<%=siteName%>

Both Rick and I are hoping to bounce back after a dismal week 8…both of us went 1-4, ugh. Here are our 5 point spread picks for week 9. Rick is 15-15, while I sit at 16-14.

Rick’s Picks
Arizona at St. Louis -3.5, St. Louis to cover
Jacksonville -8.5 at Cincinatti, Jacksonville to cover
Tampa Bay -7.5 at Kansas City, Tampa Bay to cover
Green Bay at Tennessee -5.5, Green Bay to cover
Miami at Denver -4.5, Denver to cover

Pat’s Picks
Baltimore at Cleveland -2.5, Baltimore to cover
New York Jets at Buffalo -5.5, Buffalo to cover
Atlanta -2.5 at Oakland, Atlanta to cover
Dallas at New York Giants -7.5, Giants to cover
Philadelphia -6.5 at Seattle, Philadelphia to cover

This pains me to post, but after week 8, both Lafitte and I finished 1-4. Some close ones, but a 1-4 is a 1-4. Rick drops to an even 15-15, while I’m just ahead of him at 16-14.

Ricks Picks
St. Louis at New England -7.5, New England to cover…WRONG
Oakland at Baltimore -7.5, Baltimore to cover…RIGHT
Atlanta at Philadelphia -8.5, Atlanta to cover…WRONG
San Diego -2.5 at New Orleans, San Diego to cover…WRONG
Seattle at San Francisco -4.5, San Francisco to cover…WRONG
Current Record: 15-15

Pats Picks
Buffalo -2.5 at Miami, Buffalo to cover…WRONG
Washington -7.5 at Detroit, Washington to cover…RIGHT
Arizona at Carolina -5.5, Carolina to cover…WRONG
Cleveland at Jacksonville -6.5, Jacksonville to cover…WRONG
New York Giants at Pittsburgh -2.5, Pittsburgh to cover…WRONG
Current Record: 16-14

So the Calgary Flames get set to play the Nashville Predators tonight, it’s their first meeting of the season. And as you look at this team, you really can’t help but marvel at how they’ve been able to keep it together. A complete cluster-expletive when it comes to the ownership situation, they’ve had a star player bolt for Russia out of nowhere, and one of their heart and soul players has been out for an extended period of time. Yet, the Preds continue to put competitive teams on the ice, they are always in the mix for the playoffs, and they always are a tough, tough team to play. The credit falls on 2 areas. 1, David Poile and the great job his management team has done. And 2, Barry Trotz and his coaching staff for keeping this team on the even keel.

It would be very easy for the Preds to fold, not play very well and blame it on the distractions. Just ask the Tri-City Americans, Portland Winterhawks, Pittsburgh Pirates or Atlanta Hawks. Hell, the ownership situation alone would be enough to mess things up. The Preds have to sell off assets, as players like Paul Kariya, Scottie Upshall and Kimmo Timonnen have departed in the last year or so. But Poile has brought in the right players, while Barry Trotz has earned the respect of his players and instituted the right system. Not to mention, a heart and soul guy like Steve Sullivan hasn’t been healthy in ages, as his back just won’t help him out. Radulov leaves for Russia, for whatever reason, and that leaves them with a void in terms of top end scoring.

But Trotz has been the exception to the rule when it comes to longevity in the NHL. And it’s happened for one simple reason: he’s a damn good coach. He has a very sound gameplan in place with his team, and he parlays that into seeing what he wants to see out of his players. David Poile has been the GM of that team since the beginning. Yeah, he probably gave up too much for Peter Forsberg, but the Preds were making a push that year. His moves have been smart, calculated, and they’ve in concert with how Trotz wants the team to play.

Can’t say enough about just how impressive the duo of Trotz and Poile has been, and for the sake of the franchise, lets hope the partnership doesn’t end soon.

A rather mediocre week for both Lafitte AND Steinberg. The Cowboys continuing collapse helped Rick go 2-3 while I stumbled to a 2-3 finish as well, thanks to the Jets feeble offence and the Redskins being unable to cover the spread. All in all, not a good week. I’ve still got a 1 game lead on Lafitte, so it’s still neck and neck.

Ricks Picks
Pittsburgh -9.5 at Cincinatti, Pittsburgh to cover…RIGHT
Dallas -6.5 at St. Louis, Dallas to cover…WRONG
Baltimore at Miami -2.5, Miami to cover…WRONG
San Francisco at NY Giants -10.5, Giants to cover…RIGHT
Indianapolis -2.5 at Green Bay, Indy to cover…WRONG
Current Record: 14-11

Pats Picks
New Orleans at Carolina -3.5, Carolina to cover…RIGHT
San Diego at Buffalo -0.5, Buffalo to cover…RIGHT
Minnesota at Chicago -3.5, Minnesota to cover…WRONG
New York Jets -3.5 at Oakland, Jets to cover…WRONG
Cleveland at Washington -6.5, Washington to cover…WRONG
Current Record: 15-10

Heading in, it’s neck and neck between Rick Lafitte and yours truly. Rick sits 12-8 while I’m 13-7, here’s what we got for week 7.

Ricks Picks
Pittsburgh -9.5 at Cincinatti, Pittsburgh to cover
Dallas -6.5 at St. Louis, Dallas to cover
Baltimore at Miami -2.5, Miami to cover
San Francisco at NY Giants -10.5, Giants to cover
Indianapolis -2.5 at Green Bay, Indy to cover

Pats Picks
New Orleans at Carolina -3.5, Carolina to cover
San Diego at Buffalo -0.5, Buffalo to cover
Minnesota at Chicago -3.5, Minnesota to cover
New York Jets -3.5 at Oakland, Jets to cover
Cleveland at Washington -6.5, Washington to cover

The title says it all. And good on Jermaine Copeland for answering the bell. The Stampeders receiver was much maligned through the first half of the regular season, and for good reason. He wasn’t playing up to Jermaine Copeland standards, plain and simple. He was dropping footballs, and he wasn’t being utilized in the offence the way he had in the past. But Cope has stepped up in a huge way, and he’s a big part of why the Calgary Stampeders sit on top of the CFL right now.

Clearly the number 1 option for quarterback Henry Burris is Ken Yon Rambo. There is not 1 person who will dispute that fact. The numbers speak for themselves, as Rambo and Burris have turned into a lethal combination, and they’ll only get better season after season. And the ability Nik Lewis has shown to bust seemingly impossible big plays this year, and his game breaking ability, make him the 2nd option. But Jermaine Copeland has been right there, especially the last 5 games.

Take for example Calgary’s far-too-easy win over Saskatchewan last week. Copeland made 6 points all by himself…okay, with Hank’s help…by doing exactly what a good receiver does. As Henry Burris was flushed out of the pocket by the Riders, Copeland recognized, finished his sit route, and then executed a perfect scramble rule. He saw a soft spot in the corner of the end zone, and made a line to it, where Burris would eventually find him wide open for a major. Most fans only see the catch…but what lead to that catch is what sets the good receivers apart from the average ones.

Copeland is also a big part of this team in a non pass-catching ability. He’s the vet in the receiving core, not only on this team, but career wise. He’s been everywhere, from the SEC, to NFL Europe, Dallas Cowboys camp, Montreal and now Calgary. He knows the battles, and what to do in tough situations. Plus, the guy can trash talk and pump up a team like no other. To me, he’s always driven this core of elite receivers. And after being criticized (and fairly so) earlier this year, he’s also driving this team with his play on the field.

After missing a week, The Big Show picks are back with results. Rick went 2-3 this past week, while Steinberg went 4-1. Overall, Rick’s record moves to 12-8 while Steinberg goes to 13-7.

Rick’s Picks
Oakland at New Orleans -7.5…RIGHT
Chicago -3.5 at Atlanta…WRONG
Dallas -5.5 at Arizona…WRONG
New England at San Diego -5.5…RIGHT
Baltimore at Indianapolis -4.5…WRONG
Current Record: 12-8

Pat’s Picks
Cincinatti at New York Jets -5.5…RIGHT
Miami at Houston -3.5…RIGHT
Jacksonville at Denver -3.5…WRONG
Green Bay at Seattle -2.5…RIGHT
Philadelphia -4.5 at San Francisco…RIGHT
Current Record: 13-7