The AYRFSF pool is back with week one of the NFL season. Join in if you haven't participated in years past. Home teams are in caps. All picks are against the spread. Make your picks, before Thursday night's kickoff, in the comments section. The winner will be announced to much fanfare next week. Here are my picks: STEELERS -1 over Dolphins, RAMS +3.5 over Broncos, TITANS -2.5 over Jets, PATRIOTS -9 over Bills, BUCS -3 over Ravens, Bengals -2.5 over CHEIFS, Seahawks -6 over LIONS, PANTHERS -6 over Falcons, TEXANS +4 over Eagles, Saints +3 over BROWNS, JAGUARS -2.5 over Cowboys, PACKERS +3.5 over Bears, CARDS -7.5 over Niners, GIANTS +3.5 over Colts, and, in the Monday-night matchups, Vikings +4.5 over REDSKINS and RAIDERS +3 over Chargers. Make your picks in the comments section below.

SURVIVAL POOL UPDATE: In addition to the regularly scheduled AYRFSF pool, I am adding, at a reader's excellent request, a survival pool. How does it work? You pick one, just one, winner each week. That team merely has to beat its opponent. Unlike the AYRFSF pool, no spread is involved. But once you select a team, you can never select that team again. The following week, you can select any team except a team you've already selected. Once a team you select loses, you are out of the pool. My week-one survival pool selection is New England. Make your survival pool pick, along with your AYRFSF picks, in the comments section. We should have a survival pool winner--the sole survivor--by mid season. Good luck players.

Dolphins
Broncos
Jets
Pats
Ravens
Bengals
Seahawks
Panthers
Eagles
Browns
Cowboys - on their way to 16-0 and World Champs
Bears
Cards
Giants
Vikings
Chargers

Oh yeah, and the Horns beat the Buckeyes on Saturday night on their way to another unbeaten season and a National Championship.

Must be something in the water down there in Texa$$. Folks are delusional.

Dolphins +1 over Steelers
RAMS +3.5 over Broncos
TITANS -2.5 over Jets
PATRIOTS -9 over Bills
BUCS -3 over Ravens
Bengals -2.5 over CHEIFS
Seahawks -6 over LIONS
PANTHERS -6 over Falcons
Eagles -4 over HOUSTON
Saints +3 over BROWNS

Dan, any interest in organizing a Survival Pool? I'm sure you know how it works. Let me know.

Cowboys +2.5 over JAGUARS
Bears -3.5 over PACKERS
CARDS -7.5 over Niners
GIANTS +3.5 over Colts
Vikings +4.5 over REDSKINS
Chargers -3 over RAIDERS

Miami
Broncos
titans
Pats
Bucs
KC
Seatle
Falcons
Eagles
Saints
Boyz
Bears
Cards
Giants
Vikes
Stay classy San DIego

Steelers, Broncos, Titans, Pats, Bucs, Bengals, Seahawks, Panthers, Eagles, Saints, Jags, Bears, Cards, Colts, Vikings, Raiders.

Miami
Denver
New York
New England
Tampa Bay
Kansas City
Seattle
Carolina
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Dallas
Chicago
San Francisco
Indianapolis
Washington
San Diego

FDW: Survival pool is an excellent call. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but there is no spread and participants must pick one team to win that week, and then they can no longer pick that team for the rest of the season. Lose and you're out. Is that about right? Anyone interested in doing a survival pool in addition to the regular pool? If there is interest, it will be done.

I'll play.

STEELERS,
Broncos,
Jets,
Bills,
Ravens,
CHEIFS,
LIONS,
Falcons,
TEXANS,
BROWNS,
JAGUARS,
PACKERS,
CARDS,
Colts,
REDSKINS,
Chargers.
I am interested a survival pool.

I am the survivor man! Cowboys every week and I can't lose.

Ralph: You can only pick a team once in the survival pool, which makes looking at the schedule all-important. The 'boys host the Texans in week six, which might make an ideal time to pick them. A gutsy move, and unpopular with some on this board, would be to take them in week 2 against the 'skins. The general rule in the survival pool is to take the favorite in the most lopsided game of the week.

Ah, I see. It has to be a different team each week. Interesting. Let's do it.

The Texans are tempting for the Boys, but after seeing the Saints in preseason, I think their more of a push-over for Dallas than Houston. Against the Skins is just too easy. I need some challenge.

STEELERS
Rams
Jets
Bills
Bucs
Bengals
Seahawks
Falcons
Eagles
BROWNS
Cowboys
Bears
Niners
Colts
REDSKINS
Chargers

I will take the Patriots in the survivor challenge.

In a Survial(or Last Man Standing)Pool, you only have to pick one team to win each week, with no spread. Once you have picked a team, they cannot be used again. These type of pools generally last only 11-12 weeks, as there is usually a big upset in the first couple of weeks that eliminates half of the participants. As Dan has pointed out, looking at the schedule and point spreads can certainly help you survive each week.

My Survival Pool Pick: Arizona Cardinals

Fish
Rams
Titans
Pats
Bucs
Tigers
Lions
Panthers
Texans
Browns
Boyz
Pack
Cards
Gints
Skins
Raiders

S.P.: Fish

My survivor pick for the week: Eagles.

Survivor: Cleveland

My survivor pick: the Cardinals

STEELERS
broncos
TITANS
PATRIOTS
ravens
bengals
seahawks
PANTHERS
eagles
BROWNS
cowboys
PACKERS
CARDINALS
colts
REDSKINS
chargers

survivor = PATRIOTS

SD Survival pick

Hey, Ralphy boy...what happened to those big 'T' teams this weeks? The 'O' slapped the Horns, Houston not ready for prime time and Da Boyz need a QB who doesn't get happy feet in the pocket.