So far, I am 35-25 for the season (.583) and the Upset Special is sitting
nicely at 3-1 after the Chiefs got their first win of the season on Monday
Night. We'll see if I can keep it up this week, but this week's slate
looks particularly daunting.
Miami at New England - The most hyped game of the week is Miami at New
England, where the Patriots will attempt to become the first NFL team to
win 19 games in a row, breaking a tie of several teams held, by among
others, the unbeaten Dolphins. There's not much to recommend the Fish in
this one, they do still play great defense - and they will certainly be
jacked up about the record. The Fish should keep this one very close, and
my gut says they may even defend the record with the upset win, but its
simply not profitable to pick against the Patriots these days. Thus, more
"Patriots are the greatest ever" ad nauseum seems ineveitable. Pick: Patriots
Tampa Bay at New Orleans - The Saints disappointed a lot of people who
thought this team was on the up-and-up by laying an egg in Arizona last
week. Now they face a winless Bucs team that has been competitive in all
their games. I like Chris Simms, but its hard to pick any QB in their
first NFL start. Pick: SAINTS.... I think.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh - The Browns have gotten two home wins, and have
played ugly on the road. They're on the road again this week. Pick:
STEELERS
Detroit at Atlanta - I smell a possible upset brewing here with rookie WR
Roy Williams playing out of his mind, and the Falcons somewhat lucky to be
4-0. Still, I think that Detroit has too many injuries on defense to
contain Michael Vick and the Falcons defense just might be for real. Pick:
FALCONS
NY Giants at Dallas - I am convinced that Tom Coughlin must be using smoke
and mirrors with this team. A road win in Lambeau was one thing.... two
in a row? Plus, I have to like Bill Parcells coming off of the Bye week.
Pick: COWBOYS
Minnesota at Houston - Which Texans will show up? The ones who dropped to
San Diego and Detroit, or the ones that beat Kansas City and Oakland?
They seem to get up for the big teams, and with the Vikings very short at
Running Back this week, I smell an upset. Pick: TEXANS
Oakland at Indianapolis - The Raiders certainly have the horses to run with
the Colts, but after Kerry Collins gave up four turnovers in Houston, I can
only imagine how he will fare in that loud dome. Pick: COLTS
NY Jets at Buffalo - The Patriots proved last week that the Bills couldn't
stop a blitz in any way shape or form. The Jets have surely taken note.
Pick: JETS
Jacksonville at San Diego - I'm convinced that the Jaguars aren't nearly as
complete a team as their 3-0 record suggested. They are, however, very
good at stopping the run - and the Chargers absolutely rely upon their
running game behind LaDainian Tomlinson. As much as I want to believe
that Marty Schottenheimer and the Chargers will win this, the matchup just
doesn't look the greatest for them. So very narrowly.... Pick: JAGUARS
Arizona at San Francisco - I read this week that the 49ers have already
used 16 defensive linemen in just 4 games. Not only are they a bad team,
but they're pretty banged-up too. Pick: CARDINALS
St. Louis at Seattle - The Seahawks have had two weeks to prepare for the
only team that can challenge them in this division. They'll be ready.
Pick: SEAHAWKS
Carolina at Denver - Very quietly, the Broncos seem to have lost their
running game magic, as Quentin Griffin has simply failed to produce. The
Panthers, meanwhile, are precisley the sort of defensive-minded, run-first,
win-close team that can win tough road games in Mile High. Pick: PANTHERS,
UPSET SPECIAL
Baltimore at Washington - I must confess that I have almost no idea. The
wheels have completely come off the Redskins bandwagon here in DC, and the
Ravens and their vaunted defense were just embarassed by the Chiefs on
Monday Night. One of these teams is going to fall into a deep hole with
the loss. I'm going to go with the short week and the distraction of Jamal
Lewis being sentenced tripping up the Ravens. Pick: REDSKINS
Tennessee at Green Bay - Hard to believe that one of these teams will go on
an 0-4 schneid. In these sort of desperation matches, the home team
usually comes out on top. Pick: PACKERS
_______________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world,
it is God's gift to humanity." - George W. Bush 1/29/03
_______________________________________________
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