Usually the NFL and in-season trading are polar opposites. This season already felt differently considering a notable player and future Hall-of-Famer, Adrian Peterson was traded to Arizona from New Orleans three weeks ago. Then Monday and Tuesday brought us some big surprises before the league’s trade deadline. A quick thought on each of the notable trades from the last few days:
DT Marcell Dareus from Buffalo to Jacksonville
Nice deal for the Jaguars who seriously upgraded their run-stopping capability on the defensive line while only surrendering a late round draft pick.
LT Duane Brown from Houston to Seattle
Brown held out until last week where ironically his first game in 2017 was in Seattle as a member of the Texans. The Seahawks had to solidify their offensive line and arguably this move puts them in great position come playoff time.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo from New England to San Francisco
The 49ers get their quarterback of the future for only a high-second round pick? Nicely done by SF GM John Lynch. The one problem is…when is the last time a New England QB succeeded elsewhere?
RB Jay Ajayi from Miami to Philadelphia
The Dolphins only got a 4th round pick by trading their best offensive player to the NFL’s top team? For Philly it’s a low risk deal with VERY HIGH rewards.
WR Kelvin Benjamin from Carolina to Buffalo
Baffling. The Panthers are still in contention, yet traded their #1 WR? For Buffalo, 3rd and 7th round picks in 2018 were a small price to pay for acquiring a top receiving target.
Week 9 NFL Picks
Last Week: 10-3 Straight Up (SU), 7-6 Against the Spread (ATS)
Overall: 74-45 SU, 65-53-1 ATS
(Picks against the spread in parentheses; home teams in caps)
Buffalo 20, NEW YORK JETS 17 (ATS: Jets +3.5)
Both of these teams have definitely exceeded expectations thus far this season. But the Jets aren’t going anywhere and the Bills might be poised to break their long playoff drought (since 1999). Giving Buffalo the win in a tight game on the road to improve to 6-2.
TENNESSEE 23, Baltimore 16 (ATS: Titans -3.5)
Will Joe Flacco play for the Ravens after his nasty concussion suffered last Thursday? As of this writing, it’s unclear. Either way, Tennessee coming off a bye at home is the preferred play.
NEW ORLEANS 31, Tampa Bay 24 (ATS: Buccaneers +7.5)
I should’ve known better than to expect good things from a Dirk Koetter (former ASU coach) team. The Bucs have been a major disappointment while the Saints have been impressive over the last 6 weeks or so. Look for New Orleans to win a rather high-scoring game. Basically what I mean is start all your fantasy players from this one.
NEW YORK GIANTS 20, Los Angeles Rams 16 (ATS: Giants +3.5)
There is literally no good reason I have for making this pick. It just feels right to take the home team. The Giants have to be better after the bye week, right? Follow this one at your own risk.
PHILADELPHIA 23, Denver 10 (ATS: Eagles -7.5)
The Broncos offense is a disaster and the Eagles offense…well…is just the opposite. Philly’s incredible season rolls on while the turmoil builds in Denver.
Atlanta 24, CAROLINA 22 (ATS: Falcons +1.5)
Carolina traded away their best wide receiver on Tuesday – is that a sign of waving the white flag? Regardless – I expect the Falcons to win their final game of a tough three game road trip in Charlotte.
JACKSONVILLE 23, Cincinnati 10 (ATS: Jaguars -4.5)
‘Sacksonville’ in an odd week is 4-0 this season. Ride the trend folks. Expect another dominant performance from the NFL’s best defense.
HOUSTON 34, Indianapolis 23 (ATS: Colts +12.5)
Do you think the Colts can slow down rookie phenom Deshaun Watson and the Texans? I don’t. I just don’t see Houston’s defense being good enough to cover the 12.5 point spread.
Arizona 20, SAN FRANCISCO 13 (ATS: Cardinals -2.5)
Adrian Peterson rushes for 100+ yards and Drew Stanton is comfortable in a game manager role. SF’s offense just isn’t good enough to win this game with either rookie C.J. Beathard or the newly acquired Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm.
SEATTLE 33, Washington 21 (ATS: Seahawks -7.5)
The Redskins have simply looked overmatched the last two weeks against division rivals Philadelphia and Dallas. And I don’t expect them to perform much better against a Seattle team which seems to just be hitting its stride offensively.
Kansas City 30, Dallas 21 (ATS: Chiefs -1.5)
I’m making this pick assuming Ezekiel Elliott doesn’t play for the Cowboys due to the beginning of his 6 game suspension. If that changes, the score may be closer but I still like KC to add misery to Dallas’ uneven season.
Oakland 23, MIAMI 17 (ATS: Raiders -2.5)
The Dolphins are coming off a 40-0 loss to Baltimore and just traded their best offensive player, Jay Ajayi, to Philadelphia. There is absolutely no reason to pick them here.
GREEN BAY 24, Detroit 21 (ATS: Packers +2.5)
Yes, fine…I’m a biased Packers fan once again. But coming off a bye with an extra week for coach Mike McCarthy to tutor new QB Brett Hundley, I’ll take my chances with Green Bay.
This week’s college football guest picker is Shawn Crespin, co-host of Monty & Crespin in the Morning on 1580 The Fanatic! Among his many other side gigs includes producing the ASU football games on radio.
For this week, Shawn didn’t give specific score predictions so his winners will count both straight up and against the spread.
Steve has been on quite a roll lately so we’ll see if he can continue his hot streak with the picks.
Guest Picker Results
Week 1: Adam Green 9-1 SU, 5-4 ATS
Week 2: Mike Muraco 4-6 SU, 6-4 ATS
Week 3: Mike Bauer 8-2 SU, 5-5 ATS
Week 4: Jeff Dean 6-4 SU, 4-6 ATS
Week 5: Arnie Spanier 8-2 SU, 8-2 ATS
Week 6: Jason McIntyre 6-4 SU, 5-5 ATS
Week 7: Dan Manucci 7-3 SU, 8-2 ATS
Week 8: Lauren Joffe 6-4 SU, 3-7 ATS
Week 9: Shane Dale 6-4 SU, 6-4 ATS
Week 10 College Football Predictions
| Eric Cohen | Jon Bell | Steve Malina | Guest Picks (Shawn Crespin) | |
| Twitter: | @eacohen83 | @koshercoach | @stevenmalina | @Crespin1580 |
| Overall (Straight Up): | 62-28 | 59-31 | 65-25 | 60-30 |
| Overall (Against the Spread): | 40-49 | 39-50 | 48-41 | 50-39 |
| Last Week (SU): | 8-2 | 7-3 | 8-2 | 6-4 |
| Last Week (ATS): | 6-4 | 7-3 | 7-3 | 6-4 |
| Arizona at USC (-7.5) | USC 37-31 | USC 38-33 | USC 49-41 | USC |
| Colorado at ASU (-4.5) | ASU 41-24 | ASU 27-17 | ASU 28-27 | ASU |
| UCLA at Utah (-4.5) | UTAH 30-17 | UTAH 17-10 | UTAH 27-24 | UTAH |
| Penn State (-7.5) at Michigan State | PSU 27-17 | PSU 24-20 | PSU 41-17 | PSU |
| Stanford at Washington State (-2.5) | STAN 27-20 | WSU 17-14 | WSU 31-21 | STAN |
| Clemson (-7.5) at NC State | CLEM 24-20 | CLEM 24-20 | CLEM 35-21 | CLEM |
| Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Miami | VT 31-26 | VT 21-19 | VT 28-24 | MIA |
| LSU at Alabama (-20.5) | ALA 27-10 | ALA 38-13 | ALA 28-10 | ALA |
| Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (-2.5) | OKST 44-40 | OKST 42-40 | OK 45-41 | OK |
| Oregon at Washington (-20.5) | WASH 41-17 | WASH 42-20 | WASH 35-17 | WASH |
This Week’s Bold Prediction:
EC: Get ready for this one…Khalil Tate WON’T win a 5th straight Pac-12 Player of the Week award. Well I guess that doesn’t count. So I’ll say that Florida, with interim coach Randy Shannon (former Miami HC), wins out the rest of the regular season, including the next two weeks at Missouri and at South Carolina and in the finale against disappointing Florida State. Jim McElwain’s message wasn’t working and the Gators’ talent will show through now that a different leader is in charge.
JB: There’s no question that Willie Taggart is an excellent coach, but he has to be wondering why he didn’t wait a year to leave USF. Sure, nobody saw the Florida job opening quite this fast, but with Oregon in rebuild mode and his main recruiting ties in Florida, wouldn’t he at least sniff out the Gators opening if (Athletic Director) Scott Stricklin came calling?
SM: The coaching carousel continues to turn this weekend as two coaches get canned before Monday. Tennessee is still coached by Butch Jones today but the players and fans do not want him around anymore. The Volunteers do not play hard and fans protest before, during, and after the game vs Southern Miss. After the final buzzer goes off and the Volunteers lose to a non-Power 5 school, Butch Jones if finally let go. Kansas also lets go of coach David Beaty after the Jayhawks are again shut out by winless Baylor at home.
SC: UofA’s Khalil Tate can solidify himself as a true Heisman Trophy contender with a solid outing at USC. I just don’t see it happening. A step back this week wouldn’t diminish anything he’s already accomplished. The kid is something special.
For more thoughts and predictions on these games check out Friday’s Quick Hitters blog.
Cohen's Corner 