King Kaufman's Sports Daily

NFL Week 15's biggest tilt: League vs. Time Warner. Plus: Picks.

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Dec. 15, 2006 | It's Week 15, and that means Saturday is the new Thursday, which you'll remember is the new Monday. Monday night is the new Sunday night and vice versa, in case you haven't been following along all year.

For the last three weeks of the season the NFL plays one game a week on Saturday night, part of the NFL Network package that also includes five Thursday night games. The NFL is battling Time Warner cable over carriage fees, which isn't very interesting unless you care about where the business is going in the coming years or you want to watch the game and you have Time Warner cable.

NFL rules put all games on broadcast TV in the home market as long as non-sellout blackout rules don't apply, but the NFL defines the Cowboys' home market as Dallas. Cowboys fans define it, conservatively, as Texas.

So, you're a Falcons fan in San Antonio? Congratulations on your iconoclasm. Good luck at the bar.

We have no such problems in these parts. The insight-free ruminations of this column are freely available to all, as long as you're willing to pay. Or watch an ad. Or wash my car.

Pull up a chair, stare at a blank screen if necessary and enjoy Week 15. Winners in caps, the picks of the coin-flippinest 3-year-old west of the Mississippi included as usual, by popular demand.

Saturday game

DALLAS (8-5) at Atlanta (7-6): Falcons running backs Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood are both questionable after getting hurt last week, and even if they play they won't be at full speed. And what are the Falcons without their running game? Just wait and see. Oh, wait. You probably can't. If Michael Vick can make like Drew Brees and light up the Cowboys defense, the Falcons will win big and stay alive in the playoff hunt. Then again, if Michael Vick could make like Drew Brees, the Falcons would be 10-3.
Buster's pick: Atlanta (coin)

Sunday early games

WASHINGTON (4-9) at New Orleans (9-4): Trap game! Trap! Trap! Trap! The Saints routed the Cowboys in a huge national TV game in Dallas Sunday night, they're in -- OK, near -- the Big Apple and the Giants circus next week. This week they get Washington, which can't get out of its own way. Trap! I'm picking it.
Buster's pick: New Orleans (9.5-point favorite)

Tampa Bay (3-10) at CHICAGO (11-2): This is a little trappy too, so I'll skip it as the What the Heck™ Pick on the grounds that I have to believe the WTH™ has virtually no chance to win. But I do think the Bears will be fine.
Buster's pick: Chicago (13.5-point favorite)

Next page: Wait, is everybody 7-6 or 6-7?