Red Hot

Saying the crew is off to a slow start would be deceiving. We are, in fact, a dumpster fire. Most of Eric Roberts' movies are better than us at this point.

Now, however, is not the time to bury our head in the sand, to quit because a few -- or seven -- bad picks. Here's a couple to get us going on the right track:

Cardinals -5

• We think the Big Red have the necessary leadership with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald to avoid what has plagued most teams coming off a loss in the Super Bowl, which has largely been complete disaster. A ton of talent remains of the offensive side of the ball and the defense can only get better after replacing "coordinator" Clancy Pendergast. Plus, the Cardinals have been tough at home ever since University of Phoenix Stadium opened up in 2006. Look for Arizona to be motivated and cover the number impressively today against the 49ers.

Packers -4.5

• There was nothing wrong with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense a season ago. The defense, however, was dreadful. Dom Capers was brought in and immediately went to work, implementing a 3-4 to take advantage of Green Bay's defensive strength, their linebackers. We think he makes a difference, especially against a Chicago offense, which, even with the addition of Jay Cutler, still lacks play makers on the outside.