Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NFL Picks: Week 13

Eagles over the Seahawks
This is probably a crazy pick since the Eagles are a mess and they have to go cross country to Seattle to play. Not an easy place to win even when you have a superior team.

Panthers over the Bucs
I'm fairly disappointed in the development of Josh Freeman this year. He's regressed from last season. In fact it seems like everybody has regressed in Tampa, even the coach. And you know what?---The Bucs missed a great opportunity to bring in Ronde Barber's twin brother Tiki as a running back this year. I know he's mid thirties, hasn't played in 4 years and is a real deuche but at least it would have been interesting. That's a word you can't apply to the Bucs right now. Tiki retired as one of the top two running backs in the game in 2006. Do you realize in his final 3 years he rushed for 1500 yards, 1800 yards , and 1600 yards. That's pretty damn good. If he hadn't been so insufferable and had played a couple more years we'd be talking about it him as one of the all-time greats. However, "what ifs" are not reality. Since we didn't get a chance to see Barber in action again, what we do know is that Tiki's just a really good ex-football player, a failed broadcaster, and the dude who dumped his pregnant wife for a younger chick.

Anyway, back to the game this week....Cam Newton is a beast so I guess I'll go with Carolina based solely on that shallow analysis.

Steelers over the Bengals
This feels like a game the Bengals could win. They are tougher than expected this year and Andy Dalton and A.J. Green represent an amazing draft for them this past spring. Still, this contest is in Pittsburgh and the Steelers are always good at home so I'll go with them. It was funny to listen to the announcers of the game last week almost apologize for the fact that the Steelers are a passing team now. Like it's a sacrilegious thing in Steel Town. Until they get some stars in the backfield, Pittsburgh better utilize Roethlisberger and those receivers he's got. They are the bread and butter right now.

Falcons over the Texans
We'll see if Houston can surprise me 2 weeks in a row. At some point the backup QB situation there has got to bite them. Right now the Falcons are playing well and have enough offensive firepower to compete against the strong Texan defense.

Jets over the Redskins
Mark Sanchez baffles me. He's the new Matt Hasslebeck. Good enough to tease you for awhile but probably not the guy to take you to the promised land.

Colts over the Patriots
..Just seeing if you were paying attention. That would be an amazing upset though. Upset of the decade for me. But no...I'm going with the Pats over the Colts. This line can't be high enough. Sad that this was a marquee matchup every year with Manning. One player is the difference between a playoff team and a potential winless season. Incredible. The Colts were built to pass the ball well and rush the opposing passer. Without the need to score 30 pts or more each week to keep up with Manning, teams can play the Colts anyway they want. And what they want is to crush Indy. So far, it's working.

Dolphins over the Raiders
Miam is showing signs of life.

Broncos over the Vikings
Tebow might be the worst passer I've ever seen. But with the defense playing like they are lately and with Tebow and his backfield running over guys, maybe they can win a couple more before the music stops.

Bears over the Chiefs
Backup QB against backup QB. May the worst QB not win.

Bills over the Titans
frustrating time for Buffalo. What happened to the power of Fitzpatrick's beard? They have crashed and burned after starting with such promise. This is a must win if they hope to get back in contention for a Wild Card spot. QB better shave the beard to get some new karma.

Ravens over the Browns
Some consistency out of Joe Flacco would be a good.

Cowboys over the Cardinals
Arizona has some great fans but watch the stands, there will be loads of Cowboy fans there. Every western state die-hard Cowboy fan shows up in Arizona when the Cowboys come to town.

Packers over the Giants
It wouldn't surprise me to see the Giants pull this out. Their kind of schizophrenic that way. But the Packers have been so dominant you can't go against them. Their risk taking defense is their achilles heel but if your offense can score 40 every week a few mistakes won't kill you.

49ers over the Rams
The Ram's coach needs to be fired after this season. I had high hopes for Spagnuola but for whatever reason the Rams aren't turning things around. It starts with Bradford. He has to be better than he is. Much better.

Saints over the Lions
Other than the Packers, the Saints are the most entertaining team to watch on tv.
And concerning the MVP debate, unless the Pack falter, there really is no debate. It's Rodgers. But at least Brees has made it a conversation.

Chargers over the Jags
Pretty uninspiring game for a Monday night. The Chargers need to fire Norv Turner and A.J. Smith. How's that Rivers vs. Brees thing working out for you now A.J? I know Brees was hurt during the year San Diego let him go but Smith drafted Rivers to replace Brees before he knew that. He wasn't bringing him back no matter what. I think it's pretty clear the Drew Brees has been the better QB of the two. I love Drew Brees mainly because he's defied everyone's expectations of him. .........Except the Saints, they believed in him and were rewarded for it.


Last Week: 12-4
Overall: 105-67 (61%)


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