Doin Lines Week 16

Last week left much to be desired from my picks. Going (2-3-1) is like watching the Raiders or 49ers play, they look good for a few plays, but by the end we usually met with disappointment because of our overpaid 1st round quarterbacks. I’m still happy that I’ve stayed over .500 on the year, because I’ve never kept track for a full season, and am now starting to know why I never really win or lose much on betting on sports. I’m (42-40-2) on the year, so hopefully I can finish out this season strong! As always the home teams are in bold.

San Diego (-3) Over Tennessee

Could Santa bring me two presents this year? A Lakers loss coupled with a Chargers loss would make my sporting Christmas! Probably not. I think the Titans are a solid squad, but the Chargers don’t do a whole lot of charitable work this time of year. They are an amazing 17-0 in December with Rivers at the helm. Man, that was tough to write, since there might not be another guy in the league I sports-hate more. I guess I’m still completely shocked that Norv hasn’t blown a late game decision. When will it come!?! I doubt it will this week, since they would like to give themselves a Merry Christmas by earning that first round bye as the #2 seed. I hope I’m wrong and Chris Johnson puts up 270 rushing yards to get him to 2,000 on the year, and helps Vince go to 8-1 as a starter on the season. Either way this should be a fun game to watch, and hopefully Santa will bring the Bolts a lump of coal!

Green Bay (-14) Over Seattle

Last week was a fluke at least I think it was. The Pack lost a tough road game to the Steelers in a game that Big Ben set career game records that I don’t see him beating anytime soon. I think after being thoroughly outplayed the Packers D will step it up this weekend against a Seahawks team that has regressed, even with very low expectations going into the season. I know that they are waiting to get out there and re-establish everything that was going right before their meeting with Pittsburgh. Why do the Seahawks keep giving the ball to a uninspiring Julies Jones over a budding star in the wings in Justin Forsett is beyond me. I guess Jim Mora Jr. is as clueless as we all thought he was. If Green Bay can’t roll up the score on this terrible Seattle team at home, then they don’t deserve to make the playoffs.

Cincinnati (-13.5) Over Kansas City

I guess I was wrong last week. Cincy wasn’t overly emotional to hang with SD. I think I make the outside factors out to be more than they really were. Thinking back to the worst times in my life, I guess it didn’t really affect my work all that much. Maybe I might not have wanted to be there, but I still did what I needed to do just like the Bengals performance. I think KC officially gave up on this year about week 12. They decided to start just letting teams score at will. Three of their last four opponents have hit the 40+ point mark, and the only game that was remotely close was against the lowly Bills where they still lost by 6 at home. I can proudly say that the Raiders aren’t the worst team in the division for once! I was happy to see the NFL didn’t fine any of the players that paid tribute to the fallen Chris Henry. If they had, the NFL would get three lumps of coal in their stocking from Chad himself!

Carolina (+7) Over New York Giants

Ok, maybe I just lost a little of that respect for Eli after finding this picture...

This is a tough one to pick, but after a convincing win over the now seemingly over hyped Vikings squad, I finally believe that it was Delhomme that was the problem for the Panthers. With Matt Moore in the lineup, it seems like their best player, Steve Smith, is finally getting the ball. It’s amazing how much better a team is when they give the ball to their best playmaker! They aren’t exactly a good road team, but they did hang with the Patriots in Foxboro, so I think they can hang in there with the suddenly explosive looking Giants team. I think I’m starting to be a mini fan of Eli. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. It’s amazing what a poker face can do for you in this league. It can be interpreted as I don’t give a f*** attitude like Jamarcus, or as poised QB like Brady. I think at this point Eli has proven he can forget about his mistakes. That being said, I’m still taking the Panthers and the rejuvenated Julius Peppers. He’s actually playing well again, and so is the rest of their D because of that.

Indianapolis (-5.5) Over New York Jets

This one is tough to decide on. I’m not sure if the Colts will rest their starters or not, but it sounds like Caldwell is going to play them. I really like Caldwell when he’s interviewed. He’s one of the few coaches that keeps it real, and explains what’s going on like a normal person instead of a football coach that hides behind a lot of political answers. I guess that’s what happens when you win all the time, there’s just nothing to hide! The Jets on the other hand seem to be a roller coaster ride that is far from predictable. If they were at home, I’d consider taking the points, but not as long as the Colts starters are playing!

Minnesota (-7) Over Chicago

The Vikings recent news has been very TMZ esque as they deal with their diva, err, I mean quarterback and coach problems. By now we’ve heard a little too much lately for the liking of anyone outside of Minneapolis, but it sounds like they’ve settled their differences like little girls and talked it out. There’s nothing like a rebound game against a terrible team to turn that talk around. If there’s one thing the Vikings have proved this year is that they can dominate teams that aren’t good! I think they will remember what makes them so good and give the ball to AP early and often. Chicago fits the mold of a bounce back game as the Cutler and Lovie combo seems to have backfired on a whole new level than we thought it could. I’ll be the first to admit I love seeing Cutler suck, but at this point I’d rather see Farve suck and have my prediction of his signing ruining the team eventually having a Farva from Super Troopers like effect. The Vikings are a good team, but sometimes premadonna’s can get in the way. I no longer like their chances in winning a super bowl, and that would mean yet another year of hearing the decision on whether Farve is going to retire, bleh!