Week Sixteen in the NFL......

With last week's tally in I finished 9-7 for the week and my season total is at 133-91. As I said you just never know the motivation inside any locker room at this time of the year. Our first Sunday game up has the 49ers at the Rams. I am hoping that either the Rams or the Seahawks do not take us further into mediocrity by both of them losing today and assuring a losing team the Division Title in the NFC West. I am picking the Rams to win the game and the Division with an 8-8 record. I am not an expert but I believe this was actually done before or at least I know a team has made the playoffs with an 8-8 record. The NFL should remedy this in the offseason but they probably won't. There are a couple solutions that I will tackle in the offseason when we are looking for some football to talk about. Next up the Jets have to travel to the frigid confines of Soldier Field. The Bears have been traditionally hard to beat at home in December & January and I see no reason why it should be any different today. Bears win. Titans at the Chiefs. The Titans are playing for respect the Chiefs for a Title. Chiefs at home win. Patriots at the Bills....although a Packer onslaught in New England last week scared the Patriots just a little, they still managed to win playing poorly. After that wake up call you won't see the Pats falter today. Their head coach(Belichick) will not allow it. Patriots on a mission win the game and the Division Title today. The Redskins travel to Jacksonville to face a good Jaguars team trying to keep pace the the Colts. Jags win at home. Dolphins at home against the Lions. What happened to the Dolphins? A few weeks ago in contention and now just about out of it. Lions going in different direction stun the Dolphins in an upset finishing their season. Lions win. Browns entertain the Ravens. For personal reasons I would love the Browns to upset the Ravens but the Browns have been riddled with injuries of late most notably they defensive leader Scott Fujita. Ask Saints fans what an impact he had in their Super Bowl run and they will tell you it was huge. The Ravens must win to keep pace and in Cleveland today they will. Ravens win. Giants at the Packers.....It looks like Aaron Rodgers will start and even with their backup QB they looked awfully good against a very good Patriots team. I have to go with the Packers to win at home. Giants have another late season collapse. Seahawks at Tampa Bay....Bucs finish off Seahawks as it should be. Colts at Oakland....Colts also know they have to win and will. Colts win on the road. Chargers at the Bengals.....again another must win for San Diego and they know what's at stake. Bengals too banged up to mount a challenge. Chargers win. Texans at Broncos...Tim Tebow gets his first win as a QB. Broncos win. Vikings at the Eagles...you'd like to see Brett go out in a Blaze of Glory but more than likely he will be on the sideline cheering on Joe Webb. Eagles need this game way too much to let it go to the Vikings. Eagles win. Finally we get to the Monday Night Contest you all have been waiting for. I will make this as simple as possible. Right now the Saints are the hungrier team. If you do not believe me just tune in Monday Night. The Saints have their backs against the wall and know that a win gets them to the Dance and that's where they want to be. Saints win put Division Title in limbo.....for one more week anyway. Have a great week and see you back here for the season finales. Should make for interesting football.

Thursday Night Football And Holiday Saturday Too......

It would be nice to see a competitive game tonight between the Panthers and Steelers, unfortunately we have two teams going in opposite directions however, John Fox should be given some credit for his team not losing their dignity. The Panthers are truly fighting to win, they just don't have enough horses in the stable. Too many injuries at the key positions and a couple of poor personnel decisions have reduce the Panthers to kitty cats. Of course John Fox will take the brunt of this but really not too many coaches around these days could have done much better with Carolina this year. The legacy of John Fox will be that he waited too long to upgrade his team and they got old. A tough lesson but one I bet he will not repeat at his next coaching stop. The Steelers are at home and need to stay ahead of the CRY BABY Baltimore Ravens. Ray Rice whined to the refs in Sunday's game more than 2 year old looking around his play pen for his NU NU! That's slang for PACIFIER for those of you in Baltimore. I have never witnessed so many players on a team complain about EVERY play! The Steelers will win tonight and hopefully they will win the AFC North.
Now for the Saturday game......As it is Christmas I will make my pick tonight. Dallas is at Arizona and Jason Garrett has the Cowboys focused not to mention he is auditioning for a job. Arizona, headed in the opposite direction finally has realized that they ARE NOT a good team without Curt Warner. Too bad it's too late for this season. Ken Whisenhunt will get another shot next year but he better have a better plan than he did this year or he'll be putting the house up for sale. Without a doubt he will be on the bubble next year. I like the guy so let's hope he can turn it around. Hey Curt! Would you consider pulling a Brett Favre next year? As for the game, Dallas has seemed to have gotten back some of their mojo. I am going with the Cowboys to win on the road.
Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Hope you and your families spend lots quality of time together over the Holidays. See you Sunday for the rest of my picks.

Week Fifteen in th NFL.....

Once again starting off the Football Weekend with a win as Thursday Night Football seems to agree with me. Another winner. Now to the record and not so good week last week. 8-8 for the week and overall 124-84. As I said the further into the season we go the harder it is to pick winners simply because you are not in those locker rooms listening to what's going on. We really do not know who is still playing with passion. But here it goes anyway from the fan's perspective.....Out the gate the Saints are in frigid Baltimore with another opportunity to prove they belong with the elites of the League. It really doesn't get any better. Win the game and more than likely they secure a playoff spot and make a statement to the rest of the League that they will challenge again for the title. It looks to me that the Saints are starting to hit their stride. The Ravens gave up 28 points to a Texans team that is trying to pattern themselves after the Saints. Fifteen of those points came in the last 6 minutes of the 4th Quarter and tied up the game which the Ravens had to win in OT. The Saints are deadly in the 4th Quarter and the guess here is if the game is close in the 4th the Saints will be the ones who prevail. Saints win and separate a little more from the pack. Next up....Jaguars at the Colts. Purely on the arm of Peyton Manning as I said last week the Colts won. Guess what? Same thing this week. Peyton will carry his team again. Colts win and tie up the AFC South. Eagles at New York to face the Giants. One of these teams will emerge as the Division leader and the other will be facing an uphill battle to secure a wildcard spot in the playoffs. The Giants lost to the Eagles in the last meeting 27-17 almost a month ago at Philadelphia. Since then the Giants have won 3 in a row while the Eagles are 2-1 and struggled against the Cowboys last week. There is a lot of film on Michael Vick since the last meeting so I believe the Giants will find a way to win this. Giants win and take the lead in the NFC East. The Chiefs at the Rams. The Chiefs started off the season so good and now are starting to falter. If they want to hold off the Chargers they must win today. Chiefs win and along with the Falcons beating the snot out of the Seahawks assure the NFC West will have a non-winning record team win the division and make the playoffs. DISGUSTING!!! Bucs win at home against the Lions and make a case for both wildcards to come out of the NFC South. Panthers finally get another win against the Cardinals. Texans on the way down lose to the Titans in Tennessee. Bills at the Dolphins. Miami still fighting for a playoff spot will dispatch the Bills. Dolphins win. Browns will sweep the Bengals this year winning the battle of Ohio and making sure Marvin Lewis will be out the door at the end of the season. Browns win. Redskins in disarray and having to travel to Dallas to face a new and improved version of the Cowboys. Cowboys win. Jets at Pittsburgh....Rex Ryan better get hold of the reins soon or that horse might buck him off. Steelers focused and moving in a different direction. Steelers win. Broncos and Oakland. If I were the Denver Broncos I would start Tim Tebow and give him a little experience. Absolutely nothing to lose. Alas, that won't help either. Raiders win. Packers will now know what it's really like to play in freezing temperatures away from home against a quality opponent. Patriots start the Packers slide and dim the light on their playoff hopes. Pats win.For the Monday Night Matchup the Vikings get to play a home game outdoors for the first time in many years. I believe it has been since the Bud Grant days for those of you as old as me. Outdoors used to be what made the Purple People Eaters tough. I believe the Vikings will reclaim some of that old magic and embarrass the Bears. Vikings win. Well that's my picks for the week. How about you? Enjoy the games!

Another Thursday Night Game......

Well once again the REAL Chargers showed up against Kansas City and won in convincing fashion. The trouble with San Diego is you never know what team will show up. San Diego will wrap up the season with a home game tonight against the 49ers and two road games at Cincinnati and at Denver; not exactly a cake walk for the Jekyll/Hyde Chargers. Kansas City who has a one game lead finishes at St Louis and a two game home stand vs Tennessee and Oakland. Arguably, the Chiefs although at home for two out of three probably have the tougher schedule down the stretch. Since the Chargers are 5-2 at home going into tonight's game and the 49ers are a dismal 1-5 on the road I am going to have to go with the Chargers to win. However, if the Chargers blow this one I will not only kick myself, I will refuse to pick them the rest of the way....even if they happen to back into the playoffs. Enjoy the game and I will see you Sunday Morning for the rest of my picks.

Week Fourteen in the NFL......

Well I started off this week with a win on Thursday Night and I needed it after a dismal 8-8 last week moving my season total to 116-76. Let's get the Party started.....The League wanted parity and they sure got what they wanted. Games scheduled this weekend were suppose to have all kinds of playoff implications and Division battles for first place but what we have is several games where the importance is one-sided. Take for example the first game we are going to look at....The Bengals at Pittsburgh. This was thought to be a battle for the Division lead when the schedule came out yet we have the Bengals fighting for a little dignity and Pittsburgh trying to extend it's lead in the AFC North. Steelers win. The Packers are at Detroit to face a very improved Lions team who each week seems to lose in the last quarter.The Lions need to read Drew Brees' book on how to "Finish Strong" Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity
I picked them last week but I can't do it this week. I have to give the edge to the QB for Green Bay. Packers win. Tampa Bay at Washington. The Bucs are so close and really should have won last week. I believe they get it done this week and keep themselves in the playoff picture. Bucs win. Falcons at Carolina.....what can you say about the poor Panthers? They just can't get a break. In their last four games they have the Falcons at home and away. Falcons dominate and win. Falcons are on a mission this season. The Browns are at Buffalo. Browns are going to round out this season on a high note. Browns win. Raiders at the Jaguars...The Raiders are for real. Raiders win in an upset. Seahawks at the 49ers....WHO CARES???. Seahawks need this to keep pace with the Rams. Seahawks win. Dolphins have to travel north to face the Jets. The Jets should be sufficiently ticked off about last week to come in with a little fire at home. Jets win. Broncos at the Cardinals. Who was the idiot that said Curt Warner was just another teammate? Broncos win. Chiefs at San Diego...Didn't we ask a couple weeks ago will the real Chargers please stand up? Well? Did they? Chiefs are for real and unfortunately for the Chargers they are still pretenders. Chiefs win. The Patriots at the Bears. Some say this could be your Super Bowl Preview however, I believe that the real Bears will be exposed today. Patriots win big. Eagles at Dallas in another game that should have had more meaning. Eagles need this more to keep pace with the Giants. Eagles win. The first of two Monday Night Contests has the Ravens at Houston. Somehow the Texans let this season get away from them. Ravens must win to stay on the heels of Pittsburgh. Ravens win. The second is the Giants at Minnesota. Even if Brett doesn't make his 298th consecutive start, I feel like the Vikings feel refreshed under their new coach AND they are at home. Vikings upset the Giants. Finally let's take a look at the home town boys. The Saints entertain the Rams at the Superdome in New Orleans. Sam Bradford is looking like a seasoned QB not the rookie he is. For Saints fans let's hope Gregg Williams can show Bradford a few things he hasn't seen. On the offensive side, Coach Payton needs to show a little patience and not always try to hit the home run play every series. Sometimes the best defense is keeping their offense off of the field. With a weapon like Chris Ivory the Saints need to run the ball more and use up that clock in long sustained drives. Keeping Bradford off the field could be the best defense. Saints win in a close one.

Thursday Night Football.......

An interesting matchup tonight to say the least. At the beginning of the season many fans marked this date on their calender thinking this would be a battle for 1st place in the AFC South instead we have two teams fighting for their playoff lives with the Colts slightly ahead at 6-6 and the Titans at 5-7. The Colts have lost their last three. I don't have the exact statistics on this but I would probably say the last time that happened was either when Peyton Manning was a rookie or before his arrival. The Titans have lost their last 5 in a row resembling their disastrous 0-6 start from last year but that's where the comparisons end.  The Colts are in dire straits with injuries to many of their key players on both offense and defense. The Titans have a different problem they are dealing with and maybe just as devastating. The Titans have a confidence problem along with a meddling owner which may be harder to overcome. Tonight will prove whether or not one person; one man can will his team to win. That person Peyton Manning is not used to losing. He's not used to throwing 10 interceptions in 3 games compared to 3 interceptions in his first 9 games. When your team is struggling and you are Peyton Manning sometimes you try to do too much. I believe Manning will settle down and look at the big picture. There is no room for any more errors. He must play error free and he knows it. Look for Peyton to settle down and take what the Titans defense will give him and slowly matriculate the ball down the field. Meanwhile the Titans will still be searching for a quarterback. Unfortunately for the Titans,  the tank is almost empty on Kerry Collins and the further down the depth chart the Titans reach at QB the scarier it gets. Colts find a way to win. Losing streak stops at 3. See you Sunday Morning for my Game Day picks. 

Week Thirteen in the NFL......

Well evidently I was trying to give myself more losses than I actually had....If you find my numbers to be different just let me know which week I messed up. I have myself for the season at 108-68 with last weekend helping out at 10-6. Already started this week with a win on Thursday. Now for the rest of my picks for this week....I'll take the Colts to snap out of it at home against the Cowboys. Colts win. Look for the Rams to also snap back and put an exclamation point on the Cardinals dismal season. It's real simple Arizona fans....NO CURT WARNER!!! Can you think of a more pathetic game than the Panthers at Seattle? I am going off the beaten path with this one and picking the Panthers, the first of two of my upset specials today. The Panthers will hand the ball off to Stewart and play keep away from the Seahawks. This is just the kind of game the Seahawks lose...a game they SHOULD win. Panthers win in a big upset further clouding the NFC West. In my second upset special I am going with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to pull one out at home against the mighty Falcons. The Falcons are possibly still a little worn out from the battle at home against Green Bay in which they had to fight to the end to win that one. Now they are on the road against a very underrated Bucs team. Josh Freeman will have a good day. Tampa Bay wins. Raiders at San Diego....Will the real San Diego Chargers please stand up???!!! The Chargers look like a team that has turned the corner. The Raiders are no push over this season so this should be a battle to the end. I have to give the edge to the Chargers simply because of number 17. If not for Phillip Rivers the Chargers would be bottom feeders. But then I guess you could probably say that about three quarters of the teams in the NFL who would lose their starting QB. Chargers win in a close one...more than likely whoever has the ball last wins this one. Broncos at the Chiefs...I can't pick Denver anymore. They are just too erratic. Chiefs win at home. The Jaguars travel to Tennessee to play the Titans. This is another "Pick 'em" but I'll go with the Titans at home. Browns at Miami...Simple Miami needs it more. Miami wins. Vikings entertain the Bills at the Metrodome. Vikings have found new life in their new coach. Vikings win at home. Brett has another big day. Bears at Detroit...if the Lions weren't so beat up I'd give them a chance. With both Matt Stafford and Shaun Hill sidelined I just can't see the Lions having much success. Bears win. 49ers at Green Bay. The only way the 49ers could win in Green Bay would be if Joe Montana or Steve Young were suiting up. Green Bay gets their confidence back. Packers wins. The Giants host the Redskins in an NFC East division battle. All the markers say the Giants should win but this too will be a close one. With their top two receivers injured in Nicks and Smith look for the Giants to try and pound the ball with Brandon Jacobs, especially since the Redskins are hurting up front. Giants win. The last of the early games has the Saints at Cincinnati where the high temperature today is supposed to be 33 degrees. A huge contrast to the Superdome where it's a balmy 72 degrees. The Saints travel well but not necessarily in cold weather. For the Saints to win they will need to use their work horse Chris Ivory and soften up that Bengals defense. If Drew Brees has to throw the ball more than 30 times the Saints might be in trouble. Still I have to pick the Saints to win in this one as they seem to have found their mojo. Look for Greg Williams' defense to aggressively go after the ball as the Bengals have quite a few turnovers this season. In the night game the Steelers have to go into a hostile Ravens home stadium. The Steelers were more consistent at the beginning of the year. Now they seem to have gone off the track a little. Ravens are tough at home. Ravens win.  Finally on Monday Night Football we have a excellent game scheduled. The Patriots play host to the Jets. This should be a dogfight and whoever wins takes sole possession of 1st place in the AFC East. Look for Rex Ryan to add a wrinkle or two. Ryan knows in order to beat Belichik's Patriots he will have to find a way to out coach one of the best coaches in the business. I believe the Jets are a little more hungry right now. Jets win in a great Monday Night Game. Okay there you have it......My picks for this week. Let's see how well you can do against my record. It is open to everyone so give me your best shot! Have a great week!

Thursday Night Football.......

Once again a pretty good football game tonight. The Texans , coming off of an emotional win against the Titans  must travel to a chilly Philly and play outdoors against a determined Eagles team that is wanting to show a national audience they are not the team that imploded last week against the Bears. Eagles win at home. See you Sunday!

Season Stats...

I am going to have to go back and check my season totals and will report those Sunday Morning. I do have last weekend's results(including Thanksgiving Day) which were an improved 10-6 with the 49ers putting an exclamation point on the weekend by doing exactly what I said they would do---muddle up an already very muddled NFC West. Does any team from the NFC West deserve to be in this years' playoffs? Tell me what YOU think!

Week Twelve in the NFL............

I am getting ready for church so I will try not to be too wordy this morning. Here we go......Jaguars at the New York Giants. If the Giants don't win this one, they might as well put a wreath on the front door of the facility and I don't mean a Christmas one. Giants win. The Packers are in Atlanta today to face the Falcons. Two very good teams heading in the same direction. The way the Pack dismantled the Vikings would lead one to believe they can do the same this week. The Falcons though, are not the Vikings. For selfish reasons I wouldn't mind seeing the Packers win but the Falcons are at home and I believe that will give them the edge here. Falcons win. Pittsburgh at Buffalo. Okay so I was wrong about the Bills one game winning streak last week. I will not be wrong today as it does end at two against the Steelers. Steelers win. Panthers at the Browns. You got a feel for John Fox. More injuries than a MASH unit and starting a quarterback that until last weekend was "Chucking Wood". Browns win at home. The Vikings at the Redskins. Conventional wisdom would be to pick the Redskins but teams always seem to respond to a new head coach and I believe Leslie Frazier(Vikings new head coach) will also give them a spark not to mention that the injury bug has hit Washington pretty hard. Vikings find a way to win. Titans at the Texans. Can anyone tell me what has happened to Tennessee? Apparently there is a dispute between head coach Jeff Fisher and owner Bud Adams as to the value of Vince Young. This is another case of an owner who just gets himself too involved in personnel decisions. There is a reason Jeff Fisher has been successful year in and year out and that's because Adams had seemed to learn his lesson from Houston. From all reports Vince Young is a "head case". Talent or no talent you cannot coach a guy who doesn't want to be coached. There will be a lot of good head coaching opportunities in 2011. Bud Adams should tread softly or else Jeff Fisher may decide the grass is greener in another NFL city. Titans find a way to win. Fisher will coach them up. Tampa Bay at Baltimore. Like the Saints the Bucs must win in a cold city. A true test of their mettle. Unfortunately for them the Ravens are a better team right now. Ravens win. Chiefs at Seattle. Will the real Seahawks please stand up. Please don't tell me that an 8-8 team will win the division in the NFC West. I'll go with the home team to pull it out. Seattle wins. Dolphins at Oakland...Too much Raider defense. Raiders win. Rams at the Broncos...Broncos at home win. Bradford puts up valiant effort but all in vain. Word is you may see a little more of another talented rookie QB wearing a Broncos uniform. Eagles at Chicago...How do you pick against the Eagles with the way Michael Vick is playing. Eagles win. Chargers at the Colts...C'mon MAN!!! Colts at home. Are you kidding me? Colts win. Finally, the "Who Cares Bowl" on Monday Night Football. 49ers at the Cardinals.....I am only picking the 49ers because basically I give the edge to San Fran for having a better quarterback. 49ers win and muddle up the NFC West a little more. Well, that's my picks for the week. Let me hear yours! Have a great football weekend!

Season Stats...

Quickly, let's run through the season stats......8-7 last week for a season total of 98-77......But I kicked off the Thanksgiving Holiday with a 3-0 sweep! Let's see if I can build on that this weekend. You can compare your record with mine all you have to do is make your picks by Saturday Night each week unless there is a Thursday game then you must pick that one by Wednesday night. There is still plenty of season left so give it your best shot and see how you match up with me.

Thanksgiving Picks........

Who will be the Turkeys on Thanksgiving Day? There are three games on tap to give you a reason to eat early. The first game of the day features Detroit hosting the Patriots. Some people say Detroit's time to host a game on this holiday has passed. I say give Jim Schwartz a year or two more. I believe this is the first time the Lions have had a decent coach in a long time. Now for the reality of the current situation.....Prior to letting last week get out of hand the Lions had lost the previous two games by 5 points going down to the wire with a not so bad Bills team and losing in overtime to a very good Jets team. The Patriots on the other hand have posted convincing victories over two great teams in the Steelers and Colts. If we were talking a healthy Lions team I might give them a chance at home, but too much Tom Brady. It is as simple as that. Patriots win.
In the next game we have the Saints traveling to Dallas to play the new and improved Jason Garrett led Cowboys. Based on previous experience with my beloved Saints this will NOT be an easy game. There will be two factors that will play into this game for the Saints. The first will be the way the Cowboys embarrassed them last year. Although the final score was 24-17, it was not that close as the Saints self destructed with several turnovers early in the game and had to play catchup the rest of the way. I believe the revenge factor will be present as the Cowboys spoiled the Saints shot at a perfect season. The second and probably more important factor that will affect the game will be the return of Reggie Bush. Sean Payton gave him an extra week of rest on purpose so he would definitely be fresh on the short week. It also looks like Darren Sharper was the beneficiary of an extra week of rest as well. Jeremy Shockey will more than likely be a gametime decision but if I were a betting person (and you know I am not), I would say Shockey will want to be suited up for this one. He loves the "Big Stage". This game will probably come down to whoever has the ball last and the winner will get by with a win on 7 points or less. Saints will bring Dallas down to earth and win a big one in "Big D".
Finally, the late game has the woeful Bengals traveling to New York to face the Jets. Marvin Lewis is a nice guy but I believe he has worn out his welcome in Cincinnati and will no doubt be one of the coaching casualties of this season if he lasts to the end of it. One coach going in one direction and Rex Ryan on the brink of something special. Jets will win this one but if the past few weeks are any indication they will let the Bengals hang around long enough to make a game of it. Ultimately though the Bengals will succumb to the better team. Jets win.

Season Stats...

Forgot to give my Week Ten results which were 9-6 and 83-62 overall. Then there was this past weekend with my picks going 7-8 to bring me to 90-70 overall for the year. Let's hope Week Twelve is a little better. See you for the upcoming picks.......

Week Eleven in the NFL.........

Welcome to "Crunch Time" Part One in the NFL. There are plenty of teams hovering around 5, 6, and 7 wins in both the NFC and the AFC. This is the time of year when the good teams start to distinguish themselves and separate from the pack. In a few weeks we will discuss "Crunch Time" Part Two when the Great teams separate from the Good. This week we should start to see a little separation. In that spirit I will make my picks for week Eleven.......And Away we go.......In the early games we have the Texans at the Jets.....I am going off the rails here because I believe the Jets luck has to run out at some point. Too many close games including two overtime wins. Texans win. Packers travel to the warm confines of the Metrodome at Minnesota. I still believe Brett has enough in the tank to get a little payback from the first meeting in Green Bay when the Packers squeaked one out in a 28-24 win. Look for the Vikings to come out inspired for this one. Vikings win. The New & Improved Cowboys entertain the Lions. Most teams that get a mid-season head coaching change seem to do well in the game immediately following that change however, usually the following week they have a let down. The emotion is just now there. This week the Cowboys face a Lions team that in spite of its record has played tough and to the final whistle. Last week they lost by 2 points to the Bills who also are not as bad as their record says and the previous week to a very good Jets team by 3 points in overtime. I am leaning towards the Cowboys having that letdown. Lions win in a close one. Redskins at the Titans. Titans need this one to keep pace and they are at home. Titans win. Cardinals at the Chiefs.....same scenario Chiefs win at home. Ravens at the Panthers....... Unfortunately for the Panthers they don't spot you any yards or points because your roster looks like an emergency room after a barroom fight. Ravens win BIG! Browns at Jacksonville...Again, a very good Cleveland team that has just come up on the short end of the stick a few times. But let me remind you that they soundly beat not one but two Super Bowl teams in the Pats & Saints. I am going with the Browns defense to confuse David Garrard who is no Brady or Brees. Browns win. Raiders at Pittsburgh....If the Steelers take this one too lightly it could go bad quickly. I am looking for the Steelers to bounce back this week and win. Bills at the Bengals...Bills win streak stops at one. Bengals win. Bucs at the 49ers.....Niners finally starting to find a way to win. I believe they will find a way today and win. Falcons at St. Louis......Saints fans can hope & pray.....Sam Bradford has been impressive to say the least. When the season began I was one that questioned his durability and I have been proven wrong. This kid is for real and he is a hell of a competitor and leader. I am going out on a limb with my upset special. The Rams at home beat the Falcons in a shocker. The game of the day is the Colts at New England.....this game comes down to injuries...and the Colts just have more of them. I have to go with the home team. Pats win. Of course I saved the last late game because it is the Saints at home against the newest version of the Seahawks. For the Saints sake they better not take this one lightly. In the Sean Payton era the Saints are 1-4 coming out of a bye with the first win coming last year against the Giants. Look for the Saints to have another repeat performance especially if Reggie gets going. Pete Carroll will get a more than a few flashbacks. Saints win. Giants are at Philadelphia...So far no one seems to have an answer for Michael Vick. Neither will the Giants. Eagles win at home. Lastly, Monday Night Football has the Broncos going into the warmer weather at San Diego to face the Chargers. This game is anybody's guess considering you just don't know what team on either side of this one will show up. Sooooo......I will GUESS.... I 'll go with the home team Chargers to win in a very strange game.....
Make your picks and see how you fare against me......Have a great week and I'll see you on Thanksgiving Day for more Football Fanatics!

Thursday Night Football.......

Well here we go with back to back Thursdays and a Football game is on. Guess what? Next week will be no different other than we will be enjoying a little Turkey with our Football. And.....for the first time in their history I am told the Saints will be playing on Thanksgiving Day in a game that some thought at the beginning of the season would be meaningful. We can only hope....
Enough of the Chit Chat let's get on with it.......The Bears are in Miami to play the Dolphins. This game intrigues me because of how well Tyler Thigpen came in and played last weekend in an emergency role. My gut says the Dolphins are tough right now but my intellect says that they are just too banged up. The only team with more key injuries is the Carolina Panthers. I have to go with the Bears tonight simply because they are just healthier. The Dolphins will play the Bears tough but ultimately I believe the Bears defense will wear down the Dolphins offense and the Bears offense with Jay Cutler at the helm will do enough to win the game. Bears win. Keep up with me this weekend when I make my Sunday Picks and give you my season record.........Have a great football evening!       

Week Ten in The NFL......

Well better than last couple weeks 9-4 and 74-56 overall last week. Oh and by the way already one for Thursday Night Football as the Falcons came through as predicted. Saints are off so we can say they are safe of course and resting comfortably in their Lazy Boys' this weekend watching everyone else. They will need the rest for what's ahead. So here are this week's prognostications.....Panthers at Tampa Bay...Are you kidding? Bucs better win this one. Bucs win at home. The "Big" game on Fox is the Vikings at Chicago. Brett loves the big stage and although I believe Chicago will come after him, Vikings will find a way to win. Vikings win. Detroit travels to Buffalo...this is the last time I pick the Bills. Bills win first one. Jets at Cleveland....This is where we separate the men from the boys. Cleveland has been playing over their heads the last few weeks. Today the Jets bring them down to earth. Browns not quite ready for primetime. Jets win in a close one. Texans at the Jaguars....Will the real Houston Texans please stand up and be counted!!! Jags playing with a lot of confidence but I don't believe the Texans will let 2 in a row slip away. Slight edge to the Texans but this could go either way. Texans win. Bengals have to play the Colts in Indy not an easy task. Unfortunately for the Bengals they don't have Michale Vick starting at QB. Look for the Colts to keep Pace with Tennessee. Colts win. Titans at Miami...Too much Chris Johnson not enough Ricky Williams. Titans win. Chiefs at the Broncos...Can anyone tell me what the hell happened to the Denver Broncos?!?! Kansas City too much for Denver. Chiefs win. Cowboys have to travel to New York to face the Giants after the EGG they laid in Green Bay last week. Not to mention a new coach in Jason Garrett. The Cowboys don't need a new coach as bad as they need a new owner or at least one that doesn't mettle as much as Jerry Jones. Some are saying the job will go to either Tony Dungy or Bill Cowher. Dungy is finished coaching. If the Cowboys go with a NAMED coach one with experience then "HE" will demand total control and Jerry to take a backseat. I am not sure Jerry can do that. Anyway my pick if he does decide to do that is "Chucky" former Bucs coach Jon Gruden. I believe he would be a perfect fit for "Big D". As far as today's game goes the Cowboys will fare no better against the Giants with their new coach. Giants win. Seahawks at Cardinals...If the Cards have any hopes of winning their division they will need this one. Cards win. Rams at 49ers...I'll take San Fran at home. 49ers win. Patriots at Pittsburgh....Both teams seem to play well in the spotlight but I am leaning toward the Pats. Patriots win. Finally, Monday Night Football has old rivals Philly and Washington squaring off. Philadelphia seems to have hit their stride. I am going with the Eagles to win. See ya next week.......

Thursday Night Football.......

How could I forget ??? But I must get my pick in before gametime which is about 40 minutes from now. If you want to see an excellent game tonight, this would be the one you want to watch. Two teams heading in the same direction but only one will finish victorious. For selfish reasons I hope the Ravens win, however the Falcons are at home and will be tough to beat. Unfortunately for the Saints they must travel to Baltimore in the winter months to face the Ravens. Since the Falcons get this one in the Georgia Dome I am going with the Falcons to go one up on the Saints. Falcons win in a close dogfight.

Week Nine in the NFL.....

This week I am starting with the Home Team....What a WIN against Pittsburgh last week If you were paying attention, it was quite different than the win against Tampa Bay. In the the win against the Bucs, it felt like the Bucs just played poorly not necessarily that the Saints played well. However, in the game against the Steelers we definitely played a much more complete game which now has me convinced we have turned the corner. We shall see....So here we go into the wild world of predictions......Got to go with the Saints against Carolina...and if I am reading the right signs, this could be a blow out. Saints win. Next up Dolphins at the Ravens. I have to go with the Home Team here. Ravens win. An interesting game and a big test for the Tampa Bay Bucs who travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. If this were in Tampa I might pick the Bucs but on the road against a good Falcon team will be tough. Falcons bring the Bucs down to earth. Falcons win. The Bears are just what Buffalo needs to cure there winless ills. The Bills have never given up and have been close against some stiff competition. Today they get the right opponent. Bills win first one. Patriots at Cleveland. I would love to see Cleveland play like they did against the Saints but the Patriots won't take them so lightly. Patriots win. The Jets at the Lions. You just have to know Rex Ryan is steamed about the loss last week and getting shut out. Jets will come out with focus and win. San Diego at Houston.....this will be a battle. If the Chargers hope to salvage their season they will have to win out....a pretty tall order. I believe the Chargers problems will continue. Texans win. Norv, start looking for another job. Cardinals travel to Minnesota....Look for Brett to make his 293rd consecutive start and lead the Vikings to a win at home. Colts at the Eagles....this game comes down to two things....Too many injuries for Indianapolis and the return of Michael Vick for the Eagles. Eagles win at home. Giants at Seattle...It appears that the Giants have settled down. Giants win in a close one. Chiefs at the Raiders...Wow! What can you say about this one? Finally a meaningful game between two old arch rivals. This too will come down to the last possession. Chiefs win. Dallas at Green Bay.....At one time this was a meaningful game but not today. Cowboys troubles continue. Packers win in Lambeau. Wade may not finish the season at the rate he is going.  Finally Monday Night Football with the Steelers at Cincinnati. Pittsburgh rebounds from the loss at New Orleans and takes out their frustration on the Bengals. Steelers win. You really should challenge me after the last two weeks I've had. Last week a horrible showing of 5-9 and total for the season 65-52. Let's see how it goes this week. Hope you have a Great Football Day!    

Just the Saints on Halloween............

Since it is Halloween and weird and spooky things always happen on this unusual day I am devoting a special section for tonight's game between the Saints and Steelers at the Superdome. In their last eight nationally televised games the Saints are 7-1 and 9-5 overall since Sean Payton took over as head coach. The Saints are 6-7 overall against the Steelers since they first met in 1967. Sean Payton is 0-1 against the Steelers losing in his first season to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field 31-38 in November of 2006. An interesting fact that you may have forgotten is that the Saints do have a special connection with the Steelers. In 1987 on November 29th at the old Three Rivers Stadium the Saints won a close game 20-16 with an incredible goal line stand which gave the Saints their first winning season. Again, this is Halloween so generally crazy things happen. I honestly believe you can throw the records out for this game. This one will probably come down to who has the ball last. Possibly a Jeff Reed or Garrett Hartley FG. Unfortunately Saints fans as much as I love the Home Team, I must be objective. The Steelers are plus-9 in turnover ratio and the Saints are minus-5. Pittsburgh won 3 out of 4 games before their starting QB was back in the lineup. This will be a tall order for the Saints and Coach Payton. Any mistakes or turnovers in a game like this will be magnified. I have not seen the focus from any of the players that we had last year especially Drew Brees who at times this season has looked very average. For a Super Bowl MVP just 8 short months ago Brees seems confused at times and he and Sean Payton do not seem to be on the same page with regards to the play calling. The Saints must do what other teams have done to us. Long sustained drives. The Saints must run the ball and trust Chris Ivory with more carries especially when he is getting 4 and 5 yards a pop. This will keep "Big Ben" on the sidelines and wear the Pittsburgh defense down. We will not win passing the ball 50+ times. Now, the big question is can Sean Payton make that kind of adjustment? Tonight we will see. But until I see some consistency out of our home town heroes I can't objectively pick them to win. By the way on a side note the Steelers are 1 1/2 point underdogs in this game if you can believe Vegas. I say take the points and the Steelers. Pittsburgh will win outright. Let's just hope Halloween doesn't turn into FRIGHT NIGHT!

Week Eight in the NFL.....

Not a good week last week going 6-8 but still a commanding 60-43 ahead of 4 out of 6 of the Times Pic Prognosticators....Last week I went with my heart instead of my gut. That will not happen this week. So....here we go for another ride into the unknown....1st up Jaguars at Dallas....Look for Jon Kitna to have an outstanding day for the Cowboys and show Dallas fans that "YES" they can win without Romo. Cowboys win at home. Packers travel to New York to face the Jets. Simple...too much Jets defense will make life miserable for Aaron Rodgers. Jets win. Redskins at the Lions....this is where the phrase "Any Given Sunday" will apply. Mike Shanahan's team takes a step backward. Lions win. Dolphins at the Bengals....Sorry Bengals like several other teams that I have picked you will have to prove you can close the deal on a good team. Until then I will pick against you. Dolphins win. Buffalo at Kansas City....I know this looks like a no-brainer but keep in mind what I said last week. A team that hasn't won is a very dangerous team. The Bills have come very close and I believe the Chiefs are a little full of themselves. Chiefs overlook Bills and Buffalo gets their first win today. Panthers at the Rams....this one I am strictly going with my gut and say the Panthers win in an upset. Call it my upset special. Broncos at the 49ers...What is going on in Denver??? I've got to go with the Home Team. 49ers win. Another mystery the San Diego Chargers...who are at home against the Titans. Part of me wants to say the Chargers have to win so they will...but they seem to keep finding ways to lose. If they hope to salvage any kind of a season they will need to win today. What's crazy is they have the Number 1 offense and defense and they are 2-5. This is the last time I pick them if they lose today. I am going to say Chargers find a way to win today and start the turnaround with a close win over the Titans. Remember it's Halloween! Vikings at the Patriots...Wow! what can you say about this one? Well for one thing Brett Favre will make his 292nd consecutive start. The question is can he hold up for the entire game? Also, can he be effective? I believe you will see a steady dose of Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart to keep the heat off of Favre. Vikings in a must win situation and Patriots may be looking past this one. I am going to say Vikings win and just maybe Tavaris Jackson gives the them a little help. Bucs at Arizona....If Tampa Bay wants to be serious contenders these are the games you must win. This is another gut feeling...Cardinals need a win more and they are at home. Arizona wins. Seahawks at Oakland...How about 'dem Raiders?!?! Man 59 points last week! Incredible! I am going with the hot team at home. Raiders win. Texans at the Colts on Monday Night Football....Here is a chance for the Texans to do what they have never done before which is sweep the Colts. The Colts are pretty banged up and will be without the services of Austin Collie plus a number of key players will be limited. Look for the Texans defense led by Mario Williams to put a lot of heat on Peyton Manning and the Texans offense will do enough to get the job done. Texans win in an upset and sweep the Colts for the first time. 

Week Seven in the NFL.....

Well...I am feeling a little better this week so let's see if my picks will follow. I had a good week last week but as I said each week gets a little harder. First up the Saints entertain the Browns at the Superdome. Wow! Offense sure looked like it was back last week. Can the Saints put back to back weeks together is the question? I am going to say that they will. Saints win at home...close in the first half then Saints pull away in 4th Quarter. Next up Division rivals' the Atlanta Falcons are at home against the Bengals. I just see this as a must win for the Bengals at 2-3 in 3rd place in the AFC North, I don't see how they can afford to lose. Bengals upset the Falcons at home in a close one down to the gun. 49ers at Carolina...too much 49er defense and Alex Smith finds Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis open all day. 49ers win. Rams at the Bucs...Bucs bounce back and win at home. Redskins travel to Chicago to face the Bears. Too much Matt Forte. Bears get back to basics and had the ball off to number 22. Bears win. Bills vs Ravens...It just keeps getting harder and harder for the Bills but keep in mind the two teams you don't want to play....those who haven't lost and those who haven't won. Unfortunately for the Bills this will not be their week either. Ravens win. Eagles at the Titans...even though the Eagles seem to have found a rhythm they are just too beat up and without Deshawn Jackson their big play guy it could be a long day for Kevin Kolb. Titans win at home. Jaguars at the Chiefs...Look for the Chiefs to bounce back as well Chiefs win in front of home crowd. Steelers travel to Miami to face the Dolphins. This one also will go down to the wire. For the Dolphins they must be able to run the ball to be effective today. Oddsmakers are giving the Steelers a 3 point advantage. Dolphins at home win in a close one. Seahawks entertain the Cardinals. Too much 12th man. Seahawks win at home. Patriots vs the Chargers in San Diego. If the Chargers don't win Norv Turner may be looking for a job real soon. Chargers find a way to get back in it and win at home. Raiders and Broncos face off at Mile High or whatever the stadium's called now...Broncos win get back on track. Look for Tim Tebow to get some more playing time. Vikings at Green Bay...Brett has his old team's number plus he'll be super pumped for this one. Vikings win on the road. Finally, Giants at the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. This will be possibly the final nail in Wade Phillips' coffin. Early Halloween Horror Show with the Giants massacring the Cowboys on national TV. Jerry Jones turns so red people think he's on fire. Giants put an end to Dallas' hopes of making the Super Bowl at their home stadium. Giants win.
Now, it's your turn to match up with me......

Follow Up On Weekly and Season Totals...

So far no challengers.....Let's see what YOU can do. Total for Week 5 was well WEAK with 6-8 and pushed overall to 45-31 for the season. But this past week I was like Drew Brees...ON FIRE! Week 6 came in at 10-4 to push my season total to 54-35. Can anyone compete with me?

Week Six in the NFL.....

Sorry guys for the brief picks this week but still in a lot of pain from the surgery...I will do my best to Man-Up!!!
My heart wants to say pick the Saints today against the Bucs in Tampa Bay. However, until the Saints can show me some offensive consistency in scoring TD's in the Red Zone instead of FG's. I am going to say Bucs win by a FG and the controversy will be that Hartley missed one that could have tied or won the game. Seahawks vs Bears...Bears too strong at home. Bears win. Dolphins vs Packers. Dolphins arrive beat Pack at home. Miami wins.Chargers at the Rams. If any coach's head is on the block, it is Norv Turner. A loss here could spell the end of not only the season but an era. I believe Chargers will get back a little life today. Chargers win. Ravens travel to Foxboro to face a very good Patriots team. I believe Bill Belechik will have an answer today for the Ravens run game. Patriots get the edge at home and win. Lions at Giants. Must win for Giants and they do win. Falcons vs Eagles....Although he isn't starting,  Micheal Vick will be available. Also, the game will be in Philly. Eagles win in a tough battle. Browns vs Steelers...Honestly I've never seen a more snake-bitten team than the 2010 Cleveland Browns.
Pittsburgh will win but it won't be a nice welcome back for "Big Ben". Ben will look rusty and Steelers defense and running game save the day. Steelers win. Chiefs at Texans. Two teams coming off of disappointing losses. Chiefs are for real. Chiefs win on the road. Raiders vs 49ers...another golden opportunity for Mike Singeltary's team. Only because they are at home...and I mean that...it will be that close...49ers win first one. Jets travel to Denver...Question for Broncos fans is...Which Broncos team shows up? I have to pick the Jets to win.  Until I see something different from the Broncos.....????  Cowboys at the Vikings....This is where the rubber meets the road. The final nail in the coffin for Jerry's fantasy of playing in the Super Bowl at home in Jerry World. Vikings win in a very physical game.Colts vs Redskins...until Colts show any thing different I am on the bandwagon. Too much Manning..."Peyton" that is. Colts win. Titans at Jaguars...Jags can't play over their heads for too many weeks in a row. Plus time for Garrard to show his usual trait of inconsistency. Titans win behind running of Johnson and passing and running of Young and a stout defense.
Time for all you challengers to Man Up with me. Show me what you got!

Week Five in the NFL........

I've always said each week gets tougher to pick....but I will take a whack at it anyway......By the way last week 10-4 and 39-23 overall. Only one of the Times Pic prognosticators ahead of me....So here we go again into the land of prediction......This week I've decided to go against the grain......Bills at home against the Jags...Jaguars a little over confident after beating the Colts. Bills sneak up with a win at home...My First Upset. Bucs on the road at Cincinnati....honestly if the Bengals were not at home I wouldn't pick them....call me stupid...Bengals squeak out a win at home. Falcons on the road in Cleveland....the euphoria has worn off...Too much Matt Ryan  for the Browns...Falcons win. Rams at the Lions...simple Lions at home...Lions get their first win. Chiefs travel to Indy to play the Colts. The timing couldn't have been worse for Kansas City. Playing the Colts at home after the Colts suffered a huge loss last week. Colts bring high flying Chiefs down to the ground. Colts win. Packers at Washington....this is another intriguing game...the Redskins are playing with a lot of confidence unfortunately so are the Packers who continue to find ways to win even when it looks like they won't. Packers win in a close one. Bears at Carolina....  My fellow predictors seem to think this is an opportunity for the Panthers to win one. As I said to my friends last week the Panthers played way over their heads because it was a Division game against the Super Bowl Champions...It won't matter that Jay Cutler is not playing...The Bears have enough defense to stop the Panthers running attack and make them one dimensional with Jimmy Clausen. Then of course it's all over for Clausen. On offense the Bears will just hand the ball off to Matt Forte to see if Carolina has answer...They don't...Bears win. Denver travels to Baltimore...On paper this looks easy but you have got to give credit to QB-Kyle Orton who is putting up incredible numbers. Here is my next surprise pick Broncos win in a close one on the road. Giants at the Texans...the Giants found their defense last week against the Bears the question is can they do it 2 weeks in a row? I am going against the grain again...Giants win in a close one. Chargers at the Raiders...Chargers found their offense last week. Chargers will find more of it this week...Chargers win. Titans at Dallas in Jerry World.
Look for the Cowboys to be sluggish after a Bye week of getting fat and sassy. Titans come up big...upset the Cowboys at Home. Titans win. Eagles at the 49ers. No Michael Vick...Need I say more. 49ers win.
Vikings at the Jets on Monday Night Football...I know I know more controversy with Brett Favre and of course their was the Randy Moss trade. Something Brett has been working on for a few years. Look for the Vikings to pull together for this one and upset the Jets at home. Brett throws at least one touchdown pass to Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson keeps the Jets defense off balance just enough to keep the heat off of Brett. Vikings win.
Lastly, lets talk about the home town boys at 3PM local time...Should be a close game in the first half until the Saints defense gets a feel for what the Rookie QB is doing then the Saints "D" will dominate the second half. Saints find their offense today. Saints win on the road.

Week Four In the NFL.....

No challengers yet??? Last week I was 10-6 and 29-19 for the season. Pretty good so far. Let's see how I do...now that it gets a little harder. Here we go...Week 4.....It would be easy to dismiss the 49ers after an 0-3 start especially facing the Falcons in Atlanta...And the question begs did Atlanta play over their heads last week because it was the Super Bowl Champion Saints. I am going out on a limb and picking the 49ers to win in my upset of the week. Next up the Bengals at the Browns...even if Jake is healthy it will be a tough road and Cincy is trying to keep pace with the Steelers. I 'll go with the Bengals to win. Jets at the Bills....Will Buffalo ever find itself...not this week Jets win. Rams host Seattle...Seahawks win on the road. Pete Carroll has something special going. Denver at Tennessee....this is truly a turning point for Denver. They must get a fire going soon or their season is over. Maybe the spark they are looking for is on the bench...Can any one say "Tebow"?!? Broncos win in an upset. Detroit at Green Bay...It just doesn't get any easier for the Lions. The Packers win in a close one. The slugfest of the day is The Ravens at the Steelers. Steelers lose this one. Ravens prove their defense is still good enough to keep the offense in the game. Ravens win. I have another upset for you...The Colts travel to Jacksonville where they always have a tough time. The Jags win in a close battle probably by 4 points or less. Texans get back on track against the Raiders in Oakland. Texans win. Washington at Philly....Lots of Michael Vick but I am leaning towards the better coach in Mike Shanahan to prevail. Redskins find a way to win. Arizona at San Diego...What is going on with the Chargers?!?  If it were any other team I'd pick against them but got to go with the Chargers at home to win. Norv Turner will be in a world of trouble if they lose this one. The Bears at the Giants...here is another make or break game...if the Giants don't get on track today it is close to being over. Giants upset Bears and give them their first loss. Giants win at home. For Monday Night Football 2 teams...Patriots and Dolphins...that are very evenly matched so I'll go with the Home Team...Miami...to win.
Finally...My Home town boys are entertaining the 0-3 Panthers. There are two teams you do not want to face the...ones that haven't lost...and the ones that haven't won. The Saints must find an answer to their rushing defense or it will be a long season. Look for the Saints to get back on track this week. A loss last week was just what the doctor ordered to get their focus back Saints roll and win this one.
Have a great week and I am still looking for some challengers........   

Week Three In The NFL.......

Last week much better on my predictions as I went 12-4....Any Challengers out there...Overall 19-13 for the season. By the way last week should be a good example of why you don't come here for point spreads as I was WAY off on the one game I did comment about the point spread. That is also why I don't give scores. What does it matter. The Win or Loss is the only thing that matters.
So, it's Sunday morning around 9AM and I am having my coffee.....Here we go for another exciting week in the NFL. 1st game on tap is my Saints. If they weren't at home this would be even tougher to call but I 'll go with the Saints to pull this one out in the 4th Quarter. Saints win. It could however come down to who has the ball last.
Titans travel to New York to face the Giants. I gotta feel like the Giants will get back on track at home. Giants win. The Steelers at Tampa Bay. Everyone is picking the Steelers because of the great defense they are playing. I believe the Bucs will show they have a pretty good defense as well. Bucs playing with a lot of confidence and again at home I am going with the Bucs to win in my Upset Special.  Bengals at Carolina....no contest the Bengals win in a rout. John Fox is running out of QB's & options. He will be lucky to finish the season as the head coach. Browns at Ravens...Are you kidding me??? Too much Ray's as in Lewis and Rice. Ravens win easily. Cowboys at the Texans...Here is another team on the ropes and the Texans are a team that can deliver the knockout punch. Look for Jerry Jones to turn BEET RED if Dallas loses this one and more than likely it will spell the end of the Wade Phillips Era. Texans are at home...see my theme today. Texans deliver....Goodbye Dallas....No Home Super Bowl this year.  Texans win it in 4th quarter last minute drive. 49ers at Chiefs. San Fran has to win. 49ers win in a close one. Lions at Vikings...this is what they call NUT CRUNCHING time for the Vikings. If they lose their season could be over. Vikings at home will get back on track and win. Patriots host the Bills. What do you think??? Patriots win...COME ON MAN!!! Washington at St.Louis...I am going to go with the Rams again at home one more time...Too much Stephen Jackson and Donovan has off day...Rams win. Eagles at Jacksonville...if Kolb was starting instead of Vick I would pick the Jags at home but Vick IS starting soooo...Eagles win. Raiders at Arizona...The Cardinals better get on track after an embarrassing loss at Atlanta last week. Cards get win at home. Chargers take the short flight to Seattle. Chargers win in a close one. Colts go to Denver...it was like watching two different teams from week one to week two. Peyton is back! Colts win. The Jets vs the Dolphins....The Jets need this one more...Jets win. Finally Monday Night Football has a good one between the Packers and the Bears. The Bears will be up for this one in front of the Home Crowd. Bears win in a dogfight...probably a last second field goal.

Week Two.....

Well let's counted 'em up.....7-8 this past week but still believe I had the Bears-Lions game....HORRIBLE CALL in the endzone. Why is it when your are running the ball you just have to break the plane but when you are catching the ball, you must maintain control all the way to the bench! STUPID RULE!!!
Now for this weeks picks. Lots of surprises last week...as expected it always happens in a new season. So..Here we go again...Bears at the Cowboys.....the Bears didn't win last week the Lions lost. Cowboys redeem themselves at home and win for the fans at home. Falcons at home against the Cardinals...the Cardinals struggled against the Sam Bradford led Rams last week and almost lost it. Falcons will win at home. Buffalo at Green Bay...It's bad enough when you have to play Green Bay at home but in Lambeau that's a tall order for any team. Packers win at home. Eagles at Lions.....this would have been close if Matt Stafford and Kevin Kolb were starting at QB. Unfortunately for the Lions, the now fully healthy and back to his old running self Michael Vick will start for the Eagles. Too much Vick for Lions to handle. Eagles win on the road. Steelers at Titans...should be a slug fest but I'll lean to the home team on this one Titans win with Chris Johnson's running. Ravens at the Bengals...the Ravens were not as good as they played last week and the Bengals are not as bad as they played look for the Bengals to get back on track with the Home Field advantage. Bengals win in a close one. Chiefs at Cleveland....Poor Jake he just can't get a break. Although Senaca Wallace will have a good game and probably steal the starting QB job from Delhomme the new and improved Chiefs who showed last week they do have a defense. Chiefs win. Tampa Bay at Carolina....I really don't know what people see in the Panthers but they keep picking them. If Matt Moore gets the start he will struggle & the upstart Bucs will win their second in a row for the first time since Jon Gruden was the coach. The Dolphins travel to Minnesota. If this were in Miami the outcome might be different. Look for the Vikings to get back on track at home. Vikings win. This week we will find out if the Seahawks are for real or not as they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. I can't see Josh McDaniels not having his team ready to play at home. Broncos win. Rams at Oakland....I am just going to go with the home team simply because the defense did a pretty good job for most of the game last week against Chris Johnson...and if the Rams can't run the ball Bradford is in for a long day...Raiders win. Here's another game to see if a team is for real...the Texans at Washington. Although the Redskins played good defense, they still haven't shown if they can score on offense. I'll lean toward Houston...Texans win. Jaguars at Chargers...the Jags actually surprised me last week but I'll go with the Chargers to get back on track in front of the Home crowd..but I will say this if the Chargers lose and go 0-2 this could spell the end for Norv Turner if he cannot right the ship real quick. Chargers win at home. The Patriots at the Jets....Are the Jets as good as they say they are...we will see this week in another tough test. I believe the Jets will get back to good defense and find a way to harass Tom Brady. The AFC east is a tough division and the Jets cannot afford to go down 0-2. Jets win at home. The big game Sunday is Manning vs Manning in the Manning Bowl. I warned all of you last week the Colts are in trouble. Too many key injuries. Look for the Eli led Giants to upset the Colts at home. This is one time if I were a gambler I'd  take the 5 1/2 points with the Giants. Giants win a big one and Colts go 0-2 for the the first time since Jim Mora was the coach. Finally......what you all have been waiting for the Monday Night Matchup with the Saints traveling to San Francisco to play the 49ers. The 49ers are not as bad as they looked last week. They just read to many of their own press clippings. The difference in this game will be the defense....New Orleans' defense. They held Brett Favre and the Vikings to ZERO points in the second half of last weeks game plus they have almost had a bye week being off for eleven days. The Saints under Payton have done well out of a bye week. It will be close in the first half but then the Saints will pull away in the second half. Saints win and go 2-0. Don't forget to give me your predictions and see how well you can pick against me.

Prediction Time.....

Let's see how you match up against my picks for opening week.....I am not going to get into scores simply because the only thing that matters is the outcome and I am not here to help you win a bet with or without  the points. I do not do point spreads. It's not my thing. So...Here we go....The Panthers are in New York to face the Giants and will lose their first of many games this season. Giants win at home. The next game is intriguing the Colts must travel to Houston to face a much improved Texan team with something to prove. One reason the Texans like playing the Saints in pre-season is because they get to test out against a very similar team. This will go down to the wire but I'll go with the Texans at home to win. Falcons and Steelers...easy no Big Ben NO WIN....Falcons will win easily. Browns at Tampa Bay....2 very evenly matched teams but the Browns will have a spark with Jake Delomme at QB and win this one. Broncos at Jacksonville....Jaguars don't stand a chance. Broncos win. Miami at Buffalo...Bills still searching for right formula...Dolphins win. Lions on the road against Chicago and it is still warm outside which doesn't help the Bears. Lions upset the Bears at home.Raiders at Tennessee...Titans all over this with Chris Johnson getting over the 100 yard mark in the 1st half. Here is another good matchup the Bengals at New England. Although the Bengals are much improved so are the Patriots from last year. I going to lean to the Home Team. Patriots win in a close one. Packers at the Eagles. Eagles will put up a good fight in the 1st half then will succumb to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers potent offense in the 2nd half. Packers win. Cardinals at St.Louis....If he can stay healthy for a season Sam Bradford will have a pretty good year. Look for him to give the Rams the edge at home. Cardinals still searching for a QB. Rams win. 49ers at Seattle...Are you kidding me??? Singeltary will welcome Carroll back to the NFL with a beating. 49ers win.  The Cowboys have to open up on the road in Washington. Not a good thing when you are playing poorly. Look for the Redskins to give Mike Shanahan his 1st win with his new team. Ravens at the Jets for game one of Monday Night Football. The Rex Ryan led Jets are on a mission. Jets will give Ray Lewis another reason to retire. Jets win. Game two has the Chargers at Kansas City. Although the Chiefs have come a long way in the offseason with a good draft and free agent pick ups look for San Diego to be just too much offense for the Chiefs to handle. Chargers win.

Now for the 2010 Super Bowl Prediction...

In the AFC the Chargers and Jets will get the Bye with the Chargers having Home Field thru out the Playoffs. In the Wildcard Round the Bengals and Titans survive. The Patriots and Broncos go home for the Holidays. In the next Round Jets win at home against the Bengals and the Phillip Rivers led Chargers finally get to the AFC Championship game beating the Titans in San Diego. In the AFC Championship game the Chargers finally use home field to their advantage. LaDamian Tomlinson once again is on the outside looking in. Jets cut Tomlinson after game saying he's a Jinx. The Chargers are smoking hot at home. Phillip Rivers picks on Darelle Revis and Revis is burned for 2 touchdowns in the game. Rex Ryan is overheard asking  Revis for his signing bonus back after the game. Chargers are on their way to the Super Bowl.
In The NFC the Saints and Packers get the Bye with the Saints edging the Packers by one game to get Home Field advantage thru out the Playoffs. For the 2nd year in a row the road to the Super Bowl goes thru New Orleans.Vikings and Falcons survive the Wildcard Weekend and the 49ers and Eagles going home for the Holidays. In another addition of last years NFC Championship part 3 the Vikings once again lose to the Saints and Brett Favre has FINALLY had enough...this time FOR REAL! He takes more punishment in this game than all 3 combined. After the game Favre is quoted as saying "My body is shot" "I am done for good" Favre retires after 20 long NFL Seasons with his consecutive game streak in tacked at 301 starts in the regular season. In Lambeau the Packers are too much for the Falcons in the Frigid Frozen Tundra. Packers win easily. In New Orleans the Saints defy the odds and using the "WHO DAT NATION" as their inspiration beat the Packers in Overtime. The new overtime "Brett Favre" rule actually works to the Saints advantage as they quickly move the ball down field to score a touchdown....GAME OVER!
In the Super Bowl the starry-eyed Chargers can't believe they made it finally and get caught up in the hoopla while the Sean Payton/Drew Brees led Saints are all business on their way to a 2nd consecutive Super Bowl proving all of the naysayers wrong. As the Saints approach the podium to accept the Lombardi Trophy fans have already started chanting "THREE DAT"!
Now it's your turn to give me your predictions....FIRE AWAY!

AFC picks for 2010....

Let's start with our favorite home town alum Peyton Manning and the Colts in the AFC South. Should be another banner year right? Wrong! The Colts will struggle this year. Already injuries are hitting them hard with Addai having a concussion and Bracket the starting All-Pro Linebacker hurting along with starting OT Tony Ugoh. This is not going to be Peyton's finest hour. He will have more than one game to win all by himself.  The question is how many can he pull out? It will be a tough race between the Titans and the Colts. This year, though, I believe will belong to Chris Johnson and Vince Young along with one of the longest tenured coaches in the League, Jeff Fisher. The Titans ended their season last year on a high note and that will carry over into this season. Look for the Colts to finish 2nd and the Texans 3rd with the Jags bringing up the rear again. This should finally spell the end for Jack Del Rio. Del Rio could never find a quality quarterback to lead his team and ultimately that will cost him his job. Titans win division and the Colts don't make the Playoffs.
In the AFC North my surprise pick(and NO I am Not on DRUGS) is the Cleveland Browns to not only have a better season but I will go out on a limb and say they will upset a few teams and probably be the spoilers for a few more. A slim chance at a Wildcard spot but a lot of things will need to fall their way along with not being bit by the injury bug AND they get great quarterback play from Jake Delomme who definitely wants to prove he is NOT washed up.. Look for the Bengals to win the Division. It's a toss up between the Ravens and the Browns for 2nd place and the Steelers have too many off the field problems plus a very tough schedule(which includes the Super Bowl Champs IN New Orleans) to finish any place but last.
In the AFC West The Chargers will dominate again with the Broncos the only challenger. The Chiefs and the Raiders are in rebuilding mode and don't stand a chance against the other two. Chargers win the Division and the Broncos get a Wildcard Spot....My surprise pick in this Division is Tim Tebow. Watch for Tebow to start by mid-season should Kyle Orton not be getting the job done. Josh McDaniels will not hesitate to pull the plug on Orton if he feels Tebow can give him a spark. Tebow will still get playing time in a Michael Vick type situation.
Lastly, let's look at the AFC East.....Lots of talent and only time will tell but this is a prediction so here I go.....
I am going to go with the Jets to win the Division. I really like what Rex Ryan is doing up there. He may end up being a better coach than his dad. The Patriots will get the Wildcard---TWO WORDS---Bill Belichick. The man is a flat out winner and it's hard to bet against him. It will be tough for the Dolphins to match up and unfortunately for the Dolphins they have to play the Jets and the Patriots twice. They will finish with a winning season though, just in 3rd place in a very tough Division. In Buffalo the Bills are still searching for an identity. They will come in last....again.
Tomorrow........Who wins in the playoffs and who gets to the Super Bowl and the winner of that game.

Season Begins Thursday......

The matchup is awesome! Of course I am a little prejudice to say the least considering the home town boys are playing. So let's take a look into the future of this NFL football season and see what Frankie Raye has to say. I won't pick wins for every team this year but I will give you my take on what teams will show their stuff including a couple of MY surprise teams of 2010.
Let's take it by Divisions first and we'll start with the NFC South. Don't believe all that curse stuff and teams that won the Super Bowl have a hard time repeating. I remember all the Naysayers last December telling everyone who would listen that "No Team that lost its last 3 games had ever made it to the Super Bowl" let alone win one. Strike that one down. We are in a different NFL world these days and normal rules don't apply. The Saints will win the NFC South with a strong challenge from the Falcons but ultimately they will succumb to the Saints. The NFC South looks like this Saints(Division Winners), Falcons(2nd Place and a Wildcard in Playoffs), Bucs will be improved and finished 3rd, while the Panthers finish dead last and John Fox good coach that he is will be looking for a job.
In the NFC North a much improved and well coached Packers team will win the Division with the Vikings getting enough out of Brett Favre to garner the other Wildcard spot. The Lions will surprise and finish 3rd getting to .500 and showing some promise. Lovie Smith, however, showing that he has worn out his welcome in Chicago will be looking for work as the Bears will finish last in the North.
In the NFC West.....WHO CARES??? The 49ers will take the whole enchilada and win their 1st Division title since Steve Young was quarterbacking. The rest of the pack is hard to distinguish one from another but I'll say the Cardinals have enough talent left over to finish 2nd but it won't get them to the Playoffs this year. The Seahawks are in transition and I do not believe Pete Carroll will make that much of a difference. His previous stints in the NFL as a head coach were less than spectacular. The Seahawks will finish last and the Rams will get enough of a spark from new quarterback Sam Bradford to finish at .500 and 3rd place in the West.
In the NFC East many are picking the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl. I believe the Cowboys will have enough troubles getting out of their own way. There is something wrong in Dallas and we'll probably never know the answer but it ain't pretty. The Eagles and Giants are pretty evenly matched and will fight for the title this year. The team that really intrigues me is the Redskins. Now there is a coach(Mike Shanahan) who can make a difference. Look for the Redskins to be the spoilers of more than a few teams including the ones in their division. The biggest problem the Redskins will have is the same problem the Eagles had over the last several years...Can Donovan McNabb stay healthy for an entire season??? I am going to call it this way....Eagles(Win Division), Giants come in 2nd and out of the playoffs with the Cowboys finishing 3rd and possibly Wade Phillips looking for a job as well. Redskins will finish strong but not enough to get out of the cellar this year.
Tomorrow the AFC...........

Brett Favre Returns...

If you watched the football game last night you noticed the 49ers were trying to send the own message with a few memory hits as Gregg Williams of the N.O. Saints would say. Patrick Willis looked like a rabid dog foaming at the thought of nailing Favre and he did with Favre getting up smiling from ear to ear knowing that this is just the beginning of a long year. Brad Childress was thinking the same thing that's why Favre was immediately removed from the fray. Kudos to Brett Favre for taking the high road when interviewed on the sidelines he said he had "no ill will towards the Saints" and that "the better team won" in the NFC Championship game. I gained a whole lot more respect for the soon to be 41 year old quarterback. H e showed a lot of class unlike some of the whiny Vikings. Good Luck Brett your gonna need it this year!

Football News....

Look out Giants fans Eli Manning was the recepient of 12 stitches after having a rough outing against the Jets this past weekend. My guess is he won't play the rest of the Pre-Season to make sure he's ready for Week One. He is a tough guy and should be ready at the start of the Season.
I wanted to comment on the debut of Tim Tebow......Not bad for a guy who many claimed was a project. He looked to me like he always has: confident, tough, fearless, and focused. By the way, he was very crisp in his passing and if not for a few drops his stats would have been even better. He has a bright future in the NFL. The one thing all of the scouts kept missing about Tim Tebow  is "Character". You can't teach good character. Either you have it or you don't.
And to borrow a quote from the Coach(played by Gene Hackman) in the movie "The Replacements":
In order to be a winner "You've got to have HEART...Miles and Miles of HEART"!
Tim Tebow has got that and more...it's called the "IT" Factor. I will make a prediction right now...you will definitely see lots of Tim Tebow this year in the Regular Season. The coaches will find a way to get him on the field. Let me ask you....Should Kyle Orton go down who would you rather have in the game Tim Tebow or Brady Quinn? Case closed!

Brett Favre Retiring???

Is Brett Favre retiring? That is the question. The answer....Only the Shadow knows. I say that tongue in cheek but REALLY, who knows??? Favre is again thinking twice about having to play a complete season at less than 100% not realizing that at the age of 40 soon to be 41 he is already playing at less than 100%. He is at a disadvantage simply because he is, in the NFL realm, an OLD MAN! He is playing a game with players most of whom he is old enough to be their Daddy. Any of you know that if you get out on the basketball court with your teenage son he will last longer than you because you simply cannot change the biological fact that he has more stamina at his age than you do. More than Favre's ankle, I believe he is thinking twice about the 16 game season and beyond if he & the Vikings go to the playoffs. Let's face it, the toll of the entire season was evident in the NFC Championship game. Had the Vikings made it to the Super Bowl, I submit to you that the Colts would have done the same thing to Favre that the Saints did, only the ones administering the punishment would have been Dwight Freeney & Robert Mathis instead of Bobby McCray & Will Smith. The Colts would have won their 2nd Super Bowl. Sorry, Vikings fans but the truth hurts.
The Vikings for their part are pulling out all of the stops opening up the bank for Favre with at least an additional $3 plus million over the $13 million he already stands to make this year should he return. The Vikings realize that with Brett Favre they have a legitimate chance to be back in the NFC Title game and also the Super Bowl. However, without Brett Favre the Vikings know they will have trouble challenging the Packers in the NFC North and will be lucky to even make the playoffs. It really doesn't matter who they put in at the quarterback position out of what is left,  Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. If I were Brad Childress, I'd be tempted to start Rosenfels. Let's face it Tarvaris Jackson has not lived up to what the Vikings had hoped. It is amazing to me that the Vikings really don't know Brett. I has never been about the money. Ultimately, Favre has more money than he'll ever spend so it is not about the money. At this point it is about the Competition and about a Championship....another Super Bowl. In the end the real decision will come from Favre when he decides whether or not his body can handle the rigors of entire NFL season including a possible playoff run. But Brett  will only play if he can play the only way he knows how to "Full Speed" and "All Out".

Whiny Players....and other news

Isn't it about time players live up to their contracts that they sign? Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets in the fourth year of a six year contract which by the way will pay him $1 million this year is unhappy. I say here is some cheese to go with that whine Darrelle! You'll get no sympathy from Jets fans or any other fan for that matter given the current economic situation in this country where we have so many regular folks out of work. Even though you signed the six-year deal now you don't want to honor it because some other player who you perceive is not as good as you got a better deal. TOO BAD!!! If the Jets Management wants to redo your contract(and it appears they do), that's okay but while you are under contract you report to camp with your teammates and show them you are a team player while negoiations are going on because ultimately it isn't about YOU Darrelle it is about the team!
In other news around the league Wes Welker is back on the active roster for the Patriots...I am quite sure that a smile could be seen on Tom Brady's face.
The "FAT" Albert Haynesworth watch continues. This guy will be lucky to be in shape to play by the start of the regular season. You just got to believe that Coach Shanahan is more irritated than Haynesworth's sore left knee. I am quite sure that if the Redskins wouldn't take such a big hit on the money they would have cut this loser a long time ago. To quote Dean Wormer(Animal House for those that forgot) "Fat,  Bald and Stupid is no way to got through life son"  Unfortunately for Shanahan this will be a thorn in his side all season long. What a shame for a new coach to have to deal with this in his first year.
For those of you who are Ravens fans cornerback Dominique Foxworth will be out for the year with an ACL tear in his right knee. We all wish him a speedy recovery and return to the field as quickly as possible.

Around the League...

Looks like the Cowboy fans will be hurting already as number one draft choice Dez Bryant will be out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. Hopefully he will return to form soon.
Sam Bradford the Rams number one pick signed the richest deal in NFL history at approximately $78 million with $50 million of it guaranteed. Somebody has to put a stop to this kind of thing. Hopefully both the players and owners will address this in the new collective bargaining agreement. It is ridiculous to pay anyone that kind of money as an unproven commodity. The players might want to at least look at the NBA model. It is at least better than what we have now. I hope that the player's union will wake up an smell the coffee. This just takes away money from players who have proven themselves on the field. What if this guy ends up as another Ryan Leaf. Specifically, with Bradford are the concerns about injuries. The guy just doesn't appear to be a great physical specimen. The big question mark I have is his durability. Can he stand getting the hell beat out of him week in and week out? Could he have taken the beating that Curt Warner and Brett Favre received at the hands of the Saints in the playoffs last year? You be can answer that for yourself. The only good that will come out of this contract will be for guys like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady who stand to break the bank with huge blockbuster contracts. As a fan I believe that the aforementioned three deserve that kind of money simply because they have EARNED it.
In other news...Albert Haynesworth is still out of shape...kind of matches the attitude don't you think? The Jets Rex Ryan received a well deserved 2-year extension on his contract. Watch out for the Jets...If anyone can get them back to the Super Bowl it will be Rex Ryan. He's on a mission.
And finally Donte Stallworth(former Saints WR) has a job with the Ravens this year. After pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter, a second degree felony, he served a grand total of 24 days in jail...that's what I said 24 DAYS in jail and Roger Goodell NFL Commissioner after careful thought and contemplation,  suspended Stallworth for ONE season. That's right, a grand total of one year away from football, suspended for the entire 2009 season. WOW!!!  I wonder what would happen to you or me if we were driving drunk early in the morning and ran over someone killing them? Would we have a job when we got out of prison? Well maybe, if we only got 24 days. Just something to think about...