NFL Week 13 PaT's (Picks and Thoughts)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The best addition of the 2010 NFL season has been FOX's decision to add Mike Pereira to their telecast. Pereira held the title of Vice President of Officiating for the NFL from 2001-09. I was first introduced to him through weekly installments on NFL Network where he'd review the biggest calls from the previous week of NFL games. But, it was always the same calls that had been digested throughout the week, and although it was fascinating, not much was learned.

But now, I believe Pereira is a part of every single broadcast on FOX. I got my first dose of him during the Chiefs-Cardinals game last week, where he quickly dismissed an official's ruling on the field by describing it as "a waste of 3 minutes" because "the pass should have been ruled incomplete on the field." It was awesome. Pereira has shed his label with the NFL, and is able to subjectively share his opinion on the officiating almost immediately. Not only in this incredibly insightful, but it eases the frustration of fans watching at home in a weird way. The instant justification of the correctness of the calls on the field, can be very comforting. And isn't that what we're all seeking in this cruel, cruel world?

The bigger issue at hand might be that Fox is finally making moves to catch up with CBS, which has been pumping out better broadcasts for years now. Better game choice, better pump up intro videos to the games, and I much prefer the ice of CBS to Fox's robot guy. I'm the kinda guy that believes this could swing the balance of power from the AFC, where it's been for the last 15 years, back to the NFC.

Week 12 picks: 11-5
Overall Record: 99-61 (62%)

Week 13 picks....

• New England over DETROIT (The Rock tells me the Lions are better than their record. I agree)
• New Orleans over DALLAS (Is Jon Kitna the worst-good-QB of all time or the best-bad-QB?)
• NY JETS over Cincinnati (Carson Palmer might be the worst QB of right now)
• Green Bay over ATLANTA (Home field advantage for NFC could be on the line)
• Pittsburgh over BUFFALO (If Buffalo wins, I won't pick against them the rest of 2010)
• CLEVELAND over Carolina (Peyton Hillis moved up to #1 in my Favorite White Running Back Rankings)
• NY GIANTS over Jacksonville (Records don't match perceptions in this 6-4 battle)
• Minnesota over WASHINGTON (Didn't hear a damn thing about the Vikings all week. That's what I'm thankful for)
• HOUSTON over Tennessee (Randy Moss meet Rusty Smith, our new starting QB)
• KANSAS CITY over Seattle- This game is a toss up. Both teams are duplicates of each other. Leading the worst divisions in the NFL (NFC version WAY worse), both teams win at home, and both teams employ mediocre QB's named Matt, who are less attractive then they should be because of their haircuts. Seems like a 50/50 game tilted towards Seattle because they're at home. I'll even say 60/40 in Seattle's favor. But, I feel like the Chiefs are due for a day of execution. They turned momentum around in their favor after sleepknocking the Cardinals last week, and haven't put together a complete 60 minutes since early in the season (I'd say Indianapolis). I think Tamba gets 2 sacks. I think the Chiefs break a 60 yard screen pass. And I think the Chiefs win 23-19.
• Miami over OAKLAND (Thigpen loves Black Hole)
• Philadelphia over CHICAGO (I'll take Mike Vick, while watching him host dog fights, over Jay Cutler in a better human being contest)
• BALTIMORE over Tampa Bay (REALLY wanted to take Tampa. Raheem Morris should be runaway winner of Coach of the Year)
• St. Louis over DENVER (...because of spite)
• INDIANAPOLIS over San Diego (Almost a must win here for the Chiefs. Go ahead and look at the rest of San Diego's schedule)
• San Francisco over ARIZONA (Final score: 6-3)

Go CHIEFS!

His Dirkness