Week Eight in the NFL.....

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!!! I Bleed Black & Gold but I also must be objective when making my picks. So here I go....
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!

Game Review...

Can somebody please tell me what's wrong with Drew?!?! And don't tell me the Cardinals' DB's are that good. Drew held on to the ball forever and still couldn't find a receiver! What's up with that? There is more going on than meets the eye for sure. Nothing seems to be clicking for our Home Town Heroes! The play calling of Sean Payton is also lacking and he needs to take responsibility in this too! Gregg Williams!!! Where's that great defensive scheme?!?! Are you telling me you can't confuse Max "The Rookie"!?! All I can say is "COME ON MAN"!!!

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......Saints on the road at Arizona...Rookie QB...Gregg Williams Defense...What do you think??? Saints score big even with all the injuries and take over in second half to cruise to victory. Saints win. 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.

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 this week...now that it gets a little harder. Here we go...for Week 4....starting with you guessed it.....
 My Home town boys! They 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.     
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.
Have a great week and I am still looking for some challengers........