Week 1 err... week 3 results

AJ: Chiefs over Texans. Ouch. The Chiefs choke at home. Texans win 24-21. Talk about a pool buster: going 0-3 after starting 9-0 last year. The Sports Guy knew they stink; I was skeptical until today. Writes The Sports Guy:

Houston (+8) over KANSAS CITY
The Chiefs stink. Some day, you will believe me.

Al: Broncs over Bolts. Horseys win, 23-13. Almost too easy, but Denver was a bit shaky last week. It wasn't a pretty game (Jake Plummer, franchise QB? Are you kidding me?) But with an arsenal of one offensive weapon, San Diego just isn't good.

Chuck: Minnesota over Chicago. Minny wins 27-22. I thought this was a slam dunk with the Vikes at home, and the game wasn't as close as the score makes it appear. I was a bit nervous, though, as da Bearss made the postseason on a series of freak comebacks two years ago.

Julia and Sorens: Philly over Detroit. Philly wins handily, 30-13. Good, solid pick. Roy Williams is just sick, a one-man circus-catch sideshow. I wanted to pick this game, but didn't (see below).

Thoughts: As an avid Eagles fan, I'm a firm believer that the football gods do, on occasion, punish fans for putting money on their team in a seemingly easy game. So I left them be.

Pat Somerall, a voice I love and that is great for Sunday napping, is sadly slipping into senility. I'm watching the ESPN night game, Bucs at Raiders, and he's had several WTF? commentaries. His play-by-play calls remain solid, they should just mute his mic on instant replay and in between plays in general.

Case in point: Tampa challenged a completion where a Raiders receiver made a diving catch on the sideline, coming to rest on the sideline. A replay clearly showed that his left knee landed a foot inbounds, followed by his thigh, making it a valid catch. Somerall says "well, his left foot is clearly out." The other commentators gamely ignore the comment, hoping it will pass. Thirty seconds pass and he reiterates his point, with more emphasis. An exasperated co-commentator finally says "Where, Pat? It's easily IN." An addled Somerall replies "It was before that, a ways before." As the game progresses, the two other guys in the booth are desperately trying to take all of the free air time, relegating Pat to muttering satements of agreement.

Weird stat of the day: Atlanta's football and baseball teams (Go Braves!) both won by a score of 6-3.

Standings:
Al 1-0
Chuck 1-0
Julia and Sorens 1-0
AJ 0-1

Sept 26 picks

AJ: K.C. over Houston (KC -7.5)
Chuck: Minny over da Bearsss (Minny -10)
Julia and Sorens: Philly over Detroit (Philly -4.5)
Al: Denver over The Bolts (Denver -10)

Just thought I'd throw in the spreads for kicks.

Welcome fellow wagerers

In addition to AJ and Torry, we now have Al and J in the pool. Welcome all. If you would like a different cognomen, please let me know (I may change from Torry to Chuck. That sounds nice - let it be so!)

Here are the rules:

1. Frankly, there's not a whole lot on the line - $5 each. Seeing as everyone here is vouched for and deemed trustworthy, up-front outlays are not required. We'll settle when it's over.
2. Each week, pick one game: winner only, no spreads, over/unders, etc. We're keeping things simple in the kiddie pool. A win is worth 1 point, a loss worth 0.
3. Email your picks by 5 pm Friday MDT (MST after Halloween). I will post everyone's picks on this blog on Friday night. Check the blog to make sure I have your pick posted correctly. If it needs correction, or it's missing, email me Saturday and I'll make the correction.
4. If I don't get your pick by Sunday morning, you get a 0 for the week. That's why you have Saturday to make sure there weren't any email problems or issues with my occasional ineptitude (mea culpa, I'm just mostly infallible.)
5. You may pick the Monday night game.
6. I will post results by Tuesday morning, possibly Monday if nobody picks the MNF game.
7. This will continue throughout the playoffs. Ties will be decided by a final-score pick for the Super Bowl. Winner takes the whole pot, minus a $10 pool administrator's fee.
8. Just kidding about the admin. fee. I'm in this pro bono.
9. For information on NFL teams' general performance, consult ESPN or other sources. "If you're not into the whole brevity thing" (Lebowski, 1998) check out Gregg Easterbrook's TMQ column each week. It is possibly longest and funniest football column on the planet, so give yourself time. I don't recommend trying to read it in its entirety in the lavatory. While not offering picks per se, it does offers a surprising amount of depth and insight.
10. The pool officially begins this coming weekend, Sept. 26-27.

Have fun - remember, I'm not much of a stickler except for the Sunday morning rule. But please, try to get the picks to me by Friday; it's the most convenient time for me to post them. If the occasional busy weekend requires a late Saturday pick, or (heaven forbid) the internet proves inaccessible to you and a phone-in is necessary, that's OK. In these cases your picks may not appear on this blog by Sunday morning, but if you know I have it, you're good to go.