Before we begin, I would just like to apologize to those of you expecting my trashing, uh, reporting, on the worst commercials during NFL games. That will not be seen this week for several reasons. One, the quick turnaround on the articles because of the Thursday Thanksgiving games caught me a little off-guard. My bad. Secondly, I figured it was better to open this up to everyone. I'll listen to all suggestions, and keep an eye out for any that I may have missed. We'll treat this as a group project. That way, I don't have to write as many words…um, I mean, that way we can all feel like we're a part of it.

Send in your nominations with the product name, a basic summary of what happens, your name, and most importantly, your reason for hating it so much. Space limitations aren't an issue in the magical world of the Internet, so feel free to say what you need. Hey, these commercials really get under some people's skin. I, for one, know that while I watch some of the ads, I'd rather experience trying to pass a football…and not with my arm.

Getting back to this week…I had some success again with my picks. Yes that's right, I'm calling 12-3-1 "some" success. I learned long ago on a Charles In Charge episode that when you have good fortune, you should never openly discuss said good fortune. The great Buddy Lembeck said that if you do that, it'll all come crashing down. And if you aren't going to take the advice of one Buddens Lembeck, then you've got issues.

In other news, I have no feel for about 90% of the games this week.

On to the picks…with apologies for the brevity of analysis due to the short week. Hey, let's blame everything on the short week. If I'm under .500 this week, I now have the "Buddy Lembeck excuse" as well as the "short week" excuse, so now all my proverbial bases have been covered. Whew!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/odds.html

CINCINNATI (Off) vs. CLEVELAND
First off, let's just get something straight. The status of Jeff Garcia matters little in the outcome of this game. Oh, sure, he's better than Kelly Holcomb…but not enough to take down the Bengals. The Browns are usually just good enough to barely lose, and I expect that to be the case somewhat this week as well. But Cleveland somehow finds a way to not get it done, and with all of the turmoil surrounding Head Coach Butch Davis this week, I don't anticipate them suddenly finding their focus in Week 11. With no line on the game right now, I would imagine Cincinnati will eventually be favored by no more than a handful of points. You should feel comfortable taking them and giving whatever the spread is. PICK: Bengals

DENVER (-11) vs. OAKLAND
I thought long and hard about this one, and actually decided to come back to it later. Well, it's now later and I don't have any better feeling now than I did before. It's not so much the 11 points, or the fact that Denver has been somewhat unpredictable. It's that Broncos/Raiders thing I can't get out of my head. I realize, those sorts of things shouldn't come into play as heavily as, say, the quality of the teams. But in this case, can't you see the Raiders making a stand just once this season? A game where everything somehow clicks and they can actually hang with an opponent? Can't you see it? Nah, me either. PICK: Broncos

MINNESOTA (-5.5) vs. JACKSONVILLE
Being in the game for 25 plays in three-wide receiver sets isn't really my definition of Randy Moss being "back". If rumors of his gradual ascent to the lineup are true, then I don't know Minnesota will be back to its high-flying offensive ways anytime soon. As it is, Minnesota still may have enough to take down the Jags just based on the threat of Moss. Well, as long as Mike Tice takes his head out from somewhere and learns to give Onterrio Smith the rock. PICK: Vikings

NEW YORK JETS (-3) at ARIZONA
Let's put it this way: If they Jets DON'T win, their playoff hopes would actually take a significant hit. That factor alone leads me to believe that Herm will have the gang ready to roll. Though the Curtis Martin, LaMont Jordan, and defensive excellence sure don't hurt, either. PICK: Jets

PHILADELPHIA (-7) at NEW YORK GIANTS
The Giants have pretty much come full circle this season, and this week's game should just about cap it off. They opened the year by getting lambasted (great word, I know) by the Eagles in Week 1 and everyone thought they would be a doormat. Then they reeled off several wins to put themselves in position to make a playoff run. Then just as soon as that happened, they basically fell apart. This week will be the coronation of having come full circle, as I feel another lambasting is on tap for New York. PICK: Eagles (but would it shock any Giants fans to see the Giants win, if only to tease you for the next two weeks?)

PITTSBURGH (-11) vs. WASHINGTON
Too many points to lay for a ball-control team going up against a very good defensive unit. I like the Steelers as much as the next guy, but just because one team is a winner and the other is a loser, that doesn't mean it'll necessarily be a blowout. PICK: Redskins

SAN FRANCISCO (Off) vs. MIAMI
Imagine someone cared about this game? PICK: 49ers I guess. The line doesn't matter; I fully expect them to win by a lot more than whatever the spread would be. PICK: 49ers

SEATTLE (-5) vs. BUFFALO
A lot of this depends on the status of Matt Hasselbeck. Or not. I don't know, I gave up trying to predict this Seattle team weeks ago. PICK: Um, BILLS I guess.

TENNESSEE (-1.5) at HOUSTON
Houston's quarterback looks like a girl and throws like Dan Quisenberry. Still, the Titans aren't very good and they're getting worse by the day as more members of the defense fall to injury. The line on this game is strictly reputation-based, because there's no reason why the Titans should go into Houston and come away with a win. PICK: Texans

GREEN BAY (Off) vs. SAINT LOUIS
Ahman Green or not, I don't see the Rams going into Lambeau and coming away with a win. ESPECIALLY with the way Green Bay just finds a way to get it done. The lack of a line for the game is because of the Green injury, but it likely won't get much bigger than 4 points or so. You should feel comfortable going as high as 6, whether Green plays or not. PICK: Packers

BEST BETS

DALLAS (-3.5) vs. CHICAGO
Two of the league's storied franchises lock up in a battle to help each team avoid last place in its respective division. Dallas is the much bigger disappointment of the two, if only because they were supposed to be so much better. But at least now they get a chance to see what their kids can do. Chicago, not by choice so much, has been forced to see what some of its, let's call them, "lesser" players can do. I actually like Drew Henson going on a Thanksgiving Day with the entire country watching him. It's not like he never had people tuning in when he was up in Michigan or watching his every move as a New York Yankee. I, for one, think he'll do a bang-up job and lead Dallas to a win. I just can't trust Krenzel and co. to go into Big D and come away victorious. PICK: Cowboys

KANSAS CITY (Off) vs. SAN DIEGO
Kansas City is still being bet up as if it's last year. See: 3-point dogs against possibly the league's best team (New England). Sure, the Chiefs offense can put up some mammoth offensive numbers. But we're really seeing a lack of fear from other teams when Priest Holmes isn't out there. I actually discussed the Chiefs offense with a friend of mine last week and tried in vain to make the argument that with all the success Blaylock was having, it lent credence to the Chiefs success being "the system" rather than solely Priest Holmes. I still think the system is what made Priest Holmes what he is (he wouldn't have had this success in Miami), but he's clearly head and shoulders above Derrick Blaylock or anyone else back there. This Charger team, with its stout run defense, will have no worries with Blaylock this week. Yes, I know it's been awhile since a Charger team felt confident heading into Kansas City, but this isn't your typical Charger team, either. PICK: Chargers

NEW ENGLAND (-7) vs. BALTIMORE
No Jamal + Patriots defense = no reason to respect the run game = tee off on the quarterback = long day for Kyle Boller. PICK: Patriots

TAMPA BAY (-2.5) at CAROLINA
Two teams heading in opposite directions, at least after this week's game. The Bucs are playoff contenders SORT OF, but they've got a long ways to go. The Panthers are playoff contenders NOT AT ALL, and will further illustrate that point this weekend. PICK: Bucs

LOCK OF THE WEEK: SAN DIEGO….SUPERCHARGERS!!!

By the numbers

• Last week
  Overall: 12-3-1
  Best bets: 4-0
  Lock of the week: 1-0



• Year to date
  Overall: 76-64-3 (54.3%)
  Best bets: 25-15 (62.5%)
  Lock of the week: 6-4 (60%)