Monday, November 17, 2003

The Seer Goes Blind Ouch.  That burning sensation in the Seer's rectum is the direct result of a horrific 6-9 Sunday that brings the overall record to 79-61, good for a 56.4% success rate against the spread.  It was bound to happen sooner or later; we hadn't even had a week under .500 yet.  Our biggest regret is picking the Vikings to cover a 4.5 point spread against the Raiders.  Sure, the Raiders were 2-7, and sure, they were starting Rick Mirer, and sure, they were missing their top halfback, and yes, they were also missing two starters on the defensive line.  The Vikings never had a chance.  The Seer, having seen the three previous Viking outings, should have known better.  And that Cardinal pick really worked out, too.  What a disaster.  This isn't going to help the "Real Money" cause with Mrs. Seer, and frankly, the Seer questions that cause himself. 9:43:57 AM    Say what?[]

	Friday, November 14, 2003

The Seer Sees: Week 11 of the NFL Sorry for the late posting.  We were so sated with our 73-52 mark, good for a 58.4% success rate against the spread, that we nearly forgot to do the picks this week.  Rush job?  Nah.  The Seer Sees enough to prophesize the following: Texans @ Bills, Bills by 7 Come on.  Houston's better than that, and Buffalo isn't.  Seven is too much.  Is the Seer not seeing something?  The Seer Sees: Texans beat the spread Redskins @ Panthers, Panthers by 6 Big statement game from the Panthers last week, and this could be a letdown, but you know Stephen Davis is going to try to get back at his old team for non-tendering him.  Plus, you go that Panther pass rush against the no-check down offense of the Fun & Gun (Hereby renamed the Smack & Sack).  This line should be bigger. The Seer Sees: Panthers cover Rams @ Bears, Rams by 6 Favored by 6 on the road, the Rams are.  Why is the Seer talking like Yoda?  The Rams haven't covered for two weeks now.  We just don't think the Bears have the talent to stay with the Rams. The Seer Sees: Rams cover Chiefs @ Bengals, Chiefs by 6 The Seer has a friend, a Chiefs fan, who claimed that he didn't care if the Chiefs went undefeated.  The Seer immediately called Bullshit on that.  The Bengals aren't pushovers, and don't you just get the feeling KC is due for a scare?  Maybe not a loss, but a scare?  The Seer does.   And let the record reflect that as a childhood Chiefs fan, the Seer is very much rooting for the Chiefs to go as far as they can.  We're not a Chiefs hater.  We just think undefeated seasons have some real rough patches along the way. The Seer Sees: Bengals beat the spread Cardinals @ Browns, Browns by 6 The Cardinals on the road.  You know what that means, right?  But Williams Green is out for four weeks, meaning the Browns have virtually no running game, meaning this is a tougher call than we would like it to be.  But Bill Simmons always says, "Never take the Cards on the road."  Sure, but have you seen Simmons' record in NFL picks this year?  Sorry, SportsGuy.  The Seer knows a better way. The Seer Sees: Cardinals beat the spread Ravens @ Dolphins, Dolphins by 5.5 Another screwy line.  Why are people all over the Dolphins right now?  Oh, it's because the Ravens can only run the ball, and the Dolphins have great LBs.  The Seer Sees: Dolphins cover Falcons @ Saints, Saints by 8.5 Don't mess with the Falcons!  Coming off a big win in New York, this is the respect they get?  They get the emotional boost from last week's win, plus the light at the end of the tunnel that is Michael Vick's recovery.  Simmon's thoughts on the Saints sticks with us here, unlike the Cardinal Rule. The Seer Sees: Falcons cover Giants @ Eagles, Eagles by 3.5 Tough, tough game to call.  The Eagles just didn't look all that great to me against the Pack last Monday, plus they are on a short week.  The Giants are missing Jeremy Shockey, but it's not like he was scoring any TDs anyway, right?  After last week's game, they'll come to play. The Seer Sees: Giants beat the spread Jaguars @ Titans, Titans by 10 Big spreads scare me.  Jags just beat the Colts last week by minimizing mistakes.  10 is a big spread.  We'll regret this, but... The Seer Sees: Jaguars beat the spread Chargers @ Broncos, Broncos by 8 Doug Flutie ain't no 8 point dog.  We're going heavy on the road teams this week.  Maybe too heavy. The Seer Sees: Chargers beat the spread Jets @ Colts, Colts by 6 I hear the Colts will be without Marcus Pollard and Marvin Harrison this week.  The Jets should continue to jell.  The Seer Sees: Jets beat the spread Vikings @ Raiders, Vikings by 4.5 Didn't anybody see the Vikings' last three games?  The Raiders will counter with Rick Mirer, who could have the game of his life.  But this madness has to stop sometime, no?  No? The Seer Sees: Vikings cover Lions @ Seahawks, Seahawks by 10.5 Big spread.  But the Lions chew, and they are on the road after a win.  They are complacent, and thinking ahead to Turkey Day.  The Seer Sees: Seahawks cover Packers @ Buccaneers, Buccaneers by 4 Tough call.  The Bucs haven't shown us they are an elite team at this point in the year.  But we keep believing, like suckers. The Seer Sees: Buccaneers cover Cowboys @ Patriots, Patriots by 4 Coaching matchup of the year, in this one.  Two great, resourceful teams.  Sort of like Master and Commander, only with more gay overtones. The Seer Sees: Patriots cover Monday Night Steelers @ 49ers, 49ers by 4 Steelers start the climb back, only to be thwarted by TO in OT.  How's that for a call? The Seer Sees: 49ers cover 4:02:48 PM    Say what?[]

	Friday, November 07, 2003

Randy Moss Roasts Another Defender The Seer Sees: Week 10 We move down backside of the NFL schedule with the Seer sporting a tidy 65-46 record, good for a 58.6% success rate against the spread.  But what does that mean in money terms?  Well, let's say the Seer was betting $30 per game.  Since we're currently 19 games over .500, the math on the winnings works like this: 19 x 30 ='s $570.  But of course, we have to take the vig out of that (the vig being the house's take on all bets, win or lose, and the real way they make their cash).  I don't know what the exact vig would be, but we'll call it 7%.  Once we take that away from our overall wagered amount, we end up ahead by about $530.  Now, we must stress, we have never, and probably will never bet on an NFL game, or any other type of game.  It's all just for fun, though if the Seer can end the year above 60%, well, all bets are off, as they say.  (Personally, I don't think being up $530 would be worth the stress of having to actually care how these games come out, though if I were betting $30,000 per game, I would be up $53,000...) Before we go on, a housekeeping item--The Seer has changed line sources.  We now use the USAToday, and we'll just go with the first book listed, which is World Wide TeleSports, located in Antigua and Barbuda.  The Seer visited their operation this week, and they not only know the NFL, but they make a mean pina colada.  So props to my peeps in the islands, and here we go. Buccaneers @ Panthers, Bucs by 3 Ooh, the Panthers can't like that.  No respect!  They beat the Bucs in Tampa, and now they are home dogs to a team that's staring up at them from the standings?  But there is trouble in Carolina.  Stephen Davis is wearing down, and it could be that the offense is just too vanilla to stay ahead of the schemes of the defensive coordinators they face in the second half of the season.  But Tampa's O-line is banged up, and the Panthers got that nasty pass rush.  And Tampa's defense is banged up, still.  And they still can't run the ball very well.  It's Tampa's season on the line, more or less.  The Seer still thinks they are a great team beset with injuries.  Greatness needs to step up. The Seer Sees: Bucs cover Texans @ Bengals, Bengals by 5.5 Hmm.  The Bengals lost a tough one to the Cardinals last week.  The Texans, meanwhile, beat the Panthers.  This line seems a bit on the large side to the Seer.  The Bengals are better, but they aren't blowing people out. The Seer Sees: Texans beat the spread Bears @ Lions, Lions by 2 Say what?  The Lions are favored?  We know they are at home, and we know it's the Bears and all, but the Bears at least have shown something since Chris Chandler took over at QB.  All the Lions have done is beat the Raiders.  Big deal.  Maybe Mariucci's starting to work his magic?  You know it will happen sooner or later, but where's the talent? The Seer Sees: The Bears beat the spread Colts @ Jaguars, Colts by 6 The Jags sure do suck.  Suck bad.  The Colts are good, but they'll lay an egg every once in awhile.  It's a big line, and Jacksonville has been getting worked pretty regularly.  We originally had this the other way, but the Seer sees a letdown possibility for the Colts here.  If Leftwich can cut his turnovers down, this can be a close game.  We'll probably regret this one, but... The Seer Sees: The Jags beat the spread Browns @ Chiefs, Chiefs by 9.5 That's a big spread against a decent team like the Browns.  But the Chiefs are coming off the bye, and well, they're just really damn good.  Arrowhead is tough on any team, and Browns' RB William Green is suspended for a DUI this game.  Chiefs keep rollin'... The Seer Sees: The Chiefs cover Falcons @ Giants, Giants by 10.5 Yikes.  How bad do you have to be to be a 10.5 dog to the Giants?  Answer: As bad as the Falcons. The Seer Sees: The Giants cover Cardinals @ Steelers, Steelers by 7 Big line for a mediocre Steelers team, against a Cardinals team that has beaten the Niners, Packers and Bengals.  But all of those wins were at home, not a tough, cold place like Heinz Field.  And the Steelers aren't out of their race yet, meaning that this could be where their season jump-starts. The Seer Sees: Steelers cover Dolphins @ Titans, Titans by 5 The Dolphins' O-line is banged up, and that's a bad thing with Brian Griese at QB and the Titans on the other side of the ball.  That's enough for the Seer. The Seer Sees: Titans cover Seahawks @ Redskins, Seahawks by 3 Who knows what to make of the Redskins these days?  There is major turmoil surrounding Steve Spurrier and his offensive scheme, and those aren't things that can be fixed from week-to-week.  But for whatever reason, we just have a feeling about this game... The Seer Sees: Redskins beat the spread Vikings @ Chargers, Vikings by 5.5 This game scares the Seer to death.  The Vikings can't stop the run.  The Chargers have LaDainian Tomlinson.  An unstoppable force meets a very moveable object. The Seer Sees: Chargers beat the spread Bills @ Dallas, Dallas by 4 Hey, it's a rematch of those two lousy Superbowls!  Someday, perhaps I will tell you the story of how I saw that first Dallas/Buffalo Superbowl, in the midst of a wild party of drunk and scary strangers in Columbia, MO.  But today is not that day.  Dallas's coach is better than Buffalo's coach.  A lot better. The Seer Sees: Dallas covers Jets @ Raiders, Jets by 3 The ultimate indignity.  Super Bowl last year, now a home dog to a Jets team with a losing record.  And the Raiders have more than earned it.  They really are this bad, and the Jets are a team on the rise now that Curtis Martin is playing well and Chad Pennington is back.  But this is still the Raiders, and there is still talent on this team, and it is still the Black Hole.  The Raiders are playing for pride at this point.  Do they have pride? The Seer Sees: Raiders beat the spread Ravens @ Rams, Rams by 7 The Rams just got ambushed in Frisco last week, plain and simple.  They'll bounce back, and Marshall Faulk's in the fold, to boot.  The Rams are smart enough to not run at Ray Lewis all game long, aren't they? The Seer Sees: Rams cover Eagles @ Packers, Packers by 4.5 Yawn.  Favre on Monday night in Lambeau.  McNabb is hurt again.  Packers are back in the race, big time. The Seer Sees: Packers cover 11:18:28 AM    Say what?[]

	Monday, November 03, 2003

The Seer Sees Mediocrity Well, the Seer wasn't going to go 10-4 every week, was he?  Is that what you expected?  Still, we have yet to finish beneath .500 in any week (a major, major feat), and this week was no exception: The Seer currently stands at 7-6 for Week 9, bringing the overall record to a still-outstanding 64-46, good for a 58.2% success rate against the spread. We like the Patriots to beat a 2 point spread in Denver tonight. 10:21:20 AM    Say what?[]

	Friday, October 31, 2003

The Pipeline NBA Primer Man, is it NBA season already? It only seems like it was four months ago that we were all sitting back and not watching the Spurs beat the Nets. Well, it’s that time again, and if you ask me, this is the most intriguing NBA season in at least two years. I mean, look at the story lines… Kobe It pretty much stands to reason when one of THE stars of the league is actively facing life in prison at worst, and severely tarnishing a budding legend at best, that it’s going to be the story of the year. But there’s always more than one angle when you’re talking about the Lakers. Kobe and Shaq have already begun their season-long spat, and all of this overshadows what was supposed to be one of the big stories this year: Gary Payton and Karl Malone joining the Lake Show to make them the greatest assemblage of talent since the ’92 Dream Team. Even that issue has issues: Will they share the ball? How will the personalities mesh? Personally, I find the Lakers to be a difficult team to like, even though I generally enjoy Shaq and I have always loved Gary Payton. I can’t stand Malone. I detest him and truly believe him to be a dirty player who is overrated. And Kobe’s just an ass. Yeah, I’ve seen him do some amazing things, and physically at times I do think he belongs in Jordan’s realm of greatness. But he’s just such a knob about so many other parts of the game. His shot selection is horrible. He’ll take the one or two games a week that he just can’t miss and base his shot selection for the next five games on that, and shoot something like 35%. That means that five out of seven games, he’s just a guy stealing shots from other guys while trying to be some highlight reel. And his bad shots are BAD shots, gunning from 25 with tons of time on the clock and guys standing around the perimeter waiting to get the ball in the offense. Kobe, by his very nature and the nature of the game, is at odds with each other teammate’s game at any given time. How can that be greatness? LeBron Remember when the focus was all on LeBron, and people were talking about how it was so wrong that a high school kid should get so much scrutiny and/or adulation? Haven’t heard much about that since Kobe hit Vail, have we? As sad as the Kobe thing is on so many levels, it’s probably one of the best things that could have happened to LeBron. Can you imagine the feeding frenzy the media would have been having with his horrific preseason shooting if the media wasn’t all looking toward central Colorado and LA? A lot of the basketball fans I talk to are really split on LeBron. Some people I know have severe animus toward him, such that in the middle of his senior year in high school these people were already predicting a career of ruin and unmet expectations. Some of this was based on reading the tea leaves of LeBron’s televised high school games, while some was based on, for lack of a better word, karma. I guess my feeling is, how can you not want the guy to succeed? I mean, there aren’t many special players in any sport, players that evoke a certain visceral joy in a wide range of people who may see them play. Michael Who? How do we know that it’s really time for Michael to move on? Because, unlike the last six times he retired, nobody is batting an eye this time around. The guard has been changed, and a new #23 in red has emerged, not to mention the stories above, not to mention Yao, not to mention the Amazing West’s Top Five of the Lakers, Mavericks, Spurs, Wolves and Kings. The New Style There are several teams with new looks. As in, the threads they wear. I haven’t seen them all, yet, but I’ve seen several I like. Cleveland did their new uniforms right. They could have gone garish, but instead they went retro with a classic deep red and gold, with a nice logo. I made fun of Houston’s logo back when they unveiled it, but the actual uniforms are an understated red and silver (think Ohio State). I think they only acquired Jim Jackson so he could relive his Buckeye glory years in the new duds. Denver’s UCLA/Carolina fusion of gold and light blue is as sharp as sharp is. Phoenix played last night in a nifty orange number with a muted gray trim. I think they wore an all-orange uni a few times last year, but the gray trim seemed new. Orlando has simplified their look, and Toronto sported an all-red look the other night. The thing I’m seeing is that more teams are wearing the color uniform at home this year, forcing the road team to wear the white, sort of how the NFL does things. The Seer Peeks In It’s too early for a full-on prognostication, but here are the Seer’s early thoughts on how the races shape up… The West is the most gaudy collection of talented teams I have ever seen, in any sporting division. They’re like a PlayStation tournament that you put together with all the classic teams. I rank them like this: Lakers Wolves Mavericks Spurs Kings Rockets Suns Grizzlies Yeah, that’s right. I think the Grizz have a chance to get to the playoffs this year, especially now that Elton Brand is out for up to six weeks for the Clippers. In truth, I could see spots 2 through 4 going any which way, but I think the Lakers are the prohibitive favorite (barring health and/or legal setbacks), and I think the Kings are the solid fifth choice with Webber’s continued injuries. The thing is, the Rockets and Suns might be better than the best team in the East. Hell, Portland might be better than the best team in the East. As for the East, they suck again. All of them. They all suck. We said the same thing last year, and received defensive emails from Celtic fans and whatnot, but as you can imagine, we didn’t any more of that nonsense once the snow hit the ground. Still, somebody’s gotta win that Conference, right? I see the top eight like this: New Jersey Detroit Indiana Philadelphia New Orleans Boston Orlando Cleveland Hey now! Did the Seer just call the Cavs a playoff team? Yes, he did. Maybe Washington sneaks in there, or maybe Toronto is better than I think. But does it really matter? Remember, they all suck. The only teams with upside on the list above are Detroit, Indiana and Cleveland. All the others, don’t we pretty much know what we are getting? In all seriousness, Jersey is a very solid team, but can they really be a great team? I don’t see it. What I’m looking at is Larry Brown’s impact in Detroit, the impact of NOT having Isiah Thomas on the sidelines in Pacerland, and the general improvement of the Cavaliers around LeBron as their leader. Sure, you could point to Glenn Robinson’s arrival in Philly, or Antoine Walker’s departure from Boston as being major sea changes, but what would be the point? The teams still aren’t good enough to aspire to anything except get beaten by Detroit or Jersey in the Conference Finals. Why I even bother talking about the East is a mystery; I only do it as a backhanded slap to my Buck Fan friends, so they can see their team get nary a mention. The Four McHales And now, I present to you the rawest of the raw materials for the first-ever trophy to be awarded to the winner of the Rock & Roll Dogs Fantasy Basketball League—The Four McHales. Why Four McHales? Well, the answers are many. What other NBA GM has their own bobblehead doll? What other bobblehead doll could I find in the $1 shopping cart at my local Rainbow Foods? Previously, our league had no trophy, only a blanket license to proceed to make an Insufferable Gloating Ass (actuall wording in the rules) of themselves to other owners for the following year. But it became painfully clear that too many non-winners were availing themselves of this privilege, and so The Travelling Trophy Of The Four McHales is being created deep in the recesses of my workshop for presentation to the winner of our league each year.  The completed design will feature the Four McHales, mounted to a hand-made platform (pedestal, if you will) made of the finest oak, sanded and tung oiled by me personally, with the careful attention to detail and quality one might expect from a European Master.  When asked if they felt it was right that yours truly has never won the RRD title, after a slight nudge to the side all four McHales vigorously shook their head in amazement and wonder. When asked if this was to be the year of my ultimate glory, after a slight tap to the top of the head, all McHales nodded in staunch agreement. You can’t argue with Kevin McHale, Hall of Famer and GM of the Timberwolves. You just can’t. To argue with four of him would just be madness. 12:44:49 PM    Say what?[]

	Thursday, October 30, 2003

The Seer Sees: Week 9 of the NFL The Seer is rolling with a 57-40 record, good for a 58.8% winning percentage against the spread.  What will Week 9 bring? Giants @ Jets, Giants by 1.5 The Jets are getting better each week, while the Giants may have saved their season last week against the Vikings.  The Giants were an offensive dynamo outside the Red Zone last week, but Kerry Collins played like a stiff down by the endzones.  This will be a very close game between two teams fighting to stay in the race.  The loser's in bad shape in the playoff race. The Seer Sees: Giants cover Jaguars @ Ravens, Ravens by 6.5 Byron Leftwich has struggled with throwing too many interceptions this season, and the Jags are currently looking like a team that will have a top three pick in the draft next year.  Baltimore hasn't been great this year, but as rookie QB Kyle Boller continues to grow, they could be a dangerous team come playoff time.  Still, this is a large spread for a team that features primarily a running offense, and if the Ravens were ever going to look past a game, it would be this one. The Seer Sees: Jaguars beat the spread Raiders @ Lions, Raiders by 2.5 What a scintillating matchup this is!  The Raiders start to learn whether Marques Tuiasosopop is the QB of the future, while both teams continue to understand that whatever the future holds, it's probably not going to be all that pleasant in the short-term. The Seer Sees: Raiders cover Chargers @ Bears, Bears by 2.5 We didn't think we would see the Bears favored against any opponent not from Detroit this season, but here we are.  It's a shame that LaDainian Tomlinson's talent is being wasted on the Chargers of 2003, but still, is this team really this bad?  Is doesn't seem like they should be, but given the record, and given that they are coming off a short practice week while they still worry about the homefires... The Seer Sees: Bears cover (!) Colts @ Dolphins, Dolphins by 3 Griese's in at QB.  We don't think it matters.  The Dolphins are a fine team, but this spread is too big. The Seer Sees: Colts beat the spread Saints @ Buccaneers, Bucs by 8 Can someone, anyone, explain why this spread is so outrageously large?  The Saints have been a bad, underachieving unit all year long, but the Bucs aren't exactly at full strength.  The lines have been undervaluing the Bucs all year long, but this line's too far the other direction. The Seer Sees: Saints beat the spread Redskins @ Cowboys, Cowboys by 4 Ooh, another big spread.  The Redskins are in freefall, and the Cowboys are licking their wounds after coming up short in Tampa last week.  We like Parcells to outcoach Spurrier. The Seer Sees: Cowboys cover Panthers @ Texans, Panthers by 5.5 This is a tough one.  The Texans are playing with Tony Banks at QB, and haven't been too bad at home as they ride Domanick Davis's recent hot streak.  Still, the Panthers should be able to physically beat up on the outmanned Texans, big spread and all... The Seer Sees: Panthers cover Bengals @ Cardinals, Bengals by 3 Bengals favored on the road?  Must be in Arizona.  But hey, the Cardinals have home wins over the 49ers and Packers this year, so it's not like this is a bye.  Jeff Blake gets to play against his old team, while the Bengals try to keep their forward momentum.  The Seer thinks the Bengals are a decent team, and that the Cardinals are not a decent team.  But the Bengals are still young and on the road, and this could be a bit of a letdown for them. The Seer Sees: Cardinals beat the spread Steelers @ Seahawks, Seahawks by 4.5 The Seer is not used to seeing such a mediocre Steelers squad.  Not much feeling about this game, other than that the Steelers' secondary has been awful this year, and that's probably not going to change on this day.  Still, the Steelers seem better than this, and the season is slipping away fast.  They are desperate... The Seer Sees: Steelers beat the spread Eagles @ Falcons, Eagles by 4 Two teams the Seer has little regard for in their current states.  Call us when Michael Vick returns. The Seer Sees: The Eagles cover Rams @ 49ers, Rams by 2.5 Tough call.  The Rams are hot, and Marshall Faulk returns at least in limited duty.  The 49ers are coming off of a tough and demoralizing loss in Arizona.  This Rams team is for real. The Seer Sees: Rams cover Packers @ Vikings, Vikings by 4 Favre in a dome with a broken thumb.  The Vikings, with their attention focused after a lackluster effort, will work hard to reestablish the run with Michael Bennett's return.  The Packers just don't have the players... The Seer Sees: Vikings cover Monday Night Patriots @ Broncos, Broncos by 2 Really?  With Danny Kanell and without 2 of their top linebackers?  Sorry, that's not what it says here... The Seer Sees: Patriots beat the spread 11:56:41 AM    Say what?[]

	Thursday, October 23, 2003

The Seer Sees: Week 8 of the NFL Well, here we are, almost halfway through and sporting a deity-like 49-34 record against the spread, good for 59.0%.  The goal, of course, was 58%, and although some are pushing the Seer to admit that he undersold his prodigious prognositication powers, we here at the Pipeline know it's a long season, and that one week's 10-4 can just as easily be a 4-10 if the breaks work the other way. But there are doubters.  Some have asked where the Seer gets his lines.  He gets them here.  Why Bobby Babowski?  We don't know.  We liked the name, because it screamed "football" and "mafia".  Frankly, we think Bobby Babowski doesn't really exist, and is just a front name for an amalgamation of nerdy John Clayton lookalikes holed up in front of a computer.  If you go to that site, you'll see there's a lot of play in the various outlets' lines at any given time.  Sometimes, they are all of like mind, as they are currently on the over/under for the Seahawks/Bengals tilt.  Everybody seems to agree, as of Thursday morning, that the over-under for that game is 42 points.  That is subject to change, of course, depending on how much action the book is getting on one side or the other. Speaking of action, let's get to it... Browns @ Patriots, Patriots by 5 Sheesh, will the Brown's QB Controversey ever end?  Why don't they just put Brian Sipe in and forget about it?  At some point, you've got to pick a guy and ride him, even through the bad stretches.  This QB shuffle is just a diasaster for a coach, because if the team loses there is no way he can ever deflect the blame elsewhere.  If Butch Davis goes with Couch too long and they lose, Davis is the goat.  Same if he goes with Holcomb and they lose.  If he shuffles them and they lose, Davis is still the goat.  The only way to solve it is to deal one of them.  At least that way if they lose, there's only one QB for the fans to fixate on for being the loser.  Davis would still get some heat for keeping the wrong guy, but he would at least have something returning in the trade to point to for next year.  This way they have nothing but false choices to make. As for this game, it's a big spread, but Cleveland is so up and down against medicore competition that it's hard to know what you are going to get in any given week.  The Patriots, on the other hand, have been consistently good now for a few weeks despite injuries, a testament to Bill Belichick's coaching.  They're still banged up, though, which makes this one a tougher call than the Seer thought it would be. The Seer Sees: Patriots Cover Broncos @ Ravens, Pick 'em Interesting.  Bobby Babowski has this as an even game, Heritage, ABC Island and Olympic all have the Ravens favored by 1.5, and Sportbet has the Broncos favored by 1.5.  You typically only see that kind of variation in games like this, where the Broncos will have Danny Kanell at QB as the third injury option.  Kanell looked good in rallying the Broncos against the Vikings, but the pass blocking sure did suck.  The Ravens stop the run very well, and it would seem that's the main thing Denver needs to do in this game.  Overall, we were impressed with Denver last week.  They swarm the ball on defense with good team speed, and Clinton Portis is a stud.  Given a week to work with Kanell, we like Shanahan's chances to pull out what is nearly a must-win on the road if they are going to keep pace with the Chiefs. The Seer Sees: Broncos win Rams @ Steelers, Steelers by 1 An odd spread, at first glance, given the directions each team has been headed.  But the Steelers are coming off a bye, and have made several changes in the O-line and at RB, where they intend to restart the Bus, Jerome Bettis.  Look, there's a reason the guy wasn't getting snaps in the first place, right?  Seems like a desperate move by a desperate team to me.  The Rams, meanwhile, have reinvented themselves as a tough team that can light it up, all while Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner watch from the side.  Give credit to Mike Martz for keeping extra blockers in to protect, and with Bulger's great release and arm, this team is a serious problem.  It just doesn't look like Cowher's Steelers have it this year, but of course they started slow last year, too.  If it's going to happen, it needs to happen right now. The Seer Sees: Rams beat the spread Seahawks @ Bengals, Seahawks by 3 Interesting game.  Corey Dillon returns home to Seattle after popping off in the lockerrom about not getting enough carries.  Say what?  Corey, behind Eddie George, you have averaged more carries in the last three years than any other back.  What's more, what are you talking about when you say that you "can't compete if the other guys are getting 30 carries a game, and you are only getting 14?"  Can't compete?  Dude, your team has something going for the first time in your tenure in the NFL.  Your team is competing, and you can either be a part of that, or you can be a divisive presence in the lockerroom.  If it's all about you competing in salarly, or for rushing titles, then the Seer is sure Mo Lewis will be happy to move you for primo picks in the offseason, cause your performance on the field is starting to slip, anyway.  Herschell Walker, anyone? Meanwhile, the Seahawks have been slipping of late, too.  They haven't covered at home the last two weeks, and they didn't cover on the road against the Packers the week before that.  We like the Bengals to keep it going... The Seer Sees: Bengals beat the spread Lions @ Bears, Bears by 3 The Suck Bowl.  These teams suck.  But there are levels of suckitude, and the Bears have managed to suck less than the Lions.  Given that Charles Rogers is still hurt, and given that Chris Chandler is the QB now in Chicago, we like the Bears to keep sucking less, and the Lions to keep sucking more. The Seer Sees: Bears cover Giants @ Vikings, Vikings by 7 Yeesh.  Seven?  Man.  It's hard, watching a team every week and growing attached.  The Seer Sees the Vikings winning this game, no question.  But seven?  Got a feeling about this one... The Seer Sees: Giants beat the spread Titans @ Jaguars, Titans by 4 The Seer doesn't understand this one at all.  The Jags are very bad.  The Titans are very good.  The Jags have a rookie QB, and a black one at that!  The Titans have a great QB, and a black one at that!  Isn't it obvious what the result here is going to be?  As a wannabe member of the Liberal Media, the Seer Sees this one as a lock... The Seer Sees: Titans cover Cowboys @ Buccaneers, Bucs by 6 Why didn't anyone tell us we have been misspelling Buccaneers all year long?  My, how the Cowboys have arrived.  We noted last week how they haven't played anybody, and while they still haven't played anybody, dispatching the Lions in such convincing fashion shows they haven't let a big early record go to their heads.  The Bucs are all beat up, missing Brian Kelly, John Lynch, Mike Alstott and a few other key people.  This just feels like one of those moments when the natural order starts to assert itself a little bit, and that natural order still sees the 'Boys as a year away, and the Bucs as a desperate bunch hungry for a win at home.  Tough call, but... The Seer Sees: Buccaneers cover Panthers @ Saints, Saints by 1 Well, that Panthers bandwagon lightened up a bit, didn't it?  This line is just as much a product of the Saints getting healthy on defense again, and the fact that they played the Panthers very tough the first time around.  They can get back in the race with a win this week, and everything seems to be going their way.  Which is exactly why... The Seer Sees: Panthers beat the spread 49ers @ Cardinals, 49ers by 7 The 49ers seem to be back.  There's no question they'll win.  But will they cover? The Seer Sees: 49ers cover Jets @ Eagles, Eagles by 3 Ah, the return of the Saviour, Brad Pennington.  The Jets have managed to tread water in his absence with a 2-4 record, after being left for dead at 0-4.  And really, if you look at who they've played, and the scores of the games, it seems clear the Jets may not have been quite as bad as everyone thought they were.  Philly, on the other hand, is just weird and confusing.  These teams have played a lot of the same opponents, with confusing results.  McNabb's thumb is still hurt, and given that the Jets have to be feeling better about themselves and their immediate future with their QB healed up... The Seer Sees: Jets beat the spread Texans @ Colts, Colts by 12 Yep.  Texans have talent, especially now that Domanick Davis has taken over as the feature back.  They are going to be dangerous next year.  Hell, they're dangerous this year, as the Dolphins and lowly Jags can tell you.  But the Colts is the Colts... The Seer Sees: Colts cover Bills @ Chiefs, Chiefs by 7 They are predicting rain in KC.  That probably hurts the Bills more than the Chiefs, but it also probaby works to suppress scores.  Still, KC at home, on a Sunday night, after yet another week of subpar offense?  The Seer likes their chances to bust out.  The Bills needed last week's win in a big way.  The Chiefs are going to drop a game here soon, and it won't be this one, but the Seer sees this game like this: If it's rainy, the scores will be low.  If it's not, Bledsoe will probably be able to keep the Bills close. The Seer Sees: Bills beat the spread Monday Night Dolphins @ Chargers, Dolphins by 3.5 Junior Seau returns.  The Dolphins don't run away from people on the scoreboard, and the Chargers have been better of late.  Jay Fiedler hasn't been great, meaning that Marty Schottenheimer can focus the D on Ricky Williams.  Plus, it's Monday Night, where great games just happen. The Seer Sees: Chargers beat the spread   12:18:57 PM    Say what?[]

© Copyright 2003 Doug Hennessee. Last update: 11/17/2003; 9:44:02 AM.