The Marble Ryan Lock of the Week

The results speak for themselves: putting Michael J. Cox on the other side of my bets, regardless of whether he agrees with them or not, has taken the Lock to the level of brilliance we expected from the get go. Last week, even Cox himself had to nod his head in capitulation when I handed my loyal readers the lock of the millennium. I don't really know what Vegas was thinking taking points away from the Chargers against a streaking Colts team.

The result begs the question: is there a flaw in the picking system at RGIOQB.com? I mean, I can't help but feel bad for Cox, who's at quite a disadvantage stuck putting his money against the expert prognostications formulated at the Marble Institute. He's got no choices, no defenses, and no control. So, in the interest of fairness, I think we can experiment in Week 13 with a pick that might not be the most obvious choice; something that won't have Cox so worried that he can't get it up for the big scene in Butt Busters 17 he'll be filming on Saturday afternoon.

This weekend the Broncos will visit the Meadowlands, gasping for air and drawing a red hot Jets team. Cutler has looked very average over the past few weeks, and I think we can all agree that Denver's pathetic running back situation is likely to go to zero against the Jets improving run D. A Jets win won't be a surprise to anyone, although a Jets loss wouldn't be a surprise to Jets fans. I'm not a Jets fan, but Vegas and I are in agreement that the Broncos will head back to Denver with one more notch in the L column. However, let's not forget that this team is a likely division champion, and coach Shanahan no doubt has some tricks up his sleeve for this potential playoff preview.

Are you comfortable with the notion of a Jets win by more than a TD? 7.5 points sounds a little steep to me. Favre is due for a down game, and Cutler is due for a good one. Look for Thomas Jones to single handedly win the game despite Favre's best efforts to blow it. This game has the makings to be one of the most exciting of the season. I'm looking for the Jets to pull out the win in a shootout with lots of big plays and lots of mistakes. The Broncos might not be winning this week, but they are paying, so lock it up for an under the radar money maker.

The Pick: Denver +7.5 @ NEW YORK

Season record: 5-5 (6-6 with Michael J. Cox's assistance)

Every Friday, Marble Ryan will offer up The Marble Ryan Lock of the Week, an under-the-radar, sure-fire NFL pick backed by his proprietary insight. But be forewarned: we in no way advise you to actually take this pick to your local bookkeeper; in fact, we recommend against it. After all, if you hear a cold metallic tap on your door late at night, we're not going to be there to bail you out. But if you want a peek into the pre-eminent football mind of an entire generation, look no further.