Who are you guys?

We are the Gehlke Brothers, Glenn and Sean. We are easy to tell apart: Sean is the perpetually frustrated 49ers fan and, as four-time defending Gehlke Bros. Football Picks champion, the keeper of the coveted Surfy trophy; Glenn is the one who keeps coming up with all the neat ideas for this cutting-edge Web site.

Why are you doing this?

Sometime in the mid-'80s — we can't recall the exact year — we began a friendly competition to see who could predict the most winners of each week's NFL games with the goal of having the most correct picks by the end of the season. The winning Bro received bragging rights until the next season's competition. As the years have rolled along, the competition has become more intense, with a perpetual trophy now going to the victor and weekly updates posted on the Internet. Other than that the contest has always been for fun only.

How does it work?

We follow the NFL's regular season games. Every week, the Bros make their predictions as to the winners. All picks are "straight-up," meaning we count only wins and losses and not point spreads. All picks for Sunday and Monday games are registered on Sunday morning prior to the scheduled kickoff of the day's first game. In the event of Thursday, Saturday or other midweek games, the picks for those games are made the day of the game and posted that day.

The majority of picks are done via a live telephone call on game day. As a courtesy, the player who is behind in any given week generally gets to announce his pick for each game after his opponent. Theoretically, this prevents the leader from changing his picks at the last minute in an effort to avoid a split that could help his opponent's cause. We try to be fair, however, even when we don't follow this practice. Our simple motto always has been: "Pick the winners." The more you can manage that, the better your chances of winning the trophy.

At the end of Week 17 we add up the total number of correct predictions to determine the winner. Then the Bros shake hands, a trophy is presented and the winner consoles the loser or does his best "in your face" dance — occasionally both. If the contest is tied at the end of the regular season, the playoffs and Super Bowl (affectionately referred to around here as the "Stupor Bore") are used as a tie-breaker. That has happened only twice in the history of the Gehlke Bros. competition.

Explain the charts you use on the weekly updates and how they work.

A couple of years ago we adopted the multi-colored grid format for our picks that we still use. Under each of our handsome mugs you will find our season-to-date record, followed beneath it by our record for any given week. The teams we predict as winners are listed in yellow. If we are correct, the team name turns green. If we're wrong... ah well, we just leave it yellow. (But we're rarely wrong, of course.) The winners are also boldfaced in the schedule column. The colorful icon in the upper left corner indicates which Bro is in the lead for the season, and by how many games over second place. Sean is represented by a nuclear blast, Glenn by smiley faces, and Ben by stars. (More on Ben in a moment.)

In past years we used a different format. If you are looking at the archives and need guidance, here is how to interpret the older symbols:

= Glenn's picks; = Sean's picks; = Ben's picks

Other symbols were also used in the old weekly postings:

= Games in which Glenn and Sean chose opposing teams. These were the pivotal games in the season.

= Splits won by Glenn; = Splits won by Sean

What is this perpetual trophy I keep hearing about? What does it look like?

The perpetual trophy, also known affectionately as the "Surfy," was added to the contest in 1993. It has spent much of its existence dwelling in Sean's house, where it currently resides after Sean retrieved it at the end of the 2005 season. The Surfy is so named because the platform on which the little gold statuette stands resembles a surf board.

What's this "NawFuL" you keep referring to, and how come you write it so funny?

Ignoring its Shakespearean roots, we use "NawFuL" for anything and everything having to do with the National Football League. It can be a term of endearment or a pejorative, depending on your mood. For example, on a day when you're bummed because your team lost after a 38-point halftime lead, you could say, "What a NawFuL game!" which sounds a lot like "The NFL is awful." Or perhaps you are elated because you were rooting for the team that erased that 38-point halftime deficit to sneak into the playoffs and you exclaim, "That was just NawFuL!" meaning the "NFL is full of awe." Either way, NawFuL is a truly excellent term that deserves a home among the legions of long-suffering football fans.

Hey, you guys are pretty cool and this thing sounds like a lot of fun. Can I get involved?

Sure. You can follow us on Twitter. You can also take a gander at our weekly picks and attempt to parlay them into big bucks with your bookie. (We're above such petty pasttimes as sports betting, of course.) We have longstanding and as yet unfulfilled plans to eventually create an interactive feature that will allow visitors to the site to match wits with us for a chance to win pretty cool prizes. (OK, they'll probably be lame prizes, but at least you'll have a chance to win something.)

Who is Ben?

Ben is Glenn's 15-year-old son, affectionately known here at Gehlke Bros. Football as "The Chaos Kid" for his often unconventional approach at picking the winners. Ben has been making his own predictions since 1998. Twice he come within a game of besting his Uncle Sean for the season championship. His prognosticating skills are steadily improving, so look for him to be a big threat in the coming seasons.

Can you recommend a winning pick for this year's Stupor Bore? I'm going to Vegas and would like to lay odds on a dark horse so I can cash in big time this February.

St. Louis Rams! (Sorry, first team that came to mind. We know they're not horses.) No, seriously, take the Raiders; it doesn't get much darker than that. ...And if you win we want half.

Why don't you link to other football fan sites?

Because they all suck. OK, real answer: We tried that a few years ago, but it's too much work keeping up with dead links. Besides, once you're here why would you want to go anywhere else?

I've had enough of this Q&A stuff. How do I get out of here?

To quote the Eagles (the musical group, not the football team): "You can check out anytime you like, but you can't never leave!" (Well, you can hit the back button on your browser.)