Weekly Picks

An absolute disaster last week (1-4, 0 points) may have cost me any chance I have at winning this pool. But in Week 3, I also got a zero and used that pain as motivation to find a new strategy (picking the Patriots as my best bet every week), one that catapulted me into the top group where I've hung on for the last 6 weeks or so. But with the Colts' failure to blow out the Raiders (and Lane Kiffin's failure to give the ball to JaMarcus Russell as advertised) I am once again looking for a new strategy and a way to get the bad taste out of my mouth. So we start with the early game this week and we'll finish this post Saturday when I decide on the rest of my pics.

pittsburgh -8 1/2 ST. LOUIS
The Steelers have been a bad road team all year and the Rams had been frisky, until last week when they got pounded by the Packers at home. However, one of my favorite theories is to pick good teams coming off bad losses. A loss to this horrible team could very well cost the Steelers the division and would drop them into a tie with the Titans for the last wild card spot (assuming the Titans beat the Jets this week). Good teams usually show up in games like this and I expect the Steelers to do just that.

dallas -11 CAROLINA
I always like to look for good teams coming off a loss and bad teams coming off a win. You find that here. My only consternation is that Dallas has been a double digit road favorite twice this season and won each of those games by 1 point (Buffalo, Detroit), but they have a lot to play for and I'd be shocked if they lost to Matt Moore.

tampa bay -6 1/2 SAN FRANCICSO
I'm going back to the well with the Buccaneers, I team I can never get right. But they should beat an awful 49ers team by a touchdown.

NEW ENGLAND -22 1/2 miami
The Dolphins finally one a game. I think the Patriots have one more blowout in them before the playoffs start.

BEST BET
SEATTLE pick em baltimore
Because of the retarded pool I'm in because the USA Today had no line on this game as of Thursday, it goes off as a pick em. I'm basically forced to take them as my best bet or risk losing major ground to everyone who does. The real spread is 10 1/2.

Last Week
Last Week: 1-4 (0 points)
Season so far: 41-34 (42 points - T-6th, 8 points out of 1st)
Best bet: 0-1 (8-7)
Home favorites: 0-2 (17-9)
Home underdogs: 0-1 (3-1)
Road favorites: 0-1 (17-15)
Road underdogs: 1-0 (4-8)
Pick em: 0-0 (0-1)