Week 4 Picks!

A blockage in my main line created a sewage backup in my house, so I spent the last 24 hours cleaning up shit, brown water, and other assorted waste. Needless to say, I was not able to make a pick for last night's Thursday Night Football game between the Ravens and the Browns. I swear I was going to pick Cleveland at +12. Anyway, it turned out to be a pretty decent game as the Ravens held on for a 23-16 win. The game also featured the return of the real referees. After Monday night's debacle involving Seattle and Green Bay, the NFL finally came to its' senses and settled the labor dispute with the officials. Here is my final stance on the whole labor disagreement. This is the second time in as many years that the NFL has played games with its employees. The NFL owners cried poverty last year and locked out the players. As a result, the league proceeded with an ill-advised and ridicuolously timed work stoppage that held the fans captive for the entire offseason. It was the worst five months ever for a NFL fan. As soon as preseason games were on the verge or being cancelled and the owners were going to lose money, the NFL and the NFLPA got together and came up with an agreement and football was saved for 2012. In this scenario, the officials are not as important to the fans as the players, so the NFL once again dug in, rolled the dice, and didn't worry about starting the season with replacement guys. Once again the fans were held hostage, and the first three weeks were continiously getting worse. Long games, calls being missed, penalites all over the place, and incompentece were all factors in destroying the integrity of the game for the first three contests. The NFL sat back and defended the refs time and time again. That all changed when the Seahawks-Packers game was decided because of the incompetence of these refs. Once that happened the NFL knew it had a crisis on its' hands, and they decided to get a deal done. Twice the NFL held the fans out there on a plank. With the lockout of the players, they avoided disaster and saved the preseason and the regular season. With the officials, they weren't so lucky because one of the games was affected by the poor officiating. The NFL is lucky that America loves this sport so much because other leagues would have a tough time sellilng that to their fans. Now that the real refs are back, can we go back to focusing on the games? Hopefully, the NFL has learned a lesson: Don't try to sell the fans a shit sandwich? We are a lot smarter than you think.

Onto the picks for Week 4........

Last Week's Record: 7-9
Overall Record: 20-26-2
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

New England (-4) over BUFFALO: Last year the Bills shocked New England at home at the same time of the season. It won't happen again this year. The Pats should have beaten the Ravens on Sunday Night last week, but they will take care of business this week on the road. A really good game in the AFC East though.

DETROIT (-4) over Minnesota: What do you make of the Vikings? Are they this year's ultimate sleeper team? It is too early to tell, but I like what I have seen out of Christian Ponder. The Lions lost a wild game at Tennessee last week in overtime, and Matt Stafford is banged up. I'll take the Lions at home this week to bounce back, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them stumble again.

ATLANTA (-7) over Carolina: You have to go with the hot hand right now, and that is Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense. Ryan is the highest rated QB in the NFL right now, and the Falcons are flying at 3-0.At 1-2, I'm not so down on Cam Newton and the Panthers yet. There is a lot of football left for them. This has the potential to be a close game, but how do you bet against Atlanta at home. Take the Falcons.

San Francisco (-4) over NY JETS: Losing Darrelle Revis for the season is a killer for the Jets. No player might mean more for a defense than Revis. It looks so obvious this week for the Niners in this game, so that makes me a little nervous, but they are coming off a loss, and they will be ready to play. This is an interesting matchup, but take the Niners on the road.

KANSAS CITY (+1) over San Diego: The Chiefs saved their season with a comeback win on the road in New Orleans. The Chargers proved that they weren't as good as their 2-0 start indicated in their blowout loss to Atlanta. This is a huge game in the AFC West, and I'm taking the Chiefs at home. It is only a point, and the Chiefs are not losing their first two games at Arrowhead this year.

Tennessee (+12) over HOUSTON: The Texans will win the game, but this will be a lot closer than people think. The Titans showed some guts last week in their win over Detroit. The Texans could be in for a letdown after a big win in Denver. Tennessee keeps it close until late.

ST. LOUIS (+3) over Seattle: Seattle has to take a long trip after the crazy Monday night win over Green Bay. The Rams gave the Bears a game for a while last week. Logic says that the Seahawks are the better team, but I like what I have seen from the Rams so far this year. I'm taking the Rams in a mini-upset.

Miami (+5) over ARIZONA: The Cardinals are a real surprise this year and are now 3-0 after last week's thrashing of the Eagles. They are at home, and this is a classic letdown game for Arizona. The Dolphins lost a real heartbreaker to the Jets in overtime. At 1-2, they aren't as bad as people think. The Dolphins will keep this one close, and they might even steal it at the end.

Cincy (-2) over JACKSONVILLE: The Bengals were pretty impressive in their win over the Redskins last week. Look for them to take to the Jags on the road.

GREEN BAY (-7) over New Orleans: The Saints are done. They are finished at 0-3-especially with the way that they blew that 24-6 lead over the Chiefs. Now, they head to Green Bay to take on a Packers team that is seething after getting robbed last week on MNF to Seattle. The Packers will take out their frustrations on the Saints in Lambeau this week.

Washington (+3) over TAMPA BAY: The Redskins will bounce back after their home loss to Cincy last week. I like this matchup for RG III and that Washington offense. The Bucs played the Giants and the Cowboys tough the last two weeks, but I think the Redskins upset them in this one. Take the Skins and the points.

New York Giants (+2) over PHILLY: The Eagles usually own this rivalry lately, but the Giants are the second best team in the NFC right now. Plus, they had 10 days off to get ready and healthy for this one. The Eagles are 2-1, but they are really flawed right now. Michael Vick is a turnover machine, and the magic might be gone from him. Look for the Giants to win a tight one on the road Sunday night because they are simply the better team.

DALLAS (-3) over Chicago: Do you know who the 31st ranked QB in the NFL is after three weeks? The answer is Jay Cutler. Although the Bears are 2-1, Cutler has been off to a bad start to the year. I really like the Cowboys a lot in this one. Take the Boys laying three at home on MNF.

Oakland (+6) over Denver: I just don't like how this Denver team has played the last two weeks. They fall behind by 20 points, and then make this comebacks in the fourth quarter but fall short. I just don't think the Broncos are very good at this point in the season. Maybe they will get better and better each week, but right now they are not very good. This game makes me real nervous because the Raiders have owned the Broncos in Denver the last four years. The Broncos have not beaten the Raiders in Mile High since 2007. Darren McFadden had a big week againts Pittsburgh, and if he gets going, then the Broncos are in big trouble. I just don't have a good feeling about the Broncos at this point in the season. Take the Raiders in an upset.

Final Score- Oakland-27 Denver-19