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About nine weeks ago, I started SPiN Expert Picks to run along with the popular CBSSports.com NFL Expert Picks feature to see how a group of "non-experts" would fare against football gurus Pete Prisco and Clark Judge, NFL Internet Sports Producer Ron Davis, Senior Fantasy Football Writer Dave Richard and Jim Harmon (through AccuScore.com). The twist? The SPiN experts are a dog, a quarter, slips of paper inside a hat and a random non-sports fan. Silly and over the top? Yes. Funny? Most definitely.
When most people walk through the abstract paintings section of a museum art gallery, a lot of them would say, "Hey, my kid could paint that!" SPiN Expert Picks follows the same idea. When Harmon, Prisco and Judge picked the Miami Dolphins to win over the New England Patriots against the spread back in Week 7, hordes of readers probably wondered if the CBSSports.com experts have seen the same putrid Dolphins they've been watching on TV (and God forbid, live at the stadium) the previous six weeks.
More than halfway through the NFL season, the SPiN experts are doing surprisingly well against their NFL experts counterparts. Here's a quick comparison of overall records (not counting tonight's MNF results):
SPiN EXPERTS:
1. Roland Liwag (69-59; 10-3 ATS for Week 9)
2. SPiN Dog (65-63; 6-7 ATS for Week 9)
3. Non-Sports Fan (64-64; 8-5 ATS for Week 9)
4. Coin Toss (63-65; 4-9 ATS for Week 9)
5. Slips of Paper Picked From Hat (54-74; 6-7 ATS for Week 9)
NFL EXPERTS:
1. Clark Judge (72-56; 7-6 ATS for Week 9)
2. Pete Prisco (70-58; 5-8 ATS for Week 9)
3. Jim Harmon (69-59; 9-4 ATS for Week 9)
4. Ron Davis (62-66; 7-6 ATS for Week 9)
5. Dave Richard (61-67; 7-6 ATS for Week 9)
So what does this all prove? All the guesses made by "experts" on the Web and talking (yelling) heads on 24/7 sports television are just as good as yours. And your pet dog, loose change in your pocket and sister-in-law who couldn't care less about football. To go even further, I'm going to have "guest experts" come in every week to make football picks against the spread for your entertainment and financial well-being, if you're brave enough to take these picks with you to Vegas or A.C.
Over the weekend, I spoke to a South Florida area psychic and quizzed her on Week 9 NFL matchups. Again, if it's not yet obvious, this psychic claims not to have a keen sports background.
SPiN: Arizona at Tampa Bay (-3.5)
Psychic: "These two teams are both well-matched. Tampa feels old, and Arizona feels newer and fresher. Tampa seems to have older people who have been there longer. To me, Arizona feels like they have a positive attitude; they have a shine to them like a brand new penny. This game is all about experience vs. newness. Arizona seems to be missing traditional plays and skills that veterans have/know. They also tend to make overaggressive mistakes. They have the enthusiasm, but Tampa would steadily move them off the playing field."
RESULT: Tampa Bay 17, Arizona 10
SPiN: Carolina at Tennessee (-4.5)
Psychic: "The Carolina Panthers carry more weight; to me, they feel physically heavier. They must have a stronger, heavier force. Tennessee will be flighty all over the place. Carolina will be more like a heavyweight and steamroll across the field. Tennessee will then panic and focus on finesse, which will mess them up. Carolina will use 'divide and conquer' to win the game."
RESULT: Tennessee 20, Carolina 7
SPiN: Cincinnati at Buffalo (-1.0)
Psychic: "Cincinnati will win. They seem to be clearer and more focused. Buffalo's bubble is going to burst, although their play has improved."
RESULT: Buffalo 33, Cincinnati 21
