Hondo rallied from a 3-7 start and escaped Week 1 with a solid 8-8 record, leaving him well positioned in the muddle in the middle.
“Forward,” says Obama. Upward, says Hondo.
Giants over Buccaneers: Tommy Tightbutt had a strong message for his Giants this week after their lackluster opening game: Wake up! Coincidentally, that’s the exact same message Mike Francesa heard from his staffers Wednesday when he conked out on the air.
Though it looked like Francesa was sleeping, there’s a distinct possibility he wasn’t. He may have just been working intently on his next lesson plans for weekly guests Joe Girardi and Eli Manning.
Steelers over Jets: Rex says he has had it with the Jets’ portrayal as a circus act, which he claims is a media creation. Nevertheless, upon further review, it wasn’t the media that delivered all of the empty guarantees, or flipped the bird to fight fans in Miami or brought in a guy with 10 kids by eight women in six states, or promised a trip to the White House or played the role of “Cop With A Foot Fetish” on YouTube, etc.
The Jets saying they don’t want to be looked at as a circus is like Joe “The Gaffe Machine” Biden saying he doesn’t think he should be viewed as a gaffe machine.
This just in: Tim Tebow will not be flying on the team charter to Pittsburgh, opting instead to go by himself on a Virgin Airlines flight.
According to emauler Ed Buckmir, Tebow will attempt to outdo last year’s shocking playoff win over the Steelers by walking on all three rivers while visiting Pittsburgh this weekend.
Patriots over Cardinals: There’s a new prayer chain going around this week from Gisele Bundchen: Pray for Tommy’s nose.
Colts over Vikings: Luck be a loser last week with three picks against the Bears. If Indianapolis manages to win or even cover here, Hondo will refrain from surmising that RG3 would have been a better first pick than AL1.
Panthers over Saints: Jamie Kuntz, an injured defensive player for North Dakota State College of Sciences, reportedly was kicked off the team after he was caught kissing his 65-year-old boyfriend in the press box at a game in Colorado. The lovey-dovey linebacker originally tried to lie his way out of it by claiming he was kissing his grandfather, as if the coach was going to say: “Oh, that was grandpa you were making out with? OK, no biggie, see you at practice.”
Bills over Chiefs: Always go with the homies in a double-reek game like this. The crowd tends to help them rise above their stench.
Ravens over Eagles: It’s hard to get behind injury–prone Mike Vick when he throws four picks in Week 1 against the lowly Browns. Maybe he gets the benefit of the doubt because he was shook up by the Dawg Pound, but that’s negated by the fact this is a Tom V SuperSystem game (visiting pooch getting less than 3).
Raiders over Dolphins: How about a big HondoNation round of applause for BarkingMut’s opening woof: Obama claims he is too busy to meet Israeli PM Netanyahu in late September, pointing to a jammed schedule that day that includes 18 holes of golf, playing some hoops, studying up for his Final Four picks next March and planning his Christmas vacation in Maui.
Browns over Bengals: Obama reportedly doesn’t have the time (or interest) to attend daily intelligence briefings, but nevertheless he was able to work in an interview this week with DJ Laz — aka The Pimp With The Limp — on 106.7 FM in Miami. Here’s a thought: Maybe the CIA, FBI and other agencies should give their intel to The Pimp With The Limp, and then he can pass it on to Barack.
Jaguars over Texans: Hondo watched as much as he could stand last weekend of MSNBC’s re-airing of “Barack Obama: Making History,” with gushing narration by Chris “Tingle Leg” Matthews. Then again, if you like a slobbering documentary that’s well-varnished with all warts removed, it might be for you.
Cowboys over Seahawks: Buckmir bonus — It was heartening to see the Dems feature a video tribute of Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton’s speech on a night dedicated to women’s issues. The only thing missing was Anthony “Ridiculous Bulge” Weiner addressing the convention on the importance of reaching out to female voters via social media.
Rams over Redskins: Watching Ex-Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm make her crazed, Howard Dean-like speech at the ’Crats convention, it occurred to Hondo that before making her next public speaking engagement she might want to borrow some Ambien from Brokaw or Kerry Kennedy.
Chargers over Titans: Congrats to David Letterman for being named as a recipient of a 2012 Kennedy Center Award “for exemplary lifetime achievement in the performing arts.” Sucking up to the Obamas every chance he gets probably didn’t hurt either.
According to a Kennedy Center press release: “David Letterman is one of the most influential personalities in the history of television, entertaining an entire generation of late-night viewers with his unconventional wit and charm.” And let’s not forget the tireless work Dirty Dave did over the years with young female staffers on the Late Night Intern Love Couch.
49ers over Lions: Jim Harbaugh’s gloating, back-slapping, hearty handshake might upstage the game.
Broncos over Falcons: Last week’s Broncos-Steelers Sunday nighter was the highest rated prime-time game in 15 years. Industry analysts point to the return of Peyton Manning as well as the residual effect of the continued absence of Keith “Gasbag” Olbermann, aka Uberdork, from the NBC telecast.
BEST BETS: Cowboys, Chargers, 49ers
LAST NIGHT: Packers (W)
hondo@nypost.com