Spooky's "need you now" first week of autumn express

[Spooky]

Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday........

13) I'm sure a lot of careful planning went into the opening of Cowboys' new stadium, but how about Jordin Sparks singing National Anthem??? Her father Phillippi used to play cornerback for the Giants, who were the visitor and the winners Sunday night at JerryWorld. You'd think the new stadium would have had a more Texas-style opening.

12) Dallas ran ball for 251 yards, scored 31 points but lost. Tennessee ran ball for 240, also scored 31 points but also lost. Very unusual.

11) Chris Johnson of the Titans had TD runs of 57-91 yards, a TD pass of 67 yards; he is first player in NFL history to have touchdown runs of 50+/90+ yards and a TD catch of 60+ yards in the same game.

10) Word of caution if you want to anoint the Giants Super Bowl champ after Week 2: when you're +4 in turnovers, you're not supposed to need a last-second field goal to win the game. You're supposed to win easily.

9) Same for the Saints- they're the first team since the '88 Raiders to play their first two games of a season against two QBs (Stafford/Kolb) making their first NFL start. Back in '88, Oakland faced Babe Laufenberg of the Chargers and Cody Carlson of the then-Houston Oilers.

8) New Orleans has scored 93 points in two games, the most by a club in its first two ballgames since '68 Raiders scored 95 the first two weeks

7) Drew Brees has nine TD passes in two games, tying Charley Johnson of the '65 Cardinals for most TD passes in first two games of a season.

6) JaMarcus Russell was 7-24/99 passing Sunday, a horrendous effort but a winning one-- he led a nine-play, 69-yard TD drive to win a game the Raiders really had no business winning (total yards: 409-166, KC).

5) Tom Brady was 8-20/61 passing in second half Sunday, as Jets upset the Patriots 16-9 in the Swamp. Wes Welker's absence was huge factor in the game-- Brady had no one to turn to when he was pressured. Good win for the talkative Jets, who host 0-2 Tennessee in Week 3.

4) No mind games were spared by Rex Ryan; all three captains for Jets at the coin toss were ex-Patriots, including the 3rd-string QB O'Connell, who up to last month had been a Patriot. The rematch is in Week 11.

3) Only five TDs were scored on defense/special teams this week, and four of those teams won-- only Green Bay lost. A reshuffled offensive line allowed six Bengal sacks; Green Bay ran ball for only 89 yards.

2) Philip Rivers was 21-41/421 passing in San Diego's 31-26 home loss to the Ravens, but Chargers could manage only three FGs in five trips inside the Baltimore 20-yard line. Bolts also had 12 peanlties/85 yards.

1) Odd Stat of the Week came through; Steelers are now a shocking 3-17 against the spread last 20 times they were favored by 3 or less points.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Monday

-- Tigers, Rockies both helped their playoff hopes Sunday by winning road games-- Robertson won at Minnesota, Jimenez at Arizona.

-- Cubs suspended Milton Bradley for rest of the season, for basically being a jerk; too bad they still owe him $20M the next two years.

-- NC State QB Wilson set an NCAA record-- he has now thrown 329 consecutive passes without throwing an interception.

-- South Florida QB Grothe, a 3-year starter, is done for this year after tearing his ACL Saturday, very bad news for the Bulls.

-- Arizona TE Gronkowski (3rd team All-American LY) is done for the year with a strained back he suffered in Saturday's loss at Iowa.

-- Since when has CBS started superimposing New York Life ads on the field during college football games, right before a play is run? Not all the time, just enough to annoy. Jerry Jones would be proud.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY'S FAB FIVE FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009


Happy Monday everyone.

1. Quick Hits

A regular season NFL record crowd of 105,121 watches the christening of the new Cowboys $1.15 billion palace. The Giants beat the Cowboys 33-31 on a last second field goal. No punts hit the $40-million dollar video screens.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees has now thrown 9 touchdowns in 2 games after winning in Philly 48-22. The Saints have racked up 93 points in their two wins.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me? Try telling that to the Cubs volatile outfielder Milton Bradley. He said the Cubs were not a "positive environment" and got suspended for the rest of the season.

In Boxing, Floyd Mayweather returned after a 21 month layoff and beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a unanimous decision. Mayweather is now 40-0.

Former tennis star Martina Hingis was the first celebrity bounced out of the BBC TV show, "Strictly Come Dancing."

2. J-E-T-S

Go ahead Jets fans, say it out loud. "The first place and undefeated New York Jets." OK, its only week 2. But new coach Rex Ryan proclaimed he wasn't coming here to kiss Patriots coach Bill Belichick's ring. He lets his players trash talk. He calls his season ticket holders with a taped message to make noise at the game. And then the Jets go out and do something they've never done before, beat Tom Brady in the Meadowlands. For the first time, in a long time, it's not the "same old Jets." Cool.

3. Monday Musings

The "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and again" award to the Oakland Raiders after somehow winning in Kansas City 13-10 despite being outgained 409 yards to 166.
-----
Do some athletes take stupid pills? Delonte West of the Cleveland Cavaliers got arrested for speeding on a motorcycle with three loaded guns. Maybe he got confused when a coach told him to always be on the lookout for a three point shot opportunity.
-----
Syracuse won and USC lost in college football. See, you can mention Syracuse and USC football in the same breath.

4. Survey Says

The Associated Press reported last week that commercials in baseball games are similar to football. Lots of sex, alcohol and junk food. Beer commercials and ads for erectile dysfunction show up in virtually every commercial break. Aren't kids watching these games? The advertisers and the networks respond that the audience is overwhelmingly adult. A bill was even introduced in Congress last May to limit the e.d. ads to late night. They say it won't pass anytime soon. (I could say that's because the lawmakers are too busy with sex, alcohol and junk food, but that would be a cheap shot.)

5. What's in a Name?

There have been some interesting occupational names in the sports world. Jockey Willie Shoemaker and any number of Bakers, Cooks and Millers come to mind. But a young goaltender in the San Jose Sharks organization has them beat. He is Tyson Sexsmith. I'm guessing he's great at it..... goaltending that is.

Happy Birthday: Pistons "bad boy" Rick Mahorn. 51.

Bonus Birthday: Mr. Caddyshack. Bill Murray. 59.

Today in Sports: The debut of ABC's Monday Night Football. Cleveland beat the Jets 31-21. 1970.

Bonus Event: "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." was printed for the first time in the New York Sun. 1897.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Monday, September 21

Under the halo

At the end of August, the Angels were runaway leaders with a 76-49-5 mark against the over and were one of the few teams not impacted by the season-long, league-wide trend toward the under. In September, however, they are 2-15-1 against the over, including Sunday's 10-run eruption vs. Texas. The total is 9.5 for the Angels' home game vs. the Yankees.

Backup backfield?

The Philadelphia Eagles are averaging 30 points per game, which is pretty good when you consider they also are averaging one key offensive backfield injury per game. In Week One it was quarterback Donovan McNabb's broken rib. On Sunday it was running back Michael Westbrook's sprained right ankle, the same one that bothered him last season.

Westbrook returned for just one play before limping off. His running and pass-catching ability provides a solid safety valve for any quarterback but especially those unfamiliar with the first-team offense, such as Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick or Jeff Garcia - Philadelphia's current quarterback options. The Eagles host the Kansas City Chiefs next week.
It's officially football season in Chicago

If Windy City sports fans are looking for evidence to turn their attention away from baseball and toward the Bears, there is a double dose on display. In their matchup against the Twins, the White Sox are starting righthander Daniel Hudson, a September call-up who is making his first major league start after three relief appearances. In their visit to Milwaukee, the Cubs are starting Tom Gorzelanny, who has made six relief appearances since his last start Aug. 20. The White Sox have no line and the Cubs are +122.

For whom the Bell tolls

It's hard to find fault with the Saints' offense, but we'll try. Running back Mike Bell, having a second straight strong game, left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury that some reports are speculating is a sprained MCL. Bell is having an MRI on Monday.

If Bell misses any time, it will be interesting to see whom coach Sean Payton uses as his featured back. He already as shown he does not want to use Reggie Bush in that role, and Pierre Thomas - who ran for 625 yards a year ago - has not had a carry in the first two games. Next week, New Orleans is at Buffalo, which has allowed just 130 rushing yards in its first two games.

Plenty of rest

Yankees lefthander Andy Pettitte will be pitching for the first time in 10 days when he faces the Angels. Pettitte missed his last start due to an achy shoulder. Given his 15-9 career postseason record, that was a concern of the Yankees, whose magic number for a playoff berth is one. The Yankees are +110 vs. the Angels, the cheapest price they have had since Aug. 23 at Boston.

Win or go home

There are two strong trends to keep in mind for Game Three of the Western Conference semifinal series between the San Antonio Silver Stars and Phoenix Mercury. In six meetings this year, the home team is 6-0 straight up and against the spread. The teams also are 5-1 against the over, with the only loss by a half point on Aug. 13. Phoenix is 8.5 and the total is 183.

Notable quotable

"There are issues that we've had throughout the year that in the last few days became too much for me to tolerate."

-- Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry, explaining his decision to suspend outfielder Miton Bradley for the rest of the season. Over the weekend, Bradley again bashed the Cubs, their fans and the media for their negativity.

[Spooky]

NFL Monday, September 21


Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins (+3, 42)

Turnover story

Miami had a +17 turnover ratio last season which led the league and contributed to its run to the playoffs. This year the Dolphins are off to a bad start after fumbling three times and losing another on an interception against an average Atlanta defensive unit.

Holding the Line

Indianapolis has the horses to put pressure on Chad Pennington with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the edges. Atlanta was able to get four sacks primarily against Miami second year OT Jake Long.

On the flip side, a lot of attention is being put on Colts LT Charlie Johnson who returned to practice on Friday after dealing with a back injury. Johnson managed to overtake third-year tackle Tony Ugoh, who had started there the past two seasons. Indy managed only 71 yards on 31 rushing attempts last week.

Help wanted

The Colts offense lost a valuable cog last week with Anthony Gonzalez going down with a knee injury. Hank Baskett was brought in to attempt to take the place of the former Ohio State wideout. Baskett was never higher than third or fourth on the depth chart while with the Eagles.

Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie will also attempt to fill the void, with the two combining for only nine career receptions in the NFL. Luckily for Indy, Peyton Manning still has Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Wayne had 10 receptions in a 14-12 win over the Jaguars while Clark has caught the most touchdowns at the tight end position since 2007.

Monday night magic

The Dolphins have not been on Monday Night Football since November of 2007 when they lost 3-0 at Pittsburgh in a game that could’ve cure the worst case of insomnia. The current Dolphins are excited for their opportunity to showcase this year’s team.

"Monday night is one of the few regular-season games that mimic a playoff-style atmosphere, playoff tempo,'' quarterback Chad Pennington said. "It is always special to play on Monday nights.''

The Colts are used to the extra attention. They’ve played a MNF game every year since 1999.

Trends

The Dolphins are 1-5 over the past three seasons against the spread as a home underdog of three points or less. Miami has failed to cover in 13 of its last 16 games home games.

Indianapolis is 5-2 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3 over the past three seasons. They’ve been in 15 MNF games since 1992 and are 10-5 in those games.

Nine of the 12 games played in Miami between these two teams have gone over the total since 1992.

Line Movement

The Colts opened up at -3.5 but the line has fallen to -3 at many places. The total opened up at 43 and has slowly dipped down to 42.

Weather

The weather may be a factor in this game. There’s a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms with the wind going east at 12 mph. The temperature will be 88 degrees and balmy.

[Spooky]

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[Spooky]

Spooky's Money Shot Worst Of Week 2

Honorable mention: my colon, my stomach, my brain, my bookmaker account. Had a bad, bad weekend with the Trojans and Lions.

Honorable mention 2: Jeff Reed - way to cost your team a game, ya faggot. Missing two easy field goals??? James Harrison has raped uglier men for less than that. Cover your butt this week, homo.

5. Titans Defense - Whoa. They looked awesome against the Steelers last Thursday and then follow that up by getting gashed by the gash known as Matt Schaub. Seriously, Schaub is not good. He shouldn't be putting up numbers like that over three games let alone against a Jeff Fisher coached team at home. And should we be starting to get nervous about Steve Slaton? He's averaging about -12 yards per carry.

4. Brady Quinn - I'm about 95% sure that Quinn will be nothing more than a backup in the league. He just isn't good. He plays tentative. He takes waaaaay too many sacks. He has the dreaded "happy feet". Does anyone want to argue that the Browns are anything more than MAYBE a two win team? They suck. No team should lose by 3 scores to a Kyle Orton Express-led squadron.

3. Sean McDermott - Nice defense. I saw the feature on Fox's pregame 60 minutes of pimping that awful Strahan sitcom (Apollo Creed!!!). The Eagles defense is not good. Don't believe the hype from last weekend's Delhomme pants-shitting. These losers are going to have to win shootouts almost every week. They're like the Saints except that they aren't fun to watch and their QB knows a thing or two about ralphing. I don't care if they were playing the Saints, you can't give up 48 points in your home opener. You suck.

2. Aaron Rodgers - You know, and I am guilty of this, many people said that the Packers' shitty season last year was not Rodgers' fault. Well, after watching them get destroyed by the Bengals yesterday in every facet of the game, maybe Rodgers just isn't that good. Maybe he's like Romo and Rivers and Brees...fantasy studs but losers on the field. Whoever the left tackle is for GB should be cut today. How do you give up 5 sacks to one guy...WHO PLAYS FOR THE BENGALS!!! I'll give the Pack a few more games.

1. Tom Brady - Fuck you, Tom. Fuck you in your smelly goat ass. That is SEVEN quarters now that you have sucked diseased possum nuts. What is wrong with Brady anyway? He's getting outplayed by a Mexican AND Trent Edwards in less than a week! I just don't know what's the deal with him but he better quit fucking around. Oh yeah, and the Patriots are just a regular team now. They no longer feature that air of invincibility.

While watching Football Night In America before the Sunday Night game. Bob Costas interviewed Jerry Jones. I contemplated how soon I could get to Texas, once Jerry Jones is caste back to the underworld to be seated at the right hand of Satan, and spit on his grave. Seriously, I've never rooted for someone to die more in my life. The sooner the better. Maybe I will even violently vomit all over his tombstone. I'm open for anything really.

[Spooky]

A little USC talk for all my Trojan fans out there


The tension and anxiety amongst the coaching staff in Heritage Hall this week ended up spilling onto the field and sidelines Saturday as the Trojans lost to the Washington Huskies 16-13 and dropped to #12 in the AP poll.
Despite an early touchdown drive where the offensive line opened up huge holes, the Trojans reverted back to the same recipe for disaster that annually costs them a game in Pac-10 play: Turnovers, Penalties and Questionable offensive play calls. It is very difficult to overcome these problems when you are playing the second of back-to-back road games and are without your starting QB Matt Barkley and All American Safety Taylor Mays.


The Trojans had the ball within or near the red zone six times and only walked away with 13 points and turned the ball over 3 times. They were a combined 0-11 on 3rd and 4th down and could only muster 110 yards passing, the lowest in the Pete Carroll era.


The offensive coaching staff botched an attempt to get a field goal off at the end of the first half by running the ball with no timeouts left and played not to lose at the end of the game instead of rolling Corp out and trying to attack the end zone.

With all of the mistakes the Trojans made, they probably would have won the game if they scored a touchdown on their final drive.


The defense is simply fantastic and will keep the Trojans in every game they play. However, the offense has to get going and not much time exists as the Trojans play #6 Cal in two weeks.


Ideas to get the offense rolling:

#1- Don't coach and play with fear: When Coach Carroll first came to USC, he brought a no fear mentality with him. “Big Balls Pete”! USC played not to lose at Washington and lost.
Despite turning the ball over 3 x’s against Washington, SC gave up only 16 points. Ohio State had the ball 5 x’s in the second half on USC’s side of the field and only had 3 points.
This might be the most dominant defense in the Pete Carroll era and they can afford to take some calculated risks and not worry as much about interceptions. The Trojans are so concerned about turning the ball over they handicap themselves and sports psychologist’s would say that you make that fear (turning the ball over) into reality in stressful situations.

USC will have to make plays offensively to go 4-0 against the murderer’s row schedule of at Cal, at Notre Dame, Oregon State and at Oregon.

#2- Better ball distribution on offense: The SC offense resembles a struggling pro offense that is predictable and scared to throw down the field. When was the last time USC attempted a pass for over 20-25 yards? It is frustrating when Idaho throws for over 350 yards on Washington and USC throws for only 110.


The Trojans need to periodically open up the offense and not be so focused on getting the ball outside of the hash marks on short throws. Better distribution of the ball around the whole field, more play action fakes and looking to one side of the field and throwing to the other or down the middle should create more functionality on offense (see the 2003 and 2004 Trojans).
Despite having inexperience at the Quarterback, USC is very talented at the position and should have more success offensively especially with such a great offensive line.

#3 Utilize the Tight-end: Anthony McCoy only had 1 catch against Washington. Corp missed him a couple of other times but SC needs the Tight End to have at least 5-7 receptions a game to keep Linebacker’s honest. It would be nice to see Blake Ayles get more involved as well.


#4 Get De’von Flournoy on the field: If you look at tape, the WR’s are doing their jobs. However, without Ronald Johnson they are lacking a legitimate deep threat/game breaker and it is time to give Flournoy a chance to play. In the fall, he was one of the only offensive players that consistently made big plays against the #1 defense yet the coaches have said he is not ready. If Bates has simplified the offense it should be easier for a freshman to get on the field. Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett didn’t have a problem getting on the field as true freshman and it is worth giving him a shot.


#5 Give Alan Bradford a real chance: When was the last time Bradford fumbled the ball? When was the last time Bradford didn’t hit the hole hard and carry a pile? When was the last time Bradford got more than 5 carries in a non-blowout situation? Stafon Johnson is a solid all-around back but if you are looking for thunder to add to McKnight’s lightening he might be your best option and is deserving of the opportunity based on his practice effort and appearances in games.


The silver lining is that despite playing and coaching a very poor game, the Trojans still had a shot to win against a talented Washington team. USC has a great coaching staff and Coach Carroll always seems to get the Trojans to bounce back in a big way.


If the Trojans can survive a brutal mid-season schedule and get the offense rolling, the Trojans will be right back in the national title picture and nobody will want to play them. It is scary how good this team can be with any type of offensive production.


The question is whether they can figure it out offensively in the next two weeks. . .

[Spooky]

Tuesday's Dirty Dozen: Nobody asked me, but...........


12) Was there any doubt Jerry Jones was going to announce Cowboys had the biggest crowd in NFL history Sunday night?

11) Give me one good reason why Michael Crabtree hasn't signed yet; seriously-- one freakin' reason that would make any sense. Anyone?

10) Scumweasel agent Scott Boras has done couple tongue-in-cheek commercials on ESPN-- the guy looks a lot like Cincinnati Bearcats' football coach Brian Kelly.

9) 15 of 32 NFL games have been decided by six or less points.

8) Some people in NFL circles think the Jaguars screwed up when they didn't lower ticket prices this season; as a result, their season ticket base dropped from 42,000 to 25,000- none of their '09 games will sell out.

7) Dallas Cowboy opponents have thrown 80 passes in two games, and Cowboys have yet to record a sack or an interception.

6) Giant-Dallas game Sunday night was highest-rated primetime game in 11 years, since a Denver-Miami game in December of '98.

5) Underdogs are 9-5 vs spread in NFL divisional games this year so far; home favorites are 3-7, home dogs are 2-1.

4) On their first three drives Sunday, Tennessee Titans scored three TDs gained 207 yards on 16 plays...........rest of the game, on 10 drives, they gained 237 yards on 45 plays, scoring one TD and one FG.

3) Saints led 17-13 at halftime, then Philly turned ball over twice in first 3:21 of third quarter and the cow was out of the barn. New Orleans had scoring drives of 22-24 yards to make the game 31-13 and that was that.

2) Jet coaches are making good adjustments at halftime; on each teams' first drive of third quarter, Jets have outgained opponents 143-minus-1 and outscored them 14-0.

1) Tuesday, November 17, ESPN is showing 24 consecutive hours of live college basketball; thats right, there will be live games starting at 6am in New Jersey, 8am in Buffalo, 10am in Virginia, noon in Albany. The 2am-4am games are from California and Hawai'i, both 11pm local time starts. These games are on a Tuesday, so not a lot of classes for the players that day.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Tuesday, September 22

The mistake by the lake

The Cleveland Indians are back home, which means their 10-game road losing streak is on hold until Oct. 1. They can, however, continue their overall slides of eight in a row and 12 of 13 when they host the Detroit Tigers. Aaron Laffey, who had been pitching well, is on the mound and has allowed six earned runs in each of his last two starts. The Indians are +125.

Another L for The D

Apparently not content with simply losing games, the Detroit Lions are now losing players. Winless in 19 games since Dec. 23, 2007, the Lions announced Monday that linebacker Ernie Sims, one of their better run-stoppers, has a "significant" shoulder injury. Lions coach Jim Schwartz gave no other details but said there is a chance Sims could miss some time.

Sims had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery in the first two games and has never missed an NFL contest in three-plus seasons with the Lions, who allowed 72 points in their first two games. Sims would be replaced by either Jordon Dizon or rookie DeAndre Levy. Detroit is getting 6.5 points from visiting Washington with a total of 38.5 on Sunday.

Under where?

Oakland's Trevor Cahill is 3-1 with three no-decisions in his last seven starts. He has given up just one homer and not allowed more than three earned runs in any of those outings. The A's are 6-1 against the under in that stretch and are -125 with a total of 8.5 vs. the Rangers, who have the best under mark (90-50-8) in baseball.

Angels righthander Ervin Santana has pitched to the under in his last five starts, allowing just 13 runs in 31 2-3 innings while receiving just 12 runs of support. The Angels are -120 with a total of 10 against the Yankees and potentially combustible Chad Gaudin.

Under bettors have cashed in seven of the last eight starts made by White Sox starter John Danks, who is 3-1 with four no-decisions in that span but has pitched at least six innings each time. The White Sox are -155 with a total of 9.0 vs. the Minnesota Twins.

Jerry-rigged

At times this season, Tom Brady has not seemed as fearless in the pocket as he was before last season's injury. He may get a break from the pressure this week when the New England Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons, who have serious depth issues on their defensive line after announcing Monday that rookie defensive tackle Peria Jerry is out for the season with a knee injury.

Jerry will be replaced by Thomas Johnson, who before this season had not played in the NFL since 2006. The Falcons also have Trey Lewis, who sat out last season with a knee injury and hasn't played this year, and Vance Walker, who was signed off the practice squad. Atlanta is +4 at New England with a total of 44.5.

Nothing noble about this Duke

The Pirates are 1-8 in the last nine starts made by lefthander Zach Duke, who is 1-5 with a 5.33 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in that span. Pittsburgh is -113 vs. Cincinnati.

A peek ahead

Something's gotta give in Thursday's SEC matchup between Mississippi and South Carolina. The Rebels are 7-0 straight up and against the spread in their last seven games. The Gamecocks have covered their first three games this season, two as an underdog. Mississippi is -3 at South Carolina.

Notable quotable

"I was trying too hard on both of them. That’s what happens to a kicker when you hook them. I thought the first one was going to sneak in, but I didn’t give the second one a chance. I’m just embarrassed because these guys fought their tails off to win the game."

-- Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Jeff Reed, who missed field goals of 38 and 43 yards in the fourth quarter of a 17-14 loss at Chicago. In Week One, Reed kicked the tying and winning field goals in an overtime victory over Tennessee.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY'S FAB FIVE FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

Happy Tuesday everyone.

1. Quick Hits

Yankees fail to clinch a playoff spot losing in Anaheim 5-2. Their magic number remains 1 to make the post season.

The Houston Astros fire their manager Cecil Cooper.

Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress will be sentenced today for shooting himself in the leg. He'll begin serving his two year sentence immediately.

What a turnout for last nights football game in Miami against the Colts. Serena and Venus Williams, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett, Gloria Estafan and Tiger Woods. The Dolphins lost anyway 27-23.

2. Damn Yankees

How fitting that the Yankees will probably clinch a playoff spot on the first day of fall. It's not a good day for Yankee haters. They'll be the first team to qualify for the post season. Detractors will say "sure, they bought themselves in." But to be fair, they've been buying
and buying since 2000 and it hasn't paid dividends. After missing last years playoffs they spent wisely this past off season. But even with that humongous payroll they have real issues with their starting pitching. So if you belong to that legion of Yankee haters keep the faith. It's a long long way to November. (When this year's World
Series will conclude.)

3. Rule Book

Time for a rule change in the NFL. This business of a coach calling time out, just as the kicker is about to attempt a field goal is bush league. Dallas coach Wade Phillips did it the other night against the Giants. Both the nullified kick, and the real one were good. Not only are you risking injury, it just looks amateurish. It would be like calling time just as the pitcher is in his windup or the foul shot is in the air.

4. Man-Genius

The hilite of Eric Mangini's stay as Jets coach? A cameo on the Sopranos. Tony spots "Mangenius" in a restaurant. After getting fired in New York he landed in Cleveland. Now comes word he fined a player 17-hundred dollars for not paying for a $3.00 bottle of water that the player drank in his hotel room during a pre-season game. Mangini is a stickler for detail. I've got a couple of details for "Mangenius" to swallow. The Browns are 0-2 and they've scored a grand total of 26
points.

5. Lemme in Coach

It was inevitable. Kim Clijsters of Belgium won the U.S. Open after a 2 1/2 year absence from tennis. Her fellow countrywoman, Justine Henin quit tennis last year while still ranked #1. Now Henin is coming back.
Whatcha waiting for Martina, Steffi and Chris?

Happy Birthday: Rangers Stanley Cup goalie Mike Richter. 43.

Bonus Birthday: Actor Scott Baio. 48.

Today in Sports: The infamous "long count" at Soldier Field Chicago. Jack Dempsey loses to Gene Tunney after Tunney is given more than 10 seconds to recover from a knockdown. 1927.

Bonus Event: Only 413 fans show up at Yankee Stadium. And the seats were cheap! 1966.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Wednesday, September 23

Huff and tough

The Detroit Tigers could have their hands full with lefthander David Huff, who quietly has become the most effective starter for the Cleveland Indians. In his last four starts, Huff is 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, lasting six innings each time. The visiting Tigers are -123.

This Cougar has dull claws

Washington State already had enough problems, playing its first road game of the season against USC, which has to be looking to vent after last week's inexplicable loss to Washington. Now the Cougars will be without top rusher James Montgomery, who suffered a leg injury in last week's win over SMU and is out for the season. Montgomery had 167 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry for the Cougars, who are +45 against the Trojans.

Life of Brian

Minnesota Twins rookie lefthander Brian Duensing is keeping his team in the postseason hunt with his performance as a starter. As a reliever this season, Duensing is 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in 30 1-3 innings. As a starter, he is 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA in 42 1-3 innings. The Twins are -104 at the Chicago White Sox.

Returning Rockies

Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy said closer Huston Street, who has been out since Sept. 1 with biceps tendinitis, is ready to return to the mound. The Rockies are -203 vs. San Diego. Tracy also said Aaron Cook, sidelined since Aug. 22 with an elbow strain, will start Friday vs. St. Louis and be limited to 70 pitches.

Sparks need to be "stronger"

If the Los Angeles Sparks want to reach the WNBA Finals, they will have to get there without playing a home game. Game One of the Western Conference finals vs. the Phoenix Mercury has been moved to UCLA's Pauley Pavilion due to a Britney Spears concert at Staples Center. LA is giving three points with a total of 177.

Not living up to his name

The Cincinnati Reds have played under the total in the last six games started by righthander Homer Bailey, who has allowed eight runs - and just two homers - in 39 1-3 innings in that span. No more than eight runs have been scored in any of Bailey's last six starts. The Reds are -116 at Pittsburgh with a total of 8.5.
Shocking development

The defending WNBA champion Shock have surged into the Eastern Conference finals behind Deanna Nolan, who is averaging 20.8 points in her last 13 games while leading Detroit to an 11-2 record. During the season, Nolan scored 22 points in Detroit's lone win over Indiana and averaged just 11.0 points in the three losses. The host Shock are -2 over the Fever in Game One with a total of 146.5.

Notable Quotable

"I also understand the situation we're in, the business end of where we are and the realities of where we are. That's not for me to decide. I've been here for a long time and I'm very vested in this organization, so you always want to see it through. We'll see what happens."

-- Indians manager Eric Wedge, responding to a question about his job security. Cleveland has lost seven straight games to fall into last place in the weak AL Central with a 61-88 record.



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[Spooky]

Wednesday's List of 13: Our NFL List of 13............

13) Chargers-- Scored 26 points vs Ravens despite red zone struggles-- they need to run ball better, even with LT out.

12) Broncos-- Thru two weeks, is Brandon Stokely the NFL's MVP?

11) Patriots-- Brady struggled without Welker; unbeaten Falcons and BC alum Ryan invade Beantown this weekend.

10) Cowboys-- From 2003-08, three teams ran ball for 239+ yards but lost; this past weekend alone, three teams did the same thing, and Dallas was one of them. Romo has to cut down on costly turnovers.

9) Steelers-- Didn't force turnover in Polamalu's first game out; hard to tell a lot about them yet. They've won last eight visits to Cincinnati.

8) 49ers-- Only battle of unbeatens this year is 49ers at Vikings, but no matter what, Singletary's team already has two divisional wins.

7) Vikings-- The way they bring in different QB every year, Peterson is this generation's Eric Dickerson, great RB who never got to Super Bowl because his team bumbled its attempts to find a competent QB.

6) Colts-- Miami converted 15-21 on third down, Indy averaged 12.3 yards/pass attempt, in an exciting, strange game Monday night.

5) Jets-- Haven't allowed an offensive TD so far. Backing up all the talk so far, but a desperate Tennessee team comes to Swamp this weekend.

4) Falcons-- Have lot of ways to go on offense. Interesting game up in Foxboro this week for their road opener.

3) Giants-- Young WRs Manningham, Smith stepping up so far, and the result is pair of divisional wins heading into trap game at Tampa.

2) Ravens-- Offense is finally carrying its share of the load. How great a play did Ray Lewis make to seal the win in San Diego?

1) Saints-- Most points in first two weeks of season in last 41 years, but in fairness, their first two opponents had QB making first NFL start.

[Spooky]

Spooky's Fab Five for Wednesday, September 23, 2009


Happy Wednesday everyone.

1. Quick Hits

After missing the playoffs last year, the Yankees become the first team to clinch a post season berth this season.

Next up, the Dodgers and Cardinals. Both have a magic number of 2 to clinch a playoff spot.

More proof that drinking and driving don't mix. A day after Jack Daniels stopped sponsoring NASCAR, Jim Beam followed suit.

2. Joe G.

Who benefits the most from the Yankees making the post-season? Their manager Joe Girardi. After failing to make the playoffs last season, another flop would have cost him his job. Of course he still has to navigate through the Angels, Red Sox and perhaps the Cardinals or Dodgers in the World Series. If it's L.A., Joe G. vs. Joe T. will be particularly sexy.

3. Ticket Blitz

There's a downside for Yankee fans should they go deep into the post season. There will be a huge demand for tickets which will mask their regular season problems. The Yankees have announced some price cuts for next season. But if the team had a bad year, those cuts would have been more severe. Lots of Yankees and Mets fans are thinking twice about buying season tickets for next season, but a World Series appearance would help fans make up their minds.
4. Joe G. II

Joe Garagiola says he's coming back to broadcast Arizona Diamondbacks games. He's 83 years old and he took the year off for health reasons. He was the pioneer of bloopers way back with Johnny Carson. One other note. During the 1983 baseball playoffs, Mike Schmidt of the Phillies hit a game winning homer against the Dodgers. After the game Schmidt I read said he had a Joe Garagiola baseball card in his pocket during the game. Joe was announcing up in the booth for NBC. I'm thinking that hasn't happened since. Welcome back Joe.

5. A Match Made in....

Serena Williams has signed on to endorse Tampax.
....nah, too easy.

Happy Birthday: Newly crowned U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro. 21.

Bonus Birthday: Born in the U.S.A. in 1949. The Boss. Bruce Springsteen. 60.

Extra Bonus Birthday: Mickey Rooney. 89.

Today in Sports: Fred "Bonehead" Merkle doesn't run to second base on a base hit. To make a long story short, the Giants lose the pennant to the Cubs. Hence the nickname "Bonehead." 1908.

Bonus Event: Richard on delivers the "Checkers" speech on television to defend himself against charges of campaign irregularities. He said, no matter what, he's keeping a gift he received. A dog named Checkers. 1952.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Thursday

Some NFL trends for Week 3.........

-- Lions failed to cover their last five home games.

-- Seahawks covered 18 of their last 26 as a home favorite.

-- Packers are 8-2-1 in last eleven games as a road favorite.

-- Steelers covered 10 of last 14 as a divisional road favorite.

-- Tennessee covered 18 of their last 25 road games.

-- Patriots covered three of last 11 as a home favorite.

[Spooky]

Thursday's List of 13: Our college football List of 13:

As always, our college football list isn't a ranking, just teams that caught my attention last week, for better or worse........

13) Washington-- You think they worked the recruiting phones this week? Interesting to see how they do at Stanford this week.

12) Georgia-- Allowed 78 points in SEC games last two weeks, and won both of them. Arizona State visits this week- who did this schedule?

11) Cincinnati-- Convincing wins already at Rutgers, Oregon State, with one returning defensive starter from LY's team. Impressive team.

10) Kansas-- Football players got into couple fights this week with guys on Jayhawks' basketball team, an unwanted distraction for everyone.

9) Michigan State-- Cousins' first road start turned into disaster on last drive, when he threw horrible INT when they were in range for a certain tying field goal, at least. Next learning experience is against Wisconsin.

8) Miami-- Florida State's huge win at BYU adds momentum to Harris' Heisman bandwagon. Hurricanes are top 5 team if they beat Va Tech in Blacksburg Saturday.

7) Mountain West-- Utah, BYU both got socked last week, a bad week for the BCS busters; they need TCU to win at Clemson this week.

6) LSU-- Excellent article on espn.com this week about TC McCartney, backup QB for LSU who is son of former Colorado QB Sal Aunese.

5) Northern Illinois-- They had ball on own 20-yard line with 3:00 left at Purdue, up 28-21, and they ran a fake punt. It worked-- onions!!!!

4) Boise State-- Memo to Coach Peterson-- Never leave Boise. Look at the other guys who have won here and moved on-- it hasn't gone well.

3) Louisville-- Rumor mill has Philip Fulmer taking over Cardinals if this season turns ugly. This fanbase was spoiled by Petrino's success.

2) South Florida-- Senior QB Grothe tore his ACL in game Bulls won by 59-0 score; sad end to a terrific college career. USF has Florida State next not the easiest first start for Grothe's replacement.

1) Texas Tech-- Punter Erxleben is son of Russell Erxleben, great kicker and punter for Longhorn teams in late 70's who went on to punt for the Saints for a few years. Was impressed by Tech defense in Austin.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Thursday, September 24

Danger: Explosive offense!

Ole Miss’ attack is setting fire to all opposing defenses. Coach Houston Nutt’s boys are averaging 46.5 points over their last six contests. Only three of those games went over the total, but the Rebels still hung 45 and 52 points in matchups that fell below the over/under line.

South Carolina and Ole Miss have played over the total in each of their last three meetings, but Thursday’s total (53) is a bit higher than what SEC bettors are accustomed to seeing.

Those damn Yanks

Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Angels is further proof that the Bronx Bombers won’t mail in the rest of the season even though they’ve secured a spot in the postseason.

New York went 2-1 after clinching in 2007 and 5-5 in 2006. So even though utility players like Shelley Duncan and Jose Molina will see lots of time, that doesn’t mean the Yanks are a good play-against team for the remainder of the regular season.

Thursday is an off day for New York before the club plays host to the Red Sox beginning on Friday.

Tom Brady’s security blanket expects to play

Wes Welker expects to play this weekend against Atlanta even though he didn’t practice on Wednesday according to an ESPN report.

Welker missed last week’s game, a 16-9 loss to the Jets. The Pats are 4-point home faves this weekend against Atlanta.

Welker had 12 catches for 93 yards in the team’s Week 1 win over Buffalo. The former Dolphin caught 224 balls and found the end zone 11 times from 2007-08.

Smelly South Siders

White Sox general manager Ken Williams reiterated on Wednesday afternoon how much he detests this year’s rag-tag group.

“They are underachievers,” he told the Associated Press. “We’re not playing up to our capabilities. Period.”

Entering Wednesday’s tilt with the Twins, Chicago had dropped six of seven games. The most embarrassing part: the Sox were favored in six of those games.

The Chi Sox begin a weekend series with the Tigers on Friday.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY'S FAB FIVE FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009


Happy Thursday everyone

1. Quick Hits

* The St. Louis Cardinals can clinch the NL Central without playing today if the Cubs lose. The Cards magic number is one after failing to clinch last night in Houston.
The Dodgers magic number to make the postseason remains 2.

* Bobby Cox will retire as Atlanta Braves manager after the 2010 season.

* Mikhail Prokhorov, the richest man in Russia, is buying an 80 per cent stake in the New Jersey Nets and a 45 per cent stake in their new Brooklyn arena. Pricetag: $200-million.

* Chicago has brought out the heavy artillery. Oprah Winfrey will go to Denmark next week in an effort to secure the 2016 Olympics for Chicago.

* Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling says he won't run for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. We're still waiting to hear from Stephon Marbury.


2. Doing Time

No matter what you think of Plaxico Burress you had to be cold blooded not to feel something the other day. From Super Bowl hero to jailbird. My feelings went out to his family more than him. Yes he was stupid, a $30 holster could have saved everyone a lot of trouble. What a waste. What a damn waste.

3. He Shoots He Scores

The cricket team from India is engaged in cutting edge game preparation. Their coaches are urging the players to have sex before their matches. This flies in the face of traditional sports lore. According to the Indian coaches, "From a physiological perspective, having sex increases testosterone levels, which cause an increase in strength, energy, aggression and competitiveness." But cricket? I'm thinking maybe hockey players are the ones who are screwing like rabbits.

4. Faves

So when the Harris Poll asked Americans their favorite female athletes, # 1 was Serena Williams. That could change next year. #9 was tennis player Anna Kournikova. I guess currency doesn't count. She hasn't been on the scene for years. And I guess success doesn't matter either. She never won a singles title in her career. But she looks good.

5. Hilite of the Week

You just couldn't beat the lovely shot Sunday night of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones picking his nose on national TV. Recalls Wimbledon, when they took a shot of someone digging for gold in the Royal Box. Announcer Bud Collins proclaimed "Nice backhand."

Happy Birthday: Former slugger Rafael "I did not take steroids, period" Palmeiro. He later flunked a steroid test. 45.

Bonus Birthday: Sportscaster Jim McKay would have been 88 today.

Today in Sports: The great Don Budge, by winning the U.S. Open, becomes the first tennis player to win all 4 Grand Slam tournaments. 1938.

Bonus Event: The Miracle Mets clinch their first National League East division title. 1969.

[Spooky]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITE UPS

Thursday's game

Ole Miss is 3-8-1 as road favorite since 2001, 1-4 since '04; they lost at home to South Carolina 31-24 LY (-2), in game after they upset Florida, in game where Gamecocks were 22-32/327 passing. Rebels had walkover vs I-AA team last week after bye, so its been three weeks since a 45-14 win at Memphis when QB Snead struggled early. Carolina is 3-7-1 as a home dog under Spurrier; they're more battle tested at this point, after a split of close games at NC State, Georgia. Last time Ole Miss was this high in polls was 1970.


Friday's game

Missouri squashed Nevada 69-17 LY, as Daniel was 27-36/519 through air, but now Tigers visit Reno to face Wolf Pack squad playing its home opener. Nevada is 1-3 as home dog since '06- they lost first two games, by 15-35 points, not scoring yet in first half (0-42). Pack hasn't forced a turnover yet, is -8 in turnover ratio. Mizzou covered five of last six as road favorite, 13 of last 18 non-league games- they open Big 12 play in next game, vs Nebraska-- this is a trap game for them vs wounded foe. .


Saturday's games

Top games

Underdog covered five of last six Wake Forest-Boston College games, as Deacons lost last two visits here, 38-28/35-30. Matt Ryan's senior year was only time favorite covered in series. Last week, BC was 5-21/25 as passers at rainy Clemson- they're struggling at QB. Since '06, Eagles are 3-6 in the game following a loss. Wake is 16-10 as road dog under Grobe.

Underdog covered five of last seven Minnesota-Northwestern games, as Wildcats won last two meetings, 24-17/49-48; both teams are coming off first loss of season. Gophers are 16-20 after loss since '02; Wildcats are 21-10 since '03, but just 2-7 in last nine tries as home favorite. Last two Northwestern games were both decided by a FG. Gophers are 6-2 as a road underdog under Brewster.

Home side won last four Michigan State-Wisconsin games; Spartans lost last two visits here, 37-34/56-21. State lost last two games by combined total of five points- they lost tough game at Notre Dame, with soph QB Cousins throwing horrific INT deep in Irish territory as Spartans drove for winning score- they're 6-3 vs spread in last nine games as a road dog. Badgers are 1-4 in last five as a home favorite.

With Utah, BYU losing last week, hopes of Mountain West to keep up as BCS busters lies with TCU squad that already won 30-14 at Virginia of ACC (-12). Horned Frogs are 4-7-1 as road dog since '04. Clemson is off decisive win over ACC rival Boston College; Tigers are 4-2 as home favorite under Swinney, 2-0 this year. TCU is 20-12-3 vs spread off a win the last 4+ seasons.

Arkansas is 9-4 as road dog since '05; they gave up 530 yards in a wild 52-41 home loss to Dawgs last week- Georgia averaged 14.4 yds/pass attempt. Alabama is averaging 42.7 ppg in McElroy's first three college games, throwing for 230+ yards in all three games; Crimson Tide ran ball for 328 yards in 49-14 mauling of Hogs LY (-9). Bama is 7-18 vs spread as a home favorite since '05, 5-8 under Saban.

Florida had flu issues this week after 23-13 win over Tennessee; Gators are 6-1 as road favorites last two seasons. Kentucky is 8-4 as home dog since '04; they got waxed 63-5 in Gainesville LY, getting first two punts blocked. Florida won last 12 series games (2-5 vs spread in last seven)- they've won six in row, winning last three by 8-21-3 points. Wildcats scored 73 points in winning first two games (beat rival Lousville 31-27).

Georgia (-7) went to desert LY, beat Arizona State 27-10; Dawgs gave up 78 points in last two games, but won both- they play LSU next week so letdown possible here. Dawgs covered one of last six as a home fave. Arizona State beat up on two stiffs at home; they're 7-18-1 as road dog since 2001. Nine of last 11 Arizona State road games stayed under total.

Cal won last three games vs Oregon by 10-7-21 points; and Ducks were ranked going into all three games; Bears are just 2-6 in last eight games as road favorite. Oregon is home dog for just second time since '03, losing 45-13 to USC in last such role ('05, +21)- they beat Purdue, Utah in last two games after disaster in Boise. Cal has USC coming to Berkeley next week, has to avoid lookahead here.

Washington hits road off huge upset last week; they're 1-7 vs spread in last eight games as road dog. Underdog covered five of their last seven games with Stanford, which is 4-1 as home favorite under Harbaugh, but 3-7 vs spread in game after their last 10 wins. Cardinal had 244 rushing yards in LY's win; USC had 250 in Seattle last week, but Washington is finding ways to succeed under new coach Sarkisian.

Underdog covered six of last eight Miami-Va Tech games; 'canes are 2-4 in last six visits to Blacksburg, and scored 16 or less points in five of six series games, but Harris-led offense scored 71 points in first two games this year, ACC wins over Seminoles, Ga Tech. Tech gutted out a 16-15 home win vs Nebraska last week; they're 4-8-1 vs spread in last 13 home games. Miami is 41-59/656 passing behind Heisman hopeful Harris.

Purdue lost at home to Northern Illinois last week; they've given up 97 points in three games, bad news vs Notre Dame squad that is missing its best WR Floyd (collarbone) but has scored 34 ppg in its first three tilts, narrowly beating Spartans at home last week. Last six series games were all won by 13+ points, with Notre Dame winning three of last four. Irish are 4-3-1 as road favorite under Weis.

Iowa ruined Penn State's national title hopes LY with a dramatic 24-23 win; it was Ferentz' sixth win in last seven meetings with JoePa, who is 0-3 as a home favorite this year, beating three stiffs by 24-21-25 points. Iowa is 15-11-1 as road dog this decade; they beat Iowa State, Arizona in last two games after lucking out vs Northern Iowa in opener. Hawkeyes covered four of their last five road games.

Houston had last week off after shocking Oklahoma State in Stillwater; Cougars are 10-6 vs spread at home last three years. Texas Tech showed surprising defense in 34-24 loss at Texas last week, outgaining Horns by 41 yards, but three turnovers, 14 penalties hurt them in Potts' first road start. Tech is 7-5 vs spread in last dozen road games. Total of 73 tells us this figures to be a shootout- check weather before playing over.

Oregon State won nine of last ten games vs Arizona, taking five of six in Corvallis, with last four wins here all by 14+ points. Wildcats are 12-8 vs spread in game after their last 20 losses, State is 8-3 in game after its last 11 setbacks. Arizona is on road second week in row after 27-17 loss at Iowa last week- they were just 10-26 passing, could change QBs here.

[Spooky]

NFL WRITE UPS

NFL Week 3 games

Sunday, Setember 27

Titans (0-2) @ Jets (2-0)-- Tennessee is 10-3-1 vs spread as a road dog since 2006; huge test for Jet team that backed its talk last week and beat a division rival, but is just 3-7-1 as home favorite last two years. Titans are desperate to win, having lost last two games by FG each- they ran for 240 yards last week, but allowed 321-357 passing yards in first two games (6.8/9.2 ypp), and may miss departed DC Schwartz more than expected. Tennessee is 7-2-1 vs spread in last ten games as non-divisional road dog. Jets still haven't allowed a TD on defense- their opponents have run ball 33 times for total of 121 yards (3.7).

Jaguars (0-2) @ Texans (1-1)-- Home side won nine of last 12 series games, as Jags lost five of last six visits here, the last three by 20-14-13 points. Jaguars lost first two games, going 3/out eight times on 22 drives- they're 24-11 vs the spread in last 35 games as single digit underdog. Houston gave up 240 rushing yards last week, but averaged 9.2 yards/pass; they're 7-5 as home favorite the last 2+ years. Jags are 11-6-1 as road dog in divisional games since '01. Average total in last four series games, 55.6. In its brief history, Houston is 3-2 against spread when favored at home against a division rival.

Chiefs (0-2) @ Eagles (1-1)-- Kolb likely to start again with Eagles having bye next week; Vick will make Philly debut here in Wildcat sets, vs Chief defense that held Oakland to 7-24/99 passing last week, but gave up winning drive in last minute. KC lost to Raider team they outgained 409-166; they're 10-7 as a road underdog since '07. Interesting note for later in week-- Chiefs are 7-0 as a double digit dog since '02, 12-20-1 as single digit dog since '05, 6-9-1 as a road dog vs non-divisional foe. Philly covered seven of last nine as a home favorite. Home favorites are 5-7 vs spread in non-divisional games this season.

Browns (0-2) @ Ravens (2-0)-- Baltimore is 8-4 in last dozen series games, as Browns lost five of last six visits here, with all five losses by 10+ points- they are 1-5 vs spread as double digit dog since '07, 4-9 as divisional road dog since '04. Cleveland gave up 61 points in losing first two games by 14-21 points; in two games, they've been outrushed 411-143. Ravens had great win last week in San Diego; they've scored 69 points in first two games, outrushing opponents by 328-92, winning by 14-5 points, but could they be looking ahead to a game in Foxboro next week? Baltimore is 8-5 as divisional home favorite since 2003.

Giants (2-0) @ Buccaneers (0-2)-- Trap game for Giants, coming off couple of division rivalry wins, while Bucs lost first two games, giving up 34-33 points. Tampa allowed 336 yards on 59 rushes so far (5.7 ypc), bad news vs diverse Giant attack that averaged 8.3/8.7 ypa in first two games, but has struggled in red zone, kicking six FGs with no TDs in eight RZ drives. Big Blue is 11-4 as a road favorite since '05, 26-13 as single digit underdog since '05- they scored a defensive TD in both games this year. Bucs are 15-20 as single digit dog since 2004, but they are 5-1-1 vs spread as non-divisional home underdog since '00.

Redskins (1-1) @ Lions (0-2)-- Home team is 10-3 in last 13 series games, as Redskins won last three meetings vs Detroit by 7-31-8 points. Lions lost their last 19 games, are 12-27 as single digit dog since '05, 4-11-1 in last 16 games as a non-divisional home dog. Lions allowed nine TDs on 22 drives this year; foes are completing 80.6% of their passes. Underdog is 4-0-1 vs spread in last five Redskin games. Washington offense was putrid last week, with three FGs on four RZ trips, failing to score TD vs lowly Rams; they lost RG Thomas for season, but are 5-2-1 against the pointspread as road favorite since '05.

Packers (1-1) @ Rams (0-2)-- Green Bay OL is struggling; they've run ball for just 165 yards in two games, allowed 10 sacks; they've scored only one TD in second half, are on upset alert against hungry Ram club that showed defensive grit last week, holding Redskins without TD. St Louis lost its last 12 games, is 4-9 vs spread as home dog last two years, 5-18 in last 23 games as single digit dog. Green Bay is 8-5 as road favorite since '03, 12-8 in last 20 games as single digit favorite. Rams have one TD on 18 drives, completed only half its passes in losing first two games by 28-2. Average total in last five series tilts is 54.4.

49ers (2-0) @ Vikings (2-0)-- Week 3's only meeting of unbeatens; Niners lost last three visits here by 7-24-28 points (last two 40-16/35-7), but in winning first two games, 49ers held opponents to two TDs on 24 drives (11 3/outs), and allowed only 106 rushing yards, so good test here vs Peterson-led Viking attack that has 337 rushing yards in first two games, scoring seven TDs on 22 drives- they outscored foes 44-7 in second half of games, after trailing both by FG at the half. Vikings are 15-10 as single digit since '05, 14-9 as home favorite in non-divisional games. 49ers are 9-20-1 as non-divisional road underdog.

Falcons (2-0) @ Patriots (1-1)-- Belichick is 15-3 vs spread off a loss since '03 as BC alum Ryan returns to Beantown with 2-0 Falcon squad that is diverse on offense, stingy on defense, allowing three TDs on 19 drives in first two Ws. Patriots have +58 pass/run ratio so far, 14 more than any other team; they've scored only three TDs in eight red zone drives, as Welker's absence was huge in loss at Swamp last week. Patriots are 13-18-1 as home favorite since 2005, but 6-4 as non-divisional HF last two years. Falcons are 12-8 as road dog since '06, 9-4 in last thirteen games as non-divisional road underdog.

Bears (1-1) @ Seahawks (1-1)-- Hasselbeck is out (broken rib); Wallace isn't a quality backup (Seattle was shut out in second half last week, after a one-yard TD pass on first play after Hasselbeck got hurt), so Bears are favored on road after upsetting Steelers at home. Seattle is 14-9-1 vs spread off a loss since '05; they're 3-2-1 as home dog since '03. Since '06, Bears are just 1-5-1 vs spread if favored by 3 or less points- they've run ball for just 129 yards in first couple games. Seahawks have just one takeaway in splitting pair of division games. Chicago lost last four visits to Seattle, with their only win way back in 1976.

Saints (2-0) @ Bills (1-1)-- Payton's high-flying Saints scored 93 points in its first two wins, most points scored in Weeks 1-2 since 1968 Raiders scored 95. Road team won last four series games; Saints won two of last three visits here. Buffalo hasn't gone 3/out on 19 drives this year- they need to keep ball away from QB Brees, whose nine TD passes in two games are tied for most ever by NFL QB after two weeks. Bills are 7-4 as home dog since '06, 11-4 vs spread in last 15 non-divisional home games. Saints are 6-2 as road favorite since '05, they've got 11 TDs on 24 drives, converted 15 of 26 on third down (57.7%).

Dolphins (0-2) @ Chargers (1-1)-- Long trip on short work week for Miami club that had bitter home loss to Colts late Monday night. Dolphins won last seven games vs San Diego, winning last three here by 10-10-2 points. Fish are 9-5-2 as road dog since '07, 17-7-1 in last 25 games as non-divisional road dog. Bolts scored 10 or less points in five of last six series games- they're 16-10 as home favorite since '06, 13-9 as non-divisional HF since '03. Chargers didn't have TD (three FGs) in five red zone trips vs Ravens last week; they dropped back to pass 47 times, only ran it 21. Miami gave up 12.3 ypp Monday nite.

Steelers (1-1) @ Bengals (1-1)-- Pitt is 15-4 in last 19 series games, taking last five (last four by 11+ points); Steelers won last eight games here, none by less than six points- they covered 10 of last 14 as divisional road favorite, but are just 6-10 as road favorite overall since '06. Bengals have nine sacks so far, are 10-5 vs spread in last 15 games as underdog- they're 6-9 as home dog since '04. Pitt played pair of low scoring games so far (13-10/14-17) but didn't have any takeaways in rainy Chicago last week, first game without Polamalu at safety. Bengals allowed just 75-89 rushing yards in first two games, a good sign.

Broncos (2-0) @ Raiders (1-1)-- Oakland won two of last three in series, after losing previous five games; Denver won five of last six visits to Oakland, with four of five wins by 14+ points, but Shanahan had vendetta against his former boss Al Davis. These Broncos are 2-0; Nike Nolan's 3-4 defense allowed one TD on 22 drives (nine 3/outs); they've outrushed opponents 261-140. Russell has completed just 37.5% of passes so far- Raiders went 3/out on 11/21 drives they need more consistency under center. Oakland is 9-19-1 as home favorite this decade. Broncos covered two of their last nine AFC West road games.

Colts (2-0) @ Cardinals (1-1)-- Indy won first two games by 2-4 points, with Manning averaging 12.3 ypa Monday in Miami. Colt defense is giving up 4.7 ypc- their foes converted 21 of 36 on 3rd down. This is long road trip on short work week, but Colts are 7-1-1 vs spread this decade when dog of three or less points, 9-4-1 in last 14 games as road dog overall. Warner was 24-26 passing in easy win at Jacksonville last week; Cardinals are 11-9 as home fave since '05, 10-4 in last 14 games as non-divisional HF. Redbord defense faced Hill/Garrard in first two games, now takes major step up in QB competition vs Manning.


Monday, September 28

Panthers (0-2) @ Cowboys (1-1)-- Dallas won seven of last eight series games, with only loss in '03 playoffs; Cowboys scored 65 points in first two games (eight TDs/22 drives), but have zero sacks or INTs (opp 80 passes). Panthers allowed 33.8 ppg in last four regular season games; they've given up 336 yards on ground in two '09 games (4.9 ypc), seven TDs on 21 drives, with only three 3/outs, while completing just 52% of their passes. Carolina covered two of last 10 as a road dog. Dallas is 3-5 vs spread in last eight games as a home favorite, but is 13-7-1 against spread as non-divisional home favorite since 2004.