Unlike Saturday, these games do absolutely nothing to excite me. That doesn’t mean I won’t pick them, though. I am a wild man.

New York Giants (+2.5) at Tampa Bay – I have gone back and forth on this one, but in the end I just have to go with the Bucs. I don’t like where the Giants are mentally after losing to the Pats despite laying it all out, and I don’t like their injury status. I am concerned about the Giants pass rush, but not as concerned as the media seems to be. In the end, I just like the Bucs better, and I think that this line presents some value for them. Pick: Tampa Bay.

Tennessee (+9.5) at San Diego – This is the worst game of the weekend. Tennessee is far from healthy. Even at full strength they can’t score. San Diego can, and they have a serious swagger these days. I think the Titans will fold, and the Chargers will run all over them. I don’t trust the Chargers in general, and I hate laying this many points with them, but that’s the only way to go here. Pick: San Diego.

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Atlanta (+14.5) at Tampa Bay – I said I would pass on the Falcons, and I am a big Jeff Garcia guy, but this line is too much to ignore. Tampa Bay struggled badly last week, they aren’t consistent, and Atlanta is going to be fired up after the Petrino debacle. The Falcons are not good, but I think that their rage can keep them within two touchdowns here. Pick: Atlanta.

Indianapolis (-10.5) at Oakland – I don’t like backing the Colts this year, but they are in a good spot here. Their offense is on fire, and the Raiders have a world of troubles. They are experimenting at quarterback, Lane Kiffin is reportedly flirting with at least one college team, and the season is lost. Pick: Indy.

Cincinnati (-8) at San Francisco – As is the theme this week, Cincinnati is not a team I like to bet on. That being said, their offense is looking better recently, and San Francisco is a mess everywhere, but especially at quarterback this week. I’m not convinced that there is a ton of value in this pick, but there is enough for me to be on it. Pick: Cincinnati.

Saturday night update: Wow, are the Bengals ever a bad team. Marvin Lewis needs to not only be fired but also arrested for criminally wasting so much offensive talent. Their offense was terrible, and their defense was as bad as expected – they made first time starter Shaun Hill look like Tom Brady. What a disgusting display by a disgusting team.

Sunday night update: Let’s just say that Sunday didn’t go any better than Saturday and leave it at that.

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Oakland (-11) at Green Bay – I can’t believe I am actually going to take the Raiders, but it’s true. I think that 11 points is too many here. The Raiders have won two in a row, and they are running the ball very well. Until he proves me wrong I can’t believe that Favre is 100% healthy after his injury last week. I think that the Packers will win, but this is too many points. Pick: Oakland.

Tampa Bay (-3) at Houston – The Texans are not in a good place right now. They have lost two in a row, and they haven’t looked good doing it. Tampa Bay has had every reason to struggle this year, but they keep finding ways to win. Jeff Garcia may be back in action this week, and even if he isn’t Tampa Bay finds ways to get by. They are hungry and eager to put their division out of the grasp of others, and that should be enough to cover here. Pick: Tampa Bay.

Minnesota (-8.5) at San Francisco - I have a soft spot for San Francisco, but they are in a terrible spot here. Minnesota is incredible on the ground, and they have more confidence offensively than almost any team in the league right now. The Niners are weak on defense, and essentially incompetent against the run. Minnesota’s sprint to the playoffs continues here in a big way. Pick: Minnesota.

Cleveland (-3) at New York Jets – Cleveland has to be upset, because Kellen Winslow was the victim of a bad call that cost them the game last week. They are a proud team, and they are still very much in the playoff hunt. They need a win here, and I expect them to come out very hungry and feast on a vulnerable New York team. Pick: Cleveland.

San Diego (pick) at Tennessee – I have no faith in the Titans. San Diego is suddenly playing with confidence and passion that was lacking early. The combination of those two factors make the Chargers very attractive at this price. Pick: San Diego.

UPDATE: Nice wins by Minnesota, Cleveland and San Diego overcame incompetent performances by Tampa Bay and Oakland to move me to 3-2 on the weekend. I’ll certainly take that.

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• Marc Bulger has been benched to recover from injuries including broken ribs sustained because his line couldn’t stop my three year old cousin. He’s being replaced by Gus Frerotte. I had no idea that Frerotte was still alive. Bulger will likely be backup because the only other QB the team has is Brock Berlin, and he’s on the practice roster.
• Kwame Brown faces a misdemeanor charge in Georgia after he tried to interfere with a police investigation as his cousin was charged with DUI. So much for him finally growing up and maturing into a solid player.
• The Bucs have Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham to fill in for the injured Cadillac Williams, but they aren’t confident in those options. They have been shopping around, including Mewelde Moore from Minnesota.
• Though this incident seems like a misunderstanding that might go away, senior captain and safety Tony Joiner is the eighth Florida Gator in nine months to get arrested. Will discipline be an issue down the road for his team?
• Stanford QB T.C. Ostrander has suffered a seizure and will be out this weekend against USC. Sophomore Tavita Pritchard, 1 for 2 on the season, will be thrown to the wolves. Stanford’s offense will struggle, but it was probably going to anyway.
• Pat White will be a game time decision for West Virginia.
• Colt McCoy says he feels fine and is over the mild concussion that was partly to blame for his terrible performance against kansas State last weekend.
• The Bears will stick with Brian Griese at QB. I like this move. He wasn’t as bad as Grossman, and it wasn’t his fault that the results weren’t all everyone hoped they would be – the Bears are one broken team.

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