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!

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. If the Saints want to keep pace with the Falcons,  they will have to win on the road in December at Cincinnati and at Baltimore and of course let's not forget the Monday Night Matchup with the Falcons in Atlanta. The Saints can solidify their home field advantage with a sweep of these three games. What's your take?

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's 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!