The 10th week is no time for the meek...

Well, week 9 wasn’t the best week for the Gurus, but we plow forward. We haven’t been this negative since the Republicans lost control of the house. Trust the Gurus will come back from one horrendous week…because we will.

Week 10 is the beginning of the second half…remember this game goes three deep into the payoffs…I fully believe the Gurus will be positive at the end of the day as they have been the last three years. Here we go with week 10…to show we are real men. I am starting a new trend…I will give you my preference on every game. Sunday morning, we will give you our weekly picks…if you are lucky, we will get them done by Saturday night.

NYJ @ NE

The J.E.T.S. Jets Jets Jets travels to the Pats. The Pats come off a loss against the Colts in which Brady threw an inexplicable 4 INT’s and no TD’s…do you think they might be mad? The J.E.T.S. Jets Jets Jets comes into this game with the 30th ranked rush defense and faces a pissed off Tom Brady…that can’t be good for them. The only positive I can think of is they come off a bye week.

The Pats should be favored by about 9 and the total at 38…at home in week 2, the J.E.T.S. Jets Jets Jets made a huge comeback to make this a game…I don’t see that this week…let’s see the final line and total.

“The Man” has the Pats giving 10.5 and the total at 38…you would think that I write these lines myself. I hate that extra .5 point, but the NYJ rush D is horrible. They were lucky to get back into the game earlier in the year and this game is in Foxboro. GuruJoe, do you think Tom might be mad after last week’s loss? The over is intriguing here as well…NE puts up points on bad teams.

Skins @ Philly

The Skins come off a miraculous victory against the Cowboys. The Eagles come off a bye during which Westbrook says his knee improved dramatically. The Eagles come into this game with the top ranked offense facing the 30th ranked D. The Eagles certainly didn’t look good against the Jags, but many offenses seem to be affected by that D.

I am guessing Philly is favored by about 6 and the total at 37…I am very intrigued by the Eagles at home, but let’s see the final line.

“The Man” has Philly giving 7 and the total at 42. The Skins were lucky to win last week and the Eagles are coming off the bye…but I just can’t get that Jags game out of my mind…GuruJoe, do the Skins have a chance?

Cleveland @ Atlanta

Cleveland D meet the #1 rushing offense…in case you weren’t aware, your D is only 29th against the run. Vick had a down game against the Lions after two great games. They won’t need him to pass against the Brownies…of course, the Atlanta D hasn’t been too stellar lately giving up an average of over 30 points the past 4 games.

Atlanta has to be favored by about a TD and the total around 42…based on the Browns showing at SD last week and the Black Birds showing at Detroit, this has to be a stay away game.

“The Man” has the Dirty birds giving 8 and the total at 42…no line value here for this guru, although I still think Cleveland sucks.

KC @ Miami

The Fins shocked this Guru last week in beating up the Bears on the road. They did it the old Dolphins way, with D and the rushing attack. Ronnie Brown looked great carrying the load with 29 carries and gaining 157 yards. KC meanwhile just keeps rolling along with an impressive victory at the high-powered Rams. Damon Huard keeps getting it done and we all know what LJ can do.

KC should be favored by about 5 and the total in the low 40’s. I am not a believer in Joey after one game…KC might be a play here…let’s see the final line.

“The Man” has the Fins giving 1.5 and the total at 40.5…I think the oddsmakers are remembering one game too much and all the preseason hype…GuruJoe, talk me out of the Chiefs getting a point…I dare you…

GB @ MN

Favre reverted back to throwing TD’s to the other team last week and the Pack Attack lost on the road to the lowly Bills. MN meanwhile went well below the level of mediocrity by losing on the road at SF. I believe it was right here that mentioned this could be a trap game for the Vikes. We all know Brett’s futility in domes over the years and I can’t see that being any different against the tough Vikes D. The MN offense isn’t lighting the world on fire, but maybe the Pack D is just what the doctor ordered.

MN should be favored by about 4 and the total in the mid-30’s. MN has been fairly strong at home…aside from the Pats game…they took the Bears to the limit, beat Carolina and a bad Lions team…I think the Vikes win this one easily, but mediocrity is always scary.

“The Man” has the Vikes giving 5.5 and the total at 40…this total looks way too high to me…the Vikes D has been solid all year and their O has been less than stellar…GuruJoe, am I nuts going with this under?

SF @ Detroit

SF comes to visit the cowardly Lions after their big home win against the Vikes…if it is possible for a 3-5 team to have a big win. If their win was big, then the Lions win was just as good at home against the Dirty Birds. The only real advantage I see in this game is the Lions pass offense against the weak SF pass D…no other stat really stands out.

Detroit is probably favored by about 5 with the total coming in the low 40’s. Last week I took the over between two bad teams and got bit (GB@ Buffalo)…is this Guru dumb enough to do that again? Maybe…let’s see what the total is.

“The Man” has the Lions giving 6 and the total at 46…this total is too high to go over…

Buffallo @ Indi

In the first mismatch of the week, the Just Punt led Bills come to the Colts who are on a roll. They come home after two great victories in Denver and NE. Buffalo comes to town with a mid-tier D and a less than stellar O. The Colts have averaged over 32 points per game against Denver, Pats, and Skins…Do you think Peyton is licking his chops at the thought of tasting a Buffalo?

Indi should be favored by at least 2 TD’s and the total at 45…with McGahee the Bills have zero chance. I like the Colts on any line less than 14. I would have gone over, but without McGahee, who knows if the Bills can score.

“The Man” has the Colts giving 12 and the total at 44…I find this line hard to believe…I really thought it would end up around 16 – 17…the Bills suck. GuruJoe, is there any chance the Colts lay an egg this week after two huge victories? I don’t think so…I like Peyton to keep rolling.

Baltimore @ TN

Tennessee welcomes back a familiar face when Steve McNair and his boot come to town. Tennessee comes off a big time butt whipping at the hands of the Jags. They face a very similar D this week in the Ravens…and I don’t think it will matter if Ray Lewis suits up or not. They have superior talent across the board on both sides of the ball…and don’t you think McBoot will be fired up after the way he was treated after all those good years?

The Ravens should be favored by about a TD and the total in the mid-30’s. The Ravens could be an interesting play, but I will wait for the final line. I wouldn’t touch the total, because who knows if TN will score at all…last week their only score was in junk time.

“The Man” has the Ravens giving 7 and the total at 38…ultimately, I would stay away from a road favorite with a questionable offense…but I am definitely intrigued.

Houston @ Jags

The schedule makers were nice to the Jags…back to back games at this point in the season against the likes of the Titans and the Texans. Garrard was impressive in his second start and will remain the starter for the foreseeable future. The Texans gave the G-men a run for their money as well as the Titans the week before. Do you think the Jags remember 3 weeks ago when they were embarrassed by the Texans? I do…revenge is sweet.

Jags should be favored by about 10 and the total in the high 30’s. Anything less than 10 and the Jags are a play. I would stay away from the total.

“The Man” has the Jags giving 10 and the total at 37…I am still really liking the Jags…GuruJoe, talk to me here…was that game in the Meadowlands last week enough to scare you away?

SD @ Cinci

The AFC North Defending Champs come limping into yet another game. The OL is still beat up. The D is in even worth shape. Lucky for them, Castillo and Merrimen will not be on the defensive side of the ball for the Bolts. Unfortunately, they are healthy on the offensive side of the ball.

I think SD should be a slight favorite or it should be a pick ‘em game. The total should be in the mid-40’s with both defenses depleted and both O’s able to put up points…let’s see the final lines in this one.

“The Man” has SD giving 1 and the total at 48…ultimately too close to like this one…

Denver @ Oakland

Oakland sucks…plain and simple. Last time these guys met Jake had 102 yards on merely 18 attempts. They played not to lose by running it and running it often. The Raiders are terrible on offense…and that may be insulting other terrible offenses.

The Broncos should be favored by 17, but the line will be about 12 because of their last meeting. The total will be in the mid-30’s. Can the Broncos really win this game by less than 2 TD’s…their O has certainly taken off since their last meeting averaging almost 27 points since then…let’s see where the final lines comes in…I wouldn’t touch the total as the Raiders shouldn’t score at all…the under would be most intriguing.

“The Man” has Denver giving 9 and the total at 33…I can’t see this being less than a 10 point game…Oakland truly sucks…GuruJoe?

Dallas @ AZ

Matt Leinart is still looking for his first win. They come off their bye week and should be primed to face the Boys. The Boys come off a sloppy loss against the Skins. Without out Fitzgerald, they haven’t been able to score more than 24 points. There offense has sunk to 27th in the league. This does not bode well when you are facing the #5 D in the league. This is another game that should be dominated by Boys, but will they live up to the hype.

The Boys should be favored by about 7 and would win this at home by 14 easily. However, the Cards are coming off a bye and get Fitz back…that is just enough for me to stay away. The total will probably be in the high 30’s…the over would be most intriguing, but you can’t make that call with a team as impotent as the Cards on O lately.

“The Man” has the Boys giving 6 and the total is 43…I would lean towards the Boys and over, but ultimately stay away from this game.

St. Louis @ Seattle

The Rams go to the rainy state after a disappointing home loss against the Chiefs. The good news for the Rams is that they almost beat the Hawks at home 4 weeks ago with Hasselbeck and many other starters in there. The Hawks are beat up. Seneca hasn’t looked horrible, but the pressure to score will be a little greater this game. St. Louis brings the 4th ranked pass offense to face the 27th ranked pass D. Can Seneca pull another one off?

I am guessing the Hawks will be a small home favorite and the total in the mid-40’s. Emotional divisional game with lots of injuries on one side of the ball…this all leads to a no play unless the line is whacked out like Anna Nicole.

“The Man” has the Hawks giving 3 and the total at 43…I would tend to go with the Rams and the over, but ultimately a stay away game with Seneca in there.

Aints @ Pittsburgh

My boys, the Defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, keep handing the ball to the other team and not so coincidentally losing. They have the 5th ranked pass offense, which we all know is not Steeler football. However, they are dead last in turnover ratio with a minus 11. The Aints come to town with a balanced offensive attack and a D playing better than expected.

I know the Steelers are favored by about 5 and the total is probably around 43. The Steelers shouldn’t be giving anyone 5 points, but if they don’t turn the ball over, then could easily win this game by more than 5. The over could be a play here…let’s check it out.

“The Man” has the Steelers giving 5.5 and the total at 46…the Aints have gone over in 5 of their 7 games and the Steelers have gone over any game in which they face a decent Offense save the SD game…ultimately, this is a little too high for my liking…

Bears @ NYG

The biggest game of the week has the Bears licking their wounds and heading to the Big Apple. They have had an up and down couple weeks…barely beating the Cards on the road…smashing the 49ers…then getting beat badly for the first time by the Fins. NYG meanwhile keeps rolling along, although last week was closer than anyone would like. Plax is talking smack. The G-men defense is about as healthy as a leper colony…not what you want when you are playing the game that could be for home field throughout the playoffs.

NYG should be small favorites and the total in the mid-30’s. With all those injuries on the Giants D, it would be tough to go with them.

“The Man” has the G-men giving 1 and the total at 37.5…I would trend under here and the Bears, but the defensive injuries are what would keep me away from this game…too many game time decisions.

TB @ Carolina

Carolina comes into this game disappointing their fans after the Super Bowl hopes have been laid upon them. Their O has been struggling lately. Their D was unable to take advantage of a green Tony Romo. The Bucs meanwhile come into this game after getting butt pirated by the Aints. Grad is being praised by Gruden, but their talent just isn’t what it used to be.

Carolina should be favored by about 7 and the total around 37. I like the Panthers in this one, but I have liked them often this year and been burnt…let’s see the final line.

“The Man” has Carolina giving 9.5 and the total at 37. Earlier this year, the Panthers won by 2 in Tampa…there is enough film out there on Grad now and he has certainly been less than impressive since…GuruJoe, should we jump off the Carolina bandwagon that we have been on? That one win ATS is what has me wondering.