NFL Picks

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

We don't have much to say today - still pissed at the Red Sox for Wednesday night's disaster; bad day in Europe for Portuguese teams playing in UEFA Cup Round of 32, and the Maple Leafs lost last night and everyone is focusing on Vesa Toskala's less that stellar performance - the first week of NHL Exhibitions games.

So, while we wait for Tilt to get off his lazy ass and post Friday's Fox - we'll try to keep you entertained with this week's NFL Picks. We were 7-9 last week, a forgettable week both in terms of winning percentage and points accumulated - the record for the season is 17-15. We'll get things back on track this week.

AGAINST THE SPREAD

16) San Diego -4.5 over GREEN BAY - the Chargers must be licking their chops after tough games against Chicago and New England, they'll be looking to put last week's humiliation behind them. Green Bay is 2-0, but its a bit suspect after having beaten the sad-sack Giants and the Eagles - they'll find things much tougher this week. San Diego's LaDanian Tomlinson comes up big on Sunday.

15) WASHINGTON -4.5 over NY Giants - the Redskins aren't going to be as bad as everyone had thought, the Giants look like they are going to be worse than people thought - they've quit on Coughlan. The Redskins defense should hold the Giants on Sunday and the offense will be giving the boys in blue a healthy dose of Clinton Portis on the ground and Santana Moss off play action. Forget the division match-up stuff - Redskins win this one by at least 7.

14) PITTSBURGH -9.5 over San Francisco - the 49ers are counterfeit, they were very lucky to win both games and should probably be 0-2 right now. They'll face a much more balanced team in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Roethlisberger will take some shots down the field off play action and should exploit the 49ers D. Alex Smith blows this game in the first half - no back door cover this week.

13) Dallas +3.5 over CHICAGO - upset special, and not just because we love the Boys. Dallas has enough offense to score some points on Chicago's defense; and while Grossman might complete a few passes against a suspect Dallas secondary, he can be counted on to turn the ball over a couple of times at least - it will be the difference in a close game. Dallas wins and goes 3-0.

12) Indianapolis -6.5 over Houston - the Texans are getting a lot of love for their 2-0 start and they deserve it; but they'll miss WR Andre Johnson. Expect the Colts to put a lot of pressure on Matt Schaub - something he really hasn't had to deal with yet this year. The Colts still have too much on offense for the Texans, who beat the likes of the one dimensional Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers. Indy blows the Texans out this week - leaving only one 3-0 team in the great state of Texas.

11) NEW ENGLAND -16.5 over Buffalo - J.P Losman vs Tom Brady - who would you take? The Bills are having trouble scoring, which doesn't bode well for them on Sunday. The Bills defense might keep it close in the first half - but New England will win time of possession battle and wear them down in the second. We aren't expecting Brady and the Patriots to let up anytime soon - not with videogate controversy still being talked about - they're on a mission to punish everyone.

10) Arizona +8.5 over BALTIMORE - the Cards defense is good enough to keep this one close against an anemic Ravens offense. We like the Cards to get a few big plays from their wideouts and a touchdown or two from James. This one looks like a field goal game.

09) Carolina -4.5 over ATLANTA - "Happy Feet" Harrington's last game as the starter - you might expect him to have a good game, but we don't. The Panthers will be looking to put last week's loss to Houston behind them - so they won't be taking the Falcons lightly. Delhomme should have a good day against the Falcons - Steve Smith will be Steve Smith.

08) OAKLAND -2.5 over Cleveland - the Raiders are actually better than we thought they would be - they gave the Broncos a damn good game. The Browns will find it a bit tougher to score against Oakland's D this week. The Raiders will find things much easier against a bad Browns D. Raiders win their first off the season - hopefully WITHOUT Culpepper seeing the field.

07) Miami +3.5 over NY JETS - the Jets have owned Miami lately - but the Dolphins have a legit QB in Trent Green so the Jets won't be able to put eight in the box to stuff Miami's running game. Trent Green should be able to hit enough passes to open things up for Ronnie Brown and allow the Dolphins to play field position and control the clock. Pennington is going to play - but he won't have much success against a good Dolphins D.

06) DENVER -3.5 over Jacksonville - normally we'd love this line against a Jaguars team that has trouble scoring - but until the Broncos get their offense untracked, we are going to be careful about laying too many points on the Broncos - both against the spread and in terms of weighting in the pool. Broncos should win by 7, but...

05) Detroit +6.5 over PHILADELPHIA - Tom Brady responds to controversy and pressure with big games - Donovan McNabb responds by vomiting and making excuses. The Eagles secondary can be exploited, which means the Lions should score some points - enough to keep this one close. McNabb takes some pressure off himself with a win on Sunday, but it won't be a blowout.

04) Tennessee +4.5 over NEW ORLEANS - seems like everyone is talking about the Saints finally breaking out - we'll see it when we believe it. The Titans defense will keep them in this one, and if they don't the Saints D will give up enough big plays to keep it close. Saints will win, but not by much.

03) KANSAS CITY -2.5 over Minnesota - the Hazel rule still applies, the Chiefs get no free passes here - but we like them this week at Arrowhead against a Vikings team that has trouble moving the ball. Chiefs pound Larry Johnson all afternoon and wear down the Vikes.

02) St. Louis +3.5 over TAMPA BAY - the Rams should lose this game, which means that Bulger is likely to come up with a big game and pull one out and surprise everyone. Who knows? We aren't trusting either team this week.

01) Cincinnati + 3.5 over Seattle - after last week's performance against the Browns, we aren't trusting the Bengals to beat anyone. On the other hand, we aren't trusting Seattle either. This one should be a shootout and come down to a field goal.

That's it - we like our picks this week.


FRIDAY THREE PLAY
A brutal night yesterday - with our picks all blowing leads late in the game...call it a Red Sox hangover. Total for the week stands at + $125. Today's suggestions:

New York over Florida - Pedro will put things right after yesterday's collapse. Florida sends Scott Olsen to the mound so you know the Mets will score early and often. Lay $100 on the Mets - $170.

San Diego over Colorado - Jake Peavy goes tonight and he's been money at Petco Park. No further explanation needed. Lay $100 on the Padres - $200.

New York over Toronto - sorry Red Sox Nation, the Jays won't be much help this weekend. No Glaus, no Overbay, no Wells - the Jays are fielding a Triple A lineup. Chien Ming Wang keeps the Jays in check. Roy Halladay won't get enough offense to get a win tonight. Lay $100 on the Yankees - $175.

We aren't going to trust Boston tonight - even with Beckett on the mound.

That's it for today gang, thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

Before signing off - a shout out to a friend of the blog who has been noticeably quiet, you know who you are. If you are reading the page today download this song - remember, no questions, no explanations and never any judgments - still got your back. Take care of yourself.

Poster of a Girl - Metric

Can't stand by myself
Hate to sleep alone
Surprises always help
So I take somebody home
To find out how I feel
Feel like just a baby
Portrait of a lady
Poster of a girl

Satisfy myself
Avoid beginners
Who long to shut my mouth
Till I take one of them home
'Cause I know how it feels
Filling in the blanks
Looking on the bright side
When there is no bright side
Coming in your pants
For the off chance
With a poster of a girl

We're Out!