NFL week 1 picks

So I don't know if anybody's still reading this. I'm going to try something this NFL season-give my picks for the winners of NFL games with a brief explanation or commentary. Hopefully it will be somewhat amusing/interesting.

WEEK 1
NFC

MIN vs NO-This is an after the fact post, but I did have New Orleans picked before hand for the reason that I didn't think Brett Favre would have had time to gel with the offense due to a late entry to training camp. I was dead on as Favre was especially out of sink with Percy Harvin.

DET vs CHI-I'm not about to put much faith in the Jay Cutler lead Bears, and the Lions are a team that is improving (well, at least we hope a few good draft picks and moves can improve from 2 wins over the last 2 seasons), however, the Lions aren't there yet. I'll take the Bears.

CAR vs NYG-I want to go with Carolina, but they're the prototypical team that was bad but then looked good down the stretch last season. I've found that both with players and teams, looking good down the stretch of a hopeless season usually doesn't translate into success next year. The Giant's season was opposite of Carolina's, but I'll take their more proven core of players to win.

GB vs PHI-Have to take Green Bay. Their offense is better than the Philly D, and barring an explosive performance by Kevin Kolb, the Eagles won't be able to keep up with the heralded NFC favorites. Look for the Eagles to be a lot better late in the season.

ARI vs STL-Derek Anderson fooled us into thinking he was good for one season. He'll be able to do it for a few weeks with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, especially against St. Louis. Cards win.

SF vs SEA-When a fairly big name player like TJ Houshmanzada leaves the team he played for his whole career for a new team in free agency, and then gets cut after an unproductive, unmotivated first season, that's probably not a franchise that's going anywhere. The 49ers, the expected surprise team, have a lot more upside. I'll put my gold on San Fransisco.

DAL vs WSH-If you thought the physicality of the Dallas defense made McNabb look bad at the end of last year, wait 'till you see him with only the Washington wide receivers to throw to. I'll take the Cowboys with little worries.

AFC

DEN vs JAC-I've never thought that Kyle Orton was all that bad of a QB. He'll get the job done against the Jaguars, who I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this year (other than a lot of Maurice Jones-Drew. Fantasy team, baby!!!). Broncos.

OAK vs TEN-The last time I picked the Raiders, the lost by 40 or so points to a bad team (I think the Bills). I'd much prefer to take the Titans who might be that pesky team that the really good teams just can't seem to put away with Chris Johnson and Vince Young QB scrambles to try to stop. Easy pick, Titans.

CIN vs NE-Chances are, I'm too high on the Bengals and too low on the Patriots, but it'll take learning the hard way for me to figure that out. Bengals.

MIA vs BUF-Miami. 'nough said.

IND vs HOU-Houston has the nostalgic appeal. The team that's been getting good but hasn't been able to crack the playoffs finally looking ready to be great with a big time week 1 division game to get it's magical season started. But nostalgia isn't a good sports law, especially when we don't even know how good they are yet. I'll take the team that should have been 16-0 last year.

BAL vs NYJ-The Ravens are my preseason Super Bowl pick. The Jets are the team that I think will leave its expectations the most unfulfilled. Yet for some reason, I'm taking the Jets. I'm going to hope this is some sort of uncanny gut feeling, not some sort of nostalgia.

SD vs KC-The Chiefs established themselves as a black hole last year by wiping the previous season's "from a nobody to a household name" player off the face of the earth. Matt Cassell who? I'll take the Chargers.

INT

CLE vs TB-If Tampa Bay does well, they might be an average team. I don't expect much. And they aren't the Cardinals in the playoffs, so Jake Delhomme should do well enough for the win. Browns.

ATL vs PIT-This one's a duzie. Picking Atlanta would be based entirely on them returning to what they were able to do two years ago. Picking Pittsburg would be based entirely on wanting to see a run-first college QB succeed in the NFL. So I'll go a different route. I'll base my pick entirely on Troy Polamalu's $1,000,000 insured hair. The Steelers defense is a heck of a lot better with Troy in there. Steelers.

Stay posted for weekly picks, probably appearing in the friday to saturday range.