Left field

Week 14 NFL picks

Could see the blitz coming last week but just could not stop it. The Lineman’s Spider sense told him something just felt wrong but ignored the danger and well…the end result was a crushing 1-5 Week 13.

But we have followed up disappointing weeks with big ones all season and we are still hanging just above .500 so bounce back week is in order.

Record: 40-38. Last week 1-5

Pick of the Week: 7-6

Week Ten NFL Picks

Well, the Lineman was back on track last week with a satisfying 4-2 performance that should have been 5-1 (Come on, who would EVER pick the Bucs to do in the Pack). At first glance – and second – this looks the toughest test so far this season with compelling stats to go both ways on a number of games. But no sitting on the fence, so here we go.

Record: 29-25. Last week 4-2. Pick of the Week: 5-4

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Denver Broncos (6-2) at Washington Redskins (2-6) (Line Broncos minus 3 1/2) I was not one of those getting all gushy about the Broncos 6-0 start to the season and two straight losses — albeit to tough opponents — have brought the Mile High boys back to earth.

But like everyone else I have been far less than impressed with the dysfunctional Redskins, who brought a bingo caller out of retirement to call plays.

The Redskins opened the season with the Tour of the NFL Dregs and still gave the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs their only wins of the season so far. Things get tough from here on in.

Denver ‘s defence is for real and can still cause havoc but quarterback Kyle Orton has struggled and the offence is sputtering putting just 17 points on the board the last two games, scoring one touchdown.

Week Nine NFL Picks

Okay, the first string is back calling the shots this week after Week 8 backup CBall got pounded 1-5 (ouch).

CBall’s fumbles have left Team Lineman (6-0 in the Lineman’s last start in Week 7 in case anyone forgot) perilously close to the .500 mark but the big guy is back and so is the momentum as we head into the second half the schedule.

Record: 25-34. Last week: 1-5. Pick of the Week: 4-4

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Houston Texans (5-3) at Indianapolis Colts (7-0) (Line Texans plus 9 1/2) Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been red hot at the controls of the NFL’s top ranked passing game. But wait a second; who is that guy ahead of him leading the league in most yards passing and touchdown passes? Why it’s Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.

Texans monster wide receiver Andre Johnson is scary good and leads NFL with 697 yards on 44 catches but Manning’s favourite target Reggie Wayne has just eight yards less on 55 catches.

After a stuttering start to the season the Texans have won three straight and are 3-1 on the road so should not be intimidated coming into the “Big Oil Drum” Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Lineman says avoid the trap, take the Bears

Ouch, the Lineman took a couple of hard hits last week but is still narrowly about 50-50 so still standing. A win by the Colts over the Phish on Monday saved the day but better to come this week – gulp.

Record: 7-5; Last week 3-3; Pick of the Week: 1-1

PICK OF THE WEEK: Chicago Bears (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1) (Line Bears minus-2) Fragile Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is out with a broken rib and Chicago QB Jay Cutler started to look comfortable leading da Bears to nice win over the Steelers last week. Bears are learning to live without linebacker and defensive leader Brian Urlacher while the Seahawks are are already looking beat up.

No Bear traps here. Take the Bears and give up the two points.

Tennessee Titans (0-2) at New York Jets (2-0) (Jets minus-2.5) What sounds weirder? Titans 0-3 or the Jets 3-0? The Titans finished last season with the NFL’s best record but have stumbled out the gate while the Jets have been flying high with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez at the controls. Remember the Titans are still a pretty good team (and not a bad movie) while Sanchez is about to hit some turbulence. Fasten your seatbelts.

Take the Titans and the 2.5 points.

Green Bay (1-1) at St Louis Rams (0-2) (Line Rams plus-6.5) Are the Detroit Lions the NFL’s worst team or is it really the Rams? The Rams have scored just seven points in two games this season and have lost 12 straight going back to last season. The Packers, one of the pre-season faves, have dropped five straight on the road and have not looked sharp. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 10 times but will not see the same pressure from the Rams defence he got from the Bengals last week giving him time to locate dynamic pass catching duo of Greg Jennings and Donald Driver.

The Lineman is on a roll, Texans at Titans awaits

Not a bad Week 1, the Lineman will certainly take 4-2 but looks ahead to a tougher Week 2.

Each week this NFL season the Lineman will offer up his Pick-of-the-Week plus his top five other games. Have a go yourself in the comments below.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Houston Texans (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-1) (Line Titans plus-6)

The Titans opened last season with a 10-0 run and finished with the NFL’s best record but go into their home opener just another 0-1 team. But are they just another 0-1 team? We think not.

The Titans lost a heartbreaker to Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh to kickoff the new season and have had 10 days to prepare for the Texans, who stunk out the joint in a home loss to the Jets last Sunday. This is a big, early season AFC South matchup that will see one team go down 0-2. It won’t be the Titans.

Go one-on-one with The Lineman this NFL season

Another NFL season is upon us and the Lineman knows there is no chance of it being a perfect one. But hey, it’s not whether you win or lose; it’s if you covered the spread.

Each week this NFL season the Lineman will offer up his Pick-of-the-Week plus his top five other games. So have some fun, go one-on-one with the Lineman and see you at the Super Bowl.

The new season kicks off on Thursday with a beauty as the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers open defence of their title against AFC rivals the Tennessee Titans.

So let’s get started.

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (minus-6)

It’s a new season but the Steelers and Titans have a familiar look with both teams returning all but two starters. The Steelers may be Super Bowl champs but remember the Titans, not Pittsburgh, had the best record in the NFL (13-3) last season and were 12-4 against the spread.

Titans’ experienced quarterback Kerry Collins is 3-0 against Pittsburgh and will not be frightened by a Pittsburgh defence that was the stingiest in the NFL last season surrendering a miserly 13.9 points a game.

Winnipeg sends former NFL star Pacman Jones packing

Ricky Williams, Doug Flutie and Warren Moon are among former NFL players who’ve deftly used Canada as a springboard to resurrect their careers south of the border, and Adam “Pacman” Jones seemed on the verge of following in their footsteps, albeit under very different circumstances.

After a week of intense speculation, it’s game over for Pacman, at least in Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers have announced that they’ve decided to abandon their attempt to bring the former Dallas Cowboys cornerback and kickoff return specialist to the Canadian Football League.

Sports Illustrated and Canadian media reported that Jones had an agreement in principle with Winnipeg. Jones confirmed the news himself in this 43-minute video on ustream.com, during which he mistakenly called the CFL the UFL while making it abundantly clear that he would clock his time in Canada until an NFL offer came along.

The day after Jones’ video surfaced, Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly was quoted as saying, “It is unfortunate that this situation became public. However, our position has remained consistent. We will pursue athletes that we believe will contribute to our organization on and off the field.”

Jones has been arrested six times since the Tennessee Titans made him the sixth overall selection in the 2005 draft. He has twice been suspended by the NFL for off-field incidents (including for the entire 2007 season) and was released in January by the Cowboys.

Jones seems to have two options left to get back into football. He can either hope and pray that an NFL team picks him up or he can sign with the United Football League, an upstart four-team circuit that will play its charter six-game schedule beginning next month.

Should Brett Favre come out of retirement…again?

Although NFL training camps are still weeks away, each passing day brings new reports suggesting that Brett Favre is about to come out of retirement for a second time in as many years. The Vikings have openly admitted their interest and Favre has done the same.

While the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers are trying to rebuild around younger quarterbacks, the Minnesota Vikings appear to be willing to throw a proverbial Hail Mary pass to an aging quarterback in the hopes he can take them to the Promised Land.

During an appearance on HBO’s Joe Buck Live, his first since retiring from the New York Jets last February, the three-time NFL MVP said he had surgery a couple of weeks ago on his throwing arm. He said the doctor who performed the surgery on his biceps told him it would take four to five weeks to find out if the procedure was a success.

As long as his right arm is healthy, it looks like Favre is coming back to the NFC where he’s spent almost his entire career. The Cajun may not be able to part the river that runs through the Twin Cities, but his eye-popping statistics cannot be overlooked so easily: he won Super Bowl XXXI, was voted Associated Press MVP three years in a row (last one shared with Barry Sanders), selected 10 times to play in the Pro Bowl and he holds NFL record for the most touchdown passes.

Last year, Favre’s season with the Jets started well; in week four he threw six touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, a personal best and one fewer than the NFL record. By week 12, the Jets had compiled an 8-3 record, including a win over the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans. However, the Jets lost four out of the last five games of the season including the final game against the Miami Dolphins, who had acquired Chad Pennington after he was released from the Jets to make room for Favre.

In a recent interview, the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards, Jerry Rice didn’t show a lot of confidence in Favre. Rice said the stress of a 16-game season might be too much for a 39-year-old. “Brett is a competitor. But I know towards the latter part of my career, even though I still wanted to be out on that football field, it was like things became a little bit more difficult,” Rice told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.