THE ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACK

NFL Super Bowl Review

2012-02-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

Other than a nice catch by Mario Manningham and a powerful Giants time eating drive to get the game winning score I thought the Super Bowl was pretty boring. Still, I'll take boring if it means Belichik and Brady go down in flames.

Keys to the game.

The acrobatic Manningham catch. Was a great catch. It helped move the Giants down the field for a score. Now I get that we want to compare it to the Tyree catch in the last Pats/Giants Super Bowl , and it does have a wow factor to it, but let's not get carried away here. It wasn't 3rd down or even 4th down. It was 1st down. No desperation in this throw or catch like the Tyree catch. Don't get me wrong......Great catch....just not as great as Chris Collinsworth was making it out to be. It didn't win the Super Bowl, it was just part of the win.
Welker dropping a tough but catchable ball deep into the 4th quarter. Ouch. He usually makes those catches. I hate that little bastard.
To me the biggest keys to the game were the 2 NY fumbles that were recovered by Giants players. If those are lost fumbles, the Patriots win this game, especially since the one by Bradshaw came in the 4th quarter inside the 20 yard line. That's a short field for the Patriots and sure score.

The bounces didn't go the Patriots way this time and I'm not sure if the universe was trying to correct itself due to the breaks going New England's way in the AFC Championship game (when Baltimore should have won that game) or if it was because I spent a little extra time on the details for my matching set of Brady and Belichick voodoo dolls. It's all in the details.....and the right kind of pins.

So now we get to hear a ton of debate about whether Eli is better than Payton Manning. Please. Eli was pretty good in this game. Not great. Pretty good, and really good on the final drive. But for his career? I don't buy it. Payton Manning kept the Colts in the Super Bowl hunt for years....pretty much all by himself. His owner never surrounded him with any kind of defense. Eli has won 2 Super Bowls where his defense has been critical for the success of the team. Give Payton some of those Giant defenses and we'd be talking multiple rings for him too. Now I'm not saying that Eli can't still surpass his big brother. He has time. H'e'll never have the passing records Payton has but as you saw this past season, younger brother can throw the ball pretty well when he's asked to do it a lot. He seems to be getting better and if he wins more championships then it will be fair to ask this question again.

I was prepared to mope and mourn again after a Patriot win but thankfully the football gods decided otherwise. I'm happy for the Giants but I would much rather have seen the Saints or the Packers win the whole thing. That's the only downer for me in this playoff season. However, from now on if New England is is ever in the Super Bowl again, I know who I want facing them. NY has their number.

NFL Conference Championship Review

2012-01-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

Patriots/Ravens
A fairly good Baltimore defensive effort was wasted by a terrible field goal try. I'm a former high school kicker (keep that on the down low though will you....chicks never dig the kicker) and I could not believe how bad he hooked that thing. Everything was set up for a Raven win. They kept the Pats under 24 points, forced Brady and others into turnovers and still.....it was not to be. Patriot luck is back. A touchdown catch that should have been secured by the Ravens to end the game....a missed kick in to send it to overtime....aghhh.. I can't stand the idea of the Patriots in another Super Bowl. This is a team that played mostly losing or .500 teams the entire season and post-season. They had to be giggling like school girls when the Steelers went down to the Broncos. Year after year they have almost no competition in their division, so the playoffs are almost automatic.....and it's driving me crazy. It's up to the Giants to take these guys down. Speaking of which....

Giants/49ers.
Were the defenses that good or were the offenses unusually bad? I think it was the defense. Lots of sacks; coverages were tight. Other than a few good runs and two deep balls to Davis, Alex Smith was a bit disappointing. An no I'm not going to say it. ---I'm not. You want me to say, "what do you expect, it was Alex Smith" don't you? But I'm giving Smith props for his year and if he played well in the season, and in his first playoff game, why shouldn't I expect it again? But I'll admit I thought Smith blew some throws in the last few minutes. and he wasn't great. Not terrible, but nothing to whistle about. The guy who is going to need therapy though is that back-up kick returner. Blew the game. No doubt about it. Two turnovers equaling 10 points for the Giants means he's the goat.

So now we got Eli against Brady for all the marbles. But I'm not expecting another miracle catch this time around. The Giant defense is going to have to do what the Ravens did today (make Brady average) and Eli is going to have to play much better. I think the Giants will need at least 27 points to beat the Patriots, ...more if the defense falters.

I'll check the score after the game. I never watch Patriot Super Bowl games live. I'm chicken that way. If the Pats win I won't be forced to watch ....and if the Giants win I'll happily watch the recorded game without stress. I wish I could say I'm better than that. I"m not.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Review

2012-01-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

Well........I guess that's why don't crown anyone in November eh?

The two most dominant teams before Christmas, the Saints and the Packers went down in flames this weekend. And I'm bummed. The tantalizing re-match between those two teams was not to be and that sucks.

Packers/Giants.
Turnovers were the bane of both Green Bay and New Orleans. These are very different games (and I think outcomes) if the Saints and Packers don't give the other team essentially free points. The Giants defense was tough but the Packers killed themselves. They are going to be sick about this one all winter. They were one of the most dominant regular season teams I have seen in the last two decades of watching football. It felt like the 85 Bears, and a couple of the Cowboy teams in the 90s. .....And now they're a footnote. Like the 07 Patriots. Except these guys didn't even make it past their first playoff game. I don't care that NY is a good team and peaking at the right time. The Packers roasted teams all season long! They didn't just get a nice schedule and win a bunch of close games.....They killed their opponents. They should not have looked this bad against anybody. Rodgers looked rusty and so did his receivers. The defense was shaky at times (just like during the season) but without turnovers of their own (which were surprisingly absent) an no offense to bail them out, the result was bad Lambeau loss. This is the most disappointing playoff game I've seen in a long time. Well....maybe not a long time...maybe just since Saturday when the Saints lost.

Saints/49ers
On the one hand, I've been a fan of Alex Smith since his Utah Ute days so I was happy to see him do well. On the other hand Alex just tore the heart out of one my favorite teams in the league. Brees had another killer season with nothing to show for it. Stupid turnovers and a defense that can't stop anything were a recipe for disaster. It was crazy how I sat and watched the Saints last score and said to my wife (who could care less of course) "too soon.. Too soon. They left too much time on the clock for Smith. That defense won't stop em". Those were my words and I was calm as I prophesied. Having watched this defense all season, I knew their risk-taking style worked against bad teams and bad quarterbacks but on this day they were playing neither. I know that's weird to say about Smith. But he was "on" all day. His passes were crisp and especially when Vernon Davis was manned up, he didn't miss him. I wish them good luck against the Giants. They'll need it and a lot more of the mojo they displayed Saturday with the way NY is playing. As for New Orleans, they had better get themselves a defense or they'll waste the prime years of Drew Brees' career. It's got to be frustrating for him to sit on the sidelines knowing that he has to match another team's offense as they score on his defense at will. He knows his offense can make no mistakes or it's over. Unfortunately for him, they did indeed shoot themselves in the foot. They've got lots of time to think about it now.

Ravens/Texans
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..z.............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..huh...zzzzz. huh....oh, yeah, there was a game on earlier on Sunday wasn't there. As expected, this game sucked. The one watchable aspect of it was the defense of Ed Reed. I've a big fan of Ed Reed and his human flytrap hands. The guy is one those defensive backs that could have been a receiver. He doesn't drop much if it comes his way. Ball hawk! The Ravens are the opposite of the Saints. Their offense is frustrating to watch and is something they never seem to get fixed. They have their spots. There have been games where Flacco has played very well. And Ray Rice has had numerous games where he has played like a stude. But do you trust that to happen against the Patriots? Even with a shaky defense and having watched two great offenses go down this weekend, I still wouldn't bet on the Raven offense getting it together. It will have to be the defense that wins the game against New England. As much as like the Ravens defense I'm not optimistic about it.

Patriots/Broncos
Some people actually believed this was going to give us some more Tebow magic. Not me. The Broncos have some comeback wins to be sure but when they were down 3 touchdowns in the blink of an eye you knew it was over. It wasn't a Tebow miracle that was needed, it was a Denver defensive show that should have been on the menu. But it wasn't and so we'll have to wait until next season to ride the Tebow train again. As much as I like Tim, I think the time in between will do us both some good.

I'm torn on who will win the NFC championship. It's a "pick-em" game for me but I'm leaning towards the Giants. They should meet the wicked kingdom of Belichick and Brady for the big game.

NFL Wild-Card Weekend Review

2012-01-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

Broncos/Steelers
I'm absolutely sick about the Bronco win against the Steelers. I felt like Pittsburgh was the only team that could possibly block the Patriots march to the Super Bowl. Now the team that the Pats demolished in New England a few weeks back is heading back for more punishment. It will take more than a good game by Tebow to do the trick. Denver will need to force turnovers by Brady.

Texans/Bengals.
Not too surprising of a result. Dalton is a rookie and he made some rookie mistakes. Arian Foster was a beast. If he can keep healthy next year he could challenge for the rushing title. I think this is it though for the Texans but would love to see them surprise me and a few others.

Saints/Lions
For my money this was the most entertaining game. Stafford had it right that they need to get home field advantage next year to increase their odds of going far in the playoffs. They are much better in Detroit. Still, Brees is hot and not much can slow the Saints down except themselves. It's been turnovers that have killed them in the playoffs before so they need to watch out for that in the next game. Their defense is very suspect so they'll need to continue to put up a lot of points and hang onto the ball.

Giants/Falcons
Another Falcon meltdown in the playoffs. Matt Ryan is a big part of their regular season success, but he's been a huge part of their playoff disappointments as well. He just hasn't looked good when it counts. Until he does, the Falcons will continue with the early exits in the post-season. And how about the Falcons inability to convert "must-have" fourth and short and third and short in this game? Atalanta needs a lot more ingenuity on those plays. And I don't want to hear the old "if we can't convert 1 yard then we don't deserve to win" crap. That's the biggest douchebag rationalization I've ever heard. It would be more accurate to say "if your coaches are less creative in their play-calling than a block of wood" then you deserve to lose.

I'm looking forward to next week's games. By the way, DVRs are saving my marriage. Live games are still better if I can swing it and I have to be more careful to not hear the results of games but I love the digital world we live in.

NFL: Playoff Preview

2012-01-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

In terms of picks, I finished the season 11-5, and overall 154-98 (61%) Not great, but not terrible either. Of course I don't pick the spread which is much more difficult. But I don't gamble so I could care less about final scores.

NFC
Some thoughts about next week. I'm bummed that the Saints aren't a 2 seed. I would have loved the potential for a championship game and rematch between the Saints and Packers. The 49ers have been great this year but I don't remember a single game where they were on TV (and they were on a lot here in the West) that I said, "I've got to see that game". I don't have anything against them. I like Alex Smith, I like Frank Gore, I like Patrick Willis. They just don't excite me.
--Having said that, although the Saints were exciting and very good last year they choked to the Seahawks, so nothing is guaranteed even if Brees and company had grabbed the 2 spot this year. Thankfully there is no Seahawk type team in the NFC this year that can come in, ruin things and give us a crappy playoff championship matchup. Although the Falcons are sometimes boring, I think any of the NFC teams that can play there way to the Super Bowl would be fine with me. My preference would be the Saints, followed by the Lions, Packers, 49ers, Giants and Falcons. Initially my prediction is that it will be the Packers and the Giants in the NFC Championship, with the Pack heading back to the Super Bowl.

AFC
Over in the AFC it gets much more ugly. You've got your annual team that shouldn't be in the playoffs. This year's Seattle Seahawks would be the Denver Broncos who finished 8-8 with 3 straight terrible losses. If you didn't know the name of the QB in Denver, and you were just looking at statistics for the past 3 games, there is no way in your right mind you start him for the playoffs right? But that's the polarizing aspect of Tebow. He will start and for the sake of the quality of play for the rest of the playoffs I hope he sucks again and the Broncos go down ( I'm jumping out of the way of the lightning bolt right now). I like Tebow. I hope my 2 daughters grow up to marry a guy just like him. I just wish he could throw the damn ball.

The Chargers are the best team in the AFC West, but once again they are missing the playoffs. How is Norv Turner still a coach? They have to be one of the most glaring underachieving groups in the past 5 years. In his first season in San Diego, Turner gave hope to San Diego as he led the Chargers to the AFC championship game. The next season they finished a disappointing 8-8. They did get into the playoffs and upset the Colts in the first round (damn you Darren Sproles) but it was not the year they had expected. In 09 they had a great regular season but were bounced in their playoff game by the Jets. The next year they started slow again (a trend under Turner, finished fairly strong but missed the playoffs. They do the same in 2011. Time for Turner to get the boot. The Chargers are consistently inconsistent. That's coaching.

The Bengals could definitely win a game against the Texans (who seem to be anticipating a one and done themselves) but this division should end up with New England and Baltimore in the championship game. However, I don't know that this would be a great game. Do you trust Joe Flacco in the playoffs? I don't. If I were New England I'd load up on Ray Rice and dare Flacco to beat you. If it's a shootout between Brady and Flacco, I'll take the Hall of Famer. I would rather see the Steelers in the championship game but I do think it will be Baltimore and the Patriots with New England going to the Super Bowl. I know I pick the Pats every year and they've blown it every year since the Super Bowl debacle against the Giants in 08,.....and I know their defense has holes everywhere,.....but Brady has looked as good as I've seen him since 07. As much as it pains me, I think Belichick and Brady are headed back to the big game. Now that fantasy season is over and Brady is no longer my fantasy QB, I can return to loathing him and focusing my time on Patriot hate, a hate that has defined my very existence since they beat my Rams in the Super Bowl. ("defined my existence" may be a bit strong....but Brady, his coach and his team take up a unhealthy amount of my negative energy that I usually reserve for evil dictators, that bald spot growing on the top of my head, Bill Maher, Nancy Pelosi, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Lebron James, the cast of Jersey Shore, and that damn little neighbor dog that keeps pooping on my lawn). But I digress.....I will hope the Steelers can take care of business with the Broncos, upset the Patriots, beat the Ravens or Bengals and head to the big game. I like the idea of a Steeler/Saints, Steerlers/Lions or Steelers/Packers Super Bowl.

NFL Picks: Week 17

2011-12-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

Saints over the Panthers
Brees needs to play and pass in this game or Brady has a shot to overtake him and claim the Marino record for himself. That would be awkward after we already went through the coronation of Brees as the new master of the pass.

Patriots over the Bills
The Bills don't ever win in Foxboro so this is the safe pick.

Vikings over the Bears.
What a bad ending for Chicago. When Cutler and Forte were clicking earlier in the season it looked like the playoffs were a lock and they might even give the Packers a scare. The Cutler injury crapped all over everything. That's why the QB is the most valuable player on the entire team (Indy players nodding sadly).

Jets over the Dolphins
I'm looking forward to the Revis/Marshall battle.

49ers over the Rams
Don't start trying now St. Louis. Draft order matters.

Lions over the Packers
I'm trying to sell this one to myself. The only thing I got is perhaps the Pack will rest Rodgers and other starters in the 2nd half.

Eagles over the Redskins
Too little too late for Philly. We'll look forward to a better year in 2012. As I've said before, the NFL is better off with the Eagles and Michael Vick relevant and winning.

Jags over the Colts
Indy loses and now we have to endure the Luck talk for months. Shoot me now.

Titans over the Texans
Houston will probably exit early in the playoffs. That Schaub injury wasn't as devastating as the Bear's losing Cutler, but it kills their playoff chances.

Seahawks over the Cardinals
The hawks have won 6 of their last 8 and a large part of that can be attributed to the resurgence of Marshawn Lynch. After the 4th game of the season he turned on the jets.

Broncos over the Chiefs
If the Broncos win then they are in the playoffs and we have an offseason of stories about the promise and hope of Tebow. If they lose then we will deal with tons of speculation on whether Tebow starts next year or is even traded. Even if Oakland loses and the Bronocs back into the playoffs with a loss we'll still see the latter version of events that I mentioned. They'll most likely be a one and done team in the playoffs and that would mean 4 straight losses to end the year.

Falcons over the Bucs
Raheem Morris has one more game before the axe falls. You can't lose 9 straight and survive can you? He ought to pull out every trick play in the book. Hard to believe this team was 4-2 to start the season. I actually think they ought to give their coach one more year. Last season was good for him. Maybe this year is an aberration.

Ravens over the Bengals
This a Baltimore team that will face doubts about their offense in the playoffs. The Ravens scored over 24 points 5 times in the first 8 weeks. Things were clicking. Since week 9....over 24 points just once.

Steelers over the Browns
Pittsburgh would be better off if Batch could play and win again. Roethlisbeger could use another week to rest the injured ankle.

Chargers over the Raiders
To me the Raiders are a success whether they go to the playoffs or not. They were a joke for so long that their gritty play the past two seasons have won my respect.

Giants over the Cowboys
If Manning has Nicks and Manningham back from injury then it will be tougher for the Cowboy defensive backs to focus solely on Victor Cruz.

Last week: 11-5
Overall: 143-93 (61%)

I know the playoffs are exciting but I'm always a bit bummed out by the end of the regular season. I'm like the kid mourning the end of Christmas before Christmas day has arrived.

NFL Picks: Week 16

2011-12-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Texans over the Colts

I never should have underestimated the fire that Payton Manning was willing to light under his teammates. You could see it in his face on Thursday night. "Win one for me guys!" Or in other words, "win one for me so Luck isn't drafted and we can avoid the drama that comes with that mess".

Chiefs over the Raiders

I don't know what to think of the Raiders running game or passing game. It's hit and miss for both. I know Michael Bush has filled in admirably for their backfield but I would really have like to see Darren McFadden healthy this year. Do you remember the burst he had earlier in the season? He was being talked about as the best RB in the game. Now he's just that guy that we know is good who's always injured.

Titans over the Jaguars

The Jags have Maurice Jones-Drew....and that's it. What a season by that guy! He might end up winning the rushing title this year, which would be the lone bright spot in a season from hell. Jack Del Rio should have been fired at least 3 years ago.

Patriots over the Dolphins

The Fins have been downright plucky in the 2nd half of the season. Shouldn't matter this week. The Pats offense should shred the Miami defense.

Bengals over the Cardinals

Best rookie on the Cincy Squad? Dalton? I say it's A.J. Green. A stud at receiver.

Broncos over the Bills

McGahee mania! Right?! Willis McGahee comes back to the town he started as a rookie and where infamously proclaimed himself the best running back in the game. Pretty clear that was never a true statement but it's also evident that we wouldn't be talking about Tebow so much right now if McGahee hadn't ran as well as he did in at least 4 of the wins in the past month and a half. .

Steelers over the Rams

Roethlisberger is out. Charlie Batch is in. Batch is has been around since the Jurassic Age and has been serviceable but if your a Steeler fan then you should be scared of the Rams this week. St. Louis stinks and should be tanking this game for a draft pick but remember they took out the Saints earlier in the year.

Giants over the Jets

Besides the NY that precedes their names these teams really are very similar. They can can be great defensively on occasion.....they probably should be better than they are but tend to disappoint.....and they get more attention than they deserve. Certainly Eli is a better QB than Sanchez but in the past few seasons Sanchez has come up big at the end of the season. Maybe this year is different for Eli and he can channel some 2007-08 magic.

Redskins over the Vikings

Irrelevant game of the week.

Panthers over the Buccaneers

All I really care about in this game is watching Cam Newton and Steve Smith. Seriously, is there anything else remotely interesting about it?

Ravens over the Browns

McCoy is out again. and the Ravens defense (despite last week's shalacking by the the Chargers) should shut down anything Cleveland plans to do. The Colt McCoy concussion experience is something that used to happen every week in the NFL. The only reason it's gotten so much press is the current league crackdown and awareness about concussions.....which I think is good. Let's just not pretend this is something new. Sending a guy back in after a serious concussion has been commonplace in the league since it began. The guy who's the biggest douche in the whole thing is Mike Holmgren. His lame excuses about why McCoy went back in are almost comical.

Lions over the Chargers

Detroit should be very worried that they are getting the "good" Chargers instead of the bad Charger team that slept walked through the middle of the season.

Cowboys over the Eagles

I know that Philly is the popular pick here and honestly I almost think that the Eagles could pull this miracle playoff seed out in the last couple of weeks. But I can't buy those odds with this Eagles team.

49ers over the Seahawks

Alex Smith has been pretty good this year. Not great, but pretty good. Still, unless he can make more of the big plays on 3rd down or in the Red Zone this team isn't going anywhere in the playoffs.

Packers over the Bears

It will be interesting to watch what the Packers do in regards to protecting their guys for the playoffs without losing their edge.

Saints over the Falcons

tough one. These guys are rivals and know how to play each other's strengths and weaknesses. This should be close.

Last Week: 5-11

Overall: 132-88 (60%)

NFL Picks: Week 15

2011-12-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

Jags over the Falcons
Not sure what I was thinking here. I haven't totally bought into Atlanta yet I guess.

Cowboys over the Bucs
The Tampa coach is toast. Morris better start looking for a real estate agent.

Texans over the Panthers
Houston used to lose games they should have won. This year they've been unusually clutch.

Giants over Redskins
Defense is starting to pick it up and Manning and Cruz have been great.

Bills over the Dolphins
They've got to rediscover that early season magic. I can't figure out what happened to Fitzpatrick.

Bears over the Seahawks
Lynch has been great but the Bears defense can still roar.

Saints over the Vikings

I wish Jared Allen could play for a contender. Definitely one of my favorite players to watch.

Bengals over the Rams

St. Louis is so bad I have conveniently forgotten that I'm a Ram fan. Unless I remind myself like I just did. Dammit.

Titans over the Colts

Remember early in the season when Indy was playing their hearts out? Freeney and Mathis were impossible to block. I stopped watching their games so I'm not sure when that fire went out for the team in general. Maybe for most of the Colts it died the minute they found out Manning was shelved.

Packers over the Chiefs

I have never seen someone throw a prettier pass than Aaron Rodgers. It's like a clinic out there. Super strong arm, spirals out of a QB's wet dream, uncanny accuracy for deep, mid-range and short balls. Elusive, and fast for a QB. Now you look back and wonder how Favre wasn't pushed out earlier.

Raiders over the Lions

Famous former dirty team meet the NFL's current dirty team. Watch your backs.

Patriots over the Broncos

Tebow has been fun to watch. And agonizing to watch. But let's stop with the comparisons to Brady this week. Please. Brady is one of the best of all time. Tebow may not even start next season. The mania needs to end.

Jets over the Eagles

Something's not right in Philly this year. I'm not sure what it is but it stinks.

Cardinals over the Browns

I need yards and TDs out of Beanie Wells. My fantasy playoffs are starting.

Ravens over the Chargers

Its all about the defense and Ray Rice.

49ers over the Steelers

This would be a statement game if San Fran can pull it off.

Last Week: 11-5

Overall: 127-77 (62%)

NFL Picks Week 14

2011-12-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Steelers over the Browns

I had this one picked when the schedules first came out.

Jets over the Chiefs

K.C is in flux and the Jets may be ready for a final push.

Bucs over the Jags

Tough one. It's in Jacksonville, but both teams have been so disappointing this season home field doesn't seem much of an advantage for either. It's time for Josh Freeman to recapture last season's consistency.

Patriots over the Redskins

I heard Colin Cowherd on the radio today saying this could be close. I'm not buying it. Patriots by 2 touchdowns at least.

Falcons over the Panthers

Matt Ryan looked bad last week. Really bad. His off games have convinced me that he'll never be an elite QB. But hey Atlanta, that's ok. In any given year there are only a few elite QBs. You can still win an Super Bowl with just a decent to good QB, provided you have some defense and running to pick up the slack.

Ravens over the Colts

I thought Archie Manning was spot on this last week in his comments about Manning and Luck and the negative aspects of having them play on the same team. Luck's too good to sit for 3 or 4 years if Manning heals. He needs to play soon. The Colts need to either part ways with Manning or swing a deal for picks and players and keep Manning around. Of course if Manning's neck is screwed and he has to retire then Indy will celebrate him and move on with Andrew Luck. I'm wondering now though if Luck will be the best pro out of the group of QBs coming into the NFL soon. Could Matt Barkley or Robert Griffin turn out to be better?

Dolphins over the Eagles

I want to pick Philly. They're in too much turmoil right not though. Miami is playing well and making a late season surge. I'm surprised to see Reggie Bush playing so well lately. He's showing signs that he could be a number 1 RB for a couple of years if given the chance.

Lions over the Vikings

I only care about this game because I want to see if the Lions will continue to implode.

Saints over the Titans

So Chris Johnson is finally starting to get his mojo back. Right in time to help beat my fantasy team. One more reason to hate. He may well run through the Saints defense like it's made of swiss cheese but the Saints can score too.

Bengals over the Texans

Without a solid QB, some would-be wins will be losses. It's inevitable.

Broncos over the Bears

Why not?

49ers over the Cardinals

Defense is winning games for San Fran.

Bills over the Chargers

Chargers are at home but Monday night's win still hasn't convinced me that they have things figured out.

Packers over the Raiders

I feel bad for Darren McFadden. There is a possibility that the last 2 years he could have been the best running back in the land. Instead he's injury prone and losing another season in his prime.

Giants over the Cowboys

it's a crap shoot with these guys.

Seahawks over the Rams

What used to be a good rivalry has fizzled and become perhaps one of the least desired games to watch of the 2011 season.

Last Week: 11-5

Overall: 116-72 (62%)

NFL Picks: Week 13

2011-11-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

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%)

NFL Picks: Week 12

2011-11-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's the annual face stuffing event so no time for details about these picks. Pumpkin pie is calling.

Packers over the Lions

Cowboys over the Dolphins

49ers over the Ravens

Jaguars over the Texans

Jets over the Bills

Bengals over the Browns

The battle for Ohio

Falcons over the Vikings

Cardinals over the Rams

Panthers over the Colts

Bucs over the Titans

Raiders over the Bears

Redskins over the Seahawks

Chargers over the Broncos

Patriots over the Eagles

Steelers over the Chiefs

Saints over the Giants

Last Week: 9-5

Overall: 93-63 (60%)

NFL Picks: Week 11

2011-11-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

Jets over the Broncos

I can't see the Broncos getting enough offense to win this. The Jets are no offensive juggernaut either but they should be good for at least 14-17 pts. Right?. I'm thinking something like NY 17 Denver 10.

Update: I just checked the Thursday night score and it looks like I've been Tebowed. Damn you Tim Tebow. .......Wait....Forgive me Tim Tebow. Forgive me. I'm pretty sure you've got more pull with God so I need you on my side.

Packers over the Bucs

The only teams that have a shot at the Packers are those that can score and at the same time have a defense that can produce a few turnovers. I don't see the Bucs at this point with either of those qualities.

Lions over the Panthers

The Panthers haven't looked as explosive as late. Is Newton hitting the rookie "wall"? No big deal, with this being a rebuilding season a nice draft pick would help next year's team.

Jaguars over the Browns

Just give the ball to Maurice Jones Drew.

Raiders over the Vikings

Minnesota is 5th in the league against the run so maybe Michael Bush won't go nuts this week. The Raiders just seem tougher than the Vikes though.

Bills over the Dolphins

Buffalo needs to get going again. I'm extremely impressed with Fred Jackson this year. He's another Kurt Warner type who had to fight to get into the league (ever heard of the NIFL or the UIF?) His career so far in the NFL has been so-so and then comes crazy numbers like he's having now. Doesn't make sense. Too bad he's already 30. Talk about a late bloomer.

Cowboys over the Redskins

Murray, Romo, Dez Bryant, Ware, ----the Cowboys have some explosive guys and the Skins don't. That should be enough in this one.

Ravens over the Bengals

This would be a huge step for Cincy if they could pull out a win in Baltimore. The Ravens haven't lost at home yet this year so I can't give Dalton and the Bengals the nod this week.

49ers over the Cardinals

Sounds weird to say that an Arizona win over San Fran would be a major upset. From year to year, the NFL has the best turnaround stories.

Rams over the Seahawks

Yikes.

Falcons over the Titans

Chris Johnson seems to be coming alive the last couple of weeks but the Titans are so inconsistent they can't be trusted. The Falcons are solid though. By the way, I liked the 4th down "go for it" attitude by Atlanta coach Mike Smith last week. Gutsy. Sure, maybe their defense stops New Orleans and they get the ball back. But I would bet that statistically speaking, the Falcons had a better shot at making that first down than they would have had getting the ball back in OT had they punted. I'll tell you this though, I didn't like the type of play that was called. A misdirection play or even a QB sneak had a better chance than a hand off straight up the gut.

Bears over the Chargers

I really want to pick San Diego here. But they always burn me. Got to go with the hot team here.

Giants over the Eagles

Philly couldn't handle the Giants at home and recent play gives us no reason to expect that they could take them out in NY.

Patriots over the Chiefs

I don't care if ex-Pats brass are holing up now in K.C. They can't play on the field and it's the field where Brady should destroy the K.C. secondary.

Last Week: 5-10

Overall:84-58 (59%)

NFL Picks: Week 10

2011-11-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

Chargers over the Raiders

A Thursday game that I thought would go the other way. Michael Bush torched the San Diego defense. The Raider offensive line deserves a lot of credit this season. McFadden or Bush seem to get their yards each week. For the Charger faithful it should be painfully obvious that Norv Turner is not a head coach that will ever lead a team to the promised land. He's a good coordinator and a mediocre head coach. Time to clean house in San Diego.

Eagles over Cardinals

If the Eagles lose this one the wailing and gnashing of teeth will commence in Philly. They have got to beat a bad Arizona team.

Panthers over Titans

Steve Smith's athleticism is a sight to behold. Cam Newton has been good but it's helped that he's had a receiver that goes up

Bucs over the Texans

My guess is that the Bucs are going to focus on the Texan run game and see if Schaub can beat them.

Dolphins over the Redskins

John Beck makes his return to Miami, going for revenge against the team that let him go. I'm sure the Fins are quaking in their cleats.

Jags over the Colts

Indy's season was over before this season began. I've been trying to find the clip where Manning nearly had his head ripped off a couple of years ago. If anyone has a link to it I'd like to see it. It's hits like that that got Manning where he is today.

Chiefs over the Broncos

Player I most miss this season? It's not Manning, it's Jamaal Charles. That guy was fun to watch last year. K.C. misses him.

Bills over the Cowboys

I think it will be tight. Maybe a field goal difference.

Falcons over the Saints

The one game I want to see this weekend. Should be a good one.

Browns over the Rams

I'm a Ram fan and I don't even want to watch this one.

Steelers over the Bengals

This wouldn't be that much of an upset if Cincy takes out Pittsburgh this week. They are perhaps the most surprising team of the year but seem to be legitimately good.

Ravens over the Seahawks

Last week's victory over the Steelers was impressive. Joe Flacco has been bad this year but you have to hand it to him on that final drive against Pittsburgh; he took a page out of the Roethlisberger textbook.

Giants over the 49ers.

The battle of two surprising QBs. I'm equally surprised with the tough defense San Fran has been playing this year.

Lions over the Bears

This will be a good test to see if Detroit can get it's swagger back.

Patriots over the Jets

I can't see the Pats losing 3 in a row. I mean, I would love it, I just don't think it will happen.

Packers over the Vikings

It's amazing that the Vikes almost went to the Super Bowl a couple of years back. Who knows how long it will take them to contend again and meanwhile the Pack seem set for years to come.

Last Week: 8-6

Overall: 79-48 (62%)

NFL Picks: Week 9

2011-11-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Chiefs over the Dolphins
Miami has a better chance than you might think to steal one in K.C. But lately Dolphin football is a lesson in crazy so I'm going with the Chiefs at Arrowhead.

Falcons over the Colts
Come on Indy! We need you to bail us out of the endless Andrew Luck/Payton Manning stories that will continue if you keep losing. Nobody wants to watch Luck ride the bench for 3-4 years if Manning heals up by next year. I know that's a big 'if" when you're talking about a neck injury but let's face it, if Manning plays again and the Colts have the number 1 pick, it's nothing but messy.

Saints over the Bucs
New Orleans is home but Tampa always plays the Saints tough so this one could be closer than expected. Who knows what to expect from the Saints? They just lost badly to the Rams last week so all year long we'll wonder which team will show up.

Bills over the Jets
I'm wondering if Plaxico Burress will even play this week with that bad back he has...but if he does I'm also wondering if I should start him in my fantasy league. 3 TDs last week was impressive. Can Sanchez find him again though?

Cowboys over the Seahawks
Demarcus Ware is a monster.

Texans over the Browns
Is Colt McCoy regressing? He should look to his counterpart this week. Schaub doesn't seem to regress much. On the other hand he doesn't seem to improve much either. He's pretty steady and competent but can't seem to push it to the next level.

49ers over the Redskns
I wonder if the Niner's players ever get bugged about Jim Harbough getting all the credit for their turnaround? As long as they win, probably not.

Titans over the Bengals
I have no idea if Chris Johnson will ever be an elite running back again.It's like asking if Kim Kardashian will ever find love. In both cases, I could care less. Like Kim Kardashian, Johnson is an attention whore and thinks more of himself than than reality says he should. He's a home run hitter but if the big runs are gone, he's not the Titan's go-to guy. But whether Johnson helps Tennessee on Sunday or Javon Ringer does, or Hasselbeck does, I think they take down the surprising Bengals.

Raiders over the Broncos
Michael Bush is a capable fill-in for McFadden but what I'm really interested to see in this game is how Palmer fares at QB now that he has a couple of weeks in the Raider system.

Patriots over the Giants
Two surprises for me in the leadup to this game. First, Eli Manning is having a really good first half of the season. After the mediocre year Eli had last season I figured maybe we had seen the best of what he had to offer. Apparently not. Second, Tom Brady started hot but has cooled a bit. His off games are still better than half the league. But only half. A lot of guys are throwing the ball well this year.

Cardinals over the Rams
I've lost hope in my Rams. The silver lining this week is that they are playing a team that's played nearly as bad as they have.

Packers over the Chargers
After last week's debacle I think San Diego would rather not see the best team in the league come to town.

Steelers over the Ravens
Supposedly these guys don't like each other. I think that's what makes this rivalry a good one.

Eagles over the Bears
I love watching LeSean McCoy run. To me he's a quicker and tougher version of Brian Westbrook.

Last Week: 9-4
Overall: 71-42 (63%)

NFL Picks: Week 8

2011-10-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ravens over the Cardinals

Arizona has given no indication that they're ready to take on the big boys yet . Kolb has been a bust so far. I mean what do you do if you are Larry Fitzgerald? You're quite possibly the best receiver in the league and yet your value is being wasted in the desert. It's almost like we've forgotten about this guy. I agree with those who've pointed out Fitzgerald might have been better off waiting to sign an extension on his contract. I get that the money was big and security is never a bad thing but a receiver needs someone to throw him the ball. Kolb may not be that someone.

Panthers over the Vikings

It will be interesting to see if Jared Allen can chase cam Newton down.

Texans over the Jaguars

Arian Foster, when healthy, is in the discussion for top running back in the NFL.

Giants over the Dolphins

Reggie Bush says the Dolphins stink. I agree. But so what? I mean Miami has had an odor for years (the team, not the city...I have no idea what the city smells like....but I would love to find if someone would like to spring for an all-expense paid trip for me to investigate this).

Saints over the Rams

Good thing the Cardinal's World Series victory will keep minds off this shellacking. Hide your eyes kids, hide your eyes.

Titans over the Colts

I actually think the Colts could make this competitive. But only if they get over that public beatdown they got last week courtesy of the Saints. Have some pride Indy.

Lions over the Broncos

For an athletic guy, Tim Tebow can look pretty awkward in the pocket. To me he's tight end athletic or maybe even linebacker athletic. I got enough of a look at him last week to realize he can make some amazing plays and some of the ugliest plays I have ever seen. However, Tebow magic 20% of the time isn't going to win very many games when 80% of the time he looks so bad you want to put him out of his misery. Also, I don't get it, wasn't Brady Quinn the backup to Orton. So why is Tebow starting? I mean I'm all for it, I just don't understand it. If Tebow is listed 3rd on the depth chart how does he jump Quinn? Three explanations. One: he's seen as better than Quinn. Doubtful considering Coach Jon Fox's less than enthusiastic endorsement of Tebow. Second: he's not seen as better than Quinn which gives them a greater chance of losing and maybe being bad enough to get Andrew Luck. That also seems doubtful since Fox doesn't seem the type to tank games. So is it the 3rd option? Fox and Elway, are caving to fans in order to give them a taste of Tewbow hoping in this lost season they see him fail and then they can move on without the fan pressure? I'm hoping Tebow screws up everyone's plans by actually winning games.

Bills over the Redskins

Fitzpatrick just signed a nice deal with Buffalo. Hope he doesn't go and pull a "Chris Johnson" on us now. I love that I can use Johnson's name as a descriptive term for "got paid, now I'm gonna suck donkeys". Couldn't happen to a more deserving deuche. Anyway, I digress. I like Fitzpatrick and I tend to think he'll continue to work hard and be a decent QB. He's not got superstar DNA in him but then again not many QBs do.

Bengals over the Seahawks

Despite poor ownership and pretty crappy coaching for the past few years, the Bengals have managed to get lucky with some draft picks and look pretty decent this year.

49ers over the Browns

Is it time to believe in San Fran? I don't think a win over Cleveland really gives us that answer.

Patriots over the Steelers

Probably the game of the day. Or at least it should be on paper. The Patriots week off killed my fantasy team last week. I needed Brady as my QB. I hate rooting for him to do well just for fantasy purposes. I've been flogging myself each week with a spiked belt to purge the sin of it from my soul.

Eagles over the Cowboys

For Philly's sake let's hope it's not close. As good as Andy Reid has been over the years, he has to be one of the worst clock management/tight game situation coaches I've ever seen. He rivals Norv Turner of the Chargers. ...speaking of which...

Chargers over the Chiefs

Last week Norv Turner and Philip Rivers had one of the worst 2 minute drills to end a game that I have ever seen. Just amazingly pathetic. And yet I find myself thinking they should probably win this. That's what San Diego does. They're like the NFL's mafia. Just when you think you're out..they pull you back in. Come on K.C. help me resist. .....Crap. can't do it. Southern California bastards.

Last Week: 11-2

Overall: 62-38 (61%)

NFL Picks: Week 7

2011-10-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Lions over the Falcons.
I'm ticked off with Michael Turner for turning a sure fantasy win into a loss last week. Everything was going fine until he decided to be good again.

Jets over the Chargers
NY gets some swagger back this week.

Bears over the Bucs
If this game had been in Tampa, I'd take the Bucs but since they are going to be playing in London I'll say the Bears because Chicago offensive coordinator Mike Martz reminds me of a British guy I once knew. That's not a compliment for either of them.

Browns over the Seahawks
Must see tv. ......in Hell.

Panthers over the Redskins

I'd like to see John Beck do well as a QB but I just don't think it will happen. He's been a backup for a reason. Still, I'll be rooting for him just like I did when he was at BYU. When Grossman is good he's much better than Beck. Unfortunately for Grossman those good days only happen about 30% of the time. The other 70% of his games Grossman is the 2nd coming of Jamarcus Russell.

Broncos over the Dolphins

It's Tebow time. Fantastic, now maybe the media can have their Tebowgasm and get it over with. I like the guy but even he has to be sick of the endless debate of his abilities as a QB. Let's let me him play and see what happens.

Texans over the Titans

Matt Hasselbeck is being very unlike himself this season. He's actually been fairly efficient with a passer rating of nearly 96. Who would of thought he'd be more valuable than Chris Johnson?

Chiefs over the Raiders

Will Palmer play this week? Probably not but so what? He can't really be ready after just getting off the couch a few days ago. Now I know he's been working out and all but it's not the same as going to camp and and getting some pre-season snaps. Raiders are home but Kyle Boller doesn't inspire me.

Steelers over the Cardinals

I like Larry Fitzgerald a lot but his team doesn't have the overall quality of receivers that the Steelers do. Between Ward, Wallace and Brown, Rothlisberger has some nice options.

Packers over the Vikings

Shouldn't be close. The Pack are amazing this season.

Cowboys over the Rams

I don't want talk about my Rams. Can it get any worse?. Yep.

Saints over the Colts

What's up with the Saint's center quitting mid-season? Weird.

Ravens over the Jags

Ray Rice comes to Jacksonville. He meets his twin Maurice Jones Drew. Those two guys play the game the same way. Passion and hard running.

Last Week: 8-4
Overall: 51-36

NFL Picks: Week 6

2011-10-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Steelers over the Jaguars
Maybe Jack Del Rio's master plan in getting rid of David Garrard was to compete in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. If so it's a weird plan since he probably won't be around to enjoy that draft pick were they to get it.

Packers over the Rams
Not a great week for my Rams to turn things around. Going to Aaron Rodger's house means St. Louis is going to be 0-5 come Monday.

Eagles over the Redskins
This has got to be the week Philly gets its act together right? I think I asked that same question last week.

Giants over the Bills
This feels like it should go the other way but the Giants are one of those teams that are bi-polar. You never know what you will get out of them (and their QB for that matter).

Lions over the 49ers
The defensive pressure of the Lions is incredible. Alex Smith has been great for the Niners so far but the Lions are at home. Hard to see the upset happening. Wait...did I just call a possible Lions loss an upset? Live it up Detroit, those words have not been written about the Lions in quite awhile.

Raiders over the Browns
If the Raiders could get themselves a passing game (in a pass happy league) along with their already solid running game and defense they would be a legitimate playoff winning threat. But franchise QBs don't grow on trees and I think Jason Campbell just won't be the answer for them down the line.

Texans over the Ravens
I'm calling the upset here at Baltimore. Mario Williams is out, Andre Johnson is out, what I am I thinking? I'm thinking Joe Flacco has regressed so far this year.

Colts over the Bengals
Cincy is 3-2, the Raiders are 3-2, the 49ers are 4-1, the Bills are 4-1, the Lions are 5-0, and the Redskins are 3-1. The success can't be sustainable for all of them. Which ones will fall back to earth? My guess is the Skins, and the Bengals are most likely to fall hard. Without Manning the Curtis Painter show is shaky but there have been signs that he's not as bad as we feared. He hasn't been able to do it at home so I'm not sure why I'm making this pick on the road for Indy.

Patriots over the Cowboys
Brady and Belichick love to stick it to a Ryan if they can. Rex, Rob, whatever.

Saints over the Bucs
This could go either way since Tampa usually plays New Orleans tough at home. Hard to pick against Brees this year though.

Bears over the Vikings
A porous line won't stop Cutler from getting creamed by Jared Allen a few times. But if Hester, Forte and others can make a play or two they should be able to score enough to win. Other than Adrian Peterson, the Vikes are dead on offense.

Jets over the Dolphins
I would love to see the Dolphins end up with worst record in the league this year. Getting Andrew Luck in the draft could bring them back from their disastrous mistake of letting Drew Brees go to the Saints.

Al Davis: Pioneer, Rebel, .......& certifiably crazy for a decade

2011-10-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Lots of glowing testimonials over the last couple of days over recently deceased Raider owner Al Davis. I guess that's to be expected and I guess that's appropriate. Al Davis did some great things.....many years ago. Many, many, many years ago. I'm appreciative of history though so I think it's ok to celebrate his impact in the old AFL, his record of hiring minorities, his willingness to go against the grain etc. But even though many don't want to talk ill of those who have passed on, any discussion of Al Davis has to also include the fact that the guy was just plain nuts for the last 10 years. His decisions, actions, and attitude drove his own organization into the ground and we have to be honest that both he and the Raiders were a joke for most of the past decade. Having said that, a bad 10 years doesn't erase the 40 years before that made Al Davis a legend. So I appreciate the young Al Davis who revolutionized some aspects of prof football and I mock the crazy old coot Al who gave me a decade full of "Weekend at Bernie's" jokes. Rest in Peace Al. If you happen to make it to heaven try not to drive God crazy.

NFL Picks: Week 5

2011-10-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Colts over the Chiefs
The Colts are playing hard even without much hope. I think Freeney and the defense take exception to the idea that Manning was the only reason for their prior success.

Saints over the Panthers
Cam Newton is better than expected. Wish we could say the same about the Saints defense to this point. They won't always outscore everybody as evidenced in the Packer game (week 1).

Eagles over the Bills
The name "Dream Team" name is dead according to Vick. Are the regular old Eagles toast too? I hope not. The league is better off if the Eagles are competitive.

Giants over the Seahawks
If the Giants can't beat this team we'll know they're frauds.

Steelers over the Titans
Hasselbeck is surprising me so far. Still, I'm convinced you can't trust him and that he'll be the on and off guy he was in Seattle. Chris Johnson is not as good as he thinks he is but I think you have to keep feeding him the ball. He's still got breakaway speed.

Bengals over the Jags.
Andy Dalton has been impressive as a rookie QB. Perhaps not Cam Newton impressive but the Bengals signal caller has shown some guts and skills.

Texans over the Raiders
The Texans need to take this division and step on it's throat. Is it in em? Their team history and their QB history doesn't suggest that so far. But times change. At least Gary Gary Kubiak hopes so.

Bucs over the 49ers
I like both coaches. This game intrigues me.

Patriots over the Jets
Games between these guys are never predictable. But you know the Pats want to stick it to Ryan's Jets. If they get the chance they'll run up the score.

Broncos over the Chargers
The Chargers are over .500 this early in the season. I'll channel my inner Lombardi and ask what the Hell's going out here?

Packers over the Falcons
The Pack look unstoppable.

Lions over the Bears
You know they'll be rocking in Detroit for Monday night. Gotta win this one right?

Last Week 10-6
Overall:: 37-26

NFL Picks Week 4

2011-10-01T22:07:00.001-07:00

Lions over the Cowboys

Am I drinking the kool-aid. Yes, yes I am.

Bears over the Panthers

This just feels like one of those games where Jay Cutler does more good than harm.

Bills over the Bengals

The Bengals seem to be primed to win this trap game for the Bills. But these Bills are very likable and fun to watch.

Browns over the Titans

I hope with Kenny Britt down now that Titan QB Matt Hasslebeck targets wide receiver Nate Washington a lot. I'm starting him in fantasy football this week. This is what fantasy has done to me. The minute I saw Britt was seriously hurt I started to think of it's effect on my fantasy football team. I grabbed Washington off the waiver wire during the Titan game last week as Britt is being carted off. Damn.....I feel dirty.

Vikings over the Chiefs

Both are a mess. But while the Chiefs lost their star RB, the Vikes still have theirs. They just need to make sure they give him the ball. The less Donovan McNabb handles the rock, the better.

Redskins over the Rams

I can't even begin to describe how disappointing my Rams are thus far this year. If Rex Grossman outplays Sam Bradford this week I may have to light Bradford's rookie card on fire.

Saints over the Jaguars

This shouldn't be close...... so naturally it will be.

Texans over the Steelers

This is the kind of game Houston needs to win if they want to sit at the big boy's table.

Eagles over the 49ers

Maybe this will be the "wow" game we've been looking for this year from Philly. They had several last year but this year... not so much.

Cardinals over the Giants

Kevin Kolb needs to be better in key situations (3rd downs, etc.). They miss Beanie Wells so hopefully he's back.

Falcons over the Seahawks

This used to be the kind of game where Seattle's hometown advantage would kick in. I just don't see it this year. At what point does Peter Carroll start humming the USC fight song to himself on the sidelines?

Chargers over the Dolphins

just because the Bolts are at home. Still......I don't trust em. That's not changing as long as Nor Turner's at the helm.

Patriots over the Raiders

Belichick usually gives us one of those "no mercy" type of games the week after a loss. The Raiders have toughened up but I just don't think they'll score enough to win this game.

Packers over the Broncos

The TE Finley is coming on as a target for Rodgers and is a nice weapon in the Pack's offensive arsenal.

Jets over the Ravens

would be weird and feel somewhat awkward if this turned into a scoring fest. This game in theory should be low scoring.

Bucs over the Colts

With Payton Manning this is an interesting Monday night game. Without him it's monopoly night with the kids and checking the dvr if I hear any highlights are good.

Last Week: 9-7

Overall:27-20

The Steve Bartman story and 2003 Cub Fans that Suck

2011-09-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just watched the ESPN documentary on Steve Bartman and the choke job by the 2003 Chicago Cubs. Now I know why I have never felt sorry for the Cubs and their fans. The treatment of Steve Bartman by jerk Cub Fans (thousands and thousands of them) was way, way out of line. The players, the manager (Dusty Baker), and the Chicago media all threw a normal guy under the bus and then backed that bus over his metaphorical head. One of the Cub fans comments caught on camera that night at the ballpark was: "put a shotgun in his mouth and pull the trigger!".

Stay classy Chicago.

A couple of things that struck me about the aftermath of that 2003 Pennant game. One, it's incomprehensible to me that the Florida Marlins have won two World Series championships. They've been around since 1993 and have won as many rings in nearly 18 years of existence as the Cubs have in 134 years. The Marlins do not play in a baseball town, they've blown up their teams after winning each of their championships just to save money and lastly, they're the Florida Marlins. It boggles the mind.

Secondly, the irrational nature of the Cub Fans during and after that game really bugs me. Mob mentality always does. Another Cub fan comment caught on tape that night that was directed toward Bartman, "I hope you rot in hell!" I have no doubt in my mind as I watch the clips of the fans that night, that if they had been able to get their hands on him, many would have had no problem in killing him.

I don't care about the history of the Cubs and their misery or stupid curses. 2003 Cub fans made a loyal fan their scapegoat and forever cemented their place in the Douchebag hall of fame.

NFL Picks Week 3

2011-09-20T20:03:00.001-07:00

Saints over the Texans

Should be a good game. Both are good teams and each have excellent skill position players. The Texans defense might be a bit stronger but Brees is usually pretty good at home and has shredded good defenses there before.

Eagles over the Giants

I'm taking the Eagles with or without Vick here. The Giants defense is opportunistic but Manning is shaky and might give a few gifts away himself. It's no shock that people were booing Eli last week in NY. The one consistent thing about him is that's he's fairly inconsistent. Eli should get get the Rex Grossman style tag of "good Eli" and "bad Eli". The biggest weakness I can see with him is he just isn't that accurate. Watch Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady and then watch Eli. The difference in accuracy is significant.

Panthers over the Jaguars

It feels like it's time for a win for Cam Newton. If he throws for 400 plus again I might just poop my pants. Then again it seems like everyone's throwing for at least 300 plus yards these days. What's happened to the passing defense? Or are teams just throwing it way more now? It may be that because it seems like every QB's stat sheet has 30-50 attempts.

Patriots over the Bills

This should subdue the Bills fever for a week or so as Brady puts on another clinic. I can't believe how much time he has to just sit back and survey the field. He doesn't have that good of offensive lineman does he? Hasn't anyone learned from the Giants and the Jets? You need to bring the house against Brady. Pressure is the only way to rattle him. You can't do it with extra defensive backs. He's an assassin and he'll pick a secondary apart.

Dolphins over the Browns

Miami plays better on the road. At least it seems that way. For fantasy purposes I need Brandon Marshall to have a big game this week.

Bengals over the 49ers

You can't trust Alex Smith or his running game yet. I like Frank Gore but it's not there yet for him this season. I think Andy Dalton is pretty good for a rookie QB and Cedric Benson is playing well again. Wouldn't it be weird if the Bengals were good this year and Carson Palmer had to watch his team go to the playoffs without him while he sat home sipping diet cokes and working out with T.J. Houshamenwhatshisface? I might just root for that. This is a story that needs to happen.

Titans over the Broncos

Chris Johnson has got to break out another 80 yard TD soon right? I don't really like the guy though so if he crashes and burns this season it will be ok with me. I'm a hater like that sometimes.

Lions over the Vikings

We can only hope to contain this bandwagon as we all jump on. But seriously, they destroyed the Chiefs last week. The Chiefs apparently suck this year (after a couple of years of gaining respectability again) but still the Lions haven't destroyed anyone for a very long time. They have some very good players. I'm not all in yet but I actually want to see a Lions game this season and that's remarkable. The Vikings have Adrian Peterson and that's always entertaining but how much of the load can he carry again? Except for 2009 when Favre was all-world and almost had them in the Super-Bowl, AP has been the show in Minnesota.

Ravens over the Rams

My Rams need a win badly but the Raven defense is going to be very rude to Sam Bradford.

Jets over the Raiders

....trying to hold in the Al Davis jokes here. ........I'm fine.....no really, I can restrain myse...so did you hear about the guys who got busted this past week after pulling a "weekend at Bernie's" deal (hauling a dead body around town and using his credit card)??? Are we sure that some intern in Oakland isn't keeping Al on ice and wheeling him out once in a while with his shades on?? Ok, I got that out my system. Al Davis ridicule: check. Gushing about Darren McFaddeen: ooops, not yet. I love McFadden. If he could stay healthy this season he could challenge Adrian Peterson for best back in the land.

Chargers over the Chiefs

I could really see the Chargers starting another season off by digging themselves a whole too big to climb out of. I mean, it's kind of their M.O. But with Charles out for the Chiefs and their offense looking very timid otherwise, this should not be a a game.

Cardinals over the Seahawks

The only reason I would watch this game is to see Larry Fitzgerald. He's awesome.

Bucs over the Falcons

Not a total shocker if this happens. Josh Freeman has a toughness to him and a never say die attitude.

Packers over the Bears.

I like the Pack. Fun to watch.

Steelers over the Colts

It's going to get much worse for the Colts before it gets better. And it's their own fault. They've ridden Manning for so long and got spoiled by his ability to win games for them that they've neglected to surround this team with the toughness and talent that it needs to win. Without Manning they are a 3 win team. If that.

Redskins over the Cowboys

If Romo was healthy I'd got the other way with this . Gotta ride the Rex Grossman wave while it's cresting.

Last week: 10-6 (60%)

Overall: 18-13 (60%)

NFL Picks Week 2

2011-09-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Eagles over the Falcons

Welcome home Michael Vick. It should be a nice feeling for Matt Ryan as the Atlanta Crowd cheers the opposing QB. If the Eagles start a beat down on the Falcons and Vick is largely responsible for said beatdown then it could get kinda of awkward for the post-game Vick/Ryan greeting. Ryan: "uh... dude, I think they want you back" Vick: "ummm...yeah....my bad." Ryan's going to have some pressure because they need to avoid 0-2 and the Vick return will always be a sideshow but isn't his name "Matty Ice"? It's a pretty stupid nickname come to think of it, but he better live up to it this week or the doubts about his ability to be an elite QB for Atlanta will hang around this season. Falcon fans know it's Vick's own fault he's not with them anymore but it doesn't stop many of them from drooling over the fantasy of number 7 in the black jersey again.

Atlanta may get back on track this week. They have the players. They have a good coach. Still, that same thing could be said about the Eagles. I'm going with the Philly in a close one.

Packers over the Panthers

Not many of us thought Cam Newton had a 400 yard day in him for his career let alone his inaugural game. Touche, Cam. You sure showed us buddy, but keep an eye on the other guy this week because Aaron Rodgers just might be the best QB in the game and he could teach you a few tricks. This game should be worth watching for two reasons. To see if Cam Newton can do anything similar to week 1 and to watch the Pack rack up points. The Packers remind me of the Patriots in many ways. Unstoppable, professional, and well on their way to being annual Super Bowl contenders. Let's hope they don't add the Patriot A-hole quality too.

Browns over the Colts.

I need to see more from Kerry Collins and the Colt defense before I can pick them. Even against the hard luck Browns.

Saints over the Bears

Drew Brees is like the anti-Cutler: likable, inspirational and vocal leader to boot. Cutler tough or no? Who cares? He's a punk but that arm of his can win some games. This could be close with the Saints defense still highly suspect.

Raiders over the Bills

I would like to see a rushing battle between McFadden and CJ Spiller. I think Spiller has serious potential.

Jets over the Jags

Sanchez to Burress. That combo is looking better all the time. Also, Tomlinson had some zip in his legs last week. He's not done yet. Shonn Green better start ripping it up or LT is going to keep grabbing playing time from him.

Ravens over the Titans

Should be another tough day for Chris Johnson if Ray Lewis and the Ravens D can channel some of their signature aggressiveness. Ed Reed is my favorite defensive player of the past decade. The nickname "Ballhawk" doesn't even begin to describe his impact in the secondary.

Cardinals over the Redskins.

What am I to do with Rex Grossman? Have we gotten past the whole Good Rex and Bad Rex thing. It will take more than two games to tell us that. I want to see more of Kolb to Fitzgerald and this game should do that.

Chiefs over the Lions.

Everything we've seen so far in the pre-season and in week 1 says this should go the other way. But this is the NFL and expectations aren't always fulfilled.

Broncos over the Bengals.

This whole Tebow QB controversy can't be good for him in that Bronco locker room and the fact that he has a cult following in the mile high city isn't going to end well for him. He's 3rd string for hell's sake.

Steelers over the Seahawks.

Should be just the tonic that Pittsburgh needs this week. I don't trust the Seahawks. How did they not prepare better for the end of the Hasselbeck era? Charlie Whitehurst and Tavaris Jackson, Seriously? Seattle, you guys had a few years to see this coming and you could have drafted or traded for an upgrade at some point. My advice for Pete Carroll is to play everyone, go 1-15 and get Andrew Luck in the draft. Then he could stick it to Luck's former coach Jim Harbough twice a year when they play San Fran.

Vikings over the Bucs

Donovan McNabb can't suck any worse than he did last Sunday right? 39 yards! It's all uphill from here baby! Actually McNabb is washed up and has been for a few years. It's unusual (but not unheard of) for a guy who was an elite QB to go downhill as early as he has (he's only 34!) but make no mistake, you can stick a fork in Mcnabb. He's done. He may have a good game or two this season but the Vikes have not found an answer with him as their QB.

The Bucs on the other hand have a guy under center that should make strides this year. Josh Freeman needs some help in the run game though. Last week Tampa was under 60 rushing yards and 3.5 yards a carry (last game's stats) and that's less than helpful. This may not be the game to fix it though because I still like the Viking defense led by Jared Allen.

Texans over the Dolphins.

This is Houston's year to take the division. It's ripe for the picking. Which means if they hold true to form they'll find a way to blow it. The silver lining? No Manning around to mess it up.

Cowboys over the 49ers

Dallas needs a win or Jerry Jones may begin to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. Or was it the East? Screw it, either way we need Dallas to win just so we can keep Jerry around for awhile. He's good entertainment. Creepy but fun.

Patriots over the Chargers

Brady and Belichick are about to get their groove on again. ....wait...that didn't come out right. Strike that. The "hoody" and the supermodel's husband are about to take it to teams without giving a s#@% what anybody thinks. If Brady can avoid injury he's due for another huge year and MVP consideration again.

Giants over the Rams

My Rams are hurting. Injuries could have been more devastating in week one so I'll have to be grateful Bradford is talking about playing against NY. I've got Giants wideout Mario Manningham on my fantasy team and I'm hoping he does well. That's my team he's playing against. I'm officially a fantasy football whore.

Last week: 8-7

NFL 2011. Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

2011-09-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

Yes the National Football League season is here. Finally. Lockout crisis averted. Billions of dollars ready to be passed out to some NFL people we like, and many we would just as soon see stuck in an oven with the broil setting on. But I digress. Did I mention pro football is ready to be played? I'm excited enough that my wife could jam toothpicks up my nostrils and I wouldn't even notice because I'm on a pigskin high. I do have a slight problem though as the Pro season begins. I finally caved and joined a fantasy football league. I'm a newbie. First timer. And I'm conflicted. I knew I would be. That's why I've held off on playing fantasy football until I became quite possibly the last football fan in America who had never indulged. Those that have read me before know that I root passionately against the New England Patriots. I might root against them as much as I root for my teams to win. It's sick and demented but what are you gonna do? When Tom Brady when out for the season with an injury a couple of years back I whistled and skipped to work the next day. It was somewhat awkward when some small girls on their way to school joined in the skipping....but hey life's celebrations are few and far between in my world. I bring this up because my worry in playing fantasy football over the years was that I might end up with and/or need players I disliked and I would on some level have to root for them to do well. It would mess up my Football weekend mojo.

So what happens this year on my first foray into the world of fantasy football? You guessed it, I get Tom Brady as my 1st QB. Why did I end up with him? The easy answer is because the league I'm in runs an auto draft using player rankings that we set. My second QB ended up being Sam Bradford---only the signal caller for my favorite team. Nice. So I can sit Brady and play my guy (Bradford) while Brady torches D-backs this season or I can play Brady (aka demon spawn) who might help me with bragging rights in my league. Bragging rights would be nice. I'll probably play Brady.

I'm a deuchebag.

So the season starts tonight. Packers vs. Saints. I'm in football heaven and hell. Damn you fantasy football.

NFL Labor Dispute: Ho Hum.

2011-07-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

This NFL lockout of 2011 spring/summer has interested me about as much as an enema. Come to think of it the two concepts are similar. They aren't much fun but occasionally they are necessary. That's my take on the lockout. Labor dispute was inevitable in the NFL. The league is swimming in money and everyone wants as much of it as they can get. That takes some sorting out. So it was a little weird this off-season. Big deal. Things might be delayed a bit and some of the players are probably a bit out of shape but we probably won't miss any regular season games. And even if we did....the world moves on the league would have come back. I'm fairly fanatical about NFL football, as many of you are...but labor disputes every decade or so are par for the course. I've got a lot to keep me up at night, but worrying about a bunch of millionaires and billionaires and how they plan to split their money isn't one of them.

NFL Playoffs: Championship Round

2011-01-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

Packers and Bears. I picked the Pack to win this because I didn't trust Cutler to come up big in big games. Boy was that an understatement. I'm interested to see what happens with the knee injury. Even if it's not too bad I'm not sure I trust the Bears to tell the truth on it. How could they if it's a minor injury? If it turns out to be something that most people will feel he could have played on then he'll be destroyed officially in that town. They have to say it's serious don't they? So how will we really know? We won't would be my guess. We will just have the image of a surly, seemingly disinterested Cutler standing on the sideline. Is it fair to him to question his toughness? Sure it is. That's what we do as fans. These points are all over the blogs and articles but I think they are fair points. First, if he's seriously hurt why stand on the leg from the sidelines for the rest of the game? But he wanted to support his teammates. Well then how about throwing on a headset and getting involved and supporting them like a leader does. Also, we've seen QBs beg and plead to be put back in the game after being injured. There was none of that visible from Cutler. Again, maybe we missed something. Some people don't wear their emotions. Cutler could have been dying inside but it's pretty clear if that's ever the case we'll never know it because the guy has robot face on pretty much 24/7. 2nd point, We've watched guys hobble around in the pocket on bad knees before. Byron Leftwich did it famously at Marshall . Robbie Bosco did it to win a national championship all the way back in 1984 (start at 5 min mark). Say what you want about negatively about Brett Favre (and I have), but that dude played more games than you could count where he should have been in the locker room by the second quarter. I don't know if Cutler could have played or not. I suspect he could of but maybe his knee truly was toast and he would have done more damage than good. Again, I don't know. I do know at least on this night Cutler didn't seem like much of a warrior.

--The Packers made this game much closer than it should have been. They seemingly played the entire game on the Bears side of the field and yet punted wayyyyyy more than you should ever punt your opponent's 40 yard line. A lot of third and shorts were missed and that could kill their chances in the Super Bowl if they don't get it fixed. Rodgers wasn't stellar but he was good enough. The Pack deserve to go to Dallas for the Super Bowll but you can't tell me we wouldn't have had a better game had the Saints been playing instead of Chicago. Damn Seattle Seahawks. Screwing up the playoffs again.

Steelers and Jets. I picked the Steelers because they were at home and because I thought their defense would show up big. Not a big leap to pick the home team but it's hard to go against Roethisberger in a big game. The dude seems to have a knack for making key plays. His last 3rd down play to ice the game was classic Roethlisberger. Extending the play, throwing on the run and off balance, and of course completing it. I thought the Jets should have been hustling a bit more in the latter part of the 4th quarter so more time would be left if they scored but the runs were working for them and they needed a for sure score. They were relying on their defense which played well in the second half. Just not good enough on 3rd down. --when they needed it the most. Still, it was a good playoff run for the Jets. If Sanchez has some clutch in him but needs to make a step up in consistency. I've learned one thing with Rex Ryan's guys, you don't want to count them out.

Super Bowl Pick: Steelers over the Packers. Sometimes the Packers mess up on the little things. It's what hurt them in the games they lost this year. Penalties, dropped balls, bad clock management. It's not epidemic or anything, just enough to lose some tight ball games they have no business losing during the year. The Steelers do all the little things right. I think Mike Tomlin is one of the top 3 coaches in the league. I want the Pack to win it but I think Steeltown gets another title.

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round

2011-01-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

Bears over the Seahawks. Raise your hand if you had both of these guys playing in the 2nd round of the playoffs when the season began. This league is crazy and this game proves it. Actually last week proved it too. The Seahawks played out of their mind last week offensively. Hasslebeck got himself another year in Seattle as a starter with his near perfect game against the Saints porous defense. Thankfully for my Rams, that's a good thing. Hasselbeck never had much of a "prime" but I would say based on the last few years he's well past that prime. Of course people have gotten hot in the playoffs before and ridden the wave for 2 or 3 games. Maybe the hawks will go surfing on Hasselbeck's arm. More likely though the Bear defense will come crashing down on him and the Seattle offense like a Tsunami. The Bears, in my mind, catch a break by avoiding the Saints and instead should get a pretty easy path to the championship game. The Saints meanwhile are heading home after an 11 win season. You can talk all you want about how if they were really championship worthy they should win their game, even on the road, but I'm not buying it. Home field is an advantage otherwise teams wouldn't try so hard to get it. Seattle played better than New Orleans last week and they deserve to move on but a 7-9 team does not deserve a home game in the playoffs. Period.

Patriots over the Jets. Here go the bigmouths again. Jet coach makes an ass of himself. Jet's defensive back makes an ass of himself. Same old, Same old. Here also comes a repeat: Tom Brady is going to make mincemeat of New York/Jersey's secondary.

I think the Jets got lucky many times this year. I think they got lucky against the Colts. Overall they probably have the better team but Indy had that game won and they let it slip away. I really need to find a new AFC team to root for. Manning plays tight in the playoffs. He always has. Even his SuperBowl victory was a so-so game for him. It's frustrating to watch. I'll always wonder how he would have fared with Dallas Clark and Austin Collie to throw to.

Steelers over the Ravens. At some point you think maybe the Ravens will thump the Steelers. They have similar philosophies and similar players. Probably come down to a field goal.

Falcons over the Packers. Rodgers looks great but so do the Falcons. It's really a "pick em" game.

NFL Picks:Wild Card Playoff Round

2011-01-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jets over the Colts. I don't like either of these teams' chances to make it to the AFC championship game. Too many flaws. And you know this might be the first year that I won't root for the Colts to make it to the AFC championship. The reason? They have no chance to beat the Patriots. Lets face it, the chances are slim for anyone in the AFC to pull an upset in New England but the Steelers might come the closest.

Ravens over the Chiefs. I like K.C. and I would love to see them do well in the playoffs. I just don't see it happening.

Saints over the Seahawks. So Seattle knocked off my Rams last week. I hate the Seahawks. I felt like I was in Mike Martz withdrawal as I watched Sam Bradford try and nickel and dime is way to a first down each series. Geez Louise, do they have a pass play in their arsenal that goes past 6 yards? Two Ram games have been on tv this season in my tv market. Both have been bad games by Sam Bradford. I've read about Bradford doing well and I've seen some highlights where it seems he is doing well. But my own personal viewing of him suggests some work needs to be done. I mean, Charlie Whitehurst outplayed you man! Charlie Whitehurst! But I digress. Next season . Next season. My Rams made significant progress this year and I need to be happy about that. They should contend for the NFC West next year as well. That Ram/Seahawk game was ugly though. Fitting for a division champ that has a losing record. Shouldn't this give some push to the idea of seeding the playoffs by record? The Saints will face a disadvantage with the Seattle crowd noise but I think they'll pull this game out.

Packers over the Eagles. I think Rodgers will outplay Vick. Hopefully this will be a matchup for a few more years to come.

NFL Prob

2010-12-30T13:02:00.001-08:00

NFL Picks: Week 17

2010-12-30T11:40:00.001-08:00

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%)

NFL Picks: Week 16

2010-12-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

Steelers over the Panthers. In the NFL any team is capable of beating another. That's been proven over and over. However the Panthers are in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes for a reason.

Cowboys over the Cardinals. Cowboys still playing for Jason Garrett's job.

Patriots over the Bills. I just read that Terrell Suggs of Baltimore didn't even put Tom Brady on his Pro Bowl balllot but instead had the Bill's Ryan Fitzpatrick on it as a QB. Suggs was doing it out of spite because of he and Brady's well publicized feud this year. Interesting though because Fitzpatrick gets to play against Brady this week and he'll get an up close and personal look at not just a Pro Bowl QB, but a Hall of Fame QB.

Bears over the Jets. Bears are having trouble getting respect despite a great record. This would be a quality win and would help people take them a little more seriously.

Ravens over the Browns. Not terribly interested in this game.

Chiefs over the Titans. I'm wondering if K.C. is feeling the heat. I hope not. I'd like to see them make the playoffs. They need to watch out for Tennessee because they can still be dangerous.

Rams over the 49ers. This game will be on local channels for me this week. It marks the first time I will actually get to watch my Rams this year. Being in the Rocky Mountain area I get a steady diet of Bronco football and a smattering of other popular or winning teams. But the Rams have been non-existent on tv for me the past few years. I actually was ok with that since St. Louis was pretty much unwatchable from 2006-2009. But this year had me yearning for the NFL Ticket package again. I'm on Dish Network so that's not really an option for awhile so I'll have to take advantage of this once-a- season opportunity to see Sam Bradford in action. Now watch a snowstorm roll in this weekend and knock out the power.

Dolphins over the Lions. My favorite receiver is back in the league. Kevin Curtis (from my alma mater of Utah State) has been signed by the Fins and I hope he can show he still has it. Dude had testicular cancer (ouch) and had surgery earlier this year for it. Too bad the Colts didn't sign him. Manning would find he's a lot like the recently reinjured Austin Collie. Great hands and fast. Best of luck Kevin.

Jags over the Redskins. The Skins are in chaos. Shocker. I root for the Colts in the AFC so I would like to see Washington get it together..... at least for this game.

Colts over the Raiders. The Raiders are easily capable of winning this game. They found some old Raider toughness this year. McFadden could run all over the Colts defense if he finds a few holes and the Colts are still without some needed weapons on offense. It's clear that Dallas Clark was the key receiver in that offense. Collie filled some of that void but his concussions have robbed Manning of critical guy. Reggie Wayne is still great but he's double teamed constantly and that slot/middle of the field stuff was Collie's domain. Notice how Austin Collie tore up the Jag's defense last week before he had another horrible concussion. I'm pretty depressed about that injury. Before Collie got hurt the first time this year he was one of the leading receivers in the league. Too bad the second half of the year has been snake bitten for him.

Texans over the Broncos. I'll admit it. I'm not a Tebow hater. I know some are but I like the guy. He plays hard and he seems like genuinely nice guy. I'd like to see him do well.

Chargers over the Bengals. Marvin Lewis needs to be fired this year. Palmer has been awful at QB and the Cincy defense hasn't really stepped up either but Lewis has had his shot and it seems clear he's not the guy to lead the Bengals back to contention.

Packers over the Giants. Do you realize that Eli Manning has thrown 20 interceptions this year? I know it's Christmas time and all but with the increase in brother Payton's picks the Manning family has been entirely too giving this season. Rodgers return should make the difference this week for the Green Bay.

Bucs over the Seahawks. Explain to me again why Pete Carroll went after Charlie Whitehurst as a QB this past offseason. I know Matt Hasselbeck has been washed up for years but that's not the answer. Seattle seems like they need a complete overhaul on offense.

Eagles over the Vikings. I've seen two games that made my jaw drop this year. Both involved Michael Vick. The Redskin game and last week's Giants games are keepers on my DVR.

Saints over the Falcons. This is the best game game on paper going into this week. Can the Saints regain some swagger and knock off the Falcons at home? I think they have the potential but they really need to start playing some better defense. Matt Ryan has been awesome at home and this is probably not smart on my part picking the Saints on the road in Atlanta.

Last Week: 9-7
Overall:120-85 (59%)

NFL Picks: Week 15

2010-12-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

Chargers over the 49ers. I would say this is a lock but then again the Chargers did lose to the Raiders a couple of weeks ago. I know, I know, Oakland has improved this year but the Chargers are supposed to be good and they have a top 5 QB. They could finish the season out strong and if K.C. chokes the division away San Diego could be the team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.

Browns over the Bengals. What did the Browns pay Jake Delhomme this year? 8 Mil? Jake is laughing all the way to the bank. Looked stupid when they signed the deal and it looks even stupider now. Colt McCoy is perhaps not the long term answer at QB but has potential and that's something Cleveland needs.

Texans over the Titans. Chris Johnson meet Arian Foster again. The guy who might take your rushing title from you.

Ravens over the Saints. Some are asking what's wrong with the Ravens. They lost to Pittsburgh and had to struggle to beat the Texans. Nothing is wrong unless you mistakenly had the Ravens pegged as the best team in the AFC a month ago, as many did. They're a good team. They're just not a Super Bowl team yet. I hope the Saints can take this one but they are in Baltimore and that may just give the Ravens the edge they need this week.

Jags over the Colts . Nothing the Colts have done this season leads me to believe they can win out and take their division. Except they are the Colts and despite some playoff failures in the past decade they have managed to pull out some remarkable regular season victories. The Jags just look tougher though and I think they'll gash the Colts with their running game.

Cowboys over the Redskins. Grossman at QB. That's outstanding. Shannahan and son are brilliant. I know McNabb is washed up, but at least he was great once. Grossman came into the league washed up. It almost makes me want to root for the Cowboys. Almost.

Bills over the Dolphins. Some games are forgettable before they're even played.

Bucs over the Lions. It would sure be fun if next year the Lions could have a promising season like the Bucs are having.

Chiefs over the Rams. A game with possible playoff implications for both teams. Kinda sounds weird when talking that way about the Rams and Chiefs doesn't it?

Cardinals over the Panthers. Someone has to win this.

Giants over the Eagles. Vick has to hope he doesn't get battered like the last time he saw the G-Men. I do agree with those that say Vick doesn't get the same protection as other QBs. He brings some of the hits on himself but there are other times when the refs seem to be swallowing their whistles. The hit he took out of bounds last week (a penalty that wasn't called) was ridiculous.

Falcons over the Seahawks. Seattle is tough at home so this is another game for Atlanta to show they are the NFC team to beat this year.

Raiders over the Broncos. This rivalry just doesn't have the same juice without the background noise of Shannahan and his feud against Al Davis.

Steelers over the Jets. The Jets' close victories earlier in the season look like a sign that they were getting a bit lucky rather than being really good.

Patriots over the Packers. If Aaron Rodgers was playing for the Packers this week I would give them a fighting chance against the Pats. He's out with the concussion symptoms and without him it could be a blowout for New England.

Bears over the Vikings. It's really strange to see Favre on the sidelines. His streak was to me the most impressive of all playing streaks among the different sports. Cal Ripken and Lou Gehrig were great but they didn't have Michael Strahan or Ed Reed trying to take their head off. Favre stayed at least a year too long and I've had my fill of the drama but the guy was fun to watch. His legacy has been destroyed in the short term but hopefully we can look back again at some point and remember when he was the most popular player in the league..... and one of the best.

NFL Picks: Week 14

2010-12-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

I hate this time of year in the NFL. Reason? We are in sight of the end of the regular season. Then it's playoff time, Super Bowl and the season is done. That's right...I was the kid that got pissed about Christmas being over before it was even over. I can't help it.

Colts over the Titans. It's the case of two reeling teams. The difference I believe is that Indy is desperate and Tennessee is past that point. They seem to be in the "I don't give a #$%# mode right now and even though Manning is just downright awful at the moment, I'll take him over whoever the Titans trot out there. Having said that......as someone who roots for the Colts, it is hard to watch them this year. They are grinding offensive plays out like never before. 5 yards. 2 yards, 7 yards. 1 yard. Mind you, these are all passes. Reggie Wayne is the only guy stretching the field for them and even he has dropped some critical passes. Garcon is not having the type of year I thought he would have considering he is a main target. Additionally, the running game is a joke. Here is where Manning's complex offense comes back to bite the Colts in the rear end. I believe they have passed on very talented runners in the draft and in free agency who they feel would not be suited for picking up the blocking schemes in a very complex offense. For the Colts pass protection is job A and job B for a running back. Picking up yards on the ground is an afterthought...... and that's killing them right now. Having Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Joseph Addai out with injury are key factors for sure, but think back to how Manning won his only Super Bowl. Remember a running back named Dominic Rhodes and how he tore up the vaunted Chicago Bears defense? I'm not saying he was a fantastic runner in his career, but he was awesome that day and he was just as responsible for that victory as Manning was. Watch the tape sometime. You'll agree.

p.s. I just googled Dominic Rhodes' name to make sure I spelled his name right and lo and behold I read that the Colts just resigned him due to the injuries to their running backs. You can't make this stuff up. Well....you can but why would I want to?

Browns over the Bills. The Bills are at home and despite their record they aren't pushovers. Still, even with Jake Delhomme trying to give the game away for Cleveland last week they managed to win it in a squeaker. I'm taking the Browns in another shocker to myself.

Steelers over the Bengals. The Steelers need to keep an eye on this one. The Bengals have a habit of playing them tough and they could be easy to overlook for a Pittsburgh team that just had one of the more impressive wins of the year over the Ravens. I can tell you one thing: a whole lot of women around the country saw Ben Roethlisberger's broken nose in the game and stood up applauded.

Packers over the Lions. It's a divisional game so I guess it could be tougher than it looks. But the Pack look really good to me.

Giants over the Vikings. I think NY ends Favre's season if he plays in this game. Their pass rush is relentless. The Vikes should play Tavaris Jackson, hand the ball to Adrian Peterson and prep for next year.

Bucs over the Redskins. Tampa still hasn't beat a team with a winning record. They're good but not playoff good. They've made progress this year and next year we might be talking about them as a sexy pick to compete for their division. There is nothing sexy about the Skins though. Not from El Creepo Eyes Shannahan to Albert Haynesworth's incredibly lazy and incredibly rich butt, to Donovon McNabb's rapidly disappearing career. .

---And by the way I loved the throwback creamsicle orange unis the Bucs wore last week. I would never advocate for it to come back full time (just like I think the powder blues for the Chargers isn't a good look week to week) but a little nostalgic homage to the 70s and 80s in Tampa was nice.......Even if that nostalgia invokes memories of total and complete futility.

Falcons over the Panthers. Kudos to the Panther punter who made TD saving tackle on a showboating Seahawk Leon Washington this past week. That highlight will be saved and packaged by him for Christmas gift dvd stocking stuffers.
-If the Falcons are truly serious contenders this year then this game shouldn't even be close.

Jags over the Raiders. If only the Raiders could just play teams in their own division. They own those guys! Too bad for them they have to go on the road to play a hot Jacksonville team. ---Hey can we all agree that the Saints picked the wrong Southern California running back in the draft a few years back? Reggie Bush is a dangerous weapon for the Saints when healthy but Maurice Jones Drew is the complete package. He was overlooked and overshadowed at UCLA by the flashier Bush at USC. But their numbers were comparable in college and it's not even close in the Pros. Drew by a mile.

49ers over the Seahawks. Seems like the Niners always play well at home against Seattle. Alex Smith is starting but that probably isn't exciting anyone in the Bay area.

Saints over the Rams. Bradford is not ready to take down the Saints at home.

Jets over the Dolphins. NY needs to show that the Pats game was a fluke. Too bad for them it wasn't. New England is a much better team with a living legend at QB. Mark Sanchize Sanchez at this point is talented but could not fill out Brady's jockstrap (metaphorically speaking).

Broncos over the Cards. the "win one for the interim coach" thing has worked so far this year for a couple of clubs so why not the Broncos? Hard to believe how far the Broncos have fallen the past couple of years. Wasn't too long ago we were thinking of them as a team with massive potential. Cutler at QB, Marshall at receiver. A opportunistic defense. It's not all McDaniels fault. But he did set some of the dominoes in motion and for that (and other stupid things) he probably did deserve to get whacked.

Chargers over the Chiefs. I wish K.C. could get this one but I have a feeling San Diego will continue to string people along with another shot of hope. I know the Chargers have gone deep in the playoffs a couple of times recently but it sure seems like they are one of the prime contenders for wasting the most of their talent over the past half decade.

Eagles over the Cowboys. The rebirth of John Kitana! Again! Yikes! Dallas is at home this week in the "House that Jerry Built" but I'm going with Vick and the Eagles. It's funner that way.

Ravens over the Texans. Arian Foster might have a tough time running against the Ravens.

Patriots over the Bears. I've said it and I've said it. And it makes me sick to say it. Tom Brady is the best QB in the league. Maybe the best QB of all time. Certainly the best QB in the past decade. Manning made it interesting for a couple of years but there just isn't any doubt that Brady is the best. He's unstoppable. He's calm, strong armed, tall, insanely accurate, has great timing and leaps tall buildings in his spare time. Had it not been for his season ending injury 2 years ago, he probably would have taken the Patriots back to the SuperBowl that year too. He had just come off the amazing 2007 year (re-writing the record book) and he had a good team that Matt Cassel ended up winning 11 games with as a backup. Last year was a bit of down year for him coming off the injury but he's back in form and .....and....and I need to throw up. I must control my hate. I must control my hate. It's all about baby steps in my anti-Patriot therapy.

Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 113-78

NFL Picks: Week 13

2010-12-02T17:29:00.001-08:00

Eagles over the Texans. I think the Eagles bounce back this week. How great was the Johnson fight last week? I have never liked the Titan's corner (Finnegan). As awesome as it was, both needed to be suspended and it really is a joke that the NFL is so inconsistent in their punishments.

Saints over the Bengals. The Saints are not as good away from home but the way the Bengals have been playing doesn't leave you full of confidence that they can deny them a victory. Brees hasn't been spectacular this year but he's still been very good. The Saints may sneak up on people this year which is kind of weird because they are the defending champions.

Bears over the Lions. Looks like I'm going to have to accept it. The Bears may just be good again. Their offense has improved and their defense is ferocious . Julius Peppers is not the only one making plays (Urlacher is back in form) but Peppers seems to be a perfect fit in Chicago.

Packers over the 49ers. If the Pack can get rid of the mental mistakes this should be a blowout. Does anyone throw a better deep ball than Aaron Rodgers? His arm and that tight spiral are the stuff of legend already.

Jaguars over the Titans. I just can't get over how badly it went for Vince Young this year. His QB rating was solid. He had some nice victories. And then he completely melted down. If he wasn't injured this would be a huge story the rest of the season. Imagine what would happen to this guy if things ever went really bad. He might disappear and threaten to harm himself. Oh wait, that already happened. --Compare him to the Jag's David Garrard. This is a guy who in my opinion is not much more than an average QB but who has good leadership skills. He has his good and bad days. But do you ever hear much controversy about him? No, he has some maturity which is a must if you want to last a few years as a QB in the NFL.

Chiefs over the Broncos. Time for me to beat a dead horse again. The best running back in the NFL this season is Jamaal Charles. I've been saying he needs more carries. He nearly has as many yards as the Texan's Arian Foster and he has approximately 80 fewer rushing attempts! Maybe he has fresh legs and that's why he's been great. I don't know. I don't think he needs to be a workhorse but 4-5 more carries a game at least is reasonable. The K.C. offense has been solid with Dwayne Bowe at receiver and Matt Cassel is living up to some expectations. Stats aren't everything but he has some nice numbers this year they do indicate that he's worth keeping around.
--speaking of stats...... the Bronco's Kyle Orton has some great numbers and should get a shot next year as well but the running game isn't there this year and the Denver defense has given up some critical touchdowns. I can't go with them against the Chiefs at home.

Dolphins over the Browns. Delhomme almost killed Cleveland last week. He's starting again this week. Yikes.

Vikings over the Bills. Was it last week ..or the week before that I praised the up and coming Bills receiver Steve Johnson? Then he goes out and drops 5 passes (none more critical than the overtime drop in the endzone). He wasn't done screwing up though. His "tweet" where he blames God for the butter fingers is classic. Watch for lightning Stevie....24/7

Giants over the Redskins. Doesn't matter that Tom Coughlin is starting Brandon Jacobs over Bradshaw at running back this week. If Jacobs can't get it done, Bradshaw will be back in (fumbling problems or not).

Chargers over the Raiders. Is San Diego now an elite AFC team? Maybe. --5 and 5 is a very average record and they are just as responsible for losses as they are for their very impressive victories. We'll see how it ends up later. Maybe the Chargers will be like the great race horse Zenyatta, always charging down the backstretch.

Seahawks over the Panthers. These are the types of home games that Seattle is usually automatic with.

Falcons over the Bucs. This is Tampa's great chance to prove they are as good as their record. They've beaten nothing but cupcakes this year and now a heavyweight comes to town. Let's go Josh Freeman. Rise and shine.

Rams over the Cardinals. Rams have to win this game. Have to. They play the Saints and Chiefs next, and then finish with divisional foes Seattle and San Francisco. I think the latter two are very winnable but K.C. and New Orleans might be a problem. So if they can go 3-2 to end the season they'll sit at 8-8 which definitely could win the NFC West. It's not pretty but neither am I ---and my wife still loves me.

Colts over the Cowboys. I need to face facts this year. The Colts are just not that good right now. Manning has been average this year but it's not all on him. He's got no running game and his receivers are dropping like flies. And those that are healthy are playing hot potato with his passes. He needs Austin Collie back who is a very reliable target over the middle. If Collie can keep from getting his bell rung again and the Colts can get a few easy TDs going into the final weeks then maybe they can become dangerous again. They have a favorable schedule to finish up the season so if they can get a game ahead of the Jags and stay there they will be in the playoffs again. But they sure don't look like contenders this year.

Steelers over the Ravens. This seems like a tough one to pick. Two teams with warrior mentalities. They usually play close and nasty. I'm going with the Steelers in another tight one.

Patriots over the Jets. I'm conflicted here. I agree with the thought that if the Jets were to win this and then had to play the Pats in the playoffs, they would struggle to win 3 straight games against Brady and crew. Who knows if they'll meet in the playoffs though. Go Jets.

Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 100-75 (57%)

NFL Picks: Week 12

2010-11-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

Patriots over the Lions. I'll be on the road when this game is going on and I'm kind of glad about that. I'd be tempted to watch and frankly it's always hard for me to stomach the Patriots when they are winning. They should continue their success against Detroit but since I won't see it I'll still have my appetite when we hit the in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. New England is amazing at finding very good offensive players that other teams either don't see the value in or can't take advantage of their talents. Welker, Woodhead, Branch, are examples. I still buy into the theory that they are better offensively without Moss. They won't score like they did a couple of years but they will score when it counts. Brady had another good game this past week with Indy. It's true the Pats lucked out a bit with the Colts when Manning threw that killer interception in the final minute but Brady is still the best QB in the league and most of the time they won't need luck.

Saints over the Cowboys. You know, I suppose the Cowboys could take the good vibe that's going on in Big "D" right now and win one for Jerry Jones on Turkey Day. But really, who wants that besides the good folks in Texas and all those "America's Team" diehards around the nation. I'm taking the Saints in this holiday battle.

Jets over the Bengals. Another close victory for the Jets last week. That can't be good for Rex Ryan's heart can it? Perhaps this is insensitive but they really need a couple of blowouts because Rex is a heart attack waiting to happen. I caught the last couple of minutes of the Jets/Texans game and I have to admit Sanchez was brilliant in the final minute when he threw two fantastic passes to win it. This week the battle between the Jet's corners (Revis & Cromartie) and Ochocinco and Owens brings some intrigue to a game that otherwise isn't all that interesting to me.

Falcons over the Packers. A lot of people might go with the Pack in this one. I'm tempted because they are awesome right now. Atlanta has been pretty decent too and they are tough at home. I actually think Rodgers is better than Matt Ryan but I think the Falcons will help out their QB this week. They are motivated to prove they are as good as their record.

Steelers over the Bills. The Bills are scrappy so you can't sleep on them. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has some mobility and some guts ....that's right, Harvard guys have guts too!.....and receiver Steve Johnson looks like a breakout start this season (over 700 yards). Still, when it comes right down to it the Steelers are just better.

Browns over the Panthers. It's risky taking the Browns with Jake Delhomme back under center this week but they play harder than the Panthers do. With Stanford QB Andrew Luck looking pretty damn good this year it seems that the Bills and Panthers are playing for his draft pick. Right now Carolina looks like it might get a crack at him. If you are a fan of a crappy franchise, do you root for your team to lose just so you can get a chance at a possible franchise QB? Speaking as a Ram fan who likes Sam Bradford a lot...........Yes...Yes you do.

Giants over the Jags. The Giants defensive front is relentless. Justin Tuck and company should harass David Garrard all day. Can he file a lawsuit if that happens?

Vikings over the Redskins. What the hell. They shouldn't win this. But maybe they have a "Chili" rebound. Brad Childress was a bad coach but the Vikings are just not that good this year and number 4 is one of the main reasons why. He has below a 70 passer rating. Maybe Tavaris Jackson would be better but they are into Favre for 20 mil. and you can't have that pile of cash sitting on the bench.

Texans over the Titans. So Vince Young goes mental again and will need to salvage his career next year. Young clearly does not have the mentality to be a starting QB in the NFL. I'm not saying he isn't intelligent (how do you measure that anyway?) but he certainly is lazy and immature. Receivers might be able to get away with that at times but the QB can't. Still I don't think Fisher is blameless in the Titan's problems. He's a strong personality and his teams always play hard but truthfully most of the years Fisher has been coaching his teams have been mediocre. In 16 full seasons he has coached the Oiler/Texan franchise he has 6 winning seasons. 6 out of 16. Is that surprising? It is too me. He is talked about as a great coach. The record doesn't support that. This week Fisher gets the equally frustrating and mediocre Texans. Houston should send everything they have at the inexperienced Tennessee QB that will be filling in the for the foreseeable future. What's his name again? Rusty Smith? Maybe Rusty will provide a spark. Maybe he'll get manhandled. I'm betting (figuratively speaking) on the latter.

Chiefs over the Seahawks. I know the Hawks are tough at home but the Chiefs have a more talented team. They need to win this to show they are legit.

Raiders over the Dolphins. Richard Seymour was stupid to punch Roethlisberger last week. The Steeler QB bumped him and no doubt said something douchey...... but he's a QB for hell's sake. You can't do what he did and not pay the piper. Maybe the Raiders won't need him though. Brandon Marshall may be out, and Henne or Thigpen haven't shown much this year. The Raiders should startGradkowski and hand the ball to McFadden.

Broncos over the Rams. I'm just not sure all the pieces are there yet for any consistency with the Rams. I think Bradford as QB means St. Louis is competes is not an automatic loss anymore. But they aren't legit winners yet either. Denver is going to throw a lot and the Ram defense needs to play much better than they did last week.

Bears over the Eagles. They'll be in Chicago and the Bears seem to be better than I've been giving them credit for. Vick is playing well but I agree with those that say he is taking too many hits. How is he going to survive the rest of the season? He better look out for Urlacher who is making up for a couple of lost years.

Ravens over the Bucs. If Tampa really wants to prove they are for real they need to beat Baltimore. Every win they have this year is against a team that currently has a losing record. The three quality teams they've played (Falcons, Steelers, & Saints) have beaten them and 2 of those contests weren't even close. I like the Bucs but there is a good chance they'll go 3-3 to end the season (ending up at 10-6) and they possibly won't beat a good team the entire way.

Colts over the Chargers. I'm already thinking I might be wrong about this. The game is in Indy but the Colts have that grind it out offense this year and Manning has to do more than ever to win games. Speaking of doing it all, Rivers has been fantastic so far. That weird arm motion of his makes me think the ball can't possibly get where it's intended to go but somehow it does. A loss would be a real setback for either team so I hope the Colts can pull it out.

49ers over the Cardinals. Disappointing teams with QB issues. Not an unusual thing in the NFL. The NFC West sucks donkeys....... so amazing as it sounds, both of these clubs still have a a shot of winning the division. By the way they each have 3 victories. Could we have a sub .500 division winner this year? And if that happens could we get any traction on at least the idea of giving playoff home games to teams with better records?

Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 87-72

NFL Picks: Week 11

2010-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Dolphins over the Bears. Why am I so hesitant with Chicago? Their record is good. Is it that I just don't trust Jay Cutler? Yeah, I guess so.

Bengals over the Bills. Cincy should win this but Palmer has been terrible. Perhaps a new team could get Palmer going again (like Arizona did for Kurt Warner). Right now I just don't think his receivers have much confidence in him.

Cowboys over the Lions. Let's all jump on the Jason Garrett Bandwagon after one game! It's fun, he's a good driver and apparently he doesn't allow bathroom breaks so we'll get where we want to go much faster. Is that all it takes to win?---a coach who is willing to get pissed at his players? Maybe the lack of accountability did play a part in the Wade Phillips disaster but wasn't Garrett part of that too? Garret's got the reigns now though (at least as much as Jerry Jones will give him) and perhaps that will make a big difference. The hard luck Lions come to town this week so that may be a plus. If the Cowboys lose though, expect the Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher speculation to resume again.

Titans over the Redskins. The Skins don't look good, that's for sure. They scored over 20 points but were never in the game. People definitely over-reacted to the news about the McNabb contract. As many of the more sane media are telling us (Peter King, Dan Patrick, etc.) the contract has quite a bit of flexibility for the Redskins and they can still let this guy go if they need to and not take a big hit financially. McNabb needs some big games in the next few weeks if he wants to restore anything that's left of his QB reputation. I just have trouble seeing that happen. I think the Titans win this thing in a close one .

Chiefs over the Cardinals. Come on K.C., a little consistency would be nice. Your coach was wagging his finger at the Denver coach last week when he should be laying into his own team. It's time take advantage of that young talent.

Packers over the Vikings. Maybe the passion of the is game will ignite Favre and he'll play well again against his former team. He will need it because he sure looks done. ---Like stick a fork in him type done. You can't have 8-10 terrible plays a game and 4 fantastic plays. It leads to losses and this year Favre is a turnover machine. Rodgers is going to be giddy if he can defeat the Vikes and Favre in Minnesota and he' won't be the only one. For the first time in a long time I'm not rooting for Favre anymore.

Jets over the Texans. Should be close. Somehow the Jets are pulling out the close ones.

Steelers over the Raiders. That New England game should be a wake up call for the Steelers. They got a beat down by a team they could see in the playoffs again. I think they'll take that out on the Raiders this week.

Ravens over Carolina. As I said last week, I like Ray Rice. He's the only reason I would watch any of this game.

Browns over the Jags. Tough one to pick because the Jaguars are so up and down. Garrard may play great like he did last week or may play like he's the the 2nd coming of Ryan Leaf. You never know with him.

Bucs over the 49ers. I said a couple of weeks ago that I thought Troy Smith was a respectable player for the Ravens when he was the backup QB. I never did understand why they cut him. He's played well in his two starts and Alex Smith has never given the San Fran faithful much to look forward to. So can you blame them for looking at Troy Smith, realizing the dude won a Heisman and thinking maybe he's their next Steve Young? Problem is, this week they are playing another team with another talented young QB who is maturing fast. I like Tampa in this one.

Saints over the Seahawks. Is Reggie Bush back yet? Even though he really hasn't crashed the league like he did the college football world (in more ways than one) he is someone I always keep an eye on when he's playing. I miss him. I don't miss seeing Pete Carroll fist bumping players at USC. he's not doing that as much I would guess with the Seahawks. Just tread water for another year or two Pete then you can go back and rip the SC job from Kiffin.

Falcons over the Rams. The Rams were disappointing last week against the 49ers. Baby steps Sam Bradford. Baby steps.

Pats over the Colts. This game is looked forward to all year. Yet I think this may be a real let-down this week with a lopsided game in favor of the Brady Bunch. Brady and Belichick have had a couple of hiccups this season but for the most part they look ready to contend for the Super Bowl. Bastards. Manning won't be enough this time.

Giants over the Eagles. I want to say the Eagles will win this. Vick's been fun to watch. The Monday night game was unreal but I'm not sure he can do that twice in row. He might need to be superman again though because I think the Giants will send everything and the kitchen sink at him. Hopefully he can stay on the field because when he's playing it's must-see- t.v.

Chargers over the Broncos. What's this talk about the Chargers maybe ending up in L.A. if the L.A. area gets a team back? The Chargers out of San Diego would be sad and weird.

Last week: 8-6
Overall: 76-67

NFL Picks: Week 10

2010-11-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

Falcons over the Ravens. I love the way Ray Rice runs the ball. The other bigwig in that offense, Falco, definitely has his moments. Butt then again so does Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. Two decent QBs. Two decent teams. If Baltimore's defense shows up big tonight Atlanta is in trouble. I think Atlanta takes this home game.

Jets over the Browns. The Browns gave me an early Christmas present with their thrashing of the Pats last week. However, Mangini is no Santa. Come to think of it though, Rex Ryan does resemble the big guy from the North Pole. If my theory is correct then Santa sure can curse.

Vikings over the Bears. How can you trust either of these teams? The Vikes are talented but dysfunctional with a QB that could, with any given snap, throw a brilliant TD or q butt ugly interception. Wait, maybe that's the Bears I'm talking about.

Colts over the Bengals. Colts bounce back this week. They looked shorthanded last week even with the correct number of players on the field. They need a more dynamic running back with speed and Manning needs Collie back from the concussion. Probably won't happen this week though with the way Collie was knocked cold against the Eagles.

Texans over the Jags. Houston is maddening to root for I would imagine. They can't help but tease you with their talent. Andre Johnson may go down as one of the greatest receivers that the general public knows nothing about.

Titans over the Dolphins. The "fins" stay winless at home this year.

Bucs over the Panthers. Carolina looks lost.

Bills over the Lions. Just bad luck for Matt Stafford. He's hurt again but I don't think he's injury prone, he's just a QB on a mediocre to poor team. He's taken some hard and unlucky hits. They have a great star though in Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh on the defensive side. The Bills have to get a win this week though...don't they?

Broncos over the Chiefs. Chiefs should win this but just maybe this week the Broncos use that mile high advantage to ....their advantage.

Cardinals over the Seahawks. can't wait.

Giants over the Cowboys. After a rough start to the season, the Giants have been great. Bradshaw is racking up yards, Eli looks good, the defense is dominant. Now they get the Jason Garrett led Cowboys. It would be hard to blame the G-Men if they looked past Dallas but the Cowboys haven't shown any signs of life all season and I'm guessing that won't change just because Wade Phillips got the pink slip. Let me be another in the long line of folks calling for the firing of the Cowboy GM. That's right Jerry, get in front of a mirror and do your best Donald Trump imitation.

Rams over the 49ers. I've been picking against my Rams for 3 years. Now I can't stop myself, I'm picking them for a "W" every week. I'll admit I'm a bit over-eager.

Pats over the Steelers. Or maybe Steelers over the Pats. Sounds like a good game. Ok. let's go with the Patriots. They just got clocked by the Browns so this totally makes sense right?

Eagles over the Redskins. One of the few games this week where I really am rooting for one team to win. Go Eagles. I'm loving watching Vick again and I still can't stand Mr. creepy eyes Shanahan.

Last Week: 10-3
Overall: 68-61

Lebron. Suck on this.

2010-11-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Cleveland's response to the LeDeuche Nike Ad. One word: Awesome.

NFL Picks: Week 9

2010-11-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we have another average (i.e. insane) week of football ahead in the NFL this next week. That's why we love this crap. It's never dull. Think about this past week: We had a Hall of Fame receiver get waived after 3 weeks. We had Rex Grossman brought in (on purpose!) by the Redskin coaching staff to run a 2 minute offense to win a game. And my Rams have already won 4 games! 4! They have a total of 6 wins in the past 3 years combined so this season is officially awesome. Sam Bradford, I am on your bandwagon.......Please be careful because I get motion sickness.

onto the picks:

Bills over the Bears. The Bills are at home and they're playing hard despite sporting an "o-fer" in the win column.

Falcons over the Bucs. Josh Freeman and company come back to earth a bit this week. Don't worry J-Free (thank me later Josh for the nickname) you'll get your mojo back soon. This team is seemingly better than we thought. Right now the Falcons seem solid but a one and done type of team if they were to make the playoffs.

Patriots over the Browns. I really wish the Pats had kept Moss. It's looking more and more like shedding him was the correct thing to do. So naturally I wish they had kept him. With the Pats sneakingly dominant again, I will now have to break out the Tom Brady Voodoo dolls from their dusty storage spot. I know I've got those 4 inch pins here somewhere.

Jets over the Lions. The Lions deserve a win. The Jets are schizophrenic. Close game but one that goes NY/NJ's way.

Vikings over the Cardinals. Both desperate. Should be entertaining. Hey, by the way....Brad Childress is a really bad coach.

Saints over the Panthers. People are blaming the Saints somewhat slow start on Super Bowl hangover. That's bogus. Injuries, some bad luck, and just the natural parity of the league have caught them this season. It may not be a Super Bowl season this year but they'll be in the playoff hunt all season.

Ravens over the Dolphins. I know the Fins have been playing well on the road but the home fans want some love too. This week I think another road stop doesn't end as well for them. Someone get Joe Flacco some tweezers. That unibrow is distracting.

Chargers over the Texans. Both have issues. But how about Arian Foster this season? 700+ yards and 5.7 yards a carry. Every season has a surprise runner. He's it this year.

Giants over the Seahawks. The Seahawks are one of the more maddening teams in the league with their inconsistent play. So in other words, business as usual in Seattle.

Chiefs over the Raiders. The Raiders are no joke (which is funny) and McFadden has been great, but as you know I've been plugging the Chief's Jamaal Charles all season and I'll continue to say to the Chiefs: feed him the ball! He's got over 600 yards and he's getting over 6 1/2 yards a pop.

Eagles over the Colts. Manning is surgical. But I think maybe this week some bad bounces go against them and Philly catches them a little flat footed. By the way, how genius is Andy Reid looking right about now for ditching McNabb?

Packers over the Cowboys. I like many of the Cowboy players. Barber and Ware are cool, Romo is a decent guy and Miles Austin is getting a big head but I still like the fact he was a overlooked and then made good. But I can't hide my giddiness over Jerry Jones and his mis-management of this team. Jerry's just plain creepy and he's the main reason I went from a Cowboy fan (from age 8) to a Ram fan since 1997. It's been obvious for a couple of seasons that Wade Phillips was not the right fit for his team but Phillips allows Jones to run the team without interference and Jones loves that ultimate control. No doubt Wade is probably a genuinely hard guy to fire because he's such a nice guy but I think Jones fears bringing in a more disciplined type because it threatens him too. Suck it up Jerry and can Wade. You can hit the plastic surgery parlor afterwards to help you feel better.

--Clay Mathews is a monster. He reminds me of Ray Lewis and Urlacher (of a few years ago). Packers scored big with him.

Steelers over the Bengals
I used to think that Palmer and Roethlisberger would duel for many years to come. Palmer however is done. Washed up. Too bad because I've liked him.
=== I'm wondering if James Harrison of the Steelers is just going to go all kamikaze on Palmer this week. He's a playing the victim lately but you can see that he just likes to knock people out. Watch the shot he took on Brees last week. It was totally unnecessary and Harrison is a punk if he feels that shot is just hard nosed football. It's a cheap shot James. Knock those off and don't worry about the other clean hard hits. You may get fined occasionally for some helmet to helmets that are at time impossible to avoid but it's the cheap shots that will get you suspended. Stop whining and just play.

Last week : 7-6
Overall:58-58

NFL Picks: Week 8

2010-10-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

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

NFL Picks: Week 7

2010-10-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

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.

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

NFL Picks: Week 6

2010-10-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

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

NFL Picks: Week 5

2010-10-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

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

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

2010-10-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

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.

NFL: Week 4 Picks

2010-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

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!)

NFL Picks 2010: Week 3 Picks

2010-09-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Week 3 Picks:

Rams over the Redskins. I want to believe. I'm picking my Rams again. Come on Sam. We need to start a "Sam I am" chant. Didn't he ever read Dr. Seuss? Every young QB should have a copy of "Oh the Places You'll Go"

Pats over the Bills. I thought last week wouldn't be much of a game for New England and I was wrong. Still, the Pats don't lose 2 in a row very often and the Bills have always been a nice remedy when the Brady and Belichik need a doormat. Go ahead and wipe your feet boys, the Bills are used to it.

Ravens over the Browns. Joe Flacco really sucked last week. Keep this up Joe and Ray Lewis may have a meltdown and do his Raven dance on your head. Speaking of which, when does Ray just lose it and end up one morning at 3 am, stark naked standing on the flag at 50 yard line of the stadium yelling, "where's my Payton Manning? Where's my Drew Brees?"

Giants over the Titans. Both looked pathetic last week. It's amazing isn't it?.....when the Giants are winning, Tom Coughlin's manic control issues are seen as keeping the team in line and giving them needed structure, but when they are losing, guys start jumping off his ship like it's the Titanic going down. Super authoritarian types don't go over well in NY when the going gets rough. But one thing's for sure, Coughlin's right about Brandon Jacobs. Just start running hard and straight dude. Your too big to be dancing around back their like Tinkerbell. Man up and drop the drama.

Saints over the Falcons. Brees and co. are tough to beat at home.

Bucs over the Steelers. Even with Charlie Batch running things for Pittsburgh, a Tampa win would be an upset. If it happens Bucs mania goes into full gear..... and that would be awesome. Awesome because it would be totally overblown and in my view not at all indicative of where these teams will be heading by mid-season. It's fun to get worked up over things that don't matter. That's why fantasy football exists.

Bengals over the Panthers. Jimmy Clausen was so-so at Notre Dame and I have trouble seeing him be successful in the the NFL in his rookie season. It's amazing to me that Carolina Coach John Fox left Jake Delhomme in as a starter year after mediocre year...... and then Matt Moore is yanked after 2 starts. Did he watch Jake's performance at all last year? It took a truly vomit-induced year by their QB to get the Panthers out of the Delhomme business. I realize Matt Moore didn't have the relationship and history with Fox that Delhomme had but wow.... Fox, as a coach, seems done in Carolina. If not in body, at least in spirit.
---speaking of mediocre QBs, the Bengal's Palmer who I once thought was going to join
Brady and Manning in elite QB status, has never been the same since getting his knee wrecked in the playoffs against the Steelers a few years back. Too bad.

Vikings over the Lions. Favre, Favre, Favre. This week I want to see Adrian Peterson run wild. I'd also like to get a look at this Jahvid Best kid from Detroit.

49ers over the Chiefs. I need to see more of the Chiefs before I get all hot and bothered by them. The 49ers need to play mistake free for more than a quarter and maybe this week they will.

Cowboys over the Texans. I know, I know. This is crazy. The Cowboys look overrated and the Texans look great. This seems like the perfect time for the Texans to kick big brother in the nuts. Doesn't always work out like you'd dream though. Not that I've had a dream about kicking my big brother in the nuts or anything. However, I have had a couple of thoughts about what it would be like to put a boot into the "nether regions" of Jerry Jones a couple of times......but I mean hey..who hasn't?

Jags over the Eagles. I love to watch Vick. He's just fun. He's also scary as hell if you are an Eagles fan. Watching him in the pocket he's just a flick of defensive paw away from getting stripped (he still holds that pigskin to carelessly). But he's got an incredibly strong arm and he has played well enough to be a starter this week. Considering how many QBs have stunk so far you don't just take good QB play lightly. I hope Kolb's ego can take the hit because he'll probably be needed this season. The Jag's Garrard is occasionally good and maybe this week he and his running game will show up. Or not. They are at home so this week, so I'm thinking they might.

Cardinals over the Raiders. Gradkowski would be the smart answer right now for the Raiders at QB....unless they think Campbell is a long term answer eventually. Then you let him play. The Raiders aren't a playoff team so why not test him out for a year? If he still sucks then he's had plenty of time to prove himself in Washington and Oakland. I think Campbell, like many of the starting QBs in the league is more suited (skillwise) to a backup role (as is Gradkowski). Speaking of backups, Derek Anderson needs to start showing something soon or he's headed back to the bench soon.

Chargers over the Seahawks. So if Lane Kiffin has 2 or 3 years that are average at USC and likewise, Peter Carroll also has some rough years in Seattle, .....does Carroll end up back at USC again? He rides out the sanctions and then comes back on his noble steed? Or is Pat Hayden (new AD at USC) not a Carroll fan? Just wondering. Anyway, the Chargers are a better team than the Hawks so they should beat them. Like that matters sometimes in the NFL. By the way, I loved the "Lord of No Rings" shot that Vincent Jackson's agent threw out there about Chargers G.M, A.J. Smith. Smith is a putz and I'll always side with the players against him. He ran Drew Brees out of town. Damn you A.J. Smith. I liked Drew Brees in the lightning bolt.

Dolphins over the Jets. I will say that if the Jets have the guts to throw on 1st and 2nd downs again this may turn into a victory. I have no idea how good the Dolphins are. Likewise what do we know about the Jets? We know they like to talk, they have a coach that likes his snacks, and they have a corner and a wide receiver with drama issues. I know they impressed me and surprised the hell out of me with the victory against the Patriots. Ryan needs to realize that the Ravens are not something he wants to model in NY. All defense and no offense equals 9-7 and 10-6 seasons and out in the first round or missing the playoffs altogether. You can't be a grinding team in the NFL and win on a consistent basis. It's set up for offense and he needs to let the training wheels come off Sanchez again even if Sanchez take a few lumps and interceptions along the way. If Sanchez isn't the guy then so be it. At least you find out.

Colts over the Broncos. I'm tempted to say the Broncos take this one. The Colts looked good against the Giants so I'll pick Manning again.

Packers over the Bears. This should be interesting. A good offense against an offense that we thought would be good last year....but might be good this year instead. Rodgers is a really good guy and Cutler's a really big dick. Hmmm...who to root for.? Mike Martz is working for the Bears so that clinches it. I wonder if I can make a cheesehead out of paper-mache in time for tomorrow's game.

Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 17-15

NFL Week 2 Picks

2010-09-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Why would you ever bet on NFL games? To me the risk is so much greater than any possible reward. The way the NFL plays out every year, is to use a gambling term, "a crap shoot".

Still maybe that's why even if you don't gamble it's fun to try and predict what might happen in an uncertain landscape.

Week 2 picks

Colts over the Giants. It's not even close who is the better QB out of the Manning Brothers. Eli is never going to be an elite QB. But he can be a pretty good one at times and I have to think he wants a victory bad. He wants this one like Lindsay Lohan wants a shot of whiskey. I'm guessing NY will send everyone and the kitchen sink at Payton. Last week I thought maybe the Colts might get clipped by the Texans but I wasn't willing to go all in on it. This week they are at home and although I think the Colts have some issues to iron out I'm picking them by a field goal. Question though: Who does the better Manning face, Payton, Eli, or Archie? I'm going with Dad. Last time the two brothers played Archie looked like he needed to take a poop for 3 hours.

Pats over the Jets. Shouldn't be close. The Jets D probably is/will be good this year, but Brady is all the way back and he has his weapons. I think the Pats are going to the Super Bowl this year and I might need to stick my head in an oven when that happens.

Ravens over the Bengals. .....just because I'm giddy over the possibility of Owens and Ochodoofus arguing on the sidelines with each other, Palmer, or anyone for that matter.

Cowboys over the Bears. If the Cowboys lose this game at home and go 0-2 to start, we may as well call in the Apocalypse. Or at least that will be the sentiment in Dallas. I trust Romo over Cutler. However, both sort of scare their fanbases every time they let the pigskin fly.

Eagles over the Lions. I love to watch Michael Vick when he is elusive in the pocket, runs a lot, and is hitting his receivers. Trouble is, even if he plays much this year and were to get back to anything like his form before jail, he had major flaws as a passer in terms of accuracy and touch (which are still there) and I think that dooms him from ultimate success. If Kolb is accurate and can move the offense then I think this he is a no-brainer starter for this season. And even if he isn't great this year don't you need to give him a year to work out the kinks? You just jettisoned a pretty good QB in McNabb for this guy.

Falcons over the Cardinals. Matt Ryan has to be one of the most disappointing players to me last year. He didn't do anything to change that opinion in the first game. Isn't this guy supposed to be getting better instead of regressing? It's early though. Still a whole season to go and he can prove us doubters wrong. On the other side here, I think Derek Anderson may do better this year than he did for the Browns but the Cardinals almost lost the game against the Rams and probably should have lost it. Being a BYU fan, I'm actually rooting for backup QB and ex-BYU Cougar Max Hall to get a shot.

Packers over the Bills. I think this should be a blowout. The Bill's C.J. Spiller will hopefully see a few open holes this week. There weren't any last week that's for sure.

Titans over the Steelers. I'm really starting to dislike Vince Young and Chris Johnson. Johnson especially bugs me. He's fast and a great runner but I find myself rooting against him. Not sure why other than I'm not a big fan of extreme arrogance. I think right now he's on top and he knows it and he's going to make sure everyone else knows it. He deserves a lot of accolades but he's too over the top for my tastes in terms of what he says and how he carries himself. As for Young, the dude says he wanted Bush's tainted Heisman. That's messed up. He's long believed he should have won it. Watch the replay of the announcement at the original presentation. He's visibly upset that he didn't get it. Not that that is a big deal necessarily but I just get a sense of entitlement this guy has had since he got into the league and once again I'm bugged by it. I'm so cliche with my desire for humility from insanely gifted athletes who are worshipped by the masses. I realize the the hypocrisy: we tell these guys how great they are and then we want them to go into "aw shucks" mode. It's not totally unrealistic though. Look at Drew Brees, Kevin Durrant, Rafeal Nadal, etc. It can be done.

Chiefs over the Browns. Memo to Coach Haley of the Chiefs: Get the ball to Jamaal Charles. And often.

Panthers over the Bucs. Don't care about the game. Don't care about either team. I am slightly interested to see which ex-backup QB plays better though.

Vikings over the Dolphins. If the Vikes are smart, they'll dial down the passing game and see if they can win a game on the ground. Favre needs the rest.

Rams over the Raiders. I'm hopeful here. I really like Bradford and I wish he had receivers like Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce (in their primes) to throw to. I don't know what the identity of this team is. Jackson is a great back and they should probably ride him a lot but at the same time that arm of Bradford sure looks fun to test out.

Texans over the Redskins. I may hate myself tonight for drinking the kool-aid (...wait shouldn't it be gatorade in the NFL?) on these guys but Houston looked pretty good against Indy.

Broncos over the Seahawks. This seems like a toss-up but the Broncos are at home. Is that the only reason I picked them? Yep. At least for this week.

Chargers over the Jags. Slow starting San Diego needs to step it up this week and I have hardly ever seen David Garrard have 2 good games in a row.

Saints over the 49ers. Who dat? You guys are the Saints. Why are you always asking that? It's getting annoying.

Last Week 8-8. Ouch.

NFL Picks: Week 1

2010-09-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Saints over the Vikes. Yes I know it's already been played. Still, Favre returning to New Orleans where he got trashed last year was a no-brainer, even if it was closer than I thought it would be.

Browns over the Bucs. Would this be an upset? Delhomme was so bad last year that yes, yes it would.

Pats over the Bengals. The Bengals may replicate some of the success they had last year but this game is in N.E. and the Bengals attempt to take out Brady in a pre-game car wreck didn't work. I smell a big year for him.

Lions over the Bears. This pick is made with the heart and perhaps not the head. I like the Lions. Not so much on the Bears. Is it possible to like Cutler? When I see him I want to reach into the t.v. and punch him in the face.

Dolphins over the Bills. Isn't it weird that we think of Ricky Williams as a model player now? Will they lean on the former pothead again like they have the past couple of years? I'm not sure but I hope so. I like watching him run. I'm also a little geeked to see C.J. Spiller run for the Bills this year. I thought he should have come out after his junior year.

Falcons over the Steelers. Just can't trust the Steelers yet until we see how Dixon plays.

Jags over the Broncos. Equally frustrating in terms of trying to figure these guys out. This game is a crapshoot too.

Colts over the Texans. I smell an upset here but I can't pull the trigger on it.

Giants over the Panthers. The battle of Steve Smiths. How many Steve Smiths are there around the nation? A couple of hundred thousand? I might start using a flashy middle name if I were one of these guys. Steve Shazam Smith. Now that would get chicks.

Titans over the Raiders. Al Davis is dead. He has to be. JaMarcus Russell is gone, they've hung onto a coach for a couple of years, plus they are talking about hope in Oakland this year. Maybe it's one of those "Weekend at Bernie's" things where they just keep Al on ice and wheel him out every so often with a ventriloquist nearby.

Rams over the Cardinals. I really want the Rams to win this game. I'm buying the Bradford hype. At least for a game. The Rams destroyed me the last few years. As a fan since the mid-90's I just couldn't watch them return to laughingstock status after having a real team from 1999-2004. I've been on leave and just waiting for them to give me a reason to watch. I hope Bradford is it.

Packers over the Eagles. I like everyone else see big things happening for the Packers this year. Rodgers looks great, the teams looks hungry and the Favre thing is so done for them. At least until they play Minnesota.

49ers over the Seahawks. No idea what the "hawks" will be like this year. We have somewhat of an idea about San Fran. Smith is shaky at QB, their defense will play hard and if they win it might be ugly.

Cowboys over the Redskins. This one will probably bite me. I mean it's not like the Redskins have the Cowboy's problem of having a QB trying to prove his worth after some letdowns in the playoffs, a crazy owner, and some dysfunctionality that follows the team. .....oh wait, never mind.

Ravens over the Jets. Do the Jets talk to much? Yes. Does Rex Ryan have a big belly?u..yes. Is Sanchez overhyped? Hell yes. Should I stop talking in questions? Debatable.

Chargers over the Chiefs. Rivers is no slouch at QB. Still, I wonder if Charger fans ever wonder if they would be better with Drew Brees. To me it's like they gave up an elite QB for a very good QB. The difference may not be huge but it could be the difference between a Super Bowl or not.

Dear Mountain West Conference: I miss you already, Sincerely a BYU/Utah guy

2010-09-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Oh what could have been. The Mountain West Conference has been the top Non-BCS conference in the nation over the past few years and it's top teams (Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force) have rivaled and in some cases been flat out better than other BCS Conference top tier teams. With the addition of Boise State, can you imagine what this conference would have been like a year from now had they also been able to hang onto Utah and BYU. The Beehive State's two college flagship programs have, unfortunately for the conference, decided to take their talents to South Beach......metaphorically speaking. The Pac-10 invitation was too good to pass up for Utah and BYU's bid for independence has it's risks and negatives but will bring the program more money and exposure. More on that in a minute. Right now as a fan of the Mountain West Conference I'm just stuck in a state of grieving. This has been a conference gaining respect and it's sad to me that it has taken a step backward. TCU and Boise St. will dominate for years to come and I can't help but mourn the loss of the rivalry that was developing between TCU and Utah and TCU and BYU, not to mention the Boise St. rivalry that would have been obvious between the Idaho school and the 2 Utah schools as well as the one Boise has already developed with TCU. Another point to mention is the additions of Nevada and Fresno St. to the conference recently. Granted they might not/probably would not have been invited had BYU not been planning to bolt the conference, however it would be cool to think of those guys in there as well. That would have been 7 teams capable of being pretty good year in and year out. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. It would have been fun and there may have been a chance of the conference replacing the Big East in the BCS conferences. It's not to be though and I'm a bit bent about it.

A couple of other points:

BYU's football independence leaves me with mixed feelings. The Mt. West tv network deal is a joke and the conference teams were stupid to agree to it in the first place. It was never going to be a network that was viewed by very many people. BYU was one of the biggest losers of the conference tv deal as it had probably had the most tv exposure prior to the "Mountain" Network. Now they have an ESPN deal that will be a whole lot better. No conference means they'll be playing for bowl games and national respect. Not playing for a conference championship is going to mean less to play for each year. BCS bowls are not guaranteed even with a very good season. Nothing less than an undefeated season would make that a possibility and BYU hasn't done that since 1984 and their national championship. So that can't be part of the thinking in doing this. Supposedly they will try to ratchet up the level of their competition (Notre Dame has signed a deal with the Y and Texas will play them a couple of times) but that means undefeated seasons will be even tougher to accomplish. Still even though a BCS bowl hasn't been their past and probably won't be their future, I at least will enjoy the fact that I can find their games on t.v. next year.
Utah's move to the Pac-10 makes sense. You can't turn that down as much as I hate to see them leave the Mountain West. Still, if the Utes essentially become a team that loses 3-5 games each year and become something like a middle of the road Pac-10 team I wonder if all that tv money and BCS money they'll share will be much consolation for fans that have been used to seeing them be part of the annual national BCS buster conversation. It's entirely possible they can compete regularly with the Pac-10 teams. They have done really well against them in cross-conference competition in the last 5 years. I think occasionally they can even compete for a conference championships. But the days of undefeated seasons are gone and they will be just another hungry Pac-10 team trying to take the king (USC) down.
I feel bad for Boise St. They thought if they joined the Mountain West they would become part of an emerging elite league. They've upgraded but it could have been more. Having said that, the same point I made for Utah applies here to Boise. If they don't dominate the Mt. West like they did the WAC and there are no BCS bowl invites in the next 5 years then I would think their fans will think they should have stayed where they were.

It is what it is. I'll miss the Mountain West. Being a Utah/BYU fan (which is about as weird as a Michigan/Ohio St. fan) means that I will no long be watching this conference much. The changes were almost inevitable and forced upon the teams because of the BCS and the crazy money that some conferences have (and others that do not). Money drives the world. I just wish it hadn't steered the Mountain West Conference out of the state of Utah.

NFC Preseason Picks

2010-08-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

NFC East
1. Cowboys
2. Giants
3. Redskins
4. Eagles

The talent level in Dallas is impressive. Will it be dysfunctional though? McNabb has to make the Redskins better, Kolb looks good for the Eagles and the Giants seem like they could be back as well. Any team could win this division and I would not be surprised. I'll root for the Eagles to win this division but I think the very creepy Jerry Jones will end up getting his wish with a division title for his "boys".

NFC North
1. Green Bay
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions

Aaron Rodgers is pretty damn good. I think it's his year. He was very good last year although Favre was better. As much as we all are bugged by Favre the past few years (actually make that 5 or 6 years) you have to admit he was awesome last year. That had to rankle the Green Bay folks. He has to be dead to Wisconsin, right? His indecision has killed his legacy (his annual waffling is the first thing people will think of 10 years from now and considering the career he's had that's really quite amazing). Favre is bound to have a a drop-off from last year and that to me means 2nd place for the Vikes in the division.

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Tampa Bay Bucs

It's risky picking the Saints. History has not been kind to NFC champions the year after a SuperBowl. If Brees stays healthy though they should be fine. I like the Falcons to rebound this year too though.

NFC West
1. San Francisco 49ers
2.Seattle Seahawks
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. St. Louis Rams

How do you pick this division. 3 teams at least seem destined for 8-8 or 7-9 seasons. The Rams should win a couple more than last year, Seattle's an enigma, ditto for the Cardinals without Warner. I want to trust Alex Smith and the San Fran defense but I just can't. Not yet at least. Still I had to pick someone here so I'll use the stupid chic pick and go with San Fran.

Wildcards: Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings

AFC Pre-season Picks

2010-08-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest here, NFL pre-season picks are a complete guessing game. It's like trying to figure out who is crazier, Lindsay Lohan or Mel Gibson? It's a crapshoot. Still I'll give it a shot.

Picks

AFC EAST
1. N.E. Patriots
2. Miami Dolphins
3. N.Y. Jets
4. Buffalo Bills

Despite the hype for the Jets and the probable improvement for the Fins, I think the Pats are being underestimated (again) and they will probably dominate this division. They still have Brady and they are my pick to represent the AFC in the Superbowl. Dammit.

AFC NORTH
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns

Roethlisberger is apparently quite the douche, and with him out 4-6 games that might just make a game or two difference in the standings.

AFC SOUTH
1. Ind. Colts
2. Jacksonville Jags
3. Tenn. Titans
4. Houston Texans

It's pretty tough to go against the Colts here. Unless Manning gets hurt this seems like a no-brainer.

AFC WEST
1. S.D. Chargers
2. K.C. Chiefs
3. Denver Broncos
4. Oakland Raiders

This is a quarterback driven league and the Chargers still have the only elite QB in this division. Rivers is a punk but he's still the guy in the West.

Wild Cards: Dolphins & Steelers

Lebron, Free Agency and a Collection of Losers

2010-07-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

One thing is for certain. The train wreck that masqueraded as the free agency scramble for Lebron James sure gave us something to laugh about.

So who doesn't come off looking like douche-bags in the whole "Lebronpalooza"?

I'm trying to see some winners here. ---Maybe it's better to start with the losers. Cavaliers? Check. Dan Gilbert? Check. Jesse Jackson? Check. James Dolan, the Knicks & Nets? Check. The Bulls? Lets come back to them, as I'm not ready to label them losers in this whole mess yet. The Heat? They got Lebron, Bosh & Wade. How can that be a losing proposition? Let's return to that topic later as well. Instead let's start with the city of Cleveland, the Cavaliers and their petulant owner.

The Cav's franchise is now in the toilet. You can't seriously talk about them being better off without Lebron (even if he held them hostage for another 3-4 years). Cleveland basketball has been relevant since Lebron showed up. Fans in the stands is always better than empty seats. You can whine about the the evils of selling your soul but the bottom line is sports franchises will always do a little soul bartering for wins, relevancy, and profit. However, there is no doubt the Cavs, and Cleveland in general, appear desperate and pathetic for pandering to James and then getting jilted. But can you blame them? They were a contender and an exciting team for the first time since Mark Price was nailing 3 pointers back in the 80s. They had the most talented basketball player on the planet playing for them and he threatened to leave if they didn't bow down to his giant billboards and satisfy his every whim. Don't kid yourself and say that he never threatened Cleveland. People in that city know the threat. They felt it for the last 3 years. That city was held hostage. Before his Heat announcement Cleveland didn't even dare call him out for his punk-like attitude in the playoffs. The guy quit on his team. The Owner was right about that. They were scared to say anything negative to him. That's the reality of today's free agent landscape in regards to stars. Here in Utah we have the same situation on a much smaller scale with Deron Williams. '"Make me happy.... or I leave". It's what stars do. But it still makes you sick to your stomach. So Cleveland, you've got nothing but love from me. You were trapped and I have totally sympathy for your plight. You did what every other franchise and city would have done with a megastar and mega-a$$hole like Lebron. Your owner is another story. He was rightly ticked off with Lebron for leaving in the way he did. He spoke for many fans. Still, where's the filter dude? You're not a fan, you are a professional sports franchise owner. You could share your disappointment without getting so nasty. And stupid. The Cavs will win a title before Lebron? That's just dumb. Now you got Jesse Jackson on your case. And some say many blacks are now backing Lebron because of Gilbert's comments (if Mike Wilbon from ESPN's PTI is any indicator). I agree more with Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports News who called the Reverend out for his crazy comments. Jackson's slave analogy is insulting and belittles what slaves went through in this country. Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman would punch Jackson in the face if they were alive today. The spoiled and ridiculously rich and pampered Lebron is in no way like the slave forefathers that toiled before him. Gilbert's anger is not about race, --he would feel the same anger if Lebron was white and meant the same in terms of dollars to his team. It's about $$$$. Jesse Jackson has done and said many things I agree with. This isn't one of them. So both Gilbert and Jackson come off pretty bad here. Douche-bag bad.

The Knicks and Nets lost in this farce. Of course they did. They swung for the fences and struck out big-time. The Knicks especially have egg on their face because they have been planning and hoping (and torpedoing their franchise) for 2 seasons at least to try and land the king of douchiness. Still, can't blame them either can you? Isaiah Thomas had already put the "stank" on the team and it couldn't be much worse for a couple of seasons. Lebron had teased them to the point it was actually getting fun to watch. Yankees caps, shout outs, etc. Unless you were from NY the ultimate rejection here had to make you giggle like a schoolgirl.

So what about the Bulls? They lose out on Lebron and probably more wins and possible titles. But I don't think James seriously considered playing in a place where he would have passed Jordan's statue everyday. I don't care how serious people say the consideration was, I don't buy it for a second. So how can they Bulls really be called losers here when there was nothing to lose. We aren't calling the Timberwolves losers in the "chase" for Lebron ----and realistically the Bulls are in the same category. They got Boozer and they still have a decent-to good team.

The Heat have to be winners in this. They had Dwyane Wade and still were not going anywhere without another star. They might have been good enough with just Wade and Bosh but now you have Lebron, and they become in my mind the instant title favorite (sorry Laker lovers). They have Haslem and Miller and they will have enough other role players. This doesn't mean I want them to win the title. I was a huge fan of Dwyane Wade and now I hope his team burns in hell. ----That's right, I want the Miami Heat to suffer like they have the very chains of Lucifer around their necks. That's what Lebron brings to this team for me. A likeable team becomes the symbol of all that is wrong with the NBA. I'm one of many on this bandwagon and I don't care. I'm not going to get off just so I can be different and contrary. You'll see many folks that will swing that way just because so many of us are miffed about Lebron's behavior. You'll see them excuse him and defend him. Please. Right is right and wrong is wrong. If Lebron wanted to leave Cleveland so be it. I've got no problem with it. But the narcissistic and jerk-like way he went about it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I will actively root against him and his new team. I'm predicting a Wade-James fued when Wade realizes James is the toast of the town and not him. When you invite a snake into your pants you can't be surprised when it bites you in the place you prize the most.

So in the final analysis Lebron to me is the biggest loser of them all. He may gain some of his tarnished legacy back if he wins and wins a lot. Kobe would be exhibit A for that. But he will never shed some of the valid criticisms that have come out of this summer of excess. He did show he is a coward by joining his rivals instead of fighting them. He did abandon and betray his home state. He did show excessive narcissism and an utter cluelessness on how his actions would be perceived. He might think he's global but everyone comes from somewhere and he has played basketball in the same state since he was old enough to dribble. Had he been drafted and played his first contract somewhere else this wouldn't be an issue but Lebron had either the privilege or the curse of playing b-ball his whole life in Ohio and the mainstream public there will never forgive him for leaving for beaches and sun. Because I've already seen it, I suspect it will divide somewhat racially even in Ohio (don't understand that and never will) but overall how does one forgive somebody for public humiliation. An hour-long tv special to say "screw you Cleveland"? What a dog. It's not silly to call Lebron out for all of this. He created it. Kevin Durrant did it the right way. Durrant is class. Lebron is classless. Also, you know you probably screwed up when people are talking about Kobe as the anti-Lebron.....and they mean that in a good way.

Too bad the most talented player to come along in a while has to be such a huge douche-bag.

Hey Lebron, break a leg.......Literally.

Ultimate Loser in the free agency summer of 2010.--- Lebron? Check.

Federer The Champ Chump

2010-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer is often praised for his class. To be honest I don't see it. Yesterday he blamed injuries for his loss in Wimbledon, giving absolutely no credit to the guy who beat him. It's not the first time. In the past he has expressed joy when opponents that are dangerous to him are upset in earlier rounds, knowing that he won't have to face them. He's one of the best players ever, but he's a jerk who because he goes about being a jerk in a somewhat quiet way, has fooled many. He's not a brash jerk like a Terrell Owens or John McEnroe. Federer has an image that doesn't quite fit. The quality of players to oppose him has been less than what other great champions have faced. His only real rival in the last 5 years has been Nadal and all you have to do is look at Nadal's record against Federer and realize that Roger "the great" is often on the losing end of that match-up. Now if you want to watch class, watch Nadal when he loses or wins. He epitomizes the word.

Federer is a legend, an all-time great. But he's not the best player ever... and more importantly, he's a chump.

Texas vs. Alabama: Blechhh

2010-01-03T21:40:00.001-08:00

So the two teams that I probably hate the most in college football are playing for the national championship. That blows. The question then is not who would I rather see win but who would I rather see lose. Both have annoying fan bases. But I would give the Texas fan base a big thumbs up for being quite a bit more annoying than almost any other group out there. However, Alabama has the bigger douche-bag for a coach. So that's it for me. I dislike Saban more than I dislike the Texas fans. Go Texas. Hook em Hor......aww crap, this game sucks.

Where the hell did I go?

2009-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

For those that have occasionally checked this blog I apologize for not posting this season. I'm working most Sundays and I'm afraid that my time to devote to posting has been almost non-existient. Next season I will be back with a vengeance.

Football Season ahhhh.

2009-07-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's coming. I can feel it. Another season of the most misnamed sport in history is almost upon us. Training camps and college seasons will be here before you know it. If you must salivate at this point, do so.

Roger Federer is a Coward.

2009-06-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

It takes something that is really bugging me to post something before football season starts. That something happened recently at the French Open.

Roger Federer is an ass. Plain and simple. I do not like the guy and I don't believe he is the "greatest player of all time". If he was playing in the time of Sampras and Agassi in their prime he would have been won a few majors but nowhere near the amount he has today. I was really bugged during this French Open with his gleeful comments about all his rivals going down before he had to face them. He openly commented about how happy he was that this was his year for the French because he wouldn't have to face Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray (all guys he has trouble beating). What kind of player roots for less tough competition? A cowardly player. He has tremendous talent and not much heart. I hope Nadal wipes the floor with him at Wimbelon.

NFL Playoff picks: Championship round

2009-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

So far I'm not doing to hot in predicting playoff winners. But really who could see the Cards coming on like they have?

Picks:

Cardinals over the Eagles
I like the Eagles and hope they win this but the Cardinals are at home and they are peaking right now. The same might be said of the Eagles but how healthy is Westbrook? That has me worried.

Steelers over the Ravens
I wouldn't mind seeing the Ravens win this. Should be cold and probably low scoring. For me it's really a toss up. I'll take the Steelers by 3.

NFL Playoff Picks: Round 2

2009-01-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

I didn't get around to posting my first round picks due to my work computer getting a virus and my home computer getting fried from an electrical shock. It was like a perfect storm of events that had me thinking I was in the twilight zone. Anway, my picks that I didn't poste were thus:
San Diego over Indy (I always go for the Chargers against Manning)
Miami over Baltimore--I should have gone with my instints about Pennington against Ed Reed and the Ravens defense
Atlanta over Arizona (I know Ryan is a rookie and the Cardinals were at home but I really didn't think the "redbirds" had it in them).
Philly over Minnesota

Playoff picks:
2-2

This week I think that:
Tennesee will beatBaltimore --I like the Ravens defense but the Titans defense has had its moments as well this season. Also, I trust Kerry Collins over Joe Flacco (and me using trust and Kerry Collins in the same word is something I've had to work on).

Carolina will beat Arizona -- I don't think the Panthers are legitimate Super Bowl title contenders though. Then again, I thought that about the Giants last year.

NY will beat Philadelphia
I know they just lost to these guys but I don't think it will happen again.

Pittsburgh over San Diego
It's hard for me to think that an 8-8 team (no matter how hot they are know) can make it to the conference championship game. Maybe I'm wrong but I think the Steelers will buckle down and take these guys out in a close game.

NFL Picks: Week 17

2008-12-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

Last Week: 9-7
Overall:155-84 (65%)

This week's picks:

Falcons over the Rams
I wore a bag over my head to the family Christmas party.

Patriots over the Bills
This is an automatic win for the Pats every year

Chiefs over the Bengals
Will a victory help Herm keep his job? I don't know but Marvin Lewis is probably safe with his gig no matter what. The reasons behind that type of thinking are why the Bengals suck every year. This is after all the team that brought back the talented but habitual screw-up, Chris Henry.

Packers over the Lions
Detroit is desperate to win a game but the Pack should be desperate to avoid losing to a 0-15 team.

Titans over the Colts
This one's a toss up really because both teams have their playoff positions set. So do their starters play all game or what?

Saints over the Panthers
I'm a very big Drew Brees fan but I don't want to see him take Dan Marino's passing yards record with the so-so year the Saints have had. It doesn't mean as much.

Steelers over the Browns
Last year was such a tease for Browns fans. Now it's back to the usual.

Bucs over the Raiders
Gruden gets motivated against the Raiders still doesn't he?

Texans over the Bears
I give up on picking these teams. They both lose or win games they shouldn't.

Ravens over the Jags
I really like Ed Reed. One of my favorite defensive players of all time.

Redskins over the 49ers
Singletary is the man now. Good luck dude.

Dolphins over the Jets
I usually root for Favre because I like him. But seriously, who's been more likable this year, the classy and resilient Pennington, or the erratic and increasingly annoying Favre?

Cowboys over the Eagles
It's tough to tell who will self-destruct in this game, Romo or McNabb. I guess I'll go with the latter.

Cardinals over the Seahawks
Don't care.

Chargers over the Broncos
Rivalry game at it's best. These teams hate each other so this should be good.

NFL Picks: Week 16

2008-12-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 146-77 (65%)

This week's picks:

Colts over the Jags
The Jags are at home and the Colts are not dominant so this may turn out in favor of Jacksonville. However, it's hard to go with a team that has played so badly this year.

Cowboys over the Ravens
Too much T.O. talk as usual in the press. He gets a hugely disproportionate amount of attention for the talent he has. He is at times a great receiver. He has never been the best receiver in the game. Never. He is a narcissist and unfortunately we give him what he wants: attention. Look-- I'm even writing about him now. I'm part of the problem. I like Tony Romo, I like Whitten, I like Patrick Crayton, and Marion Barber. But I can't embrace my former favorite team (from childhood and teens) with Owens running the asylum. Jerry Jones may think he's in control of this franchise but the only thing he's in control of, besides an extremely creepy face, is turning his teams into dysfunctional madhouses with his personnel decisions.

Jets over the Seahawks
More "I might retire comments" from Favre? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Giants over the Panthers
NY might be in an offensive crisis if Eli doesn't pick up the slack for his suddenly unreliable receivers. If he has to do this without Plaxico, then so be it. The Panthers have won a ton of games this season and I still don't know what to think of them.

Patriots over the Cardinals
Cassel shreds another so-so team. I don't know if he's really good or a system QB. If their system is that good why don't my Rams start using it. Oh yeah-- because they have no leadership on the team, on the coaching staff, in their management or ownership. Hmm that sounds like a high draft pick to me. Bring on the losses at this point. I'm officially rooting for the top pick, but since the Lions are a lock for that, I'm hoping for number 2.

49ers over the Rams
see above.

Falcons over the Vikings
Peterson is hurting with that ankle and though the Viking defense will stifle Ryan and Turner a bit, I sense an eked out victory here for the Dirty Birds. Of course my senses are a little off right now based on a batch of chili I downed for lunch. Where is that orange spray when you need it?

Texans over the Raiders
I think it would be cool for the Texans to finish above .500 this year. I think any bad thing that can befall the Raiders in a football sense is also a good thing. Oakland (Al Davis) deserves all the bad karma he can get after giving away Randy Moss to the Evil Empire.

Dolphins over the Chiefs
Is the firing over in K.C.? Their G.M. isn't the only problem.

Titans over the Steelers
I'm torn over this pick. I think Kerry Collins has had an amazing season, but I don't trust him. Haynesworth is out but I think they come after Roethlisberger and every body's new fave team will lose a tough and defensive game.

Lions over the Saints
Detroit isn't going to win next week in Green Bay. So this is the shot they have to avoid total defeat for the season. 0-16 cannot happen in today's NFL. At least it shouldn't. Jim Rome may have a dream but I think he may be disappointed because I believe the Lions may just surprise the very up and down Saints.

Broncos over the Bills
Is Cutler really Pro Bowl material? He should be playing the Bills

Bengals over the Browns
I'm not sure why.

Bucs over the Chargers
ditto. by the way, how does Philip Rivers have such good stats this year and his team is so bad? I would be interested in his 4th quarter stats and 3rd down stats. It can't just be the running game and defense that has left San Diego in shambles this year.

Eagles over the Redskins
I don't think McNabb is a great QB. I've watched too many Eagle's games this year to be swayed otherwise. His receiver's body language when he throws a ball in the dirt or way over their head in critical situations is very interesting. What their body language doesn't say is, "wow, how did that happen?", --Nope--it's more like, "not again, (sigh)". That doesn't mean he can't have an amazing game occasionally. He had a good game against the Giants and the talent has always been obvious with him, but I just don't trust the guy to make the right throw when he has to. I do think he'll play ok against the Skins and get Philly closer to almost making the playoffs this year.

Bears over the Packers
What a disastrous season for the Pack. If they can improve on defense next season I think things will improve.

Pro-Bowl Voting: The Skill Positions

2008-12-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

So Pro Bowl announcements came out today. In my opinion, the Pro Bowl is the most irrelevant of all the major sports all star games. That may change if they go forward with the plan to hold the Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl. That would make it far more interesting and give us something else to talk about in those insanely long two weeks before the big game. Still they need to do something about how the voting is done on this thing. First of all it's crazy to have the rosters done 2 weeks before the season is finished. I could maybe see the argument with setting the team before the last game is played, with a few teams resting starters that week,--- but in reality, what makes the first game of the season anymore important than the last game of the season for Pro Bowl voting. You can make a strong case that many of the last games that have playoff implications are more indicative of how crucial a player and his stats are to a team. Anyhoo, as far as the skill positions go for the Pro Bowl I wanted to make a couple of comments about how the rosters filled out.

NFC:

Quarterback: Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, & Eli Manning
Not a lot of argument from me here. Warner played crappy competition all year but his stats are great and you simply can't keep him out with him being 2nd in yards, QB rating, TDs and first in completion percentage. I agree with the Brees selection as well. Even though his team sucked this year, they are at least at .500 and this game should recognize individual success when it is outstanding as well as team success. On that point, Manning's selection I can see because his team was great, he was the leader of that team and his stats were very good (not great though). I could also see an argument for Matt Ryan or Tony Romo based on very good stats and fairly decent team success. Others might tout Aaron Rodgers, Jeff Garcia, Jake Delhomme, or McNabb but they are weaker arguments based on their stats, recent benchings (that's you Donovan) and in the case of Rodgers, his team's lack of success.

Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, & Roddy White
Fitzgerald and Boldin are solid picks here with almost 90 receptions each and over 1000 yards. Calvin Johnson has more yards than Boldin but only by about 100 yards and remember Boldin missed games with that awful facial injury. Roddy White also deserves a spot based on his receptions and yards. The 4th pick is in my mind a little debatable but I think it's the right one. Steve Smith is 2nd in yards, and is 1st in yards per game, being the only guy over 100 ypg. Antonio Bryant has a case here being 4th in catches, and over 1000 yards, and Calvin Johnson and Greg Jennings could argue they belong as well. Bottom line is I think the 4 selected are the right ones based on what they have done to this point.

Running Backs: Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, & Clinton Portis
Peterson is the best back in football (having ripped that title from Tomlinson last year) and Turner and Portis join him in the top 3 for rushing yards. Turner has 15 TDs, tops among NFC running backs and again not to bash Tomlinson, but MT has been better than LT among the two former teamates. Here is where I think early voting screws some guys. I actually might take Deangelo Williams of the Panthers over Clinton Portis based on how Williams is surging and how he is responsible for much of his team's late season success. He may end up with more yards that Portis and his average yard per rush is 5.5, almost a full yard above Portis. Brandon Jacobs, Ryan Grant and Matt Forte also could make a claim here, with probably Jacobs having the best case if he wasn't hurt.

Tight Ends: Jason Whitten, Chris Cooley
There isn't anybody close to these guys in receiving yards so they are obvious selections. Blocking is important but you need catches to be known as an all-star Tight End.

AFC

Quarterbacks: Payton Manning, Brett Favre, & Jay Cutler
The way Manning started the season I would have bet this was one year he wasn't going to make it. But he's pulled it together as of late and ranks high in most categories so I think he's a good choice here. Cutler has the most yards passing and Favre has the best completion percentage so they are both worthy candidates for the Pro Bowl. Philip Rivers has the best QB rating and very good stats but the disappointment of the Chargers is even worse for me than Brees and the Saints debacle this year. So I really do think Cutler deserves the nod over him. Plus Rivers is such a punk it probably really bugs him Cutler got in and that's ok with me too. I think Chad Pennington has a case to make too and I'd probably go with him over Favre this year based on consistency. What a weird thing that he is dumped by the Jets and he goes out and has a great year for the Dolphins. I wonder if the Jets regret it at all? Probably not because Pennington had plenty of years to prove something to them and he basically had one great year earlier in the decade and then a whole lot of injured or crappy years. Also weird is that I could see someone making the argument that Matt Cassel should get some thoughts here for the Prow Bowl. I think he has played brilliantly for most of the year and whether it's him, the system, Moss & Welker, or just plain luck, you can't argue with the results.

Receievers: Andre Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker
Johnson and Welker are no brainers here with both having over 100 receptions and over 1000 yards. Marshall and Reggie Wayne also make sense because they are the only other receivers over 1000 yards at this point. However, you could make some noise for T.J. Houshmandzadeh who has pulled in nearly 1000 yards and has over 90 catches compared to Reggie Waynes 72 grabs. I think Houshamwhatshisname is more deserving than Wayne even though I like the Colt's receiver much more. Randy Moss is having another decent year also with 10 TDs and over 900 yards but he'll have to wait until Brady is back for his trip.

Running Backs: Thomas Jones, Chris Johnson, & Ronnie Brown.
How does Ronnie Brown get on this list? The only thing I can think of is that all those wildcat formation highlights he starred in must have swayed some people. Steve Slaton absolutely deserved to be one of these guys. He's third in yards with over 1100 (Brown barely has over 800 yards), and he's averaging 4.9 yards a carry compared to Brown's 4.2 yards. This pick is a joke. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I get Jones and Johnson, both whose leading rushing yard totals and yards per carry and TDs easily get them the nod here. I just don't see Ronnie Brown here.

TE: Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates
These are almost automatic picks right. You don't even have to think about. But you should, Owen Daniels of the Texans and Dallas Clark both have more receiving yards and catches. I think this year Dallas Clark is the guy that should go instead of Gates. His big catches have saved the Colts season and he's one of the main reasons they have won so many close games.

NFL Picks: Week 15

2008-12-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

Last week's picks: 12-4
Overall: 137-70 (66%)

This week's picks:
Bears over the Saints
at Chicago, cold weather game. Looks like it favors the Bears right? Plus the Saints have been more up and down this year than my 2 year old daughter in the middle of the night. And that's saying a lot.

Falcons over the Bucs
I like the Falcons to rebound here from last week's loss to the Saints. It's not that I don't think the Bucs are good because they are, but so is Atlanta. In fact this division might be the best in the NFL. We would have laughed about that before the season started. Having said that, the teams are very good, but I don't think a Super Bowl candidate comes out of the division.

Giants over the Cowboys
I do think Plaxico Burress is a good fit for the Giants (at least on the field), so they will be hurt by his absence come playoff time, but last week's loss should be enough to motivate them for the final stretch.

Lions over the Colts. ....No seriously, that would be wild though wouldn't it. Upset of the year. But I'd have to be smoking something to make that pick. Back to reality....
Colts over the Lions

Chargers over the Chiefs
Both head coaches should be fired after the season. Reports indicate both will be back in 09. Yay. Look forward to more mis-management of games and heavy disappointment K.C. and San Diego.

Patriots over the Raiders
Is Cassel healthy this week? It shouldn't matter.

Seahawks over the Rams
These two were the class of the NFC west a few years ago. It's got to be embarrassing when the Cardinals wrap this thing up so early.

Redskins over the Bengals
Cincinnati is the right medicine for the Skins. The Bengals are more dysfunctional than they are so they have that going for them. Which is nice.

Dolphins over the 49ers
The 49ers have won a few games I didn't they would. This is another that I'm not picking them for.

Jets over the Bills
if NY can't win this game then they are dead for the season.

Cardinals over the Vikings
I see Peterson having a decent day but ultimately the receivers for the Cardinals will be too much for the Vikes.

Broncos over the Panthers
I can't believe I'm picking the unbelievably inconsistent Broncos over the fairly consistent Panthers. And the Panthers are at home! But every week there is a team or two that do the inexplicable.

Packers over the Jags
I've picked the Pack a lot and they have lost a lot. Both these teams are really disappointing this season. I should pick the Jags at home to run all over the defenseless Packers. Except the Jags can't run or throw the ball.

Ravens over the Steelers
another mild upset.

Titans over the Texans
I'm interested to see how the Titans handle the end of the season.

Eagles over the Browns
sometimes the Eagles struggle with games like this. Maybe not this week.

NFL Picks: Week 14

2008-12-01T15:41:00.001-08:00

Last week: 11-5
Overall: 125-66 (65%)

This weeks picks:

Chargers over the Raiders
Sand Diego has no pride and no heart left if they lose this game.

Dolphins over the Blue Jays....I mean Bills.
So they are in Toronto. Big Deal. If I was a Bill I'd be all for an indoor game in December.

Bears over the Jags
Jacksonville is lost and I don't really trust the Bears. It's a toss up.

Broncos over the Chiefs
Time for some consistency Denver. Otherwise Mike Shanahan's eyes are going to pop out of his head. .....Oh wait, that that already happened......never mind.

Vikings over the Lions
They may lose a couple of suspended offensive lineman and that's bad news for a running team. Whether they have them for the Lions or not shouldn't matter.

Packers over the Texans
I can't believe I'm picking the Pack with the crappy run defense they have exhibited this year. And Steve Slaton is coming to town to boot. He's a good rookie runner but ultimately the Texans have been even more inconsistent than the Packers this year.

Titans over the Browns
Who's Cleveland's QB now? I forget. Why not fly in Vinny Testeverde. He played for the Browns at one point in his career didn't he?

Colts over the Bengals
Indy is winning ugly and Peter King of SI.com is touting Payton Manning as a leading candidate for MVP this year. Too many lattes for Mr. King because he's thinking of the wrong Manning. As good as the defense and run game has been for the Giants this season, Eli should be getting some love for his play as well.

Falcons over the Saints
New Orleans is putting together another underachieving season and the Falcons are overachieving. I have a man crush on Matt Ryan. Why didn't my Rams draft him? (sticking my head in an oven right now). speaking of which....

Cardinals over the Rams
Kurt Warner comes back to torch his former team again. The team that he totally took to the heights of NFL glory and then just as rapidly took to NFL mediocrity with his fumbling/broken thumbs/and ghastly interceptions. He's pulled himself back together in the past few years but he is still as likely to lose a game all by himself as fast as he can win one all by himself. This week he'll do the latter.

Giants over the Eagles
One team wins the tough ones and one loses the tough ones. Don't go straining anything while deciphering which one is which here.

Steelers over the Cowboys
Pittsburgh is going to pop the Dallas receivers and pressure Romo into mistakes. I think.

Jets over the 49ers
It's not time for a late season NY collapse is it? I hope Favre can pull it together this week.

Pats over the Seahawks
New England has the Raiders, Cardinals, & Bills after this. They should easily end up 11-5 and into the playoffs. Not bad for a Brady-less team. That should earn the serial killer look-alike/hoodie wearing Belichick a few coach of the year votes

Ravens over the Redskins
another decent rookie QB this year and another year of Redskin owner Daniel Snyder eating through his limo's leather seats after a disappointing loss. It's just a game Dan, relax.

Panthers over the Bucs
both are 9-3 and teams you probably won't trust either one to make it out of the first round in the playoffs. Carolina is at home so I'm going with them this week.

NFL Picks: Week 13

2008-11-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

Last Week: 9-7 (ouch)
Overall: 114-61 (65%)

This week's picks:

Titans over the Lions
The only Thanksgiving miracle we'll see for the Lions is if their fans aren't wearing bags over their heads.

Cowboys over the Seahawks
I like Barber, I like Romo, I like Crayton & Roy Williams. I even like Wade Phillips. Heck I was a Dallas Cowboy fan from 3rd grade until my college days. Jerry Jones, Terell Owens, Adam Jones--not so much.

Eagles over the Cardinals
I see the Eagles having a good turkey day and surprising people. Then the drama continues with McNabb of course as the benching last week becomes even bigger. McNabb needs to start earning his paycheck and then he has nothing to worry about.

Bills over the 49ers
Is Trent Edwards back? Not that he went away necessarily but he sure played like a stiff for a few games.

Ravens over the Bengals
The Bengals can play occasionally, but they are still a mess.

Colts over the Browns
So I keep picking against the Colts and they keep defying me with these tough wins. This week I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon and prophesying a victory for Indy. Your welcome Cleveland.

Packers over the Panthers
I just can't figure the Pack out. Their defense stinks too much for the kind of players they have on that side of the ball. Could be time for a new defensive coordinator then.

Dolphins over the Rams
Doesn't seem that long ago that I thought of the Dolphins in the same way I now think of the Rams. I wouldn't even watch my Rams if they ever were broadcast here in Utah (which they aren't). By the way I hate the fact that I have to get a steady dose of San Francisco, San Diego, Denver and Seattle games just because I live in the West. Now I know why I got the NFL Sunday ticket a few years back. Once I can afford it again, I'm back with Direct TV even though their prices are criminal.

Bucs over the Saints
I want to pick the Saints. I like Drew Brees and they are fun to watch when they are on. But they have been equally off this year (hence the mediocre record) and frankly I don't trust them. The Bucs found out that Warrick Dunn can still play and they ought to give him a few more carries. He's a stud.

Giants over the Redskins
If the NY can keep perspective and realize it's not who's kicking ass in November that's important but who's playing well in January, then look out. They dominate on both sides of the ball.

Chargers over the Falcons
I might regret this pick because I really like the Falcons with their balanced offense, and decent defense. Still the Chargers should have beaten the Colts and probably would have if their coach had any balls. Norv Turner is a good coordinator. Why is he a head coach? If I go on any longer I'm going to talk myself out of this pick.

Patriots over the Steelers
Matt Cassel's success is not a fluke. But he has help in the form of the shotgun formation, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, & Randy Moss. In regards to that Raider trade of Moss to the Patriots, does Patriot owner Bob Kraft call Al Davis up at 3 am, giggle maniacally, and then scream into the phone, "thank you Al for the gift. Your insane you know that right? But thank you....(more hysterical cackling).....click...dial tone.....

Jets over the Broncos
Denver is a mess but I wouldn't be surprised to see them win this game. They can get hot and Cutler is good about every third game. Bronco fans must pull their hair out watching this team struggle. I'm not sold on the Jets but they have been playing well and they are at home.

Chiefs over the Raiders
must see tv.

Vikings over the Bears
I would like to see Peterson run over Urlacher. That would be cool.

Texans over the Jags
The Jags have really fallen for me to make this pick.

NFL Picks: Week 12

2008-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last week: 12-3 --I don't know what to do with last week's Bengals/Eagles tie game so I'm throwing it out.

Overall: 105-54 (66%)

This week's picks:

Steelers over the Bengals
Division rivalry game so it should be a little bit closer than ought to be.

Falcons over the Panthers
Here I am drinking the Matt Ryan kool-aid. If the Panthers can't run the ball this game belongs to Atlanta.

Browns over the Texans
I have no interest in this game. None.

Cowboys over the 49ers
Romo fixes flats, takes the homeless out for dates and hooks up with Jessica Simpson. He's all about charity and I like that.

Broncos over the Raiders
Cutler is on the verge of greatness but has been sitting on that fence for awhile. He needs to just jump off and dominate week in and week out.

Bucs over the Lions
How many Detroit turkey jokes are we due for this week?

Titans over the Jets
It's tough to pick against a team that doesn't kill itself.

Chiefs over the Bills
Buffalo is reeling and with K.C. at home it's a good time for them to pull off a 13-10 or 17-14 type of game.

Bears over the Rams
If I could wear a bag at home I would. I can't believe my Rams have become a joke again.

Patriots over the Dolphins
Cassel is looking great. I keep hearing how these college QBs aren't going to be able to live out of the shotgun formation in the pros like they did in college. Why then have the Patriots played a ton of shotgun spread football these past two years and blown defenses away? I would love to see a coach like Mike Leach of Texas Tech come into the NFL and prove it works. You have to have a decent offensive line and a QB that can make quick decisions but it's possible. Cassel is proving it.

Giants over the Cardinals
I like the receivers for Arizona but the defense for NY is awesome. With their rushing attack they can keep the Cardinal offense off the field.

Chargers over the Colts
I've been picking against Indy most of the season because Manning and his offense have been unimpressive and their defense has been bad. And not the good "bad" either. Then they go out and look good against a decent Baltimore team. I don't know if I trust Indy yet and San Diego seems to be the only place that the Chargers can win so even though I hate to do it I'm going with the Chargers on this one.

Redskins over the Seahawks
maybe a dose of Seattle is just what the Skins need.

Jags over the Vikings
Another pick I'm not sure about. In fact I flipped a coin. Both lack stellar QB play and have made too many mistakes to be taken seriously this year.

Ravens over the Eagles
It's hard to trust McNabb right now. He and his Eagle team are underperforming. Again.

Packers over the Saints.
When is Reggie Bush coming back again?

NFL Picks: Week 11

2008-11-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 93-51 (65%)

This week's picks:

Patriots over the Jets
The Jets have laid 40 points on a couple of teams this season but I don't see it happening in New England against one of the best coached teams in football (As a Patriot hater I had to saw my pinkie finger off after typing that last part).

Falcons over the Broncos
This is a tough one. Matt Ryan has made me a believer but occasionally Jay Cutler can really dice teams up. The difference is one team has shown an ability to keep teams from scoring over 30 points against them. And yes, Mr. creepy eyes Shanahan, I am insinuating something about your defense with that comment.

Eagles over the Bengals
I thought perhaps Andy Reid had surpassed Mike Martz in the "worst game management skills" department until I saw that offensive debacle at the end of the Cards/49ers game on Monday night. Still, Reid consistently prove that he doesn't handle pressure situations very well as evidenced by the end of the Giants game this past week. It's unfortunate because in most respects Reid is a good coach. He does a lot with the talent he has (which is never quite what it should be--also partly his fault) but play calling in critical moments, clock management, etc. is something maybe he ought to think about delegating. As for this week, even though Cincy played Jacksonville tough a couple of weeks ago they shouldn't be able to handle the Eagle offense which is much better than the Jag's.

Packers over the Bears
What is disturbing about the Packers is that I thought they had a good defense. But they allow too many points and too many rushing yards for me to say that now. They are a better team than their record indicates but that doesn't mean much if you don't make the playoffs

Colts over the Texans
Houston always plays Indy tough so this could be really close. Plus, Manning looked downright awful last week. I know some who wrote about how he singlehandely pulled that game out last week but for most of the 4 quarters against the Steelers he was terrible. Manning has never had the most beautiful tight spiral like other QBs have, but he has made up for it with a fairly strong arm and great accuracy. Maybe it's the knees but his throws look very weak and most of them are ducks, especially the long balls. He got lucky last week on a ball that was tipped to Reggie Wayne for a TD. He is underthrowing guys, throwing behind them, or throwing it too high. I have watched a ton of Colt games over the past 4 years and this is a different guy the past couple of seasons. It actually started the season they won the Super Bowl if you want to know the truth. Manning was just not quite what you expected. Amazingly, that season his defense came to the rescue in the post-season and Dallas Clark made some of the most amazing catches I've ever seen. Now fast forward to this season and Manning doesn't have the receiving weapons he used to. Marvin Harrison seems a shell of the Hall of Famer we've come to know. He is slow, dropping balls, and just looks out of sync with Manning. I'm not saying Manning is washed up, but his QB rating is 84 and it hasn't been that low since 2001 (and only the 4th time it's been below 90 in his 11 years). As someone that has rooted for the Colts for years, I'm concerned.

Saints over the Chiefs
Drew Brees is good but until the Saints start playing some decent defense they are not a legitimate contender. -On another note, Herm Edwards, one of the most conservative coaches in the league tries for 2 points to win the game last week. I've piled on him for his conservative offenses in the past so how can I rip him for that? Well, I'll try. Herm, there is being gutsy and then there is being just plain stupid. I know you've got nothing to lose this season because your getting fired anyway, but trying for a 2 point conversion at the end of the game with a lousy offense is crazy. If you want to show that you have some balls, stop sending the punt unit out on 4th and 1 in the other team's territory or going for field goals when you are behind in games and you need TDs. ---How's that? Aww, I can't get mad at Herm....He showed some courage and risk in that situation and with the Chiefs, I'll take it where I can get it.

Dolphins over the Raiders.
Remember last year when we both the Raiders and the Dolphins were a joke? Maybe the Raiders ought to try the Wildcat formation. Miami has a pulse, the Raiders however probably wish Al Davis didn't. (I know.....I'm joking about death and that is wrong. I'm going to Hell. But at least Al will keep me company).

Giants over the Ravens
Should be a slugfest.

Bucs over the Vikings
I can't figure either of these teams out. I know I like watching Adrian Peterson. Hands down the best back in football. Tomlinson supporters might not want to acknowledge it and I'm not saying LT is close to being washed up, but Peterson is the best and has been for the past two seasons.

Panthers over the Lions
The Jags were laughing at the Lions last week. I hope the Panthers can be nice to them. At least wait until their backs are turned before you giggle.

49ers over the Rams
These are both dysfunctional teams. May the best ...um...least screwed up dudes win.

Cardinals over the Seahawks.
If Warner doesn't lose the ball in the rain, the Cards should win. I like Warner but I think the people calling him an MVP this season are being premature. Same goes for the people saying he's a Hall of Famer. He's had 3 great years and those came with the Rams (plus one decent year in 07 with the Cards). If he continues to excel this year that makes 4 great years. 4 seasons doesn't make somebody a football legend unless it's for 4 years of smoking pot and going in and out of the league. I would say Ricky Williams is a legend in that regard.

Steelers over the Chargers
San Diego should win this because they are the more desperate team and they have a decent offense. But how can you trust their Swiss cheese defense this year?

Titans over the Jags
Tennessee is surprisingly good, Jacksonville is surprisingly bad. That sums up the "hard to figure out" NFL.

Cowboys over the Redskins
Maybe Romo will give Dallas a lift and they will play up to their talent level. Maybe not. But man did the Skins look bad in their last game against the Steelers. A bye week should help but I'm still picking against them this time.

Bills over the Browns
just because they are at home.

NFL Picks: Week 10

2008-11-06T14:51:00.000-08:00

Last week: 9-5
Overall: 85-45 (65%)

This week's picks:

Broncos over the Browns
I have trouble picking the Browns with Quinn making his first start

Saints over the Falcons

In a shootout Brees makes a couple of plays more than Ryan.

Bears over the Titans
I think something weird is going to happen. Grossman will play well.

Jags over the Lions
Can the Jags lose 2 in a row to deadbeat teams? I say no. But Jacksonville has sure sucked donkeys this year haven't they?

Dolphins over the Seahawks
I wish Joey Porter would just shut up and play.

Packers over the Vikings
Unless Peterson has a big day, I see the Pack pulling this one out.

Patriots over the Bills
The Bills are an ok team but they have lost 2 in a row and the 5 teams they've beat this year all have losing records so far in 08. Buffalo's record is a little deceiving. Then again, the Pats have had a cupcake schedule too, having only played 1 team with a winning record so far.

Jets over the Rams
I've seen signs of life with my Rams. Not enough to predict victories yet though. (Except for last which when I must have been loopy on cold medicine)

Texans over the Ravens
The Ravens really deserve more respect than I'm giving them here. Hey Sage Rosenfels is starting for Houston and he needs to make up for game he gave to the Colts earlier in the season.

Panthers over the Raiders
Al Davis. Maverick, inspirational & ahead of his time in the 70s. Insane, 2008. You gave Javon Walker how much guaranteed cash? Also, Deangelo Hall is laughing all the way to the bank today.

Steelers over the Colts
I've never picked against an Indy team so much in a season. They don't even look good when they win.

Chargers over the Chiefs
This shouldn't even be close if the Chargers are as good as they think they are (which they aren't). This team underachieves like Lindsay Lohan sabatoges her career. It's automatic every season. Still, if they can't beat K.C. at home then Norv Turner should pack his bags immediately.

Eagles over the Giants
Philly has Kevin Curtis back (my favorite receiver and fellow Snow College and Utah State alum) as well as Brian Westbrook and they are at home on Sunday night. A win brings some excitement back to the NFC East race which N.Y. is threatening to run away with.

Cardinals over the 49ers
Singletary seems too reactionary for his own health as a coach. His head might explode at any second. If Warner can keep hold of the ball he should carve up the San Fran secondary like a turkey on Thanksgiving.

NFL Picks: Week 9

2008-11-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last week: 11-3
Overall: 76-40 (66%)

This week's picks:

Giants over the Cowboys
Vikings over the Texans
Rams over the Cardinals
Bills over the Jets
Broncos over the Dolphins
Bears over the Lions
Jags over the Bengals
Ravens over the Browns
Bucs over the Chiefs
Titans over the Packers
Falcons over the Raiders
Eagles over the Seahawks
Patriots over the Colts
Steelers over the Redskins

NFL Picks: Week 8

2008-10-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last Week: 10-4
Overall: 65-37 (64%)

This week's picks:

I just spent an hour writing info about my thoughts from games last week and disecting this week's picks----then I accidentally deleted it all. Now I'm pissed. oh well ..here are the picks in abbreviated form.

Cowboys over the Bucs
Skins over the Lions
Dolphins over the Bills
Patriots over the Rams
Chargers over the Saints
Jets over the Chiefs
Eagles over the Falcons
Ravens over the Raiders
Panthers over the Cardinals
Jags over the Browns
Texans over the Bengals
Steelers over the Giants
Seahawks over the 49ers
Titans over the Colts

NFL Picks: Week 7

2008-10-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 55-33 (63%)

This weeks Picks:

Bears over the Vikings
Of course this is predicated on the idea that Lovie Smith doesn't pull another dumba** squib kick. I can't begin to tell you how stupid I think the squib kick is. Lovie Smith absolutely lost that game last week for his team by giving the ball to the Falcons near the 40 yard line. I mean how stupid are these coaches sometimes!? I've ranted about this for years going all the way back to when I was a high school kicker. My coach would look at me in situations where there was less than a minute to go in the 2nd or 4th quarter (or when we were facing a dangerous kick returner, and say, "squib it to about the 30 yard line". I'd be thinking in my mind, "what?! are you nuts dipstick?! I'm a high school kicker, I have enough trouble keeping the ball from going out of bounds on a regular kick---how accurate do you think I'm going to be when I'm trying to squib it!!". Then I'd try and squib it and the the other team would end up on the 50 yard line and my coach would yell at me for not placing it in the right spot. It's a squib kick a-hole, there is no control on it. ---Can you tell I'm passionate about this? I've just seen this too many times where a team loses games because somebody some years back made the squib kick a textbook move with less than a minute to go in the 2nd or 4th quarter. The crazy thing about this is coaches follow this textbook move even if a field goal will beat them. They seem to forget that by doing this the other team now only has 25-30 yards to gain for a winning kick. Go back and think about all the games where teams "squib" it on the kickoff and how many times it backfires. And nobody talks about this as being the reason teams lose games (although I heard Wilbon talk about it on PTI-and Jason Whitlock mentioned it in a column too--so kudos for them). Most will talk about the defense letting the team down for allowing the yardage in the final seconds. What about the coach who put them in the position in the first place? Now, maybe Lovie Smith didn't think 11 seconds was enough time for the Falcons to do anything. I agree that the Falcons had to have a perfect throw and catch in order to make the kick with 1 second left. Still, here are my iron clad rules for squib kicking: 1. If a field goal will beat you, never squib the kick unless the time on the clock will run out with the kick runback or on the next play. Obviously 11 seconds is too much as the Falcons proved. I would say around 8 seconds or so left on the clock allow you to pull this type of a kickoff. Otherwise there is only one other time I would recommend a squib kick--2. If a touchdown will beat you , never squib the kick unless there is less than 15 seconds to go. --I can see the value of the squib kick in this situation because a dangerous returner could get lucky and beat you and the odds of that might be higher than a team throwing a TD pass with one play left. In this situation you are only allowing enough time for one play (a hail mary). Those are more rare than kick runback for a TD so this ok. If you leave time for 2 and 3 plays after the squib then you are asking to lose also. --

So there you have it. Coaches should listen to me on this subject and quit following some asinine rule in there heads about the squib kick. This and the idea and that there is some rulebook on when to go for 2 points really get my blood boiling. I'll save the two point thing for later.

Chargers over the Bills
I know Buffalo is at home and if the weather is bad I'd say this might go their way. But the Chargers looked good last week and on paper they are the better team. Of course that hasn't meant much for them this season.

Steelers over the Bengals
Week in and week out we see teams win that shouldn't (except the Lions). But I don't think this will happen with Cincy this week. Steelers take care of business this time.

Packers over the Colts
It's tempting to pick Indy because they looked so good last week. But they have looked so bad for most of the year that I can't pick them on the road against Green Bay.

Titans over the Chiefs
Look, K.C. is not a good team. Tennessee is and unless Kerry Collins turns it over they should win.

Jets over the Raiders
is Favre starting to get comfortable yet? I don't know but they should beat the team run by the worst owner in football.

Cowboys over the Rams
I'd like to think that the Rams are turning a corner and last week's inspiring win will jump start their season. But it ain't happening.

Ravens over the Dolphins
Baltimore's offense sucks. So what's new. The Ravens defense will have to score and stop the Wildcat formation of Miami.

Giants over the 49ers
This shouldn't be close. But then again, the Browns game this past week wasn't supposed to be close either.

Bucs over the Seahawks
I just can't buy into Seneca Wallace.

Redskins over the Browns
This one is tough to pick because the Skins fell apart against my lowly Rams, and the Browns pick apart the best team in the NFL on Monday.

Saints over the Panthers
My gut tells me that Carolina will win this at home. But I like New Orleans better and they in fact should be a better team. This one will be very close I think.

Texans over the Lions
big game. Can you smell the excitement?

Patriots over the Broncos
The Pats are at home and Cassel is like an every other week type of QB. It's that week.

NFL Picks: Week 6

2008-10-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Last week: 7-7
Overall: 47-27 (64%)

This week's picks:

Bears over the Falcons
Atlanta has looked pretty decent. But so has Kyle Orton. That's weird.

Jags over the Broncos
I need to quit picking the Jaguars because they keep disappointing me. Oh well.

Ravens over the Colts
I know Indy is home but they've sucked at home so far. I don't think they score much in this one. Their only hope is that the Ravens score less. The Colt's O line is leaking like the Titanic and Manning just looks really off. That injury is hurting him more than he is admitting.

Vikings over the Lions
It's the Lions. Some franchises going through losing seasons and even losing decades. The Lions are known for sucking almost their entire existence.

Saints over the Raiders
I'm not sure why the Saints give away so many games. But they better beat a team owned by a walking corpse. Or else.

Jets over the Bengals
it's tough to pick a team like Cincy when they seem leaderless. Unless Favre throws some interceptions the Jets should mash these guys.

Cowboys over the Cardinals
The Boys will probably end up with more fans at this game even though the Cards are at home. Arizona is like a second home for the Cowboys usually. When the Cardinals (I by the Cards I mean Kurt Warner) don't shoot themselves in the foot they can be dangerous. This could be a close one.

Patriots over the Chargers
Cassel took my advice last week (your welcome, Matt) and started throwing deep to Moss. The Chargers are in disarray and this could be devastating if they lose.

Eagles over the 49ers
The Eagles need to learn how to close out games this year. McNabb is not very good in 4th quarters. Still he should be able to beat San Fran even. It should be a good game though.

Packers over the Seahawks
Hawks are home and the Packers are in a bit of a funk. But I still think Rodgers has looked ok for a first year starter. Even in their losses, the Packers look much better than Seattle.

Bucs over the Panthers
Griese has a big day and Delhomme does not.

Redskins over the Rams
This should be a blowout. Crap. Haslett is not the right answer for my Rams. But Bulger over Green at least one smart move he made.

Texans over the Dolphins
Somebody is going to clue in on this "wildcat offense" right?

Giants over the Browns
NY needs to be careful not to get cocky. This is the NFL, nobody goes win-less. That's good news for the Browns but if things go as they should they will be a goose egg for at least another week.

NFL: Picks Week 5

2008-09-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last week 9-4
Overall: 40-20 (67%)

Cowboys over the Bengals
On paper this shouldn't be close. But a few games this season have already shown us that paper predictions can bite you in the keester. Still the "boys" are at home and Jerry Jones will be prowling the sidelines creeping the Bengals out (along with everyone else). So Dallas has that going for them.

Packers over the Falcons
I know Rodgers is hurt. But he's going to want to play. If he does, I think they win. If he doesn't I favor the Falcons

Panthers over the Chiefs.
How did I not remember that stat about the Broncos never winning in K.C. this decade? Last week blew me away. The Chiefs looked like a bona-fide NFL team! There was even a Larry Johnson sighting. This however a team coached by Herm Edwards and I can't sanely pick them to win on the road against a decent Carolina team.

Lions over the Bears
I'm nuts to pick Detroit here. But I'm thinking the Matt Millen firing created some good karma for the Lions this week.

Broncos over the Bucs
Denver is home and apparently their defense really sucks. Maybe a home game outweighs the fact that they can't stop anybody.

Eagles over the Redskins
The Skins are surprising the hell out of me. But I like the Eagles better and I think they will bring Washington back to Earth. Just a note though: Santana Moss is one of the most underrated receivers in the game today. I love watching him play.

Cardinals over the Bills
I think the Bills defense is good enough to make Warner look bad again. Not that he needs any help with that because the man's fingers have been like butter since around 2003. But the Cards will upset the Bills and Warner will have a good day.

Saints over the Vikings
I think this will be a close one.

Colts over the Texans
The Texans have a tendency to play the Colts tough, especially at home. But Indy is desperate and even though they look terrible this year I think they squeak one out. Houston should be getting the ball to Steve Slaton more

Ravens over the Titans
In a low scoring game, the Ravens defense will force Collins into some deadly mistakes. Cue the Vince "I was drafted to be a starter" comments as the QB controversy heats up in Nashville.

Jags over the Steelers
I'm torn over this one. I know the Steelers can win in Jacksonville. I flipped a coin to be honest. Jags by 3.

Patriots over the 49ers
Cassel will have a better day than he did the last time out. The Patriots haven't forgotten how to win. Moss has to be saying, "just throw it long and high dude, --didn't you watch the highlights last year?"

Giants over the Seahawks
this would be a major upset if Seattle were to take this one. It's a trap game for the Giants. Again the home venue sways me for NY.

Chargers over the Dolphins
I bet the Chargers gameplan the single wing formation that the Dolphins killed the Patriots with. I sure like Darren Sproles for San Diego. That little guy is shifty and fast.

NFL Picks: Week 4

2008-09-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last week: 13-3
Overall: 31-16 (66%)

Picks for Week 4

Titans over the Vikings
-Kerry Collins continues to be stable for them and Johnson and Lendale White are great so far in the backfield. Vince who? However, the Vikings are more than capable of winning this if Frerotte has a decent game and Adrian Peterson can get break some tackles.

Broncos over the Chiefs
Nothing is ever a lock in the NFL but it would be a minor miracle for the Chiefs to pull this one out (even at home).

Saints over the 49ers.
San Fran has looked much better than I expected. But the Saints are desperate. They should win this. Then again, they've sure lost a lot of games the last couple of years that they should have won. On a side note, have you noticed Sean Payton is pretty conservative in critical situations. For a team that passes a lot, they sure get unimaginative in 3rd and short or when they are in situations that call for stepping on the gas, not letting off.

Jets over the Cardinals
The Jets have looked ok, but not good enough to win tough ball games. I'm going with the Jets against Arizona simply because they are at home. The Cardinals Ken Whisenhunt needs to grow a set of balls. With 2: 39 left in the game, he punts from midfield with a 4th and 5 against the Skins (who have shown some ability in their offense that past two games). He said that had it been a true 2 min situation he would have gone for it. What?! So that extra 39 seconds was the kicker for you? Are you insane? What do you have better odds with: Getting the ball back further pinned in your territory with less than 2 min to go, and then driving the field for a TD to tie the game, or going for 5 yards at midfield and driving for the tying TD? Is this really something I need to explain to him? Don't let this guy play poker in Vegas. He'd fold a full house, thinking a better hand will come along next time. It's incredible how stupid these coaches get in situations like this.

Packers over the Bucs
I continue to be impressed with Aaron Rodgers. Even in the loss to the Cowboys, he looked pretty decent. He made some mistakes but if the Cowboys hadn't been so dominant in their rushing attack, the Pack might have had a shot in that game.

Panthers over the Falcons
I have to go with the home team here. If Steve Smith can refrain from punching anyone he could have a big day.

Jags over the Texans
Jacksonville needs to start winning some games. They got lucky in Indy with the pass interference call, otherwise they are starting 0-3.

Browns over the Bengals
These are some bad football teams right now. It's tough to pick the Browns over the Bengals when Cincy is at home but I promised myself I wouldn't pick the Bengals again.

Chargers over the Raiders
This shouldn't be close.

Bills over the Rams.
I haven't picked my favorite team for any of their games so far and that won't change anytime soon. Now Bulger is benched and Trent Green is their guy again. Here's hoping he has better luck than last time he was in a Ram uni.

Cowboys over the Redskins
This will be interesting to see how the Skins fare against their rivals. They usually play them well, even in Dallas.

Bears over the Eagles
I know the Eagles are looking good and the Bears not so much in the past couple of games. But I'm going with the upset here because it's in Chicago.

Ravens over the Steelers
With Parker out and the Ravens probably planning to imitate the Eagles pass rush from last week I think the Ravens squeak one out in a low scoring game.

NFL Picks: Week 3

2008-09-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

Last Week: 8-7

Overall: 18-13

Picks for week 3:

Falcons over the Chiefs 24-14
It will be interesting to see if Matt Ryan can bounce back after a tough 2nd week. The Chiefs are coming to town so that helps. Herm Edwards should be fired about 7 weeks into the season if not sooner. He is a terrible coach and has been since he was with the Jets. We’re not too far off from a scenario where Edwards is fired, Romeo Crennell is fired, Marvin Lewis is fired, Tony Dungy retires, and everyone is talking about the departure of so many black coaches in one season. That would be weird and awkward for the NFL.

Bills over the Raiders 27-10
I’m liking these Bills more and more. I’m liking The Raider’s owner Al Davis less and less. What a dysfunctional franchise. You know, Al was a guy who for many years was ahead of his time. He was innovative and much needed in a dry and uptight NFL. Then he turned like 105, became totally insane and proceeded to drive his Raiders off a cliff. You know how sometimes your grandparents (or parents) become too old to drive and you decide to take the keys away from them and save the life of all the kids all up and down the block? It’s time for someone, maybe Roger Goodell, to take the keys away from Al. The carnage needs to stop.

Bears over the Bucs 23-20
Both defenses will probably score. Gruden will be pissed. But when isn’t he?

Titans over the Texans 17-14
Kerry Collins again? Seriously? As good as he might look in spurts, this guy will eventually look equally bad. Grow a pair of testicles Vince Young. And learn how to throw the ball. The Titans have a decent team and need you to become less…well…you.

Vikings over the Panthers 20-14
Washed up backups are all the rage these days. Call me crazy but I think Frerotte may have a decent day Sunday. The Vikings are sort of like the Titans. They have all the ingredients for success except the QB. That’s like saying you’re ready to make banana cream pie but you are all out of bananas.

Patriots over the Dolphins 20-7
Can’t the Pats suffer without Brady? Is that too much too ask? Burn in hell Belichick.

Giants over the Bengals 28-13
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to pick the Bengals again while Lewis is still coaching them. This team really sucks and it starts at the top.

Cardinals over the Redskins 23-21
The Skins looked unbelievable last week against the Saints. I’m mean, like who the hell was that team? How can they look so bad in week 1 and so good in week 2? Cards have looked decent both weeks so I’m picking them just based on consistency. I need to see it again from the Redskins before I’m a believer.

49ers over the Lions 26-20
Mike Martz has Isaac Bruce again and it’s good to see him playing well. The Rams could use him again. Hell, the Rams could use Mike Martz again. I can’t believe I just said that. That tells you the state of affairs with Linehan in St. Louis.

Seahawks over the Rams 32-14
Speaking of my Rams….they suck donkeys. Linehan and Bulger have managed to sink a high flying offense and that dude that used to coach the Saints hasn’t done much with the defense either. The Seahawks aren’t that good but when your playing the Rams you don’t need to be.

Broncos over the Saints 34-30
Cutler is cruising and the Saints are inconsistent (just like they were last year) so I’m going with Denver here.

Eagles over the Steelers 28-26
I like the Eagles this year. This will be another good test for them.

Jags over the Colts 23-17
The Jags are desperate and frankly Manning looks terrible this year. I know the line is decimated but he still looks shaky. That knee is part of it and not having Dallas Clark has been huge. Clark saved Manning many times in the past by grabbing balls that had no business being caught.

Ravens over the Browns 14-7
The Browns are supposed to be decent this year right? Hype sometimes is just hype.

Cowboys over the Packers 33-27
Romo and Rodgers are tearing it up and I’m actually very interested in this game.

Chargers over the Jets 24-14
You know, Darren Sproles is reminding me of Michael Turner. Someone who needs to see a few more carries in the game. I know that is blasphemy to suggest with Tomlinson on the team but he’s hurting this week and besides he needs to be spelled more at this point in his career.

NFL Picks week 2

2008-09-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

What I was impressed with in week 1:

- The Giants defense

- Matt Ryan and Michael Turner

- Roscoe Parrish looking Barry Sandersish

- Felix Jones

- Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler

Last week's picks results: 10-6

Picks for week 2:

---Bengals over the Titans 24-17
I know the Titans are a better team but Carson Palmer may just have one more game in him that remotely resembles himself from a couple of years ago.

----Steelers over the Browns 27-20
Pittsburgh looked too good last week to pick against them.

---Chargers over the Broncos 32-28
Denver looked great against the Raiders. But it was the Raiders. With Gates and Tomlinson hurting maybe I should pick the Broncos. I need to see the Broncos against a decent team before I start taking them seriously.

---Packers over the Lions 24- 14
Nothing has changed in Detroit. The Lions still suck. Shocker.

---Chiefs over the Raiders 10-7
I'm only going with the Chiefs because they are at home.

---Giants over the Rams 30-7
I've never been this disheartened as a Ram fan. Linehan must go.

---Colts over the Vikings 20-17 in overtime
The Colts didn't look good against the Bears. Particularly their defense. If Kyle Orton can shred them then it might be a long year.

---Patriots over the Jets 26-24
Other than the QB, I think the Pats are still better than the Jets. Granted, the QB is critical but Cassel hit receivers last week (and his receivers are very good) so if he doesn't make too many mistakes they can still win this game and maybe even the division. Having said that, I still hope the Jets and Favre trounce the Patriots and crush their hopes of a winning season into a finely powdered dust. I honestly would much rather see Brady fail on the field than have him injured but I seriously doubt all those teams the Patriots ran the score up on last year are crying over his injury too much. Karma baby. Karma.

---Dolphins over the Cardinals 23-17
I've picked Miami two weeks in a row now. That's weird.

---Seahawks over the 49ers 17-10
the Hawks are back home. After their debacle in Buffalo that's a good thing.

---Bucs over the Falcons 26-20
I need to see Atlanta against somebody besides Detroit before I start picking them.

---Saints over the Redskins 32-10
how can I pick the Skins after their throw-up game last week.

---Panthers over the Bears 24-20
Was that really Kyle Orton? An eternity in Hell is not worth it Kyle. Get that contract back now. I don't care if you signed it in blood.

---Jags over the Bills 28-23
Was last week a hiccup for the Jags? We'll see.

--Ravens over the Texans 19-7
I honestly don't know what to think of this game other than I know the Ravens defense will come to play.

---Cowboys over the Eagles 30-28
Should be a good game.

NFL Picks: Week 1

2008-09-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Giants over the Redskins 17-3 ---Too early for Campbell in a new offense (again).

Lions over the Falcons 21-14 ----Ryan looks decent but I have trouble taking a rookie in his first start.

Bills over the Seahawks 13-10 ----Seahawks should win this but the Bills are at home and they surprise in the first week.

Jaguars over the Titans 24-20 ---This is going to be closer than it should be.

Dolphins over the Jets 17-14 ---Pennington knows the Jets and Favre needs a little more time to adjust.

Patriots over the Chiefs 38-7 ---as long as Brady is capable of playing, this should be a blowout. If he goes out then all bets are off.

Saints over the Bucs 28-14 ---I'm hopeful that last year's mistakes and injuries don't crop up again this year for New Orleans.

Eagles over the Rams 30-10 ---Too bad Kevin Curtis is out with a hernia. I would have liked for him to show the Rams that they made a mistake in letting him go.

Steelers over the Texans 24-17 ---I think the Steelers could be very good. But you just don't know what you'll get with them year to year. Andre Johnson is wasted on a team like the Texans.

Bengals over the Ravens 27-6 ---It would be nice to see Carson Palmer regain the brilliance he showed a couple of years ago.

Chargers over the Panthers 20-10 ---This is Delhomme's last year to prove he's a starter. I have my doubts.

Cardinals over the 49ers 10-7---yikes. I'm only interested in this to see how Smith's replacement does.

Cowbows over the Browns 28-24 ---The Browns were a hot pick early in the spring and summer and now I see people jumping off the bandwagon like it's on fire. I'm not sure about them yet but the Cowboys should be better this week.

Colts over the Bears 17-7 ---Does Manning need the pre-season? We'll see. The Bears defense lost some luster last year so I look for them to come after him.

Packers over the Vikings 10-3 ---Both have a decent team but a question mark at QB. Should be interesting.

Broncos over the Raiders 32-17 ---What the hell did the Raiders give up Moss for. He would be perfect with a strong armed QB like Russell. I know Al Davis is still alive but he's basically a walking corpse with a big checkbook. Did you see that Javon Walker deal? ouch.

NFL Football: 2008--The year I care again?

2008-09-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

---I gave up on Pro Football last year. I did. I probably shouldn't have--- but the performance of two teams drove me to a level of apathy about the NFL that I wouldn't have thought possible just a year before. The teams responsible? First, my team, the St. Louis Rams were incredibly bad. Bag over the head bad. And second, the Patriots looked like a lock for the Vince Lombardi trophy all year long. I despise the Patriots and have since 2001. I have never seen a team look so good as they did last season. There was no chance they were losing in 2007. In fact rooting for teams to beat them was sort of like watching the movie Titanic and rooting for that stupid boat to miss the Iceberg. It would sure be cool but it ain't happening. Funny thing though, somehow the iceberg, not the boat, sank in the Superbowl. Go figure.

---You see because the Patriots had managed to win 3 Super Bowls in this first decade of the new millennium and that fact added to the dominance they showed last year caused me to forget a cardinal rule of the NFL. That is, NOTHING IS A LOCK IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. The last 3 Superbowl winners should drive that lesson home. Pittsburgh in 2006? I was ready to stick a fork in them by November of that season. The Colts in 2007? There defense was so atrocious nobody had them going to the Superbowl. Then Bob Sander shows up and they are the very definition of defense. The Giants last year? Please, Eli Manning was so inconsistent somebody needed to start feeding him fiber flakes just so something in his life could be regular. ----And yet all three of these underdogs won when it counted.

---Maybe the Patriots will win them all this year. Maybe they'll avenge the Superbowl loss that they were robbed of by an insane hail mary grab. Maybe they won't. The point is I should know that I can't let the evil nature and brilliant play of one hated team or the disappointment of my team discourage my passion for the pro game. My Rams might turn things around (doubtful for this year) and the Patriots might choke again (hopeful). A little unpredictability is a good thing and ironically something we can probably count on for the season.

Halelujah!

2008-02-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

What can I say. I'm happy. Patriots lose the Super Bowl. Those are fun words to read.

NFL 2007: The Season that wasn't.

2008-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

So the playoffs are here and that's just dandy. With the Patriots seemingly unstoppable please excuse me if I don't get giddy. For me this season has been the worst season to follow the NFL in well....since I've been following football. There are two main reasons for this (see below):

1. My Rams sucked donkeys. After at least having a sliver of hope that the Rams could make the playoffs for the past few years, they finally hit rock bottom (I hope) and within the first few games it was obvious that this season was going to be a nightmare. Their offensive line was decimated; Bulger was hurt and when he did play he looked awful; Linehan looks lost as a head coach and I'm not excited about his progression in the future. That about sums up an awful season.

2. The Patriots sucked the life out of the 2007 season. They are so good that it seems like we ought to just hand them the Vince Lombardi trophy right now and save us all the sickening sight of having to watch them win it. They are disgustingly arrogant with a coach and QB that I can't stand. To me Brady is the best QB of all time and I'm mad as hell at the Raiders and Dolphins for giving him valuable targets like Moss and Welker for basically nothing in return. The Dolphins move is inexcusable because they are in the same freaking division! Anyway if next season is like this season with the Pats I'm giving up on the NFL. I'll need anger management classes and I'm pretty sure my insurance doesn't cover that.

---As for the playoffs I'll be rooting for the Colts and anyone playing the Pats and in the NFC I would like to see the Packers get back to the Super Bowl.

NFL Thoughts:Week 15

2007-12-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

---I'm happy for the Dolphins. I really am. With the way they were celebrating you would have thought they won the Super Bowl. But the smashing potential of a winless season does tend to make you giddy.

---San Diego is loaded at RB. When Tomlinson goes out of the game (rarely) Turner and Sproles are not a significant drop off.

---Seattle is in the playoffs and New Orleans might not get there. Yet I would definitely say the Saints are the better team. That's how it works though when you have a division as weak as the NFC West.

----If the Jets had any kind of an offense they could have won that game against New England.

---I thought the Colts might have been taking the Raiders for granted. Oakland played them pretty tough.