Sunday, November 28, 2010

Picks of the Week

A really good week last week, so I need to see if I can continue it this week. A couple more weeks like that can make for a good year. Perhaps I should continue analyzing the games rather than just picking them. Thanksgiving Day games are included as well.

New England Patriots -7 at Detroit Lions

Dallas Cowboys +3 1/2 v. New Orleans Saints

Cincinnati Bengals +9 1/2 at New York Jets

Minnesota Vikings -2 at Washington Redskins
Whose drama affects them the most, the Vikings with Childress being fired or the McNabb situation in Dallas? I'll give the edge to the Vikings because they got rid of their major problem, albeit way too late.

Jacksonville Jaguars +7 at New York Giants
The Jaguars are much better than anyone gives them credit for being. Not sure they win, but a full touchdown spread seems like a lot.

Houston Texans -6 v. Tennessee Titans
Jeff Fisher is an outstanding coach, but this is the first time that he has had to deal with this type of problems.

Green Bay Packers + 1 1/2 Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta has been very good this year, I just have a feeling that the Packers are on a roll.

Cleveland Browns -9 1/2 v. Carolina Panthers
Does anyone actually believe that the Browns are giving almost ten points to someone this year? The Panthers are the worst team in the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs -2 1/2 at Seattle Seahaks
Usually Seattle plays well (for them at least) at home. That still doesn't say much.

Oakland Raiders -2 v. Miami Dolphins
No Brandon Marshall, and either a gimpy Chad Henne or a bad Tyler Thigpen.

Chicago Bears +3 v. Philadelphia Eagles
Vick cannot keep playing as well as the last couple of games, right? A strong home team getting points at home, so I'll take them.

Baltimore Ravens -7 v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa begins its descent to normalcy.

Denver -3 v. St. Louis Rams
If the Broncos were a better team, we would be hearing non-stop Orton for MVP chatter.

Indianapolis Colts -2 1/2 v. San Diego Chargers
This game could end with over 900 total passing yards, all to receivers we have never heard of.

San Francisco 49ers -1 at Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco is amazingly still in the playoff hunt.

Big Bet of the Week
Pittsburgh Steelers -6 at Buffalo Bills
The Steelers are just too strong at running the ball against a rather porous Bills defense.

Previous Week's Record 10-6
Year to Date: 85-60-5
Previous Week's Big Bet: 1-0
Big Bet Year to Date: 3-8
Previous Week's Winnings (Losses): $490
Winnings (Losses) Year to Date: ($70)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving Picks

Quick picks for Thanksgiving games. I'll explain them later when I make the picks for the rest of this week.

New England Patriots -7 at Detroit Lions - hoping Brady plays

Dallas Cowboys +3 1/2 v. New Orleans Saints

Cincinnati Bengals + 9 1/2 at New York Jets

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Picks of the Week

A good record so far this year, but down money-wise because of the damn big bet of the week. Got off to a great start this week with the Thursday game. Hopefully that turns things around for me.

Tennessee Titans -7 v. Washington Redskins
Tennessee is getting stronger, while it looks like the Redskins are falling apart.

Oakland Raiders +7 1/2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh should be a much better team, but the Raiders have been surprising people all year. I'll take more than a touchdown.

New York Jets -6 1/2 v. Houston Texans
Houston's season started off with so much promise. The Jets continue to roll.

Green Bay Packers -3 at Minnesota Vikings
The drama continues. Fire Brad Childress!

Kansas City Chiefs -8 Arizona Cardinalsv.
The Cardinals are an absolute mess. Kansas City continues its surprising season by running all over the Cardinals defense.

Cleveland Browns +2 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville at home has been a great pick this year, but, Cleveland has played to the level of the elite teams. Browns should be able to win outright.

Dallas Cowboys -6 v. Detroit Lions
Which Dallas is real - the team that started awfully, or the team that simply annihilated the Giants?

Baltimore Ravens -11 1/2 at Carolina Panthers
Do you really take a double digit favorite on the road? You do when they are coming off a bye and when the starting quarterback was literally a stay-at-home dad last week.

Atlanta Falcons -3 at St. Louis Rams
St. Louis has made a habit of covering spreads this year, but this spread is too small, and Atlanta is too good.

San Francisco 49ers -3 1/2 v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Troy Smith has really energized the 49ers. Tampa Bay has been a great story, but the Mike Williams circus cannot help this week.

Buffalo Bills + 4 1/2 at Cincinnati Bengals
After an exhilarating Harvard victory, I look for the Crimson's Ryan Fitzpatrick to cover against the Bengals.

New Orleans Saints -11 v. Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks are brutally awful on the road, and the Saints are conveniently flying under the radar. It's about time they make their move and assert some control over the NFC South.

New England Patriots -4 v. Indianapolis Colts
New England is simply a better team than the Colts this year.

Philadelphia Eagles -3 v. New York Giants
Divisional games among close teams are always tough. But, I am so jaded after last week's performances, I have to go with the Eagles.

San Diego Chargers -9 1/2 v. Denver Broncos
I went back and forth on this one for a long while before settling on the Chargers. Should be a shootout, so that will make it a fun game to watch!

Big Bet of the Week
Chicago Bears +1 1/5 at Miami Dolphins
I had already put this on record with several friends, so nobody can accuse me of cheating. The defense giving up the third fewest points in the NFL getting points against a third string quarterback making his first start in forever. This one was easy.

Previous Week's Record 8-6
Year to Date: 75-54-5
Previous Week's Big Bet: 0-1
Big Bet Year to Date: 2-8
Previous Week's Winnings (Losses): ($25)
Winnings (Losses) Year to Date: ($560)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Picks of the Week

Last week was a good week for me, so I thought that I would try to get into the trend by actually thinking about my picks before making them. That is why this week you get some actual analysis. Perhaps that will keep me on the winning track.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -7 v. Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay impressed me last week against the Falcons. There were several moments when it looked like Atlanta was going to run away with it, only to have Tampa storm back. Carolina cannot even decide which rookie backup quarterback will start.

Tennessee Titans -2 at Miami Dolphins
I am not sure what to make of this quarterback change, but I did see a much different Dolphins team against the Ravens than earlier in the season (particularly against Pittsburgh), and that is not a good thing. It will be interesting to see how Moss is incorporated into the offense with the NFL's leading passer by rating (among those qualifiers), Vince Young.

Houston Texans +1 1/2 at Jacksonville Jaguars
I debated this selection for a long time before simply deciding to take the points. One incredibly disappointing team (the Texans) v. one surprising team (the Jaguars). Who knows?

Cincinnati Bengals +7 at Indianapolis Colts
Cincinnati is also one of the most disappointing teams in the league. Indianapolis is strong, but not as strong as recent vintage, so I am going to take the TD.

New York Jets -3 at Cleveland Browns
Cleveland, and Peyton Hillis, have already shredded some good defenses this year, but I don't think they have enough to defeat the Jets, even at home. We will hear a lot about the Ryan brothers, but this game will come down to whether Cleveland can run against the Jets.

Chicago Bears +1 v. Minnesota Vikings
Despite last week's comeback, the Vikings are in disarray. They are one play away from an implosion like we have ever seen on a football field.

Detroit Lions +3 at Buffalo Bills
Detroit has shown that it can keep rolling with Shaun Hill. The question is can they do so if Drew Stanton is forced to make an appearance.

Kansas City Chiefs -1 at Denver Broncos
Rough, late defeat for the Chiefs last week. We already know that the Broncos cannot run, so the question becomes, can Tamba Hali feast against the Broncos passing attack. He is averaging 1 sack a game, and this is the type of game that could propel him to the top of the sack stats.

Arizona Cardinals -3 v. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle has been absolutely brutal on the road this year. I am not sure that you could pay me to watch this game.

St. Louis Rams +6 at San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco really has a legitimate chance of winning this division and a win here puts them only a game out. But, I have picked St. Louis a ton this year (one of my more favorable decisions), so I will keep riding that horse.

New York Giants -13 1/2 v. Dallas Cowboys
That is a lot of points to give away, but the Cowboys have given up on this season. The offense has not been stellar enough for Garrett to warrant a head coaching position either, so this game could be a disaster. Of course, the Cowboys could pull it out so Jerry Jones can blame the whole thing on Wade Phillips.

New England Patriots +4 1/2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
I sense this game being decided by a field goal, so I will certainly take 4 1/2 points. I think the Patriots simply overlooked the Browns last week.

Philadelphia Eagles -3 at Washington Redskins
Michael Vick on Monday night! Ookie is finally free!

Big Bet of the Week
Baltimore Ravens +1 at Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore, to me, is a Top 3 team in the league right now. Atlanta is one of the best teams in the NFC, but that isn't saying much. In a short week, take the talent of the coaching and preparedness.

Previous Week's Record 8-4-1
Year to Date: 67-48-5
Previous Week's Big Bet: 0-1
Big Bet Year to Date: 2-7
Previous Week's Winnings (Losses): $195
Winnings (Losses) Year to Date: ($535)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Picks of the Week

Once again lazy this week, so no analysis. Perhaps I would do better if I put more time into my thinking. Oh well.

Atlanta Falcons -9 1/2 v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Arizona Cardinals +7 1/2 at Minnesota Vikings
San Diego Chargers -3 at Houston Texans
New York Jets -5 at Detroit Lions
New Orleans Saints -6 1/2 at Carolina Panthers
Baltimore Ravens -5 v. Miami Dolphins
Chicago Bears -3 at Buffalo Bills
New York Giants -7 at Seattle Seahawks
Oakland Raiders Pick -em v. Kansas City Chiefs
Indianapolis Colts +3 at Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys +7 at Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers -5 at Cincinnati

Big Bet of the Week
New England Patriots -3 1/2 at Cleveland Browns

Previous Week's Record 7-6
Year to Date: 59-44-4
Previous Week's Big Bet: 0-1
Big Bet Year to Date: 2-6
Previous Week's Winnings ($125)
Winnings (Losses) Year to Date: ($730).