Below are my picks with confidence points, 16 to 1, for week one of the NFL season, with the point spread I found Thursday morning.
16 PIT -7 (ten)
15 MIA +5 (den)
14 hou +4.5 (BUF)
13 BAL +3 (ind)
12 NE - 7.5 (oak)
11 gb +3 (DET)
10 stl -5.5 (SF)
9 CAR -7 (no)
8 CLE +3.5 (cin)
7 dal +4.5 (SD)
6 ATL +1.5 (phi)
5 KC -3 (nyg)
4 tb +6 (MIN)
3 chi +6 (WAS)
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj)
1 JAX -3 (sea)
16 PIT -7 (ten) When it's all said and done, I think Pittsburgh is ready for another playoff run. And I think that the Titans are too young to handle this week one pressure of going into Pittsburgh and winning. I think Pittsburgh, even without their top two running backs, takes it to the Titans by at least 10 points.
15 MIA +5 (den) The Nick Saban era begins. The Dolphins have a quarterback, they have a running back, and the Fish are pretty close back to where they were a couple of years ago. Denver has been an up and down team for the past few seasons, and I expect that trend to continue. Giving five points on the road for week one is too much to ask. Fish cover if not win outright in a close one.
14 hou +4.5 (BUF) The Texans got younger and faster on defense this year. Buffalo got younger and faster on offense (at least I think JP Losman can outrun Drew Bledsoe). The Texans slowly (I mean SLOWLY) get better and better, and I think they could have a good year. The Bills may have done what they needed to do for the franchise by starting Losman, but in the early part of the season, they will have to pay. Low-scoring game.
13 BAL +3 (ind) Baltimore won't be a home dawg many times this season. There are few defenses that can slow the Indy attack, but the Ravens D is one of them. The Raven huge offensive line can wear down a big, bad defense. The Colts are a little little and will wilt in the fourth quarter. The Ravens will win outright.
12 NE -7.5 (oak) New England has lost both inside linebackers and its two top coordinators. The Pats may have some problems adjusting early on, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Oakland gained Randy Moss, who will tilt the field toward him, opening things up for Jerry Porter. Also, the Raiders got a tough running back in LaMont Jordon to boost their running game. So, I see the Pats just blowing out the Raiders in the Thursday night game.
11 gb +3 (DET) I am not convinced that the Lions are ready. By the second half of the year, Detroit may be a team to reckon with. But early one, Green Bay is the better team. The Pack go to Motown and stop the Lions.
10 stl -5.5 (SF) It is fun time in old St. Looey again. The Rams have the old stuff back. They will be puttin' up some points. And I don't think that the Niners will be able to keep up with the scoring. But we may get to see Alex Smith mop up.
9 CAR -7 (no) This would have been my call without the catastrophe. The Saints are just dealing with too much stuff right now, and Carolina looks to be a pretty tough team. Of course, there COULD be a monumental effort by the New Orleans Eleven for the old home town, which would make me stand up and cheer.
8 CLE +3.5 (cin) Cincy has had early-season struggles the last 64 years, and I don't see this year being different. The Browns can play Cincinnati, and they will be able to keep it close. I just don't see taking Cincy as a road favorite for a game one of the season.
7 dal +4.5 (SD) I will say this now: I believe San Diego was a bit of a fluke last year, and the Chargers are really a 7-9 or an 8-8 team. The Cowboys and the Chargers are about equal, if you ask me. Dallas gets the points, and gets my pick as the upset winner in this game.
6 ATL +1.5 (phi) The Eagles will win a lot of games this year. But I think the Falcons at home on Monday Night will rise up and upset the discordant Iggles. It's a long season, but for some reason, I think I like the Falcons in this one.
5 KC -3 (nyg) Kansas City at home is a better team than the Giants on the road. I think the Chiefs added enough to the defense to make them a pretty good team. The Giants may have some good road wins this year, but this ain't one of them.
4 tb +6 (MIN) I think this will be a close game and that the Bucs will cover. It'll be interesting if the Vikes offense can succeed without Moss and their top 17 tailbacks. Is that? . . . I think Dave Osbourne is lining up behind Culpepper.
3 chi +6 (WAS) The Bears will either win this game or lose this game 2-0. Either way, they will cover.
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj) Kurt Warner running Denny Green's offense with those wideouts should be fun to watch. Cardinals win home opener, or at least lose it by one or two points.
1 JAX -3 (sea) I like Seattle. I hate Seattle. They are a young contending team. They are a soft bassackwards team lucky to be in a weak division. The offense is explosive. The offense is sloppy. Whatever. I'm taking the Leftwiches.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
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