Since I haven't been keeping up very well with this thing, I thought I would start a weekly picks column. I know, America needs another NFL picks column like it needs more political correctness, but at least maybe this will keep me posting semi-regularly. I'll try to throw in some thoughts on the markets as well. On with the picks (pick in BOLD):

Washington at New York (-4)
I'm a little worried about New York's shorten off-season (playing the last game of last season AND the first game of this season). But seriously, I don't think people remember how important the pass rush was to their success last year. They are a completely different team without Osi and Strahan. Tuck is good, but now teams can concentrate a lot more on him. That and they are playing against a Redskins team with the best talent money can buy (even though it isn't great). I gotta take the visitors here, but what do I know.

Detroit (-3.5) at Atlanta
Gotta take the Lions here. It's hard enough for a veteran QB to grasp a new coach's system, let alone a rookie one. Who does Atlanta have on offense? Michael Turner? Isn't he a backup? And defense? This team is in what college coaches like to call a rebuilding year, even though there is no excuse for NFL teams to have those kinds of years. Detroit sucks, but I'm taking the lesser of two terrible teams here.

Seattle at Buffalo (Even)
This is a tough one. On the one hand Seattle doesn't seem to play well on the road. On the other, the Bills have a very young offense and a defense with something to prove. When it comes down to it, I think the Seahawks are the better team and as it is the first game of the season, I don't see the travel hurting them too much.

New York Jets (-5) at Miami
Say what you want about Favre and the Jets, but does everyone forget how terrible the Dolphins were last year? The only legitimate weapon I see on the offense is Ronnie Brown. On defense at least they have Jason Tay... what was that? He got traded? The Jets should finally have a very good o-line this year and they have a capable back in Thomas Jones. If Brett Favre can just hold this team together, they have the weapons on offense to score points. However, I think it might take a couple of games for the offense to start clicking, and at least Miami is at home.

Kansas City at New England (-13)
KC is terrible. And how many times did New England cover the spread last year? Who knows if Tom Brady is really hurt? But who cares? If he is hurt, I see him coming out mid-way through the 3rd quarter with the Pats up 21 points.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-4)
I don't see how Tampa Bay got better and Jeff Garcia appears to be banged up. I think a happy Jeremy Shockey will play much better in New Orleans and that makes their offense that much better. The city needs this victory as well.

St. Louis at Philadelphia (-7)
There are some high hopes in Philly this year and a healthy Donovan Mcnabb may be able to deliver. Or we'll see another disappointing season from the Eagles. I'm betting on the latter. St. Louis was crushed by injuries last year and although I think the best years are behind the Rams offense, they still have some big guns. I just don't think Philly has the firepower to blow their opponents out.

Houston at Pittsburgh (-7.5)
The Steelers have been flying under the radar so far and I think that's the way they like it. After a couple of disappointing seasons following Big Ben's accident and the publicity that followed, I think the silence was a welcome change. The Steelers have a powerful offense and a hard nosed defense. Houston still has a lot to prove.

Jacksonville (-3) at Tennessee
I just don't think Vince Young has the mentality of a starting QB. He obviously has the skills, but he doesn't seem to care enough. And I can't figure out the identity of this Tennessee team, on offense or defense. Jacksonville seems to know where it's going and appears to be determined to get there.

Cincinnati (-2.5) at Baltimore
I know Baltimore is terrible but what are the Bengals doing? Does anyone know? The team is in shambles and has a defense so bad the Ravens might just be able to score against them. Either way, I can't take a messed up team like the Bengals on the road. I just can't.

By the way, isn't this kind of a "who would you rather do?" scenario, where Cincinnati is the flashy blond that you can just tell has STD's but Baltimore is the homely nerd who you aren't even sure is able to have sex? Who would you take? You can't say neither. That's why I'm going with Baltimore, because I don't love STD's.

Carolina at San Diego (-6.5)
San Diego has almost had it for so long, you gotta think they're gonna get it eventually, right? Also, it seems that maybe LT is sensing he is getting close to the end of his dominance. I think he gives it an extra push this year because of that. Not saying he isn't going to be good for a little while longer, but the guy almost never gets hurt, and although that should be a good thing, it also means he has had a lot of touches the past few years. I don't trust a Caroline team traveling across the country with no weapons (Steve Smith).

Arizona (-1) at San Francisco
This is like the Bengals/Ravens situation, except both these teams are the Ravens. I guess I go with Arizona considering Kurt Warner looked like Tom Brady in the second half of last season and they do still have the weapons, albeit aging ones. What are the odds O'Sullivan shows up drunk? I would too if I were a journeyman getting handed the starting job with the Niners.

Dallas -(6) at Cleveland
I think this spread is right on. I'm thinking of a 38-31 score. Cleveland can score but no matter what anyone says, their cornerbacks are terrible. The run stopping game should be better but the Cowboys have too many weapons in the air. And I think their defense will put enough pressure on DA to coax him into some errant throws. At the very least they should be able to stop the run, despite Cleveland's impressive line.

Chicago at Indianapolis (-8)
Peyton deserved a preseason off, that's all. The Colts are going to need to make some changes and get healthy, but as long as Peyton is back there they'll be fine. Lucky for them Chicago has no run game and a pass game that can easily be shut down if that is all you need to concentrate on. I'm thinking a pretty high margin of victory here, and Peyton getting a little rest if need be toward the end of the game.

Minnesota (-0.5) at Green Bay
I thought Minnesota was one of everyone's favorite teams in the NFC this year? Where's the love now? Green Bay has a ton of talent and I actually think Aaron Rodgers will be good, I just think this is a tough defense to get your first NFL start against. They're going to bring the pressure and are able to cover adequately down field, although I do think Jennings will give them trouble if Rodgers can make them pay.

Denver (-1) at Oakland
In this case, I'm taking the home team in a battle of two pretty bad teams. Cutler should be better but so should Oakland.

That's it for the picks. I'm still keeping an eye on Apple (AAPL). I think it's a great company but may be nearing the end of it's run. Does anyone else know of any drastic new products coming out, now that the iPhone 3G has been released? I know they have new line-ups of iPods and Macs coming out, but nothing revelutionary anytime soon. Plus, I don't care what you say, Steve Jobs health is a real concern. Apple wasn't half the company before him that it is now.

Also, keep an eye on the Chinese bio-pharmaceutical 3sbio (SSRX). It's trading a little under $10/share and has about $5/share in cash. It is also in the middle of a relatively big buy back.