Odds stacked against her, Deej delivers pick of year with 9½-point underdog

She barely missed having the best record of the week, but she didn't miss with her biggest pick of the year and one of the best predictions in Sunday Football Picks history that caught everyone else by surprise.  It was so huge that it even led to the creation of a new section on the Picks Central website.

D.J.'s part-time football mind didn't let her down when she chose the Green Bay Packers over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.  Forget the fact that the Falcons were 9½-point favorites at home with their impressive 6-2 record while the Packers were struggling big-time at 1-7.  That didn't scare Girlie, who knew that aging quarterback Brett Favre should still be considered armed and dangerous on any football field.  The guy's a living legend!  What's more, Green Bay was the first 1-7 team in NFL history to outscore their opponents (168-159), thanks to a bunch of close defeats and a blowout victory.

On Monday night in the family room, Deej sat down with a former newspaper editor to talk about her brilliant prediction that was all guts and glory on Nov. 13, 2005.  "I pick the Packers a lot, and I was looking for another underdog for my picks," said the 18-year-old senior in the 10-minute interview.  "It probably took me like one second to figure that out.  And once I circle my pick, I never change it."

The 2002 Picks champion said the Packers give her a feeling of confidence, just like the Titans do on occasion.  "I know the Packers are normally good, even though their record is pretty bad this year.  It would have been different if it was a team that normally doesn't do so good."

When asked what the reaction will be from the men in her life -- like boyfriend Jay or her Uncle Mark -- Deej said she isn't expecting much.  "I guarantee you both of them will just call me lucky," she said.  "But I don't think they could ever make a pick like that."  If her feat is topped in the future, she thinks it will be surpassed by Trevor because "he's often by himself in picking underdogs, just like in some of the other games this week," Deej said.

When finding out she succeeded in her bold prediction, D.J. reacted like you'd expect any teenage girl to react.  She said she simply thought, "Oh ... I wonder when Jay's going to call me."

The new online category Girlie gave life to is called "Amazing Picks," which is found under "Record Holders" on the Picks home page.  Although D.J.'s tremendous pick on Sunday fell short of QT's victorious Cowboys who were 12-point underdogs in St. Louis in 2002, it certainly ranks among the league's all-time classics.

Does her accomplishment mean that all of her high school friends will hear about the new addition to Picks Central so they can go home and view it themselves?  "I'm not going to tell people to go look it up, but I have mentioned the Picks website before," D.J. said.

Should a special talent of choosing triumphant underdogs in the Sunday Football Picks lead to more privileges around the house, such as extra computer time or later curfews on weekends?  "No, 'cause my sisters would probably end up getting more than me," Deej said.