Here we go!

The first-ever online Boothbay Register Staff Pro Football Challenge. Each week, staff members Ben “The Incredible Bulk” Bulkeley, Kevin “The Hammer” Burnham, Nicole “The Lion” Lyons, Katrina “The Ninja” Clark, Mike "Big Scar" Scarborough, Mike “The Iron Horse” Marr and Gary "Mad Stork" Dow will “try” to pick the winners of each NFL game by Wednesday evening (each week there is a Thursday game).

The winner (best winning percentage) at the end of the regular season will be treated to a prize (we haven’t come up with one yet). We will post each players record from the following week.

The players

Ben “The Incredible Bulk” Bulkeley used to play football. He used to weigh over 200 pounds, but he wanted to play wide receiver, so he slimmed down by drinking Slim Fast and cutting down on his Devil Dog consumption.

Kevin “The Hammer” Burnham played football locally and was on the 1973 Class D championship team, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this season. He played linebacker and running back and suffered a few concussions during his playing days ... which may explain a lot. His favorite football snack on the field is french fries and he likes eating sandwiches while watching football on TV.

Nicole “The Lion” Lyons watches football ... sometimes.

Katrina “The Ninja” Clark likes to make her picks by blindfolding herself and throwing darts at the chart in her backyard. Once in a while she even hits it. More often she hits the squirrels.

Mike “Big Scar” Scarborough last played organized football in junior high. He played both ways as a lineman, offensive and defensive tackle. Big Scar was a “speed lineman,” who loved nothing better than running down a QB in the backfield.

Gary “Mad Stork” Dow played defensive end for the 1971 Class A state runner-up Edward Little “Red Eddies” of Auburn. He alleges he was selected “All-State” but since this was before the creation of the Internet, there is no way to confirm it. He went to play for the University of Maine from 1972-1975 as a defensive end and outside linebacker, graduating in 1976. He states he won Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association (ECAC) Player of the Week honors against Bucknell University in the fall of 1975, but again, there is no way to confirm this claim either. The Black Bear team of 1974 was Yankee Conference Co-Champions, a fact which has been confirmed.

Mike “The Iron Horse” Marr made a name for himself in junior high and intramural sports with his aggressive and undisciplined playing technique, often going for the biggest guy on the field and stiff arming. When in a clutch position on the field, he drew attention by using modern dance techniques, something nobody wanted to see. To this day, he still can't watch “Flashdance” without tapping his feet.

Week 1 games and the picks

Baltimore at Denver: Baltimore (Katrina, Mike M.); Denver (Kevin, Ben, Gary, Mike S., Nicole)

New England at Buffalo: New England (Ben, Katrina, Gary, Kevin, Mike M., Mike S., Nicole); Buffalo (XX)