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

THE INTRO

In the film “Two for the Money” (which, studies have shown, only I, my best friend, and his roomate actually enjoyed), Matthew McConaughey’s character John Anthony boasts, “You can’t afford not to bet my picks.”

Anthony drove a beautiful brand new sports car, wore expensive suits, ate at the finest dining facilities, worked out religiously, made hundreds of thousands of dollars, and picked winners.

David Consolazio drives a 95 Lexus with well over 100,000 miles on it, wears t-shirts and jeans, eats fast food, doesn’t work out, and has no income but what his parents give him.

But damnit, he can pick winners too.

In the hardest week of the season to navigate through, I went 11 – 5 with the spread, and 12 – 4 without. All three of my outright upset picks were correct. Also, if you listened to me on the radio Saturday morning, you’d have heard that every single one of my college picks came true, too.

This success (which is sure to be short lived, as I’ve certainly done enough to jinx it) coupled with lots of feedback this week (and only two cancelations!), have prompted a few changes in the Dime. Look below for the additions of the “Outright Upsets” to the record column, and two new sections; the highly experimental “PICKS CHALLENGE” (Where YOU pick the games), and the new staple “THE COLLEGE NICKEL”. Read about them below.

Enjoy the picks, enjoy the nonsense, and enjoy your weekend!

THE RECORD

With the spread: 11 – 5 – 0 (.688)
Without the spread: 12 – 4 – 0 (.750)
$$Money Picks$$: 1 – 1 – 0 (.500)
^^Zen Picks^^: 1 – 0 – 0 (1.000)
**Outright Upsets**: 3 – 0 – 0 (1.000)

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

Miami 17 0 – 0 (+1.5) @ Pittsburgh 28 0 – 0 (-1.5)
“Which leads me to my favorite ZEN strategy – if Vegas’s spread COMPLETELY disagrees with how you feel, then you must be wrong, because Vegas knows football better than you.” As my buddy Jonathan says, my zen picks are my most reliable.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN ^Pittsburgh
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN ^Pittsburgh

Atlanta 20 0 – 0 (+5.0) @ Carolina 6 0 – 0 (-5.0)
The problem with picking games on Thursday… no updated injury reports. Would have taken the Falcons had I known that Steve Smith wasn’t going to be in action. But credit where its due – the supposedly Super-Bowl-ready Panthers defense was torn apart by the Falcons.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Carolina
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Carolina

Baltimore 27 0 – 0 (+3.0) @ Tampa Bay 0 0 – 0 (-3.0)
This game tripped up most people, but not your’s truly.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *Baltimore
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN *Baltimore

Buffalo 17 0 – 0 (+9.0) @ New England 19 0 – 0 (-9.0)
Early season jitters, or is New England way too overhyped this year?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS New England
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN New England

Cincinnati 23 0 – 0 (+2.0) @ Kansas City 10 0 – 0 (-2.0)
KC lost alot more than just the game. Even as a passionate KC hater, I still wish Trent Green a speedy recovery. The hit he took was cheap and hard… but mainly, HARD.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *Cincinnati
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN *Cincinnati

Denver 10 0 – 0 (-3.5) @ St. Louis 18 0 – 0 (+3.5)
“The Denver Broncos don’t take enough pride in simply being my arch-nemises. Instead, they also find it necessary to lose whenever I pick them, and win whenever I pick against them. So you know what, Denver? You can start the season off 0 – 1.” – Did I REALLY effect the outcome of this game? Probably not. But I still feel awfully good about it.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Denver
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Denver

New Orleans 19 0 – 0 (+3.0) @ Cleveland 14 0 – 0 (-3.0)
“Speaking of teams that always mess with me, New Orleans is another one. But unlike the Broncos, I don’t hate their guts. With the addition of Reggie Bush (who, settle down Trojan fans, will have to share carries with Deuce McCallaster) and Drew Brees, I think this year’s Saints team is going to have an offense to be reckoned with. And it starts this week against the Browns.” – Yes it does.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *New Orleans
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN *New Orleans

N.Y. Jets 23 0 – 0 (+2.5) @ Tennessee 16 0 – 0 (-2.5)
“I’ll count on Billy Volek to have a big day and give the Tennessee fans a strong season opener.” Volek. See Volek. Do you see KERRY COLLINS? The fact that the Titans started that idiot shows me that they have no real interest in winning and, for that matter, sanity.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Tennessee
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Tennessee

Philadelphia 24 0 – 0 (-5.0) @ Houston 10 0 – 0 (+5.0)
“I am still laughing at how ironic it is that the Texans passed on Reggie Bush, only to see their #1 running back, Dominick Davis, go down with a season ending injury before the season even began. Think they are feeling stupid now? Well whether they are feeling stupid, smart, good, or bad, they aren’t beating Philly this weekend.” – Shoulda put the damn “$” next to it.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Philadelphia
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Philadelphia

Seattle 9 0 – 0 (-6.0) @ Detroit 6 0 – 0 (+6.0)
Wonderful. I start my season off 11 – 5, and lose 1 of my 2 money picks. Seahawks, remember the endzone? You found it all the time last year! I’m sure you can do it again.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS $Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Seattle

Chicago 26 0 – 0 (-3.5) @ Green Bay 0 0 – 0 (+3.5)
Green Bay sucks, and Favre should hang up the shoulder pads already.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Chicago
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Chicago

Indianapolis 26 0 – 0 (-3.5) @ N.Y. Giants 21 0 – 0 (+3.5)
“The Battle of the Mannings! Everyone sure is selling this one high. Newsflash, everyone. Peyton is the better Manning. And he’s got the better team, too. Indy takes care of the Giants no problem in this one.” – Wasn’t exactly no problem, but a winners a winner.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN – $Indianapolis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN – Indianapolis

Minnesota 19 0 – 0 (+4.5) @ Washington 16 0 – 0 (-4.5)
“Don’t know what to expect from either of these teams, so I can’t really give you a whole lot of reasoning behind this pick. I’ve just got a score in my head; Washington 17, Minnesota 14. So, there you go… professional? Hardly.” – Told you a field goal would decide it. Just picked the wrong team.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *Minnesota
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Washington

San Diego 27 0 – 0 (-3.0) @ Oakland 0 0 – 0 (+3.0)
“I’ll still take San Diego – the Raiders have NEVER had an answer for LaDanian Tomlinson, and I can’t go picking them until they find one.” Tomlinson destroying the Raiders comes as no surprise. Its HOW BAD we looked that was the story here. With Jerry Porter out of the lineup, we have absolutely no depth at WR, a mediocre QB, a solid-but-unspectacular RB, an apparently pathetic O Line, and a good core of young defensive players playing in an absolutely pitiful system. This will be a long, long season.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN San Diego
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN San Diego

DAMN, I’M GOOD

San Francisco 27 0 – 0 (+7.5) @ Arizona 34 0 – 0 (-7.5)
Yuck… call me when Leinart is starting. Until then, this game really isn’t all that exciting. Pure talent wise, I’ll give the game to Arizona – but despite how bad San Fran is, I still expect them to make somewhat of a game out of it.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN San Fransisco
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Arizona
I simply love getting this type of pick right – one team with the spread, the other team without it.

Dallas 17 0 – 0 (+2.0) @ Jacksonville 24 0 – 0 (-2.0)
Typical Jacksonville game… the other team getting all the hype. Everyones talking about TO, Parcels, Bledsoe, blah, blah, blah. When its all said and done, it’ll be Jacksonville ahead on the scoreboard in this one.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Jacksonville
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Jacksonville
This one tripped up a lot of people’s weeks, but not mine!

THE PICKS

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

SUNDAY

Buffalo 0 – 1 (+6.5) @ Miami 0 – 1 (-6.5)
The one game on the schedule that I’m not comfortable picking. At home, I’ll give Miami the benefit of the doubt and say that they can take care of Buffalo, and cover the spread. I guess we’ll see.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Miami
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Miami

Carolina 0 – 1 @ Minnesota 1 – 0 (Pick’em)
My first of many money picks this week. Okay, so Carolina had a lousy game against Atlanta, and Minnesota pulled off the upset in Washington. Carolina still has the tools to go far this year, and I think even with their injuries, their defensive scheme will be more then enough to take care of Minnesota. I’d probably be willing to give the Vikings 4 or 5, so at a pick’em, I’ve got no problem betting the Panthers.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $Carolina
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Carolina

Cleveland 0 – 1 (+10.5) @ Cincinnati 1 – 0 (-10.5)
10.5 is a lot of points, and I don’t want to underestimate Cleveland too badly. Still, Cinci looks damn good, and I think they can take care of the Browns fairly easily in their home opener.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Cincinnati
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Cincinnati

Detroit 0 – 1 (+8.5) @ Chicago 1 – 0 (-8.5)
Holding Seattle to only 9 points last week may have been a total fluke, but it made enough of a believer out of me to assume that Detroit can keep this game close, too. Chicago should win, but only by a TD or so.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *Detroit
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Chicago

Houston 0 – 1 (+13.5) @ Indianapolis 1 – 0 (-13.5)
Money! Indy looked somewhat human last week, but thats because they were playing a very solid Giants team. Houston is not in league with this team, and I expect Peyton to put up some disgusting numbers, and the defense to shut Houston down.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $Indianapolis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Indianapolis

New Orleans 1 – 0 (-2.0) @ Green Bay 0 – 1 (+2.0)
New Orleans to start the season 2 – 0? I find it difficult to believe that I’m picking that, but Green Bay impresses me about as much as cardboard does. Scratch that… cardboard comes in handy from time to time.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: New Orleans
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: New Orleans

N.Y. Giants 0 – 1 (+3.0) @ Philadelphia 1 – 0 (-3.0)
Perfect example of the public swinging a line here. NYG loses to one of the best teams in the AFC, Phili beats one of the worst teams in the AFC, and now they are the favorite. Silly public, this win is for Giants.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *N.Y. Giants
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *N.Y. Giants

Oakland 0 – 1 (+12.5) @ Baltimore 1 – 0 (-12.5)
Remember last year when I asked you to bet your house on the Colts to cover against Cleveland, and they didnt? Of course you do… it put you out on the street. Well, you’ve had one year to get your life back together. Work a few double shifts, get a nice little apartment somewhere. And more power to you. But now is your chance to get that house back.

Sell your apartment (or for those of you that didn’t lose your house last year, sell the house). You won’t be needing it anymore, you’re going to be moving into someplace much nicer. Now take the money you make on your home, and put every cent of it on the Baltimore Ravens. Yes, even -12.5.

The ZEN book would actually say that due to the fact that Oakland lost big last week and Baltimore won big, this would be a great opportunity to bet Oakland, as they will come out passionate, and Baltimore will come out over confident. Usually I agree with the zen philosophy, but this is different. If all the stars align, the Oakland offense clicks perfectly and the Ravens play the worst game of their life… the final score will be 31 – 10 Baltimore.

Will I be wearing my Moss jersey? Yes. Will I root passionately for my Raiders? Yes. Will I make $75 when they lose by 28? That, too, is also a yes.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $$$$Baltimore
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Baltimore

Tampa Bay 0 – 1 (+5.5) @ Atlanta 1 – 0 (-5.5)
Probably my favorite pick of the week. Like I mentioned above, when one team loses big and another wins big, it isn’t a bad idea to bet the team that lost big. Well, Tampa Bay got straight up embarassed last week. Gruden is too damn good of a coach to get two lousy performances out of his team in a row. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s gotta be riding high right now. I think they are prime for the upset.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: ^*Tampa Bay
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: ^*Tampa Bay

Arizona 1 – 0 (+7.0) @ Seattle 1 – 0 (-7.0)
I want to money pick this one, but Seattle let me down last time, so they are “grounded”. Still, at home, this team always plays very well… and I think they will indeed cover in this one.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Seattle

St. Louis 1 – 0 (-3.0) @ San Francisco 0 – 1 (+3.0)
St. Louis always overperforms one week and tanks the next, so I almost never money pick them. After beating the Broncos, though, I feel like they deserve a lot more credit then just a field goal against an awful San Fran team. So, consider this a very confident pick.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: St. Louis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: St. Louis

Kansas City 0 – 1 (+11.0) @ Denver 0 – 1 (-11.0)
ZEN time. Denver is the obvious favorite here, with Kansas City losing Trent Green. Herm Edwards is an awesome coach though, a great motivator, and I feel like he can turn this negative into a positive, and get all of the other players to step up in Green’s absence. As for Denver, they’ve got to be thinking in the back of their minds that they’ve got an easy game on their hands. I’m too scared to take them straight up, but I definitely think it’ll be close.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: ^*Kansas City
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Denver

New England 1 – 0 (-6.0) @ N.Y. Jets 1 – 0 (+6.0)
This one I’m just kind of feeling. I think New England’s reign of invincibility is over, and while I do think they are the better team, I think the Jets will outplay them and take the victory at home. Then again, I always overestimate the Jets. We’ll just have to wait and see.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *N.Y. Jets
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *N.Y. Jets

Tennessee 0 – 1 (+11.5) @ San Diego 1 – 0 (-11.5)
We saw what San Diego could do on the road against a garbage Oakland team. Now, watch them repeat or improve on that performance at home against a garbage Tennessee team.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $San Diego
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: San Diego

Washington 0 – 1 (+6.5) @ Dallas 0 – 1 (-6.5)
With Portis out, I don’t think Washington has the talent to keep up with Dallas, especially in Dallas, where the team will be looking to convince the fans that last week was just a fluke. Dallas by a TD or more looks okay to me.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Dallas
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Dallas

MONDAY

Pittsburgh 1 – 0 (-2.5) @ Jacksonville 1 – 0 (+2.5)
Maybe I’m too high on Jacksonville, but ZEN backs me up a little bit here. It’s the second straight game for Jacksonville at home, meaning they haven’t had to travel, they’ve trained in their own facilities, and they are very comfortable. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, played last Thursday, and will have had 10 days in between games. Middle of the season, players would love that kind of break, but I think this early, it will make some players rusty. Don’t mean to underestimate Pittsburgh or overestimate the Jaguars, but this one points to Jacksonville for me.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: ^*Jacksonville
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: ^*Jacksonville

PICKS CHALLENGE

Think you’ve got what it takes to out pick me? Now is your chance to show it!

The rules are very simple. You email me (or facebook message me, for my facebook readers) your picks with the spread (use the spreads I’ve listed below) every week. You can research them, flip a coin, do whatever you like.

In said email, also give me a nickname you’d like to go by… or, just your first name, if your creative juices aren’t flowing.

In this section each week, I will do the following;
a) Let you know as a whole what your record was (as in what the majority of the readers picked)
b) Give props to the person who did the best
c) Publically humiliate the person who did the worst (all in good fun, of course)

I will also keep track of all of your year to date totals. The top few people with the best winning percentage will get some kind of prize (by prize I mean something free and worthless, but bragging rights are good for something aren’t they?).

This section will only work if alot of you participate… it’s just for fun! Don’t be afraid! Send in your picks! Having a section dedicated to two readers wouldn’t make any sense. 10, 20, 30 of you, all of a sudden we have ourselves a fun little thing going here.

So can you beat the Dime? Give it a try!

Buffalo 0 – 1 (+6.5) @ Miami 0 – 1 (-6.5)
Carolina 0 – 1 @ Minnesota 1 – 0 (Pick’em)
Cleveland 0 – 1 (+10.5) @ Cincinnati 1 – 0 (-10.5)
Detroit 0 – 1 (+8.5) @ Chicago 1 – 0 (-8.5)
Houston 0 – 1 (+13.5) @ Indianapolis 1 – 0 (-13.5)
New Orleans 1 – 0 (-2.0) @ Green Bay 0 – 1 (+2.0)
N.Y. Giants 0 – 1 (+3.0) @ Philadelphia 1 – 0 (-3.0)
Oakland 0 – 1 (+12.5) @ Baltimore 1 – 0 (-12.5)
Tampa Bay 0 – 1 (+5.5) @ Atlanta 1 – 0 (-5.5)
Arizona 1 – 0 (+7.0) @ Seattle 1 – 0 (-7.0)
St. Louis 1 – 0 (-3.0) @ San Francisco 0 – 1 (+3.0)
Kansas City 0 – 1 (+11.0) @ Denver 0 – 1 (-11.0)
New England 1 – 0 (-6.0) @ N.Y. Jets 1 – 0 (+6.0)
Tennessee 0 – 1 (+11.5) @ San Diego 1 – 0 (-11.5)
Washington 0 – 1 (+6.5) @ Dallas 0 – 1 (-6.5)
Pittsburgh (-2.5) @ Jacksonville (+2.5)

THE COLLEGE NICKEL

In this section, I will talk a little Trojan Football, and then give you my top 5 (Get it? 5? Nickel? See what I did there?) picks in college football with the spread.

RECORD: 0 – 0 – 0

1. Arizona State Sun Devils (-11.0) @ Colorado Buffaloes (+11.0)
Colorado is a complete joke. Here is a team with decent expectations coming into the year, that has scored a total of 20 points in two games against two modest opponents. I’m stunned that they aren’t +25… so at +11, I’d certainly consider it a safe bet. ASU is a very legitimate team, and they can crush this reeling Buffalo team no problem.

2. Cincinatti Bearcats (+29.0) @ Ohio State (-29.0)
On the road, this team held Texas to only a TD (which came as a result of a very poor penalty call on the Buckeyes, so it should have actually only been 3 points). Now, at home, they face a team that just isn’t in their league. They put on a show for the home crowd in this one, and win by 6 or 7 TDs.

3. Michigan Wolverines (+5.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-5.5)
What does this Notre Dame team have to do to get some respect? Penn State was a popular upset pick last weekend, and you saw what happened to them. This is a very good team, and this game is in Notre Dame. Can Michigan keep this game close, or outright win it? Sure they can. But I don’t think they will. Notre Dame by 10+.

4. Fresno State Bulldogs (-3.0) @ Washington Huskies (+3.0)
Okay, so Washington keeps it close against a one-dimensional Oklahoma team for a half, and Fresno State loses by TD to a strong Oregon team, and now this game is only seperated by 3 points? Please. Fresno State is streaky, but Washington is still a few years away from being a threat… and a few years away from winning this football game, too.

5. Nebraska Cornhuskers (+17.5) @ Southern California Trojans (-17.5)
I can’t quite shake the image of a GREAT Nebraska team out of my head, but they really just aren’t anymore. They are pretty damn good, yes, but not great. The fact that this game is at home makes all the difference. Booty and this offense will get their 3 – 4 TDs… and I think the defense will hold Nebraska, and maybe put a few points on the board themselves.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Texas Longhorns (-33.0) @ Rice Owls (+33.0)
Oklahoma Sooners (+4.5) @ Oregon Ducks (-4.5)

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

MY TEAM’S RECORDS
OAKLAND RAIDERS: 0 – 1 – 0
USC TROJANS: 1 – 0 – 0
LOS ANGELES KINGS: 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

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