Week 6 NFL Picks

Last week was another down the toilet. If you want to see my disasterous picks go here. Man this season has been a little crazy. Only thing keeping me from breaking down is how the Ravens are positioning themselves in the division. Last week for the black birds was rough. They didn't look good at all on defense, but Charles is going to make a lot of defenses look that way.

Alright let's gets some good picks this week and turn the around.

Pittsburgh @ Tennessee
I'll excuse this game if the Titans can pull it off, but Steelers win

Oakland @ Atlanta
The Falcons are flying high. They continue to soar this week.

Cincy @ Cleveland
Division game at home for the Browns, and they are 0-5 this season. They have to snap that losing streak. I'm going with a Cleveland upset.

St Louis @ Miami
I don't like picking dome teams when playing outdoors. Calling for rain this weekend. I'm going Miami.

Indy @ NY Jets
I love seeing the Jets lose, and I think Indy has things figured out and riding high after beating the Packers.

Detroit @ Philthy
Hate to pick 'em but Eagles win.

Kansas City @ Tampa Bay
I don't want to pick KC on the road, but the numbers comparision has me leaning that way.What the heck KC

Dallas @ Baltimore
Baltimore has put up 30 points past 2 meetings. With this new offense I don't see why they can't again. Baltimore wins

Buffalo @ Arizona
I don't know why I always want to lean toward Buffalo in these picks. Not this time. Arizona

New England @ Seattle
Seattle at home against a big competitor. You know what that means. That mean Seattle is going to upset. Can't do it. New England wins

NY Giants @ San Fran
Going with San Fran here

Minnesota @ Washington
Questionable starting QB in Washington has me leaning to the Vikings.

Green Bay @ Houston
What is up with GB? Houston wins

Denver @ San Diego
I think the records will even out this week. Denver wins.

Week 5 NFL Picks

Alright so apparently I was so unhappy with previous weeks picks I wanted to redo them. I labeled last weeks picks Week 3 Picks. Oh well. Anyway last week was my best week of the season as I went 12-3 last week. Want to see last weeks picks click here. That brings my standings after the first quarter of the season to 35-28. Not the best start but over .500.

Let's take a look at week 5.

Arizona @ St Louis
How can you not pick against the hotter team in this matchup? Arizon wins 21-17

Miami @ Cincy
Cincy is 3-1 going up against the 1-3 Dolphins. Not impressed with the quality of the teams Cincy has beat but they should take this game at home.

Green Bay @ Indy
Not much to say here. Going GB!

Baltimore @ KC
Could be a high scoring affair. Baltimore is giving up yards and KC has some stand out offensive players. Cassel however has thrown 7 picks in 4 games. Baltimore will force some turnovers in the second half.

Cleveland @ NY Giants
G-men are the better team and take this game at home.

Philly @ Pittsburgh
I can't stand either of these teams. That said I still have to pick one. Philly is the team you hate to pick because of the way they've been winning as of late. I'm going with the more hated Steelers.

Atlanta @ Washington
Here's another team I can't stand, the Falcons. I'm picking with my heart a little here because I want to see Atlanta get whooped.

Seattle @ Carolina
Seattle is pretty shaky on the road. Carolina wins.

Chicago @ Jacksonville
Bears have the better team.

Tennessee @ Minnesota
Minn knocked off SF and Detroit in the past 2 weeks. The titans should be a breeze.

Denver @ New England
Tough, tough game. Patriots can be beaten. I'm going with Denver coming into NE and knocking off the Pats

Buffalo @ San Fran
San Fran. That's all

San Diego @ New Orleans
Oh how the Saints, keep losing games, oh how the Saints keep losing games. San Diego should have their number and the Saints keep losing games!

Houston @ NY Jets
The Jets are hurting. Literally! Houston wins

Week 3 NFL Picks

WOW is all I can say after last weeks games! Last week I went a pitiful 6-10. I'm blaming it on the replacement refs. Just kidding. However the games with these refs are terrible. I'm not blaming them personally though because they are way out of their league and really have no business being out there. All I can say is shame on the NFl for putting that product out on the field! Anyway if you want to see my disaster picks from last week just click here.
All I can say is week 4 has to be better than week 3, so let's get at it.

Cleveland @ Baltimore
A short week for both teams, but Baltimore gets to stay home. It's tough for any team to come in here and beat the Ravens ad Harbaugh is a perfect 8-0 against the Browns. I don't think that will change and the Ravens move onto a 3-1 record.
Carolina @ Atlanta
The last 4 times these two teams met the Falcons won all 4 and scored 31 points each game. Atlanta sitting at 3-0 should stay perfect but I can see the Panthers sneaking one out here.
New England @ Buffalo
Buffalo's Spiller is running and Fitzpatrick has double the amount of TD's than Brady. I think with the way they lost last week NE should rebound here.
Minnesota @ Detroit
Detroit seems the obvious choice here, but they lost in SF and then again last week in OT to Tenn. Minnesota however beat Jacksonville in OT in week 1 and lost by 3 to Indy then go on and beat SF last week. I may be the only one but I'm going with the Viking upset here.
Tennessee @ Houston
Tennessee won in OT against the Lions when they realy shouldn't have. Going into Houston who is 3-0 is going to be tought and the Titans don't have it in them to win this week.
San Diego @ Kansas City
Looking at just stats alone KC is throwing the ball and running the ball a lot more than SD. KC is loud and the way they're offense is going I think they can hang with SD. The question is can KC's defense hold SD's offense and keep them from running up the score? Offense is fun to watch but defense wins championships (in most cases) SD wins.
San Fran @ NY Jets
Two 2-1 teams bumping heads and the Jets are witout Revis. The Jets are averaging under 100 yds rushing a game while SF is allowing under 100yds on the ground. NY is going to have to go to air and I'm not big on Sanchez. SF wins.
Seattle @ St Louis
Seattle had no business winning last week. I don't like this game from a pick'em stand point. Either one can easily come away this week with a W. I'm going to go with the team playing better defense right now and that's Seattle.
Miami @ Arizona
Oh Arizona how I curse at you! I have picked against you numerous times so far and you have burned me! Looking at the numbers you put up you shouldn't be 3-0. I am telling you now I am not picking you to win this week! I mean come on your QB is only averaging 143 yards passing a game. Your running back has 76 yards which is 25 yards a game average and he has no TD's. Really you beat the Patriots in NE and held Philly to 6 points? Alright you know what I don't know how you did it but there must be something bigger work in your favor and who am I to say you have no chance. I don't know why I'm doing this but Arizona wins.
Oakland @ Denver
I think Denver gets back in the win column this week. Thank you Raiders for kncoking off Pittsburgh last week, but I think you're coming up short this week.
Cincy @ Jacksonville
Cincy has the better balance and potent offense. Cincy wins.
New Orleans @ Green Bay
Man NO has had a rough startand it's no easier this week! Green Bay coming off what they went through in Seattle is going to battle to stay out of falling to 1-3. They are home and beat up on the battered Saints.
Washington @ Tampa Bay
I like what Griffin III is doing in DC. I refuse to call him RG3 or R2D2 or whatever. The Skins are putting up some points and had 2 tough loses of late but should get a win here.
NY Giants @ Philly
The Eagles drive me nuts. Barely beat Cleveland, and should have lost to the Ravens, and then go and get slapped around by the Cardinals. Since their fans like to boo at everything I hope they boo them all the way to another loss this week. G-men win.
Chicago @ Dallas
Should be a good game. Going with Dallas with a slight edge.

There you have it. I'm hoping this week turns out better than last week!

Week 3 NFL Picks

Last week was terrible! Terrible for my Ravens, and terrible in picks. Last week I went 8-8 and you can see those picks here. I'm hoping to bounce back this week. I'm just going to highlight the teams I'm picking to win this week without any game comments. My wife and I are renewing our vows this weekend in celebration of 10 years of marriage. So we've been busy. I know I said it before but I will be writing more once this weekend is over.

NY Giants @ Carolina
St Louis @ Chicago
Buffalo @ Cleveland
Tampa Bay @ Dallas
Jacksonville @ Indy
NY Jets @ Miami
San Fran @ Minnesota
Kansas City @ New Orleans
Detroit @ Tennessee
Cincy @ Washington
Philly @ Arizona
Atlanta @ San Diego
Houston @ Denver
Pittsburgh @ Oakland
New England @ Baltimore
Green Bay @ Seattle

Week 2 NFL Picks

Alright week 1 is in the books and I have started out the season with a 9-7 record. If you want to see last weeks picks check them out here. I wasn't happy with some of them, but some were hard to judge week 1.

Alright you ready for this week's picks? Let's dive in!!!
Chicago @ Green Bay
You hate to pick against Rodgers and the Packers, but I'm giving the edge to the Bears. GB may be able to pass but they don't have the ability to be more balanced and run the ball.

Kansas City @ Buffalo
Let's see, maybe a tie game? I don't like either of these teams right now. Buffalo let me down big time last week. I thought maybe they could pull off a close game and they got bombed. KC comes into Ralph Wilson and wins 21-17

New Orleans @ Carolina
I look for the Saints to bounce back against the Panthers this week. 35-20

Cleveland @ Cincy
The Browns almost knocked off the Eagles in week 1 and the Bengals were knocked around by the Ravens. Cincy isn't going to let the low man in the division beat them at home. Bengal take out some frustration and beat the Browns

Minnesota @ Indy
Not a big fan of the Vikings and think Indy has enough going for them to win this game. Luck gets his first win week 2

Houston @ Jacksonville
Houston is riding a 3 game win streak against the Jags last year and continue that win streak this week. Houston should win easy.

Oakland @ Miami
Everything is telling me to pick the Raiders, but for some reason I just can't. I'm going with my gut and saying Miami wins this one at home.

Arizona @ New England
Short and sweet Patriots win

Tampa Bay @ NY Giants
I'm picking the G-men to win again. They better not let me down this week.

Baltimore @ Philly
I love the new offensive look the Ravens are running. Defense needs to get some pressure on the QB but last week once we got the lead they tightened up. I can't believe we are early underdogs to the Eagles but whatever. Ravens contain Vick like they have in the past and the Ravens win!

Dallas @ Seattle
Seattle a tough place to go play because their stadium is loud. However the last time the Seahawks beat the Cowboys was back in 2007 in Seattle. Dallas should win this game.

Washington @ St Louis
Washington looked good against the Saints. I think they can carry that over and play well against the Ram's. Griffin III has given that team a boost in the offense and the Redskins win.

NY Jets @ Pittsburgh
I can tell you what I would love to see happen, but I think I'm going pick the Steeler's at home. I'm just not sold on Sanchez being a starting QB.

Tennessee @ San Diego
Looking back to 2004 and SD is 6-0 against the Titans. San Diego wins at home this week.

Detroit @ San Fran
All everyone is talking about is the handshake from last year. This is another match up where if you look back to 2001 the 49ers are 6-0 against the Lions. This isn't the same Lions of the early 2000's but I still think SF wins at home. Coming off a huge win against the Packers I don't see them losing this one.

Denver @ Atlanta
This matchup is a good one and tough to pick when there isn't much history between the two. Atlanta coming off a win in KC and Denver off a big win against the Steelers. I'm going with Denver.

Sad Day For The Ravens Family

This morning Baltimore awoke to the news that Art Modell had passed. I know the view on Mr Modell is mixed. Especially those living in Cleveland. He's even been compared to Irsay in the way the moved his team. Let me first say that Art was nothing like Irsay. Art tried and did what he could to keep his team in Cleveland and there was no cooperation. Irsay was a drunkard that had no intention on staying no matter what was offered to him and like a coward shipped the team out in the middle of the night. Another difference was the class move by Mr Modell to allow Cleveland to keep their history and team color's and name. For that I say "Thank you Art!" Man would I hate to be the Baltimore Brown's. Indy is sporting our name and took our history with them, all while pushing all the Baltimore greats like Unitas and Mackey aside and not wanting to have anything to do with them until recently when they wanted to make money off them with license plate sales. Let's not focus on this one dicision Mr Modell made, and let's look at all of the other's that has helped mold this league into what it is today.
Mr Modell was a supporter of expansion of NFL teams and growing the league, and was part of the merger of the AFL and NFL back in 1970. Was a part of creating preseason football bringing in more revenue for the league and also revenue-sharing plans which leveled the playing field for all teams in the league. In 1970 he offered his team the Browns to play the Jets on Monday night. Which was the first Monday football game and was the start of the Prime Time game it is today. Beyond his contributions to the league and bringing football back to Baltimore Art and his wife were always even in Cleveland big on helping the community and doing their part to help those in need.
A few years ago I was lucky even to be given the chance to help with the camera crew down on the field. That season was also the last in which Art was the majority owner and his two sons John and David were in their roles with the team. I wasn't able to meet Art himself but did meet John and David and if they were anything like their father I'm sure he was a great person, as the two of them came across to be. I also had a front row view of Mr Modell on stage after we won the Super Bowl and after the parade was over and they gathered on stage Mr Modell did his best Ray Lewis dance. It wasn't quite the same but he gave it his all. Mr. Modell may you rest in peace! From all of us fans here in Baltimore, for bringing us our Ravens we say to you...

NFL Week 1 Picks

Man did this NFL season sneak up on me. I can't believe it's starting tonight. Which in it self is weird starting on a Wednesday. Let's get things going.


Dallas @ NY Giants
Cowboys usually kick the season off strong and then fade in the later weeks. Giants got caught up in the trash talking this week but they have the talent to carry that swagger and confidence. Not to mention, no superbowl winner has lost it's season opener since 2004. G-men win this one!
Indy @ Chicago
New era in Indy and Luck is what they are going to need this season. I think the Bears are more experienced and have the talent to knock off Indy.

Philly @ Cleveland
Clevelanders are excited about the new direction their team is heading, but it's still a bit soon. Philly rolls over the Browns easy this week.

StL @ Detroit
We'll see if either of these injury prone QB's will finish the game, but I'm going with the more potent passing attack thet the Lions are going to bring. Lions win at home and Suh get's a flag thrown.

Miami @ Houston
The Dolphins head out to Houston and lose week 1. Houston runs the ball better, throws the ball better, and has the better defense.

Atlanta @ KC
Atlanta last year was 3-5 on the road and the Chiefs were 4-4 at home. That said the Chiefs offense still looks horrible, and the Falcons fly in and take this game by 17.

Jacksonville @ Minnesota
The Londona Jaguars, oh I mean the Jacksonville Jaguars have a new owner and building but it's not a finished product yet. Giving the edge to the home team in the dome. Minnesota wins 17-9

Washington @ NO
Even with all that is going on in New Orleans I still think Drew Brees is going to be too much for the Redskins. NO wins.

Buffalo @ NY Jets
I went back and forth with this one. I'm going with my gut and saying Bills take this game. I always lean the Bills way in this matchup and maybe it's a little part of me hoping they do win it. I don't know but whatever the reasoning I'm going with the Bills and that's that.

New England @ Tennessee
New England has owned this matchup and it's not going to be any different this time. NE wins unfortunately.

Seattle @ Arizona
Not liking anyone playing QB for Arizona. Seattle wins this easy.

SF @ GB
I like SF and what they're doing out there in the Bay. However I don't like them that much to say they beat the Packers. Especially since the past 6 times these teams have met GB has owned them taking all 6 easily. GB all the way.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay
Another team that interests me in the way they are rebuilding is Tampa. With that said I'm going with the Panthers and what we saw from them last year.

Pittsburgh @ Denver
Alright you all know where my heart is going on this one. Obviously I would love nothing more than to see the Steelers lose to the Broncos. You know what, with the injuries that have plagued the Steelers I'm siding with the Broncos on this one. Boncos win a close one 17-14

Cincy @ Baltimore
The Bengals have played us close and this game isn't going to be any different. Cincy is weak in the middle of their O-line and Ngata, Cody and Ray can exploit that weakness. You tie that together with our new no huddle offense and some new toys for Joe. I think we win this and win 28-17.

San Diego @ Oakland
Tough but I'm going Oakland. I would say with the upset but I don't think this game is an upset either way. Oakland by 3.

There you have it. Sorry it wasn't more detailed but this week cam up fast. I will break down the Ravens and Bengals in a day or so.

Goodbye 2011-2012 NFL Season

Well with the Ravens not in the big game I got the outcome I was hoping for with the Giants winning. There was just no way I was going to pull for the Patriots. Not only because they beat us but I'm just tired of the Patriots winning and Brady and Belichick this and that.
Speaking of the Ravens I didn't have a chance to post anything between our loss and the SB mostly due to personal life scheduling and honestly I had to take some time to get over the dropped passes and whatever you call that poor excuse of a kick. Unlike most in Baltimore though I'm not putting this loss on Cundiff and his botched field goal kick  There were dropped passes by Dickson, an inexcusable false start by Dickson and many other factors that lead up to that loss. Anyway before I start to get worked up again I'm just going to leave it alone and move on. The offseason will be starting up before we know it and it will provide us with plenty to talk about. Now we move on to the rest of the NHL season and MLB which is quickly approaching. So I'm going to switch gears now and get into baseball mode. So long 2011 NFL season you weren't very pleasant to us here in Bmore this year but when has the NFL ever been good to us. My fault it wasn't the NFL that has a history of hating on Baltimore mainly Paul Tagliabue. I will close this post with just one question for Mr. Taglibue. Do you still believe Jacksonville was a better fit than Baltimore for an NFL team or should we stick to what you thought we did best "build museums"? I think you'll find your answer in comparing the two attendance records there Pauley boy.

Conference Championship Weekend

So last week I went 3-1 and should have gone with my gut feeling that NY was going to take down GB. I was really happy with how things turned out last week.

Looking at the Ravens game I know a lot of attention has been turned on how bad our offense looked. In addition to that Flacco has taken a TON of criticism this past week. Heck he has taken flak all season. Look Flacco is a good QB, has he been inconsistent this season? Yes. All QB's have had a down season. With that said he has still quarterbacked this team into the playoffs 4 straight years and for 2 of those years we were 1 game away from the superbowl. I'll definitely take that over what we had before. We were never getting that from Boller or the should have been retired McNair. Look at the film from this past game in Houston and if anyone should get the criticism our O line and receivers should get some of that heat. Houstons front 4 pushed through our line like it was nothing. To the point we had linemen knees bent hands up to block and the guys they went to block already had Flacco on the ground. They need to step up this week. Again looking back at the film our receivers had NO separation from Houstons defenders so Flacco had to throw in other places to try and make a play. I for one am not putting everything on Flacco's shoulder's for the lack of production last week or for the season in whole. The receivers have had their share of drops this season. I also want to add that the Ravens struggles last week are also contributed to the fact that they played a very good Texans team and nothing should be taken away from their performance. In fact if they had Schaub we probably wouldn't be talking about the Ravens/Patriots game.

Now looking forward to this weeks games:

Ravens @ NE

• Comparing the 2 teams.
• QB: NE gets the advantage with Brady being the more polished and talented QB
• RB: Baltimore with both Rice and Williams have the better backfield
• O Line: Ravens right side struggled last week. I'm going to say they're even with Baltimore having a very slight edge. Both QB's have been sacked 31 times this year.
• TE: Both teams have 2 very capable TE's a piece, although the Patriots TE's have been used more and are bigger threats. Edge goes to the Patriots
• WR: As it stands right now I'm giving the edge to the Patriots. If Lee Evans was producing I would say it's a push, but he hasn't given anything so far. He had an amazing catch last game so here's hoping he does something this week. Patriots have Branch, Welker, and Edelman while the Ravens have Boldin, Smith, and Evans
• Offense as a whole: You have to say that the Patriots and their pass game get the edge but the Ravens threat with the running game keeps the 2 close
• Defense: I'm just going to save time and say that the Ravens not only have the edge when it comes to defense but it's not even close. The talent and production the Ravens defense lines up with is something that is not comparable when you look at the Patriots D which is ranked 31st out of 32 teams against the pass this season.
• Another note with the Patriots D and it's something I have heard from a lot of Patriot fans on their local sports station was that they have given up a lot of yards but only average 17 points a game. Now you can say yeah that stat is a little skewed but you give a team like the Ravens and they will move the ball enough in the air and on the ground to eat up game clock. Doing that you're keeping Brady and their offense off the field. Want to see an example of this? Look at what the Steelers did to them earlier this year. That's what I expect to see this Sunday with the Ravens.
• Ravens will eat up game clock and will keep the Patriots offense off the field enough to not be a factor. You look at Brady's stats against the Ravens defense and there is no other team that has played worst against than our very own Ravens.
• Ravens win and move on to "Festivus Maximus" winning 24-20
• Let me add here because it appears weather may be moving into the area this weekend up in Mass. If that's the case I am definitely giving the Ravens and their running game the edge.

NYG @ SF

• I can't wait to see this game as well. 2 great games this week.
• SF's QB Smith had a great game last week but there's no sense in getting carried away and start comparing him to the likes of Brady, Manning, Brees, and Rodgers. He had a good game but he needs more than one game like he just had to make me think he's anything other than a game managing QB.
• Weather also may play a factor here as rain is predicted. Which may favor the 49ers and their run game.
• Manning has been playing great for the Giants and has proven in my opinion that he is one of the top QB's in the league. Up there close to his brother.
• Giants defense now that they are healthy are playing great and are right there with the 49ers and their defense.
• Since both have great D's I'm giving the edge to the better QB in the Giants. Again if it rains that could change if the 49ers have success running the ball.
• Giants win 20-16 setting up a rematch of the Ravens first SB trip.

Division Round NFL Picks

This has got to be the best time of the year. NFL playoffs are in full swing and MLB trades, signings, etc are going on. Not that the Orioles are doing anything other than sign Minor League talent. The only thing that would make this time of year better in the sports world would have been if the NBA was still locked out.

Let's look at the games this week.

Denver @ NE

• Denver was surprising last week but Pittsburgh has been beat up all season and it continued last week losing Hampton and Keisel. A healthy Steelers team takes this Bronco team down, but any given Sunday right?
• Usually I wouldn't even hesitate to pick the Patriots but their Defense is just not the Patriots Defense of years past. Not only with the amount of yards they allow but the amount of 3rd down conversions allowed isn't good at all.  Anytime you don't shut down drives and get off the field any team has a chance to take you down.
• With that said I just don't see Denver moving past the Patriots. I think NE will give up yards and even somewhere around 21 points, but Brady and that Offense should put up more.
• NE wins 34-21

Houston @ Baltimore

• This will be Houston's second trip to Charm City this season and I'm afraid to inform Houston fans this one is going to end the same way. With the Texans flying back to Texas with their heads hung low.
• Cincy went into Houston last week and showed they were a young Defense. They weren't disciplined at all against the Texans Zone blocking scheme they use with their run game. It's similar to what the Ravens use when handing off to Ray Rice and he racked up 191 yards on the ground against the Bengals in the last regular season game.
• Baltimore will be more disciplined against the run as they have the veteran presence to do so.
• When these teams met last time Houston didn't have receiver Andre Johnson or LB Mario Williams.
• If Schaub was playing I would be a little more worried about their offensive attack. However with this being the Texans first playoff trip EVER and going with 3rd string QB TJ Yates I think the Ravens D will give him trouble.
• Last game Baltimore held Foster to only 49 yards on the ground.
• Baltimore WINS 24-17

NYG @ GB

• This time around the G men have their main guys on defense healthy and starting.
• Last game in NY the Packers won with a FG with :58 seconds on the clock.
• This time around I'm thinking it's going to be close again and REALLY want to pick the Giants. I want to and am tempted to but I'm going with GB 27-24. I hope I'm wrong though.

NO @ SF

• NO hasn't played well outside of the Bayou. On the road they have struggled and even went to StL and lost to the Rams and that was in a dome. Which the Saints thrive in.
• SF has the defense but their Offense isn't anything to write home about.
• However I like SF 21-19

I know I didn't go into much depth with the NFC games. Can't help it the AFC is going to take it all this year anyway.

A Wild, Wild Card Round

Alright let me start by saying how disappointed I am that I missed every single game this past weekend. We moved and Directv gave us some incorrect info and we didn't have tv until Wednesday.  I had to follow the Steelers game on my phone which pretty much was watching little arrows move across my screen. Speaking of the Steelers game that was the only game that threw me off this past weekend.

Here's a quick look at my picks from last weekend:

Houston over Cincy     CORRECT
Pitt over Denver     WRONG
NO over Detroit     CORRECT
NYG over Atlanta     CORRECT


Looking ahead to this weeks games, I'm pretty excited to see what transpires.  Some pretty good match-up's this week. Coming up I'll give my insight on those games so keep an eye out.

Houston is coming to Bmore and I'm pretty excited how the path to Indy is working out for the Ravens.

Still here...and maybe some picks too...

Alright so I missed last weeks picks. It's been crazy running around with all the Holiday stuff for Chirstmas and new Years. Which by the way I wasn't able to celebrate New Years this year due to having strep throat and getting hit with a high fever around 9pm NYE. Great way to ring in the new year, sleeping. Then you throw in us getting prepared for moving back into our old house this weekend. With this economy and our old house not selling as fast as we thought it would have we have to move back. I mean who would have thought that a nice house fairly new listed way under other comparable homes on the market wouldn't move in 2+ years. Oh well, let's see what the new year brings. Maybe a buyer? Hopefully.

Anyway with everything going on I couldn't get things together in order to pick games. So I just sat back and watched as the Ravens did Bmore proud and brought home the # 2 spot in the AFC and the Division title. Looking back I really wish we had our act together and won the games we should have on the road, but we didn't fair too badly coming in 2nd in the conference, sweeping our division for the first time in team history, and our 3rd Division title. I can't tell how relieved I am that we have a bye week and home game to start our SB run. Looking over the roster and who is practicing so far this week I'm really liking what may unfold this year. Those that were injured and missed the last game of the season are on the field practicing and we are going into our first game in the playoff's totally healthy. Alright well as healthy as a team can be after playing an entire season. you still have some guys with nagging injuries to toes and such but nothing keeping anyone off the field. More importantly nothing keeping any of our starters off the field.

While we're at it let's look at this week's games shall we.


Cincy @ Houston

• The last time the Texans have won was almost a month ago against the Bengals. Since then they have lost to the Panthers, Colts, and Titans.
• The Bengals since that loss to the Texans have gone 2-1. The loss came last week to the Ravens. The 2 wins came against the Rams and Cardinals, so take that for whatever.
• I think due to injuries the Bengals look to have the advantage here. Although with another week of practice can Delhomme put together a good game? If Yates is playing he's seen this Bengals team once.
• One thing that made me shake my head was hearing that knowing Houston is closing the roof this week, Cincy is still practicing outside. Wouldn't be a big deal other than it was in the 30's and you'd rather have your guys out in the cold rather than prepare for the environment you're going into? Univ of Cincy isn't far and you have the ability to use their bubble for $5000 and use choose not too and have your guys freeze. That's cheap! Even Dan Snyder wouldn't have his guys inside.
• Close game but I'm going Houston squeaking by and heading to Baltimore in the Division round.

Pittsburgh @ Denver

• Want to know what my hope is here? I don't have to I'm sure you already know.
• Both are beat up and in key areas on both sides
• Ben's hobbling around which is also affecting his downfield passes.
• Flip side of that Tebow can get the ball downfield but the problem is you NEVER know where it's going. Is it going to hit the receiver in stride or the guy in the third row back holding up some goofy sign just to get on TV?
• As much as I'd like to pick the Broncos because that's my hope. I just can't. The Steelers are the better team even with a gimpy Ben. Which by the way I not of the same mind set as many opinions I've heard that they are better with Ben even if he's at 50%. Really? Batch is no where close to a 50% Roethlisbeger? Why is he on the team?

Detroit @ NO

• The last time these 2 met NO won 31-17 in NO
• Something I found interesting was these 2 teams have never met in the playoffs. In 44 years these 2 have never met in the post season. Although that's how long it's been since the Lions have had a winning season, alright sorry I couldn't resist.
• Two teams I don't really care for. Nothing close to how I feel about the Steelers. Just when the 2 are mentioned it's more of a ehh, next.
• I was pulling for Schwartz and the Lions early on. Especially since he's a Maryland guy, but after seeing a different side of him this season and the whole mess with Suh I've changed my view.
• The Saints kinda wore out their welcome with me the year they won the SB. It may make me a terrible person but with them CONSTANTLY using the whole Katrina disaster to paint "them" (a sports team) in this heavenly portrait. Katrina was devastating, but plastering the 2 together EVERY second was too much. Sports are to be a release from tragedy and everyday crap. Focus on the game and that's it. Sorry just my opinion.
• That aside I think NO is the better team and should win this week. NO has their running game going and combine that with their air attack they stay on top of the Lions

Atlanta @ NYG

• Both teams scratched their way through the season and found themselves in the playoffs.
• Weather shouldn't be brutal but you take any of those dome teams from the South and put them outside in January I'm always leery on picking the dome team to win.
• Another game where 2 teams with a good deal of history have never met in the postseason.
• I'm liking the Giants D and Eli controlling the Offense than I do the Falcons and Ryan.
• Giants move on.

Week 16 NFL Picks

First I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!  With that said time has been short so I haven't had a chance to sit down and put my thoughts down on the games. However I did want to put my picks out there so I will make this one a short one.

Houston over Indy
Baltimore over Cleveland
Denver over Buffalo
Carolina over TB
Cincy over Arizona
Oakland over KC
Miami over NE
NYG over NYJ
Pitt over StL
Jacksonville over Tennessee
Washington over Minnesota
SD over Detroit
Philly over Dallas
SF over Seattle
GB over Chicago
NO over Atlanta

Weeks 15 Pick Results

So after going back and looking at my picks I realized I missed the Carolina @ Houston game. It's probably for the better since this week I was 9-6 bringing my season record to 123-68 64.8%

Here's the recap of my horrible picks:

Atlanta over Jacksonville     CORRECT

Dallas over TB     CORRECT

Miami over Buffalo     CORRECT

Seattle over Chicago     CORRECT

Tennessee over Indy     WRONG

GB over KC     WRONG  Although jokingly I said they would do it. Never saw it happening though

NO over Minnesota     CORRECT


NYG over Washington    WRONG


Cincy over StL     CORRECT


Oakland over Detroit     WRONG


Arizona over Cleveland     CORRECT


Denver over NE     WRONG


Philly over NYJ     CORRECT


Baltimore over SD     WRONG


SF over Pitt     CORRECT


Thank you SF for helping us get back in the driver seat of the division.

Out with the old in with new...Ravens edition

Alright so I've been wanting to put this together for a while now but wanted to wait until later in the season.  All I have heard from Ravens fans and Ravens haters was that all the guys we cut in the off season is going to bite us in the butt.  All I heard was "How can the Ravens win without Mason, Heap, McGahee, Gaither on the O line, Gregg on the D line, and Josh Wilson in the D backfield?"
I from day 1 liked the moves. I like the players themselves, well majority of them but they were aging. Not only were the aging but declining in production, injury prone, and over paid. I liked the idea to get younger and trusted that Ozzie and the front office would find younger more productive guys to fill those spots.

Here's a break down of what the guys we lost have done this season and what their replacement's have done.

WR Derrick Mason played in 12 games he only started 2 games. He has 19 Receptions 170 yards averaging 8.9 yards a catch and no TD's (That's between 2 teams this season.)

He was replaced by Lee Evans who was injured and replaced by Torrey Smith a rookie out of Maryland. I will give both of their stats because even though Evans has been injured he has been almost as productive as Mason.

WR Lee Evans played in 6 games he started 1 and has 4 receptions for 74 yards averaging 18.5 yards a catch and no TD's

WR Torrey Smith played in 13 games starting 11 he has 37 receptions for 693 yards averaging 18.7 yards a catch and has scored 6 TD's.  Younger faster and more productive than the aging veteran.

Then you have Heap who as a person is very much missed in Baltimore.

TE Todd Heap played in 7 games starting 4 of them. He has 13 receptions for 150 yards averaging 11.5 yards a reception and no TD's. He has been injured this season as well which has been a problem as of late.

He was replaced with 2 young TE's Dickson and Pitta.

TE Ed Dickson has played in all 13 games starting all 13. He has 48 receptions for 458 yards and averaging 9.5 a catch and scored 3 TD's.

TE Dennis Pitta has also played in 13 games and has 31 receptions for 318 yards and averaging 10.3 yards a catch scoring 2 TD's.

Again younger, faster, and more productive than the aging vet.

RB Willis McGahee has been a good addition to the Broncos this year and is putting up decent numbers but he had too high of a price tag to remain here as a back up to Rice. We signed Ricky Williams to take over for Willis and Williams not only comes in with a more cap friendly salary he has posted similar numbers that Willis put up when he was here as a backup.
As a backup last year in 15 games Willis rushed for 380 yards for a 3.8 avg 5 TD's had 55 receiving yds for 1 TD
Williams this year for the Ravens as a backup in 13 games has 351 yards for a 3.9 avg 2 TD's has 62 receiving yds and no TD's

Without Gaither on the O line we have held our own. We replaced him with veteran LT Bryant McKinnie who has played pretty good this season.

DT Kelly Gregg moved on to KC where he has 34 tackles and 1 sack. He was replaced by monster 2nd year Terrence "Mount" Cody. He has 24 tackles and no sacks but takes up space being 6'4" 349lbs directing all traffic to Ngata and the outside of the field.

DB Josh Wilson left for the Skins and took some shots at the Baltimore fans, but has played alright for them. He was one I was hoping we could have kept. With the skins he has 52 tackles 12 deflected passes 1 INT. You can say he was replaced by either Lardarius Webb or Cary Williams. Either one no matter which you choose has played amazing in coverage this season. Webb has 62 tackles 14 deflected passes 1 sack 1 forced fumble and 4 INT's one of those going for a TD and not to mention so far this season he hasn't given up a single TD to opposing WR's. Cary Williams has 62 tackles 15 deflected passes and 1 forced fumble.

So I think it's safe to say now Baltimore looking back to all the pessimism going into this season because we let go of our "old reliables" these young guys and a couple vet's we added have done their job. They have not only filled those holes they took over, they have out performed their predecessors.

Week 15 NFL Picks

Alright I have to apologize for not posting more. I promise once things settle down after the Holidays I'll be posting a lot more. I have things I want to write about the Ravens, Orioles, and CAPS but with Christmas, Noah's birthday in December and us moving back to the other house in January it's been crazy.

Last week's picks turned out pretty good. You can see them here.

Here's this weeks games:

Jacksonville @ Atlanta

• Atlanta still has something to play for and is at home against a team that has already fired their coach.
• Jacksonville walloped TB last week, but it's TB. Atlanta is the better team and will win at home.

Dallas @ TB

• See my comment above about what happened to TB last week. Dallas should have no problem this week.
• With that said could Dallas slip against TB even though 1st place is on the line? Yeah they did 2 weeks ago to Arizona.
• I'm going Dallas

Miami @ Buffalo

• The 2 bottom dwellers in the East. Who would have thought with the way Buffalo started.
• Buffalo on a 6 game slide and I think Miami adds to that and wins on the road.

Seattle @ Chicago

• Chicago is hurting without their starting QB running things
• Seattle, like I said last week I like what I'm seeing from them lately.
• Seattle unleashes their beast Marshawn Lynch and he leads the Seahawks to a "W" in a city I'd love to go back and visit.

Tennessee @ Indy

• Zzzzzzz... Oh sorry just the mention of this game put's me to sleep.
• Indy continues their "Suck for Luck" quest and loses this game as well. I mean come on you still have the Rams and Vikings in the running with 2 wins.

GB @ KC

• KC STOPS THE STREAK AND BEATS THE UNDEFEATED!!  HAHAHAHA
• Alright now that I have your attention GB wins easy. I had to throw something almost as humorous as this game is going to be. 

NO @ Minnesota

• NO is preparing for the postseason and Minnesota is preparing for the offseason and next years draft
• NO wins and shouldn't have any problems

Washington @ NYG

• Redskins won earlier in the year but that was week 1. I can see them stealing one here only because it's a division game and anything can happen with division games.
• NY is playing for a playoff spot and 1st in the NFC East they win at home.

Cincy @ StL

• Bengals have slipped these past 2 weeks much to my liking. I think they get back in the win column against the Rams. I wouldn't be upset though if they fell again.

Detroit @ Oakland

• Lions going out to the West Coast to battle the Raiders, and the Raiders slide by with a last minute field goal.

Cleveland @ Arizona

• Browns banged up after their game with the despised Steeler's.
• Arizona winning as of late and win this one at home.

NE @ Denver

• NE has looked weak barely winning against the Skins, and letting up and letting Indy back into the game.
• Denver has Tebow. I doubted him early in the season but he's played alright as their QB. He's protected the ball and is starting to throw more. Not the best in the game but coming along, and still has a long way to go.
• Maybe I'm hoping this happens too much but Denver wins in OT

NYJ @ Philly

• Next to the Steelers there's not any team I despise more than Philthy and the Jets.
• Philly wins and ruins Jets fans Christmas as their playoff hopes fade.

Baltimore @ SD

• If this was earlier in the season I would have been worried with the travel but they are focused now and have stuck to an offensive game plan that fits us best.
• Ray Lewis will be back this week and even missing our shut down corner this season in Webb we should be fine defensively
• SD has Gaither in at LT and I don't see him stopping "Sizzle" coming off the end. He has the talent to play LT and shows signs of being good but lacks the focus and dedication.
• If we can get to Rivers he will cough it up and has proven that all season.
• Ravens win and I'm going out on a limb and say they win big this week. Hopefully I didn't just jinx us.

Pittsburgh @ SF

• Oh I can't tell you how much I want the 49ers to stick it to the despised Steelers.
• Steelers dealing with a handful of injuries Carter and Polamalu have hamstring strains, Ben and Pouncey both have high ankle sprains, and Ziggy Hood has a groin strain. We'll see who plays and I'll continue to listen to 93.7 The Fan Pitt to get my updates.
• Woodley may be back for Pitt but Harrison is out so 49er players are safe from cheap shots from the Steeler defense. Hines Ward will be playing so he'll get some cheap shots in against the 49ers D players.
• Steelers haven't been as stout against the run as they have been in the past. I think Gore may find some success.
• 49ERS WIN!!!!!  I hope!

Week 14 Pick Results

That's what I'm talking about! Good week all around.  The Ravens trounce the team from Indy and I went 13-3 in my picks.  That brings my season total to 114-62 64.7%

Pitt over Cleveland     CORRECT
Baltimore over Indy     CORRECT
Atlanta over Carolina     CORRECT
Cincy over Houston     WRONG
Detroit over Minnesota     CORRECT
Jacksonville over TB     CORRECT
Miami over Philly     WRONG
NYJ over KC     CORRECT
NO over Tennessee     CORRECT
NE over Washington     CORRECT
SF over Arizona     WRONG
Denver over Chicago     CORRECT
GB over Oakland     CORRECT
SD over Buffalo     CORRECT
NYG over Dallas     CORRECT
Seattle over StL     CORRECT

Week 14 NFL Picks

Well last week was horrible and you can see the damage here.  So far this season I'm at 101-59 63.12%.

Let's hope this week is better. I haven't had much time this week so I'm going to give a quick glimpse at my picks.

Pitt over Cleveland     I hope it goes the other way though.

Baltimore over Indy     Time to do some damage to that horse shoe.

Atlanta over Carolina     Had a hard time with this as I think the Panthers may pull it off at home.

Cincy over Houston     Think Cincy can cause some turnovers and win a close game at home.

Detroit over Minnesota     Detroit will stop their skid in a close win over the Vikings

Jacksonville over TB     2 teams at the bottom of the pile and after the Jags win both will be 4-9

Miami over Philly     Vick should be back but going with the Dolphins at home who have looked good as of late

NYJ over KC     Jets at home with the playoffs on the line win this one.

NO over Tennessee     NO is the better team hands down

NE over Washington     Would love to see the Skins win this one but they let me down last week

SF over Arizona     SF keeps on rolling

Denver over Chicago     How can you not go with the red hot Broncos. Tebows throwing better and the team is rallying behind him.

GB over Oakland     Man I wish Oakland was completely healthy for this one. If so they may have been the ones to stop the streak of perfection.

SD over Buffalo     After the way the season started man this season has been a let down for the Bills.

NYG over Dallas     NY gets even in the standings with the Cowboys this week.

Seattle over StL    I have to admit I'm liking what little glimpses I see from the Seahawks offense as of late.

Week 13 NFL Pick Results

This past week stunk in terms of my NFL picks. I didn't really mind because the Ravens won and that's all that matters. Last week I went 9-7 and my season standings slid to 101-59 63.12%.

Here's the damage:

Philly over Seattle     WRONG
Buffalo over Tennessee     WRONG
Chicago over KC     WRONG
Atlanta over Houston     WRONG
Miami over Oakland     CORRECT
Denver over Minnesota     CORRECT
NE over Indy     CORRECT
Cincy over Pitt     WRONG
Carolina over TB     CORRECT
Washington over NYJ     WRONG
Baltimore over Cleveland     CORRECT
Dallas over Arizona     WRONG
GB over NYG     CORRECT
SF over StL     CORRECT
NO over Detroit     CORRECT
SD over Jacksonville     CORRECT

Week 13 NFL Picks

Alright Week 13 is here. Man this season is going fast. In case you missed last weeks picks you can find out how I did by going here.

Philly @ Seattle

• In a short week Philly has to travel cross country and I just don't like what pressure and lack of prep that gives a Philly team that is going to be missing their starting QB Vick and Starting WR Macklin.
• On top of those injuries your starting RB McCoy is banged up and Questionable as is your CB Asomugha.
• Eagles still have a decent QB in Young and plenty of talent
• Seattle just lost on of their WR threats in Rice.
• Eagles are still more talented and will win

Tennessee @ Buffalo

• Buffalo is getting healthy and comes back home after a 3 game road trip which ended with them almost taking down the Jets
• Titans are looking good and CJ2K is running better racking up 190 rushing yds last week
• Buffalo if they can stop CJ2K may take this one at home

KC @ Chicago

• Both teams playing backup QB's and KC may be going with a QB that was once a Bear
• Hanie for the Bears looks like the better backup over either of the Cheifs backups.
• Chicago at home and needing this game more in order to keep them with Detroit should win this game

Atlanta @ Houston

• If Houston was healthy and coming into this game at home against the Falcons I would pick them hands down.
• Fact is they aren't healthy and going against the Falcons with a third string QB
• Falcons go to Houston and wins

Oakland @ Miami

• Oakland is on a 3 game win streak in which they beat the Chargers, Vikings and Bears
• Miami before they lost a close one on Turkey day to the Cowboys were on a 3 game win streak and before that almost beat the Giants in NY.
• Going with Miami who looks pretty decent right now with a young QB Matt Moore.

Denver @ Minnesota

• Yes Tebow is getting it done with his legs but he is also throwing for more yards each week and the most important thing is he isn't turning the ball over with INT's. The counter argument however is that if you're averaging 8 passes a game you better not throw picks.
• Minnesota is giving up yards in the air but can Tebow pick them apart? I think the Vikings may be able to contain them on the ground.
• Denver's D has kept them in the game and will do the same this week. Denver wins.

Indy @ NE

• Patriots

Cincy @ Pitt

• You know who I want to win, but can Cincy go into Pitt and win?
• I think Pitt will pull out a close win but I'm going to pick Cincy with an upset

Carolina @ TB

• Carolina goes into Tamp and steals one from the Bucs

NYJ @ Washington

• OK ready for this craziness.
• Washington shuts down the Jet's and causes the Jets to panic even more.
• Why not? This season has been crazy

Baltimore @ The Mistake By The Lake (Cleveland)

• Ed reed has more INT's (10), INT return yd (356), INT-TDs (3) and Pass Deflections (18) against the Browns than any other team in NFL
• This game makes me nervous only because we're playing a team with a losing record on the road which this season equaled a loss for us.
• I think however we have corrected our offesive problems and we get out of Cleveland with a win

Dallas @ Arizona

• Dallas going for 5 game win streak and should get it this week even if Kolb can play.

GB @ NYG

• I was hoping the Giants could pull the upset this week, but you have to go with the undefeated team until they slip.

StL @ SF

• StL going into SF is going to have their hands full. SF is a good team and will win easily

Detroit @ NO

• Detroit is slipping and the mess with Suh isn't going to help.
• I read a weird story that the Saints have lost all 11 of their coin flips this year and that's all they will lose this week. Saints win.

SD @ Jacksonville

• That leaves us with SD and Jacksonville. Man Monday night games this season have been boring. It doesn't get any better this week as a 4-7 Chargers play the 3-8 Jags
• Jags fired their head coach and sold the team all in one day and the next day fired WR coach and shuffled others around.
• SD hasn't been good this year and their coaching staff may suffer the same fate as the Jags.
• SD wins this snoozer.