It was week 16 of the 1999 regular season, and I did something that I had never done before: I picked the New York Jets to win. Picking the Jets to lose was one of my sports superstitions; and, as it turned out, I was generally right. But for whatever reason, that Friday I chose the 6-8 Jets to defeat the 9-5 Miami Dolphins-in Miami, no less. That year was the last time I’ve ever taken part in an NFL company pool; I predicted every game correctly. Go figure.

As I began to make my picks, I instead decided to first read an article to see how writers on Bleacher made their picks. Fortunately for me, I chose to read  Sayre Bedinger’s knowledgeable, well written, and well thought out analysis. Afterward, I realized how little I know about a sport I’ve been watching for the better part of four decades. Although, I plan to make my picks this week, as always based on a team’s record, where they are playing, and gut feeling, I plan to read and understand as much as I can about I love to watch and play. In the future, I hope I make picks based on my knowledge of football, rather than ostensibly flipping a coin. I think the pun was intended.

Thank you, Sayre, for the inspiration to do something I should have done years ago.

For now, here are picks for week eight-based on nothing, really.