Football Picks

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

We usually post our NFL picks for the week on Saturday - if you are one of the regular readers, you know the drill. The spreads are locked on Wednesday and the pool is weighted. We had a tough week last week (stinking Saints) but we'll rebound this week.

16) INDIANAPOLIS -14.5 over Kansas City - the Colts get Marvin Harrison back this week; that is the last thing the Chiefs need, considering they'll be facing an embarrassed Peyton Manning who will be looking to atone for last Sunday night's awful performance. Chiefs have issues everywhere and are turning to Brodie Croyle to start at QB. This one could, and probably will get ugly.

15) Oakland +5.5 over MINNESOTA - this should not be interpreted as having any faith in Daunte Culpepper - it has everything to do with the fact that we don't believe the Vikings can generate enough offence to cover without Adrian Peterson. Oakland has kept themselves in a number of games this year against teams with much better offensive units.

14) St. Louis -2.5 over SAN FRANCISCO - the Rams finally won - much to our chagrin; but what you need to know about this one is that Steven Jackson of the Rams has had huge games against the 49ers; if that isn't enough for you, Trent Dilfer is starting for San Fran.

13) Cleveland -2.5 over BALTIMORE - the Browns have too much offence for the Ravens, they have proven they can score points against anyone; all the Ravens have proven is that they can't score. They'll be calling for McNair's head in Baltimore on Monday morning.

12) Tampa Bay -3.5 over ATLANTA - Bucs coming off a bye week and their defence should be well rested and ready to get after Happy Feet Harrington. Look for Joey Galloway to be a factor on Sunday.

11) Pittsburgh -9.5 over NY JETS - the Steelers usually beat the crap out of bad teams (as long as they are in an Eastern time zone), expect them to pound the Jets after surviving a scare against the Browns - they're thinking about bye on Wild Card Weekend. The Jets won't put up much of a fight.

10) DALLAS -10.5 over Washington - the Skins have won three of their last four against Dallas, but they SHOULD be 1-3. Romo and the Cowboys are feeling it right now so they'll get their points against the Skins. The Boys will bring Roy Williams up into the box and dare Jason Campbell to beat them - not likely.

09) New England -15.5 over BUFFALO - Bills will be without Marshawn Lynch against a rested Patriots team - do you think J.P. Losman can lead the Bills to 14 points? They're going to need at least that much to cover against the Pats. Didn't think so.

08) PHILADELPHIA -9.5 over Miami - you know how McNabb plays against lousy teams, he'll look like a Pro-Bowler again on Sunday against the Dolphins. The Eagles play the run tough - so they'll neutralize Miami's run game and make the Dolphins beat them through the air with rookie John Beck at the helm...again, don't think so.

07) GREEN BAY -9.5 over Carolina - the Panthers haven't lost on the road this year, that all changes on Sunday at Lambeau. We still don't think the Pack is all that - but their defence has more than enough to keep Testaverde and Smith in check and you know Favre and the Packers will be good for 24 points or more.

06) JACKSONVILLE -2.5 over San Diego - the Chargers were lucky to beat an under-manned Colts team last Sunday night; they'll find things considerably tougher against the Jags. Don't forget, the Chargers are crossing three time zones to play this game. The Jags offence should be able to move the ball with David Garrard back at QB.

05) Tennessee +2.5 over DENVER - Titans D should be able to pressure Jay Cutler into making a few mistakes and their offence should be able to move the ball a little against a suspect Broncos D. We like Vince Young and LenDale White on Monday night.

04) Arizona -3.5 CINCINNATI - the Bengals finally showed up last week, but we like the Cardinals to keep this one close with their balanced offence being able to move the ball on that awful Bengals D. This one stinks of a backdoor cover.

03) DETROIT +2.5 over NY Giants - like we said on Thursday, the Giants are the worst 6-3 team in the league. The experts are pointing to Detroit's lack of a running game as the deciding factor - obviously they forgot what Tony Romo did through the air. Count on Mike Martz to find a way to exploit a suspect Giants secondary.

02) HOUSTON +1.5 over New Orleans - still hating the Saints. Seriously though, it looks like Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub are back for the Texans - unfortunately for New Orleans the same can be said for CB Jason David. Johnson will have a huge day against Jason David - like every other wide out has this year.

01) Chicago +5.5 over SEATTLE - we believe in the Monday night hangover. The Bears should be able to generate enough offence against a so-so Seahawks D - the Seahawks aren't the toughest bunch on offence, so expect them to fold if the Bears get physical.

More football - you guessed it, Euro 2008 Qualifiers go today with Portugal hosting Armenia. Portugal needs a win and a tie in their last two home games (Wednesday against Finland) to guarantee their spot. We expect Ronaldo to be his usual dominant self - so we're looking for Ricardo Quaresma and Hugo Almeida to have big games; it would be nice if Deco finally showed up at some point. We shouldn't have to say it, but - we're looking for Hazel Karma this afternoon (ya, we know Hazel doesn't do "World Football", but there's no harm in asking).

Speaking of Hazel Karma, we can really use it tonight - the Maple Leafs hope to end their three game losing streak when they host the SenaTards. The speculation is that Vesa Toskala will be back between the pipes tonight - unfortunately for Leaf Nation, Bryan McCabe will be playing. We're looking for the recently united line of Sundin-Antropov-Ponikarovsky to have a big game tonight at the ACC. We're pretty sure Hazel will send those good vibes back home to the boys in blue and white.


FRIDAY'S THREE STARS
NY Islanders G Rick DiPietro made 26 saves in a 1-0 win over the Devils - we like anyone who beats the Devils.

Tampa Bay Lightning C Vincent Lecavalier had a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over Washington. Forget Crosby, Vinny is the best player in the NHL right now.

Dallas Stars LW Jussi Jokinen had FOUR goals, including a hat-trick in the second period, in a 6-1 win over Colorado last night.


SATURDAY THREE PLAY
We had a tough night last night, going 1-2 and taking a hit $225 hit on the total, which now stands at + $75 for the week; we'll get it back tonight. Tonight's suggestions:

LA Kings over Phoenix - Kings are up and coming, Coyotes aren't there yet and won't be for a while. Lay $100 on the Kings - $180.

NY Rangers over Pittsburgh - the Rangers have things figured out in their own end, the Pens do not. Look for the Rangers to counter attack all night and win. Lay $100 on the Rangers - $105.

Carolina over Florida - the Canes have been screwing us lately...but we're have faith they'll get it done tonight against Florida. Lay $100 on Carolina - $185.

We might post a couple more before the action starts tonight. That's it for this afternoon, thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!