...I heard that the Pittsburgh Steelers' rookie Rashard Mendenhall's nickname is "Delicious" and there is no man who should be called that!
...I expect Mendenhall to get an earful from Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis at the bottom of a pileup about his cute nickname.
...this summer I had the Ravens getting smoked in this coming Monday night game by the Steelers, while now I am still undecided about the outcome.
...while I realize it would be a huge task to win in Pittsburgh, on Monday Night Football, it definitely is possible and maybe even probable.
...most every time the Ravens get on the national stage, they pull out a stinker of a game and self-destruct.
...this team doesn't seem like the kind that will do that and might force the Steelers to fill that role.
...I see no way for the Steelers offensive line to rise up from their terrible performance last week against the Eagles and do significantly better this week.
...there are a lot of similarities between the Eagles and Ravens defense and it figures to repeat on Monday Night.
...the key will be that the Steelers defense, while hurting without nose tackle Casey Hampton, is nothing to sneeze at and certainly much better than either Cleveland's or Cincinnati's.
...therefore, how Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco handles the pressure of the Steelers plus the enemy environment will play as big a role as any in the game.
...the two things I see as turning the game in the Ravens favor is our pass rush and running game.
...if those two thing are successful, the Ravens will win.
...at the same time, if we lose the turnover battle, we'll probably lose the game.
...the Ravens would have a very difficult time coming from behind if they have to go to the passing game to play catch up.
...I will still be watching a lot of football on Sunday, to see how the other teams and my fantasy players do.
...the early game on TV in Baltimore is the Battle of Ohio (yippee?), as the winless Browns and Bengals will slug it out to see who remains in the AFC North basement.
...I see the home team (Cincy) winning a sloppy, high scoring affair.
...I think we may have a Brady Quinn sighting in this game.
...the best late game on Sunday afternoon will be the Redskins visiting the Cowboys, although I think the 'boys offense will outscore the 'skins.
...I'm also interested in seeing how the Tennessee Titans handle the Minnesota Vikings running game (AP), as they come into Baltimore the following week.
...wouldn't it be a great week and gameday if they come in 4-0 to play us at 3-0!?
...the Titans are a similar team to the Ravens as they rely on a bruising running game and great defense, while passing when they have to.
...Arizona at the NY Jets and Green Bay at Tampa Bay are two other good games to see, although unless you have Direct TV's NFL Sunday Ticket, you won't see it on Comcast.
...I think the Bye week couldn't come at a better time for the New England Patriots.