NFL 2010 Week 9 Picks

We’re at the halfway point of the season.

That means we should have a decent idea of who’s good and who’s bad — turns out pretty much every one is kinda bad. (Except for the Cowboys…they’re REALLY bad.)

Me? I’m ok (8-5 week, 51-36 season). Let’s see if, unlike almost every time in the NFL, I can break away and become a dominant power.

TAMPA BAY @ ATLANTA
Maybe I’m being a cynical Bucs fan, but I kind of liked it better when no one was talking about Raheem Morris (pictured, right) and his guys and we were the young team that snuck up on people, allowed 150 yards on the ground and somehow won. People are saying this could be a beating, and usually when most people are saying the same thing about an NFL game/team, it almost never happens. I think people are right about this one.

CHICAGO @ BUFFALO
A few weeks ago, I said that Buffalo needed to prove they could win a game before I picked them to actually win one. I’m going back on it: they’re one of the most entertaining 0-7 teams in recent memory. Also, the Bears are kind of horrible.

NEW ENGLAND @ CLEVELAND
New England is quietly rolling with the best record in the league. The Law of Mediocrity in the 2010 NFL season dictates they MUST be knocked down a peg, and the feisty Browns could be the ones to do it.

N.Y. JETS @ DETROIT
The last time the Jets suffered an embarrassing home loss (week 1 against Baltimore), they rolled off five straight wins and looked like the best team in the league. Good luck with that, Detroit.

NEW ORLEANS @ CAROLINA
The Saints (and Drew Brees) seemed to find their mojo in that big win against the Steelers last week, and I think they’ll keep it up. (Or I hope they keep it up…my Drew Brees-led fantasy team has lost two in a row, and I need to right the ship.)

MIAMI @ BALTIMORE
Baltimore’s really good (probably great), but Miami just gets it done on the road. I suppose they take their talents out of South Beach.

SAN DIEGO @ HOUSTON
It’s about time for San Diego’s second-half turnaround (it seems like TE Antonio Gates would try to play even if both his feet were removed). It’s also time for the 4-3 Texans to fall back to .500 so they can finish the year in their familiar 9-7, 8-8 sweet spot. Be who you are, Chargers and Texans.

ARIZONA @ MINNESOTA
My fantasy football opponent has Adrian Peterson this week, and the Cardinals rush defense is dreadful. Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking/drinking/sniffing glue.

N.Y. GIANTS @ SEATTLE
Seattle is REALLY good at home, and the rolling Giants are kind of due for a stinkbomb, aren’t they? Sorry, I can’t. Not with Charlie Whitehurst in the house.

INDIANAPOLIS @ PHILADELPHIA
Are we entirely sure that Peyton Manning couldn’t have me, you, and your grandmother as his receiving corps and STILL not turn us into Pro Bowlers?

KANSAS CITY @ OAKLAND
Game of the week! Seriously…stop laughing! I’ll take Oakland at home until someone proves they can keep them from scoring more than 30 points. (Add that to the list of sentences I never thought I’d type in the next decade.)

DALLAS @ GREEN BAY
Wade Phillips knows he’s going to get fired. At which point does he snap and start doing weird stuff like coaching without pants?

PITTSBURGH @ CINCINNATI
Finally, a nationwide audience will be exposed to just how bad Carson Palmer is.