Jay's Week 1 Picks:
NFL Lock: NY Jets (-3) @ Miami
My NFL opening weekend pick is an easy one. Brett Favre and the New York Jets goes down south to Miami to face their former QB Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins as 3 point favorites. While these two teams were among the worst in the league last year, New York made major strides in improving some of their weakest areas on the field including the offensive line and quarterback. At the same time, Miami lost it's 2 best defensive players in Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor, and Ronnie Brown is still beat up. I don't think the 'Phins are as bad as a 1-win team this year, but I don't believe they can do enough on either side of the ball to keep this game close. The Jets are a solid bet to cover this spread comfortably.
College Lock: West Virginia @ East Carolina (+8) - WIN!
Last weekend, the East Carolina Pirates went to Virginia Tech as 8.5 point underdogs and not only covered the spread, but won the game outright 27-22. This weekend they see a tougher squad in West Virginia as 8 point underdogs for their home opener. I'm not sure if ECU can win this game, but I'm very confident that this is an up and coming program that is improving each week under Skip Holtz, and could use the home field advantage to keep this contest close and give the Mountys a run for their money. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned into an upset, and you have to like the 8 point cushion which gives us that 1-touchdown insurance. Take a gamble on ECU this weekend.
Cardillo's Corner:
Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) @ Baltimore Ravens
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) @ Tennessee Titans
New England Patriots (-16.5) vs Kansas City Chiefs
Lock of the Week:
Indianapolis Colts (-9.5) vs Chicago Bears