Hurley's Picks: Shoutout to Jim Irsay for trying to bring truth to NFL

BOSTON -- Of all the absurd things you see on a weekly basis in the NFL, this one was one of the wilder ones: "A team owner has publicly said the league admitted to officiating mistakes. Stay tuned ..."

The message came from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, who was referring to Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeting about the NFL admitting to two blown calls at the end of Sunday's game in Indianapolis. 

"The NFL admits and understands that they did not make the correct calls at end of Sunday's Colts/Browns Game," Irsay tweeted, in a post that has 5.4 million views. "I believe we need to institute Instant Replay for all calls, including Penalties, in the last two minutes of All Games."

Questionable capitalization aside, I stand with Mr. Irsay.

The inference from Pelissero seemed to be that this could cause some issues in the NFL, where off-camera and off-microphone admissions aren't supposed to see the light of day. Owners can have the privilege of being told the honest truth by the league, but they're not allowed to let the public know, it would seem.

In this case, it was particularly ridiculous, because the blown calls were pretty obvious.

The illegal contact penalty on Darrell Baker was borderline, technically speaking. But replay showed that it was receiver Amari Cooper who initiated and finished contact with the defensive back. Baker was just kind of ... getting barreled over by Cooper.

The second one was preposterous. A group of real, live NFL officials determined that this was a catchable pass.

That's some donkey-esque officiating. With all due respect to donkeys.

In any event, credit to the NFL for calling Irsay and stating the obvious -- that the calls were blown. And credit to Irsay for informing the world. Considering the bazillions of dollars being thrown around on gambling apps these days, plus the playoff implications (and revenue implications for affected teams) that a win and a loss like this can carry, it's important that some straightforward admissions from the league see the light of day.

Nevertheless, on an NFL Network discussion, Pelissero said this: "There is often a call. ... NFL personnel -- coaches, GMs, owners -- you're not allowed to talk about those calls. You're especially not allowed as an owner to get onto social media and say the NFL admits they blew it. So you have the possibility now that Jim Irsay is going to face discipline for this. I don't think, based on what I understand, he really cares at this point, because he was furious after that game."

Ian Rapoport added: "He's going to get disciplined. I have no doubt about that."

(If you're here, then I know you have great taste in what you read. So perhaps you've read "Nineteen Eighty-Four"? Just thought about that for no particular reason.)

That was part of a 7-minute television segment that explored the implications of Irsay's public comments ... instead of addressing the officiating crisis in the NFL.

You won't often hear me say this, but let's try it out: Great job, Jim Irsay! Truth should never be punished!

The way things typically work in the NFL is that the officials make an awful call, and then head of officiating Walt Anderson blatantly lies or gets the rules wrong when speaking to the one reporter who asks him a few questions, and then everyone has to move on.

It is, quite frankly, garbage.

So hear hear, Mr. Irsay. Thanks for trying to provide a small sliver of transparency to a league where secrecy and condescension from those in power reign supreme.

You're still a clown for DeflateGate, though.

(Home team in CAPS; Thursday lines)

Hey, I'm in no position to call anyone a clown, after a shameful 2-11 week last week! Two-and-eleven! Do you know how hard it is to go 2-11? It's harder than going 11-2, I'd argue. You couldn't be that bad if you were trying to be bad at picking NFL games. What an embarrassment. 

Anyways, I'm still here, ready to kick the can again.

Tampa Bay (+9.5) over BUFFALO
It starts with my belief that it's difficult for a team to really put together a great game plan on a short week. Winning by double digits is tough on a Thursday night, especially for a Buffalo team that's sputtering. 

I don't love my pick here, but that's largely because I don't love any of my picks lately.

This might be a long week.

INDIANAPOLIS (+1) over New Orleans
Karmic retribution is in store for the Colts ... though would you put it past an officiating crew to punish the team on the field for Irsay's comments? I hope not, but it would give me something to write about.

Jacksonville (-2.5) over PITTSBURGH
The way these two teams are going, I was hoping to get a better line for the Jags here. But hey, those numbers people are smart. They know what they're doing, and they know the Steelers are overachieving like crazy right now.

Hey, speaking of terrible officiating:

So clutch!!!!

Houston (-3) over CAROLINA
In some circles, it's exciting to see No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud square off against No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young for the first time. That sounds great on paper.

In reality, nobody wants to see the Carolina Panthers play football right now -- other than their opponent every week.

Philadelphia (-6.5) over WASHINGTON
Their first meeting was way too close, but I think the Eagles learned with their Week 6 loss to the Jets that doing just enough to win games is too dangerous of a way to live. Their blowout of Miami last week makes me believe they'll actually try for all 60 minutes this time against Washington.

Atlanta (-2.5) over TENNESSEE
Vibes are off in Tennessee. Kevin Byard got traded. Ryan Tannehill is hurt. Mike Vrabel is rooting for the Patriots to win. Vibes off.

DALLAS (-6) over Los Angeles Rams
The Rams aren't very good. Sometimes you've got to take the simple ones.

New England (+9.5) over MIAMI
Don't look now, but the Patriots are HOT!

OK, not really. But! With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle nursing injuries, it'll be hard for Miami to go full-speed-ahead against a Patriots defense that actually did a decent job against the full-powered Dolphins back in Week 2.

And if last week was any indication, Bill O'Brien and Mac Jones might have actually figured out how to run a functional offense behind that shaky offensive line. 

New York Jets (-3) over NEW YORK GIANTS
You've got to love a road game in your own stadium, don't you?

GREEN BAY (pick 'em) over Minnesota
Vikings vibes have to be so high right now, after Monday's big win. But channeling that to a road win in Green Bay on a short week when your quarterback is Kirk Cousins is difficult to do!

I will grant you that the Packers are not very good and that this game is a nightmare, but we have to pick someone, don't we?

SEATTLE (-3.5) over Cleveland
I reserve the right to count this one as a win if the Browns emerge victorious after getting pushed to the finish line by the officials again. Short of that, the Browns are being weird. Deshaun Watson, weird. Don't like 'em.

Kansas City (-7) over DENVER
I hesitate to ask but ... is Taylor Swift going to be there? That's got to be the biggest gambling wild card going right now. You'd think with the "new" album coming out, she'd want the TV time, so let's roll with her being there and the Chiefs' offense being explosive and all of that.

The Broncos are also so bad, though, that maybe it doesn't matter if Ms. Swift attends the football game, as crazy as that may sound.

Cincinnati (+3.5) over SAN FRANCISCO
I said it all year: As long as Christian McCaffrey is healthy, you ride with the Niners. He showed up on the injury report last week, so I stayed true to my belief. And he was very good, with almost 100 scrimmage yards and a 35-yard touchdown reception. But McCaffrey's injury was the start of what will be a vulnerable period for the Niners, who didn't have Deebo Samuel and now have a quarterback in concussion protocol.

The whole "Kyle Shanahan's offense can be run by anyone" belief will be put to the test with Sam Darnold under center.

Baltimore (-8.5) over ARIZONA
The Ravens are just too temperamental for me to feel comfortable about this. They can pull off a 38-6 win against a good team and then flop face-first the next week. I know they have this in them. So 8.5 points is shaky ground to stand on.

But the Cardinals are borderline useless, so there's really no other option.

Chicago (+8.5) over LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
This is disgusting. What did we do to deserve this on a Sunday night? WHAT DID WE DO?!

Can they get a full broadcast worth of football out of Tyson Bagent? I suppose we'll find out. Regardless, the Chargers have won just twice this year, and neither was by nine or more points. So ... take the points and go to bed early. Save yourself.

DETROIT (-8) over Las Vegas
Just imagine how much yelling Dan Campbell is doing this week at practice. Just imagine. Those guys are going to play like their lives depend on it Monday night ... because they might. Another loss and Campbell will be suiting up in full pads for practice, looking to teach Gen Z a lesson or two on toughness.

Last week: 2-11 (!!!!!!!)
Season: 44-58-4 (!!!)

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.