Now that the betting on the Hall of Fame game is over, we can get to the rest of the NFL week 1 pre-season schedule. There are teams that have no clue how they will look when camp is over (like the Carolina Panthers) and there are teams that are set with their roster and only have a couple of spots open (like the Indianapolis Colts).

The fun of pre-season begins. The questions need to be answered, and the best teams need to step up. Will the Saints repeat as World Champions? Will the Colts redeem themselves and win Super Bowl XLV? Will the Cowboys be the first host team to play in and win a Super Bowl? How many places will the Buffalo Bills play home games this season?

All of these picks include the NFL point spread picks, and we will try to keep track of how well our picks do against the NFL spread picks, and the straight up NFL Las Vegas picks. Keeping track will start with week one of the regular season, but for now let's use the pre-season to get warmed up for another fall and winter of football!

August 12 => New Orleans Saints @ New England Patriots (-1 1/2)

Repeating as Super Bowl champions is extremely difficult, and the Saints may not have the pieces to hold their championship run together. The Saints lack depth on the offensive line, at running back and at quarterback. Drew Brees is a great leader, but if he goes down for the season then the NFL football picks on the Saints change drastically.

The Patriots will be trying out new acquisitions such as veteran wide receiver Torry Holt and veteran running back Fred Taylor. The Patriots may have what they need to take one last shot at the Super Bowl before the team gets dismantled by the lack of a CBA.

Pick: New England Patriots 13-10

August 12 => Carolina Panthers @ Baltimore Ravens (-4)

Even for a pre-season game this one is easy to call. The Panthers will spend the pre-season desperately looking for the players that can help them win in the future. The Ravens are ready to challenge for the playoffs.

Pick: Baltimore Ravens 31-9

August 12 => Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys (-3)

The Raiders are much improved, and if head coach Tom Cable can behave himself then the Raiders may only be a couple of years away from making the playoffs. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are the deepest team in the league and will be a contender to win Super Bowl XLV this year.

Pick: Dallas Cowboys 21-17

August 13 => Jacksonville Jaguars @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3)

No Brian Westbrook. No Donovan McNabb. The personality of the Eagles we have all come to know and love has been gutted. Is Kevin Kolb the heir apparent to Donovan's kingdom? It is hard to tell. Kolb is a pocket passer where McNabb was known for his mobility. The Eagles won with McNabb, but they just could not win the big games. Time will tell if Kolb is the answer, and if sending McNabb to division rival Washington was a wise move.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles 13-3

August 13=> Buffalo Bills @ Washington Redskins (-3)

The Redskins have more talent at the second and third quarterback position than the Bills have at starter. The Redskins defense, at any spot on the depth chart, could shred the Bills starting offensive line. Even in the pre-season, this one is no contest.

Pick: Washington Redskins 34-3

August 13=> Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons (-3)

The Falcons will win this game, but Chiefs fans should not be despondent over that. The Chiefs are headed in the right direction, and Kansas City will win more games this season than they won last year.

Pick: Atlanta Falcons 17-0

August 14=> Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins (-3)

This is another game that pits a team trying to find themselves against a team that knows exactly where they are going. The Bucs are still looking for answers on both sides of the ball, while the Dolphins are hoping to contend for a playoff spot this season.

Pick: Miami Dolphins 21-10

August 14=> Detroit Lions @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)

With the Steelers lacking their starting quarterback for the first four weeks of the season, and losing running back Willie Parker and wide receiver Santonio Holmes to free agency, it could be a long season in Pittsburgh.

The Lions are building around young quarterback Matthew Stafford. While that is a good idea, it will take time.

Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers 17-10

August 14=> Houston Texans (-1) @ Arizona Cardinals

There is much debate among those that dabble in NFL Las Vegas picks as to whether the Houston Texans are good enough to make the playoffs this season. They may be. One thing is for sure, without Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner the Cardinals probably will not make the playoffs this season.

Pick: Houston Texans 27-3

August 14=> Minnesota Vikings @ St. Louis Rams (-1 1/2)

The Vikings have allowed their organization to get ravaged by the Brett Favre circus. If Favre does not come back, the Vikings will have to change everything. Allowing any player to put a franchise on hold like this is disgraceful to the player and the franchise. If Favre plays the Vikings are a playoff contender, if he does not play then the Vikings will have to scramble to put a new system in place and hope to win a few games. It is truly sad to watch all of the talent on the Vikings wasted on one player.

Pick: St. Louis Rams 14-3

August 14=> Cleveland Browns @ Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2)

This is the year of Aaron Rodgers. He will finally be recognized as the elite quarterback he has been the past two seasons, and he will take his team deep into the playoffs.

The Browns are making changes, and taking things slowly. Mike Holgrem will have that team winning again, just not this season.

Pick: Green Bay Packers 13-0

August 14=> Chicago Bears @ San Diego Chargers (-3)

Even with all of the contract disputes and hold-outs, the Chargers are still a playoff contender in the AFC. That is primarily due to Phillip Rivers and his abilities.

The Bears could either be the surprise in the NFC, or they could fall on their faces again. With a healthy defense that has seen the addition of Julius Peppers, the Bears can keep teams off the scoreboard. If quarterback Jay Cutler can grow up and use that cannon of an arm of his then the offense can put up points. The Bears are a bit light at wide receiver, but a lot of their offensive success hinges on Cutler.

Pick: San Diego Chargers 20-10

August 14=> Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks (-3)

The Seahawks are favored in this game because it is pre-season, and they are at home. But even in a pre-season game, the Seahawks do not have the depth and talent to beat the Titans.

Pick: Tennessee Titans 21-17

August 15=> San Francisco 49ers (-3) @ Indianapolis Colts

If you watch only one pre-season game this week, make it this one. Do not look for Peyton Manning to play a lot in the pre-season, but the rest of the Colts are on notice from Manning and the front office. The Colts have to be considered a prime contender for the Super Bowl this year, mainly because of the embarrassment Manning felt at the end of last year's Super Bowl.

The 49ers will show significant improvement this season under head coach Mike Singletary. Quarterback Alex Smith looks ready to take over, and running back Frank Gore is the weapon no one is talking about.

Pick: San Francisco 49ers 35-30

August 15=> Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals (-3 1/2)

The NFL picks enthusiasts finally get to see if quarterback Tim Tebow was worth a first-round draft pick. Head coach Josh McDaniels has completely gutted this Denver team, and now has the team he wants in place. Winning or losing this season is on McDaniels' shoulders.

In game one of the pre-season Terrell Owens was featured in the first-string offense, and Chad Ochocinco did not catch a pass. Most people are just waiting to see how long it takes before this team implodes under the weight of these two.

Pick: Denver Broncos 13-10

August 16=> New York Giants @ New York Jets (-2)

When the Giants play the Jets, home field means nothing because they play in the same stadium.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is coaching for his job this season. Jets head coach Rex Ryan could easily coach circles around Coughlin, and that is what will happen in this pre-season matchup.

Pick: New York Jets 21-10