NFL Week 8: Vietnam

Week 8 takes us to Vietnam - a fascinating country that was the first destination that Janice and I had split opinions on. I loved it; she would be fine if she never went there again. In summary, the country is Asia in miniature. It seemed to be overcrowded like China's cities; pulsating 24 hours a day like Bangkok; strove to be like the USA while "officially" hating it, and a government that was vainly and futilely trying to control the population.

It was alive. With tons of motorbikes!

I wrote a blog post earlier about Vietnam and my impressions - see here - and today I'll expand on a few things:

1. Motorbikes; when I first came to China, I was expecting to see motorbikes (or at least bicycle) everywhere I went. Not so in Guangzhou; motorbikes are outlawed, and bikes are somehow not that prevalent down here. (In the north of China, however....). The government has clamped down on motorbikes in order to control the pollution here in Guangzhou; in Vietnam, no such ordinance. There are 100 motorbikes on the road for every car. There are many families of 4 riding on a single motorbike across town. At a stop light, it looks like the start of a 100-cycle BMX race. 10 of them at the starting line, 10 deep.

2. How do you cross a busy street full of bikes when there is no cross walk? Easy - just raise your hand. Our tour guide led us across a busy street by raising one hand over her head, and walking straight out into the street. Immediately, the bikes moved left to give her room. It took us 2-3 seconds, but we then jumped into the street and followed here. She kept her hand up the whole time as the bikes saw her and veered out of the way. She was a modern day Moses.

3. Gambling! There is gambling in Vietnam! Our hotel had a "casino" in it that seemed to be a medium size conference room with all sorts of electronic games. I settled on the electronic blackjack - $5 minimums, and yes, the units were all in US dollars. They had the video screen that "dealt" cards - and there was an actual human dealer! The "dealer" hit the buttons to activate the computer dealing. No chips changed hands - the accounting was all on the computer. The "dealer" was just there for show to have someone official running the game.

I lost a million that night in blackjack....a million Vietnamese Dong, if the units were in the Vietnamese currency. The 20,000:1 exchange rate is still wild.

4. The Vietnam war memorials still creep Janice out, and they are discomforting. The government clearly wants to communicate that the evil Americans caused all this - but the general public (at least in the South) does not go along. I've gone back for work and heard this sentiment several times. They had the Agent Orange museum that the tour guide "forced" us to see - we left Warren and Martin in the day care center, while Freddie went with us. Somehow, Janice and I both lost track of Freddie and he got separated from us; we found him in one section staring at the victims with burned-off legs and arms. "What happened to them???" Uhhhhhhh.......

5. The food....spectacular. The French influence served them well.

6. They are on relatively the same longitude as Guangzhou - maybe a bit more to the West - yet they are an hour behind us. It gets light here early in the morning (I have had a 6:00 tee time here in GZ: now, the sun rises at 6:15).....so in Vietnam, it is very bright at 5:30 am. There is activity on the street at that time. it seems like the action never stops.

7. I won't go into the waterpark adventure we had again - but here were the waterslides we rode in the middle of a random Thursday afternoon....we were 5 of the 40 people at the park that day.

Vietnam just feels....alive and real. The motorbikes, the food, the craziness of the currency, the official party line of hating the USA while everyone is out to make a buck....it's fascinating, it's chaotic. I'd love to go back to Vietnam - the south part. I hear the north part is just like China.....

But chaos for a vacation is refreshing. Chaos for a football team....well, that's the norm with the Browns. We are not even into the third month of the NFL yet, but we are on our third quarterback! Hello Jason Campbell! To be a success, all you need to do is not fire 100 mph bullets as screen passes, and try to scramble for 5 yards once a quarter. That will put you ahead of Mr. Weeden for good.

If he can limit the mistakes........our defense is good enough to stop KC.....can the upset happen???? I will hope for it until it is 14-0 after 1 quarter again.

On to the games:

Det 31, Dal 24. I'm not liking what I see in the Cowboys offense.

SF 27, Jax 10. Mike A - I know you are reading this. Please stop me if I ever talk to you about taking the Jaguars again. You have permission to slap me.

NE 23, Mia 20. I read some stats on Brady - and I couldn't believe it. He is the 29th rated QB in the league????

NO 34, Buf 17. Boy, the Bills are tempting here, but the Saints are off a bye, and maybe this Rob Ryan defense is good.

Phi 30, NYG 20. Can we really judge how well the Giants are after Freeman's debacle last Monday?

Cin 24, NYJ 13. The Jets will be exposed by a superior Bengals team this week.

Oak 24, Pit 23. Don't these two teams play every year in Oakland? And don't the Raiders always win a wild one over a jet-lagged Steeler team?

Az 24, Atl 16. Where are people getting the idea that the Falcons are any good?

Den 37, Was 17. I had the Redskins last week, and their defense is horrible. 42 points given up to McNown and the Bears!! Manning will be out for revenge - he better, since he's the only solid player on my GZ fantasy team.

GB 27, Min 24. Honestly, I'm not that impressed with GB. Yes, they have a good running game - but with all the injuries at receiver, their passing game is not where it should be. And Ponder will be a decent replacement for Freeman.

Sea 23, StL 17.  I think something is missing from Seattle's offense. Yes, they played well against Arizona - but look at the games; they are in the 20s against teams with average or better D's. Is St Louis at that level? No, but Fisher will get a rise out of them for Monday night.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 6-9; overall: 52-51-2
Det -3
Mia +6
NO -10 1/2
Phi -5 1/2
Cin -5
Oak +2 1/2
Pit/Oak over 40
Az - 2 1/2
Atl/Az under 46 1/2
Den -11
Was/Den under 59
Min +8
GB/Min over 46 1/2
StL +12

Supercontest: disappointing 2-3 last week. Overall: 15-18-2
Mia +6 1/2
Cin -6 1/2
Az -2 1/2
Min +9 1/2
StL +10 1/2

 

NFL Week 7: Singapore

Hello from somewhere over the Sea of Okhotsk! I hate these cross-pacific flights where I can’t sleep; it truly is sobering to find out exactly how long 14 hours is when you are trapped in a seat but can’t sleep to make the time pass faster.

Anyway, we are at Week 7 in the NFL season – and that brings us to Singapore! We went here two winters ago for a long weekend between Christmas and New Years – it was intended as a chance to get some Western culture as a break from China. And it worked!

First off, the highlight of the trip was the hotel. As a stockholder in LVS (72 and rising!), I wanted to see the Marina Bay Sands in person. It did not disappoint! The hotel room itself was nothing special, but the rooftop pool on the 57^th floor was spectacular. Every day- in the afternoon at first, and then in the morning (more on that later), we went up there. Palm trees and a large, wide infinity pool greeted the guests. The kids had plenty of fun just sitting on the edge of the pool and looking out the sides into the city. They even had a kids’ infinity pool up there where Martin jumped in and out for an hour.

And yes, of course, the hotel had a casino. No craps when I was there, however. We played a lot of the Texas Hold Em bonus poker. An immaculate casino – modern design, clean, and fresh.

First of our tourist activities was to go to the science center and Snow City. The Science Center was good – nothing spectacular; we bought Martin a shirt that he is STILL too small for, but he wears it all the time. Snow City is an indoor sledding place; it’s a big barn with a hill inside made from artificial snow. The kids (and I!) were missing the snow and the cold – so we gave it a try.

Now, Singapore is 90 degrees year round. (Or, more correctly, it is 90 in the winter and 95 in the summer). They had a changing area before the entrance to the barn where you can rent the winter gear and change. It was quickly apparent that I had to think about the logistics here.

 What’s the plan to change clothes? Either:

-          You (the adult) putting on your snow pants, boots, and sweater, and then putting the clothes on the kids (while you swim in your own sweat, wearing all of that in 90 degrees?), or

-          Or you put all the kids stuff on first – and try to have them sit there in 90 degree temps, not move, while you change (and hope they don’t have to go to the bathroom)?

We chose option 2 – semi successful, with a moderate amount of whining. The whining came when Martin’s glove fell off 5 minutes into to – that was a 20 minute crying spree of “I can’t feel my hand! It’s too cold!”. Other than that, it was a big hit, and we hope to do it again soon.

 We explored downtown one of the days – it’s hard to describe where “downtown” is in a city-state of 25 square miles – and you can feel the European/British influence. I have never been to London – but my impression is that the city grid was set up by the English. Very orderly, financial buildings on each side of the street, regal names for the avenues (Victoria, Edward, …). It’s a different feel than Hong Kong – much more “Western” or “Civilized” than Hong Kong.

We did the big Ferris Wheel, we went to the night zoo, did a movie at one of the malls – and then realized – that’s it! That’s the country right there! Downtown is in the south part of the island, the zoo was in the way north, Snow City was on the Western Tip – bingo! Done!

One more word about the weather – you can set your watch to the afternoon storms that roll in. Every day – about 3:00 pm – the grey clouds would come and dump about 1/2 inch of rain on the city; it lasts for about 30-45 minutes, and it’s over. It was impressive to see this storm roll in from the rooftop pool at the Sands…..but we realized after that to do any outside activities in the morning.

Which is a good transition to Brandon Weeden. He’s like the Singapore rain squall that is coming – he may look good for a while, but the critical mistake is always out there, lurking – and it will happen. (Usually in the 4^th quarter). You can set your watch to it. We saw it in the Miami game, and then the Detroit game with the God-awful underhanded interception he threw. I did not see this live last weekend – not sure what I was watching or playing when this happened – but I can only shake my head when I was the highlights.

 Not sure how he is going to fare vs. the Green Bay defense, but I expect a close game, simply because our defense (and Joe Haden) should be able to hold GB in check. Maybe 20-27 points allowed? That would be a moral victory of sorts. It would be a stretch to think Weeden can lead the team to 20-27 points in GB.

On to the games:

Atl 20, TB 13. Who can figure out the Falcons? The injuries are taking a toll.

Car 27, StL 14. Just because you win a hole in match play because your 6 was better than your opponent’s 7, that doesn’t mean you are now a scratch golfer. The Rams are still bad.
 

Det 27, Cin 20. I just don’ t like this spot for Cincinnati – going to Detroit after two tough games.

SD 31, Jax 27. It would not surprise me to see Jax win this game. The Chargers defense got lucky as the Colts dropped many passes on Monday night.

Mia 23, Buf 17. I like Thad Lewis. There, I said it.

NE 22, NYJ 17.  It’s not that hard to see the Jets winning this game, is it? At home, against a Pats team with a hangover?

Dal 37, Phi 31. Philly has no defense; Dallas can only pass. Dallas has injuries in their secondary. Sounds like a fun shootout!

Was 24, Chi 20. Just a gut instinct. Chicago – I still maintain – is overrated. Their defense is not that good.

Ten 23, SF 19. The Titans have a solid team on both sides of the ball – and should be able to contain the Niners’ limited passing attack.

KC 19, Hou 16. If only I knew if Case Keenum can make less mistakes than Matt Schaub…….this will be a close game regardless.

Bal 20, Pit 13. Let’s not celebrate the Steelers just yet. They beat up a Jets team with a rookie quarterback off a bye. They still have issues all over the place.

Den 30, Ind 17. The only way Indy wins is by doing a ball control offense – to eat the clock. It won’t work.

NYG 27, Min 17. Eli vs Minnesota’s horrid pass D! Which will prevail?

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 11-4; overall: 46-42-2.

TB/Atl under 42.5

Car -7
Det -2
Jax +7 1/2
SD/Jax over 45.5
Dal +3
Dal/Phi over 54.5
Was +1
Ten +3 1/2
Hou +6 1/2
Bal +2 1/2
Bal/Pit under 41
Den -6 1/2


Den/Ind under 56.5
NYG -3
 

Supercontest: Last week : 4-1. Overall: 13-15-2

Car -6 1/2
Jax +7 1/2

Was -1

Ten +4

Bal +2

 

NFL Week 6: Beijing

Hello everyone from the United States! I am back in the homeland for 1 week for meetings all week in Cincinnati starting Monday - where I can meet my new boss for an introductory breakfasy over Bob Evans Sausage gravy - and also here in Baltimore this weekend to celebrate my Mom's 70th birthday coming up later this fall. This weekend has of course been filled with good, wholesome American food like steak, prime rib, "double-churned" ice cream and, of course, more sausage....so my stomach is thanking me for that right now.

In honor of being here seeing Mom and Dad, we will look back at Beijing for this week's vacation review. We've been to Beijing twice, once as a family (Janice and I and the kids) and then once with me, Freddie and Warren, and Mom and Dad. It was great to share the sights of Beijing - China's #1 tourist destiantion - with them.

The itinerary for touring Beijing is fairly standard for all expats. Day 1 is a tour of Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City; Day 2 is usually an outing to the Great Wall. If there is a Day 3, it can be to go to Summer Palace or the Beijing Zoo.

Day 1 - Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City - is impressive and intimindating at the same time. The square is acres and acres of flat concrete -w ith Soviet-style government buildings all around it. I won't say anything about possible historical events that may or may not have happened there; however, it was thrilling and weird to pull out my mobile phone and pull up "The Drudge Report" while standing next to the flagpoles where the China flag is formally raised and lowred exactly and sunrise/sunset.

Across the street is the Forbidden Palace - which is where the old Chiense dynastys (and their relatives, and concubines) lived and isolated themselves from the Chinese people. Walls and walls separated difference sections of the compound - it is a series of hundreds of buildings, not just a single "palace". By the end, it became monotonous, to be honest. And I was trying to define the word "concubine" to my 11 and 9 year old.

One thing we realized quickly, during our first vist, is that the Square and the Forbidden City is where the Chinese go on their vacation. So you have literally thousands of people each day from the rural parts of China coming to Beijing (a big city) for the first time. And - for the first time - they see someone with blonde hair.

Warren was a superstar both trips; he was continually approached like a movie star would be from the adoring media. Once one person stood next to him for a picture, several others would come over and join in........ it is understandable, since these people have literally never seena white person before. Maybe on TV they have....but here they are, in the flesh in front of them! A Westerner! Our tour guide did a good job at the end in protecting us from the mobs, altough here is one mob scene that I took on my camera.

The second day was the Great Wall - which I can't really do justice in a quick recap. It is massive, and fairly unfathomable to understand how this 1,000 mile wall was built by just manpower a millenium ago. The wall is a good 20-30 feet built on top of the mountain on rcoks and stone - it feels perfectly stable, but the steps are all irregular, so walking it is an adventure.

I think Mom and Dad's best part of the trip was to quiz the tour guide about daily life in China while we were in van driving around. What does the governmentsay you can and can't do? Is everyone guaranteed a job? What if they don't want to work? Can you move? They could have spent 2 days just in conversation with our excellent tour guide, Helen.

It was extremely satisfying to share this with them when they came over. 

(Also - a memory of this trip; it was the second week of April, 2012...Masters week.  I had to get my Masters pick in onWednesday; I half-jokingly asked Dad for his thoughts.
"I got a dark horse for you....Bubba Watson!" he said, seriously.

I laughed it off.....ooh, that was an expensive mistake. )

As for the Browns, a win would bring us a 4 game winning streak. That would be something for the memory bank as well....if we don't count the 4 Mangini wins at the end of the 2009 season (where we went from 1-11 to 5-11), the last real, important, 4 game win streak for the Browns was....

....1994.

The streak started before I started my first job out of college.Wow. It's about time for another 4 game win streak. Let's beat the Lions. Oh, and if Calvin Johnson wants to take another week to heal up, that's fine with me.

On to the games:

KC 24, Oak 13.  I watched most of the Raiders game last week  - and the Chargers gave Oakland 2 touchdowns. Let's now crown Pryor as the savior just yet.

Phi 28, TB 24. When did the MRSA bug travel from Cleveland to Tampa?

Bal 27, GB 20. It's awfully difficult to pick against the Ravens at home. They seem to have some magic there to score points in strange ways -punt returns, pick 6's, etc.

Car 27, Min 23. I have got to believe that Minnesota's poor D is the right elixir for Carolina to get out of their slump.

Hou 30, StL 13. And the Rams are the perfect punching bag for the frustrated Texans.

NYJ 17, Pit 16. I have no idea what to think of this game. I think LeBeau will shut Geno down....but the Pit offense is horrid.

Cin 20, Buf 13. I did like what Thad Lewis showed when he started game 17 for us last year vs. Pit.

Sea 30, Ten 13.   I just can't see Fitzpatrick going in there to Seattle and having a whole lot of success.

Den 38, Jax 17. This will be 35-3 at halftime - and that's right where the Jags want them! Manning wil be pulled in teh 3rd quarter, and 2 late touchdowns by Henne will cover the 27 pt spread.

NO 31, NE 28. I want to be confident in the Saints, as the should win on paper....but I'm sure Belicheck wil have something up his sleeve.

SF 27, Az 13. I know Arizona's got a good defense, but Carson Palmer on the road? No.

Dal 27, Was 20. I have to believe that Washington will try to stay close here by running the ball 50 times, running the clock and preventing Romo from taking the field.

SD 30, Ind 24. A gut play - with INdy hosting Denver next week, are they looking ahead?

This is the one weekend a year I get to watch the games with Derek - always a lot of fun. This year, we will be in Baltimore watching the games and yelling at each other.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 6-8; overall: 35-38-2.
KC -7 1/2

Phi/TB over 46

Bal +2 1/2

Car +2 1/2

Car/Min over 44

Hou -7 1/2

Pit/NYJ under 41

Cin/Buf under 41 1/2
Sea -13

Jax +27

NO +2 1/2

NO/NE over 50 1/2

SF -10

Was/Dal under 53

SD +1 1/2

Supercontest: A very disappointing 1-4 last week. Overall: 9-14-2. Not good.

Bal +2 1/2

Car +2 1/2

Hou -7 1/2

Jax +26 1/2

SD +1 1/2

Supercontest Update

As some of you know, Layup, Wiz and I are in the Las Vegas Supercontest - the toughest handicapping contest there is out there. It's like the US Open of NFL wagering.

Well, we are 1/4 of the way through the contest, and if this truly were the US Open, here's the summary so far. Our real records:

Eric 8-10-2  9 pts
Wiz 8-12 8 pts
Layup 7-13 7 pts

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) – The first round of the 2013 Supercontest is in the books, and our featured grouping has some work to do to get back into the hunt for the money. However, all are still able to make the cut with a solid 2^nd round.

 

The best score in the group belong to Eric, who came back on the back nine on Thursday with a solid 34. His score of 73 – 3 over – was marred by a poor start, but Eric’s play over the last nine holes have given him (and his fans) hope for round 2 and later. He almost finished birdie-birdie on the last 2 holes, but missed a 10 footer on #18. He was seen muttering curse words about a Matt Ryan, but was upbeat later after signing his card. “The last nine holes validates what I have been doing”, Eric said. “I got some bad breaks early on, but the swing is there. I can’t wait to get the second round started. Can we play 36 today?”

 

The rookie, Wiz, struggled on the back nine with a 39, signing for a 74 for the day. Wiz’s preshot routine has been compared to Par Perez’s – in the fact that Wiz has no routine. He steps up to the ball and fires, which served him well on the first nine holes but got him into some trouble on the back nine. Loose tee shots on two holes caused two double bogeys coming in, including Wiz teeing off with a Josh Freeman-designed club on 13 of the 18 holes, which has caused him major problems. “Damn, the pace is slow out there”, commented Wiz. “I would have liked to play the round in 3 hours and 15 minutes, but it seems like I am playing with Sergio and Kevin Na. Make the damn pick already!”. However, Wiz likes his chances for the second 18. “I’ve been making money hand over fist with my imaginary account at Longview over the years – no reason why I can’t duplicate that performance at a cow pasture like Oakmont”.

 

Layup trailed the group with a 75, and was depressed about his performance after the round. “My session on the range was great this morning – and then I get to the tee and lose the swing. It’s like I forgotten everything I worked on before the season”. Layup did seem to settle down after opening the round with a triple-bogey; however, another shot OB on #13 cost him two more shots. He did finish the round with 5 pars. Rumors are that Layup will fire his caddy – Jeff Fisher, a longtime ally of Layup's– between rounds. “To be honest, Dottie, Jeff misclubbed me on a couple of the holes. I’m not sure if I can trust him anymore”. Layup was seen talking to Gus Bradley after the round.

 

Scores are high, with the round 1 leading score being the highest in the past 5 years. Your leader, at 67 (3 under), is still Sal Iacono. Lurking at 2 under is two-time champion and veteran JarHead.

The average score for the first round is 74 (8.5 points).

 

NFL Week 5: Cebu

Hello everyone - back from the October national holiday, a 6 day break where all the Chinese are expected to travel inside the country to see the many sights. This means, of course, that all the foreigners should get out of China for the week to avoid the massive crowds.

We spent 6 days at a resort in Cebu, Phillipines. We went with another family who had kids the same age as ours. The resort was billed as one of the top 10 family friendly resorts in Asia, important for our combined 6 kids. Well, there was certainly a lot of stuff to do! Along with the water sports at the resort - snorkeling, paddleboarding, jetskiing, banana boating, etc. - there was plenty of land activities:
- sand court tennis
- 4 different pools
- 2 different types of water slides
- rock climing wall
- segway riding
- tandembikes
- arcade, ping pong, pool
- shooting range
- fishing
and so on.
In short, a dream place if you are a boy from age 8-13. Which we had 4 of in our group.

The whole resort was hard to describe. I'm still struggling with the right words. The best comparison would be that it was a Holidome on steroids.....you remember  those, right? A dark hotel that tried hard, but you couldn't escape the "Holiday Inn" aura of it all? That was this place. It tried to be a 5 star resort, but no.....

Each building was named for a tropical location, starting with a different letter of the alphabet ("A" to "Z"), organized alphabetically in a circle around the main pools. In front of each building, there was a sign describing the location in three paragraphs - with the last paragraph linking the resort (Plantation Bay) to the description. For instance, our "lodge" was the Seychelles House; the first two paragrpahs talked about the Seychelles, and the last paragraph said something like:
"For most, a trip to the Seychelles is a trek. Not so for Plantation Bay! Cebu is a 3 hour flight from Hong Kong, and Singapore, and only 5 from Tokyo - so you can enjoy the best of the Seychelles right here at Plantation Bay with a shorter trip!"
It seemed like each text was written as a 10th grade school project.

Oh - and each night had a themed buffet! Saturday night was Brazilian night - with Brazilian music and skimpy dancers! On Tuesday, it was Arabian night, with a polynesian fire show (??) and skimpy dancers. Thursday night was American night, with rock and roll and ....of course, skimpy dancers.

Here's a short video of part of the American show - I guess they think everyone in the US has a starring role in "Cocktail".

(And yes, that is Freddie in the Ubaldo t-shirt on the left....)

And they ran out of the main food (steak skewers on Brazilian night, spare ribs on American night) at each buffet. Classy.

Oh well - it was nice, the price was right (which says something), and it kept the kids busy with lots of adventures. We took a day trip on a boat one day (Tuesday - where I took the above picture. Also, it's amazing that I got service in the ocean - I found out on this boat that the Saints covered against the Dolphins), and another day I tipped over a jet ski in the middle of the ocean. And the internet was working perfectly, so I could follow the Cleveland sports week very closely, including watching the Browns beat the Bengals at the 24 hour restaurant at the resort.

No, we did not leave the resort the whole week. Poor planning and a remote location meant there was no real impetus to leave. But we did do plenty of activities - Freddie's a pretty good shooter with an air pistol; Warren could spend hours looking for hermit crabs, and Martin likes to be in a  kayak with me (with me doing all the paddling).

That brings us to this week - one of my favorite weeks of the year, when the Browns have already played and I am free to channel surf and watch any game I want. This is where I will watch Red Zone for an hour or so until channel surfing to the 2 or 3 early games of the greatest interest. Kind of like this past week, where we can sample a few activities each day and then focus on the best ones later in the week. And - with tomorrow officially still being a holiday  (the office is closed), I can sit on my couch and watch a NFL quadruple header with the late Chargers-Raiders game!

As for the Browns - 3-2 is the best news, I guess! Seeing Hoyer and then Weeden in consecutive series is sobering. It's amazing how long Weeden takes to get rid of the ball. I just hope Norv can pull his eyelids open (a la Clockwork Orange) to get this point across to him.

On to the games:

Chi 24, NO 20. I'm not convinced that New Orleans can play outdoors just yet, and the Bears have the firepower to keep up with the Saints.

Cin 30, NE 28. I do expect many turnovers here, with the Bengals defense and a shaky Dalton.

GB 31, Det 20. A desperate pack and the Lions outside....

Sea 20, Ind 17. There should be a lot of running (and eating of the clock) in this game.

Mia 23, Bal 16. Bal is showing that it can't score against good defenses (Buf, Cle, even Hou), and Miami is a good defense.

NYG 37, Phi 20. The weakness of the Giants is the Offensive line - but the Eagles are so bad at D that I don't expect them to take advantage.

StL 23, Jax 17. A low scoring game here.

KC 20, Ten 19. This will really show how "for real" Tennessee is. Can they stay competitive with KC wven with Fitzpatrick at QB?

Az 24, Car 20. Rivera giving points on the road? Fitzgerald against that secondary? Yes, please.

Den 31, Dal 28. Denver has played one road game - against the 0-4 Giants. This is by far their best competition. And Dallas can keep up with the scoring, if needed.

SF 24, Hou 23. Houston has the defense to hold SF in check here.

SD 23, Oak 16. Where are the points coming from? I know SD has a good offense, but on the road, after a big win? Expect a letdown.

Atl 20, NYJ 16. The Jets' defense is for real. I think they can extend the Falcons' red zone woes.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 12-2 (!). Overall: 29-30-2
Chi +1
NO/Chi under 50
NE/Cin over 45 1/2
GB -7 1/2
Sea/Ind under 43 1/2
Mia -2 1/2
NYG -2
Jax +11
Az +2
Dal +7 1/2
Hou +5 1/2
SD/Oak under 45 1/2
NYJ +9 1/2
NYJ/Atl under 43 1/2

6 underdogs...is this the week the favorites cover all the games?

Supercontest picks: Last week: 4-1; overall: 8-10-2
Chi pk
GB -7
NYG -2 1/2
Jax +11 1/2
Hou +6 1/2