My home team has taken to disappointing me week in and week out.  The worst part about the situation in the NFC North (a scant 2 weeks after I boldly declared that the Pack would prevail in the end) is that the Vikings are the team in the lead.  Two major problems here: (1) the Packers have no games remaining against the Vikings (so they have to count on other teams to help them catch up), and (2) it’s the goddamned Vikings.  Man, I hate that team.  A lot.

It’s going to be tough for me to pick a post-season horse if Green Bay craps out.  One of our division rivals?  Please.  A team from the powerhouse NFC South?  Too easy.  The Fish?  That would be like admitting Lorch was right about something.  Brett and the Jets?  At least death by INT would feel familiar…

Anyway, “have at thee!” for Week 14.

SEASON RECORD: 45-22, BONUS PICKS: 5-4

• Packers – win (seriously this time)
• Bears – win
• Vikings – win (bastards)
• Lions – lose (bastards!)
• Chiefs – lose
• Seahawks – lose
• Dolphins – lose

BONUS PICKS!!!

• Falcons – win
• Buccaneers – win
• Eagles – lose
• Ravens – win

Only 20 shopping days til Christmas, and just 71 until spring training opens.

As I watch the hapless Detroit Lions get their collective ass handed to them by the Tennessee Titans, I realized that I need to get on with prognosticating this week in the NFL.  I AM going to take credit for calling the Lions game, too, because seriously: it’s just been a gimme all year, so…

However, with the dial-up situation here in E.R., time to cut the chatter and present my picks for Week 13.

SEASON RECORD: 41-20, BONUS PICKS: 3-2

• Packers – win (they have to eventually)
• Bears – win
• Vikings – lose
• Lions – lose
• Chiefs – win
• Seahawks – lose
• Dolphins – win

BONUS PICKS!!!

• Eagles – lose
• Giants – lose
• Jets – lose
• Pats – lose

Your NFL division leaders have the following records, in no particular order: 7-3, 7-3, 6-4, 10-0, 9-1, 5-5, 8-2, 7-3.  Bears, Packers, and Vikings fans, rejoice!  Your underacheiving squad of ragamuffins still has a shot at winning this thing and making the playoffs.  With as little bias as I can muster, I’m going to say that the Packers will end up taking the NFC North.

I base this assessment on their schedule, and the team’s performance last week against the Bears.  It was the sort of “complete” game that the Pack played on numerous occasions last year, en route to a 13-3 record.  Now the team has to prove that this group, led by Mike McCarthy, will not pull a Sherman and play down to their competition week after week (in retrospect, those Mike Sherman-coached Packers should have won a lot more post-season games).

With 6 games to go, it’s also reasonable to say the Packers COULD run the table– they have several games left against some 2008 also-rans.  Maybe they lose to Carolina or Chicago and end up 10-6 (shrugs).  But in looking at the others in “the lead” in this division, I see QB as the Vikings achilles heel, and the defense will be it for the Bears (can’t BELIEVE I just wrote that).

But there are anywhere from 7 to 48 other teams playing each week, too, so enough lolly-gagging, and on to Week 12.

SEASON RECORD: 36-18, 2-0 in BONUS PICKS

• Packers – win
• Bears – win
• Vikings – lose
• Lions – lose
• Chiefs – lose
• Seahawks – lose
• Dolphins – lose

BONUS PICKS!!!

• Giants – win
• Jets – lose
• Titans – win
• Eagles – win

If you’re donning the blaze orange this weekend, good luck and be safe.  That is all.

It’s shaping up to be a believably unbelievable NFL season– New England is down, but not out.  The New York “sleeping” Giants are positioning themselves for a quiet repeat.  Tennessee is undefeated, but I remain unconvinced that they’re anything too special.  I’m sure the Favre-zealots are gnashing their teeth right now over the Jets’ 7-3 record, but I figure, hey: the better they do this year, the better the draft picks for the Pack next year.  Then there’s Detroit, still floundering without a win.  The most unbelievable thing about the Lions’ mark of 0-9 is that this is the first time they’ve been there since 2001.  And if that’s not enough, now the Dolphins have a winning record.  God help us.

We’re nearly to the two-thirds mark of the season, and these are your predictions for Week 11.

SEASON RECORD: 31-17 (although I have definitely been buoyed by three simple “auto-picks” each week: the Chiefs, Seahawks and Lions will probably always lose).

• Packers – win
• Bears – lose
• Vikings – lose
• Lions – lose
• Chiefs – win
• Seahawks – lose
• Dolphins – win

BONUS PICKS!!

• Titans – win
• Giants – win

* I realized late the my prediction post never made it up on Friday.  I usually write it ahead of time, then just schedule it to post on Fridays.  Forgot to sched. this week.  Oops.  Anyway, I swear these were the calls I made…

I’ve been having a couple decent weeks at this predictificating.  Even though I’ve been off the webs for the most part over the last few days here in DC, I remain confident in my developing “skillz.”  Some exciting matchups here in Week 10!

SEASON RECORD: 27-16

• Packers – win
• Bears – lose
• Vikings – lose
• Lions – lose
• Chiefs – lose
• Dolphins – lose win lose win
• Seahawks – win lose win lose

Michelle’s b-day party is Saturday @ her place in Milwaukee, so if you’re in the ‘hood, give us a call and stop by!

A week off for most of the NFC North leaves me without much to talk about here.  I could mention the pre-season expectations for the Dallas Cowboys going in the shitter.  But since I don’t know any Cowboys fans that read this blog, what fun is that?

What are you going to be for Halloween?  I think next year, I’m going to try to think about it a little further in advance, and try to make a good, authentic costume.  This year wasn’t bad, but…

No more delays, here are your predictions for Week 9.

SEASON RECORD: 22-15

• Packers – lose
• Bears – win
• Vikings – win
• Lions – lose
• Chiefs – lose
• Dolphins – lose
• Seahawks – lose

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, unless you’re like me and you did already.

Proof positive that the sun even shines on a dog’s ass some days– I went 7-0 in my predictions last week.  That probably means I’ll be experiencing an outrageous collapse this time around, because karma works that way.  Here in the Milwaukee market, there is joy, because even though the Packers have the week off, channel 58 is carrying Brett and the Jets.  Or, you can opt to listen to AM 620, which is replaying the Instant Replay Game from 1989.

There was a hilarious and ridiculous poll in the Journal-Sentinel this past Monday asking, “Are you ANGRY that Brett Favre called the Lions to tell them how to beat the Packers in Week 2?” or something along those lines.  I couldn’t BELIEVE the number of positive responses they got to that.  I mean, seriously?  You’re gonna get upset about that?  We still kicked the holy living hell outta them.  When I heard this story I laughed with pity at two people/entities:

1. Brett Favre, because he’s apparently such a childish prima donna that he feels compelled to “stick it” to those who he thinks have done him wrong, and
2. the Detroit Lions, who have such a laughable excuse for a football team that they can get “inside information” and they still lack the talent or skill to best their opponent.

Anyway, I wish Brett no ill, but I do lose a little bit of respect for him every time something like this comes up.  I’m not sure if it’s Brett himself, or just the media that paints him as acting a lot smarter and more important than he really is, but in the end, you have to take everything he says and does with a grain of salt.  Enough commentary, then, and on to your picks for Week 8.

SEASON RECORD: 20-13

• Packers – bi
• Bears – experimenting
• Vikings – just kidding themselves
• Lions – lose
• Chiefs – lose (to Brett & the JETS!)
• Seahawks – lose
• Dolphins – lose

Don’t forget to enjoy the World Series– a great matchup of two teams that it’s hard to hate (unless you like the Red Sox, the Mets, or the Yankees).

And finally, birthday salutations to Kevin, who is turning 33 today.

I suffered last week from some last-minute injury updates: I thought Hasselbeck was going to play, and the Seahawks would prevail over GB.  As it turns out, Charlie Frye is every bit as awful as expected.  That, and (even though the result worked in my predicted favor) the Bears.  Oh, lordy, did you watch that last big play for Atlanta?  Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  At least the NFC North is back to utter mediocrity, right where it belongs.  Here are your predictions for Week 7.

SEASON RECORD: 14-13

• Packers – win
• Bears – win
• Vikings – lose
• Lions – lose
• Seahawks – lose
• Dolphins – lose
• Chiefs – lose

And the manager job is NOT a lock for Dale…