NFL Week 2: Pink Dogwood

Ok, so you may not have had the best start on the first hole. Now we come to the par 5 second. This is a hole any serious contender must par, and probably birdie.

The left trees on this hole are nicknamed the "Delta Counter". Because - if you go left into the woods - there's no need to worry about playing the weekend and you might as well just get your tickets home now.

That's where a lot of teams are this week. They are 0-1 after a loss in week 1; some teams (like Tennessee, Washington, Miami) lost to good teams on the road - so a week 1 loss is no biggie. For other teams (Cincinnati, Carolina, Arizona) - a week 1 loss came as a surprise and they can not - no way - afford to go 0-2. If they are any good, they will rebound in week 2. The question is - are those teams really any good?

And we also have the question of the teams playing on different "holes" on week 1. Is a team that parred - oh, I don't know - Elks Run #1, Orchard Hills #1 or Pleasant Valley #1 (and therefore are 1-0) any better than a team that bogied the first hole, like a bogey on Blue Ash #1, Grandview #1, or Hunt Valley Blue #1?

In short, this is a big week for a lot of teams. They've got to par the easy par 5. I'm looking at you, Mr. Mangini.

To the picks:

Was 24, StL 13. I just do not trust the Skins enough to cover the large spread.

Ten 27, Hou 20. I think Tennessee's defense is vulnerable to a passing offense like Houston's ; however, the Texans will commit turnovers galore (again).

Phi 22, NO 22 I honestly have no clue here. How wil Kolb play? Can the Saints play on the road? Avoid this one like the plague.

NE 27, NYJ 16. Do we really like that Belichick will let a rookie QB hand with them? Really? I am not buying the Sanchez love just yet.

KC 24, Oak 13. West coast team playing at 1 pm! And maybe KC's offensive "explosion" vs. the Ravens was not a fluke. It's going to be hard for the Raiders to bounce back from a late Monday night game to play in the early spot on Sunday.

Jax 27, Az 20. Another West Coast team playing at 1 pm! Maybe these Cardinals just aren't that good. I need to watch Jax more closely this week to get a read on them.

GB 26, Cin 13. If the Bengals couldn't score at home vs. the Brnocos, how are they going to score vs. the Packers after what we saw on Sunday night?

Min 30, Det 17. A more confident picker would choose the over here. If the Lions win, I will be crying. Enough said.

Atl 27, Car 24. This one should go down to the wire. I'm not saying Carolina will win, but I think they have the urgency here to keep it close -and suffer a heartbreaking defeat.

SF 30, Sea 23. I just like what I see from the 49ers.

Buf 23, TB 13. A perfect opponent for the Bills, who must be crusheda fter Monday's loss. This will be a good indication on whether the Bucs are truly one of the worst 2-3 teams in the league.

Bal 23, SD 13. I don't see the Ravens' defense giving up as many points/yards as they did last week. Side wagers on this game:

Over/under on fights in the stands: 28.5
Over/under on fights in the stands involving Layup, who will be attending? 1.5

Chi 20, Pit 16. I think Chicago can move the ball in the air vs. a Polamalu-less defense. And Pit's strength on offense in the pass - which Chi can handle prtty well.

NYG 26, Dal 20. Mabe I just hate Dallas too much.

Mia 27, Ind 24. I think the Colts have lost a step, and the Dolphins are a dangerous team.

Cle 16, Den 13. OK - this is it. We were nervous on the first tee, hit a good drive- and then hit the approachin the water. Now we are on the 2nd tee at +1. Easy par 5. Let's turn in a good, solid game here and get back on track.

Best bets: 15 of them (last week: 6-10.)

Hou/Ten over 40.5

NE -3.5

KC -3

Jax -3

GB -9

Car +6

Car/Atl over 42.5

SF -1

Sea/SF over 39.5

TB/Buf under 42

Bal +2.5

Chi +2.5

NYG +3

Mia +3

Ind/Mia over 42

Ugh. too many favorites this afternoon.....