On Top of the Covers

TIME Daily's rumblin', stumblin' weekend football guide

Friday, Oct. 01, 1999
    • Favorite
    Line
    Dog
    BRONCOS
    5 1/2
    Jets
    GIANTS
    9 1/2
    Eagles
    FALCONS
    2 1/2
    Ravens
    Saints
    1
    Bears
    Rams
    3 1/2
    BENGALS
    Patriots
    12
    BROWNS
    COWBOYS
    7
    Cardinals
    VIKINGS
    7
    Bucs
    Jaguars
    3
    STEELERS
    REDSKINS
    8 1/2
    Panthers
    CHARGERS
    1
    Chiefs
    49'ERS
    1 1/2
    Titans
    SEAHAWKS
    3 1/2
    Raiders
    DOLPHINS
    4 1/2
    Bills

    L.I. Slim
    STEELERS +3 over Jaguars Slim is back on the Steelers bandwagon, emboldened by the Three Rivers site and the chance for Bill Cowher and the boys to stick it to their old/new rivals, which, face it, they generally do. Watch out Titans.

    GIANTS -9.5 over Eagles Slim's really starting to feel sorry for the Birds - but nobody wins by betting his heart. G-men, at home, in a throttling.

    Raiders +3.5 over Seahawks Are the Seahawks breathing now that they tromped all over the Steelers last week? Slim says fluke. Take the Raiders and the points.

    BRONCOS -5.5 over Jets
    FALCONS -2.5 over Ravens
    BEARS +1 over Saints
    BENGALS +3.5 over Rams
    BROWNS +12 over Patriots
    Cardinals +7 over COWBOYS
    Bucs +7 over VIKES
    SKINS -8.5 over Panthers
    Chiefs +1 over CHARGERS
    Titans +1.5 over 49ers
    DOLPHINS +4.5 over Bills

    Mean "Josie" Greene
    As anyone who has read this column in the past couple of weeks knows, I am still getting the hang of the "pick" thing, and in fact didn't realize until about 20 minutes ago that I didn't have to pick an exact score for each game. So, with that delightful discovery out of the way, I am free to go on making bad picks based solely on my personal feelings about players on each team, and/or the teams' uniforms.

    STEELERS +3 Jaguars: There's absolutely no reason to become pessimistic about the Steelers' season -- at least not yet. Last week's loss was unpleasant to watch, but let's not panic.

    GIANTS -9.5 Eagles: Okay, the Eagles are not going to do very well this year. I have come to grips with this fact, and despite my reluctance to contribute in any way to the happiness of Christian Peter, I have to go with the Giants this week.

    Titans +1.5 49ers: I'm not at all sure that a football team should be called the Titans, but darn it, if they can beat those Niners, I'm all for them. Go, Titans!

    The Rest: (this is much easier than picking actual scores)
    Jets +5.5 BRONCOS
    Ravens +2.5 FALCONS
    BEARS +1 Saints
    Rams -3.5 BENGALS
    Patriots -12.5 BROWNS
    COWBOYS -7 Cardinals
    VIKINGS -7 Buccaneers
    REDSKINS -8.5 Panthers
    Chiefs +1 CHARGERS
    SEAHAWKS -3.5 Raiders
    DOLPHINS -4.5 Bills

    The K.C. Line
    Careful readers of this space may remember that the Line trashed Rams QB Kurt Warner a few weeks ago. Warner responded to the slight by roasting the Falcons. Well, the Line has seen the light, climbed aboard the Warner Wagon and is hitching a ride all the way to V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Besides, the crowd in Cincy's going to be smaller than World League audiences, so Warner will feel right at home -- Rams romp over the toothless BENGALS .

    Who's more desperate, Mike Shanahan or Bill Parcells? The guess here is that it's Parcells, if only because his heart can't take much more of this. The final indignity -- being parodied in the effete sports page of the New York Times, for gosh sakes, drives the Tuna over the edge -- and the Jets to keep it closer than the 5 1/2 points the BRONCOS are spotting them.

    Meanwhile, the Tuna's old team is this week's recipient of the league's equivalent of a bye, a date with the Cleveland BROWNS . Twelve points is a lot to give in the NFL, but since the Brownies have only pushed across 17 all season the Pats are likely to cover.

    The Rest:
    Eagles +9 1/2 GIANTS
    FALCONS -2 1/2 Ravens
    BEARS +1 Saints
    COWBOYS -7 Cardinals
    VIKINGS -7 Bucs
    Jaguars -3 STEELERS
    Panthers +8 1/2 REDSKINS
    CHARGERS -1 Chiefs
    49'ERS -1 1/2 Titans
    SEAHAWKS -3 1/2 Raiders
    DOLPHINS -4 1/2 Bills