It’s that time of week. Time to man up and make your pick for Sunday’s game. Get it right, and you will become America’s newest sensation. People will talk about you around water coolers. A prominent television network will give you a late night talk show. You’ll start off cold, but gradually ease into the job. Younger viewers, especially hipsters, will grow to adore you. Your network will promise you an earlier time slot, to make you the centerpiece of the whole shebang. And then, without warning, they’ll turn around and push back your show to make room for the guy you replaced, who isn’t as keen on relinquishing his job as you first thought. It will be a complete mess, with acrimonious volleys ricocheting all about. In the end, the public will love you even MORE for your deft sense of humor during the whole affair. Get it wrong, and you get Carson Daly’s slot. Here we go:
Scott Crisp: Cowboys 30, Vikings 16
Josh Alper: Cowboys 28, Vikings 24
Marvin Harrison: “Leave me alone, or I will shoot you 50 times.”
Tim Layden (SI): Vikings 31, Cowboys 29. “There's something about Favre and the Vikings and playing at home in the very noisy Metrodome. You can make the argument that the bye week often hurts teams by letting them get rusty; I think it will work the other way for the Vikings. Watch Favre work the short passing game and give the ball to Adrian Peterson on a lot of first downs to slow the pass rush. And watch Jared Allen get to Romo."
Bill Simmons: Not in yet. Though his podcast indicated he was leaning Dallas’ way.
Six of Ten ESPN Experts: Cowboys. No ESPN analyst picked an upset in the AFC. Get ready to see the Jets or Ravens in the AFC title game.
Pete Prisco (CBS): Cowboys.
Andy (Cowboys fan I know): Cowboys 31, Vikings 10. (“And you know what else? They kill Brett Favre. I’m not exaggerating. DeMarcus gets him, plants him in the ground, and breaks his stupid neck. Retirement: Permanent. Not having so much fun out there anymore now, are you, Bretty Boy?”)
Index Card I Threw Up In The Air With The Name Of Each Team On Either Side, Seeing Which Team Would Land Face Up: Vikings. (Index Card record: 8-7)
The Wife: Vikings.
Me: Last week, everyone took the Cowboys. That normally called for a CONTRARIAN ALERT. This week, the Cowboys have a pretty full bandwagon, with 87 percent of the gambling public laying wagers on Dallas. I can’t get that number out of my head. I think these teams are equally talented, but the home field and bye week will end up making a big difference. I think Dallas walks into a buzzsaw. Vikings 34, Cowboys 14.
Yours in the comments.
