Just how many ways did the trip to the Berkshires annoy me and you? Countless. One of them was that I had a Week 1 NFL Picks column ready to go, me against the kids again, and wouldn’t you know it I never finished writing it, although the picks were made, and then the picks were lost. Throw in the fact that posting your picks after the fact is like trying to convince your teacher that you did your homework, but left in on the table and I figured it just made sense to move on, forget last week happened and start from zero.
I’ve come to the realization that my against-the-spread picks will probably never be as good as they used to be. Here’s why, I just can’t immerse myself in the NFL like I did before we had kids. When you’re a dad you get progressively dumber every day, I don’t know the exact percentage, but I’m pretty sure that between January and December each father loses 1-percent of his brain capacity per child. Imagine how stupid the a real life Dick Van Patten would have been by his 50th birthday? Not only do you get dumber, but you also don’t have the time to watch, study and immerse yourself in the game.
With that said, my goal for the year is simple, .500 baby. The road to mediocrity begins today.
Like last year, the kids have no idea what a point spread is. They take turns making the picks, and they seem to like animal names best. They also will pick the Patriots to win every game, without exception.
Here we go, my picks with brief thoughts.
Arizona -6.5 vs. Miami: Cards, I just don’t think that Miami can go out on the road and win yet. They’re going to be better, especially at home, but the project is a work in progress and do you believe in Chad Pennington? Me neither.
Carolina -3 vs. Chicago: Bears, maybe it’s because I believe in that Chicago defense. Maybe its because the Panthers needed a miracle last week.
Cincinnati -1 vs. Tennessee: Bengals. Under normal circumstances I’m not taking the Bengals, but the whole Vince Young is on the edge of suicide thing has to weigh in here heavily.
Green Bay -3 at Detroit: Lions. Aaron Rodgers is going on the road for the first time, and the Lions can score some points. I don’t love either team, but think the Lions might be frisky this year.
Indy -2 at Minnesota: Vikings. They’re at home, they play good defense and Manning looked pretty rusty. I’m following that trend until it changes.
Jacksonville -5.5 vs. Buffalo: Buffalo. Watch out for the Bills, they look like a potential playoff team. I think the Jags win the game, but the Bills cover.
KC -3.5 vs. Oakland:
Oakland could be the worst team in the NFL. I’ll be surprised if they win more than two games.
NYJ -1.5 vs. New England:Jets. My heart wants to go the other way, but the signs are all pointing to an ugly Sunday.
NYG -8.5 at St. Louis: Giants. St. Louis might be as bad as Oakland.
Pittsburgh -6 at Cleveland: Steelers. Ladies and gentlemen of Pittsburgh, your 15-week coronation starts now. Barring injury, which is a big barring, the Steelers are the favorites to win the AFC by a landslide now.
San Diego -1.5 at Denver:
Chargers. This was a tough call because the Broncos did whatever they wanted in their last game, but that was a AAA game against the Raiders. SD is good and needs to bounce back after that tough last-minute loss.
Seattle -7 vs. San Fran: Seahawks. Man, you almost wonder if there are any good NFL teams anymore. That Brady injury hurts more and more.
Tampa Bay -7 vs. Atlanta:
Bucs, sorry Matt Ryan, you’re still a rookie.
Washington -1 vs. New Orleans: Saints. They’re at home, and the whole region is giddy that it wasn’t taken down by two huge hurricanes. Right now life is good in Louisiana.
Dallas -7 vs. Philly:
Cowboys. One of the most interesting games of the week, and it’s on Monday night. Dallas looks like a monster this season. Philly looked great last week, and Donovan McNabb single-handedly delivered my first crushing defeat of the fantasy season.
Houston -4.5 vs. Baltimore: Ravens. The defense is great. Flacko could be okay. Houston might win, but I don’t think they cover.
The Kids picks: Cards; Panthers; Bengals; Lions; Vikings; Jaguars; Chiefs; Jets;
Rams; Steelers; Chargers; 49ers; Buccaneers; Redskins; Cowboys; Texans.
The views and opinions in the Enterprise blogs are those of the author and are not neccessarily shared by Falmouth Publishing.
