Ben Roethisberger is suddenly getting a lot of publicity for his good play. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

By Eric Horowitz

We already knew that Roger Goodell had the brains and the courage, but now it also turns out that just like the Tin Man, he's had a heart all along. Chris Henry and Tank Johnson are already back in the NFL, and this week the commissioner reinstated the one and only Ricky Williams. If Pacman Jones could just find a wonderful wizard to steer him away from trouble the NFL would be one big happy family.

Now let's move onto some picks.

Pittsburgh at New York Jets (+9.5): Everybody outside of Pittsburgh suddenly noticed that Ben Roethlisberger is having a great year -- all it took was a Tom Brady bye week and Peyton Manning throwing six interceptions. Big Ben is already looking forward to the next time people notice him sometime during October of the 2009 season. Pick: Pittsburgh

Arizona at Cincinnati (-3): Shayne Graham is always there to bail out the Bengals offense. On Sunday he kicked seven field goals against the Ravens, and just two days later he babysat Carson Palmer's cat on last minute notice so Palmer could go out on a date. Pick: Cincinnati

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (+3): Despite the fact that Joey Harrington has led the Falcons to two consecutive wins, Bobby Petrino is going with Byron Leftwich this week. Apparently starting Harrington is not conducive to the Falcons' goal of landing a top 5 draft pick. Pick: Tampa Bay

San Diego at Jacksonville (-3): During last year's playoffs the Chargers squandered a lead against the Patriots, allowed the opposing kicker to attempt a game-winning field goal, and lost. On Sunday the coaches who cooked up that strategy were vindicated when it guided the Chargers to victory. Pick: Jacksonville

New York Giants at Detroit (+2.5): It took a lot of hard work, but last week Mike Martz finally achieved his goal of rushing for less than -15 yards in a football game. Martz's next goal is to execute a seven play touchdown drive consisting entirely of flea flickers. Pick: New York Giants

Kansas City at Indianapolis (-14.5): The NFL gaffe of the week belongs to Colts broadcaster Bob Lamey for announcing that Adam Vinatieri made his game-winning field goal attempt. I don't blame Lamey -- it's impossible to judge a field goal from the press box -- but he should probably look at the referee next time. The good news is that by 2012 all play-by-play will be impeccably announced by an army of Greg Gumbel robots. Pick: Indianapolis

Oakland at Minnesota (-5): For the first time in three years the most Googled phrase in the state of Minnesota is not "Paris Hilton," it's "Lateral Collateral Ligament." Even when he's injured Adrian Peterson is still making miraculous things happen. Pick: Minnesota

Miami at Philadelphia (-10): To get ready for his first career start John Beck has been watching a ton of film. Specifically, he's been watching Little Giants and the 1970's version of The Longest Yard. Pick: Miami

Cleveland at Baltimore (+2.5): Josh Cribbs is one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL, but his local Blockbuster really wishes those return skills would translate to other areas of his life. Pick: Cleveland

New Orleans at Houston (-1): Guess what? Andre Johnson is back after missing 36 straight games with a knee injury. Meanwhile, last week's loss to the Rams continues to haunt the Saints. On Wednesday (as he always does after tough losses) Reggie Bush met with Jared Fogle at a local Subway to try and find some guidance. Pick: Houston

Carolina at Green Bay (-10): The Packers success this season has made Brett Favre feel like a young man again. That, and playing against Vinny Testaverde. Pick: Carolina

Washington at Dallas (-10.5): How much longer will it be before Joe Gibbs and the Redskins reach the "mutual" decision that it's best if he "voluntarily" returns to NASCAR? Pick: Dallas

St. Louis at San Francisco (+3): Alex Smith finally revealed that his sore shoulder was affecting his play. I'm sorry Alex, I know you're not supposed to complain about being hurt, but we can't buy that excuse now. It's just too late. You're like the guy who calls a foul in a pickup game three seconds after his wild lay-up attempt flies over the backboard. Pick: San Francisco

Chicago at Seattle (-6): To prepare their defense for Rex Grossman the Seahawks brought in Ryan Leaf to run the scout team. Pick: Chicago

New England at Buffalo (+16): The bye week was a difficult one for Bill Belichick. In order to keep his sanity he had to go down to the park and start coaching in a pickup football game. A last-minute touchdown pass gave Belichick's team a 63-7 victory. Pick: New England

Tennessee at Denver (-2): The Broncos are hosting their second Monday night game in a span of 22 days. While the players love playing at home on national TV, the schedule has made it nearly impossible for them to get excited about the new season of Dancing With the Stars. You have no idea what kind of problems that sort of thing can cause in the locker room. Pick: Tennessee

Last Week: 6-7-1
Season: 69-65-9

Got something to say to Eric? E-mail him at extramustardnflpicks@gmail.com