The Week 4 Picks

Random thoughts as a pre-cursor to the Week 4 Picks…

I don’t want to pay a whole lot of attention to the TOFU alleged drug overdose-suicide attempt, but I have made a few observations:

1. We all knew TOFU had issues, but maybe they’re deeper than anyone imagined.

2. TOFU’s publicist, Kim Etheredge, who called 911 and reportedly had to pry two more pills out of TOFU’s mouth, said TOFU has "25 million reasons" to stay alive. This sums up TOFU in a nutshell – never mind living for his family, his friends, his teammates and the chance to win a Super Bowl. Nope, it’s all about the money with this guy, proving again that TOFU is all about TOFU. Besides, what does TOFU’s paycheck have anything to do with this? Like rich people can’t have mental issues.
Etheredge, by the way, is pretty shady. Not Drew Weasel-haus shady, but close. My instinct was that she was lying through her teeth at the press conference. Next question.

3. Where does the league stand on this issue? The guy either has severe psychological issues or has a drug problem, yet the league has done nothing to intervene? Strange.

4. Is TOFU to fragile to play next weekend in Philly? Can you hear the pill bottles rattling in the hands of 60,000 Philly fans? It’s going to be fun.

Excellent effort in New Orleans on Monday, from the U2-Green Day performance, to the atmosphere in the crowd, to the game itself. How could I not pick the Saints to win that game?

Ed Hochuli is diesel. Are NFL Officials subject to the same drug testing as the players? Somebody make that guy pee in a cup.

I don’t really know if there is such a thing as the "Madden Curse," but Shaun Alexander broke his foot, the latest in a run of bad luck for the video game cover boys. Any chance we can petition Madden to put the 2006-07 Dallas Cowboys team photo on his next game?

Of all the highly touted rookie quarterbacks (Matt Leinart, Vince Young, Jay Cutler), who had Bruce Gradkowski as the first to get a start in ’06? Not sure what made me mention him by name last week.

The Week 3 Records: 9-5 straight up (30-16 for the season), 6-6-2 against the spread (deuces wild on the year, 22-22-2).

One more thing – I’m writing with a heavy heart, as today would have been my father’s 67th birthday. I miss you, Pop. Thanks for keeping an eye on me.

Sunday, October 1, 2006

The Match-up: Arizona (+7.0) @ Atlanta
The Skinny: Denny Green said Matt Leinart would start this week, then reversed fields and decided to stick with the Turnover Factory, Kurt Warner. With the Factory under center, I like the Falcons.
Straight Up: Atlanta
Against the Spread: Atlanta

The Match-up: New Orleans (+7.5) @ Carolina
The Skinny: It will be damn near impossible for the Saints to get up for this game the way they did on Monday. But I’ve learned my lesson – I’m not going against them until they give me a reason to.
Straight Up: Carolina
Against the Spread: New Orleans

The Match-up: Minnesota (+1.0) @ Buffalo
The Skinny: If this game were being played in December and the dome-team Vikings were heading to Buffalo, I’d expect them to be underdogs. But I don’t like this line one bit. Something’s not right.
Straight Up: Buffalo
Against the Spread: Buffalo

The Match-up: San Diego (-2.5) @ Baltimore
The Skinny: Probably not much offense in this one, with the resurgent Ravens defense facing a quarterback making only his third NFL start, and the nasty, aggressive Chargers D lining up against a guy that is clearly on the downside of his NFL career.
Straight Up: San Diego
Against the Spread: San Diego

The Match-up: Miami (-3.5) @ Houston
The Skinny: So Gary Kubiak is disappointed with the play first overall pick Mario Williams? Is this really a surprise to anyone? Outside of the Texans brain trust, did anyone think Williams would be the impact player than, say, Reggie Bush has been?
Straight Up: Miami
Against the Spread: Miami

The Match-up: Dallas (-9.5) @ Tennessee
The Skinny: You can tell that Bill Parcells is starting to get annoyed with TOFU and all his baggage. So much so that he had to take time this week and talk about TOFU instead of preparing for the Titans. Prediction – Vince Young plays because he’s more elusive and can pose problems for the Dallas defense, and the Titans pull off the colossal upset.
Straight Up: Tennessee
Against the Spread: Tennessee

The Match-up: San Francisco (+7.0) @ Kansas City
The Skinny: Damon Huard is still starting for the Chiefs, right? Good enough for me.
Straight Up: San Francisco
Against the Spread: San Francisco

The Match-up: Indianapolis (-9.0) @ New York Jets
The Skinny: For all the hype the Bengals have gotten for getting out of the gates at 3-0, the equally-undefeated Colts are kind of hovering under the radar now. After we were inundated with home movies of Peyton Manning before and during Week 1, we’ve almost forgotten about him. Unless of course you count the commercials for Sprint, DirecTV, Gatorade...
Straight Up: Indianapolis
Against the Spread: New York Jets

The Match-up: Detroit (+5.5) @ St. Louis
The Skinny: Now that I think about it, Lions WR Roy Williams was right. It’s sick to think how close the Lions are to scoring 40 points. They’ve scored 37…in three games. Like I said, sick.
Straight Up: St. Louis
Against the Spread: St. Louis

The Match-up: Jacksonville (-3.0) @ Washington
The Skinny: Even in defeat last week, I think the Jaguars established themselves as a legitimate power in the AFC. Jacksonville may have uncovered a weapon in Maurice Jones-Drew, who amassed better than 100 yards and a touchdown and would seem to be a perfect compliment to Fred Taylor.
Straight Up: Jacksonville
Against the Spread: Jacksonville

The Match-up: New England (+6.0) @ Cincinnati
The Skinny: So Patriots fan, how does it feel to know that your owner let go of proven commodities like Deion Branch, Adam Vinatieri, and Willie McGinest, but remains $13 million under the cap? At least you’ve got three rings to fall back on.
Straight Up: Cincinnati
Against the Spread: Cincinnati

The Match-up: Cleveland (-3.0) @ Oakland
The Skinny: The Raiders have managed six points this season, or three per game. Since they’re a three-point dog, that means the Browns only have to score seven to cover. They should be able to do that.
Straight Up: Cleveland
Against the Spread: Cleveland

The Match-up: Seattle (+3.0) @ Chicago
The Skinny: The classic match-up in this one will be between Seattle’s dynamic offense (potentially with Shaun Alexander) against the stout Chicago D. But the game within the game in Chicago this week will be the ability of the Bears offense to move the ball against the underrated Seahawks defense.
Straight Up: Chicago
Against the Spread: Chicago

Monday, October 2nd, 2006

The Match-up: Green Bay (+11.0) @ Philadelphia
The Skinny: There is a chance that the Phillies will host a one-game playoff at Citizen’s Bank Park prior to the Eagles game at The Linc. Hopefully much good sports Karma for the city of Philly.
Straight Up: Philadelphia
Against the Spread: Philadelphia