Barrington is a bonafide winner in straight up football office pool type events. He has won multiple prizes, both weekly and season long, in the large Las Vegas "pick every game" contests. He will write a column every week focused strictly on straight up handicapping.
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"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." -- Booker T. Washington
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The Henry Rules
#1: Know the odds of a team winning
#2: Upsets happen
#3: Take the odds of winning and adjust them
#4: Don't get crazy
#5: The last game matters
#6: Season has stages
#7: Look at the won-loss record
#8: Division, Conference, Non Conference
#9: Travel Counts
#10: The NFL means pain
#11: Loser teams have excuses ready
The Henry Rules
#12: It's all about the Quarterback
Some games come down to one thing: the QB. You maybe noticed Tampa Bay lost to San Francisco last week. Put the blame on a new QB. Unproven quarterbacks playing on the road are about the worst possible picks. You got to adjust those games in a big way. So rule #10 and rule #12 go together.
That's the dirty dozen Henry Rules. Use them and win. Now back to rule number three:
The Henry Rules
#3: Take the odds of winning and adjust them
| Away Team |
Home Team |
Spread |
Likely Winner |
Odds of Winning* |
| Houston |
Jacksonville |
-13 |
Jacksonville |
88% |
| N.Y. Giants |
San Francisco |
10.5 |
N.Y. Giants |
79% |
| San Diego |
N.Y. Jets |
6.5 |
San Diego |
75% |
| Pittsburgh |
Green Bay |
4.5 |
Pittsburgh |
67% |
| Oakland |
Kansas City |
-5 |
Kansas City |
65% |
| Seattle |
Arizona |
4 |
Seattle |
65% |
| Tennessee |
Cleveland |
-3 |
Cleveland |
62% |
| Indianapolis |
New England |
3.5 |
Indianapolis |
60% |
| Philadelphia |
Washington |
-2.5 |
Washington |
58% |
| Chicago |
New Orleans |
3 |
Chicago |
58% |
| Cincinnati |
Baltimore |
3 |
Cincinnati |
58% |
| Carolina |
Tampa Bay |
1.5 |
Tampa Bay |
54% |
| Detroit |
Minnesota |
1.5 |
Minnesota |
54% |
| Atlanta |
Miami |
2 |
Miami |
53% |
*=smoother chart
Your turn. You got to do the shift. I'm not going to do it for you, this ain't Christmas. You got to use the Henry Rules and your own football smarts to make the right moves.
Now don't get move happy. A little goes a long way in all season picks. Maybe a 5% nudge, maybe 10%.
Slow and steady wins in NFL straight up picking.
Also See:
Henry's Column week eight
Henry's Column week seven
Henry's Column week six
Henry's Column week five
Henry's Column week four
Straight-up quick picks
Full Story" Office Pool Picks (Thurs.)
Office Pool W-L records & standings
