NFL Week 9 Picks November 6 2005

Can you believe it’s week 9 already? This season is going by way too quickly. The good news is that after a hard start, we are hitting our stride. Once again, we beat the ESPN experts .732 to .675 correct. If you want to check out how we stack up against almost every site that picks games, check out this nifty spreadsheet from Tokar.

If you’re using these picks for advice on your office pool, go with BostonMac aka Ryan McGowan. He’s been on a tear lately. Aside from his homer pick of Patriots over Colts this week, the rest are solid.

Week 9 Picks

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: Last week, I took the Bengals but LOCKS are against the spread and Cinci didn’t cover the 9 points. There are so many games I like this week ATS (Eagles +3, Panthers -1.5, Seattle -4) but the game that stands out for me is Chargers -6.5. How is it that a team with a RB that has thrown more touchdowns than any of the Jets QBs is only giving less than a touch? the NY Jets are ranked 30th in the league against the run. Yes, they’ve played some of the toughest running teams in the league but SD is up there with the best of them. Parlay the 4 games I have mentioned and then thank me on Monday.

Teri Berg: I’m taking Indy by a touchdown or more. Indy’s not going into this game the way Atlanta and Pittsburgh did, thinking the Pats are too depleted by injuries to do any damage. The Colts fear Brady & Belichick regardless, and will prepare better than they did for the 2004 playoffs. Also, while I agree with Mac and Trevor that Indy’s defense is fraudulent this season (at #7 vs. the pass, #14 vs. the run against basement dwellers), this squad is still way better than it was last year — when the Colts D was 28th vs. the pass and 24th vs. the run. The big X factor is how Indy’s offense will respond to New England’s still-unpredictable defensive schemes. In last year’s AFC playoffs, the Colts ran Edgerrin James only 14 times for 39 yards — they won’t make the same mistake again. Also, no one in the league is more capable of taking advantage of NE’s defensive holes than Manning — and I’m seeing Reggie Wayne all over Duane Starks here. Tedy Bruschi helped against the pass last week vs. Buffalo, but he can’t be everywhere against a top QB and a group of receivers like Harrison, Wayne, Stokely and Clark AND help a 24th-ranked run defense stop one of the league’s most consistently great backs. To paraphrase Trevor, Indy (-3) gets off the schneid against New England this week.

BostonMac: I can’t figure the Eagles out. One week they look like the ’00 Ravens and hold LaDainian to 7 yards rushing. The next week they made Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson look like Bo Jackson in the original Tecmo Bowl. That probably means that this week, they are primed for a comeback, right? Fortunately, they are playing the very fraudulent Redskins. As much as Teri Berg likes to trumpet the Skins’ defense, this game is going to be about which team can bounce back the best from being socked in the mouth like Johnny Lawrence on Daniel Lorusso. Even with a limited (or inactive) TO and a hobbling McNabb (looks like September surgery might have been a good idea for D-Mac), the Redskins’ morale and confidence were shattered by last week’s ass-whipping — the first time a Joe Gibbs team was ever shut out in the regular season. Washington is rattled from last week’s no-show, and Andy Reid won’t let the Eagles put up two stinkers in a row, especially against a division team. Look for PHILADELPHIA (+3) to go into FedEx Field and knock the Skins around a bit.

Trevor F: It’s not that often you can take the defending Super Bowl Champions at
home getting 3 points. Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots have owned the Indianapolis Colts and I don’t see any reason to
think this will change. I’m not impressed by the Colts 7-0 record. I think if the Bengals, Broncos, Patriots, Falcons, and Panthers had gotten the Colts’ slate to start off the season, they would also be 7-0. New England (+3) punches Indianapolis in the mouth on Monday night.