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

THE INTRO

Sticking with the trend of quoting bad movies, I’ll go with a childhood favorite here; The Mighty Ducks.

Coach Jack Reilly, Emilio Estevez’s childhood coach and adult arch-nemesis, bellows the following to his young players –

“IT’S NOT WORTH WINNING IF YOU CAN’T WIN BIG!”

I always thought this was a stupid comment. A win is a win. Would you seriously prefer losing to winning by a little?

Well, it all makes perfect sense to me now. Coach Reilly was a gambler.

Picking 11 of 14 games correctly, including 3 straight upsets, you’d think I could have managed to do a little bit better than 6 – 7 – 1 with the spread. But, you’d be thinking wrong.

If the USC Trojans, Michigan Wolverines, Florida Gators, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens would have “won big” this weekend, I’d have been on my way on a vacation to Italy right about now with all of my winnings.

Thanks to the spread, the closest I’m coming to Italy is the job application I need to fill out at Dominos to cover this weekend’s losses.

Don’t worry faithful readers (and Mom), I’m exaggerating a little bit. Lets just get to the picks and get myself back on the winning side of things, huh?

THE RECORD

Last Week
With the spread: 6 – 7 – 1 (.462)
Without the spread: 11 – 3 – 0 (.786)
$$Money Picks$$: 1 – 1 – 0 (.500)
^^Zen Picks^^: 1 – 0 – 1 (1.000)
**Outright Upsets**: 3 – 0 – 0 (1.000)

Season
With the spread: 27 – 18 – 1 (.600)
Without the spread: 34 – 12 – 0 (.739)
$$Money Picks$$: 5 – 3 – 0 (.625)
^^Zen Picks^^: 4 – 1 – 1 (.800)
**Outright Upsets**: 8 – 2 – 0 (.800)

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

Carolina 26 0 – 2 (-3.0) @ Tampa Bay 24 0 – 2 (+3.0)
“I’m expecting a blowout in one direction or the other” – Great call, loser.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Carolina
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Carolina

Chicago 19 2 – 0 (-3.5) @ Minnesota 16 2 – 0 (+3.5)
Credit goes to Minnesota, who is really beginning to earn my respect.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Chicago
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Chicago

Green Bay 31 0 – 2 (+6.5) @ Detroit 24 0 – 2 (-6.5)
“Gut feeling says Green Bay…”… and so it was.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *Green Bay
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN *Green Bay

Jacksonville 14 2 – 0 (+7.0) @ Indianapolis 21 2 – 0 (-7.0)
Wish I would have bet this when it was +9 the minute it came out. Vegas quickly corrected their mistake.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: TIE ^*Jacksonville
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Indianapolis

N.Y. Jets 28 1 – 1 (+5.5) @ Buffalo 20 1 – 1 (-5.5)
“Another game that I’m really not comfortable with.” – and, one of my 3 straight up losses.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Buffalo
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Buffalo

Tennessee 10 0 – 2 (+11.0) @ Miami 13 0 – 2 (-11.0)
“I really don’t like giving up 11 points when the favorite hasn’t even won a game yet…” – As damn well I shouldn’t have.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Miami
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Miami

Washington 31 0 – 2 (-4.0) @ Houston 15 0 – 2 (+4.0)
Yeah, Portis made this game a pretty simple one to pick.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Washington
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Washington

Baltimore 15 2 – 0 (-6.5) @ Cleveland 14 0 – 2 (+6.5)
I thought adding McNair would improve Baltimore’s offense, but man, its pitiful.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS $Baltimore
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Baltimore

N.Y. Giants 30 1 – 1 (+3.5) @ Seattle 42 2 – 0 (-3.5)
“Seattle at home is dangerous. Seattle at home for two straight weeks? Very, very dangerous. I won’t money pick against the pesky Giants, but I’ll certainly feel confident with this pick.” – Easy money.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Seattle

Philadelphia 38 1 – 1 (-6.0) @ San Francisco 24 1 – 1 (+6.0)
“Despite San Fran’s impressive performance last week, I don’t think they are any match for the Eagles, who will cover the TD spread.” – And in a shocker this week, they actually did.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN Philidelphia
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Philidelphia

St. Louis 16 1 – 1 (+4.5) @ Arizona 14 1 – 1 (-4.5)
“Another game I’m going to lose no matter how much I crunch the numbers. I’ll just take the team I like better in Arizona… which will probably cost them this game.” – Shouldnt this count as a correct prediction?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Arizona
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Arizona

Atlanta 3 2 – 0 (-4.0) @ New Orleans 23 2 – 0 (+4.0)
This is honestly the only pick I’m really disappointed in myself over. With the whole Zen philosophy thing, I really should have seen this coming. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20, I’m sure I’d be singing a different tune if Atlanta had won.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS Atlanta
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Atlanta

DAMN, I’M GOOD

Cincinnati 28 2 – 0 (+1.5) @ Pittsburgh 20 1 – 1 (-1.5)
Think last year’s playoff loss that featured Carson Palmer’s then-thought-to-be potentially career ending injury isn’t fresh on the Bengals’ minds? Think again. I don’t like that the game is in Pitts, nor do I like that its -1.5 Pitts, as I feel it should be Cinci as the favorite, and discrepencies usually mean bad things for the bettor. But you know what? Revenge conquers all, and gives me a very rare trifecta pick this week (trifecta; money pick, zen pick, and upset pick).
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: ^*$Cincinnati
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: ^*Cincinnati
– Trifecta pays off here!

Denver 17 1 – 1 (+7.0) @ New England 7 2 – 0 (-7.0)
Denver has been playing absolutely pathetically, and New England has been pretty sloppy themselves, but they remain unscathed. Something tells me it all starts to click for Denver this week, and they pull off the stunning upset in New England. Stupid, I know, but I’m so cocky these days that I’ll roll with it.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *Denver
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Denver
– And I didn’t need THEM to win by double digits.

THE PICKS

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

Trust me, I’m not high or drunk as I make these picks. But with only 5 favorites, 3 teams with the points, and 6 straight upsets, I’m sure I’ll fool a few of you.

This will either be a disasterous week, or it will make me look like a genious. I pray for the latter.

SUNDAY
Arizona 1 – 2 (+7.5) @ Atlanta 2 – 1 (-7.5)
Ok, so when I heard Leinart was starting, I bet Arizona. Then I found out he wasn’t starting. Oops. Atlanta should definitely cover at home against the Kurt Warner run team. If Warner can use the pressure of losing his spot to his advantage, maybe he will play a smarter game and keep it close. But I wouldn’t count on it.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Atlanta
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Atlanta

Dallas 1 – 1 (-10.0) @ Tennessee 0 – 3 (+10.0)
First of all, Dallas is coming off of a bye week (rust) and Tennessee is coming off of a “good” performance in Miami. Second of all, its in Tennessee. Third of all, with all the stuff going on surrounding the TO (non) suicide attempt, negative media during the week takes the team’s head out of the game. In true Zen fashion, I’ll take Tennessee – with the points of course. Can’t imagine them beating Dallas outright.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *^Tennessee
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Dallas

Indianapolis 3 – 0 (-9.0) @ N.Y. Jets 2 – 1 (+9.0)
I love the Jets, so picking against them two weeks in a row is really difficult for me. However, the Jets defense just isn’t ready for a team like Indy yet. Indy can only be held close by the run-ball-defense juggernauts (think New England, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Baltimore). A team that tries to play them heads up just isn’t going to be able to keep it close. I’ll pull for the Jets, but I’m thinking 35 – 24 Indy.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Indianapolis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Indianapolis

Miami 1 – 2 (-3.5) @ Houston 0 – 3 (+3.5)
Houston is playing its second straight game at home, while Miami is coming off an absolutely pitiful performance against the Titans. The team with high hopes just hasn’t looked good – at all. And I’ll go ahead and make my first wild outright upset pick right here, and take the worst team in the NFL in this one.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *^Houston
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Houston

Minnesota 2 – 1 (+1.0) @ Buffalo 1 – 2 (-1.0)
With last week’s performance against the Bears, Minnesota showed me they are legit. And with last week’s performance against the Jets, the Bills showed me that they are… the Bills. I take Minnesota with and without the single point, and guarentee it in the process.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *$Minnesota
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Minnesota

New Orleans 3 – 0 (+7.0) @ Carolina 1 – 2 (-7.0)
Don’t see an undefeated team getting a TD on a 1 – 2 team very often, do you? In any case, Carolina is the better team, but New Orleans has done nothing but impress. I’ll trust Carolina to eek out another victory, but I’ll trust New Orleans to keep it close. And, if they outright win, that will make things very interesting.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *New Orleans
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Carolina

San Diego 2 – 0 (-2.0) @ Baltimore 3 – 0 (+2.0)
Ok, the media is saying that Philip Rivers hasn’t played a team like Baltimore yet… both Oakland and Tennessee suck… etc etc. And I’m fine with all that. But the fact of the matter is, Baltimore simply can not move the ball on offense yet. San Diego, meanwhile, even with an OK performance by Rivers, has plenty of weapons to get by (Think LT) and should also be able to stop Baltimore’s measly offense. SD takes this one, no problem.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $San Diego
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: San Diego

San Francisco 1 – 2 (+7.0) @ Kansas City 0 – 2 (-7.0)
A rusty team coming off the bye without their QB, and a team that is playing very well considering their low talent level. I will take the underdog here – even if it is at Arrowhead. Look for the stunner here.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *San Francisco
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *San Francisco

Detroit 0 – 3 (+6.0) @ St. Louis 2 – 1 (-6.0)
Whats that you say? Your a fan of upset picks? This is your lucky day then, because St. Louis is ridiculously overrated and should have lost last week. Meanwhile, Detroit is due to absolutely explode on someone. And this is going to be the week that they do so.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *^Detroit
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Detroit

Cleveland 0 – 3 (-3.0) @ Oakland 0 – 2 (+3.0)
Yuck doesn’t do this game justice. This is going to be bad, bad football. And, unfortunately for the Raiders 1st round bid, I think they are going to win this game. Coming off the bye, they have nowhere to go but up, and in front of the home crowd against one of the few teams they are actually capible of beating this year, they shockingly do just that.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *^Oakland
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Oakland

Jacksonville 2 – 1 (-3.0) @ Washington 1 – 2 (+3.0)
RESPECT JACKSONVILLE. They are a legitimate force in the AFC. The sooner we all realize this, the easier it will be for everyone. They take this one in a laugher.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $Jacksonville
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Jacksonville

New England 2 – 1 (+6.0) @ Cincinnati 3 – 0 (-6.0)
Cinci proved they can play the gritty game last week against Pittsburgh, and New England isn’t what they used to be. I’m sure they’ll still win their share of games this season… but not this one.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: $Cincinnati
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Cincinnati

Seattle 3 – 0 (+3.5) @ Chicago 3 – 0 (-3.5)
Alexander or not, Seattle is an outstanding team. And while Chicago is too, Seattle’s defense is going to eat Chicago’s offense alive. Yet another upset in this wild week.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *^Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Seattle

MONDAY
Green Bay 1 – 2 (+11.0) @ Philadelphia 2 – 1 (-11.0)
Favre has been outstanding, and Phili’s defense is heavily injured. Will they win the game outright? No. But I do think Favre and his loveable band of losers will keep this loss in the single digit category.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: *Green Bay
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Philidelphia

PICKS CHALLENGE

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

Standings
Dave: 1 – 0 – 1
Readers: 0 – 1 – 1

Last Week
Players: 17

All you guys had to do was break .500, and you would have beat me. Instead, you went a collected 102 – 119, giving you, ridiculous as it is statistically, the exact same win percentage as me. At least I remain undefeated – for now.

Best friend Sam and friend/radio colleague Jeff led the less-then-impressive pack this week, boasting 8 – 5 records.

In an impressive upset among Consolazios, Mom Consolazio (5 – 8) defeated brother Brian (4 – 9)… though neither should be all that thrilled with this week.

But lets not simply single out Brian. “SC” and “Cash Money” also went 4 – 9, proving that maybe coin flipping isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Who will make a comeback next week? Who will lead the pack? That all comes down to you guys – send in your picks right away!

Rules
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.

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?). YOU DON’T HAVE TO PLAY EVERY WEEK! I’d like you to, but if you miss a week or didn’t play last week, it’s okay to start now!

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!

Arizona 1 – 2 (+7.5) @ Atlanta 2 – 1 (-7.5)
Dallas 1 – 1 (-10.0) @ Tennessee 0 – 3 (+10.0)
Indianapolis 3 – 0 (-9.0) @ N.Y. Jets 2 – 1 (+9.0)
Miami 1 – 2 (-3.5) @ Houston 0 – 3 (+3.5)
Minnesota 2 – 1 (+1.0) @ Buffalo 1 – 2 (-1.0)
New Orleans 3 – 0 (+7.0) @ Carolina 1 – 2 (-7.0)
San Diego 2 – 0 (-2.0) @ Baltimore 3 – 0 (+2.0)
San Francisco 1 – 2 (+7.0) @ Kansas City 0 – 2 (-7.0)
Detroit 0 – 3 (+6.0) @ St. Louis 2 – 1 (-6.0)
Cleveland 0 – 3 (-3.0) @ Oakland 0 – 2 (+3.0)
Jacksonville 2 – 1 (-3.0) @ Washington 1 – 2 (+3.0)
New England 2 – 1 (+6.0) @ Cincinnati 3 – 0 (-6.0)
Seattle 3 – 0 (+3.5) @ Chicago 3 – 0 (-3.5)
Green Bay 1 – 2 (+11.0) @ Philadelphia 2 – 1 (-11.0)

THE COLLEGE NICKEL

RECORD: 5 – 4 – 1 (.556)

1. Cal Golden Bears (-9.5) @ Oregon State Beavers (+9.5)
Oregon State is a decent team. The Cal Golden Bears are an excellent team that are a botched opener away from being undefeated. Take the Bears to win by at least 2 TDs.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (-7.0) @ Iowa Hawkeyes (+7.0)
Ohio State has had a tough road, and I’m actually on upset watch in this one. Regardless, any time I can get the best team in the nation at only -7.0, I’ll take my chances.

3. Purdue Boilermakers (+14.0) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-14.0)
Purdue has a hell of an offense, and Notre Dame has been unimpressive on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to take the straight upset here, but to keep it within 14, absolutely.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (+13.0) @ Florida Gators (-13.0)
Another game in the swamp for the Gators, and another game that I’m expecting them to cover, even if they didn’t do so last week.

5. Oregon Ducks @ Arizona State Sun Devils (Pick’em)
Zen pick all the way here. Why in the hell is Oregon, 14th ranked in the country and undefeated, a PICK EM against a team that has shown very little coherency and quite a tendency to blow games (Rudy Carpenter)? Vegas MUST know something that I don’t. If it were Oregon (-6.0), I’d be taking them. Oregon pickem? Somethings not right. Sam and Ross, enjoy the upset.

HONORABLE MENTION (2 – 4 – 0):
Northwestern Wildcats (+18) @ Penn State Nittany Lions (-18)
Stanford Cardinal (+23.5) @ UCLA Bruins (-23.5)
USC Trojans (-17.0) @ Washington State Cougers (+17.0)

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 – 2 – 0
USC TROJANS: 3 – 0 – 0
LOS ANGELES KINGS: 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

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