Gambling on the Games: NFL Week 1

With free agency weakening teams' offensive lines, defenses, and QB-WR cohesion these days, even Lefty Rosenthal in his prime would have problems picking NFL games. The coach carousel spins faster each year, QB play is mostly bad, and the officiating varies depending on the various officiating crews' mood swings and views of the rules. The NFL is near pure parity with the "good" teams only a key injury or two ahead of the bad ones. The loss of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning turns those clubs into 8-8 teams, or worse. All these factors make it tough to pick NFL games. Well, it's tough to ever hit anything. And don't forget the old saying, that a gambler with a system must be, to some extent, insane. But it's football, dammit, so let's "roll dem bones" to feed that jones anyway.   St. Louis Rams plus 7 1/2 at the Philadelphia Eagles The Rams haven't looked good in the preseason. Their star RB Steven Jackson wandered into camp late, and their talent level is low with many of their ... (link)