The Marble Ryan Lock of the Week

It's been a long hiatus for the Marble lock. Luckily, Michael J. Cox has been making his own disastrous picks while I've been gone, which has kept the money flowing in. While I spent three weeks at an undisclosed location rehabbing Tony Romo's pinky, Cox went a very unimpressive 1-1, which under our new system (link—do we have a post that explains the new system?) means that I was the proud owner of a tidy 67% winning percentage in absentia.

Now, I'm back in control and ready to reverse the horrible results I delivered while in the driver's seat. Lucky for you all, the muse has been generous to me this week, and I have several picks for those brave enough to come strong amidst a harrowing economic backdrop. Unfortunately, the rules state that Cox will only bet against one of my picks, so we'll start with the game I feel most comfortable with.

Since the bye, Indianapolis is a very quiet 5-2 and has averaged nearly 25 points per game. With the exception of the Giants and Titans, the Colts are arguably the hottest team in the lig right now. Moreover, it is without argument that Peyton Manning is the lig's hottest player, with 7 TDs and 0 picks over the past three weeks.

On Sunday, the Colts head into San Diego, home to one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Manning and Marble both smell blood. The line varies for this one, but my bookman is offering the Colts +2.5, and I'll happily take him up on that. If you can get the same, I suggest you pull the trigger, with the forecast in normally sunny San Diego calling for an overcast of Peyton Manning TD bombs all afternoon.

The Pick: Indianapolis -2.5 @ SAN DIEGO

If you've got some extra scratch, I also like the Pats (Even) to keep up the streak of not losing to the same team twice in Miami and the Redskins (-3) to steamroll the home Seahawks, whose coach has all but admitted he's playing for the #1 pick.

Season record: 4-5 (5-6 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.