Week 8

Another NFL sunday and another Brett Favre controversy, another week for Dallas to play for their season and another week where the Patriots are going to quietly win another game. (spoiler alert!)

Week 8 picks here they are:

Denver (+2) over 49ers- Its the NFL’s continued experiment overseas and honestly I can’t blame them.  I tweeted the commissioner yesterday about it and he replied that he hoped to do two more.  I wanted to know if that meant two more per season or two more and they would be done.  I think that its a smart business move for the NFL.  The NBA has exhibited that expanding overseas and exploring that market is smart, but football’s move there might be more difficult in two senses: the sport’s name won’t fly on that side of the Atlantic.  There’s only one football.  Rugby is also wildly popular and its very similar to football visually.  Its going to take more than just two football games a year.  What will be most interesting is how the NFL Europe experiment plays itself out on the negotiating table.

COWBOYS (-6.5) over Jaguars-  This speaks more about the Jags lack of any punch than the Cowboys.  I think Jon Kitna will be a serviceable QB for a team that is playing for pride.  I predict the  Cowboys become the most dangerous team in the NFL going forward.  If every prognosticator and analyst is right and they are the most talented team in the NFL, with nothing to play for, they are playing with house money.*

*= Don’t you love poker references in football?

Redskins (+2.5) over LIONS-  I like Matthew Stafford and I love how the Lions have been playing in his absence.  As many QB’s as the Giants have knocked out, look at all the starpower that the Redskins have knocked out? Aaron Rodgers (concussion), Dallas Clark (out for season), Andre Johnson (hurt his leg), Jermichael Finley (out for season), Michael Vick (torn rib cage), Clay Mathews (pulled hamstring).  I hope Matt Stafford has that ACE bandage ready.

JETS (-6) over Packers-  Speaking of the Packers, they come to the Meadowlands against a rested Jets team that will be very curious.  NFL Match up (highly recommended by yours truly if you want to see real film breakdown) has been harping on the Jets to NOT blitz in order for them to have success against Aaron Rodgers and you see that teams that don’t blitz have had much more  success since the Packer passing game is more dink and dunk.  But Uncle Rex is always itching to hit the QB so it will be interesting if he has success in controlling his urge.

RAMS (-2.5) over Panthers-  Love Spags in this game against a Carolina team sans DeAngelo Williams.  John Fox should be watching more Cowboys film than his own team’s film since its clear that he would be much more successful in little D?

Dolphins (-1) over BENGALS-  Numbers don’t lie: Miami is undefeated on the road.  All you need to know about this talented team and half that Bengals secondary will be out.

CHIEFS (-7) over Bills-  One of the loudest stadiums in the NFL hosting a winless team and the Chiefs are having a good year?  Better bring your noise plugs, it could get loud.

CHARGERS (-5) over Titans- Ok, its November, the Chargers usually start playing serious football right about now.

CARDS (-3) over Bucs- the Bucaneers head coach Raheem Morris called his team the best team in the NFC.  Well, its become cliche now to proclaim yourself the best team in the NFC and no commentator has a consensus so doesn’t Raheem have a point?  Well, the Cards play really good at home and I expect Larry Fitzgerald to grab his QB at some point in the day and tell the QB to throw him the damn ball or he’ll whip his hair back and forth* and choke the QB with it.

*= I’m still not over the fact that the Fresh Prince’s daughter is singing about her swagger on that song.  How many pills did Will pop after seeing her daughter’s lyrics?

Seattle (+2) over RAIDERS-  What, you think because the Raiders scored 500 points last week that I’m automatically buying that the Raiders are a juggernaut?  They can’t beat a Mike Holmgren coached Seahawk (someone telling me that Pete Carroll coaches the team)….oh….There has to be ONE upset right?

PATRIOTS (5.5) over Vikings- Have two men acted more womanly than Brett Favre and Brad Childress over the last week?  Here’s my take on this issue: the Vikings are getting exactly what they deserve.  You make high risk, high reward deals there’s a 50/50 chance that they work out, but the fact that they did that deal with Brett Favre and paid him $20 million and did so with the entire world watching them beg for Favre and come to his ranch as well.  No one should feel bad about how its going on.  I don’t feel for Childress here or Favre .  I’m just here for the ride and I DVR’d this game just to see if there will be fireworks here, but my upset pick will be Randy Moss trying to break up the argument and then getting into a fight himself.

Steelers (+1.5) over SAINTS-  What happened to the Saints?  I’m not a huge Roethlisberger fan, but he makes plays and he does so in the ugliest fashion, but with the Saints desperate, this game will be closer than the Steelers will like.

COLTS (-5.5) over Texans-  Why does everyone worry about who Peyton throws it to when its Peyton throwing it to them?  I can be a pro Bowl receiver with Peyton throwing me the football.  I mean that.  I really do.  I’m being seroius.  Don’t laugh.  Stop laughing.  Sorry Texans, you aren’t sweeping the Colts this year.