NFL Picks

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

NFL Thursday means you have to plow through your picks early in the week, with little if any opportunities to change your mind - in our case, Thursday games have resulted in some pretty good weeks for us. A tough week with a number of big favourites and a huge one - New England. Those of you who check in regularly know that it is a weighted pool. This week's NFL Picks - they're solid.

16) NEW ORLEANS -3.5 over Arizona - Cardinals have injury issues, while the Saints look like they've gotten their collective act together; perhaps a case of too little, too late. We like the Saints offence to move the ball against Arizona who are traveling a pretty fair distance for the second week in a row.

15) TAMPA BAY -10.5 over Atlanta - the Falcons are a mess right now and looking to secure the number 2 pick in the draft. The Bucs D should be able to hold Atlanta to less than 10 points - the offence, with Garcia coming back, should be good for at least 20.

14) Tennessee -3.5 over KANSAS CITY - the Titans blew a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter last week against the Chargers, expect them to take it out on the Chiefs this weekend. We can't see the Chiefs moving the ball against the Titans.

13) Cincinnati -8.5 over SAN FRANCISCO - the 49ers are so desperate they signed Chris Weinke, they are going nowhere. Cincinnati's D should look like champs this week against a porous 49ers offence - look for Carson Palmer to have his best game of the season against the 49ers this week.

12) Seattle -7.5 over CAROLINA - the Seahawks are impressing a lot of the so-called experts with this late season surge - we still think they're counterfeit, but they have more than enough to pound the Panthers, who want to forget this season ever started. For the record, we think Matt Hasselbeck is the white Donovan McNabb - he looks like a champ against bad teams, he disappears and melts down in big games - so we aren't putting too much stock in the donkey's recent performances.

11) SAN DIEGO -10.5 over Detroit - forget what the Lions did against Dallas, they always play the Cowboys tough. The Lions are traveling, which they don't handle very well, and they are going up against a defence that will be in Kitna's face all day. L.T. scores four times on Sunday against the Lions.

10) CLEVELAND -5.5 over Buffalo - the Bills are thought to be a team on the rise - maybe; but we'll put our faith in the Browns who have shown they can score points against almost anyone. The Bills aren't a playoff team, period.

09) Baltimore -3.5 over Miami - here's hoping you won't have to watch this game. Baltimore will be looking to salvage a little bit of pride this season after having lost to the Patriots and the Colts - who better to do that against than the Dolphins?

08) Indianapolis -10.5 over OAKLAND - can't see Manning and the Colts letting up against the Raiders. That's all we've got on this one - a gut feeling.

07) DALLAS -10.5 over Philadelphia - no explanation needed, our only concern here is that the Chunky Soup lovin' mama's boy leads his team to a back door cover.

06) Jacksonville +3.5 over PITTSBURGH - what have we said about the Steelers all season long - all together now...THEY'RE COUNTERFEIT. The Jags have more than enough on D to handle the Steelers - they can cover man to man and have a safety cheating against the run. Jags QB David Garrard has shown that he is a legitimate threat in the pocket, which should loosen things up for the running game.

05) NY GIANTS -5.5 over Washington - the only concern here is that the Skins have had 10 days to prepare for this one; we still think the Giants cover here, but we aren't going to trust Eli Manning with any more than a 5 point pick.

04) HOUSTON +1.5 over Denver - too late to explain, but if you've been here before, you know how we feel about Shanahan.

03) NEW ENGLAND -24.5 over NY Jets - our favourite Puerto Rican Boricua says it snowed like crazy yesterday in Boston - could weather be a factor on Sunday? We aren't going to take too big of a chance laying 24.5 points.

02) Chicago +9.5 over MINNESOTA - still not believing in the Vikes...not enough to lay 9.5 points on a Monday night game. Devin Hester could keep this game close with a few great returns.

01) St. Louis +9.5 over Green Bay - we're banking on Bulger playing and keeping this one close - if he doesn't play, all bets are off. That's why we're only laying 1 point. 1 point picks = YUCK.

That's it for tonight gang - as we type this, the Texans are beating the Broncos by a score of 17-6...told ya! - thanks for taking the time to check in.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!