Coin Flip Challenge Week 2

I’ve spent the last five days in my sports cave tirelessly researching the ebb and flows of NFL history. I’m more prepared than ever before to wage war on the coin flip. With my newfound knowledge, I predict a slow and painful demise for the coin. Here is how I see this week unfolding in the NFL:

NYJ -2.5 jax

Jets games are notoriously tough to predict. I’m a little nervous going against them on the road but I don’t think the Jets are that good. Pennington’s poor velocity and Curtis Martin’s injury will be exposed against a very good Jaguar defense. My confidence level here is pretty low but if I have to choose, I’ll go with Jacksonville.

STL. -6.5 tenn

These two teams are almost mirror images. They both have offensive firepower and they both have terrible defenses. St. Louis plays like a different team at home but I will surely have nightmares picking a team coached by Mike Martz. I don’t know what to do. Tennessee was impressive beating Baltimore last week. Nonetheless, I have to go with the Rams at home.

PHILLY -8 oak

I was thinking about going with Oakland here but then a siren went off in my head accompanied by the phrase, “Kerry Collins on the road” over and over again. Thus, I’m going with Philly.

cincy -3 CHI

I might be naïve here but there are a lot of NFL fans in America that think the Bears are good. As a Lion fan, I know the real deal. Cincy wins by a lot.

MINNY -4 no

These two teams are the exact same. They both play in domes. They both turn the ball over as much as Joey Harrington. They both have big issues. I think this game will be close so I have to take New Orleans.

car -3 MIAMI

Going against Nick Saban at home could prove to be a huge mistake but then again going with Gus Frerotte against Carolina’s defense could be an even bigger mistake. I like the Panthers.

INDY -13.5 clev

I learned a lesson last week in the philly/sf game. The lesson was basically that a really good offensive team can score a lot of points against a really bad defensive team in 60 minutes, especially at home.

BUFF -2.5 atl

This was a tough game to call which is probably why Vegas had this game “called off” for most of the week. I think these teams are very similar so it comes down to Michael Vick vs. J.P. Losman. Count this as a vote against Losman. I’m going with Atlanta.

tb -3.5 GB

I remember how much trouble Tampa Bay has had in cold weather in Green Bay. However, the Lions beat the Packers 17-3 and the Lions are, well, the Lions. Plus, it probably won't be that cold in Green Bay this early in the season. Tampa Bay is playing well on both sides of the ball. I can’t go with Green Bay.

SEA -6 arizona

There are two glaring reasons why I’m going with Seattle; 1). Shuan Alexander against Arizona’s defense and 2). Kurt Warner on the road.

PITTS -3 ne

Pittsburgh smoked New England at home in the regular season last year. The Steelers have been the best team in the NFL over the first two weeks. New England has been in a funk. I can’t go against the Steelers at home.

dall -6.5 SF

I don’t necessarily like picking Dallas in a big spread game because they aren’t very good on offense and Parcells is a pretty conservative coach. The fact that this game is in San Francisco makes me even more nervous but San Francisco is terrible. This is a tough one. Drew Bledsoe on the road makes me nervous. I would think that Dallas would bounce back after the big let down against Washington on Monday night. I guess the bottom line is, do I think Dallas is a touchdown better than San Francisco? And, the answer is yes.

SD -5.5 nyg

As I predicted, the Giants have started off the season strong. However, they will fade faster than the Tigers in June. San Diego should score a lot of points. Eli Manning on the road could be a recipe for disaster.

DEN -3 kc

Kansas City has had problems winning in Denver. I am very weary about Trent Green possibly turning in a Joey Harrington type performance on the road in Denver. However, the Chiefs have such a good running game and a formidable defense. Denver hasn’t looked too good yet. I’ll stick with the Chiefs.


My picks:

Jax
Stl.
Philly
Cincy
NO
Carolina
Indy
Atlanta
TB
seattle
Pitts
Dallas
SD
KC

Coin Flip picks:

NYJ
Tenn
Philly
Cincy
NO
Miami
Indy
Atlanta
GB
Arizona
Pitts
Dallas
NYG
KC

Once again, the Coin Flip has me cornered by picking the same pick in eight out of 14 games. If I get smoked again this week, then I will make my picks next week and then just go with the opposite on every game. I’m nervous.