This could’ve been the year for so many teams out in the west.

It was one more chance for Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren to gracefully ride off into the sunset after a playoff appearance. It was a fresh start for Raiders coach Lane Kiffin who acquired college sensation Darren McFadden in the draft. It was Mike Nolan’s time to finally get his 49ers over .500 and back to glory.

This list goes on and on for almost all eight of our teams in this focus (Arizona, Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis). Yet the sad reality is that, although the talent level may not have dropped, the efficiency in winning games has fallen substantially. Read more »

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush will reportedly miss the next 2-to-4 weeks with a torn meniscus in his left knee, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Bush had missed practice time this week with swelling in the same knee, then left the Saints’ 30-7 loss to Carolina when he injured it on a punt return.

Needless to say, Bush’s absence from both the Saints’ and fantasy teams’ lineups will hurt. Entering the week, he led the NFL with eight touchdowns and was a force in PPR leagues with 42 catches. While he struggled to move the ball on the ground — he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry — Bush was the league’s only player to score at least one rushing, receiving and return touchdown. Read more »

Let’s be honest. The Kansas City Chiefs are going in one direction, and star running back Larry Johnson is going in another. That’s especially true this weekend, when the Chiefs head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Tennessee Titans while Johnson sits at home and serves a one-game suspension for violating team rules.

Rebuilding is an awkward time for veterans like Johnson and tight end Tony Gonzalez. They are big parts of the organization’s past, but are gradually being phased out of future plans. Johnson hasn’t made life any easier by showing hostility and lashing out at team management. It’s only a matter of time before he and the organization head for a messy split. Read more »

Plaxico Burress is a bad dude, in more ways than one. We’ve known for a while, dating back to his days with the Steelers and at Michigan State, that Burress has his share of shortcomings as a human being. Unfortunately for the rest of the National Football League, we’ve also known just how big a force he is on the football field.

Lots of dirt is being dug up on Burress after the Giants announced a two-week suspension for him Wednesday. The first week is a bye for the Giants, but the second is a road contest Burress will miss at Seattle. All told, the suspension will cost Burress $230,000 in salary, the New York Post reported.

The suspension came down after Burress failed to report for Monday and Tuesday team meetings and workouts, according to the Post. Read more »

We’re in a tough spot with our morals here. We don’t condone gambling on football, if anything because all the fun of an NFL Sunday will turn into torture, but we like the challenge of picking against point spreads. Hammerin’ Hank Goldberg can eat his heart out, as we unleash resident gamer Raisin’ Brant Nelson on this week’s slate of games.

Buffalo is among the teams we like to take care of business, traveling to Jacksonville in one of the weekend’s most intriguing games. On the flip side, Kansas City and Oakland couldn’t get any less intriguing, but the host Chiefs are a good pick against the hapless Raiders. Check out where the rest of the winners are in the Week 2 edition of Raisin’ Brant. Read more »