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2011 NFL Week 12 Picks and Podcast

Oh I how love Thanksgiving. We used to get one good game and the Detroit Lions. Now the Lions are in the marquee matchup of the day, the Cowboys are always fun to watch/root against, and the extra NFL Network game is also an intriguing showdown.

Hey did you guys know Jim and John Harbaugh are brothers? Funny how the media hasn’t touched upon this angle yet. It is one of our featured games though because it’s a matchup of division leaders. The other featured games are Packers at Lions, Broncos at Chargers, and Patriots at Eagles.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed. The weekly picks show is followed by a half hour of Poor Man’s PTI where we discuss the NBA situation.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL Week 12 2011 Picks

Straight Up

MATCHUP Vegas Vinny BostonMac RJ Burton Actual
Packers @ Lions Packers Packers Packers Packers
Dolphins @ Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys Dolphins
Niners @ Ravens Ravens Niners Ravens Ravens
Cards @ Rams Cards Rams Rams Rams
Bills @ Jets Jets Jets Jets Jets
Panthers @ Colts Panthers Panthers Panthers Panthers
Bucs @ Titans Bucs Bucs Bucs Titans
Browns @ Bengals Bengals Bengals Bengals Browns
Vikings @ Falcons Falcons Falcons Falcons Falcons
Texans @ Jaguars Texans Texans Texans Texans
Broncos @ Chargers Chargers Broncos Broncos Broncos
Redskins @ Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks
Bears @ Raiders Raiders Raiders Raiders Bears
Patriots @ Eagles Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots
Steelers @ Chiefs Steelers Steelers Steelers Steelers
Giants @ Saints Saints Saints Saints Giants
Prev Week 9-5 9-5 9-5 11-3
Overall 108-52 99-61 98-62 97-63

Against the Spread

MATCHUP Vegas Vinny BostonMac RJ Burton Actual
Packers @ Lions (+6) Lions Lions Packers Packers
Dolphins @ Cowboys (-7.5) Cowboys Dolphins Cowboys Dolphins
Niners @ Ravens (-4) Ravens Niners Ravens Ravens
Cards @ Rams (-3) Cards Rams Rams Rams
Bills @ Jets (-9) Jets Jets Jets Jets
Panthers @ Colts (+3.5) Panthers Panthers Panthers Panthers
Bucs @ Titans (-3) Bucs Bucs Bucs Titans
Browns @ Bengals (-7.5) Bengals Browns Browns Browns
Vikings @ Falcons (-10) Falcons Falcons Falcons Falcons
Texans @ Jaguars (+3.5) Texans Texans Texans Texans
Broncos @ Chargers (-6.5) Broncos Broncos Broncos Broncos
Redskins @ Seahawks (-3.5) Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks
Bears @ Raiders (-4.5) Raiders Bears Bears Bears
Patriots @ Eagles (+3) Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots
Steelers @ Chiefs (+10) Steelers Steelers Steelers Steelers
Giants @ Saints (-7) Saints Saints Saints Giants
Prev Week 6-8 6-8 6-8 9-5
Overall 82-75 78-79 80-77 81-76

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: (4-6, Balance=$590)There’s a stat going around that the Eagles are the #1 team in the league in defending the TE. This is both true and false. On paper they’ve done very well against opposing teams’ tight ends. However, sufferers of this Eagles team knows their biggest weakness is defending the TE. It always has been and stats aside, is still the case this year. And guess who is coming to town? The best TE in the league. I’m predicting a career game for Gronkowski.

And even if the Eagles scheme to stop Gronk, there’s Hernandez. And if they somehow happen to stop both Gronkowski and Hernandez, there’s Wes Welker’s matchup against Hanson in the middle. This is going to be a field day for Tom Brady. It’s true that the New England defense is not very good but unless the Eagles are using LeSean McCoy to control the clock and run the ball 48 times to keep Tom Brady off the field (no chance since Andy Reid is still coach right) this is going to be a blowout by the Patriots. I’m so confident (and this is not a reverse jinx pick), I’m putting $550 on the Patriots (-3) to win $500.

BostonMac: (6-5, Balance=$1285) You got me. I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Let’s say it, all together now.. “TEEEEEE-BOOOOOWWWWW!” Nothing was better than seeing John Elway’s face after the Broncos’ scintillating comeback win over the Jets last Thursday night. He was applauding like Rachel Phelps in “Major League” after another improbable Indians win. Because, like Phelps, Elway wants this group of Broncos to lose. He wants Tebow to fail, so he can go out and draft one of his guys, who is a pocket passer, relatively immobile, maybe the next Peyton Manning. Instead, all Tebow does (possibly to John Fox’s chagrin too) is win, like a football version of Larry Bird or Derek Jeter. Credit Fox and the Denver coaches for switching up their offense, but my only question is why did they wait until the fourth quarter of the Jets game to put the ball in the Chosen One’s hands? This week, they won’t be so short-sighted. Tebow will be Eric Crouch or Tommie Frazier (Nebraska-style, not NFL-style) from the first snap and the Broncos D will shut down the sputtering Chargers offense. Can anyone say AFC West title? Elway can’t root against the Broncos in a home playoff game… can he? And he certainly can’t draft a quarterback after Tebow leads them to the playoffs for the first time since 2005… can he? Suck it, John. I’m putting $55 to win $50 on TEBOW (+6.5).

RJ: (2-8, Balance =$485)Host and Taskmaster Vin Diec wouldn’t let me abstain from submitting a lock this week. In a related story, I didn’t really ask him, for fear of an Al Capone in the Untouchables style beat down (yes, he’s that menacing in the production meetings). I don’t even know what to pick anymore. honestly. Having won just two games the whole year, I hope the listeners are just fading me like Burton did last week. It really is the smart move. So I figured I’d really do you guys a favor in lieu of Black Friday. I’ll pick the COWBOYS (-7.5) to continue their Turkey Day dominance over weaker AFC teams. So after y’all unload on the DOLPHINS (+7.5). you can take all your money to Wal Mart and buy unlimited Big Screen TVs for all your children, legitimate and bastard. I think I’m broke monetarily, but I’ll bet the stuffing to win the pumpkin pie.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!

Burton: (5-6, Balance =$1535) As punishment for missing half the show tonight, as well as because I like being a man, I’ve decided to step up the ante on my rise from oblivion to just one game off the PMPTI lead: I am not projecting a single backdoor cover this week. Not one. My picks S/U are the same 16 picks ATS.

Now, of course, I’d have to consider differently if we had a line for NE@PHI. If the spread were something ridiculous, like NE-38.5, I’d have to flip a coin to consider backdooring NE, but unless something like that happens, I’m Cooper manning up and not backdooring it.

That said, my lock runs antithesis to someone else’s lock, which means I’m probably gonna win. Even before I saw that RJ locked the Cowboys, I thought this line was out of whack. The Dolphins have been a different team since their heart-wrenching 3-point loss to the Bye in October, and should be on a four-game run right now. With the way the Jets and Bills are fading, second in the division is not out of the realm of possibility. Moreover, this is one of those odd rivalry games, a rivalry only when they play in Dallas and only when they play in Thanksgiving and usually only when it snows. But it is a rivalry.

It may be Romovember, and the Cowboys don’t lose with a healthy Romo in Romovember, but the Dolphins also don’t lose after winning for the first time in 2011. In fact, Miami is 2-0 ALL-TIME when coming off a win in 2011. I’m going $55 to win $50 not just on the Dolphins covering, but on them winning to get to 3-0 ALL-TIME when coming off a win in 2011. The 7.5 points RJ gave me are just icing on the cake.

3 replies on “2011 NFL Week 12 Picks and Podcast”

Haters everywhere!

By the way, have I ever been more right about a game than I was about NE-PHI? I should retire while I’m on top.

Ya, that was nice.. Got to admit Burton has been on a roll. If he would get over these little Raider hating girlie emotions then he would be on fire. Hopefully the nation is healthy going into GB next week, since we are the team to beat them!!!!

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