Rodgers and Packers Improve Free NFL Playoff Picks to 3-0

We interrupt our regularly scheduled posts featuring scantily-clad young ladies to show you something that, to those wagering on the Packers Saturday, is even sexier.

Aaron Rodgers is the reason we felt confident in our Free NFL Pick of the Packers +2 1/2 over the Falcons, and his play has helped those very picks to a 3-0 playoff start.

The Packers and Steelers have made it to the Final Four in the NFL and will await their opponents on Sunday. We'll pick up the coverage of those match-ups as the Super Bowl nears, and we may even have some 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) proposition wagers prior to the Super Bowl matchup even being determined.

And, of course, once our Super Bowl teams are set in stone, the prop betting fun really begins when we take a look at some of the wackier prop bets of Super Bowl 45, including the coin toss, Gatorade dump and National Anthem.

As a reminder, our Free NFL Pick for Sunday's slate of games:

Jets +9 1/2 over the Patriots

Good luck and stay with us throughout the NFL Playoffs as we close in on our expansive Super Bowl gambling coverage!

Free NFL Playoff Picks Continue as Super Bowl Nears (61%)

At this point, we are already just counting down the days to 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) in Dallas, waiting to unleash the fury of our prop betting expertise. But for now, we will "settle" for high-caliber playoff football in what some call the best weekend in the NFL.

As it stand right now, we have one pick for Saturday and one pick for Sunday. They are:

Packers +1 1/2 over Falcons

Jets +9 1/2 over Patriots

We have been riding the dogs this postseason (believe us, Seahawks +10 and Ravens +3 1/2 are also very tempting), but we think these two plays represent the best value on the board. The Packers seem to be too obvious of a pick, and too many people are counting out the 13-3 Falcons who rarely lose at home. Still, the Packers have the hot hand and in the playoffs, you ride it.

In the Jets/Patriots showdown, much has been made about the pre-game smack talk. We think much more needs to be made about the fact that the Pats defense isn't all that good. Sure, Mark Sanchez is horrible, but we just think the Patriots are more vulnerable than most think--even at home. To get 9 1/2 points against a division team in the playoffs is absurd and something that is basically the result of one single game that the Patriots and Jets played.

Lots of value with the dogs once again, as is often the case in the playoffs, and we're riding with these two as our 2-0 Free NFL Playoff Picks look to remain winless.



Check the BetFirms odds feed for live lines and sign up for their expert NFL picks to win more of your bets.

A Profitable Weekend of Football (64%)

We're baaaaaack.

Well, kind of. We finally went another weekend with a winning record in the NFL and college, which mostly just means that our college picks finally came through since our NFL picks have yet to produce a losing record in any week this season.

Even they, though, have been in a bit of a holding pattern as of late, hovering around .500. All told, our weekend of football finished with a 9-5 record (64%), which we'll take. Here's the breakdown:

First, our crown jewel, which we mentioned have been very unimpressive after a hot start. Still more wins than losses, but we just can't seem to get that one extra victory every week. A push in the Green Bay game would have been helpful, but alas, it was not to be. Still, 4-3 is not bad for a bad week.

Free NFL Picks
Week 1: 5-1
Week 2: 6-1
Week 3: 4-4
Week 4: 3-3

Week 5: 4-3
Overall: 22-12... 65%

Our struggling Free NCAA Football Picks are finally back to perfectly mediocre after three straight fade-worthy weeks. A 4-2 Saturday, followed by a Thursday win, gives us hope that they are back on track.

Free NCAA Football Picks
Week 1: 5-4-1
Week 2: 8-4
Week 3: 3-6
Week 4: 4-7
Week 5: 3-6
Week 6: 5-2
Overall: 29-29-1... 50%

Reason for optimism here at Stock Lemon, with a combined football picks record of 51-41-1 (55%). It's not where we wanted to be right now, but we've fought through some rough spots and are looking forward to building on this weekend with more winnings weeks to come. And yes, we've already posted a picture of this Falcons chick. We're sure you won't mind another.

Week 3 Free NFL Picks Are In (85% YTD)

Our much anticipated Free NFL Picks are in for Week 3. After an 5-1 Week 1 with a 6-1 Week 2 encore, we're hoping for more magic in our Week 3 encore encore. Here are the picks:

Falcons +3 1/2 over the Saints

Steelers -3 over the Buccaneers

Bengals -3 1/2 over the Panthers

49ers -3 over the Chiefs

Lions +11 over the Vikings

Colts -6 over the Broncos

Chargers -5 1/2 over the Seahawks

Redskins -4 1/2 over the Rams

It's a big card this week, and maybe we're pushing our one-loss per week luck by upping the ante to eight games, but we have a lot of value with, as it turns out, all road teams. Last week, road teams went 9-7 overall against home teams in the NFL, so don't get too freaked out by the large amount of white jerseys we're hoping lead us to more green.

Free NFL Picks
Week 1: 5-1
Week 2: 6-1
Overall: 11-2... 85%

Week Two Free NFL Picks Are In

Another Sunday is upon us!

It won't be as eventful as last week when we had nine games total (eight on Sunday), as we have just two Free NFL Picks for this week.

Carolina Panthers +6 over the Atlanta Falcons

San Francisco 49ers -1 over the Seattle Seahawks

Our picks went just 4-5 in a busy Week 1, but we expect two winners here.

Good luck!

2009 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 24-26

The NFL Draft is growing closer and closer, but for now, you'll have to settle for our 2009 NFL Mock Draft. 

We're in the mid-twenties now in our third-to-last set of three picks, and these three are all about the pass catchers. 

24. Falcons: Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

The Falcons have a few other needs, namely on the defensive line, but tight end is a glaring need as well and with the best tight end in the draft still available, Pettigrew should be the pick here. He's got great hands and, better yet, he can block. He's truly a complete tight end and an athletic freak, so the Falcons shouldn't need too much time to make this pick. 

25. Dolphins: Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers

Several teams late in the first round are looking at Britt, but we think the Dolphins will pull the trigger before the other teams get a chance. Of course, there are a few other similarly talented WRs that the Dolphins could go for, but we think the Phins will Phall (lame) for Britt and his tremendous size and skill set. 

26. Ravens: Darius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

The Ravens are one of those teams that could be looking at Britt, but they'll take Heyward-Bey at this point, and might even feel like he's more talented than the previous pick. Heyward-Bey isn't the best receiver in the draft, but some wild-card projections have him going as high as seventh overall, before any of his peers. He's a fast riser and, well, a fast runner--probably the quickest pass catcher in the draft. 

That's all for today, folks. But be sure to check out the final installments of our 2009 NFL Mock Draft tomorrow and Thursday, with a recap and some other draft analysis on Friday. Of course, make sure you also check out the first 23 picks, located conveniently on the upper right hand side of this site. 

It's Playoff Time!

Amidst all these meaningless college football games, it's refreshing that we'll finally be able to enjoy a playoff system tomorrow.

The NFL playoffs are underway, and as promised, we've got a couple of Free NFL Picks for you.

Colts -1 over the Chargers

We're riding Peyton Manning the rest of the way, just like the Colts have been doing for the past nine weeks.

Falcons PICK over the Cardinals

It's nice that the Cardinals get to play an extra game this year. Nice for the Falcons and our wallets, that is. The Matt Ryan/Michael Turner combo will just be too much for the Cards to handle.

Good luck and enjoy the wonders of a simple playoff format.

Saints and Panthers Give Us 2-1 Week in NFL

We hadn't really realized it initially, but we were all about the NFC South this week. We bet on the Panthers to beat the Falcons, then took the Saints to win and the Buccaneers to lose. That's all four NFC South squads accounted for.

So how did it turn out? Our bookies bank accounts went south.

The Saints took it to the 49ers 31-17 to cover a -4 spread, as Drew Brees and New Orleans found a way to get it done in our biggest play of the week. Elsewhere, the Panthers knocked off the Falcons 24-9 to cover the -6 1/2 spread.

We should have stuck with the favorites, though, as the Bucs topped the Packers 30-21. We took the more talented team over the more emotionally invested team (with the death of Bucs' kicker Matt Braynt's infant child earlier this week), and we paid for it.

Still, a 2-1 week still means extra cash in our pockets. Strangely enough, this is the third straight 2-1 week for our Free NFL Picks, following a 3-2 week, so we've had a winning weekend in all four weeks of the young NFL season to date. Our picks are now 9-5 for 64%.

Here's a look at our Free NFL Picks week-by-week:

Week 1: 3-2

Week 2: 2-1

Week 3: 2-1

Week 4: 2-1

Total: 9-5... 64%

Of course, we'll have more Free NFL Picks next weekend--and we'll try to do even better than 2-1.

Saints Highlight Our Free NFL Picks Today

Sunday is here and we have three Free NFL Picks for you today. Our biggest of the three plays is Reggie Bush and the Saints running by the 49ers at home, but the other two plays look solid as well.

Saints -4 over 49ers

Panthers -6.5 over Falcons

Packers +1 over Buccaneers

Good luck!

Mean Machine Interested in Acquiring Harrison

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison may have gotten himself into all sorts of trouble in Philadelphia, but whatever happens, he'll be able to continue playing football, regardless.

Reports out of Allenville indicate that the Mean Machine have a strong interest in Harrison should he become available. Quarterback Michael Vick told coach Burt Reynolds that he would love to have another deep threat (on the field) to play alongside Rae Carruth. The former Falcons quarterback has looked sharp so far in practice, but feels the team could benefit from adding Harrison prior to their first and only game of the 2008 schedule.

"I've always wanted to play with Marvin," Vick said. "He's a tremendous player and he'd really help provide a spark for us. These last few practices we've been dead as dogs... er... uh... we've been really tired. He could really help us in the big game against the Guards, so hopefully he ends up in jail over this."

Vick's current No. 1 target, former Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, is open to the competition.

"Harrison's play-making ability and work ethic would be a huge boost to this team," Carruth said. "Lately, our guys have been practicing like a bunch of babies. And I hate babies. I hate them so much."

Whether they are able to acquire Harrison prior to the game against the Guards is uncertain, but the Mean Machine plan on doing "whatever it takes" to try and get Harrison behind bars.

NFL Mock Draft Top 5

The NFL Draft is about an hour away, so if you can get on any of these picks at reasonable odds, it's time to pull the trigger.

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long, G

2. St. Louis Rams- Chris Long, DE

3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan, QB

4. Oakland Raiders- Darren McFadden, RB

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Glenn Dorsey, DT

Favre Named Madden '94 Cover Athlete

Madden '94, a John Madden's football video game for Super Nintendo that allows users to play a full 16-game NFL schedule with all 28 teams, has announced its cover athlete.

Rather than choose a proven star like Super Bowl winning quarterback Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys, Madden decided to name little-known Packers quarterback Brett Favre (pronounced fay-ver) as its cover boy.

Favre has played just one season with the Packers, throwing 18 touchdown passes and leading the team to a 9-7 record in 1992 after starter Don Majkowski went down with an injury. Prior to that, he played briefly with the Atlanta Falcons before being traded to Green Bay.

Critics say that Favre's career won't last long due to his poor throwing mechanics and a drinking habit that caused him to miss the team picture his rookie year in Atlanta. Perhaps the Madden game would have been better off with a more promising quarterback on its cover, like the young Tommy Maddox of the Denver Broncos.

Time will tell if the video game made the right choice. In the meantime, we only hope this cover won't jinx the young Favre in any way.