Thursday, December 30, 2010

NFL Picks: Week 17

Falcons over the Panthers. Stranger things have happened but the Panthers walking into Atlanta and beating the Falcons just won't happen. The only way Carolina has a prayer is if the Bucs are up by 30 in the 4th quarter with the Saints..... and with the number 1 seed locked up, the Falcons pull their starters.

Steelers over the Browns. Mangini hasn't done a terrible job with the Browns this season but I just can't see him surviving the ax come Monday morning. Unless he and Mike Holmgren have been become poker buddies or something this should be a no-brainer. Mangini hasn't done anything with the Jets or the Browns that screams "elite coach". Holmgren should look to the Steeler sideline during this game for inspiration. Mike Tomlin is an elite coach and he should search for a similar hire.

Chiefs over the Raiders. This will be a tough one for K.C. They are at home but Oakland is no pushover. I'm rooting for Jamaal Charles to have a huge game. He's been the best back in the league this year in my opinion, and with a monster game he has an outside shot at snatching the rushing title from Arian Foster.

Pats over the Dolphins.
New England doesn't rest their starters much so look for Brady to be in until the blowout is secured.

Saints over the Bucs.
Brees wants this one bad and if the Panthers could somehow pull out a miracle in Atlanta, a victory here would give them the 1 seed. That would be pretty incredible considering how they started the season. Even if Tampa loses this game they should feel this year is a complete success. They've come back from the abyss and have a solid future for the next couple of seasons.

Jets over the Bills.
Even with a loss last week, the Jets back into the playoffs again. Then again it didn't seem to hurt them last year. The Jets are just flat out more fun with Rex Ryan as their coach. I'm not a fan of the team but they have been more interesting in the last 2 years than they have in the 20 previous years.

Ravens over the Bengals.
The Bengals beat the more talented Chargers last week but that says more about the Chargers than it does the Bengals. I agree that's disrespectful to Cincy, but hey they've earned that the past couple of years.

Giants over the Redskins. Grossman mania in D.C.! Actually he has played ok and he's going against a struggling Eli Manning so maybe I should flip this. Nah. The Giants defensive line is still great and they'll do some damage this week.

Eagles over the Cowboys. The Eagles redeem themselves this week even if it's Kolb at QB.

Texans over the Jags.
Garrard is out and the Jags lost their mojo late in the season anyway. They are tough enough to win this one but being on the road makes me think the Texans may get the best of them.

49ers over the Cardinals.
Singletary is gone so does that mean the Niners come out with less fire? Because that's one thing that guy had. Maybe the only thing. His coaching decisions can be questioned but not his will. So I'm curious to see if San Fran comes out ready to play with some energy.

Packers over the Bears. Nice matchup to end the season. This was actually tough to pick because the Bears are playing so well. But the Pack absolutely need this game.

Colts over the Titans. The Colts don't get their annual "rest the starters day" this year. Maybe that's good. It worked out for them in 2006 when they had to play hard to end the season.

In regards to Tennessee: The Titans owner Bud Adams needs to fire Jeff Fisher after this season. He's an overrated coach and part of the Vince Young mess is his fault too.

Chargers over the Broncos. This week San Diego has nothing to play for except pride. That actually might not be a slam dunk for them then since you think a little pride would have kicked in earlier in the season. Another head coach that needs to go is Norv Turner. That team should be a Super Bowl contender.

Rams over the Seahawks. Go Rams! I haven't had a Ram game that I've been nervous about for years. This is going to be weird. I could could get used to some meaningful games for my favorite team in the league.

Lions over the Vikings
. What the Vikes did to the Eagles on Tuesday was impressive. They shut down the Eagle offense and their unknown backup QB, Webb, played surprisingly well. The Lions on the other hand have only won 3 in a row. Yep that's not a typo. 3 in a row. How can you root against the Lions this week if you are not a Vikings fan? A 4 game winning streak to end the season would flat out be awesome for the Lions--- who along with the Rams are giving hope to losing clubs.

One note though: Favre will be sidelined again with injury. Plus he's been recently fined for being a douche. Well.....fined for not cooperating with the league in the Sterger investigation.....but it's pretty much the same thing. That whole situation was a joke though. The NFL's "let's just drag this thing out until the end of the season, then it won't matter" philosophy was classic. Jen Sterger was a pretty unsympathetic character herself, what with her blatant attempt at a money grab. It was pretty obvious with her earliest recorded statements that she wasn't all that upset over the text messages Favre was sending her and the pics if they are from Favre (which I personally don't doubt that they are) seemed to creep her out in an amusing way more than anything (again from her earliest recorded words). I'm not saying it wasn't a sexually harassing thing to do, I'm just saying Sterger doesn't come off as much of a victim with her attitude she displayed. Still, Favre comes out the worst in the debacle. He looks like a guy who wanted to cheat on his wife. For his sake I hope his home life is ok now and that he's got it worked out. So hopefully this time he really does stay retired. He damaged his legacy quite a bit the past 4 years (gained some of it back last year with a stellar season) and then stayed a year too long. Actually kind of fits his personality and the "gambler" he was pegged to be as a QB. Unfortunately for Favre he didn't follow the Kenny Rogers country song. You see, in reality most gamblers don't know when to fold them.

Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 130-91 (59%)

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