Week 8 Picks in the National...... Football..........League!

I have a few things I need to get off my chest before we get into the Week 8 picks. First, why can't the NFL schedule all the byes into a two week period? I hate how the bye weeks start in Week 4 and go until Week 10 or 11. Let's just give 16 teams a bye week at Week 9, and then the rest of the 16 teams a bye week at Week 10. That way everyone gets a bye week in the middle of the season, and it is actually beneficial. Also, it will avoid teams like Atlanta having to play three straight games against teams coming off bye weeks. If 16 teams have off, that still leaves 16 teams to play on Sunday and Monday Night for a total of eight games. You can have four early games, two late games, one Sunday Night game, and the MNF game. Plus, the Week 9 or 10 usually falls on the weekend of the World Series, so you can go without a Sunday Night game for one of the bye weeks. It makes sense. Instead of worrying about putting games in London, building a stadium in Los Angeles for a team that doesn't exist there now, and adding two more games to the season, the NFL should be fixing this bye week mess it created years ago. Also, many people are wondering if the Broncos would be 6-0 with Mike Shanahan and Jay Cutler at the helm of the franchise. I think it is tough to say because if Shanny was still the coach, then Bob Slowik would still be the DC. Also, who knows if Pat Bowlen would have given Shanny the freedom to sign the amount of players that Josh McDaniels signed in the offseason. There are too many variables to really get a definitive answer, but I would say that Denver would probably be at least 4-2. They always got off to good starts under Shanahan, and Cutler would have another year in the system with all that offensive talent that the Broncos have. Lastly, I don't know how either situation will play out this year, but I still think at the end of the year Cutler and McDaniels are going to think about how good the two of them would have been for each other in Denver. Onto the picks for Week 8....

Last Week's Record: 8-5

Overall Record: 51-50-2

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

CHICAGO (-13) over Cleveland: The Bears were terrible against the Bengals last week, but they get the perfect rebound game at home against the Browns. Cutler lights it up and the Bears roll easily to get to 4-3.

Houston (-3) over BUFFALO: I don't trust Houston, but I'm going with them in this spot. The Bills have played hard the last two weeks and save their season with road wins over the Jets and Panthers. This is the type of game that the Bills lose in the Dick Jauron Era. Unfortunately, this is the kind of game that the Texans lose in the Gary Kubiak Era. I'll take Houston close.

Minnesota (+3) over GREEN BAY: Brett Favre returns to Lambeau. This is one of the most anticipated regular season games in my lifetime. It ranks up there with 2007 Pats-Giants, 2007 Colts-Pats, 1990 Giants-49ers, 1994 49ers-Cowboys, and 1985 Bears-Dolphins. The Vikings take command of the NFC North in this statement game of their year.

San Francisco (+13) over INDIANAPOLIS: I just have a hunch that the 49ers will hang around with the Colts this week. Indy is due for a close game. I see Indy winning 20-17.

NEW YORK JETS (-3) over Miami: A lot of people will pick the Dolphins to beat the Jets because the Jets lost Kris Jenkins for the season, and Miami can run the ball effectively. Football doesn't work that easy. Miami does not do a good job of controlling the situations that they put their offense in; therefore, the Jets take control of the game and pound the ball themselves with Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones. The Jets win by 10 points.

DETROIT (-4) over St. Louis: Right now the Rams are worse than the Lions. This game shouldn't even be shown anywhere in the country. The Lions win the "Toilet Bowl" with a score of 9-3.

Seattle (+9) over DALLAS: I'm going to ride the Seahawks until they are dead in the NFC West. Dallas is up and down, and the Seahawks pull the upset in Big D.

SAN DIEGO (-15) over Oakland: The Chargers have won like 50 in a row over the Raiders. The demise of the Chargers is overrated, especially when they beat up on Kansas City last week, and they get to feast on the Raiders this week.

TENNESSEE (-3) over Jacksonville: The Titans get revenge for the 37-3 beating the Jags inflicted on them in Week 4. Tennessee gets their first win of the year. The only suspense in this game is if Vince Young will start or play a lot.

Carolina (+10) over ARIZONA: The Cardinals have beaten me the last two weeks, but I'm going against them again. The Panthers haven't played well all year, and there is a chance this good be 21-0 Cards after the first quarter, but Carolina shows up and plays hard this week. They cover and might even pull off the outright upset.

New York Giants (PICK) over PHILADELPHIA: What a sports day in Philly on Sunday. Giants-Eagles from the Link at 1, followed by World Series Game 4 Yanks-Phillies. The Giants have lost two in a row, and they won't lose three in a row. The Giants are the better team and show it on Sunday.

NEW ORLEANS (-9) over Atlanta: The Falcons are not the same team on the road. The Saints get off to fast starts at home. That is a bad combination. The Saints jump out early on the Falcons, and the Dirty Birds can't recover. The Saints will remain undefeated.

BALTIMORE (-3) over Denver: This is tough game for the Broncos. The Ravens are 3-3, but they could easily be 6-0 or at the least 5-1. They lost to NE on a dropped pass, got beat by Carson Palmer late against Cincy, and rallied from 20 down against Minnesota in the fourth and lost on missed field goal at the end. Denver will have trouble being balanced on offense this game. The Broncos will try to attack the Raven corners, but the Ravens could get pressure on Kyle Orton. The Baltimore offense now has a dual threat with Joe Flacco and Ray Rice. The Bronco secondary should be able to cover the Ravens' wideouts, but Rice is the "X Factor." The Broncos undefeated run ends in Baltimore. Final Score: Baltimore-23 Denver-16