The Steve Bartman story and 2003 Cub Fans that Suck

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

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

NFL Picks: Week 17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NFL Picks: Week 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

NFL Picks: Week 9

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