NFL Championship Weekend Expert (?) Picks

NFL Championship Weekend is here!

Tomorrow will feature the New England Patriots vs. the Denver Broncos at 3pm in Denver and the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle at 6:30pm. With the Super Bowl looming in New Jersey, 2 of these teams are so close they can taste it.

The fun part for fans is the double rivalry that we get to watch with so much on the line.

Russell Wilson vs. Colin Kaepernick and Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning.

Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll and Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning.

Young Quarterback vs. Young Quarterback and Old Quarterback vs. Old Quarterback (Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning)

Let’s be honest, a lot of this weekend is about Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, 2 players who have racked up HUGE numbers in their careers. 2 dudes who have shown that they belong in “best QB of all-time” conversation. But 1 quarterback with 2 MVPs and 3 Super Bowl rings and 1 quarterback with 4 MVPs and 1 Super Bowl ring.

I hope Peyton Manning kicks Tom Brady’s ass!

With that said, I asked Twitter who they thought would win the AFC and NFC Championships this weekend and I got some answers that I’m ready to share…

Thanks to @dave_church , @DilaDeyanira, @CasanovaMo and @trishca for their picks. And thanks as well to @RonArsenault  for his inspiring declaration of “Niners ’til I die.”

Let’s take a look at the picks. 1) Dave 2) Dila 3) Mo 4) Trish 5) Me.

It’s true that we don’t have much difference in the picks here. This itty bitty sample size shows a clear lean to a Seahawks and Broncos Super Bowl.

Seattle is a team that has lost at home exactly 1 time in the last 2 seasons. And San Francisco is a team that has experience winning the NFC title and is looking to get back to the Super Bowl. This rivalry is just getting started and I expect a hell of a football game. But with the Seahawks secondary playing out of their minds and running back Marshawn Lynch ready to go beastmode, I don’t think that the 49ers will win this game and Russell Wilson will get his 1st shot at the Lombardi Trophy.

In the AFC game we get the match-up that puts a lot of people on 1 side of the fence or the other. People either love or hate Tom Brady. People either love or hate Coach Belichick. People love Peyton Manning but also love to to question his ability in the clutch. I think that this is the best team that Peyton has had around him since he won the Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 and I think that he (and the rest of the Broncos, including a defence that will have to perform well) will get the job done and head to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.

If you plan on betting real money on these games please don’t use my picks as any sort of direction!

Sunday should be a great day of football. Get your nachos and chicken wings and beer ready!

NFL Week 7 Picks!

Week 7 is here!

And to be honest, I wasn’t ready for it. I missed my pick on the damn Thursday game! And that sucks because it was pretty much gonna be the Seahawks all over Cardinals 100%.

However, I’ve got to move on. And before we get to the picks this week, keep these things in mind for week 7.

☆ Gronk is back in New England. He’s practised this week and it looks like he’ll play against the Jets. Brady will be happy. And if he can move, the AFC better watch out.

☆ Megatron will play too. That’s right, Calvin Johnson is back. Albeit with a compression sleeve on his knee, but having Johnson on the field is better than not having him on the field!

☆ DeMarcus Ware travelled to Philly but will not play. He’s missing his 1st game in 9 years.

☆ Vick’s still out for the Eagles.

☆ Peyton vs Luck in Indy is going to an awesome thing… pretty much however it goes down.

☆  Stevie Johnson is in for the Bills vs Miami… and so is CJ Spiller.

So, there’s lots going on. It’s going to be a fun week. And when I picked, I tried to pick with my head and not my heart.

Let’s look:

☞ Seattle (not picked)
☞ Arizona
☞ Detroit
☞ Miami
☞ New England
☞ DALLAS
☞ Chicago
☞ Carolina
☞ San Diego
☞ San Francisco
☞ Green Bay
☞ Kansas City
☞ Pittsburgh
☞ Denver
☞ Minnesota
☞ Byes: Oakland, New Orleans

Note: Go Cowboys!

First place in the NFC East is on the line in Philly. That’s HUGE. Here’s hoping for a big Dallas win and them getting on a roll.

But the story that everyone will be paying attention to tonight at 8:30 is Peyton Manning’s return to Indy where he was awesome and built his career. Nobody disputes that Andrew Luck is a great QB and could be for a long time for the Colts, but Peyton came first, and tonight he should win in front of his old fans.

And while I did pick the Patriots with my head, my heart hopes that the Jets can get he upset and beat Tom Brady. I always want Brady to lose.

Good luck to you with all of your picks this week. Unless you’re in my pool.

And I hope that you didn’t forget to pick Seattle on Thursday. I know I won’t let myself make that mistake again!

Have a great week. Be awesome.

NFL Week 6 Picks!

Happy Thanksgiving Canada, and happy Week 6 to everyone!

This week I got back on track by winning the Thursday game – I’m sorry Giants fans… I really don’t like you because of the whole divisional rivalry thing – but 0-6 hurts bad.

Speaking of hurting… after a good start to my pool season I’ve seen a sharp drop off. I’m only 4 games off the lead and 1st place – but it feels like 10.

Here’s hoping that I grab 10-12 wins this week and get back on track again.

Also, big ups to Tony Romo’s Week 5 numbers. I know the end was a heartbreaker for Cowboys fans. But man, what a game!

Let’s take a look at my full list of Week 6 picks before I start eating turkey and cranberries.

☞ Chicago
☞ Cincinnati
☞ Detroit
☞ Kansas City
☞ Carolina
☞ New York Jets
☞ Philadelphia
☞ Green Bay
☞ Houston
☞ Denver
☞ Seattle
☞ New Orleans
☞ San Francisco
☞ DALLAS
☞ Indianapolis
☞ Byes: Atlanta, Miami

Note: Go Cowboys!

It’s going to be an interesting week.

How many points will Denver win by against Jacksonville?

Can the Cowboys win at home and take back 1st place in the division?

What will Josh Freeman look like in a Vikings uniform?

Can New Orleans win on the road against New England? (I Hope So!)

Here’s hoping that you enjoy the games and have some luck with your picks. Unless you’re in my pool – then I hope you’re wrong every time you pick against me.

Enjoy the football.

Be awesome!

NFL Week 5 Picks!

Welcome to week 5!

To start, I need to confess that I am not happy about losing on my Thursday night pick for the first time this season. It sucked. And it sucked even more for the Bills who lost the game and quarterback EJ Manuel with an LCL sprain…

Next, I need to express my desire to have a bounce back week after winning only 9 games in week 4 and dropping to 4th in the pool. Yes, I’m only 2 wins off the top, but it was still a crappy week for picking winners. Week 5 has gotta be better kids. It’s gotta be!

So, here’s hoping that these picks are more… winning.

Note: Dear Tony, please win today. It would be awesome and everyone would talk about you being elite and the team being on track to win the division. Thank you.

☞ New Orleans
☞ New England
☞ Green Bay
☞ Kansas City
☞ Seattle
☞ St. Louis
☞ Miami
☞ NY Giants
☞ Carolina
☞ DALLAS
☞ San Francisco
☞ San Diego
☞ Atlanta
☞ Byes: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

Note: Go Cowboys!

So there you have it, my picks are in for week 5. I hope that we’re all better off because of them.

And I hope that Josh Freeman finds a job soon. Maybe Buffalo should give him a call.

As always, please remember, it’s all fun and games until you lose a ton of money. So play smart and within your limits.

Good luck to everyone not in my pool.

Enjoy the football.

Be awesome!