I guess the thing I like most about professional football is the artistry that’s on display in the finer details of the game.

The hype-fest that is the NFL is focused on the Patriots-Colts game, so I’ll use that an example of what I mean.

Both teams are led by skilled quarterbacks at the top of their game, and though their outcomes are similar, they play and approach the game very differently.

Tom Brady looks to me like a surgeon, whose knowledge is encyclopedic and whose nerves are calmer than a cat nap in sunshine. His decision-making ability is sure and steady. He’s consistent, confident and totally committed. The word that jumps off the page when thinking about him is “trust.”

At first I am tempted to characterize Peyton Manning as a maestro, but while his music sings, it’s not from the notes he’s playing. It is where and how he’s pushing the song that is the interesting thing. He’s like a great jazz musician, who knows the music so well that song doesn’t matter as much as the quality of the improvisation. To play with Manning, you have to feel the jazz; always fluid and thinking in constant motion. All the work is preparation for the moment of execution, and what you execute is a perfect movement. How perfect is it then that he was raised in New Orleans.

Seeing as how football is not a recognized art form, we’ll just have to let our imaginations run with this, but it sure does make it fun.

Last week’s predictions dropped a bit in the quality department, but only after dark; succeeding 7-1 during daylight and dropping to 1-4 after the sun dropped behind the hillside. Still, the total on the year now is 83-46 which is good for a .643 batting average, slightly below last week’s season high, but still acceptable in the competence department.

Now here’s the week to come:

Bears at 49ers – Here we have the first Thursday night special of the year, and it’s a rather middling affair with two also-rans who showed a bit of promise early but lost it after the first month. I give the nod to San Francisco in this case since Chicago just cannot stop anybody and the Niners only tend to lose to good teams.

Broncos at Redskins – While Denver has now been exposed for lack of a running game, they can still pretty much have their way with Washington. It’s not so much an ability to move the ball on them, because the Redskins’ defense is pretty good, as it is the ability of Denver’s defense to score more points than Washington’s offense. Dan Snyder should be tempted to take his team’s payroll for the week, head to the nearest roulette table, and put it all on 17. That’s as close to a sure thing as he has going right now.

Falcons at Panthers – This game should fall under the category of “slugfest” since Atlanta is going to keep fighting to earn a playoff slot as a wildcard and Carolina’s only shot to keep winning is to keep it on the ground. This is the kind of game retired linemen love to watch, and active linemen love to play. The Falcons are the better and more complete team, but I’m hunching one this week on the home standing Panthers, DeAngelo Williams holding onto the ball for a change, and their “big uglies” getting it done up front.

Bills at Titans – There are signs of life in Nashville after all. Now that their defensive secondary has recovered, they actually look like the team we saw the first three weeks of the year. Vince Young has played under control and given the Titans an added dimension of mobility to their offense that was much too static before. It’s good to see and good for him (and whatever coach is talking in his ear). I can say good things about Buffalo too, but only on the defensive side of the ball. That won’t be enough to get them a win on the road. I wonder if the Bill’s year would have gone any different had Dick Jauron not fired his offensive coordinator just before the season started. It sure couldn’t have gone any worse.

Saints at Rams – St. Louis is my team and Steven Jackson is my hero. He reminds me of my days at Riverfront Stadium watching Mario Soto pitch for the Reds. On any other squad, he’d be leading the All-Star team. As it is, he’s grinding away in relative obscurity. It’s a shame the world should miss out on such consistently good performances. New Orleans is loaded with weapons on offense and an aggressive if not overpowering defense. It takes a whole lot more than one strong weapon to beat them.

Bengals at Steelers – Game of the Day (or at least tied for it) and if Pittsburgh had not looked so flipping strong at Denver in Week 9, I’d take Cincinnati in this one just for the fun of it. They’ve got the defense and enough offense to beat anybody. But at full strength, the Steelers are better and they should prove it to everyone in their division this week. In the fourth quarter, at home, I’m taking the Steelers.

Jaguars at Jets – Jacksonville’s offense and New York’s defense basically will cancel one another out, so which one to choose: the Jaguars on defense or the Jets on offense? I don’t really trust the rookie quarterback enough yet, but being at home makes a difference and Jacksonville’s pass defense is pretty shaky. It’s hardly an endorsement, but all I’ve got when it comes to a good guess here.

Detroit at Vikings – Minnesota climbs off the bye week couch to welcome the Lions to town for their mauling. For Detroit to get it past midfield, they will have to throw it, which is Minnesota’s biggest weakness. I don’t see Matthew Stafford able to do that accurately enough often enough to faze a team that has two of the best lines in the business, not to mention Favre and Peterson in their offensive backfield.

Buccaneers at Dolphins – Tampa Bay’s experiment with Creamsicle jerseys paid off with their first win, though it was more the steadily improving defense and a rookie quarterback who looked mah-velous. Miami wears “throwback” jerseys every week and is a much better team than their 3-5 record might otherwise indicate. They run it too strong for Tampa Bay to stop yet, but that chore seems to be coming on well enough.

Chiefs at Raiders – Matt Cassel to Chris Chambers…Hmmm. Something new, something different, and something that has the potential to work. Anything’s bound to be an improvement over what they’ve been doing. I don’t think they are able to overcome a decent Oakland defense at home, but if Kansas City can beat any team with their defense, it will be this year’s version of the Silver and Black. Oakland’s mistakes are now catalogued by volume.

Eagles at Chargers – If they get Brian Westbrook back, I like their shot at San Diego. That decision will be made after the ink is dry here, so I’m not gambling an increasingly valuable pick on that contingency. The Chargers keep it close and Philip Rivers makes sure Nate Kaeding gets close enough to win it at the end.

Cowboys at Packers – Green Bay’s house of cards has blown down. This Sunday afternoon the breeze is coming in late from Dallas making it impossible to stack them together again. The Packers should have enough pride to at least get it into the end of the third quarter before Aaron Rodgers takes the sack that puts him over his limit for the week.

Seahawks at Cardinals – Arizona is getting to be a dangerous team to face.. The only thing they have left to figure out is how to win at home. If they are going to make any kind of playoff run this year, they need to get some distance in their division and put this sort of game away with authority. Seattle is still thin and brittle. It’s hard to play football when you’re in that kind of shape.

Patriots at Colts – Here is the hype game of the day, and it should earn all the accolades thrown its way. If Indy had a running game, I’d go for them at home easy. If they had Bob Sanders covering the defensive backfield, I’d go with qualms attached. Lacking both, I just can’t go. Pats by five, and I plan to watch this one twice to learn something new about the game.

Ravens at Browns – If Cleveland had Tim Couch back under center they’d have a better chance in this game. I guess all the Monday night games can’t get gems, now can they?