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Saints
Brees will give brash Jets a comeuppance...
And Twins Joe
Mauer will outdo Teixeira for MVP
Photo by Rick Stewart- Getty Images
Photo
by Gregory Shamus - Getty Images |
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NFL Picks is something I don’t ordinarily do but
after checking out the
Friday NFL coverage in the local newspapers, I’m going to start.
Pathetic coverage really, and it’s Friday, when you’d ordinarily expect
to read some good articles, or at least the odds and the picks.
But
no, once again, nothing good is happening in print media. So you’ll
find my picks below, but I will have some things to say about the Jets
especially and the rapidly-concluding baseball season following my
picks.
NFL Matchups
Giants -9 @ KC Hard
to imagine the
G-Men not letting down after the easy win vs. TB. Are the Bucs better
than Kansas City? Not bloody likely…but still, Giants by 9 is the
spread – the home crowd should put KC in contention at least………………
KC
Jets
@ New Orleans – 7 – The Jets just keep coming…they’ll shut down
the
Saints running game but will get victimized by a short passing game, I
see Reggie Bush having a big game and a Jets come-uppance is in the
offing…….................................... Saints
Bengals -6 @ Cleveland
– I like the Bengals big
here, Cincinnati defense will dominate…..Mangini struggles will
continue….Browns just out of
it…...............................................................................................................................
Bengals
Lions @ Bears -9 ½
– Lions looked really passable vs Skins, they’ll be close vs Bears
That’s the effect a real QB can
have……………………………...............................................................................…
Lions
Oakland
@ Houston -9 – The silver and black are just awful, they’ll
continue
being awful, that big lunk of a quarterback just can’t throw
…………………................................................................................................................................
..
Houston
Seattle @ Colts -10
½ - Seattle will surprise here,
they’re just not that bad overall, neither is Seneca
Wallace……………………...................................................................………………………………………….
.Seattle
TB @ Skins -7 ½ -
Skins will be fortunate to win never mind
cover…............................................................................
TB
Titans -3
@ Jags – this will be a war….Titans will win the war in a game
nobody
watches, a shame really but there it
is…………………………………………….............................................................................................................
Titans
Ravens
@ Pats -2 – another come-uppance game, Pats at home and feeling
kinda
insulted, can’t blame them really……
PATS
Bills -1 ½ @ Miami
– I
like Bills big here….Lynch back, Fish without Pennington, T.O. may
catch a few balls or
more…………………………………………………….........................................................................................…
.
Bills
Rams @
Niners -10 – I like the Niners but not by ten, come on, this is
a Mike
Singletary
team……………………………………………………………………………….................................................
…
Rams
Cowboys -3 @
Broncos – things happen for a reason, Broncos record no
mistake,can the
Boyz stop anyone – Wade Phillips just not coming across
here….
Broncos
Chargers @ Steelers -6
– Steelers minus anything is a joke
lately…………...............................................................
Chargers
Packers @ Vikings -3 –
Packers haven’t shown much
yet…………………..........................................................…
Vikings
First
Bye week – Arizona, Eagles, Atlanta, Carolina
Despite
the paltry width of the local Sports section, I’m psyched for the
weekend. I might for the first time this season be able to sit back,
have some chips or popcorn, maybe even drink some beer, and just enjoy
the games at home. Thank God for the Redzone…TV commercials will not
dominate my Sunday, not anymore.
Of course the Jets game is
definitely the bigger New York game. The Giants play the year after
year bad Kansas City Chiefs while the Jets have to butt heads with a
real live team, the best team in the NFL right now, lowly Aints no more.
The
biggest difference between this year’s version of the Chiefs is the
coach….no Herm Edwards. Then there’s a new quarterback and a bit of a
better defense too. Taking those advantages and a rabid KC crowd too,
the G-Men could definitely have some troubles.
Eli is due for
a clunker, Jacobs just isn’t that scary and Ahmad Bradshaw is hurt.
They may ultimately prevail but it won’t be easy. They’ll be missing
that safety Phillips for sure. And I think the Giants linebackers can
be had.
As scary as the Jets can be for opposing offenses, the
Saints ain’t just anybody. Drew Brees just doesn’t make that many
mistakes, he’s got some formidable weapons in Reggie Bush, Colston and
Jeremy Shockey, there’s a running game too, and they just seem to be
able to win any way they want to.
In Buffalo last week, for
example, they won easily, using just their running game for the most
part. Before last week, they were ripping defenses with their awesome
passing game. It was almost as if they were just practicing against the
Bills, who, by the way, have a pretty good run defense.
The Jets
will blitz and Brees will find Bush again and again. You’ll likely see
a lot of screens and draw plays, anything to neutralize that fearsome
rush. The Jets will get Pace back too but it may not help that much.
Brees will be anxious to minimize that pressure right away and we saw
what the Titans were able to do through the air when the Jets just rush
three or four.
Not that Ryan’s bullies won’t be partially
successful but they won’t be able to stop all of the weapons that that
black and gold team brings to the table. The Jets’ve been running at
the mouth too, especially that obnoxious Scott. His “How dare you?”
speech left me particularly cold. I know I’d go out of my way to punch
him in the mouth and my guess is that the Saints will too.
In
baseball, it’s all about the Twins, two full games behind the Tigers
with just three games left to play. And they can’t control the Tigers
who close out vs the White Sox. A lot of things have to go their way.
They won’t. But that doesn’t mean Joe Mauer may not win the AL MVP. He
surely deserves it.
I know the Yanks fans will say it should be
Teixeira but they’d be wrong. He’s good but only one player in the
American League brought a mediocre team to the last week of the season
still in contention for the playoffs. The Yanks would win without
Teixeira, the Yanks are loaded.
The NL MVP is less clear-cut but Pujols will probably get it. I can
only lament that it won’t be a guy named Beltran.
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