FOORTBALL WEEKEND

 

Don't you just love this weekend? The leaves are starting to change here in New England and fall is in the air. College football is in full swing, and count us as BIG Colorado fans and Coach Dion Sanders who has his Buffs up 20-7 in the 3rd quarter as we write this.  Didn't FSU have a chance to make him a coach? They blew it. 

We will get our yearly picks up by Sunday, for now let's just say your Detroit Lions r-like-fer rea-lol  (may be the very first time we have used LOL on this blog). 

NO ONE got the 41 total for Thursday's night's game (Lions beat the Chiefs 21-20) and some long-time players LOST in week one, including former champion Clayton Kaeiser, which goes to show you the Survivor Pool game is deceptively hard. 

Enjoy your sticky Miami weekend while we hike cool New England mountains, sip Chowdah and steam some lobsters and steamer clams (which are our fav). 

NFL Week One Tomorrow and we are downright giddy. 

NFL SUNDAY

Both of todays games are like low hanging fruit on a tree.
Take both home teams and give the points. Simple as that.
Take the Indy/Charger over 47.

2-0 yesterday on lines. Green Bay after a shaky start was the pick of the weekend. The Cheaters couldn't cover so our Jax pick paid off. One loss on the under in NE if you ignored our warnings that it was a weak pick.

No weak picks today.

Colts -8 and Dallas -7.5 are the way to go.

Over in the Colts game, stay away from the total in the Dallas game.

And don't forget to scroll back and read our post from last night about the Federal gag order. Good stuff.

See You Tomorrow, flush with flow.

NFL SATURDAY

Green Bay hosts the Seahawks today in the early game while the Jaguars travel to New England to play the 135-0 Cheaters.

Both lines have moved since the opening and that merits discussion.

The Packer/Seahawk game opened at GB-8.5 and it is now GB-7.5. Traditionally you see this occur in the second round of the playoffs when the winning wild card team, that played the following week, picks up support from the fans who watched them win, as opposed to the division winner (Green Bay) that was off.

Give the points here. This is our best bet of the week. The Packers -7.5 all the way. There may be some questions about this Green Bay team. They have to prove they have a legitimate running game and can beat Dallas which handled them pretty well earlier in the season. But for today they play a Seattle team that has just never clicked on all cylinders all season.
The over under is 40 and we say stay away. This game could be a 35-20 rout, or a 27-10 rout. Farve will show up- of that we have no doubt. But we can't say the same for the Seahawk defense.


The Cheaters/Jaguars line has also moved, but the other way. The Cheaters opened as 11 point favorites, and the line has moved to -13.5 as the public hops on the undefeated bandwagon.
The over/under line has also moved from 48 to 50. We think the play here is under 50. Defense has a way of asserting itself in playoff games in January in the north east. Don't think for one second that the Cheaters don't have a running game. They do. And while they're far from conservative, we think if they get a 10 point lead they just may try and sit on it.

The question is whether Jax can take a play from the Ravens and to a lesser extent the Colts and turn this game into a one or two fourth quarter possession game. We think they can. Jacksonville is well coached and they have a plan and they do a pretty go job dictating the flow of the game. Take the 13.5 points but lightly. And if you really want to have fun, the you can get 6-1 on your money by taking Jax without your points.

We will have more to say on this tomorrow, but early on we like Dallas and the Colts.

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

WILDCARD WEEKEND- where anything can happen, like first appearances North Of the Border, but more fun.

Washington at Seattle. In spite of our legion of Redskin fans who count on us to post on their blog about the Sean Taylor case (you should see the emails I get from female Skins fans-lots of skin to say the least) I must disappoint them and say the Seahawks -4 is the lock of the day. And if you look hard, you can get it at -3. We admire the Skins scrappy play and toughness, and lord knows that they have an emotional issue to play for. But these Hawks are two years removed from the Super Bowl. They have many of the same players and they have picked up their play in the last few weeks. Seahawks -4, over 39.

Jax at Pittsburgh. We looked up this stat: In 75 years, and during many of them they were the worst team in the NFL, the Steelers have never lost twice in one season to the same team at home. The Jags have the chance tonight to be first. The Jags are favourites by 2.5 to 3 and you can make a good case that when the Jags went into Pittsburgh a few weeks ago and beat the Steelers at their own game- running in the snow, that was no fluke. But the game was closer than it looked, and the real question here is how bad is the Steeler offensive front line? They are down to a third string left tackle against a premier defense. However, Steeler QB Roethlisberger has been in the playoffs three of his first four years and he is the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl. On the other side, the Jags QB is making his first playoff start, in Pittsburgh no less.

We haven’t been able to pick a Steeler game right all year, so our advice is to leave the game alone. However, a fun play that you can make a case for is the money line- Steelers +130. Bet a hundred, win 130, no point spread. Or, a traditional analysis says that with a beaten up offensive line, no way the Steelers can win this game. However, they have a very good defense, and Roethlisberger can make plays, so we may just risk the 100 to win 130, but go light.

The NY Giants rumble into Tampa tomorrow with a lot on the line. A “one and out in the playoffs” probably means the end of the line for coach Coughlin, not to mention Eli Manning. The team came together nicely at the end of the season and gave the Cheaters all they could handle. They are getting three points from a Tampa team that quietly moved through the season without making much noise. The Bucs did a good job this year and they are on the right track. But the Giants D has roared at times this year, and we like their running game. Giants +3 on the road to win. Because we like the Giants to win, we also suggest you forgo the points and lay 100 to win 130. The Giants money line +130.

Tennessee at San Diego. Ah, San Diego and QB Rivers. Out favourite early season punching back. We loaded up against them early and that made it a very profitable season for us indeed. However, there is a thought that the Chargers just needed some more time to pick up and execute Norv Turner’s new offense. And there may be some truth to that. On the other side, Coach Fisher is our pick for coach of the year for the second year in a row. He is good. He is smart. And he teaches his players to find a way to win. The problem is that his star QB Vince Young is limping. And his team just doesn’t have the guns to run with these lightening bolts just yet. This year you can file the Titans under the category “Just happy to be here.” Although we will be rooting otherwise, no upset in the making here. Go ahead and lay the 10 points if you’re a Charger fan. The over 39 seems like a better play. And watch these Titans. Because with a few good draft picks in the Offensive line and linebackers, they may just start going deep into the playoffs.



Of note in the Titans/Chargers game is that the outcome determines who plays the Cheaters next week. If the Chargers win, then the Steelers/Jags winner goes to the land of secret videotapes and coaches who cheat in grey hoodies. If the Titans manage an upset, then the Steelers/Jags play the Colts and the Titans earn a trip to 16-0 land.

By the way, lets just get it on the record right now.

The MVP of this year’s Super Bowl, just happens to be the famous winning quarter back of this year’s Super Bowl. Yup, we are talking about the obvious here:


Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.
GO PACK.

Coming up: on the blog next week: after a month of vacations, short weeks, and days off, what do the Judges of Florida do? Schedule a Judicial seminar of course. And Rumpole gives you a sneak peek at some of the topics.

NFL WEEK 15

The marquee match up today pits two teams riding winning streaks. Each team brings its own unique brand of high powered offense with stingy defenses creating an overall complete football team.

Yes, today our Miami Dolphins, riding a winning streak, rumble into Bahstan to take on the New England Cheaters. The Cheaters are once again 22 point favorites. Take the Fins -22 and watch the under 44 if the weather is bad in NE.

We like the Over 40 in the Redskin/Viking match up indoors in Minnesota. The Vikes are also worth a look at -6.5

The Cleveland Browns, who still could win their division if the Steelers lose and they win next week, roll into Cincinnati today to face the hapless Bungles. The Over 43 looks very nice here.

The Packers are 9 Point "Favreorites" on the road in Chicago against Da Bears. We like the 9, but our play is the money line. +320 Da Bears. Lay a hundred, if the Da Bears win outright, collect enough for a a few IPODS this Xmas Eve.

And finally, a rare Monday Night Football pick for us. The Denver Broncos go to San Diego to play the resurgent Chargers on a Christmas Eve edition of MNF. We like the over 47.

DOLPHINS WIN!!!!

BREAKING BLOG NEWS!!!
DOLPHINS WIN

It was 3rd and 8, with 8:30 remaining in overtime as Cleo Lemon coolly stepped to the line and surveyed the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense lined up before him.

Earlier, the Dolphins had surrendered a last second field goal in regulation - stopping the Ravens at the one foot line with 12 seconds left to play.

Then in overtime, Ohio State Phenom rookie QB Troy Smith marched the Ravens to the Dolphins 26 yard line. Ravens kicker Matt Stover, who was 5 for 5 in overtime field goals confidently strode out on to the field to kick the 44 yard game winner.

But today in the rain of Miami, it was a day for aquatic mammals and not birds, as the bad snap on the attempt caused the field goal to drift wide left, giving the Dolphins a sliver of hope for the game and the season.

The offense ran on to the field with a determined glint in their eye. It was now or never.

1st and ten from the 34 was a running play for a loss of three yards.

2nd and 13 saw Cleo Lemon scramble away from the blitzing Ravens for a 5 yard pick up.

And so with 8:34 left to play, on third down and eight, the fickle fingers of fate and history intertwined just the right way for our Dolphins.

The Ravens opened with 6 defensive backs.

The Dolphins countered with 4 wide receivers and Lemon in the shotgun.

Greg Camarillo, number 83 was in the slot to the right. Discarded by the San Diego Chargers earlier in the year, Miami had become his hope for redemption in the NFL. Camarillio returned the favor.
Lemon sent him into motion.

The ball was snapped and Lemon dropped back to pass. At about the Dolphins' 47 yard line a bullet of a pass hit Camarillo right between the 8 and the 3 and suddenly there was one man standing between the Dolphins and the trash pile of an inglorious 0-16 season and history.

The race went to the swift today as Camarillo scored on a 64 yard pass play, which just happened to be both Camarillo's first touchdown reception of his career and the longest play from scrimmage for the Dolphins this year.

What followed was a re-affirmation of love and faith between hopeful fans and tired but unbowed players. There was a celebration in the end zone, along with jubilation in the stands that spread all the way up to the owners box, where television cameras caught Wayne Huizenga with more than a tear in his eye.

Come what may, the Dolphins are no longer losers this year.

WEEK FOURTEEN

The weather plays a significant factor in games today. It is not enough to just pick any game in the northeast and play the under. If you are serious about this and you are considering for instance the under in the Jets/Cheaters game, you should call someone in Beantown and see exactly what is going on.
In the Buffalo/Cleveland game, played in Cleveland today, the opening over/under line of 47 dropped ten points to 37 because of the weather. At last check, there was still a 100% forecast for snow this afternoon along with increasing winds. However, if there is a break in the front during the game, the over would be a sweet play.


Ravens at Miami. Call us a sucker, but as the season winds on we just can’t let go of the Dolphins and their futile attempt to just win one for the Shula. The Dolphins are 4 point home underdogs, and as we saw last week, the Fins are a different team lead by a Lemon. The Ravens have shown that they can play with the best team in the league, when they had the game one twice in the fourth quarter, only to have the Cheaters get three chances on fourth down (one naturally, on a Cheaters penalty) before the Cheaters finally converted and went on to win the game. No call here, but the Fins are competitive. Is that winning by two or losing by five? No idea.

The Cheaters are 22-24 point favorites against the Jets. This game has a lot of undercurrents. The weather should keep the scoring down which means take the Jets. Mangini, the coach of the Jets, left the Cheaters without the blessing of the dark prince Belichick. And of course, after the first game of the season Mangini dropped a dime on his former boss and cost him a half million bucks and a first round draft pick. Belichick has lots of reasons to run up the score here. Yet the weather and the desire to keep his players healthy may keep the margin of victory around 17 or so.
UPDATE: Based on the weather, we like the Jets +22 or even +20, and the under 50. We like those plays based on the weather, a lot.


The Colts roll into Oakland. The Colts need to keep winning and hold on to the second seed and first round bye. Oakland has shown signs of strength recently, and the Colts by 10 looks good.

The Lions visit San Diego, and again while we like the Charger -10.5 at him as they try and keep their playoff hopes alive, over 46 is the better play.

Green Bay Packers go to St. Louis, and play in doors. Favre historically plays much better outside, but he is having one of his best seasons ever this year. The Pack was one of the early trends we completely missed. We like the Pack – 8.5, and as is the theme today, we really like the over 45.5.

Seahawks at Carolina. The Seahawks have been quiet winners of their past five games, as Mike Holmgren prepares his team for another playoff run. The Hawks’ margin of victory on the road is around 5 or six, so seven points is a bit much here. But Carolina is having a disastrous season.

So….with the full understanding that our bookie has a bigger boat than we do because of teasers, and because we are 0-1 on our only teaser this season, we offer this sucker bet:

Remember you bet 110 units to win 100 on a teaser and each team gets an extra six points. Our teaser for today is : Seahawks -1 and Colts -4.5 Good luck.

WEEK 14

We feel that the time for the Dolphins to win a game passed last week. It was competitive for awhile...but then same old fins. Not much hope they can do much on the road this week.

Same thing for the Cheaters. Baltimore had the game won. But the Cheaters have made a deal with the Devil. Baltimore stops them twice on 4th down late in the 4th quarter only to have an untimely time out followed by an encroachment penalty give the Cheaters three chances to convert a 4th down. The rest is sadly history. You may want to consider taking the over 47 and the 10.5 points as the Steelers could keep it close. But the Steelers are a different team without Polamalu, and he is out today. While we are not ruling out an upset, we wouldn't bet too much on it. Strictly to keep things fun and give us a rooting interest against the Cheaters, the play is to lay 100 to win 450 on the Steelers to win outright, if you're looking for a little extra xmas money.


Carolina at Jax. Swallow hard and take the under 39.

San Diego at Tennessee. Consider the home dog Titans plus 1.5. This Titan is a different team with Haynesworth playing defense, and he is back this week.

Cleveland at the NY Jets. Look for a scoring festival as long as the weather is OK. Consider the +47.5 on the over.

We like the Seahawks at home over Arizona if you can find it at -6.5 instead of the -7. The number is out there if you shop it.

TRISCADECAPHOBIA

WEEK 13 IN THE NFL:

Is 13 the charm? Is today the day the Dolphins shake off a season of discontent and woe? Maybe.



The Buffalo Bills travel to the Washington Redskins who are in mourning. But the Skins have a good defense and a developing QB. They ran with the Cowboys two weeks ago, and as we are seeing, that takes something these days. The line is -5.5. Give the points and take the Skins at home over the Bills.



Jacksonville goes to Indy in a battle for the number two spot in the AFC. The Jaguars apparently made the right choice in letting Leftwich go in favor of Gerard. However, the Colts are 7 point favorites at home, and they have an outstanding defense in their own right. The Jags are overrated. Even though the Jags usually play the Colts tough, not today. Give the 7.



The reeling NY football Giants travel to shy town to take on the Bears, who had a surprising upset win last week. Memo to the NFL: DON'T KICK TO DEVIN HESTER. We have already promised to never ever put our faith in the boys in blue for the rest of this year. They have broken our heart too many times. But the over/under is around 41, the weather is poor, and we like the under here.



Three quick bites: We like the over 37.5 in the San Diego/KC game, and the under 51.5 in the Cleveland/Arizona game. Keep an eye on the weather and the field in Pittsburgh. The over is 41 and there is a large winter storm moving through the area. The field has problems that are well known. The game is the 8:00 PM game tonight, and the under might be worth a look by then.



THIS IS THE WEEK!!!! They have no running game. Zack Thomas is out!!! There is no way the Dolphins even remain competitive in this one. Except the hated NY J..E...T...S have come to town. As Springsteen sings, "Your own worst enemy has come to town." And today they're wearing green. "Miami has the dolphins...a one and eleven football team." Yes, today we will be singing the praises of Ted Ginn and Jon Beck. Dolphins win!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

(no this is not a judicial convention)



Three football games for our consideration today.

Green Bay goes to Detroit where the home town Lions are getting 3.5. The over/under is between 48.5 and 47.

The resurgent NY Jets go to Dallas where they play the suddenly mighty Cowboys. The boys are giving up 13.5 and the over/under is 47.5

The Colts roll into Atlanta where the low flying Falcons cannot wait until this season is over. Their QB is in jail, and with him their hopes of the playoffs and beyond. No pun, but this has been a dog of a season for the Falcons. (Ok. Bad pun.) The Colts are 13 point favorites and the over under is 41. Avoid the line here and take the over.

Detroit is a dangerous team today. They are playing their second game at home after losing to the NY Giants last week. In many ways, the Lions season is on the line today. Wanna have some fun? Eschew (“avoid, or shun” for you robed readers) the points and take the money line: lay 100 to win about 155. Green Bay has nothing at stake here while the Lions have everything to lose. Nervous about not getting any points? Then take the home dog- you’ll never go broke taking a home dog in the NFL. We also like the over 48.

J…E…T…S….can’t do it twice in a row. With a bye week, they had two weeks to prepare to shock the Steelers last week, who turned in perhaps their worst effort of the season. But now the Jets have a short week to prepare for the Cowboys who are riding high. Washington gave the boys about the best competition these cowpokes are likely to see until they meet up with the Packers in the NFC championship game in January 08. Take the pokes, leave the gravy and the Jets.

Enjoy your holiday and remember today is about giving thanks. As young American men and women are on battlefields overseas, please take a minute to remember the sacrifice they are making so that we may give thanks in peace with our families today.

WEEK NINE

And after going 5-0 last week, Rumpole is mighty fine heading into week nine.

Who won the suicide pool?

Who told you to take the Colts and the under when the entire football picking, grit eating world (note the obscure reference to “My Cousin Vinny”. I’ve had a lot of coffee this morning.) was picking the Cheaters and especially the Under?

Rumpole. That's who. Trial Lawyer. Football tout extraordinaire. (There. I’ve just about guaranteed a losing day today.)

The Buffalo Bills rumble into Miami as a road favorite. Buffalo? The team with the most injuries since the 82nd Airborne stopped the German army at Bastogne in the Ardennes Forrest in December 1944? Yes, those Buffalo Bills are a road favorite, against a home team coming off a bye week. What does that mean? It means you run from this game like a Judge asking for a favor. Stay away from it. No picks here.


The Cowboys play the Giants in New Jersey. We’re beginning to think that these Cowpokes are just a mite bit overrated. While the Giants have rallied and surprised us, as we had them winning about two games and their coach fired by now. The Giants are coming off a bye week, and the line is anywhere from even to the Giants favored by 1.5. The under line is 49, and we like the under. Good teams play good defense, as we very well knew last week in the game of the millennium. Take the Giants big, and take the Under small.


Jax plays the Titans at Tennessee. We like the Titans -4, and we like the under 35. It’s a low number, but these teams have a history of playing under. That being said, don’t bet the mortgage on the under. That was for last week. Just a couple of six packs worth of under is enough here.

There is just not a lot of match ups we like this week. So rather than push it when it isn’t there, we’re going to leave our picks as they are: but here are a few thoughts:

The Dolphins/Bills o/u is 40-41, and something tells us this could be a shoot out. Good teams play good defense, and neither of these two teams qualify for the label good, so the reverse corollary is true: bad teams play bad defense.

Norv Turner in San Diego should be arrested on suspicion of murder. He took the super bowl contending Chargers and killed them. Somewhere Marty Schottenheimer is laughing. The Colts would be the play but for the issue of how bad are they hurting for blowing a game they should have won? Tony Dungy is the class of the coaches here, and in the NFL. They don’t come any better than Dungy, and if anyone could have his team ready to go, it would be him. The problem is that in this business you go broke fast betting against home dogs, and the Chargers are getting 3.5, so be careful.

Steelers pounded the Browns in week one. But since then the Brownies have a new QB and a three game winning streak. Something tells us that the men of steel are just not as good as they looked Monday night. The Ravens got old fast. We think the Steelers will win this one, but it could be close. An angry team looking for revenge with a new QB says to us to leave the game alone.

Don't forget at 11:00 AM today what is really important. 2 Minutes of silence is the least we can do to remember.

GAME OF THE MILLENNIUM

Arizona rumbles into Tampa Bay in the most anticipated NFL match up of the century. And Rumpole says ….OK just kidding.


THE NEW ENGLAND CHEATERS PLAY THE DEFENDING SUPER BOWL CHAMPION INDIANAPOLIS COLTS.

The Champs versus the Cheaters.

The Champs are playing at home and are 5.5 to 6 point underdogs.
The Colts are getting no respect despite having arguably the best QB in the game (Manning) , the best WR in the game (Harrison) , the best number two WR in the game (Reggie Wayne) and one of the best pass catching TE’s in the game (Dallas Clark).

The Cheaters have arguably the best QB in the game (pretty boy Brady), the best WR in the game (Moss), the best number two WR in the game (Stallworth) and one of the best pass catching TE’s in the game (Watson).

The Cheaters have the highest ranked offense in the NFL, and the Colts have the second or third ranked offense depending on the stats you use.

That’s why Rumpole says Colts 6 - Cheaters 3. Bank on it.

No, seriously, there is some more you need to know before making a decision.

The Colts play what is called a Cover 2 offense. Tony Dungy got his start in football as a DB with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979, and Coach Noll gave him his first coaching job in 1981. The old Steeler 4-3 cover two philosophy runs strong in Dungy (just as the Dark Side of the force runs strong in Coach Cheater). Cover 2 simply means the two safeties- Free Safety and Strong Safety - divide the deep part of the field in half, with each safety responsible for deep coverage on his half of the field.

The Cheaters will try and force the Colts to commit to a mismatch in coverage- having a safety cover TE Watson going deep or even better, flooding one side of the field and sending Moss in motion to try and get him single coverage with a safety. When that happens don’t expect pretty boy Brady to miss it too often.

When the Colts have the ball, they will be running Harrison deep and often, forcing the Cheaters to roll the safeties to help double Harrison- when that happens look for Manning to throw it to Reggie Wayne in single coverage. In the past the Cheaters have gambled with Ty Law working Harrison man on man, and shutting down the rest of the Colts weapons with double coverage. If the Cheaters can pull that off on Sunday, it’s going to be a long day for Peyton and his pals.

Here is the wildcard in all of this: make no mistake that Belichick built this team in the off season with one purpose in mind: to run score for score- TD for TD with the Colts. Recall that the Colts and the Cheaters had a shootout in last years AFC Championship, with the last team getting the ball scoring, which in last year’s case was the Colts. Cheater Bill had two choices- build up the defense to shut Manning down or build up the offense to run with the Colts. In this day and age where the offense has the advantage over the defense vis a vis the rules, Cheater Bill made the decision to run with the bulls and turn Brady loose.

So why aren’t we picking the Cheaters in a rout?

Two reasons: one- we really hate the Cheaters and we just don’t want to live in a world where they go 16-0; two- this is not the Super Bowl, and winning the Super Bowl is the goal. Call us crazy, but two years ago, during the Steelers 15-1 run, the Cheaters went to Pittsburgh in the regular season and were thoroughly whipped. Two months later the Cheaters returned to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship game and were a different team, and embarrassed the Steelers at home. Did Cheater Bill (that evil genius of the dark side) hold something back in the regular season game to avoid giving the Steelers a look at all his weapons and to make them over confident in the playoffs? We wouldn’t put it past him. We reviewed some films of those two games and this much is clear- in game one the Cheaters played a basic offense and their defense in game one was entirely different then the defense in game two. In the first game they played a blitzing 4-3 and Roethlisberger picked them apart. In game two they played a cover two 3-4, and a nickel 2-4-5 and made Big Ben throw into coverage. The results speak for themselves. So will Cheater Bill be holding something back today in anticipation of another game in the playoffs against the Colts? In Cheater Bill’s mind, only the Colts stand between his team and another Super Bowl victory.

So here is the play today: the Colts are 5.5 to 6 point underdogs at home. Yet the money line is -110: meaning you have to bet 110 to win a 100. The money line is out of wack. Usually underdogs get favourable odds, something like +115, meaning you bet 100 to win 115. But in this game both teams are -110.


What does that tell you? It tells us that while the public loves the Cheaters (thus the books are forced to give the Colts points to get people to bet on them to even out the number of people betting on each team; remember that a books goal is to have an equal amount of money bet on each team, and the book scoops off 10% from the losing bets.) the books think this game is dead even. If both teams are -110, the books don’t want to give you money odds favoring the Colts which they should do with the Colts as an underdog.

That’s enough for us: we are contrarians. Whatever the public does, we do the opposite. Take the 5.5 or 6 points (since the pros believe it should be even with no points) and bet a few retainers on the Colts. Not a lot. Things could turn ugly fast for either team. But just enough to have some fun.



SUICIDE POOL:

Rumpole Picks the Tampa Bay Bucs over the Cardinals.

Tampa -3.5 is one of our picks. We also like the Under 37 in Carolina at Tennessee, Green Bay +2.5 at KC, and yes, under 56 in NE at Colts.
And just for the record, CK should have picked the Steelers at home over the Ravens. The Ravens beat the Steelers silly twice last year and this is a different team looking for revenge. We may well add the Steelers as a Monday Night pick during Monday.

CK wrote us:

Rumpole:

This is a very tough week to pick a winner. Of course, as your record shows, you are much better than me at doing this, and you might not think that it is such a hard week. At any rate, I have a hunch that this is the week that our contest will reach its end. I have narrowed my field down to three choices. The obvious choice for me (since I still have not used Pittsburgh) is Steelers over Ravens on Monday night, but I have a weird feeling about this game--it is a division match up between two teams that hate each other, and, while they definitely have offensive problems, the Raven still have a volatile defense. The game is too dicey for me. The second choice is Atlanta at home after a bye week against San Francisco, but I really don't trust Atlanta to do anything right, and I don't want to put my eight game winning streak on the Falcons shoulder/wings. The third choice is Kansas City off a bye week at home over Green Bay, and this is the game I like. I have watched Green Bay play a lot this year and can't believe that they have been able to win six games with no running game to speak of. Kansas City has an above-average defense, and with an extra week to prepare will have a good game plan ready, much as the Bears did when they played their arch-rival and beat them. Brett Favre has been relying on 8 yard cross route passes to move the Packers all year long, and it is going to catch up with him this week. Of course, maybe I am just tired of having to make a pick every week and am letting my irrational hatred for Favre and the Packers overwhelm my better judgment. Nevertheless, my pick is K.C. over Green Bay, and I can't wait to see what your pick will be. Whatever happens, it has been fun matching wits with the handicapping master of the RGJB.

Week Eight.

All of Miami remains transfixed as CK and I battle onwards. For seven weeks we have picked a winner in the NFL. Last week is was just a matter of inches that was all the difference as the Cardinals missed a last second game winning field goal that would have sent CK to his just rewards and a well earned second place.



This week Rumpole picks: I was going to pick the Giants when I got CK's email stating he was going to pick the Giants. Hmmm...that would guarantee a week 9 in our titanic struggle. I could switch to the Titans over the Raiders, and you never know-a little fish and chips might be all the Fins were needing to come out and play some football. So just because I want to myself a reason to root for the Dolphins (and to watch the game sober) , I will make the switch:

Rumpole: Titans over Raiders.
CK: Giants over Dolphins.

Now lets make some $$$$:


We like the Under in the NY Giants/Miami game played in cold and wet London. Under 48.



Can the Redskins stop the Cheaters wrecking machine? Can Judge Adrien get his audit below a thousand cases? The answer to both questions is: "probably not." Take the over 48 here (and over 1000 cases while you're at it.)



Jax at Tampa Bay: battle of great defenses. We like the under 33.5.



Is Rump going to pick a winner?

Sure: take the Colts -6 over the Panthers. Take em big.



See You in Court tomorrow.

WEEK SEVEN

Back and forth we go, CK and I, locked in a titanic struggle for blog supremacy of football. This week CK’s email comes with a warning that his picked has been pre-ordained by the lord himself. CK (who has a bunch of great teams in the bag, like the Cheaters) forgoes the easy pick and picks the Redskins over the Cardinals.

Rumpole has two ripe plumps to pick from: New Orleans at home over the Falcons, or Da Bengals at home over the hapless J..E…T…S… jetsjetsjets. Rumpole goes to the Big Easy for a hopefully easy win. New Orleans is Rumpole’s suicide pick.


Baltimore at Buffalo- under 35 is the way to go with this match up between a rookie QB and a vicious Baltimore D.

It was sometime around this time last year when the undefeated Bears came marching into town and Rumpole shocked the world by writing on the blog the day before the game, that you could take the points and stuff them because the Fins would win the game outright.

Now comes the undefeated Cheaters storming into town facing the win less, Chris Chamber-less, Trent Green –Less, Miami Dolphins. And will Rumpole shock the world again? Check down below to see.


Tampa Bay rolls into D-Town and takes on the Lions, and once again this week, we like the under 43.

Denver is a home dog this week. And you can go broke betting against home dogs. The Steelers roll into town this week coming off a bye week, and playing great football. The Steelers were one team on the rebound that we missed earlier in the season. However, it’s never too late to jump on the bandwagon. Steelers -3.

See You Tomorrow, and without bragging, may we just say, if you have the opportunity to have a rich client fly you to San Fran, and entertain you for a few days while you make a criminal matter shrink if not disappear, I strongly suggest you accept the offer. Two words: Dim Sum…ahhhh.

PS: No way the Fins win this one. But we like the under 51.

WEEK 5

That magic feeling is still missing. The problem is that the public and thus the spreads have adjusted to what we knew all along- that the Bears, Saints, and Chargers were way overrated, and the 49’ers, Cardinals, and Lions were way underrated. We missed the Pack on our radar screen. So because the secrets are out, it’s a lot harder to find those hidden gems like when the Cheaters were only -3 over the Chargers.

That being said, we tentatively advance these propositions:


The Bears are only +3 ½ over the surprising Packers. The Packers are at home, and the dream season continues. Packers – 3 ½

The Chargers are even with the Broncos at mile high. Gotta take Denver at home, especially when it’s even. Both teams are on losing streaks, with Denver losing at home to JAX while the Chargers knocked Markus out of the suicide pool last week by losing at home to KC.


The 49ers are home dogs, +3 against the aging Ravens. We warned you the Ravens were not what everyone said they were, and but for San Fran QB Alex Smith being out, the Birds would not be favourites. The 49ers start Super Bowl winning QB Tren Dilfer, widely considered the smartest QB in the league. The O/U is 35, and really, we have no business picking this game with the injuries and such. And yet, we like the Niners, and the under.

The Seahawks travel to Pittsburgh in a rematch of Super Bowl XL. The over/under is 40, and we like the over. Both teams have good weapons on offense, and the Steelers have several key players out on defense, including their all pro nose tackle Casey Hampton, and their all pro Mr. Everything Safety Troy Polomalu. This could be a shoot out.


Suicide Pool:

Miguel De La Over: Packers

Feet of Clay Kaieser: Tennessee over Atlanta.

Rumpole: Last week Dallas, this week staying in Texas, with Houston over Miami. Passing on the Pack over the Bears.

Let me just say I have looked closely at this Tennessee/Atlanta match-up, and the problem is that Atlanta QB Joey Harrington is becoming sneaky good. His QB rating is a solid 98. Throw out the first game of the season and he has been a quality QB this year. Lets just say that Harrington is playing good enough to scare us away from this game.

This is a last minute addition, and these can be fraught with problems. However, we admit that the J...E..T..S are one of those teams that we should have zeroed in on as being overrated from last year. And we missed the boat, although we did have the over with NE in week one this year.

The Giants are a team we have openly trashed because we believe that the coach has lost this team. And yet last week the Gints put on an amazing defensive display against the surprisingly bad Eagles. Both the J...E...T....S.. and Big Blue are home this week (in the swamps of New Jersey as Bruce sings in Rosalita) and the Giants are favored by 3 with 40.5 being the over/under.

Go Big Blue -3. And Under. The Giants have the defense to stop the J...E....T....S...bad running game. And 27-10 seems like a reasonable score here.

WEAK FOUR

Things just keep getting tougher in the NFL this year, which is becoming the season of the Haves (Cheaters, Colts, Steelers, Cowboys and the Surprising Packers) and the have nots-everyone else.

Here’s the thing. There isn’t one game this week we feel strong about. Our system, which is noticing trends the public does not (overrated or underrated teams especially) has not provided good matchups. The 49’ers did not look as good as we thought last week, so while we would normally say take them at home against the Seahawks, we think it is better to wait a week and see if they right themselves. Similarly, the Cardinals now have a QB controversy at the wrong time- with the visiting Steelers and their pressure defense. Stay away from that game.

The three games we like are visiting favorites. You will go broke quickly betting against home dogs on a regular basis. Thus, while we like the Eagles. The Pack, and the Jets, tread lightly here.

Here are our best guesses this week.

The Bears take their very tough Defense and start Brian Griese over Rex Grossman to Detroit. The Bears are banged up very bad, otherwise the play would be Bears -3. The over/under is 45 and that is intriguing. The Lions have an explosive offense. The Bears are banged up on defense. The play seems to be under, but with a Big Lion roaring on O, and a rejuvenated Bear offense psyched by behind Griese, over might just be the play here. The Lions are also one of our lesser trend teams in that they are better than people think. Lions +3, and Over 45.


The resurgent Philly Eagles take a quick bus ride to NJ to battle the NY Football Giants. The Giants are just hanging on with a gritty win over the Redskins last week, The line is Philly -3 and the over under is 47 ½. We like the Eagles who are the far superior team. The Giants are in reality ready to enter the Bill Cowher sweepstakes. Their Coach has lost this team, and nothing short of a super bowl victory will save his job. Take the Eagles -3 and the under.


The surprising Pack play division rival Vikings at Minneapolis. The Pack is -3 on the road, but the Vikes are starting their back-up QB. While the Vikes have rookie sensation Adrian Peterson, wouldn’t you go with Farve versus a backup. Take the Pack, but lightly as home dogs can bite.

The Dolphins (the Dolphins???) just about turned the corner last week. Is this the week they get off the schneid? Why not? There are lousy pickings this week. I really don’t feel strong about any picks, so take a couple of shots of Cuban coffee and call 52nd Street Irwin and say “give me the fins -4”. Stranger things have happened. The under is 41 and with the rain last night, it also might be a play here.

The Jets visit Buffalo as a 3 point favorite. The hapless Bills, bitten by the injury bug big time this year, start a rookie QB, and that always catches a bettor's eye. Give the 3 as the J E T S get a road win. The under is 37, which is low, but a 21-10 Jets win keeps it under.

SUICIDE POOL.

Another tough week.
For us its down to the Cowboys or the Eagles. Our heart says Philly, but our heads say take the home favourite.

Rumpole: Cowpokes.

Feet of Clay: Holding his nose and closing his eyes, and with a heavy heart, he picks the Lions over his beloved Bears.

David Markus: Chargers.

Miguel De La Over: Dallas.

By the way, the very best sports today is Baseball. Can the METS hang on? Will Philly take it on the final day? Will there be a one game playoff tomorrow? The Marlins are right in the middle of this, as they play the Mets at Shea Stadium. Meanwhile the CUBS are division winners this year with Sweet Lou as their first year Manager. We are looking forward to a great October classic.

See You Tomorrow, The First Monday in October, with our bumbershoot.

WEEK THREE

DOLPHINS AT JETS. It’s time we started riding this Miami gravy train. The Fins are only getting 3 in their visit to the big apple. Rumpole shocker: MIAMI WILL NOT LOSE TODAY IN NY. GUARANTEED (since they are playing in New Jersey) However, the Fins lately have had a tough time on the road against the Jets. Call it a reverse curse of the famous Marino Spike Play. This is just the game Mangenuis needs to right his Jets. Give the three. Jets -3. The total in this game is 35 and Miami/Jets games have a history of going under the number, but the Jets have some problems on D and the Dolphins do not want to go 0-3, so I think they will pull out all the stops here. Dolphin D minus Zack won't make it any easier. Over 35.

COWBOYS AT BEARS. We’re continuing our theme of overrated teams this season. The Bears are overrated. Didn’t we tell you before the season started that the Saints were overrated? Now they’re 0-2. The Bears are 1-1 and while their defense is stout, their offense is anemic. The Boys are getting three points on the road and we think they are the superior team. We’re a little worried putting some cow patties on the Cowboys for their second consecutive road game. You try and stay away from teams on their second consecutive road game, but we still like riding the line against the overrated teams, making Dallas +3 the play here in the NFC marquee match-up of the week.

BENGALS AT SEAHAWKS. Remember last week when Irwin talked about lines that appear out of wack? The total here is 49 ½ points. The Bengals have a potent offense, but Seattle has a good defense and Seattle has a good but not explosive offense. So the number seems too high. The Bengals are getting 3 points on the road, and this is their second week on the road after an exhausting and surprising shoot out with the Browns last week. By all rights, this should be the week the embarrassed Bengals bounce back. But that takes character, and we are not convinced this Bengals team has character. The Seahawks ( as we predicted) lost last week to the Cardinals on the road, and they do have character. We like Seattle minus 3 here.


COLTS AT TEXANS. The Colts are beatable. They showed that last week, eking out a 22-20 win. This Houston team is for real, and more importantly, they believe in themselves. The Texans are getting 7 at home, and its time to ride this Houston gravy train for a while. The Texans showed great character in coming from behind against a tough Carolina defense last week, and they did it on the road. They will be sky high for this game, and 7 points is a gift. Houston +7. (The line opened at 7 and moved to 6.5, meaning lots of money is going on the Texans. If you were in Vegas the play would be to follow the late money. Since we can't do that here- talking about gambling on the phone is some sort of federal offense right? And we would never do that. Anyway, take what you can get or tease it up.)

JACKSONVILLE AT DENVER:
Denver stole one from the Raiders last week. And if you know us, you know it pains us greatly to give the Raiders any kind of sympathy. But Janikowsky made that 53 yard field goal and that last tenth of a second timeout was BS. Be that as it may, Jay Cutler is coming into his own, while we think trouble is brewing in JAX. The Broncos -3 a mile high win.


We doubt you will ever see a play as juicy as the NE Cheaters -3 at home last week. What did we tell you? That the Cheaters would “pound” the hapless Chargers, and that is exactly what happened.

San Diego is giving 6 points to the surprising Packers in Green Bay. The Packers are not a 2-0 team, and yet there they sit, having whooped up on the Eagles and the Giants. The Packers will return to earth. But the real question is whether San Diego’s new coach Norv Turner has this team? There was a power struggle in San Diego and Marty Schottenheimer lost out. Turner does not seem to have the Chargers believing in him. If the Chargers lose, they lose big. Meaning the play here is not the line, but the money line. 100 pieces of cheese gets you 215 back on a straight Packer win with no points. Consider it, but lightly.


SUICIDE POOL
This week is tough. The one Play is clearly the NE Cheaters. However, you can make a case for the Seahawks or the Broncos. The rule of thumb in these pools is to not get too fancy and look several weeks down the road. The rule of thumb is to survive, which means the Cheaters are the choice. And yet, the Broncos should win…..hmmm.

David Markus: NE Cheaters
Feet of Clay: Seahawks
52nd Street Irwin: Broncos
Miguel De La Over: NE Cheaters
Rumpole: Gonna play it safe and take the Cheaters and stay alive.


J….E….T…S….(don’t you just hate those slovenly cads covered in Green mocking us? Until the Dolphins clean house and get some Cowher power, look for things to remain the same sad way. What really stinks is that guys like Zack Thomas and Jason Taylor will not even get a taste of the playoffs much less a super bowl. These guys spent their whole career here with a bunch of losing coaches. Cam seems to be a nice guy, but don’t they finish last? )


Lastly some sad news, a reader reported late last evening that the prince of polygraphs, George Slattery has passed away.

See You Tomorrow, counting my winnings.

WEEK TWO

7 of 16 games today have point spread 8.5 or above. Three more have point spreads of 7 or more. Ten of 16 games require you to lay 7 or more if you fancy the favorite.

We lost last week on the 49ers. This week they get 3 while traveling to St. Louis. The o/u is 45. Sticking with our theory that the 49ers will surprise people this year, we like San Fran +3, but the better play here is under 45. Neither team’s offense is clicking. 49er’s +3 and under 45.

Seattle goes to Arizona. The last time these two teams met, in December of last year, the Cardinals shocked the Seahawks 27-21. The Cardinals are favoured by 2.5, but again, we like the under 45 here. That is against the trend, but we like the pick because of the good Seahawks Defense against pretty boy Matt Leinart who is clearly struggling learning the Ken Whizenhut Offense. When a QB is confused, teams tend to run the ball. Under 45 again.

San Diego travels to NE to play the Cheaters. The line is Cheaters minus 3.5. You have to take Bill Cheater and his Cheaters when they are home and giving up less than 7. The Cheaters put this week’s controversy behind them; they have removed all the bugs and wiretaps in the visiting team’s locker room, the visiting teams’ Gatorade is no longer spiked with sleeping pills, and as much as we hate to say it, the Cheaters are still one of the two best teams in the league (right up there with those never say die Brownies). The Chargers are the third or fourth best team ( second or third if you only count teams that don’t cheat) but Karma isn’t enough today as the evil genius and his cheaters pound, and we mean pound, the well meaning but hapless fair playing Chargers. NE Cheaters -3.5.



Saints go to Tampa Bay and the o/u is 42. The trend is that Over has prevailed the last 3 meetings between these two teams. What does Rumpole do with trends? He chews them up like prosecutors that won't waive minimum mandatories and spits them out. Take the under 42. Tampa runs the much discussed Tampa-2 D (which is, as most football historians know, the 70’s Steelers Cover 2 D, which Tony Dungy learned from Chuck Noll when he played and coached in Pittsburgh). We don’t like the Cover 2 D, but its obviously easy to be successful at it when half your starting defense is in the Hall of Fame. While the Bucs don't have that, they do play D very well. Saints are overrated.


Wanna get crazy? The Colts go to Tennessee where the home team Titans are 7 ½ point under dogs. Ask Tony Dungy which team, year in year out, gives him the most problems? The Cheaters? Nah. The Dolphins? Hahaha. It is Jeff Fisher and his resurgent Titans. With Vick in the dog pound, Vince Young takes over as the most exciting QB in the league. Fisher has built his Titans to run and pound the rock, as they did last week, churning up 280+ yards against one of the best run defenses in the league. Peyton Manning can point and yell and change the play a dozen times at the line of scrimmage, but every time Young takes a snap he is the only player on the field who can score at any time from any type of field position. Wanna take a flyer? Laugh at those 7 ½ points and TAKE THE TITANS AND THE MONEY LINE. Yup, play for the upset and bet 100 crackers to win 360 straight up. Wow! Can Rumpole really call the upset of the year? We shall see. Everything is against it. The Colts have had ten days to prepare. They are the defending champions. And yet, Jeff Fisher is the most underrated coach in the league (it was not that long ago his Titans lost a Super Bowl by two yards) and he has one of the two most explosive players in the league (give LT of the Chargers his props). That adds up to a team that will be in most games long into the fourth quarter. Don’t bet the mortgage here. Don’t even bet one of Markus’s fees, a Rumpole fee would be more than enough to have some fun with here.

52nd Street Irwin’s tip of the week: Lines are set to accomplish one thing and one thing only: to give the book an equal amount of players on either side of the game. If 10 people pick the dolphins for 100 this week and 10 people pick the Cowboys for a 100, then the book makes an automatic 100 as he gets 10% of the losing bet, and one team has to win. Some people think that some books may manipulate the line because they have inside information. For instance, if the Colts were playing the Browns at home this week, and the line was Browns -7 (Cleveland favored by a touchdown!!!!!?????) some people believe that the book, by forcing you to take the Colts, has some inside information that the entire Indy team has the flu. Irwin says, that is not necessarily the case, although the issue bears further inspection. When you see a line out of wack, what it means is that somebody (more likely a whole bunch of people) like one team a lot more. The Book is still just trying to get people to bet the other way just to keep the money they are taking on each team roughly even. Then the question is whether the money moving the line is from insider money, or just a bunch of rabid fans. If you are a natural contrarian like Rumpole, then you might just want to sniff out the inside money and go with them. In our example that would mean taking a deep breath and taking the Browns -7. Somebody has put so much down on them that the Books are forced to move the line to force people to take the Colts. The question is why?



SUICIDE POOL:

Toots:Bengals
Markus:Jaguars
Lurvey:Bengals
Feet of Clay Kaiser: Jaguars
Miguel De La O: Jaguars
52nd Street Irwin: Steelers.
Rumpole: Steelers

It's going to be awful lonely if the Jags drop a second straight at home.

THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG: More on the upcoming event by the 11th Circuit Historical Society.

WEEK ONE

The fun and profit starts today!!!!
Just keep one thing in mind for a profitable year- The Dolphins.
Bet against them whenever the line allows it.

Early in the year means the offenses are ahead of defenses, so we start by looking for lower over/under totals.

Unless otherwise stated, all of our lines come from the USA Today online lines.

Our Suicide Pick: Chargers over the Bears.
David Markus: Steelers over Browns. (while we think the Steelers will win, we would advise Mr. Markus in general to pick home team favorites in a suicide pool. But he is smarter than we are and doesn't need our advice. He knows the intricacies of things like "me versus I" for real good grammar and such.)
Toots: Seahawks over the Bucs.
Rick Freedman: Jaguars over Titans.
Feet of Clay: Cowboys over Giants.
Miguel De la O(over): Seattle over Tampa Bay.

RUMPOLE'S PICKS:

The Bears travel to San Diego and the Chargers are -5.5 favorites over Rumpole’s second most overrated team in the NFC (the Saints are the most overrated team. Get a secondary will ya?) Give the points and watch the Bears crumble. No Lovie for Smith’s Bruins today. Chargers roll.

Patriots at Jets. The o/u is 41. We seem to remember a bad beat last year on an o/u Pats/Jets game as we liked the over and the final the score was something like 10-3. Once burned but not twice shy. Revamped Patriots Offense plus the loss of a Patriots starting cornerback on defense turns this one into a Meadowlands shoot out.
J-E-T-S-Over Over Over.41.

Arizona at San Fran. We really like both these teams. Great new coach in Arizona with Kenny Whizenhut and Russ Grimm taking their Steeler success to the Cardinals. This Arizona team will make a statement this year. But the 49’ers are more mature. Great drafts over the last few years are now ready to payoff. San Fran is our pick to win the division this year and Alex Smith is the more experienced QB over pretty boy Lineart. A nice low line of -3.5 makes the 49’ers a good home team play.

KC at Houston. Take the over 38.

Tennessee at Jacksonville. Take the over 37.5

(Those are our picks that will count. Purely for entertainment, we try and pick the two best games of the week. Since we make the rules, we only count the outcome if we win.)

Game of the week:
Monday Night Football humdinger as Ravens travel to Cincinnati for a week one divisional match-up. We’re not high on either team this year. We think this is the year the Ravens get old, and Cincinnati’s defense resembles the REGJB security screeners- everything gets in, nothing gets stopped, and the personnel have pending criminal cases. Lay the 2.5 and take the home team Bengals as the history is that these teams split with the home team getting the win.

52nd Street Irwin's Inside tip (see below to find out just who Irwin is) : One word: TOE. Ravens Pro Bowl Offensive Lineman Jonathan Ogden has turf toe. The Ravens depend on him to protect Steve McNair, who is almost as old as Richard Hersch, and to open running lanes for new RB Willis McGahee. With Ogden limping and possibly out, the Ravens are a considerably weaker team than most people realize.

Alternate game of the week divisional rivalry:
Giants go to Dallas. Cowboys give 5.5 to the visiting Gints. Cowboys have the talent, but new Coach Wade Phillips.....uuggh. Vanilla re-tread at best. Rumpole says, give the points if you must play this game.

As an old bookie we knew growing up, named 52nd Street Irwin used to say “Now let us learn you something”.

Don’t play more than two games, three tops. You can’t beat the vig. Ever. (How do you think we paid for law school? On the backs of schnooks who need action.) If you want to gamble, you look for your one best shot, shove all your chips in and let it roll. You can’t beat the odds over a life time, but you can find good bets and swing the odds in your favor every now and then. If you want to turn a profit, find a game or two that you like and take your shot.

If you want action on ten games a week, please listen to us- just email those picks to us and we will book everyone of them every week and every time.
And when you don’t pay up, 52nd Street Irwin, who has retired to Miami, will be looking for you, and he will not be happy.

Have fun.


Last minute news, notes, and thoughts: Steelers have uncertainty on the offensive line and last minute replacements at fullback and kick returner. That can't be good. Broncos have the talent to win the Super Bowl. And for the last two years they traveled east and lost their season opener to vastly inferior teams. Denver plays Buffalo and we wouldn't touch this one with Rick Freedman's civil fees let alone our money. Jags are 8-0 in last 8 home openers and yet the QB situation has us nervous. Vince Young can win a game by himself, and will have to do that most of the time this year. I can't get a read on the Seahawks. Today is a good game to watch. They should win this one, and super bowl teams win the ones they should win. Redskins can make a statement today by the blitz. Superior corners and safety's are the strength of this team. Question is whether new QB has the right stuff. Could be a long day for Trent Green unless he gets his bell rung. Cleo anyone? I am nervous about my suicide pick. This was a pretty tough week and new coach Norv Turner in San Diego makes me nervous. But my gut feeling is Bears are way overrated and will tumble this year like Steelers did last year. Rex Grossman is not the QB to build a wining team around in the NFL. Bears will miss the loss of the A Train more than they realize and several contract issues including the Head Coach have team members whispering about salaries more than you would like. Last year's success has bred this year's dissension.
Finally, current genius - Patriots coach Belichick -has re-built his team with one thing in mind: to match offense with the Colts. He is convinced shoot-outs and 45 point scoring is the wave of the future. I am not convinced he is right. I don't think Pats make the AFC Championship game. They have too much talent to have a bad season, but something tells me not everything is kosher in bean town. If you read the NY Post every day, then you know the resident genius has some troubles in his personal life, not including Randy Moss. We shall see.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Football seasons begins, and some of you are sitting on a pile of money, if you followed our remarkable picks last season. While our strength is clearly match-ups and especially totals (over/under) we herewith tender these predictions for the season.

It will be a good year to be a fan in Indianapolis and San Diego and San Francisco, and it will be a difficult year to be a fan right here, in Miami. As we like to sing: “Miami has the Dolphins…a mediocre football team. Nick Saban drafted real bad or so it really seems. He lied and left us high and dry like no one would be believe. Cam Cameron thinks he can change it, but no one really knows. Because when you say Miami, you're talking 4-12…"



NFC EAST
PHILADELPHIA 10-6
DALLAS 10-6 (wild card)
NY GIANTS 7-9
WASHINGTON 7-9

NFC NORTH
DETROIT!!!! ?????10-6
MINNESOTA9-7
CHICAGO 8-8
GREEN BAY 6-10

NFC SOUTH
CAROLINA 10-6
TAMPA BAY 9-7 (Wild Card)
NEW ORLEANS 8-8
ATLANTA 5-11

NFC WEST
SAN FRANCISCO 10-6
ARIZONA 10-6 (Wild card)
SEATTLE 9-7
St. LOUIS 5-11

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

PHILADELPHIA OVER SAN FRANCISCO

AFC EAST
NEW ENGLAND 11-5
NY JETS 10-6 (Wild Card)
BUFFALO 9-7
MIAMI 4-12

AFC NORTH
CINCINNATI 10-6
PITTSBURGH 10-6 (wild card)
BALTIMORE 7-9
CLEVELAND 5-11

AFC SOUTH
INDIANAPOLIS 14-2
TENNESSEE 9-7
JACKSONVILLE 7-9
HOUSTON 7-9

AFC WEST
SAN DIEGO 12-4
DENVER 10-6 (wild card)
KANSAS CITY 7-9
OAKLAND 5-11

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
INDIANAPOLIS OVER SAN DIEGO

SUPER BOWL: COLTS REPEAT.
Dark horse shockers: Steelers win AFC and 49'ers win NFC for super bowl of dynasties.
You read it here first.


GET THOSE SUICIDE PICKS IN.

Our Fabulous Football Femme Fatale- TOOTS- you remember her from last year, is playing. So Is Federal Markus, Rick Freedman, and Feet of Clay Kaiser.
Now is your chance to brag to the world in Au Bon Pain about your prognostication prowess. Send us an email from a private address with your pick. One team, every week, no point spread, can't use the same team more than once. If you're not sure, just follow us. We are picking the Chargers over the Bears tomorrow. The rest of our picks and the Suicide Pool will be up on Sunday.