Thursday, October 28, 2010

NFL Picks: Week 8

Another banner week for me last week in picking games. Not. I'm now hovering around 50%. Yikes. Well..... if you fall off the horse, just get right b.......ah hell, ...here's the picks:

Redskins over the Lions. Stafford's back but won't he be rusty?

Cowboys over the Jags. All Doom and Gloom in Cowboy Country. Hey, John Kitna has played some decent QB in this league before. Maybe he'll channel his 2003 season. (3,500 yards 26 TDs).

Bengals over the Dolphins. There is no reason to pick Cincy over Miami. Except they're home and maybe they'll finally play like their preseason hype.

Chiefs over the Bills. It's been written about a ton this week, but Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has a pretty good passer rating at this point. Yay. Buffalo is saved. How about we wait a few weeks to see where that rating goes. And how long does Fitzpatrick have to be in the league before they stop referring to him as the Harvard guy? That's almost an indictment in the NFL ----I like the Chiefs. Two of the most underrated runners in the NFL: Thomas Jones and Jaamal Charles.

Rams over the Panthers. What happened to my Rams last week? Awesome first half. Crappy 2nd half. They have to win those games.

49ers over the Broncos. I thought Troy Smith was a decent backup in Baltimore. Reports have him starting for the 49ers this week. How bad must David Carr suck? Stick a fork in his career. He's done. I like Alex Smith but it would be quite the story if the other Smith (Troy) came out, played well, and snatched the starting job.

Jets over the Packers--Just not sure the undisciplined Pack can deal with the Jets Defense.

Chargers over the Titans---Speaking of lacking some discipline.....the Chargers need a new coach but I think they will still pull it together in time for this week's game against a legitimate playoff contender.

Bucs over the Cardinals ---I hope the result is opposite of this with Max Hall playing better. But maybe Tampa has something we're missing. Their coach thinks they're awesome. Which is awesome in a self delusional sort of way.

Pats over the Vikings --a Superbowl contender against a Superbowl pretender.

Seahawks over the Raiders. Mcfadden is starting to live up to his promise. He's averaging over 5 yards a carry. The Raiders are not a total joke this year. Considering that Al Davis is apparently alive that's kind of weird.

Steelers over the Saints. I want to say the Saints, but the Steelers have been too good this season. Damn them.

Colts over the Texans. Manning is shorthanded and he and the Colts got punched by the Texans last time they met. They usually play well at home though and Manning sometimes can just will a win or two on his own.



Last Week: 5-9
Overall: 51-52

Friday, October 22, 2010

NFL Picks: Week 7

Eagles over the Titans. Because the Titans QBs are banged up.

Chiefs over the Jags. Jacksonville is the definition of a mediocre team. Del Rio has never committed to improving the offense. It's a problem I think with some ex defensive players turned coaches. They think a running game and some good defense is good enough. This ain't 2000 and the Ravens aren't walking through that door.

Ravens over the Bills. This week would be a good one for Harbough to take the training wheels off for Flacco. Let the kid throw the ball coach.

Saints over the Browns. McCoy survived the Steelers and now he gets the Saints. Brees could teach him a bit about being an undersized QB in the league.

Bears over the Redskins.

Falcons over the Bengals. This will be the week the Bengals will probably wake up. But they are in Atlanta so I'm going with the home team.

Dolphins over the Steelers. Not sure if picking against the Steelers right now is smart but the Dolphins surprise people now and then.

Rams over the Bucs. More Bradford. I like him a lot.

Cards over the Seahawks.

Pats over the Chargers. Chargers are essentially eliminated from the playoffs with the loss.
Bold
Broncos over the Raiders.

Packers over the Vikes. This will be Rodgers revenge.

Cowboys over the Giants.

49ers over the Pathers. 2 in a row for San Fran would be a real accomplishment.


Last week: 10-4
Overall: 46-43

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

NFL Picks: Week 6

Giants over the Lions. Ok Detroit, so you took my Rams down last week. Big deal. ........Actually, any win for Detroit is always a big deal. Ditto for the Rams. Damn you Detroit, 3 in a row would have been great for St. Louis. The Detroit back-up QB was pretty good last week but that doesn't mean San Fran was wrong to choose Alex Smith over Hill. Smith may be headed for backup status soon but solid 2nd fiddle is all Hill will ever be.

Meanwhile in New Jersey, the Giants are playing better after a rough start and their defense looks awesome again. If they play at all up to their potential they should beat the Lions by at least 10 pts.

Saints over the Bucs. The Saints are surprisingly disappointing without Reggie Bush in their offense. Still, we are only 5 weeks in and there is no reason to panic if you root for New Orleans. Which I do. I don't think Drew Brees is going to go all Carson Palmer on us anytime soon.

Eagles over the Falcons.

Patriots over the Ravens.
What's the big deal with Tom Brady's hair? So it's a bit shaggy, so what? Maybe it will be like Sampson's hair. I hope not. Count me as one who think the Pats will probably be better without Moss. They won't be as explosive but I think Brady had come to depend on Moss snatching miracles out of the air in crucial situations. Welker may be Brady's main safety blanket but I think Moss was always in his head and he was continually tempted to just "chuck" it.

Seahawks over the Bears.
Because you never know what you will get with the Hawks.

Packers over the Dolphins.
The Packers are one of the most undisciplined teams I've seen. They have talent all over the field and McCarthy better do something with that talent soon.

Steelers over the Browns. You know, if the unpredictable nature of this season held true to form, the Browns would go in and pull out the upset in Pittsburgh on "Ben Roethlisberger returns from Deuchebag status day".

Texans over the Chiefs. I'm actually kind of excited about this game. Two teams with some serious talent but perhaps without much of an idea of how to be mature about winning.

Chargers over my Rams. It's about that time when San Diego starts to wake up. Maybe Norv and the boys could be kind enough to wait a week.

Jets over the Broncos. The inability to score TDs this past week looked like the Jets of old. They had shocked me by opening up their offense and letting Sanchez pass the ball. He struggled a bit against the Vikings but still if you are a Jets fan you have to be encouraged by his overall play this season. Tomlinson looks like he has his legs back. If they can continue to pass the ball with any effectiveness and with that running game of LT and Greene and the usual Ryan defense they should continue to be a threat all season.

49ers over the Raiders. Just because the 49ers can't lose six in a row can they? Actually they probably can.

Redskins over the Colts. Manning has to work too much for his scores. They don't get anything easy. Despite the great record last year, the same was true then as well. Manning is great but it would help if they had a running back with some homerun speed.

Cowboys over the Vikings. Favre just looks terrible. Should have quit after last year's amazing run. But then timing and self awareness were never great strengths of his were they?

Titans over the Jags. When Vince Young is good the Titans just look unstoppable. He's still inconsistent but having Chris Johnson is helpful. I'd like to see the Jags Maurice Drew churn up some yards. That little bowling ball is fun to watch. Still, he needs help and I think this guy is right: http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2010/10/14/1748870/is-jacksonville-back-to-running-back-by-committee?ref=yahoo

Last Week:
4-10
Overall:
36-39

Thursday, October 07, 2010

NFL Picks: Week 5

Jets over the Vikings --There are a lot of things to dislike about Brett Favre over the last few years. One thing that seemed cool about him though was the fact that he seemed to have a great family and he seemed (after a few rough years in the beginning of his career) to be a pretty decent husband and father. Apparently Favre is an even bigger deuchebag than we knew. As you probably know Deadspin has pretty decent evidence that Favre was trying to hook ex-FSU cowgirl Jen Sterger while she was working for the Jets and he was a Jet. How in this day and age can pro athletes ever leave messages or send pics that could seriously embarrass them? Notice I didn't say how could they screw around on their family? I'm coming to the realization that for enabled, pampered and egotistic athletes it's really not a question of if but when they will cheat on their loved ones. Really Brett?-- sending pics of your manparts over a phone to a chick half your age? Can a dude really destroy his legacy any more thoroughly than Favre has done in the past 3 years? Have to go with the Jets this weekend just for the sheer douchiness of Favre.

Colts over the Chiefs- The Chiefs are interesting this year. Why are they not giving the ball more to Jamaal Charles? He's getting less touches than Thomas Jones. I know Jones is not washed up to say the least but Charles is ripping off runs at 7 yards a clip. I mean...damn.

Broncos over the Ravens.
toss up.

Panthers over the Bears. I have no idea what Collins will do for the Bears at QB. So far this season Cutler has been good and Chicago has to hope the drilling he took in Week 4 doesn't have lasting effects.

Jags over the Bills- Jags are the Jekyll and Hyde of the NFL. The Bills are more like the Barney Fife of the League.

Bengals over the Bucs- T.O. is killing it this season. This guy is going to be one of the most disliked Hall of Famers to ever don the yellow blazer. Right after Favre.

Falcons over the Browns- This is a year that Matt Ryan needs to prove he's for real.

Rams over the Lions. Hopefully not a step backwards for my Rams this week. The Lions however are due for a few breaks to fall their way.

Texans over the Giants --That was a flat out mauling the G-Men Defense gave the Bears. Looked like the Giants of a couple of years ago. Can they do it 2 weeks in a row against a much better offense? I'm going with with Shaub and Foster this week.

Packers over the Redskins --Why have I not jumped on the Aaron Rodgers bandwagon sooner? He seems like a genuinely good guy. The Anti-Favre.

Saints over the Cardinals - I'd love to see new AZ starter Max Hall do great this week. But you just know the Saints are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. Hope he knows how to duck.

Cowboys over the Titans-- I like the Cowboys at home this week. Well.....the word "like" might be a bit strong. I think they'll win. How's that?

Chargers over the Raiders. I wonder what Bolt's WR Vincent Jackson is thinking right about now. Is he wishing he would have taken the initial offer the Chargers offered him? If the players get locked out next year then he's going sitting a long time between snaps.

49ers over the Eagles--Not really a good reason for this pick. The Eagles are far more interesting if Vick is playing. I like Kolb though and in fact I like Alex Smith at QB too. I hope both of these guys can get their crap together and start earning their keep.

Last week:9-4
Overall: 32-29

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

NBA: it's fantastic......Except when it's not. Which is most of the time.

Just a quick thought on the upcoming B-Ball season.

First being a Utah Jazz fan I can say to all Bulls fans: welcome to the Injured World of Carlos Boozer. Good luck with him. You are going to get frustrated with how much time he will spend on the bench in street clothes. I'm hoping Utah's new big man Al Jefferson can replicate some of Boozer's offensive play while avoiding the injury bug.

Second. Count me as a Heat hater. I used to root for Dwyane Wade but Mr. James has ruined that. I've already vented about Lebron and the "Decision" and I'm among the many who find the narcissistic superstar a bit of weenie. Still I'm not one who think the Heat will have a rough go of it this season. Lebron consistently won big with a bunch of nobodys in Cleveland. Now people are saying, well besides Bosh, Wade, Miller, and Haslem he has a bunch of nobodys so that's going to hurt the Heat. Huh? He won 60 games by himself and now he has 2 superstars with him plus a couple of other really nice role players. Depth might hurt them in the Conference finals or the Finals if they make it there but they are going to destroy people in the regular season. It's going to be fairly depressing. Additionally, with Shaq going to the Celtics now there really is nobody for me to root for east of the Mississippi. I guess Orlando is somewhat likable with Dwight Howard but my hopes will center in the West. The nightmare scenario for me will be the Lakers vs. the Heat in the finals. I might have to light my hair on fire at that point.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

NFL: Week 4 Picks

Rams over the Seahawks. What can I say? I'm a Ram fan. I want to drink this kool-aid. I need to drink this kool-aid.

Jets over the Bills. This could easily be a trap game for NY. Humility is hard for these guys. Some swagger is good but overconfidence in this league can sometimes bite you.

Ravens over the Steelers. This week the Steelers come back to earth. They really will need Roethlisberger.

Saints over the Panthers. Saints should have won that game last week. An extra point field goal miss was not the only reason they lost but it's the main reason.

Titans over the Broncos. Kyle Orton. 2nd in the league in passing yards. Knowing that McDaniels will want to pass that doesn't come as a major surprise. But Orton's 97 QB rating does make me raise my eyebrows. Titans at home today so I'm saying Young and Johnson keep the Broncos at bay.

Packers over the Lions. If the Packers can eliminate some mistakes this shouldn't be close. It's weird but to me it seems that last year was filled with mistakes for the offense as well. Very good offense but at critical times they would do something stupid. If they keep it up it will bite them in the fanny come playoff time.

Bengals over the Browns. The battle for Ohio. Yay.

Falcons over the 49ers. San Fran goes into crisis mode after today. Alex Smith should be better than he is. Another offense coordinator goes down in flames and the constant turnover in coaches hasn't helped him any but at some point talent should take over. He has flashes but nothing sustained. I rooted for him in college at Utah but if I was a 49er fan I would be tearing my hair out with the inconsistency.

Texans over the Raiders. The improvement of McFadden has to be encouraging for Oakland. I'm guessing thought that the Texans rebound today.

Colts over the Jags. Jacksonville always plays Indy tough. Could be an upset today. I'll stick with Manning and hope that BYU guy Austin Collie has another big day.

Chargers over the Cardinals. This shouldn't be much of a game should it? Ken Whisenhunt though is a decent coach and has the Cardinals doing something they haven't done under other head coaches. Playing hard.

Eagles over the Redskins. Maybe McNabb will come in and get ultimate revenge on the team that jettisoned him. Maybe Vick will continue to play well. Probably won't be both today though.

Giants over the Bears. Upset special for tonight. I keep picking against the Bears and they keep surprising. Maybe they're just good.

Pats over the Dolphins. Dolphins look pretty good this year. The Pats defense is suspect but they have Brady, Moss, Welker, etc. and that should be enough.


Last week 6-10 (double ouch!)
Overall: 23-25 (triple ouch!)