2006 NFL Week 8 Picks

Talk about a tough week. In week 7, all of us batted sub-.500. But we weren’t alone. ESPN experts got 41% right and around the web, the average number of picks correct straight up was 5 with the high being 8 picks correct. If you want to see how we stack up against all the experts, check out a very nifty expert picks compilation spreadsheet by our buddy Tokar. Last week’s Pickem winner was Jackie Blue and his picks are below.

The featured games this week are Atlanta @ Cincinnati, Indianapolis @ Denver, Dallas @ Carolina, and New England @ Minnesota. You can download the podcast directly (running time 37 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

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

**Finally, don’t forget to check out the mid-season survival pool that starts this week.

Week 8 Picks

**The weekly winner from the Sportscolumn Weekly Pickem Contest will be featured as the fifth prognosticator.

Locks of the Week Sponsored by:

[Editor’s Note: This year, we’re making the Locks of the Week a little more interesting as we have a side bet amongst the four experts. The person with the most money at the end of the year in Locks betting takes home all the money. Disclaimer: The amounts discussed are for illustrative and entertainment purposes only. Gambling may be illegal in your locale.]

Vegas Vinny: I learned my lesson last week. When a team is done (Cards), they are done. The same can be said of the Dallas Cowboys. The insertion of Tony Romo into the Monday Night game was a bad decision by Parcells and it looks like Romo will be the starting QB this week against a tough Panthers defense. The Cowboys have two main problems outside of their QB and INTS: they don’t put enough pressure on the opposing QB and they can’t protect their own. This is a recipe for disaster. Jake Delhomme with enough time can always find Steve Smith. And don’t forget that Keyshawn will play lights out as he wants to prove to the Cowboys that they made a huge mistake by cutting him and signing TO.

Here are some betting trends on these two teams. The Cowboys are 0-2 ATS as the underdog this season. The Panthers are 0-2-1 at home and 0-4-1 ATS as the favorite this season. So what that tells you is to stay the hell away from this game. But I’m like Gary Coleman in On the Right Track scanning the betting sheet and watching Jami Gertz do coke with Robert Downey Jr. — or maybe I’m mixing up movies. In any case, Jami Gertz is the answer if you ever want to link Gary Coleman in 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon and the Panthers (-5.5) is the answer if you want to win $50 on a $55 bet this weekend. (Balance = $770)

BostonMac: I don’t like Michael Vick. I think we can all agree that he is a tremendous talent; I still don’t have to like him. For some reason, I am going to take him and the Falcons as my lock of the week. I think the Falcons can go into Cincy and win outright, let alone the fact that they are getting four and a half points. The main issue is the Bengals’ run defense. Right now they “couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a goddamn boat” –Crash Davis. A few weeks ago, Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon shredded their D; let’s see what the +1 rushing offense in the NFL can do against them. The Bengals cause a lot of turnovers (+6 takeaway ratio), but their big plays don’t negate the fact that they give up a lot of yards. Vick, Dunn, et al will break some of those into long TD’s. I took a hit with my foolish Arizona pick last week, so I am going to head back to putting $55 to win $50 on the Falcons (+4.5) to win in Cincy. (Balance = $925)

Trevor F: I’m going to ride the New York Jetropolitans again this week for another $55. They are getting 2 right now against Cleveland and I think the Jets will not only cover but win the game outright. The 41-0
beating the Jets took against Jacksonville is obscuring the fact that the Jets are not a bad team. They are on a little roll right now and seem to have found a running game in rookie Leon Washington. Meanwhile there is a little turmoil in Cleveland as they just axed their offensive coordinator. Jets (+2). (Balance = $1040)

RJ Warner: I’m taking the New Orleans Saints (-2) as my Lock of the Week. They’ve come through for me before and I’m just following rule 501-FU of the NFL Bylaws: The Saints shalt win thy home game (they write their rules like that, too. I swear). Baltimore just can’t run the ball and even though Steve McNair is back, he just started working out today (Wed.) so I don’t know how prepared he’ll be. Doesn’t matter. Drew Brees is the better quarterback right now and this team follows sports cliche #3,973: they find ways to win. I’m falling behind so I’m going to keep up the $110 bets to get back. I’ll get there. Someday. (Balance = $810)