Are honest e-mails really the best policy?

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang could show up in Atlanta to watch old friend Thigpen lead the Chiefs. (United Features Syndicate)

He made a mistake, but Ed Hochuli had the great character to stand up and admit it. He was the referee in last Sunday's game between the Chargers and Broncos (not surprisingly, in Denver, for the Broncos play 15 of their 16 games at home every season) and in the closing minute of action when the ball came loose, Hochuli ruled incomplete pass.

Replays showed it was clearly a fumble by Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler. The Chargers recovered, would have run out the clock, and won the game. But once the whistle blows, the play stands as is - even if it's wrong. Instead of a fumble, the Broncos got the ball back, scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion, and won.

Bad call, good man.

"You can rest assured that nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already do," said Hochuli, who received the sort of backing he could have expected from the NFL. He was told he would be subjected to lower grades, which could preclude him from working plum playoff gigs.

Now, obviously, Hochuli chose the wrong line of NFL work. He should have gone into running the Lions or Cardinals, where the more you mess up, the bigger your rewards. Imagine, those teams haven't had winning records since Pop Warner was a kid and still they rake in millions and millions.

If there's one aspect to this story that could be questioned, it's Hochuli's insistence on answering all the e-mails he's received.

"People deserve a response," he said, but one has to wonder what doors could be opened.

Imagine the stadium JumboTron flashing this: "Folks, got a problem with today's officiating? Call 1-800-REF-UBUM and voice your concerns. All calls will be answered in the order in which they were received. We guarantee responses to all inquiries."

There could also be information booths set up throughout the stadiums where retired officials would be available to watch replays with concerned fans. No, they would not be in position to reverse calls, just to soothe the emotional heartache.

The picks
Miami at New England (-12 1/2) - Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have combined to run 38 times for 100 yards, a 2.63 average per carry. At this rate they should crack 1,000 yards by August 2009. Pick: Patriots.

Kansas City at Atlanta (-5 1/2) - The Chiefs said Tyler Thigpen will start at quarterback and the first thing he did was leave tickets at will call for Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, and Snoopy. Marcie turned down the offer. Pick: Falcons.

New Orleans at Denver (-5 1/2) - The Saints announced before last week's game that coach Sean Payton's contract had been extended. If they lose again this week, he can expect a vote of confidence next week. Pick: Saints.

Arizona at Washington (-3) - Kurt Warner had a perfect quarterback rating last week. That warms my heart, but what confounds me is the figure associated with perfection. It's 158.3. What sort of "perfect" number is 158.3? I can see 100 or even 150 or 200, but 158.3? Who came up with that one? Pick: Redskins.

Cincinnati at NY Giants (-13 1/2) - Did you see last Sunday where the Bengals had 12 men on defense one time, then 12 on offense? Not good, but it sure beats the old days when they'd have nine players on the judge's docket for Monday morning. Pick: Bengals.

St. Louis at Seattle (-9 1/2) - It's a matchup like this that makes you long for those days of 1987 when replacement players roamed the NFL gridirons. Pick: Seahawks.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis (-5) - Speaking of The Replacements, for a time they were as good as it got with rock music. It has nothing to do with this game, but it was good to get it out in the open. Pick: Colts.

Oakland at Buffalo (-9 1/2) - If the Raiders lose, coach Lane Kiffin gets fired. Then again, if the Raiders win, he gets to work for Al Davis at least another week. Talk about picking your poison. Pick: Bills.

Carolina at Minnesota (-3 1/2) - The Vikings have benched quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in favor of Gus Frerotte. On his way to the sideline, Tarvaris did sing, "Don't take away, my music . . ." Pick: Panthers.

Cleveland at Baltimore (-2 1/2) - The Browns got whistled for an "illegal punt formation" last week. OK, timeout here. Assault, robbery, arson . . . those are illegal, but lining up incorrectly on a silly punt? Let's not call that illegal. Nonconforming, maybe, or peculiar, but surely illegal is a bit too strong. Can you imagine the conversation in the big house? Man: "What are you in for?" Next man: "Oh, I'm doing 5-to-10 for robbery. And you?" Man: "I got 3-to-5 for illegal punt formation against the Steelers." Pick: Browns.

Detroit at San Francisco (-4) - The 49ers have won the last five meetings. Then again, who hasn't won their last five meetings with the Lions? Pick: Lions.

Tampa Bay at Chicago (-3) - The Bears have used a whopping 21 starting quarterbacks since 1992 and things have hardly improved with Kyle Orton. Here's a possible fix for the Bears - adding a first letter to the man's last name. I propose we assign an "H" or "M" or "N," because Horton, Morton, or Norton are better than Orton. Pick: Bucs.

Houston at Tennessee (-5) - The Titans have won 10 of 12 against AFC South teams, including six straight dating to November 2004. Of course, this information had to be cleared through the NFL offices, so it comes with a stamp reading: "I'm Roger Goodell and I approve this message." Pick: Titans.

Dallas (-3) at Green Bay - This game is in Green Bay. That's important because the Cowboys are 3-0 vs. the Packers in Milwaukee, but have never beaten them in Green Bay. Further research indicates that the Cowboys have never beaten the Packers in Oshkosh, either. Pick: Packers.

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (-3 1/2) - Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sprained the AC joint in his shoulder. Whew. What a relief. I thought maybe he broke his AC/DC disc in the parking lot. Pick: Eagles.

NY Jets at San Diego (-9) - Hey, look at the bright side, Chargers fans. Imagine how many makeup calls you're going to get over the course of the next 14 games. Pick: Jets.

Last week: 8-6-1.

Season: 13-16-1.