Week 17, Say it aint so

It's hard to believe that we're finally at week 17 in the NFL. Just this past summer, we were unsure if we'd even see week 1. But what a great year it's been for football. From record breaking quarterbacks to Tebowing and beyond, there's been so many different angles to watch this year. And wouldn't you know it, even on the final week of the season there's still plenty of excitement. There are several teams that are fighting to get into the playoffs and about a dozen coaches fighting for their jobs. The only good thing about this being the last week in the regular season, is that playoff football starts next week.

DET @ GB – GB. I was really hoping that this game would come down to the “Perfect Season.” Unfortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to play spoiler a couple weeks ago. If the Packers were 15-0 going into this game, I probably would have taken Detroit out of principle. That’s not the case however, so I’m going with Green Bay. 

TEN @ HOU – TEN. I need the Titans to come up big in this game. All I need is a win out of them and about half the population of my work comes in on Monday with sulking faces. Good news for Tennessee is that Houston has clinched a spot in the playoffs and has already stated that their starters will play limited time. I’m just hoping they don’t have a huge lead by the time that happens.

IND @ JAC – IND. This was another game that I was hoping would have meant something. When Indy went 0-10 I chose this game as the only one on their schedule where they could pull off a win. Never thought they’d be going into this game with a pair of wins, let alone one. Still taking them though, considering they seem to be the hot team right now.

NYJ @ MIA – NYJ. I honestly think that the Jets are going to win this game. They may not be able to choose their own destiny, but I at least think they’ll help themselves by winning against Miami. It’s a do or die situation for the Jets, something I’m sure Rex Ryan won’t take laying down.

CHI @ MIN – MIN. There just doesn’t seem to be any hope for either team. They’re both hurt and out of contention. I’m taking Minnesota in this one even though Chicago seems to have the better record. Most of those wins came at the likes of Forte and Cutler.

BUF @ NE – NE. Personally I don’t think New England is going to win this game because I don’t think their starters will be on the field long enough to make a difference.

CAR @ NO – NO. New Orleans might be in the playoffs, but their defense is still good enough to stop the Panthers and Drew Brees can still tack on a few hundred more yards to pad that record for the next challenger.

WAS @ PHI – PHI. The dream team has finally woken up and now they’re trying to just salvage the season they have left with an even record. I think they’ll get it at home especially the way they’ve been playing lately.

SF @ STL – SF. The 49ners are still looking for a first round bye. All they have to do is win against St. Louis whom have done nothing this year. Now they might not even have their quarterback.

SEA @ ARI – SEA. Other than the Indy/Jacksonville game, this one is probably the second worst game of the week if not the first. Flip a coin and I take Seattle.

TB @ ATL – ATL. Tampa Bay has just been a complete disappointment and with Cam Newton now in the picture, people are going to forget about Josh Freeman very quickly.

BAL @ CIN – BAL. This game has definitely become a rivalry, especially this year. It’s fitting that the final game matches these two teams up. No explanation for picking the Ravens, just have a feeling.

PIT @ CLE – PIT. Big Ben or not, Pittsburgh shouldn’t have a problem either putting up points or keeping Cleveland from putting them up.

KC @ DEN – DEN. Tebow Time has been on hiatus the last couple weeks, so I think it’s time it came out of hibernation.

SD @ OAK – SD. San Diego may be out of contention as well, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play a great spoiler game. In fact, I’m counting on it with my pick. Oakland may be playing for another game, but more importantly they’re playing for their former owner. The last time that happened, they lost in dramatic fashion. History does tend to repeat itself.

DAL @ NYG – NYG. This game is a complete toss up, but sometimes you just got to bELIeve. I’m actually hoping that this game ends in perfect Dallas fashion with a Romo-tastic finish.

Clinching is Beautiful Thing

Tis the season to watch football. Fortunately for me, I don't have to worry about these next couple weeks since my team is all set for the post season. Unfortunately for almost everyone I work with, this week counts for two of New York's teams and would you know, they're playing each other. I can't explain how nice it is not to have to worry about crunch time in the NFL. It nice to just sit back, relax, chill out in good ole rural Vermont, and read about the scores in the paper the next morning. So while your panicking over your teams playoff hopes, I'll be watching the Yule Log and playing cards with my future in-laws. Cheers!


HOU @ IND - HOU. Yay Indy!!! You finally did it, Now it's time to lose number 14. But good job beating Tennessee. Good luck with a playoff contender.


CLE @ BAL - BAL. I nailed the Cleveland game last week right on the head. Thanks a lot Cardinals! Now it's time for the other birds to do the same.


DEN @ BUF - DEN. I love every bit of this game. Buffalo coming off a tough loss to the Miami Heat-ing up, while Denver get's thwarted by the New England Patriots. Something tells me Tebow and friends aren't going to let their heads sulk too long. Meanwhile, Buffalo seems to be enjoying their losing streak again.


TB @ CAR - CAR. My friend told me last week that he was surprised by Tampa Bay's record when he saw it. Well I said the same thing when I saw Carolina's record. The only difference is, Carolina's win-loss doesn't match the talent on the field. The team will flourish in the years to come. Not many quarterbacks take their teams to the end in their rookie season. The best part is that Cam Newton is performing like an All Star player and turning heads left and right. This one's a coin flipper when it comes down to it, but I'll take Newton since I've taken him for a majority of the year.


ARI @ CIN - CIN. Arizona loves to show up where they don't belong, especially with a 7-7 record. That record is nothing to hold your nose up to, especially with the Cardinals riding a 4 game win streak. However, it comes down to who wants it more and the Cardinals are far from a playoff spot with the 49ners clinching the division. That means that Cincinnati should be going out there on Saturday "balls to the walls." I have faith in Andy Dalton to put the Bengals back into wild card contention. With a Jets loss that becomes a huge reality.


OAK @ KC - OAK. Congrats to Kansas City for taking down the mighty mighty Packers. Unfortunately it doesn't make the Chiefs any better of a team. All that win did was give them a boost of morale. Meanwhile, Oakland needs to run the table and pray for a little less Tebow magic.


MIA @ NE - NE. Personally these next two weeks mean nothing to me as a fan. I could hoot and holler about home field advantage throughout the playoffs but the last two years for the Patriots, that hasn't mean diddly, yes I said diddly, squat. I could care less about a bye week in the playoffs, because as far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter if the Pats are playing at home, on the road, in the first or second round, or on the God forsaken moon. I'll take New England in this game just on principle, but I honestly could care less until the playoffs begin.



NYG @ NYJ - NYG. I can't really get in to the reason why I think the Giants are going to win. It's not because of their record and it's definitely not because of their momentum since they lost to Washington last week. Quite honestly, they probably had the worst game of the year last week against the Redskins, but for some reason, some odd little reason, I think the Giants are going to pull it off against the Jets.


STL @ PIT - PIT. Pittsburgh may be hurt, but they're still better than St. Louis.


JAC @ TEN - TEN. Way to go Tennessee. You gave Indianapolis hope and stopped Peyton Manning from making a comeback this year. As a New England fan, I was hoping the Colts would rush Peyton Manning back only to set him back in the long run. Do me a favor and make it up to me this week by putting Jacksonville further into a hole.


MIN @ WAS - MIN. Washington played a great game against the Giants or did the Giants play just a horrible game against Washington?? Either way I'm going with Minnesota on this one, since I'm not really convinced that Washington has any true talent besides at running back.


SD @ DET - DET. Detroit did miracles against Oakland last week, but can they do the same against an evenly matched team like San Diego. My guess is yes, but I still think it's going to be a high scoring game.


PHI @ DAL - PHI. Philly's on a roll these past few weeks. They're playing like they should have playing the entire year. Maybe the dream team finally woke up, too bad it's probably too late.


SF @ SEA - SF. Will San Francisco be holding back this week? Well they didn't last week against Pittsburgh. Instead they came out swinging. Something tells me they're not finished.


CHI @ GB - GB. Green Bay may have lost focus last week to blow their perfect season, but that doesn't mean their done doing work. As far as I'm told they still have to keep winning to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There's still a team or two that can steal that away from them.


ATL @ NO - NO. Atlanta's not who we thought they were and right now they're only beating teams that have sub-.500 records. It's going to take a little more than luck to beat a team that has an 11-3 record. It also doesn't help that New Orleans already beat Atlanta earlier this year.

It's Turbo...errr.. TEBOW TIME!!

I was in my chair, phone in hand talking to my dad, screaming at the television, with wide eyes. Last week I was witnessing another miracle by Tim Tebow. It's as if he's dogging it the entire game and just when you think you've seen him at his best, he throws another curve ball at you and you're hooked. (pun intended.) I can only pray that he doesn't do it again this week. Unfortunately, I don't God will be answering my calls, since his line is busy. Thanks a lot Tebow.

JAC @ ATL - ATL. As many points as Jacksonville put up against Tampa Bay, I don't think it's going to happen against Atlanta. I truthfully believe the only reason Atlanta let up a high score like 23 last week was because Cam Newton was the one slinging the ball. Let's face it, the Falcons are playing to stay in the hunt for the wild card since New Orleans is a win away from clinching the division. Meanwhile, with four wins, Jacksonville is looking at next year's draft pick.

***THE REST OF THE PICKS TO COME SOMETIME ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY***

DAL @ TB - DAL. Same deal as the Falcons. Dallas will be playing for a playoff spot while the Bucs will be playing for a new running back. Trent Richardson maybe?

CIN @ STL - CIN. Gotta go with Cincinnati on this one. St. Louis hasn't show any signs of life since the New Orleans game. That was a long time ago.

CAR @ HOU - CAR. I understand that Houston is a little banged up and still looking for a first round bye in the playoffs, but I feel Carolina has something to prove in this game. I expect Houston to back off in this game after clinching. Cam Newton can still put up numbers even if it is against a secondary like Houston. High scoring game for this match up.


SEA @ CHI - SEA. Seattle showed they can put up numbers if they have too. While their post season fell short this year, Chicago is hurting on all levels. Not only have they lost their quarterback and running back, they were also Tebow'd last week. Morale is definitely low in that locker room. I'm not saying Chicago can't come out and win, I'm just picking Seattle as my sleeper.


WAS @ NYG - NYG. Even though Washington beat the Giants in week one, the G-Men have done what they have to do to stay with Dallas atop the NFC East. The way they've been putting points up on the board, the Giants should have no problem in their rematch with the Redskins.


TEN @ IND - TEN. I really thought that this game could be the one where Indy gets their first win. Now I don't see that happening especially with Chris Johnson finally starting to wake up. I'm going to forget about last week's loss to New Orleans. Let's face it, the Titans didn't even have a chance stat wise. 


MIA @ BUF - BUF. This game could really go either way. But I'm going to go with the Bills on this one out of respect for my Rochester/Buffalo peeps that I worked with this week. Bumper Sticker idea for Bills fans: "Our QB's GPA is higher than your QB's GPA."


NO @ MIN - NO. Nuff said.


GB @ KC - GB. Nuff said^2


DET @ OAK - DET. As much as I'd love to choose the Raiders in this one, I have now have no reason to cheer on Carson Palmer after being eliminated from my fantasy football league. En-stomp-a-kin Stupid, should be raring to go in this one, like a mad dog. His built up rage might just put him back on the sidelines.


CLE @ ARI - ARI. Arizona keeps showing up where they don't belong. This is another one of those games.

NE @ DEN - NE. I held off picking this game until the end, simply because I don't know what's going to happen. I've said every week that the Broncos' defense has put Tim Tebow in the lime light to succeed, but this week it might be Tebow himself that's doing the dirty work. The Patriots defense has been proven a disaster and that might be what keeps the Broncos in this game. I'm stilling going with the Patriots but I'm nervous that the Tebow magic with thrive again in Denver.


NYJ @ PHI - NYJ. As much as I'd love to choose Philly in this one, I truly believe the Jets want this one more. Just a couple more win and it's off to the post season they go again, behind the second greatest quarterback in New Jersey. Here's hoping I get this pick wrong!


BAL @ SD - BAL. Gotta go with Baltimore in this match up. I love San Diego's offense, but I they have been off an on all season. I have to take a rolling Ravens crew over a rejuvenated Chargers since Baltimore is also in the hunt for a first round bye.


PIT @ SF - PIT. They're hurt, they're winning, and they're on the hunt to get back in the playoffs and beyond. Also, San Francisco just got beat by the team that wins where they don't belong, Arizona. Hopefully, the 49ners are hoping their home crowd can boost their confidence, but a well rested Pittsburgh team should be good to go on Monday Night Football.

The 12 Movies of Christmas

It’s not really beginning to look a lot like Christmas. That may be the case outside with the lack of snow but within my apartment, there’s plenty of Christmas cheer. More than enough to put Chevy Chase to shame. One of my favorite parts of the holidays isn’t just the presents or seeing family, but also the excuse to watch all of my favorite Christmas movies. There always seems to be a debate about the best Christmas movies. Many people watch the classics, but some are often forgotten because Christmas isn’t really the main focus. Well some of my top 12 might not be centered around Jolly Ole Saint Nick but they definitely involve the holiday spirit. Enjoy!

12. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

For the record, if you have to ask if I’m talking about the classic Grinch or the Jim Carrey monstrosity, then you need a life lesson in Christmas movies. The original Grinch is a great story and obviously because of the list, one of my favorites. It has a great mix of character interaction and narration, as if someone is actually reading a story to you.

11. A Christmas Story

From the leg lamp to the bunny suit to the Red Ryder BB Gun, none of those scenes is more memorable than the “Ohhhhh fuuuuuuuuudge. Except I didn’t say fudge.”  The best apart about this movie, is it’s played for 24 hours straight on Christmas. So sometime between that second glass of egg nog and that discussion over horrible Christmas sweaters, pull up a chair and watch the boy shoot his eye out.

10. Santa Claus 2

While Tim Allen isn’t one of my favorite actors, his digital counterpart is hysterical. The second Santa in this movie has all the great lines, best facial expressions, and funniest scenes. A must see if you like to see Tim Allen make fun of himself.

9. Trading Places

 
This is the first of my not so typical Christmas movie picks. Yes, it’s more of a movie about deception and greed but it does take place during Christmas. The fact that Dan Aykroyd didn’t puke after eating half that Santa beard is a Christmas Miracle in itself.

8. Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas

Of course I have to throw a Muppet Christmas movie in the mix. This one in particular because of the hard work and creativity that went into making this film. Jim Henson was a genius when it came to this kind of movie. Plus the outtakes are probably one of the funniest outtakes I’ve ever seen from any movie…. ever.

7. Rocky IV

Go ahead, say what you will. Rocky ended the Cold War on Christmas. That is a Christmas miracle. Nuff said.

6. Claymation Movies

Because I can’t decide which one I love more (Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer or Santa Claus is Coming to Town) I’ve decided to group them together. I usually watch them within 24 hours anyway so it’s a safe rank. These movies were not only way ahead of their time but they’re also fun to watch now-a-days because the crazy mess ups that go on make the movies creepy and funny at the same time.

5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

What father doesn’t strive to be the next Clark Griswold minus the electrocution. This movie is one of the many reasons that neighbors compete with one another. It’s also the reason that many put the cat in the guest room while other’s decorate the tree. This movie has crazy families, slapstick humor, and non-stop inflicting pain. It has all the fixings for a Christmas celebration.

4. Jingle All the Way

ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED CHRISTMAS MOVIES OFF ALL TIME! This movie doesn’t stop hitting you with comedy. Not only can you not understand a word that Arnold Schwarzenegger is saying but Sinbad just makes fun of him the entire time. The movie focuses on what parents go through on the holiday’s to get their kids the perfect gift. However, I don’t think any parent ever fought a mailman dressed in an evil villain costume while attached to a jetpack.

3. Nightmare Before Christmas

This movie may be found somewhere towards the bottom of someone’s list rather than in the top three but it’s one of my favorite Christmas movies from childhood. My mom and I use to watch this movie ever December since it came out in theaters. Others might find this movie creepy but come on… it’s about a skeleton that finds out the true meaning of Christmas. Two opposite holidays combining into one to make you believe that anyone can feel the true magic that Christmas rubs off on some people.

2. Elf

The best part about the movie Elf, is that I can watch this movie in June if I want too. This movie never seizes to amaze me. I’m always laughing. Not only am I laughing but there are parts that make my side hurt, even after watching it three or four times. This is the kind of movie that should be on 24 hours on Christmas. I’d probably watch it five or six times throughout that one day alone.

1. Die Hard

One of the greatest action movies of all time just happens to take place on….. Christmas Eve! It’s got parties, presents, decorations, guns, bombs, Carl Winslow, and Bruce Willis. What more could you ask in a Christmas movie. We’re only a week into December and I’ve already watched this movie twice. That leaves me plenty of time to watch it a half dozen more times before Santa makes his way down the chimney.

Yippee-ki-yay, Motha F*cka!

S.F. Clinched? It's a X-MAS Miracle!

14 and 2. 14 and 2... 14 and freakin 2. How can I even begin to live up to that standard. Well, I guess I could start by not embarrassing myself the following week. At first I thought my week was in the tank after blowing the first four games of the week. However, I was able to recover quite nicely and pull off 10-6 record last week. Hopefully I won't have the slight heart attack I had at the beginning of last week.

CLE @ PIT - PIT. This game is another one of those jokes on a paid network. If you have NFL Network, are you really going to watch this game. The only one's watching it will be Cleveland and Pittsburgh fans as well as Big Ben Fantasy owners. I heard that some people are betting the points scored by Cleveland. Apparently the over/under for Cleveland points is 7.5. That's just disgraceful. I don't think they'll win but I hope they score more than just a touchdown.

***THE REST OF THE PICKS TO COME SOMETIME ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY***

IND @ BAL - BAL. Nuff Said.

ATL @ CAR - CAR. I'm taking the young gun and the rest of the Panthers in this spoiler. ALL ABOARD THE CAM NEWTON TRAIN! WOOOOO WOOOOO!

HOU @ CIN - CIN. Houston has done a great job of getting the win even without a couple of their star players. Cincinnati, however,is going to put up more points than Houston opponents have these past couple weeks. This could be a high scoring game if the defenses shut down.

MIN @ DET - DET. I just doing see Minnesota pulling this one off. Detroit is still pushing for a playoff spot and they can do that very easily without Adrian Peterson on the other side. Detroit just has to shut down Ponder and the pass.

TB @ JAC - JAC. With no Josh Freeman, I expect Jacksonville to pull away with this win.

PHI @ MIA - MIA. Philadelphia couldn't get it done against Seattle and maybe having Michael Vick back will change that but I don't think it's going to matter against a Miami team that's too hot to handle right now.

KC @ NYJ - NYJ. The Jets need to keep their playoff hopes alive. This game should be a cream puff for them this week.

NO @ TEN - NO. As much as I'd love to choose Tennessee as the spoiler, not even a 300 yard rushing attack by Chris Johnson could give them a win. New Orleans is playing like they're already planning their Super Bowl parade. Who Dat? Where you at?

NE @ WAS - NE. The Redskins lost to the 2nd place team in the AFC East, now they're going to lose to the 1st place team in the AFC East. Best part of this game is if the Patriots win and Jets lose... game, set, division clincher.

SF @ ARI - SF. Even though San Francisco clinched last week, that doesn't mean they'll be holding back. It's all about the first round bye and that's what they'll be playing for.

CHI @ DEN - DEN. No Cutler, No Forte, No Problem. Get ready to be Tebow'd Chicago.

OAK @ GB - GB. 13-0, here we go!

BUF @ SD -SD. Buffalo is finally back to their losing ways. There was a chance at the beginning of the season that they could play contender but now they're just playing spoiler. Hopefully it's not against the Patriots.

NYG @ DAL - NYG. This one can definitely be a toss up but the way the Giants have been playing, they have a better chance of sharing the NFC East with Dallas.

STL @ SEA - SEA. Last time these two teams met, Seattle manhandled the Rams and that was in St. Louis. Now they're at home and coming off a win against Philadelphia. They've also had a few extra days to rest after playing on Thursday night.

Thanksgiving Picks Hangover

Last week, I definitely had a lot to be thankful for. Not only was able to stuff my face with enough Tryptophan to knock out a bronco but my picks went an unbelievable 14-2. It's the best week I've had so far since my 12-4 record in week 4. Unfortunately, I didn't leave myself much room for improvement. That's okay, just as long as I tie.





THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

PHI @ SEA - PHI. Philly has definitely struggled this season. Far from the dream team as humanly possible. However, they did show some promise against New England last week even though they failed to show up past the first quarter. Fortunately for them, they're facing the Seattle Seahawks who may have the same record as the Eagles but far from the same potentially postive talent.

REST OF THE FIELD:

OAK @ MIA - OAK. Carson Palmer may not have two of the three wide receivers for this game and Miami just had a tough loss with what would have been their fourth win in a row. What's even worse for Oakland is that they'll be playing in Miami which is on the east coast. That means it will be like playing at 10am for the Raiders. They might wake up in time for the 4th quarter but it might be too late by then.

TEN @ BUF - BUF. Buffalo has been playing some good football lately but are playing teams that are just slightly better. Hasselbeck hasn't been playing as well as he did in the beginning of the year so this could be a good time for Buffalo to capitalize on a battered Titans team.

KC @ CHI - CHI. Nuff said.

DEN @ MIN - TEBOW. (Damn, I did it again.) - DEN. All he does is win football games. Minnesota doesn't hold the record everything thought they would. I'd tell them to pray for a miracle but Tebow's already got that covered for his team.

NYJ @ WAS - NYJ. The Jets have just as easy of a schedule as the Patriots. While, there's very little room for error, I'd say they'll do pretty well the remainder of the season.

CIN @ PIT - PIT. Huge game for not only potential Rookie of the Year, Andy Dalton, but for the playoff contending Bengals. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is back at home and far from the 13 point team they were last week against Kansas City. I'd expect the Steelers to come out swinging on Sunday.

ATL @ HOU - ATL. Houston we have a problem. No one behind center. Can this be like pick up and Matty Ice play both sides... No favoritism though. Don't want to be throwing picks on purpose.

CAR @ TB - CAR. I'm taking the young gun Cam Newton in this game. Newton has a lot to prove, especially after not only being replaced first publication of NFL Magazine but also after being dropped from peoples choice to win Rookie of the Year.

IND @ NE - NE. Nuff said.

BAL @ CLE - BAL. Nuff said. Sorry Cleveland but prove me wrong.

DAL @ ARI - DAL. Arizona has shown up randomly this entire year, but I've got a feeling they won't be able to do much against a playoff contender like the Cowboys. First in their division I might add.

GB @ NYG - GB. Have the nerves started to settle in yet on the potential perfect season?? Coincidently, week 13 is when it scared the crap out of New England fans in 2007. This could be one of those weeks if the Giants start clicking on all gears.

STL @ SF - SF. From 7-9 to an early division clincher. Congrats San Fran!

DET @ NO - NO. This is definitely a toss up game but I'm going to go with New Orleans soley on how well they played last week. Not to knock Detriot considering they played Green Bay, but New Orleans seems to be able to just flick a switch and be productive.

SD @ JAC - SD. And yet another Monday Night Football fiasco. Take San Diego, they've got more weapons.

Thankful for Thanksgiving Football

After an explosion of losses in the early games, I was able to recover nicely last week to finish 8-6. I'm not as happy as I could have been but I did continue the non-under .500 streak. I guess that's one thing I have to be thankful this year. And with that, here's my special Thanksgiving Picks!

GB @ DET - GB. Is there anything more to be thankful for then a Detroit game that ACTUALLY MATTERS on Thanksgiving. It's been so long since Detroit has been relevant and this game could actually sway in Detroit's favor being the home team, but let's not forget that they are facing the undefeated Green Bay Packers.

MIA @ DAL - DAL. I'm thankful for the Dallas kicker, Dan Bailey. Only because he's on my Fantasy team. COME ON BAILEY! 50 YARD FIELD GOALS ALL DAY!

SF @ BAL - BAL. I'm always thankful for my brother and so should everyone else who has a sibling. Without a brother, who else can you beat up with no regard for injury and get away with it because, quote, "He started it." The Harbaughs should have plenty of fun at this game. I wonder if they have an inside bet going as in winner gets the turkey leg. Like I've said in weeks past, Baltimore has shown up when they are suppose to and shut down when the game is a cake walk. Luckily for them, San Francisco isn't a cake walk.

BUF @ NYJ - NYJ. I'm thankful for the waiver wire in my work fantasy league. Thank you C.J. Spiller, now earn another contract with a big game against the division rival. Unfortunately his lone efforts won't be enough but that's fine with me, since I have the Jets winning yet again.

MIN @ ATL - ATL. When it comes to Atlanta, how can you not be thankful for PRIIIIIIME-TIIIIIME. Atlanta was the first team for Sanders to play for and with that came one of the greatest defensive players and sharpest dressers to play the game. While I still feel that Minnesota has the potential to put up big numbers, without their prime-time player Adrian Peterson, I just don't see that happening against a playoff contender like Atlanta.

CAR @ IND - CAR. I'm thankful for Peyton Manning being hurt so that the Patriots won't have to face the Colts in the playoffs. With Peyton Manning out, this game will go to the Panthers. ALL ABOARD THE CAM NEWTON TRAIN.

TB @ TEN - TEN. I'm thankful for Chris Johnson not showing up this year. It's really helped me fantasy wise when facing my opponents. Let's go Hasselbeck, papa needs to pay off his fantasy fees.

ARI @ STL - STL. I'm thankful for turf. It may not be the best solution to indoor football but it definitely makes for one heck of a show, possibly the greatest show. See what I did there? St. Louis has played a lot better at home than they have on the road scoring at least a field goal more back home in St. Louis. Sure three points doesn't sound like a lot but come on... it's the Rams. They'll take it.

CLE @ CIN - CIN. I'm thankful for gingers like Brian Scalabrine and Andy Dalton. Where would the world be without them? Let's go BenGALS.

HOU @ JAC - HOU. I'm thankful for backup players that step up when the time comes. Houston has done an amazing job with that so far but now they've lost their starting quarterback. It's been a tough year for back up quarterbacks, especially their first game. However, I'm still going to take the Texans in this one, considering they just haven't shown signs of defeat, even with injuries.

WAS @ SEA - SEA. There's not much to be thankful in this game, so I guess I'm thankful that Pete Carol is coaching for Seattle, because that means he isn't still coaching for New England. That's right, if you don't remember, Pete the Poodle once coached the Patriots. Thank God he left.Washington has had it's share of injuries so Seattle could pull this one off, especially with Washington on a six game losing streak.

CHI @ OAK - OAK. In this game, I'm thankful for second chances and that's exactly what Carson Palmer got. He might actually have a chance to win this game since Cutler isn't playing. Oakland will just have to contain Matt Forte.

NE @ PHI - NE. I'm thankful for Michael Vick being so injury prone. I'm also thankful for GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!!!!

DEN @ SD - DEN. I'm thankful for Tim Tebow. Why you may ask? Because he's thankful for me being a fan of his, and hasn't even met me. That's the kind of guy he is. Definitely taking the under dog in this game, so I can only hope the real Philip Rivers shows up and throws four picks.

PIT KC - PIT. Seriously? I'm thankful for my buddy Brandon who's got a little Steeler on the way. Just another terrible towel to be waved.

NYG @ NO - NO. In this game I'm simply thankful for Monday Night Football. How can you not? It make Mondays significant again for a third of the year. While I'd love to see Cruz salsa dancing in the endzone all night, I'd rather another New York team go down.

Falling Asleep on Revis Island

Last week was a good week to be a Patriots fan. Lucky for me, I am. Not only did I win a free lunch for Tom Brady's performance over Tebow's but every New York team lost. Buffalo got stomped by Dallas, the Giants lost to the, now 8-1, San Francisco 49ners and the Jets barely played three quarters against the Patriots. Oh and most importantly, I continued my non-losing weekly record by sporting a nice 10-6 record. I should have grabbed a couple extra wins if San Diego and Philly could show up when they're suppose to.

This week since I'm unprepared to put out an entire list of my picks, I'll be coming back in the next day or so to post the rest. For now, Let's start with the J-E-T-S... Don't... F*#@.... Up!

NYJ @ DEN - NYJ. There's a very bold line between what I want to happen and what I think is going to happen. I would love for Tim Tebow and the Broncos to shut the Jets down, but that doesn't seem plausable with the Jets potential offense. This could be a coming out game for Sanchez against a bad defensive secondary. The good news for the Broncos is that the Jets have had barely any time to prepare for the offense that Tebow runs. Well, if you count the 4th quarter of the Pats game, they've had plenty of time.

Rest of the picks to come later. Check back tomorrow night for more!

(***THE PICK ABOVE WAS MADE PRIOR TO THURSDAY NIGHTS GAME. AS YOU CAN SEE, I PICKED WRONG, BUT I'M HAPPY ABOUT MY LOSS. GOOOO TEBOW***)

And now the continuation of THE picks:

CIN @ BAL - CIN. Here's the thing about Baltimore. Yes they're tied for 2nd place in their division with Cincinnati but Cincinnati is at least showing signs of life. Baltimore is a coin flip team. They're either playing or they're not. Baltimore's losses have come from teams with a combined 11-16. I'm not saying they only ease back when they play bad teams but they could easily be 9-0. Now they have to face a team that just played their hearts out against the division leader. Don't expect the Bengals to ease off the break pedal in this one.

JAC @ CLE - JAC. They both have the same record and the only reason Jacksonville isn't also in last place is because Peyton Manning isn't around to pull Indy out of it's endless slump. I'll go with Jacksonville but only because Cleveland is limited more because of injuries.

CAR @ DET - DET. This could be Cam Newton's chance to salvage the season. In fact, it could really help out the teams moral considering they also face Indy next week followed by Tampa Bay. If Carolina gets a couple early scores on the board, Detroit could have yet another problem playing catch up, which seems to be their weakness this year. I'll take Stafford and MEGATRON for the bounce back win.

TB @ GB - GB. HAHAHA. Might as well just be a bye week.

BUF @ MIA - BUF. All right boys, we won one two weeks ago. We won another last week that's two in a row. If we win one on Sunday, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before. Unfortunately for Miami, Shula's not calling the shots and Andrew Luck's not coming through that door. But Fitzmagic is!

OAK @ MIN - OAK. Minnesota has a decent young quarterback, an all star running back, and a healthy pair of wide receivers. You'd think they'd be able to put up points in the double digits after a bye week. Guess not. I'll ride the Palmer train for another week.

DAL @ WAS - DAL. Dallas has shown they want to be playing in January. Washington not so much especially with a loss to Miami last week.

ARI @ SF - SF. Oh so Arizona beat Philadelphia. Big Whoop, so has everybody else. I'll take the 8-1 division leader in this one. Go Niners... I mean, 40-niners!

SEA @ STL - STL. Coin flipper on this one. While both have been flipping between showing up and practically transparent, I'm going to go with St. Louis as a home team winner. No other reason than that.

TEN @ ATL - ATL. Atlanta is playing the way I expect them to be play. They beat the teams they should and lose to the ones they should. Lucky for them, Tennessee is one of those teams they should beat despite only having one more loss than the Falcons.

SD @ CHI - CHI. San Diego just can't seem to put anything together. Meanwhile the Bears are rolling past potential playoff teams. Who knew?

PHI @ NYG - NYG. Everybody's beating up on the Eagles these days. Why not the Giants too? I wouldn't want to face the Giants pass rush, especially with broken ribs. Good luck to Vick.

KC @ NE - NE. I don't really know what else to put besides my pick.

Is is Thursday yet??

So it's Wednesday afternoon and I'm writing out my picks for the week. Normally I'd have a few more days and wait for Friday's injury report to come out. Unfortunately, the NFL thought it would be fun to have games on Thursday night because Sunday and Monday wasn't enough. Normally I would agree but because of NFL restrictions, the game will only be played on NFL Network which I don't get on my TV.

Besides watching the different colored bars move back and forth on my computer, I also have to write out my picks early. Hopefully I don't get screwed by the late injury report.



OAK @ SD - SD. After a hard fought game against Green Bay, it took an interception too many by Rivers to spoil an underdog win for San Diego. Not this week however against a struggling Raiders team.

ARI @ PHI - PHI. Philly just couldn't hold on last week but I don't expect that to carry over to this week. Especially against Arizona.

JAC @ IND - JAC. Jacksonville has at least two wins this season and Indy barely got the ball past the 50 yard line last week. In fact, their only offense was from a pick six. Sorry Indy.

DEN @ KC - DEN. I actually have a bet this week that Denver will play better stats wise against Kansas City than Tom Brady will against the Jets. So since I'm picking Denver, I'm hoping the Karma will sway in my favor.

PIT @ CIN - PIT. I understand that Cincinnati is standing tall, tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I truly don't believe that Andy Dalton can keep it up. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it happen but against this Steelers' defense, it could be a true test for the young gun.

BUF @ DAL - DAL. Okay Dallas, you got in your feel good win last week against Seattle. Now let's do some work against a competitive team.

NO @ ATL - NO. Not sure if I get this game on TV this weekend, but I'd love to watch it. Both teams hold the 1 and 2 spot in the standings and it's always a fun match up ever since the Falcons were reborn with Matty Heisman. I think Atlanta got lucky last week with a few catches by Julio Jones. Not expecting the same outcome this week.

STL @ CLE - STL. So St. Louis had a tough game against Arizona. Let's not forget they played great against New Orleans. Sure you could attribute that to the turf but I'm going with my gut on this one and picking the Rams to run all over the Browns considering the Browns have one of the worst running defenses in the league.

WAS @ MIA - MIA. Yea MIAMI! YOU WON ONE! NOW WIN TWO!

TEN @ CAR - CAR. CHOOOO CHOOOO... Hopping on the Newton Train.

HOU @ TB - HOU. Andre Johnson who?? Houston's on a three game winning streak.

BAL @ SEA - BAL. Baltimore will win this game hands down. I'm just hoping they let Sidney Rice catch a ball a few times in the end zone for my fantasy team.

DET @ CHI - DET. Wish I would get to see this game too. NOPE. Thanks NFL broadcasting schedule. Taking the Lions in this one, especially with a bottom five pass defense in Chicago. Let's face it, Detroit is all throw.

NYG @ SF - NYG. San Fransisco is a few games from clinching in their division. That's just sad. The NFC WEST is by far one if not the worst division in sports. I'll take the red hot Giants in this match up all day.

NE @ NYJ - NE. The Patriots haven't lost three straight games since 2002 and I'm a firm believer in the team that wants it more will win the game. Now I'm not saying the Jets don't want to win a whole lot, but at this point, it means more to the Patriots to win this game. We're talking three game losing streak and a possibly third place in the division. P-A-T-S BEAT THOSE JETS!!!

MIN @ GB - GB. If you won't mind, could you at least let Adrian Peterson score a few touchdowns. I could really use a win in fantasy. Spread the wealthy Packers.

Out with the Heart, In with the Stats

Another week, another winning record. Last week was the "go with your heart" picks. For the most part I did pretty well. There were a couple games that got out of hand, especially the San Diego and New Orleans game. I'll take full credit for the New England pick, but I said I was going with my heart, and I do have New England blood. Unfortunately, this week will be a condensed article as I don't have much time to write it out. No worries though because the last time wrote it out quickly, I went 9-7 so at least I'll be looking at a potentially productive week.

NYJ @ BUF - NYJ. The only reason I'm taking the Jets is because I believe they want it more so their going to play harder for it. I don't think the swirling winds from the Great Lakes will stop the Jets from Touching Down.

SEA @ DAL - DAL. They may not have shown up against the Eagles, but the Seahawks are a different type of bird. Expect Dallas to bounce back against a 2-5 team.

CLE @ HOU - HOU. Andre Johnson is still ruled out for another week. However, that hasn't stopped the Texans from throwing up a couple wins against division rivals, Tennessee and Jacksonville. With no Peyton Hillis, Cleveland will have to rely once again on the pass where they rank in the top five in passing defense.

ATL @ IND - ATL. No chance Indy.

MIA @ KC - KC. After two convincing wins over Oakland and San Diego, I'd say that Kansas City is a team to be taken seriously. Sorry Miami, but better luck next week against the Redskins.

TB @ NO - NO. I feel like these two teams just played each other, oh wait, they did. Three weeks ago, Tampa Bay showed they belonged in the NFC South and came out swinging against New Orleans. Unfortunately, the Saints have scored 83 points since that loss, and I don't expect anything less from them this game. It's tough for a team to lose two games against a division rival in a year, but if it happens to New Orleans they'll be sharing the division lead.

SF @ WAS - SF. At 6-1, when do you stop picking them?? Maybe, just maybe next week against the Giants.

DEN @ OAK - OAK. OKAY YOU RAIDER HATERS, Now that Carson Palmer has actually had time to step out onto the practice field with his new team, expect a whole different look to this Raiders' offense. While they won't have McFadden in the backfield, that shouldn't matter considering Denver is horrible against the pass. Heyward-Bay and Moore should get plenty of touches in this high scoring game.

CIN @ TEN - CIN. Let's face it, Andy Dalton could be the real deal. He's taken a team that was likely to have a top five pick in the draft next year and made them a playoff contender. Meanwhile Tennessee is still waiting for their running back to decide if he'd like to do his job. I'll take the young gun in this match up.

STL @ ARI - STL. St. Louis finally showed some life last week, and not only through the air but on the ground as well. If last week was any indication that Jackson is feeling healthy, this game be a good one for fantasy owners. Also Arizona is 30th in the league against the pass which could help Bradford if he's healthy.

NYG @ NE - NYG. Sorry New England fans but I'm not going with my heart on this one. The Giants run a very similar offense as the Steelers. If the Giants can keep the ball out of Brady's hands, then they can control the clock. It shouldn't be to hard considering the Patriots secondary plays prevent defense about 99% of the time leaving the middle of the field open for Manningham and Cruz.

GB @ SD - GB. San Diego lost to Kansas City and Green Bay is 7-0. Check Please!

BAL @ PIT - PIT. I always love this match up. Every year it seems this game is intense and now they get to do it on Sunday Night Football, which makes the stage even bigger. I'll simple take Pittsburgh in this game since they were able to be so affective last week in New England.

CHI @ PHI - PHI. OH Hey Philly, didn't see you there. Not until last week when you finally showed up against a good defensive team in Dallas. Meanwhile Chicago has had two weeks to prepare for the Eagles but I don't think that's going to matter much. My gut says, go with the Eagles.

I guess that wasn't as condensed as I thought it would be.

Once a Bengal, Now a Raider. Next Stop, He'll Retire!

It's been years since I've been obsessed with numbers in sports. From batting averages to YACs (yards after catch), I just love comparing and studying any and all statistics. However, for the last year and half that I've been making my NFL picks and my final calls have basically been centered around comparing statistics between the two opponents. Granted, I've gone 190-122 in that span, a winning percentage of 61%. That record might not look too impressive but to put it in football terms, there's only 14 coaches in NFL history as of 2008, with a better winning percentage.

This year has been a little more difficult when it comes to making picks. While I haven't had a losing week so far, I'm feeling the need to switch my reasons up a bit, especially after just barely crossing over the .500 line the past three weeks. So this week will look a little different. I'll be skipping the records, statistics, and rankings and shooting from the hip and heart instead. Here's hoping...

ARI @ BAL - BAL. Another battle of the birds. Let's face it, Baltimore played last week as if they were the Arizona Cardinals. I don't expect another fluke out of the Ravens, especially against a "Suck for Luck" team like the Cardinals.

MIN @ CAR - CAR. I'm all about the Cam Newton train. I've been saying it all year. However, there is something left to Ponder about the Vikings in this one. Of course, I'm talking about their young gun behind center. Unfortunately, Ponder hasn't been able to hook up with anyone but Michael Jenkins. Lucky for Minnesota, Carolina has an experienced secondary and even worse defensive line. I'm not expecting this one to be one sided, but it's definitely going to be high scoring.

JAC @ HOU - HOU. As of Friday afternoon, there was still the possibility of Andre Johnson being able to play. Frankly, I don't think Houston even needs Johnson to win this game. Arian Foster should be enough for them to win this Sunday.
 
MIA @ NYG - NYG. Eventually Miami needs to get their act together, but this week won't be one of them. It's going to be cold and New York this weekend and last time I checked, dolphins hate the cold weather.

NO @ STL - NO. It's been a long time since we've considered St. Louis the Greatest Show on Turf. But don't worry sports fans, there will still be a great show to watch on Sunday. I can't wait to see what New Orleans does to St. Louis after last week's Indy embarrassment.

IND @ TEN - TEN. The Colts are doing a great job in their "Suck for Luck" campaign. This weekend will be another great week to boost their lead in the polls.

WAS @ BUF - BUF. This game actually took me a while to make a decision on. I think I prefer Buffalo at home with the crowd behind them then John Beck with no Hightower or Santana Moss.

DET @ DEN - DET. As much, as much, as much as I WANT to choose Denver, this team almost lost to Miami last week. Tebow or now Tebow, Detroit isn't going to give away the game like the Dolphins did. Detroit had a tough game against Atlanta last week and struggling offense. This could be the game Detroit needs to turn their game around.

NE @ PIT - NE. I said I was shooting from the heart this week. LET'S GO PATS!!!

CIN @ SEA - CIN. Whitehurst or Dalton? Just for S's & G's, let's go Bengals!

CLE @ SF - SF. I love the roll that San Francisco is on, and I'm hoping it continues.

DAL @ PHI - DAL. Dallas has been playing so well lately even though they lost to the Patriots and steamrolled through a sad St. Louis team. Fortunately for the Cowboys, the Eagles have been on a bad luck streak recently.

SD @ KC - SD. I honestly feel that this one was a no-brainer. Kansas City hasn't done anything against a decent team besides Oakland last week, but can we even count that considering Oakland pretty much handed them the ball on defense? San Diego should have no problem taking care of business on Monday night.


***Lastly, I'd like to wish anyone who reads this a happy Sunday of watching football. My fiance's birthday is on Sunday, so it's safe to say I won't be watching much football. I'm okay with that considering my fantasy teams are set, my picks are now in, and the Patriots promised to win.***

#15 in Your Programs!

I wouldn't call last week a loss, but I definitely didn't win like I wanted to. I mean an 8-5 record is nothing to sneeze at, but I did have a couple discourages losses. However, as a Pats fan, I'm glad I got the Cowboys pick wrong. This week I get to take a break from either rooting for or against New England and tear up the schedule this week. Lot's of good match ups this weekend, unfortunately I won't be in any of the viewing areas to watch them. With out further delay, let's get to the most anticipated games of the week:

DEN @ MIA - TEBOW... I mean DEN. I'm very excited to see how Tebow does. Unfortunately for all you fans out there, I don't seem him doing well. His throwing motion is unorthodox and he'll need a hell of an offensive line to flourish with his go to running style. Don't get me wrong, I really want him to do well and he's got the Lord on his side (He'll tell you that). The best part about this game is that Miami is honoring the 2008 NCAA National Football Champions on Sunday. I can't for the life of me remember who the quarterback of that team was. If anything, it will feel like a home game for Tebow, especially when more fans will be cheering for him than the Dolphins.

SD @ NYJ - SD. Gonna have to go with Norv Turner on this one. He's pissed and he's got a team that can take down the Jets. Even though Antonio Gates might not be available, Vincent Jackson is still Philip River's #1 target. The only question is whether or not Jackson can break away from Revis Island. Even though the Jets had a promising win last week, it was against a win-less Dolphins team. No offense to New York, but I can't give them much credit for that.

CHI @ TB - CHI. Time to hit the pitch, as Tampa Bay and Chicago head across the pond to play a little pigskin. Skipping all the unnecessary puns, Chicago should be able to contain the Bucs, especially with Blount out for Sunday. Now they can focus their efforts on the air attack, which is where they've struggled this year, currently 25th in the league.

SEA @ CLE - CLE. Haven't been a fan of Seattle all year and now they've got a new quarterback starting in place of a horrific Tavaris Jackson. I'll take Cleveland's defense to hold off Seattle's pitiful offense.

ATL @ DET - DET. As much as I love Atlanta in this game, I like Detroit just a little more even without Jahvid Best. They're not at a total loss without Best. Detroit's running game hasn't really shown up at all this season with the exception of a few large runs, that have only happened fairly recently. Atlanta's defense is 27th in passing and 7th in rushing. Lucky for Detroit, they are a passing heavy team. Expect another 2+ Touchdown day for MEGATRON!!

HOU @ TEN - TEN. Coming off a bye week Tennessee is well rested for their game against Houston. Fortunately for the Titans, Houston doesn't have their #1 receiver, but they do have an explosive running back. Fortunately against for Tennessee is they have a great running back of their own. The problem is he hasn't exactly shown up so far this year.

WAS @ CAR - WAS. As much as I'd love to continue to ride along the Cam Newton train this week, I'm going to have to step aside and let Rex Grossman do the talking instead. Carolina is 1-5 on the season and the Redskins are one game back for the lead in their division. They'll need to pick up against Carolina because next week will be a tough match up when they head to Buffalo.

PIT @ ARI - PIT. As much as Pittsburgh is hurting, Arizona hasn't shown any signs of life and shouldn't against a team like the Steelers that are on a two game winning streak and trying to stay alive in the hunt for first place in the AFC North.

KC @ OAK - OAK. Carson Palmer or no Carson Palmer, I honestly don't see Kansas City beating a team like Oakland that's on a roll. They're seriously taking "Just Win Baby" to heart, especially this year for sure.

GB @ MIN - GB. Rogers' and company are on a roll and this week it doesn't seem to be any road block in their way.

STL @ DAL - DAL. Tough loss last week for Dallas but it will all come around this week. I love how teams are using teams like Indy and St. Louis as a bounce back game. How does 0-6 sound?

IND @ NO - NO. How does 0-7 sound? New Orleans all the way.

BAL @ JAC - BAL. Unless you have Ray Rice on your fantasy team, there should be no reason to watch this game on Monday night. I dont' know what they were planning when they scheduled this match up but it should be pretty one sided. 

Just Win Baby!

Last week was definitely a week to forget and habit I don't want to get into. I guess I'll have to blame it on my drive to beat my aunt in last week's pick-ems. This week, I've got ice water flowing strong and plan to not even come close to another 7-6 record (45-32 overall). I'm feeling double digits in the win column this week.

CAR @ ATL - CAR. After going to the NFC Championship game last year, it's a little disheartening to see the Falcons sporting a 2-3 record. The good news is they aren't in last place in their division. Instead, their opponent this week is, but not for long. With Jones (WR2) out for the Falcons, it will be up to Matty Ice to find a way to get into the endzone with sole receiver Roddy White. Meanwhile, Atlanta has some injuries on the defensive side which isn't good especially with the newly elusive Cam Newton behind center.

IND @ CIN - CIN. I think it's time to jump on the Andy Dalton train. It's a little train, but it does exist, all 1000+ yards of it. For a team that had it's quarterback abandon them at the beginning of the season, a 3-2 record is phenomenal at this point. With a struggling Colts team, I'd expect the Bengals to take advantage of their pain.

JAC @ PIT - PIT. Oh hi Pittsburgh, didn't know you had a quarterback behind center. Nice to see that your preseason is over and you can start putting up Super Bowl numbers. After completing a 180* Big Ben finally had a breakout game. For Pittsburgh's sake, let's hope those stats continue. They might actually surpass Cincinnati in the standings.

BUF @ NYG - NYG. There's something about putting pressure on Fitzpatrick that's got me taking the Giants in this one. I know many people thought the Giants failed to even show up last week against Seattle, but I have a feeling that won't be the same case this week against a productive Buffalo team. The pass rush should put enough pressure on Fitzpatrick to startle him while Eli should get tons of time with practically no pressure from the Bills defense. With three receivers like Cruz, Hicks, and Manningham... all Eli needs is a little time for these three to get open.

SF @ DET - DET. Can Detroit go 6-0? After impressive wins over Dallas and Chicago lately, I'd say grabbing win number six against San Francisco is pretty plausible. Stafford is playing out of his mind and Megatron seems to have no off button. They got some huge help from Jahvid Best last week, so that should help free up the already productive passing game if he can do some damage on the ground.

STL @ GB - GB. Green Bay is 5-0 and St. Louis is 0-4. Do I really need to explain?

PHI @ WAS - PHI. This is always a great divisional rivalry. I never would have thought at the beginning of the season that Washington would have a better record than Philadelphia at this point in the season. However, even with all the struggling that the Eagles have had to endure, I'm still picking them this week to win. It's just the safer bet. Washington just isn't producing enough points week to week for me to pick them against a team that's moments away from a break out game. With the Redskins putting up 16 and 17 points in their last couple games, I'd expect the Eagles to be in at least the 30s by the fourth quarter. It will be up to Washington to play catch up at that point.

CLE @ OAK - CLE. After a heart warming and highly emotional win against Denver last week, it's time to come back down to reality for Oakland. This week was the funeral for ex-owner Al Davis. Unfortunately for most professional teams, distractions (whether they be good or bad) usually hurt a team in the near future. With a healthy Peyton Hillis coming back and a well rested Browns team coming off their bye week, expect Cleveland to come out strong.

HOU @ BAL - BAL. Andre Johnson's out? No worries, they have Derrick Mason now! Sorry Houston, but Mason and Arian Foster won't be enough to out score the Baltimore Ravens, who are also coming off a bye. Schaub is still hurt and if he's hit even the slightest, might be sitting on the bench before half time. Look for Foster to take on a good part of the work load this week but it won't be enough to outscore the likes of Flacco and Rice.

NO @ TB - NO. After losing the first game of the season, the Saints have just been on a roll scoring big and racking up yardage. Brees will most likely surpass 2,000 yards this week. I see no reason for them not to keep up their winning ways until their facing a worthy opponent.

DAL @ NE - DAL. Don't adjust your screen. Yes, I, Paul Snyder am picking the Patriots to lose this week. I know it's shocking considering I always feel they can win every week and usually make my case why, but this week looks challenging. Romo has both of his top tier receivers available, and their facing one of the worst pass secondaries in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Cowboy's pass rush isn't terrible and should be able to put pressure on Brady, which never bodes well for New England. It will definitely be a high scoring game, but much simpler for the Cowboys when it comes to putting points on the board.

MIN @ CHI - CHI. Chicago is coming off a tough loss against Detroit and Minnesota is trying work off of their first win of the season. Sadly for the Vikings, they beat Arizona, which isn't much of an accomplishment. I'd pick da Bears to bounce back in this potentially easy match up.

MIA @ NYJ - NYJ. As much as it hurts me to make the pick, I'm going to have to go with the Jets this week. Without a solid quarterback and running back in Miami, how can you expect the Dolphins to keep up with the Jets that are determined to prove fans wrong. Evening their record is the only thing on their minds this week and it's going to happen.

I call my island.... Wilfork

Now week 4 was definitely a week of football I could get use to. Not only did I go 12-4, but the Patriots won and the rest of the AFC teams lost. That works for me. Overall so far, I'm 38-26 this season which is surprisingly on average about 10 wins less than the professionals. Last year was a different story with me far out in front of them.

This week might be one of those back in the gutter picks. Lots of tough match ups but this week is personal. My aunt, Annette, is out for blood against my picks. This week, I'm putting the professionals behind me and I'm out to destroy her record this week.

NO @ CAR - NO. New Orleans put up a good win over an (at the time) undefeated Houston squad. Now they turn their attention to a 1-3 Panthers team with a quarterback/wide receiver combo that could do some damage. Unfortunately, that's all Carolina has. The Panthers have scored 9 touchdowns all season and Drew Brees alone has score 10. Hmmm? I'll join Who Dat Nation for week 5.

KC @ IND - IND. This is Indy's week. If you happened to see the game last week, you probably had to do a double take on the Colts first drive. Personally, I thought it was Peyton Manning on the field running the offense. The rest of the game not so much, but that first drive was eerie. It should come as no surprise since he's been practicing under Manning's belt for a couple years. Last week, Kansas City got their first win which would sound promising if it was against the other defeated team, the Vikings. I'll take a Indy for their first win.

PHI @ BUF - PHI. I know that Buffalo is on some type of high right now, and last week was their first loss of the season, but this Philadelphia team is determined to put W's in the win column. Don't be surprised if Vick has a monster game against this secondary, but at the same time, Fitzpatrick could do the same against Philadelphia. Fitz-magic has had a knack for doing that this year. He's fifth in touchdown passes.

SEA @ NYG - NYG. Seattle proved that can put the pressure on when they have too and their offense seems to be slowly coming together. Before last week, the Seahawks had scored a total of 33 points in three games. Last week they put up 28. This could be a turn around moment for them, especially when Arizona was 21st in the league in team defense. Meanwhile, the Giants are 18th, which isn't much better. That could lead the way for a high scoring game. Unfortunately, the Giants have three wide receivers that are hungry for the football. There's a little bit of controversy floating around the field with Cruz and Manningham, so don't be surprised if one of them goes off to shut up the media.

CIN @ JAC - CIN. One of those couldn't care less about games but here's my pick anyway. I'm not going to pick Cincinnati to win, but instead I'm going to pick them not to lose. There really is no clear winner in the game.

TEN @ PIT - TEN. For some reason, some reason.... I like Tennessee in this game. I said the same thing about Detroit last week. For some odd reason, I like Tennessee. I really feel that Hasselbeck, even without Kenny Brit can do some damage against Pittsburgh. It shouldn't be to hard to stay even with them. The Steelers only big win came against an offensive struggling Seattle team. Last week they barely put up double digit points. Adding Chris Johnson in the mix for the Titans can certainly boost their stock on Sunday.

OAK @ HOU - OAK. Oakland played a hard fought game last week against New England, and Houston lost a hard fought game against New Orleans. Houston, however, lost their top receiver in Andre Johnson, while Oakland seems to be getting stronger in the run and pass game. That's if Campbell can keep the ball out of the defense's hands. He definitely had a couple brain farts from time to time but nothing that he can't bounce back from.

ARI @ MIN - ARI. I've said for weeks that Kevin Kolb needs to get his head out of his ass and start throwing like the quarterback we all thought he would be with Fitzgerald on his side. Now we've got an 0-4 Vikings team that's not even led by their quarterback, but instead their running back. It's sad when their running back is catching up to their quarterback in total yards. Football is slowly turning into a passers game if it isn't already, which means it might be time for Minnesota to go shopping, because McNabb isn't doing the trick. Stay tuned for the battle of the ex-Eagles quarterbacks!

TB @ SF - TB. This is slightly above the CIN/JAC game for me in terms of caring. I'll go with Josh Freeman and Co. considering that Alex Smith can't seem to do anything productive this season.

NYJ @ NE - NE. Big surprise, I'm picking New England. I truly believe it's going to be a tough match up, by no means do I think it's going to be a blow out. Both teams can put points on the board, the Jets just a need a poor defense to do so against. (Enter Patriots Defense stage left.) Even though the Patriots are hurt and young on defense, their offense is still putting up 30+ points each game. Even as bad as they are against the run and pass, I don't see Sanchez or Greene stepping up to outscore the Pats.

SD @ DEN - SD. As long as Vincent Jackson plays and Orton continues to disappoint fans, I don't see how San Diego loses this game.


GB @ ATL - GB. Atlanta hasn't shown any promise this year as I've said before, and they barely beat out Seattle last week. I think I'll continue to pick the high rollin' Packers. (Green Bay is also my suicide pick this week.)

CHI @ DET - DET. Detriot has to come back last week against Dallas, but they got it done. Who's to say they won't do the same against Chicago who's sitting sadly at 2-2. After four continuous weeks of scoring two touchdowns, is it safe to say Calvin "Megatron" Johnson will do it again.

Week 4: Something in the Buffalo Water

Last week wasn’t a total failure. To be honest I’ll take a 9-7 week all year. If it’s good enough to win an NFC West playoff spot, it’s good enough for me. Looking over this week’s games, it’s definitely a tough week in football pick-ems. But this is what I love to do each week so here we go:

CAR @ CHI – CHI. I’m all about the Cam Newton train and it was good to see Carolina get their first win last week. Unfortunately it was against Jacksonville. Meanwhile Chicago has been on a bit of slump, but it’s been against likes of Green Bay and New Orleans, two teams will be fighting for playoff spots. I’ll take Cutler in this one to do well with that young secondary.

BUF @ CIN – BUF. As much as it hurts me to pick Buffalo after the win they put up last week, I’ll be going with them again, especially against the Bengals. Their offense seems to have no limits, and personally I don’t see the Bengals stopping Fitzpatrick and Jackson.

TEN @ CLE – TEN. Since the only good thing to come out of the Cleveland teams is Peyton Hillis, I’m not worried about Hasselback putting up numbers, since Hillis doesn’t play defense. No offense Cleveland fans, but I’m all about the Titans this week. We might even see Chris Johnson get some significant playing time, which is even worse for Cleveland to handle.

DET @ DAL – DET. The Lions have their first real test this weekend. They’ve barely had to show up against the three teams they’ve faced so far (Tampa, Kansas City, and Minnesota.) Now they have to face a tough Dallas team. Fortunately for Detroit, Dallas is banged up pretty bad. They’re could be without their two best wide receivers and we all know Romo is hurting from those busted ribs. I expect Detroit to put up the same amount of points on the board, and don’t think the injured Cowboys can keep up.

PIT @ HOU – HOU. I love this game. Really wish it was going to be televised. Unfortunately, I’ll have to watch the little circles move across the computer screen. While I really want to choose Pittsburgh to win this game, my guy is telling me Houston. I have been going 9-7 these past two weeks so that’s why I’m taking a leap on this game.  Arian Foster might not play, but that doesn’t mean that Tate and Schaub can’t get the job done. Big Ben has had to rely on the run the last few weeks, and I expect more of the same this week. Mike Wallace might finally have a good game for them however, especially with a young secondary chasing him around the field.

NO @ JAC – NO. No explanation necessary. Also picking them in my Suicide Pool.

MIN @ KC – MIN. Sorry Kansas City, I just don’t see you stopping Adrian Peterson. This might even be a great game for Minnesota to finally get in a throwing groove and get McNabb comfortable in the pocket.

SF @ PHI – PHI. I thought Philly was suppose to be the dream team? Maybe it’s time to wake up and play some real football. San Fran is 2-1 but their wins are against Seattle and Cincinnati. I’ll take Vick and Co. to do well against a non contender.  

WAS @ STL – WAS. If Steven Jackson isn’t 100%, I’ll take Rex Grossman. I just don’t see how St. Louis can keep up with a constant offense like Washington. Now, Grossman didn’t put up big numbers last week, but they were finally playing a tough defensive team in Dallas. Meanwhile, the Rams just got beat badly by Baltimore. I just don’t see them coming out on top.

NYG @ ARI – NYG. Hi I’m Kevin Kolb and I want to leave being a backup quarterback in a possibly championship bound team to suck for a franchise that can’t get off the ground. Come on Arizona, you had to beat Seattle last week and you could barely put up double digits in points. And now you’ve got a Giants teams that’s finding lots of reasons to bELIeve in this season. They just beat the “Dream Team.” Should be pretty easy to beat the “Dead Team.”

ATL @ SEA – ATL. Battle of the birds! Which one is Angrier? (Get it?) I’ll take Matty Ice. He needs a break out game.

DEN @ GB – GB. Another reason unneeded. Denver hasn’t proven anything this year and Green Bay keeps #winning.

NE @ OAK – NE. Nice win last week Oakland, but don’t get too worked up about it. The Patriots are never a happy bunch after a loss, especially one against a divisional rival. Just tuck away that win and tuck away your heads in between your knees because the Patriots plan to tuck that loss behind them and start a new winning streak.

MIA @ SD – SD. As of Saturday morning, everyone for San Diego was healthy for Sunday’s game. In that case, I guess I’ll take San Diego at home against an 0-3 Miami team that just keep seem to put anything together.

NYJ @ BAL – BAL. This was actually the last pick I decided to make. It took me longer than usual to pick this game. I’m going with Baltimore for one big reason. I think their secondary can take care of Sanchez. That being said, the Jets have always been a running team but so far this year they have struggled to do so, putting a lot of pressure on their “Sanchise Quarterback” to get the job done. Meanwhile, Flacco and Rice have been rolling with the punches and putting up some impressive numbers with the small fluke in Tennessee.

IND @ TB – IND. Congrats Indy, you’re finally on my win list. You’ve grinded it out this long, now I honestly think you’ll survive this week, especially after almost beating out Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Tampa just can’t seem to stay constant. They score, they don’t, they don’t again. They lost to a struggling Atlanta team and that should make for a great match up between these two teams. Jump aboard to the Kerry Collins train… ALL ABOARD!