A Couple Predictions for Week 11

Today I'm going to go with a few of these:

I'm going to pick Buffalo over Cincinnati by a field goal. Ryan Fitzpatrick (aka Harvard Boy) has impressed me and given the Bills something to build off of almost every week since being named the starter, while Carson Palmer might find himself in the rare position of envying Matt Leinart.

And, while I was surprised to see the Cowboys win over the Giants, I don't think they'll duplicate that feat against the Lions, who may be better than most people think they are. Dallas' locker room is rife with a lack of discipline and even new Head Coach Jason Garrett will need some time to really get things right. A desperate win like last week is still a win, yes, but it's also still desperate. I think the Lions will beat their former QB Jon Kitna by nine.

I'm also going to pick Green Bay over Minnesota, for obvious reasons. Brett Favre's play has been as unimpressive as his alleged penis, and he'll need some time to get back in sync with Sidney Rice, who was just removed from the PUP list. Green Bay, on the other hand, is chock full of weapons at Aaron Rodgers' disposal, and when they're on their game they can light up scoreboards. GB by 12.

Oakland and Pittsburgh. Two teams that this writer literally cannot stand, but the media's on the bullhorn and discussing how it's the first time in a while these two have played a meaningful game, and I agree. It's meaningful because everyone's going to realize that the Raiders are too young, inexperienced, and unprepared to hang with the big boys, and that the 2010 AFC West is just a basement dweller division that allows the Chargers to squeak into the playoffs every year. Steelers by fourteen if things go well for the Raiders.

Indianapolis and New England. I am going to watch this game because it's what makes sports, no, competition so much fun to watch. The two best quarterbacks of their generation, perhaps of all time, going head to head to prove to themselves that the winner has a leg up in the argument seventy-three percent of the people watching this game are going to be having. Watch the games these teams have played against one another in the past ten years- Brady and Manning are never on the field together and you can still feel the way they feed off of one another's energy. It's riveting, it's classy, it's classic. This is football. If Indy had all of their starters I'd push it their way, but they're missing some key players. That being said, they should give the Brady Bunch a fight. This one's coming down to the wire: Patriots score a field goal for the win in closing moments.

Eagles and Giants. NFC East battles are tough, especially for first-place outright. Michael Vick is making a strong case for MVP this year, and Eli Manning, who leads the league in turnovers, duels against Asante Samuel, who has five picks. My guess is that Philly is tops in the NFC, perhaps the NFL, and could give anybody they play right now some terrible headaches. Philly by ten.

And for Monday Night, Broncos and Chargers. Not quite so interesting a rivalry as Colts-Patriots, but one near and dear to this writer's heart, being a Colorado Alum and owning a Kyle Orton jersey and having lived in San Diego and all. The Chargers defense is very good, and Denver's passing game is second to, well, San Diego. The way these affairs seem to go of late is the Broncos win in a nail-biter or the Chargers win by six touchdowns. That being said, I liked what I saw last week against the Chiefs with the offensive line coming together and helping with the run. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Broncos are due for a win by six. There, I said it.

Good luck to everyone else's team this week. I hope it's a gratifying experience.

What Does Michael Vick Mean to the NFL?

It began as all things begin: with doubt. When the Falcons selected Virginia Tech's Michael Vick with the first overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft they were adding a slight question-mark to their roster; a baller with freakish speed and the ability to break open games with his intangibles. His passing, however, left one wanting: In his short tenure at Virginia Tech he just barely accumulated more passing touchdowns than rushing (21 to 17, respectively) a stat perhaps hidden by the unique brand of football they play down in Blacksburg. Indeed, his style of play seemed a match for the philosophy employed by his alma mater's head coach Frank Beamer, him of Beamer-ball notoriety. The uncertainty lay in his ability to morph from an electrifying college athlete into a proficient professional passer.

It's well-known that the defensive backs in the NFL are a different kind of football player than those stared down by NCAA quarterbacks playing in pro-systems. They possess another level of speed, not to mention a kind of savvy, a saltiness not quite yet obtained by their on-campus counterparts. The same goes for pro linebackers, whose intelligence, size, and quickness can make a young passer's transition difficult.

Perhaps, during his first stint in the NFL, Vick was able to prove doubters right. While his agility and elusiveness proved helpful when dealing with an oncoming rush, he seemed gun shy dropping back in the pocket or too trigger happy to tuck the ball under his arm and run. Who would have known that Roddy White, then a recipient of passes from Michael Vick, was the Pro-Bowl caliber receiver he is today while running routes for Matt Ryan?

This is not to deny the fact that he was a phenomenal talent and a hell of a lot of fun to watch. He did lead his former team to the NFC Championship. He does hold several single-game and -season records, including most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game (173) and in a season (1, 039.) He was also, allegedly, the highest paid player in the NFL with a reported one-time annual salary (including endorsements) of $25.4 million.

What happens next is well-documented in the annals of NFL history. The dogfighting charges in 2007 and the way Michael Vick was run out of the game, disgraced and, eventually, imprisoned; the face of a franchise relegated to a cautionary tale and jail cell. There were large amounts of doubt surrounding his return, and speculation regarding wether or not he would ever be able to dazzle crowds on the gridiron again.

Watching Vick on Monday Night, however, all doubt has been erased. He didn't only make plays with is feet, but stood tall in the pocket, poised as he went through his checkdowns. His arm - that arm!- looked strong and accurate, tossing an 88-yard touchdown with a flick of his wrist on the first play from scrimmage. When the pocket collapsed he would flush to one side or the other, eyes downfield and, taking what the defense was giving him, would allow a play to develop through his ability to extend. It is worth noting that during this performance he surpassed Steve Young for second all-time rushing yards by a quarterback, given that it seemed Young himself was playing in green and white. The former Forty-Niner and current Hall-of-Famer later admitted that he couldn't come up with any ideas on how to slow down Number 7 for Philadelphia.

Which leads us to this: Is it safe to say that Michael Vick is back?

No doubt a tricky question, one posed by a writer who previously lambasted Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh faithful for a standing ovation after a return from suspension for (alleged) sexual assault. Just how much of a connection is there between the mental maturation we've seen from Michael Vick on the field and the growth of the person off the field? A philandering golf legend demonstrated to the public that idyllic appearances can be just that, and speculation can prove dangerous. Not enough time has passed to absolve Vick of what he did just yet. The crimes were heinous and inhumane, and only history will really be able to tell us then what we want to know now, which is: Is Michael Vick really the Second Coming of Steve Young, clamoring with his teammates in a huddle, asking them to get this monkey off his back? Or is he held down by a more serious thing, one with claws and teeth that have sunk into his skin and caught hold of him? After watching his historic performance Monday Night one hopes it's the former, and that one day we can spell redemption V-I-C-K, standing in the bleachers and shouting it down to the field. Today, however, it's important to bite our tongues and wait until he proves us wrong, all the while enjoying the show he's putting on for us.