Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks

[SVN]

ESPN's Patriots-Browns prediction roundup - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

everyone except schefter picks the pats

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - ESPN

ESPN's Patriots-Browns prediction roundup - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

everyone except schefter picks the pats

I'd be curious to hear what Schefter's logic is. I know I've heard him say before that he prefers to simply report and doesn't really like to have to predict who will win. Doesn't he appear on one of the Boston sport radio shows each week? Maybe somebody heard him and his explanation and can share.

I'm a little bit surprised there's not more diversity in some of the other games, considering they're using a panel of ten for their predictions. Not one person went with the Seahawks over the Giants even though the game is in Seattle; not one thinks Tampa Bay can beat Atlanta; the fans are the only ones that think the Cardinals can beat Minnesota; and nobody thinks Miami can beat Baltimore. Maybe we don't see more picks like Schefter's because so few want to go out on a limb and pick against the favorite.



Sunday Countdown: Your weekly NFL guide - ESPN
The Sunday Countdown crew of Ditka, Keyshaw, Cris Carter and Tom Jackson all go with the Pats as well.*

Video Games - EA Sports Simulations - ESPN
Their Madden simulation has the Pats winning 28-13 with Brady throwing for three touchdowns and Welker having seven catches for 74 yards.

Video: Pats-Browns AccuScore report - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston
Their Accuscore has the Pats winning 73% of the time, by an average score of 27-19.

Video: Schlereth, Edwards pick Pats - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston
From NFL Live, both Herm Edwards and Mark Schlereth take the Pats in a close game.

* Schlereth: “The way [the Patriots are] running that spread offense right now, they’re finally starting to get some of their rhythm back. I think they beat Cleveland, but I think it’s going to be a close game.”

* Edwards: “I think New England wins this game, but [Browns defensive coordinator] Rob Ryan, he’s gong to have something for those New England Patriots, no different than what he did when they went to New Orleans. He found a way to rattle the quarterback. They will get after Tom Brady.”

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - ESPN

Found some more predictions from TWWL, as well as Schefter's explanation.


Schefter picking Browns to beat Patriots - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

"Cleveland seems to play its best football against good teams, evidenced by the fact that they've beaten the defending Super Bowl champion each of the last three years, including the New Orleans Saints on the road two weeks ago," Schefter said. "I think they're coming back home. I think that they're coming off a bye week. I think the Patriots are coming off a game that took some things out of them, a great win over the Minnesota Vikings, where everybody thought a game like that could go either way.

"I just think that Cleveland is this tough, crafty football team. New England's the best team in football right now. You're not going to get an argument from me on that. I just think on one Sunday, I think it's going to be a tough game for them."

So how are they going to win, Schefter was asked?

“In Cleveland’s last seven wins, dating back to last October, they have averaged in those seven wins, 91.4 passing yards,” Schefter explained. “So how are they going to win? However the hell they’ve won the last seven times. By throwing for 91.4 yards, forcing 2-3 turnovers, by getting a Josh Cribbs special teams play ... that’s how they win.”

NFL Football Scouting - National Football League - ESPN
Ken Moll rates the Pats as being better in every category except Special Teams (?) and predicts the Pats will win 24-20.



Mike Reiss predicts the Pats will win by a field goal: Video: Reiss' 3 keys for Pats vs. Browns - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Patriots 20, Browns 17. I think this is going to be a dogfight. Or maybe I should say "Dawg fight," given that the game is in Cleveland. I see Eric Mangini throwing everything he can at the Patriots -- from fake field goals to onside kicks to one-man rushes -- but in the end, I just think New England has too much talent. The discrepancy at quarterback tilts it in the Patriots' favor.

Tedy Bruschi has the Pats winning easily: Bruschi's Breakdown: Peyton Hillis key for Brown's offense

Cribbs will make an exciting play for the Browns on special teams, but it won't be enough. Eric Mangini and the Browns are trying to rebuild that organization with many of the lessons he learned in New England. They're getting better, but the Patriots are the "big boy" version. Pats 35, Browns 14.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - CBS

NFL Picks, Grades - CBSSports.com Football

Pete Prisco, Dave Richard, Will Brinson, and Josh Katzowitz go with the Pats; Clark Judge picks the Browns. Against the spread of Cleveland +5.5 Judge and Brinson go with the home underdog Browns.

NFL Picks, Grades - CBSSports.com Football
Prisco has the Pats winning 27-14.

The Patriots have the best record in football and now must go on the road to face a Browns team that was impressive in beating New Orleans two weeks ago before their bye. This game is Bill Belichick against Eric Mangini, two former colleagues who know each other well, even if they aren't exactly chummy. I think Belichick will find a way to confuse rookie quarterback Colt McCoy if he starts. Those mistakes will be the Browns undoing.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - FOX

Weekly expert NFL picks - NFL News - FOX Sports on MSN

Jay Glazer, Alex Marvez, John Czarnecki, Adam Schein, Peter Schrager and Adam Caplan all pick New England to beat Cleveland, one of eight games they all agree on. Interestingly they are split 3-3 on the Jets-Lions matchup.

Patriots-Browns Preview - NFL News - FOX Sports on MSN

 

[Nikolai]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - FOX

Weekly expert NFL picks - NFL News - FOX Sports on MSN

Jay Glazer, Alex Marvez, John Czarnecki, Adam Schein, Peter Schrager and Adam Caplan all pick New England to beat Cleveland, one of eight games they all agree on. Interestingly they are split 3-3 on the Jets-Lions matchup.

Patriots-Browns Preview - NFL News - FOX Sports on MSN

I expect a split on the Jets-Lions. I think that will be a tight game. I went with the Lions in my pool. Suh will eat Sanchez for lunch.

On another note, I always get nervous when everyone picks the Pats.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - NBC/PFT

From NBC Sports / Pro Football Talk: Week Nine picks | ProFootballTalk.com

Mike Florio's take: Two weeks ago, I was tempted to pick the upset when the Browns went to New Orleans. As the Browns prepare to host the Patriots, I'm tempted to take the upset again. But coach Bill Belichick is on a roll when it comes to dispensing defeat to former employees, and Eric Mangini's presence as coach of the Browns will make it even harder for Cleveland to win. Don't count on a Moss-style man-hug for Mangini after this one.

Florio's pick: Patriots 28, Browns 17.


Gregg Rosenthal's take: This is a much more even matchup than it appears. The Browns are the best two-win team in football; a group greater than the sum of their spare parts. The Patriots are built the same way, but they have Tom Brady. Eric Mangini always did a nice job slowing down Brady while with the Jets, and this Patriots offense isn't as explosive as usual. Expect another close Browns loss.

Rosenthal's pick: Patriots 20, Browns 16.

Interesting note from the beginning of the column: Rosenthal is doing better with his predictions than anyone at espn, and Eric Allen has somehow managed to find a way to get less than half his picks correct even though he's not picking against the spread.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - SI, SN

NFL Week 9 Predictions include Falcons over Buccaneers - Peter King - SI.com
Peter King predicts the Pats win 23-13.

New England Patriots (6-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-5)
In his first three NFL starts, Colt McCoy has faced the best team in football, Week 6 version (Steelers, at Pittsburgh); the defending Super Bowl champion (Saints, at New Orleans;, and the best team in football, Week 9 version (Patriots, at home). That'd be like Colt, the ex-Texas QB, opening his college career at Alabama, at Oregon and home to Oklahoma. Brutal. If he comes out of it even 1-2 and completing 63-ish percent, the Browns have to give him the rest of the year to see if he might be the answer.

NFL Week 9: Stars collide - NFL - Sporting News
Vinnie Iyer has the Pats winning by 15.

As we well know, the meeting of Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini is a game best served cold. In "Man-Genius" vs. Mentor, we'll go with the one who has Tom Brady as his right-hand man. Patriots 29, Browns 14.

NFL Football Picks - Sporting News
Pats 29, Browns 14 - Vinnie Iyer
Pats 27, Browns 20 - Dennis Dillon
Browns 23, Pats 21 - Steve Greenburg
Pats 28, Browns 20 - Clifton Brown
Pats 28, Browns 10 - Todd Wright
Pats 24, Browns 14 - Real Scouts
Pats 17, Browns 14 - Russ Lande

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Sometimes I think these guys just pick contrarian, cause nobody remembers when they are the only one to get it wrong. But when the are the only one to get it right they can tout how brilliant they are.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - more national sites

Insiders' Picks - Inside The NFL - Showtime Sports
Warren Sapp, Cris Colinsworth, Phil Simms and a random fan all take the Pats.
YouTube - Inside the NFL - Week 9 Picks - 2010 - Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms, Warren Sapp
The three talk about the Pats game at about the 7 minute mark.



Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Expert Picks Week 9

Les Carpenter, Jason Cole and Michael Silver all take the Pats.
95% of Yahoo users take NE, second only to NO (96%) over Carolina.



Weekly NFL picks from USA TODAY's analysts - USATODAY.com
Pete's Picks: Bills will topple Bears for first win - USATODAY.com

8-0 among the USA Today panel in favor of the Pats; O'Brien takes the Pats by a score of 24-13.



NFL Picks Week 9: Eagles in Need of Some Home Cooking vs. Colts -- NFL FanHouse

Pats 20, Browns 16 is the predicted score, but they're also at the same time taking the Pats -5 (?)



2010 NFL Week 9 Picks and Predictions from Whatifsports.com From WhatIfSports.com
2010 NFL Week 9 - New England Patriots vs Cleveland Browns From WhatIfSports.com

Pats 25, Browns 16; Pats win 78.1% of the time.

 

[ausbacker]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - more national sites

Can someone tell Florio to piss off and predict his own score.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - Boston media

Week 9 NFL Picks: Will Belichick best Mangini for the last time? - WEEI | Kirk Minihane

New England (-4.5) over CLEVELAND

Give the Browns credit -- they have played hard since the beginning of the season. They aren't going to roll over on Sunday, but I just don't think Colt McCoy is going to beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Easy to point to this as a trap game, but I think the offense and defense are both still buying the "us against the world" stuff from Belichick, who might want to beat Mangini one more time before he takes mercy and hires him as the assistant to the assistant secondary coach next season. Patriots 24, Browns 17.

Tom Brady Looks to Continue Dominance, Improve to 5-0 Against Browns For Career - Jeff Howe - NESN.com

The Patriots have displayed a ton of mental toughness during some key second halves this season, but this weekend's game will show whether or not they've got a different kind of that mental toughness. The Browns are a tougher team than their 2-5 record indicates, having lost three of their five games by one possession.
It doesn’t seem likely that the Patriots will take Cleveland lightly, but any type of overconfidence will absolutely hinder New England's chances. Since that seems doubtful, look for the Patriots to win the game by 10-14 points.

NFL Picks: Week 9 - Rich Levine - Comcast SportsNet New England

Patriots (-5) at Browns

Is it asking too much for the Patriots to blow out at least one crappy opponent this year? Wouldn't that make you feel a little better about everything? Make you a little more confident? Maybe make you feel a little more comfortable calling them an elite team?

This is their chance. I know it's on the road, but when you're playing a rookie quarterback with no decent receivers, and a team that used up nearly every trick play in its entire arsenal in beating the Super Bowl champs two weeks ago, you have to go in and impose your will. You have to start taking advantage of the easier games, and making quick work of the inferior opponents because there are very few left.

The Pick: Patriots (-5)

Quick Picks: Looking at Curran's spotty record - Tom Curran's Week 9 Picks - CSNNE
Tom Curran - who finally got a Pats game ATS correct for the first time this season last week - is taking Cleveland plus the points (+5.5); he points out that the Pats have had four tough games in a row while the Browns have had two weeks to prepare for the Pats. 98% of the CSNNE audience disagreed and thinks the Pats will cover the spread.



Patriots Football Weekly - From the Hart: Browns-bound Friday Six-Pack - Andy Hart

If the Patriots play their best, and are mentally focused on beating the Browns, then they should beat the Browns. New England is the superior team at this point. Cleveland fights the good fight, but is proving that without a quarterback all the rest doesn’t seem to matter. Stop Hillis and take care of the football on offense and the Patriots win. I expect them to accomplish each of those goals. The New England offense is still a concern and the Browns defense fights hard, but I still think the talent difference is huge between the teams. Though the days of huge blowouts may be over, I expect the Patriots to control this one and come away with something in the range of a 27-13 victory. New England rolls into a big meeting next week with the Steelers.

Gresh, Zo And Hardy’s NFL Picks - CBS Boston – WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub
All three go with the Pats to cover (-5.5).



WHDH-TV - 7NEWS Team Patriots Picks: Week 9
It's the Pats across the board by an 11-0 margin.



The Suffolk Voice | Suffolk University | NFL Week 9 Predictions

What are we focusing on more here: Pats vs. Browns or Bill Belichick vs. Eric Mangini? When these two coaches play each other, we can always expect to see a great football game due to their experience. But the only difference is that one team has a shot at the playoffs and the other team doesn't. In week seven, Cleveland pulled out an upset win over the Saints and enjoyed last Sunday off during their bye week; so I'm sure the Browns will be ready for the Pats. Regardless of the extra week, the Browns will not beat the Patriots because they're playing great football in every aspect of the game and this should be an easy win for them leading up to their tough upcoming games against the Steelers and Colts.
Patriots crush the Browns.

 

[jmt57]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - NE newspapers

Globe Staff's pro picks for Week 9 - Boston.com

Against a point spread of 4 ½ Christopher Gasper, Shalise Manza Young, Jim McBride and Monique Walker all take the Pats to not only win, but to cover the point spread.

Eric Wilbur - Boston Globe - Week 9 NFL Picks

We like: Patriots 28, Browns 20. Cleveland is only averaging 16.9 points per game, better than only Carolina in the NFL. With 29.3 points per game, the Patriots are No. 1. With Colt McCoy likely making the start, the Browns should lean heavily on Peyton Hillis, and we saw what the Patriots defense did last weekend against Adrian Peterson.

Go big on Giants - Boston Herald
87% of Herald readers think the Pats will cover the 4 ½ point spread.

Patriots (-4 1/2) over CLEVELAND
The Pats are on the rise and, after wins against Baltimore, San Diego and Minnesota, are one of the top dogs in the AFC. With Pittsburgh and Indianapolis up next, they won’t be ambushed by the Browns.

Patriots-Browns pregame analysis: Edge to Pats | Robert Lee | The Providence Journal

A matchup against the Browns’ defense may be just what the Patriots need to get their offense back on track in the post-Randy Moss era. While the Browns did play well on the road in New Orleans, they have struggled slowing down most opposing quarterbacks, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is one of the best in the business. Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league in defending the pass, allowing 244.1 yards per game. So there’s really no better time for Brady to re-establish his consistency with Deion Branch, who is battling a hamstring injury, Wes Welker and rookie tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, all while keeping Brandon Tate involved.

Prediction: Patriots, 30-17

 

[goheels22002]

Re: Patriots vs Browns Expert Picks - NE newspapers

Globe Staff's pro picks for Week 9 - Boston.com

Against a point spread of 4 ½ Christopher Gasper, Shalise Manza Young, Jim McBride and Monique Walker all take the Pats to not only win, but to cover the point spread.

Eric Wilbur - Boston Globe - Week 9 NFL Picks





Go big on Giants - Boston Herald
87% of Herald readers think the Pats will cover the 4 ½ point spread.




Patriots-Browns pregame analysis: Edge to Pats | Robert Lee | The Providence Journal

The Herald readers thought Barney Frank was going to lose. I hate that 87% pick the Patriots. Trap game!