Texans @Colts (-9)...Texans Panthers @Saints (-13)...Panthers I'm taking the points in the Texans/Colts game. The spread moved against me a little, but it shouldn't matter. I think the Colts win by a TD or less. Might end up regretting backing Delhomme, but he's never lost to the Saints in Louisiana. I think he gets his first loss, but the Saints looked shaky against their other division rivals, the Falcons, and they looked like their old 8-8 selves in the first half against the Dolphins . I have them beating the Panthers by 10 points or less. 3-1 last week. I thought I was 16-9 for the year, but it looks like I didn't add a 2-2 week I had earlier in the season, so I'm 18-11 for the year.
I got steelers -2.5 @denver... steelers greenbay -9.5 tampa... greenbay dal+2.5 @philadelphia... Dallas, i screwed this one up and meant to pick philadelphia hopefully this isnt my only loser baltimore - 2.5 cincinatti... baltimore
So the Cards look great again. I can't remember another team that was so up and down over two seasons like the Cardinals. It looks like the Bengals are the real deal this year. I thought it was all Carson Palmer, but apparently the defense came to play this year, too. I don't know what to say about the Giants. Once again the Saints played like a .500 team, only to come back strong in the 2nd half. I wonder how long they can keep it up and how they will handle the Vikes in the playoffs if Favre is healthy. Cowboys are 6-2 and I still can't take them or Tony Romo seriously. The Colts desperately need a running game. Manning can't keep throwing the ball 50+ times a game. At this rate he'll have to limit throws in practice to keep his arm fresh. A game with Manning feeling like 95% of himself equals a loss for the Colts. 2-0 for the week, 20-11 for the year. I'm sitting here looking at my account and thinking how much I hate paying the vig. I never get tired of calculating how much the vig eats into profits.
Ever try picking games against the spread? With the typical 1.1:1 risk vs. reward, averaging (over several seasons) a 60% winning percentage is pretty amazing. Consistently averaging above 70% is god-like.
Week 9 in the books, except for MNF. Maybe it's the mid-season letdown, but I couldn't get pumped for any of the games yesterday. There were a couple of decent efforts and a couple of stinkers. Shoutouts go to road winners Arizona, SD, Tennessee and Dallas. Raspberries and extended middle finger to the egg-sucking, choking dog Packers. Chicago has been up and down but mainly a disappointment. yesterday was a chance to revive their season but they ended up gett totally blasted at home by the Cards. Larry Fitzgerald had his way with their secondary and Kurt Warner threw 5 TD passes, a week after he threw five picks. Anyone remember three or four years ago when he was supposed to be washed up? Lovie Smith has to be on the hot seat in Chi-town, after what they shelled out for Cutler. Bears DT Tommie Harris contiuned his troubled season, getting ejected in the seond minute of the game for punching a Card player. The Bengals scored the first three times they had the ball, took a 17-0 lead to the locker room against the stunned Ravens and held on for the win behind the pounding ground game of Cedric Benson, who ended up with 117 yards and a TD. Ravens are in deep trouble at 4-4, after a fast start. Houston came tantalizingly close in Indy, but missed a 42 yard Fg at the gun to run its record against teh Colts to an unbelievable 1-14. Dallas Clark caught 14 pasases for indy and the texans turned the ball over at the Indy one yard line. Randy Moss as the difference for the Pats as they rode his 6 receptions and 147 yards to a tough 27-17 win over the Dolphins. Moss got the go ahead score on a 71 yard catch and run off a short crossing pattern. SD figured to face a tough time against a more physical Giants squad, but Phillip Rivers put together an 80 yard game-winning drive on their final possession to send NY to its fourth straight loss, after a 5-0 start. Wonder if the Giants would like a do-over on that draft day trade that sent Rivers and the pick that became Shawn Merriman to SD for Eli Manning? Tennessee has now won two straight behind resurrected QB Vince Young, beating SF 34-27 yesterday out west. Niners QB Alex Smith, himself newly inserted into the starting lineup, had the kind of day that put him on the bench earlier, throwing three iNTs, fumbling twice and getting sacked four times. Teh titans tallied 24 points after 49er turnovers, not the kind of attention to detail that Mike Singletary teaches. Dallas traveled to Philly in a big NFC East game and we saw what happens to the Iggles when they are denied the big play. Behind the suddenly dangerous romo to Austin connection, the Cowboys won 20-16. McNabb threw two Ints and Brain Westbrook didn't play for philly. I had only one pick last week, after I convinced myself to take the sorry-assed, no account Packers giving 10 at TB. Instead, TB torched the hapless GB squad 38-28 behind rookie QB Josh Freeman, who threw three TD passes. GB QB and tackling dummy Aaron Rodgers tossed three picks and was sacked 15 or 20 times, I don't know , I lost count. For the second week in a row, GB came out flat. Unlike last week when they at least made a second half comeback, they sucked the entire game yesterday. Maybe at least the insufferable cheesehead fans will STFU now and stop telling us how it's all Brett's fault. New coach, new GM, that's my recommendation. Anyway, that one loss put me at 15-8 for the year. Tonight, we have a good one, Steelers at Broncos.
Really? Last I checked, the Giants won a SB with Eli. Whereas both Merriman and Rivers keep running their sucks. This is NOT an endorse for Eli, it just is what it is.
I wouldn't say they won a Super Bowl because of Eli. He was ok, nothing special. He may have an injury that is partially responsible for his underwhelming play of late, but no way I would trade Rivers for him now. Merriman was an absolute beast before he got hurt or got off the juice, take your pick.