Weekly NFL picks.... : CBSSports.com Blogs

Superbowl Pick

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:08:46 EST

Alright, I know I’ve been MIA for the second half and even the entire playoffs, but that’s the consequence of working to the bone and mimicking that movie “Up in the Air”. But, there is no way I could miss out on giving my two cents in for the big game!

Let me just say that I don’t have a horse in this race, so we could look at it subjectively. With that said, I love the Saints story, but how could you root against the hometown workhorse in Peyton Manning?

Let’s first discuss the current line of 5.5, originally the line was 7 but the Dwight Freeney injury is huge. It allows the Saints O-line to potentially shift down and double on Robert Mathis. With a decreased pass rush, that is going to put a ton of pressure on the secondary to cover the army of Saint wide receivers. Let us not forget that Bob Sanders is also out. The Colts have been playing outstanding defense in his absence, but that has been the result of strong play on the defensive line.

Why Not A Superbowl Saturday?

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:11:57 EST

Superbowl Sunday, a day filled with euphoria for every sports fan, but every year a recipe for a miserable Monday. Superbowl Saturday sounds every bit as good and would alleviate the usual fallout experienced by poor planning. The NFL is the most progressive league of all the major sports. They have historically been proactive to combat issues ranging from affirmative action to steroids. Yet, this progressive league fails to recognize that the biggest game of the year creates a problem far bigger than a Janet Jackson clothing “malfunction”.

In a time when our economy is struggling and people are doing the best just to hang on to their jobs, employers can’t afford to deal with the economic burden placed on them due to the Superbowl. Put aside the $3 million for a 30 second spot, that is not the issue here or even the fact that employers lose approximately $850 million in the week leading up to the big game because little can be done by the league. The problem is the $150 million businesses lose as a result of the 1.5 million employees calling out sick or the over 4 million employee who show up late on the Monday after the game.

NFL Week 14 Picks - Thursday Game

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:15:51 EST

Steelers vs. Browns

The Steelers at 6-6 are a desperate team right now and they have to be thrilled that they are facing the lowly Browns this week. Even with Troy Polamalu out and potentially for the season they should have more than enough on defense to shut down the pathetic Browns offense, who has trouble scoring on anyone unless they are Detroit. I really like good teams that are desperate for a win to cover. The Steelers have disappointed me and most of us this season with their inept ability to cover, let alone win when they are supposed to. That debacle last week versus Oakland was a complete embarrassment and they will be looking for blood. I take the Steelers to cover the 10. On a side note: much to my dismay I have yet to win a Thursday game this season, but I find it difficult to take the Browns in this position.

NFL Week 13 Picks

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 6:45:52 EST

My apologies for not posting last week, but hey holiday travels make it tough! I hope you all had a good turkey day. On a side note, for those who are curious I had 9 winners. Not great, but certainly not terrible either. Thanks for the comments and messages. Here is what’s on tap for week 13:

Jets vs. Bills

In the NFL’s effort to show how paltry the CFL is we send them the Bills and the Jets?? Either way, Canada here we come! Both of these teams have been somewhat of an enigma for me this season. The Jets have been expectedly up and down as those are the growing pains with a rookie QB. The Bills on the other hand seem to come out of nowhere and make games and even win a few against what should be superior teams. Last week the T.O. and Fitzpatrick combination proved to be lethal against Miami and quite frankly it even had me scratching my head after the Bills crushed a really tough Miami team. The Jets themselves had a nice win over a very streaky Carolina team with what looked to be the same dominating defense that started the season. Both teams are confident right now and it’s probably a sucker bet, but I’m going to take a flyer and go with the Bills getting 3 points.

NFL Week 11 Picks

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:10:57 EST

Loving a ton of the home dogs this week. Sure there are many bad teams out there, but double digit victories in the NFL gets a little harder to do on the road this time of year when teams are better at game planning and know their personnel a bit better. Up and down season for me thus far. Thanks for all of you who continue to support and read. Please post your thoughts on the games and why you agree or disagree with any of my picks. With the one's I've selected this week, there is sure to be enough to talk about.

- M

Panthers vs. Dolphins

Jake Delhomme has been able to keep the picks to a minimum and the Panthers running game has really taken off. DeAngelo Williams is averaging a crazy 5.1 yards per carry. This team appears to have turned the corner and has played really good football as of late. Not to be out done Ricky Williams is averaging 5.3 yards himself, but the Miami running game will be missing one of the two headed attack as Ronnie Brown is out for the year. Miami gets Joey Porter back on defense, but it may not be enough this week. I’m taking the Panthers that are on a roll to cover the 3 points at home versus a Miami team that struggled to beat Tampa last week.

NFL Week 10 Picks

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 7:11:02 EST

49ers vs. Chicago

Will Chicago be fired up due to Vernon Davis’ recent comments? Sure. Will it matter? No. Chicago has done a nice job this season versus lesser opponents, but against quality teams they have not measured up. A 20 point loss last week to Arizona is a recent example of this. The defense is smoke and mirrors and any team with an offensive coordinator worth a salt is exposing them. San Fran has not looked that much better recently and losing to the Titans on their last go around is not exactly a vote of confidence, but to their credit the Titans have been playing much better and it seemed to be a case of bad timing. A four game losing streak to mostly really good teams has the 49ers desperate for a win. S.F. is giving 3 points playing at home versus a lesser opponent on a short week. I’m taking the 49ers.

NFL Week 9 Picks

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 8:13:26 EST

Jaguars vs. Chiefs

Larry Johnson will not be in pads for the Chiefs this weekend when they take on the Jags. Not that it matters though, as the guy averages only 2.7 yards per carry when he’s not busy making gay remarks about his coach. Not smart at all, and reminds me of T.O. talking about Jeff Garcia, “Like my boy tells me: 'If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.” Jamaal Charles will get the carries this week and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry, so there is hope in Chief land as they take on a Jags team that rates among the league worst in defense. The Jags are an up and down team and just got crushed last week 30-13 to the Titans who rushed for over 300 yards. This game is a coin flip, as you never know which team will show. The loss was so bad, Del Rio had these guys if full pads on Wednesday. With that said, I think Jax bounces back this week after an embarrassing performance and takes it to the Chiefs covering the 6.5

NFL Week 8 Picks

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:43:27 EDT

Vegas last week suffered their worst loss with NFL games. They just can’t seem to make the lines big enough to scare away bettors from taking the favorites and last week most covered. The NFL clearly is a league of have and have nots and there have been too many unwatchable games this season. With that said, I have had only one losing week thus far in the season and I’m holding up in my pool league. I have had a few break even weeks and even managed to sprinkle in a couple of 10 win weeks against the spread. Here is my lineup with reasoning of course for week 8. As always, best of luck.

- M

Ravens vs. Broncos

This should be one of the best games this week as both teams are very complete. The Broncos have been one of the best teams in the NFL this season and have been playing with an extremely high level of confidence and deservedly so. They have beaten some of the best teams in the league and will once again have to rise up to the challenge when they face the Ravens. If you haven’t been able to tell already that I love really good teams coming off a bye week. Give a good coaching staff, a quality team, and two weeks to prepare for the opponent usually spells bad news for anyone playing them. The problem is what do you do when both teams are coming off bye weeks? Given that the spread is more than a field goal, and both teams seem evenly matched, I’m taking the Broncos on the road getting 3.5. Eddie Royal looks to be coming around, Brandon Marshall is too much for any cover guy, and the running game is solid on Denver’s side. The surprise for me has been the Denver defense that has great defensive backs especially with the addition of Brian Dawkins. Flacco and the Ravens defense are great, but I don’t think better at this point.

NFL Week 7 Picks

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 0:06:35 EDT

After coming off what can only be described as my toughest week yet, I thank all of you who continue to support this blog and hope to bounce back this week after dropping to third in my league. Like I stated before, the room for error in picking against the spread is small and teams like the Eagles, Jet, Steelers, and Jags certainly did not help. Not to mention the Vikings falling apart and giving up 21 points in the 4th quarter felt like a stab to the heart. With that said, a new week, and a fresh start. This may be the best week in football yet as the matchups look like great games. Tough to pick, but great to watch. I've got some fliers and a couple of what appear to be no brainers, only time will tell. Thanks for all the comments and support, and as always, best of luck this week.

NFL Week 6 Picks

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:10:30 EDT

I HAVE MADE 3 CHANGES. I hate to waiver on any of my picks, especially after posting but when you post early it poses some disadvantages when looking closely at the games. After a good deal of thought I have made 3 changes with justifications of course and I wanted to post this as soon as possible. I apologize if this has caused any confusion, but I submitted my final sheet and I wanted my post to be consistent for anyone keeping score. I appreciate all of your messages and postings. The changes are listed below the original selected game and are in bold. As always, best of luck. -M

After several requests, I’m posting this as early as I can. It’s a little tough to do because it leaves very little time scope out the games. After a tough couple of weeks going 9-7 and 7-7, took some of my pride back by going 10-4 against the spread and 10-4 straight up. My losses included Pitt covering the 10.5, the Jets in that painful loss, and Carolina missing by ½ point. Those three games prevented me from a nice 13-1 week, but oh well. This is a really tough week to call and I’ve got most of the favorites playing at home this week. I hope to keep the streak alive especially after retaining my lead in my pool. I appreciate all of the offline comments as well as the online criticisms and most of all your reading. Best of luck.

NFL Week 5 Picks

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 8:13:54 EDT

I appreciate all of the views and off line comments and hope you continue to read my blog. I also know that I better start producing or I’m going to start losing some of my credibility. After a monster start to the season, I took a couple of gambles and it didn’t pay off to say the least. Last week breaking even. With a fresh start and what seems to be a pretty weak week in the NFL I’m here to turn it around. Here are my picks for the week.

Vikings vs. Rams – No brainer here. Case of Vikes being a top NFC juggernaut and the Rams are well…the Rams. Favre and Peterson will take it to them. The Viking’s pass rush is too much for a sputtering Rams offense that features one guy in Steven Jackson . The Rams got crushed 35-0 by the 49ers and I don’t see a better scenario here for them. I take the Vikes straight up and give the 9.5.

NFL Week 4 Picks

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:49:59 EDT

A terrible week for me last week. I just imploded, but I'm back this week with what seems to be a good week and as always I'll be taking some chances. As always, full disclosure I am 30-18 straight up and 27-21 against the spread. With that said, lets try and get back on track. I don't want to fall far behind in my pool. Hopefully my commentary helps you and I appreciate any and all of your thoughts.

Detroit vs. Chicago. Detroit finally snapped their losing streak, and despite being the so called worst team in the NFL last year and this year I think it is important to note that they have kept most games close. I have Chicago winning this one, but the 10 points they are giving is way too much for a game that will be a battle of field position. It wouldn't surprise me if Detroit actually wins as Stafford has been able to move the ball and the offense hasn't looked bad if he can avoid the picks.

Week 3 Picks....

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:56:31 EDT

Full disclosure - I am 21-11 straight up so far for the season and 18-14 against the spread, so take that for what it worth. Just like to post and evoke some discussion and happy to hear your thoughts. Here are the games:

Titans @ Jets - Jets defense has been awsome this season and the offense has managed to be mistake free, thus copying the Ravens formula for success last year. This one I think who goes to the Titans who are just desparte for a win and still have more talent than the Jets. I pick the Titans straight up for the win and take the 2.5 in points as well.

Giants @ Buccaneers - Even with the Jints hurting a bit on the D-line and Kenny Phillips out for the year. I take the Giants who still have a stout D line with a statue QB in Leftwich to tee off on. They don't have a recorded TD this year either. Reluctantly I'm giving the 6.5 to TB. Kind of a big # for me.