Jeff Pasquino
Footballguy
First of all, take these all with a grain of salt.
Secondly, these are for educational purposes only.
Third - I think it is a major mistake to try and predict all games.
My ranking system is based on "Stars", which gauges how strongly I feel about each pick.
Last week I went 9-1, including my Stone Cold
of the Year. That's on top of going 9-6 and then 7-3 the prior two weeks, making me 24-10 for 3 weeks. Yeah, I'm hotter than the Girls Next Door (ok, too far, but I'm rolling), but what can I say? Ok, ok - how about some picks?
Let's go:
*ONE STAR GAMES*
Oakland Raiders (+5) at Minnesota Vikings - (1 star)
Yes, I'm aware that these teams aren't very good. However, with no Adrian Peterson, these Vikings play like Beowulf is patroling the end zone and steer clear. Sure you can say that Chester Taylor will come to the rescue, but how often have NFL teams been saved by a guy named Chester? Maybe Hester, but not Chester. Add in Daunte Culpepper returning to yet another team he used to play for and wanting to show them up, and you have a legit making of a Raiders win. Oakland in an ugly way, 27-16.
Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings (OVER 35) - (1 star)
For the most part, you can re-read the reasons above for this pick, but let's just say that any way I see this shaking out, there will be some points on the board. When two teams of equal or close caliber get together, they tend to play at each others' levels and make each other look far better than they actually are. Think about a Pac 10 or Big 10 game, for example. Sure they look competitive, but the SEC is just giggling like a school girl. Laugh all the way to the bank as these two muck it up and give each other lots of scoring chances.
Cleveland Browns (-2.5) at Baltimore Ravens - (1 star)
Sorry Ravens fans, but the hits just keep on coming..... It is a sad day when you put Kyle Boller in and get a marked improvement on offense, but hey - Brian Billick's an offensive genius, right? Stop laughing, Trent Dilfer. Ray Ray doesn't play offense, and unfortunately not many other Ravens do either. In all seriousness, I expect Baltimore's passing game to be better, but the loss of Heap (again) hurts. As for the Brownies, Braylon Edwards always seems to light up Baltimore, and I expect that to continue. Matt Stover will try and keep pace, but Derek Anderson takes care of business. Cleveland's defense gives up enough to make this close, otherwise I'd love this game way more. Cleveland by 7.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (OVER 43.5) - (1 star)
Again, see the prior writeup for the reasons here. Baltimore can break 20, but that's more Cleveland's fault than anything. McGahee scores and somebody else - Mason, Clayton or even Sypniewski, who should start. 27-20 Cleveland.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-9.5) vs. New York Jets - (1 star)
Do I even need to explain this? One of the league's best defenses and a hot offense vs. a young QB and a bad defense. Yeah, not close. Pittsburgh by 14 or more.
**TWO STAR GAMES**
Dallas Cowboys (-10.5) vs. Washington Redskins - (2 stars)
Rivalry, schmivalry. The Redskins are running classified ads for their WRs this week - it's sad when Brandon Lloyd has to break his collarbone to avoid embarrassing himself on Sunday again. Those studs named Randle-El and Kennan McCardell are going to start - whoo boy, try and contain the excitement here. Yes I know Santana Moss is probable, but I'll believe that when I see it. Even when he has gone for Washington, when was his last big week? I don't remember either. Dallas has enough firepower to blow the Redskins out of the water. Dallas big.
St. Louis Rams (-3) at San Francisco 49ers - (2 stars)
Last week I said to get the Rams, and they held up their end of the bargain. With the way the 49ers are playing, and by playing I mean attempting to get a first down at some point this year, how can it get any worse? Well, Trent Dilfer is now the QB and they are on a short week after getting shut out on Monday Night. Yeah, they're ready for another game. Rams win going away.
***THREE STAR GAMES***
Seattle Seahawks (-5) vs. Chicago Bears - (3 stars)
LRiding the wave of a shutout last week on Monday Night Football, Seattle has discovered that Matt Hasselbeck and company can pass and pass well. Sprinkle in a little Mo Morris now and then and you have a nice recipe for 24+ points a week. Last week Chicago played down to the Raiders' level, which is never a good thing, and now they travel back to the West Coast for the second week in a row. How can Seattle lose this? I give it the same odds and Ced Benson scoring 3 TDs. Seattle convincingly, 30-13.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) at Atlanta Falcons - (3 stars)
Last I checked, Atlanta was still pretty bad. Very quietly, Tampa Bay moved into first place (mostly because they took a week off and the rest of the division stepped backwards), but a lead is a lead. Atlanta's offense is offensive, and they are trying to hide their starting QB because Harrington and Leftwich are both saying "not it". Dunn returns to his stomping grounds, but that was a long time ago and thousands of yards away. Tampa? They have a running game with Earnest Graham and Garcia and Galloway are 35+-year olds hooking up like they're in a Cialis ad. If this offense lasts longer than 4 hours, consult a doctor, but collect your winnings first. Bucs in a big way here.
:IBTL: of the Week - Tampa Bay
Enjoy.
Oh... one last thing. I've mentioned these before, but I'll include it here so that everyone reads it.
SUCKER BET OF THE WEEK
New York Giants (-2.5) at the Detroit Lions
I still can't figure out the Lions, which makes me leery in the first place of this one. Then I noticed that the game opened as a Lions' favorite spread (Lions -1.5) and then moved to the G-Men being favored. Huh? Too much money burning holes in pockets in North Jersey? They had to move the line 4 points to get people to like Detroit? I don't like this one at all. Both teams are pretend contenders for the Super Bowl, and anything can happen here. Stay clear.
Enjoy Week 11.
Secondly, these are for educational purposes only.
Third - I think it is a major mistake to try and predict all games.
My ranking system is based on "Stars", which gauges how strongly I feel about each pick.
Last week I went 9-1, including my Stone Cold
of the Year. That's on top of going 9-6 and then 7-3 the prior two weeks, making me 24-10 for 3 weeks. Yeah, I'm hotter than the Girls Next Door (ok, too far, but I'm rolling), but what can I say? Ok, ok - how about some picks?Let's go:
*ONE STAR GAMES*
Oakland Raiders (+5) at Minnesota Vikings - (1 star)
Yes, I'm aware that these teams aren't very good. However, with no Adrian Peterson, these Vikings play like Beowulf is patroling the end zone and steer clear. Sure you can say that Chester Taylor will come to the rescue, but how often have NFL teams been saved by a guy named Chester? Maybe Hester, but not Chester. Add in Daunte Culpepper returning to yet another team he used to play for and wanting to show them up, and you have a legit making of a Raiders win. Oakland in an ugly way, 27-16.
Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings (OVER 35) - (1 star)
For the most part, you can re-read the reasons above for this pick, but let's just say that any way I see this shaking out, there will be some points on the board. When two teams of equal or close caliber get together, they tend to play at each others' levels and make each other look far better than they actually are. Think about a Pac 10 or Big 10 game, for example. Sure they look competitive, but the SEC is just giggling like a school girl. Laugh all the way to the bank as these two muck it up and give each other lots of scoring chances.
Cleveland Browns (-2.5) at Baltimore Ravens - (1 star)
Sorry Ravens fans, but the hits just keep on coming..... It is a sad day when you put Kyle Boller in and get a marked improvement on offense, but hey - Brian Billick's an offensive genius, right? Stop laughing, Trent Dilfer. Ray Ray doesn't play offense, and unfortunately not many other Ravens do either. In all seriousness, I expect Baltimore's passing game to be better, but the loss of Heap (again) hurts. As for the Brownies, Braylon Edwards always seems to light up Baltimore, and I expect that to continue. Matt Stover will try and keep pace, but Derek Anderson takes care of business. Cleveland's defense gives up enough to make this close, otherwise I'd love this game way more. Cleveland by 7.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (OVER 43.5) - (1 star)
Again, see the prior writeup for the reasons here. Baltimore can break 20, but that's more Cleveland's fault than anything. McGahee scores and somebody else - Mason, Clayton or even Sypniewski, who should start. 27-20 Cleveland.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-9.5) vs. New York Jets - (1 star)
Do I even need to explain this? One of the league's best defenses and a hot offense vs. a young QB and a bad defense. Yeah, not close. Pittsburgh by 14 or more.
**TWO STAR GAMES**
Dallas Cowboys (-10.5) vs. Washington Redskins - (2 stars)
Rivalry, schmivalry. The Redskins are running classified ads for their WRs this week - it's sad when Brandon Lloyd has to break his collarbone to avoid embarrassing himself on Sunday again. Those studs named Randle-El and Kennan McCardell are going to start - whoo boy, try and contain the excitement here. Yes I know Santana Moss is probable, but I'll believe that when I see it. Even when he has gone for Washington, when was his last big week? I don't remember either. Dallas has enough firepower to blow the Redskins out of the water. Dallas big.
St. Louis Rams (-3) at San Francisco 49ers - (2 stars)
Last week I said to get the Rams, and they held up their end of the bargain. With the way the 49ers are playing, and by playing I mean attempting to get a first down at some point this year, how can it get any worse? Well, Trent Dilfer is now the QB and they are on a short week after getting shut out on Monday Night. Yeah, they're ready for another game. Rams win going away.
***THREE STAR GAMES***
Seattle Seahawks (-5) vs. Chicago Bears - (3 stars)
LRiding the wave of a shutout last week on Monday Night Football, Seattle has discovered that Matt Hasselbeck and company can pass and pass well. Sprinkle in a little Mo Morris now and then and you have a nice recipe for 24+ points a week. Last week Chicago played down to the Raiders' level, which is never a good thing, and now they travel back to the West Coast for the second week in a row. How can Seattle lose this? I give it the same odds and Ced Benson scoring 3 TDs. Seattle convincingly, 30-13.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) at Atlanta Falcons - (3 stars)
Last I checked, Atlanta was still pretty bad. Very quietly, Tampa Bay moved into first place (mostly because they took a week off and the rest of the division stepped backwards), but a lead is a lead. Atlanta's offense is offensive, and they are trying to hide their starting QB because Harrington and Leftwich are both saying "not it". Dunn returns to his stomping grounds, but that was a long time ago and thousands of yards away. Tampa? They have a running game with Earnest Graham and Garcia and Galloway are 35+-year olds hooking up like they're in a Cialis ad. If this offense lasts longer than 4 hours, consult a doctor, but collect your winnings first. Bucs in a big way here.
:IBTL: of the Week - Tampa Bay
Enjoy.
Oh... one last thing. I've mentioned these before, but I'll include it here so that everyone reads it.
SUCKER BET OF THE WEEK
New York Giants (-2.5) at the Detroit Lions
I still can't figure out the Lions, which makes me leery in the first place of this one. Then I noticed that the game opened as a Lions' favorite spread (Lions -1.5) and then moved to the G-Men being favored. Huh? Too much money burning holes in pockets in North Jersey? They had to move the line 4 points to get people to like Detroit? I don't like this one at all. Both teams are pretend contenders for the Super Bowl, and anything can happen here. Stay clear.
Enjoy Week 11.
Last edited by a moderator:
