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This will be a strange Sunday. I don't have a game to go to.
I don't have to leave my house or hotel three hours before kickoff. I don't have to be anywhere or do anything.
But I have a to-do list anyway.
Get up when the dogs decide it's time. If I make it to 7:15, the dogs slept in.
Drink milk. Eat cereal with bananas. Read the Sunday Charlotte Observer.
Walk dogs. Sunday is our adventure walk. I try to deviate from our usual routes and take them someplace new.
Run. I have to run. I don't want to run, but the five-mile Turkey Trot is coming up. I've never missed one, not in 20 years, but I have never run more poorly. Here's the problem: I grew up Catholic, and if I don't run I'll feel guilty all day. Running hurts, but at least the pain goes away.
Watch Curt Menefee and Howie and Jimmy and Terry and Michael Strahan and Frank Caliendo and the fellows. I never thought I would like Terry Bradshaw, but I like Terry Bradshaw. Their pregame show is vastly superior to the competition. Yes it's Fox, but all the footage is real.
Try to watch the early game, the mid-afternoon game and the evening game.
Fail. As much as I love football, I'm not a great spectator. I need to do things.
One of the things I need to do - pull for my Lock of the Week.
Last week: 9-6
Season: 101-43
I did get my Lock last week, which was Baltimore (-11) over Cleveland.
For the season, my Lock (picking against the line) is 7-3. And I've picked six of the past seven.
I could not find an upset last week. My Upset of the Week, picking an underdog to win, is 6-3.
(And I'm off to a bad start. In a blog, I picked CAROLINA by 3 over Miami.)
This week's picks, with the home team in CAPS.
Upset of the week
Indianapolis (a 1-point underdog Friday when I made this pick) 2 over Baltimore
Games of the week
NEW YORK GIANTS 2 over Atlanta: I can't give you a compelling reason other than that the game is in New Jersey.
San Diego 3, and not 2, over DENVER: It's not over for Denver fans. The Rockies report to spring training in three months.
NEW ENGLAND 13 over the New York Jets: I liked the call by New England coach Bill Belichick last week to go for it on fourth down against Indianapolis.
The Patriots lead the league in many departments, among them scouting. The Patriots have the most sophisticated scouting techniques, not just in the NFL, but in all of sport. And each of Bill's secret cameras indicated the play would work.
The rest
DALLAS 12 over Washington
GREEN BAY 5 over San Francisco
Pittsburgh 5 over KANSAS CITY
New Orleans 9 over TAMPA BAY
JACKSONVILLE 8 over Buffalo
MINNESOTA 7 over Seattle
Arizona 4 over ST. LOUIS
Cincinnati 8 over Oakland
Philadelphia 4 over CHICAGO
HOUSTON 5 over Tennessee
Lock of the week
Detroit (-31/2) 11 over Cleveland: I'm not picking Detroit. Come on, give me some credit. I'm picking against Cleveland.
