GOOD BYE

Sad times in Jets land when we can break out that time-honored joke that we all love: At least the Jets couldn't lose this week! They had a bye!! I think I broke that one out in the 4th grade - hasn't failed me since.

It's also sad for me to go through all of these old postings, as I move the Jets site to its new permanent home here (more on the changes here below). The Jets have had a really good recent history, and it's all falling apart this year. I can't stand the losing...I really can't. I wish I could go back and live through the 2004 playoffs again...and maybe, if the outcome was the same, kill Doug Brien. Those were such good times as a Jets fan - even last year was exciting each week. The sad thing is, as a Jets fan, the good times don't even end in a Super Bowl win - they usually end in playoff losses.

FANTASY TEAM TAKES A HIT, TOO
The one redeeming factor this year for my football season was the rebirth of my fantasy football team, which after an 0-3 start was sitting at 5-4 this week. I'm in the midst of a loss, so that hurts, but even worse is what I had found in Adrian Peterson (a possible new LaDainian Tomlinson?) I have now lost for a few weeks to injury. That's a big blow to my fantasy team's playoff hopes.

ON BASEBALL
The Tigers dealt Omar Infante to the Cubs for Jacque Jones, making the Tigers a possible frontrunner for the 2008 American League championship in my new prediction strategy...they are possibly going to play the Cubs or the Braves now in the World Series. I don't even know if the moves they made are quality (they seem pretty good), but the fact that they've been involved in deals with two National League teams makes them a front-runner in my eyes.

NEW LOOK
I have again changed the look of the blog - I'm looking for something pretty permanent so I don't have to keep doing this. I went with a couple of different things - I am hoping the black background looks sharp, and the different colors show a melding of the Mets and Jets. I've also changed the title to be all-inclusive, because this is no longer a Mets-only blog. It refers to where I live in relation to New York City, and specifically, the Mets' new ballpark. (I know, technically it's only about 188 miles, but 200 is catchier.) I welcome your feedback, and Southern Bureau, consider this your notification - please let me know what you think.

(Update: Just took my first look at the site as a reader - I'm not crazy about the black background. Please let me know if you think you have a better idea....maybe I'll just go back to white.)

The cold reality of a job that I actually enjoy and that keeps me busy is that I have less time in my life for such things as Jets blogs...especially when the Jets are on their way to a sub-.500 record (to put it mildly). But I'm working on getting this thing updated more - whether or not that happens, you'll soon see. But at least I'm getting the Friday picks in. There's no Jets game this week (it's a bye week - back to the old Jets' standby line, back when they weren't any good - "at least they can't lose this week!!!"), so I'll start with an e-mail from an old friend:

"Wow. It is truly bizarre and completely jolting to realize that one of the most mind-bogglingly over-the-top optimistic people in the world has seemingly lost all hope for his team. It is most likely warranted, but still... I feel like I should stock up on bottled water and canned goods because the apocalypse cannot be far behind if John is no longer picking the Jets to win the Super Bowl. *SIGH*

Love Always,

Joe Beningo

P.S. Until I just looked it up, I always thought my name was spelled with a "d" instead of that first "n" (Bedingo). Who knew?"

"Joe Beningo" here is the same guy who used to write as "Al Montoya", and who obviously is too ashamed to admit that he reads my blog to give his real name...so I'll continue to protect his identity. But as I told him earlier this week - I'm pretty sure he's used the Beningo alias before, and I'm pretty sure in that previous e-mail he also mentioned that he wasn't sure how to spell his name. I guess that A-material never gets old.

But yes, I'm not an idiot here. I'm even taking this dismay to the next step, thinking that Chad Pennington's career may very well be over. It's sad. I don't want to talk/write about it. A quick stray from the e-mail/picks, which is very related:

I'm reading a pretty good book about the history of the AFL, told in quotes from players from the AFL and the NFL of that era. It's very good, and pretty informative. Anyway, I just read about when the Bengals started, and they had a great young quarterback out of the University of Cincinnati named Greg Cook. From all accounts, he was a steal how they got him, because he wasn't very highly touted, and he could throw the ball from one end of the field to the other, they say. (I know these things tend to get exaggerated over time, but it seems like this guy was the real deal, and could at least throw the ball 70 or so yards in the air.) Cook (I had never heard of him, by the way) worked with Bill Walsh, then an assistant with the Bengals, and he had an awesome rookie season, winning AFL Rookie of the Year. But during the year, he suffered a shoulder injury, and played through a lot of pain...and of course, medicine not being then what it is now, they couldn't scope the shoulder and see what was wrong. During a pickup basketball game over the off-season, someone touched Cook's shoulder, and he was done. Just like that, done. Turns out it was a rotator cuff. Now, Pennington's got the benefit of modern medicine, but it's a very similar story - and Pennington tried to come back and play football too soon. I just feel like he's in big trouble. That's all I'll say about it for now.

Now the picks - and the standings. Dave from Brighton is the only one who had a week over .500 - going 7-6-1, upping his record to 38-45-3. The wife went 5-8-1, dropping to 51-48-3, and with a 6-7-1 week, I pull to within a game of the lead, at 50-49-3. But I need to pick it up - for crying out loud. This has been pathetic so far - I need a big week. So here it is:

NYG -2 Was: The Giants are playing pretty good football. The Redskins are winning games...but not playing great football. Santana Moss is having a great season, and I'm not sure how, because Mark Brunell is throwing him the football. There must be a lot of yards after the catch going on there. This one's at the Meadowlands, and the Giants should win by 10...let alone 2. I take the Giants. (Dave - Giants, Wife - Redskins +2)

CIN -9 GB: This game's in Cincinnati, and the Bengals should win easy, with all of the injuries the Packers are going through. But the Bengals have had trouble putting teams away, so I think the Packers keep it close enough. I take Green Bay +9. (Dave - Bengals -9, Wife - Bengals -9)

DET -3 Chi: Detroit seems to be better than Chicago, but it's so hard to tell. I take them because they're at home. Det - 3. (Dave - Detroit, Wife - Chicago +3)

CAR -8 Min: Minnesota might not win another game all year. They sure won't win in Carolina -and they won't get within 8 points. I take Carolina -8. (Dave - Carolina, Wife - Carolina)

TEN N/L Oak: Last week I said if Oakland didn't beat the Bills, in Oakland, I wouldn't pick them again the rest of the season. Well, they won, and now they go to Tennessee coming off a confidence-builder. They're good enough, I think, to beat Tennesse. I take Oakland. (Dave - Oakland, Wife - Tennessee)

DAL -9 Ari: Drew Bledsoe is awful. If I had written a recap of last week's games, I would have ripped him apart for throwing that interception, allowing the Seahawks to win that game. But I didn't, so I won't dwell on that now. He's awful, but the Cowboys as a whole should be enough to beat Arizona handily. I take Dallas -9. (Dave - Dallas, Wife - Dallas)

HOU -2 Cle: How bad is Cleveland to be an underdog against the winless Texans?? I don't think they're that bad. I take Cleveland, plus 2. (Dave, Cleveland, Wife - Houston: "They have to get a win sometime.")

NO -2 Mia: This is a Baton Rouge home game for the Saints - it's close enough to being home. I take New Orleans...also, Miami's bad. (Dave - New Orleans, Wife - New Orleans)

STL N/L Jax: The Rams are still going with Jamie Martin. The Jaguars are pretty good. They'll beat the Rams, even in Saint Louis. (Dave - Jacksonville, Wife - Jacksonville)

SD -6 KC: I'm still not getting on the Chargers bandwagon. I know they're better than their 3-4 record indicates, but maybe this is when their season starts to take a dive. They've played better than I've expected, I'll admit that - but I'm picking the Chiefs to beat them this week. I take Kansas City +6. (Dave - San Diego -6, Wife - Kansas City)

TB -11 SF: Tampa Bay has had a bye week to prepare for the 49ers. Sorry, San Fran. TB -11. (Dave - TB, Wife - SF +11)

DEN -3.5 Phi: Dave in Brighton's pick for Game of the Week. Understandably. Denver is a different team at home, and I think they'll beat Philadelphia, who have been playing pretty poorly. But, I think they'll show up for this game, and keep it close. I say it's a 3-point Denver win, so I take Phi +3.5. (Dave - late change to Phi +3.5, Wife - Phi)

NE -9 Buf: Everyone's lauding the Krafts for not putting Tedy Bruschi on IR, instead putting him on the PUP, meaning he could be activated for Sunday night's game. I say (and I said this in August, I wish I had written it here as proof), put him on IR, and probably save his life - don't even give him the option to come back this year. It's just not right that he's coming back so soon. I hope he doesn't get hurt. The Patriots should win this one easy. I take NE -9. (Dave - NE, Wife - NE)

PIT -9.5 Bal: Baltimore flat-out stinks. And on Monday night, they'll be without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Pittsburgh might win by 90.5. Actually, I predict, 27-10. Steelers, -9.5. (Dave - Pittsburgh, Wife - Pittsburgh)

It seems like a lot of similar picks this week, as I wrote that. We'll see. Enjoy the weekend.

Bye Bye Baby, Baby Bye Bye

Bye Johnnyjets

Yes, it's the bye week. That means I need to preoccupy myself in any way I can. Hence, the headline. The Jets say they're not bothered by the early bye week, and some, including Chad Pennington, say it's better to have the bye week early in the year, to break up the monotony of training camp, rather than the end of the year, where it could mess up the momentum of the season. I'll buy into that. As a fan, (which is arguably more work than being a player), I prefer the early bye week as well, because now I can go for 14 straight weeks of Jets football (and hopefully more - straight through the Super Bowl).

One other Jets note before I move onto my picks - the Daily News Jets beat writer wrote yesterday that he would bet Kevin Mawae (broken hand) will play next Sunday against Miami (for whatever that's worth). The injury is apparently healing fast, and for Mawae it appears to only be a matter of whether or not he can grip the football to snap it. The possibility even exists that Mawae will move to a guard spot and Pete Kendall will handle center duties for one week. So I think Mawae will be playing, which is good news for the running game.

OK - onto the picks (for entertainment purposes only). I was 7-9 last week, 17-15 over the first two weeks:

Miami is a one-point favorite over Pittsburgh. I think the Dolphins will actually win this game - Tommy Maddox is hurt for Pittsburgh. The only thing working against the Dolphins here is the hurricane - this game might get pushed back to Monday or Tuesday - or it could be played as early as Sunday night. Dolphins, -1.

Tennessee is a 6 point favorite over Jacksonville. I'm big on the Jaguars, and there's a chance they'll pull off the upset on the road this week...but I'm thinking they lose by less than six. Jaguars +6.

The Giants are giving three at home against Cleveland. I think the Giants will win the game, and cover. NYG, -3.

Baltimore is also a three point favorite - they're in Cincinnati. I think Cincinnati wins outright at home...I repeat, I DO NOT think Baltimore is very good. CIN, +3.

The Chiefs are giving 7 and a half points to the Texans. I thought the Texans would be better than they've been, and they still might turn things around, but I'm taking the Chiefs to win big...for their first win of the season. Chiefs, giving seven and a half.

The Rams are a seven point favorite at home over the Saints. I don't get the Rams, and I can't predict the Saints. Are the Rams that much better at home than they are on the road (they got beat bad in Atlanta last week)? I'll take the Saints plus the points.

The Vikings are giving nine to the Bears, the team that killed me in every one of my pools last week. It won't happen two weeks in a row. I take MIN, -9.

The 2-0 Eagles give four and a half to the 2-0 Lions, in Detroit. The Lions will not be 3-0. Take the Eagles, giving four and a half.

The Falcons are ten-point favorites over the Cardinals - they'll win by 14. ATL, -10.

Denver is also a ten-point favorite at home against the Chargers. I'll take them too. DEN, -10.

Indy is a 6-point favorite over the Packers, who lost to the Bears last week, therefore they are the other team that killed me in every one of my pools last week. I'll go with the Colts at home, giving six.

The Seahawks are ten-point favorites over the 49ers. Lots of big spreads this week - looks like I'm going with all the favorites. SEA, -10.

The Super Bowl XXXVII rematch is Sunday night. What a clunker this year. Raiders are three-point favorites over Tampa Bay. I'll take Oakland just because they're the home team. OAK, -3.

And Monday night it's the Redskins as a one and a half point favorite over the Cowboys. I'll go with the Cowboys to win on national TV.

Enjoy the Jets-less weekend.