Week Seven NFL Picks-Hard Hitting

The Browns, Detroit, and Tampa Bay all lost last Sunday, so the 2010 season is returning to some resemblance of normality. Remember last week I said if those three teams won their games it would only confirm it will be a wacky Bizzaro World season. No apologies are necessary. The Brown's, who entered the season with higher expectations than what their record reflects, have been shredded by offensive injuries. Colt McCoy did a decent job considering the receivers he was left with in the Pittsburgh game. Detroit has been showing a desire to win, but is sabotaged weekly by unfortunate turn of events. Tampa Bay had been looking like a contender, but got clobbered by the Saints. St Louis on-the-other-hand beat San Diego and is in the thick of it in their division.

I was 8-6 in Week Six. Even the darts aren't helping in my quest for a perfect week. St Louis is playing Tampa Bay. I am taking the Buccaneers for no particular reason other than playing at home. You might say Jackson could be a factor in favor of the Rams and the Buccaneers running game has been non-existent, but Sunday that will change in what will be a close game. Baltimore should be able to handle the Bills and New Orleans will dominate the Browns mercilessly. Cincinnati at Atlanta and Washington at Chicago are both tough calls, but I am going with the home teams to win. Arizona at Seattle will decide the number one team in the division. Seattle will overcome.

The games to watch this week will be New England at San Diego, Minnesota at Green Bay, and NY Giants at Dallas. San Diego has been hurting itself by continous costly mistakes and New England has a strong offensive attack with the addition of Branch. It will be close and high scoring. New England will prevail with a strong blitz attack. Minnesota is strong all around defensively and offensively and Green Bay has been struggling. If Brett Favre can avoid the one costly pick the Vikings will win. The Giants offense is coming together, but their defense has been stepping up and Dallas is lacking the winning spark. Romo will be harassed and the Cowboys will trip over their own feet again.

This past week was controversial with all the concussions. The cameras can go into slow motion, but the players cannot. Once a player commits themselves there is no turning back and anything can happen. You have people moving in different directions and collisions are inevitable. Receivers and quarterbacks are often in vulnerable positions and you can tell a flagrant head shot from just plain aggressive football. Those should be flagged and fined. I have played football and butted heads on several occassions. That is the nature of the game.
 
SUN, OCT 24 TIME (ET)
Cincinnati 20 at Atlanta 24 1:00 PM W
Georgia Dome
Washington 23 at Chicago 24 1:00 PM L
Soldier Field
St. Louis 20 at Tampa Bay 21 1:00 PM W
Raymond James Stadium
San Francisco 20 at Carolina 18 1:00 PM L
Bank of America Stadium
Buffalo 15 at Baltimore 24 1:00 PM W
M&T Bank Stadium
Philadelphia 21 at Tennessee 24 1:00 PM W
LP Field
Jacksonville 28 at Kansas City 17 1:00 PM L
Arrowhead Stadium
Pittsburgh 30 at Miami 23 1:00 PM W
Sun Life Stadium
Cleveland 17 at New Orleans 34 1:00 PM L
Superdome
Arizona 18 at Seattle 23 4:05 PM W
Qwest Field
New England 28 at San Diego 27 4:15 PM W
Qualcomm Stadium
Oakland 24 at Denver 20 4:15 PM W
Invesco Field at Mile High
Minnesota 27 at Green Bay 24 8:20 PM L
Lambeau Field
MON, OCT 25 TIME (ET)

NY Giants 28 at Dallas 20 8:30 W 

Cowboys Stadium

The Browns Lose More Than Just The Game-Now What To Do?

Atlanta Falcons batter the Cleveland Browns 20-10. Quaterbacks limping, running back hobbling. Well, so much for a turn around. The Browns are back in the losing category, probably for good unless Mangini begins to change his stubborn ways and tries something inspiring. Yah, for a couple of weeks Hillis was running over 100 yards in each game and the Browns won one of those games.

Whoopty do. The Browns were still missing a passing attack. The bottom line is you cannot be successful in the NFL if you don't challenge the field vertically. The Browns need to get Joshua Cribbs more involved in the passing attack. Mangini is making the same mistakes he made last year until he woke up and began to utilize Cribbs more aggressively. The Browns play Pittsburgh this week and guess who is back, Ben Roethlisberger. How did the Browns beat the Steelers last year? Well, the weather was a little nasty for one.

Brett Favre just can't shake the one devastating mistake that has been plaguing his play these past few years. One minute he is flying high only to come crashing down the next. It is petty much heart breaking to see that happening to such a great player. Favre was unstoppable in the second half of Monday Night Football flicking touchdown passes with ease and hacking away at the Jets tenuous lead. In the closing minutes it looked like the Vikings were going to snatch victory right out the Jets hands.

Vikings ball on their own 16 with 1:48 left and down 22-20. First play Favre passes incomplete deep right to Moss. Next play defender falls down, Harvin wide open, Favre passes over Harvins outstretched arms for what could have been a huge gain and a demoralizing blow. Third down, play begins, Favre is forced to his right and sees Shiancoe open and throws the ball to him, but didn't see Lowery who was shielded by other players jump in front of Shiancoe where the pass bounced off his facemask and into his arms. How quickly the game changes. One minute celebration, the next deflation. The Vikings are down, but are they out? Dallas Cowboys are next. Stay tuned, the football follies have just begun.

Week Five NFL Picks-Who Will It Be Week

The biggest shocker of Week Four was the Colts loss to the Jaguars and the fashion in which it was accomplished. A one desparation shot at the crossbars with the game clock almost spent succeeded and Josh Scobee was running around like a crazed madman. The 59 yard field goal left the Colts with their jaws on the ground and handed them their second loss. Crucial mistakes by the Colts assisted in their downfall. The best game of the week in my opinion was the Steeler and Ravens matchup. It was head to head all the way to the end. With a few ticks left on the clock Joe Flacco found T.J. Houshmandzadeh wide open in the end zone for the winning score. The most lopsided victory of the week goes to the Patriots on Monday Night Football against Miami by the score of 41-14. This one was all defense and special teams for the Patriots. Miami looked solid until after halftime when it all unraveled.

I was 9-5 in Week Four. Decent, but still have to improve. Trying for that perfect week. This weeks game to watch is the Atlanta-Cleveland game. Can the Browns make it two in a row? Atlanta is hot and the Browns will need to be on their toes, especially Dawson, since Atlanta likes it close having played two overtime games thus far this season. I'm picking the Browns at home. The question this week involves the Detroit Lions. Can they get their first win? You can't fault them for trying because trying is what they have been doing week to week. What can go wrong does go wrong in the Lions case. This week against the Rams the Lions will have their opportunity, if some odd thing doesn't mess it up.

 

Most of the other match-ups this week are your pretty standard, run of the mill games. The only exception will be the game between the Vikings and the Jets. Randy Moss is back and Brett Favre has a big piece of the offensive puzzle completed. The Jets are on a winning streak and will be getting a piece of their offensive puzzle in place with Santonio Holmes returning. Who will have the biggest impact: Moss or Holmes? Stay tuned to Monday Night Football. It will be a good one. Oh, almost forgot the Giants and Texans game.  Run Foster run. Nothing more needs to be said.

 

SUN, OCT 10 TIME (ET)

Jacksonville 21 at Buffalo 18 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

Ralph Wilson Stadium

Tampa Bay 15 at Cincinnati 24 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L

Paul Brown Stadium

Atlanta 20 at Cleveland 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L

Cleveland Browns Stadium

St. Louis 14 at Detroit 18 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Ford Field

Kansas City 17 at Indianapolis 34 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

Lucas Oil Stadium

Green Bay 30 at Washington 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L

FedEx Field

Chicago 25 at Carolina 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Bank of America Stadium

Denver 17 at Baltimore 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

M&T Bank Stadium

NY Giants 27 at Houston 30 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L

Reliant Stadium

New Orleans 23 at Arizona 12 4:05 PM FOX Tickets L

U of Phoenix Stadium

San Diego 28 at Oakland 20 4:15 PM CBS Tickets L

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Tennessee 18 at Dallas 17 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W

Cowboys Stadium

Philadelphia 24 at San Francisco 20 8:20 PM NBC Tickets W

Candlestick Park

MON, OCT 11 TIME (ET)

Minnesota 27 at NY Jets 24 8:30 PM Tickets L

New Meadowlands Stadium

Week Three NFL Picks-Put Them On Ice.

Iced- 1. to put in ice. 2. covered with ice. 3. to freeze a field goal attempt by means of a time-out. Washington's Gano had a chill run up his spin after he found out his field goal attempt that passed through the uprights for the potential win was iced. His next attempt went wide right and the Redskins went from elation to cold hard reality in a matter of seconds, a stunning loss to Houston. Timing is everything. Another case in point. Troy Polamalu launched himself over the Titan's offensive line and landed on the Titan's quarterback all made possible by perfect timing of the count and snap. Steelers beat the Titans 19-11 and Week Two of the 2010 season is now history.

I improved my picks to 9-7 for the week. Week Three, anything can happen. Minnesta is 0-2 and desparately in need of a victory. Fortunately they are facing Detroit at home, but don't count Detroit out so easily. Brett Favre needs to chill and not press the panic button. Run, screen, run Brett. Minnesota should win. Dallas is 0-2 also. They need to press the panic button. Houston is hitting on all cylinders. Watch out if Houston's running and passing game merge. I give this one to the Texans.

Philadelphia's Andy Reid has been playing the roulette wheel in his quarterback decision concerning who he is going with, but it seems the ball has landed on Vick's number, for now. Vick had a great game against Detroit. The jury is still out on this one because that was Detroit, Jacksonville is next and after them is Washington. The Jaguars are tough at home. Garrard had a melt down with four interceptions against the Chargers. If the Jaguars establish a solid running attack they will be in it.

The Cleveland Browns play the Ravens in Baltimore. If I were to go by statistics the Ravens would be my choice. The Browns need to win or its going to be a repeat of 2009. Joshua Cribbs is going to be the difference in this one, if Mangini gets his head out of the clouds and manages the talent. Here we go Brownies, here we go. The Patriots, Colts, and San Diego should win. New Orleans has not looked impressive and Altanta could surprise them. The game to watch will be the Jets and Dolphins. It will be Miami hot and both teams will be doing some heavy sweating. Maybe they will get cooled off by an iced field goal attempt. As to who, take your pick.
 
SUN, SEP 26 TIME (ET)
Tennessee 23 at NY Giants 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
New Meadowlands Stadium
Pittsburgh 18 at Tampa Bay 17 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Raymond James Stadium
Cincinnati 24 at Carolina 18 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Bank of America Stadium
Cleveland 20 at  18 Baltimore 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
M&T Bank Stadium
Dallas 20 at Houston 28 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Reliant Stadium
San Francisco 23 at Kansas City 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Arrowhead Stadium
Detroit 15 at Minnesota 27 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Metrodome
Buffalo 17 at New England 28 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Gillette Stadium
Atlanta 23 at New Orleans 24 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Superdome
Washington 20 at St. Louis 10 4:05 PM FOX Tickets L
Edward Jones Dome
Philadelphia 27 at Jacksonville 24 4:05 PM FOX Tickets W
EverBank Field
Oakland 23 at Arizona 18 4:15 PM CBS Tickets L

U of Phoenix Stadium

San Diego 30 at Seattle 12 4:15 PM CBS Tickets L

Qwest Field

Indianapolis 34 at Denver 20 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W

Invesco Field at Mile High

NY Jets 20 at Miami 21 8:20 PM NBC Tickets L

Sun Life Stadium

MON, SEP 27 TIME (ET) 

Green Bay 27 at Chicago 24 8:30 PM Tickets L

Soldier Field

Week Two NFL Picks-Should Be Another Wild Week

Week one is in the books. Pittsburgh ran away with the ball in overtime against Atlanta. New Orleans Brees-ed passed Minnesota, but not impressively. Cincinnati's top two receivers left the house while New England brought down the house. Cleveland dropped the ball as Tampa Bay plucked it from thin air. The Colts aired it out and got drunk on Fosters. Tennessee won con-Vince-ingly over a Young Oakland. If week one is a precursor of things to come then we are in for a wild ride.

I was 7-9 for week one. What happen? Anything that can happen will happen on any given Sunday or Thursday or Monday. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Vince Young and the Titans are for real and they will have a chance to prove it again against the Steeler defense this week. Brett Favre is in flux with his receivers and should rely on the screen to Peterson as a backup until he finds his sweet spot. Cleveland is going to have to get imaginitive with their game plan against an opportunistic Kansas City if they want to start their new win streak. San Diego shouldn't play in the rain, but should be alright at home in sunny San Diego, maybe. Jacksonville's quarterback finished his first game with a rating of 138.9 and three touchdowns. Garrard could prove to be a handful for the Chargers. New Orleans at San Francisco, a no brainer. Should be a breeze for the Saints.

The one game I will have my spy eye on will be the Giants at the Colts game. Manning against Manning. It can't get much better than that. Ely had tree touchdown passes against Carolina, but also had three picks. A somewhat shacky start. But that doesn't always tell the true story, tipped balls and all. Peyton is coming off one of his most productive yardage games with 433 yards. He also threw for three touchdowns and still came up short in the points column. The Colts were in the red zone only three times with all that yardage and were 4-12 in third down efficiency. That may explain why they lost to Houston, aside from the fact that Foster ran all over their defense. Will it prove to be a shoot out or a run off? Stay tuned.

Just an added thought-I saw somewhere on the internet T.O. has an IQ of 134. They always did say there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Well, maybe genius is a stretch.

SUN, SEP 19 TIME (ET) 
Pittsburgh 18 at Tennessee 23 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
LP Field
Miami 20 at Minnesota 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Metrodome
Arizona 17 at Atlanta 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Georgia Dome
Baltimore 17 at Cincinnati 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Paul Brown Stadium
Kansas City 20 at Cleveland 21 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Cleveland Browns Stadium
Chicago 14 at Dallas 24 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Cowboys Stadium
Philadelphia 30 at Detroit 20 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Ford Field
Buffalo 15 at Green Bay 28 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Lambeau Field
Tampa Bay 17 at Carolina 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Bank of America Stadium
Seattle 22 at Denver 20 4:05 PM FOX Tickets L
Invesco Field at Mile High
St. Louis 12 at Oakland 23 4:05 PM FOX Tickets W
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Houston 28 at Washington 24 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
FedEx Field
New England 34 at NY Jets 18 4:15 PM CBS Tickets L
New Meadowlands Stadium
Jacksonville 23 at San Diego 30 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Qualcomm Stadium
NY Giants 28 at Indianapolis 35 8:20 PM NBC Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium

MON, SEP 20 TIME (ET)

New Orleans 37 at San Francisco 13 8:30 PM Tickets W
Candlestick Park

Week One NFL Picks-2010 Season Begins

The stage is now set. The play is primed to begin and the curtains are ready to go up. The opening act will set the tone for things to come and it is anticipated to be an eye-popper. The Minnesta Vikings and New Orleans Saints will step back onto the field to face off in quarter five after a long halftime.

It seems like just yesterday they collided in the NFC Championship at the Superdome. The Saints walked away victorious, but the victory was somewhat hollow because they were dominated by the Vikings through the four quarters of their match. The Vikings were plagued by their own mistakes that dogged them at every turn and finally brought them to their knees in unwilling submission. The Vikings have a score to settle and Brett Favre, haunted by that final errant pass, will be looking for redemption. It will be bruising, but the Vikings will overcome and Brett will find peace.

The first games of the regular season are tough calls because you only have the preseason to base your judgements on and there is no certainty in what you have observed. It takes a few to get a feel for how all the acquisitions, trades, and draft picks will pan out.

I am looking for the Cleveland Browns to vastly improve themselves this season. Last year they were plagued by a quarterback controversy and it took some time for Mangini to finally wake up to the versitily of Joshua Cribbs. Cleveland will be in Tampa Bay for their first game. There is talk the Buccaneers are going to win their division. Something to do with the last-place team has won the division the following season in all but one year. Good luck with that one. The Browns will egde the Bucks in the opener.

I am very interested in seeing how it all shakes out for the Bengals with Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco competing for top spot in the wide receiver spotlight in Cincinnati. Owens claims to have changed and Ochocinco is what he is. Could be alot of drama in store for Palmer and company or just maybe the acquisition will increase the strength of their deep threat. I am quite sure the cameras will be honed in on their every move.

That's my take for this week, the rest is below. I will be making my picks each week, so come back and compare your choices to mine. Looking forward to the first kickoff and the beginning of a great season of NFL football. Question: What should the wildcat offense be called in Cleveland? The answer is in one of my previous posts.
 
THU, SEP 9 TIME (ET)
Minnesota 30 at New Orleans 28 8:30 PM NBC Tickets L
Superdome
SUN, SEP 12 TIME (ET)
Carolina 17 at NY Giants 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
New Meadowlands Stadium
Atlanta 24 at Pittsburgh 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Heinz Field
Cleveland 23 at Tampa Bay 17 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Raymond James Stadium
Denver 18 at Jacksonville  20 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
EverBank Field
Indianapolis 27 at Houston 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Reliant Stadium
Miami 21 at Buffalo 15 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Detroit 21 at Chicago 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Soldier Field
Oakland 17 at Tennessee 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
LP Field
Cincinnati 27 at New England 28 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Gillette Stadium
Arizona 14 at St. Louis 16 4:15 PM FOX Tickets L
Edward Jones Dome
San Francisco 18 at Seattle 16 4:15 PM FOX Tickets L
Qwest Field
Green Bay 28 at Philadelphia 20 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W
Lincoln Financial Field
Dallas 30 at Washington 18 8:20 PM NBC Tickets L
FedEx Field
MON, SEP 13 TIME (ET)
Baltimore 18 at NY Jets 23 7:00 PM Tickets L
Travel New Meadowlands Stadium
San Diego 30 at Kansas City 24 10:15 PM Tickets L
Arrowhead Stadium

Brett Favre Will Play Another Day

I for one am glad to see Brett Farve has not retired. NFL football would not be the same. I was saddened when John Elway retired. When Elway played you were in constant anticipation that something big was going to happen and more than not it did. If Favre would have exited the game it would have been an end to an era of which Elway was a part of. An era of the quarterback's quarterback. I hope he plays until he is sixty years old.

I'm sixty-one years old and I still love to play the game. I can't run as fast as I used to, I can't throw as far as I used to, but I still enjoy the competitive chutzpah that is rapped up in a football game along with the quest to excell individually in a team environment and leaving nothing undone on the field of play. Favre can't leave with it undone.

Brett had a phenominal season in 2009-10: TDS-33, INT-7, YDS-4,202, RTG-107.2. He was having a phenominal playoff run. Against the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings dominated in every aspect. Farve was dominating. Nagging Viking mistakes kept the Saints alive. Then came the cross-field pass that ended the Vikings hopes for a Superbowl appearance and for Farve, left it undone.

Elway left the game on top, he didn't leave it undone. Farve has done everything in his illustrious career. He has proven to be durable and a winner. He is the only player to win the AP Most Valuable Player three consecutive times (1995–97). He has led teams to eight division championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2009), five NFC Championship Games (1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, and 2009), winning two (1996 and 1997), and two Super Bowl appearances, winning one (Super Bowl XXXI).

Brett holds many NFL records, including most career touchdown passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most career pass attempts, most career interceptions thrown, most consecutive starts, and most career victories as a starting quarterback.

Brett Favre will have another phenominal season, if he doesn't suffer a serious injury and the Vikings offense stays intact. Those are some big ifs. Already the Vikings are experiencing a challenge with injuries to two of Brett't primary targets. Rice out for half the season and Harvin ailing and iffy from week to week.

Whoever steps into the Vikings receiving corp under Brett's influence will become a productive receiver. The screen pass to Peterson will be an effective option this year under these circumstances as well as the tightend position, until another wide receiver becomes the happy recipient of the Favre yardage machine. My prediction is Brett Favre will not leave it undone this year, barring no out of the blue setbacks.

Indianapolis Shines-New Orleans Survives-Move on to Superbowl XLIV

The way it started out in Indy it looked like the Jets were going to make it a challenge. The Jets were making big offensive plays and pressuring Manning, but it wasn't sustained. Peyton Manning and company weathered the brief onslaught and were superb. The final blow, a high pass from Sanchez was tipped by the receiver into the awaiting arms of the Colts secondary with about a little over two minutes left. Lights out for the Jets, Colts win 30-17. In a game that was everything you expected it to be the Vikings and Saints battled it out hit for hit, point for point. Brett Favre was battered relentlessly and the Vikings offense developed slippery fingers. Despite Minnesota dominating the second half it ended in overtime with several booth reviews and a field goal by Hartley. Saints won over Vikings 31-28.

Peyton Manning picked the highly touted Jet secondary apart. He had 377 total passing yards on 26 completions out of 39 attempts. Three of those completions were for touchdowns. Garcon and Collie were Manning's primary targets and between the two they had 274 of those yards and a touchdown a piece. Dallas Clark caught a 15 yd reception for the third touchdown. Joseph Addai contributed nicely with 80 rushing yds on 16 carries. It could've been worse for the Jets with Indy in the redzone a total of six times and settling for three Matt Stover field goals in three of those redzone visits.

Mark Sanchez was a bit of a surprise in the second quarter when he hooked up with Braylon Edwards for an 80 yd touchdown. Then he connected for 9 yds to Dustin Keller and a score. The Jets coasted into half time with a 17-14 lead, but that is where it ended. Sanchez had 257 yds on 17 completions. The Jet offense was shut out in the second half by Indy's defense and their balloon was finally popped with the only pick of the day by Indy's Kelvin Hayden. Jones and Greene combined for 83 yds and did not have much of an impact on the up-for-the-challenge Indy defense. The Jets were only in the redzone one time.

Brett Favre was in the fight of his football life. He was driven into the ground, helped off the field limping, and came back time after time. He then made a costly interception in the final minute letting a opportunity to win slip by. Favre out gunned Drew Brees with 310 yds on 28 completions out of 46 attempts and one touchdown. Adrian Peterson ran for 122 yds and had three touchdowns. Their defense hung in their time after time and controlled the Saints passing attack, but after all was said and done, the 5 turnovers was the Vikings demise.

The Saints had 257 total yds on offense and still, and I say luckily, pulled it out. Drew Brees only had 197 yds on 17 completions, but made the most of those completions with three touchdowns. Pierre Thomas had 61 yds on 14 carries with one touchdown running and one receiving. Obviously, the difference was not the Saint's offense, but the ball-hawking of the their defense who forced the Vikings to put the ball on the ground five times and gathering in two interceptions.

Vikings and Saints was a wild one to say the least. One has to feel sorry for Brett Favre who took such a pounding and remained determined not to let it rattle him. Unfortunately, the interception will no doubt haunt him as he considers his future. The Jets and Colts ended the way I expected it to. Peyton Manning and company continues to steamroll over their opponents. Now it is on to Superbowl XLIV.

The NFL Conference Championships-Who Will Be Victorious

It is Conference Chamionships weekend. The final act just before the climax. The stage is set, Indianapolis and Minnesota are the backdrop. The performers are the Colts, Jets, Saints, and Vikings. It's anybody's guess who will be the scene stealer and earn the rights to advance to the big show February 7, but based on previous performances, there are some obvious choices.

The Jets have surprised everybody, at least me. In the beginning of the year you never would have guessed the Jets are where they are now. This weekend it is going to end for the Jets. They have been winning on the run game and defense. That can only last so long, especially against a powerhouse like Indy. Stuff the run and the Jets are done. If they have to rely on the arm of Mark Sanchez alone, lights out in New York. Past teams have won strictly on defense, but Peyton Manning and company will find a way to cross the goal line.

The Colts are my choice in the American Football Conference Championship. They are playing at home and have an offense that scores at will. Peyton Manning is at the top of his game with a powerful arsenal at his disposal. The Jets challenge will be to disrupt Manning and force him out of the pocket and then, find a way to cover the Colt's receivers. Throw Joseph Addai into the mix and it's game over. The Colts have a defense that can handle what the Jets may throw at them.

The Saints in the Superdome, home crowd noise, explosive offense, and a strong defense makes for a formidable foe. Another offense who can score at will. Drew Brees will shred a defense to pieces and his receivers can go up for the ball and snatch it out of the air better than any other receiving core. The Saints also have a strong running game in Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas and an aggressive defense proficient at frustrating an offense. They seem to have ascended out of their slump and are ready to take on their opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings definately are not a push over and can match point for point when it becomes necessary. After the Dallas game, it has become obvious they will show no mercy. Brett Favre is pumped up and playing like a man half his age equipped with the many years experience he has acquired over his long career. Favre has the perfect complement in Adrian Peterson who runs like a mad man and is a threat to bust loose at any given moment.

The Vikings and Saints are a perfect match for opponents. It couldn't have been scripted any better. A game with high expectations on being both entertaining and that edge-of-your-seat potential. The Indianapolis and New York game is a wait and see what happens. Indianapolis has the playoff experience and the home crowd to rile them up. The Jets are playing with an attitude. They're the little dog who doesn't know he is little and that is dangerous. Are you ready? Bring it on.

SUN, JAN 24 TIME (ET)
NY Jets 15 at Indianapolis 27 3:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium
Minnesota 28 at New Orleans 30 6:40 PM FOX Tickets W
Superdome

Vikings and Jets Move on to the Championships

Brett Favre proved you are only as old as you feel and right now he's got to be feeling pretty youthful. Favre threw four touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings destroyed the Dallas Cowboys 34-3. The Viking defense took the ball away and the offense put it away. Near the end of the game the Cowboys were incensed about the Vikings running up the score. The whole idea of playing is to score when you have the ball and that is what the Vikings did, they played the game. The game is played for 60 minutes and you give it all you got until the final second. Someone give the Cowboys a "Tearable Towel".

Brett Favre was magnificent and played one of his best games of the year. He didn't rack up the yards, he didn't need to because the defense gave him great field position and he was pinpoint perfect in taking advantage of it. Sidney Rice was Favre's prime target and had a career day scoring three touchdowns with a total of 141 yds. Adrian Peterson had 63 yds on 26 carries.

No mercy was shown. The Vikings defense ripped the offensive line of Dallas apart and frustrated Tony Romo. They forced Romo to fumble two times and picked off one of his passes. The defense also had six sacks and ten quarterback hits. Romo was only permitted 198 yds total and the running attack of Dallas was controlled.

A somewhat uneventful game between the Jets and the Chargers ended with the Jets winning by the score of 17-14. The backbreaker for the Chargers was Shonn Greene's 53 yd run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Nate Kaeding shot them in the foot missing three field goal attempts. The Chargers just could not excecute in a game they should have won. What topped the game off was the decision by Turner to onside kick when there was enough time left to stop the Jets and force a punt in their own half of the field if the Chargers had kicked it down field. You can't say with certainty what might have happened, but it would have been the smarter thing to do.

NY Jets play Indianapolis for the American Football Conference Championship. Minnesota will be playing New Orleans for the National Football Conference Championship. One more weekend of Conference Championships and the Superbowl will be set with its opponents identified.

Saints and Colts Move on to the Championships

Mad Louisiana Superdome, two teams enter, one team moves on. The New Orleans Saints move on in the playoffs after dismantling the Arizona Cardinals both offensively and defensively. Ater Hightower took the first play of the first series 70 yds for a touchdown, the Saints answered with a touchdown of their own, and there was no looking back. The Cardinals were looking at the backs of the Saints runners and receivers as they crossed the goal line. The final score was Saints over the Cardinals 45-14.

Where do you begin with the Saints. It was a full team effort. No one player stood out statistically. If you were to pick out the player of the game, it would be Reggie Bush. Bush put out an outstanding rushing effort with 84 yds on 5 carries and a touchdown, but it was his 83 yd punt return for a touchdown that made him the standout player of the game. Drew Brees did not rack up the yardage as he usually does in the passing department, but he was very efficient with the 247 yds he spread around the field to his various receivers. Colston, Henderson, and Shockey were all recipients of Brees passes for touchdowns.

The Saints defense shut down the could-have-been potent Cardinal offense as they harassed Kurt Warner and  stifled the running game after the Hightower run. The defense only had one sack and three quarterback hits, but with superb pass coverage, they disrupted Warner and his receivers enough to keep them off balance.

Indianapolis defeated Baltimore 20-3 in the night game. There were no real individual standouts in this game. Peyton Manning had 246 yards on 30 completions out of 44 attempts and two touchdowns. Manning spread his passes among seven different receivers. Joseph Addai had only 23 yds on 11 carries. Wayne and Collie each had a touchdown off Peyton passes. A fairly decent effort for the Colt offense.

The Colts defense kept the Ravens offense in check. Joe Flacco had only 189 yds on 23 completions and was picked off two times by the Colts secondary. Ray Rice had 67 yds on 13 carries and 60 yds on 9 receptions, but was unable to cross the goal line. The Colts defense shut out the Ravens in two red zone attempts and went away with one field goal for their efforts.

Saints and Colts move on to the next level in the Playoffs and it looks like the road to the Superbowl is running through New Orleans and Indianapolis at this point. We will see what happens today in the Dallas at Minnesota and NY Jets at San Diego games. I am not yet fully convinced Dallas has what it takes to get past the Vikings and San Diego has to get over the mountain of falling short in the Playoffs after they beat the Jets, who have not matured enough for this level of play

Picture: No doubt that Reggie Wayne crossed the plain of the goal line.

Week 8 NFL Picks

Week 7 I was 7 for 6. Ouch again. This week isn't going to be any easier considering the teams that are playing each other. The games could go either way. For example, Houston at Buffalo. Although I would give the edge to Houston, Buffalo could surprise. The only pick I am comfortable with is the 49ers and the Colts, the Colts the obvious choice. Jacksonville is another easy choice over Tennessee. You would think New Orleans is an easy pick, but Atlanta can be a formidable opponent. New Orleans is at home, so I will take them. The crowd will be pumped up. Minnesota will be the game to watch. It will be a strongly contested game and I am taking Minnesota. Miami at NY Jets is another game to zero in on. If the last game was an indication of what to expect in this game, it will be a good one to watch. What about Cleveland at Chicago? Will Mangini come up with a winning game plan? A good game plan would be to use Joshua Cribbs more in the offense. The rest of the games are up for grabs. The spoils will go to the victors.

SUN, NOV 1 TIME (ET)
Houston 21 at Buffalo 20-1:00 PM Tickets W
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Cleveland 18 at Chicago 24-1:00 PM Tickets W
Soldier Field
Seattle 20 at Dallas  23-1:00 PM Tickets W
Cowboys Stadium
St. Louis 24 at Detroit 27-1:00 PM Tickets L
Ford Field
Denver 20 at Baltimore 24-1:00 PM Tickets W
M&T Bank Stadium
San Francisco 12 at Indianapolis 38-1:00 PM Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium
Miami 24 at NY Jets 21-1:00 PM Tickets W
Giants Stadium
NY Giants 28 at Philadelphia 24-1:00 PM Tickets L
Lincoln Financial Field
Jacksonville 27 at Tennessee 15-4:05 PM Tickets L
LP Field
Oakland 18 at San Diego 30-4:05 PM Tickets W
Qualcomm Stadium
Carolina 18 at Arizona 34-4:15 PM Tickets L
U of Phoenix Stadium
Minnesota 28 at Green Bay 21-4:15 PM Tickets W
Lambeau Field
MON, NOV 2 TIME (ET)
Atlanta 23 at New Orleans 34-8:30 PM Tickets W
Superdome

Week 7 NFL Picks

Week 6 I was 6-8. Ouch! What a Sunday it was with New England's drudging of the Titan's, who looked like they did not want to play in the snow, but only wanted to run to the heaters on their sideline. New England shouldn't have any problems with Tampa Bay this Sunday. Could it be another record day for Brady and company? Indianapolis will handle the Rams easily. Cincinnati's winning ways came to an end and this week Chicago will edge them out. Carolina should win at home against Buffalo. Minnesota and Pittsburgh will be the game to watch. A good match up and hard to say who will dominate. It will be an offensive battle with the Vikings winning it. New Orleans has been on fire with Brees. Miami just might surprise the Saints at home. The Eagles and the Redskins, it all depends on who commits the least turnovers. Cleveland and Greenbay, are there any doubts about the outcome? The rest of the games are a crap shoot and anything can happen judging by previous weeks.

SUN, OCT 25
1:00 PM ET
Green Bay 34 at Cleveland 21 Tickets W
1:00 PM ET
San Diego 28 at Kansas City 15 Tickets W
1:00 PM ET
Indianapolis 35 at St. Louis 14 Tickets W
1:00 PM ET
Minnesota 27 at Pittsburgh 24 Tickets L
1:00 PM ET
New England 42 at Tampa Bay 18 Tickets W
1:00 PM ET
San Francisco 27 at Houston 21 Tickets W
4:05 PM ET
Buffalo 17 at Carolina 24 Tickets L
4:05 PM ET
NY Jets 30 at Oakland 21 Tickets W
4:15 PM ET
Atlanta 24 at Dallas 23 Tickets L
4:15 PM ET
Chicago 27 at Cincinnati 24 Tickets L
4:15 PM ET
New Orleans 20 at Miami 24 Tickets L
8:20 PM ET
Arizona 21 at NY Giants 27 Tickets L
MON, OCT 26
8:30 PM ET
Philadelphia 24 at Washington 18 Tickets W

Browns Syndrome Maintains Its Grip, Lose to the Vikings 34-20

Money makes the world go round, world go round. Joshua Cribbs this past week was threatening to sit out the regular season games until he got a contract agreement. Thank goodness he didn't. He was the only bright spot in what otherwise was a dismal beginning to the season for the Cleveland Browns. Cribbs had a total of 207 yards of punt and kick returns highlighted by a 67 yard punt return for a touchdown. There was one minor mishap, but it was recovered. Negotiations I think will be tipped in his favor by that performance.

The dark spot was a running back by the name of Adrian Peterson. The Browns defense just couldn't contain him. He compiled 180 yards on 25 carries with 3 touchdowns. His longest was 64 yards for a touchdown. Fantasy players just had to love that performance. Jamal Lewis by comparison had 57 yards on 11 carries and 3 receptions amounting to 47 yards.

All the hipe during the week leading up to the game was about Brett Favre and Brady Quinn. Quinn involved in a quarterback hullabaloo and Favre for just being Favre. Favre had a somewhat mediocre showing, but when you have a running back like Peterson behind you it is easily overlooked. Favre could only manage 110 yards on 14 completions out of 24 attempts with one touchdown. On the other hand, Quinn faired alittle better. He had 205 yards on 21 completions out of 35 attempts. Quinn finally managed a 26 yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal with 28 seconds left. Whether-or-not that was enough to quiet the controversy, time will tell.

At least, for one half of the game, things looked good for the Browns, but then the second half began and the bottom fell out. Browns fans can take solice from the fact that it is the first game, there are 15 more yet to be played. From where they are right now, the bottom, the team can only go up. If they can take anything of value out of their performance today they now know where they need to improve or maybe they already did and just don't know how to fix it. Just an added note, things got pretty ugly in the Dawg Pound. Browns syndrome maintains its grip. Is there a cure in the near future?