The game of the year + week 6 picks

So I still don't have the proper words on the tip of my proverbial pen to explain the experience that was the Bills-Cowboys game in person, but I've got to try.
Throughout almost the entire game, I was either cheering my ass off, standing with my mouth hanging wide open in disbelief, screaming or holding my hands over my mouth in shock. There entire gamut of emotions was there. Seeing your favourite NFL team in person is an amazing experience all by itself, but when you factor in that is was Monday Night Football it increases. When you factor in the drinking, it increases. When you factor in the fact you're in enemy territory, it increases. Then you factor in the shrill amazement of the comeback, it increases exponentially. Seeing Folk's kick go through brought so much joy and relief that I can't even remember what my reaction was. Now, it's actually awful knowing that I've got a sports moment that may never be topped.

And on to this week's picks...
Side note: one of the guys who does the picks for the paper I work for asked for my advice this week. Inside I laughed a little bit and then actually convinced him that I know what I'm talking about with valid points. Apparently I'm not the only one dumbfounded by the NFL this year.

CHIEFS (+3) over Bengals

Bill Simmons says this is an "obvious game" and I think he's right. There's a reason why Vegas sets lines like this. Either the Chiefs are better than we think or the Bengals are worse. Or maybe I'm dumb for following someone else's call.

Texans (+6.5) over JAGUARS

I have no idea what's going to have to happen for me to ever like the Jaguars. At the very least, they'll have to get the teal off their jerseys. Or maybe they can move the team to somewhere better than Jacksonville. Hey, isn't Los Angeles sans an NFL franchise?

BROWNS (-4.5) over Dolphins

Cleo Lemon is starting on the road, in front of the Dawg Pound. Do you really see him and Miami toppling a team that looked legitimately good against a formidable foe like New England last week? Me neither.

BEARS (-5) over Vikings

I think the Bears may have it together. I also think that Griese is almost a letter-grade better Rex Grossman. Even though I'm semi-high on this Vikings team, I think the Bears take it.

Eagles (-3.5) over JETS

Westbrook in the line up should be a huge improvement for the Eagles. Having him coming out in the flats should lead them to a victory over these Jets.

Rams (+9.5) over RAVENS

That's right, I'm finally going against the Ravens. I just don't think that they can cover, even with Gus Frerotte playing on the road.

Washington (+3) over PACKERS

The Packers huge flaw was exposed last week when the Bears showed the world that Green Bay can't run the ball, at all. The Redskins are coming off a bye and you better believe they watched that game.

Titans (+3) over BUCS

The Bucs are getting desperate in the back field. Why has no one talked about Tiki Barber returning to play with his twin brother?

CARDINALS (-4.5) over Panthers

I've already picked up Kurt Warner for my fantasy team, have you? He's looking like he re-signed his deal with the devil. On the other side, we're roughly two hard hits away from seeing Vinny Testaverde trying to get the ball to Steve Smith in traffic.

Raiders (+9.5) over CHARGERS

The Chargers blow out last week was an abnormality. I don't think it'll happen two weeks in a row. But if San Diego starts rolling and rolling like that, watch out everyone.

SEAHAWKS (-6.5) over Saints

These Saints may just be awful. Do you honestly think that a potentially awful team can win in the toughest stadium in the league? Hells no.

Giants (-3.5) over FALCONS

Joey Harrington is still starting for Atlanta.

Patriots (-5.5) versus COWBOYS

When I played my first season of Madden with my Cowboys, I lost three games all season. A "No f'ing way" game against the Giants in New York, the NFC championship against Seattle on a 55-yard, last second field goal and this game. New England beat me in every conceivable way. They out played me on defense, they created turnovers, Brady-Moss had a ton of yards; I couldn't stop them. I ended up losing the game by eight points. If I bet on Cowboys games, I'm not so sure I'd take them here. And Tony's performance on Monday certainly didn't help.

Last week: 3-10
This season: 26-39-6

The Rox take game 1

I’m honestly getting real sick of seeing and hearing the “Rocks keep rolling” headline used after ever Colorado win by somebody in the media. Are we that bankrupt of good ideas? Also, anything that references the fact that Denver is a mile above sea-level, aka “Mile High” is getting really played out too. Let’s keep those wheels turning guys.

So it turns out that the last pitcher to actually beat the Rockies, 2006 Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, forgot how to do it. Jeff Francis, the Canadian kid that the Rockies sent to the mound, gave up the D-Backs only run in the first before shutting them down for the rest of the game. Francis increased his record at Chase Field in Phoenix to 5-0, tops for any visiting pitcher.

The Rockies have now won 18 of their last 19 games and are by leaps and bounds the hottest team in baseball right now. Is anybody going to be able to stop this team that forgot how to lose? I’m really starting to think that even the ALCS teams will have trouble in the World Series against this no name group of guys of Colorado.

As for the ALCS, who can’t be excited Beckett vs. Sabathia tonight? The best pitching matchup of the entire playoffs will be entertaining to say the least.

A look at the LCSs

If there’s one thing for certain about this year’s League Championship Series, it’s that the ratings will be a horror show. While the match up of Colorado and Arizona looks good to the biggest fans of the game, how many casual fans from a market like Tampa Bay would tune in to see them play? Especially if they play game at their normal, time zone advanced start times. Would an average Joe from Atlanta tune in at 10 for a Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Doug Davis match up? I don’t think so.

In the American League, while most Yankees (more on them in a bit) and Red Sox fans are happy that and emotional Armageddon won’t be occurring this year, that match up is the biggest ratings draw the league has. There isn’t a match up in North America quite like it with the ton of history, both recent and nearly a century old, sky-rocketing the interest in it. Sure, Cleveland has a really good team, but they’re not a draw like the Yankees.

Cleveland, in fact, has a good chance to win it in my mind. It might involve pitching their ace C.C. Sabathia two, maybe three times, and sinker-baller extraordinaire Fausto Carmona twice, but with their line up firing too, who knows. The Sox will throw Beckett when they can but Dice-K is still a questionable call.

As for New York, who’re making far more headlines than the actual upcoming series, who knows what this team will be like if Joe Torre leaves? Mariano would likely not return. Alex Rodriguez would likely opt out of his mega-contract and go searching for an ultra-contract in Los Angeles or Chicago. Andy Pettitte has a player option and Bobby Abreu has a $16 million team option. We could be looking at a very different team in Yankee-land if Torre gets the axe.

And who would benefit from this the most? It’s certainly not Yankee fans and certain not Mets fans (Who would have to deal with more media scrutiny because the Yanks wouldn’t be expected to be as good). The entire AL East would love it. A weakened Yankees team insures that Boston would take home the division without a problem, just think about how they did this year, but with a bigger gap. The Blue Jays would actually have a shot at winning the wild card if they can keep it together and battle through the injuries they suffer annually. Baltimore and Tampa Bay even snatch a few more wins. But still, Joe Torre is one of the best managers in the game and if letting him go starts the dominoes falling in the Bronx, who knows what the future holds.

Setting up the game of the season

I may have some bias with this opinion but Sunday's tilt between the Cowboys and the Patriots should be an instant classic. Dallas may have just barely pulled out that incredible win against the Bills but they should play a lot better next week. In fact, the only real glaring weak spot for the 'boys was Tony Romo's piss-poor performance. There's no excuse to throw 5 picks in a game. Ever. Especially against an injury weakened secondary like Buffalo's. Let's hope he gets his head on straight and puts up a decent performance like we're accustomed to.

Elsewhere in the NFL,

It was a bad week for starting QBs with Trent Green and Matt Leinart both hitting the shelf. The Green injury was especially bad and may even be career ending. On a broken play against the Texans, Green tried to throw a block on huge defensive tackle Travis Johnson; this try ended with Johnson's knee connecting with Green's helmet, knocking him out and giving him a grade 3 concussion — the worst possible type. Johnson even went as far as to taunt the unconscious Green on the field and then talk smack about him to reporters after the game. It was simply classless.

Leinart is going to be out for the season after getting nailed and breaking his collarbone. We're not talking a hairline fracture either; reports say it's completely cracked all the way through. You might want to go and pick up Kurt Warner for your fantasy.

The Chargers finally got their game on with a huge 41-3 win over the Broncos. I'm starting to be in disbelief I actually took the Broncos to win it all. They're not impressing.

New England and Indianapolis both won but did you really think they had a chance of losing to the Browns and Buccaneers respectively?

Byron Leftwich got some play against the Titans but showed he may not, in fact, be the solution to the Joey-Harrington-is-their-quarterback problem.

As for the Monday night game, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Being at the game and watching the game first-hand made it exponentially better. And how about the fact the Bills have lost two games this season in which the only time they didn't lead was the last second of the game? At least Trent Edwards looked fairly good for the Bills, even if he was only throwing short passes and not taking any shots. I’ll have more on that epic Monday nighter later when I can properly grasp the appropriate words to describe that intense experience.

This week: 3-10
This season: 26-39-6