Benster and D Pick Your Games---Malik Willis Saved The Season Edition

I never thought that I would be saying this a couple of weeks ago, but Malik Willis has done a superb job holding down the fort after J Love went down. You really love to see it.

It's a surprise. I didn't think about Malik Willis at all until a month ago. But yes, things would look a lot worse without him.

I've also noticed that the Vikings enablers on KFAN are starting to plan their trip to New Orleans. As much as I would mock them, they do have reasons to be very happy. 

It's the circle of life. Vikings start winning and their fans start believing. And then they get crushed. The only question is when.

I am ready to pick some games and feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! Watch me work.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (+10.5) vs. Michigan Hail to the Cheaters Valiant So, PJ has some explaining to do after what happened last weekend against the Iowans. PJ fell into the same trap that Fickell did a year ago where he let Iowa get ahead, and then couldn't force the Hawkeyes to pass their way back into the game. It seems like PJ is losing a bunch of support among the Gopher fans. Michigan hasn't looked great, but they are at home. This game will be an ugly rivalry game loss for the Gophers. Hail Hail To Michigan The Cheaters and the Best 35, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 14.

Peej's act is starting to grow stale. I don't know that Michigan is that great, but they are certainly good enough to win against the Gophers in Ann Arbor. Michigan 41, Gophers 21.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (+14.5) vs. USC Trojans Yes, the Badgers are playing a Big Ten conference game against USC in the LA Coliseum. Conference realignment has gotten out of control, but that is another discussion for another day. USC lost their first Big Ten game against Michigan last week in a tough one. The good news for Badger fans after the beatdown by Alabama two weeks ago is that at least Locke has won on the road in conference play. What concerns me is that Phil Longo seems to be intent on forcing the Badgers to play a scheme that he wants instead of fitting to what he has, and that is an indictment on Fickell. This won't be easy, but a good way for the Badgers to show that they aren't afraid of the new Big Ten would be to get a win this week. Badgers 21, USC 14.

It would be a good way to show that, but it's not likely to happen. Trojans 34, Badgers 17.

Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers I certainly will admit that I didn't see the Vikings being 3-0 coming, and even the most ardent Vikings fans would have struggled to believe that. But to their credit, the Vikings impressively beat two Super Bowl contenders back to back, and are deserving of their praise. But the Packers are also deserving of praise. I will admit that the season looked lost after the trip to Brazil. Thankfully, the Packers were able to win two games and give me the confidence that even with the chance of no Love, they have a chance. What is going to be the key to me for the Packers is that if they can get out and score early and force the Vikings to play from behind. They haven't done it outside of 5 snaps this year. Packers 35, Vikings 24.

That's the formula. You have to make the Vikings defend the run. They've done a pretty good job of it thus far. The Packers have the home field advantage, but it's a Milwaukee game which usually means a lot of visiting fans find their way in, so I expect more than a smattering of purple at Lambeau. The team that does a better job of rushing the passer wins this game. Packers 28, Vikings 26.

Enjoy your football this week. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Malik Willis Is Outplaying Caleb Williams Edition

 Malik Willis, I really like you. You did everything you were asked to do, and I think that should you get the nod ahead of J Love, you will do well again. 

He did exactly what he needed to do and nothing more. He gave the Packers the chance to win, and that's what they did. It was an excellent performance.

The fact that Malik Willis is outplaying Caleb Williams is hilarious. You really hate to see it. My issue with Caleb isn't that he is talented. What gives me concern about him is that similar to Justin Fields, Caleb played on teams in college with a decided talent advantage over pretty much all of their opponents. When Caleb got in trouble in college, he could use his superior talent to get out of trouble. That won't work in the NFL. 

It is exceptionally difficult to have success as a rookie quarterback in the NFL, especially with a terrible offensive line. The Bears have been ruining quarterbacks for 70 years now. Past is not necessarily prologue, but you can't like the trendline at the moment. But it's the Bears, so well, oh darn or something.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work. 

Iowa Hawkeyes (-2.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat Ah, the Floyd of Rosedale game. As a Wisconsin fan, I wish that both of these teams could lose. While I can't use the PJ can't beat Iowa stat anymore, PJ has never beaten Iowa at home. In fact, when you look at the Gopher record in rivalry games, PJ has beaten the Badgers twice in Madison and won last fall in Iowa City. But he hasn't beaten the Hawkeyes here, and beat the Badgers once here. This game is going to be run heavy given the offensive styles of the two coaches, and should be a tight game. I like Minnesota to win because they have looked good, and I believe that Brosmer has been impressive from what I have seen.  Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 21, Iowans 14.

It's not Rhode Island on the other sideline, nor is it Nevada. It's Iowa. Can the Gophers win? Sure. But there's a reason why they are a road dog. Iowa has the resume and the defense to be in every game. And the Gophers haven't proven that yet. Hawkeyes 17, Gophers 14.

Houston Texans (-1.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings Frankly, the Vikings looked really good against the Niners last week. Sam Darnold in particular looks a lot more comfortable now that he has an actual competent organization around him instead of the Panthers mess under Tepper and Adam Gase's offensive genius. Now, Houston isn't going to be an easy opponent. The Texans are the NFL offseason media darlings, and I like what they did to surround Stroud with talent. But I think that the Vikings can have another great performance this week. Don't be surprised if the Vikings pull another upset. Vikings 41, Texans 0.

I can't count the Vikings out - they are playing very well. I do think C. J. Stroud is a better quarterback than the overhyped Brock Purdy, however. And I get the sense that Stephon Diggs will have something to prove. Should be a dandy. Texans 28, Vikings 26.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+2.5) vs. Tennessee Titans Malik Willis gave the Packers the victory without J Love; that was what I wanted, and he looked pretty good. There are reports that Jordan Love might be cleared, but to be honest I would rather give him another week to get healthy for the Vikings. Willis knows the Titans well, and this would be an ideal game for him to show them how wrong they are. The Packers have never won in Nashville. But streaks are meant to be broken. Packers 31, Titans 15.

If Josh Jacobs can run on the Titans the way he ran on the Colts, the Packers win. Packers 24, Titans 19.

Enjoy your football this week. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Thank God That Jordan Is Okay Edition

 That sound that you heard on Friday night was every single Packers fan screaming things I can't repeat on a family blog post. Thank goodness that J Love is going to come back fairly soon.

Yep, Anglo-Saxon words were flying, but the prognosis is good.

Also, the NFL should be ashamed about how that field turned out. Guys were slipping and sliding all over the place. I know that the NFL is full of greedy owners, but my advice to the NFL higher ups is to make sure that you are putting out a good product. That starts with the field.

Also true. Soccer pitches are maintained differently and it's tough for big dudes to keep their footing. We saw a lot of issues with that on Friday. But it's a new week.

I am feeling the HYYYYYPPPEEE and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Nevada Wolfpack (+17.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat The Gophers ended up comfortably winning against Rhode Island, and are going to step up in class. Nevada is a solid team, though I wonder about how focused they are given the news that Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State are all leaving the Mountain West to join Washington State and Oregon State in the Pac 12. Nevada could be left behind, and somewhere Karl Benson is smiling. For those not in the know, Benson was the former commissioner back when the WAC was torn apart in the 2010 realignment round. Nevada was one of the teams that left the WAC around that time. The Gophers should win this game, though I think that Nevada keeps it fairly close. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 37, Wolfpack 23.

The arcana of conference realignment is increasingly more difficult to keep straight. What happens on the field is a larger concern at this point. The Gophers have the makings of a decent team, but this week will tell us a lot about their progress. Gophers 28, Nevada 20.

Alabama Crimson Tide (-16.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers This is the first in a home and home series that I have been looking forward to for years. Nick Saban was so scared of coming back to Camp Randall that he up and retired. Obviously that is a joke, but one that I had to put out there. I'm not going to lie, Wisconsin has looked shaky. But the thing is, Alabama didn't look great last week against USF at home. I keep hearing how Wisconsin has been holding stuff back to avoid giving Kalen DeBoer a lot of tape. So why not show what you are saving it for. I would like to see the shackles come off the offense, and for the Badgers to be a bit more aggressive with blitzing against an offensive line that has Tide fans concerned. This won't be easy, especially since Jalen Milroe is a very good quarterback. However, there are 3 factors that give the Badgers an edge. First, this game is in Madison and will have an electric atmosphere. Second, when the Badgers played Alabama back in 2015 in Jerry World, the Badgers hung on into the 3rd quarter before arguably the best Alabama team under Saban took control of the game. Third, all of the pressure is on the Tide. If they lose to a Wisconsin team that isn't among the favorites in the Big Ten, then that makes the SEC and their media enablers look terrible. Wisconsin 35, The Crimson Tide Of Alabama 13.

All of that may be true, but the Badgers aren't that good. Alabama has superior athletes and swagger galore. Camp Randall is a great atmosphere for football, but it's really not an intimidating venue in the way Ohio Stadium or Beaver Stadium is, or even Kinnick. I do think the Badgers will give a good accounting, but it's not going to be enough. Tide 35, Badgers 24.

San Francisco 49ers (-5.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings I'll say this about the Vikings, they looked pretty good last week in the Meadowlands. It may be that the Giants are a terrible team, but the Vikings did what they had to do. The Niners are going to be a tough out, especially since this might be their last chance before they have to choose between paying Brock Purdy 60 million a year or his supporting cast and going back into the quarterback store. If McCaffery plays at close to full health, then the Niners win comfortably. However, the Niners lost to the Vikings a year ago, and this is a cross country trip on a short week. I like the Vikings to pull this one off. Vikings 43, Niners 42.

Plausible result, except for the score. I see it being much more of a defensive battle, especially if the Niners don't have CMC available. Fun fact - the 49ers haven't won in Minnesota since 1992. Vikings 24, 49ers 23.

Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers So the Packers were looking at a bad scenario even before J Love went down, but thankfully he is going to be okay. I would not play J Love this week even if he is cleared, though that is just me. Malik Willis has had his share of critics, but he looked pretty good in the preseason and he is familiar with the Colts from his time with the Titans. I look for the Packers to use Willis in the run game, and for a lot of short stuff. As for the Colts, it's hard to get a read on Anthony Richardson. He looked pretty good before he went down, and the Colts are hoping that he can get close to the great quarterback play they have had in the past. It's going to be strange to cheer against Jonathan Taylor given that he is a Badger. What I am hoping for is that the Packers can steal 1 or 2 games while J Love is on the sidelines. Packers 14, Colts 0.

I'm hoping so, too. I think this one is winnable even with Willis at the helm. The Colts are a middle of the pack team playing on the road. They could surprise folks, but in the end I think the Packers can figure out how to put Willis in a position to succeed. Packers 24, Colts 17.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games------We Didn't Get Sued By Florida State Edition

 Old dude, it's good to be back for a 16th year. That is really impressive. And we still have----wait, I have just been handed notice that I am being sued by Florida State for joking about their lawyers. 

Is it a bald guy with a beard? Is he on a lot of billboards?

Maybe it's that guy pretending to be Johnny Manziel. 

I can't rule it out, but I'd sure want to.

Meanwhile, the questions linger for the Vikings and the Packers for different reasons. We are about to find out what is in store for them, as well as the Badger and Gophers the rest of the way. I am feeling the HYYYYPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work. 

Rhode Island Rams (NL) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat 17 of the 18 Big Ten teams happened to win last week. The Gophers were the only ones to lose, and are the first team ever to be 18th in the Big Ten standings. You really hate to see it. While I thought that Max Brosmer played pretty well, PJ made an inexplicable decision to rely on a field goal to win the game instead of trusting the transfer QB that the Gopher fans were hyping up as more talented than Tanner Morgan. That's not even mentioning that PJ chose to line the ball up on the hash mark that his kicker missed from earlier in the game. The natives are rightly upset at PJ, and they can't say that I didn't warn him. Rhode Island isn't a great FCS team. The Gophers should win this one comfortably. If they don't win comfortably, then the boat is rowing into troubled waters. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 27, Rhode Island 10.

Rhode Island, you say? I guess Maine was unavailable. Gophers should roll. Gophers 34, Rhode Island 7

South Dakota Coyotes (NL) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers I was not impressed with what I saw from the Badgers, as they were close to disaster last week against Western Michigan. TVD wasn't horrible, but the ease in which the front 7 were beaten is alarming. Where is the pass rush? The early signs on Alex Grinch aren't good, and makes me wonder what in the world Fickell saw with his coordinators. I would like to see the Badgers be more explosive against South Dakota, and show some more of what the offense is. Sleepwalking because you are worried about Alabama almost got them in trouble. I think that they are going to learn their lesson. Badgers 45, Coyotes 19.

I hope they've learned their lesson. Or perhaps they're just not very good? South Dakota is a sneaky good team and they won't be easy. I think Bucky wins on sheer size, but the Coyotes won't make it easy. Badgers 31, South Dakota 17.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+2) vs. Philadelphia Eagles, in Brazil First of all, why in the world are you putting my Packers on Peacock? It's bad enough that Comcast screwed over me watching the Twins this year, but now you are doing it to the Pack? I got some serious issues with Comcast. The Packers did the right thing in getting Jordan paid, and I understand why the cost is high. The Eagles are coming off a brutal collapse, and could be run out of town by the angry Philly fans if they blow it again. This won't be easy, as the Eagles defense looks like they are going to be retooled, and the Packers aren't going to sneak up on people anymore. I think that the Packers are going to win a shootout. That would help me because I have Hurts and AJ Brown in fantasy. Packers 42, Eagles 31.

I have no idea on this one, mostly because I don't know who the Eagles are at this point. They have a talented roster but they were really dysfunctional down the stretch last year. I will pick the Packers, but again, not an easy one. Packers 28, Eagles 26.

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) vs. New York Football Giants The Vikings had the offseason that made news for all of the wrong reasons. The tragic death of Khyree Jackson before he got to play a down of football was a horrible piece of news, and may his family and friends find some comfort. It didn't help that Jordan Addison decided to drive drunk soon after his teammate was killed by a drunk driver was a horrible decision. And most frustratingly of all, JJ McCarthy will not play a down after suffering an injury in training camp. So, what does that mean for the Vikings? I think that Sam Darnold is going to be fine, and certainly having the Griddy Man stick around will help him. The biggest concern I have about the Vikings is that should Dallas Turner and JJ McCarthy not perform well in the next couple of years, then you have to consider cleaning house. The Giants are a strange team. I don't know how good they are, but they seem to be trending in a decent direction. But I think that the Vikings are going to go into the Meadowlands and take a victory to start the year off on a high note. Vikings 28, Giants 24.

Sam Darnold vs. Danny Dimes. It's a marketing opportunity for the ages. The Dark Ages, that is. I like the Vikings here as well. Vikings 21, Giants 17.

Enjoy your football this week. Ben out.