Happy Thanksgiving! NFL Picks and More

Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions

The Lions have lost their last eight Thanksgiving games. Well, it's about to be nine. It's not going to be the blowout everyone is projecting though. Sure, the Texans are 9-1, but they just escaped the pitiful Jaguars by a six point margin. The Lions, though vastly underachieving expectations thus far, are eons better than the Jags. And they're fighting for their playoff hopes, something the Texans have essentially locked up already. This game is going to be a barn burner, and the only way the Lions come out victorious is if Matt Stafford protects the football and connects with Megatron multiple times. Prediction: Texans 27, Lions 24


Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys

At just 5-5, the Cowboys sit just one game behind the Giants in the disappointing NFC East. They've beaten all the teams they should have (Tampa Bay, Carolina, Philly, Cleveland) and lost to the NFL's more impressive teams (Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta). The Redskins fall into the first category. On Washington's side, Robert Griffin III is coming off a game in which he posted a perfect 158.3 QB rating, albeit against an Eagles D in shambles. Neither of these two teams have been impressive, but someone has to win. I'll go out on a limb and predict Washington on a game winning drive. Tony Romo will do his team in with one too many turnovers, nothing new. Prediction: Redskins 24, Cowboys 20

New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

I'm going to be watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving during this game. The Jets aren't even worth writing about. They're the only team you're going to hear about in all three games' pregame shows. And the Patriots are going to trash them. Prediction: Patriots 34, Jets 13

And in other NFL news: All this San Francisco QB controversy business may be true, but I'm of the opinion Jim Harbaugh is just claiming he's unsure of his starter so the Saints spend half of their walkthroughs preparing for Colin Kaepernick, when Alex Smith is going to be the one playing.

Changing gears to college basketball, here is the box score of the game in which Division III Grinnell College's Jack Taylor scored 138 points. Look up Grinnell's offensive philosophy if you want to know how this was possible. Basically, coach David Arseneault runs a system in which he expects his team to pop fifty threes a game, and he recruits almost entirely sharpshooting guards. But still, 138 points is 138 points.

For your enjoyment, if you haven't watched the entire version yet and have only seen the TV version, here is the full Uncle Drew Pepsi MAX commercial. There's a part two that features Kevin Love.

Have a happy Thanksgiving. Here's a suggestion: put chocolate chips in the pumpkin bread. Trust me.

Doomed

Under Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys have won three Super Bowls, with former coach Jimmy Johnson's players.

The bottom line is this: the Cowboys, America's Team, have been a model of mediocrity since 1995, the year they last won the Super Bowl. They have won two playoff games since then, and are 123-124 since 1997. Jones has executed poor trades (for Roy Williams and Pacman Jones) and unimpressive drafting (five players drafted in 2010 and 2011 remain on the roster).

The recent history, combined with the team's current 3-5 record, begs the question: Would Jones ever consider stepping down as general manager, a role he has in addition to his ownership of the franchise?

As much as Cowboys fans yearn for this to happen, the man in power delivered a resounding no.

"We are not structured that way. We didn't structure it that way with my ownership. There's no way that I would be involved here and not be the final decision-maker on something as important as players, and that is a key area. That's never been anybody's misunderstanding. It's been a debated thing, but it's just not going to happen."

It's somewhat comical how he uses the term "we".  Because it's not like there is anyone telling him what to do. While the current management situation is in place, there is no reason to believe postseason success is on the horizon, particularly because Tony Romo remains their starting quarterback.

Romo is another story in its entirety. His Cowboys epic is defined by his fumbled snap of a few years ago, and he's never escaped the reputation of crumbling in the clutch. The way the team is playing now, he won't even get the opportunity to do so again.

With Jones calling the shots, though, it can be all but assured Romo is the quarterback for the next several seasons. He'll put up a sparkly stat line (though those interceptions are piling up this year), but Jones will be left scratching his head at the conclusion of the season, wondering what the heck happened to all the players he handpicked. But Cowboys fans, it's okay: he's confident in his ability as GM.

"We've had success doing it this way and we're going to have success in the future doing it this way," Jones said.

Not sure many people share his vision.

Week 4 NFL Projections

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 23-9

Detroit Lions 24, Dallas Cowboys 20

A win in Jerry Jones' Palace would put Matt Stafford and the mighty Lions at 4-0. Stafford has looked like he's been quarterbacking for years in the Lions' first three wins. And his team's defensive line is more than capable of taking Tony Romo right out of the game. That and the fact that Dallas is missing Miles Austin and is playing with a hurt Dez Bryant equals a Detroit win.

Baltimore Ravens 17, New York Jets 14

A part of me wants to pick the Jets in this game, simply because they are coming off of a loss and there is no way Rex Ryan would let them go back-to-back. But the Jets aren't quite the same team they had a year ago. Their run defense is tanking, allowing 136.7 yards per game, 31st in the league. And their own rushing hasn't fared much better: just 82.5 yards per game, good for 25th in the league. This ballgame looks to be played mostly on the ground, which favors Ray Rice and the Ravens.

New England Patriots 27, Oakland Raiders 20

I was on the verge of picking the Bills to upset New England last week but couldn't get myself to do it. This week, there is a similar situation. Again, I'll go with the Pats, and maybe regret it later. But Tom Brady tanking two weeks in a row? Gimme a break. Last week's four INTs were a fluke, and when he is back to his normal self tomorrow, he'll grind this one out for a W.

New York Giants 24, Arizona Cardinals 21

Arizona's defense has been nonexistent in the first few weeks of the season. They can still hang around with many teams though, losing their last two games by a combined four points. Zona also possesses a solid passing attack: Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald, who could catch 70 passes with a cardboard bag throwing to him, have developed chemistry. Despite this, Kolb is turnover prone, and expect the Giants to force a few, while Eli Manning dissects this porous Arizona defense.

Carolina Panthers 20, Chicago Bears 17
Buffalo Bills 30, Cincinnati Bengals 21
Tennessee Titans 21, Cleveland Browns 17
Minnesota Vikings 23, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Philadelphia Eagles 31, San Francisco 49ers 24
Washington Redskins 20, St. Louis Rams 10
New Orleans Saints 38, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Houston Texans 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 20
Atlanta Falcons 26, Seattle Seahawks 17
Green Bay Packers 31, Denver Broncos 7
San Diego Chargers 34, Miami Dolphins 13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Indianapolis Colts 9

Week 3 NFL Projections

Last week: 13-3

Philadelphia Eagles 34, New York Giants 24

The Eagles have won the last six meetings between these two, and their defense should be able to rebound well enough from last week's disaster in Atlanta. And with Mario Manningham likely out and Steve Smith on the other sideline now, Hakeem Nicks will receive all the attention.

New England Patriots 31, Buffalo Bills 27

Buffalo is the talk of the NFL right now, jumping out to a surprising 2-0 start. Expect them to give the mighty Pats a dogfight, but ultimately fall just short. There's just no way to stop Tom Brady right now.

Dallas Cowboys 24, Washington Redskins 20

Tony Romo rebounded last week in leading his team to an overtime victory that saved the Cowboys from an 0-2 start. On the other hand, Rex Grossman has been better than expected and his Redskins have started 2-0. But Dallas is the more talented team, and even with DeAngelo Hall aiming for Tony Romo's ribs, the Boys will get the best of this NFC East showdown.

New Orleans Saints 31, Houston Texans 28

Drew Brees and the Saints will make the Texans' D feel like it's 2010 again. Through the first two weeks Houston has held opponents to just 10 points a game. But going to the Superdome to face Brees will not have the same outcome.

Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Indianapolis Colts 10
San Diego Chargers 41, Kansas City Chiefs 6
Green Bay Packers 23, Chicago Bears 13
San Francisco 49ers 21, Cincinnati Bengals 13
Miami Dolphins 17, Cleveland Browns 14
Tennessee Titans 23, Denver Broncos 13
Carolina Panthers 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
Baltimore Ravens 24, St. Louis Rams 10
New York Jets 31, Oakland Raiders 20
Arizona Cardinals 34, Seattle Seahawks 9
Atlanta Falcons 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
Detroit Lions 31, Minnesota Vikings 13