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

THE INTRO

Bad News: My most embarrassing and humiliating season to date continued with yet another hopeless week of lousy picks last week.

Good news: Only three games left, and then I can put the 2009 season behind me for good.

Alas, the other good news, from a fan’s perspective, is that I actually like the four teams remaining. Should be an enjoyable Super Bowl no matter how the cards fall, at least for me. Hope you guys still have some rooting interests left, or at least have had better success with your picks this postseason than I have (couldn’t be much worse!)

Good luck this week!

THE RECORD

Last Week
With the spread: 1 – 3 – 0 (.250)
Without the spread: 2 – 2 – 0 (.500)
OVER/UNDER: 2 – 2 – 0 (.500)

Playoffs
With the spread: 2 – 6 – 0 (.250)
Without the spread: 3 – 5 – 0 (.375)
OVER/UNDER: 4 – 4 – 0 (.500)

Regular Season (Final)
With the spread: 123 – 126 – 7 (.494)
Without the spread: 170 – 86 – 0 (.664)
^^Philosophical Picks^^: 18 – 13 – 1 (.581)

THE PICKS

* – Indicates Upset Pick

SUNDAY

#5 New York Jets (+8.0) @ #1 Indianapolis Colts (-8.0)
The Jets continue to get no respect from the public; or, perhaps it is just the Colts getting a ton of respect after last week’s convincing win over the Ravens. Peyton played fine last week against a stingy defensive team, but the real story was the Colts defense that held the Ravens to only 3 points. The Jets aren’t exactly blowing the world away with their offensive prowess, and it stands to reason that the Colts D could make things difficult for Mark Sanchez and the running game.

While I could see the Colts winning this one big, the Jets proved last week that they can hang with anyone at this point. They are playing inspired football, and the defense has in my opinion earned enough respect to warrant a shot at +8.0 in an AFC Championship Game.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: New York Jets
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Indianapolis
OVER/UNDER 40: Under

#2 Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) @ #1 New Orleans Saints (-3.5)
The Saints looked fantastic last week in dismantling the Arizona Cardinals, as did the Vikings in blowing out the Dallas Cowboys. I was more impressed with the Vikings’ effort, as they not only beat a red-hot Cowboys defense, but dismantled it. The Saints meanwhile played a Cardinal team that clearly forgot how to play defense in Wild Card week against the Packers.

Many signs point to a Saints win here; the team had a fantastic regular season, looked to be in top form last week, and the fans have waited a long time for this and should create an electric atmosphere. But for whatever reason, the Vikings made enough of a believer out of me last week to get me to thinking that an upset might be in the cards. Rarely do the playoffs go exactly as scripted (with both one seeds facing off in the Super Bowl), and this game just feels ripe for an upset to me. If you like trends, it doesn’t hurt that the Vikings are 7-1 the last eight times these teams have met, either.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Minnesota
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: *Minnesota
OVER/UNDER 53.5: Under

Good Luck!
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