With the first pick....

What is the most interminable week in sports? I used to think it was the week leading up to the 1st/2nd rounds of the NCAA basketball tourney. Sunday night, the pairings came out - teh first set of picks were made before midnight; Monday was spent listening to other analysts; and the picks were locked in stone by Monday 3:00 pm.

And then you waited.... and waited.... and waited....for Thursday to roll around.

Now, however, that week seems very short. This past week has seemed very LONG as we wait for the NFL season to kick off! The days between the last exhibition game and the opener have never seemed longer.

As always, I will strive to pick 16 bets for the week ahed - not all games will be picked and I will liberally use the over-unders - and I will attempt to be ahead for third straight year. Derek will also join me in that challenge.

So, here is the first pick of the NFL year:

Pit 20, Mia 10. I don't think peope understand Pit's offense. Ben is not a great quarterback -he is a great game manager. Ben does not make plays to let the Steelers win - that should have been obvious in the Superbowl. However, everyone is reacting to Ben's injury like this is an automatic win for the Fish here. I don't see it. Charlie can manage the game as well as Ben, and Mia's defense -while good - is not great and will not shut Pit down.

You all know I'd love a Pittsburgh loss as much as anybody, but I don't see it tonight - not at Heinz against an overrated Miami team. (Does anyone remember their last loss???? Does 22-0 ring a bell????)

Best bet:
Pit -1.