Manning joins rare company in Thursday night opener

by | Sep 6, 2013 | NFL Random Thoughts

Broncos fans have to be encouraged by the performance of Peyton Manning and the Denver offense, particularly in the second half of the opener Thursday night. Manning joined rare company in having thrown for seven touchdowns in a game – only five others have accomplished that feat.

Manning had closed in on the mark twice previously, tossing six TDs against Detroit in 2004 and against New Orleans in 2003 (Marvin Harrison benefited to the tune of six touchdowns combined in those two performances). But last night he joined the likes of George Blanda, Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, Y. A. Tittle and Joe Kapp.

I don’t think much should be drawn on the second-half collapse as far as Baltimore is concerned. They’re generally a fundamentally sound team and they appeared to run into a buzz saw last night. The Ravens have work to do, but that is still a talented team that will win a fair number of games before it is said and done.

But Manning is currently on pace to throw for 112 touchdowns on the season. That’s obviously an unattainable number. But a year more recovered from his neck injury, Manning looks like he’s got a shot to compete for the league MVP award again this season — he finished second to Adrian Peterson — who is chasing his own (probably) unattainable goal of 2500 yards rushing this season in Minnesota.

So what are your reactions to Manning’s start? And how many touchdowns do you think he will end up with this season? Share your thoughts in the comment below and vote in the poll as well.

With 7 TDs in the opener, Peyton Manning is on pace to throw 112 for the season. How many do you think he will end up with?

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NFL Picks 2013: Week 1

by | Sep 3, 2013 | 2013 season, NFL Picks

Here we are, folks. Kickoff for opening night is a mere two days away. It seems like just yesterday we were watching the lightsweekly-picks go out in the Superdome while Baltimore was taking down San Francisco to win a second Vince Lombardi trophy … well, okay. Not like yesterday. Let’s be honest. Life just isn’t the same during the offseason – it feels like an eternity since the last real football was played.

But that ends soon.

This is the third year in a row we’ll be doing a season’s worth of picks. Last year we invited some guest bloggers to join us. This year, we’ve got some new faces joining the Zoneblitz team. You’ve been reading Anthony Maggio’s fantasy football advice here now for a couple months. Rich Larson contributed to our season previews. Both will also be making weekly picks.

To review, I’ve gotten the best of my brother two years running. In 2011, I came on strong in week 17, going 12-4 to hold off Tony, who finished 10-6. So I went 172-84 for the season and he went 169-87. Last year we slid just a bit. Tony dropped to 161-94-1. He did lead the picks competition through week 16, but a 27-5 run in the last two weeks allowed me to overtake him with a 166-89-1 mark.

Overall, I’d say we haven’t embarrassed ourselves too badly at picking these games. I’ve hit at a 66.1 percent clip while Tony has been correct 64.6 percent of the time. We’ll see if the new guys can keep pace with us. (more…)

ZB NFL Preview 2013: NFC West

by | Aug 31, 2013 | 2013 season

San Francisco has a Super Bowl appearance and an NFC Championship game appearance to show for the last two seasons. By the end of 2012, however, Seattle may have been playing the better football. St. Louis had a win and a tie against the 49ers last year and most experts think only quarterback play held Arizona back from being just as competitive. The NFC West is simply stacked. The top two teams are young and talented – possibly the best in football. The only thing preventing St. Louis and Arizona from contending for potential playoff spots is their unfortunate placement in this division. The West will be playing some Must Watch football over the next few months. (more…)

Catch Maggio on Fantasy Football Sunday

by | Aug 30, 2013 | Fantasy Football

There’s a lot of injury news to catch up on before week three games start this afternoon. Don’t miss Anthony Maggio on the radio this morning giving his last minute advice on 1500 ESPN’s Fantasy Football Sunday.1500ESPN_logo_stacked

The show runs a half hour from 9-9:30 a.m. this week. You can get the live stream here. You can also reach him via twitter at: #1500blitz or email questions to maggio@zoneblitz.com.

 

ZB NFL Preview 2013: AFC East

by | Aug 30, 2013 | 2013 season

The AFC East has been New England and everybody else for more than a decade. The Patriots had a tough offseason, losing players to injury, free agency, incarceration and who knows what else. But Bill Belichick and crew remain the class of the division, at least for one more year. Miami and Buffalo appear to be headed in the right direction, but neither team has solved all of its problems. And the Jets … well, the Jets have a long way to go to get back to being the team that just a few years ago went to back-to-back AFC Championship games. (more…)