Eddie and the Money, Week 2

Tonight I planned on creating a podcast so that I could beat Bill Simmons at one of the other games he plays (badly), which is to guess the lines of each NFL game this week and try to do better than “Cousin Sal.” Unfortunately, it turns out that making a podcast isn’t as simple as I hoped it would be. So until I have more time on my hands (3 more days of full-time tax consulting!), I’ll do it the old fashioned way. My group of friends doesn’t have a “Cousin Sal” but we do have Mo$ and Cousin Louie. Unfortunately, neither was up to the task tonight. They need a lesson on priorities. So first, some comments on week 1 and then my line predictions for week 2.

I Was Wrong

1. I underestimated the Bengals’ intelligence. They are fully aware of how bad they are.
2. My hatred of the Steelers clouded my judgment in picking Houston to cover. Pittsburg looked good. Houston did not. But on a positive note, Andre Johnson still caught 10 balls for 112 yards.
3. Tennessee is better than I realized.
4. The Lions made that rookie look good.
5. Matt Hasselbeck can’t throw to himself.
6. The gap between the Cowboys and Browns is significant.
7. Why did I talk myself into changing my Packers-Vikings pick?

I Was Right

1. The Jets covered, but let’s see them against a real team.
2. Based on my trade of Tom Brady for Joseph Addai last week, you’d think I had a crystal ball.
3. The Saints and Reggie Bush are ready for a rebound.
4. Ditto for Jake Delhomme and the Panthers.
5. The Rams still don’t care.
6. I’m just happy the Cardinals and Forty-Niners are in the Seahawks’ division.
7. Al Davis is on death’s door…and Mike Shanahan still hates him. And that Eddie Royal looks like this year’s Marques Colston.

Thank you Captain Obvious
"He was in a lot of pain. When you hear a scream, you know that," Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard said of the hit that landed Tom Brady on Injured Reserve.

And now, on to the week 2 games and my prediction for the Vegas lines:

1 p.m. EDT Games

Saints at Redskins
In spite of being beat soundly by the Giants, I think the Redskins will be competitive in most games. Jason Campbell will only get better the more time he spends with Jim Zorn. Saints -2.

Bills at Jaguars
The Bills look solid and the Jaguars have injury problems on the o-line. Pick ‘em.

Colts at Vikings
Peyton Manning won’t stay rusty for long; and Tavaris Jackson will never be Peyton Manning. Colts -4.

Packers at Lions
Aaron Rodgers definitely surprised me, as did the Lions and their ineptitude versus the Falcons. Packers -6.

Titans at Bengals
The Titans will sack Carson Palmer cinco to ocho times. Titans -3.

Raiders at Chiefs
Who caressssss. Chiefs -3.

Bears at Panthers
Both looked to be in 2005 form last week. At least the Bears don’t have to worry about Steve Smith this week. Panthers -3.5.

Giants at Rams
Giants get an early bye week. Giants -6.5

4 p.m. EDT Games

Forty-Niners at Seahawks
With Seneca Wallace playing wide receiver, two quarterbacks are better than one. Seahawks -2.

Chargers at Broncos
Vegas worries about another slow start for the Chargers. Broncos -4.5

Ravens at Texans
Still need to watch the Ravens week 1 game. Ravens -1.

Falcons at Buccaneers
Are the Falcons that good or the Lions that bad? Buccaneers -4.

Patriots at Jets
Brady-less Patriots are still a better team, in spite of the Jets improvement. Jets -1.5.

Dolphins at Cardinals
The Dolphins look improved. Cardinals -4.5

Sunday Night Football

Steelers at Browns
A let-down alert for the Steelers and a bounce-back focus for the Browns are in effect for this game. Vegas doesn’t care. Steelers -3.

Monday Night Football

Eagles at Cowboys
Eagles come off their extra bye week and run into a tough Dallas team. Cowboys -5.