Week 12 NFL Picks

Tony Romo will be looking for more Thanksgiving Day success against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday.

First of all, let me start by wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Now, to those of you who are like me and spend the day planted in front of the Turkey Day football games, here are my NFL picks for Week 12:

Green Bay over Detroit
Even if Matt Stafford was at full-strength, I wouldn’t bet against a Green Bay team that is playing surprisingly well right now. Why do we continue to be punished by having to watch the Lions on Thanksgiving?

Dallas over Oakland
So the offense was bad last week. Do you really expect Oakland to pull off upsets in consecutive weeks? Tony Romo has been great in his Turkey Day starts, and this one should be no different.

NY Giants over Denver
Bad quarterback play has doomed the Broncos recently and as much as I’d like to see the G-Men take a step back in the NFC East standings, it won’t happen.

Miami over Buffalo
Whether it’s Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams, the Bills won’t be able to stop Miami’s rushing attack.

Seattle over St. Louis
The Seahwaks are 0-5 on the road and the Rams are 0-5 at home. Something has to give.

Philadelphia over Washington
The Redskins can’t win on the road, giving the Eagles another added bonus in a matchup that’s not as close in my opinion as people tend to think.

Atlanta over Tampa Bay
The Falcons are hoping to improve their playoff positioning and this home date against the Bucs should do the trick.

Indianapolis over Houston
The Texans continue to find new ways to lose close games, while the Colts find ways to win each and every week.

Cincinnati over Cleveland
Think the Bengals aren’t steaming over their letdown last week in Oakland? They’ll take their anger out on the Browns.

Carolina over NY Jets
I’ve lost all confidence in Mark Sanchez, and the Jets are facing a Carolina team that’s building momentum.

San Diego over Kansas City
Now that they have the division lead, the big question for the Chargers is if they can put the other teams in the rear-view mirror.

San Francisco over Jacksonville
Last time the Jags went to the West Coast, they were beaten 41-0 by the Seahawks. Another long trip means another loss for Jacksonville.

Tennessee over Arizona
The Cardinals are 5-0 on the road this season, but I’m loving the rebirth of Vince Young and Chris Johnson never disappoints. My upset pick of the week.

Minnesota over Chicago
If I had to pick right now, I’d say Minnesota is the NFC’s representative in the Super Bowl.

Baltimore over Pittsburgh
If Big Ben can’t go, the Steelers will have to trust rookie Dennis Dixon against the Ravens. Not the best time for Dixon to get his first NFL start.

New England over New Orleans
All good things must come to an end. For the Saints, that means their win streak. Tom Brady & Co. will get the job done.

Last Week: 11-5
Season: 99-61

Games behind Jim – 8

**NCAA Rivalry Week Bonus Picks**

Texas 41, Texas A&M 17

Auburn 24, Alabama 20

Oklahoma State 37, Oklahoma 31

Florida 52, Florida State 13

Let’s Review . . .

After an 0-6 start, the Titans have reeled off four consecutive wins since Vince Young took over the quarterback position.

It wasn’t a bad week, but it could’ve been better. then again, who would’ve thought that Pittsburgh and Cincinnati would lose to Kansas City and Oakland, respectively?

My pick of Baltimore over Indianapolis seemed like a reach when I made it, but the game was close.

I can’t complain that Miami beat my pick of Carolina, because anytime Ricky Williams produces like he did, I’m gonna be happy.

My fifth and final loss of the week? The Chicago Bears. But, once again, a close game in the end.

Unfortunately, my friendly wager with Jim at Terrell Daily Photo has me falling a bit behind as Jim had himself a nice 13-3 weekend. Lucky guy.

So, heading into Turkey Day, here’s how I’m sitting (Note: Week 12 picks will be posted tomorrow.):

Week: 11-5
Season: 99-61

Games behind Jim – 8

Week 11 NFL Picks

Here are my picks for Week 11 of the NFL season:

Carolina over Miami
A Dolphin offense without Ronnie Brown is no match for a Carolina team that is starting to find itself.

Pittsburgh over Kansas City
The Chiefs are 0-4 at home this season, but none of those losses will be as embarrassing as this one.

Baltimore over Indianapolis
Yes, I said it. As high as the colts must be feeling following a fantastic win over New England, I just think everything else is this game is favoring the Ravens.

Green Bay over San Francisco
The Packers saved their season with last week’s win over Dallas, and if they can protect Aaron Rodgers again this week, they’ll be in pretty good shape.

Jacksonville over Buffalo
The Bills are in turmoil while the Jaguars have very quietly turned things around an even enter this game with a winning record (5-4).

NY Giants over Atlanta
With a home crowd on their side (for now), the G-Men need to win this game to keep their season from slipping away.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay
I was tempted to go with the Buccaneers, but only if they wore the cream-sicle uniforms. Since I don’t know what they’re wearing, the Saints go to 10-0.

Detroit over Cleveland
Talk about your lousy draws. They should let spectators in free for this one. It’ll be interesting to see how many turn out for the game.

Dallas over Washington
I’m expecting the Cowboys to bounce back in a big way against a banged up Redskin team. Unfortunately, Dallas usually fails to live up to my expectations.

Minnesota over Seattle
Even though the Saints and Colts are still undefeated, I’m starting to think the Vikings are the best team in the NFL at this point.

Arizona over St. Louis
Watch out for the road warriors in this one. Arizona is 4-0 on the road this season and puts up points in bunches.

New England over NY Jets
Payback is a MOFO, and Rex Ryan will get a big spoonful of it in Foxboro, where the Pats are 5-0 this year.

San Diego over Denver
It’s amazing how fast things can change in the NFL. A few weeks ago it looked like Denver would run away with the West crown, now they’re fighting to stay in first.

Cincinnati over Oakland
Bruce Gradkowski or JaMarcus Russell. It doesn’t matter because they both suck. Besides, the Raiders have more problems than just at quarterback.

Chicago over Philadelphia
I know Jay Cutler has been playing pretty bad lately, but for some reason I like them to beat the Iggles.

Tennessee over Houston
My man Vince Young has a 3-0 record since taking over as starter. Make it 4-0 for the resurgent Titans once they top Houston on Monday Night Football.

Last Week: 10-5
Season: 88-56

*Games behind Jim – 6

Terrell basketball report (Nov. 17)

Summaries from Terrell High School basketball games played Nov. 17:

Tigers win opener

Darius Simpson scored a game-high 14 points as the Terrell Tigers topped Rockwall in their season debut, 46-34.

Tigers lead by 5 at half

Terrell overcame a slow start to put together a 19-14 lead over visiting Rockwall at halftime.

Terrell girls edge Paris

The Lady Tigers improve to 2-1 this season with a 47-46 home win over Class 3A Paris.

A Cure for the Basketball Blues

Starting at 5 p.m. tonight, the Terrell High School campus is the place to be if you want to see some hardwood action.

All of the Terrell High School teams (two freshmen, two junior varsity and two varsity) will be playing at home tonight, with six games split between two gyms.

Games will be played at The Pit gym and at the TISD Athletic Complex. Here is the schedule:

THE PIT
5 p.m. – JV girls vs Paris
6:30 p.m. – 9th boys vs Rockwall
8 p.m. – 9th girls vs Paris

THE COMPLEX
5 p.m. – JV boys vs Rockwall
6:30 p.m. – Lady Tigers vs Paris (varsity)
8 p.m. – Runnin’ Tigers vs Rockwall (varsity)

Come out and support the Terrell High School basketball teams!

Terrell – Waco University game summary & stats

MIDLOTHIAN – A last minute drive by the Terrell Tigers (8-3) fell short Saturday and the Waco University Trojans (7-4) escaped from Midlothian with a 13-12 victory in a Class 4A Division II bi-district playoff game.
Both teams alternated scores in both halves as Gerrell Griffin reached the end zone twice for the Trojans and Jaylon Kennedy did the same for Terrell. However, missed extra points by the Tigers were the difference.
Waco U quarterback Randy Price accounted for 218 total yards and the Trojan defense put the clamps on Terrell’s powerful running game, allowing just 139 yards on the ground.
Waco University advances to the area round next week to face defending champion Sulphur Springs.

Score by Quarter
1 2 3 4 OT F
UNI 7 0 6 0 13
TER 0 6 0 6 12

Scoring Summary
UNI – Gerrell Griffin 4 run (Ricardo Casarez kick)
TER – Jaylon Kennedy 2 run (kick failed)
UNI – Griffin 1 run (kick failed)
TER – Kennedy 17 run (kick blocked)

Team Stats
UNI TER
First Downs 18 12
Rushing 47-202 31-139
Pass Yards 148 152
Passing 13-21-0 9-20-0
Punts-Yards 3-84 4-122
Penalties-Yards 8-63 4-23
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0

Individual Stats
RUSHING
UNI – Randy Price 20-70, Gerrell Griffin 17-68, Darious Burns 9-49, Sylvester Dixon 1-15.
TER – Guy Kennedy 9-18, Ski Spencer 11-71, Jaylon Kennedy 6-33, Milton Evans 1-7, Isaiah Jones 3-0, Noreco English 1-10.

PASSING
UNI – Randy Price 13-20-0-148, Gerrell Griffin 0-1-0-0.
TER – Guy Kennedy 7-16-0-67, Isaiah Jones 1-2-0-48.

RECEIVING
UNI – Jarrod Hall 5-52, Anthony Tisdale 5-46, Alton Montgomery 2-26, Gerrell Griffin 1-24.
TER – Milton Evans 2-61, Jherrod Stiggers 2-45, Pat Morris Jr. 3-24, Noreco English 1-13, Ski Spencer 1-9.

University 13, Terrell 12 – FINAL

Guy Kennedy’s fourth down pass falls incomplete and the Trojans take a knee to secure a 13-12 victory and the Class 4A Division II bi-district championship.

More to follow.