K-Mart's NFL Picks- Week 17

Game of the Week:

New England (15-0) at New York Giants (10-5)- This is the big one. The Patriots are poised to become the second team to ever finish a season undefeated. They shouldn't have any trouble winning either. The Giants are in serious need of some rest and could sit several of their starters since they've locked up the 5^th seed in the playoffs. This game should also see several records being broken- the Patriots need 7 points to score the most points ever in a season, Tom Brady needs two touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning's record for most t.d. passes in a season and Randy Moss needs two t.d. receptions to break Jerry Rice's record for most receiving t.d.'s in a season.

Patriots 31 Giants 20

Game of the Week Part 2:

Tennessee (9-6) at Indianapolis (13-2)- The Titans need to win to get into the playoffs. The Colts are probably going to rest their starters, but would do well to win this game to avoid seeing the Titans in the playoffs.

Titans 24 Colts 21

Game of the Week Part 3:

Dallas (13-2) at Washington (8-7)- The Redskins have the inside track to the playoffs and a win would solidify those hopes. The Cowboys have locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs and will be resting their starters. The Redskins have been looking pretty good as of late, winning a tough game against Chicago, beating the playoff bound Giants in New York and shutting down Adrian Peterson and Minnesota's #1 rushing attack last week in Minneapolis.

Redskins 30 Cowboys 24

Best Game that Doesn't Mean Anything:

Buffalo (7-8) at Philadelphia (7-8)- The Bills are two last second losses from being in the playoffs and the Eagles have finally begun to look like the team that won five of the last six division titles. The Eagles shouldn't have any trouble handling the Bills conservative offense and will salvage a .500 record after an underachieving season.

Eagles 27 Bills 13

Worst Game that Doesn't Mean Anything:

Cincinnati (6-9) at Miami (1-14)- The Dolphins can finish out this forgettable season in style by losing to the Bungles at home. The aforementioned Bungles really need to figure out what is wrong with Carson Palmer if they ever want to challenge for a playoff spot again. They managed to beat the Browns last weekend, but only managed 19 points against the worst scoring defense in the league. Not what you would expect from Palmer when you have targets like Chad Johnson and T.J. Housmandzadeh to throw to.

Bungles 21 Dolphins 13

Please God, Help Me Out and Make them Lose:

Minnesota (8-7) at Denver (6-9)- All signs point to a Vikings victory here. The Bronco's defense is going to have their hands full trying to stop Chester Taylor and Peterson. Their one sure thing on defense, Champ Bailey, will hardly have to break a sweat this game as the Vikings anemic passing game rolls into town. Hopefully the Broncos can take a page out of the Redskins book and stack the box against the run and force Tavaris Jackson to win the game with his arm, otherwise, it's an easy Viking win.

Vikings 38 Broncos 31

All the Rest:

Carolina (6-9) at Tampa Bay (9-6)- The Buccaneers did their part to keep the Patriots from getting Darren McFadden in April's draft by throwing up a stinker against San Francisco last week. Carolina proved that they can beat good teams this year by squeaking out a win over Seattle a few weeks ago, but they won't beat this division winner.

Buccos 17 Panthers 10

New Orleans (7-8) at Chicago (6-9)- Well it's a rematch of last years NFC Championship game and it should go down pretty much the same. The Saints need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but they won't win in the cold weather in Chicago. The Bears are suffering from the Super Bowl loser's syndrome, but the injuries haven't helped this year. Still, they should be able to run the ball against the Saints' defense and have a pretty good shot at winning this game.

Bears 21 Saints 17

Jacksonville (11-4) at Houston (7-8)- The Texans will fall short of their first non-losing season in franchise history. The Jaguars Fred Taylor has just been tearing it up lately and Maurice Jones-Drew can do the same thing when Taylor is resting.

Jaguars 28 Texans 20

Seattle (10-5) at Atlanta (3-12)- With a loss here, the Falcons are looking at the #2 pick in the draft next spring. Hopefully they'll be able to address some of their quarterback issues then. The Seahawks can wrap up the #3 seed in the playoffs by winning this week.

Seahawks 31 Falcons 14

Detroit (7-8) at Green Bay (12-3)- The Packers can beat anyone in the NFC... as long as it's not the Bears or Cowboys. They're 0-3 against those two teams and 13-0 against the rest of the league. Last weeks blowout loss to Chicago cost the Packers an extra home game in the playoffs and we all know that Brett Favre has never won in Dallas. We'll see if that will cost them later. The Lions on the other hand are just trying to get to .500 after squandering a promising season. That won't happen though.

Packers 35 Lions 27

San Francisco (5-10) at Cleveland (9-6)- This game is completely meaningless for both teams. The Browns can lose and still make the playoffs if Tennessee loses too, but if both teams win, then the Browns miss out on the playoffs. The 49ers have suddenly learned how to win in December, but not until their season was already lost. It doesn't help that they won't have a first round pick next spring.

Browns 38 49ers 21

Pittsburgh (10-5) at Baltimore (4-11)- The Steelers sure are going to miss Willie Parker in the playoffs. Not this week as the Ravens are on a 9 game losing streak don't figure to end it Sunday, but the Steelers are going to miss him if they end up playing Jacksonville in the first round of the playoffs. They have to pray that San Diego loses this week to avoid that rematch next week.

Steelers 27 Ravens 13

San Diego (10-5) at Oakland (4-11)- The Chargers picked the right time to get hot. Winners of five straight games, they should extend that this week and secure the #3 seed in the playoffs. They may even win a playoff game this year. The Raiders are finishing a forgettable season yet again.

Chargers 34 Raiders 17

St. Louis (3-12) at Arizona (7-8)- The Cardinals should finish this year with some respectability with an 8-8. The Rams are looking forward to draft day.

Cardinals 21 Rams 10

Kansas City (4-11) at New York Jets (3-12)- The Chiefs need to win here to avoid finishing last in their division and it shouldn't be that hard against this pathetic Jets team. Chad Pennington is hoping to spend less time on his back this week though as Tennessee sacked him six times a week ago.

Chiefs 17 Jets 9

K-Mart's Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (14-0)- Even if the Patriots don't win their next two games (but they probably will) I don't think anyone is dethroning them as the best team in the league this year. They have been consistently dominant all year long, and will continue that trend in to the playoffs.
2. Indianapolis Colts (12-2)- The Colts are wrapping up their fifth consecutive 12 win season. No other team has ever done that. They are also the only real threat to the Patriots in the playoffs. Version two of the de facto Super Bowl comes in the AFC Championship game in Foxboro.
3. Dallas Cowboys (12-2)- Even with the upset loss to the Eagles this weekend, this is still the best team in the NFC due to their nice win over the Packers a few weeks ago. Tony Romo's thumb injury isn't that serious and he'll be ready to go by the divisional round of the playoffs.
4. Green Bay Packers (12-2)- They still have an outside shot at clinching home field throughout the playoffs. That's something they will want because Brett Favre has yet to win in Dallas.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)- They don't have a shot at winning the division, but is any team, outside of the Patriots, scarier in the AFC right now? I don't think so. They proved their mettle this week in a win against Pittsburgh.
6. San Diego Chargers (9-5)- Boy they sure picked the right time to get hot. They do have the the benefit of playing in the second weakest division in the NFL, but they have taken care of business and gotten back to handing the ball off to LT which makes them potent. Once Antonio Gates gets back to full health, this team will be about as dangerous as the 14-2 team was last year.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)- They have yet to prove they can be consistent on the road, with their only two road wins coming in Cleveland and Cincinnati. They are poised to drop the NFC North to the aforementioned Browns if they don't figure out a way to win their last two games, which are both on the road.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)- Well it only took 1,865 tries, but the Buccaneers finally returned a kick-off for a touchdown in their drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
9. Minnesota Vikings (8-6)- Whoever plays the Vikings in the playoffs will have to figure out how to stop Adrian Peterson, or they won't be around long.
10. Cleveland Browns (9-5)- It was a nasty day in Cleveland, but they still managed to beat a pretty good Buffalo team. They have an outside shot at winning the division still.
11. Seattle Seahawks (9-5)- That was a pathetic loss to Carolina when they still had a shot at a first round bye. They won't be around in the playoffs long if they don't figure out a way to run the ball.
12. Tennessee Titans (8-6)- They kept their playoff hopes alive with a solid win over Kansas City.
13. Buffalo Bills (7-7)- Even though the Bills have virtually no shot at the playoffs, they can build off this season that was full of close losses. A few different bounces of the ball and they could be in the playoffs.
14. New York Giants (9-5)- this team is definitely one of the biggest pretenders in the league. Eli Manning has just looked lost lately. Though, when has he ever really looked solid?
15. Washington Redskins (7-7)- A nice win over the Giants kept them in the hunt for the playoffs. Wins over Minnesota next week and Dallas in the finale puts them in good position for the final playoff spot.
16. New Orleans Saints (7-7)- This week will go a long way to determining how good this team really is. They're capable of beating pretty good teams (Jacksonville) and also losing to terrible teams (Carolina). The Eagles are, and this pains me to say, better than their record reflects, and they are definitely capable of embarrassing the Saints this weekend.
17. Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)- I don't think there is a better team in the league with a losing record than the Eagles. Their win over Dallas on Sunday proved that they could have been much more this year, but Minnesota's victory over the Bears eliminated any hope they had at reaching the playoffs.
18. Houston Texans (7-7)- A mediocre year for a mediocre team. Nice win over Denver though.
19. Arizona Cardinals (6-8)- Their playoff hopes went out the window with the loss to New Orleans, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the playoffs next year.
20. Carolina Panthers (6-8)- Even with all the uncertainties at quarterback this team has put together a decent year.
21. Denver Broncos (6-8)- They need to learn how to win on the road before they'll sniff the playoffs again.
22. Detroit Lions (6-8)- Six weeks ago they were sitting at 6-2 and looked like they had the inside track for a wild card spot. Then it all came apart. An 8 game losing streak to finish the year is all but inevitable.
23. Chicago Bears (5-9)- The year after Da Bears made it back to the Super Bowl they have reverted to Duh Bears.
24. Cincinnati Bengals (5-9)- They're in position to play spoiler if they can beat Cleveland this weekend.
25. Oakland Raiders (4-10)- Well they have doubled their win total from last year... but don't expect them to do any better than that.
26. Kansas City Chiefs (4-10)- A two game winning streak to close out the year is not unthinkable and could go a long way towards giving this team some confidence.
27. Baltimore Ravens (4-10)- Come on, who loses to the Miami Dolphins? You had the ball on the half yard line and opted for the field goal? Lame.
28. New York Jets (3-11)- I'm really surprised how well they played against the Patriots. Well is a relative term however.
29. St. Louis Rams (3-11)- It's nice to see that even though injuries have decimated this team this year, they have not quit for their coach. I respect that.
30. San Francisco 49ers (4-10)- This team is pathetic, but not quite as pathetic as the Atlanta Falcons or the Miami Dolphins.
31. Atlanta Falcons (3-11)- This team is pathetic, but not quite as pathetic as the Miami Dolphins. Also, owner Arthur Blank is NOT RACIST.
32. Miami Dolphins (1-13)- You got your win. Whoop-de-do. Now please, go and lose your last two games and become the most pathetic team of the decade. I can't wait to see the '72 Dolphins faces when they can't hold their little champagne party once the Patriots topple their mark this year.

Happy Holidays From Rasheed Wallace and Co.

K-Mart's NFL Picks- Week 15

Game of the Week:

New York Jets (3-10) at New England (13-0)- This is the one we've all been waiting for since week 1 when Eric “Not-so-Man-Genius” Mangini blew the whistle on Bill “I-can't-believe-we-got-caught-filming-their-crappy-signals” Belichick for taping his team's crappy signals. The relationship between the two is already frosty and this incident is just fuel for the fire of what should become an intense rivalry for years to come. The question here isn't “Will the Patriots win?” The question is “What scoring records will the Patriots break in the slaughter that is to come?” The most points scored in an NFL game occurred in 1940 when the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 to win the NFL title. That is also the greatest margin of victory in the NFL. Chances are Belichick knows this and will try to break it this weekend. Is 100 points out of the question?

Patriots 81 Jets 13

Game of the Week Part 2:

Jacksonville (9-4) at Pittsburgh (9-4)- Anthony Smith might want to keep his mouth shut in the future. He guaranteed a win against the Patriots and then was burned twice for long touchdowns. If the loss wasn't bad enough, the Steelers found out that stud defensive end Aaron Smith is out for the rest of the season with torn biceps. The Jaguars on the other hand are getting solid production from running back Fred Taylor who has three straight 100 yard games for the first time since 2004. While he won't get 100 this week, the Jags offense will prove too much for the Steelers hurting defense to handle.

Jaguars 24 Steelers 20

Dud of the Week:

Baltimore (4-9) at Miami (0-13)- Something has to give this week. Either the Ravens' seven game losing streak or the Dolphins 16 game losing streak. The Ravens' Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have too much pride to lose this game, but can that translate into some offensive success for the Ravens? The Dolphins continue to find new and interesting ways to lose their games, and I've become fairly certain that most Division 1-FBS teams could beat them... including Notre Dame. I'm pretty sure that Boston has sucked up all the will to win from Miami teams. The Marlins got rid of their only decent players, the Dolphins are one of the most inept teams ever to play in the NFL, the Heat have forgotten how to win, and Florida International University has gone over two years without winning a football game. This year in Boston, the Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots are mowing through opponents, the Celtics are a stunning 18-2 and even the Bruins are on track to make the playoffs. Oh did I mention that Boston College nearly won the ACC title this year too? Conspiracy? I think so.

Ravens 27 Dolphins 13

Master vs. Apprentice:

Denver (6-7) at Houston (6-7)- There may be a little more love between Mike Shanahan and his former assistant Greg Kubiak than there is between Belichick and Mangini, but only one team can win this game and with the teams pretty evenly matched I'm sticking with the Master on this one. The Broncos are bad on the road, but Houston's running attack of Ron Dayne and Ahman Green doesn't scare me. Both teams are coming off nice wins last week- the Texans upset Tampa Bay last week and Denver blew Kansas City out of the water.

Broncos 28 Texans 24

How Did This Get Primetime?

Cincinnati (5-8) at San Francisco (3-10)- Cincinnati can salvage some dignity out of a pretty bad season by finishing with a four game winning streak to go 8-8. With San Francisco, Miami, and a home date with Cleveland, this isn't out of the question. The 49ers on the other hand, can look forward to a 3-13 record and a high first round draft choice that could help right the ship... oh wait, they traded that to the Patriots... damn.

Bungles 34 49ers 17

Sunday Night:

Washington (6-7) at New York Giants (9-4)- Woah woah woah- it's the middle of December and the Giants aren't choking? What's wrong with the league these days? No matter, the Redskins can make up for their second half collapse against the Giants in week three by going into the Meadowlands and stealing a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Eli has found ways to win two close games lately, but his luck is going to run out here.

Redskins 26 Giants 21

Monday Night:

Chicago (5-8) at Minnesota (7-6)- San Fransisco managed to contain Adrian Peterson last week, but its nice to have a backup running back that produces the way Chester Taylor does. The Vikings will ride this two headed monster as far as they can in the playoffs. I'm not sure anyone wants to face this team right now, certainly not the Bears who are suffering from the Super Bowl loser's hangover.

Vikings 38 Bears 20

All the rest:

Atlanta (3-10) at Tampa Bay (8-5)- Atlanta lost coach Bobby Petrino Tuesday when he resigned and signed on to be head coach at Arkansas. This ends any hopes of a Petrion-Brian Brohm reunion in Atlanta next season, but that doesn't mean the Falcons should pass on drafting Brohm this year. With Vick locked away for 23 months, they need a viable option at quarterback. Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich are not those options. The Buccaneers on the other hand were embarrassed by Houston last week and need to come back strong here because New Orleans still has a shot at winning the division.

Buccos 24 Falcons 14

Seattle (9-4) at Carolina (5-8)- Vinny Testaverde was the starter again in Carolina last week and David Carr's career is likely over as he was dropped to third on the depth chart. I kinda feel bad for the guy, he never got a chance to play with a team that had anything that resembles an offensive line. If God really hates him, Carr will be starting for St. Louis next year. The Seahawks meanwhile have wrapped of the NFC West and is in good position for the third seed in the playoffs if they keep winning. Games against teams like the Panthers help.

Seahawks 31 Panthers 7

Green Bay (11-2) at St. Louis (3-10)- The Packers are pretty much locked into the second seed in the NFC and a first round bye, but an upset loss to the Rams could make things interesting. It won't happen though because the Rams most likely won't have Marc Bulger back for the game. Call me crazy, but I don't trust Gus Frerotte or Brock Berlin (who the hell is he?) to lead the Rams to an upset. Here's the funky stat of the week: even though the Rams started 0-8, they weren't officially eliminated from the playoffs until their loss this past Sunday. Any takers for the NFC being mediocre?

Packers 38 Rams 24

Arizona (6-7) at New Orleans (6-7)- Well the Cardinals playoff hopes took a huge hit last week in Seattle thanks in part to Kurt Warner's FIVE interceptions. Therefore, he has won my “I'm doing my best Rex Grossman impression” award this week. The Cardinals better find a win this week, or they can kiss the playoffs goodbye. The Saints want this game bad, with Tampa Bay losing last week, they have an outside shot of winning the division for the second year in a row. Funky stat of the week #2: The Cardinals haven't been above .500 in week 13 of the season since 1986. I wasn't even born then. How's that for futility.

Saints 27 Cardinals 24

Buffalo (7-6) at Cleveland (8-5)- This is the first time since the 1980's these two teams have played a meaningful game. This game will go a long way towards determining who's in and who's out of the playoffs this year. The winner of this game has the inside track to the final wild card spot.

Browns 34 Bills 28

Tennessee (7-6) at Kansas City (4-9)- The Titans all but killed their chances when they blew a two touchdown lead late in the 4^th quarter to San Diego last week. However, even though they're traveling to Arrowhead Stadium, they should be able to handle the Chiefs and keep their playoff hopes alive for another week. A loss here and they're done.

Titans 27 Chiefs 14

Indianapolis (11-2) at Oakland (4-9)- The Raiders made the Super Bowl in 2002 and haven't recovered since. They haven't won more than 4 games in a season since then and are looking at their 4^th 4-12 finish in 5 seasons. The Colts on the other hand have had only one season with more than 4 losses since 2002 when they went 10-6. They're also looking at their second 14 win season in 2 years.

Colts 44 Raiders 7

Detroit (6-7) at San Diego (8-5)- 10 wins went out the window last week with a last second loss to the Cowboys. The Lions did, however, show two things last week. They're not dead, and they know how to run the football. The Chargers have finally gotten back to the power rushing style of play that made them so successful last season and had a nice come from behind win last week against Tennessee. This is gonna be a good one, but in the end the Chargers should pull it out again.

Chargers 24 Detroit 20

Philadelphia (5-8) at Dallas (12-1)- The Cowboys look pretty unstoppable right now. Tony Romo has orchestrated two last second wins this year and the Cowboys will wrap up home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win this week. The Eagles are stumbling again after a mid season push that brought them to .500. They could easily finish the year 5-11 with a six game losing streak since they have an away game in New Orleans next week and finish out the year against Buffalo at home. Both of those teams are fighting for their playoff lives and the Eagles will suffer from it.

Dallas 41 Eagles 27

Last week: 14-2
Overall: 31-15

Tom's NFL Picks- Week 15

Denver @ Houston
-Denver

Cincinnati @ San Francisco
- Cincinnati

Arizona @ New Orleans
-New Orleans

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
-Tampa Bay

Baltimore @ Miami
-Baltimore

Buffalo @ Cleveland
-Buffalo

Green Bay @ St. Louis
- Green Bay

Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh
-Pittsburgh

NY Jets @ New England
-New England

Seattle @ Carolina
- Seattle

Tennessee @ Kansas City
- Tennessee

Indianapolis @ Oakland
-Indianapolis

Detroit @ San Diego
-San Diego

Philadelphia @ Dallas
-Dallas

Washington @ NY Giants
-NY Giants

Chicago @ Minnesota
-Minnesota

Last Week: 14-2
Season: 140-68

K-Mart's NFL Picks- Week 14

Game of the Week:

Pittsburgh (9-3) at New England (12-0)- Two close calls in two weeks for the Patriots. This week could be the week that they lose... or they could beat down the Steelers the way they beat down other top teams this year. Anthony Smith has not helped the Steelers out with his guarantee of a win. I can't pick against the Pats.

Patriots 30 Steelers 23

Dud of the Week:

St. Louis (3-9) at Cincinnati (4-8)- Which team is more inept? Well we should know by four pm Sunday. The should be high powered Bungle's offense should have a field day because the Rams defense is second worst in the NFC.

Bengals 38 Rams 24

Chicago (5-7) at Washington (5-7)- The winner of this game can cling onto their playoff hopes. The loser is looking at a high draft choice this year. The Redskins should win, as long as they keep the ball away from Devin Hester. Isn't that always the game plan?

Redskins 24 Bears 20

Carolina (5-7) at Jacksonville (8-4)- The Jaguars nearly pulled off the upset at Indy last week. The Panthers will suffer the same fate this week.

Jaguars 27 Panthers 17

New York Giants (8-4) at Philadelphia (5-7)- The Giants stopped their three game slide with a win over Chicago last week. A.J. “Touchy” Feeley singlehandedly doomed the Eagles by throwing another 4 interceptions- three of them to Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupa. Therefore, Feeley has become the winner of my first weekly “I'm doing my best Rex Grossman impression” award. 7 interceptions in two weeks? Could it be that the Eagles really need Donovan McNabb back?

Giants 34 Eagles 21

Tampa Bay (8-4) at Houston (5-7)- The Buccaneers basically wrapped up their division with that last second win over the Saints last week. The Texans' futility should continue this week.

Buccaneers 20 Texans 7

Miami (0-12) at Buffalo (6-6)- Well the Bills ruined the Redskins tribute to Sean Taylor last week, and while I'm a little pissed at them, I still can't pick against them this week since they're playing the Dolphins. Come on 0-16!

Bills 27 Dolphins 13

Oakland (4-8) at Green Bay (10-2)- Don't look now, but the Raiders are rising from the dredges of the league to mere mediocrity. They have won a full two AFC West games this year, and in the process, have doubled their win total from last year. Don't expect them to win this week though, Brett Favre returns for the Packers who will bounce back after that loss to Dallas last week.

Packers 31 Raiders 17

Dallas (11-1) at Detroit (6-6)- Well Jon Kitna, you'd better find something fast because ten losses is looking much more likely than ten wins this year. Dallas, San Diego, Kansas City and Green Bay... tell me where are those ten wins coming from?

Cowboys 45 Lions 24

San Diego (7-5) at Tennessee (7-5) – The Titans need to win this game to stay in the playoff hunt. A loss and they're gonna need some big help to get in. The Chargers pretty much wrap up the division with a win in this game.

Titans 28 Chargers 24

Minnesota (6-6) at San Francisco (3-9)- Is there a scarier team than the Vikings right now? Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor is a devastating 1-2 punch, and apparently the only way to slow it down is by tearing Peterson's LCL.

Vikings 35 49ers 14

Arizona (6-6) at Seattle (8-4)- The Cardinals had a nice win over Cleveland last week and could make the playoffs if they beat the Seahawks this week. That probably isn't going to happen though.

Seahawks 30 Caridnals 27

Cleveland (7-5) at New York Jets (3-9)- The Jets 40 point explosion last week was a farce. They were playing the worst team in the league. Don't look for their success to be replicated against the worst defense in the league though. The Browns felt like they were jobbed on the final play to Kellen Winslow last week and will come out firing.

Browns 42 Jets 20

Kansas City (4-8) at Denver (5-7)- This is another one of those meaningless games being played this week. I'm going with the Broncos mainly because they're playing at home... and the Chiefs have lost five straight games.

Broncos 27 Chiefs 20

Indianapolis (10-2) at Baltimore (4-8)- The Ravens could make a good case for being snakebitten. On New England's final drive last week, I just got a sense of inevitability as they drove down field and the Ravens began imploding. Look for the Ravens 6 game losing streak to be extended.

Colts 30 Ravens 21

New Orleans (5-7) at Atlanta (3-9)- Wow this is the worst Monday Night Game in recent memory.

Saints 38 Falcons 20

Tom's Picks- Week 14

Chicago @ Washington
-Chicago

Carolina @ Jacksonville
-Jacksonville

Dallas @ Detroit
-Dallas

Miami @ Buffalo
-Buffalo

NY Giants @ Philadelphia
-NY Giants

Oakland @ Green Bay
-Green Bay

San Diego @ Tennessee
-San Diego

St. Louis @ Cincinnati
- Cincinnati

Tampa Bay @ Houston
-Tampa Bay

Arizona @ Seattle
-Seattle

Minnesota @ San Francisco
-Minnesota

Pittsburgh @ New England
- New England

Cleveland @ NY Jets
-Cleveland

Kansas City @ Denver
- Denver

Indianapolis @ Baltimore
- Indianapolis

New Orleans @ Atlanta
- New Orleans

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 126-66

Carl From Aqua Teen Hungar Force On The BCS

"BCS should stand for Buckeyes Can Suck It!"

K- Mart's NFL Picks- Week 13

So after a two week hiatus due to loads of school work and some great Thanksgiving food, my picks have made their glorious return to tell you, my faithful one or two readers, who to pick this weekend. But before we get into the picks, I ask you all, that in honor of the Redskins' Sean Taylor, please follow this link and vote to put Sean Taylor, the NFL's best safety, into the Pro Bowl, where he most assuredly would have been for years to come had his life not been snatched from us so early in his career. Here's to you #21.

Game of the Week:

Green Bay (10-1) at Dallas (10-1)- Three weeks ago we got a match-up of unbeatens in the AFC that would determine home field throughout the AFC playoffs. Now we have a match-up in the NFC that will determine home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. I like the Packers in this game even though they're likely going to be playing with out Charles Woodson. Look for T.O. to drop a few key passes. The Cowboys have yet to prove they can stop anyone through the air and Brett Favre is still a better quarterback than Tony Romo. Plus Romo may very well be day dreaming about Jessica Simpson the entire game. I mean, I would be.

Packers – 38 Cowboys – 24

Dud of the Week:

New York Jets (2-9) at Miami (0-11)- The Dolphins best shot at winning a game this year comes against the Jets. Even though the Jets did manage to beat the Steelers two weeks ago that can be considered a fluke win. However, Miami will exhibit new ineptitude in finding yet another way to lose a game. Can anyone say 2-0 Jets in overtime?

Jets – 2 Dolphins – 0 (OT)

Best Game that No One Cares About:

Buffalo (5-6) at Washington (5-6)- The Redskins should be fired up for this game after the tragic shooting death of star safety Sean Taylor. If they don't come out in this game impassioned and ready to roll then something is wrong. The Bills will provide a stiff test for the Redskins, but in the end, the Skins will triumph and the Bills will prove yet again that they are still one piece short of being a contender.

Redskins – 24 Bills – 10

Worst Game that No One Cares About:

Atlanta (3-8) at St. Louis (2-9)- The Rams still haven't won at home this year which is surprising as they usually post one of the best home records in the league. The worst thing either of these teams could do right now is go on a winning streak to rise from the dredges of the league into mere mediocrity. Both teams need to fall into high draft picks for next year. That being said, the Rams are still a dangerous team that has been devastated by injuries.

Rams – 27 Falcons – 17

Game with the Most Interesting Story Lines:

Seattle (7-4) at Philadelphia (5-6)- The Seahawks have benefited from playing in a weak division yet again. However, a loss to the Eagles makes things interesting in the division as the Cardinals are lurking just 2 games back. The Eagles on the other hand could be right back in the mix of the wild card with a win. They showed last week that they can scare teams and play pretty good football. The Eagles also have the luxury of playing at home instead of against the Seahawks 12^th man.

Eagles – 24 Seahawks – 21

Sunday Night Sleeper:

Cincinnatti (4-7) at Pittsburgh (8-3)- Are the Steelers part of the elite or just posers? Well it doesn't much matter in this game as the Bengals defense is still atrocious. Hopefully the Steelers will have their field problems worked out in time for this game. That being said, the Steelers defense should have no problems handling the Bengals offense even with a rejuvenated Chad Johnson. Just don't look ahead to New England, or you might find yourself tied with Cleveland in the division race.

Steelers – 20 Bengals – 7

Monday Night Massacre:

New England (11-0) at Baltimore (4-7)- You think the Patriots want a big win? Two of their last three games they've actually been trailing late but managed to pull out the victory. Next week they're facing the league's best defense. The Pats will look to make a statement against the Ravens, who's offense is about as good as it was last year (terrible) but who's defense has proven it can no longer carry the team. For the third straight week, I'm predicting the Pats to hang 50+ points on a team. You can bet the house that Tom Brady will be throwing for touchdowns on fourth and short with three minutes left and a 30 point lead.

Patriots – 56 Ravens - 14

All the Rest:

San Diego (6-5) at Kansas City (4-7)- Herm Edwards decided to be ballsy at the wrong moment last week. Going for it took guts, but backfired on him. The Chiefs really needed a win last week as their division hopes are fading fast. The best thing they have going for them this week is that the Chargers are 1-4 on the road.

Chargers – 30 Chiefs – 17

Houston (5-6) at Tennessee (6-5)- The Titans need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Texans are looking more like the two win teams of years past than the team that started this season.

Titans – 17 Texans – 10

Jacksonville (8-3) at Indianapolis (9-2)- These two teams met late last season in what was a disastrous game for the Colts. They recovered nicely to go on and win the Super Bowl. This year however, a loss may cost them the division and a home game in the playoffs. The Jaguars have been looking pretty good lately.

Jaguars – 34 Colts – 28

San Fransisco (3-8) at Carolina (4-7)- The 49ers surprised everyone last week and showed they still know how to win a game, although they kinda lucked into it. The Panthers on the other hand are still starting different quarterbacks every week, but hey, I guess anyone can qb when you have Steve Smith to throw to.

Panthers – 24 49ers – 17

Detroit (6-5) at Minnesota (5-6)- The Lions were flying high this season and Jon Kitna's prediction of 10 wins looked like a real possibility... that is until the Lions hit the meat of their schedule. Three straight losses to Arizona, the New York Giants and Green Bay with Dallas, San Diego and a rematch with Green Bay left to go makes this look like an 8-8 season at best. The Vikings can win if they have a healthy Adrian Peterson and if the secondary suddenly learns how to cover the wide recievers.

Lions – 38 Vikings – 20

Cleveland (7-4) at Arizona (5-6)- You'll find no bigger Cincinnati fans than Browns fans this week. A win coupled with a Pittsburgh loss to Cincinnati will put the Browns in an unfamiliar position: 1^st place in the division. And with a total of zero games remaining against winning teams, the Browns, yes that's right, the Cleveland “We Don't Know How To Handle a Winning Football Team” Browns could finish the year 12-4. Someone go check the temperature in hell please, I think it's frozen over.

Browns – 35 Cardinals – 28

Denver (5-6) at Oakland (3-8)- Is there a worse team in the NFL that is still in contention for the division title? I think not. That being said, the Raiders finally snapped their losing streak against the AFC West last week with a win at Kansas City. Look for them to start a new record of futility this week.

Broncos – 28 Raiders – 17

New York Giants (7-4) at Chicago Bears (5-6)- Is it November? It must be because the Giants are losing again. After two straight years of 6-2 starts, the Giants have started sliding back down to earth. Eli Manning must have thought Halloween was at the end of November, not October, as he came to the Minnesota game dressed as Rex “Sex Cannon” Grossman. Seriously, three pick sixes? How do you do that? More disturbing is the fact that I still got 12 fantasy points from him... This week will be a race to see who can throw the most interceptions, Grossman or Manning. I've got my money on Grossman, but at least the Bears have Devin Hester who could very well break the NFL record for most returns for touchdowns by the end of the season. He'd be out of a job if opposing teams would just kick out of bounds.

Hester – 14 Giants – 10

Tampa Bay (7-4) at New Orleans (5-6)- The Buccaneers had a solid win at Washington last week and they should make the playoffs easily now. The Saints playoff hopes hinge on this game, a win and they're a game out of first in the division, a loss all but eliminates them from contention.

Buccos – 20 Saints - 14

Tom's NFL Picks- Week 13

Green Bay @ Dallas
- Dallas

Atlanta @ St. Louis
-St. Louis

Buffallo @ Washington
- Washington

Detroit @ Minnesota
-Minnesota

Houston @ Tennessee
-Tennessee
- Don't let me down four times in a row Tennessee!

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
-Jacksonville

NY Jets @ Miami
- NY Jets

San Diego @ Kansas City
- San Diego

Seattle @ Philadelphia
-Philadelphia

San Francisco @ Carolina
- Carolina

Cleveland @ Arizona
- Cleveland

Denver @ Oakland
-Denver

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
- Tampa Bay

NY Giants @ Chicago
-Chicago

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh

New England @ Baltimore
- New England

Last Week: 10-6 (HBO Picks)
Season: 116-60 (HBO Picks)

The Good Times With Sean Taylor

A recent compilation of his highlights



One of him in Miami



A Hits compilation



The Best Hit I've EVER seen

R.I.P Sean Taylor 1983-2007

I'm sure everyone who reads this will know by now but I just had to collect my thoughts and share what I know about the situation. As I posted yesterday he was shot and in critical condition. He had slipped into a coma later in the day but had come out of it and was responsive to doctors. Sometime overnight things took a turn for the worse and some reports say they had to crack his chest open to try to save him but were unsuccessful.

What I know about the break in is that there was a previous forced entry to the house 8 days ago and they went through his things and left a knife on the bed. The police says the intruders cut the phone lines before entering two nights ago, and Taylor and his girlfriend heard noises and Taylor grabbed a machete he kept for protection and the intruder came in and fired two shots, one missing and the other striking Taylor in the thigh hitting the femoral artery which was the fatal wound. Taylor had a young daughter who was in the room with them when it occured.

I'm so tired of these senseless acts of violence. I can think of three involving athletes specifically. Darrent Williams, Paul Pierce and this but there's hundreds of thousands that happen every year and no one ever learns. When is our society going to wake up and realize this isn't the way it should be?

Rest in peace Sean.

Redskins' Taylor Shot, In Critical Condition

ESPN

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. -- Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor was shot at his home Monday and was in critical condition, and police are investigating a possible robbery.

Officers were sent to Taylor's home at about 1:45 a.m. after his girlfriend called 911 and said he was shot in his lower body, Lt. Nancy Perez said. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, she said, but did not disclose how many times he was shot.

The Miami Herald reported paramedics found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin. A family friend who did not want to be identified told ABC-TV 10 in Miami that Taylor was shot twice.

Investigators were still interviewing the girlfriend and other relatives who were in the home to try to determine what happened, Perez said.

This is just sad and more and more athletes seems to be victims of home robberies. Then people wonder why athletes arm themselves, its just one violent, sad cycle.

"He Was Giving Him The Business"

Words cannot describe how funny this clip is. I think that every referee should make calls the way Ron Cherry does. Could you imagine how hilarious watching football would be?

Tom's NFL Picks- Turkey Day Edition

Green Bay @ Detroit

- Green Bay

NY Jets @ Dallas

- Dallas

Indianapolis @ Atlanta

- Indianapolis

Last Week- 12-4
Season- 20-10

Angels Land Hunter

USA Today

Free-agent center fielder Torii Hunter signed a five-year, $90 million contract late Wednesday night with the Los Angeles Angels, agent Larry Reynolds told USA TODAY.
Hunter, considered the top free-agent center fielder on the market, spurned five-year offers from the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.

Hunter, 32, who hit .287 with 28 home runs and 107 RBI last season for the Minnesota Twins, is the Angels' second big acquisition this week. The Angels traded for starter Jon Garland of the Chicago White Sox on Monday in exchange for shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

"We are very excited to have Torii joining our organization," said Angels general manager Tony Reagins. "Not only is he an outstanding ballplayer but he's also an outstanding human being. He'll impact our ballclub and community in a very positive way."

The acquisition of Hunter will move Gary Matthews Jr. from center field to right field and Vladimir Guerrero to the DH spot.

Good pick up by the Angels and should give some help to Vlad who has no one who's a threat to surround him in the lineup a la David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. At least they spent the money to bolster the lineup and leave more room to spend instead of throwing a ton of cash Alex Rodriguez's way.

Joe Pa Takes a Tumble

Kind of sums up the whole year for the Penn State football team doesn't it?

Andrea Kramer Wants Tom Brady...BAD

Could this interview have been more unprofessional? She might as well have done the interview in her underwear while rubbing Tom Brady's groin. See ya next Sunday.

It's 'Lights Out' for Shawne Merriman

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. What an effort by Jones-Drew to do that to a guy who's almost twice his size.

Report: Arenas to Miss 3 Months

ESPN

Arenas had been experiencing swelling and soreness in the knee which he had surgically repaired late last season. After sitting out the past two games, Arenas underwent an MRI Wednesday morning. He underwent the surgery later in the afternoon.

Arenas thinks he reinjured the knee on Friday.

"Everything just started hurting after the game," Arenas said, according to the Washington Post. "The pain came out of nowhere."

Team officials say the surgery was a success and Arenas will begin rehabilitation soon.

"It's a downer because I really thought I was getting back," Arenas said, according to the Post. "It's a big setback but I guess I'll start all over again."

It looks like this may be a major setback for Agent Zero, who is able to opt out at the end of this year and could cost him millions of dollars.

Priest Holmes Announces Retirement

ESPN

"I have truly been blessed with the opportunity to play in the National Football League," he said. "I will be forever grateful to the Hunt family and the Chiefs organization for the opportunity to come to Kansas City, where the community embraced me from Day 1."

Holmes, 34, spent the past few days counseling with family members and friends, and speaking with medical experts about a re-occurrence of the neck problems that sidelined him for two years, two sources close to him told ESPN.com on Tuesday night. The decision to retire came after Holmes suffered three hits in last Sunday's game at Indianapolis that left him with some tingling in his extremities.

Holmes was one of the best runners in the NFL during his prime and a true underdog story. Good luck in retirement Priest.

Ducks' Dixon Out For Season

ESPN

The quarterback tore his anterior cruciate ligament during Oregon's 35-23 victory over Arizona State on Nov. 3, according to coach Mike Bellotti, but he had rested it and felt as if he was ready to play Thursday night against the Wildcats.

Now Dixon will miss the rest of this season.

This is a crushing blow for Oregon. Not only do they lose their national title hopes, they lose their star QB along with them. This also won't do wonders for Dixon's draft stock come April either.

Tom and Zach's NFL Picks- Week 11

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

Tom: Tampa Bay
Zach: Tampa Bay

Arizona @ Cincinnati

Tom: Arizona
Zach: Cincinatti

Cleveland @ Baltimore

Tom: Cleveland
Zach: Cleveland

Carolina @ Green Bay

Tom: Green Bay
Zach: Green Bay

New Orleans @ Houston

Tom: New Orleans
Zach: New Orleans

Kansas City @ Indianapolis

Tom: Indianapolis
Zach: Indianapolis

San Diego @ Jacksonville

Tom: Jacksonville
Zach: Jacksonville

Oakland @ Minnesota

Tom: Oakland
Zach: Minnesota

Miami @ Philadelphia

Tom: Philadelphia
Zach: Philadelphia

NY Giants @ Detroit

Tom: NY Giants
Zach: NY Giants

Pittsburgh @ NY Jets

Tom: Pittsburgh
Zach: Pittsburgh

Washington @ Dallas

Tom: Dallas
Zach: Dallas

St. Louis @ San Francisco

Tom: St. Louis
Zach: St. Louis

Chicago @ Seattle

Tom: Seattle
Zach: Seattle

New England @ Buffalo

Tom: New England
Zach: New England

Tennessee @ Denver

Tom: Tennessee
Zach: Tennessee

Last Week:

Tom: 8-6
Zach: 6-8

Season:

Tom: 8-6
Zach: 6-8

Lakers, Pistons Had Agreed to Kobe Deal

Real GM

According to radio station 1270 AM in Detroit, theLakers and Pistons came to an agreement to trade Bryant to the Pistons.

However, Bryant used his no-trade clause to veto the trade.

The report claims the deal was completed late Tuesday night.

Detroit would have sent Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, Amir Johnson and a first round pick to the Lakers

I think this would have been an awful deal for Detroit. No way, under any circumstances, do you give up that many players, especially two from your starting five for Kobe. People in Detroit would have been scouring Detroit looking for Joe Dumars to hang him. Good thing for the fans (myself included) that Kobe doesn't want to play in Detroit.

Note: Just for fun I created a starting lineup for Detroit had Kobe joined the team

PG: Chauncey Billups
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Flip Murray or Jason Maxiell
PF: Antonio McDyess
C: Rasheed Wallace

Peavy Unanimously Takes NL Cy Young

ESPN

The San Diego Padres ace received all 32 first-place votes and finished with 160 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Arizona sinkerballer Brandon Webb, last year's winner, was a distant runner-up with 94 points. He was listed second on 31 ballots and third on one.

Lowell To The Yankees?....At First Base???

ESPN

As a Red Sox fan, the thought of this sickens me. This is Johnny Damon re-deux, not that losing Damon hurt the Sox in the long run, it's just the principle. The Sox have been balking at giving Lowell a fourth year on the contract and I think the Sox just have to bite the bullet on this one and give Lowell the extra year. If Theo Epstein and company were so willing to spend $110 million on a pitcher who never competed on the major league level just to keep him from wearing pinstripes, shouldn't they do it for their Gold Glove, All-Star, MVP candidate third baseman?

A-Rod A Yankee Again?

ESPN

Why does this not shock me? Once I heard that A-Rod asked for a whopping 350 million from the Yankees I knew he'd come back. Why? Because every other team that may have been interested in him backed off cause no one is insane to pay that much money, even the Yankees. Scott Boras, Rodriguez's agent greatly overestimated his client's value and they had to come crawling back to the Yankees.

Start 'Em/Sit 'Em with Zach Albert- Week 11

Start Em

Earnest Graham- If you’re in need of a running back I suggest you pick this guy up and especially for this week. The falcons are the 23^rd ranked rushing defense in the league and Graham has been outstanding in place of the injured Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman. Graham should have yet again another great game.

Chris Henry- With Henry back Carson Palmer has yet another great target to throw at and yes the Cardinals Pass defense is ranked 10^th, giving up just over 200 yards a game but lets get real here, do u think the cardinals are really going to stop Carson Palmer?? With Ocho Cinco and T.J I am not even going to try to spell his last name covered Henry is another great weapon at Palmer’s disposal.

Andre Johnson- This is Johnson’s first game back since his injury but the Saints defense is still at the bottom of the league. It should be safe to start Johnson and I think he’ll have a big game and it may be safe to keep him in your regular lineup but still keep an eye on his injury.

Kevin Curtis- The Dolphins are dead last in interceptions and even with their 5^th best passing defense in yards allowed what’s their record again?? Oh yeah its 0-9 that’s right. Curtis will have a big game as long as Donovan Mcnabb can get him the ball, which I believe he will against this horrible Dolphins team.

Sit em

Jon Kitna- Kitna’s been having a Pro Bowl like year but I think he’ll have a hard time this week against the Giants fierce pass rush. The Giants have allowed the fifth most touchdowns in the league but look for Kitna to struggle against the force of Strahan, Umenyiora, and Kiwanuka all day long.

Phillip Rivers- Even with a win last week Rivers had a horrible game with just 104 yards passing and 2 interceptions. His numbers had declined since well the Houston game and that’s not saying much to have a good game against that defense. Rivers hasn’t been consistent enough to have him as your number one quarterback right now. I would start looking for a new starter.

Steve Smith- He hasn’t been the best receiver and his stats are way down since before the bye week and its not going to get any easier for him this week as Smith and the panthers travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers with Brett Favre and their 3^rd ranked defense.

Bears Defense-With the Seahawks offense clicking on all cylinders and Deion Branch coming back its going to be a rough day for this Bears defense. Lets face it, the Chicago defense isn’t the same from a year ago when their defense used to take over games. Lots of key players are missing from that defense of a year ago and I don’t think this Chicago defense will be as reliable as they were last year.

K-Mart's NFL Power Rankings- Week 11

1. New England Patriots (9-0)- Coming off their bye week they have Buffalo, they won't miss a beat from the first half of their season.

2. Indianapolis Colts (7-2)- Despite Manning's six interceptions and a loss to San Diego, this is still the second best team in the country but...

3. Green Bay Packers (8-1)- Yes the Packers, not Dallas, are the best team in the NFC, and the way they've been playing, could be the second best team in the league shortly.

4. Dallas Cowboys (8-1)- They did just beat the New York Football Giants to end their six game winning streak but Dallas' defense definitely needs work
   

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)- The Steelers survived a scare from Cleveland this week, perhaps their defense isn't as dominating as it appeared against Baltimore?

6. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3)- They get this spot for their domination of Tennessee on Sunday, but the Jaguars have been a streaky team in years past, this may not last long.

7. Tennessee Titans (6-3)- Vince Young needs to elevate his game and Albert Haynesworth needs to stay healthy for this team to continue to win. Lendale White has been a nice surprise this year.

8. New York Giants (6-3)- For the second time this year the Giants have been ripped up by Terrell Owens. But another six game winning streak this year isn't a stretch of the imagination.

9. Detroit Lions (6-3)- In six wins this year they've outscored opponents 176-95. In three losses they've been outscored 121-45. I see five more losses on their record this year unless their defense improves quickly.

10. Cleveland Browns (5-4)- They're a missed field goal away from knocking off the team with the best defense in the league. Who needs Brady Quinn when you have Derek Andersen and Braylon Edwards?

11. San Diego Chargers (5-4) – They escaped with a win over Indianapolis and Norv Turner obviously has no clue what he's doing, but if their defense and special teams keep producing, this team has enough talent on offense for it to wake up and the Chargers to become a scary team again.

12. Buffalo Bills (5-4)- This may seem like a stretch, but I've been saying all season the Bills are better than their record reflects. A couple last second losses have hurt them, but this is the team that has played Dallas the toughest besides New England.

13. Washington Redskins (5-4)- Penalties and a blown call cost the Redskins this past weekend. Now they have to pull off a couple of upsets in order to reach the playoffs. They can't keep blowing halftime leads like this.

14. Seattle Seahawks (5-4)- Shutouts are always nice, but the 49ers offense is probably couldn't put up 20 on Ohio State.

15. Tampa Bay (5-4)- They're benefiting from being the best team in a bad division. If New Orleans starts winning again, the Buccos won't win the division.

16. Arizona Cardinals (4-5)- The Cardinals posted a nice win over Detroit Sunday and can continue to turn their season around

17. Philadelphia Eagles (4-5)- The Eagles played just well enough to win on Sunday. Don't expect them to do much with the rest of their year, even with Miami coming up on Sunday. They still have a four game stretch where they're at New England, home for Seattle and the Giants, then at Dallas. Ten, even eleven losses is not out of the picture this season.

18. Houston Texans (4-5)- This is a season of missed opportunity for the Texans. They've had close losses to Tennessee and Indy. And then losses that leave you scratching your head like the one to Atlanta. Their schedule is not getting any easier.

19. New Orleans (4-5)- A loss to previously winless St. Louis is not the way you want to end a four game winning streak.

20. Minnesota Vikings (3-6)- Adrian Peterson makes any anemic offense good. Hopefully he gets back fast from that injury.

21. Denver Broncos (4-5)- This team needs some answers and fast. Even though they won last week, they've been struggling along since last November.

22. Kansas City Chiefs (4-5)- How do you lose at home to Denver the week after they get blown out by Detroit? And why did they stop throwing to Dwayne Bowe?

23. Carolina Panthers (4-5)- Their quarterback carousel is definitely not helping this team this year. Some continuity would be nice.

24. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)- They can't control the clock if they don't run the ball. They have Willis McGahee, passing more than running makes no sense.

25. Chicago Bears (4-5)- The Sex Cannon returns and leads the Bears to a win. What? It's ok, he's just fooling Bears fans again. He's good at that.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (3-6)- Carson Palmer and his receiving corps are too good for this team to be 3-6.

27. Atlanta Falcons (3-6)- Bobby Petrino is counting down the days until he can draft Brian Brohm.

28. Oakland Raiders (2-7)- Another bad year in Oakland. Why isn't Jamarcus Russell starting yet?

29. St. Louis Rams (1-8)- Sunday they showed that they can, in fact, play like the team many people thought they would be this year.

30. New York Jets (1-8)- So I guess Kellen Clemens isn't the answer to their problems. I'm not sure there is an answer.

31. San Francisco 49ers (2-7)- It's possible that they will finish last in the league this year. Well at least they'll have the #1 draft pick this year... oh wait, that would go to New England. Please, please, please turn your year around.

32. Miami Dolphins (0-9)- Sooner or later Miami is going to have to figure out how to win a close game.

Tom's NFL Power Rankings- Week 11

1. Patriots
2. Cowboys
3. Packers
4. Steelers
5. Colts
6. Jaguars
7. Giants
8. Titans
9 Browns
10. Chargers
11. Lions
12. Buccaneers
13. Seahawks
14. Bills
15. Eagles
16. Redskins
17. Saints
18. Broncos
19. Cardinals
20. Bears
21. Falcons
22. Chiefs
23. Texans
24. Panthers
25. Bengals
26. Ravens
27. Vikings
28. Raiders
29. 49ers
30. Rams
31. Jets
32. Miami

Sabathia Wins The AL Cy Young

Pitcher	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Sabathia, Cle	19	8	--	119
Josh Beckett, Bos	8	14	4	86
John Lackey, L.A.	1	5	16	36
Others receiving votes: Fausto Carmona, Cle, 7; Erik Bedard, Bal, 1; Roy Halladay, Tor, 1; Johan Santana, Min, 1.; Justin Verlander, Det, 1.

Pacman Jones to Take Plea Deal

ESPN

LAS VEGAS -- Suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones is expected to take a plea deal that will get him probation in return for testimony about a Las Vegas strip club triple shooting, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans cornerback intends to plead no contest to one charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, a gross misdemeanor, in return for a promise to suspend a sentence of one year in county jail, according to a written plea agreement obtained by The Associated Press.

Jones' attorney, Robert Langford, said he would appear on Jones' behalf Tuesday to tell Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo that Jones intends to take a plea. The actual plea will take place at a later date before a Clark County District Court judge.

"He has agreed to testify in whatever hearings come up regarding the shooter," said his attorney, Robert Langford. Jones, who is not expected to appear at Tuesday's hearing, would not be sentenced until after testifying, he said.

Abbatangelo is expected to waive Jones' preliminary hearing on two felony coercion charges stemming from allegations he incited the melee inside the club. The evidentiary hearing was postponed Oct. 29 while plea negotiations continued.

In addition to one year of probation, Jones must attend an anger management program, complete 200 hours of community service within a year and submit to random drug testing, according to the plea deal. Langford said Jones already is subject to drug testing under NFL rules.

What this basically means is that Pacman won't get in major trouble for the fight at the nightclub, but as per the agreement, Pacman will testify about what he knows about the shooter that paralyzed Tom Urbanski. Also, anything that he says in his testimony will not be used against him in the civil cases pending against him.

Posada, Yanks, Agree to Four Year Deal

ESPN

The New York Yankees and Jorge Posada agreed Monday nigh to a $52.4 million, four-year contract that keeps the catcher off the free-agent market.

A five-time All-Star, Posada said Sunday he was "really close" to a deal with the Yankees and his preference was to remain with the only major league team he's played for.

Like we all didn't see this coming. Good deal for the Yankees.

MLB Rookies of the Year

AL: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia
ML: Brewers 3B Ryan Braun

I'm personally rather shocked that Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki did not win in the National League.

Note: Tulowitzki lost to Braun by two points.

Vikes' Peterson Has Torn Ligament

Adrian Peterson has a torn Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) tear in his right knee. He suffered the injury in yesterday's game against Green Bay.

UPDATE: Peterson will not play next week against Oakland

Top 5 Plays of Week 10

5. St Louis' first win- You never like to see a team go winless and it was nice to see St. Louis finally get one in the win column. Also, can we officially call the Saints one year wonders now?




4. Brian Westbrook's 57 yard TD reception- This play is less about Donovan McNabb and more about Brian Westbrook. Westbrook took a short screen pass and turned it into a huge play for the Eagles a la Joseph Addai last week against New England. Westbrook went on to rush for a 100 yards on 20 carries and caught 5 passes for 83 yards and had three total TD's.



3. Bobby Wade's 20 yard TD reception- One of the better catches of the day and the year. Wade was hit between two guys into the endzone, had the ball popped loose, fell onto his back and the ball fell right to him. Wade has shown flashes this year of being a good slot guy. Now only if Vince Young could get Wade and the other receivers the ball.



2. Braylon Edwards 16 yard TD reception- This catch adds to Edwards' highlight reel this season. Edwards has turned into a go-to-guy for QB Derek Anderson and Edwards proved why with this great display of body control. Too bad Cleveland's offense fell apart in the second half and they blew the game



1.Antonio Cromartie's Third Interception- This may be the best interception I have ever seen. To jump that high and then to snag the ball with one hand is just amazing. This adds to Cromartie's breakout season that included his 109 yard return against Minnesota last weekend.

You Won't Like The WWE When They're Angry

This past week, CNN did a special called "Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling" and needless to say the WWE was not happy with it, even though two of their superstars (John Cena and CM Punk) and Vince and Linda McMahon were interviewed. There was one clip from the special that really angered them.

This is the interview in its entirety



This is the CNN edited version



Well it's clear that John Cena got railroaded worse than Homer Simpson on "Rock Bottom". The WWE released a statement on their website to respond to this railroading of their main moneymaker.

In a country in which the news media is highly suspect, and the quality of unbiased reporting has been thrown into the trash can, CNN has stooped to new depths. Notwithstanding the fairness, or lack therein, of CNN’s recent piece entitled “Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling,” perhaps the best example of how CNN misrepresents and unfairly presents their biased, if not illegal, point of view is the comparison of WWE’s unedited video above to CNN’s edited version. CNN’s depiction of John Cena as it relates to steroids is not only professionally and morally wrong, but damaging to his character.

But what I don't get why John Cena had to say the ridicuous thing that he did, like just say no and move on. Of course they'd use that line in the show. The WWE might want to pick a different face of the company next time. How about Chris Jericho? Who managed to not look like a steroid using freak, or get painted as one.

BCS Standings- Week 5

1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
6. West Virginia
7. Ohio State
8. Arizona State
9. Georgia
10. Virginia Tech
11. USC
12. Florida
13. Texas
14. Florida
15. Clemson
16. Hawaii
17. Boston College
18. Boise State
19. Illinois
20. Tennessee
21. Michigan
22. Cincinnati
23. Kentucky
24. Connecticut
25. Wisconsin

Illinois Upset #1 Buckeyes

Yet another upset to add to the dozens we've had so far this year. What a job Ron Zook has done with the Illinois program, he's recruited well since he's gotten there and he's got his players buying into him and his system. As it pertains to Ohio State, Buckeye fans should be glad that this is the last year they have to watch Todd Boeckman because he is just not a good enough college quarterback to lead you to a national title. Now the Buckeyes have to beat Michigan to get a spot in the Rose Bowl, should be quite the scene in The Big House next week.

Pedroia Played With Broken Bone In Playoffs

The Boston Herald

Pedroia admitted yesterday that he played the final two months of the season with a cracked hamate bone in his left hand.

The second baseman doesn’t know when he suffered the injury, but it was discovered during an MRI and bone scan on Sept. 10. He didn’t undergo surgery until Tuesday. He is wearing a soft cast and is restricted from using the hand until late November or early December.

“Some days I would wake up and it would be hard to grip a bat,” Pedroia said. “I changed my grip a little bit on the bat and went from there. It was just one of those things you know you have to take care of after the season, but you have to play through. A lot of guys have done that. You definitely don’t want to shut it down and have surgery during the whole thing. We just had to find a way to fight through it.”

This is why you have to love Dustin Pedroia. The guy had a horrendous April, was close to being sent down and just turned his season into a Rookie of the Year caliber one. He gutted it out in October with a broken bone in his hand for the team and you just have to respect that.

NFL Wants Ejections for Helmet-to-Helmet Hits

ESPN

NEW YORK -- The NFL has told its officiating crews to start ejecting players for flagrant helmet-to-helmet hits.

The new policy was outlined Saturday in a memo from supervisor of officials Mike Pereira, which was obtained by The Associated Press. It followed two fines last weekend for what the officiating department had determined were hits against players in defenseless positions.

One fine was against Washington Redskins safetyLaRon Landry, who will forfeit a game check of $16,764 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens. The other was against Philadelphia defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey, who was fined his game check of $21,176 for spearing Dallas' Julius Jones.

Two weeks ago, San Diego cornerback Drayton Florence was fined $15,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit that gave Houston quarterback Matt Schaub a concussion.

"Officials will be reminded this week to pay strict attention to these rules and disqualify the fouling player if the action is judged to be flagrant," Pereira wrote in the memo sent to the 32 NFL teams. "Actions that involve flagrant helmet to helmet contact are the likely acts that will include disqualification. Our commissioner and this office remain very focused on the safety of our players."

I think that this is a good rule in principle, but I don't know that if it will be a good one in practice, just like the rule about hitting quarterbacks in the legs after Carson Palmer tore his knee up against Pittsburgh in the playoffs. A lot of very iffy calls were made against lineman and linebackers under that rule and we could see a similar situation with this rule as well.

K-Mart's Completely Biased Picks You Should Listen To Anyway- Week 10

By Kyle Martin

Atlanta (2-6) at Carolina (4-4) – The Falcons are 0-4 on the road, the Panthers are 0-3 at home. Something has to give here. I'm predicting that David Carr manages to lead the Panthers to victory, despite spending the entire game on his back because he is just a magnet for defensive ends.

Panthers – 17 Atlanta – 13

Jacksonville (5-3) at Tennessee (6-2) – The once vaunted Jaguar defense was exposed last week in a blowout loss to New Orleans. The Jags offense is anemic at best and is incapable of winning a game in which the defense isn't stifling. Maurice Jones-Drew can't do everything. Tennessee rides the legs of Vince Young to a win in a rout.

Titans – 27 Jaguars – 10

Minnesota (3-5) at Green Bay (7-1) – Brett Favre continues his march to the playoffs against a dreadful pass defense. Adrian Peterson keeps things interesting though.

Packers – 38 Vikings – 23

Buffalo (4-4) at Miami (0-8) – The Dolphins quest to be the first franchise to have both a perfect season and a winless season continues. The Bills are two last second losses from being 6-2. They're not good enough to be part of the upper tier of teams, but they are second best in their division (which isn't saying much) and they are not far from a playoff caliber team.

Bills – 27 Dolphins – 13

St. Louis (0-8) at New Orleans (4-4) – The Saints are on a roll, winners of four straight, that streak won't end this week as the Rams are on an 8 game losing streak. The Rams should be better than their record reflects, but with the decimated offensive line it's no wonder Marc Bulger and Stephen Jackson have missed time due to injury. Their defense hasn't helped any. The Saints high powered offense is back on track and should face no problems this week.

Saints – 35 Rams – 7

Cleveland (5-3) at Pittsburgh (6-2) – This could be a trap game for the Steelers who are coming off a dominating win over the Ravens. The Browns offense should prove more of a challenge than the awful Ravens offense did, but I think the defense will wake up in time to stop the Browns and win the game.

Steelers – 28 Browns – 24

Cincinnati (2-6) at Baltimore (4-4) – One of the Bengals' two wins came opening day against the Ravens when their defense forced six turnovers. Things looked good for the Bengals that day, but since then they have reverted to the Bungles of old. The Ravens haven't had an easy time this year either. Their defense isn't as shut down as it used to be and they still cannot move the ball through the air. I don't know why they try to pretend they have a passing game when they have Willis McGahee in the backfield, who is capable of carrying the offense. I'm going to go with the Bengals in this game though, because it just pains me to think that Steve McNair and Kyle Boller could beat Carson Palmer.

Bengals - 26 Baltimore – 20

Dallas (7-1) at New York Giants (6-2)

Their first meeting in the season opener was a 45-35 shootout that the Cowboys won at home. The Giants are a much better team than they were in that game. Their pass rush has been rediscovered and it is ferocious. The winner of this game will have the inside track to the division title as both teams should beat up on the Redskins and Eagles. Despite the Giants six game winning streak and home field advantage I don't think that Eli Manning is ready to win a big game yet. Look for the Cowboys to win another shootout, provided Romo can avoid Strahan and Osi I'm-not-even-going-to-bother-trying-to-spell-his-last-name.

Cowboys – 40 Giants – 37

Detroit (6-2) at Arizona (3-5) – The Lions are the most surprising 6-2 team in the NFL right now. Their thrashing of Denver last week was also a surprise. It seems like all those high draft picks that were wasted on wide receivers is starting to pay off. The Cardinals have shown flashes of being a good team this year, such as beating Pittsburgh and coming back against Washington. This is my upset of the week. The Cardinals will beat the Lions and John Kitna's bold prediction of ten wins will fall by the wayside.

Cardinals – 30 Lions – 24

Chicago (3-5) at Oakland (2-6) – It's scary to think that the Raiders have scored more points than the Bears and have given up less. Despite that, the Bears are still good enough to beat the truly dreadful teams in the league and should have no problems taking care of business this week.

Bears – 20 Raiders – 13

Sunday Night Special

Indianapolis (7-1) at San Diego (4-4) – The Colts have got to be happy with the way they played against the Patriots last week. They were missing their top wide receiver and came within minutes of beating the best team in the league. The Chargers on the other hand, were embarrassed by one of the worse teams in the league and failed to generate a passing attack against the worst pass defense in the league. They won't be able to do much better against the Colts d.

Colts – 31 Chargers – 20

Monday Night Malady

San Francisco (2-6) at Seattle (4-4) – It's sad that the NFC West gets a representative in the playoffs this year. The Seahawks don't play a team with a winning record from here on out, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them win the division with a 7-9 or 8-8 record. The 49ers offense is just awful so don't expect this to be one of the Seahawks losses.

Seahawks – 27 49ers – 10

Game of the Week

Philadelphia (3-5) at Washington (5-3)

This is a must win for the Redskins. A win here, and the Redskins are looking at a 10-6 record and a wild card spot in the playoffs. A loss in this game, and they miss a chance at winning one of their few remaining easy games. The Eagles are flat out terrible this year and the Redskins handled them easily on the road earlier in the season. Look for Clinton Portis to have a big day on the ground and the Eagles offense to be frustrated by the Redskins defense all afternoon.

Redskins – 30 Eagles – 16

Dud of the Week

Denver (3-5) at Kansas City (4-4) – It's hard to believe that the Broncos could be in first place in the AFC West with a win in this game. Unfortunately for them, they won't get it. In what is quite possibly the most boring match-up of the week, the Chiefs get just enough offense from Priest Holmes, who is starting in place of an injured Larry Johnson, and Dwayne Bowe to win this one. Come on, you can't lose 44-7 to Detroit... who does that?

Chiefs – 20 Broncos – 10