Saturday, December 31, 2011

New Year's Eve at the Park



   
If your looking for my NFL Week 17 picks, click here.



     On Saturday, Blythe and I took full advantage of our final holiday of our 2011 Christmas Break.  The weather was amazing, so we took our little boy to a local park.  I don't consider myself to be a great photographer, especially since I insist on using the camera on my phone as opposed to buying a legit camera.   However, regardless of the camera I was using, I still caught some pretty priceless pictures of my little boy, and my lovely wife.  Here are some of my favorites with some very brief descriptions of what I caught.  I hope you like what you see!!


     Momma Blythe getting Carter used to the slide.  Eventually, Carter was going down the slide by himself with a big ol' smile!!




     Enjoying the swing.  Carter is far to little right now to be on the swing by himself, but with mom's help, we got a couple of smiles from him.




      Just a random boy with a dog that Carter HAD to check out!!  We were on the other side of the playground, but once Carter caught a glimpse of the dog, that was all he wanted.   He kept yelling "Bobby" and running that direction every chance that he got.   "Bobby" is the name of my parents yellow lab, but Carter has gotten to where he calls every four-legged animal "Bobby."  Kind of cute.  



     Not that there could ever be any doubt, but this picture is final proof that he is his mother's son!  He's got his tongue going to town, which means he is really focused on what he is doing. . . Just like his mommy!


     The fun part of the afternoon was to chase down this big red ball.  When we got it, we would throw it or kick it in any random direction and then when we caught up to the ball, we'd do it again.  This was great for Carter, because the wind would just take this ball all over the soccer field which gave him the chance to just run all over the place trying to catch it.



     Just caught him looking at the camera for a second.  He kept running up and down this little walkway behind him.  He likes to walk or climb up and down things, and once he figures it out, he likes to do it over and over again!
     


     I don't know what he was looking at, but I thought this was kind of a neat picture.


     We were all walking together, and I just held the camera down by my waist, pointed it in his general direction, and this is what I caught.  I like this one a lot.




     Sorry for the poor quality, but this is Carter running up and down that little walkway.  I love this because at the last second, you hear him say "Go!" right as he rounds the corner.  As he kept running back and forth, he kept saying "Go!" and then running.  So, I think he's ALMOST grasped the concept of what that word means.  ;)

     Well, that was our fun day at the park on New Year's Eve.  I truly hope that all of my New Year's Eves can be filled with this much fun and happiness!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!   

Peace Out,
Luke


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 17 Picks


2011 Week 17 Picks


Last Week's Record: (11-5)
Overall Record: (160-79)

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
Packers - W

San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams
49ers - W

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
Jets - L

Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
Bears - W

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Patriots - W

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
Saints - W

Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles - W

Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Colts - L

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
Falcons - W

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns
Steelers - W

Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
Broncos - L

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders
Chargers - W

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals - W


Games of the Week:
(With two huge games like these, there is no way I could pick just one)
Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals
Ravens - W

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
Giants - W

Local Game of the Week:
Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans
Texans - L



      Some things to think about if I correctly guess all 16 games this week:

  • The Texans will face the New York Jets in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next week.
  • The first overall draft pick will go to the St. Louis Rams.  Would they give up on Sam Bradford and draft Andrew Luck?
  • The Colts will end the season with a three game winning streak after starting with thirteen straight losses. 
  • The Cowboys will miss the playoffs.  With Garrett be there next year?
  • The Broncos "New" quarterback will beat their "Old" quarterback to win the AFC West.

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This Week's Record: (12-4)
Regular Season Record: (172-83)
Season Winning Percentage:  .674

Friday, December 16, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 16 Picks

2011 Week 16 Picks

Last Week's Record: (8-8)
Overall Record: (149-74)

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Raiders - W

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans
Titans - W

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots
Patriots - W

Arizona Cardinals @ Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals - W

Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills
Broncos - L

St. Louis Rams @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers - W

New York Giants @ New York Jets
Jets - L

Minnesota Vikings @ Washington Redskins
Redskins - L

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers
Panthers - W

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Ravens - W

San Diego Chargers @ Detroit Lions
Lions - W


San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
49ers - W

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Packers - W

Atlant Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
Saints - W

Game of the Week:
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys - L

Local Game of the Week:
Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
Texans - L


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This Week's Record: (11-5)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 12 Picks


2011 Week 12 Picks

Last Week's Record (10-4)
Overall Record (103-56)

Miami Dolphins @ Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys - W

San Francisco 49ers @ Baltimore Ravens
Ravens - W

Minnesota Vikings @ Atlanta Falcons
Falcons - W

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals - W

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Tennessee Titans
Titans - W

Carolina Panthers @ Indianapolis Colts
Panthers - W

Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams
Rams - L

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Jets - W

Chicago Bears @ Oakland Raiders
Raiders - W

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks - L

New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles
Patriots - W

Denver Broncos @ San Diego Chargers
Chargers - L

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Steelers - W

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints
Saints - W

Game of the Week:
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Packers - W

Local Game of the Week:
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Texans W

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This Week's Record: (13-3)

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 11 Picks


2011 Week 11 Picks

Last Week's Record (9-7)
Overall Record (93-52)

New York Jets @ Denver Broncos
Jets - L

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cleveland Browns
Browns - W

Carolina Panthers @ Detroit Lions
Lions - W

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers
Packers - W

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
Bills -L

Oakland Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings
Raiders - W

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins
Cowboys - W

Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams
Rams -L

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
49ersW

San Diego Chargers @ Chicago Bears
BearsW

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
Giants - L

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots
Patriots - W

Game of the Week:
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Ravens - W

"Local" Game of the Week:
Or at least a game that the local football fans should have an interest in watching!
Tennessee Titans @ Atlanta Falcons
Falcons W

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This Week's Record : (10-4)

Thursday, November 10, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 10 Picks

2011 Week 10 Picks

Last Week's Record (10-4)
Overall Record (84-45)


      Looking at the games this week, I feel like there will be a ton of upsets.  I don't look at the official "lines" until after I've made my picks.  When I finally looked at the picks, I am picking against Vegas on SEVERAL games this week!!  So, this will either be the best or worst week of the year.   How would you pick 'em?  Let me know!

Oakland Raiders @ San Diego Chargers
Chargers - L

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
Saints - W

St. Louis Rams @ Cleveland Browns
Rams - W

Buffalo Bills @ Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys - W

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
Jaguars - W

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs - L

Washington Redskins @ Miami Dolphins
Dolphins - W

Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles - L

Tennessee Titans @ Carolina Panthers
Panthers - L

Baltimore Ravens @ Seattle Seahawks
Ravens - L

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
Lions - L

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers
Giants - L

New England Patriots @ New York Jets
Patriots - W

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
Packers - W

Game of the Week:
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Steelers - W


     Now that we are more than half way through the NFL season, this game is very interesting to me as a Texans fan.  This game could have serious playoff implications for my boys down here in H-Town.  I'm picking the Steelers, because I just think that their experience is going to get them rolling to finish the season strong, and I feel like the Bengals are going to have to come back down to earth at some point.  I can't imagine them finishing the season as hot as they have been through the first half.  

Local Game of the Week:
Houston Texans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Texans - W
    
 The Texans are rolling right now, and I think it would be hard to pick against them no matter who they are playing!   The offense seems to be working okay without #80, although he'll likely be back this week, and the defense is just about to explode!!  The walk on the field like they really do want to murder someone right now!!  I like the Texans to win a close one. . .  only because the game is in Tampa.  If this game is played in Houston, I don't think it would be close at all.

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This week's record: (9-7)

Sunday, November 6, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 9 Picks

2011 Week 9 Picks

Last Week's Record (8-5)


49ers W

Bengals W

Broncos W

Patriots - L

Packers W

Cardinals W

Bears W


Game of the Week:

Steelers - L

     A rematch of my Week 1 Game of the Week, but now that we're half way through the season, I think this weeks game ought to be much closer than last time.  In week 1, the Steelers came out flat and did not look like themselves.  Baltimore came out ready to give their hometown fans a show for their opening game of the season and just completely dominated the Steelers in a 35-7 victory.  Although the Steelers have gone on to achieve a (6-2) record, it really took a while for them to look like the Super Bowl contenders they really are.  Now that they've found their stride, I think they'll handle the Ravens much better this time.  
     Like I wrote last time, I always love this matchup because these guys hate each other and these elite defenses can just tee off on some average offenses.   The Steelers come into this game with the number one ranked pass defense in the league, while the Ravens enter the game with the number three defense both against the pass and the run.  This game ought to be a lot of fun to watch, and this time, I really think the Steelers won't let me down like they did last time.


Local Game of the Week:
Texans - W

     There ought to be a ton of University of Texas fans at this game as Colt McCoy comes back to Texas as a pro for the first time.  He comes to town as a member of the terrible Cleveland Browns.  The Texans are rolling right now, and I just think that this game fuels their fire and builds even more momentum for them as they steam roll another week team.  Andre Johnson will still be out with a nagging hamstring injury, and as bad as I may want to see him back on the field, I think it is best for him to stay on the sidelines at least for this week.  I think the Texans will be the Browns without Johnson on the field, so let him sit.  That way, we can be sure that he is coming back at 100%, and he will be more rested as we make that final push to clinching our first playoff berth!!
     Also, with new accusations coming out about the Texans being a "dirty" team this week after a defensive showcase against Jacksonville last Sunday, I think these guys are going to come out even angrier and really stick it to the struggling Browns offense.  About the rumors of the Texans being "dirty". . .  I say it is about time we are not content with just being the "nice" guys around the league.  Finally, it feels like our defense is out there to hurt someone and get the ball back for our offense!!  Hallelujah!!  I want my defense to play like Bobby Bouche from the Water Boy!!
     Although the feeling of this game feels very similar to the way I felt when the Raiders came to town a few weeks ago, I just think the Texans won't come in and have a let down this week like they did against the Raiders.  We are officially half way through the season, and I think the Texans players have to be realizing how close they are to really being considered a legit contender for the AFC Championship by now.  There's no way they come out flat this week.  Texans win by double digits again.  

A picture from my seats during pregame warm-ups at last week's Battle Red game!!
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This Week's Record (10-4)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 8 Picks

2011 Week 8 Picks

Last Week's Record (8-5)
Overall Record (66-36)


     If you live anywhere around Houston, chances are that you had a great week supporting your NFL team last week.  I say that because if you live around Houston, you are most likely a fan of the Texans, Cowboys, or Saints.  Well, those three teams won their games with a combined score of 138-21.  Texans beat the Titans 41-7.  Cowboys beat the Rams 34-7.  Saints beat the Colts 62-7.   With the victory over the Titans, the Texans now own first place in the AFC South all on their own!!  
     Last week, I had one great pick and one embarrassing pick.  It is officially "Tebow Time" in Denver after the former Gator led an amazing comeback in the final three minutes of the game last week against the Dolphins.  However, in Oakland, Carson Palmer did not end up starting, and I'm not sure it would have mattered if he did.  The Chiefs secondary came up big and intercepted Raider quarterbacks six times in a 28-0 punishing victory.  

Arizona Cardinals @ Baltimore Ravens
Ravens - W

Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
Panthers - L

Miami Dolphins @ New York Giants
Giants - W

New Orleans Saints @ St. Louis Rams
Saints - L

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Titans - W

Detroit Lions @ Denver Broncos
Lions - W

Washington Redskins @ Buffalo Bills
Bills - W

Cincinnati Bengals @ Seattle Seahawks
Bengals - W

Cleveland Browns @ San Francisco 49ers
49ers - W

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
Cowboys - L

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Chargers - L

Game of the Week:

New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Patriots - L

     The Patriots are too good to be stopped right now, no matter where they play!

Local Game of the Week:
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
Texans - W


     Always an exciting game when the Texans wear their "Battle Red" uniforms!  The Jaguars proved two things in a 12-7 Monday night victory against the Ravens.  1) Their defense really is pretty good. And 2) Their offense really is very bad.  I look forward to getting to watch this butt-kicking in person!!!  I've got tickets to the game, and I can't wait to hang out with 70,000 of my best friends!!



Forgive me for being brief this week.  I procrastinated in putting this together, and then Carter got sick last night. and I'm not feeling well tonight, but I had to at least publish my picks!!  Enjoy!!


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This week's record: (8-5)



Saturday, October 22, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 7 Picks


2011 Week 7 Picks

Last Week's Record (9-4)
Overall Record (58-31)


     There were several surprises last week.  I lost a few games that I thought were definite wins, and I won some that I was not real confident in my picks, and to be honest, that is what has kept me very interested in making my picks every week!  The weeks just keep getting more and more interesting.  Last week, I truly thought that the Colts would put another win together against the Bengals, but it just didn't happen.  Then, the Buccaneers proved that they are a better team than I gave them credit for and upset the Saints.   And lastly, Tom Brady and the Patriots showed once again why they are always the team to beat in the AFC, and no matter how "lucky" some people thought the Cowboys may be last week, Tom Brady showed that you need much more than "luck" on your side to beat the Patriots at home.  (You're welcome Matt!)
     Looking at week 7, there is not a marquee matchup that just jumps out to me as a Game of the Week, but there are several matchups that I can definitely be interested in for several various reasons.   This week, I am excited to see if the Detroit Lions can bounce back from an emotional loss last week to the 49ers.  The Broncos have handed their starting quarterback position to Tim Tebow, as they travel to Miami this week.  At that game, the Dolphins will be honoring the University of Florida national championship team from a couple of years ago.  Convenient timing.   I am picking an upset this week in the Panthers vs Redskins game.   I think this will be the game that Cam Newton really comes up big.  And for what it is worth, you've got the football version of the World Series happening this week.  This Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals are in Dallas facing the Texas Rangers in the World Series, and on Sunday, the the St. Louis Rams are in Dallas to face the Dallas Cowboys.  Not an overly exciting football matchup, but just something I found interesting on this week's schedule.  Well, here's is how I've picked 'em:



Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit Lions
Lions - L

Seattle Seahawks @ Cleveland Browns
Browns - W

Denver Broncos @ Miami Dolphins
Broncos - W

San Diego Chargers @ New York Jets
Chargers - L

Chicago Bears @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers - L

Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers
Panthers - W

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Arizona Cardinals
Steelers - W

St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys - W

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Packers - W

Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans Saints
Saints - W

Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Ravens - L


Game of the Week:
Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders
Raiders - L


     With Jason Campbell suffering a season ending injury last week, the Raiders went out and traded two draft picks to acquire former Bengals quarterback, Carson Palmer.   Palmer had seen the end of his time in Cincinnati, but the owner there had refused to trade him, even after drafting Andy Dalton from TCU.  But, when the Raiders were put in a desperate situation, they offered a first round draft pick from this year, and a conditional pick from next year that will likely be another first round pick.  From what I understand, the Raiders now only have two or three draft picks left for this year's draft, and no pick earlier than the third round.  This shows how desperate this team is to win now rather than later.  
       There was a report earlier this week that said the Raiders wanted Palmer to step directly into the starting position this week.  In my opinion, he should, and even with the little practice time that he will have to learn a new system, I think he will be an immediate upgrade from Campbell.  I don't think there will be too much pressure on Palmer since the Raiders have clearly been more of a running team than a passing team this year.  They've got the 2nd ranked rushing offense in the NFL, and the 24th ranked passing offense, although this is eerily similar to the Chiefs who rank 6th in rushing offense and 29th in passing offense.  But, the Raiders have a slightly better defense according to the rankings, and I just think that with all of these things combined, and the game being played in Oakland, the Raiders will come through with the win.  And watching Carson Palmer shake the rust off, could be interesting and worth watching!



Local Game of the Week:
Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
Texans - W


     A rivalry game for sole possession of first place in the AFC South! Pretty exciting, and especially considering all the tension that has built up between these two teams over the last couple of seasons.  There have been several fights, and there always seems to be a little bit of extra tension between these guys.  This ought to be an interesting meeting this year.  The Titans are still struggling to get their rushing offense going with Chris Johnson, but Matt Hasselbeck really has surprised many people with how productive he has been.  The Texans, on the other hand, are not living up to most people's high expectations.  In my opinion, it has been a strange season so far, but really they are right on pace for what I expected.  Looking at the beginning of the season, I anticipated the Texans to be (4-3) after 7 games one way or another.  With a win this Sunday, they'll be right there.  Granted, I anticipated that they'd beat the Raiders, and lose against the Steelers, but either way, they're right there.  But, the Texans are always so frustrating, because of the ways they manage to lose.  Last week was so frustrating, because they could have come out with a win, but again, when it came time to make a big play on either side of the football, it just didn't happen.  Just like the New Orleans game.  
     I think the Texans will live up to the challenge tomorrow and come back to Houston with a win, and as I looked at the schedule in August, I thought this game would be a big game and represent a huge turning point in the season.  I haven't been too frustrated yet, but if they lose, I think things could possibly snow ball out of control for these guys.  And if Matt Schaub continues to look as bad as he has in crunch time, I think it is about time to start looking at a new quarterback.  
     Just for good measure, and to wet your appetite, here's why I am so excited!!  I know Andre Johnson is still out with an injury, but if were up to me, I'd just put him in for one play and let him do this again!





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This Week's Record (8-5)



Saturday, October 15, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 6 Picks

2011 Week 6 Picks

Last Week's Record (8-5)
Overall Record (49-27)

  












Game of the Week:
San Francisco 49ers @ Detroit Lions
Lions - L

     At the beginning of the season, there is no way I would have predicted that this game would've been worth watching.  These two teams have a combined record of (9-1) and that is just insane to me.  The Lions have be lucky (or maybe UNlucky) enough to have extremely high draft picks over the last several years, and those picks are finally paying HUGE dividends.  The Lions offense has been explosive, and the combination of Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson is becoming one of the elite quarterback/receiver combos in the NFL.  Although the 49ers have the fourth ranked rush defense in the NFL, they have the 23rd ranked pass defense.  That doesn't bode well for them as they face the Lions offense.  The 49ers are also coming off of a 48-3 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Lions had big victory on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.  
     I like the Lions to come away in this game.  I just don't think the San Francisco defense can contain the high flying Lions offense.   

Local Game of the Week:
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens
Ravens - W

     Oh, no.   I don't think I can take watching this game!!  The Texans come in to this game without Mario Williams and Andre Johnson.  On paper the Texans actually have better stats for Passing Offense, Rushing Offense, and Passing Defense.  But, actually watching some of the recent games, the Ravens are just on an entirely different level than the Texans.  The Ravens have an attitude that they will win every game.  The Texans still seem to have an attitude of simply hoping not to lose.  Without Andre Johnson, the NFL's 2nd toughest rush offense will be able to tee off on Arian Foster who struggled last week against the Raiders.  I am actually excited to watch the Ravens defense because you've got three future Hall of Famers lining up on that side of the ball:  Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed.  
     I simply don't think that the Texans have it in them to pull off the upset in Baltimore. I heard a stat yesterday on ESPN that said that the Texans under coach Gary Kubiak have a record of (1-18) in road games against teams that made the playoffs at the end of the season.  That doesn't sound good for the Texans as the travel to Baltimore to face a team that many analysts are picking to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.  Texans will struggle to do anything offensively.  Maybe it's a low scoring game, but I just don't think the Texans have a chance at winning this game.  And yes, that still fits into my prediction of an 11-5 record for boys on Kirby this year!!

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This Week's Record (9-4)

Saturday, October 8, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 5 Picks


2011 Week 5 Picks

Last Week's Record (12-4)
Overall Record (41-22)

     That's right, twelve wins and four losses!!  Although, if you checked my blog after I updated it after the early games on Sunday, you'd never guess that I'd end week 4 only losing four games.  I correctly picked all the Sunday afternoon games, the Sunday night game, and the Monday night game!!  Thanks to the Lions for embarrassing the Cowboys in the 2nd half of their game to allow me to get that win.  On the other hand, I can't believe that the Eagles blew another big lead, and against the 49ers of all teams.  I think the Eagles have started this season thinking that they'll win just because they have a better team on paper than anyone else.  Well, like they say, "That's why they play the games!"  
     Watching the Texans beat up on the Steelers last week was a lot of fun!  I have never been so happy to type a "L" in my first four weeks of making picks.  Being a Texans fan, I just figured that they would find some way to blow that game.  Instead, the Texans showed up ready to play and put a ton of pressure on Big Ben.  The frustrating part of the game was all the penalties!  The Texans had two touchdowns taken off the scoreboard because of penalties, and also a fumble that was recovered by the Texans on a sack was taken back by an "illegal use of hands" penalty.  So, although the final score was 17-10, the score actually should have been 31-10.  
     This week ought to be just as much fun with several great matchups.  The Titans go to Pittsburgh to face a depleted Steelers team that just seems to be losing their magic.  The Panthers hosting the Saints ought to be a fun matchup watching rookie QB Cam Newton go toe-to-toe with the future Hall-of-Famer QB Drew Brees.  And my Game of the Week is a key AFC matchup: The trash talking Jets face off against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.  Here's how I've picked 'em:


Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Titans - L



Saints - W




49ers - W




Game of the Week:
New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Patriots - W

Local Game of the Week:
Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans
Texans - L


     Ought to be an interesting with a lot of rushing yards.  The Raiders aren't much of a passing team, and the Texans lost their best wide receiver last week, Andre Johnson, because of a hamstring injury last week.  All the reports say that Johnson is likely out 3 weeks, which is much better than what it could have been.  Given the fact that he went down on a play that he wasn't even touched on, I think everybody feared the worst.  But, by the end of the game, he was walking around on the sidelines on his own power without crutches or anything!  The Raiders owner, Al Davis, passed away this morning, so you figure that the Raiders could either come out with more motivation than ever in this game, or they could come out with heavy hearts and find it hard to focus.  I'm excited to see this game.  Darren McFadden is having a great year, and is currently the NFL's leading rusher.  That's scary because they Texans defense seems to be fairly week against the run. as they showed in week 3 against the Saints.  I think the Texans will be able to score a lot of points with even with out Johnson.  Last year, the Texans had no problems running against the Raiders in Oakland. Foster, Ward, and Slaton all averaged over 7 yards per carry in that game that the Texans also were without Johnson.  Foster actually managed to run for 133 yards in only one half of play.  Foster sat the bench for the entire first half for disciplinary reasons.   I like the Texans to win a high scoring game!

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This Week's Record (8-5)

Thursday, September 29, 2011

NFL 2011 Week 4 Picks

2011 Week 4 Picks

Last Week's Record (9-7)
Overall Record (29-18)


     At almost a quarter of the way through the season, all the teams in the NFL are starting to show who they really are.  This is where you start to really see who the "Contenders" and the "Pretenders" are, and some of my picks over the first three weeks have proved that was completely wrong about some of these teams and which category they should fall into.  I've obviously over-estimated the talent in Atlanta.  Out of the first three weeks, I've been wrong about the Falcons every time.  The only game they won, I had actually picked them to lose against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Other than that, they have not looked good at all.
     I also have been very wrong about the Buffalo Bills, but I think they've also caught a lot of people off guard with how well they have played.  I've picked against the Bills in each of their first three games, and yet they have surprised everybody by going (3-0) to start the season.  The Bills are the highest scoring team in the league right now, and to be honest, I can't name a single player on their starting roster.  On ESPN, they Bills have earned the nickname, "The No-Name Bills" for that exact reason.  No big names, no big egos, just  good football so far.  
     And finally, a pleasant surprise from the NFC, has been the emergence of the Detroit Lions as a serious contender.  They've also started the season (3-0) due to the great way the perform on both sides of the ball in the passing game.  The Lions are 4th in the league throwing the ball, and also in defending the pass.  This all comes because of getting great draft picks because of some terrible seasons over the last several years, including losing all 16 games a few years ago which allowed to get Matthew Stafford with the number one overall pick in the 2009 draft.  Other young players like Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh have also had a huge impact on the success of the re-born Detroit Lions.
     Well, with all of these teams finally showing us who they really are, let's see if my picks can get any better that my (9-7) showing last week.  Here's how I see 'em:

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears
Bears - W

Bills - L

Titans - W

Lions - W

Vikings - L

Redskins - W

Eagles - L

Saints - W

Giants - W

Falcons - W

Packers - W

Patriots - W

Chargers - W

Buccaneers - W



Game of the Week
AND
Local Game of the Week:
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans
Steelers - L


     Okay, okay. This is the first, but probably not the last time that this will happen.  But, as I looked at this week's games, the best, and most interesting, matchup that I could find was the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and my hometown Houston Texans.  I think the Ravens vs Jets game might be a good one, and I think the Lions vs Cowboys ought to be a good game.  But, I just can't get over the excitement about seeing the Steelers come to Houston.
     I remember several years ago when the Steelers played the Oilers, you always knew you were going to see a great game, and probably a little bit of fighting too!  I think it was probably 1996 that there was a big brawl in one of these games, that took the rivalry to a whole new level.  After that, if these two teams were playing each other, I wanted to watch just to see what happened next.   
     Well, of course the Oilers moved to Tennessee and became the Tennessee Titans. But I think for a Houston football fan, there still has to be quite a bit of excitement to see those yellow and black uniforms come back to our house to face this Texans team.
     There are so many reasons to be excited about this game.  One of those reasons is that the Steelers are like the Yankees of football.  Anytime your team hosts an elite franchise with recent success, it is a game worth watching.  The Steelers have been to three Super Bowls recently and won two of those games, so clearly, this is a team that knows what it is like to win.  The other big reason I am excited about this game, is that the Texans are actually favored to win!  (Although I clearly haven't bought into that idea just yet)  After I made my pick for the Steelers to win this game, I went and checked some sites that show the odds on who will win, and almost every site picked the Texans to win.  That is very exciting!  
     However, no matter what computer system these websites use to pick the winners and losers, they didn't see what I saw last week in the Texans' game against the New Orleans Saints.  Drew Brees showed Texans fans our worst nightmare: the Texans' pass defense is still not very good.  Starting in the third quarter last week, Drew Brees found corner back Kareem Jackson and just kept testing him.  The Texans gave up 23 fourth quarter points mainly because our pass defense just looked pathetic.  Every time a Saints receiver caught a pass, it looked like Kareem Jackson was supposed to be covering him, but was five or six yards away from the receiver.  I don't consider the Steelers to have an elite offense, but they do have two elite receivers in Mike Wallace  and Hines Ward. This is bad news after the Saints beat the Texans with one or two good receivers.   
     So, although many people and computer systems are picking the Texans to win this game, I just think that Ben Roethlisberger is a smart enough guy to find Kareem Jackson and just tear him apart with his two elite targets.  In sticking with my original (11-5) prediction for the Texans this season, this was one of those five.  Steelers win. . .Comfortably.



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This Week's Record (12-4)