Friday, October 29, 2010

NFl: Week 8 Review

Overall a good week: here's the review (my picks in italics, winners in bold).

Dolphins at Bengals
Jaguars at Cowboys (lock)
Redskins at Lions
Bills at Chiefs
Panthers at Rams
Packers at Jets
Broncos at 49ers
Titans at Chargers
Seahawks at Raiders
Vikings at Patriots
Buccaneers at Cardinals
Steelers at Saints

Week: 9-3
Year: 63-53
Lock: 4-4
Upset: 1-6

Still Upcoming:
Texans at Colts (upset)


To clarify, I did take the Texans. I realize that the end of my picks post could have been interpreted as a Colts pick, but I am taking the Texans as an upset.

Also, my fluke of the week didn't turn out to be that fluky, I guess. Fluke of the week probably should have gone to Green Bay / NYJ - who would have predicted that game?

In Fantasy Football, I'm going to win my fourth game in a row if Donald brown doesn't score 17 more points than Jacoby Jones tonight. I'm only at 72 points; I think I have a tremendous luck streak going. Look at it like this - I had Felix Jones, Randy Moss, Nick Folk, and Hines Ward starting. I think those four spots totalled 5 points. But then I got monster games from Marcedes Lewis and the Oakland Raiders Defense, and mediocre games from Kyle Orton and Darren Sproles (my backup backup RB). Weird.

NFL: Week 8 Picks

I'm having an up and down year. Two weeks ago, I went 5-9. One week ago, 10-4. This week, 4-10. Does this mean I'm due for another up week?

In fantasy, I started the season with a 4 game winless streak, and am now on a three game winning streak.This week, my MVP Roddy White is on a bye, along with "Matt good when Mike Martz remembers he's there Forte." So I've put in Jacoby Jones (definite underperformer this year, but NFL.com still predicts he'll get 15 points this week?) and Felix Jones. Dallas has to go to Felix with Romo out, right? Right?!?

A few things I'm thinking about this week, a few principles... The first and foremost is something Bill Simmons says. Don't be a hero - just try to win money. I'm not going to overthink my picks. The second principle? Don't back a crappy team on the road. If I had gone with this piece of common sense, I wouldn't have taken Jags, Rams, 49ers, Cards, or the Vikings. That's a five game swing.

On to the picks:

Dolphins at Bengals: I guess I'll take the Dolphins, who are pretty good on the road. Shrug. I'm also listing this as my Fluke of the Week. Who knows what will happen? But I think this is the game that has the most potential to have the weirdest outcome.

Jaguars at Cowboys: Jaguars are a crappy team, on the road. So I take Dallas. Also, Lock.

Redskins at Lions: Gonna take the Lions... Washington is a semi crappy team, and Donovan McNabb is secretly terrible this year; but no one notices because Washington is still doing better than expected.

Bills at Chiefs: Don't over think it. Take the Chiefs.

Panthers at Rams: Crappy team on the road. St Louis lost devastating last week, should rebound.

Packers at Jets: Two big principles in play: 1) when in doubt, take the home team and 2) when in doubt, take the AFC team.

Broncos at 49ers: I'm gonna break my rule already and take the Broncos. Geez, that sounds dumb. I wonder if I'm taking the Broncos so much because I have Kyle Orton in fantasy. But San Francisco is 1-6. Actually, I'm changing my pick right here to San Fran. Don't back crappy teams on the road. Say it with me!

Titans at Chargers: The Titans are bound to throw a game, and the Chargers are bound to win one by sheer talent, eventually, right?

Seahawks at Raiders: Repeat the mantra. I'm so tempted, because this is a classic let down game for Oakland, right? But Seattle can't win on the road. Unless they play Chicago. Who sucks.

Vikings at Patriots: Randy Moss is bound to have a huge game, but New England doesn't have the media ridiculousness (for once). This game scares me because eventually I think Brett Favre will singlehandedly win a game; I just don't know if it's here and now.

Buccaneers at Cardinals: Easy enough, because Buc's just won an emotional game on the last play or whatever, so they're due for a let down. I also think they're better at home then away.

Steelers at Saints: Remember for the GB/NYJ game when I listed two principles? They are at odds here... Home team vs AFC team. Ultimately, I think Pittsburgh realizes they escaped Miami barely and New Orleans is angry about losing to Cleveland. I think New Orleans can win this one.

Texans at Colts: And here we go... I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna play against Manning in a night game. I'm going to take the Texans as an upset. Screw that "don't be a hero."

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wisdom

As you may know, I work for a Skilled Nursing Facility. One of the other staff members is our chaplain, Dave Passey. Dave shared yesterday from James 3:17, and particularly 7 qualities of wisdom, which I have reproduced below:

  1. · Pure: Untainted by selfish motives.
  2. · Peaceable: Diffuses conflict and brings the peace of Christ.
  3. · Gentle: Seeks to understand before judging.
  4. · Willing to yield: Not insistent on its own viewpoint.
  5. · Full of mercy and good fruit: Showing patience and willing to give others space.
  6. · Impartial: Shows no favoritism.
  7. · Without hypocrisy: Lives a life of integrity, i.e. walks the talk.

I chose to put this on here today because I feel it's important to meditate on, because there is a veritable difference between Intelligence and Wisdom.

One of the gifts I have is intelligence. There is no real way to say this and sound humble, but the truth I very rarely do not feel more intelligent than anyone else in the room. It actually throws me off my edge when I'm in the company of someone who is smarter than me.

But I definitely don't have much wisdom some times. I make lots of mistakes that should be easy to see coming. And I think that comes from a realm of dealing with people (wisdom) versus a realm of the physical world (intelligence). I think you can see that most of those points above refer to relationships with people, rather than relationships with things.

Here's what I mean: Intelligence can tell me that someone needs encouragement. Wisdom can tell me how and when to encourage them. In some ways, Wisdom makes intelligence superfluous. If you can successfully understand the people around you, you can go far.

Most successful leaders are people of wisdom. Most successful managers are people of intelligence. I think I would be pretty successful as a manager but not that successful as a leader.

So that's one of my goals; to go from doing well with the world around me to doing well with the people around me.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

NFL: Week 7 Review

Shrug. I told you it was a pick em affair. I think next week I'll start a new type of pick, to replace the long forgotten x-factor - the Fluke of the Week (this week: Oakland!)

Bengals at Falcons
Redskins at Bears
Eagles at Titans
Jaguars at Chiefs
Steelers at Dolphins
Browns at Saints
Rams at Buccaneers
49ers at Panthers
Bills at Ravens
Cardinals at Seahawks
Raiders at Broncos
Patriots at Chargers (Upset)
Vikings at Packers
Giants at Cowboys (Lock)

Week: 4-10
Year: 54-50
Lock: 4-3
Upset: 1-6

NFL: Week 7 Picks

Quite the slate of weird games this week. I think it's entirely possible to misread the week and end up with another 6-10 or 5-11 week. 10 of the 14 games have spreads of less than 5 points. Ah randomness, to the picks.

Bengals at Falcons: See, this is a game I don't know about. I wonder if Carson Palmer could rebound. But I also think the Falcons could rebound. The line for the game is ATL +4; I think I'll take Atlanta. Homefield wins in case of doubt.

Redskins at Bears: Jeez, two games in a row. Raise your hand if you think the Bears are any good. Now raise your hand if you think the Redskins are any good. Washington lost a close one to Indianapolis; and the Bears looked horrible against the Seahawks. If I was to guess, I would think Mike Martz will do the smart thing and actually use Matt Forte again. But Washington has to see that coming.... BAH! I'll take Bears.

Eagles at Titans: Both teams came off impressive wins last week. But I still think the Titans may be a great rough team in the making, so I'll take them.

Jaguars at Chiefs: The first 8 teams so far have been maddeningly imprecise. Who knows in any of these picks? Seriously, flip a coin. A hometeam gets three points for being a hometeam, and ATL is +4, Bears and Titans are +3. And Chiefs/Jags are even. I'm going to pick the Jaguars though; big rebound game for MJD.

Steelers at Dolphins: Now we start to get some games that are easier to pick. Steelers. Miami hasn't beaten anyone of importance yet (Minn? Green Bay? Buffalo?).

Browns at Saints: Ooh, possible trap game? Or are the Saints back to form? This is a good litmus test. If the Browns stay in or win this game, I think we can probably safely write off New Orleans. Since I'm not ready for that, I'll pick the Saints. (Maybe the Madden curse is hitting the players around Drew Brees, huh?)

Rams at Buccaneers: Can you believe these teams are both decent this year? And the winner has a decent look at the playoffs? I'm picking St Louis. I think they're a more complete team.

49ers at Panthers: Homedog syndrome. So I'll take Carolina... Crickets chirp. Wait, that's a dumb idea. I'll take San Francisco.

Bills at Ravens: Championship teams blow out these sort of games. See what the Jets did to Buffalo a few weeks ago, now realize that the Ravens are better than the Jets. I pick the Ravens.

Cardinals at Seahawks: Does anyone know if either of these teams are even average? I guess I'll take Arizona; Seattle didn't win last week, Chicago lost.

Raiders at Broncos: Denver, by a mile. They're getting desperate. (Side note: are they perhaps the most fun team to watch right now? They basically run a Madden videogame offense and every game seems to end on the last play.)

Patriots at Chargers: I'm gonna maybe cheat a little and take San Diego as my Upset. Patriots are traveling across the coast and just won an emotional game against the Ravens.

Vikings at Packers: Armageddon. Is Brett distracted? Is he finally going to have a Favre game where he throws a ton of passes that miraculously get caught? I think I'll take the Vikings. They played a solid game and let Dallas beat themselves; and I think it will help their confidence this week.

Giants at Cowboys: Giants are getting a little too full of themselves, so I'll take Dallas as the Lock.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

NFL: Week 6 Review

Woo! Let's take a look at the picks (mine in italics, correct in bold):

Seahawks at Bears
Dolphins at Packers
Chargers at Rams
Ravens at Patriots
Lions at Giants
Falcons at Eagles
Browns at Steelers (lock)
Saints at Buccaneers
Chiefs at Texans
Jets at Broncos
Raiders at 49ers
Cowboys at
Vikings
Colts at Redskins
Titans at Jaguars

Week: 10-4
Year: 50-40
Lock: 4-2
Upset: 1-5


Heck yeah, what a good weekend. I went 10-4, won my Fantasy game by .8 points, and looked nearly prescient. My Denver as upset pick was my sole heartbreaker; and that I blame on the rest of the country jumping on my bandwagon and picking the same upset. Here's a rule: if 90% of the country thinks it's an upset, 90% of the time it won't be. So my upset got... upset?


Let's look real quick at a few other NFL predictions; I already detailed how well I'm doing having picked the division winners.

Best Prediction:
Overhyped: Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and one of either: Green Bay, Baltimore, San Diego. At least two of those teams will miss the playoffs, but they're all ranked in the top 8 of Sports Illustrated's Power Rankings.

I nailed that, huh? Dallas and San Diego for sure, and possibly Green Bay.

Worst Prediction:
Ultra Surprise Dark Horse: Ladies and gentlemen, the Cleveland Browns!

A swing and a miss!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Writing

I've been musing about writing again for some time. I've been thinking about what I should be writing; which is encouraging. Too often I fall into the trap of I should be writing and stop thinking about the why or the content.

I see it on this blog. Other than my NFL posts, which aren't what I consider writing, the blog has been pretty sparse. Occasionally I'll break through and write something meaningful, but I'll confess that sometimes it feels like pulling teeth.

I've long believed that life moves in cycles. Specifically, my creative impulses move like the tides - there is a definite ebb and flow. I will go through a period where I absolutely devour books; another time where I am literally writing so much for the blog that I have to plan it out and think about what meshes well; and other times I'm very engrossed in gaming and strategic thoughts. Certainly, I do all of these at the same time; but one of them will tend to dominate my free time. For example, just because I'm reading a ton, doesn't mean I won't be playing Warhammer.

I think the cycles each represent something for me:

a) Reading is my input cycle. I devour books when I'm in this cycle. It's not uncommon for me to hit up a used book store and bring home four books of different genre's and read them in the space of a single weekend. I think this is what opens me up to new ideas and new thought processes. I let thoughts and concepts enter my brain and soak in.

b) Gaming is my vegetative cycle. I'm shutting down the input and output sections of my brain and testing what I've learned. Sometimes this plays out on a tabletop or in a video game; sometimes it just plays out in my imagination and thought processes. This is a period of testing; of divination; of sorting out the wheat from the chaffe.

c) Writing is the output cycle. After learning and after testing, I can go through a period where I find new ways to express and create what I've learned. I pour out what's been rattling around until I'm empty again.

Right now, I feel myself pulling out of the gaming cycle and moving towards a writing cycle. I'll still 'game' and still read, but I think I feel major creative potential welling. I'm planning to take advantage of that and write something; perhaps something more than can be contained on this blog. A few projects that have been more or less on hold:

1. Ashram - Needs a rewrite to get to a third draft.
2. My Mom's Story - Only ever wrote two chapters.
3. 337 - Mostly defunct at this point. Would need a few other life changes to get back to this.
4. Various Fictional Ideas - No work done besides preliminary dreaming and basic plotting.

Writing those out, my gut leans towards writing more of my Mom's story. That's hard, but the other projects seem harder in my mind. And it would be good to have this particular story out of the way. I think my goal will be to have something new completed (first draft) by Christmas.

Anyway, that's a bit of a peak into the creative process for me and a bit of my thought process currently. I would appreciate any encouragement you have!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

NFL: Week 6 Picks

Before we make the week 6 picks, I have a few thoughts:

Here are the 09/10 Division winners: Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans, Arizona, New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Diego. They are currently 17-17, and the only one currently leading their division is the horrid Arizona Cardinals.

Now imagine if... You picked your preseason division winners as the above list and you're only change was to take San Francisco and Pittsburgh (respectable preseason picks). Congrats, you are 15-20.

For the record, my divisional winners were Ravens, Chargers, Colts, Patriots, Saints, Packers, Eagles, and Cardinals. I'm 24-15.

The Picks:
Seahawks at Bears: Well, this is getting ridiculous. I can't keep making excuses for the Bears, who keep winning despite being the worst 4-1 team in history. They're soon to be the worst 5-1 team in history, because Seattle is even worse on the road. Another big game for Matt Forte.

Dolphins at Packers: Will Aaron Rodgers play? That effects my pick, I think. If it's Matt Flynn playing, I'll take the Dolphins. In fact, if Green Bay wasn't edging into mental desperation mode, I would still take them, but I think if Rodgers plays I'll take the Packers.

Chargers at Rams: San Diego is still pretty bad on the road. But I don't think Sam Bradford can put up the 400 yards or whatever to beat Philip Rivers. Bradford is good, but he's not great. Yet.

Ravens at Patriots: Ooh, tough game to pick. I'll take the Patriots (homefield).

Lions at Giants: Could the Lions win two in a row for the first time since 1903? Uh, nope. I hope Matt Stafford doesn't play this game - the Giants still have an ugly defense who would be only too happy to break another quarterback. Giants win.

Falcons at Eagles: I sense that if I hated the Falcons like I hate the Bears, I would find lots of reasons to doubt them... So I'll pick Philadelphia.

Browns at Steelers: Lock of the Week. Colt McCoy on the road at Pittsburgh... That should be pretty terrifying for Cleveland people.

Saints at Buccaneers: It amuses me to think that I could almost take this an upset by picking New Orleans. But yeah, New Orleans wins. (Tampa Bay has a better record than NO; isn't that insane?)

Chiefs at Texans: I still think the Chiefs fluked out for three games. Texans are a solid team and should win this one.

Jets at Broncos: Home field advantage, and Kyle Orton has already shown that he can shred a good passing defense. And the Jets didn't exactly shut down Flacco/Brady/Favre. I'll pick Bronco's in my Upset of the Week.

Raiders at 49ers: Classic let down game for Oakland, right? And San Francisco has to win eventually. Might as well take them now.

Cowboys at Vikings:
Who is more desperate? Here's my real question - at what point will Favre just say "This is ridiculous. I'm retiring effective immediately." Week 8? 9? Seriously, he has no reputation left. He's no longer "having fun out there." And would he risk his starting streak ended by a sexting allegation? I think Dallas comes out and throttles him, and he decides to pack it up. Thursday Update: I change my pick to the Vikings. Gotta remember they won 34-3 last year.

Colts at Redskins: When will the Colts start playing like the Colts? Probably this week. I tell you what scares me though... I have no doubt that the Colts will win 10 straight every season. And if they don't start the season with that craziness, they're going to end with it.

Titans at Jaguars: The Jaguars aren't a good team, and Tennessee might be a great team. Titans have lost to Pittsburgh, who may be one of the best AFC teams, and to Denver - the game in which everyone started to realize that Kyle Orton might start shredding records this year. Kyle Freaking Orton. Anyway, I'll take the Titans.


I'll be reviewing more of my preseason predictions with the review of these picks next week. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

NFL: Week 5 Review

Horrible weekend... Let's look at the picks (mine in italics, winner in bold)

Jaguars at Bills
Buccaneers at Bengals
Falcons at Browns
Rams at Lions
Chiefs at Colts
Packers at Redskins
Bears at Panthers
Broncos at Ravens (lock)
Giants at Texans
Saints at Cardinals
Titans at Cowboys
Chargers at Raiders
Eagles at 49ers
Vikings at Jets (upset)

Week Record: 5-9
Year Record: 40-36
Lock of the Week: 3-2
Upset of the Week: 1-4

0-4 Teams... I picked Detroit, San Francisco, and Carolina to win. Detroit did (largest victory margin since 1995, I think I read). On another note, I was 0-4 in fantasy and finally won. Pretty sure Buffalo will be the last winless team.

Fantasy Debate.... I picked up Kyle Orton at the season start for kicks and giggles... that's working out pretty well, I guess. Except I keep playing Flacco. I think I'm going to try and trade one this week for a solid running back to go with Matt Forte.

Week 6: I have no idea what to expect from this schizophrenic season. Maybe I should throw darts?

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Goat?

Some of you may be asking why that Goat is ruining my profile picture. More mean spirited readers may be wondering why Andy is ruining that Goat's profile picture.

Well, the Goat (I have decided his name is Rufus) and I have decided to partner up and promote World Concern's Global Gift Guide. World Concern is a Christian World Relief Organization, and part of CRISTA Ministries, where I work.

The Global Gift Guide is just that - a guide to donating money to World Concern. Instead of your standard donation, you can elect to buy a gift for people in other countries. The gifts range in price and include chickens, vaccines, teaching, and yes, goats (amongst other things).

I encourage you to take a look and see if you'd like to donate anything this year. The Global Gift Guide is found here; if you specifically want to buy a goat, try here.

And no, Rufus is not for sale.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

NFL: Bias Rankings

Welcome to the Original First Ever Bias Rankings!

They're just like power rankings, but intentionally skewed to the teams that I am biased towards or against. So at the higher end you'll have teams that I hate and thus tend to root and pick against. Lower numbers more directly correspond to teams that I root for. I'll be eschewing the regular picks column this week and just make quick picks at the end...

The Hell in a Handbasket Division
32. Chicago Bears
31. New York Jets
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
29. New York Giants

I'm not saying that I wish that these guys would be sucked into a black hole, but I probably won't be too upset if they do. Chicago is a division rival who get full of themselves at the drop of a hat. Pittsburgh has carryover from Dave Morgan and from the Penguins. And while you never need reasons to hate New York teams, the combination of A) Rex Ryan and B) the 2007 Superbowl don't help.

The DNA Level C Division
28. Cincinnati Bengals
27. Oakland Raiders
26. Seattle Seahawks

DNA Level C was a band from college made up of obnoxious jerks from Cleveland. It's Cleveland spelled backwards (this is the sound of my eyes rolling). No one really liked them, but they certainly liked each other. These teams are comprised of thugs and are generally hard to cheer for. Seattle joins this list this year with the addition of Pete Carroll.

The Nicholas Cage Division
25. Miami Dolphins
24. Atlanta Falcons
23. Arizona Cardinals

I'm not sure why I don't like Nicholas Cage. Maybe it's JUST the WAY he talks; randomly EMPHASIZING WORDS like he's having a VERBAL meltdown. In the same way, I'm not sure why I don't like these teams. Well, I do know Arizona burned me in my playoff picks a couple of years ago (I went 1-3 against them). Atlanta talked me into drafting Michael Turner last year (didn't really work out). And Miami? They have ugly uniforms.

The Biff Tannen Division:
22. Dallas Cowboys
21. Minnesota Vikings

Comically unlikable. No matter what, it's a joy to watch these teams get punched in the face or end up buried in manure.. Key Points: Tony Romo botching a field goal hold (great moment); Favre ending the 2009 season with an interception.

Mildly Disliked sort of like the way I mildly Dislike 7UP
20. Indianapolis Colts
19. San Francisco 49ers
18. Kansas City Chiefs
17. Washington Redskins

These teams are teams that for whatever reason, I just enjoy watching lose. I can't explain it. I think it might be because the Chiefs, 49ers, and Redskins have been mostly irrelevant the last few years. The Colts edge between here and Biff Tannen status; but ultimately its pretty hard to dislike a team that seems to actually have some values. At least to dislike them too much...

The Angelina Jolie Division:
16. St Louis Rams
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I used to like Angelina Jolie, but then I watched Mr and Mrs Smith with my dad and he... said things... that cannot be unheard. In the same way, I use to feel bad for these teams. As a Lions fan, I feel bad when teams end up below us in the standings. But now both these teams have 2 wins on the season - so they're relegated back to the trash heap.

"I Hear the Jury is still out on Science" Division
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
13. Houston Texans
12. Cleveland Browns
11. Buffalo Bills

Would anyone know if these teams were de-expanded? This year, maybe the Texans, but the jury is still out on them. In fact, whether NFL football is working in these teams is very much a tossup.

The Sawyer Division
10. Tennessee Titans
9. Baltimore Ravens
8. San Diego Chargers
7. New England Patriots

Sawyer was the jerk from Lost who everyone ended up loving by the end. These are all dirty arrogant teams, but dag nabbit, I can't help liking them.

The Michael Bay Division
6. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Denver Broncos
4. Green Bay Packers

Here's a secret: Michael Bay makes fun movies (shush! don't tell anyone). You could call this (and all of Bay's movies) the Guilty Pleasure Division - all of these teams I secretly enjoy watching and cheering for, but I'm not sure why. Philadelphia has that underdog feel; Denver is home of the retardably watchable Josh McDaniels (who at any moment may do something utterly boneheaded) and also the home of Kyle Orton, rejected-Chicago-Bear-currently-leading-in-passing-yardage. And Green Bay? Most everyone likes Green Bay; it's just not okay for me because they're a division rival.

The Couldn't Come Up With A Better Sounding Name than the New Orleans Division:
3. New Orleans Saints

I like Sean Payton... Any guy that would order an onside kick in the Super Bowl is alright with me. And how can you root against the city of New Orleans?

Teams I have to Root For
2. Carolina Panthers
1. Detroit Lions

I'm sort of from Carolina, so I like the Panthers. And I obviously enjoy the Lions. This used to work out for me, because it meant I had my crappy home team, but also a respectable team that I could root for. Now they're both crappy. Sigh.


Quick Picks:
Jaguars
Bengals
Falcons
Lions
Colts
Packers
Panthers
Ravens (lock)
Texans
Saints
Cowboys
Chargers
49ers
Vikings (upset)

Bonus College Pick: U of M over MSU.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

NFL: Week 4 Review

Thrilling finishes all around! Unless you lived in a Seattle market, in which case you (I) got to watch, in succession, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Chicago all roll over. The three games I watched had an average of 12 points between the winners and losers.

The rest of the games? A 4 point differential if you throw out the Jets and Chargers games. (I'm writing this Monday Morning, so MNF hasn't been taken into account). God hates Seattle!

49ers at Falcons
Jets at Bills
Bengals at Browns
Lions at Packers
Broncos at Titans
Seahawks at Rams
Panthers at Saints
Ravens at Steelers
Texans at Raiders
Colts at Jaguars
Redskins at Eagles
Cardinals at Chargers
Bears at Giants
Patriots at Dolphins

Week: 8-6
Record: 35-27
Upset of the Week: 1-3
Lock of the Week: 2-2

Thrilling Finishes, Part One: Not that I'm bitter about missing good football, but the Ravens beat the Steelers in the last minute, helping me make my pick!

Thrilling Finishes, Part Two: The following teams lost in the final minute to help me lose my picks: Colts, Titans, and most heartbreakingly the 49ers (my upset of the week bid)

Not So Thrilling Finishes: The Saints, Packers, and Redskins sure made those last few minutes interesting, huh? Not that I got to watch.

Comebacks: I wrote to watch how Chargers, Saints, and Packers bounced back. They all won, and so did the Giants, Broncos, and the Browns. They all had pretty ugly week 3's (NO being the exception) and won in week 4.