LOGIN

So, I just got served a nice bowl of New England clam chowder thanks to the Cardinals beating the Patriots in week 2, ruining my pick and taking me out of a few suicide pools.  And by nice I mean the red and white recipes mixed into one bowl, creating a brownish mash-up made of the dirt from Foxboro.  This is the NFL, where anything can happen anywhere, anytime, anyplace.  New England had a lot of advantages Sunday: Brady had never lost a home opener; Patriots out gained the Cardinals by 142 yards; Fitzgerald had a total of four yards of receiving; Kevin Kolb!  One thing Arizona did have an advantage in was the game of hard knocks.  They came to play.  The defense and special teams won the game, and the offense didn’t screw up too much, but they definitely tried their doggone best.  Quietly the Cardinals are 7-1 in their last eight games.

Look, me going perfect with my picks the whole year was a tougher task than the replacement refs getting the calls right in any game.  I promise no more replacement ref fodder.  A lot of people didn’t see this week 2 loss coming – I hope most of you reading this decided against the ‘for sure pick’ and went with the ‘kinda for sure pick’.  Nonetheless, I will continue to provide my weekly picks and potential traps every week.   On a brighter note, I did go 3 for 4 with my picks last week!

It is week 3 and half of your fellow suicide gamers have been eliminated.   The odds are turning in your favor.  If you are a homer, then week 2 was for you.  Home teams are 23-9 (14-2 last week).  Yes, the Patriots were one of two teams to lose at home last week…the other was Jacksonville.  Blaine Gabbert and Tom Brady have more in common than we think.  Division game favorites are 4-5-1 (2-1-1 last week).   We will continue to look at mismatches in QB play, defensive play, and running game play.  Game on…

Teams Already Used – Houston, New England

 Chicago Bears, My Week 3 Pick – Jay Cutler put on a performance that a master chef’s cuisine would be jealous of; he got julienned, sautéed, and boiled to perfection by the Packers defense.  The Bears may have had a fighting chance if only they replaced him with the four-time Mr. Olympia bodybuilding champion Jay Cutler.  So why am I picking them to win this week?  Simple mathematics: Rams > Redskins > Saints = the worst defense in the league!  The Bears also have 10 days rest to, well, rest.  They are at home playing on real sod, with real air movement, with an uncontrolled thermometer. This is St Louis’ first game in the great outdoors.  The Rams are currently 1-8 on the road in their last nine games. Bears soldier on.

Dallas Cowboys – How does Felix Jones still have a job?  I know the Seahawks are a good home team but don’t be misguided: Dallas lost this game when Felix The Cat fumbled the opening kickoff.  No, not Felix ‘The Cat’ Potvin, but Felix ‘I am so out of shape and I’m softer than Fabricland, The Cat’ Jones.  This is the home opener for the Cowboys in Jerry Jones stadium.  Can’t you see the Cowboys using this clip of Robocop for their home opener?  Superimpose a few faces, change some prime directives, little bit of editing, and bam the fans go nuts.  How do I get in touch with Jerry?  Add in a Bucs team traveling on the road after a tough loss, and not even a reflex-less Felix Jones can screw this game up.

San Francisco 49ers – Not much to say here other than the Vikings are not a good team.  The 49ers are a very good team.  Good team, playing a not so good team, and you have your answer good sir.  The 49ers have some sweet match-ups in the near future, so I would rather save them for when they are at home.

Houston Texans, Potential Suicide – The Texans have run out to a solid lead in the AFC.  The duo of Foster and Tate has shown they are a force to be reckoned with.  Throw in a couple of elementary opponents and people are starting to talk about them as Super Bowl contenders.  As shown from last week’s 14-2 record, it is tough to win on the road in the NFL.  They are travelling into Mile High stadium, which is a tough place to play because the air is thinner and the fans eat a lot of TV dinners.  And Denver is not a bad team to boot.