PUTTING ALONG WITH NFL WEEK 13

PUTTING ALONG WITH WEEK 13 NFL PICKS

You know the sports media in Canada is going through serious hockey withdrawal pains when three looooong days are spent debating the elimination of the belly/anchored putter from golf.

Those reporters could probably invest that valuable time in covering other human-interest stories and sports, but that might make too much sense for news outlets desperately searching for readers or listening/viewing audiences.

My wife, the brains of our household (wink, wink) figures if they are going to eliminate things from golf, it should start with the rodeo clown clothes, grandpa-like sweaters and the holier-than-thou attitudes of many of those whacking a white ball thinking they are better than most people put on this planet. Yep, she doesn’t beat around the bush, unless she's golfing.

And speaking of teed off, leave your socks on her coffee table just once and somebody’s going to get hurt real bad!

Speaking of below par, let’s talk about her New York Jets and other Week 13 matchups on the National Football League schedule:

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills

Buffalo is favoured by 6.5 points. The Jags’ defence has given up a ton of yards. The majority of the pigskin pundits predict Buffalo will win a close game. So is 6.5 points too much? I think not.

Pick: Bills by 7 points, at least.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears

Bears are favoured by 4.5 points. Seahawks are unbeaten at home and undeniably bad on the road, Bears rarely lose at Soldier field, especially when the weather cools down and the visitors are from Washington.

Pick: Da Bears, by 6 points or more.

Indianapolis Colts at Detroit Lions

The Lions are favoured by 4.5 points.  And that seems fair given their tough defensive line and overall improvement of late.

Pick: Lions by at least 6 points.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Wow, the odds makers have given Green Bay a 9.5-point spread. That’s huge. The Pack will pick apart the fading Vikings, but 9.5 points is a lot at this stage of the season to cover.

Pick: Packers by 10. Might have to sweat a bit about this one.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

The Texans are 6.5-point favourites. I like the Houston squad, but I keep waiting for them to have a day where they mail it in to save wear and tear on their playoff-bound bodies. I don’t think this will be the week the Titans get a cheap one.

Pick: Texans by 10.

Carolina Panthers at Kansas City Chiefs

The Panthers are favoured by 3.5 points. While some might call this the Who Cares Bowl for Sunday, it should be a safe bet that the Panthers prevail.

Pick: Panthers by at least 7.

San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams

San Fran is favoured by 7.5 points. And this is one game I’m willing to bet the farm on the Rams getting slaughtered.

Pick: 49ers, by a whole bunch, no matter who plays quarterback.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

New England is favoured by 7.5 points. And while I’m not a fan of the Pats, they will dunk the Dolphins.

Pick: Patriots by 10 or more.

Arizona Cardinals at New York Jets

The Jets are 4.5 favourites. Both gawd-awful teams are 4-7 and make golf sweaters look good. Someone has to win this, right?

Pick: Jets, by six points. It might be a 6-0 game!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos

Denver is 7.5-point favourites. I say the Broncos win, but just barely covering the spread.

Pick: Broncos by 8 points.

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders

Oakland is favoured by 1.5 points.  I pick the Browns to tear apart the defence and make suffering Raider Nation scream for changes and executions!

Pick: Browns by 3, at least.

Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers

The Bengals are 1.5-point favourites. And considering how fast and far the Chargers have fallen, that’s about right.

Pick: Bengals by at least 3 points.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore is favoured by 1.5 points. And I think this game will be the toughest and closest of the day.

Pick: Ravens by 3, maybe even in overtime.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Dallas is favoured by 7.5 points, which is incredible given their inconsistent play. I think they win but am nervous to give 7.5 points.

Pick: Dallas by seven points, won’t cover spread.

MONDAY NIGHTER

New York Giants at Washington Redskins

Giants are 3.5 point favourites and I believe they’ll need every one of those points to get the job done.

Pick: Giants by six in a very tough, entertaining game.

HANG ON TO YOUR TROUSERS, SAINTS WILL WIN!

THURSDAY NIGHT NFL: Saints at Falcons

Sorry for the delay dear reader(s) in serving up tonight’s prediction for the New Orleans-Atlanta Falcons National Football League game, but I was out shopping (at Hillbillies-R-Us) for Justin Bieber-like overalls just in case Prime Minister Harper drops in unexpectedly to hand out a Diamond Jubilee Medal for this country-serving blog. Or make me a senator.

You might laugh at these silly suggestions, but ever notice how everything at election time becomes a photo-op or vote-buying gimmick for these shameless campaigners and their handlers? Senator Bieber? If it can deliver one million votes for Harper, consider it done.

I won’t pick on the Bieb’s fashion tastes or his musical talents because the one writer who did, Haley Petersen of The Daily Mail, was bombarded with hate mail from thousands and thousands of loyal “Beliebers” after calling him the White Trash Prince.

Which is kind of unfortunate, because we were going to call this blog White Trash Prints until we discovered it was already taken by the suits who send out your tax notices! 

Any way, moving right along to tonight’s lone NFL game.

The Saints are Octomom-like desperate. With a 5-6 record, one more loss will likely mean the end of playoff hopes down in the bayou. The Dirty Birds, with a 10-1 record, can move one step closer to wrapping up the NFC South title and will get to feast on a New Orleans team that lost Sunday against San Francisco in The Big Easy, while Atlanta trimmed Tampa Bay on the road.

Most of the experts are leaning toward the Falcons, suggesting the Saints have run out of time and miracles to save their season. Methinks the Saints have more to play for because the Falcons are playoff bound and there’s less urgency for them to get-r-done tonight.

I like New Orleans' quarterback Drew Brees in a win-or-go-home game. Despite a terrible 0-4 start to the season, the Saints have been one of the tougher teams recently while the Falcons have been winning ugly. Then again, ugly wins are better than pretty losses.

So, hang on to your trousers, but I’m picking the Saints to pull off the upset.

BURTON DOES O CANADA . . . DIFFERENTLY!

HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO PLAY LIONS' GM

B.C. LIONS: Are they long in the tooth,

or still the cat's meow?

This story appeared in The Vancouver Sun, Page C10, on Wednesday, Nov. 28:

By Gord Kurenoff

Vancouver Sun

Will Wally Buono use his managerial kryptonite on Geroy (Superman) Simon this Canadian Football League off-season? Is Paul McCallum, who marks birthday No. 43 in January, going to be back kicking with the B.C. Lions, or just kicking back in 2013?

Is it time for colourful offensive lineman Angus Reid to be pushed toward his other natural calling — the broadcast booth — instead of trying at age 36 to keep seething defenders away from his quarterback? And, will the curtain fall on Arland Bruce Almighty to make way for younger receivers on the B.C. Lions’ roster?

Even if the Lions won Sunday’s Grey Cup there would have been roster changes, but losing to the Calgary Stampeders, at home, in the West Division Final, may speed up the evacuation plans for several on-the-bubble veterans, including some who have become household names and fan favourites.

Buono decided to keep the core of his 2011 Grey Cup champions together to take a shot at becoming the franchise’s first back-to-back champions. Despite finishing first in the West Division with a 13-5 record, beating a younger Calgary squad in the playoffs proved to be more difficult than Burton Cummings remembering the lyrics to Canada’s national anthem.

It was pointed out several times by local reporters this season how the veteran Lions were starting to suffer “old-man injuries” and “losing a step.” Kicker McCallum, who despite going five-for-five in the West Final, showed signs of being human and 42 following his record-setting 2011 season. The Lions imposed a limit on how far out he’d be allowed to attempt three-pointers after he hit a rare slump.

Simon and Bruce, both who battled injuries, didn’t have great campaigns by their lofty standards. In fact, most of the offensive excitement this season was generated by the younger receivers, who had a 5-0 record going before the veterans returned to the lineup.

Reid, who as co-host of the Lions Den on Team 1040, should be a shoo-in for a CFL broadcasting job with his knowledge and personality. If the team has some young studs raring to roll, Reid might be convinced to retire after being told 2½ years ago by Buono he was being “phased out” before winning a Grey Cup and following that up with an all-star season.

It should be noted that none of these players wants to leave, or retire. But in discussions about changes, their names have repeatedly surfaced because of their birth certificates. Which leaves the future in the hands of Buono, who has a history of cutting ties with all-stars, hall of famers and fan favourites when the time seems right for him, not the athletes.

So, while Buono contemplates who stays and who goes, we ask you to play manager and send us your thoughts. Was the Lions’ loss to Calgary just a bad day or a warning sign? Should this team stick together, or has it become long in the tooth? Who would you keep and who would you let go? Should Simon be allowed to leave on his timetable after all of his years of all-star service to the club? What are the Lions’ weaknesses and strengths going forward?

Send comments to: sunsports@vancouversun.com and we’ll share your insight with readers later this week.