The Sports Rumors

Weekly Picks vs The Spread - Wk4

Houston (-3.0) @ Atlanta

Matt Schuab is going to come in and throw all over Atlanta and make the Falcons gag with disgust for letting him go. People are saying Atlanta is going to come out angry and play for revenge. Umm. What revenge, and what anger? You let the guy go. It’s your fault. Houston has shown that their defense is a top 10 one, so far, and that their offense can score. Advantage and game goes to Houston.

Pick: Houston

Spread: Houston Covers

Green Bay (-2.0) @ Minnesota

Minnesota Head Coach Brad Childress announced that running back, Chester Taylor, will be starting ahead of Adrian Peterson. Okay. Why? Because he’s healthy? If you thought Taylor was the answer, you wouldn’t have drafted Peterson. Peterson is the better player, and teams that are trying to win ballgames start the better player. Oh, I forgot it’s Minnesota. Favre will break the touchdown record and the Packers will be 4-0.

Pick: Packers
Spread: Packers Cover

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (-3.0)

David Carr will be making his first start for the Panthers and will be facing off against a Bucs team that is surprisingly confident after winning two straight games. I’ve done a lot of reading and thinking about this game because I had a slight hunch that the Bucs would pull it off. However, I’m giving the advantage to the Panthers because DeShaun Foster has been running well with an average of 5.2 yards per carry and the Bucs are giving up almost 125 a game on the ground. I think Carolina will run a lot since it’ll be Carr’s first start and that should make the difference.

Pick: Carolina

Spread: Carolina Covers

Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) @ New York Giants

Similar to the Redskins-Giants game last week, and the Eagles-Redskins game the week before, you can pretty much throw all logic out the window because NFC east battles are unpredictable. All I can tell you is this; the loser of this game is out of the playoff chase. The Eagles have MORE to lose because if they drop this game, they will be 1-3 (0-2 in the division). They will not recover and the team will go into one of those funks where they start looking at the changes that will come in the offseason (McNabb departure, etc.). That being said, the Eagles HAVE to win this game. I feel that McNabb is playing with the chip on his shoulder that he needs and will manage to pull this game off, but not by much. I’m feeling a pretty high scoring game in which the Eagles win 31-27.

Pick: Eagles

Spread: Eagles Cover

NFL Week 4 Picks

As promised, here are my weekly picks. I’ll be having my spread picks released late tonight or early tomorrow.

Houston (-3.0) @ Atlanta

See Spread Pick

New York Jets (-3.5) @ Buffalo

Divisional matchup that is a must win for the Jets. The first two losses of the season can be pretty much erased with a second straight win. Buffalo brings a new quarterback, Trent Edwards, to the table. A lot of people are high on this guy. Look for a close battle coming down to a field goal in the final minutes.

Pick: Jets

Baltimore (-4.5) @ Cleveland

Two quarterback system Ravens come into the ‘Pound. Jamal Lewis gets his first shot to get back at his former team while McGahee will try to show why he was the right choice. Forecast calls for lots of running and not very much scoring.

Pick: Ravens

St. Louis @ Dallas (-13.0)

The Rams will likely be without Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger has two broken ribs. That’s all you need to know.

Pick: Cowboys

Chicago (-3.0) @ Detroit

Finally, Grossman is out and Griese is in. Will it be a big enough spark for the Bears? They’ll have to put up lots of points because their D is banged up, and banged up bad. I see Kitna torching the Bears’ secondary. Expect plenty of points and big plays from both teams.

Pick: Lions

Oakland @ Miami (-4.0)

Oakland has not won a road game in their last 12 attempts. That will change Sunday. My second consecutive upset pick this week.

Pick: Raiders

Green Bay (-2.0) @ Minnesota

See Spread Pick

Seattle (-2.0) @ San Francisco

Shaun Alexander will be wearing a cast again as the ‘hawks will take on division rival San Fran. Niners are coming off of a humbling loss to the Steelers while the ‘hawks are coming off of a thrilling win over the Bengals. This game will be very close, much like the Seattle-Zona game of a few weeks ago. Only difference is, this time the Seahawks will complete the game winning drive and win.

Pick: Seattle

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (-3.0)

See Spread Pick

Denver @ Indianapolis (-9.5)

Indy hasn’t blown anyone out in what seems like forever, even though it was just three weeks ago. They’re back at home and you would THINK this game might be close, given the fact that the Broncos have Dre Bly and Champ Bailey. But the Broncos have been very disappointing and could easily be 0-3 instead of 2-1. I’m taking the Colts and I’m taking them big.

Pick: Colts

Pittsburgh (-6.0) @ Arizona

Ken Wisenhunt and Russ Grimm face their former team for the first time but I’m not feeling the two quarterback system that the Cardinals are trying to run. It may have caught the Ravens off guard last week but it ain’t happening against the Steelers. I can tell you that much.

Pick: Steelers

Kansas City @ San Diego (-12.0)

I had circled this game at the beginning of the season to be exciting because LJ and LT would square off. Now, I’d rather watch a women’s golf rerun than a terrible team (Chiefs) versus a boring, underachieving team (Chargers).

Pick: Chargers

Philadelphia (-2.5) @ New York Giants

See Sunday Night Pick

New England (-7.5) @ Cincinnati

See Monday Night Pick

NFL Week 4 Expert Picks

College Football Picks: Week 5

Monday Night Pick vs The Spread

Whats up folks. Meant to post sooner but have been really busy at work. Went 2-2 vs the spread on Sunday… should have been 3-1 had the Redskins, my Redskins, not choked hard. Anyway, lets make it 3-2 for the week.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints (-4.5)

Everyone is talking about the matchup between Vince Young and Reggie Bush; the first since the BCS National Championship game thriller of two years ago. But that doesn’t have any effect on your money. Here’s what does. The Titans are a good football club. The Saints, thus far, have played like a bad football club. However, both of their losses came on the road and the Saints have their backs against the wall. This is their home opener and its on Monday night. There is no way they’re going to lose this game. None whatsoever. As far as the spread goes, they will cover that 4.5 and I feel they’ll win by double digits. My reasons? Anger, homefield, talent. The Saints have the edge in all three categories. I’m not going to sit here and spit stats at you because the Titans have the advantage, by far, in pretty much every stat that matters. But you know what? So did the Redskins against the Giants. So throw your stats out the window, grab some chips and dip and relax while you watch the Saints cruise to a 27-14 win and add some $$$ into your pocket. 9-4-1 through the season so far… correct pick number 10 is tonight. See you tomorrow morning.

NFL Picks vs The Spread - Wk 3

Whats up people. Sorry I haven’t posted this sooner but I’ve been busy… still am actually. Here’s a quick rundown of who I’m picking versus the spread. My record to date is 7 correct, 2 wrong and 1 tie through two weeks. If you like those numbers, read below:

Arizona Cardinals @ Baltimore Ravens (-8.0)

Steve McNair will start for this game and the Ravens defense will absolutely suffocate the Cardinals decent offense. McCalister will keep Larry Fitz on lock and Ed Reed will give help on the opposite side with Boldin. Leinart isn’t good enough to beat this defense yet and it’ll be a long day for the second year QB. I expect a score in the neighberhood of 26-13.

Pick: Ravens

Spread: Ravens Cover

Carolina Panthers (-4.0) @ Atlanta Falcons

I don’t know why people are freaking out about this game and saying its a dangerous one to pick. No, it’s not a dangerous one to pick. The Falcons have little to no offense. Their defense is okay but there is no way they’re stopping Steve Smith. I don’t think this game will be a blowout but the Panthers are definitely going to win, especially coming off of an embarassing defeat at home. Panthers win and cover.

Pick: Panthers

Spread: Panthers Cover

New York Giants @ Washington Redskins (-4.0)

If there is a game this week that is deceiving, this is the one. The Giants are 0-2 and the Skins are 2-0. The Giants have played terrible and the Skins have played complete all around games. The Giants seem to be disarray and the Redskins seem to be coming together as each quarter passes. All that being said, it’s the NFC East rivalry, and all that goes out the window. Still, I’ve got to go with my hometown Skins but don’t be surprised if this game is close going into the fourth quarter. A lot of people are calling for a blowout but again, its the NFC East and anything is possible. Still, I see the Skins winning by a touchdown.

Pick: Skins

Spread: Skins Cover

Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears (-3.0)

The Bears have won 15 of their last 16 games at home. This is the Cowboys first real test of the season and given how well they’ve played thus far, and how I see them going to the Super Bowl, I’m taking the Cowboys in an upset. Not only will the Bears not cover, but they will lose this game. Rex Grossman and the whiney Cedric Benson have shown me NOTHING to believe that they can put up points against anyone who’s even slightly above average. I don’t see the Bears defense as intimidating and tough as they previously were. Take the Cowboys here in your upset special and reap the benefits.

Pick: Cowboys

Spread: Bears don’t cover

Now throw your money down hard on those games, relax, and enjoy the day of college football.  Monday night pick will be out Monday morning, as usual.

College Football Picks: Week 4

Monday Night Football Pick vs Spread

Washington @ Philadelphia (-6.5)

I have been waiting all offseason for this game and I cannot wait till kickoff. I have goosebumps from excitement because my Skins have a chance. Here’s how I see it.

Offense

Philadelphia didn’t show much, if anything, last week in Green Bay. To give them a little credit, it was McNabb’s first game back from major surgery and he was bound to be rusty. In addition, the Packers defense is a baby beast. Those boys can play. The Skins offense wasn’t exactly the most beautiful thing to watch either but they moved the ball consistently on a good Miami defense. The tandem of Betts and Portis in the backfield is by far their greatest strength and riding those two horses is what the Skins will have to do as Campbell matures. Randle El was Campbell’s go to guy last week so it is exciting for me to think how good this offense CAN be once Santana Moss is involved too. Losing Jon Jansen for the season with a broken ankle is a big loss on the right side but the Skins still have a solid offensive line and if they pound the rock with Betts-Portis again (34 times last week), they should be able to control the clock and have a chance against Philly.

Defense

Philly has been a blitz happy terror for years now and have been successful, especially against the Redskins. However, this year, they have weaker linebackers and Lito Sheppard will be out. That doesn’t serve well considering Randle El and Santana Moss will be going against a secondary lacking their best cover corner. Still, look for Jimmy Johnson to mix plenty of zone coverages and unexpected blitzes to throw the young Campbell off balance. The Redskins defense played great for almost the entire game against Miami, except in the final minutes, which is a bad thing. The defensive front generated some decent pressure on Trent Green and the linebackers looked great. It is clear that London Fletcher-Baker is the stable middle linebacker that the Skins needed. The depth that the Skins have at corner is among the best in the league with Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers, and Fred Smoot and Sean Taylor and Laron Landry bringing the punishing hits from the safety positions. Gregg Williams will bring a lot of blitzes to intimidate McNabb early and Philly receivers will HAVE to do better than they did and get some separation if Philly is going to win this game.

Prediction: I see a close, tough NFC East battle with the home team Eagles, unfortunately, winning something like 23-17 or 24-21.

Spread: This is a REALLY tough one to call but I say the Eagles don’t cover. Maybe thats my hometown gut speaking but I’m sticking to it. Take the Skins.

NFL Picks vs The Spread - Wk 2

Indianapolis (-7.0) @ Tennessee

I’ve heard a lot of chit chat over the past week by people saying that the Titans will keep it close against the Colts or that the Titans have the Colts’ number. No. They don’t. They won one game against the Colts last year by three points and lost the other by a point. That’s not happening this year. And I don’t know how one win and one close loss means that a team has another team’s number. Here’s how close the Titans were vs. the Colts in their last six meetings. Won by 3, Lost by 1, Lost by 33, Lost by 21, Lost by 27, Lost by 14. I know Vince Young was not present for all but two of those games but Young isn’t going to be lining up to cover Harrison or Wayne on go routes either. I’m sure the Colts are tired of hearing about how the Titans can compete with them and will come out strong because of it. A lot of people are taking Tennessee versus the spread this week but I’m not. Give me Peyton all day with a 33-13 type of score.

Pick: Colts

Spread: Colts Cover

Green Bay @ New York Giants (-2.0)

The Packers are going to be 2-0 after this game and here’s why. The Giants defense is miserable. They can’t stop the run and they can’t stop the pass. I knew this before they lost to the Cowboys. They lost starters on defense in the preseason and weren’t very strong to begin with. Throw in the fact that Eli most likely will not be playing and there goes your chance to score twenty points. Even if Eli played, he’s not moving the ball against the Packers defense. Throw in ANOTHER setback; that being the health of runningback Brandon Jacobs. The Packers D will eat up the Giants the way they did McNabb last week.

Pick: Green Bay

Spread: Take Green Bay

Minnesota @ Detroit (-3.0)

Man am I excited for this game. This is the chance for Jon Kitna to shut up the people who were making fun of the fact that he was confident and thought the Lions could win 10 games this year. Their offense looked superb against an Oakland defense that is no slouch. Mike Martz dominates in his second season with a team and just look at the weapons that Detroit has. Mike Furrey led the NFC in catches last year and he’s their third wideout! Tatum Bell did a good job moving the ball with 5.8 yards per carry, and as long as Kitna stays away from making major mistakes, the Lions will win this game without a problem. The only thing the Lions should be wary of is #28 in purple. Adrian Peterson showed what he’s capable of. However, I think Detroit will get up early and force the Vikes to pass.

Pick: Detroit

Spread: Detroit Covers

San Diego @ New England (-3.0)

The Game of the Week, without a doubt. The Patriots were questioned and called out all week. Their Super Bowl victories and their legitimacy were questioned. ESPN.com’s poll showed that the majority of the nation feels that those wins are now tainted. Realize that the Patriots players heard this all week. They’re going to be angry and San Diego is going to pay for it. The Chargers defense was solid last week but the offense looked awful. LT didn’t do much on the ground and Phillip Rivers failed to pass for a touchdown. I feel the Pats defense is better than the Bears. And again, they will be angry…especially at LT who called out their coach last year. The flipside is that the Chargers have their own bone to pick after the way the Pats mocked them after defeating them in San Diego during the playoffs. This game looks like it will be low scoring but I have a feeling that the Pats might blow it open early. Don’t be surprised if the Pats score 27 on the Chargers. Either way, low scoring or not, Pats will cover.

Pick: New England

Spread: New England Covers

Monday night pick will be up on Monday.

NFL Week 2 Picks

Week two is already here people.  Here’s what I see happening, along with my picks stacked up against the experts.

Cincinnati (-7.0) @ Cleveland

This should be the last game that Cleveland starts a quarterback that isn’t named Brady Quinn.  Cincinnati is coming off of a thrilling win against division rival Baltimore and should put up at least 28 on the Browns.  I’m excited to see what Chad Johnson does if he scores a touchdown.  God I love that guy.

Pick: Cincinnati

San Francisco @ St.Louis (-3.0)

Not really a “must win” game for St.Louis but they certainly won’t be feeling good about themselves with an 0-2 record and a loss at home to an up and coming division rival like the Niners.  Stephen Jackson should have a better game than last week and get over 100 yards rushing, leading to a win. 

Pick: St.Louis

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh (-9.5)

Then 9.5 spread should give the Bills some motivation.  They played their butts off last week against Denver and shouldn’t have been underdogs by more than 7.  People are getting too high on Pittsburgh after one win, forgetting that it was against the Browns.

Pick: Pittsburgh

New Orleans (-3.5) @ Tampa Bay

Saints have had 9 days to prepare for a rebound after the miserable performance on national television against the Colts.  Tampa Bay will lose and lose by a lot.  I still don’t understand why people are in love with Cadillac Williams and picked him so high in fantasy drafts.  He sucks.

Pick: New Orleans

Houston @ Carolina (-6.5)

The Panthers looked nasty against the Rams last week.  Defense looked on point and Delhomme looked like he did two years ago.  Steve Smith will dominate Dunta Robinson this week and the Panthers will win big.  The Panthers were my pick to win the NFC South and I’m sticking to it.  12-4.  Watch.

Pick: Carolina

Atlanta @ Jacksonville (-10.5)

The Jags offense looked anemic last week and had better rebound strong if they want a shot at the playoffs this season.  As for Atlanta, 15 more games till they get the number one pick in the draft.

Pick: Jacksonville

Dallas (-4.0) @ Miami

This year looks like the return of the battle between Moss and Owens as the best wide receiver in the league, and of course Steve Smith is in the conversation also.  Owens has promised to get 100+ catches and 20 touchdowns.  He got two last week, and he’ll get one more this week. 

Pick: Dallas

Seattle (-3.0) @ Arizona

Surprisingly, big week two divisional matchup between the two west coast clubs.  Seattle didn’t look too strong against the Bucs and the Cardinals gave up a win in San Francisco.  If Arizona is going to have a good season, they cannot afford to lose two games to start the season to two divisional opponents. 

Pick: Seattle

Kansas City @ Chicago (-12.0)

Chicago’s offense can be really explosive at times, and can be worse than Kansas City’s at times.  Bears are lucky they have a terrible team coming into town this week.  I have to say, I’m a little surprised that the Chiefs are this bad though. 

Pick: Chicago

Oakland @ Denver (-10.0)

Josh McCown looked good against the Lions last week but he’s out for week two.  Denver looked lousy last week but here’s all you need to know:  The Raiders have not won a division game in three years.

Pick: Denver

New York Jets @ Baltimore (-10.0)

Rookie quarterback Kellen Clemens will get his first start this week for the Jets while Pennington sits out with an injury.  He gets to play against an angry Baltimore defense.  Good luck.

Pick: Baltimore