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13 out of 16 games correct last week is a great way to start the final stretch of the confidence pool season. Let’s keep the momentum going!

Week 16! HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

16 – New England over NEW YORK JETS – In a week where road favorites dominate, none can give you more confidence than the Pats taking care of their lowly rivals.

15 – MIAMI over Minnesota – The Vikings, namely Teddy Bridgewater, are starting to show signs of life. But the Dolphins are still fighting for their playoff lives and won’t let this win get by them.

14 – Green Bay over TAMPA BAY – Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have a lot of frustrations to take out on the Bucs this week if they want to prove they are still the team to beat.

13 – ST. LOUIS over New York Giants – The Rams have shown signs of life, which is a lot more than can be said for the Giants this year.

12 – Philadelphia over WASHINGTON – RGIII is back under center…which makes it easy to put the Eagles on a line this high on the road.

11 – CAROLINA over Cleveland – Carolina has been a disappointment this year. Lucky for them the Browns decided to end all playoff hopes when they decided to go with Johnny Manziel.

10 – PITTSBURGH over Kansas City – The Steelers are quietly becoming a team to keep an eye on in the AFC. If they can contain Jamaal Charles they should cruise in this one.

9 – NEW ORLEANS over Atlanta – A big divisional game against two bad teams. It’s in New Orleans so it’s pretty easy to pick the Saints here.

8 – DALLAS over Indianapolis – Dallas showed that they are still a contender with a big win in Philly last week. That should give them the needed momentum in this big inter-conference game.

7 – JACKSONVILLE over Tennessee – The Jags have proven to be the lesser of two evils here. Playing at home with about 3,600 screaming fans behind them should help.

6 – Detroit over CHICAGO – I immediately bumped this game up a few lines with the Bears’ quarterback change news. Hopefully for them it’s the start of the process of getting Jay Cutler out of Halas Hall. This week's BOLD PREDICTION is that Jay Cutler will NOT be the quarterback of the Chicago Bears week 1 next season.

5 – ARIZONA over Seattle – The Seahawks have started to climb back into the playoff picture the last few weeks. However the Cardinals have been able to maintain their stance on the NFC lead even with injury issues.

4 – Buffalo over OAKLAND – This could be closer than some think, but the Bills should still be able to pull out the road win.

3 – Baltimore over HOUSTON –Houston is still fighting with their slim chances left but the Ravens are just playing too good now.

2 – San Diego over SAN FRANCISCO – The Chargers head up the coast line and should be able to aid in Jim Harbaugh’s eventual relocation to Oakland…or Chicago…or Ann Arbor…or…

1 – CINCINNATI over Denver – I think the Bengals can pull this out, but their inability to perform on the big stage gives me a lot of trepidation.

A just above .500 week last week takes us to the final week of the season!

We’ve had a solid year and I’m sure you’re sad to see it go – just like I am!

But we’re not done just yet! We have one more week to make that final push to win your season long pool. I hope I have helped you out this year! If so, please contact me and I’ll let you know how to send me my cut from your winnings! ;) Just kidding!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

WEEK 17!! HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

16 – DENVER over Oakland – The Raiders are on the cusp of turning the corner…they’ll just have one more Bronco beat-down to take before another off-season of change. This may be nothing more than a hopeful fan, but my BOLD PREDICTION to end 2014 is that the Raiders will have a .500 or better record in 2015.

15 – MIAMI over New York Jets – Miami had one of the more surprising seasons in the league this year and should have no problem ending it with an exclamation point and send Rex Ryan to the unemployment line.

14 – SEATTLE over St. Louis – No team has risen to the top faster than the defending champs. After a start that had some, including me, questioning their playoff chances, they should be able to lock up home field advantage with a win this week.

13 – NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo – In the first few weeks of the season I predicted that the Bills would make the playoffs and the Patriots dynasty was done…well this game should pretty much sum up how wrong I was on both fronts.

12 – Indianapolis over TENNESSEE – The Colts need to get things back in order before the playoffs start. Look for them to take out some aggression on the lowly Titans.

11 – BALTIMORE over Cleveland – The Ravens still have a chance to make the playoffs this year and should be able to do their part and beat the Johnny Football-less Browns.

10 – New Orleans over TAMPA BAY – Don’t worry Bucs’ fans! After that pesky little Super Bowl thing is over, YOU will be the NFL’s #1! … in the draft. You are now on the clock.

9 – MINNESOTA over Chicago – Teddy Bridgewater has shown that he could be a top quarterback in this league sooner rather than later. This week he will learn about how NOT to be an NFL quarterback as Jay Cutler is back under center for the Bears.

8 – GREEN BAY over Detroit – The NFC North comes down to this. A first round bye and a home playoff game is likely on the line. There aren’t too many teams that I have more faith in when playing at home than the Packers right now.

7 – HOUSTON over Jacksonville – Houston is still fighting for their playoff lives. They need help that I don’t think they’ll get but they still should be able to do their part.

6 – PITTSBURGH over Cincinnati – The best division in football this year comes down to week 17 where the Steelers, who have been one of the hottest teams to end the year, should be able to take care of a Bengals team that still seems to have some problems winning a big game.

5 – Dallas over WASHINGTON – The Cowboys should be able to put the 2014 Redskins out of their misery and usher them to the off-season quickly and quietly.

4 – ATLANTA over Carolina – The NFC South champion and 7-win play-off team will be decided here…that’s really all the effort this game deserves.

3 – KANSAS CITY over San Diego – The Chargers hold their play-off destiny in their hands. Unfortunately that destiny is in Arrowhead right now – not a place you want to HAVE to win a game.

2 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Philadelphia – The Eagles were prime to make a run to the Super Bowl, they just ran out of gas a few weeks too soon.

1 – SAN FRANCISCO over Arizona – Congrats Jim! Now wave good-bye – we’ll see you next year in Ann Arbor.

Looking for Week 16 Confidence Picks?

FOOTBALL’S BACK!! FOOTBALL’S BACK!! FOOTBALL’S BACK!!

Did you hear that football is back?

Well it is! The defending champion New England Patriots are so close to defending another one of their asterisk covered Lombardi Trophies against the Steelers. With the start of a new year comes a new year of confidence pool picks!

For those who have not been with us the last two seasons, let me give you a quick rundown on what confidence pool is. First off, you pick the winner of every game in the week. After that, you assign a point value (1 through however many games there are that week) based on how confident you are that your pick will turn out to be correct. So you will want to assign a higher point value to those that you are more confident about. If you pick the game wrong, you don’t get those points. Whoever has the most points for the week wins! Some pools also have prizes for total score throughout the season.

So, without further ado, let’s get the 2015 season started!

WEEK 1 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

16 – ARIZONA over New Orleans – After a few games last year I predicted that the Patriots dynasty had run its course. I’ll go ahead and throw that label on the Saints this year. Didn’t exactly hold up too well last year though I think it has a better chance of sticking this year.

15 – Green Bay over CHICAGO – The NFL has started its Monday Night Football season with two games for the last few years. On that, this game will allow me to start this season off with an unprecedented DOUBLE BOLD PREDICTION! (I’ll give you a minute to catch your breath ... ... ...) Here goes – THE BEARS WILL END THE SEASON ON THE CLOCK WITH THE WORST RECORD IN THE LEAGUE and even with the Jordy Nelson injury, THE PACKERS WILL WIN THE SUPER BOWL.

14 – DENVER over Baltimore – With the additions the Colts made in the off-season and everything related to the Patriots, everyone seems to be overlooking the Broncos. Peyton and friends will quickly remind the league who they are this week.

13 – NEW ENGLAND over Pittsburgh – Simply put, the Pats are in complete F You mode this season. Brady and the other “straight shooting, play it by the book” Patriots (wink wink) will take every chance they can get to stick it to the league – no better stage to start it than Opening Night.

12 – TAMPA BAY over Tennessee – This pick is obviously more of a bad Tennessee than a good Tampa Bay. The first battle of the top two picks in the draft will go the way of #1 to start. I see Jameis Winston being somewhere between Cam Newton and RGIII, but he’ll at least start off his career on the right foot.

11 – DALLAS over New York Giants – The Cowboys avoided a huge distraction this season by getting Dez Bryant signed long term. They still need to work on their running back situation, but they still look like they can do some damage in the NFC this season.

10 – SAN DIEGO over Detroit – A battle between two teams that could finish anywhere from top to bottom of their division. I’m sure the Chargers will play their hearts out for their home opener in front of all of their now temporary fans.

9 – NEW YORK JETS over Cleveland – The NFL loves to load their opening week schedule up with matchups that will keep us at the edge of our seats to really set the tone for what should be yet another exciting season of professional football ... ... ... this is not one of those games.

8 – Kansas City over HOUSTON – It’s going to be a long few weeks for the Texans before Arian Foster comes back...and even then it won’t be anything to look forward too. JJ Watt can’t play every position.

7 – Miami over WASHINGTON – The ‘Skins finally came to their senses by benching RGIII. They have senses...but they don’t have that much talent...which is pretty important in professional sports.

6 – Indianapolis over BUFFALO – The Colts are going to be scary this season. I can easily see them taking the AFC this year. They start the 2015 campaign with a tough test in Orchard Park, but it is a test that they should be able to pass.

5 – Carolina over JACKSONVILLE – The million dollar question in Charlotte is who will catch a pass from Cam Newton. Lucky for the Panthers they start the season against the lowly Jaguars.

4 – ATLANTA over Philadelphia – The Eagles look like they could challenge the Cowboys for the NFC East this season. The Falcons have struggled the last year or two but I really think they get things rolling again this season and it starts on Monday Night.

3 – ST. LOUIS over Seattle – The Rams beat Seattle at home last year. It is pretty easy to think that it can happen again this year especially with the Seahawks taking a bit of a hit with the current Kam Chancellor holdout situation.

2 – OAKLAND over Cincinnati – It seems like the Raiders have been consistently mentioned as a team on the come up. They need to win games like this to have a shot at a .500 record.

1 – Minnesota over SAN FRANCISCO – The second half of the Week 1 Monday Night doubleheader concludes with Teddy Bridgewater starting the process of showing the country that he is a legit quarterback that teams should not have passed up in the draft last season. (that was a long sentence)

It’s always best to get off to a strong start!

If you followed my picks last week, then you should be sitting pretty towards the top of the standings of your confidence pool. Getting 12 out of 16 right in week 1 is something to pat yourself on the back about…(excuse me while I pat myself on the back).

But as the old saying goes, this is a sprint, not a marathon…though you may have won the weekly payout for the week 1 sprint :). We have a bit of an understanding of what the 2015 version of each team looks like, but there is still room for adjustments.  We are still looking for that elusive perfect week of picks…maybe it will be this week!

Week 2! … HERE WE GO!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

16 – INDIANAPOLIS over New York Jets – The Colts came into the 2015 campaign labeled by some as favorites to win the AFC Championship this season. Losing in week 1 doesn’t help that case. Lucky for them they get a home game against the Jets to help the recovery process.

15 – PITTSBURGH over San Francisco – The season started off with an unexpected bang for the 9ers with a big win on a national Monday night stage. They should be brought back down to Earth pretty quickly in the Steel City.

14 – NEW ORLEANS over Tampa Bay – Last week the Saints were my lock to lose. This week they are on the winning side of the 14-point line … ah the fun of the NFC South.

13 – GREEN BAY over Seattle – Last week in Chicago, the Packers gave up a late TD to the Bears which led to an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. How many Packer fans were brought back to a similar situation seven months ago in Seattle? This week they get their chance at proper retribution – and to put the Seahawks in an 0-2 hole to start the season.

12 – Miami over JACKSONVILLE – The Dolphins got off to a slow start but still pulled off the road win. Look for the same this week…with the probably exception of Miami starting off slow.

11 –Baltimore over OAKLAND – The Raiders proved last week that they are still a work in progress. Add in injuries to key players, including quarterback Derek Carr, and it’s really hard to see the Raiders pulling one out here either.

10 – CINCINNATI over San Diego –The announce team for the Bengals/Raiders game last week made it sound like the Bengals were on their way to the Super Bowl. That game was against Oakland, this is different – but the result won’t be.

9 – CAROLINA over Houston – Doctors in Houston are rushing trying to figure out how the bring Arian Foster back as soon as possible – won’t be this week though!

8 – KANSAS CITY over Denver – After edging the Ravens at home and a very not-Peyton like performance from Peyton Manning, the Broncos are in “Show-Me Mode.” Show me you can pull out big road games like this and I’ll have more confidence in you.

7 – MINNESOTA over Detroit – Both teams are coming off of a rough start to the season. Look for this one to be a shootout – an aerial assault from both teams. If for no other reason, the Vikings are the home team so they get the edge here.

6 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Atlanta – Apparently Eli told Rashad Jennings to NOT score at the end of the Dallas game last week … to NOT score! To NOT put points on the board! The Giants won’t make that mistake again.

5 – Arizona over CHICAGO – Carson Palmer looked like the Carson Palmer of hold. Expect to see more of the same on the lake this week. Arizona is looking solid enough to say that this week’s BOLD PREDICTION is that THE CARDINALS WILL OVERTAKE THE SEAHAWKS AND WIN THE NFC WEST.

4 – Tennessee over CLEVELAND – The scheduling Gods live in Nashville apparently. The Titans start the season with two road games…but those games are in Tampa and Cleveland. Johnny Manziel will be under center for the Browns this week. All Titan fans hail the scheduling Gods!

3 – BUFFALO over New England – Nothing motivates Rex Ryan more than a game against the Pats. Now he gets to go against New England with more talent than he has had in the last few years. I don’t think he will let this opportunity fall.

2 – PHILADELPHIA over Dallas – The Cowboys leading rusher a year ago will be on the other sideline. Their all-everything receiver will still be on their own sideline…but he won’t leave the sideline. Philly will just have too much firepower for Dallas to handle.

1 – St. Louis over WASHINGTON – Washington used their run game to keep it close against the Dolphins last week. They won’t have the same success against the strong Rams defensive line.