Click here to listen
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
Join our Pickem League!
Maybe even get some bragging rights to call in to the show with…
Pro Football Pick-Em – Picking against the spread
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/pickem/
GROUP ID# 17828
Password – football12
Matchups
INDIANAPOLIS -7 AT KANSAS CITY (41.5) – I don’t see any way that the Chiefs beat the Colts with so much on the line here for Indy, but it’s hard to give 7 points on the road for a team that isn’t all that good. Andrew Luck is getting ready on Sunday to break the rookie record for yardage passing that Cam Newton set just last season. He throws a lot of picks though. Kansas City, on the other hand, HAS NO QUARTERBACK to speak of. Brady Quinn will get the start. Quinn’s QB rating is 64.7. He has 2 TD’s and 6 picks. Come to think of it, maybe the Colts WILL over the 7 point spread. Chiefs best WR Dwayne Bowe is out for the rest of the season. Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles has 1,230 yards but just 4 TD’s. Indy’s Reggie Wayne needs just 3 catches to reach 100 receptions for a season once again. I’m going to retain my sanity here and PASS on this game.
WASHINGTON -6.5 AT PHILADELPHIA (45) – Robert Griffin will be starting for Washington and the last time these two teams met he had a PERFECT QB rating. I’m not looking for that on Sunday but I would expect that it should be a closer game than 31-6. The Redskins have already rushed for 2,347 yards and 17 TD’s this season. Skins rookie RB Alfred Morris has rushed for 1,322 yards and 9 TD’s. He may break Clinton Portis’ Redskins record in the next couple of weeks. The Eagles defense has been anything but stellar this season. Last week at home Cincinnati beat them by 21 points. The Skins hold a share of first place in the NFC East for the first time since 1999. I think I was in Disney World when that happened with the kids. The Skins have won 5 games in a row. For the Eagles and their fans, they may be seeing the last of long-tenured HC Andy Reid, who lost one of his sons to a drug overdose in training camp this season. In my opinion, this game reeks of a trap game. I’M GOING TO PASS ON THE GAME AND IF I DO ANYTING AT ALL, I’LL PROBABLY TAKE THE EAGLES PLUS THE POINTS.
JETS -2.5 OVER SAN DIEGO (38.5) – This game means nothing now to the Jets and even less to the Chargers. Norv Turner and his GM are on their way OUT of San Diego. Chargers QB Phillip Rivers is 24-5 in December in his career. Mark Sanchez is finally out as the starter after last week’s debacle. Why it took so long only says something about how bad their other two QBs are. 3rd stringer Greg McElroy will get the start. Tim Tebow will be gone after the season is over. I have NO idea why he didn’t get playing time but I can only think it’s because this team isn’t willing to change their philosophy of offense to fit a winner likeTebow. Hell, Sanchez can’t even keep his relationship with Eva Longoria going. Rex isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’ll be the HC of the Jets for at least another year. San Diego starting RB Ryan Matthews is out for the season. I doubt the Chargers will have much of a punch offensively and defensively but the Jets are soooooo bad. I’M GOING TO PASS ONTHIS GAME. Say Good night Norv.
CAROLINA -8.5 OVER OAKLAND (48.5) – Cam Newton and the Panthers are finally playing some good football. Unfortunately for them, the season doesn’t have enough games left to give them a chance to make the playoffs. The Raiders are horrible. The Panthers are decent AND they are at home. The Raiders are 1-5 on the road. Cam Newton has thrown 152 passes in a row without a pick which is the longest in the NFL currently and the longest in Panther history. Defensively the Panthers have been playing much better as of late. DL Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson have combined for 21.5 sacks so far this year. DeAngelo Williams, the only RB in NFL history with 1,000 carries and over a 5 yard per carry average besides Jim Brown, is hitting his stride. The Raiders are coming off a 15-0 shutout win against the Chiefs, one of their best defensive games of the season. Carson Palmer the Raiders QB will be easy to find somewhere in the pocket for the pass rush of the Panthers. I’M TAKING THE PANTHERS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 4 STARS.
CINCINNATI +3.5 AT PITTSBURGH (41.5) – I never thought I’d like the Bengals more than the Steelers this season but after winning 5 out of the last 6 the Bengals are in position to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season for the first time since 1981-82. The Bengals DEFENSE has been the difference this season. The Steelers, on the other hand, have LOST 4 of their last 5 games and are in jeopardy of not making the playoffs. Bad blood between OC Todd Haley and QB Ben Roethlisberger emerged this week and you have to think Haley is walking on thin ice here. To make the playoffs the Steelers have to win their final two games starting with this one. Cincinnati RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the law firm, has rushed for 1,080 yards this season. WR A.J. Green may be the best receiver in the AFC, having caught 85 passes for 1,208 yards and 11 TDs. Andy Dalton is 0-5 against the Steelers in his career. If there was ever a time for him to lead the Bengals to a win in Pittsburgh, it’s now. I’M GOING TO PASS ON THE GAME.
MIAMI -4.5 OVER BUFFALO (41.5) – The Bills will miss the postseason for their 13th consecutive year, extending that current NFL streak. HC Chan Gailey is probably gone but will hook up as an OC next season somewhere. Last week the Bills were crushed by the Seahawks in Toronto by a score of 50-17. Earlier this season, they were beaten by the Patriots at home in Buffalo by a score of 52-28. 6 weeks ago the Bills beat Miami at home by a score of 19-14. Since that loss the Dolphins have played extremely well. Rookie HC Joe Philbin is turning it around in Miami with rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. Reggie Bush should have a field day against the Bills. The lack of quality receivers hurts the Dolphins but WR Brian Hartline has 67 receptions for 1,002 yards but just one TD. I look for a GOOD Dolphin defense to dial up the pressure on immobile Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and deliver a big win to the fans in Miami. Last week the Dolphins ’72 team celebrated their undefeated season. TAKE THE DOLPHINS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 4 STARS.
GREEN BAY -12.5 OVER TENNESSEE (44.5) – Green Bay K Mason Crosby has hit only 17 out of 29 FG attempts this season but HC Mike McCarthy stands beside his kicker and says there will be no kicking changes. The Packers have struggled running the football the entire season but that shouldn’t be a problem against the Titans. Last week the Titans took advantage of multiple Mark Sanchez picks and held on to beat the Jets in New York. Titans RB Chris Johnson has 1,156 yards this season but many of those yards come in long bursts like last week’s 91 yard TD run. Titan QB Jake Locker has struggled this season when he’s been healthy. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has thrown 32 TDs so far this season with only 8 picks. His QB rating of 104.7 leads the NFC. One of his favorite receivers Jordy Nelson is OUT for today’s game. He still has plenty of quality receivers to choose from to throw to. WR Randall Cobb may become the first NFL player with 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards on returns in a season. WR James Jones leads the Packers and the NFL with TD receptions with 12. LOOK FOR THE PACKERS TO RUN IT UP AGAINST A TITAN DEFENSE THAT DOESN’T DEFEND THE PASS VERY WELL. TAKE THE PACKERS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 3 STARS.
DALLAS -2.5 OVER NEW ORLEANS (52) – THIS is going to be a great football game to watch. The Cowboys haven’t played better in a few year than they are playing as a team right now. The defense will have to find a way to stop or slow down Drew Brees. If they can do that they can run the ball effectively with DeMarco Murray and throw the ball downfield to Romo’s group of talented receivers. Even though the Cowboys have struggled at home since the construction of their spaceship they call home, they are playing better at home as of late. This game could go either way but I like Dallas and the OVER here. Its gonna be a shootout no matter how well the defenses play. I give the Dallas kicker Bailey the edge in a close game. TAKE THE COWBOYS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 3 STARS.
NEW ENGLAND -14 AT JACKSONVILLE (50.5) – After losing at home in a monsoon on Monday night this past week to the 49ers, I can’t imagine Brady and the Pats not coming out and trying to run up a big score in Jacksonville this weekend. Brady has thrown for 30 TDs and just 6 picks. Wes Welker needs just one more 10 reception game to tie the NFL record currently held by HOFer Jerry Rice. Gronkowski is back but will get limited playing time till the playoffs. RB Steven Ridley has had a great time running the football for the Pats. He has 1,105 yards with 10 TDs. The Jaguars have no RB’s to speak of anymore. Chad Henne has done OK at QB but he has very limited receivers to throw to. They have lost 3 game in a row to Buffalo, the Jets, and Miami by a combined 47 points. Don’t look for a close game here. TAKE THE PATS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 5 STARS.
HOUSTON -7.5 OVER MINNESOTA (45) – This game is all about Adrian Peterson and the ability of the Vikings to move the ball, not turn it over, and score. If they can do those things, it’s going to be a great game. If not, look for the Texans to run and pass the football and play some great defense and win easily. Minnesota is not that strong of a team. Right now the Vikings are positioned in the 6th playoff spot. Next week they host Green Bay and that matchup has not been good for them at home for many years. Adrian Peterson needs 287 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL rushing record. Texas is playing for home field advantage through the playoffs. The Texans are coming off a 29-17 win and cover against Andrew Luck and the Colts. Texas QB Matt Schaub should be able to move the ball through the air easily. The Vikings pass rush is their only hope to hold the Texans score down. I’M GOING TO PASS ON THIS GAME. TOO CLOSE TO CALL.
TAMPA BAY -3 OVER ST. LOUIS – Two teams all of a sudden going opposite directions. Tampa Bay is imploding somehow and St. Louis is building on a good team of the future. After looking like a playoff team, the Bucs have lost 4 games in a row. Last week they were shutout by a score of 41-0 to the Saints in New Orleans. This week the Rams with Sam Bradford at QB should be able to throw the ball against the league’s worst pass defense. I’M GOING TO PASS ON THIS GAME FOR SURE. UGLY.
DENVER -12.5 OVER CLEVELAND (41.5) – Denver is still playing for home field advantage having already wrapped up the division championship. The Browns haven’t beaten the Broncos since 1990. The Broncos have the league’s longest current winning h with 9 games. Peyton Manning has surpassed everyone’s expectations this season and looks to be leading his Broncos to the Super Bowl. RB Knowshon Moreno has been ripping off great pieces of real estate running the football lately. Even though the Browns record is 5-9 they have played well at times this season and have improved dramatically. Last week they were embarrassed by a rookie backup QB and the Redskins. This week they travel into Mile High and a team looking for rings. I don’t see the Browns defense being able to slow down Manning and his offense and I don’t see the Browns offense scoring many points against one of the best defenses in the league and their home crowd. I’M GOING TO TAKE THE BRONCOS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 4 STARS.
CHICAGO -6 AT ARIZONA (36.5) – Could be a bang up defensive struggle here with both offenses not doing much of anything. Talk about a strange matchup. After looking like a possible Super Bowl team, the Bears have lost 5 of 6 games. Lovie isn’t doing so well right now. Their offensive line has always been a problem and playing good defenses seems to be a problem for this offense. Injuries have caused OC Mike Tice to move some people around on the OL. Last week the Cards offense woke up and put 38 points up against Detroit at home. Now the Bears come into town but the Bears have a better defense. If the Cards front 7 can put pressure on Bears QB Jay Cutler they should be able to stay close. The Bears are playing for their playoff lives but it might be too late. I’M GOING TO PASS ON UGLY GAME.
GIANTS – 2.5 AT BALTIMORE (47) – These are two of my favorite teams to root for and to study. Right now both teams are struggling. The Ravens defense doesn’t seem to be able to stop anyone at times. The Ravens have lost 3 games in a row for the first time I can remember. Now a HUNGRY New York Giants team comes into town for a must win. This is also a MUST win for the Ravens. The Giants offense hasn’t been consistent all season long. However, their MO is to win after a loss and the loss couldn’t be more obvious than last week’s 34-0 shutout at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. The Ravens CRUSHED me in my pick last week. I’VE GOT TO PASS ON THIS GAME. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN TELL WHO IS GOING TO STEP UP SINCE BOTH TEAMS SEEM TO BE UNABLE TO DO SO.