Dave’s Dime
“Because Two Cents Just Isn’t Enough”

THE INTRO

What do you want from me? I suppose this is the part where I’m supposed to clear up why the unthinkable happened this afternoon.

I could blame the Consolazio Curse.

I could blame Booty, who needs 6 seconds of protection and absolutely no pass rush whatsoever to be effective…

I could blame the offensive line for not giving Booty said 6 seconds…

But what impresses me about UCLA here is the fact that they didn’t win this game on a bad call, a fluke kick return, or anything of the sort.

Quite the contrary, they just played a better game of football for the entire 60 minutes.

Sad, sad day for Trojan fans. When your Bruin friends rub it in your face, don’t come back with “Yeah we’re going to the Rose Bowl, where are you going?? Emerald Bowl??” or anything of the sort. Let them get it all out of their system, and suck it up. Because this year, they earned it.

THE RECORD

Last Week
With the spread: 9 – 7 – 0 (.563)
Without the spread: 12 – 4 – 0 (.750)
$$Money Picks$$: 4 – 3 – 0 (.571)
^^Zen Picks^^: 2 – 1 – 0 (.666)
**Outright Upsets**: 1 – 1 – 0 (.500)

Season
With the spread: 85 – 83 – 8 (.506)
Without the spread: 111 – 65 – 0 (.631)
$$Money Picks$$: 18 – 22 – 1 (.450)
^^Zen Picks^^: 15 – 10 – 1 (.600)
**Outright Upsets**: 22 – 21 – 0 (.512)

LAST WEEK’S RECAP OF DAVE’S BRILLIANCE AND FOOLISHNESS
(Often Foolishness)

Miami 27 4 – 6 (-3.0) @ Detroit 10 2 – 8 (+3.0)
All of a sudden, Miami is a playoff possibility and the Steelers are out. Funny how the NFL works.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN $Miami
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Miami

Tampa Bay 10 3 – 7 (+11.0) @ Dallas 38 6 – 4 (-11.0)
Wait a second… Dallas is legit all of a sudden?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS ^*Tampa Bay
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Dallas

Denver 10 7 – 3 (+1.5) @ Kansas City 19 6 – 4 (-1.5)
Denver’s offense is so bad its funny… unless you’re a fan, I guess.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS *Denver
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS *Denver

Pittsburgh 0 4 – 6 (+3.0) @ Baltimore 27 8 – 2 (-3.0)
I knew Pittsburgh would lose, but talk about going quietly.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Baltimore
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Baltimore

Carolina 13 6 – 4 (-4.0) @ Washington 17 3 – 7 (+4.0)
No surprise for me that the easiest game on the schedule ends up being a loss, is there?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS $Carolina
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Carolina

New Orleans 31 6 – 4 (+3.0) @ Atlanta 13 5 – 5 (-3.0)
Are we ready to chauk Vick up as a failure AND/OR consider the Saints a playoff team?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *New Orleans
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN *New Orleans

Houston 11 3 – 7 (+6.0) @ New York Jets 26 5 – 5 (-6.0)
The Jets win their first of a long string of easy games.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN ^$New York Jets
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN New York Jets

Arizona 26 2 – 8 (+6.0) @ Minnesota 31 4 – 6 (-6.0)
Late meaningless TD drive covers the spread for Arizona…. oh well.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Minnesota
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Minnesota

Cincinnati 30 5 – 5 (-3.0) @ Cleveland 0 3 – 7 (+3.0)
Definitely a step in the right direction for the Bengals.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN ^$Cincinnati
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Cincinnati

Jacksonville 24 6 – 4 (-3.0) @ Buffalo 27 4 – 6 (+3.0)
Are you kidding me? Jacksonville has lost some pretty damn inexcusable games this season.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS $Jacksonville
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Jacksonville

Oakland 14 2 – 8 (+13.5) @ San Diego 21 8 – 2 (-13.5)
Another lose and cover!
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS San Diego
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN San Diego

New York Giants 21 6 – 4 (-3.0) @ Tennessee 24 3 – 7 (+3.0)
Giants fans, still think Eli will end up like his brother?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS $New York Giants
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS New York Giants

Chicago 13 9 – 1 (+3.0) @ New England 17 7 – 3 (-3.0)
Chicago’d better figure out how to score if they want to go anywhere this postseason.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN New England
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN New England

Philadelphia 21 5 – 5 (+9.0) @ Indianapolis 45 9 – 1 (-9.0)
Credit Indy for actually showing up against a lesser opponent this week.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN $Indianapolis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Indianapolis

Green Bay 24 4 – 6 (+9.5) @ Seattle 34 6 – 4 (-9.5)
Wait, a half point in my favor? What is the world coming to?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Seattle

DAMN, I’M GOOD

San Francisco 17 5 – 5 (+5.5) @ St. Louis 20 4 – 6 (-5.5)
My original pick was St. Louis, but you know, I can’t just keep ignoring the 49ers. They have played well enough to warrent a pick at +5.5, and with the strong running matchup, they should keep it close. I won’t take them outright… but I’ll take the points.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *San Francisco
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: St. Louis
– I love being this spot on.

THE PICKS

* – Indicates Upset Pick
$ – Indicates Money Pick
^ – Indicates Zen Pick

Pretty boring (and probably unsuccessful) week… I’m picking almost nothing but favorites. The upset picks aren’t jumping out at me this week.

THURSDAY

Cincinnati 13 7 – 5 (-3.0) @ Baltimore 7 9 – 3 (+3.0)
I’ll be the first to give Baltimore a ton of credit for how well they have played this season. I just had a gut feeling that Cincinnati, who was supposed to be a super bowl contender this year, could piece it together and get the win this Thursday. And, they did.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Cincinnati
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Cincinnati

SUNDAY

Arizona 2 – 9 (+6.5) @ St. Louis 5 – 6 (-6.5)
This kind of looks like a decent upset pick, but I’ll pass. St. Louis at home will have absolutely no trouble moving the ball on the Cardinals “defense” (gotta put it in quotation marks!). The Rams’ main weakness is their running defense, which should be cured by the Cardinals’ terrible offensive line and Mr. Letdown himself, Edgerrin James. So, I’ll take the Rams.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: St. Louis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: St. Louis

Atlanta 5 – 6 (+2.0) @ Washington 4 – 7 (-2.0)
Atlanta is a mess right now, and they have all but completely fallen out of playoff conversation. They are, however, a better team than the Redskins, and even with all of their problems should be able to triumph in this one.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *Atlanta
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Atlanta

Detroit 2 – 9 (+13.5) @ New England 8 – 3 (-13.5)
13.5 is a lot of points in the NFL, but this Detroit team is just absolutely pitiful. If played in Ohio State, the Buckeyes could probably beat this team right now. That said, the Patriots SHOULDN’T have any trouble eating them alive, especially at home.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: New England
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: New England

Indianapolis 10 – 1 (-7.5) @ Tennessee 4 – 7 (+7.5)
Tennessee is an impressive 7 – 4 with the spread this year, and has quickly earned themselves a reputation as a team that doesn’t say die. On the opposite side, the Colts are known to play down to their opponent from time to time, especially on the road. Unfortunately for me, Vegas suckered me in with the spread. I can’t turn down only 8 points to a much inferior team, even if they probably WILL cover it.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Indianapolis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Indianapolis

Kansas City 7 – 4 (-4.5) @ Cleveland 3 – 8 (+4.5)
Kansas City has been playing some damn good football, and getting Trent Green back only makes them better. Credit Herm Edwards for keeping the team afloat while Green was out. While the Browns are another one of those pesky teams that could prove to be troublesome, once again, I can’t pick against the superior team with the spread where it is, especially after the performance against Denver last week.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Kansas City
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Kansas City

Minnesota 5 – 6 (+9.5) @ Chicago 9 – 2 (-9.5)
While Minnesota is certainly not going anywhere this season, their defense is decent. Chicago’s offense meanwhile still leaves a bit to be desired. Maybe Grossman will have one of his on days, but with 9.5, I’ll take my chances on the Vikings to keep it close.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *Minnesota
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Chicago

N.Y. Jets 6 – 5 @ Green Bay 4 – 7 (Pick’em)
In what should be a shootout back and forth, the Jets have the better defense… as such, they should come out on top in this game.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: N.Y. Jets
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: N.Y. Jets

San Diego 9 – 2 (-6.0) @ Buffalo 5 – 6 (+6.0)
After last week’s almost disasterous mishap in Oakland, the Chargers now find themselves with what I consider to be a tune-up game in Buffalo; and tune up they shall.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $San Diego
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: San Diego

San Francisco 5 – 6 (+7.0) @ New Orleans 7 – 4 (-7.0)
One stat pretty much tells the story; New Orleans Passing ranked #1 in total yardage per game… San Fransisco’s passing defense ranked #25. Then again, New Orleans can’t stop the run, and Gore has been amazing. Regardless, I’ll stick with stat number one and say that Drew Brees blows these guys away.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: New Orleans
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: New Orleans

Houston 3 – 8 (+3.0) @ Oakland 2 – 9 (-3.0)
I get the feeling I’m jumping aboard a little to late, but the Raiders have been playing competitive football for the last few weeks (covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 games)! Now they find themselves the favorites at home, and rightfully so. Even though a win does nothing but get us farther away from that first overall pick, it should still come today.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Oakland
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Oakland

Jacksonville 6 – 5 @ Miami 5 – 6 (Pick’em)
Wow. Am I really picking the Dolphins? And can you really blame me? This team is on an absolute roll, while meanwhile, the Jaguars can’t really put it together against anybody lately, other the Giants. In Miami? No points? It’s not easy for me to type, but yeah, I’m taking them over the Jags, who earlier this season I was taking over pretty much everyone.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Miami
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Miami

Dallas 7 – 4 (-3.5) @ N.Y. Giants 6 – 5 (+3.5)
Okay, I know that Dallas usually has trouble with the Giants. I know that the Giants are hungry for a victory. I know all that. But whether I like it or not, the Cowboys are the real deal – and the Giants are no match for them, lacking both the talent and the mental strength to compete against these guys.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $Dallas
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Dallas

Tampa Bay 3 – 8 (+7.0) @ Pittsburgh 4 – 7 (-7.0)
This one takes the “who cares” cake right out of the Oakland/Houston game’s hands. Tampa Bay, one of the great defensive team of our time, is no longer anything close to that. And Pittsburgh? Only took them 11 games to knock themselves out of a potential repeat. At least the Oakland game might be interesting… this’ll just be terribly boring. Guess I’ve gotta take the Steelers, since they have home field AND the Buccaneers are just dreadful this year.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Pittsburgh
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Pittsburgh

Seattle 7 – 4 (+4.0) @ Denver 7 – 4 (-4.0)
Probably the most interesting game of the week, as Denver FINALLY makes the move to start Jay Cutler, which I’ve been calling for for a while. Will he be able to spark the Denver offense ala Tony Romo in Dallas? I think he will be. But not necessarily in his first game. Playing at home should help, but the Seahawks should be able to pressure him into making a few mistakes. Even though its only a 4 point spread, I’ll take the Seahawks with it, but Denver to still pull it off by 2 or 3. 20 – 17 anyone?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Denver

MONDAY

Carolina 6 – 5 (-3.0) @ Philadelphia 5 – 6 (+3.0)
Carolina has been a pretty disappointing team this season, considering their early season goals of being super bowl contenders. They haven’t been disappointing enough, however, to pick against in this game. The McNabbless Eagles will continue their downward spiral in his absence.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Carolina
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Carolina

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Questions? Comments? Love the Dime? Hate it? Should I cut it down to a nickel? SEND ME FEEDBACK!

MY TEAM’S RECORDS
OAKLAND RAIDERS: 2 – 9 – 0
USC TROJANS: 10 – 2 – 0
LOS ANGELES KINGS: 9 – 14 – 4

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