Mike Greenspire’s Picks

San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons = Atlanta

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills = Buffalo

Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions = Detroit

Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans = Tennessee

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs = Green Bay

San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings = San Diego

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints = New Orleans

Washington Redskins at New York Jets = Washington

Arizona Cardinals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers = Tampa Bay

Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns = Cleveland

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts = Indianapolis

Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders = Houston

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles = Dallas

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers = Pittsburgh

Dave Suomi’s Picks

San Francisco @ Atlanta = Atlanta

Cincinnati @ Buffalo = Cincinnati

Denver @ Detroit = Denver

Carolina @ Tennessee = Tennessee

Green Bay @ Kansas City = Green Bay

San Diego @ Minnesota = San Diego

Jacksonville @ New Orleans = Jacksonville

Washington @ NY Jets = Washington

Arizona @ Tampa Bay = Tampa Bay Buccaneers!!

Seattle @ Cleveland = Cleveland

New England @ Indianapolis = Indianapolis

Houston @ Oakland = Houston

Dallas @ Philadelphia = Dallas

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh = Pittsburgh

Thanks for reading! Please keep checking!

-Mike Greenspire

Indianapolis @ Carolina = Indianapolis

Cleveland @ St. Louis = Cleveland

NY Giants @ Miami = New York Giants

Philadelphia @ Minnesota = Minnesota

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati = Pittsburgh

Detroit @ Chicago = Detroit

Oakland @ Tennessee = Tennessee

Buffalo @ NY Jets = Buffalo

Jacksonville @ Tampa Bay = Tampa Bay

Houston @ San Diego = San Diego

New Orleans @ San Francisco = New Orleans

Washington @ New England = New England

Green Bay @ Denver = Green Bay

Thanks for reading! Check back in on Tuesday to see who wins!

-Mike Greenspire & Dave Suomi

Time for the weekly picks, readers! Are you excited? I know I am! So without further ado, let’s get this show on the road. And the first match up is:

Houston:

The Texans are off to a surprising start.

After acquiring Matt Schaub in free agency this off-season, I was counting them out of any chance at the playoffs, but that is only because Schaub never got a chance to prove his worth in Atlanta. He has already proven to me that he can do more than fill in for David Carr. He will definitely lead this team to the playoffs this year, if not next year.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt a good QB to have an extremely potent offense around him, either. Schaub is surrounded by huge playmakers, such as RB Ahman Green, who has already scored several big TD’s this season with his new team, and, lining up on the outside is wideout Andre Johnson, who is currently out with an injury, but Houston should be able to make up for his absence.

The defense let a few easy ones get by them against the Colts this past Sunday. There was no major problem with Houston’s defense, just that the Colts offense was a D-killer. They will have a much better showing this week against an offense that has yet to get fully acquainted with one another.

The Falcons have gotten off to a disappointing start with Joey Harrington as QB, but I see that all changing soon. The Falcons got to Leftwich first, and it is only a matter of days before he gets his first start with the Falcons. He will make an immediate impact on this team, but it will be hard for him to get them their first win when they are facing a surprise team in the Texans. The running game has remained solid with Warrick Dunn as the feature back, and I can only see the success continuing. Now that Byron Leftwich is here, they don’t have to rely on the run as much. Leftwich has some strong targets to throw to, such as: Joe Horn and Roddy White.

The defense has some stingy holes that they need to fix up. DeAngelo Hall needs to get his temper under control and put his emotions aside before the game starts. If the D can’t perform because Hall’s letting his anger issues get in the way, he will be the first to get blamed if the Falcons lose. He just needs to go out there and play tough, but keep the words soft and sweet, because he may have to eat them later.

Final: Texans win, 31-21

I don’t know what to say about the Jets. They have really disappointed me, and this is only a month into the season. I thought that these guys were a shoe-in for another wild-card berth, but now, they are fighting to stay in the headlines. They have a tough schedule ahead of them, and the pressure’s on Chad Pennington. He has to perform GREAT this year. I do believe that his career with the Jets is on the line if he can’t connect this year.

The defense is full of excellent players, but for some reason, they haven’t found their rhythm. I don’t know what is going on with them, but when it comes down to it, the press is going to blame Pennington for all of the teams misfortunes.

Leon Washington has gotten off to a much better start this year than last year, and I’m glad to see this kid still going. I figured that he would probably be only good enough to be a back-up, but he has proved his worth to me, and I have faith in him, and there is nothing stopping hi from being the Jets’ MVP, he just needs to have the other offensive players do their part, and the Jets will make a comeback out of a dismal-looking season.

Laveranues Coles has been dropping passes left and right in the past few weeks. He seems to have a bad streak like this every year, and this is this year’s session. He will do better in this game, but will it be enough to win against the Buffalo Bills?

Well, the Bills’ best player, JP Losman, is out with a really serious knee injury. He is one of the toughest players I have seen, because he got up and walked on it, but the doctors decided that he is not well enough to start. I would have to agree. If the Bills want to win, they have to not put their best player at risk for another serious injury. As long as he can stay healthy from this point out, the Bills will do much better than many people give them credit for.

Rookie Marshawn #### (undeniably the second-most, if not most, talented player in the draft this past April) has already made sound waves as a Bill. He can bruise a big defensive player, or fake him out, and run to the outside. He has plenty more to prove, but from here on out, you can all expect good things to come from the Bills’ smart move in the draft.

Final: The Bills start their path to redemption, 24-20

Baltimore:

Steve McNair’s starting ability is now in question, after he aggravated a past injury in the Monday Night Game against the Bengals. So, Brian Billick brought in Kyle Boller, and now he is going to be the Ravens’ “big down specialist”. I think that this is a good move on his part. You want to rest your starters every now and then, especially if there is an injury risk. Kyle Boller can definitely step in for McNair on a pressure down and convert. This is an interesting move, and I look forward as to how it will play out.

I am not a believer of McGahee. He hasn’t scored one rushing TD this year. If that doesn’t get my point across, I don’t know what will.

The defense has looked horrible I the past couple showings. Especially against the Bengals. I think that since this is another away game in Ohio, the Ravens have to get off to a quick start, maybe even receive the ball first. We will see.

Cleveland lost to Oakland last week, following a huge upset victory against the Bengals. To say that that game was a fluke would be saying that every game in the NFL was fixed. The Raiders iced the kicker, which is a fair move. I am tired of hearing the EXPERTS whining about how time-outs should be illegal before a kick. Shut Up! That is a very strategic move by Lane Kiffin, and it should not be a question of whether that play is allowed or not.

Derek Anderson clearly deserves the starting job in Cleveland. After all, he got the game within reach, and the kicker couldn’t connect. If Quinn starts this Sunday, I will stop trying my best to present the bright side for the Browns. Romeo Crennel ought to be fired, he is doing a horrible job over there.

The defense has let way too many points by in these first three weeks: 102.

Unbelievable.

This is the one of the most disappointing defenses in the NFL. This is the week when Cleveland decides the outcome of their season. It is good offense + bad defense vs. good offense +bad defense. So who wins? For now, I say…

Final: Cleveland upsets the Ravens, 35-29

The Rams are off to an 0-3 start and it appears that the struggles will continue. Plagued by a tough schedule, the wins may not be adding up this year. The Rams are short their most important player, RB Steven Jackson. His back-up, Brian Leonard, is a questionable player. He is a rookie out of Rutgers University. I think that he can step in fine for Jackson for a couple of weeks. But, you must be careful how much pressure you put on a rookie coming in for an injured starter. We have seen it happen before: Ben Roethlisberger (AFC Championship, 2005), and more recently, Reggie Bush (NFC Championship Game, 2007). Personally, I think that he will do just fine.

Marc Bulger is probably one of the most disappointing players this season so far. He has more than enough time to rebound from this dilemma he find himself in. He is a great player who seems to be in his rough spot of the year. And this will happen to every player, eventually. He will snap out of it this week, however. The entire offense needs to get it together, but more importantly, the defense needs to get themselves motivated. They don’t have any big playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, and that will be their downfall.

The Cowboys have proved that last year was no fluke, and that they deserve to be at the top of the NFL dog-pile with New England and Indianapolis. As far as best team in the NFC goes, I think they are it. Nobody in their conference has as good a defense and offense combined than they do. This team is my pick for NFC Representatives in the Super Bowl this year.

Tony Romo is the best young QB in the league. I think that he will do much better as his career progresses. He has a stellar offense around him. Julius Jones and Marion Barber are two extremely reliable backs and they can turn a game around quickly. The Cowboys’ star wideout, Terrell Owens, has already got my vote for Wide Receiver of the Year.

If you can watch this game, you should!

Final: Dallas gets their fourth victory, 31-24

Lovie Smith has finally done the right thing and benched Rex “Wrecks” Grossman! But, the new question is: Did he do the other right thing by starting Griese? We will have to wait and see, but personally, I think that Kyle Orton should be the starter against the Lions this Sunday. This move had better pay off for Lovie Smith, because if it doesn’t, he may have his job on the line!

The defense looks like a bunch of zombies out there! I don’t see how they were the second-half of the team that made the Super Bowl last year. The pressure is on to stop Kitna and the Lions’ dangerous passing attack.

Detroit:

Detroit’s season is starting to look like what star QB Jon Kitna predicted. “At least 10-6” he guaranteed at a pre-season press conference. He had better connect, and get this team to that milestone, or else he will b the biggest fool in Detroit Sports History.

Roy Williams has just stated that he is cheap, (there was plenty of other garbage about it) but how will that affect his on-the-field play? Not at all, I say! He is on one of the most determined offenses in the league, and I think that he should get well over 1000 yards receiving this year. Kevin Jones, TJ Duckett, and Tatum Bell are all very good running backs, and I think that Detroit could get 10+ wins with any of these three guys staring at RB.

Final: Detroit pulls it off, 28-17

Oakland:

Head Coach, Lane Kiffin, has achieved his first Raiders victory, and I am sure that he couldn’t be prouder of his players. More wins will come from this team.

The Raiders do have Josh McCown as starter, but is he still good enough to keep the hold over Daunte Culpepper? I don’t have the answer. But, I do know that the offense is performing as good as they could. Ronald Curry has been the X factor for this team lately, and as long as he stays healthy, I think that the Raiders will be just fine.

Miami:

Trent Green is an overrated fossil who can no longer play as good as people expect. He should have retired this past season, and left with some dignity. Now, he is stuck with the bottom-feeder Dolphins. The offense has some good players, but they can’t seem to connect with each other. This team has one guy still on their band-wagon, and he is from, guess where? Miami. I have no more faith in this team. Their former head coach, Nick Saban, made the best move of his career, and got out of Miami, and went to lead a college football team.

The defense has nobody left. And Zach Taylor is disappointing me. He has been around to long, and it is only a matter of time before an injury could end his career for him.

Final: Oakland gets their second straight win, 21-6

The Packers are off to a better start than anyone predicted. I didn’t see them going 3-0. And the success looks like it could be continuing due to a terrific offense and an easy schedule.

Brett Favre is set to throw the record-breaking TD pass this Sunday, and cheese-heads couldn’t be happier. I think that this is terrific for the entire team, and I don’t see this team missing the playoffs this year.

The running game lost an extremely potent back this off-season in Ahman Green. But, they have definitely made up for it by drafting the rookie, DeShaun Wynn. He is incredibly versatile and dangerous, and he will do more than fill in Green’s role.

Donald Driver had a scary moment on the field last week. An apparent injury looked to be serious, but he got up and got right back out there. That just goes to show how tough this guy is. He will be the packers key to victory if he can exploit the tough defense of Minnesota.

Donald Lee and the other wideouts will have great games, and if you have any of them on your fantasy roster, congratulations!

The Vikings impressed me for those first two weeks, but as we progress through the season, I think they will be the same old disappointing Vikings.

Tervaris Jackson was a one-hit wonder and I don’t think that Minnesota can win may games with him as starter. I’m not entirely sure of the situation, but I think they (ESPN) said that Kelly Holcomb was named starter on Tuesday. With Holcomb as starter, the game will not be much closer. It’s definitely time for Minnesota to take a new direction at QB. It was too late for them to pick up Leftwich, so I don’t know who’s left in free agency.

Adrian Peterson is the best rookie running back this year. Period. No arguments. He is incredibly talented and I think that the reason Minnesota will still have a wild card chance will be because of this guy.

Final: Favre sets record; Packers extend their winning streak, 27-14