Solar-powered kick from 62 yards gives D.J. a share of Week 7's top spot

Did she know the Florida sunshine was going to be shining bright on Sunday?  Did she know the solar-powered Buccaneers can defeat any opponent when fully charged?  Did she know she could relax with confidence when Tampa Bay lined up for a 62-yard game-winning field goal attempt?

Chances are D.J. knew none of that given her non-NFL lifestyle, but yet she ended up smelling like roses in the Sunday Football Picks with a 7-5 record, tying Trevor and Ali for Week 7's best performance.  Deej was the only Picks member with the 1-4 Buccaneers, who edged the 4-2 Eagles when kicker Matt Bryant delivered the third-longest field goal in NFL history under a sunny sky in 88-degree weather.  The monster boot, which cleared the crossbar with plenty of room to spare, came from a man who hadn't made a field goal from beyond 40 yards all season.

"It didn't matter if my kick was from 30 yards or 70 yards because I was on the sideline sunbathing my solar-powered leg all afternoon," Bryant said after his team's amazing 23-21 victory.  "I'm a Buccaneer, so I'm super-human when fully charged, but quite pathetic when the sun isn't out.  Anyone who knows football knows that.  It's not rocket science."

Bryant's insight is correct.  That's why the Sunday's Games page at Picks Central features a Weather Channel box tuned to current Tampa conditions.  Members are supposed to glance at that helpful information before predicting the Bucs' fate.

"I saw the picture of the sun in that blue box, I saw the hot temperature, I knew the Buccaneers were solar-powered, but I apparently had a brain fart," said Blaine, a Picks veteran who really should know better.  "The Bucs have been winning for decades with the sun regardless of how terrible the team might be in any given season.  Doh!"

Blaine's lapse in judgment was dealt with accordingly by the almighty Picks Gods, who punished him with a horrible 3-9 record.  Nonetheless, Blaine knows slipping and falling during a race can still result in a championship with a little good fortune.  "Just look at the guy who won the 2006 Chicago marathon on Sunday if you don't believe me," he said.  "The runner was knocked senseless but still crossed the finish line as the winner."

Hard to believe, but it's true.  Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya slipped on a wet decal at the finish line, falling backward and slamming his head on the street.  But he slid under the tape, with his chest barely crossing the finish line, to be declared the winner in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 35 seconds.  Robert sustained a mild concussion with some bleeding inside his skull, according to a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where the 28-year-old runner spent a few days recovering.