I am a fair man. After an intense overreaction to RedZone briefly testing commercials toward the end of last season, during which I essentially threw myself into a one day depression, I consciously decided to respond more rationally when host Scott Hanson gave us fair warning before this season even began that “Seven Hours of Commercial Free Football!” has officially been thrown into the scrap heap of history. I was hopeful that we might get a one year reprieve, a final hurrah to celebrate the way things have been & should’ve remained, before ESPN/Disney almost assuredly defiles RedZone whenever that deal becomes official. Alas, there is no pause button for greed & corporate fuckery. Having said that, the NFL’s opening Sunday on RedZone was still an enjoyable afternoon. Any disdain felt by myself or anyone else is mostly based on idealism and the romance of lost purity rather than a tangible impact on the viewing experience. My opinion might change, but for now I remain cautiously content.

Observations from Last Week:

• Have we been overlooking the South Florida Bulls?? We’ll find out this week when they visit in-state foe & 17 point favorite Miami (FL).
• Rough Saturday here in the Mountain State. My alma mater’s Thundering Herd were outscored 14-3 in the second half en route to a one point loss to Missouri St., a team in their inaugural season at the FBS level. Meanwhile, the WVU Mountaineers displayed no prominent offense despite the alleged offensive mastery of returning head coach Rich Rodriguez in an inexplicable loss to Ohio U. 
• The Steelers offense and specifically their QB woes have been the focus of fans & the media for a couple of years, but I’ve been sounding the alarm about their defense for awhile. The talent is there, but coaching is dubious. Despite the victory, giving up 32 points & nearly 400 yards to the NY Jets is unacceptable.
• Has anyone tested ESPN’s Ryan Clark for CTE?!?!?? 👀
• Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter is an absolute moron. His ejection may not have cost Philly the game, but I have little doubt it cost alot of people money (while others benefited financially). IYKYK 💰.

My Season: 4-8

Zach’s Season: 2-10

Georgia (-3.5) at Tennessee

The Bulldogs are 2-0, but let’s be honest…they haven’t faced a real challenge. Are the 2-0 Vols a legit threat in the SEC?? College Gameday will be on hand, meaning Pat McAfee will most assuredly lead the crowd in a rousing rendition of Rocky Top, so that’ll be fun. Word on the street is that the injury bug has hit Tennessee’s secondary, which could be an issue. I don’t believe the home field can be so easily dismissed, and I also don’t think either team will dominate the other. Whoever wins will likely do so by a field goal or less. Zach likes Georgia’s big uglies to wear down their opponents en route to a dominant second half.

My Pick: Tennessee

Zach’s Pick: Georgia

Florida at LSU (-9.5)

Could Gators coach Billy Napier lose his job if he loses this game?? It is entirely possible after they were defeated by USF last week and fell to 1-1. Conversely, the 2-0 Bayou Bengals are trying to make their case to be considered the best team in the country. Baton Rouge on a Saturday night is a huge home field advantage, with LSU going 112-15 in those games since 2000, and 13-1 under head coach Brian Kelly. The home team is winning this game by double digits. Zach concurs. He won’t be surprised if it’s a shutout.

My Pick: LSU

Zach’s Pick: LSU

New England at Miami (-1.5)

The Dolphins looked terrible in their season opening loss at Indianapolis, while the Pats failed to defend their home turf against the Raiders. Drake Maye is probably already a better quarterback than Tua Tagovailoa, and Mike Vrabel is damn sure a better coach than Mike McDaniel. New England will win, and I don’t believe it’ll be particularly close. Zach thinks New England has the potential for a successful future and likes them to get a big win.

My Pick: New England

Zach’s Pick: New England

Atlanta at Minnesota (-5.5)

Did y’all watch Monday Night Football?? Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy got off to a shaky start but rebounded nicely to lead his team to a comeback victory. I already love the RB tandem of Jordan Mason & Aaron Jones, but need to see the Minnesota defense tighten things up a bit. The Falcons didn’t fare as well in their home opener, but I like the potential of QB Michael Penix Jr. This is the Sunday night game on NBC, and I foresee the script being flipped. McCarthy will probably look more settled in the first half but won’t be able to pull off the same late game heroics, while Penix will learn from experience and close more successfully. Zach is all in on McCarthy, calling him a future MVP. He believes the young QB will continue his winning ways.

My Pick: Atlanta

Zach’s Pick: Minnesota

Tampa Bay at Houston (-2.5)

If MNF has as good of a game to close out this weekend as we were treated to in the opener we’ll all be winners. Well, okay…technically this game won’t be the closer because it’s one of those odd weeks with two Monday night games, but I digress. The Bucs did just enough to sneak by Atlanta in their first game, while the Texans got blanked in the second half in a narrow loss to the Rams. Injuries and bad mojo may have finally caught up to Houston, who just don’t feel like the same team that went 10-7 and won their division a season ago. Tampa probably should be favored in this game, and I’ll be surprised if they don’t win in dominant fashion. Zach agrees.

My Pick: Tampa Bay

Zach’s Pick: Tampa Bay