MARLBORO, NY – Last week I tried increasing the number of selections in an effort to get my Cheesy Bruin’s FREE NFL Picks to a .500 record for this NFL season. Well, that blew up in my face like a package from the Acme Company intended for Wile E. Coyote sent by the Roadrunner. I went 2-6 on these bonus picks to fall to 23-33 for the year. KABOOM!!! I’m slowing things down and going back to the normal protocol but proceed lightly with this advice.
FAVORITE The Lions travel to Arizona for a game that means nothing more than who will be picking higher in this spring’s NFL draft. Sometimes there is opportunity to make money on these types of match-ups late in the NFL season and I think this is one of them and Las Vegas is tipping its hand on this one. The Lions are on a slide as of late losing 5 of their last 6, having trouble scoring points and giving up loads of points in the process. For some reason Matt Patricia’s bunch is favored on the road against the Cards who have managed to cover the spread in three of the last five. Something smells fishy and Las Vegas knows more than we do at figuring out these handicaps. Follow your nose here is all I’m saying. The Pick: Detroit -2.5 over ARIZONA
UNDERDOG Don’t look now but Tampa Bay has won back-to-back games. And that’s with Jameis Winston at quarterback! The Saints come into the Sunshine State off of the straight up Thursday Night loss to the Dallas Cowboys, have extra rest and look to avenge the Week #1 loss to the Bucs. Sounds like a layup for the Saints doesn’t it? But I’m not falling for it. I’m not saying the Bucs repeat their opening week surprise but New Orleans is a heavy road favorite on grass and this usually spells trouble for teams who play on the fast track that is artificial turf. Tampa Bay is a very live underdog here and you shouldn’t be so quick to anoint the Saints with your greenbacks this week. The Pick: TAMPA BAY +10 over New Orleans
OVER Houston is rolling and I’m not sure anybody wants to see this team come playoff time even if they might be peaking a little early with their nine game winning streak. They’re getting some steady running back play out of Lamar Miller of all people fer cripes sake! Enter Andrew Luck and the Colts who have finally figured out that success is a result of keeping your franchise quarterback upright and clean and have built an offensive line for the first time during Luck’s tenure. This one has all the makings of the 37-34 shootout from early in the season when these teams clashed. The Pick: Indianapolis/HOUSTON OVER 50
UNDER So there’s been some fallout for under-performing NFL teams recently with the Mike McCarthy firing and the dismissal of coordinators on both sides of the ball around the league. One such team is the Carolina Panthers where Head Coach Ron Rivera will assume the role of defensive coordinator–a role that landed him the lead role for the Cats. I like Baker Mayfield and the Browns approach of letting him learn on the fly as they are letting him throw the ball all over the place. That’s how you pick up this game and the speed at which the NFL plays to. Sometimes the more you drop back as a rookie signal caller you are in peril of throwing the ball to the wrong jersey and I think Riverboat Ron devises a plan for Carolina to do just that and in turn will keep the score at a minimum. The Pick: Carolina/CLEVELAND UNDER 47.5
That’s it for me. Leave your two bits below and come back tomorrow for a man that sniffs the armpits of old men, Buddy Diaz.
