NFL Tickets Bring 5 Major Events

Every year in the NFL there are changes. Some seem monumental and end up negligible. Others seem negligible and end up monumental. Here are 5 I think will make a difference.

Chicago Bears get Jake Cutler - This still baffles me. I can't imagine letting Cutler go. The Denver Broncos have managed to creat an atmosphere of uncertainty and ineptitude right off the bat. For the Chicago Bears, they snapped at the chance because they needed a proven and improving quarterback with some consistency. Good deal for the Bears.

T.O. goes to Detroit - This I understand. Owens was always a pot stirrer even when he was on his best behavior. The Detroit Lions had to make a huge public relations move and herald the start of a new era at Ford Field. I think both are winners here.

Albert Haynsworth to the Redskins - This is a big loss for the Titans no doubt. Haynesworth is a force on the line. It's also a huge gamble for Washington. He's not known as the most motivated guy in the NFL and there's always some adjustment to a new system and new surroundings. With everone in Washington pumped about Haynesworth the stage is being set for grumbling if he doesn't perform at a Pro Bowl level.

Mark Sanchez to the New York Jets - When he announced for the draft there were critics crying that Mark Sanchez was not NFL ready. We should find out pretty quick. While New York Jets ticket holders hope to see the second coming of Matt Ryan they may see the return of Kellen Clemens more quickly than they would like.

Saints Tickets - Opening Day

I'll be the first one to admit that having Saints ticket for the regular season opener won't give ringside seats for an epic clash between two contenders. Hosting the Detroit Lions just doesn't carry that panache. However, I would like to point out that just being in the stands for a home opener is a great experience. It should also be a great opoortunity to see the Saints offense unleashed on an opponent. Drew Brees just killed the Lions last season at Ford Field, not being stopped on any third down plays for the entire game.

More importantly, the Saints defense has the chance to get off on the right foot without facing a major challenge. Just a little warmup game before they face the Philadelphia Eagles and a real offense. No offense to the Detroit Lions in these comments, it's just that they haven't proven anything to anyone in the NFL lately and they'll have to dish out some licks before they're taken seriously.

Detroit Lions Tickets - Upwardly Mobile (a little bonus thought)

The best thing about Detroit Lions tickets is that they have to get better. I don't expect the Lions to repeat an 0-16 season in 2009 and neither does anyone else. What everyone in the Motor City is hoping for is a Miami Dolphins like revival. After all, if the Dolphins can go from 1-15 to 11-5 and a division title who's to say Detroit can't do the same. Don't hold your breath but in the weeks preceeding and NFL season, hope is a good thing.

2009 Saints Tickets Hit the Spot

All 2009 New Orleans Saints tickets are sold out. Saints tickets have been selling out since the Superdome was re-opened after Katrina and I expect that to continue for the next few years. Why? Because as long as Drew Brees is around the Saints will be in every game and they'l be plenty of offense.
2009 Saints tickets have everything an NFL fan could ask for. First, there's the impetus of being an under achieving team for the past two years. While generating some bad feelings, it also creates an atmosphere of anticipation, as if everything Saints fans want is just within their grasp. Realistically, that's probably a justified feeling.
What kept the 2008 New Orleans Saints from a playoff spot? A bad defense and no big back. Talented as he is, Reggie Bush is no bruiser who will get the tough yards. Compounding the problem was a defense that gave up the big play in the secondary at crucial times on a madeningly consistent basis. Add them up and the Saints offense just couldn't score as many points as the defense could give up.
In 2009 Saints ticket holders can pin their hopes on improvement in those twpo crucial areas. The Saints defense should benefit from the health og Charles Grant and Will Smith, both of whom battled injury last season. In the secondary the Saints will be seeing some new faces. Jabari Greer will challenge for a starting spot at corner while 1st round draft choice Malcolm Jenkins seems like a lock on the other side. Darren Sharper, brought in as a free agent, will provide veteran experience at safety. Roman Harper, who was really coming on before being sidelined with injury, is also expected to be healthy.
On the offensive side of the ball there are also several factors playing into the excitement surrounding Saints tickets. Running back Pierre Thomas has bulked up in a big way. He should be able to carry the load in short yardage situations. With fullback Mike Karney being replaced by Heath Evans, Drew Brees has another weapon in the passing game. Yes, Reggie Bush will figure heavily in the Saints attack, but I'm thinking of him as more of a return man and pass catching threat than an every down back. On the other end of Brees' passes I believe Marques Colston and Lance Moore are will team up to be one of the best tandems in the NFL. Colston was hampered by injury last season but looked very good in mini-camp. For speed threats the Saints can feature Devery Henderson and former #1 pick Robert Meacham. Finally, Jeremy Shockey should benefit from being in the system for a full year and his recovery from a sports hernia. Add it all up and Saints ticket holders could see improvement in an already potent offense along with some defensive respectability.

Later we'll look at some of the Saints tickets drawing the most attention in 2009. There's some doozies.

Reggie Bush: Take the money and run?

Word is out now that Reggie Bush and his family MAY have accepted improper financial support from sports agents while at USC. Way to go, REGGIE! I think it's great. If the schools can make millions of dollars off the talent of student athletes why shouldn't the athletes scrape a little off the top? Let's get real. USC made millions off Bush. His agents will make millions off Bush. He's not the first or the last. Frankly, the guy has been good for New Orleans and will do more in the future. He seems to be a good guy with a genuine interest in not only playing well for his team and his city but helping out as much as he can with all the problems New Orleans is facing. I don't have a problem with his taking anything. (If he did)

Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Will Big Ben start? Does it make a difference? Maybe and yes. While Charlie Batch did a solid job against Miami the Steelers are definitely a better team with Roethlisberger. The Jaguars are without defensive end Reggie Hayward on their end. This is a Monday nght game for a reason. It's one of the top NFL games of the week. From my point of view I'm anxious to see Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich against the Steelers defense. Leftwich will have Fred Taylor to give him a running threat so I expect big things from him.

My prediction? The Jags deal Pittsburgh their first loss 21-17.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons certainly got off to a good start as they romped over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Two reasons were John Abraham and Patrick Kerney. Unfortunately for the Falcons they may not have these two defensive ends when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Chances are they’ll play. Bit with Abraham suffering from a groin injury and Kerney suffering from a triceps injury the question becomes: How effective can they be?

The next question is: How effective do they HAVE to be if Chris Simms plays as poorly as he did in the Buccaneers loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Simms threw three interceptions in the 27-0 loss. In his defense, the Baltimore Ravens defense looks even better than when they went to the Super Bowl. Atlanta won’t have that kind of D but still, they ain’t too shabby. History is on Tampa Bay’s side though as the Bucs have won three straight over the Falcons and are 9-2 over the last 11 games.

My prediction? The Bucs rebound and beat Atlanta 24-20.

NFC North

The Ravens beat hell out of the Bucs, the Steelers pulled out a win against Miami, and the Bengals beat up on the Chiefs. Keep an eye on this division as the year goes on. Key matchups will be the Steelers vs Cincinnati and anyone in the division against the Ravens. Speaking of the Ravens, their win over Tampa Bay surprised everyone. Can Baltimore's defense be that good. Let's hear some comments.

NFL Week 2 The Hottest NFL Tickets

There's some really big games in Week 2. Here's some of the hottest NFL games as I see them. Think I'm wrong? Comment. I'm not afraid to post another opinion. I love a good argument and am wrong often enough.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons - Was the win in Carolina just a fluke or can Atlanta dominate the NFC South?

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - The Giants need a win. This division is gonna be close.

New England Patriots at New York Jets - We'll find out if the Jets are for real. As for New England, expect some weaknesses to be exposed this week.

Washington at Dallas - I don't think the Redskins realistically have a chance but it's a great rivalry.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars - I think the Jags could pull this out. Maybe, I don't know, but maybe.

Saints vs Green Bay Preview

I wish I was a traveling man. I'd definitely be in Green Bay for the Saints game. What I think you're going to see is a Saints team working it's way back to respectability. The Saints put in a solid performance on Sunday against the Browns. Not a great performance but a solid performance for a team in the first stage of rebuilding. They've still got a long way to go. But at least they've got some attitude and starting the season off 2-0 would be a boost for the tough games down the road. new Orleans, a 3-13 team last year, somehow wound up with the 3rd toughest schedule in the NFL. What's up with that? Talk about bad timing. Anyway. I'll be looking to score some Saints tickets for the Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. Saints-Falcons is almost always a battle where you can throw away the records. It's a true rivalry. What worries me the most is the way Charlie Fry of the Browns ran on the Saints defense. Fry ain't half the runner Vick is and he burned the Saints with his legs more than once.

Anyway, back to the Saints at Green Bay. I think Brett Favre should have retired two years ago. Great QB, definitely NFL Hall of Fame material but a guy who's hung around Green Bay too long. All he's done is delay the inevitable ground up rebuilding job the Packers need desperately. It's time to put in Aaron Rogers and let the chips fall where they may. Bite the bullet and let the kid take his licks ala Manning in Indy. Green Bay would have been better off doing it last year. If Favre doesn't want to be a backup let him go to another team. Sorry Brett but this is the NFL and what you did in your career doesn't count. What can you do for me now is all that matters.

Chicago Bears vs Green Bay

I don't have a lot to say about this one. Chicago once again has a monster defense. Brett Favre should have retired or moved on. The Packers should be in full blown rebuilding mode but seem to be clingng to Favre as if he's 10 years younger. Let it go. Great player. great career. But it's all over now. Menwhile your Chicago Bears tickets will get you in to see another struggling team, the Detroit Lions, take on the Chcago defense in Week 2. But maybe Detroit isn't so bad. After all, they gave the Seahawks hell, losing on a last minute field goal. No, it can't be. The Lions respectable? Nah.

Baltimore Ravens vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

How long has it been since a Jon Gruden team got shut out? Man, I'd like to have been a fly on the wall in that locker room after the Baltimore Ravens handed the Buccaneers their heads 27-0 on Sunday at Tampa Bay. Another shocking outcome for me. Both my frontrunners in the NFC South blown away on one Sunday. Hey, that means the New Orleans Saints are tied for the lead in the NFC South. Seriously, this was a wakeup call for the rest of the NFL. The Ravens defense is back. Scarier still, Baltimore may have a QB to run their offense now. One that's not just a journeyman entruted not to screw things up. McNair went 17 of 27, no interceptions, 181 yards, and two touchdowns. Keep an eye out for the Ravens. They may be looking to punch out their Super Bowl tickets again.

Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons

I'm surprised. Maybe shocked at the outcome of this game. the Falcons came into the Panthers home field and blew away a team many have pegged as a Super Bowl contender. Warrick Dunn rushes for 132 yards, John Abraham has two sacks and creates two fumbles, and Michael Vick passes for two touchdowns. Where was the vaunted Panthers defense. I must confess I have the Panthers down as the favorite in the NFC South. A thoroughly untypical performance from a John Fox team. Maybe the Falcons are for real. Maybe the Panthers aren't. Maybe it's time to get Falcons tickets to see them take on Tampa Bay next week in the Georgia Dome.

Saints Tickets looking better

New Orleans Saints fans have to be happy with what they saw on Sunday. The Saints came out and whipped the Cleveland Brown 19-14. Most startling to me was the way the defense played. Heading into the season the Saints carried a legacy of terrible defensive play posted over the last three years. Sean Payton's unit looked fired up in Cleveland, stopping the browns running game and applying good pressure on Charlie Fry. Some key points for Saints ticket holders:

1) The debut of Reggie Bush went well. Bush was used all over the field and handled everything. While he did nothing spectacular, it's obvious that he's the real deal and fully capable of ranslating his talents into the NFL. It's just a matter of time before he breaks some long runs. His punt work eeds a lttle polish though. It's the one place where he didn't really seem to be comfortable.

2) Drew Brees made some nice plays but at times it seemed like the ball sailed on him. On the other hand his receivers (including Bush) dropped what looked like catcheable passes. The jury is still out but Brees did nothing terrible either. Hopefully he'll get better as his timing improves with his wide receivers.

3) I was happy to see Deuce McAllister back on the field. The most telling run of the day in his case came deep in Browns territory when he made a bruising run down close to the goal. The way he ran, legs pumping and earning extra yards after the catch tells me theirs a reall chance that's he's going to make a good recovery from his knee injury.

4) Safety Roman Harper made some nice plays, including a sack of Charlie ry late in the game that stopped a Browns drive. We can expect some mistakes from a Saints defense that's still young in some spots but the talent seems to be there.

5) My biggest concern coming into the esaon was linebacker. Scott Fujita established himself against the Cleveland Brown. The guy was a great pickup from Dallas.

6) Sean Payton made it clear from the very beginning that Reggie Bush was going to be a major part of the Saints offense. While some coaches may have tried to ease a rookie in, Payton threw Bush into the deep end and Bush responded.

This is only the first week of play for the New Orleans Sants and certain;y nobody's sayng that the Saints are going anywhere in the post-season. But you have to like the tone of the team's play in their first game. If the defense can improve on their play the Saints can do something. Offensively though, the Saints failed to score touchdowns early in the game, a failure that allowed Cleveland to stay in the game way too long. Doing that aginst better teams will breed a loss. Altogether, a satisfying start for Saints fans.

Next Up: The Green Bay Packers at Green Bay. Look for a preview in a day or two. If you like the way the Saints looked today you might want to land some Green Bay Packers tickets. Here's a couple of links to sites that had Packers tickets available last week. Better hurry though.

Gotickets.com
Celebrity Seats
Primeseatstickets.com