Week 8 NFL picks.

Ok so it's Friday night (or morning here in the UK) and it's pick time. But first, a quick moan. Pro Bowl balloting has begun. In October. Half way through the season. Something has to be done about that. At least wait till the end of the regular season for gods sake...... Anyway, a tough week for picks, so let the pick-a-rama begin!!! Broncos@ Ravens -- Yeah, it's starting tough this week. Balls to the wall immediate tough pick. Both teams come off bye weeks and both teams have a lot to offer on both sides of the ball. But man do the Broncos look scary on offense. Kyle Orton may not be the best QB out there, but he has some awesome tools at his disposal. Defensively, Mike Nolan has turned this team into a top notch unit. Which makes it all the more surprising that I'm taking the Ravens. I just think Ray Lewis and co are gonna be out to make a statement in this game and if the Ravens run the ball a lot, which they should and I would highly recommend, then it forces Orton to throw a hell of a lot, and right into the waiting arms of Ed Reed. It's by no means a cert, but give me the Ravens in this one. Texans@ Bills -- Texans. That simple. Even if Andre Johnson doesn't play they still have dynamic back Steve Slaton and TE Owen Daniels. Don't be surprised if the Texans just blast the Bills off the face of the earth on Sunday. Browns@ Bears -- Are you kidding me? Bears. Bears, Bears, Bears. Jay Culter can relax and so can Matt Forte. It's simple. Even if Forte runs for minus yardage in this game and Cutler throws 5 picks, the Browns will still struggle to get two field goals. One of those deep balls has to connect and that'll be that. As for special teams, I like Josh Cribbs, but the Bears have both Knox and Hester to counter that. Once again, Bears. Seahawks@ Cowboys -- The 'hawks' are coming off a bye this Sunday and by about 5:00pm local time they'll be wishing they'd had an extension. I'm still not convinced that the 'Romo to Austin' connection is going to continue to put up the gaudy numbers all season. I am convinced that the Cowboys run game is good enough to cover and that the Seahawks are that bad. Cowboys for the win. Dolphins@ Jets -- Now we're talking tough games. Two teams who both like to run the ball. And by that I mean that they like to run the ball like Oprah likes to give away cars. Both teams are pretty physical defensively. Add to that a lot of bad blood and some pre-season handbags at dawn between Jets head coach Rex Ryan & Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, and we have the stage set for a great game. It may not be as high scoring as the last encounter, but it will be unmissable telly for those that can get the game. As for me, I can't watch it & to be honest I'm not sure if I can call it either. I think Mark Sanchez has an advantage over Chad Henne, but then I think the Dolphins have a big advantage in the run game. No offense to Thomas Jones and Shonne Greene who are probably set to post big numbers again this weekend, but I just think the Jets are gonna miss Kris Jenkins anchoring their line against the run on critical downs. While people are already prematurely proclaiming that the Saints defensive tactics from last week are the solution to the Wildcat problem, the fact is that Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have no problems plying their trade from a normal I-formation, straight down the middle into the belly of the beast. I think the Dolphins tip this one and make up for their disappointment last week. 49'ers@ Colts -- Ah the good ol' 49'ers. My beloved red and gold superstars (*cough*) will be rolling out in Indianapolis this week. And sadly, they're going to get creamed by the Colts. Yes Crabtree has good hands. Yes Vernon Davis is coming into his own. Yes Frank Gore is a great back. And yes, I'm pleased to see Alex Smith getting the starting job. But the Colts are still the Colts and sadly the 49'ers O-line are still the 49'ers O-line. Which means that Gore will find it difficult to find running lanes. Which means that Dwight Freeney will be battering Alex Smith all day long. And it means Bob Sanders will be battering everything that moves. Colts win this one. Damn. Giants@ Eagles -- Or as it's otherwise known, 'The Battle of the Untrustworthy". Eli Manning is unreliable. Donovan McNabb is unreliable. Brian Westbrook might start. But then again he might not. Michael Vick might come out and produce some Wildcat thunder and lightning. But then again, he might just be a damp squib. The Eagles might run the ball a lot to compensate for recent weeks. On the other hand, they may be worried about Westbrook and go pass crazy. I kind of fancy the Eagles for this one as I think they have more potential for explosive plays. But then again, without Brian Dawkins they don't look anywhere near as tough against the run. And Ahmad Bradshaw is on fire lately. So in conclusion and in tune with this games running theme, possibly the most unreliable pick of the week goes to the Giants. Giants to win. But then again.... Rams@ Lions -- If this fixture was a dog, it would have been taken outside and put out of it's misery. I think a lot of this game hinges on Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. If he plays, the Lions torch the Rams. If he doesn't, Steven Jackson torches them. That said, Jackson has a problem finding the endzone this season. But then that said, the Lions are just about as good a cure for that problem as any other team in the NFL right now. Ah to hell with it, I pick the Lions. Their uniforms blend better. Raiders@ Chargers -- God almighty. As if the previous fixture wasn't bad enough, then I rolled over this. Well, simply put the Raiders are dire and the Chargers are possibly on the brink of another miracle resurgence. I like the way they're introducing Darren Sproles as a third down threat with his pace and catching ability. And I like Philip Rivers 100 times out of 100 over JaMarcus Bust-ell. Didn't quite work did it? Well, neither does the Raiders offense so we're all square now. I'm backing San Diego. And at least it can't get much worse than this..... Jaguars@ Titans -- ....... famous last words. Apparently the Titans owner is pushing for Jeff Fischer to play Vince Young at QB. If they can mix that up with their potent two headed running attack (yes, that means you actually have to give the ball to LenDale White at least 10 times) then they have a chance. But it's still a slim one. On the opposite side, David Garrard is another QB who hardly sets the world on fire. But he is good. And more to the point, so is his franchise running back Maurice Jones Drew. These two actually have the potential to be a very good tandem, putting defenses in a bind and making headway for the Jaguars. But potential doesn't win football games. Only effort and talent. In that regard, I think the Jags still have an advantage. Give me the Jags in this one. Vikings@ Packers -- Lock your doors and go hide in the storm shelter, because it's Favre-ageddon!!!!!!! No lie. Apparently Packers fans are using the term to describe the result of a Vikings, and Brett Favre of course, win. And I think they may just be a little closer to the Apocalypse than many would give them credit. It would appear from doing a bit of checking around that the consensus opinion is that the Packers will win. Now, I know Aaron Rodgers is really coming along nicely. I know that the Packers WR corps ranks up there as among the very best in the business. I know that the Packers finally got there run game going last week. And I know that the Vikings are missing Antoine Winfield at Cornerback. But let's look at some of the other facts that may just be a bit more pertinent to the result. 1) Brett Favre is just as good as Aaron Rodgers. In fact, he's better. 2) The Vikings receivers have been outstanding this season. What they may lack in technique against Green Bay, they make up for in speed. 3) The Packers played the Browns last week. Yeah, those rushing stats don't seem so impressive now. And that's before we get onto the small matter of Adrian Peterson for the Vikings...... 4) The Vikings have Jared Allen at DE, which means Rogers will spend most of the game sitting down. 5) (yes, 5!!) The Vikings have Percy Harvin on special teams and the Packers have who? In summary. Vikings win. Favre-ageddon is coming! Panthers@ Cardinals -- They're already cracking open the champagne in Arizona as they take another step closer to the NFC West crown. Yes, the Panthers really are that bad. It doesn't matter who starts at QB this week. The strength of the Panthers lies in it's run game (as I'm sure you've guessed if you've read any of my previous posts this past week). Unfortunately for them, the Cardinals have the number 1 ranked rush defense. I have no idea quite how it happened, but it did. On top of that they have Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston. And amazingly enough, they've even found a running game. Last week against the Giants they reminded everyone that Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt used to be the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they rolled out a two tight end package and ran some power run plays. Granted, Chris 'Beanie' Wells and Tim Hightower still have a way to go before earning credits as as a running back tandem to be reckoned with, but it was a nice compliment to the Cardinals pass heavy attack. And it should be enough to see off a lacklustre Panthers team that is struggling to find itself offensively. Cardinals win at home in the desert. Falcons@ Saints -- Blockbuster potential? Maybe. We all know what the Saints can do with the ball. The question is, can the Falcons match them? Can Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez match the pace of Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston (and Devery Henderson. And Robert Meachem. And Lance Moore.) & Jeremy Shockey? Tough one to call. One piece of good news for the Falcons (in a slightly sadistic way) is that Heath Evans is injured. His threat as a receiver may not be all that, but he is certainly one of the keys to the New Orleans rushing attack, leading it's flurry of backs into the breach. But not any more. And that means a lot of the game will rest in the hands of Drew Brees. Which is bad. Perversely. I say this because the Saints lean heavily on the play action game to create scoring opportunities. Without a legit run game that goes out of the window. And it also exposes Brees to the speedy linemen of the Falcons. On the other side of the ball, Darren Sharper is making a name for himself by making plays. And he seems especially keen to pick on young quarterbacks, of which ilk Ryan still is. But as I said earlier in the week, it does leave holes to be exploited. So will the Saints defense be able to balance the need to stop Turner versus the need to shutdown Ryan and the play action? Hmm, tricky. Don't forget that in my opinion there was a compelling case that the Dolphins gave the Saints the win last week. And so with all that said and done, for the second week in a row, I'm going to bet against the smart money and take the Falcons. No doubt if the lord doesn't strike me down for doing so, Drew Brees will.......