Loyal readers rejoice, “Wet the Beak” is back with a vengeance. We took our lumps in the college game last week, but week one of the NFL was the cure. The Atraincorp Syndicate went 7-1 with our 8 NFL bets. My buddy PBM went 5-1 in his picks.

We both got the same game wrong Jags (-3) @ NY Giants and I don’t even feel bad about that game the final score was 20-15 with the Giants coming up just centimeters on a 2pt conversion that would have given us a push. My take away from that game is that the Jags still have a very solid defense, Bortles does a good job as a game manager and Eli Manning is close to being done. As good as Saquon Barkley is, and he is very good, I think the Giants might regret not taking Sam Darnold. Eli has this season and then at the most one more before he’s washed completely.

Winners Recap:

Pitt -4.5 @ Cleveland: We got the rare NFL tie football game 21-21. That’s a win if you bet the underdog Browns who honestly blew several chances to win outright. The only thing that sucks about this tie is the fact it does nothing to help our Brown over 5.5 wins bet, which makes me remember how much Vegas loves ties. My takeaways are that the Browns and Steelers talent level is very close but coaching still favors the Steelers. Tyrod will be a fine QB who is an even better fantasy QB because of his running ability. Josh Gordon looks like he’s still got the big play ability we remember.

San Fran +6.5 @ Minnesota: We had this pegged, San Fran did score a low number and Minnesota did cover 24-16. Just as I thought Jimmy G got rattled in a hostile environment vs a very good defense. My takeaways are you still need to wait on Jimmy G to see what kind of player he is and Minnesota is great but Cousins isn’t THAT much of an upgrade over Case Keenum.

Buffalo +7.5 @ Baltimore: Also had this pegged, this was a lock. I hate to throw that word out because I feel like it jinx’s me…but LOCK city. Nathan Peterman is a trash QB and on the road, he’s even worse. They can’t block for him. When a bad QB gets no blocking, the team loses and loses big. Will Vegas get the memo and start buffing the bill’s point-spreads? No real takeaways as I did not feel the need to watch any of this game.

Dallas +3 @ Carolina: This line had us scratching our heads, then I remembered the Cowboys have a gigantic fanbase of idiots who like to gamble and it all made sense. Our fade the Cowboys strategy worked, let’s see if Vegas makes an adjustment. This game wasn’t as close as a 16-8 final would have you believe.

Bears +7.5 @ Green Bay: Chicago should have won outright, I just hope this isn’t the loss that keeps them out of the playoffs. 24-23 is a real gut punch when you were up 20 points. The defense is for real, Mitch Trubisky needs work but he can manage this team to the playoffs in 2018. I have faith. I would like to see him look a little less rattled at times…more like a Sam Darnold.

Jets +6.5 @ Detroit: I was a little worried after Darnold threw a pick 6 on his first NFL pass. My faith in the Jets looked to be built on shaky ground. Then Darnold calmed down and showed the cool demeanor that gave me faith in him in the first place. He’s a puppy for sure, but he’s got those big paws that tell you the future is bright. In his first start, Darnold showed me he has all the tools to be a franchise guy.

Rams -4.5 @ Oakland: Early on I was a tiny bit worried but then the Rams showed the talent disparity between the two teams. Todd Gurley is the best RB in the NFL. The Rams run a 3 WR set with Woods, Kupp and Cooks almost exclusively and it seems to work for them. The Oakland under 8 wins off to a good start.

Okay, what were some of the other things I was looking for:

Pat Mahomes Eye Test: He passed it and the hype is real. The Bears traded up from #3 to #2 to draft Trubisky when Mahomes and Watson were still readily available. I’ll be watching the careers of these three guys very closely. I feel better about KC than I did before, they should be a playoff team.

Saquon Barkley Gamebreaker Test: He passed it by scoring a 68 yard TD vs one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

Andrew Luck is Back Test: He made all the throws, passed with flying colors, the rest of his team is not very good.

Is Sam Bradford still an NFL Players test: Fail Fail Fail. Sam Bradford is beyond a washed up QB, he’s a giant pussy who seems to be scared of his own shadow. My teenage girl cousins could tackle him. Arizona needs to put in Rosen like yesterday.

How much will Case Keenum improve the Broncos test: He makes them a real team. Manny Sanders is gonna feast with Case Keenum at QB, why didn’t I draft him in Fantasy Football? I don’t know if the Broncos will make the playoffs in a tough division but they will be a tough out every week. They have the talent to contend for a playoff spot.

Teams, I didn’t learn much about: Seahawks and Texans. I don’t know what to make of these teams. I need another week to watch them play. @Denver and @New England are tough ways to start the season. The Seahawks play Monday Night in Chicago, neither team will want to start 0-2 in that one.

More Football to Come, Stay Tuned on Atrainsports.com

-Atrain Out