apply for full reinstatement by Week 6 in October.

Expect some backlash from Peta, as they have vowed to do everything in their power to oust the former star from the NFL for good.  Among other things, they will be picketing all of the games, taking out billboard ads, running commercials, painting cars and disrupting all Vick related press conferences.

Well, if nothing else, it will be an interesting season for the Philadelphia Eagles.   Speaking of which, they fell to the New England Patriots 27-25 in their first game of the preseason. In other preseason news, Baltimore clobbered Washington 23-0, Pittsburgh beat Arizona 20-10 and Oakland beat Dallas 31-10.  I picked 4 out of 4 for the first day of games.  Hopefully I do as well as the week goes on.

The Tennessee Titans kicked off the preseason with a 28-21 win over the Buffalo Bills while donning their Oilers throwback jerseys and a number nine decal on the back of their helmets in honor of quarterback Steve McNair.  Considering that they started their training camp a week after the Bills, the Titans have been putting in the hard yards getting ready the preseason.

They started the game with an early lead after a trick play.  It was easily the highlight of the game.  Titans’ punter AJ Trapasso faked a punt and then a handoff to Michael Griffin.  The misdirection created enough confusion to allow Trapasso to carry the ball for a 40-yard touchdown.  They followed it up with a 3-yard touchdown by LenDale White and jumped out to a 14-0 lead.  Kerry Collins, who has confirmed his starter status after the night’s performance, played two series and completed 7 of 10 passes for 82 yards.  Vince Young also made an appearance for the Titans.  He threw 5 of 10 for 39 yards in five series, including a touchdown pass to Paul Williams and an interception.  Seems like the Collins-Young debate has been put to rest.

The most notable aspect of Buffalo’s game was the debut of Terrell Owens.  Fans welcomed him with chants of ‘T.O! T.O!”  And though he was only on the field for one series, he and quarterback Trent Edwards showed what the Bills’ offense is capable of.  Edwards hit Owens on a perfect slant on his first run for 16 yards.  Owens caught two balls and ran for 27 yards while on the field.  Unfortunately, Edwards followed up with an interception on the Titans’ 7 yard line, showing that there is still much work to be done for Buffalo.  Though the team is still optimistic about their future knowing that they definitely have something to work with.

The Hall of Fame Game kicked off the NFL preseason, which gets underway on Thursday, August 13.  Week 1 looks like this with my picks in green (feel free to disagree in the comments):

Thursday, August 13
Washington Redskins v Baltimore Ravens
New England Patriots v Philadelphia Eagles
Arizona Cardinals v Pittsburgh Steelers
Dallas Cowboys v Oakland Raiders

Friday, August 14
St Louis Rams v New York Jets
Minnesota Vikings v Indianapolis Colts
Cincinnati Bengals v New Orleans Saints
Denver Broncos v San Francisco 49ers

Saturday, August 15
Atlanta Falcons v Detroit Lions
Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs
Cleveland Browns v Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks v San Diego Chargers

Monday, August 17
Jacksonville Jaguars v Miami Dolphins
Carolina Panthers v New York Giants

Of course many sportsbooks, such as BetUS, are offering odds on all the above mentioned games.  Check it out if you’d like to take a punt on your favorite teams.

And, in case you missed the play of the night – AJ Trapasso’s touchdown – enjoy the video below.