 |
| NFL Week 16 Updated every Friday at Red Eye Sports NFL Week 15 3* Cle +3.5(125) LOSS 2* Chi +7(120) WIN 2* Phi -7(120) WIN 2* Car +8.5 LOSS 2* Den -3 (120) WIN 1* Mia -1 WIN 1* Sd +3.5(125) WIN 1* Jax -2.5 (120) WIN 1* Nos -6.5 (120) LOSS 1* Gb +3.5 (115) WIN NFL Week 14 3* Gb -9 LOSS 2* Tb -3(125) WIN 2* Was -2.5(120) LOSS 2* Sea =3.5 (125) LOSS 1* Ne -4 WIN 1* Stl +6 LOSS 1* Bal +3(125) LOSS NFL Week 13 3* Buf +3(125) WIN 3* Ari +10 LOSS 2* Jax +3(115) WIN 2* Phi +3(125) WIN 1* Det +6 LOSS 1* Car +7.5 WIN 1* Atl -3(115) WIN 1* Nyg -2.5(125) LOSS 1* Sf -9 LOSS 1* Nos +1 WIN NFL Week 12 3* NE -7(120) PUSH 3* SEA +3.5 WIN 2* CAR +3.5 LOSS 1* PIT -10 LOSS 1* ARI +8.5 LOSS 1* WAS +5 WIN 1* Nyg -5' LOSS NFL Week 11 2* Was +3.5 WIN 2* HOU +6 WIN 1* Gb-6.5 LOSS 1* Cle -3(120) WIN 1* Ind -6.5 WIN 1* Buf +3.5 WIN 1* Sf -2 LOSS 1* Sea +5 LOSS 1* Ne +4 LOSS 1* Chi +10.5(120) WIN NFL Week 10 2* Atl +3.5 WIN 2* Sdg +7(120) WIN 2* Mia +3.5(125) WIN 1* Hou +10.5 WIN 1* Car +4.5 LOSS 1* Sfo -6 LOSS 1* Oak +5.5 WIN NFL Week 9 3* Neg +3(125) WIN 3* Sfo +3.5(125) WIN 3* ARI +3.5(EV) LOSS 2* CHI +7(120) WIN 2* CLE +3(EV) PUSH 2* Dal +3.5(125) WIN 2* Nyj +7.5 WIN 1* Bal +7.5 WIN 1* HOU -3(+105) LOSS 1* NYG -2.5 WIN NFL Week 8 3* Chi +1 LOSS 3* Car +7'(120) WIN 3* CIN +6 PUSH 3* HOU +10' WIN 2* CLE +3'(125) WIN 2* SEA +3(120) WIN 1* BUF -6'(120) WIN 1* Nyg +7' LOSS NFL Week 7 3* Chi -2.5(125) LOSS 3* Buf +4 WIN 2* Kc +3.5(115) WIN 2* Sf +3(115) LOSS 2* Tb +3.5 LOSS 2* SD +7.5(120) WIN 1* Atl -3(125) WIN NCAA Week 7 2* MIN -16 LOSS 2* Rice -7 PUSH 2* Purdue -3(125) LOSS 2* IOWA -6 WIN 2* UK -6 LOSS 2* Tex Tech +6' LOSS 2* Houston +3'(125) LOSS 2* Wyom +25' WIN 1* Wash St -7(120) WIN 2* Mizzou +8' LOSS 2* Smu +23' WIN 2* W. MICH +2 LOSS 2* OHIO -9 WIN NFL Week 6 3* WAS +1' LOSS 3* MIN -4' WIN 3* TEN +3(125) WIN 2* CIN +7(120) LOSS 2* DAL -2 LOSS 2* STL +8 WIN 2* Cle +7(115) LOSS 1* IND -6' LOSS 1* HOU +7' WIN 1* SEA +3(115) LOSS NCAA Week 6 2* Clem +15' LOSS 1* Byu -16' LOSS 2* GA TECH -12' LOSS 3* W VIRG -2'(125) LOSS 2* OLE MISS +13 WIN 2* ND -7(120) WIN 2* Cal +12 WIN 2* Osu -24 LOSS 2* Nevada -2 LOSS 1* BUF +11' LOSS 3* CIN -5 LOSS 2* KENT +14' LOSS 2* BOWL GRN -23' WIN 2* Akron -11 LOSS 2* Uconn +44 WIN 1* S.Fla -1' WIN NFL Week 5 3* Pit +3(125) PUSH 2* BUF +3(125) LOSS 2* DEN -4' WIN 2* Stl +7'(120) LOSS 1* Stl +265 Money Line LOSS 2* JAX +3'(125) WIN NFL Week 4 3* Houston +21(120) WIN 3* Arizona +3.5(125) WIN 2* Kansas City +3.5(115) WIN 2* Chicago +3.5(125) LOSS 2* Cleveland +7(120) WIN 2* St. Louis -11 LOSS 2* Cincinnati +7.5 LOSS 2* Tennessee +7.5(120) LOSS 2* Seattle -2.5(125) WIN 1* Detroit +7.5 WIN 1* New York Jets +3.5 LOSS 1* San Diego +3.5(125) WIN NCAA Week 5 2* Duke +3(125) 2* LSU -12.5 2* Ga Tech -2.5 2* IOWA ST pk 2* TULANE +32 2* AUBURN -13' 2* NEVADA +12 1* WAKE -1' 2* Memphis -8 1* Alabama +4.5 2* RICE +9 2* New Mex St +28.5 2* NOR ILL -6 1* Mia-OH -10 1* BOISE -18.5 NFL Week 3 3* TB +3(125) WIN 3* ARI +2 LOSS 2* Dal +9 LOSS 2* HOU +12 LOSS 3* Sea +7(120) WIN 2* Gb -8 LOSS NCAA Week 4 2* NAVY -3 LOSS 2* Utah +10 WIN 2* Arizona +6 LOSS 2* Wake +10.5 WIN 1* UCLA -11 LOSS 1* Byu +9.5 WIN 2* Nc St +3(125) WIN 1* CAL -9.5 LOSS 2* ORE ST -11 WIN 1* Tulsa +12 PUSH 1* Temple +15 LOSS 1* Smu +17 LOSS 1* TEXAS -36 LOSS 2* Bc +26.5 LOSS 2* Tulane+7.5 LOSS 1* Hawaii -19 WIN 1* UCONN -3(125) 2* Kent +11 WIN 1* IOWA -21 WIN 2* Buff +32 WIN 1* MARYL -34.5 WIN 1* Bowl Grn -10 WIN 2* North Tex +13 WIN 1* Uab -7.5 LOSS (Contrararian - won't use these again!!) 2* Aub +3(125) WIN 3* MISS -20.5 LOSS 2* ARMY +27 LOSS 2* ILL -23.5 LOSS 3* MSU -1.5 LOSS 2* FSU -44 LOSS 2* TEX A&M +3 LOSS Week 3 NCAA 2* Ga Tech +1 LOSS 2* Duke +7 WIN 2* NC ST -13 WIN 2* ND +3' WIN 2* Wash St +8 LOSS 2* USC +3(120) WIN 2* NEVADA +15' WIN 2* OKLA ST +7 LOSS 2* Tulane +9 WIN 2* ORE ST -15' WIN 2* KENTUCKY -16' LOSS 2* Tulsa +21 LOSS 2* S. MISS -10 WIN 2* Nebr -5 LOSS 2* UNM -9 WIN 2* SD ST +6 LOSS 2* Toledo +7 LOSS 2* Idaho +32 LOSS 2* Ohio +42 WIN 2* C. Michigan -2 WIN 2* Missouri -3(125) LOSS 2* BUF +3(125) LOSS 2* Mia-OH +14 LOSS 1* Marsh +12 THURS LOSS 1* Georgia -5 WIN 1* TCU -17 LOSS 1* Mia-FL -36' LOSS 1* Louisv +3(125) PUSH 1* PURDUE -17 LOSS 1* S. Fla +13 LOSS Week 2 NFL 2* Chi +3.5(125) WIN 2* Mia +3(125) WIN 2* Buf +5 WIN 2* Hou +13 LOSS 1* PIT -3(125) LOSS 1* WAS +3.5(125) MONDAY LOSS Thursday Sept. 5 2* Ore St -9' WIN 1* San Francisco -3 (-125) These teams aren’t even close in class. San Francisco is off a splendid campaign in 2002 and will look to continue this. All signs point to an improved San Francisco team. New York on the other hand had a tumultuous offseason with the Tiki-Strahan debate and no matter how much this team tries to spin it – there is dissention in the locker room. San Fran wins this one handily. PUSH Saturday Sept. 7 2* NAVY +17 LOSS 2* PITT +3' WIN 1* Memphis +9 LOSS 2* ND -6 WIN 2* Tcu -6 WIN 2* Utep +20' LOSS 1* ORE -16 LOSS 2* Sjs +30' WIN 1* FLA -2 LOSS 2* WAKE -4' WIN 2* Sd St +23' WIN 2* SMU +19 WIN 1* Unc +6 WIN 2* Col St +7 LOSS 2* UCONN +24 WIN 2* Kent +28' LOSS 2* W. Mich +23 PUSH 2* C. Mich -3 WIN 1* E. Mich +23 LOSS 2* Buff +7' WIN 1* ARK ST +5 WIN 2* Troy St +3(125) WIN 1* KANS ST -38' WIN 2* UL-LAF +14 LOSS 2* C. Fla +3 LOSS Sunday Sept. 8 2* Buffalo +3.5(-125) The biggest thing that has stuck out about Buffalo is that anyone not named Johnson could put up big numbers with this offense. Buffalo returns with Drew Bledsoe at the helm and ready to begin their long road back to respectability. With increased fan expectations, a whole new regime is beginning in Buffalo and they win the biggest factor in this game: Motivation. LOSS 2* Arizona +7.5(-120) Jake Plummer managed to throw more TD’s than interceptions last season for Arizona for the first time since their playoff appearance. Plummer has healthy weapons again and Thomas Jones is looking very good as he takes over for Michael Pittman. David Boston is a man among boys and will put up huge numbers as long as his knee holds up. Washington is completely over-rated after a strong preseason showing, and Arizona is a team on the rise. LOSS 2* Seattle +7.5(-120) This is more of a vote of no-confidence in Bill Callahan than it is in a vote FOR Mike Holmgren. Trent Dilfer is out, but Shaun Alexander is still carrying the ball which makes this team extremely dangerous. Oakland had to reshuffle their offensive line at the Guard positions, so look for Seattle’s usually pathetic run defense to look average this week. LOSS 2* Houston +8 If there was ever a team that is over-valued it is the Dallas Cowboys. Bolstered by a good offseason in the draft, Cowboy faithful is expecting this team to improve by leaps and bounds. It could happen, but it’s not going to be overnight. Dallas may well win in Houston, but I’ll take the expansion team plus the points in their home opener as I believe their motivation factor is much better than Dallas. WIN 1* Atlanta +7.5 Once again every newspaper in the country is calling for the Packers to be an elite NFL team. I on the other hand have had a tough time finding when the last time any team has lost their 1, 2, and 3 wide receivers and were better the following season. Atlanta will be just fine with Michael Vick and have given the Packers fits as of late. There is a motivational concern here however as Atlanta ruined Green Bay’s chance of winning the NFC Central last season. WIN 1* Chicago -4 Minnesota has done absolutely nothing to improve their defense. Chris Carter is gone and regardless of any Randy Moss interviews, Chris Carter kept this team together. In almost Déjà vu, tragedy struck the Vikings offensive line in the offseason as starting LT Lewis Kelly lost his wife to complications due to pregnancy. This team is not one of resilience, so watch the wheels fall off quickly this season if things start to go South. Chicago on the other hand returns 19 of 22 starters and may have actually improved its offense while its defense will be as strong as ever. PUSH 1* Miami -8 The M&M train has derailed in Detroit and this is a team that is only getting worse. Lucky them, they get to travel and play guest to an improved Miami team with their latest addition – Ricky Williams. Regardless if Mike McMahon or Joey Harrington starts this season, 2 wins may look like a trip to Disney Land after this season. WIN Thursday Aug. 29 Pittsburgh -5 I'll take the Pittsburgh offense and defense over an inferior Minnesota team any day. In the second half I also like Charlie Batch over Todd Bauman, Shaun Hill, and Romaro Miller. Look for Pittsburgh to be sharp on both sides of the ball and Cowher to end the preseason on a high note in front of the home crowd. LOSS 2* Atlanta +3.5 and OVER 40 These two teams enter their final preseason game with Atlanta at 3-0 and Cincy at 2-1. Both coaches have looked to win all preseason long and it has showed. Tonight, Atlanta will play their starter for the first half and beyond due to injuries and necessity. The Bengals in turn will play their starters for longer than the first quarter and as the game dictates. With the regular season just around the corner, both teams look to win this game. My money is on Dan Reeves who is 4-0 the last 4 seasons in his preseason finale. I believe both second teams can score so I will go with the over in tonight's game as well. WIN and WIN Dallas\Jacksonville OVER 36 Quincy Carter will play the entire first half for Dallas and Chad Hutchinson will play the entire second half. David Garrard, rookie QB and Brunell's backup, will play after Brunell sits and Jacksonville will protect him with the first string offensive line. It is important for Jacksonville to get as many reps to Garrard as possible without any veteran QB's on the roster if Brunell were to go down. I look for a higher scoring game as Jacksonville steps up their sense of urgency offensively and their defense continues to give up points. WIN New England\Washington OVER 44 Both teams have shown a propensity to score late in the game telling me that their second string offenses are a lot better off, and their second string defenses need some improvement. Hopefully, that improvement will not come in tonight's preseason finale. Most bettors will probably stay away from this one because of Super Bowl memories of what the New England defense did to the Ram's offense. The good news is, the two should be able to move the ball in the first half and the second half should be a shootout. LOSS Buffalo +4 Drew Bledsoe and the starters will see time into the second quarter while Detroit will pull their starters with Mike McMahon. Neither team is very impressive in the preseason, but Buffalo getting 4 points is a good bet when you look at how they stack up offensively and defensively. I believe both second strings are much better defensively, so look for the subs to continue out what the starters have accomplished. I like Buffalo's starters to win this game, and the 2nd string to preserve the lead and win. LOSS Baltimore -3 New York has lost their last 11 preseason finales in a row - 4 of those to Baltimore. Tonight, Coach Billick looks to end the preseason on a positive note heading into what will more than likely be a rocky season. The Giants have several starters out including Tikkie Barber, Kerry Collins, and Jeremy Shockey. Both second teams have shown flashes in the preseason, but Baltimore has more motivation to win this game. LOSS Wednesday Aug. 28 San Diego -4.5 (up to -6.5 -120) This line has moved a ton but I still believe it offers good value. Any starter for San Fran with the least little ding will be watching tonight's game which is a good idea for a team playing their 3rd game in 10 days. Both teams starters should see about a quarter of action, and to be honest San Fran has not looked very impressive in any of their preseason games. San Diego has compiled a 2-1 record going into this game and will be looking at two areas: 1) scoring in the red zone (or gold zone if you're Marty Schottenheimer) and 2) implementing more of their new defense. With the pressure the defense (both first string and second) has exuded on QB's this season, look for Rattay and Doman to be pressured all night into quick\bad decisions. LOSS Monday Aug. 26 Cleveland +4.5 With Green Bay's receiving corp still not at full strength and both corners injured, I have to like Cleveland in this game. Ahman Green will be used sparingly as he recovers from a strained groin while Cleveland actually has some depth at running back. I look for a close game under the monday night light's but Cleveland is more motivated and has better depth at this point in preseason. LOSS Friday Aug. 23 Phi -6.5 (-120 bought down) and OVER 31.5 The starters will play through the first half for both teams, but the story there is Baltimore - as many palyers as they've lost - will be without several key defenseman for tonight's game. Philly is looking to get their 1st string offense untracked and should find plenty of opportunity versus the depleted Raven defense. A QB controversy is brewing in Baltimore so Jeff Blake will split time with Chris Redmon behind the first string offense. Look for Baltimore to go to the air with both of these guys. Both teams backups have shown the ability to score, but Philly is a lot deeper than Baltimore, so look for Philly's backups to run away with it in the second half behind battling 3rd string QB's A.J. Feeley and Tim Hasslebeck. LOSS and LOSS Minnesota -4.5 (up to -6.5 -120) Jeff Fisher is holding back his star players and the "starters" will only play the first quarter. With the likes of McNair, George, Haynesworth, Kearse, and Ford out of the lineup, Minnesota has a definite advantage. Coach Mike Tice wants to begin building momemntum toward the regular season so that includes starters to play into the 3rd quarter and winning the game. Fisher is more concerned with the week 4 game, so look for this to be a good opportunity for Minnesota to showcase their first team talents against the Titan's 2nd and 3rd teams. LOSS Chicago -4.5 Jacksonville may have a bit of a motivational factor heading into this game until I read starting RB Fred Taylor does not believe it's important to win in the preseason. Taylor is not the coach, but regardless that's is attitude heading toward the regular season in a dismal showing for Jacksonville thus far. Both teams will play their starters well into the 3rd quarter and that should give Chicago a huge advantage. Jacksonville is having trouble in their passing game and Chicago has a solid run defense. Chicago also has better depth for the late 3rd quarter on out. LOSS Thursday Aug. 22 San Diego +6 (down to +3.5) St. Louis is banged up all over the place and the normal week 3 where your starters play extended time will see their starters like the previous week. Yes the Rams have the greatest show on turf, but they will be going against a very improved defense that is looking for some payback for last year's 57-31 drumming. San Diego has a big edge in motivation, an offense capable of putting up points themselves, and are a lot deeper than St. Louis mainly because they have a healthy roster. I like San Diego in this one plus the points. WIN Monday Aug. 19 San Francisco +7 (bought up from 6.5) The 49'ers will give their starters the longest shot of the season in this game, but they still will be done by halftime. Looking at the two teams, the first string offense and defense would have this a dead heat. Denver is without McCaffrey and Smith, but San Fran may not play the starters (including Garcia) for the entire first half. Denver will have an emotional edge as TD retires this evening, but it's not as big of a factor had it been in a preseason game. All in all, I believe these teams are dead even right now, but would give a slight edge to Denver for motivation and having this game at home. However, I think the line is way too much and will take San Fran plus the points. WIN Saturday Aug. 17 New York Giants\Atlanta OVER 35.5 Both of these teams offenses seem to be clicking in the preseason as is their 2nd teamers. Michael Vick will play the first half (at least) and will be followed by Doug Johnson who has looked exceptional thus far. New York will play Kerry Collins and the starters for the first half and he'll give way to Jesse Palmer (another impressive backup) and Jason Garret (possibly). Either way, both of these offenses seem to be clicking, so I'll expect a 37-41 points tonight at least. WIN Carolina +3 (Up to -5') This is a game between two struggling franchises looking to find past glories. The only difference I see in this game is that John Fox and Carolina want this game more. Weinke and Fasani are better than Carter and Hutchinson and Carolina is in desperate need of a win after losing their last 16 games (counting preseason week 1). Factor in the depleted o-line of the Cowboys, and I like Carolina in this one by at least a TD. PUSH Fridau Aug. 16 Tampa Bay\Jacksonville OVER 33 Tampa Bay has three quarterbacks who have been starters in the NFL. They will also have a tired defense after coming in from a Monday night game against Miami. In thier win (14-10) there were several blown scoring opportunities and this week Jon Gruden wants to see what Shaun King and Rob Johnson can do which means increased passing. On the Jacksonville side of the ball, Jimmy Smith is a holdout, but either way the passing game has been a point of concern. The Jags are set at running back with Fred Taylor and Stacey Mack. There biggest concern is getting their passing game untracked and rookie David Garrard accustomed to being #2 on the depth chart behind Brunell so he'll see extensive playing time. Lots of balls in the air means plenty of scoring opportunities. LOSS Minnesota\New England UNDER 37.5 During preseason the majority of the scoring comes in the first half of a game when the first string is playing. Tonight, Bufallo will be playing with a battered and bruised offensive line with the entire left side out due to injury and inexperience everywhere. Third string QB Travis Brown will see the majority of the playing time in the second half and between Bledsoe and Brown, Van Pelt may not see the field. The Vikings on the other hand have began implementing Mike Tice's ball control strategy. Tonight the problem will be it's hard to score points in such an offense when you're #1 through #3 running backs are missing in action. If these two teams were playing in the regular season, I'd expect a 41-43 total, so I think 37.5 is a good under when the starters will be on the bench by half time. I originally liked New England in this, but there are too many question marks on that line and this game will be played again in the season making way for very vanilla play calling on both sides of the ball ... or so the theory goes at least. LOSS Seattle\San Diego UNDER 38.5 Injuries abound for both teams and the defenses seem to be the most complete group on both sides. With Dilfer out for Seattle and Hasselbeck losing confidence daily, look for some low scoring from Seattle's starters. The first string will give way to the second-third-fourth string throughout the second half. The Brees-Flutie show will have to do with limited participation from LT, so don't expect a whole lot of scoring period. The 38.5 total would be - once again - what you'd expect from a regular season game and with starters for only one half - if you call Hasselbeck that - I believe the best value is on the under in this game. WIN Thursday Aug. 15 New Orleans +3 (Buying it up) New Orleans off a disappointing game and Miami playing two games in three days. Miami Coach Dave Wannstedt put it bluntly when he said "''We're not going to have a game plan for New Orleans." Miami will however juggle both their offensive and defensive starting lines which always makes for interesting football. The Saints will also juggle their starting offensive line as well. Look for Miami's starters for about a quarter, and Wannstedt quickly dismissed the possibility of Ricky Williams playing at all on Wednesday (probably as a way at getting back at the NFL for the scheduling snafu). Wanny also told us to expect 3rd stringers throughout the entire 4th quarter. The Saints on the other hand are playing to win according to CB Fred Thomas "We want to treat this game like any other game; we want to win. The coaches are instilling that in us now. They're even telling the younger players not to treat this like a preseason game but to go out there and play to win." In this game, I definitely like New Orleans getting the three. WIN Monday Aug. 12 Tampa Bay -4 With Miami having to play back to back games on Monday and Thursday, coach Dave Wannstedt plans to use the starters sparingly tonight and then return with extended play for them on Thursday. Coach Jon Gruden on the other hand has 3 experienced quarterbacks in Brad Johnson (1-2 series), Rob Johson (1st Half), and Shaun King (2nd Half). Compare this rotation with Jay Fiedler (1-2 series), a question mark on Ray Lucas, and two rookie QB's and Tampa should win this game outright. PUSH Saturday Aug. 10 Washington -7 (bought down) Steve Spurrier will bring his new "Fun 'n Gun" offense into Carolina this week. The Panthers are in their first preseason game while Washington is in their second. Look for a full half of starters on the offensive side of the ball for veteran Shane Mathews. Carolina is very thin at receiver right now and that leaves very few options for 2nd year QB Chris Weinke. Though I believe John Foxx will want to keep this close - possibly win - Spurrier wants to keep his teams momentum going with last week's win. Quote Spurrier ... "We're looking forward to going down [to Carolina] to see if we can play decently two weeks in a row. I don't know if we can or not. We might sit around and think we're really good right now after that game against the 49ers. But I hope not. I hope we can go down there and play with a lot of intensity." PUSH Philly -3 With several players on the IR, look for Mike Sherman to play his veterans sparingly in the season opener. The pack has done very little as far as hitting in camp (only 20 plays of live action) so they are more likely to be rusty in this first preseason opener. The key for Sherman will be to evaluate the young guys while trying to keep everyone healthy. WIN Kansas City +6 I guess most would call this a stupid play considering how badly the Niners were whooped last week, but this is not the regular season. The 49'er O-Line is still banged up and is in such bad repair that newly signed center Ben Lynch will be playing tonight despite having practiced only twice. Though I believe the Niner's have an advantage in talent, their second-string is somewhat suspect. Coach Marriuci admits that this is still for work on fundamentals and not much has changed from last week's game plan. WIN San Diego -3 (Bought it down) With Marty Schottenheimer wanting to win, I will take San Diego in this one. Doug Flutie and Drew Brees are locked into a QB battle and view this game and next as their audtions for the starting job. Arizona has already lamented the starters would play 18-20 plays while Flutie and Brees could be playing for an entire first half with the starting offense. Marty wants to win - McGinnis wants to see who will make the team - Flutie and Brees want to be "The Man" in San Diego. LOSS New York Giants -3 New York showed their commitment to winning last week against the Texans. Look for more of the same this week as New England is content with their Superbowl victory and in no hurry to start the season. New York should win this one by a TD. PUSH Friday Aug. 9 Atlanta -3 (Buying the hook) Lot's of information available for this game, but the stat that really jumps out at me is that Dan Reeves is 11-6 (10-6-1) the L4Y in the preseason. The year following their Superbowl appearance, the Falcons went 2-2 (1-3). That leaves them at a decent 9-4 (9-3-1) when they are not coming off a Superbowl year. On Friday, Mark Brunell will start for the Jags, but will play only one quarter with no Jimmy Smith (holdout), no Keenan McCardell (Tampa Bay), and (probably) no Fred Taylor (still not 100%). The Jags will also be without DE's Stalin Colinet and Tony Brackens, LB T.J Slaughter, and S Donovin Darius. Factor in a patchwork offensive line and the Jags don't look too ready to play this game. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that after Brunell's 1st quarter, the rest of the game will be played by rookies David Garrard (2nd + 3rd) and Quinn Gray (4th). Atlanta, on the other hand, will start Michael Vick and play him with the first team for the first half of the game.Veteran Doug Johnson and rookie Kurt Kittner will receive the rest of the action. The Falcons have some questions on defense with the LB John Thierry, DE Travis Hall, and rookie DT Gannon Sheppard all expected out. On paper, Atlanta should roll through this team, but Coughlin is also a respectable 10-6 in preseason so I'll keep it a nice play and no talk of doubling up. Something else to note, both of these teams look good to go over the 33 total. In the L4Y, Atlanta would have gone over 11 of 17 times - the Jags 14 of 16. It's worth the opinion but these two offenses kind of scare my so I will hold off on a play for now, but will re-evaluate come game time. WIN 2* Oakland +3' (Buying the hook as most places have them EV) Arguably one of the best offseasons was had by Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. One of the glaring problems however, is that Dallas is still without a competent, clear-cut player at the QB position. Quincy Carter was thought to be the QB of the future until the offseason when Jones spent heavily on former Stanford Cardinal Chad Hutchinson. In this game, we'll see Carter and what's left of the 1st-string offense for most of the first half. Newly acquired Hutchinson and holdovers Anthony Wright and Clint Stoerner will finish out the game. The biggest concern should be the Dallas o-line where injuries have taken such a toll that the first string will play while Carter is in and then all of the backups will play - without a break - for the rest of the game. I believe this game moved when Coach Bill Callahan was quoted as saying: "It'll be very basic, a very generic game plan because it has to carry over to your younger players," Coach Callahan said. "They'll play the majority of the game and getting most of the reps. So we don't get too intricate." The public takes this to mean - we don't care, but check the roster of the backups and the "young guys" and you'll see a huge talent difference. I believe both teams have solid backups but Oakland is by far the most talented. Factor in Dave Campo's disdain for the preseason 2-8(3-7-1) ... or winning in general it would seem, Callahan's first shot at filling "Chucky's" shoes, the depleted Dallas offensive line, and three Oakland QB's who could all start for Dallas, and my money's on Oakland to win outright. In a close game, Oakland once again has a huge edge in the special teams with "The Polish Rifle" over the struggling Tim Seder and Billy Cundiff. LOSS Thursday Aug. 8 New York Jets\Pittsburgh OVER 31 Jets defensive line and secondary are hurting right now which would mean a lot more in a regular season game but not as much in the preseason. Look for some extended playing time from the starters (1.5 to 2 quarters) as they try to pace out the game. Pittsburgh plans on using Kordell Stewart for 1-2 series and then will replace him with Tommy Maddox. It is rumored Cowher may only use one QB in the entire second half, so look for that to be either Charlie Batch or the disappointing Tee Martin. If he decides against this, we will see Batch (3Q) and Martin (4Q). Pittsburgh is returning 10 of 11 defensive starters so look for the backups right after the 1st quarter. The Jets - due to being thin at the O-Line - plan on using a very vanilla offensive package according to Herman Edwards. The good news however is that Vinny Testaverde (if he plays at all - Thumb) and Chad Pennington will be playing with the first team offense. Pennington is slated to play well into the second half so New York could - even with a vanilla offense - put up some numbers against Pittsburgh's 2nd and 3rd stringers. In the past 4 years, Coach Bill Cowher and the Steelers have not had a preseason opener go under 31 points. In the past 4 years, they have only had 6 of 18 preseason games go under 31 points. With Pennington and the 1st team seeing extended time, questions all over the New York d-line and secondary (lost 3 of 4 starters in offseason), and Pittsburgh with 10 of 11 starters back on D I am taking the OVER. I would even double up on this if Batch is slated to play the entire second half for Pittsburgh. I will stay on top of this until game time, and if any of you have SOLID information pertaining to this situation please contact me and I'll pass it along. LOSS Saturday Aug. 3 Washington +2' - Incumbent center Jeremy Newberry will be missing the first couple of games for San Fran; also with 20 of the 22 starters returning there's not much in the way of competition. Washington on the other hand has a rookie coach and a quarterback controversy. Factor that in with the Spurrier philosophy (paraphrased) "Any game worth keeping score is worth winning." and I believe the solid action should be on Washington to win this outright. WIN Monday Aug. 5th Houston +3' and Under 31' - Both teams are auditioning very shaky o-lines and the defenses should be able to control the games. Look for heavy doses of running by both of these teams as Fassel\Capers try to find their best front five. I'll give Houston the edge since they are a new team in the league and Dom Capers will want to try to generate some excitement. Also, keep in mind that Houston has many more guys in camp (16) than any of the other 31 teams in the NFL -- if that's not motivation for these guys to make a name for themselves early, I'm not sure what is? LOSS and LOSS |
| Final NFL Preseason 1* 11-16-4 Sides 7-10-4 Totals 4-6 2* 1-1 Sides 1-1 Overall 12-17-4 -6.8 Units Final NCAA Football 1* 15-13-1 +0.7 Units Sides 13-11-1 2* 36-31-2 +3.8 Units Sides 31-20-1 Contrarian 1-4 3* 0-4 -13.2 Units Sides 0-2 Contrarian 0-2 Total 51-48-2 -8.7 Units NFL Football 1* 23-24-2 -3.4 Units 2* 28-22-1 +7.6 Units 3* 13-8-3 +12.8 Units Total 64-54-6 (54.2%) +17.0 Units Slug % 118-92-13 (56.2%) NCAA Hoops (All plays sent by e-mail ONLY - It's too hard to update this site daily!) 4* 2-0 +8.0 Units 3* 1-0 +3.0 Units 2* 2-1 +1.8 Units 1* 1-1 -0.1 Units Total 6-2 +12.7 Units NBA (All plays sent by e-mail ONLY - It's too hard to update this site daily!) Full Game Plays through 12/21/2002 1* 26-21-1 Sides 13-12-1 Totals 12-8 +2.9 Units 2* 20-19 Sides 8-15 Totals 12-4 -1.8 Units 3* 14-17 Sides 4-9 Totals 10-8 -14.1 Units 4* 12-7-1 Sides 5-3-1 Totals 7-5 +17.2 Units Total 72-64-2 (52.9%) +4.2 Units Slug % 156-138-5 (53.1%) 1st Half NBA Plays through 12/21/2002 1* 10-9-1 Sides 7-6-1 Totals 3-3 +0.1 Units 2* 11-19 Sides 6-10 Totals 5-9 -19.8 Units 3* 10-4 Sides 7-2 Totals 3-2 +16.8 Units 4* 16-10 Sides 5-5 Totals 11-5 +20.0 Units Total 47-42-1 (52.8%) +17.1 Units Slug % 126-99-1 (56.0%) |