So far we have 34 participants in our pick ’em league. Out of those 34 teams in the league, 10 finished above .500 and 16 finished .500 or better. Week 1 was no easy task against the spread folks. I managed a 9-5 record and stand in 3rd place behind DeezNuts (2009 Champion) and BigMoose (returning veteran).
Just because you missed out on week 1 doesn’t mean you can’t still join. We are still accepting registrations. Click here to register. League ID is 63470 and the password is thepassrush. There are 240 more regular season games plus the playoffs so just because you’re trailing DeezNuts and BigMoose by 8 points going into week 2 doesn’t mean you’re out of the hunt. The winner gets bragging rights, glory, their team name on the website, and a free NFL Shop custom t-shirt.
I always warn everyone to not bet against home dogs on Monday Night, but there are certain exceptions to that rule and one exception is if your quarterback is named Tom Brady. Tom Brady played the Dolphins in Miami on Monday Night last season and tore them apart, 41-14.
The Dolphins Chad Henne is not going to out-duel Tom Brady, but can he keep it close? That will be up to Miami’s defense. The Dolphins ranked 6th last year in yards allowed and 8th against the pass, so if there is a defense that can help their struggling QB cover by spotting him 7 points, it’s the Dolphins.
Despite those strong rankings, the Dolphins don’t have a formidable pass rush — something that’s necessary to defeat Brady (think Giants in the Super Bowl). I just don’t see the Miami defense slowing down Mr. Brady and company and I don’t see Chad Henne putting up impressive numbers against a good Patriots defense.
The Patriots have won 6 of their last 8 meetings. Tom Brady is 4-5 ATS in Miami though, but was successful in his last game. I’m sticking with the Patriots.
Prediction: Patriots 27 – Dolphins 17
Free Pick Against the Spread: Patriots -7 (Confidence: 4/5)…
In the pick ’em league, I went 7-5-2 for the week (see the leaderboard after the jump). My winners were Green Bay, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, and Dallas. My losers were Kansas City, Cleveland, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and San Diego. My pushes were Arizona and Tennessee. If you use the opening lines, my record would be 9-5 using Arizona -6.5 and Tennessee +2.5. A winning record overall, although the top 5 I listed were a dismal 1-3-1. There are always surprises week 1, why is why I play with nothing more than funny money until week 3 or 4.
Most people in the league got off to an ugly start. The best record so far has been DeezNuts and Big Moose at 8-4. Don’t forget to sign up to compete. Just because you missed out on week 1 doesn’t mean you still can’t compete. It’s a long season and includes the playoffs this year.
My top play in Arizona -6.5 over Carolina got lucky and hit on a 4th-quarter punt return. You catch a break (Arizona), you lose a break (Harvin kickoff return vs. San Diego). I was not anticipating that type of debut from Cam Newton. Cam Newton throws 422 yards and 2 TDs in his NFL regular season debut. Are you serious? Cam Newton’s preseason numbers: 24/57, 42% completion percentage, 300 yards, 5.3 yards-per-attempt, 1 TD. Cam Newton’s NFL debut numbers: 24/37, 422 yards, 64.8%, 11.4 yards-per attempt, 2 TDs (passing), 1 TD (rushing), 1 INT. What a complete 180 he pulled on us.
San Diego’s cover was blown thanks to an opening kickoff return by Percy Harvin. The Chargers went 17-0 in the second half. The Chargers were the play to make in …
We have two more hours until kickoff. Survivor pools are becoming really popular this year among friends and co-workers. For those unfamiliar, you pick one team per week (typically straight up without considering the spread, but some leagues opt against the spread). Win and you move on, lose and you’re eliminated. You can’t pick the same team twice. Whoever survives at the end of the season gets the cash.
Of the week 1 teams this week, you clearly want to opt for home teams. I’ve narrowed my list to Chiefs over Bills, Cardinals over Panthers, and Browns over Bengals. Which team do you like? Leave me a comment or vote in the poll below. Texans over Colts, Chargers over Vikings, and Patriots over Dolphins are good choices, but the Chargers and Patriots should be used later in the season.
I’ll stick with picking against poor teams in the first few weeks. I’m really torn between the Chiefs and Cardinals. I think I’m leaning Cardinals due to Buffalo boosting their defense and Cassel playing with bruised ribs. I also don’t think there’s a better opportunity to pick the Cardinals and save a strong team for later in the season. Clearly the best two plays are Texans and Chargers, but I’ll be saving those teams for later.
Vote below to help me out.
Which team is the best to pick in the 2011 Week 1 NFL survivor pool?
What a week two it was in college football. My “shot in the dark” college football picks went 3-2. My top play in Stanford -20.5 over Duke rolled 44-14. I’m loving this Stanford team this year and will be the first spread I look up in college football each week, but look for the generous spreads on them to end.
My pick in Iowa -6.5 over Iowa State went into triple overtime in a thriller. California -6.5 was another pick that wound up in overtime. My last play of TCU +1 over Air Force and over 50 points both hit with TCU winning 35-19. Like I said, expect TCU to put up at least 30 while Air Force puts up at least 20.
My recommendation on the big Michigan vs. Notre Dame game was no action and you clearly saw why. The game was an instant classic, but if you had money on the game, you better get your blood pressure checked. 3 touchdowns in the final 2 minutes of the game. Are you serious? Another thriller to add to the crazy Georgia vs. South Carolina and Auburn vs. Mississippi State games. What an awesome week of college football.
For the NFL games this Sunday, I’m going to pick 5. Quick plug for our PICK ‘EM LEAGUE before we get to the games. Sign up for a chance to win a free NFL Shop t-shirt.
I like Cardinals -6.5 over Panthers. Expect Cam Newton to make a few rookie mistakes in his first NFL regular season start on the road. His preseason stats don’t really whoo me. His completion percentage and yards-per-attempt numbers are dismal. The Cardinals pass offense should be solid this year with Kevin Kolb and …
Here are a few shots in the dark for the NCAA week 2 action. I’m not going to pretend I did a ton of quality research into these picks, but let’s put a few picks up on the board and see how they play out. NFL is my forte, not NCAA. However, I want to put some picks up for college football to test my skills before putting up big wages on the action. I don’t like to make any big college plays until week 3 when I can truly evaluate teams. Of the picks, I’m fairly confident in Stanford, California, and Iowa.
Do your own due diligence on the games before taking any picks. I’m siding with mostly road favorites, which I don’t like to do, but I don’t see the games coming out any other way. I’ll also see if our college football guru, Brandon, will be back for another season. Don’t forget to check out our pick ’em league. Sign up before Sunday.
Stanford -20.5 over DUKE — I loved Stanford last week and they rolled 57-3. Duke doesn’t have the offense to hang with Stanford and their defense surrenders a lot of points.
Iowa -6.5 over IOWA STATE — Iowa’s tough D should shut down Iowa State while the Iowa offense gets the job done.
California -6.5 over COLORADO — California looked good against a decent Fresno State squad last week while Colorado came out flat against Hawaii. Colorado has questions on D. Look for Cal to roll.
TCU +1 over AIR FORCE and OVER 50 — Air Force has a quality team. TCU almost came back to beat Baylor last week, but ended up falling short …
I’m starting off my survivor pool. With Peyton Manning out, everyone and their mother are taking the Houston Texans at home over the Indianapolis Colts. I have high expectations for the Texans this year and may want to save that pick for later in the year. The other game I was thinking of taking is the Arizona Cardinals over the Carolina Panthers. Last year the Panthers were the worst team in the league and I don’t expect a whole lot from Cam Newton in his rookie debut. His preseason has been pretty lackluster. Should I go with the Cardinals and Texans this week?
Answer:
The safer pick is definitely the Texans who should roll over the Colts who don’t have a QB now that Manning is out. However, I can understand trying to safe the Texans for later in the year. With that said, there could never be a better opportunity to take the Cardinals this year than this week. It’ll be easy to advance to week 2 and keep all of your strong teams for later weeks. Good luck this week.
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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (-7) @ MIAMI DOLPHINS
In the pick ’em league, I went 7-5-2 for the week (
We have two more hours until kickoff. Survivor pools are becoming really popular this year among friends and co-workers. For those unfamiliar, you pick one team per week (typically straight up without considering the spread, but some leagues opt against the spread). Win and you move on, lose and you’re eliminated. You can’t pick the same team twice. Whoever survives at the end of the season gets the cash.
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What a week two it was in college football. My “shot in the dark” college football picks went 3-2. My top play in Stanford -20.5 over Duke rolled 44-14. I’m loving this Stanford team this year and will be the first spread I look up in college football each week, but look for the generous spreads on them to end.
