Football
- A Temporary Exit
- Bad Taste from the Super Bowl
- No Joy in Mudville
- Super Bowl or Stupor Bowl?
- Super Bowl Prediction
- The Longest Week(s)
- Move to Georgia Paid Dividends
- Have a Blessed New Year
- NFL Weekly Picks -- Week 17
- NFL Weekly Picks -- Week 16
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
A book project requires my undivided attention until I submit the manuscript on August 1.
I knew it was eventually going to come to this.
I knew it when I secured a literary agent in December.
And I knew it when I signed a publishing contract on Feb. 12 with Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., of New York City.
Now, with the arrival of my advance, I really must bear down and concentrate on … baseball.Because the complete, 100,000-word manuscript for It Was Never About the Babe: How the Boston Red Sox Overcame Decades of Mismanagement and Racism and Built a Dynasty, is due on Aug. 1.
The book is slated to be in print on March 1, 2009.I’m packing my bags – and laptop – for trips to Boston and Cooperstown to finish the research, which I figure is going to take me roughly four weeks. Then, I must write, oh, 75,000 words in less than three months.
It’s an undertaking that I’m up to, having toiled for daily newspapers and broadcast outlets for more than 20 years. But it’s also an undertaking that I cannot fall short on, and I probably won’t even write any checks throughout those three months.
Essentially the premise of the project is to debunk the so-called “Curse of the Bambino” and juxtapose the prior history of the franchise with that of the John Henry-led regime, which took but three seasons to put the lie to “The Curse” and bring a long-overdue World Championship to Fenway Park.
It’s a concept I came up with in 2004 after Boston’s historic comeback against the New York Yankees in the ALCS, while I was serving as sports editor at The Griffin Daily News of Griffin, Georgia.
I’ve been actively researching, compiling information and writing the book for more than 15 months now, and hope you’ll look for it next year. And I hope to be back as football feature writer come August.
I knew it when I secured a literary agent in December.
And I knew it when I signed a publishing contract on Feb. 12 with Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., of New York City.
Now, with the arrival of my advance, I really must bear down and concentrate on … baseball.Because the complete, 100,000-word manuscript for It Was Never About the Babe: How the Boston Red Sox Overcame Decades of Mismanagement and Racism and Built a Dynasty, is due on Aug. 1.
The book is slated to be in print on March 1, 2009.I’m packing my bags – and laptop – for trips to Boston and Cooperstown to finish the research, which I figure is going to take me roughly four weeks. Then, I must write, oh, 75,000 words in less than three months.
It’s an undertaking that I’m up to, having toiled for daily newspapers and broadcast outlets for more than 20 years. But it’s also an undertaking that I cannot fall short on, and I probably won’t even write any checks throughout those three months.
Essentially the premise of the project is to debunk the so-called “Curse of the Bambino” and juxtapose the prior history of the franchise with that of the John Henry-led regime, which took but three seasons to put the lie to “The Curse” and bring a long-overdue World Championship to Fenway Park.
It’s a concept I came up with in 2004 after Boston’s historic comeback against the New York Yankees in the ALCS, while I was serving as sports editor at The Griffin Daily News of Griffin, Georgia.
I’ve been actively researching, compiling information and writing the book for more than 15 months now, and hope you’ll look for it next year. And I hope to be back as football feature writer come August.
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
The New England Patriots blew their opportunity of winning the franchise's fourth Super Bowl with thier overall bad attitudes.
It’s been six days since the New York Giants took the New England Patriots to the proverbial woodshed in Super Bowl XLII, and I’m finally getting a clear picture of what happened on the Pats’ trip to perfection.
The reasons for New England’s trip to ignominy are several fold, but in retrospect, only became all too apparent once the shock of losing the title game started to recede – somewhat.
First and foremost, the Giants obviously wanted the title more than the 18-0 Patriots. They weren’t conceding anything in their quest to unseat the steamrolling Pats.
New York had momentum going into the game, and took it to New England with their first drive, eating up more than 10 minutes. And, although the Giants settled for a field goal, the drive proved they could move the ball against the Patriots.
New England went into the contest already gloating about the prospects of an undefeated season. Several Patriots even had the audacity to invite New York players to post-game celebrations. Say, what? That’s the kind of thing head coach Bill Belichick eschews. And it may have further stirred up the New Yorkers to stick it to the Pats.
Much was made of declarations by a couple of Giants when they predicted a victory (Plaxico Burress) and accused the Patriots of dirty play (Osi Umenyiora). Belichick’s boys habitually used such pronouncements as tools to engender licks on their opposition. Then they shot off their own mouths.
Throughout the regular season and beyond, New England’s players harped on Belichick’s mantra of remaining humble. Well, they went into the biggest game of the year with their heads so swelled that it’s amazing they could fit in their helmets. And it was New York who did the humbling this time around.
The reasons for New England’s trip to ignominy are several fold, but in retrospect, only became all too apparent once the shock of losing the title game started to recede – somewhat.
First and foremost, the Giants obviously wanted the title more than the 18-0 Patriots. They weren’t conceding anything in their quest to unseat the steamrolling Pats.
New York had momentum going into the game, and took it to New England with their first drive, eating up more than 10 minutes. And, although the Giants settled for a field goal, the drive proved they could move the ball against the Patriots.
New England went into the contest already gloating about the prospects of an undefeated season. Several Patriots even had the audacity to invite New York players to post-game celebrations. Say, what? That’s the kind of thing head coach Bill Belichick eschews. And it may have further stirred up the New Yorkers to stick it to the Pats.
Much was made of declarations by a couple of Giants when they predicted a victory (Plaxico Burress) and accused the Patriots of dirty play (Osi Umenyiora). Belichick’s boys habitually used such pronouncements as tools to engender licks on their opposition. Then they shot off their own mouths.
Throughout the regular season and beyond, New England’s players harped on Belichick’s mantra of remaining humble. Well, they went into the biggest game of the year with their heads so swelled that it’s amazing they could fit in their helmets. And it was New York who did the humbling this time around.
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
Exactly what happened when New England attempted to take its final step to an undefeated season?
It’s the morning after the mighty Patriots were humbled by the upstart New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII and, I’m sure, like the rest of Patriot Nation, I remain shocked and stunned at the ultimate outcome.
Giants 17 Patriots 14.
I haven’t been this low since the Red Sox tanked the 2003 ALCS to the Yankees. I can’t even watch the television news programs. My Lord…The 18-0 Patriots defeated by the 13-6 Giants on the NFL’s biggest stage. In the immortal words of Phil Collins, “Something happened on the way to heaven.”
What’s wrong with this picture? Actually, nothing. New York followed the blueprint I laid out in my analysis articles on Suite101 prior to the contest. That’s all. As they say, “Any given Sunday.”
Needless to say, New England head coach Bill Belichick was terse and tight-lipped after his undefeated team fell to a New York squad practically nobody in their right mind picked to emerge as the winner of this game. And, along with 99% of the rest of the prognosticators I picked the Pats.
Boy, am I wearing egg on my face this morning, or what? It can be likened to the North Vietnamese defeating the United States in Vietnam.
No matter what, I’ve got to give the Giants credit. They played terrific football, negating the Patriots’ passing game, shutting down New England’s meager attempts at running, and completing passes they had to when it counted most.
Yet, even with only 35 seconds remaining I still was relatively confident that New England would engineer a comeback. But that never happened.
I wrote a pre-game blog entry Sunday that derided the hoopla and hype surrounding Super Bowl XLII, referring to the contest as the “Stupor Bowl.”
Now the analogy has come to pass. Stupor Bowl, indeed.
Giants 17 Patriots 14.
I haven’t been this low since the Red Sox tanked the 2003 ALCS to the Yankees. I can’t even watch the television news programs. My Lord…The 18-0 Patriots defeated by the 13-6 Giants on the NFL’s biggest stage. In the immortal words of Phil Collins, “Something happened on the way to heaven.”
What’s wrong with this picture? Actually, nothing. New York followed the blueprint I laid out in my analysis articles on Suite101 prior to the contest. That’s all. As they say, “Any given Sunday.”
Needless to say, New England head coach Bill Belichick was terse and tight-lipped after his undefeated team fell to a New York squad practically nobody in their right mind picked to emerge as the winner of this game. And, along with 99% of the rest of the prognosticators I picked the Pats.
Boy, am I wearing egg on my face this morning, or what? It can be likened to the North Vietnamese defeating the United States in Vietnam.
No matter what, I’ve got to give the Giants credit. They played terrific football, negating the Patriots’ passing game, shutting down New England’s meager attempts at running, and completing passes they had to when it counted most.
Yet, even with only 35 seconds remaining I still was relatively confident that New England would engineer a comeback. But that never happened.
I wrote a pre-game blog entry Sunday that derided the hoopla and hype surrounding Super Bowl XLII, referring to the contest as the “Stupor Bowl.”
Now the analogy has come to pass. Stupor Bowl, indeed.
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
Media hype, over-exposure accentuates the wrong things while public awaits Super Bowl XLII.
Hours away from Super Bowl XLII I must admit that, in some respects, the game hype now reduces the NFL’s capstone to the Stupor Bowl.
The media frenzy surrounding the contest has devolved into debates on Fox Television concerning Desperate Housewives, media darling Ryan Seacrest hosting the “Red Carpet” event several hours before game time, and ex-musical starts Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson performing live during the pre-game festivities. Say what?
While returning home after church this morning my darling wife – knowing that I’m a lifelong, rabid Patriots’ fan – asked, “What time’s the game start?”
Thinking that, after 10 years of marriage I may have finally converted her from her upbringing as an unbelieving Eagles’ fan, I responded 6:30 [p.m.].” Her subsequent proclamation?
“Good. I want to watch the halftime show [featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers] … and the commercials.”
Lord, help her. But considering how much time I’ve spent on-line over the past two weeks, gathering information for and writing Super Bowl-related articles for Suite101, perhaps it’s simply payback on her part.
Yet we’ve witnessed a deranged Spanish-language female TV reporter – dressed in a wedding gown less – propose to New England quarterback Tom Brady, and a bunch of misfits busted this morning for trying to sell phony Super Bowl tickets. And the yokels just happened to have a nice stash of marijuana in their hotel room. Duh.
Then, of course, we have the so-called Super Bowl-related “urban legends,” such as “the biggest stress on the water system nationally is during Super Bowl halftime when everybody simultaneously goes to the bathroom” (false); ”and the biggest sales day for pizza delivery” (true).
No matter what, I suppose we can expect a good game. It won’t be the Toilet Bowl, for sure.
Re-prediction? Patriots 35 Giants 20.
The media frenzy surrounding the contest has devolved into debates on Fox Television concerning Desperate Housewives, media darling Ryan Seacrest hosting the “Red Carpet” event several hours before game time, and ex-musical starts Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson performing live during the pre-game festivities. Say what?
While returning home after church this morning my darling wife – knowing that I’m a lifelong, rabid Patriots’ fan – asked, “What time’s the game start?”
Thinking that, after 10 years of marriage I may have finally converted her from her upbringing as an unbelieving Eagles’ fan, I responded 6:30 [p.m.].” Her subsequent proclamation?
“Good. I want to watch the halftime show [featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers] … and the commercials.”
Lord, help her. But considering how much time I’ve spent on-line over the past two weeks, gathering information for and writing Super Bowl-related articles for Suite101, perhaps it’s simply payback on her part.
Yet we’ve witnessed a deranged Spanish-language female TV reporter – dressed in a wedding gown less – propose to New England quarterback Tom Brady, and a bunch of misfits busted this morning for trying to sell phony Super Bowl tickets. And the yokels just happened to have a nice stash of marijuana in their hotel room. Duh.
Then, of course, we have the so-called Super Bowl-related “urban legends,” such as “the biggest stress on the water system nationally is during Super Bowl halftime when everybody simultaneously goes to the bathroom” (false); ”and the biggest sales day for pizza delivery” (true).
No matter what, I suppose we can expect a good game. It won’t be the Toilet Bowl, for sure.
Re-prediction? Patriots 35 Giants 20.
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
A few words on New England's upcoming victory in Super Bowl XLII to complete their Perfect Season.
As the media frenzy surrounding Sunday's Super Bowl came close to a crescendo during both the New England Patriots' and New York Giants' final press briefings on Friday, most prognosticators continued to pick the Pats as the ultimate Super Bowl winner.
This reporter won't deviate from that general consensus, either.
New England simply has too much firepower to lose to the Giants, thus they'll put the kibosh on New York's Cinderella-like playoff run. Although defensively the teams are about even up, defensive mastermind Bill Belichick of the Patriots must have gotten with his defensive coordinator over the last two weeks and come up with some diabolical defensive mixes designed to confuse Giants' quarterback Eli Manning, and negate a potent New York rushing game.
Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady has been here before, three times. He's in the prime of his career, and is coming off an untypical poor performance against the Chargers in the AFC title game. Sure, he tweaked his ankle a bit in that contest, but Brady would take the field Feb. 3 if he had no legs at all. The man is a passing machine, and his receiving corps is awesome.
New England's rushing game is woefully underrated, and expect Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans to play well, and effectively. The Pats' may very well run the ball more than expected simply to keep the Giants honest and try to keep New York's solid pass rushers away from Tom Terrific. And wide receiver Randy Moss has been a non-factor thus far in the playoffs, so you can expect him to come through with some key receptions.
Best Bet: New England 35, New York 20
This reporter won't deviate from that general consensus, either.
New England simply has too much firepower to lose to the Giants, thus they'll put the kibosh on New York's Cinderella-like playoff run. Although defensively the teams are about even up, defensive mastermind Bill Belichick of the Patriots must have gotten with his defensive coordinator over the last two weeks and come up with some diabolical defensive mixes designed to confuse Giants' quarterback Eli Manning, and negate a potent New York rushing game.
Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady has been here before, three times. He's in the prime of his career, and is coming off an untypical poor performance against the Chargers in the AFC title game. Sure, he tweaked his ankle a bit in that contest, but Brady would take the field Feb. 3 if he had no legs at all. The man is a passing machine, and his receiving corps is awesome.
New England's rushing game is woefully underrated, and expect Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans to play well, and effectively. The Pats' may very well run the ball more than expected simply to keep the Giants honest and try to keep New York's solid pass rushers away from Tom Terrific. And wide receiver Randy Moss has been a non-factor thus far in the playoffs, so you can expect him to come through with some key receptions.
Best Bet: New England 35, New York 20
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
An ode to football, college and pros, lamenting the two-week absence of gridiron action and waiting Super Bowl XLII with bated breath, trying to survive a football jones.
It wasn't until this weekend that I realized how much I'm going to miss football during the off-season.
In my capacity as football feature writer for Suite101 I've again become consumed with football, although my health impacted the amount of football-related writing I did during the season. And I need to apologize for my lapses during the season. I really wanted to better cover not only the NFL but NCAA football, which I really failed to do.
But, that said, I never realized until now just how big a football fan I've become -- again. As the assistant sports editor and sports editor of a small daily newspaper in Georgia I was focused on the Atlanta Falcons, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, in addition to the obligatory high school football programs we covered. Then I went back to news, worked overseas for the US Army and concentrated on a book about baseball.
Now however, I find myself at a loss to fill the weekend hours. Although I was a huge ice hockey fan growing up outside of Boston, my interest waned after we moved south of the Mason-Dixon line in 1998. And basketball never really captured my interest (I'm only 5'7' on a good day), so I'm vertically-impaired. Baseball spring training is still more than two weeks off ... and I'm going through football withdrawal.
Other than my official Super Bowl game preview for Suite101 I'm scrabbling for new angles to write interesteing Super Bowl articles on because I don't want to simply regurgitate the same old same old.
So my wife's actually spending the evening watching women's figure skating, and I'm going bananas. I just don't what I'm going to do after the Feb. 3rd Super Bowl. My word, what am I gonna do?
In my capacity as football feature writer for Suite101 I've again become consumed with football, although my health impacted the amount of football-related writing I did during the season. And I need to apologize for my lapses during the season. I really wanted to better cover not only the NFL but NCAA football, which I really failed to do.
But, that said, I never realized until now just how big a football fan I've become -- again. As the assistant sports editor and sports editor of a small daily newspaper in Georgia I was focused on the Atlanta Falcons, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, in addition to the obligatory high school football programs we covered. Then I went back to news, worked overseas for the US Army and concentrated on a book about baseball.
Now however, I find myself at a loss to fill the weekend hours. Although I was a huge ice hockey fan growing up outside of Boston, my interest waned after we moved south of the Mason-Dixon line in 1998. And basketball never really captured my interest (I'm only 5'7' on a good day), so I'm vertically-impaired. Baseball spring training is still more than two weeks off ... and I'm going through football withdrawal.
Other than my official Super Bowl game preview for Suite101 I'm scrabbling for new angles to write interesteing Super Bowl articles on because I don't want to simply regurgitate the same old same old.
So my wife's actually spending the evening watching women's figure skating, and I'm going bananas. I just don't what I'm going to do after the Feb. 3rd Super Bowl. My word, what am I gonna do?
Move to Georgia Paid Dividends
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
Both franchises have flourished since my family moved to Georgia, so where's my dividends check?
When I moved my family to Georgia in 2001 to take a position at The Griffin Daily News as assistant sports editor the Boston Red Sox hadn’t won a World Series in 83 years and the New England Patriots had never won a Super Bowl.
Since the move, the Pats have won three Super Bowls and the Red Sox have emerged victorious in two World Series. So, where’s my residual check? Personally, I think they ought to send me a couple or three to stay put. Perhaps I ought to appeal to each franchise, as my wife is lobbying to move to … New Jersey, where her immediate family resides.
I had the pleasure of serving as assistant sports editor when the Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then, thrillingly, I was sports editor when the Sox engineered their historic comeback against the hated Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.
And several months later I was still serving the same capacity when New England rolled over my wife’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles. (She’s from Atlantic City, which is closer to Philly then it is to New York City.) So…I slept on the couch for a couple of weeks.
In between, New England won their second Super Bowl while I was serving as county bureau chief. The worst part about that was that I couldn’t write about it because I was working news. But it was a nice touch anyway, even though the sports editor was a native New Yorker. (I forgive him. He didn’t choose where to be born and raised.)
But at least I got the opportunity to write columns about the Sox during their 2004 run. And I still think I should get a couple of checks…
Meanwhile, go Patriots!
Since the move, the Pats have won three Super Bowls and the Red Sox have emerged victorious in two World Series. So, where’s my residual check? Personally, I think they ought to send me a couple or three to stay put. Perhaps I ought to appeal to each franchise, as my wife is lobbying to move to … New Jersey, where her immediate family resides.
I had the pleasure of serving as assistant sports editor when the Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then, thrillingly, I was sports editor when the Sox engineered their historic comeback against the hated Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.
And several months later I was still serving the same capacity when New England rolled over my wife’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles. (She’s from Atlantic City, which is closer to Philly then it is to New York City.) So…I slept on the couch for a couple of weeks.
In between, New England won their second Super Bowl while I was serving as county bureau chief. The worst part about that was that I couldn’t write about it because I was working news. But it was a nice touch anyway, even though the sports editor was a native New Yorker. (I forgive him. He didn’t choose where to be born and raised.)
But at least I got the opportunity to write columns about the Sox during their 2004 run. And I still think I should get a couple of checks…
Meanwhile, go Patriots!
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
An apology for my recent lack of production, coupled with some wonderful news.
For those of you who follow my football musings you've probably noticed that I hadn't contributed anything since the new year.
I underwent open-heart surgery in July and cardiac complications coupled with some pulmonary problems relegated me to the hospital for the past several weeks (on three different occasions). But I'm ba-a-a-a-a-ck now so I'm starting to write like mad, not only about football, but I've got a few thoughts on baseball, as well.
If you've read my divisional playoff previews you now know I blew it when I picked Indy over San Diego. But, as a lifelong Patriots fan, boy am I glad the Chargers prevailed! The Pats will definitely have an easier time reaching the Super Bowl now!!!
Now, for the best news: I'm thrilled to announce that I have signed with Jonathan Scott Literary Agency of Chicago to write a book on my beloved Boston Red Sox entitlted, “The Curse: The Red Sox, the Media and The Curse of the Bambino.”
The infamous “Curse of the Bambino’ – which allegedly relegated the Sox to an also-ran status – in reality was predominantly self-inflicted, perpetrated by outright racism, bigotry, cronyism, ridiculous trades and overall mismanagement. The blame can also be placed at the feet of the sports media, which failed to hold Boston’s premier baseball franchise accountable for its wretched practices.
Until now, no author without a preconceived agenda has detailed the horrid history of the team, a history that has been rewritten by a new ownership that acquired the team in early 2002, juxtaposed with the media's unwillingness to hold the franchise accountable for its failings and bias.
“The Curse: The Red Sox, the Media and The Curse of the Bambino” provides an unvarnished examination of Boston’s tarnished past. The book is projected to run about 100,000 word when completed.
Happy New Year!
I underwent open-heart surgery in July and cardiac complications coupled with some pulmonary problems relegated me to the hospital for the past several weeks (on three different occasions). But I'm ba-a-a-a-a-ck now so I'm starting to write like mad, not only about football, but I've got a few thoughts on baseball, as well.
If you've read my divisional playoff previews you now know I blew it when I picked Indy over San Diego. But, as a lifelong Patriots fan, boy am I glad the Chargers prevailed! The Pats will definitely have an easier time reaching the Super Bowl now!!!
Now, for the best news: I'm thrilled to announce that I have signed with Jonathan Scott Literary Agency of Chicago to write a book on my beloved Boston Red Sox entitlted, “The Curse: The Red Sox, the Media and The Curse of the Bambino.”
The infamous “Curse of the Bambino’ – which allegedly relegated the Sox to an also-ran status – in reality was predominantly self-inflicted, perpetrated by outright racism, bigotry, cronyism, ridiculous trades and overall mismanagement. The blame can also be placed at the feet of the sports media, which failed to hold Boston’s premier baseball franchise accountable for its wretched practices.
Until now, no author without a preconceived agenda has detailed the horrid history of the team, a history that has been rewritten by a new ownership that acquired the team in early 2002, juxtaposed with the media's unwillingness to hold the franchise accountable for its failings and bias.
“The Curse: The Red Sox, the Media and The Curse of the Bambino” provides an unvarnished examination of Boston’s tarnished past. The book is projected to run about 100,000 word when completed.
Happy New Year!
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
New England Patriots go to 16-0, while the Cowboys continue to win and Green Bay rights itself after a horrible tour of Chicago.
This week in the NFL essentially is a week comprised of no-brainers.
Let's dispense first with the gimmes...the Patriots will easily win out against the New York Giants at The Meadowlands. Eli Manning will be totally befuddled by the Pats defense, and Pats' quarterback Tom Brady will set a new National Football League passing record against a hapless Giants secondary.
The Colts will steamroll the Titans, while the Dallas Cowboys will destroy the Redskins. The Packers will roll over the Detroit Lions, and Jacksonville will handle the Texans. Seattle will easily dispense with the reeling Atlanta Faclnos, and Cleveland will beat the 49ers. The Steelers will win over Baltimore, and the Bengals will beat the Dolphins.
The Bears will beat the legless Saints in the Windy City, and Minnesota will upset Denver. In upset games, pick Kansas City over the New York Jets, Arizona over St. Louis, and Philadelphia over the Buffalo Bills.
Last Week: 11-5
Let's dispense first with the gimmes...the Patriots will easily win out against the New York Giants at The Meadowlands. Eli Manning will be totally befuddled by the Pats defense, and Pats' quarterback Tom Brady will set a new National Football League passing record against a hapless Giants secondary.
The Colts will steamroll the Titans, while the Dallas Cowboys will destroy the Redskins. The Packers will roll over the Detroit Lions, and Jacksonville will handle the Texans. Seattle will easily dispense with the reeling Atlanta Faclnos, and Cleveland will beat the 49ers. The Steelers will win over Baltimore, and the Bengals will beat the Dolphins.
The Bears will beat the legless Saints in the Windy City, and Minnesota will upset Denver. In upset games, pick Kansas City over the New York Jets, Arizona over St. Louis, and Philadelphia over the Buffalo Bills.
Last Week: 11-5
Posted by
Jerry M. Gutlon
Picking the usual suspects, along with New York and Philadelphia who are fighting for (respectively) a playoff berth and respectability.
My Week 15 picks turned out to be a disaster … a 9-7 mark following a week during which I went 15-1. Definitely mud blog time. Be that as it may, at least the Steelers beat the Rams Thursday night, giving me a 1-0 head start this week. Now for the rest of my Week 16 picks…
First, the gimmes … in spite of his bad thumb, Tony Romo should guide the Cowboys to an easy win over Carolina, Cleveland will beat in-state rival Cincinnati, the Jaguars will roll over the Raiders and the 12-2 Packers and the amazing Brett Favre will notch their 13th win over the woeful Bears. Tampa Bay should defeat San Francisco, and the Seahawks will easily handle the 4-10 Ravens. New England will drub the 1-13 Dolphins, perhaps setting the stage to break a couple of individual records (touchdown passes in a single season – Tom Brady – and touchdown receptions in a single season – Randy Moss).
The Detroit Lions should right themselves and break their devastating losing streak by beating the 4-10 Chiefs, and Indianapolis will beat Houston at home. Minnesota will burst Washington’s bubble, and San Diego should easily handle Denver. The 6-8 Cardinals will add to Atlanta’s woes, and … in my most daring pick of the week, I’m going to take Philadelphia over New Orleans behind the resurging Donovan McNabb. Lastly, I predict the Giants will lasso the Bills in Buffalo.
First, the gimmes … in spite of his bad thumb, Tony Romo should guide the Cowboys to an easy win over Carolina, Cleveland will beat in-state rival Cincinnati, the Jaguars will roll over the Raiders and the 12-2 Packers and the amazing Brett Favre will notch their 13th win over the woeful Bears. Tampa Bay should defeat San Francisco, and the Seahawks will easily handle the 4-10 Ravens. New England will drub the 1-13 Dolphins, perhaps setting the stage to break a couple of individual records (touchdown passes in a single season – Tom Brady – and touchdown receptions in a single season – Randy Moss).
The Detroit Lions should right themselves and break their devastating losing streak by beating the 4-10 Chiefs, and Indianapolis will beat Houston at home. Minnesota will burst Washington’s bubble, and San Diego should easily handle Denver. The 6-8 Cardinals will add to Atlanta’s woes, and … in my most daring pick of the week, I’m going to take Philadelphia over New Orleans behind the resurging Donovan McNabb. Lastly, I predict the Giants will lasso the Bills in Buffalo.