NFL Week 5 Preview

Oakland Raiders @ NY Giants
Spread: Giants, -14.5
o/u: 37.5
The Raiders are bad. We knew this already. Now, without Darren McFadden to run the ball so they don't have to throw it, the Raiders are worse. After the freak plantar fasciitis injury to Eli Manning last week, the Giants aren't sure he can play. But even if he can't, David Carr is an underrated QB as his backup, and Brandon Jacobs has come alive a bit in the last couple of weeks.
Pick: Gaints 27 - Raiders 6

Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers
Spread: Panthers, -3.5
o/u: 37.5
The Panthers are winless and the Redskins have already lost to the Lions this year. In what might actually be a good game between bad teams, the Panthers have a chance to put the season back on track. Coming off the bye week helps the Jags, and if they can finally wake up their running game, Jason Campbell will probably make enough mistakes for the Skins to give Carolina the win.
Pick: Panthers 20 - Redskins 13

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Spread: Ravens, -8.5
o/u: 42
Don't sleep on the Bengals this year. Carson Palmer is finally starting to look like his old, healthy self again, and both teams come into this game 3-1, leading their division. With Baltimore's rush defense 1st in the league and their pass defense 23rd, that healthy arm will help alot. The problem for Cincinnati will come on the other side of the ball, where Baltimore's 3rd ranked offense will move the ball against the Bengal's 17th ranked D. The score in this one will probably be high, and it will be closer than the spread indicates.
Pick: Ravens 28 - Bengals 24

Cleveland Browns @ Buffalo Bills
Spread: Bills, -6
o/u: 40.5
With each passing week, the Browns look like they are trying to repeat the Lions 0-16 performance of last season. Now they've traded away arguably their most talented played, and biggest deep threat. Derek Anderson may have a big arm, but with no one to throw to, will it matter? Now they have to go into one of the NFL's most hostile environments and take on a Bills team trying to claw their way back into the AFC East picture. And with Willis McGahee back against the leagues worst rush defense, the Bills should win this one easily.
Pick: Buffalo 24 - Browns 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Spread: Eagles, -15
o/u: 42
The Bucs are bad. Getting shut out by the Giants proved that. Now they have to face the Eagles, who also have a very good D, and are expected to have Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook this week. The onlt question now is can McNabb put up Kevin Kolb-like numbers?
Pick: Eagles 34 - Buccaneers 10

Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs
Spread: Cowboys, -8
o/u: 42.5
Dallas's season has been marked by wins against winless teams and losses to undefeated teams. The Chiefs are still winless this year, and don't look to be improving any time soon. Dallas will be without #1 receiver Roy Williams this week, but the other receivers have shown they are more than able to pick up the slack for him. The last meeting between these teams, four years ago, was a shootout that totaled 938 yards of offense. Neither one of these teams is who they were four years ago, and it will show in the final score.
Pick: Cowboys 24 - Chiefs 10

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Detroit Lions
Spread: Steelers, -10.5
o/u: 44
Last week, the Steelers found their running game. Detroit still hasn't found their rush defense. Thats all you need to know about this one.
Pick: Steelers 28 - Lions 10

Minnesota Vikings @ St Louis Rams
Spread: Vikings, -10
o/u: 41
There is still some life in Brett Favre's 40 year old arm. Where there isn't life is the Rams offense. Their defense may be improving week-to-week, but they aren't the Bears of a few years ago. They need the offense to put up points, and they haven't been able to.
Pick: Vikings 24 - Rams 10

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers
Spread: 49ers, -2.5
This looks like it might be Sunday's best game. The 49ers are slowly trying to pull away in their division, while Atlanta is just trying to stay close behind New Orleans. And while Atlanta has improved from last years playoff performance, putting up impresive offensive numbers, they've also given up big numbers on D. The 49ers have looked like an all around well-coached team, and those coaches will take agvantage of what Atlanta's defense gives them.
Pick: 49ers 28 - Falcons 17

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahwaks
Spread: Seahawks, -1
o/u: 44
A lot of people seem to be thinking this game will hinge on Matt Hasselbeck. If he plays, Seattle wins, if he doesn't, they lose. But what no one is paying attention to is Seattles D. Over the last two games, they've given up 600 yards and 5 TDs through the air. David Garrard may not be Jay Cutler or Peyton Manning, but hes experienced enough to have a solid game against that defense.
Pick: Jaguars 31 - Seahawks 20

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos
Spread: Patriots, -3
o/u: 41
As I pointed out last week, the Broncos have quietly put together the leagues best defense. Now they have to stop Tom Brady, who is improving week-to-week since looking lost and confused the first two weeks. However, he still has some hurdles to overcome, like his lack of chemistry with his receivers. Thats what will give the Broncos the edge and the win in this game.
Pick: Broncos 28 - Patriots 21

Houston Texans @ Arizona Cardinals
Spread: Cardinals, -5.5
o/u: 50
This game could be an absolute shootout. Or, Houston could have a blowout win. It all depends on which Arizona team shows up this week: the one that blew out Jacksonville? Or the one that struggled against the Colts and 49ers? On the other side, Houston hasn't looked like the model of consistency, either. Still, with the 3rd worst passing defense taking on Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, who leads the league in receptions and receiving yards since 2008, I have to give this to Houston.
Pick: Texans 31 - Cardinals 24

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Spread: Colts, -3.5
o/u: 45.5
Tennessee is 0-4, and has the 2nd worst pass D in the league. The only thing that will stop Peyton Manning is when they pull him in the 4th quarter when they have a big lead.
Pick: Colts 38 - Titans 17

College Football Week 6 - Important Matchups

1 Florida @ 4 LSU
Favorite: Florida, -7.5
Over the last three seasons, the winner of this game has gone on to win the National Championship. The winner of this game has also bee the home team each of those years. After suffering a concussion against Kentucky two weeks ago, many are wondering if Tim Tebow will play this week. And if he does, will he be the same player? Even with Tebow having practiced this week, the week-and-a-half layoff may leave him a bit rusty. Florida may be the favorite, but I have to give this one to LSU at home.
Pick: LSU 34 - Florida 21

Michigan @ 12 Iowa
Favorite: Iowa, -8
Iowa is still undefeated since beating Penn State last season, and Michigan has something to prove. In what has become an up-and-down season for both teams, the winner of this game would be in early contention for the Big Ten title. Coming into this season, there were low expectations on a Michigan team that went 3-9 last season. Michigan needs this game more, but having already lost their only road game so far, I have give it to Iowa in a close one.
Pick: Iowa 24 - Michigan 21

13 Oregon @ UCLA
Favorite: Oregon, -3.5
After going undefeated in non-conference play, UCLA lost to Stanford in their first conference game of the season. For Oregon, their opening day loss to Boise State dropped them out of the Top 25. Back-to-back wins against then-18 Utah, winners of 16 straight games, and then-6 Cal, also undefeated at the time, have put them in the top 15. UCLA wants to prove thier 3-0 start wasn't a fluke and put themselve in the Pac-10 hunt, but after beating two straight ranked teams, Oregon looks like the runaway winner.
Pick: Oregon 35 - UCLA 17

22 Georgia Tech @ FSU
Favorite: FSU, -3
Georgia Tech hasn't looked great this year. Yes, they are 4-1, Miami made them look like a high school team, and thier wins against Clemson and Mississippi State were closer than they should have been for a ranked team. But if there is one team in the ACC that has looked worse compared to expectations, its FSU. They are off to their worst start since 1976, Bobby Bowden's first season as head coach. At times, Bowden has seemed clueless, even admitting in post-game press conferences that he didn't know how good his opponents were. FSU may be undefeated at home against Georgia Tech, but nothing lasts forver.
Pick: Georgia Tech 31 - FSU 17

Friday Morning News - 10/9/09

No. 21 Nebrask beat 24 Missouri, 27-12, with all of Nebraska's points socred in the 4th quarter. [KansasCity.com]

In the debut game for the UFL, the Las Vegas Locomotives beat the California Redwoods, 30-17. [[Las Vegas Review Journal]

New England Patriots RB Fred Taylor underwent surgery yesterday to repair ligament damage in his right ankle. He is expected to be back this season. [Boston.com]

Thursday Morning News - 10/8/09

NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez has been fined $5,000 by the NFL for a low hit on Saints LB Jonathan Vilma. [NJ.com]

Memphis Grizzlie Allen Iverson is expected to miss up to 3 weeks with a hamstring injury. [Memphis Commercial Appeal]

Oklahoma St WR Dez Bryant has been ruled ineligible for lying to NCAA investigators about a meeting with Deion Sanders. [ESPN]

MLB Postseason Preview

NLDS:
St Louis Cardinals vs. LA Dodgers
In each of the major sports, there is something people say wins championships: goaltending in hockey, defense in basketball and football. In baseball, its pitching. The Cardinals have it, and the Dodgers don't. Of all the pitchers who have started a game for the Dodgers this year, only Randy Wolf has more than one more win than loss. On the other side, the Cardinals have three 15 game winners, two of which have an ERA under 3. Add to that some of the struggles the Dodgers have had at the plate lately, and I have to give this one to the Cards.
Pick: Cardinals win 3-0

Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies will not repeat this year. In fact, I don't think they make it out of the first round. The Rockies simply look like a better team. And putting together a team that hit the 7th most HRs this season against a Phillies pitching staff that gave up the third most HRs this season spells disaster for the former champs.
Pick: Rockies win 3-1

ALDS:
Boston Red Sox vs LA Angels
The Red Sox have owned the Angels in the playoffs. In their last three postseason matchups, the Sox are 9-1 against the Angels. On paper, though, this looks like the most evenly matched pairing this year, as both teams have remarkably similar numbers in pitching and hitting. This series, then, will come down to intangiables. I have to give it to the Sox, as they've been here before, they've won before, and I think they'll win again.
Pick: Red Sox win 3-2

Minnestoa Twins vs NY Yankees
If recent trends continue, the AL side of the postseason is set up perfectly for the Yankees. Under manager Ron Gardenhire, the Twins are 3-23 against the Yanks, including 0-7 this season. If the Red Sox domination of the Angels continues, the Yanks can sweep Minnesota, and have momentum behind them going into the ALCS. In my opinion, having Jose Molina catch AJ Burnett is the right move. Once the postseason starts, pitching becomes much more important than hitting, and having Burnett at the top of his game is more important than having Jorge Posada in the lineup.
Pick: Yankees win 3-0

Wednesday Morning News - 10/7/09

The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers in 12 innings to win the AL Central. They will take on the NY Yankees in the first round, beginning today. [Bloomberg]

The Cleveland Browns have traded WR Braylon Edwards to the NY Jets for WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnik, and two undisclosed draft picks. [NFL.com]

The San Francisco 49ers have finally signed first-round pick Michael Crabtree to a reoprted 6-year deal. [The Huddle]

Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo will miss the rest of the season with a torn left quadriceps tendon. [Baltimore Sun]

NFL Week 4 Wrap-up

First quarter done, heres where we stand:

The Best:
New Orleans Saints
At 4-0, the Saints are actually tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the best offense yards-wise. But the Saints have scored 36 more points than the Colts have this season, which is more points than the Colts have put up in any single game this year. The fact that they are 10th in passing and second in rushing is a testament to how quickly they can pull out to a big lead: Their quick scores passing lets them run the ball exclusively late in the game.

NY Giants
The Giants offense struggled a bit so far this season. Their passing game lacked a #1 receiver, and Brandon Jacobs hasn't looked like the punishing back we've expected him to be. Its been their defense that has allowed the team to be 4-0. Sure, they gave up huge rushing numbers to the Cowboys in Week 2, but they shutout the Buccs in Week 3, and haven't allowed more than 17 points in their other two games.

The Worst:
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have the worst offense in football. Thats no surprise. They are barely averaging 10 points and 208 yards of TOTAL offense per game. Thats just barely half the ypg of the Colts and Saints.

Cleveland Browns
The if you thought the Browns offense was bad, then don't even look at their defense. The Browns are giving up almost 30 points and over 400 yards per game. They are actually 11th in the league against the pass, but who needs to pass when teams are averaging 177 rushing yards against them?

Injuries:
Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders: out 2-4 weeks with a torn meniscus in his right knee
Gerald Sensabaugh, SS, Cowboys: possible out 1 month after surgery to repair a plate in his thumb
Eli Manning, QB, Giants: day-to-day with plantar fasciitis
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions: day-to-day with a possible dislocated kneecap

Fantasy Studs:

1. 49ers defense. With 3 TDs, the '9ers put up the most fantasy points this weekend. They scored more points than the Saints offense did against the Jets.
2. David Garrard. He feasted on a Tennessee D that hasn't looked even close to as dominant as they were last year.
3. Rashard Mendenhall. Replacing injured RB Willie Parker, he made the most of his time, gaining almost 200 yards and 2 TDs.

Fantasy Duds:

1. Devin Hester. After having a breakout game last week, Hester only has 1 reception for 2 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury.
2. Darren McFadden. He was just barely better than Hester, totalling just 2 yards(-3 rushing) before leaving with his own injury.
3. Braylon Edwards. Congrats, Edwards! You got one whole fantasy point this week for making a solo tackle! Thats some heads up D from a receiver!

Week 4 Picks:
Straight up: 9-5, 43-19 overall
ATS: 9-5, 41-21 overall
o/u: 8-6, 30-32 overall

Questions for Week 5:
How much will Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook play?
Coming off the bye week, both players practiced on Monday. But are they ready? We still don't know how McNabb's rib will react to be ing hit, or even if he'll be ready to go this week. Westbrook is probably the better chance to play, as hes no stranger to being injured. How much of an impact will they have?

Can the Jets Bounce back?
The Jets suffered their first loss of the season this week, and the worst stats came from QB Mark Sanchez. The Saints D made him look like the rookie that he is, as he turned the ball over 4 times, and twice for TDs. After what is far and away his worst start of the season, how will he react? Can the Jets bounce back against what should be 4 fairly easy games in the next 4 weeks?

Who will be coaching the Raiders?
As the story of Randy Hanson's broken jaw has begun to come out over the past week or so, it increasingly looks like head coach Tom Cable could fined himself charged with assault. Its also possible no charges will be filed, and nothing will come of it. But in what has become an increasingly desparate season, this is the last thing the Raiders need now. Al Davis has always looked past people's off-field actions to put what he feels is the best team possible on the field, but how much more can Raiders fans take? Their team has the worst offense in the league, and now their head coaching situation is up in the air. Is it time to abandon ship in Oakland?

Tuesday Morning News - 10/6/09

St Louis Cardinal Chris Carpenter and Toronto Blue Jay Aaron Hill have been named the NL and AL Comeback Players of the Year. [MLB.com]

Closer Trevor Hoffman has signed a one-year deal to remain with the Milwaukee Brewers. [Yahoo]

Oklahoma WR Ryan Broyles could miss 2-4 weeks with a broken shoulder blade. [ESPN]

MNF Preview - Week 4

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Spread: Vikings, -3.5
o/u: 46
This is it, the game we've all been waiting for. This is the first time Brett Favre will have to play his old team, the Packers. And its on Monday Night Football, a stage Favre has always performed well on. Overall, I think Green Bay has the better team, but with Adrian Peterson being better than everyone else on the field, a pumped up Favre, and home field advantage, I have to give this to the Vike.
Pick: Minnesota 31 - Green Bay 27

NFL Sunday Recap - Week 4

After the first quarter of the season, some things have gone as expected, some haven't:

Living Up to Expectations:
Drew Brees
After almost breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record, Brees is out firing on all cylinders this year. The Saints are putting up big numbers already this year, in large part thanks to Brees's passing numbers. His ability to get the passing game moving early has allowed the running game to pound the ball late, and the defense to sit back and force turnovers when the opponent is playing from behind.

Chad Pennington
Pennington has been injured more often than not over his career. Going down for the season in Week 3 is just more of the same.

Playing Below Expectations:
Tennesee Titans
The Titans are probably the biggest disappointment this year. After starting last year 10-0, and finishing 13-3, they sit this year at 0-4. What was last year one of the leagues best defenses is now a team that gets pushed around each week. And things won't be getting any easier: Their next 4 games are Indy, @ New England, Jacksonville(who just beat them 37-17), and @ San Francisco. Thats right, their next 4 opponents are a combined 12-4.

Brady Quinn
I wanted to make this JaMarcus Russell, but I don't think most people expect much from him at this point. Quinn, however, was looked at as the savior of the Browns franchise when he was drafted, and this is the first real look we've had at him. After three start, he completed 60% of his passes for 400 yards. Its his 1 TD, 3 INTs, and 10 sacks that got him benched at the half in Week 3. Now Derek Anderson is under center, and Lord only knows when we'll see Quinn again.

Rookie Roundup: Using a complex scoring system to rank two major rookies for the season

Mark Sanchez: 14/27, 138 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 4 Sacks, 24 rush yards, 1 fumble(lost)
Points: -11.7, 31 overall

Matthew Stafford: 21/36, 241 yards, 1 TD, 2 sacks, 23 rush yards
Points: 15.8, 36.7 overall

Week 4 Winner: Stafford

What Have We Learned?: Three things we can take away from this weekend
1. The Jets are human
With Sanchez off to the first rookie 3-0 start in NFL history, and one of the best defenses in football, the Jets were flying high. With his performance against the Saints this week, he looked like what he is: a rookie QB. He threw 3 picks, one returned for a TD, and fumbled in his own endzone for another. The defense still played well, however, only giving up 10 points against one of the leagues best offenses. But this game served as a reminder to Jets fans that Sanchez is still learning, and once in while he'll have a game like this.

2. Miami can win with Chad. No, not that Chad, the other one.
With Pennington out for the season(though he's hopeful he can return next year), Chad Henne had to step up and take his place. He may have only had 115 passing yards and 1 TD, but he did enough to give the Dolphins their first win of the season. The real story, though, was a Miami rushing attack that put up 250 rushing yards to beat a Bills team that struggled a bit against the run the past two weeks.

3. Another strike for the Chosen One!
Peyton Manning and the Colts have now won an NFL leading 13 straight regular season games. Their last loss was Week 8 of last season, against the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans. In addition, Manning set a franchise record by having 300 passing yards for the fourth straight game. If you throw out the final game of last season, traditionally a rest game for playoff teams but one where Manning still went 7/7, Manning has 300 yards in his last 7 games. And these last 4 have been without Manning favorite Marvin Harrison, who is still considered a free agent.

MY 25 - Week 5

There is probably nothing in sports I disagree with more than the BCS and college football poll system. With that in mind, each week I'll be naming my own Top 25. The only hard and fast rule of MY 25: overall records come first.

1. Alabama
2. Boise St
3. LSU
4. Florida
5. Texas
6. Iowa
7. Auburn
8. Kansas
9. Cincinnati
10. USF
11. TCU
12. Mizzou
13. Wisconsin
14. Miami(FL)
15. Oregon
16. Virginia Tech
17. BYU
18. Oklahoma State
19. Nebraska
20. Ohio State
21. Penn State
22. Notre Dame
23. BC
24. South Carolina
25. West Virginia

Performance of the Week: Miami(FL)
Miami has had probably the toughest schedule to start the season of any team. After 4 games, they have played 4 ranked teams, and are 3-1. This week, after suffering their first loss last week to the-11th ranked Va Tech, Miami had to take on No. 8 Oklahoma as a 7.5 point underdog. Trailing 7-0 after the first quarter and 13-7 at the half, Miami scored 14 in the third quarter and the defense held Oklahoma to a TD and a field goal to win 21-20.
Honorary mention goes to UTEP for their 58-41 victory over ranked conference rival No. 12 Houston.

The Sunday News - 10/4/09

The Toronto Blue Jays have fired GM JP Ricciardi. [Canada.com]

The LA Dodgers finally clinched the NL West division title, beating the Rockies 5-0 in the second to last game of the season. The Rockies will get the NL Wild Card. [LA Times]

John Tavares, the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, had a goal and an assist for the NY Islanders in his first NHL game, a 4-3 shootout loss to Pittsburgh. [Fanhouse]

The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins enter the final day of the MLB season tied atop the AL Central.