KEITH GROLLER'S NFL PICKS

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Lehigh's football season is over, which means I will be home for the holidays.

In fact, as I type this on Sunday morning, my wife is ready to put me to work -- getting a tree, decorating etc. I will have no involvement with Christmas cookies, except to eat them, however.

I just want to thank Lehigh's football program for a great season, a season that lasted two weeks longer than I expected.

It was a memorable experience for me to cover a football team filled with great people, starting with head coach Andy Coen who I continue to say is one of the best people I've met in 30-some years of covering local sports for The Morning Call.

Lehigh took me a lot of places this fall.

Let me count the states I've been either to or through while covering Lehigh games -- New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia (Oh, how I'd like to forget that bumper-to-bumper nightmare on the George Washington Parkway) and how could I forget my whirlwind visit to the state of Iowa.

If you throw in Pennsylvania, that's 10 states I've spent time in covering Lehigh football since Sept. 11.

Lotta fun. It really was. But it's no fun if you're not dealing with good people, and with Lehigh, I was.

I am still thawing out after a Friday night in Shamokin and Saturday's trip to Newark, Del. (Delaware has a great gameday experience with a wonderful marching band in a spirited setting-- but many high schools have better press boxes in terms of size and heat).

Maybe if my brain remained frozen, I'd do better on NFL picks.

Another dreadful week left me at 93-80 outright, 81-90-2 on the over/under totals and 72-94-7) against the spread.

The Eagles got me off to a good start on Thursday and let's see if Week 13 can be lucky.

HOME TEAMS IN CAPS

MINNESOTA (-5) 27, Buffalo 20 -- over the 43.5

MIAMI (-5) 23, Cleveland 17 -- under the 43

Jacksonville (+3) 26, TENNESSEE 14 -- under the 43.5

KANSAS CITY (-8.5) 34, Denver 17 -- over the 47.5

Washington (-7) 24, NEW YORK GIANTS 21 -- over the 43.

DETROIT (+4.5) 27, Chicago 24 -- over the 43.

GREEN BAY (-9) 30, San Francisco 20 -- over the 40.5

CINCINNATI (+6.5) 23, New Orleans 20 -- under the 44.5

TAMPA BAY (+3) 20, Atlanta 17 -- under the 43.5

SAN DIEGO (-13) 21, Oakland 17 -- under the 44.5

SEATTLE (-4.5) 23, Carolina 13 -- under the 40.

INDY COLTS (-5.5) 31, Dallas 21 -- over the 47.5

ARIZONA (+3.5) 20, St. Louis 17 -- under the 43.5

Sunday Night

Pittsburgh (+3) 24, BALTIMORE 20 -- over the 39.

Monday Night

NEW ENGLAND (-3.5) 26, New York Jets 16 -- under the 45.

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/