It's funny how this Sunday's games coincide w/ this weekend's Halloween party season. There are quite a few bonfire games. Sometimes you have to take a stab at a weiney roast, but some games just get too hot after kickoff. The chances of burning yourself is too great. Once again, the schedule maker has got us again. I think I finally pegged the goofiness of this year's schedule. Due to MNF's new policy of selecting the best games on Monday late in the season they have saved all the big division games for last. There is too much speculating in nonconf games to begin with but the absence of letdowns due to rivalrys is a drag. More than a few teams have mind boggling stats after certain opponents, go buy your own helpful stats at playbook.com and find out for yourself. There's nothing else like money and TV ratings to fuck up a good thing. We all need to be patient. As soon as the Thursday night, Saturday night games and who know's what else start, we will be able to catch teams in serious binds. Imagine a team having to travel for a Thursday game after slugging it out on the road vs a division opponent the week before. This week's games seem harder than last week to me. by the way, I went 8-4 vs the number last Sunday
Tennessee -3 vs Houston
The Titans have run the ball so well lately it's hard not to like them. V. Young is making a believer out of me. I didn't see the Texans game last week, so I'm going to have to rely on my experience and gut here. Apparently Leftwich laid his occasional egg vs Houston. The Texans always give the Jags a hard time. (Must be a personal type of thing.) Don't think the Texans are going to make leaps and bounds overnight. Their defense still needs work. They may score a few points but the Titans ability to make long sustaining drives will wear out the Texans. This game has a chance to be a high scoring entertaining affair. Eventually the Texans will stall on a few drives b/c of incomplete passes in 3rd and long situations. I see a game in which the Titans pull away in the 4th Quarter. Don't wait to get on the bus until after kickoff.
Titans-3** and the over
Bengals -3.5 vs Falcons
This has game of the week written all over it. The Bengals are back to full strength at WR. We have Chris Henry to thank for CJ Loudmouth's outburst. What a pussy, he knows the Falcons can't cover all 3 WR's, so he started talkin' again. Somebody on the Falcons is going to try to break his jaw like in the Browns game. I'm pissed I am wasting my energy talkin' about this clown. CJ can't beat dbl coverage, never goes over the middle ala Andre Reed or Jerry Rice, and crys when they win. He's the poster boy for this team. Take a deeper look into his mentality and you have microcosm of the whole team. This is part of my prognosis on this game. Afer winning one game, they seem to have lost their memory . I sense a false sense of security. The Patriots ran all over the Bengals. The Falcons are the best running team to play them since that game. So what if the Bengals Defense looked good vs the Buccs and Panthers. The Panthers are one of the worst teams' on 3rd down. Why? because they can't run the ball. I cannot stress enough the advantages running teams have over passing teams. Both teams will have success moving the chains. The difference will come down to a couple of wide open drops or mistimed throws. The Bengals wil be in these situations more than the Falcons. Quick note: The Steelers shredded the Falcons secondary last week w/ quick timing patterns designed to exploit holes in zone coverage. C. Palmer is not as sharp as last year. The Bengals passing game is different. The Steelers O line is better than the Bengals O line right now. The Falcons may be able to pressure C. Palmer w/ more success than they had vs Pitt. The Falcons don't have to respect big play speed out of Rudi J. Don't get me wrong. The lead in this game should change 4 or 5 times, the game should be a high scoring nailbiter. The final word is that the Bengals aren't good enough to run away from the Falcons. I couldn't tell you who will win but it won't be by much.
Think about the psyche of M. Vick for a second....the last time he faced the Bengals he won 30 - 3. He doesn't have any demon games to remember vs this team. Picture the young linebackers of the Bengals overpursuing M. Vick and W. Dunn. I seriously doubt the Bengals can put Vick into where's Alge Crumpler mode. Once the Bengals realize they can't stop the Falcons ground game, the pressure to keep up will negatively affect their passing attack. I would be pleasantly surprised to see the Bengals handle this kind of pressure but in reality, they can't.
Falcons + 3.5**
Browns -1.5 vs Jets
Frye vs Pennington Pick the winner and you got a cover. The Brown's personnel changes show how deep their offensive problems go. They certainly will look better vs the Jets as opposed to their last two games vs Denver and at Carolina. Not exactly picnics. A thought just came to me, is it possible some players are upset with the firing of M. Carthon? There might be a little hangover from this. The coaches don't play, there is only so much you can do when your o-line is banged up. The locker room in Cleveland may not be the chummiest place to be right now.
The Jets have showed more consistency on offense all season. C. Frye has a much better chance of throwing a few picks than Pennington. You don't need to look at the stats on these teams to know the Jets have the advantage as far as the intangibles go. Winning teams find ways to win and losing teams find ways to lose. The Jets have a little bit more confidence going having played a few practice games vs Miami and Detroit. This should carry over into a game where the teams are evenly matched. The Brownies are sure to put up a good fight but all the effort in the world won't make the mistakes associated with such an abrupt change any better. The only thing going for the Browns here is that they should fight to the death after losing two in a row. It's just a mere flesh wound, the Browns do their impersonation of the BLACK KNIGHT from the Holy Grail in this game while Leonard Washington keeps the dice hot until Rodney"Quills" Dinkins gets back for the Jets. Both teams will know exactly how to exploit the other's DEF. The Jets have the better QB to execute a game plan.
Jets +1.5*
Bears -16.5 vs 49ers
For all you Maroons out there thinking the Bears want to atone for their poor showing at Arizona, you might like to know the Bears are 0 - 5 - 1 vs the spread coming off the bye.
The Niners are good for 10 points. You'll need help from a few defensive TD's for a cover.
This is basic common sense. You get 16.5 points in an NFL game before kickoff.
49ers +16.5*
Chiefs -6 vs Seahawks
I'm guessing Huard will try as hard as he can to play. He's been playing well enough to keep Green on the bench in my opinion. Is he going to quit now after holding a clipboard for awhile? It doesn't matter, Seneca Wallace is starting his first game at Arrowhead. If Dante Hall has to hand off to LJ, the Chiefs are still in better shape. The Seahawks may be falling into full blown Super Bowl loser mode. I wouldn't make a decision on the Chief's until 5 minutes before the game when we'll know who's playing QB. If Huard plays, the Chiefs look pretty good, otherwise, Ty Law might outscore both young QB's.
Chiefs - 6*
Giants -9 vs Buccs
I would love the Giants here if it wasn't for one thing. The players complained that the field at Dallas Monday night was unusually hard. They had a rash of known injuries, besides other players who are sore. This may pose as a distraction. We may not see maximum effort from the GMEN.
If you like the GMEN, it's obvious why. Eli Manning may have turned the corner is starting to resemble ole reliable himself (Peyton). The Buccs are going to look worse on offense than last week. They are a scary proposition. I'm going to stick w/ my original prognosis. When I picture myself watching the game with a C note in the balance, I see the Giants shooting themselves in the foot just enough to make me lose it. Big Monday Night Hangover. One 50 yard bomb to Galloway plus a flukey defensive TD means the GMEN have to score 25 + points to cover. They may not be in the mood.
Buccs +9*
Chargers -9.5 vs Rams
There's no place like home. Can you believe its Week 8 AND the Bolts are playing only their 3rd home game? The info I have on this game tells me to find a better game; you should too. But for those of you who want my opinion, the Rams are just as bad on the road as they are good at home vs the AFC. We are going to find out just how tough the Chargers are mentally in this game. Will they let last week's loss hang over or blow out the Rams? Don't try to figure this out and take the over.
Rams +9.5* Over 45**
I really didn't want to make a call on the spread but the over looks pretty solid
Saints -2 vs Ravens
The Ravens are going to out physical the Saints. This is a classic case of AFC vs NFC. The Ravens have the better D while the Saints offense has looked much better than the Ravens. I really think the Ravens defense is the best that the Saints have yet to face. Steve McNair and company should be able to score enough points to make the defensive effort hold up.
Baltimore +2*
Raiders +8.5 vs Steelers
An old school rivalry plus Halloween makes for some serious recreational activity in Oakland Sunday. The Steelers are reeling after a long game on the road at Atlanta. Now they make the dreaded West Coast trip to a place they are despised. Da Raiders will be sky high for this one. The Steelers will be happy with an ugly win.
Raiders +8.5**
Eagles -6 vs Jaguars
No matter how you slice them the Eagles are almost a full touchdown favorite after losing two games in a row. Teams that have lost two in a row that come back as favorites are not good propositions. The Eagles have a tendency not to cover vs AFC teams at home. Do you want to put your "trust" in the Jags. I didn't think so, but you'll have to in order to win some dough here.
Jaguars +6*
Packers -3.5 vs Cardinals
Just when you count them out, the Cards show back up. My pick here is based on the wounded psyche of the Cards. If they don't play hard in this game, we can pick on them the rest of the season. The Cardinals remind me of low to mid level college teams such as Memphis State that only get get up for TV and famous name teams. Besides the Pack is still the Pack. They are one of the weakest favs on the board. If any team wouldn't mind running up the score its the Pack at home for the fans. If your crazy enough to get on the Redbirds take the over as well
Cardinals +3.5* over 45
Panthers -5 vs Cowboys
The Cowboys match up well w/ the Panthers for some reason. The Panthers haven't lit anyone up this year. Take the points in a defensive struggle.
Cowboys +5*
Broncos -2.5 vs Colts
A classic case of defense vs offense. Is the best defense a good offense or does defense win championships. This is not a championship game. The Broncos D gets their first real test of the season. Denver is going to score close to their average of 17 points. The Colts have proven they can score on anybody. Even if they win at home, Plummer is a 5 ton ankle weight holding his team down. Who knows, Shanahan may serve up Jake to the Colts just so he can bench him. It is a waste of time to think the Snake will lead the Broncos to a championship past the AFC WEST. Is it too late for a backup QB to come off the bench and win the Super Bowl? The Colts have been gashed a few times lately vs the run. Thats the reason you can't load up on them here. they make descent dogs in a parlay
Colts +2.5
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