NFL 2007 Forecast: Week 1

I feel like a life-long alcoholic sitting at his desk as the clock is slowly ticking towards 5:00pm on a Friday. My palms are sweaty. I glance at the time --- 4:30pm. Suddenly, I catch a faint whiff of fermented barley as my heart rate accelerates. The glob of saliva that forms at the back of my mouth is choking me as my face gets flushed.

4:43...4:48...

The phone rings. I answer it and finish the conversation in just under 5 seconds...4:52. There has to be something wrong with this clock!

I can almost literally feel the eye-watering, piercing cold sting of a beer as it pierces and plunges down my shriveled throat while the ice off the bottle streams down my arm...4:56...it's almost time!

Can you taste it? Can you feel it?

31 hours and counting....Are you ready for some football?

• New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts - NBC, 8:30pm EST, Thursday Night Football: You better believe that the RCA Dome is going to be rocking as they welcome their beloved Colts who are Super Bowl champions, but this is going to be one hungry Saints team who missed going to Miami by one win. They have the weapons to rattle a sub-par Indy defense while their own defense will know where they stand in this inaugural game facing Peyton and Co. Expect this one to be a shoot-out. EDDIE'S PICK - NEW ORLEANS
• Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills - CBS, 1pm EST: If the Bills maintain their stagnant running game as they displayed in the pre-season, this is going to be a long game. Putting the weight on J.P. Losman vs. this excellent Denver secondary is a scary scenario. The Broncos offense should find no trouble moving the ball down the field vs. this very suspect Bills defense. It doesn't get much easier for Buffalo as they face Pittsburgh and New England next on the road. EDDIE'S PICK - DENVER
• Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns - CBS, 1pm EST: You couldn't ask for a better team to start against for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger to boost his confidence. Pitt's offense should view this game as an opportunity to hone itself while the defense will be like a poodle trying to get by a bull mastiff . I expect Cleveland will be chanting Brady Quinn's name by the third quarter. EDDIE'S PICK - PITT
• Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans - CBS, 1pm EST: Where do you start for KC? The QB position is in flux although Damon Huard will start. RB threat Larry Johnson needs time to oil his rust and probably won't see many snaps. Their defense needs Jesus. Houston appears to be a team that has a very solid foundation to build on, and this is a great opportunity to pump some enthusiasm into the fans to give them hope for the future. EDDIE'S PICK - HOUSTON
• Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars - CBS, 1pm EST: Another city thirsty for some success and a championship is Nashville, TN. That attempt begins in Jag-town where Byron Leftwich is gone and the mantle of leadership is on David Garrard. Tennessee's future is Vince Young but after that it's a little hairy. They don't appear to have the firepower to puncture the Jags stifling defense, and the defense will have it's hands full with Jacksonville's running attack. Garrard has a great chance here at home to prove Jack Del Rio made the right call cutting Leftwich. EDDIE'S PICK - JACKSONVILLE
• New England Patriots at NY Jets - CBS, 1pm EST: These two teams don't like each other so emotions should be high. The Patriots are stacked with talent which dwarfs that of the Jets. Last season's loss in the AFC Championship game is enough motivation for New England as QB Tom Brady should be able to pick apart the Jets secondary. The key for NY is to stop RB Laurence Maroney and have success on first down. The Pats have won six straight in the Meadowlands. EDDIE'S PICK - NEW ENGLAND
• Miami Dolphins at Washington Redsksins - CBS, 1pm EST: Both teams have too many questions on both sides of the ball to be answered in a week so they must do their best to simply avoid mental mistakes. Dolphins QB Trent Green brings the kind of leadership that Miami has been needing at that position, and he must stay vertical vs. a Skins defense that upgraded in the off-season. Washington officially ushers in the Jason Campbell era vs. a very tough Miami defense who will be zeroed in on RB Clinton Portis. The home crowd will be the difference. EDDIE'S PICK - WASHINGTON
• Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers - FOX, 1pm EST: Points aren't the problem. When you have a QB like Donovan McNabb and a running attack led by Brian Westbrook combined with reliable receivers, you can count on fireworks. It's their defense that must rediscover it's gritty edge, and that very well may happen vs. a Favre-led Packers offense that is precarious. Philly's O-line must keep McNabb vertical in the pocket as insurance for his surgically-repaired knee, but the Green Bay defense will still feel overwhelmed in front of their Cheesehead fans. EDDIE'S PICK - PHILADELPHIA
• Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings - FOX, 1pm EST: There was a time when this game would have been THE game to watch with Michael Vick and Daunte Culpepper leading the charges. Times have changed as Vick is out of the league and Culpepper is #2 in lowly Oakland. Joey Harrington...let me say that again --- Joey Harrington --- is now the field general for the Falcons. Minnesota has its own QB questions, but I don't think it will be much of a factor at home vs. a mentally-challenged Atlanta outfit. EDDIE'S PICK - MINNESOTA
• Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams - FOX, 1pm EST: Both teams finished 8-8 in 2006 and sport offenses that are lethal but haven't found their rhythm. Carolina's defense is stout and aging while the Rams D is growing stronger and younger. RB Steven Jackson is poised for a breakout season and facing this Panthers defense will be a very tough test. Carolina must force turnovers, which was a rare occurrence last season, if it wants to take the Rams out of the game in front of their frenzied fans. EDDIE'S PICK - ST. LOUIS
• Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders - FOX, 4:15pm EST: Interesting match-up. The Raiders had the #1 passing defense last season and begin the 2007 season vs. a Detroit offense that has a potent trio of receivers. Oakland has named Josh McCown as the starting QB and he'll have a career day if Detroit's defense can't get to him before he picks apart a suspect secondary. The Lions' running attack will roll if the Raiders run defense stays as soft as it did last year. Mental toughness has been missing from Detroit and this road game in Raider Nation won't help. EDDIE'S PICK - OAKLAND
• Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers - FOX, 4:15pm EST: Based on their accomplishments last season and looking at their impressive combined 2006 records of 27-5, one could surmise that this will be a 5-star contest. More like a three. I don't see Chicago's offense finding much success vs. the very fast, head-pounding defense of San Diego. This may be instrumental in setting up this high-powered Chargers offense which will have it's hands full in getting by Chicago's defense no matter where they are on the field. Does defense still win games? We'll find out. EDDIE'S PICK - SAN DIEGO
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks - FOX, 4:15pm EST: The expectations aren't very high for the Bucs so this is a great opportunity to prove all the nay-sayers wrong and go into Seattle and come out with a victory. That will be much easier said than done since it's so hard to win at Qwest Field, but it will be closer to reality of Tampa's revamped defense can stifle Matt Hasselbeck and ground RB Shaun Alexander. Seattle's defense is still small but fast and shouldn't have trouble corralling RB Cadillac Williams and QB Jeff Garcia. This one just might be over by halftime. EDDIE'S PICK - SEATTLE
• NY Giants at Dallas Cowboys - NBC, 8:15pm EST: If there is a team that is on the verge of self-destructing, it's the boys from the Big Apple. After all the off-season bickering towards one another and coach Tom Coughlin combined with Michael Strahan's absence (until a few days ago), I can't think of a worse place to start the season than Texas Stadium. They have a new coach, scheme, and sense of purpose which will precipitate into a raucous atmosphere on national TV. There is a concern for Dallas on defense where they have some key players injured, but I really don't see it making a difference. EDDIE'S PICK - DALLAS
• Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals - ESPN, 7pm EST, MNF: There are concerns in Baltimore as they travel to Cincy and it's not the excessive police force on hand in case some of the Bengals players get unruly. Their offensive line has some age and unproven depth to help it create holes for RB Willis McGahee. If that proves to be an Achilles Heel for Baltimore, then they will have a hard time moving the ball consistently which keeps Cincy's offense on the field. If they can pound the ball early and start to wear down the Ravens suffocating defense, then they control the clock and the outcome of the game. EDDIE'S PICK - CINCINNATI
• Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers - ESPN, 10:15pm EST, MNF: This is the one big problem that I have with the NFL. In a move that is purely money-driven, there will now be two MNF games. If this time slot has a game go to overtime, then the East coast denizens can go get ready for work when it's over. In regards to the match-up, these are two teams that are rising to prominence slowly but surely. The air attack by Matt Leinart vs. a much-improved Niners secondary will be fun to watch, but I believe this will be decided by who has the least amount of turnovers. EDDIE'S PICK - ARIZONA