NFL Picks

This picture has nothing to do with my NFL picks for Thursday night, but I love GOB.

Anyway, one game tonight between the Bengals and the Ravens. The Ravens won at Baltimore by six, thanks to some early Bengal turnovers. I still don't think the Ravens are for real, and Carson Palmer finally looks to have turned the corner. Ocho Cinco has a history of good games against Baltimore, despite the presence of Ed Reed and Chris McCallister. How crazy is that that Ray Lewis is maybe the 5th best player on Baltimore's D. The line is Cincy -3. If the Ravens were favored, this would be a no-brainer. I would take the Bengals. The Bengals giving points......not so sure.

What would GOB do? More than likely, go with the pick that makes no sense.

Bengals -3

-The Kid

Can UK Beat UNC???

Remember this guy, Tayshaun Prince? He was awesome. Remember when he hit a three-pointer from half court against UNC at Rupp? Yeah that was awesome too. He won’t be playing for UK this Saturday. That is totally not awesome.

If anyone watched the North Carolina v. Ohio State game last night, then they realized these two teams are freakishly athletic. And they are talented. In the past, simply one of these would be a danger to the Cats, but in the 06/07 year when I am still not sure how athletic or talented UK is, it could be the recipe for a blowout. However, I would also say that UNC is more athletic and talented than Gonzaga, and the Zags beat them, albeit on a neutral court. That being said, the Cats can beat UNC, but a few things need to happen. Let’s go to the BIG FIVE!!

Force Turnovers- This is extremely important. In an up-tempo game against an incredibly athletic OSU squad, UNC only had 11 turnovers. UK needs to double that (and not then split it in half). Is this possible? Yes. Crawford has shown he can be a strong defender, although it requires a max effort he rarely gives. Jasper has also shown an ability to generate steals. Bradley could be a better half-court defender than Rondo, that jury is still out, but this would be a nice game for him to at least make a defensive statement. Part of me thinks that maybe we should start out with the press, but the other part of me worries that is simply playing into UNC’s hands.

Stay Out of Foul Trouble- The return of Jared Carter is good if only for the reason it gives us another post player. Last time UK played in Chapel Hill UNC shot 40 free throws and UK shot 16. If that happens on Saturday, there is no way in hell we win the game. Brandan Wright, who I personally think is the most talented member of the Tar Heels, is an aggressive shot blocker and against OSU was in foul trouble. If Tyler Hansbrough starts out on Morris we need to feed the big fella Vin Diesel style, i.e.Fast and Furious. Any foul trouble for them is better for us. My biggest fear is that Karl Hess is reffing the game and/or Morris has two fouls within the first ten minutes. Either one has a pretty good chance of happening.

Offensive Execution- UNC gives up points. They are concerned with pushing the ball and accumulating 100 possessions (nearly impossible, despite ESPN continuing to hype it). They have allowed other teams to score, or at least to shoot, relying on their rebounders to turn your misses into their points. So, it will not be enough to simply get shots, but we must take advantage of these shots. I am all for an up-tempo game from UK, but not at the expense of forgetting to get the ball to our best offensive player, Randolph Morris. Those streaks where he doesn’t touch the ball are the ones where UNC will be running the other way for easy layups. In the past, Randolph has responded well to big challenges (UConn, Cincinnati) and I hope he knows outplaying Hansbrough will go a long way toward how NBA scouts see him.

Defense- This kind of goes with turnovers, but beyond forcing those UK needs to control the scoring in the paint. They did a good job against CoC, but CoC doesn’t have Hansbrough and Wright. Not to mention a parade of All-Americans off the bench. Can UK do this? Yes. Will they? That remains to be seen.

Upperclassmen Need to Push, Pull, or Get Out of the Way!- I, and most of the Wildcat Faithful, am about finished with Sheray, Woo, and Bobby Perry. My biggest fear is that Tubby will feel like he needs veterans in the line-up for a tough road game and stick with them long enough to dig UK a big hole. If they continue to not bring anything to the table, I am ready to take my lumps with the freshmen now and hope it prepares them for the rest of the season.

So there you go, a BIG FIVE plan to upset the Tar Heels. If UK can somehow pull this off, I recommend sending Mark Coury to the rafters of the Dean Dome to light fire to their Helms Championship banner. I still cannot believe they have that hanging. But that is another topic, for another time.

--The Kid

The Lon's View

Honestly, our seats were so good that I was distracted by everything but the game: Rob Bromley trying to weasel his way into the huddle; trying to figure out if Chuck Ellinger's crew is intentionally, or unintentionally, trying to look like the Channel 4 News Team from "Anchorman;" trying to figure out what the deal was with the weird-looking guy next to Ashley Judd's was; trying to figure out where the "Bluehearts" were; blocking out the lame chants of the male cheerleaders; wondering why our drumline is cool, but our band stinks; wondering where Chris Cross was, and if he considers Solid Platinum a "family business;" wondering whether UK's "glad-handing" President Lee Todd was going to try to shake my hand without a clue who I was (he did not); and the other time was spent ogling the Dance Cats.

I did notice that Randolph Morris is good, Joe Crawford is slow and is going to lead the SEC in charges, and that we're not exactly fluid on offense.

I also witnessed the lowest class thing I have ever seen a UK player do (Jamal Magliore was always 1st class; don't kid yourself Nate Johnson), when "I'm from Brooklyn" leaped from his seat on the bench, to run the length of the bench to scream in the ear of an opposing player in the corner lining up a 3-pt. jumpshot. Maybe this happens all the time, but it can't happen like this (maybe a "Noonan!"); I couldn't believe he didn't get "T'ed Up" and/or that Tubby didn't flip out. Disappointing.

UK 77- CoC 61

So, a big win for the Cats tonight as the College of Charleston goes down 77-61. So, how did UK do with my "Five Points of Emphasis"? Let's look...

1. Defense- I wanted a shooting percentage below 45 and not a lot of points in the paint. Well, CoC shot 32% from the field and UK outscored them in the paint 42-20. So this is a YES.

2. Rebounding- I wanted +10 it ended up 46-37 UK. That is only +9. What can I say, I'm a hard grader. This is a NO.

3. Assists to Turnovers- I wanted +10, which is actually a little unrealistic. UK had 17 assists to 19 turnovers. That is not good, so this is a big NO.

4. Points scored- I wanted 75-80. At halftime I thought there was no way in hell they would get there, and I was thinking about curving it to the high 60s. Lo and behold, Mark Coury hops off the bench and the next thing I know, UK has 77 points on 47.6% shooting. If I just told you the final score and shooting percentage and you didn't watch the game, you probably would have taken it. As it stands, UK missed a few gimmies and shot 61% from the free throw line, about 10% below their season average. This could have easily been over 80. A big YES.

5. Upperclassmen step up- This is a HUGE NO. Sheray Thomas played 26 minutes and finished with 2 points and 4 rebounds. Perry Stevenson played 16 minutes and had 14 points and 4 rebounds. Mark Coury doubled Sheray's offensive output. Bobby Perry was 3-10 from the field. Woo looked lost and according to Rob Bromley was hearing about his lack of toughness/rebounding/etc from Tubby in the huddle. Our senior class totaled 9 boards and 9 points. Our freshmen, including Coury, had 29 points and 16 boards. With more minutes, that will go up. With more minutes for the seniors? Probably not going to get much more.

A big game Saturday at UNC. It will take a more consistent offensive and defensive effort, but tonight proved that, at least in spurts, UK can be a very good team at both ends of the court.

The Lon attended the game, and I am curious to hear his views.

UK versus College of Charleston

As UK prepares to play the College of Charleston it is clear that Wildcat Nation is restless. A 3-2 record coming out of Maui was not what people had in mind, especially with the blowout loss to Memphis having almost a week to linger in our collective conscious. Nonetheless, the season must go on and UK PM (Post Maui) begins with the CoC. So, the CoC appears to be a solid mid-major with a good head coach. They bring an identical record (3-2) and a high scoring point guard, Dontaye Draper. Assuming you expect UK to win (I do and Vegas has them as a 12.5 point fave) what else would constitute success tonight. In my humble opinion, beyond a victory here are the five things I want to see:

Defense- Specifically, the points in the paint. In Maui, UK gave up more points in the paint (146) than any team, including D-II Chaminade. A lot of that was due to poor interior defense on backdoor cuts, horrific transition D, and the inability of our guards to apply any pressure. Connected to this, I would like UK to hold CoC to under 45% shooting. I don’t care if Draper scores 30 points, as long as it takes him 30 shots to do it.

Rebounding- This should be at least a +10 margin

Assists/TOs- Once again, I would like to see a +10 margin.

Points scored- UK is averaging about 70 points per game. That needs to be higher. CoC can put the ball in the basket, so this should be an up-tempo game. UK’s average needs to be between 75-80 and that should start tonight. At least 75 points scored

Upperclassmen step up- I was going to limit this to Bobby Perry, because he is the one upperclassman that I actually believe can step up and do more, on offense and defense. However, if Sheray Thomas is going to start, then he needs to step up as well. You may as well throw Woo and Jared Carter in there. This team will NOT be successful if Randolph Morris is the only front court player that is above average. Thomas, Perry, Woo, and Carter need to at the very least be slightly above average.

So, in a few short hours we should be able to see if the Cats achieve my goals. Of course, as always, the most important thing is the “W”.

The Kid

No Defense + No Rebounding = No Wins

It is some point late in the 2nd half, but it is already clear that UK is going to lose. The only question is how much. (Update: 73-53 about 7 minutes left)

In Maui, UK has looked lost on "D", giving up dunks, layups, and wide open 3s. Memphis was completely dominated on the boards by Georgia Tech, and tonight they are completely dominating UK. I can only assume that if we played G-Tech they would outrebound us 75-5.

So, now what? This could be a very, very long year if this play continues. UK plays North Carolina in 1 1/2 weeks, and I didn't think UK had a good chance before. Now, I am worried UK will get embarrassed. If this team does not improve, it is going to get very ugly in the LEX.

Turnovers. Tasty, but Deadly!

UK lost to UCLA last night 73-68. And, I guess, there are some positives you can take out of the game. The Cats were, at one point, down by 17 points. UCLA is the 5th ranked team in the country. Derrick Jasper came off the bench with the rest of the freshmen and provided a spark, scoring 25 of UK's 30 first half points.

Unfortuntaely, UK had 17 turnovers, with eight of those coming from their point guards, Ramel Bradley and Jasper. That, along with some poor interior defense, is why UK lost. And it is something that needs to be fixed. But how? Should UK abandon the Bradley as a PG experiment this early? Should Jasper be installed as the starter now? I'm not sure, but Jasper is a better PG right now than Bradley. Bradley is by far a better shooter, from the 3 point and free throw line, but Jasper has better point guard skills. A big thing with this team is "chemistry" and benching Bradley could cause that to blow up big time. But, the team needs to win. So, it will be interesting. To say the least.

Personally, I like a Jasper/Bradley/Crawford/Stevenson/Morris startingn line-up with Perry coming off the bench. I think he is more likely to do it for the good of the team, and not let it become a chemistry problem. Memphis will be a big test for this team. They had the late game last night and now, instead of playing again at 10, they will hoop it up at 4:30. Memphis is athletic, but apparently not a strong jump shooting team. We may see a lot of zone.

Who Gets Leied? Who Gets the Pupu Platter?

UK has never lost in the first round of the Maui Classic (or is it Invitational) and after Monday's game with DePaul this still holds true. So, looking back at this 87-81 win, lets hand out some leis, but also a couple dishes of the Pupu platter (which I know is Chinese, but come on, it is fun to say).

The Leis:

Randolph Morris- 20 points and 9 rebounds. Jay Bilas may want Randolph to take it up strong, but he is a better shooter than a power player. Morris will bring the power game every now and then, but more often than not you will see the fall aways. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more offensive rebounds, but after three games his lowest rebound total is 9. I will take that every time.

Joe Crawford- After the first half, he was well on his way to the Pupu platter. Then he started to board (4) and hand out assists (6). After that the points started coming.

Ramel Bradley- If you were expecting Ramel to be a text book point guard. Well, I'm sorry. You obviously have never watched him play. I mean, he is from Brooklyn (Did you know that? He so rarely mentions it). This is what Ramel at point guard looks like. And I like it. He also got jobbed on a traveling call late in the second half on what was an excellent defensive back like steal.

Bobby Perry- First good game of the season. Nice pull up J.

WOO- The game's MVP. Woo and Sheray Thomas are seniors whose production can be described as sporadic at best. Despite this, everyone loves Woo and everyone hates Sheray. No idea why. I do know that Monday night was the best game Woo has played since last year's UL game.

The Pupu:

Defense (Everyone)- This defensive effort was Mike Archer-esque. I don't want to dwell on it, but it was a stinker. If they play like that against UCLA, they will not win.

Questions:

Not good or bad. Just questions.

1. Why didn't the freshmen play more in the 2nd half?

2. Why did Sheray Thomas play as much as he did? Even before Stevenson's fouls?

3. Seriously, I know I already mentioned it, but what the hell was up with the defense?

Predictions for tonight:

UK wins. By a little. Low scoring game.

Seriously? Izzo?

OK, I will be the first to admit that I thought this was a joke at first. Tom Izzo as the football coach at Michigan State seemed like, well, a joke. Kind of like last year when Michigan fans doctored photos of Tommy Amaker as the Michigan football coach because, if nothing else, he could beat Ohio State. But no, people were seriously considering Izzo as the football coach, and Izzo didn't exactly stop them.

When Michigan State lost to Notre Dame this year, ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit said, "That's Michigan State" or something along those lines. When I heard a dumb ass idea like taking a successful basketball coach and moving him to a sport where he has NEVER coached. Well, that's Michigan State.

Jeter Goes Down

The Kid is back, still recovering from a rough weekend. As a participant in The Hour of Power (or as The Lon likes to call it 'Power Hour') I was still feeling the effects up to 48 hours later. I guess I don't have the bounce back-a-bility I once had. Anyway, with the holidays approaching, and my motivation for work decreasing, I decided to hit on a few random news stories today.

This guy ( I put him in the middle just to mix it up) is your American League MVP, and it probably isn't even the best player on the Twins. I personally would give it to Johann Santana or Joe Mauer. Anyway, the surprising thing is that he beat Derek Jeter, the greatest man in the history of the world, or at least that is what I have heard. I don't want to be a Jeter-hater, but as a regular season MVP, I just don't think he has the numbers. And I know it is "Valuable" and not "Outstanding", but there is a certain expectation of numbers, and I do not think Jeter makes the cut. Now, he was on my fantasy baseball team, and I realized how great his season was, but when you look at the other guys on the list (Ortiz, Mauer, Dye) Jeter's power numbers pale by comparison. A-Rod, who everyone agerees had a bad year, had more HRs and more RsBI. Same for Giambi.

So, congrats to the voters for not being swept away with the Jeter hype. It is now time for those in the media, and you know who you are, to start the "Was there a Jeter backlash?" storyline. And if there in fact was, then the people complaining about were the ones who triggered it.

Isn't it weird???

The Lon here. What does Drew Bledsoe feel like, being evicted from his 3rd starting QB job in about 5 years? What's even weirder, with the possible exception of J.P. Losman, apparently, young QBs learn greatness from Drew by watching him and learning what NOT to do. Hard to believe a Div. 1-AA afterthought can make the Cowboys look like worldbeaters with the "addition by subtraction" of removing Bledsoe. It is kind of like the hyper-fertility The Lon's ex-girlfriends experience after break-ups, when most get knocked up within 6 months. But does that analogy make me Drew.......

The Lon's Power Picks

There was a crew of 4 heros last night that completed an old school "Hour of Power" (which, by the way, should not be called "Power Hour"). As one of the powerful, I will now give you my power picks, because I'm not groggy at all:

Raiders (+9) over CHiefs

Colts (PICK 'EM) over Cowboys
The first "pick 'em" in recent memory, got to go with the undefeated team.

Bengals (+3) over Saints

Steelers (-4) over Browns

Eagles (-13) over Titans
Inconsistent Eagles need to TCB.

Ravens (-3.5) over Falcones
Fine, Ravens; just fine. I'll pick you OK...just quit screwing me.

Panthers (-6.5) over Rams
Panthers at home should be OK.

Bills (+2.5) over Texans

Pats (-6) over Packers

Bucs (-3) over Skins

Bears (-5.5) over Jets

Phins (-3) over Vikes
The Dolphins are suddenly frisky.

Lions (+2) over Cards
The dogs are all covering, right?

Seahawks (-3) over 49ers

Chargers (+2.5) over Broncos

Jags (-3.5) over Giants
Two of the most schitzo teams square off...I'll take the home team.

UK v. Miami (OH)---Opening Night

Well, I was hoping to come on here after a big blowout win over the Redhawks of Miami. Unfortuntaely, I am here to give some views on a 57-46 win that was, as the saying goes, a lot closer than the scoreboard is showing. Normally, I might be on catspause.com or listening to a post-game call in show, but I just don't feel like putting up with the negativity this early in the season. And trust me, even though I haven't officially checked, the negativity is there. So, first I want to talk about some of the positives.

1. Perry Stevenson- When they signed, this freshman was not someone a lot of people thought would contribute much this season. But, a suspension of Sheray Thomas and the injury of Jared Carter has opened up the door and Perry Stevenson has busted through with The Bloc Party (Did you know that was Bloc Party in the pic? ) and he is not leaving any time soon. Perry (Or, as Dave Baker and Martin Newton kept trying to shove down our throught "Pac-Man") finished with only two points and five boards, but he added seven blocked shots. There is no way this kid, as long as he stays healthy, doesn't average at least 3 blocked shot per game. This kid is good, and by the end of the year he will be better.

2. Randolph Morris - 12 points and 10 boards. The point total is not very impressive, but 10 boards is what this guy need to average. Of course, b/c of foul trouble, he only played 22 or some minutes. What will help the points per game is more involvement early in the game. There is no reason for the guards not to get him the ball early and often. I am not sure how many times RM had double-digit rebounds last year, but in my opinion it needs to be an every game occurence.

3. Joe Crawford- 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists. Joe may have saved the day in the first half. He hit the three, he drove, he got on the boards and four assists out of a 2G is pretty nice. I would love to see Joe put up this kind of line every game. He has the talent and I think this year he is poised to shine.

4. Jodie Meeks- 7 points, 4 boards. Could have been better, but he had some really nice rebounds. Kenny Walker on 590 AM (yes, I broke down and am listening to a call-in show) called him a "mini-Kelenna Azabuike" and that sounds about right. Although I prefer the Keith Bogans comparisons.

5. 2nd half defense- After the first 15 minutes of the game, the UK defense really did a great job shutting down the Redhawks half court game.

And for tonight, that is about it. The negative include turnovers (espescially by Bradley), lack of ball movement, nothing on the stat sheet for Derek Jasper, free-throw shooting, and rebounding in the first half.

The Cats have another game on Friday night against an even lesser opponent, Mississippi Valley State. Hopefully, they will cruise. After that it is off to Maui. I was feeling optimistic about that trip, but now.............Well, if they can get past DePaul, the game against UCLA should give us a much better idea of where this team is.

The Kid is out!

Lonnie's Picks

Chiefs (+2) over Phins (Lock of the Week)

Jags (-10.5) over Texans

Bengals (+1.5) over Chargers

Falcones (-8) over Browns

Ravens (-7) over Titans

Colts (-12) over Bills

Saints (+6) over Steelers

Eagles (-8) over Skins

Bears (+1) over Giants

Vikes (-5) over Packers

Pats (-10.5) over Jets

49ers (+6) over Lions

Broncos (-8.5) over Raiders

Rams (+3) over Seahawks

Cowboys (-6.5) over Cards

Bucs (+9.5) over Panthers

Pete Weber NFL Picks from The Kid

This is professional bowler Pete Weber. Why is he here? Because the UK Wildcats are going bowling, baby!!! Yesterday's big win over the vaunted Commodores of Vanderbilt gives the Cats six wins and, as of right now, second place in the SEC East. Pretty crazy. You know what else is crazy? My NFL picks. Underdogs in the past four weeks 27 out of 33 underdogs have covered AND won outright, at least according to the Sports Guy on ESPN. Keeping that in mind, this week's picks are going to throw caution to the wind. And if you want to complain about it on a beautiful day like Bowling Day, which I just made up, then I can only say the same thing Coach Brooks told the media, "Picky! Picky! Picky!"

Here are the picks!!

Jags -10 over Texans

David Garrard is the reason here. These two teams played a couple of weeks ago, and Byron Leftwich's health was a big reason. I think the Jags are looking for revenge. So, I declare this the first official REVENGE GAME!! That is normally The Lon's special, but I have claimed it. Deal with it Lonnie!

Bengals +1 over Chargers

The Chargers are a better team and the Bengals are in turmoil, with infighting and threats from Ocho Cinco to go play football for Arsenal (that would be soccer for most Americans). So, the only logical pick is the Bengals. I'll be honest, this makes no sense, but hey UK in second place in the SEC East doesn't make much since either.

Browns +8 over Falcons

I think the ATL will win this game, but the Browns are a good enough team to hang around, and the Falcons are a bad enough team to let them. Charlie Frye is trying to take the title of most productive rushing QB from Vick, but the only place he leads is rushing TDs. So, my guy tells me the Falcons, but my gut is full of Starbucks right now, so I'm not sure it can be trusted.

Ravens -7 over Titans

I think the Ravens are overrated and the Titans have one of the better coaches in the NFL. Therefore, it makes total sense to pick the other way. Steve McNair is still bitter about his departure from Tennessee, so this is the second REVENGE GAME of the week.

Colts -12 over Bills

The year may be going crazy, but I can't rationalize the Bills hanging with Indy. So of course you should bet the house on Buffalo. OK, that is kind of straddling the fence, stick with the Colts.

Saints +5.5 over Steelers

So, earlier this week on Inside the NFL on ESPN, they were debating nominees for coaches of the year. One of the talking heads threw out New Orleans coach Sean Payton. The other responded, and I am paraphrasing here, "Yeah, but you get the sense there is something else going on there with that team." Actually, I can tell you what's going on with that team. They have a much better coach, a much better quarterback, two healthy/productive running backs, and a much better wide receiving corps. Do you know why they dumped Donte (The Human Hamstring Pull) Stallworth? Marques Colston. Sean Payton deserves all the credit in the world, and if people deny it because of some "magic" or something going on, that is ridiculous. Unless, of course, they have a "magic" standings. If they did, the Steelers would probably be in last place.

Redskins +7 over Eagles

This is another game where I am going against my initial judgement. The Eagles have stunk since beating the Cowboys, and the Redskins, well, they aren't that good either. Remember when everyone thought the NFC East was the toughest conference in the NFL? Good times.

Bears +1 over Giants

It's the FLEX GAME bitches!!! Ya hear that, FLEX GAME! Are you excited? FLEX GAME! How about now? No? OK. I don' think the Bears lose two games in a row, and I have visions of multiple picks from Eli Manning.

Packers +5.5 over Vikings

The Vikes looked good early in the year, but seem to have stalled out. Favre is still playing well, and some of the credit needs to go to new head coach Mike McCarthy. Favre has not been making the same stupid decisions he did the past couple of years. Of course, since I've said that, he will probably throw five picks today.

Jets +10.5 over Pats

This is probably not going to happen, mainly b/c Belichick really, really doesn't like Eric Mangini. Because of this, I am picking the Jets. There is some New Jersey mojo going on, and perhaps the Jets are poised to rise in the "Magic" standings.

Lions +6 over 49ers

The Lions are coming on strong, but Rod Miranelli and Matt Millen could still probably be fired. Mike Martz is poised to take over this team, and while he is a good offensive coordinator, as a head coach, really, a team can do better.

Broncos -9 over Raiders

The Raiders are terrible, Mike Shanahan loves to blow them out, and Tatum Bell is healthy. I don't see any other way this can play out.

Rams +3 over Seahawks

Seneca Wallace has played better than expected since taking over in Seattle, but the Rams almost won against a healthy Seattle. Therefore, they should definitely win against a banged up Seattle.

Cowboys -6.5 over Cardinals

First Tony Romo wins the Dallas job and now he is possibly dating Jessica Simpson. For comparison purposes, Drew Bledsoe just saved a lot of money on his car insurance.

Bucs +9.5 over Panthers

One last underdog pick to close out the weekend. I don't really think Tampa Bay can win, but why the hell not. On a weekend that saw UK give up 600 yards of offense to Vandy and still win by 11 points, anything can happen.

Let's get real people...

The Lon here. Here's a news flash: The Lon is 31 years old. He practices law. He hasn't climbed anything in 12-13 years, but on Saturday, I got 45-50 phone calls, texts, voicemails, and e-mails saying "I hope I see you on UK goalposts when I watch the highlights of the UK win over Georgia."

What made them all the more ridiculous was that I got these messages in Long Island and Manhattan, where I was for the entire weekend for an alumni soccer game. But even if I HAD been at the game, The Lon ain't climbing on no goalposts. COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "Go Cats!" edition

I have not missed a Kentucky home game in a long time. I skipped a friend's birthday not to miss one. The one game I miss...they tear down the goalposts. Unreal. Go Cats, I guess.


Rams (-3) over Chiefs
The Chiefs line is always a mystery, I still am enough on the Rams' bandwagon to bang them here.

Bengals (+3) over Ravens
I STILL do not trust the Ravens(although reality may have to trump soon). And the Bengals can't be as bad as they've looked, can they?

G-Men (-13) over Texans
I have no clue what to expect from the G-Men, but what the heck.

Jags (-9.5) over Titans
The jags have been up-and-down, but I'm still backin' em'!

Cowboys (-3) over Skins (LOCK OF THE WEEK)

Packers (+3) over Bills
I'm riding the brief Favre renaissance.

Saints (+1.5) over Bucs
They might be mortal, but I'm still bangin' em.

Falcones (-5.5) over Lions (SECOND LOCK OF THE WEEK)
THe ATL is lookin' good.

Bears (-13.5) over Dolphins
Easy decision.

Vikes (-4.5) over 49ers

Chargers (-13) over Browns

Broncos (+3) over Steelers
This line makes no sense. Which means the Steelers will blow out the Broncos.

Colts (+3) over Pats

Raiders (+7.5) over Hawks

Goal Post Picks

On a weekend that UK can beat UGA and tear down the goal posts, then maybe I can actually pick some winners in the NFL. So, let's give it a try...

Rams -3 over Chiefs
The Rams are a good team, and the Chiefs are Larry Johnson. I am not sold on Damon Huard, but I am sold on Steven Jackson. Plus, this game is at St. Louis.


Bengals +3 over Ravens
I have been saying for most of the year that something was wrong with Carson Palmer. The Lon has mocked me, others have said the problem is with the line, but I stand steadfast. This morning, Ron Jaworski confirmed my initial opinion. Breaking down the tape, it is clear that opponents are diving at Palmer's legs and this has caused some bad mechanics. Basically, he is lifting his right leg in order to try and protect his left leg. In the past, the Bengals WRs have had very good games against the Ravens. I just don't think the Ravens are a good team, so the Bengals and the points is the pick.

Giants -13 over Texans
13 is a big number, and if Sage Rosenfelds (Sage Rosenfelds!!! WTF!!) has another big game, then the Texans could cover. The Giants are a far better team, however, and their pass rush will not allow Sage Rosenfelds (Sage Rosenfelds!!! WTF!!) the time to hurt them.

Titans +9.5 over Jags
Here is my upset pick of the week. David Garrard does give Jax a better offense than Leftwich, at least that is what the experts say. But, the Titans have shown the ability to hang around better teams than the Jags.

Cowboys -3 over Skins
If the last game was my upset pick, then I guess this is my LOCK OF THE WEEK. The Romo Revolution is in full swing and since Santana Moss is out, there will be no fluke final five minute victory like last year.

Packers +3 over Bills
At the beginning of the year, Buffalo looked decent. Now, they look like crap. Even an aging Brett Favre is better then JP Losman. This game will probably be a shootout and I'll take Favre in that situation.

Saints -1 over Bucs
Drew Brees is not going to have two bad games in a row, and the Bucs appear to be coming down from their Bruce Gradowski high. Reggie Bush may/may not play in this game, but he really has not been much of a factor.

Falcons -5.5 over Lions
I still am not quite sure if Vick has turned the corner and become a complete quarterback, but I am pretty sure the Lions are terrible so it doesn't really matter for this game. And, seriously, Matt Millen still has a job! The "Fire MIllen" moment appears to have slowed down for now, despite the fact the Lions still suck. I miss it, so hopefully this will trigger a new wave.

Bears -13.5 over Dolphins
I heard this week that Nick Saban is contemplating returning to Michigan State, a job he held before his stint at LSU. I don't know about you, but that kind of screams failure to me. Will he lose the genius tag? I hope so.

Vikes -4.5 over 49ers
At the beginning of the year, I thought the 49ers were going to be something. At the very least, an exciting team capable of throwing some points on the board. That appears to have settled down. The Vikes looked worse than terrible (Lions-esque?) against the Pats on Monday night, but they are better than that.

Chargers -12.5 over Browns
I really hope Shawne Merriman runs on the field in a steroid rage and slaps Kellen Winslow, Jr upside his head. Someone really needs to give that kid a huge glass of Shut-the-fuck-up. Ideally, Antonio Gates finishes with a huge game and Winslow has zero catches.

Broncos +3 over Steelers
The Raiders are bad, but at least they have a decent defense. The Broncos have a better defense, and a much better offense, and the Steelers should be worried. Is it possible that Big Ben gets yanked for Charlie Batch? If he has two first halr picks, I think it happens.

Colts +3 over Pats
If this game was in the playoffs, I would pick the Pats. But, it is early November and the Colts will win. Remember, the Colts beat the Pats last year during the regular season, rather convincingly. Adam Vinatieri is now a Colt and a game winning kick from him would be rather sweet.

Raiders +7.5 over Seahawks
This is a REALLY bad Monday Night game. Especially when compared to the Colts/Pats game on Sunday night. The Raiders have a good D and the Seahawks are without Hasslebeck and Alexander. This will be a low scoring affair, so take the points.

The Lon is too embarrassed by his previous picking performances, so I would be SHOCKED to actually see him post.