By Ed Morrone
Whooo-hooo! The Terrell Owens saga came and went this past weekend in Philadelphia, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. T.O. left Philly with three catches and 45 yards and was outplayed by young receivers Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett, who made big plays when Owens could not. However, let’s not put all the blame on No. 81, as it’s becoming more and more clear he has ended up on a team with a quarterback he is not going to be able to co-exist with. Owens resorted to subtle finger pointing at Drew Bledsoe after the game, and this is just the beginning in Big D. Whatever-Owens is getting exactly what he deserves. Hey T.O., No. 5 on the Eagles didn’t look too shabby on Sunday, did he?
In other news, at the rate I’m currently on, a monkey could pick these games better than I can. Here are the five things I learned during Week 5:1) Never say the opposing team has “absolutely no shot” to cover the spread, especially when Peyton Manning is involved. He’ll only disappoint you in the end.2) The Oakland Raiders very well might be the first NFL team ever to go 0-16 over the course of a season.3) There will be a new Super Bowl champion this season. Something is very, very wrong out in the Steel City.4) The Giants easily handled the Redskins on Sunday, foolishly getting their fans’ hopes up that the G-Men are serious contenders in the NFC. They are not, folks.5) The Philadelphia Eagles do not need Terrell Owens to be successful. Anyone who thought so can now feel free to remove their foot from their mouth.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Carolina (3-2) +3 at Baltimore (4-1): Carolina’s aggressive defense + Baltimore’s swarming defense = low-scoring dogfight. I don’t know why I’m bothering, because the winner of this game will probably prevail by a field goal. Pick: Ravens
Philadelphia (4-1) -3 at New Orleans (4-1): Donovan McNabb is the MVP of the NFL through five weeks. The Saints are money in New Orleans, but this is the best defensive line Drew Brees is going to see, so the only chance the Saints have is to give the ball to Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister a lot. The Saints are a great story, but in the end, the Saints defense is not going to be able to stop McNabb and the high octane Eagles offense. Pick: Eagles
Seattle (3-1) -3 at St. Louis (4-1): Shaun Alexander is probably going to miss this game as he continues to rehab his broken left foot. This has to make Seahawks fans cringe, as Matt Hasselbeck has been largely ineffective thus far, tallying one more interception (seven) than touchdowns (six). Still, the Rams, while they have gotten off to a strong start, they are a team similar to the Saints-good talent, but not a serious contender. Pick: Seahawks
THE REST
Buffalo (2-3) -1 at Detroit (0-5): After getting absolutely manhandled in Chicago, things can only get better for the Bills. The jury is still out on J.P. Losman-he looks great one game, and the next he can’t complete a pass. It shouldn’t matter, as Willis McGahee should run all over the Lions, who have the talent but are one of those teams that makes the stupidest mistakes at the most inopportune times. Pick: Bills
Cincinnati (3-1) -6 at Tampa Bay (0-4): Things keep getting worse for Tampa and Jon Gruden. After getting run off their home field by New England in Week 4, the Bengals are furious. Watch out. Pick: Bengals
Houston (1-3) +13.5 at Dallas (2-2): Poor Dallas. They are a good football team but just can’t escape the human distraction that is Terrell Owens. Pick: Cowboys
N.Y. Giants (2-2) +3 at Atlanta (3-1): Big game for both teams. A win for New York puts them back into division contention, while Michael “Overrated” Vick always seems to crap the bed against quality opponents. I’ll go with Atlanta’s defense and run game. Pick: Falcons
Tennessee (0-5) +10 at Washington (2-3): Don’t be fooled by Tennessee, who gave Indy a game. That was due to the Colts looking past the Titans, who are not turning the corner yet. Vince Young is showing flashes, but his growing pains will continue. Pick: Redskins
Kansas City (2-2) +7 at Pittsburgh (1-3): Props to Damon Huard, who has performed admirably in Trent Green’s absence. Read above for my assessment of Pittsburgh. Already 2.5 games out of first place, this game will make or break the Steelers’ season. Pick: Steelers
Miami (1-4) +2 at N.Y. Jets (2-3): Kind of like the Bills, things can’t get much worse for the Jets, who got hit with a 41-0 wrecking ball in Jacksonville on Sunday. Is there a bigger underachieving team in the league than Miami? I think not. Pick: Jets
San Diego (3-1) -10 at San Francisco (2-3): Philip Rivers is progressing nicely in San Diego and is making Charger fans forget about Drew Brees. Give some props on the other side to Alex Smith, who is coming along a lot quicker than I thought. Still, the Chargers have too much firepower and their defense is too good. Pick: Chargers
Oakland (0-4) +15 at Denver (3-1): Oakland, I will never make the mistake of picking you again. How long before the insane Black Hole Raider fans storm the field in a fit of anarchy and beat Art Shell to death? I say Week 8. Pick: Broncos
Chicago (5-0) -10.5 at Arizona (1-4): Hmmm, another double-digit underdog is playing the Bears this week. Don’t think I’m messing this one up again. The Bears defense is licking its chops at the thought of terrorizing Matt Leinart, whose job just got a lot harder when Larry Fitzgerald went down with a hamstring injury. Pick: Bears