who ya got?
The spreads are out for this coming weekend. I’ve displayed my (lack of) acumen in this arena many times before, most notably this past weekend. So anyone daring enough to lay some Pounders down against me… be heard.
My picks:
Seahawks (+8) at Green Bay - mainly I’m making this pick so I can get some action with Danny. But if I *need* to offer some sort of “analysis”, I’ll do so… the Seahawks have Deion Branch, and he’s probably my favorite NFL player not named Kevin Faulk (and yes, I’ll have a Faulk #33 in the closet very, very soon… just waiting for the right time to inform my better half that the $250 investment is indeed necessary and appropriate).
Patriots (-12) vs. Jacksonville - I don’t even need to comment on this, but anyone willing to donate Pounders to me by betting against the Pats… please step right up.
Colts (-8.5) vs. Chargers - I’m not even sure that the Chargers will score more than 8.5 points, though I suppose stranger things have happened. Regardless, the Colts will win easily - if for no other reason than (a) Phillip Rivers cannot have two good games in a row, and (b) I’m reasonably certain that neither Peyton will throw 6 INTs nor Vinatieri will miss a 29-yd FG - much less *both* of those things happening, as they did when these teams met in the regular season.
NY Giants (+7.5) at Dallas - Dallas really should win this game easily but (a) its tough to beat the same team three times in one season, (b) not sure how much Romo’s thumb still bothers him, (c) not sure how close to 100% TO will be, although I do expect him to play, and (d) I believe in Eli Manning (mercy… did I just say that out loud?).
So once again… I’m out there (like Pluto). Who wants some action? Name the game, and quantify the pounders!
Suckers.
January 7th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I agree across the board. Do you think Seattle will win outright, or just cover? I’ll take GB straight up and give some odds. But otherwise, I agee with the picks….
January 7th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Interesting that all the spreads exceed a touchdown. I’ll take all the dogs, so Cliffy put me down for Jacksonville and San Diego, for the usual amount.
January 8th, 2008 at 6:13 am
In response to Tank, done and done.
In response to Gonzo, I do think Seattle has a chance to win outright - although I concede its not likely. I expect a tight game (i.e. within a TD), and in that scenario, its possible Seattle couuld steal it at the end. What odds are you offering on the straight up pick? Looks like Vegas has it at -330 (a little better than 3:1) for the Seahawks to win outright.
January 8th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hmmm…..4-1? Need to think about that….
January 10th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I agree on the Colts. Sign me up to donate pounders to you on the other three games.
That is all.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Gonzo - we got a “money bet” on the Packers/Seahawks or not? I don’t need you go go 4-1… I’ll take 3-1 that the Seahawks win outright (but no less). And if that Pussy from Packerland bothers to weigh in, I’ll take his action at these odds as well (along with anyone else who wants to jump in).
What odds does somebody want on the Jags winning outright - as I’ve heard insisted by some in the mainstream media, as amusing as that is?
January 11th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I think i might need to change my Giants/Cowboys pick.
Giants top 2 corners are out, Owens will play and Glenn looks like he’ll be returning as well. Corey freakin’ Webster will be going up against Owens (don’t let last week fool you, he’s not very good); even at less than full strength Owens should have a field day. When Giants go Nickel, RW McQuarters will be out there, and in the Dime, Micheal Johnson, a 7th round rookie, will be out there - good times!
Of course, I can’t bring myself to bet a pounder against my team, so I’ll stick with the Giants, but my optimism from earlier in the week has taken a big hit….
I’ll take GB and lay the 3-1…
January 11th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Packers - The Seahawks are banged up, and can’t run the ball (Alexander is done, and Morris is…not that good). I like Hasselbeck, but the Packers front four will give him fits, and his receivers won’t make enough plays (I love Branch too, but he’s banged up, and doesn’t seem to have the chemistry with Hasselbeck that he had with Brady). For all those reaons, the Seahawks are not going to Lambeau and winning. They’re just not. Pack win big.
Patriots - no commentary necessary
Colts - Philip Rivers sucks. Norv Turner is the Chargers coach. LT whines like a little bitch when the chips are down. And the chips WILL be down…because the Colts are good and Rivers sucks. Did I mention that Rivers sucks? Colts win big.
Dallas - While I can see all the reasons why the Giants are being picked, and if Eli plays like he did against the Pats they’ll probably win the game. But at the end of the day, unless Owens is completely ineffective and the rest of the Cowboys lay an egg (and yes I know they limped into the playoffs), the Cowboys are the better team, and the better team usually wins. Will they win by 7.5…I don’t know, probably not, but at least this way I get to have two bets against you.
January 11th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I’m back…. Kind of a busy work week, so I my absense has been non-torpid related…..
Honestly, Cliffy, it doesn’t seem like you are really convinced the Seahawks are going to actually beat the Packers, much less cover the 8 points….so I have an offer for you…… My pounder bet would be that the Packers beat the Seahawks by more points than the Patriots beat Jacksonville. In reality, you know the Packers are going to win the game, and are really looking for some action… I respect that as a degenerate gambler, but the main issue I have is that I don’t want to steal pounders from you on a premise you don’t really believe.
I know deep down, you fear the Jags somewhat….but obviously you also feel that the Pats are invincable…. so lets have some fun. This way you can watch the whole Packer game, and still have an opportunity to win the pounder bet based upon the Pats performance. I will offer this bet to all, but for Cliffy it is going to cost him 5 pounders.
For the rest of the weekend, it is going to suck. The Pats have gotten all of the credit this year, but there have been 2 dominant teams in each conference. They are all playing at home with an extra week to rest. The top 4 QBs in the playoffs are P Manning, Brady, Romo and Farve, and it really isn’t close. Do you really have faith in Eli, Rivers, Garrard, or Matt Hasselbeck? I respect Hasselbeck, but without a running game, and since he is on the road, he is far more likely to throw 3 picks than 3 TDs. Eli has had a couple good moments in the past 2 weeks, but when it counted against the Pats, he threw the key pick, and there really wasn’t a difficult, pressure packed moment against Tampa.
So basically, i am taking all four home teams to cover..
January 12th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Just to confirm - who I’ve got what with, and my pick will be listed first (with point spread listed above, unless otherwise noted):
Danny - Pounder on Seahawks/Packers (separately), Pounder on Giants/Cowboys, and I’ll glady take five more from you on your proposed “Who wins by more - Packers or Patriots?” bet.
Jakes - Pounder on Seahawks/Packers, Pounder on Giants/Cowboys.
Gonzo - I get 3:1 on Seahawks to win outright
Tank - Pounder on Pats/Jags, and Colts/Chargers
BA - Pounder on Pats/Jags, Seahawks/Packers, and Giants/Cowboys
If I’ve mispoken, be heard before 4pm EST today (Saturday). And one final plea: What odds would it take to get some action on Jacksonville winning outright? Seriously… what would make it worth your while? Is it 3:1, 5:1, 10:1… somebody put a number out there… c’mon… you know you wanna… anything’s possible in the NFL, right?
January 12th, 2008 at 11:27 am
“I respect that as a degenerate gambler, but the main issue I have is that I don’t want to steal pounders from you on a premise you don’t really believe.”
This line almost made me spit my water on my computer screen…
January 12th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I’m not betting against the Pats. Ever.
Well, as long as Belicheck and Brady are with the team…
January 12th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
In case anyone missed it via e-mail: I offer the following prop bet on the Pats/Jags game. The over/under on Jags offensive TDs is 2-1/2. I’ve got the under. Who’s putting a Pounder (or more) on the over? Well… “who” aside from Einhorn, that is.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I want the Pats win by more than the Pack bet. Not necessarily because I believe it is going to happen, but, you know, just because.
And I’ll take the under with Cliffy if anyone else wants the action. Again, just because.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
2.5…. that will be over in the first half…. candy from a baby
January 13th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Yeah, so it ended up being two (and both may not have actually been touchdowns, fwiw), which is nice, since we both dropped five to you on the whole win-margin thing.
Garrard is great, and Jax showed up like many predicted they would. But that game was not as close as the score. Of course, if Northcutt doesn’t drop that TD early in the second half, things might have gotten interesting.