Week 16 NFL Picks

Two weeks to go, need to rebound from last week!. Here we go!

Kansas City (+13.5) over CINCINNATI
Too many points for Cincinnati.
Oakland (+3.5) over Cleveland
Two bad teams, take the points.
GREEN BAY (-14) over Seattle
If Tampa can cover this spread in Seattle, Green Bay better be able to do it at home. They are still playing for something.
MIAMI (-3) over Houston
One team's playoff hopes end today. I say its Houston.
Jacksonville (+8) over NEW ENGLAND
Jacksonville always seems to keep it close, and New England is not the Patriots of old.
Tampa Bay (+14) over NEW ORLEANS
Will Brees play the whole game? I'm not sure, and 14 is a lot of points to give Tampa who is actually playing well lately.
Carolina (+7) over NEW YORK GIANTS
Carolina impressed me last week. Minnesota is better than New York, so I'll stick with the Panthers under Matt Moore.
Baltimore (+2.5) over PITTSBURGH
The hopes to repeat end today for the Steelers.
ARIZONA (-14) over ST. LOUIS
Worst team up against one of the best.
INDIANAPOLIS (-5.5) over New York Jets
Tough to say if the Colts will play their starters, but I think they do at least long enough to hold off the Jets and end their playoff hopes once and for all.
Denver won't be able to hang with a very legit Eagles team
Dallas (-6.5) over WASHINGTON
After last week, Washington showed me they have given up on the season entirely.
CHICAGO (+7) over Minnesota
Brett Favre in cold weather is why I like Chicago to cover in this one.

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
PHILADELPHIA (-7) over Denver

First Runner Up Lock of the Week
Buffalo (+9) over ATLANTA
Atlanta is giving too many points

Lock of the Week
Detroit (+12.5) over San Francisco
Detroit played Arizona tough, I say they do the same, and may even pull off the upset in this one.

Last Week: 5-10-1
Overall: 117-103-3
Lock Picks: 24-21

Can't wait for it to start!

And then there was one

One lone unbeaten team. The Indianapolis Colts. The team that is notorious for resting its starters is bringing up all kinds of questions of whether they will do that this year, being undefeated. Should they? Absolutely not. Not only do they have a chance to go undefeated, but the resting starter argument doesn't hold water. You want a hot team going into the playoffs. They clinched a bye, so that will be plenty of rest. Going in undefeated, with a guy like Peyton Manning, is a huge edge, and they should go for it. That said, I do not think they are the best team in football, and do not think they make the Super Bowl.

The Elite
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. San Diego Chargers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Minnesota Vikings

So you know how I feel about the Colts, but the Chargers are the team making the leap. They beat a good Bengals team that was playing inspired by Chris Henry. They match up so well with the Colts. They are deadly. Gun to my head, the Chargers knock off the Colts in the AFC title game. However, I think it is absolutely wide open in both leagues, which is why the Contenders group is really inching closer and closer to matching the Elite. The difference between Minnesota and Green Bay (number 6 on my list) is not nearly as big as it used to be.

The Eagles made the jump this week into the Elite, and it is where they belong. They are an incredibly explosive offense, thanks in large part to superstar in making Desean Jackson. They have the defense to hold off other teams just enough to outscore them, and I wouldn't be surprised for one moment to see them make a run at the Super Bowl. I said preseason and I'm sticking to it, they are one of the most complete teams in football.

The Vikings got slaughtered by a bad Panthers team, and the sad part is, I was never really surprised. Brett Favre is just being Brett Favre, and that is never a good thing. He's making it all about him, forcing the ball up there in bad decisions, and proving that he runs the show, as he argues with the guy that is supposed to be in charge of the team. This does not bode well for them going forward, and I love it. If Favre torpedoes this team in the playoffs, it will be the biggest self gratifying moment I've had in a long time.

The Contenders
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Dallas Cowboys
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Arizona Cardinals
10. New England Patriots
11. Tennessee Titans
12. Baltimore Ravens
13. Denver Broncos

Green Bay lost a heartbreaker to the clutchness of Ben Roethlisberger, but that doesn't mean I didn't like they way they played. They should role over the Seahawks next week in a bounce back game, and finish strong with a win over Arizona to remain hot going into the playoffs. At least thats what I think will happen.

Dallas jumps three spots after stunning the Saints on Saturday night. I really didn't think they had a shot in this one. I was wrong. I was wrong a lot this weekend. I just didn't think the December Cowboys were going to go into the Superdome and beat this Saints team. They showed a lot of toughness that I hadn't previously seen before, and I no longer think they are a lock for another first round playoff exit.

The Patriots and Cardinals are just about even to me. Both have the offenses to stand up with anyone, but they also both have tremendous matchup problems with a lot of the teams ahead of them. I wouldn't bet on them, because its hard to trust teams with so little defense, but on any given day (when Randy Moss tries anyway) they can just blow a team away. If they met, I'd take the home. They are just very close.

The Titans don't have the tiebreakers to make the playoffs, which breaks my heart, because they would be so dangerous if they got in. They get those vaunted Chargers on Christmas, and if they win, it will be even more depressing knowing that this team can beat anyone in football. And I really think they have a serious chance.

The Broncos just don't make any sense. They can show up one week and totally bomb the next. Look for a very fast exit from the playoffs from them. This is the team the Patriots and Bengals should want to face, because the other team, the Baltimore Ravens, are looking a lot more like a serious problem for those teams.

The Mediocre
14. New York Giants
15. Pittsburgh Steelers
16. Miami Dolphins
17. Houston Texans
18. New York Jets
19. Jacksonville Jaguars
20. Atlanta Falcons
21. Carolina Panthers
22. San Fransisco 49ers

I'll start with the New York Giants, who appear to be well on their way to 9-7, like I predicted when they were 5-0. This team blew the Redskins right out of the Mediocre and back into the awful. Washington just didn't show up for this game, so I don't know what that says about the Giants. I just know that they are the only team in the Mediocre with a legit shot at the playoffs, but they won't get there as the Cowboys and Packers stand in their way.

Most of these other teams are members of the AFC's "7-7" club. The Dolphins, Steelers, Texans, Jets and Jaguars are all 7-7. They join the one legitimate 7-7 team, the Titans, in the group clinging in desperation to playoff hopes. The problem is, there are only 2 teams that can get Wild Card spots, and I think the Ravens will lock one up. So it really comes down to tiebreakers for the teams that win their final 2 games and go 9-7. I know my Titans don't have the divisional record. Neither do the Steelers, Texans, Jets or Jaguars. The other team will come down to the Broncos or the Dolphins. Miami has the Texans and Steelers left on their schedule, and if they win those two games, they have a shot at catching the Broncos. I don't think they win those two games, so the Broncos hold on, unless they lose to the Chiefs at home, a team they very recently blew out. The Ravens and the Broncos are your AFC Wild Card teams, and only one can make it out of the first round. As I said earlier, the Patriots and Bengals better hope they get Denver and not Baltimore.

The Awful
23. Buffalo Bills
24. Oakland Raiders
25. Chicago Bears
26. Seattle Seahawks
27. Wshington Redskins
28. Cleveland Browns
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. Detroit Lions
32. St. Louis Rams

Sigh. Only one remaining team with one win. Can the Rams pull it off? I don't know how the Buccaneers beat the Seahawks, but that is why you always take the points in a matchup between two awful teams. Sigh (again, for not taking my own advice).

And for the Friday night game, I have to take my team, the TITANS (-3)over Chargers. Go Titans!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

My apologies for my absense!

Between visiting my girlfriend and massive internet connection problems, I haven't been able to post in over a week. For thos interested, I went 9-7 in picks last week and 3-0 with locks (Philly, San Diego and Green Bay). I have no idea how long I will have internet, so I'm going to post a quick power rankings and picks, no analysis just lists. I'm sorry guys and gals for the absense and briefness. Hopefully I get this straightened out for next week. And for my friends who drove 6 hours to Buffalo for the Pats/Bills game without the tickets, you are truly, truly stupid. Love you guys.

The Elite
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Minnesota Vikings

The Contenders
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. New England Patriots
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. Denver Broncos
12. Baltimore Ravens
13. Tennesee Titans

The Mediocre
14. Miami Dolphins
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
16. New York Jets
17. Houston Texans
18. New York Giants
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
21. Washington Redskins
22. San Fransisco 49ers
23. Carolina Panthers

The Awful
24. Chicago Bears
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Buffalo Bills
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Cleveland Browns
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. Detroit Lions
32. St. Louis Rams

And for this week's picks:
I got Indianapolis (-3) right
NEW ORLEANS (-8) over Dallas
BUFFALO (+7) over New England
TENNESSEE (-3.5) over Miami
KANSAS CITY (-1.5) over Cleveland
Atlanta (+6) over NEW YORK JETS
San Fransisco (+9) over PHILADELPHIA
BALTIMORE (-10.5) over Chicago
DENVER (-14) over Oakland
SAN DIEGO (-6.5) over Cincinnati
SEATTLE (-6.5) over Tampa Bay
CAROLINA (+9) over Minnesota
WASHINGTON (+3) over New York Giants

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
Houston (-13) over ST. LOUIS

First Runner Up Lock of the Week
Arizona (-12.5) over DETROIT

Lock Of The Week
Green Bay (+1.5) over PITTSBURGH

Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 112-93-2
Lock Picks: 23-19

Rest in peace Chris Henry. And more importantly, Rest in peace to my cousin Justin who also passed away this week. They were both 26, and both are nothing short of a tragedy.

The State of the NFL: Week 14

Week 13 was a pretty boring week in the NFL. There were only about four or five games that mattered, and I'll cover them all, but the rest of the games were just kinda blah. Here comes the list!

The Elite
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Minnesota Vikings

Out of these teams, the Colts looked the best by far this week. They played a red hot Titans team and pulled out a tough win. The Titans were able to hang with them, and in my opinion, easily could have won this game. The Colts simply would not allow it to happen. That is why they are one of the NFL's Elite teams.

The Saints remain on top, but it took a miracle to keep them there. They were outplayed by the Redskins for the entire game, and it took a few questionable calls and a missed 23 yard field goal to get the win. I said last week that the Saints would go undefeated, and it looked as if I would be wrong one week after that prediction. Now, I am ten times more certain that they will finish the season without a loss. They look like a team of destiny. They have almost no one to challenge them (we'll get to those Cowboys later) and they pull out wins like this. No one is beating them, and I have to say it looks like no one is beating the Colts either at this point, but I'm more reluctant for them because we know they will rest their players, while I think the Saints go for it to the end.

The Vikings got shellacked by the Cardinals. Thoroughly dominated in every way. I can't tell you how bad they looked. The great Adrian Peterson was held to 19 yards. Brett Favre looked like the Brett Favre of old. Is this a sign of a rapid decline in December like we saw from Favre last season? It might be, but its too soon to tell. The Cardinals just played out of their minds on Sunday night.

The Contenders
4. San Diego Chargers
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Arizona Cardinals
8. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Dallas Cowboys
10. New England Patriots
11. Denver Broncos
12. Tennessee Titans
13. Jacksonville Jaguars

There are starting to be some really dangerous teams in this tier. The difference between the Contenders and the Elite is the smallest it has been all season. San Diego and Cincinnati each had easy games this week and handled them. The Packers managed to knock off the Ravens on Monday night in an absolutely horrendous game marred by penalties and bad turnovers. However, I really like my pre-season pick to win the Superbowl entering the playoffs. They are peaking at exactly the right time. Watch out for them.

The Cardinals and Eagles both won convincingly. The Cardinals crushed the Vikings, as I said before, and Philly took a beat up Falcons team and absolutely dominated them. Philly gets Brian Westbrook and Desean Jackson back this week and they are another team I really liked going into the season that I am fully back on their bandwagon. Look for them to beat down the New York Giants this weekend and cement their place at the top of the NFC East.

The Patriots, Cowboys and Titans all lost their games and so they take a tumble. New England is being obliterated by poor coaching. I have no idea what Bellichick is thinking these days, but its not good. They need to turn it around and win their last 4 games if they want to be taken seriously. They are in crisis mode right now. I think they can right the ship, but they need a change, and fast.

The Cowboys lost and start their December slide. Romo had a terrific game, so it's really not his fault. It might be in their heads, I have no idea, I can't explain it, but it's certainly real. I'd be scared to trust this Cowboys team the rest of the way, and they are looking squarely at a first round exit from the playoffs, again.

The Titans take a big step backward in their playoff hopes with their loss to Indy. The best they can do is 9-7, so they would need to win out and get some help. However, that doesn't mean they don't belong in this tier. They lost to a fantastic football team and could definitely finish 9-7. It's really depressing that they lost those 6 Kerry Collins games, especially when some of them were so close. Its looking like this is a playoff team that won't make the playoffs, whereas the Jaguars, who are newcomers to the tier, are in the driver's seat to get in, even though they are a worse football team.

The Mediocre
14. Baltimore Ravens
15. Miami Dolphins
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
17. New York Jets
18. New York Giants
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Houston Texans
21. Washington Redskins
22. Carolina Panthers
23. San Fransisco 49ers
24. Oakland Raiders

I changed the name of the tier because there is no word that describes these teams better. The big news comes from the two additions at the top of the tier. The Ravens and Steelers are no longer contenders. Joe Flacco has been completely shaken. The Ravens defense is not what it used to be, especially with the injuries it has suffered to key players Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed. They are not going anywhere, and with the outside chance they get into the playoffs, I would bet they get blown out.

Same goes for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but for one reason and one reason only: Troy Polamalu. His injury has destroyed this defense. Their offense is even better than it was last year when it one the Super Bowl, but the defense is a shadow of itself. Losing this guy has the same type of impact on the Steelers' defense as losing Peyton Manning would to the Colts' offense. He is that important. He will never win an MVP because they never give them to defensive players, but he should definitely be more considered.

We do have one new addition from a team rising up from the Awful. The mediocre would love to welcome the Oakland Raiders, who definitely play the part of a middle of the road team under Bruce Gradkowski. Can we give JaMarcus Russell the Least Valuable Player award yet, or do we have to wait til the end of the season?

The Awful
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Chicago Bears
27. Buffalo Bills
28. Detroit Lions
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. St. Louis Rams
32. Cleveland Browns

The Bears, although they won, fall into the Awful, because they were playing the Rams and they looked bad against them. The freaking Rams. A team that had playoff hopes coming into the season is relegated to being amongst the Lions and the Browns this year. So much for the Jay Cutler era.

That's it for this week. Hope you enjoyed. As always, feel free to leave comments or e-mail me with questions. Until next time.

Week 13 NFL Picks

Its crunch time in the NFL. Only 5 weeks remain. The term "must-win" is thrown around all year, but now its actually starting to mean something. Now is the time every team wants to start peaking. Its also a crucial time for your NFL pick'em pools. If you are still close to the top, you are running out of time to catch the front runners. You need to start nailing picks, going 10-6 or better. I have had a pretty solid season so far against the spread, but I know I can improve. I hope to start with week 13, so here we go:

Philadelphia (-5.5) over ATLANTA
Overall, I think the Eagles are a better team than the Falcons. Both teams are missing crucial offensive weapons, but the Falcons are missing their leader and resort to starting Chris Redman. They will also be without one of the league's best rushers in Michael Turner, who reinjured his ankle last weekend. The Atlanta secondary is downright awful, and I think that will be the difference in this one, as Donovan McNabb and company have a big game, and win by at least a touchdown.

St. Louis (+9.5) over CHICAGO
I never thought I'd see the day. The day the St. Louis Rams were printed in bold in this column. However, no one in the league should be getting this many points against the hapless Chicago Bears. St. Louis is still playing hard. If Stephen Jackson is available and effective in this game, I think the Rams could even win outright. Chicago is really that bad. They have lost 6 of their last 7 games. It should be a high scoring game, as both can';t stop anyone, but the Rams should at least keep this a one score game, so give me those points.

CINCINNATI (-13.5) over Detroit
Detroit can not stop anyone. Not through the air or on the ground. They can score some points, but so can the Bengals. I know Cinci has shown that they sometimes come up short against bad teams, but I can't see it happening again here. With Benson back, they can control this one and play however they want. I expect an easy blowout win.

Tennessee (+6) over INDIANAPOLIS
I mentioned in my recap column how I thought the Titans would end the Colts perfect season and I'm not going to back out of that now. Tennessee knows they are playoff contenders and are playing with confidence. They also know they have no margin for error if they want that dream to come true. The Colts, on the other hand, have played a few games in a row that they should have lost, but relied on Peyton Manning pulling out a great comeback. That can work against Houston, not against this Titans team. You can pretty much pencil in Chris Johnson for one huge play a game, and Vince gets better every week. This is the week the Colts taste defeat, and I don't think they have a problem with that because no one is really chasing them for home field. The Titans may not be better, they are simply hungrier.

Denver (-5) over KANSAS CITY
Just too much going for Denver to take the underdog in this one. They have had a 10 day layoff to rest up to take on a defense that can't stop anybody. They looked very impressive against the Giants, a team better than the Chiefs. I know the Chiefs are at home, a place where Denver has historically struggled, but in no way can I see them winning this game. The only thing they have had going for them is Jamal Charles, who should have another nice game, but I can't see that toppling the Broncos here.

Oakland (+14.5) over PITTSBURGH
Just too many points to give to the Steelers, who haven't played great football of late. I don't see them throwing much and think this should be a low scoring affair, maybe a 17-6 type game, but that would get Oakland the cover, especially if Big Ben needs to sit another game out.

New Orleans (-9.5) over WASHINGTON
I learned not to pick against the league's best team last week. I certainly won't make that mistake again.

Tampa Bay (+5) over CAROLINA
Carolina marches out rookie quarterback Matt Moore for his first game ever this week, which should mean a healthy dose of the run game. It should also mean a close game against the Bucs, who look rejuvenated and much better under fellow rookie QB Josh Freeman. The Bucs can certainly win this game with a big day from Cadillac Williams, like he had the last time these teams met, so I will take the underdog plus the points.

JACKSONVILLE (+1.5) over Houston
Houston can't win when they need to. Houston has no Steve Slaton. Jacksonville needs this game just as much as Houston does. Jacksonville is at home. Jacksonville has Maurice Jones-Drew. I like the Jags to end Houston's season (so much for that prediction, I didn't think they would be this bad at closing out games).

SEATTLE (+1.5) over San Fransisco
Seattle still always plays better at home. San Fransisco hasn't had any sort of success on the road this season. Its a battle of teams that I don't think can call themselves good. I'll take the home field advantage in this one, as San Fransisco lets down.

Minnesota (-3) over ARIZONA
I'm not terribly confident about this one, but how can you pick against the Vikings at this point? Plus, Arizona may or may not have Kurt Warner and they have struggled at home, so Minnesota it is.

GREEN BAY (-3) over Baltimore
Green Bay is peaking at the right time and Baltimore isn't as good as they were a year ago. I don't think they are a playoff team. Green Bay certainly is. I love what Aaron Rodgers will do in this one, and definitely think he'll lead his team to victory number eight on the season. This game will be fun to watch, and will definitely show us exactly which direction these teams are headed.

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
San Diego (-14) over CLEVELAND
A team knocking on the door of being elite against the worst team in the NFL. I'm not concerned about anything Cleveland could throw at them. San Diego wins easily just like they did last week against the Chiefs.

First Runner Up Lock of the week
New England (-4.5) over MIAMI
If Buffalo can beat Miami, so can the Patriots. This line should be higher.

Lock Of The Week
Dallas (-2) over NEW YORK GIANTS
This is an easy pick for me. Dallas is just simply a much better football team and Vegas continues to overrate the Giants, even as they prove again and again that they can't beat anyone that has any kind of talent at all. Cowboys avenge that crazy luck filled win the Giants got earlier in the year, easily.

Last Week: 8-7-1
Overall: 96-77-2
Lock Picks: 20-16

I love how I am exactly as good at hitting lock picks as I am at hitting everything else, hitting each at 55.5%. You probably shouldn't give them any more weight than any other game if you follow my picks each week!

NFL Recap: Week 13

The Elite
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Minnesota Vikings

And then there were three. With the Saints thoroughly dismantling the Patriots on Monday night, they knock the Patriots out of the league's elite. They exposed every weakness the Patriots have. Their defense could do nothing in that environment, much as they have done all year on the road. Tom Brady looked flustered and made several poor decisions. Bill Belichick isn't using proper football sense anymore; he may have lost his mind. The Patriots fall out of the top tier.

On the other side, the Saints firmly cemented their place at the top. They are going undefeated if they want to. I can't see anyone beating this team at full strength. Their toughest test is Dallas, but Dallas is notorious for struggling in December, plus the game is in New Orleans. The Saints shouldn't have trouble with the Cowboys. I can't see a single team knocking them off in the regular season.

The Colts looked shaky in the first half of their game with the Texans, but they were never rattled. They came back strong, as Peyton Manning continues his MVP campaign and won the game rather easily. They can not do this against the Titans if they expect to remain undefeated, but more on that later.

The Vikings move into third place by beating up the bad news Bears. Brett Favre continues to disprove the doubters (myself included) by not throwing his trademark interceptions. Can the over-40 QB continue this for nine more weeks? Time will tell. Tough test with Arizona coming up this week.

The Contenders
4. San Diego Chargers
5. New England Patriots
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. Tennessee Titans
10. Arizona Cardinals
11. Baltimore Ravens
12. Pittsburgh Steelers
13. Philadelphia Eagles
14. Denver Broncos

The Chargers move into the four slot with another outstanding performance. They are one of the most dangerous offenses in football now that LT is actually giving them something. They are very close to joining the big three with how they are playing. They can hang with anyone in football, even if this was against the lowly Chiefs.

Two games took place between teams in this tier, the first of which being the Titans vs. the Cardinals. With Kurt Warner out, the Cardinals turned to Matt Leinart to lead them to victory against Vince Young and the surging Titans. In a game that mirrored the 2006 Rose Bowl, Vince Young once again led his team down the field for the game winning score. This was probably the most excited I have been while watching a football game in my lifetime. I was jumping, screaming, high-fiving. It was awesome. This is the type of thing that can take an already inspired team to another level. There is no denying the skill and leadership it takes to drive a team 99 yards down the field to win a game. Vince is a leader. Chris Johnson is a superstar and Kenny Britt doesn't get enough love amongst the good rookie wide-outs. He should after that game winning catch. This is the one team (other than the Saints, of course) that no one should want to see on their schedule. They are on a mission for 10-6. They are well coached, their defense is playing like an entirely different team than they were 6 weeks ago. They are going to take down the Colts this weekend. They need this game so much more, and the Colts almost act as if a loss would be good for them with the way they rest their starters, and who knows it might be. They get that loss this week. I am loving the second coming of the Vince Young era!

The other game between Contenders this week was between the Ravens and the Steelers. Baltimore pulled it out but they weren't all that impressive, which is why each remains toward the bottom of the tier, and the Titans leap them. Granted, Pittsburgh was without its most valuable player, but back-up QB Dennis Dixon actually played a very good game against the Ravens, until the interception in overtime of course. It was a close, fun game to watch, but I can't see these teams going very far in the playoffs, if either team even makes them.

I give the Broncos credit for looking impressive against the Giants and I bump them back into the second tier. Do I think they have a great team? No, I really don't. But they are 7-4 and they have a very easy schedule the rest of the way, so it looks very likely that they find their way into the playoffs to be eliminated in the first round, which means they have to be here, despite their shortcomings.

The Mid-Pack
15. Atlanta Falcons
16. San Francisco 49ers
17. New York Jets
18. Houston Texans
19. Jacksonville Jaguars
20. Miami Dolphins
21. New York Giants
22. Carolina Panthers
23. Washington Redskins
24. Chicago Bears

These teams disgust me. So much wasted talent amongst this group. They are all so mediocre it's nearly impossible to rank them. All they have to do is win their game to rise to the top. The Jets move from the bottom of the tier all the way up to third, because just about everyone else lost. The Dolphins lost a game they absolutely should have won against the Bills, do they take a big tumble. I almost dropped the Bears out of the tier altogether, because they looked dreadful and have for weeks now. The Redskins are the new addition to the Mid-Pack, after playing well against good teams for a few weeks now. They don't always win, but they have played tough, which seems to happen a lot with these mediocre squads. They are no longer members of the Awful. Congratulations Skins fans. The 49ers beat fellow Mid-Packer Jacksonville very soundly, so they jump up to number 16. I'm sure they are thrilled.

Did I mention these teams disgust me?

The Awful
25. Buffalo Bills
26. Seattle Seahawks
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Kansas City Chiefs
29. Detroit Lions
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
31. St. Louis Rams
32. Cleveland Browns

In the battle for who gets the number one pick, the Browns lead. Three teams still have just one win, and wouldn't you know they are three of the four teams I said would finish with one win. Will the Buccaneers, Rams or Browns win again and prove me wrong, like the Raiders already did? Time, my friends, will tell. Again, if your team falls here, I sympathize, my team was here a mere five weeks ago. Good luck in the draft and better luck next year.

As for the Thursday night game, the Jets are favored by three points, and I like them to beat the Bills in Toronto. The Jets will run the ball all night on the Bills, who have proven they can't stop it. Revis locks down TO and the Bills prove why they are still a tier behind the Jets.

Jets (-3) over BILLS

NFL Picks: Week 12

Went 2-1 on thanksgiving, let's see how I do for the rest of week 12 shall we?

Tampa Bay (+12.5) over ATLANTA
Miami (-3.5) over BUFFALO
CINCINNATI (-14) over Cleveland
Seattle (-3) over ST. LOUIS
Carolina (+3) over NEW YORK JETS
PHILADELPHIA (-9) over Washington
Indianapolis (-3.5) over HOUSTON
Kansas City (+13.5) over SAN DIEGO
TENNESSEE (-3) over Arizona
New England (+3) over New Orleans

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
MINNESOTA (-10.5) over Chicago
First Runner Up Lock of the Week
BALTIMORE (pick) over Pittsburgh
Lock of the Week
Jacksonville (+3) over SAN FRANSISCO

Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 88-71-1
Lock Picks: 18-15

Thanksgiving Day NFL Picks

Green Bay (-11) over DETROIT
The Packers should crush the Lions like they did the first time around, even with Stafford and Calvin Johnson playing.

Oakland (+13.5) over DALLAS
I think this one will be a close game. Dallas has had an awful offense the past few weeks, Miles Austin shouldn't be able to do much against Asumugha and the Raiders just beat the Bengals. Will I take 13.5? Of course I will!

DENVER (+6.5) over New York Giants
I expect the Broncos to win straight up. The Giants aren't very good, and I've said it all along. they haven't been playong well. Now that said, the Broncos have been terrible lately. I just think with a healthier Kyle Orton, at home on Thanksgiving, they should be able to get back on track.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

I'm going with a recap/power rankings hybrid this week. I'll recap why teams are moving up or down, but I won't waste your time with things that didn't matter. Here we go:

The Elite:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. New England Patriots
4. Minnesota Vikings

This is a huge change from last week. The top 3 remain the same, but the big news came from Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. They lost to the Raiders and Chiefs, respectively. Not just lost against the spread, but lost the game out-right! I can't honestly say they are among the Elite teams anymore. You just can't lose to teams like that. The loss of Palamalu is just absolutely terrible for Pittsburgh. They are a completely different defense without him. Cincinnati was without Cedric Benson but still, you can't lose to the Raiders.

The other developement is that I can no longer keep Minnesota out of this group. Brett Favre continues to defy his age and track record. He's not throwing interceptions! Its crazy. They are beating the teams they should beat. They haven't laid an egg like the Steelers and Bengals just did. They belong here, behind the big 3.

The Contenders:
5. San Diego Chargers
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. Arizona Cardinals
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. Green Bay Packers
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
11. Philadelphia Eagles
12. Baltimore Ravens
13. Tennessee Titans

Lots of movers here, the biggest being the aforementioned Steelers. I think they might be done depending on when Palamalu comes back. Its just such a crushing blow to this team. The Chargers move up a couple slots with their blow out of Denver. They are the team closest to moving into the Elite. They are just clicking right now at the right time. They talented enough to win a Super Bowl, lets see if they can avoid letting their coach tank them. The other important developement: Those Tennessee Titans, at 4-6, are contenders. Would you want to play this team right now? I know I wouldn't! Vince Young is playing fantastic and he's having fun, which is so important and great to see. Chris Johnson is the best running back in football right now. He could go for 2000 yards this season. It was once crazy, but they could legitimately go 10-6. They are just really good and they are fired up. They have total "nobody believed in us" status, they control the ball, and Vince is playing his game that is so hard to defend when he gets out of the pocket. Watch out, they are jumping every week.

The Texans drop out of the contenders and into the mid pack with their loss. The other teams move up and down based on their performance this week, but they are all generally the same as they were and still belong here.

The Mid Pack:
14. Miami Dolphins
15. Atlanta Falcons
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
17. Houston Texans
18. New York Giants
19. Denver Broncos
20. Carolina Panthers
21. San Fransisco 49ers
22. Chicago Bears
23. New York Jets

These teams pretty much lived up to their name. They were very middle of the road. Only two teams jumped 3 spots in this pack, the Giants and the Jaguars. I still don't like either of them, as they didn't look impressive and don't think either is close to being a contender, but they did actually win their games. I can't say that about anyone else in this list other than the best team in this group, Miami. Just a bunch of mediocre 4-6 to 6-4 squads. The Mid-Pack indeed.

The Awful:
24. Washington Redskins
25. Kansas City Chiefs
26. Oakland Raiders
27. Buffalo Bills
28. Seattle Seahawks
29. St. Louis Rams
30. Detroit Lions
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
32. Cleveland Browns

Washington almost beat Dallas, so they move up to the top of this list. Kansas City beat the Steelers, so they are right behind. That is also why Oakland moves up to 26 and they might actually be a mid-pack team with Bruce Gradkowski. Only time will tell. The rest remain in the dregs, with no hope of escaping even into the mediocre. Buffalo had a shot at beating Jacksonville, but let it slip away. Just like any awful team should.

That's it for me this week. If you have the chance to go see the Blind Side, definitely check it out. It was fantastic. Have a very happy Thanksgiving everybody!

NFL Picks: Week 11

CAROLINA (-3) over Miami
DALLAS (-11) over Washington
DETROIT (-3.5) over Clevelenad
GREEN BAY (-6.5) over San Fransisco
KANSAS CITY (+10) over Pittsburgh
MINESOTA (-10.5) over Seattle
Atlanta (+6.5) over NEW YORK GIANTS
New Orleans (-11.5) over TAMPA BAY
Buffalo (+9) over JACKSONVILLE
BALTIMORE (+1) over Indianapolis
Cincinatti (-9.5) over OAKLAND
NEW ENGLAND (-10.5) over New York Jets
Tennessee (+4.5) over HOUSTON

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
Philadelphia (-3) over CHICAGO

First Runner Up Lock of the Week
San Diego (-2.5) over DENVER

Lock of the Week
Arizona (-9) over ST. LOUIS

Last week: 8-7
Overall: 79-64-1
Lock Picks: 16-14

NFL Power Rankings: Week 11

I've noticed that now that we have played ten weeks of football, the teams are starting to get entrenched into their own tiers. Some fall, some rise, but for the most part the tiers stay the same. So for this list, I'm going to separate them based on the tiers I think they fall into:

The Elite: These are the Super Bowl favorites. The Saints remain on top, but only just. Any of these teams could win the Super Bowl and I wouldn't at all be shocked.

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. New England Patriots
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Contenders: These teams also have a shot of making a deep run in the playoffs, but they also have some fatal flaws that could prevent them from getting there.

6. Minnesota Vikings
7. San Diego Chargers
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Dallas Cowboys
10. Baltimore Ravens
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Houston Texans
13. Philadelphia Eagles

The Mid-pack: These are the teams that are mired in mediocrity. The teams we can't figure out. The teams that play awesome one week, then terrible the next. The teams that fail to live up to their full potential. They might have an outside shot at the playoffs, but will more than likely come up short. Teams that make you go "meh."

14. Atlanta Falcons
15. Miami Dolphins
16. Tennessee Titans
17. Denver Broncos
18. Carolina Panthers
19. Jacksonville Jaguars
20. San Francisco 49ers
21. New York Giants
22. New York Jets
23. Chicago Bears

The Awful: These are the pitiful, hopeless, wait til next year, hope we get a good draft pick, tank the season dregs of the NFL. They are all varying levels of bad, but none of them are going anywhere. Better luck next year!

24. Buffalo Bills
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Washington Redskins
27. Kansas City Chiefs
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29. Oakland Raiders
30. St. Louis Rams
31. Detroit Lions
32. Cleveland Browns

I'm going to go with the tiers for the remainder of the season so I hope you like them!

So there was this 4th and 2... you may have heard about it

Patriots/Colts: There is no other place to start. It was the game of the week, and to say it lived up to the hype is a complete understatement. A game in which the Patriots thoroughly dominated for 3 quarters, then completely lost control and gave the game over to Peyton Manning, who led a legendary comeback.

But you don't care about that.

Everyone and their mother is talking about "The Call." The call made by sure-fire Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick. The call that was indefensibly, incomprehensibly, undeniably D-U-M-B.

Now I know, there have been lots of pundits out there that want to tell me that the statistics show that the Patriots had a statistically better chance at going for it and converting, than stoping the Colts final drive. But this game is not played based on statistics. If you want to follow that theory, the Patriots shouldn't employ a punter. They should go for the attempt every single time. If there is one time in the game where you should not attempt to go for it on 4th down (and I am a huge proponent of coaches going for it more often) this was it. People like to throw around the terms "playing to win" and "playing not to lose." Well guess what? The definition of win is "to not lose". That is an argument over semantics and its frankly just stupid. What Belichick did here was playing "to decide the game his way." He wanted to decide the game on one play. They make it, they win, they don't make it, they lose. That is what happens. If Belichick didn't believe his team could stop Manning from 70 yards out, he sure didn't think they could stop him from 28. So they don't make it, they lose.

I just can't see how a coach can have so little confidence in his defense. Granted Peyton Manning is lethal inside of two minutes coming from behind, but he was not having his best game. He threw two brutal interceptions earlier in the game. The Patriots had stopped him on several occasions during the game. The last drive very well could have been ended early if the Colts didn't get a very questionable pass interference call in their favor for a 30+ yard gain. Peyton Manning is not infallible. You have to give your defense the chance to Do Their Jobs.

So the decision was made, Belichick wanted to be bold. He went for it and failed. Regardless of whether the correct spot was made or not (if they hadn't used their time outs so poorly, they would have been able to challenge, improperly using time outs early in the second half continues to bite teams in the ass, pardon the language) and maybe get the call overturned. But they had no time outs and the Colts had the ball. Belichick obviously had no faith in his defense, so why wouldn't he just tell them to let them score? Just let them go. Don't play defense. Let them score on one play, put the ball back in the hands of your offense with at least 1:30 left in the game. That is the only move that makes sense with the logic he used in going for it on 4th and 2.

But they didn't do that. They let the Colts chew up the clock and score the game winning touchdown. They had no chance for a comeback. This game is all on Belichick. I know he is a terrific coach. He is a hall of famer. But on this night, his hubris got the best of him, and it cost his team a win.

And so we move on...

Bears/49ers: This was the Thursday game, a game the Bears should have won. Poor play calling and Jay Cutler thinking that the Bears changed their team colors for most of the game doomed them. It was an all around ugly game and I kinda wish I didn't even watch it. It was pitiful, these are bad teams.

Bills/Titans: Roll on Titans! The fightin' Chris Johnson's are 3-0 under Vince Young. Johnson led the team in rushing and receiving, and just dominated this game. Give credit to the defense of Tennessee though, they are looking leaps and bounds ahead of what they were 3 weeks ago. Two interception touchdowns turned this game into a blow out. The new look Titans get a real test in Houston on Monday Night Football this week. I'll be watching intently.

Fantasy Alert: If your league dropped Nate Washington, you may want to go get him. And you might want to start thinking about playing Vince Young. He's been playing really well lately. Chris Johnson takes his place as the number one back in fantasy, at least for now.

Saints/Rams: This game proved you can beat the Saints. There is no reason that they shouldn't have dominated this game. They can't get lazy, this is the NFL. I hope their coaches stress this in pratice this week or they may be in for a fall that their talent level doesn't deserve.

Fantasy Alert: Man, that Saints backfield sure is tricky. I love Pierre Thomas, but Reggie Bush stole the show in this one. I wouldn't want to be an owner of any one of them. They are too all or nothing.

Dolphins/Buccaneers: The Bucs had this one in hand, but the Dolphins are the better team, and they gutted it out at the end. Just another one of those games that bad teams always lose, even if they deserve to win.

Fantasy Alert: Ronnie Brown could be missing some serious time. You need to find a replacement now, and if you didn't already have Ricky Williams, I doubt you'll be able to add him now. Running back injuries were the theme of the week, and guys like Forsett from Seattle, Snelling from Atlanta and Scott from Cincinnati all could see some serious time in the coming weeks.

Vikings/Lions: Nothing special, better team won. Moving on.

Jaguars/Jets: Here is a game where a coach made a controversial call that worked out. He had Maurice Jones-Drew take a knee at the one yard line instead of scoring a sure touchdown, as his fantasy owners cringed. This was so the Jaguars could kill the clock and kick an easy field goal as time expires. Many have argued that you need to take the points and play defense, but why give the ball back to the other team when you don't have to? They only needed a field goal to win. Basically it comes down to this:

You have two choices to win a game, which one would you pick, all you have to do is execute and you win:

Option A) The other team has the ball and you need to stop them from having a touchdown scoring drive

or

Option B) Kick an extra point

Which of these options has a higher success rate? I'll take kicking the extra point any day. Good job Jack Del Rio, and kudos to MJD for apologizing to his fantasy owners in his press conference.

Bengals/Steelers: This Bengals team was for real last week, but now they finally get credit for it. Good for them. I am putting them in the group of elite teams, and they are doing it with defense, who'd have thought?

Fantasy Alert: Cedric Benson was one of the running backs to leave the game with injury. Bernard Scott filled in nicely, but the team went out and signed Larry Johnson anyway. That isn't going to work, but it looks like Benson should be back next week anyway. Monitor the situation.

Broncos/Redskins: Ok, I could understand the first two losses, but the Redskins? Broncos you are killing your supporters! This is the anti-Titans. Started exceptionally hot and then colled off significantly. The schedule is really easy, but they lost to the Redskins! How can you trust them anymore?

Fantasy Alert: Brandon Marshall was on pace for about 100 fantasy points after one quarter, but then he stopped producing. This was due in large part to Kyle Orton getting hurt and Chris Simms stinking up the field. with no Orton, this team is in big trouble. That's right up there with "cedric Benson is a top ten fantasy back" on my list of things I'd never thought I would say. What a season.

Falcons/Panthers: This is what happens when you lose your outstanding running back and your young quarterback isn't as good as you may have thought. You lose to the Carolina Panthers. They will be amongst the biggest movers in this weeks power rankings, as will the Falcons, in the opposite direction. Turner is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, that spells doom on their season.

Fantasy Alert: Jason Snelling filled in for Turner, and if you lost Turner, he is the guy to go get. Like now!

Chiefs/Raiders: Nothing to see here. Move along.

Fantasy Alert: Dwayne Bowe has been suspended 4 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Chris Chambers moves to number one and Lance Long to number 2. I personally think they are both rosterable in all leagues.

Cowboys/Packers: Well what do you know, my love of this Packers team payed off for me! They really needed this win and they got it. Will Dallas have another late season collapse? Could this be the start of it? Will this springboard the Packers into the season they should be having with all their talent? Its too early to tell. We will need to see in the coming weeks, but these are definitely two of the most interesting teams in football. Very tough to figure out. Stay tuned folks, stay tuned on these two.

Cardinals/Seahawks: The right team won this game, despite Seattle getting off to a good start. This game had more of a fantasy impact than a real football one, so I'll just move on to that.

Fantasy Alert: Justin Forsett could be the best add of any replacement running backs this week. He finished the day with 123 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries. On the Cardinals side, Beanie Wells was impressive, scoring 2 touchdowns on 85 yards. The backfield could be swinging in his favor. I'd give it one more week before I name him a fantasy starter yet though. Hightower is still too good around the goal line and as a receiver out of a backfield for them not to use him.

Eagles/Chargers: Poor Brian Westbrook. Even poorer Brian Westbrook fantasy owners. He suffered his second concussion of the year in this game and I'd be surprised to see him play again this year. LeSean McCoy is the perfect example of a handcuff, and I see his value the rest of the way skyrocketing. But for the Chargers, its good to see LT get in on the action. Welcome to the season, you're 9 weeks late. The Chargers do look good though and they have a pivotal game against Denver coming up. They need to win that one to keep my predicting priveledges in tact.

Fantasy Alert: Don't expect this out of LT very often. He is still done. Outstanding game from Donovan McNabb though, props to him.

Browns/Ravens: The Browns are right where they belong in this column: the bottom. No one is worse in the NFL.

Power Rankings out tomorrow. Take care everyone.

NFL Picks: Week 10

Final week before byes are all done and we get back to 16 games a week. Here we go:

NEW YORK JETS (-6.5) over Jacksonville
The Jets are coming off a bye, they're at home, they need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and Jacksonville isn't very good. A lot of things point to the Jets in this one.

Cincinnatti (+7) over PITTSBURGH
Like I said, I'm never underestimating Cincinnati again. they can hang with anyone, even the defending champs. They keep this one within a touchdown. I can't wait for this game, its going to be fantastic.

TENNESSEE (-8.5) over Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills give up more rushing yards than any team in football. Chris Johnson is an absolute monster. These factors combine for an ugly day for the Bills. The march to 10-6 rolls on!

MINNESOTA (-16.5) over Detroit
Minnesota should have no trouble against the hapless Lions. If Seattle can beat them by 12, Minnesota should be able to win by 24. They are at least twice as good. I can't pick the Lions any more, they just fail every time out.


MIAMI (-10) over Tampa Bay
Just because Tampa trampled Green Bay's awful O-line last week doesn't mean that they are any better than we thought. Miami will run the ball down their throat with the wildcat. They are a far different team from Green Bay, and that is why I have no problem laying 10 points on Miami in this one.

Kansas City (+2) over OAKLAND
You should know my theory by now when two bad teams are playing each other. Take the points. Even if it is only two of them, I like the Chiefs.

ARIZONA (-8.5) over Seattle
Arizona is vastly superior to Seattle. I got this one completely wrong before the season and I'm totally willing to admit it. Give me Arizona all day. They should blow Seattle out of the building.

SAN DIEGO (-1) over Eagles
This one could go either way (no kidding dummy, that's why its a one point line). I like San Diego at home. The Eagles didn't impress me last week, the Chargers did. I still don't know what to make of the Eagles. I want to like them, but I don't know. I like the Chargers and think they are hitting their stride.

GREEN BAY (+3) over Dallas
Oh Green Bay, I wish I knew how to quit you. It's a must win game in Lambeau in November. I know Dallas will get 8 sacks. But I still think that the Packers can pull off the upset. I am probably an idiot.

INDIANAPOLIS (-3) over New England
I originally picked the Patriots but I'm switching to the Colts. Peyton is too good in Prime time and my friend put the kiss of death by betting on the Pats. I like Indy.

Baltimore (-11) over CLEVELAND
The Ravens will win easily. Cleveland is the worst team in football right now. My boy Ray Rice is in for a field day on that horrible Browns defense. They win by three touchdowns if not more.

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
New Orleans (-14) over ST. LOUIS
Why is the best team in football only two touchdown favorites over the St. Louis Rams? Are they that scared of Steven Jackson? I know the Saints can be run on, but come on. This will be an awful game that is never in doubt. I can't believe how low this line is. This is the Florida vs. Charleston Southern of the NFL.

First Runner Up Lock of the Week
Atlanta (-1.5) over CAROLINA
Atlanta is thoroughly better than Carolina, so this is just a puzzling line. Carolina is home and Deangelo Williams has played great lately, but they still aren't winning. Atlanta should make this one easy. No idea why they aren't 7 point favorites.

Lock Of The Week
Denver (-4) over WASHINGTON
Denver has looked awful the last two weeks and exposed themselves as worse than they had been playing. So Vegas overreacted and made this line only 4. They seem to have forgotten that Washington is downright awful. Denver should have an easy time dismantling the Skins, as Vegas shows them no respect.

Last Week: 7-6
Overall: 71-57-1
Lock Picks: 16-11

NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

The top 4 remain the same and are separating themselves from the rest of the pack. Cincinnati is on the rise and can definitely break in if they beat Pittsburgh this week. Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona and San Diego are all contenders. Baltimore and Denver are falling and are both desperate for a win, which they should each get with their schedule for week 10. Tennessee is the best 2-6 team ever. Miami is also pretty good at 3-5. Cleveland is back on the bottom after Tampa Bay pulls off the upset of Green Bay.

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. New England Patriots
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. Minnesota Vikings
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. San Diego Chargers
10. Philadelphia Eagles
11. Baltimore Ravens
12. Houston Texans
13. Denver Broncos
14. Atlanta Falcons
15. Miami Dolphins
16. Green Bay Packers
17. New York Jets
18. Tennessee Titans
19. Chicago Bears
20. San Francisco 49ers
21. Carolina Panthers
22. New York Giants
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Kansas City Chiefs
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Washington Redskins
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. St. Louis Rams
31. Detroit Lions
32. Cleveland Browns

I'm making my Thursday night game pick here: Chicago (+3) over SAN FRANCISCO

Week 9 NFL Wrap Up

Eagerly awaiting the latest ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary tonight, which everyone should watch, they have been excellent, so in the meantime, I'm going to pound out my weekly wrap, in its full, unabridged goodness. Here we go:

Packers/Buccaneers: I'll start this wrap off with the game that hurt the most this weekend. The team that I picked to win the Super Bowl just lost to the worst team in football. How could this happen? They should have won by 30, and that is not an exaggeration. There is one very clear explanation for this: Green Bay's offensive line is historically bad. They are so great at just about every skill position, but they are unable to keep their quarterback off of his back. Now some of the blame definitely rests on Rogers, as he does have a tendency to hold onto the ball for too long, but the line does him no favors. I still think they can make the playoffs, as the schedule the rest of the way is very favorable, but anything could happen with a team that loses to Tampa.

Fantasy Impact: James Jones could be a serviceable wideout in deeper leagues, as he put up over 100 yards, but most came on 74 yard TD catch. Only deep leagues should consider him. Josh Freeman actually had a decent game and anyone who desperately needs a QB in two quarterback leagues might want to take a flyer on him. Derrick Ward got in the end zone, but I still wouldn't want to own him. Aaron Rodgers is a first round pick next year.

Dolphins/Patriots: The Patriots are an elite team and the Dolphins are a little better than their record indicates. They aren't good and won't make the playoffs, but they are fully mediocre, rather than terrible. They played the Pats tough but I don't think the game was ever really in doubt.

Fantasy Impact: Maroney has one more game to prove he really belongs as the number one back in New England. I personally wouldn't want to be relying on him if you can possibly avoid it.

Chiefs/Jaguars: These teams are bad, but hey good for the Chiefs to actually make this one a game. They didn't win but it could have been a lot worse. Jamal Charles seriously needs to see more touches in this offense, and Larry Johnson being cut is good for him. That said, unless they can stop teams from jumping out to a lead on them, they won't be running very often, as evidenced by their 14 carries in this game. Matt Cassell has been ok this season. Not great, but he is definitely a fully capable starter in this league. All that said, neither of these teams is going anywhere.

Fantasy Impact: Chris Chambers found his new home to be very fruitful, scoring two late touchdowns. Something like that can seriously help his fantasy numbers as his new quarterback now knows he can trust him in the red zone and look to him as the first target. Snatch him up if he's on your wire and you need a WR. On the other side, Mike Sims-Walker remains absolutely filthy. Best pick up of the year for me.

Falcons/Redskins: A good Falcons team beat up a terrible Redskins team. A little extra-curricular activity spiced this one up on the sidelines, but really, the Falcons completely outplayed the Skins in every way. Clinton Portis got hurt and that didn't help matters. Michael Turner just ran them to death.

Fantasy Impact: Turner proves once again that he kills bad teams. He is a great back and is disproving the curse of 370, but he still has games where he fails to do anything at all. This was clearly a game where he dominated everyone on the Redskins defense. At least his owners can feel confident that he wasn't a huge bust, unlike a few other high profile picks.

Cardinals/Bears: I should have made this game one of my locks. The Bears are really struggling on both sides of the ball and Arizona isn't a bad team by any means. In fact, they are making a great case that the Super Bowl loser curse isn't affecting them at all. They have had a couple bad games, but they are still the class of their poor division and will coast to the playoffs. The Bears got behind early and had to throw all day long, a style that doesn't suit them. They are a mess right now.

Fantasy Impact: It was a feeding frenzy for the Cardinals studs. Fitzgerald had 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, Steve Breaston filled in for Anquan Boldin and racked up 91 total yards and a TD. Both Cardinals running backs went over 70 yards and both should be rostered in all leagues. Even the Cardinals tight ends Ben Patrick and Anthony Becht got in on the scoring action, but don't expect that to become a regular thing. On the Chicago side of the ball, Matt Forte might have had a good game... if he got more than 5 carries! He still gained 33 yards for an average of 6.6. The guy is still very good, he just needs more opportunities, but the Bears were far behind in this one and needed to throw. And throw they did all over the field but especially to Greg Olsen, who got his official welcome to the fantasy season! Some touted him as a top 5 tight end before the year and until now, he has shown to be a major bust. Not in this one. He amasses 71 yards and found the end zone a whopping 3 times! That said, he was only the fourth best receiver in terms of total yardage, as Devin Hester had 94, Earl Bennett had 93, and Matt Forte grabbed 74 to go with his 33 rushing. This game was a fantasy feast. Kurt Warner had 5 touchdowns and looked like the Warner of last year. Unfortunately, the only guy you might be able to grab is Bennett. Maybe Breaston if you play in a shallow league or one with slow managers. If they are there, they shouldn't be much longer.

Bengals/Ravens: I will say this as bluntly as I can: I will not be doubting this Bengals team for the rest of the season. They are good. They can be VERY good. They have all the weapons. Palmer looks back to his old self. Cedric Benson has found his new self. Chad Ochocinco is back to being an All-Pro receiver. But most importantly, the defense is so vastly improved from any point in recent Bengals history. They can play with anyone in the league. I still think the Ravens are a very good team, the Bengals just outplayed them. Every time the game scrolled by on the bottom with the score update it seemed like the Bengals had the ball. They were dominant. The only guy that could do anything in this game for the Ravens was Ray Rice, who is a top 5 back in this league, right now.

Fantasy Impact: Cedric Benson and Ray Rice are both first round picks and they were both big in this game. It was all about the running game in this one. Chris Henry of the Bengals went down for the year, so if you had him (although he's been a bust) you will need a replacement.

Colts/Texans: The Texans probably should have won this game, but this was one of those situations where the great team pulls it out and the lesser team falls short. The Colts are a great team. Year in and year out they prove it. They are a fantastic team, with a fantastic core of winners. The Texans don't have the mental fortitude to pull out a game like this, and it ended with a missed field goal. A lot of people think the Colts are the front-runners right now, and they are great, but I still put them a spot behind New Orleans. The Texans are a good team, but I think they showed that is all they are right now. A one and done Playoff team at best.

Fantasy Impact: The real fantasy story hear is the epic battle between two ineffective running backs: Ryan Moats and Steve Slaton. Moats had 16 carries to Slaton's 6, but he also fumbled on the one yard line, which was why Slaton wasn't starting in the first place. Slaton got the only rushing touchdown, but Moats caught one. Slaton averaged 2.8 yards, while Moats averaged 2.4. I still think Slaton is the better player, and he will establish himself as the number one when it matters, for the fantasy playoffs.

Seahawks/Lions: I can't talk about this game. They both suck that stupid last second interception return for a touchdown got the Seahawks a cover they didn't deserve. Moving on.

Saints/Panthers: The Panthers jumped out to the early lead, but I was never in doubt that the Saints would win this game. Just like the Colts/Texans game, the better teams almost always win these types of games. The Saints have proven that they can score at will. That is exactly how they won this game. They scored on offense, they scored on defense, it was another great win for the NFL's best team.

Fantasy Impact: Deangelo Williams is putting up huge numbers in his last couple of games and is making that fantasy push that he made last year to vault him to number one status. I'm not saying he'll finish the year that way again. I am however saying that he will justify where you drafted him. Great games from Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson for the Saints. They have four receivers that could put up useful fantasy lines in any given week and have shown that while Colston is Brees' favorite, he has no hesitation to throw to anyone else on the field. He trusts them all.

Chargers/Giants: The Giants continue their free fall to mediocrity but the difference here is that they should have won this game. They had it in the bag, then they couldn't stop Phillip Rivers in the final 2 minutes. They have the most over-rated defense in football. Its almost impossible to even make a case for them anymore, not that I ever would to begin with. The Giants made the wrong decision to trade Rivers and the picks that ended up being Merriman and Kaeding to get Eli. I know they won a Super Bowl, but Rivers is a better quarterback. He showed why again this weekend with a terrific drive to bury the Giants. They don't have a shot at the playoffs, and now my 9-7 prediction is looking too nice. I even thought they would win one over the Cardinals or Chargers. They will be lucky to finish 8-8. The only really winnable games they have left are against Carolina and Washington. That would leave them at 7-9. The Chargers on the other hand are only one game behind the Broncos and making my "must win the west" prediction for the Chargers a little more safe.

Fantasy Impact: With every game that goes by with a useless Ladanian Tomlinson, I get more and more giddy about labeling him done. I don't care if you care about it anymore, I'm doing this one for me. It is so nice to watch everyone that wasted a first round pick on this washed up bum of a running back flounder towards the bottom of the standings. Beyond that, the true storyline of the Chargers season is the emergence of Vincent Jackson as a top 5 fantasy wide receiver. I would rank only Fitzgerald, Moss, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson ahead of him going into next season. He is an absolute monster, scoring 2 TDs on 58 yards in this one, including the game winner.

Titans/49ers: The reign of Vince Young continues for my Titans! Here we come 10-6! Ok so no, that really won't happen. And it isn't really Vince Young that won them the last two games. However, he hasn't lost those games either. I really think he is the quarterback of the future for this franchise and never lost faith in him. But the reason they are winning games is Chris Johnson. He is the only back in the league that you can even put in the conversation with Adrian Peterson for best running back in the game. Just watch the guy run when he gets some open space. No one explodes like he does. He is the fastest back in the league and he is single handedly beating teams. I'm so glad he's on my team, because I wouldn't want to have to figure out how to stop him.

Fantasy Impact: 135 yards and two touchdowns. That is what Chris Johnson looks like when he isn't even on his A-game. There is no question he will go in the top 3 in every fantasy draft next year. Vernon Davis continues to be amazing, and haunt me for giving up on him a year too soon. I swear between him and Cedric Benson it makes me feel like nobody knows nothin.

Cowboys/Eagles: These teams are both pretty good, but the Cowboys proved to be a little better. I think there are four Elite teams in the league, but both of these teams are right outside of that tier. The Eagles were torpedoed by Andy Ried's poor clock management and waste of challenges, but if you watched the game you don't need me to tell you that. It was so obvious he had no idea what he was doing and he cost them a game they had a chance to win. I am fascinated to see what both teams do the rest of the way. They could both contend for a Super Bowl, be one and done, or one could even miss the playoffs altogether. Right now, the Cowboys are better.

Fantasy Impact: If you have Lesean McCoy in a keeper league at a good late round value, you want to hang onto him. He is a Brian Westbrook clone. He is already great and I don't think the Eagles lose anything when they have to start him because fantasy bust Brian Westbrook misses time with one of his numerous injuries.

Steelers/Broncos: The Steelers are the 4th Elite team in football, and proved that the Broncos are not. They are still pretty good, but not in that upper class. I think they may have peaked too early and everyone jumped on the bandwagon, but they probably are not as good as they have appeared. They have been a little smoke and mirrors, but only just a little. I still think they are good enough to make the playoffs, as anyone with a defense that good is. But they are certainly a beatable team and if they come across a very strong team, like the Steelers, their weaknesses can easily be exploited. The Steelers could repeat this year, but I think The Colts and Patriots stand firmly in their way.

Fantasy Impact: Rashard Mendenhall just took the Pittsburgh Steelers running back and made it his. There is no more doubt about who is going to get the vast majority of carries for the Steelers. 22 carries for 155 yards is quite impressive for the young back. Another great keeper option if you have him at a good value.

Thats what I have for you this week. Watching 30 for 30 on the legend of Jimmy the Greek as I type. If you don't catch it this time it will reshow on Monday night on ESPN 2. Strongly recommended. Until next time...

NBA Power Rankings

Here they are, edition one of the Power Rankings for the NBA:

1. Boston Celtics
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Orlando Magic
8. Houston Rockets
9. Miami Heat
10. Portland Trail Blazers
11. San Antonio Spurs
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Chicago Bulls
14. Cleveland Cavaliers
15. Toronto Raptors
16. Utah Jazz
17. Milwaukee Bucks
18. Detroit Pistons
19. Philadelphia 76ers
20. New Orleans Hornets
21. Los Angeles Clippers
22. Sacramento Kings
23. Charlotte Bobcats
24. Golden State Warriors
25. Washington Wizards
26. Indiana Pacers
27. Memphis Grizzlies
28. New York Knicks
29. Minnesota Timberwolves
30. New Jersey Nets

Better than I thought: Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami

Worse than I thought: Nets (although in their defense, they are crushed by injury), Warriors, Hornets, Cavaliers

Week 9 NFL Picks

ATLANTA (-8.5) over Washington
Washington is absolutely terrible, and Atlanta is still pretty good. This should be a two touchdown game.

Arizona (+3) over CHICAGO
I know Arizona laid an egg against Carolina last week but I still trust them more than I trust this Bears team. I'll definitely take the dog in this one. Arizona is the better team.

Baltimore (-3) over CINCINNATI
I like both of these teams a lot, but I really believe in Baltimore. I think they are one of the premier teams in the league. Cincinnati hasn't quite shown me that they are yet. I expect a close game though, and this could very well turn out a push.

Houston (+8.5) over INDIANAPOLIS
Houston is a much better team than San Fransisco, and San Fran kept it close against Indy. I honestly think this could be the week Indy loses. Houston is a hot team right now and they can beat you in a lot of ways. I'll definitely take those points.

NEW ENGLAND (-10.5) over Miami
I don't think Miami is very good. They have proven they can't hang with elite teams, and New England is an elite team. Its also in frosty New England. I just don't think Miami matches up well with this Patriot team. They can be thrown on.

Kansas City (+6.5) over Jacksonville
Call it a hunch, but I think Kansas City can hang with the Jaguars. If the Titans can blow them out, Kansas City can keep it close. I think losing Larry Johnson actually helps this team, as it lets Jamal Charles, the better back, get the bulk of the carries for the first time. I definitely think KC can pull off this upset, so I am taking the points.

NEW ORLEANS (-13) over Carolina
New Orleans is definitely two touchdowns better than Carolina. This line should be at least 17. The best team in the league will not roll over in this one.

Tennessee (+4) over San Fransisco
Ok, I'll admit it. It was nice to see my Titans win a game last week. Very, very nice. So nice to the point where I am fully back on the Vince Young bandwagon and think he can lead the team to victory once again against an over-rated Niners team. Come on Vince! Come on Chris Johnson! You can do it again!

PHILADELPHIA (-3) over Dallas
Should be an excellent, high octane game that remains close. I don't love one team in this game, but I think Philly is a little better and they are at home, so I'll take them.

Pittsburgh (-3) over DENVER
I think Denver got a little bit exposed last week. The Ravens were highly effective in stopping their offense, and Pittsburgh should be able to follow in their footsteps. Should be low scoring, but I will take the favorites. Can't wait to watch it though.

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
San Diego (+4.5) over NEW YORK GIANTS
San Diego should be favored in this game. Vegas continues to think the Giants are good, even when their on field performance proves otherwise. You know my thoughts on how bad they are, San Diego should cruise.

First Runner Up Lock of the Week
Detroit (+10) over SEATTLE
Both of these teams are just about equally awful, so why not take the team that has a 10 point cushion? I couldn't tell you who will win this one straight up. I think you are getting a bit of a gift because the line is an over-reaction to Detroit losing to the Rams. Calvin Johnson will be back in this one, I can't pick against those 10 points.

Lock Of The Week
Green Bay (-10) over TAMPA BAY
Seriously? Just 10 points? Why? This is a stupid line. Tampa can not hang with anyone in the league, let alone Green Bay. I'd be surprised if Tampa scores more than 7 points.

Last Week: 6-7
Overall: 64-51-1
Lock Picks: 15-9

Film Review: Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

This was the worst porno film I've ever had the displeasure of watching. Where was the sex??? It was just nothing but those in between scenes where the girl tells the guy to shut the camera off. Usually there's a payoff... Wait this was supposed to be an amateur sex tape right? Because that's exactly how it felt.

Now I know, the point was to make the film seem real, as if these events were actually happening to these people. However, I just can’t say that they succeeded in doing so. These characters do not feel like real people. Sure, the quality of the camera work seems like something that real people could do. Of course, the effects used in this movie do not feel overly fake like they do in most horror films. What makes this film fail is that the characters themselves fall right into the same horror movie cliché. They are so stupid to the point that no real person would have reacted to their situation the same way, and thus, loses all believability.

The male character in the film, Micah, plays the stereotypical horror character that throughout the film thinks he can outsmart, outfight, and basically beat the villain, just because he is so cool. I like to call this character “the horror tool.” Micah fits the bill precisely. Why would any person who actually believes that a demon is haunting their house and their girlfriend go around provoking said demon? Well, because it moves the plot along and gives you some resemblance to a story (which there is very little to begin with). A real, rational thinking person would do anything they can to make the paranormal activity go away. This guy wants to make it mad. Typical horror tool behaviour.

The female character, Katie, is a lot more believable. However, she doesn’t do enough to try and stop what is happening to her and just kind of lets Micah run the show. In order for a film to feel real, to have the kind of suspense that everyone is praising Paranormal Activity for, you have to be able to relate to the characters. You have to be able to feel sympathy for the characters. You have to think to yourself that what you are watching on screen could happen to you. Not once during this film did I feel any of that.

Instead, I found myself frustrated with their actions. For example, the couple leaves the door to their bedroom wide open throughout the entire film, inviting the demon inside. Would anybody actually do that? I’m not suggesting that simply closing the door would have stopped the demon, but any real person would have at least tried to close and lock the door. These two didn’t think of that. Nor did they try very hard to bring in experts to try and solve the problem.

The film plays out just like The Blair Witch Project only inside of a house rather than in the woods. Very little story, not much actually happens, several unnecessary boring scenes, terrible acting and about 5 minutes of genuinely creepy stuff towards the end. This does not make a good film. I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, the film was actual pretty laughable to me. I was hoping that the ending would be good, and at least give the film some form of redeeming quality, but really it was just totally anticlimactic. I never had high hopes for the film, but it even fell below whatever curiosity I had, sparked by all the praise it had been given. This was by far the worst film I have seen this year, and really the worst I have seen in a long time.

2/10

Week 9 Power Rankings

I wasn't able to do a recap this week, I know, I'm slacking. I promise there will be one next week, along with NBA power rankings. For now, here are my new NFL Power Rankings for week 9.

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. New England Patriots
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Minnesota Vikings
7. Dallas Cowboys
8. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Denver Broncos
10. Houston Texans
11. Cincinnati Bengals
12. San Diego Chargers
13. Atlanta Falcons
14. Green Bay Packers
15. Arizona Cardinals
16. Chicago Bears
17. Miami Dolphins
18. New York Jets
19. San Francisco 49ers
20. New York Giants
21. Carolina Panthers
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Tennessee Titans
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Kansas City Chiefs
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Washington Redskins
29. St. Louis Rams
30. Detroit Lions
31. Cleveland Browns
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 8 Picks

BALTIMORE (-3.5) over Denver
I just think that Denver's undefeated streak has to stop at some point. The Ravens are at home and coming off a bye. I think it ends this week.

Cleveland (+13) over CHICAGO
Now I hate Cleveland. I predicted they'd win one game, and I think Chicago will win the game. I just see this one being close. Chicago hasn't shown me anything recently that tells me they can blow anyone out. I could definitely see Cleveland pulling off a cover here.

GREEN BAY (-3) over Minnesota
Obviously the game of the week. I sure hope the Green Bay fans come out and boo the hell out of traitor Favre. I predicted back when Minnesota won on their home field that the result would reverse in Lambeau. Who am I to change that now? Aaron Rodgers is going to hopefully stay off his back in this one and the pressure of coming home gets to Favre. Packers win.

INDIANAPOLIS (-13.5) over San Fransisco
I just think the Colts are playing too well to pick against them at this point. I think they can blow out any team that's not really good. The 49ers are not really good, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Miami (+3.5) over NEW YORK JETS
Miami won last time, the Jets haven't shown me that they have improved, and Miami hasn't shown me that they have gotten worse. I think the result will be the same here. Miami just matches up really well with the Jets.

DETROIT (-3.5) over St. Louis
Wow, a game that Detroit is favored in. and I am taking them with confidence. The Rams are an absolute mess, even worse than the Lions. Stafford and Calvin Johnson are coming back. They are at home. I have to take Detroit. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009 St. Louis Rams!

SAN DIEGO (-16.5) over Oakland
This is the biggest line we have seen this year. It comes as a reaction to all the favorites winning in blow outs last week. I don't care what the line is, I still like San Diego. The Chargers seem to be settling in and the Raiders are checking out. San Diego should massacre them.

ARIZONA (-10) over Carolina
Each week, Arizona looks more and more like the team that made it to the Super Bowl last year. This week they get a miserable Carolina team at home. Shouldn't be close.

PHILADELPHIA (+1) over New York Giants
These two are both going backward, but I like the Eagles better than the Giants. Hopefully the crowd gets into it and they can stop their backpeddling and send the Giants back to 5-3, only two games above .500. They'd be lucky to finish two games above .500 on the season.

Atlanta (+11) over NEW ORLEANS
I love the Saints and they are the clear best team in the league, but I still have quite a bit of faith in this Falcons team. I think they should make this one a close game.

Second Runner Up Lock of the Week
DALLAS (-9.5) over Seattle
This game may not look like a big one on paper, but in my opinion, its huge for Dallas. They can't have a hangover game here. They had a huge game last week and they need to do the same thing again. Seattle is a bad team, blow them out. If not, you go back to being nothing more than a mediocre, middle of the road, going nowhere team, Dallas.

First Runner Up Lock of the Week
Jacksonville (+3) over TENNESSEE
How is Tennessee favored in this game? Jacksonville blew them out last time. They haven't gotten any better. They put that much faith in Vince Young. Sure, I'd love to see him come in there and lead the team to victory, but I can't see it happening, especially in his first game back. Jacksonville takes this one over the pathetic Titans. Baffled by that line.

Lock Of The Week
Houston (-3.5) over BUFFALO
Houston has too much offense for Buffalo. I think this could get ugly and the line is just a reaction to Buffalo being at home and winning a couple of games in a row.

Last Week: 10-2-1
Overall: 58-44-1
Lock Picks: 13-8

Film Review: The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day

Ten years ago, unknown director Troy Duffy made a low budget film based around two brothers who decide to take it upon themselves to fight against the Boston crime syndicate. The film only ever made it into five theaters and grossed just 30 thousand dollars domestically. It was suppressed mainly due to the fact that it was set to be released around the exact same time as the Columbine shootings and many thought it would be insensitive to release such a violent film at that time.

So there the film sat, smoldering away in no man’s land for several years. However, the film was not dead in the water. Like a Phoenix from the ashes, the film found another life to rise up and overcome its initial shortcomings: the wonderful world of a cult DVD following. The Boondock Saints were indeed coming.

Once the film-going audience was actually able to get their hands on this film, the word started to spread like wildfire. The fans were the true essence of everything that makes a cult movie a cult movie. Anyone who loved it needed to tell everyone they knew how great it was. It may have taken 5 years before this even started, but once it did, there was really no stopping it.

The word finally got to me about three years ago, my sophomore year of college. I had heard the film mentioned and knew I would get to it eventually. However one of my very good friends sat me down and said you need to watch this NOW. It was his favorite movie. So we popped in the DVD and began to watch the film. I can tell you right now, I was never hooked so fast by a movie. As the story played out, I found myself never wanting it to end. The characters were so gripping, so funny, so absolutely likeable. It has found a place firmly in my top five films of all time.

When I heard that they were actually making a sequel, I was cautiously optimistic. Of course I wanted to se more of the Saints, but I also didn’t want them to butcher the greatness of the first. When I heard that everyone involved with the first (minus Willem Dafoe) was returning for the sequel, and writer/director Troy Duffy was at the helm as well, the excitement started to flow. I knew the film would be opening limited, so I just hoped that it would play somewhere within driving distance. It was, so me, that very friend that first introduced me to the Saints, and one other friend took the trip down to Hartford to catch an opening night showing of All Saints Day.

The plot of the new film takes place eight years after the first, and the Saints had been hiding away in Ireland, herding sheep. When they are informed that a Boston priest has been murdered in the style that they used to use (two shots to the back of the head, pennies on the eyes) they come out of hiding to take revenge on anyone who was involved.

If you are worried about the lack of everyone’s favorite loveable idiot sidekick, Rocco, who died in the first film, don’t worry. He does appear in the film in a couple of scenes including a dream sequence, but they also found a very funny and adequate replacement in the character of Romeo, who is basically the same character, only Mexican.

The film stayed true to everything that made the first one so great. Absolutely hilarious dialogue, quick-witted one-liners, and brilliantly executed violence. The lack of well known actors is another thing that I believe makes the Saints stand above any other movie of its type. Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus completely own their characters. They are Connor and Murphy MacManus. This makes it much easier to just lose yourself in the world the film creates and forget that you are watching actors playing a role. The film, once again, leaves you rooting for the Saints every step of the way.

Willem Dafoe is replaced nicely by Julie Benz, who plays his protégé Special Agent Eunice Bloom. She isn’t quite as enjoyable to watch as Dafoe was in the first film, but she holds her weight and doesn’t detract from the film in any way. So for those of you worried that Dafoe’s absence would really hurt the film, rest assured, he is missed, but not enough that you won’t still love the finished product.

The film basically plays as a carbon copy of the first in terms of style, which leads me to say that it wasn’t quite as good as the first. Of course, I never really expected it would be. Like I mentioned earlier, The Boondock Saints is a top five all time movie for me, so this had some big shoes to fill. That said, I wasn’t even the slightest bit disappointed. The plot played out nicely, including a couple of cool twists towards the end. If you loved the first one, I bet you will like this as well. It is absolutely worth checking out for all fans of the franchise, so if you are worried about them ruining it, I can assure you they did not. It was easily one of the best films I have seen this year. If you still haven’t heard of The Boondock Saints, I strongly urge you to watch the first film. It may be the best movie-based decision you make this year. Or you will hate it and think its an over-hyped piece of crap. Either way, you will be able to decide where you stand on seeing this brilliant sequel, or giving it a strong “No thank you.”

For me, it was absolutely worth that trip to Hartford. I give The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day a 10/10.

The NBA is upon us, here's a preview!

Who is going to be crowned king of the courts for the 09-10 season? Well, for me, it comes down to 5 teams. Three of them I'd consider the favorites, and two teams I'd like to say are wild card teams.

My favorites to win it all have to begin with the defending champion Lakers. They are a different team this year from last, and I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing. The Ron Artest situation may work out, but I don't really think that it will. However, any team with Kobe Bryant at its core will be a title contender. I see a breakout year coming for Andrew Bynum. Like a "I'm going to be a top 3 center before the year is out" type season. If he stays healthy of course. That is going to be the key to their season. The emergence of Bynum and if they can stay healthy. I think they have the best record out West.

Speaking of a team that needs to stay healthy, we get to my second of three favorites, and my favorite to make it to the finals out of the East, the Boston Celtics. Rasheed Wallace is going to be a great addition for this team. He doesn't need to be the guy in Boston. He takes a back seat to the big three and Rajon Rondo. This is key for Sheed. He excels in this role. I think he is going to be the piece they were missing last season. Of course, this team relies on several players who are getting up their in age. Kevin Garnett is coming off knee surgery, and if he goes down again, well there goes the season. however, assuming the team stays healthy, and Rondo continues to make his ascent amongst the leagues great point guards, this team will be unstoppable in the Eastern Conference.

But that said, my pick to win it all this season is the San Antonio Spurs. They have the best coach, a core of players that have won it before, along with a couple of new additions that will put this team over the top one more time. I think this is the last hurrah for the Tim Duncan/Manu Ginobli/ Tony Parker connection. The addition of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and Dejuan Blair to the rotation make this team as a whole better than the Lakers. I see them knocking off the Celtics in the finals. That is of course if one of my wild card teams doesn't knock out either.

The first of these wild card teams is Orlando. They made the finals last year after knocking off Lebron and the Cavs. This year the have replaced Hedo Turkoglu with Vince Carter and he is the ultimate wild card. He could either play like he gives a crap and take this team back to the finals, or he can be Vince Carter. It is yet to be seen. I think this is the only team that gives the Celtics a run, and if the Celtics fall to injury, look for Orlando to be the last man standing in the east once again.

My other wild card team, and the 5th team I think can make a run at the title this season is the Portland Trail Blazers. This team is loaded with young talent just itching to break out. Brandon Roy, Lemarcus Aldridge, and the reason for them being a wild card, the unpredictable Greg Oden. Will he show why he was a number one overall pick? Or will his body succumb to injuries one again? If he can stay on the court, I do think he is a great talent. And if all of these players come into their own, I can see them making a deep playoff run, and possibly a surprise run to a championship.

So really those are the 5 teams I see that actually have a chance at this thing. If you are surprised that a team in Cleveland is left off the list, I can tell you that I don't think the Shaquille O'Neill thing is going to work out their, and beyond that, they are generally the same team they were last year that couldn't get the job done. Lebron is going to end up doing it all by himself again, becoming exceedingly frustrated, and bolting out of their during the off-season.

Here's how I see it breaking down with the rest of the playoff teams:

Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Portland Trail Blazers
4. Dallas Mavericks
5. Phoenix Suns
6. Denver Nuggets
7. New Orleans Hornets
8. Utah Jazz

Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics
2. Orlando Magic
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Totonto Raptors
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Miami Heat
8. New Jersey Nets

Western Conference Playoffs First Round
1. Lakers over 8. Jazz
2. Spurs over 7. Hornets
3. Trail Blazers over 6. Nuggets
4. Mavericks over 5. Suns

Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round
1. Celtics over 8. Nets
2. Magic over 7. Heat
6. Hawks over 3. Cavaliers
4. Raptors over 5. Bulls

Western Conference Semi-final
1. Lakers over Mavericks
2. Spurs over Trail Blazers

Eastern Conference Semi-final
1. Celtics over 4. Raptors
2. Magic over 6. Hawks

Western Conference Final
2. Spurs over 1. Lakers

Eastern Conference Final
1. Celtics over 2. Magic

NBA Finals
Spurs over Celtics

There you have it. As you can see, I'm pretty high on the Raptors, Bulls, Hawks, Mavericks and Suns. And I think the Nets make the playoffs in the East. I like their team a little bit

Here's some fantasy players I love this season. I know its too late for your draft, but if you can target these guys in trades, I'd advise it. Hopefully I'm skipping the obvious names here:
Jose Calderon PG- TOR
Devin Harris PG-NJN
Brook Lopez PF/C-NJN
David West PF- NO
Lemarcus Aldridge PF/C-POR
David Lee- PF/C- NYK
Derrick Rose PG-CHI
Andrew Bynum PF/C- LAL
AL Horford PF/C- ATL
Russell Westbrook PG- OKC
Eric Gordon SG-LAC
Jeff Green F/G- OKC
Joakim Noah- PF/C-CHI
Antonio McDyess C-SAS
Aaron Brooks PG- HOU
Louis Scola PF/C- HOU

That'll do it. I'll start doing NBA Power Rankings every two weeks, starting after the second week of NBA action. NFL picks will be up on Saturday, until then, take care.