The Niners have brought back Bill Walsh in a coaching role under George Siefert. And I hear Rice and Young have had a long *pre-preseason* series of practices. Young can really throw the ball to Rice and, if these guys have been doing extra practice, watch out! This team and he Packers could give the Cowboys a tough challenge this year.

I don't think JJ can turn the D"s around this year.If history can repeat it self,look for the Dolphins to give a hard time to teams that least expect it (Bears not undefeated).I think 9'es,and possible Dallas,(just for you guys) will be there at the end. I still say Cox will fail with the Bears,and the Dolphins new kicker will set a new F-G record.The guy has a great leg. jjftlaud

Who is this new kicker?

Terry; As you by now know,Stoyo is gone,and Joe Nedley a southpaw (can you use that term?)is our new Kicker.He consistently boots the ball to the end zone(one of Stoyo"s problems) missed only one of 8 fg's in the preseason. JJ's special teams coach will have to work on puttins the ball inside the red zone to make him Great..Well Shula is gone and only a hand full of oldies remain,now Wayne has done put more money in his pocket by changing the name of JRS..Ha..Ha..acronym now is PPP.20mil over 10yrs,even I could live on that.Watch the announcers pronounce Peter piper picked..well you get the drift.Fruit of the loom, Now thats the name they should have used.{off topic} read Yapp and wonder why no wrap here yet,sure would make it easier to post! Looks like you had a JOB getting this site done..Congrad's. jjftlaud

Stay tuned later today for Max and my picks for week one of the NFL season. We discussed these on Max's morning show today. And the "no taunting" rule is in effect for the winner. If you want to enter your picks, go ahead before the games start this weekend. Week One! Almost here!

OK, here they are. Max Miller's picks and mine. Chosen over the air on Max's morning show. Week One NFL Picks Paul Max Arizona at Indy Indy Indy Atlanta at Carolina Atlanta Atlanta Cinncy at St. Louis StLouis Cinncinnati Detroit at Minnesota Minn Detroit Kansas City at Houston KC Kansas City Oakland at Baltimore Balt Oakland Phila at Washington Wash Phila Pitts at Jacksonville Pitts Pitts Green Bay at Tampa Bay Gr Bay Gr Bay New England at Miami Miami Miami New Orleans at San F SF SF NY Jets at Denver Denver Denver Seattle at San Diego SDiego SDiego Buffalo at NY Giants Buffalo Buffalo Dallas at Chicago Dallas Dallas

And two more entrants, Dribblin' Dick and John, the 13 year old kid from Round Rock, make their picks. As discussed on the air a few moments ago: Week One NFL Picks Dribblin' John Paul Max Arizona at Indy Indy Indy Indy Indy Atlanta at Carolina Carolina Carolina Atlanta Atlanta Cinncy at St Louis St Louis Cinncy St Louis Cinncinnati Detroit at Minnesota Detroit Minnesota Minnesota Detroit Kansas City at Houston Houston Kansas City Kansas City Kansas City Oakland at Baltimore Baltimore Oakland Baltimore Oakland Phila at Washington Phila Phila Wash Phila Pitts at Jacksonville Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Gr Bay at Tampa Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay New England at Miami New England New England Miami Miami New Orleans at SF SF SF SF SF NY Jets at Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Seattle at San Diego San Diego Seattle San Diego San Diego Buffalo at NY Giants Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Dallas at Chicago Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas OK, next up for picks!

Arizona Atlanta Cinn Detroit Houston Oak Phila Pitts Tampa Miami SF Denver San Diego NY Giants Dallas

Winner gets a free web page. Except for Max, who already has a web page and Kym, who is a web page designer. We'll think of a prize for them. (an ice cold Bud for Dribblin' Dick?). Or if you already have a web page we'll give a web page to someone you designate in your name.

Arizona at Indy Indianapolis Atlanta at Carolina Carolina Cinncy at St Louis St Louis Detroit at Minnesota Minnesota Kansas City at Houston Kansas City Oakland at Baltimore Oakland Phila at Washington Philadelphia Pitts at Jacksonville Pittsburgh Gr Bay at Tampa Bay Green Bay New England at Miami Miami New Orleans at SF San Francisco NY Jets at Denver Denver Seattle at San Diego San Diego Buffalo at NY Giants Buffalo Dallas at Chicago Dallas Promo: Check out my Cowboys Page GO COWBOYS!!

Ok guys here's the winning picks(gloating before the game is allowed?) ahem... Indy Atl Rams Detroit K.C. Balt. Wash. Pitt.(like Jax) G.B. (don't like Tampa) Of course....Mia. S.F. Denver. Diego Buff.(Don't like) Well Hmmm. Dallas (like) A shot in the dark,first game jitters can reck a game plan. Barry S. said "me thinks maybe by the 4th or 5th game we'll be there." any comments on that?Jimmy Johnson is expecting special teams to win for the Fin's at the start,I don't see hard experience(only 14 from last year) and a bunch of rookies,but you guy's know how Jimmy does stuff.Hey save a Bud for me! jjftlaud

You can still put picks in up until the kickoff of the first game, which is noon Sunday. The tv schedule: Sunday: Eagles at Skins noon ? Chiefs at Oilers noon NBC Pats at Dolphins 3 pm NBC Bills at Giants 7 pm TNT Monday night: Cowboys and Giants! ? pm ABC Catch Dribblin' Dicks show at 4 pm Monday for an update on all the picks. And check this website. We'll see who the winner of the website is going to be. Remember, if you already have a website you can donate your winning to someone of your choosing. We'll give it to them in your name. Sorry, we're not giving away a Corvette or anything but perhaps we can find a local sponsor for a prize at one of our upcoming picks. Good luck everyone, you'll need it against my picks (chuckle).

Update - With 8 correct picks so far and looking at the rest of the games, I'd say it would be a safe bet to say Fred Goodwin is the winner of this weeks picks. So Fred, you may get a free website on the Spring or get to donate one in your name to whatever person/organization you choose. And we'll throw in one hour of design services. Final results will be posted right after the Cowboys game Monday night and another (more detailed) update will be posted later today.

Actually, John is not yet ruled out from a tie for the win in the unlikely event that the Patriots come back in the Miami game and Seattle beats San Diego. With Miami and San Diego both leading, it doesn't seem likely. Miami's ahead 24-10 in the 4th with an injury timeout. Miami has a running game! Look out rest of the league!

The winners (not including the Cowboys game, but everyone picked Dallas): r name wins avg 1 Fred 12 0.857 2 Paul 11 0.786 3 Drib' 10 0.714 4 JJ 10 0.714 5 John 9 0.643 6 Max 9 0.643 7 Kym 4 0.286 game dick john paul max jim fred kym Arizona 13 at Indy 20 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 Atl 6 at Carolina 29 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Cinn 16 at St Louis 26 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 Detroit 13 at Minn 17 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 KC 20 at Houston 19 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 Oakland 14 at Balt 19 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 Phila 17 at Wash 14 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 Pitts 9 at Jacksonv 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gr Bay 34 at TampaBay 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 New Engl 10 at Miami 24 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 New Orleans 11 at SF 27 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NY Jets 6 at Denver 31 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Seattle 7 SanDiego 29 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 Buffalo 23 at NY G 20 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 Dallas at Chicago d d d d d d d

Congratulations Fred!

Whoh back this truck up! Was that my Fin's, I rubbed my eyes several times,even pinched myself, (exhale NOW Jim) Hope this is the start of ..(casablanca). I would have finished(if..if..if..) in first place had I not changed from Carolina and Jax. I suspect the D'boys will have a tought time tonight with the bears. I'm gonna pay special attn. to Brian Cox (former Fin) Well's there's allways next week. jjftlaud

Oh, how about the rookie Zack Thomas WOW like Offendahl don't you think? he's going to be one of the best,if he stays healthy at least at middle linebacker.Good luck Dallas.

Ya, you should have gone with your gut instinct! Everyone here went with the Cowboys so it won't affect the rankings in our little straw picks. There is next week and I'll post next weeks picks as soon as they become available. Everyone make sure I got your scores correct ok? Go Cowboys!

Neon Deion; Great effort,Emmit, hope not seriously hurt, Brian Cox, well except for his first touchdown,same old same old,The man is good ,but if you look at him hard,..He does slack off, He's no Deion. Dallas had a hard time in the timing routes,and certinly lacked in defense. PLAY of the game (love it ) fake punt...... maybe next week...jjftlaud

That game was painful. I hope Emmitt is ok. I had a much better time watching the Longhorns game this weekend. It looked like an extension of the preseason game debacles the Cowboys have been having. OK boyz, the preseasons over! Wanstadt (can you spell it?) coached a great game. He really caught the Cowboys with their pants down with that fake punt that ended up a long gain passing play. Well, after all, he went to Jimmy Johnson school. What was Switzer thinking to keep Emmitt in the game with the Cowboys out of contention *and* having him do a headfirst *dive*? Am I implying that Wannstadt outcoached the Switz'? Yep. My advice. Next week use Herschel more. Aikman and the other stars have to cut down on their mistakes.

Should I rest on my laurels, or go for it again? What the heck, here goes: 'Pokes over Giants Vikes over Falcons Bills over Pats Broncos over Seahawks Colts over Jets Jags over Oilers Chiefs over Raiders 'Fins over Cards Panthers over Saints Steelers over Ravens Chargers over Bengals 'Niners over Rams Bears over 'Skins Oh well, it (the lead) was fun while it lasted! GO COWBOYS!!

I hope I can get in on the picks. Are you just picking week by week or will you keep an overall season average. If you are keeping a season average, I would like to jump in and take one less loss than the worst person of the first week. I know that I'm only starting with 3 wins, but I have faith that I will make it up by the end of the season. My picks this week are: GIANTS VIKINGS BILLS BRONCOS COLTS JAGUARS OAKLAND MIAMI CAROLINA RAVENS BENGALS 49ers REDSKINS

Hey, Kym just moved up to 2nd place. OK you're in. I'm calling Dribblin' Dick and Max for their picks tomorrow. And Josh may possibly make some picks this week. I'll make my picks tomorrow.

So, here are week two's matchups: Baltimore at Pittsburgh Carolina at New Orleans Chicago at Washington Houston at Jacksonville Indy at NY Jets Minnesota at Atlanta New England at Buffalo Oakland at KC Tampa Bay at Detroit Cinncinnati at San Diego Denver at Seattle NY Giants at Dallas St Lous at SF Miami at Arizona Phila at Green Bay

I left out my pick for the Bucs/Lions matchup. Boy, I'm looking forward to watching this unless I can find a 4 day english cricket match on TV somewhere!!! But as I have to pick and Detroit is at home, and if they lose they could finally get rid of that bum of a head coach. And I did hear that 1 of the 4 Tampa fans lives in Austin. I'll take ....................De NO NO NO I'll take the one and only TAMPA BAY BUCS

OK hot off the airwaves, Dribblin' Dicks picks: Chiefs Steelers Falcons Buffalo Colts Lions Skins Saints Oilers Cowboys 9ers Seahawks Chargers Miami Packers Good luck Dribblin'!

Ok; So It's a little early to call the super bowl,so for week two..... Balt Carolina(good thing there away this week.. Chicago Jax(gut feeling) Jets Buff. K.C. Det. Cinny Seahawlks (sorry guys) Giants S.F. Ummmm....Miami Green Bay oh yeah Minny..

I just got off the line with Max Miller at KFON 1490 am and he has made his picks: Chiefs Baltimore Atlanta Buffalo Colts Detroit Bears Carolina Jacksonville Cowboys 49ers Denver San Diego Miami Green Bay JJ says too early for the Superbowl, give it a few more weeks? Maybe we could have early picks and later have a 2nd chance pick. It might be interesting to see how the Superbowl choices change later on in the season. Anyone care to make a bold prediction?

My picks for this week *Baltimore at Pittsburgh Carolina at *New Orleans *Chicago at Washington *Houston at Jacksonville *Indy at NY Jets Minnesota at *Atlanta New England at *Buffalo Oakland at *KC Tampa Bay at *Detroit Cinncinnati at *San Diego *Denver at Seattle NY Giants at *Dallas St Lous at *SF *Miami at Arizona Phila at *Green Bay

OK, brace yourselves, here is the KFON AM 1490 mega mega picks: oa ba mn ne in tb ch ca oi dl sl dn ci mi ph kc pt at bf jt dt wa no jt ng sf se sd az gb JohnRR k b m b i d c c o d 4 d c m p Jim1 o p m b i d c c o d 4 d s m p DDD k p a b i d w n o d 4 s s m p Roy k b m b i d w c o n 4 d s m p Paul1 k b m b i d c c o d 4 d c m p Marty k b a b i d w c j d 4 s s m p Brian1 k b m b i d c c o n s d s m p Jeff o p a n i t c n o n 4 s s m g John2 k b a b i d c n j d 4 d s m p Jim2 k b a b i t w c o d 4 s c m p Joe k b a b i d c c o d 4 s s m p David k p a b i d w c o d 4 s s m p Brian2 k b m b i d c c j d 4 d c m p Robert k b a b i d c n j d 4 s s a p Joseph o p a n j d w n j d s s s m p John3 k p a n j d w c o n s d s m e Sean k p m b i d w c j d 4 d s m g Paul2 k b a b i d w n o d 4 d s m g Max k b a b i d c c j d 4 d s m p I'm Paul1 in this scenario. DDD is Dribblin' Dick. RR refers to Round Rock (as in John the 13 year old from Round Rock. The rest of these I assume are various staffers and DJs at the 4 station comglomerate that KFON is a part of (eg. KHFI/KPEZ/KEYI/KFON). The clear channel folks. And Dick informs me that some of these are other listeners.

I like Max's idea of an early pick and a chanch to repent later,but why keep it limited to just the Super Bowl? We could pick the divisonal winners,and just for a tie breaker we can throw in Wild Card choices.I was going to change one of my picks for sunday but that cost me last week,so I stand pat. jjftlaud *I can't wait to see the"Zack Attack" (new nickname) for Zack Thomas.

PITT over BALT HOU over JAX INDY over JETS BUFF over N.E. K.C. over OAK CAR over N.O. CHI over WASH ATL over MINN DET over T.B. S.D. over CINN SEA over DEN DAL over NYG SF over STL GB over PHI

PITT over BALT JAX over HOU INDY over JETS BUFF over N.E. K.C. over OAK CAR over N.O. CHI over WASH MINN over ATL DET over T.B. S.D. over CINN DEN over SEA DAL over NYG SF over STL GB over PHI

Here my picks: Pitt NO Wash SD Seattle Houston Ind Atl Buff Dallas KC SF Det Arizona GB Dallas KC SF Det

Here's my picks: Miami Dallas Minnesota Buffalo Denver Detroit Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Carolina Baltimore San Diego San Francisco (won't beat the line) Chicago and Philadelphia

The picks are now closed for this week. I'm getting ready to check in on a few games

And the winners prior to Monday nights game. Sean is in the lead with a three way tie for second among David, Jim1 and Roy. Dribblin' Dick tied for 5th with 8 others including yours truly and Fred, the defending champ. If the Eagles beat the Packers, there will be a 4-way tie for first place with all 4 having 13 wins. If the Packers win, Sean will be the clearcut winner with 14 out of 15 wins. It looks like Sean, David, Jim1 and Roy better predict the point spread in case the 4-way tie materializes. Fred better pick the Monday Night winner before the game starts, he also forgot to pick the Detroit - Tampa Bay game. A few other folks forgot to pick some games, so next week *count* your picks and make sure you have 15 total games and whatever the total is supposed to be for that week. Let's see how this shakes out, it ain't a done deal for Sean yet.

Just stopped by to see the standings of this weeks picks, guess I'll come back later.

Come back later, there are so many entrants that we may need to get Price Waterhouse to validate the results.

OK. It's done. Make your picks in the new topic set up just for NFL '96 picks. I beleive it's topic 19. College picks in topic 20.

Jim, Your fins looked great once they got over the initial shock of finding out that contrary to popular belief, 2 jets actually can play the game and another two have some ability. Just looking forward to your fins actually playing a contender to see just what kind of team they are. Three walkovers just havn't convinced me yet! But I will say that I love watching an NFC style offense and defense in the Amature Football Conference. Terry is is possible to start cleaning up some of the residue from the past and making the files shorter to read??????

As every NFL(not for long)team,coach and armchair quarterback knows a win is a win.The Fin's win is an example of how coaching can change the momentum of a game(something lacking in the fin's past few years).Networks (T.V.) stood fla. up by not showing a second game on sunday.They kept saying stay tuned for the 'boys,then put on a sports show.I would have rather watched the game(dal+g.b.) Games that keep your attention to the a winning field goal attempt in the final seconds are what keeps us watching the game.Heart broken as you guys in Tx. are,could be worse...you could be a N.Y.fan... jjftlaud

Since I've never been here before I would like to bring a topic up for discussion...Why is Emmitt Smith always injured?? I feel that either this guy is faking these injuries or he screams when he moves the wrong way. One day he is hurt and the next day he is practicing. If he is really hurt then he should not play or work out. Thanx for this location to vent my frustration with the Cowboy's.

The Emmitt hurt syndrome gets way overplayed. But maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, the guy gets pounded a lot . . . but please, no more stupid head first dive tricks.

My personal belief is he just craves the attention, If you pay attention to all the so called injuries Emmitt has claimed to have had, they always seem to happen during or following a loss. This way he keeps the press mentioning his name (with injury) without mentioning the loss.

Cryboys, 9ers, Packed all fall in the same week, Parity????? Luck????? Cowboys looked like S _ _ T. Is this the end of the road. After starters, no quality backups. Starters can't perform, entire team falls in disarray. Can Michael make a difference??? Cowboys could be 1-4 before he gets back. Playoffs now questionable!!!!!!! Packers, no spunk, no drive, looked like a different team. What team will be there next week, Coaches need to ride the team all week and get the confidence back they had first 3 weeks. Vikings had something to prove after Overlooked by sportscasters. Could be 9-0 before a tough game. Will only need 10 to make playoffs from looks of the NFC. 9ers stumble from overconfidence. Just like Packer, no drive, no desire. Once again outcoached by Carolina. Carolina actually 10-4 for last 14 games. Best in NFL. Definite playoff material. Could actually be the darkhorse for the Super Bowl. Schedule favors them for next 6 games. Washington, Division Champion???? Don't count them out they seem to have the WANT TO PROVE SOMETHING again. Winning the close ones makes all the difference.

This is has definitely been Upset Weekend, especially for us Horns, Cowboys and Niners fans. And Green Bay falling. And now Miami!

Don't laugh yet, just think about this for a while....... Minnesota, Washington, Carolina, Division Champs Green Bay & Philadelphia Wild Cards NO 49ers, NO Cowboys ------- Green Bay over Phily Green Bay over Washington Minnesota over Carolina Minnesota over Green Bay Pittsburg, Kansas City, Indianapolis Division Champs Buffalo, Miami Wild Cards Buffalo over Miami Kansas City over Indianapolis Buffalo over Pittsburg Buffalo over KC Minnesota-Buffalo ??????? Super Bowl OK you can all laugh !!!!!!!! But just how funny is it???????????

Worst nightmare come true Marino hurt..Rats..Don't like Kosar,and Erickson as a backup's backup leaves a bad feeling in my gut. I was hoping for a good matchup on jj's return to Dallas,now I'll just have to watch jj get boo's and Fin fans get the blues..Mr.M has a broken bone in the ankle,well they called it a fracture. Terry; is anyone compiling results of our picks,we need a program to keep track of win/loss % and such,has that gone from the program? jjftlaaud

Personally, I'm really beginning to question myself on picks. "Minnesota? Hah! Green Bay'll clobber 'em!" "Dallas? They'll come back, don't worry--even if you don't want them to." It's almost enough to make me keep my big mouth shut.

This week: Car at Jac Den at Cin Det at TB Hou at Pit Min at NYG NO at Bal Oak at Chi Atl at SF GB at Sea KC at SD StL at AZ NYJ at Wash Dal at Phi My picks: Car, Den, Det, Pit, Min, NO, Oak, SF, GB, KC, AZ, Wash, Phil

Whoops, wrong topic... Sorry.

From Norman Chad: > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Go to NFL Section Jerry vs. Jimmy: Ready, Set, Ego > > Go to Sports Section By Norman Chad > Washington Post Columnist > Friday, October 25, 1996 > > In the annals of time, there have been > precisely nine mano-a-mano duels of > unmatched sound and fury: Samson vs. > Delilah, capitalism vs. communism, > Alexander Hamilton vs. Aaron Burr, > creationism vs. evolution, Coke vs. Pepsi, > Burt Reynolds vs. Loni Anderson, Beta vs. > VHS, the Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote and > Ted Turner vs. Rupert Murdoch. > > And, now, of course, Jerry vs. Jimmy. > > Here are brief profiles of the two > principals in Sunday's Cowboys-Dolphins > cataclysm: > > Jerry Jones, 54: smooth talker, slick > salesman, big ego, perpetual winner, loves > the camera and the sideline, played > football at Arkansas, fired Tom Landry, > "owner monster" in George Steinbrenner > mold, would run for governor of Texas if he > thought he had the votes, likes oil. > > Jimmy Johnson, 53: smooth talker, slick > salesman, big ego, perpetual winner, loves > the camera and the sideline, played > football at Arkansas, succeeded Tom Landry, > "coach monster" in Pat Riley mold, would > run for governor of Florida if he thought > he had the votes, likes mousse. > > In this fairly even matchup of redoubtable > rascals, the Cowboys have the edge - they are > the better team, plus their coach, Barry > Switzer, and many of Johnson's former > charges would love to tattoo his tail. In > fact, if the Cowboys win, they might carry > Switzer off the field. (If the Dolphins > win, Johnson will carry himself off the > field.) > > Somebody's got to lose. > > But, believe you me, it ain't gonna be > Jimmy. > > If Johnson were to lose this game, he'd > waive every Dolphin - Dan Marino included - by > midnight. He wants this victory more than > JFK Jr. wanted a prenup. These days, Jimmy > looks at Jerry the same way Peter Graf > looks at a tax collector. The Dolphins are > three-point underdogs at home. I'll > double-down on Miami and take the points. > > (Coaching Fodder: Interestingly, when the > Bengals' Dave Shula got the call Monday to > tell him he was fired, he was on the other > line with DePaul's Joey Meyer.) > > (Coaching Folly: Rick Venturi? He was > 1-31-1 at Northwestern and 1-10 with the > Colts. I guess he interviews well.) > > (Free Tip to NFL Teams: If you hitch > yourself to Jeff George's wagon, expect a > flat tire.) > > As always, the following point-spread picks > should not be used as the basis for any > actual cash wager: > > Panthers at Eagles (-4): > Novelist Anatole France once wrote, "It is > human nature to think wisely and act > foolishly." Which somewhat explains how The > Man, on the one hand, believes that > tax-free municipal bonds are the safe way > to go while, on the other hand, runs down > the middle of the street bug-eyed and > bare-chested shouting, "Carolina is Super > Bowl-bound!!!" Pick: Panthers. > > 49ers (-6) at Oilers: > To celebrate George Seifert's 100th > coaching victory Sunday, 49ers dumped a > bucket of '94 Beringer Napa Valley > Chardonnay on his head. . . . Sparing no > expense in signature Eddie DeBartolo > fashion, 49ers now script all plays on > cloth napkins. Pick: 49ers. > > Buccaneers at Packers (-18): > Tampa Bay WR Alvin Harper lost a portion of > the tip of his left middle finger when an > assistant trainer inadvertently cut him > with a pair of scissors. This is what > medical consumer groups would call "a bad > referral." Pick: Buccaneers. > > Jets at Cardinals (-4): > Say what you will about Rich Kotite - the > word "loser" pops to mind - but you can't go > 3-28 over your last 31 games unless you're > in there fighting for every three-, 10- and > 21-point defeat. Pick: Cardinals. > > Chargers (-1) at Seahawks: > The good news is that the Seahawks offense > has embarked on a 12-step program to reduce > mistakes. The bad news is that most > Seahawks linemen can only count to 10. > Pick: Chargers. > > Rams at Ravens (-68): > You can't turn a soprano into a tenor. > Likewise, you can't turn a penalty-plagued, > sack-filled, offensively challenged, poorly > coached St. Louis team into a winner. Pick: > Ravens. > > Bills at Patriots (-4): > Patriots to abandon huddling in favor of > "video conferencing." . . . Bills QB Jim > Kelly was taken aback Tuesday when he > visited a wax museum - and saw himself. Pick: > Patriots. > > Jaguars at Bengals (-3): > Dave Shula exits with 19-52 record; Bruce > Coslet enters with 26-39 record. This is > like trading in a Ford Pinto for a Dodge > like trading in a Ford Pinto for a Dodge > Dart. Pick: Jaguars. > > Steelers (-5) at Falcons: > If Jeff George is the biggest reason for > Falcons' 0-7 start, June Jones is at least > an "unindicted co-conspirator." Pick: > Steelers. > > Giants at Lions (-11): > Giants are so beleaguered, at halftime they > don't go to locker room, they retreat to > fallout shelter. Pick: Lions. > > Colts at Redskins (-3): > When Colts QB Jim Harbaugh drops back to > pass, he draws tacklers like an outhouse > draws flies. Pick: Redskins. > > Chiefs at Broncos (-3): > I swear - if Marty Schottenheimer won Super > Lotto, John Elway would still cash in the > ticket. Pick: Broncos. > > Bears at Vikings (-7): > YouUve got to figure that Bryan Cox likes > to eat jerk chicken. Pick: Bears. > > Last week: 4-8.* > > Season record: 54-51-1. > > (* This brings to mind the 1974 film "The > Gambler," in which James Caan drops $44,000 > in one night and goes to his mother for a > loan. She asks how he could lose that much > money. He replies: "I gambled and I lost." > > Copyright 1996 The Washington Post

reprinted by permission of . . . GLENN MAR / 3e150z / 510-824-5054 / mailto:gbmar@pb1.pacbell.com We're at the halfway point (more or less), and this year's NFL season has seen some big surprises... GOOD ---- Mark Brunell 500 more yards than anyone else and not much help Vinny Testaverde 10 TDs in the last 3 games, 334 yard average? Mike Tomczak Career backup seizes his chance and does well Terry Allen The bionic man has 13 TDs - on a record pace Terrell Davis Already broken 1000 combined yards Rickey Watters OK, he is as good as he thought. Too bad for us. Jerome Bettis Gonna eat up some Rams this weekend James Stewart 766 combined yards, 7 TDs, and Natrone sits Jamal Anderson Best young stiff-armer in the league Ernest Byner "I'm not dead yet" Eddie George Impact rookie of the year. Adrian Murrell 199 yards rushing last week!!!? Tony Martin Reaching the premier class Michael Jackson 632 yards, 7 TD's - he's keeping his promise Derrick Alexander 6th in NFL in yards not bad for a "who?" Keenan McCardell 727 receiving yards also not bad for a "who?" Charles Johnson Did you see that one handed catch two weeks ago? Keyshawn Johnson A punk, but the impact rookie receiver of the year Wesley Walls Good thing we kept Popson, at least John Kasay Panthers the new Saints - all D and FG's BAD --- Jeff Blake Was it Shula? First week looks like maybe. Carl Pickens Ditto. Warren Moon Finally got too old? Steve Young Finally breaking down? Dan Marino Only 6 TD passes - dinosaur breakdown Jeff George What an idiot Lawrence Phillips Rookie disappointment of the year Tim Biakabutuka His replacement does better, albeit against patsies Ki-Jana Carter See Shula Rashaan Salaam Just too slow for the NFL Aaron Hayden SD dumped Means for this? Anthony Miller Getting replaced by Ed McCaffery Darnay Scott Just runs flies - hey, Al Davis wants him! O.J. McDuffie Only veteran WR on Miami and he can't get it going Andre Rison Doesn't like the way he looks in Cal colors Eric Metcalf Don't think it's all injury J.J. Stokes Lower your sights, fans Michael Westbrook Redskins keep winning on the ground Jeff Jaeger Once such a big foot, now a big misser

terry, i like the football picks that you were doing, i would like to get in that also. will you e-mail me mspeer@midway.k12.mo.us info on how to enter it. i would appreciate that. oh, i think that K.C. WILL LOSE TO SAN DIEGO AND DALLAS WILL BEAT THE PACK BECAUSE THE PACK IS NOT BACK THIS YEAR. MY FIRST NAME IS MICHAEL.

Will Denver win the Superbowl this year. Do they have a hex? You judge. 1986 -- They lose to the Giants (even though they were ahead 10-9 late in the 3rd quarter) because their undersized defensive line is eventually worn down by the Giants running attack. 1987 -- They lose to the Redskins (even though they led 10-0 at the start of the quarter from hell) because they overcommit to overpursuit to stop the running game. Coach Gibbs is content to let Timmy Smith run counter after counter. 1989 -- They lose to the Niners (well, okay, they were never ahead in this one) because their safeties do not have the cover skills or speed to stop Rice or Taylor after the catch or any pass down the middle. But maybe this year is different. Sports Illustrated listed five reasons why this years Broncho team is superior to the Super Bowl runnerups of the past. Who do you think this years Superbowl will boil down to?

Denver had a 5th place schedule which was one the weakest in the league. I think Dallas has as good a chance as Denver of winning the superbowl. But with the AFC several teams (especially Denver) can make it to the bowl, but how many have a realistic chance?

So, bottom line Mike, who will make it to the Superbowl?

Bottom line, Denver vs. Green Bay. Denver only because they play at home but watch for the Steelers in the AFC and the Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC. Carolina will sink like a lead wieght, their schedule was easier than the Broncos ie Falcons, Saints, and Rams twice and the only quality team being a beat up 49er team, we will see what they are made of when the meet the Steelers.

Novacek may be back? That may really help the Cowboys against the 49ers with a well rested (though perhaps a bit rusty) tight end.

Well the real season is about to begin. Even though the Steelers probably won't put up a real game, I still think the Panthers are over their head. The Packers are going to be tough to beat in Green Bay. As for the boys, who knows how well a good defense and medicore offense will take them.

Who's going the be this year's Superbowl champ?

The Vikings.

Vikings?

The real skill will be show by the Packers...... the upset will be in the NFC playoffs 49er's in a close one by one with a last minute field goal then go on to defeat the raiders in the Super Bowl

Raiders!!!

Vick dissappointed. Brady can match Joe Montana's three superbowl vps.

xxxix The Philly nightmare is over. Patriots are back. Again, and again, and again.

Terrell Owens said Monday night that he believed he would play in the Super Bowl "regardless of what anybody says." He apparently meant it. > http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/ny-speagles274127030jan27,0,5921332.story?coll=ny-football-headlines