NFL week 17 picks

Loren made up some ground last week with a 4-2 record last week while I ended up with a 3-3 mark. This is the last week of the regular season games.

Standings
Derek 65-31
Loren 53-43

Tampa Bay at Atlanta

Loren – Tampa Bay. I’m hoping I get lucky with this one and Atlanta rests most of their starters for the majority of the game. Tampa Bay is a decent club, but they’ll need some help to pull this off.

Derek – Atlanta. I don’t think the Falcons will rest too many folks. Plus they’re at home and they’re they better team.

Chicago at Detroit

Loren – Chicago. Poor Detroit. Such big hopes, such a disappointing season. Chicago has a great shot at a wildcard spot with Minnesota playing Green Bay. As long the Bears don’t stumble, they should get the pleasure of playing SF in the first round, a very winnable game for them.

Derek – Chicago. Is Detroit the most disappointing team this season? Probably. The Bears are better and they have something to play for, they should when easily.

Houston at Indianapolis

Loren – Houston. The Texans need to win in order to hold on to the number one seed in the AFC, assuming the Broncos don’t pull a disappearing act against the Chiefs. I really wanted to take Indy here, but Houston will be coming out strong with the intent of locking up home field advantage.

Derek – Houston. The Colts are a good story but I think the Texans are the better team and have something to play for. Expect them to run the ball at the Colts all day long, keeping the ball out of Luck’s hands.

Baltimore at Cincinnati

Loren – Baltimore. There is nothing the Bengals can do to change their fate. Whether they, or any other team, win or lose, the Bengals are the sixth seed. A smart team would give the starters some first quarter reps to keep them fresh, then rest the remainder of the game to assure a healthy squad for the playoffs. Yes, I know I just accused the Bengals of being smart. I’m probably hosed here.

Derek – Cincinnati. Baltimore is on my poo list. They just haven’t been the team they were supposed to be. I think the Bengals can score against the Ravens.

Green Bay at Minnesota

Loren – Minnesota. Home team playing well. AP back to monster form. Chance to make the playoffs. A suspect Packers D. Momentum.

Derek – Green Bay. Packers know that you have to be playing well going into the playoffs. Two years ago they fought to the end to make the playoffs and continued into the playoffs and won a Super Bowl. Last year they had everything locked up and rested their starters, and got Matt Flynn a bunch of money, how did that work for them?

Cowboys at Redskins

Loren – Washington. You think I’m going to pass up a chance to side with the team that could keep the Cowboys from making the playoffs and winning the NFC East?

Derek – Washington. Home team playing well against a perennial FUBAR team.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 16 picks

Both Loren and I hit with a 5-1 mark last week. Two weeks left in the regular season mean only 23 more picks including the playoffs.
Standings
Derek 62-28
Loren 49-41

New Orleans at Dallas
Loren – New Orleans. Any chance Dallas’ D can keep up with the Saints? Then it comes down to which offense is a bigger threat. I’m taking Brees over Romo every time.
Derek – New Orleans. Dallas playing well right now, not great but winning football. But they're still the Cowboys and that has to give you a little pause. I think Brees is looking for a big game and I'm not sure Dallas will keep up.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Loren – Cincinnati. Pittsburgh is down two in a row. Outside of the strange loss to the Cowboys, the Bengals haven’t lost in their last six games. As strange as it sounds, it’s still mathematically possible for the Steelers to finish at the bottom of the AFC East. I’m not saying that’s going to happen, but they don’t intimidate the Bengals the way they used to.
Derek – Pittsburgh. Unlike Loren I don't think Pitt can finish last in the AFC East, since they don't play in the division. The AFC North on the other hand is very much up for grabs. I've watched both teams the last few weeks and Cinni seems to hand on to games and I have a feeling that Pitt will be able to have some sort of bounce back.

St Louis at Tampa Bay
Loren – Tampa Bay. The Bucs have one of the strangest stat lines of the year. First overall in rushing D, last overall in passing D. They’ve only played the Saints and Falcons once each, so no excuses. Fortunately for them, the Rams can’t do much of anything on offense.
Derek – Tampa Bay. I expect the Bucs to get back to pounding the ball with Doug Martin. They should have ample time since the Rams won't put up huge numbers. Run with Marting then go deep the Jackson, there you have it.

NY Giants at Baltimore
Loren – NY Giants. Ugh, how to pick this one? Both teams got routed last time out. Both teams have traditionally excellent defenses that have been seriously disappointing. Both teams are still in first place in their division. I’m counting on the Giants patented late season push.
Derek – Baltimore. I guess I'm going with the home team on this one. Not really sure why. Hmm I'll say I think the Ravens looked better in their losses than the Giants? Sure yeah that works.

San Francisco at Seattle
Loren – Seattle. Well, I really don’t have anything to lose and I’ll need a couple miracle games to get back in this competition. Why not take Seattle at home? If anyone can break through the 49ers’ front line it would be Lynch. Wilson is fleet enough to keep defenses honest. They’ll have the home team behind ‘em. If you’ve got to take a long shot, might as well be this one.
Derek  - San Francisco. Seattle has to be the surprise team of the year right. Sure most people thought they'd be the second best team in the division but that's not saying much. While they might be the second best team they're still not as good as the 49ers. I know Seattle has a great home field advantage, Most of it comes from the fans, but some of that is the fact that teams have to travel a long why to get there. The 49ers don't have to travel that far and as we just say went all the way to Foxboro and beat the Pats.

Buffalo at Miami
Loren – Miami. Battle for last place! I really only put this on here so we could all make fun of Derek if the Dolphins sputter.
Derek – Miami. Battle for last place? True, also battle for second place! Dolphins are still mathematically in it. Not realistically.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 15 picks

A nice 5-1 mark thanks to some heroics puts me 13 a head with only 3 weeks left in the regular season.
Standings
Derek 57-27
Loren 44-30

Denver at Baltimore
Loren - Denver. Baltimore's D just ain't what it used to be. Denver has definitely hit their stride and is fighting for a top 2 playoff seed. Baltimore gives up about 130 ypg on the ground so Denver should let Manning have a relatively easy day and just rotate backs.
Derek – Denver. I see the Ravens struggling on D while the Broncos should be able to score enough against an aging and depleted lineup. Keep Manning up right is the goal of the game for Denver.
Green Bay at Chicago
Loren - Green Bay. Chicago has lost two tough games while Green Bay is 7-1 in their last 8. Packers have the momentum and a game lead in the division. Make it two after Sunday.
Derek – Green Bay. The division is turning around to be what most expected. Green Bay dominating, or at least winning, and the Bears well you know ok.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans
Loren - New Orleans. I'm not sure I've picked a Bucs game right this year, but you have the worst passing defense going against the second best passing offense. It's just a matter of time until Brees starts picking them apart.
Derek – New Orleans. The Bucs give up a bunch of yards and they’re playing Brees in the Super
Duper Dome? Yeah I’ll go with at least 34 points this week.
NY Giants at Atlanta
Loren - Atlanta. The Giants D isn't doing them any favors, but which team will we see? If they play the way they did against Green Bay and New Orleans, this could be a good match. Unfortunately for them, Atlanta actually plays defense. Given the home field advantage, it's hard to take the Giants.
Derek – Atlanta. I could go either way on this one, both teams have been inconsistent of late so I’ll lean to the home team. A winner of this game will feel much better about themselves moving forward.
Pittsburgh at Dallas
Loren - Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh plays great defense. You can just hear Romo shaking in his house, clutching his pearls and shedding a shuddering tear. Pittsburgh forces Romo into mistakes and drives yet another nail into the coffin of Romo's and Garrett's tenure in Dallas.
Derek – Dallas. The Cowboys are playing well as of late. Perhaps they’re lulling me into a sleep before barfing all over their season as per usual. But until then I feel somewhat confident taking them. The Steelers just don’t look that good.
San Francisco at New England
Loren - San Francisco. Upset special! I just like SF's defense and ability to run the ball. Yeah, west coast team traveling east and all that, but the Pats have had trouble against teams playing solid D, and the 49ers are the second best overall defense.
Derek – New England. The 49ers have to travel across the country. They have to slow down the NFL’s best offense. They have to keep up with that offense with a rookie QB. Riiiight. I’ll take Brady.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 14 picks

Does that say week 14? Jeez! Loren and I broke even last week both going 3-3.
Standings
Derek 52-26
Loren 42-26

St Louis at Buffalo
Loren - Buffalo. Will St Louis be the team that lost to the Jets and Miami, or the team that took SF to OT twice? Buffalo is probably feeling a lot better about their team after playing Jacksonville last week. I'm taking the home team.
Derek – St. Louis. St. Louis is playing better recently and the Bills aren’t great at anything. Slow down Spiller and make Fitzpatrick beat you. You know the guy who always fades down the stretch.

Dallas at Cincinnati
Loren - Cincinnati. Even though I'm down big in our challenge, I still can't bring myself to pick Dallas. Ugh, Dallas.
Derek – Cincinnati. The Bengals are rolling right now, have a tough front 7 and can sling that ball around. I’m going with consistency versus Dallas’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine.
 
Baltimore at Washington
Loren - Baltimore. Yeah, yeah, RGIII!I!I!I!!I! I know he's good and exciting. I love watching him play. He's also a rookie against a somewhat depleted but well disciplined and veteran defense. Baltimore is no slouch on the offensive side, either. Baltimore wins in a statement game.
Derek – Washington. The Ravens D is not what it once was and their O hasn’t been clicking. Good luck to the Ravens D just trying to get to the Redskins ball carrier.
 
New Orleans at NY Giants
Loren - NY Giants. Is everyone off the NO bandwagon? With the exception of the Falcons 5 weeks ago, the Saints haven't beaten a team with a record over .500. As much as I need wins against Derek, I just don't think there's much hope in picking up a win here.
Derek – NY Giants. Neither of these teams are playing like they should, win one lose won. Who’s turn is it. I’ll go with the Home team.
 
Detroit at Green Bay
Loren - Green Bay. I was so looking forward to the Detroit/Green Bay matchups this year. Now all I have to look forward to is the new way to lose games the Lions will discover.
Derek – Green Bay. Detroit has been a big disappointment to me this year and the Packers are coming back strong. This game will tell us if the Lions care about the rest of the season.
 
Houston at New England
Loren - Houston. Here's why New England won't win Sunday. Their last 6 games, all wins, were against sub-.500 teams with the exception of the Colts, possibly the most suspect +.500 team in the league. The Pats have played exactly 4 decent teams this year and have a measly 2-2 record. The next two weeks will give us a real sense of the strength of this team. My bet is we see good teams like Houston and San Francisco exploit NE's weak D and put Brady on the ground. That's how you beat NE, and that's what Houston and SF are very, very good at.
Derek – New England. I went back and forth on this but one thought kept popping into my mind. Houston gave up 37 points to Jacksonville and then a week late 31 to Detroit. Yeah I’ll take the Pats.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 13 picks

I picked up a game on Loren last week going 4-2 to his 3-3 mark.
Standings
Derek 49-23
Loren 39-33

New Orleans at Atlanta.
Loren – Atlanta. The Saints are looking strong, but it’s asking a lot of them to win on the road in Atlanta.
Derek – Atlanta. I went with the Saints last time in this match up and was rewarded. But I can’t see them winning twice, plus you know, this one’s in Atlanta.

Seattle at Chicago
Loren – Chicago. Two good defense going head to head. I think Chicago is slightly more talented on the offensive side and ekes out a victory.
Derek – Chicago. Seattle’s road record is not good, plain and simple. This is their second straight week on long travel. With Cutler back I trust the Bears O a lot more than Seattle’s.

Indianapolis at Detroit
Loren – Detroit. It says a lot about Indy that we’d even feature this game in our picks. Still, Detroit should be able to move the ball against the Colts, apply pressure on Luck, and pick up an important victory. The bigger question is whether or not anyone will be there to see it.
Derek – Indianapolis. Can you say shoot out? I’m trying to give one to Loren here, but I can see Luck walking into Ford Field and taking a game. They can score, but can they slow down a Lions team that seems to be finding their offensive groove?

Pittsburgh at Baltimore
Loren – Baltimore. The Steelers are still limping around out there but performing well considering the state of their roster. Look for the Ravens to get dirty, run like crazy, and send the Steelers home in even worse shape.
Derek – Baltimore. Until Big Ben gets back I can’t see taking the Steelers versus a solid team. The Ravens should be able to control this game make some big plays and grind out a win.

Arizona at New York Jets
Loren – New York Jets. It’s the battle of deflated expectations! East coast home team beats long-distance-traveling west coast (approximately) team.
Derek – New York Jets. Ugh, I hate picking the Jets and they look bad, but I don’t see the Cards traveling to the East coast and winning any game right now.

Cincinnati at San Diego
Loren – Cincinnati. Cincinnati will be playing to keep playoff hopes afloat. San Diego will be playing for pride. Cincy will frustrate Rivers and force him into bad throws. Bengals win a big road game, move into second in the AFC North, and fifth overall in the AFC.
Derek – San Diego. Cincy has played well on offense lately but I think these two teams are pretty evenly matched. In that case I’ll go with the home team.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 12 Picks

Both Loren and I went 5-1 last week. I'm sitting pretty at 45-21 while Loren is 9 back at 36-30.

Washington at Dallas

Loren - Washington. I'm off cycle on Washington, picking them when they lose, picking against them when they win. But I've got to make up ground and the Redskins are another one of those any-given-week teams. A mistake free day and the Redskins walk out of big D with a win.

Derek – Dallas. I think Dallas is coming around. They'll need to make some big plays on offense, but I think their corners will play well enough on defense to shut down the big passing plays of RG III.

Oakland at Cincinnati

Loren - Cincinnati. They won't have Run DMC back yet, so the Raiders don't have a lot to work with. The Bengals are a tough nosed team and you walk off their turf bruised. It's going to be a long day for the Raiders.

Derek – Cincinnati. Should be a fairly easy game for the Bengals. Their offense and defense should dominate the game.

Buffalo at Indianapolis

Loren - Buffalo. Indy is playing well, despite the beating they took against the Pats. Why am I picking against them? Desperation. And the Bill could be them. Maybe. With some luck.

Derek – Indianapolis. Does Loren's write up make since? Nope, neither does his pick.

Seattle at Miami

Loren - Seattle. I hoped this matchup would convince Derek to take Miami. Yes, it's a long away trip for the Seahawks. They are also a much better team than the Dolphins. Run the ball, let your defense do what it does, leave with a win against an inferior opponent. What could go wrong?

Derek – Miami. I went back and forth on this pick, I decided to give Loren a shot and play my homer card. Be wary of a team, even a better team, traveling across country.

San Francisco at New Orleans

Loren - New Orleans. Playing a road game against a rejuvenated team while you have a QB controversy? Recipe for upset! OK, so the 49ers are still the odds on favorite simply because of their defense. But Kaepernick is an untested, unknown quantity. We've seen guys hot out of the gate and start making first timer mistakes shortly thereafter. Give the ball away too many times against the Saints and they'll make you pay.

Derek – San Francisco. How do you slow down the Saints? You stop Drew Brees. How do you stop Drew Brees?  You put him on the ground. The 49ers are a team that can knock and sack scare a QB. Expect a low scoring affair.

Green Bay at NY Giants

Loren - NY Giants. Did you know that in terms of YPG, the Packers have a statistically better defense than the Giants, both against the pass and the run? Did you know that in terms of YPG, the Giants have a statistically better offense than the Packers, both running and passing? Toss up, I'm taking the Giants on their home field with something to prove and a bye week to get healthy.

Derek – Green Bay. The Be work is the worry here. But it seems that these teams are going in different directions. And it's not quite time for the Giants to make their annual run of wins. Maybe next week.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 11 Picks

Another 4-2 week for me, unfortunately for Loren he had a 2-4 week. My lead’s up to 9. Derek – 40-20, Loren 31-29.

Cincinnati at Kansas City
Loren - Cincinnati. I chose this game hoping Derek would be tempted to take the Chiefs at home. Yeah, no such luck. The Bengals are obviously the better team and should put a beating on KC.
Derek – Cincinnati. The Chiefs are the worst team in the league, they made a game of it last week against Pittsburgh but don’t expect that again, and I mean for the rest of the season.

Philadelphia at Washington
Loren - Philadelphia. Yes, I'm crazy. But look, the Eagles have lost 5 in a row so they're due. They've played a pretty brutal schedule during their losing streak but have a much easier target in Washington. Minus Vick, this team is still the team that started 3-1 with wins over Baltimore and the Giants.
Derek – Washington. The loss of Vick made this easier, sure he’s not the best QB but he’s better than a rookie making his first start on the road against a team that will score a lot of points.

Tampa Bay at Carolina
Loren - Tampa Bay. Carolina is one of those 'any given Sunday' teams. They don't do any one thing really well, though, and the Bucs do with their run stopping D. Unless Cam figures out how to recapture some of last year's passing magic, it's going to be a long day for the Panthers.
Derek – Tampa Bay. The Bucs are playing pretty dang well right now and I don’t the Panthers are the team to knock them down. Five the ball to Martin and then give it to him some more.

NY Jets at St Louis
Loren - NY Jets. When you're down by as many games as I am, you sometimes just think to yourself, "Why not?" This is a why not pick. Why can't the Jets beat the Rams? Probably because they're the Jets, but this pick is no worse than any other.
Derek – St. Louis. Take a not great Rams team or a dumpster fire Jets team, hmm. Never mind, I can’t pick the Jets. So long Rexy!

Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Loren - Baltimore. I'm always leery of this match up to begin with, but there's an additional X factor in play this week. Never underestimate the boost a good backup QB can give a team, and how difficult it is to make a game plan for someone you haven't seen on the field. That said, the Steelers still can't run consistently and Baltimore should be able to keep their offense on the field for long stretches of the game.
Derek – Baltimore. The Ravens have been pretty blah lately, but the absence of Big Ben is going to hurt the Steelers a lot, plus the absence of their defense. I’m assuming they’re all hurt now.

Chicago at San Francisco
Loren - San Francisco. A tie? Against St Louis? Ugh. The deflation of that game followed by the scare with Harbaugh could be enough to spook a team facing a really tough D. But Harbaugh is back in the locker room and will be on the sideline, which is exactly where Cutler will be. See my note above about good backup QBs providing a change of pace for a team, but as long as the 49ers' don't make any egregious mistakes, they should win this one at home.
Derek – San Francisco. Both of the normal starting QBs got rung last week but looks like Smith will be back while Cutler won’t, this doesn’t bode well for the visitors.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 10 picks

Back on the winning track for me. I went 4-2 last week to gain another game on Loren who went 3-3. Total records as of now are…36-18 to Loren’s 29-25 record.

New York Giants at Cincinnati
Loren – New York. That was a disgusting loss against the Steelers last week. Good thing they’re playing a mediocre team this week. Still, coming in to this game with a hangover from that loss could spell doom for the Giants. As the Bengals proved against Denver, they have the firepower to challenge better teams.
Derek – New York. The Bengals are one of those “ok” teams, they can play good, bad or somewhere in between. You can always pick against them with confidence but you can’t be surprised if they win. I’m going with the Giants here, they have a better offense and much better defense to handle the Red Rocket and AJ Green.

Detroit at Minnesota
Loren – Detroit. It looks like Stafford and Megatron are getting their mojo back. They better. Detroit’s run D isn’t nearly as good as their secondary. If you’re Minnesota, run the ball all day, control the clock, and mix in a few play-action shots down the field to keep the defense honest. Detroit should be able to handle that, but we’ve seen them lose games they should win.
Derek – Detroit. Obviously the Lions aren’t they team they were last year. They’ve lost something or at least have come back down to reality. That being said they’ve seemed to right the ship the last few weeks and aren’t turning the ball over every other possession. They should have enough offense to make up for the lack of time of possession you’re going to see. AP will have a big day but not big enough.

Atlanta at New Orleans
Loren – Atlanta. Yeah, I’m not going to pick against the only undefeated team in the league. This will probably be a high scoring, close game. But if the difference comes down to which team can make a defensive stop…which would you pick?
Derek – New Orleans. I think it was just last week I said I wouldn’t go against Atlanta until they lost. But I’ve got a feeling about this game. The Saints are playing better and the Falcons don’t look soooo explosive. I think this comes down to one possession and I like Brees with the ball in his hand. Home Dome advantage?

New York Jets at Seattle
Loren – Seattle. This is probably going to be one of those inexplicable games where the Seahawks have a home matchup against a team on the ropes, a game they could make a statement with, and they somehow find a way to lose. Overall, the Seahawks are the better team. If the Jets were smart, they’d abandon all post-season aspirations and start mixing up their personnel, come up with a new offensive plan that plays to their strengths. Ha ha, I just said, “If the Jets were smart…”
Derek – Seattle. Ha ha, Loren said “If the Jets were smart…” Seattle at home is usually a good bet. Wilson seems to be rounding into form and the D is still holding up. I don’t see a bad team in the Jets getting better all of the sudden in the hostile work environment that is the Clink.

Dallas at Philadelphia
Loren – Dallas. Man, I don’t like taking Dallas on the road. This just instinctively feels wrong. After last week’s pasting by the Saints, though, the Eagles don’t deserve a pick here. The Eagles are the most frustrating team in the NFL. On paper, their offense is stellar and their defense should be better than average. If you can’t step up on the field, though, all the paper simulations don’t mean a thing.
Derek – Dallas. Gotta stick with a team that makes minor mistakes to cost themselves the game against a team that seems to make every mistake possible. They only scored 13 against the Saints D. ewww.

Houston at Chicago
Loren – Chicago. This is the hardest game to pick this week. Everyone and their mother jumped on the Bears’ D bandwagon this week. Really? They gave up 20 and 22 points to the Titans and Panthers, respectively, the last two weeks. Hearing the pundits, you’d expect they’d had two consecutive shutouts. But here’s the reason I’m taking Chicago: tossing out the 13 points they scored against the Lions in week 7, the Bears have averaged over 37 points per game in their last 5 games. They haven’t been playing the best defenses, but it shows you the offense is clicking. If their D can even just play up to par for them this week, it should be a home win for Chicago.
Derek – Houston. I think the Texans are a legit 7-1 team and the Bears are more like a 5-3 team. They’ve been playing better recently but Houston will be the best team they’ve played since the Packers and they lost that one. I’ll be surprised if Cutler has less than 3 interceptions. He’s going to be on the run most of the game.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 9 Picks

Can you believe the season is half over? Anyway, another 5-1 week for me puts me up 6 games once again. I’m standing tall with a record of 32-16 while Loren is pulling away from the .500 mark with a 26-22 mark.

Miami at Indianapolis
Loren – Miami. Indy is just too inconsistent to afford picking them, even at home. Miami, meanwhile, seems poised to have a mediocre year. This is a vast improvement over what most people thought they would do so, you know, good for them.
Derek – Miami. Both teams are a surprise at this point I’d imagine. I think the Dolphins D will be able to control the game enough to walk away with a win. Think low score here. First one to 20 wins, in fact lets make that 17.

Denver at Cincinnati
Loren – Denver. Wow, Denver looked really sharp in dismantling the Saints. Most people do, though. This will be a much tougher test for them against a decent defense. Denver should still prevail, but this team goes as far as its defense take it. Manning and Co. will take care of business, but can they get consistent run stopping?
Derek – Denver. The Broncos took apart the Saints D and now face another poor D in Cincinnati. Only difference here is the location of the contest and it’s not nearly a big enough difference.

Minnesota at Seattle
Loren – Seattle. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Minnesota takes this one, but I have to go with the home team. If you’re going to beat Seattle’s D, an aerial attack is the way to go. I don’t see the Vikings as likely candidates to safely throw the ball often enough to score points.
Derek – Seattle. Seattle has a great D, they even ratchet it up a notch at home. I don’t expect the Vikings to score more than 10 points and wonder how Ponder will do getting hit every other time he drops back to pass.

Pittsburgh at New York Giants
Loren – New York Giants. The Giants make me nervous every week, but they keep finding a way to win. Once again, I see NY’s D line breaking through to harass the QB. The question is, though, can the Giants take advantage against a really strong defense. In a close game between strong Ds, this could come down to who can hit their field goals. Home team advantage, once again.
Derek – New York Giants. I won’t be surprised by the winner of this game, I can see it going either way in a close one or a blow out. Anything can happen here. Despite the Steelers last game, they haven’t been too consistent this year, while the Giants know how to win, plain and simple.

Dallas at Atlanta
Loren – Atlanta. Every week you have to ask yourself, “Do I trust Romo against X defense.” So, do you trust Romo against Atlanta’s D? Neither do I.
Derek – Atlanta. I’ll be interested to see the Cowboys improved DBs versus Jones and White. The Falcons haven’t relied on the run game much, but haven’t had to. Eventually they’ll lose and this could be that game, but until they do, I’m not going against them.

Philadelphia at New Orleans
Loren – Philadelphia. The Saints have a really tough road the rest of the season. Unfortunately, they shown no signs that their defense is ready to step up. The Eagles have such a balance attack and can score in so many ways, their D just needs to make a play or two to keep this one out of reach.
Derek – New Orleans. I don’t see either teams D slowing the opposition down. But I don’t think the Eagles are that good of offensive team. So I’m going with the team I know can score 30.

Read the rest of this post...

Crazy BLazer Bets

It’s time for a new NBA regular season and with it our yearly Crazy Blazer bets. As a recap we make predictions related to the Blazers that are so far fetched that if anyone of them were to actually happen you'd be willing to pay $5 to the person who made that prediction. As always please feel free to add your predictions to the bottom, of course you're not eligible for the cash.

Derek – Myers Leonard will have one game of at least 25 points 20 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Loren - Three Blazers from the 2012/13 roster make the 2013 Western Conference NBA All-Star team.

Philipp - Damian Lillard will win Rookie of the Year averaging at least 20pts and 10assts per game.

Ryan - Blazers score less than 74 points in a game…and win.

Cliff - Brandon Roy will record a triple-double in all four Blazers-Wolves games.

Carlos – Nic Batum wins the Slam Dunk Championship.

Mike - Blazers will have at least one game where they start 4 white guys.

Chris - Coach Stotts will be head coach of the Western Conference All-Star team this season.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 8 Picks

Loren had a 6-0 week last week but I only lost 1 game with a 5-1 record. I have a 5 game lead after 7 weeks. Records as of now? I've got a 27-15 record and Loren is on the positive side with 22-20.
 
Miami at NY Jets
Loren – NY Jets. Both the Jets and Dolphins have won games against inferior opponents and lost against better competition. Unfortunately for the Jets, they’ve seen Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Houston, and New England (and they kept in close in the latter two). I’ll take the home team and I expect to see the throw some strange offensive looks at the Dolphins to throw them off balance.
Derek – Miami. The Dolphins are playing better as of late and the Jets owe them one from their game earlier this year. The bye week will help Miami get some semblance of offense enough to pull out a squeaker.

Seattle at Detroit
Loren – Detroit. I’ll take the Lions at home in the dome. Losing Burleson is definitely a hit, but it will force the team to adjust and throw more short passes, force defenses up, and allow CJ to get some room to operate. Overall, Detroit has racked up yards offensively and shut down teams defensively. They just don’t have the wins to show for it. I think they take a step in the right direction this week.
Derek – Seattle. What is going on in Detroit. Stafford only has 4 TDs this year and not a single one of them is to Megatron. Surprising. I don’t think you turn that around playing against a Seahawk defense who’s absolutely killing the opposing QB right now.

Washington at Pittsburgh
Loren – Pittsburgh. Washington is dead last in passing yards allowed. Since Pittsburgh can’t run anyway, they’ll just air it out and play good D.
Derek – Pittsburgh. This should be a tough game both ways. I think the Steelers D will do just enough to keep in front of RGIII. Big Ben will have a big day through the air, don’t expect them to run it much, not that they ever do.

Oakland at Kansas City
Loren – Kansas City. I was halfway through writing about Oakland winning this on the road when I talked myself into KC. Yeah, they have a QB controversy, and a prima donna WR. They also have a killer ground game that gets better with Hillis coming back this week. They’re also rested after coming off a bye week, so Quinn has had extra time to prepare. Oakland remains winless on the road this year.
Derek – Oakland. Two bad teams, but at least the Raiders look like their trying. Beyond a big day from Charles what does KC have? Not much that’s right. I don’t think their D will be able to stop Run DMC and I’d expect a low scoring ground game here.

New Orleans at Denver
Loren – Denver. It just doesn’t let up for Denver. They’re treat coming off the bye week? A reinvigorated Saints team that has won two straight. Denver should be able to put pressure on Brees, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. I’d be a lot more comfortable with this pick if Tracy Porter weren’t questionable. Either way, the Saints can’t play defense so how are they going to stop Manning and McGahee?
Derek – Denver. The Saints look better lately, at least their offense is scoring in bunches. But give Manning a home game against a bad D and I think he’ll put 4 good quarters together.

NY Giants at Dallas
Loren – NY Giants. Who knows what we’re going to get out of this one? Regardless, the Giants are a better team and the safer bet. Plus, it just makes your heart feel good to pick Dallas to lose.
Derek – NY Giants. I’ve watched 3 Dallas games this year. I just don’t see them beating a Giant team that seems to know how to win. On the ground or through the air. Don’t forget the Murray is most likely out for this game for Dallas menaing even more pressure on Romo.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 7 Picks

Loren and I battle to a tie last week. Loren loving the Denver comeback on Monday night two fold, one because he's a Broncos fan and two he picked the game correctly. Having said that we both sucked last week with 2-4 records. For the season I have a record of 22-14 and Loren has a 16-20 record.

Washington at New York Giants
Loren – New York Giants. After they stomped the 49ers on the road, I can’t fathom picking against them at home. Washington ranks dead last in pass defense, so look to Eli to have plenty of opportunities all game long.
Derek – New York Giants.  Two streaky teams here. The Redskins have been an offensive juggernaut this year with RGIII, but I think the front line of the G-Men can contain him enough to give Eli the ball for some 4th quarter magic.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay
Loren – New Orleans. Following a theme from the Giants/Redskins game, Tampa Bay is second to last in pass defense. They just happen to be playing the team that ranks first in pass offense. If the Saints can rally even a mediocre defense, they should win handily.
Derek – New Orleans. I’m sure the Saints will score in this game, so you have to look at the D. I think they’ll be able to play well enough to make it tough for Freeman to have a good passing game. He’ll need to pass well in order to keep up with Brees.

Dallas at Carolina
Loren – Dallas. The Panthers have won a single game this year, and they were lucky to hold on to that one. In three of their five games, they’ve been held under 14 points. Yeah, the bye week will help them regroup, but it doesn’t fix a broken defense or get Newton more receivers to throw to.
Derek – Dallas. The more I watch Cam Newton the more I don’t like him. He can put up good stats but the winner label is peeling off. Now we could argue if Romo has a winner label too, but I’ll take the team with more talent. Romo and Witten seem to be on the same page and Bryant despite the drops is having a heck of a year stat wise.

Baltimore at Houston
Loren – Houston. This is the toughest call of the week. Baltimore lost the heart (and the crazy) of their defense. The Texans lost their perfect record and were obliterated by Green Bay. Questions all around. The biggest factor, though, is that the Ravens just don’t win that often on the road.
Derek – Houston. This game had all the makings of a knockdown drag out affair. Too bad for the Ravens Lewis and Webster are now out for the season. That should be just enough for the Texans to overtake Baltimore on the score board. They’ll be able to pass to set up the run in this game and control the clock.

Arizona at Minnesota
Loren – Minnesota. The luster has worn off the Cardinals, just in time for our discussion on Portland Men on Sports to look ridiculous. What else is new? I don’t trust Minnesota, but I trust the Cards even less on the road against a balanced offense.
Derek – Minnesota. The Vikings are showing us something this year. Ponder is playing well and using Peterson to the fullest extent possible. Arizona has lost two in a row and seem to be running out of luck. See Seattle and Miami games. Don’t forget this is a road game but both are dome teams.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Loren – Pittsburgh. Finally, we differ on a pick. The Steelers don’t have the record to show for it, but they are playing great defense yet again. The difference has been holding steady in the red zone where they’ve given up more TDs than we expect. They played better against Philly and had some mental errors that cost them against Tennessee. Meanwhile, Cincy lost their last two games to Miami and Cleveland. Barf. I get the sense the Bengals are looking to the bye week after their game with the Steelers and won’t play with the intensity they need to win.
Derek – Cincinnati. The Steelers have a lot of questions right now. So I’m not sure what to make of them. I do know that the Cincinnati has only been held under 24 points twice this season and that was against Baltimore and Miami. I think the Bengals will get to 20+ and I think that’s good enough to win.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 6 picks

Each week gets better and better for me anyway. After a 5-1 week I extended my lead over Loren to 6 games. I have a 20-10 record Loren is struggeling at 14-16.

Indianapolis at New York Jets
Loren - Indianapolis. No, this is not me jumping on the Indy bandwagon. This is me noting how putrid the Jets look, and that Indy has beaten both Minnesota and Green Bay this year. Indy is going to be a middle of the road team that plays a little better than expected. The Jets are going to be a middle of road team that plays quite a bit worse than expected. Indy in a minor upset.
Derek – New York Jets. I might be giving Loren a game here but I think this is one of those strange games where the Jets will find a copel fo explosion plays, not that I have any idea who will make those. The Colts be a good team last week but that was at home after a bye. Look for them to struggle more on the road.

Detroit at Philadelphia
Loren - Philadelphia. This is a matchup of last place in the NFC North vs first place in the NFC East. I'm steering clear of Detroit until they can show me some offensive consistency. Odds are with the home team, but this one isn't a lock. Despite leading their division, the Eagles have surrendered 19 more points than they've scored. That will catch up to you eventually.
Derek – Philadelphia. The Lions are the epitome of inconsistent right now. It’s crazy how up and down they are, especially Stafford. I’ll go with a slightly less disjointed team in the Eagles. At least they have the home field atvantage.

Dallas at Baltimore
Loren - Baltimore. Would you take Romo against the Ravens D at home? Me neither.
Derek – Baltimore. Could be a game where the Cowboys jump up and surprise you but I’ll hedge my bets with a top 5 team at home.

NY Giants at San Francisco
Loren - San Francisco. Wow, what a matchup. I like the 49ers at home. The Giants haven't exactly played their best against the toughest competition they've faced, and the 49ers are on a different level from Dallas and Philly. Throw in the long distance travel and you have a recipe for a Giant let down (see what I did there?). The Giants seem to play best with their backs to the wall, though, so I'll be tuning in to see how this goes down.
Derek – San Francisco. Obviously the Giants can win this game, see last years NFC Championship game. But I have a feeling that the G-men haven’t found their groove just yet. They’ll hang around but the 49ers will wear them out and strike with two big plays in the second half.

Green Bay at Houston
Loren - Houston. It seemed for the last couple of years that the Texans desperately wanted to be the Packers. How quickly things change. The Packers would give Rodgers left arm for either of Houston's running backs, and they might sell one of his legs for a decent DL. Green Bay is still dangerous week in week out, but don't listen to the apologists who say the Packers should be 3-2. They could just have easily lost that squeaker against New Orleans and the Seattle game and have just one win on the season. Houston is playing great football all around and it's hard to be against an undefeated team.
Derek – Houston. Just so we all know. I’m picking the Texans in every game this year until they prove me wrong.

Denver at San Diego
Loren - Denver. This one's for the division lead. I don't see Denver dropping this one, considering how close they played Atlanta, Houston, and New England. The Chargers are not close to being as good as those teams. Denver, though, has to stop tiptoeing into games and start scoring early points. Waiting until the second half to come alive is not going to get you to the playoffs.
Derek - San Diego. Denver’s had a tough schedule but just because they’re not playing a top team doesn’t mean they can go on the road in their division and just show up to win. They need to show me something in order for me to pick them. I’ll take the Chargers in a tough one.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL Week 5 picks

Week 5 is upon us. I went 4-2 last week to Loren's 2-4. Meaning I have 4 game lead with a record of 15-9 to Loren's 11-13. Can he make a comeback? I for one hope not.

Atlanta at Washington
Loren – Atlanta. When Atlanta loses a game, I might bet against them. Nah, probably not. Still look like the most complete team in the NFL this year. Strong defense (probably playing a little below their skill level right now), strong on the ground and deadly through the air. Does any team have a better combination of skill and athleticism from their receiving crew? White, Jones, Gonzales get so many targets that their third WR, Harry Douglas, is an afterthought even though he could be a legitimate #2 on most teams.
Derek – Atlanta. It’s nice to see my Super Bowl picks doing well. The Falcons are taking care of business each and every week. Matty Ice is slinging it and the D is doing fine. I would think we’ll see limited action from Julio Jones until that hand heals but really that’s the worst thing that’s happened to the team this year. They’ll keep rolling in a high scoring game.

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
Loren – Philadelphia. As Derek and I predicted before the season, Pittsburgh has struggled. Their defense, the heart and soul of the team, has been inconsistent. They shut down the Jets, but allowed over 30 points to the Broncos and Raiders. This is the same Raiders team that scored 6 against the Broncos last week. People are expecting the Steelers to be rejuvenated after their bye week, but they’ll have to show me more heart before I pick them over the first place Eagles who are riding high with big wins over the Ravens and Giants.
Derek – Pittsburgh. Everything here should point to an Eagles win. They finally played a turnover free game and have beat two solid teams recently. Add that to the fact that the Steelers D has been…well not themselves this season. But give Pittsburgh a bye week Polamalu and Harrison back and I think they can do enough to slow down the Eagles. I think Big Ben will throw all but 10 times in this game. Eight runs and 2 kneel downs at the end.

Seattle at Carolina
Loren – Carolina. This is the story of two inconsistent offenses, and whichever one pulls it together on that Sunday will likely get the win. I favor Carolina for two reasons. First, home field advantage against a cross-country team. Second, the Panthers nearly took out Atlanta last week and looked pretty good doing it. Yes, call it a moral victory for them. That growth carries over to this week and they take Seattle to the woodshed.
Derek – Carolina. I can’t wait to see how Seattle’s D handles Newton. It should be a good match up. I just think the Panthers will be able to scrap enough points together to beat a bad Seattle offense that’s traveling across country. Sure they beat the Giants on the road last year but making that trip and winning is tough.

Buffalo at San Francisco
Loren – San Francisco. Ugh. After the Bills jumped out 21-7 against the Pats, I thought last week’s prediction was safe, and I was sure a practical joke was being played on me when I saw the final. The 49ers don’t present the same offensive prowess as the Pats, but I can’t stomach taking the Bills after a meltdown like that. That’s the kind of loss that settles in your bones and weighs on a team the whole season.
Derek – San Francisco. The 49ers blasted a bad Jets team last week on the road, what do you think they’re going to do to a mediocre team at home? I don’t know what the spread is but it should be on e of those games where everyone takes the underdog because the spread is so big but they still can’t cover.

Denver at New England
Loren – Denver. Oh boy, here we go. This game is really a coin flip pick, but I’ll give some reasons why I think the Broncos can win. First, they’re a better run stopping D than Buffalo. A lot is being made of New England gaining 247 yards on the ground against the Bills. Denver dominated McFadden, didn’t allow a rushing TD to Houston, and completely kept Michael Turner in check, so the Pats shouldn’t be able to consistently run. Second, the Patriots can’t tackle. Thomas, Tamme, Decker, and company love their yards after catch and the Pats have been terrible at open-field tackling. Third, McGahee. Willis is averaging 4.7 YPC and has looked great with the exception of the Houston game. If he hits 100 yards on the ground averaging 4 yards per carry, the Broncos should control the tempo and will open up the field for Manning.
Derek – New England. That’s Pats are too good to lose two at home this year. Good thing they got that one loss out of the way against Arizona? Yeah still can’t figure that one out. Welker has woken up. Don’t expect the Pats to run like they did last week but they don’t really care/need to. Remember what New England did to Denver in the playoffs last year? Is Manning going to make that big of difference? No.

San Diego at New Orleans
Loren – New Orleans. I just have a feeling that Drew Brees is going to stick it to his old team. The Saints have lost their 4 games by an average of 5 points and have had a chance to win all of them. You can’t bet against this Saints team for too long without getting stung. Conversely, you can’t bet on Norv Turner for too long without getting stung.
Derek – New Orleans. The Saints aren’t thaaaaat bad. Brees is going for a record and knowing full well that he has to score a bunch since his D is nonexistent. Plus the Charges are traveling more than half way across the country and have Norv Turner as a coach. BTW I love that every time we pick the Chargers to lose one of the reasons is Norv Turner.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL week 4 picks

Great week last week, for me at least I went 5-1 opening up a 2 game lead on Loren. I’m sitting at 11-7 while Loren is at 9-9. On to the picks!

San Francisco at NY Jets
Loren - San Francisco. The Jets actually look pretty decent so far this year. They do have one glaring weakness, though; run defense. I see SF keeping the ball in Gore's hands and playing it safe. If the Jets cheat up, Smith has enough weapons and confidence to make a couple of big plays thought the air.
Derek – San Francisco. Normally I don’t like taking teams traveling across the country but I think the 49ers will be on the lookout for revenge. I’d be surprised if NY can score more than 2 field goals all game. Their O is terrible. Smith has a solid day and 49ers win by double digits.

Minnesota at Detroit
Loren - Detroit. I'm picking Detroit simply because they're the home team. I don't know what to expect from either Minnesota or Detroit. Neither has played consistently and they both have plenty of holes. I think Detroit will concentrate on shutting down AP and let Ponder have his chances. At this point in his career, I'm not betting on Ponder to carry his team.
Derek – Detroit. The Lions have the better team here. They should be able to score more easily than they have in recent weeks. Can the D stop Peterson? We’ll find out, they should load the box and tell Ponder he’s the one that’ll have to beat them. I don’t think he can.

New England at Buffalo
Loren - Buffalo. This one will probably come back to bite me, but I like the matchup for Buffalo. I know this means betting on NE to lose three in a row, but I can't shake the feeling that Buffalo has the right team to beat the Pats. They lost Spiller but have Fred Jackson back (fantasy backstabber)., and their defense has been much better after their opening game against the Jets. I think we get to see Fitzpatrick really open up against NE's terrible secondary.
Derek – New England. I don’t see this Pats team losing 3 in a row. They played poorly versus Arizona and lost to a good team in Baltimore at the last second. Brady will come out and use the short quick passing game to negate the Bills pass rush. I think the Pats D is a bit better than it has been in previous years and I think they’ll handle what the Bills have to offer.

New Orleans at Green Bay
Loren - Green Bay. With both of these teams throwing out stink bombs, I'm just going to play safe and take the team that's won a game and is playing at home. On the plus side, we may get to see 1400 yards of total offense!
Derek – Green Bay. The Packers have had a rough go of it this year, but not as rough as the Saints. If the Packers are looking to get back on track on the offensive side of the ball they couldn’t have picked a better team to play. Saints score in the 20’s lose by a bunch.

NY Giants at Philadelphia
Loren - NY Giants. Okay, I learned my lesson last week. Yes, the Eagles are better than the Panthers, primarily due to speed at several key positions. It will be harder for NY to stop McCoy and Jackson, but I like the attitude the Giants are bringing. They have renewed intensity and I expect their defense to put Vick on the run, something he hasn't dealt with well this year.
Derek – NY Giants. I’ve been picking them every week. Why stop now? Well ok I did pick the Eagles to win the division but man they don’t look so hot on the offensive side of the ball. How good is Nick Foles? Just kidding, well not entirely. Vick has been getting knocked around and I think the G-men have a good pass rush right? Right?

Chicago at Dallas
Loren - Dallas. Tell me how Chicago is going to win the NFC North after they beat a divisional opponent, or any decent team. Their wins have come over the Rams and Colts, while the Packers handled them fairly easily. I don't see them going into Dallas and playing defense the way Seattle did, taking away the Romo's weapons.
Derek – Chicago. I went back and forth on this one. It came down to this. The Cowboys have looked terrible on offense this year. I think the Bears D can keep that trend going. I expect a close 13-10 game or thereabouts.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL week 3 picks

After two weeks Loren and I are tied with 6-6 records. I know the definition of mediocrity. On to week 3!

New York Giants at Carolina
Loren – Carolina. This is the point in the season where every Giants fan starts hyperventilating and contemplates jumping on the third rail. They needed a miracle last week to win and their vaunted D hasn’t been able to slow anyone down. The Giants need to hit rock bottom before they pull out of it and make the push that gets them into the post-season. Personally, I think they do it just so they can see how red Coughlin’s face can get. It might bypass the visible spectrum entirely this year and go right into infrared.
Derek – New York Giants. I think you need a line like the Giants have in order to beat Cam Newton. Without Nicks in the game NY will rely on their running game more than usual and that’ll be a good thing. Watch for this to be a lower scoring than everyone expects.

Philadelphia at Arizona
Loren – Philadelphia. Well, with the parity through the first two weeks in the season, we just had to pick this battle of undefeated teams. CARDINALS DYNASTY! Ok, seriously, the Cards are overmatched in a second straight week (some would argue they were overmatched against the Seahawks, too). Philly has tons of weapons and no inclination to actually use them. However, whatever luck the Cardinals have has to run out soon.
Derek – Arizona. I know the Cards are a bad team but if they can get to Brady they can get to Vick. The cards strength lives in their defensive backfield and this will help negate the Eagles big plays. Don’t forget the cross country trip.

Cincinnati at Washington
Loren – Washington. RGIII has become required viewing, just like Cam Newton. There is nothing better in football than a dynamic QB who can slice you up on the ground and through the air. I appreciate the skills Luck has, and no one knows who will end up with the better career or stats. Who do I want to watch play the game, Luck or RGIII? It’s not even close. I don’t have a personal stake in the Redskins other than a communal hatred of Dan Snyder, but their relevancy means less attention on the damn Cowboys, and that’s a victory for everyone.
Derek – Washington. Until someone slows the Redskins down it’ll be hard to go against them. Their offense is working well right now and I don’t think the Bengals will keep up.

Atlanta at San Diego
Loren – Atlanta. I’m a believer. Yeah, the Falcons are traveling across the country blah blah. This team can handle it. The Broncos are a solid team and Manning is still one of the best at managing scoring drives (1st quarter the obvious exception), but the Falcons pretty much owned that game. If they had put the pedal down when they had the chance, the game probably wouldn’t have been as close as it was. It should frighten other teams to know that the Falcons haven’t even figured out their best offense yet. Once Michael Turner gets really involved and they use more play-action to keep defenses honest, you could see scoring a la 2011/12 Green Bay, but with a legitimate running game. Yikes.
Derek – Atlanta. San Diego is waaaay past due for their beginning of the season slump. Plus, you know, the dirty birds are pretty good. They seem to play well on D and their passing game is clicking right now. I don’t expect Jones to drop passes like he did last week. Did I mention I picked them to be in the Super Bowl?

New England at Baltimore
Loren – Baltimore. I really didn’t know which way to go on this. After week 1, I would have gone with Baltimore without reservation. Their meltdown, though, against Philly leaves me with lots of questions about the identity of that team. New England, for all their holes, usually know how to expertly exploit a team’s deficiencies. I hope the Ravens get back to consistent running and limit Flacco’s long throws. They shouldn’t have to worry about the Pat’s running game, so they can launch a barrage at Brady and keep him off balance the whole game.
Derek – Baltimore. I keep thinking back to last year’s AFC Championship game, how did Baltimore not win that one? The Ravens fourth quarter last week aside I think they’ll play a full 60 mins this week and with the virtual absence of Welker a lot of the Pats big play potential is gone.

Houston at Denver
Loren – Houston. Bet you didn’t see that one coming. I’ve said from the beginning, though, that the Bronco’s schedule is tough. They should be happy to get to their week 7 bye with at 3-3 record. I just don’t see this being one of their victories. The Texans should run the ball 50 times. Foster and Tate can reel off 5, 6, 7 yards at a time, dominate possession, and literally run the Broncos off the field. Denver’s best shot is to hope for a reversal of last week’s game; Houston gets pass happy and makes mistakes the Broncos capitalize on. I think Kubiak is smarter than that.
Derek – Houston. Maybe the best team in the league so far and they look like they can run, pass and play D. If it wasn’t for a punt return for TD I’d say their special teams are playing well too. I’m going to waffle on Manning until I see more spirals and less wounded ducks.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL picks week 2

OK week 2 of our NFL picks. We sucked it up last week but Loren sucked a little less than me. He's up by 1 with a stellar record of 3-3.

Chicago at Green Bay
Loren – Green Bay. I’m not buying the hype about Chicago. Forte still has to stay healthy all season and both Cutler and Marshall have to not be boneheads. Something bad is going to happen, like Marshall choking a coach or Cutler just plain choking. Regardless, Green Bay will be out to prove they’re still deadly and they should show up in a big way for a divisional game.
Derek - Green Bay. The Packets losing two in a row? At home? Come on...no really that can't happen can it?

Denver at Atlanta
Loren – Denver. This should be an even tougher test for the Broncos than last week’s win over Pittsburgh. However, the Falcons aren’t running the ball like they should, and a pass heavy attack plays right into Denver’s hands. By which I mean Denver is less likely to get obliterated by a passing attack than they are by a decent ground game. Plus, Manning with another week of gelling with his offense. Me likey.
Derek - Atlanta. I think the Falcons take it in a shoot out. If this was in Denver I'd go the other way.

New Orleans at Carolina
Loren – New Orleans. It’s entirely possible (and I’m hoping so for fantasy purposes) that Newton throws over 400 yards and 4 TD and runs another couple in, and the Panthers still lose. I don’t trust either of these teams from week to week, but the Saints have more experience and weapons.
Derek - New Orleans. I don't think the Saints are as good as I thought they were, sure it was only one game but they didn't have their "stuff" together. But I think they can take down a one man team in the Panthers.

Baltimore at Philadelphia
Loren – Baltimore. The Ravens D is going to eat Philly alive. And I will enjoy watching every minute of it.
Derek - Baltimore. I'll ride the Ravens all year. Will Vick make it out of this game? I'm not so sure.

Detroit at San Francisco
Loren – San Francisco. I’m officially on the 49ers bandwagon. They have a perfect game plan, aren’t afraid of anyone, have the craziest and arguably most intimidating coach, and they have home field advantage in this game.
Derek - San Francisco. Home game out west, that should be enough for me to pick them. Plus you know the 49ers are pretty good and everything. Man they could walk into the playoffs win only one or two loses. Dare I say zero? But Stafford will throw for over 350 yards again.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh
Loren – Pittsburgh. Sanchez is no Manning. When the Jets are down 20 at halftime, how loud will the chanting be for Tebow? Not as loud as it will be for Sanchez once they see Tebow in action.
Derek - Pittsburgh. The Jets come back to earth day. Yeah, I still don't they they're good and I won't be surprised if they score less than 20 for the next 5 games.

Read the rest of this post...

NFL picks week 1

We're back for another year of NFL 6 pack of picks. Personally I'd go with a 6 pack of Rogue Ales – Hazelnut Brown Nectar...anyway on to our picks.

Dallas at NY Giants

Loren - Giants. The Giants have had slow starts the last couple of seasons, so I make this pick with some trepidation. They are the defending champs, though, and they're playing at home. Dallas, as usual, seems poised for either a complete train wreck or a 13 win season. I hoping for train wreck, and I'm taking the Giants.

Derek – Giants. Early game but this will play a pivotal role in who gets to the playoffs. One of these teams will be in and one will be out. I’m taking the Giants, they just seem to be all business and don’t forget the home field.

Buffalo at NY Jets

Loren - Buffalo. Whatever the Jets trot out on offense to start the season, it won't be half as good as their defense. With all the drama and questions, it's nice to be able to pick a sold, workmanlike Buffalo team. These guys run the ball, throw when they have to, and bolstered their D in the off season. Also, they'll have at least one game with Fred Jackson healthy.

Derek – Buffalo. I would like to take the Jets here but their offense is so offensive, in a bad way, I can’t until I see them well you know score an actual touchdown. Man they look terrible.

San Francisco at Green Bay

Loren - San Francisco. I changed my pick on this, which is probably a bad sign. Like a test in high school, you should usually stick with your first answer. Since I've taken the 49ers, though, I should probably have some concrete reason, some stats to back it up, some insightful commentary. Yeah, I've got none of that. I will say this, has any "great" team ever won as many games by as few points as the Packers did in 2011? That defense didn't get any better, and San Francisco is more dangerous than their 2011 version.

Derek – Green Bay. I’ve never agreed and disagreed with what one person has wrote in one paragraph before. Loren’s right, there’s not stats to back up a 49ers pick here. Agreed. The Packers D will be better than last year for the simple fact that it can’t be worse. Also San Fran will not be as good as they were last year especially on D and special teams. They’re a good team and I’ll pick them to win plenty but not against the best team in the NFC who’s playing at home.

Pittsburgh at Denver

Loren - Denver. At least the Broncos get a home game to open the league's toughest schedule. I'm banking on some tired Steelers playing in thin air to help the Broncos here. I also like the outside rush to harass Rapelisburger who looks like he's walking on broken glass every time he has to scramble. If the Broncos don't commit turnovers, they should be victorious in this match up.

Derek – Denver. I’d like to pick the Steelers, but I’m trying to think of who they are and not who they used to be.

Cincinnati at Baltimore

Loren - Baltimore. Cincy was a nice surprise last year and they look built for continued success, save for one glaring hole. Their defense is solid against both the pass and run, they have a decent O-line and a success story at QB, and one of the most exciting receivers in the league. The putrid mess at running back, though, is the team's Achilles heal. Bernard Scott and BJGE aren't going to help them win games, especially against defenses as good as Baltimore's.

Derek – Baltimore. The Bengals will not be as good this year as last year. Sorry, Cinny fans. Baltimore will be as good as they were last year and should win the division. Rice will have a big game.

San Diego at Oakland

Loren - Oakland. Here's my surprise pick for week 1. I don't believe that Ryan Matthews is fully healthy. I don't believe in the Chargers' receiving corps, and I don't believe in Philipp Rivers period. Nobody wants to play with him, and he can't with the important games. Sure, he'll throw for 300 yards and 2 TDs, but he'll also make bad reads, get picked a couple times, and blame everything on his teammates. The Raiders poached Denver's defensive coordinator, who needed less than a season to turn a bottom of the table defense into middle of the pack, and installed him as head coach. We should see a serious improvement in Oakland's D this season, McFadden will be a monster, and they'll have just enough pieces to have a moderately surprising season, starting with a week one Monday night win.

Derek – Oakland. This could be a tossup game, but I believe in the Raiders a bit more than I have in the past. I also believe that the Charges will thud out of the gate as usual. We do remember what Rivers was like the last time he didn’t have Vincent Jackson for a year right?

Read the rest of this post...