If there's one thing Pro Foottball Talk's very own Mike Florio knows how to do, it's to sit around and conjure up reasons to pick against the New York Jets.
Well, he's done it again! And he provides us with some very cogent compelling vanilla arguments in doing so:
Jets at Browns
Florio's take: I wanted to take the Browns against the Saints, and I didn't. I wanted to take the Browns against the Patriots, and I didn't. I want to take the Browns against the Jets. And I will. Though they may have found their groove a bit too late, look for the Browns to make it three in a row.
Florio's pick: Browns 24, Jets 23.
Rosenthal's take: The Browns have won with gadget plays, special teams, and perhaps the best offensive line football. They build quick leads that allowed them to limit quarterback Colt McCoy's exposure. He hasn't had to go vertical or throw much at all except in advantageous situations. The Browns can shut down the Jets' rushing attack, so Mark Sanchez will be the difference here. That's weird to write.
Rosenthal's pick: Jets 20, Browns 17.
Our response:
Two weeks too late, Florio! While he admits the Browns were live dogs in their two previous games but failed to pull the trigger, he's now going to back them now?
The Browns are in one hell of a tough spot here, coming off consecutive games against Pittsburgh, New Orleans and New England. I have a hard time buying a team like Cleveland winning three tough games in a row.
Back in week two vs. New England, we had a fun time with Florio. We refuted his prediction of saying Patriots would beat the Jets by 22, we engaged in a "funsies" bet with him getting +22 points at home. We obviously covered (winning outright), and he held up his end of the bargain by wearing a Chrebet jersey on his PFT TV segment the following week.
Good news for Jets fans. When Florio picks against the Jets, we usually win.
(GGN official game preview will be up tomorrow afternoon, per usual. We'll have a bit of a different score..)