NFL PICKS
Let's start off the season right!
The home team is in ALL CAPS.
New England 7 over BUFFALO. My pick: PATRIOTS. Buffalo is starting a rookie QB; New England has issues, but they still have Tom Brady and the canny Bill Belichick. New England just have way too much; they should win and cover the spread, easily.
PITTSBURGH 6.5 over Tennessee. My pick: STEELERS. Mainly because I look for Big Ben and the Steelers to at least start out with a bounce-back over last year's late disappointment. With Roethlisberger, the Steelers have a big edge at QB.
NEW ORLEANS 3 over Atlanta. My pick: SAINTS. They're fired up and boosted by the return of Sean Payton. And they always give the Falcons' fits in the Superdome (see last year, even).
Tampa Bay 2.5 over NY JETS. My pick: BUCCANEERS. I don't think this is even a question. The Jets are a mess. Geno Smith is raw and unproven, at best, at QB; the Bucs have Josh Freeman who I expect to show improvement this year.
Kansas City 3 over JACKSONVILLE. My pick: CHIEFS. Look for the Chiefs to improve with Andy Reid as their new coach, and Alex Smith as a solid QB. Reid knows how to shape teams up. Jacksonville still has a ways to go.
CHICAGO 3.5 over Cincinnati. My pick: BENGALS. I just think the Bengals are better--Andy Dalton has steadily improved, they have stability in their front office and with their coaches thanks to Marvin Lewis, and they have playmakers. The Bears meanwhile are implementing a new system with new coach Marc Trestman. That takes time and leads to bumps in the road early. This will be one of them.
Miami 1 over CLEVELAND. My pick: BROWNS. They're at home; I have a sense the Browns are improving. Brandon Weeden, many insiders say, is improving faster than is Ryan Tannehill.
Seattle 3 over CAROLINA. My pick: PANTHERS. There's gonna be upsets in the NFL in week 1; the trick is in finding them. I think this is one of them. The Panthers won 6 of their last 9 last year; Cam Newton is dangerous and improving; yes, the Seahawks will be good--but they won't sneak up on anybody. The Panthers to win in a close one here.
DETROIT 3 over Minnesota. My pick: LIONS. As a Lions fan, it scares me to do this; anytime Lions fans expect much from their team, it seems to blow up in their face. But--I don't think Christian Ponder is progressing much; and I look for the Lions to have a better offense, with Reggie Bush etc.
INDIANAPOLIS 7 over Oakland. My pick: COLTS. Oakland looks to be in tough shape; starting Terrelle Pryor smacks of desperation and of simply finding a way to avoid the porous Raiders' offensive line problems. Meanwhile the Colts look solid still.
ST. LOUIS 6 over Arizona. My pick: RAMS. I think Arizona will improve as the season goes on; but Jeff Fisher is doing good things with Sam Bradford and the Rams.
SAN FRANCISCO 4.5 over Green Bay. My pick: 49ERS. I don't look for the Pack to get run over by Colin Kaepernick, like they did in the playoffs last year. But the Niners are a solid team, and they're at home. I just don't think the Pack can shut them down; and so they'll outscore Aaron Rodgers.
DALLAS 3 over NY Giants. My pick: COWBOYS. Both teams are banged up; but the Giants seem the more injured party...and honestly, the Cowboys have yet to beat the Giants at home...and you just have to believe the Cowboys are due.
WASHINGTON 4.5 over Philadelphia. My pick: REDSKINS. I look for Chip Kelly and the Eagless to score; but the Eagle D looks porous. The Redskins and RG III will score more.
Houston 3.5 over SAN DIEGO. My pick: TEXANS. Houston looks to me like a playoff team again. San Diego? I don't think their decline has ended.
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COLLEGE PICKS
South Carolina vs Georgia. My pick: BULLDOGS. Georgia lost a tough one last week; South Carolina won. But Georgia is a good team. Look for them to rebound.
Notre Dame vs. Michigan. My pick: WOLVERINES. It's a great rivalry. Most of the time, the games are close, classic battles. I look for Michigan to win this one in a close one; the ball bounced ND's way a lot last year; maybe this year it will bounce differently.
"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."--Vince Lombardi
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