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We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
aaron rodgers championship belt 242x300 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Aaron Rodgers

Week 12 in the NFL opened on Thursday, U.S. Thanksgiving, and while I thought we might see three good football games, we saw one.

The Dallas-Miami clash came right down to the final moments and that was worth watching, but I’m afraid the other two? Well, in the end, they were indeed turkeys, mere wasted effort on a holiday Thursday.

Green Bay demolished Detroit 27-15 as Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns as Green Bay  improved to 11-0 and have now won 17 straight games dating back to last season. Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh was once again vilified by idiot TV announcers — that’s clowns get dumber and more annoying every day — and it brought this response from one of our most loyal readers, the enlightened Fort Rouge Ted:

ndamukong suh 300x217 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Ndamukong Suh: Old time NFL Football.

“Scotty, I was talking with Pops after the games on Thursday and do you realize that not long ago, in a far-off distant land known as the United States of America, when the NFL was a real man’s league, Suh would have been made out to be an effing god. He would be on the same pedestal with Mean Joe Greene, Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Teddy The Stork Hendricks, Lyle Alzado, Deacon Jones, Mad Jack Lambert and Jack The Assassin Tatum. Suh would be a superstar among the defensive warriors of the real NFL. He would be cheered as much by his hometown fans as they would have hated the opposition, all while he was decapitating quarterbacks. 

“And not just Suh. What about that disgraceful roughing the passer call against Kyle Vandenbosch on Aaron Rodgers. That was embarrassingly bad. I was glad that Troy Aikman (the best in the business, by the way) said something. If that’s what my NFL has become, I don’t how much longer my passion will last.

“Then along came the liberal intellectuals, all the effing Harvard lawyers and Yale doctors, and they have changed the game to the point that it’s now made for gutless girly-men wearing skirts and playing to the cameras. Meanwhile, the TV and talk-show  announcers and all the would-be intellectuals, people who have never watched NFL films from the 60s and 70s, make Suh out to be a villain to be ridiculed by the politically correct in this baby-doll league we once called the NFL. No sir, I don’t like it. I want my old NFL back.”

As an Eastern university graduate and proud liberal, it’s sometimes hard to read my friends’ criticisms of other Eastern university graduates, liberal or not (by the way he acts around people, I would guess NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is a conservative Republican), but in his own blue-collar way, Teddy might be right. Between all the announcers passing judgment and all the officials throwing more flags than I ever remember, the game is getting dull, dull, dull.

With Sunday Ticket, you can bounce back and forth among a number of games, but when you’re stuck watching one game at a time as we were on Thursday, that game can get mind-numbingly uninteresting. Too many commercials, too many ridiculously dumb statements by the colour commentators (the play-by-play guys are generally solid) and way too many flags are making today’s NFL the dullest reality show on TV.

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Tony Romo

Meanwhile, back on Thursday, Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes and Dan Bailey kicked a 28-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to lead Dallas past Miami 20-19 in a decent, but not great, football game. It was actually encouraging to see Romo play the final few minutes with a little poise.

And in the Har-Bowl: Ravens coach John Harbaugh beat his brother, Niners coach Jim Harbaugh, 16-6. Niners quarterback Alex Smith was sacked nine times while Joe Flacco threw one touchdown pass as the Ravens improved to 8-3 and the Niners fell to 9-2. That game, I’m afraid, was dishwater dull.

But now it’s the weekend and that means that on Sunday afternoon, I can watch five games at once and not be bored to tears by another one of those GEICO commercials I’ve already seen 300 times. This weekend, the big games include Buffalo at the New York Jets; Chicago at Oakland; New England at Philadelphia; Denver at San Diego; and the NY Giants at New Orleans on Monday night.

By the way, on Thursday, Doc Football went 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread while The Coach went 2-1 straight up and 1-2 against the spread. The Coach really did think San Francisco was for real and that Baltimore would not be as good without Ray Lewis. Sadly, for The Coach, Baltimore might be better without Ray Lewis.

As always, Doc Football writes the game-by-game justifications and The Coach reserves the right to get snarky.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

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Sam Bradford

Arizona Cardinals (3-7) at St. Louis Rams (2-8)
Line: Rams by 3

St. Louis QB Sam Bradford should have a good day at home as his strong arm is going to be utilized all game long against a weak Cardinals secondary. Rams should have beaten the Cardinals the last time they met, and they also should learn from their mistakes from the previous matchup. Arizona has one player, Larry Fitzgerald, and if the Rams shut him down, they’ll shut down the Cardinals. It doesn’t hurt to be at home, either.

Dr. Football: RAMS TO WIN AND COVER. 

The Coach: RAMS TO WIN AND COVER.

Buffalo Bills (5-5) at New York Jets (5-5)
Line: Jets by 9

The Jets are desperate need of a win after being “Tebowed” last week, and should get one against a tattered Buffalo team it easily handled just three weeks ago. Offensively, Buffalo has completely broken down the last five weeks and to complicate things even more for them, RB Fred Jackson will be out for this game due to a leg injury.

Dr. Football: JETS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER

The Coach: JETS TO WIN AND COVER

Josh Cribbs We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Joshua Cribbs of the Browns

Cleveland Browns (4-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) 

Line: Bengals by 7.5

Both teams have been involved in a lot of close games this year. The difference is the Bengals have been better at winning them. The Bengals offense is the edge in this one, especially with WR A.J. Green back on Sunday. They will keep the ball moving downfield, and keep control of the clock as the Browns defense does not have the talent to match the Bengals offense.

Dr. Football: BENGALS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER 

The Coach: BENGALS TO WIN AND COVER

Houston Texans (7-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7)
Line: Texans by 3.5

Matt Schaub’s absence won’t be felt this week thanks to Texans’ shutdown defense and Jaguars’ woeful offense. Arian Foster is good enough to keep the pressure off of the other Matt (Leinart) this week, and the Texans will pick up an important win.

Dr. Football: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER

Carolina Panthers (2-8) at Indianapolis Colts (0-10)
Line: Panthers by 3.5

If the Colts are going to win at all this season, this figures to be their best chance. After all they can’t go 0-16, can they? (Coach sez: Sure they can).

Dr. Football: COLTS TO WIN

The Coach: PANTHERS TO WIN AND COVER

cj 300x204 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Chris Johnson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) at Tennessee Titans (5-5)
Line: Titans by 3

Bucs showed some heart in last week’s loss, and the mediocre Titans represent a step down in competition to what they’ve been facing lately. This week, they face a much better defense in Tennessee and won’t get the last minute opportunity for a comeback. Offensively, the Titans are a solid team no matter who is playing quarterback.

Dr. Football: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER

Minnesota Vikings (2-8) at Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
Line: Falcons by 9

Vikings are 3-13 in their last 16 road games and won’t have Adrian Peterson, while Matt Ryan shouldn’t have problems shredding depleted Minnesota secondary. Ryan should have a field day against a terrible Vikings defense, and struggling rookie Christian Ponder won’t be able to keep up without his best weapon.

Dr. Football: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER

Cleveland+Browns+v+Chicago+Bears+CFwo4xh7mjOl 200x300 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

The Caleb Hanie Era Starts Sunday

Chicago Bears (7-3) at Oakland Raiders (6-4)
Line: Raiders by 4.5

Caleb Hanie will get some help from Chicago’s defense and special teams, but the Bears won’t quite be able to overcome the loss of Jay Cutler who is out for 6-8 weeks with a broken thumb. Hanie has nowhere near the arm as Cutler and this is going to force the Bears to run the ball. This option isn’t bad for the Bears as they have one of the best running backs in the league this year with Matt Forte, and Oakland struggles a bit against the run. However, the Raiders do not struggle when it comes to getting pressure on the quarterback, and this will spell doom for the Bears. There probably isn’t a worse place for the Caleb Hanie Era to begin than in Oakland.

Dr. Football: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER

Marshawn+Lynch+Baltimore+Ravens+v+Seattle+K1y8pFnSl1tl 195x300 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Seattle's Marshawn Lynch

Washington Redskins (3-7) at Seattle Seahawks (4-6)
Line: Seahawks by 3.5

Seahawks have very quietly been playing pretty good football over the last couple of weeks, while Redskins have been playing pretty poor football considerably longer. Seattle’s defense is improving each week and this week they face Redskins QB Rex Grossman who is, for lack of a better word, a bum. Seattle’s offense will utilize RB Marshawn Lynch a lot this week and will be successful.

Dr. Football: SEAHAWKS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: SEAHAWKS TO WIN AND COVER

tom brady 5 185x300 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Tom Brady

New England Patriots (7-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)
Line: Patriots by 3

Last week’s win didn’t cure all the Eagles’ problems, and the incredibly efficient Patriots should be able to take advantage of their opponent’s sore spots.Especially the big holes on defense. Bill Belichick will find a way to confuse Vince Young and force a couple of turnovers, and that should be enough for the Pats. Frankly, in a battle between Eli Manning and Vince Young (last week), I might take Young, but in a battle between Tom Brady and Vince Young, I’ll take Brady any day.

Dr. Football: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER

Tim+Tebow+New+York+Jets+v+Denver+Broncos+uYUicoLBslOl 225x300 We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Tim Tebow

Denver Broncos (5-5) at San Diego Chargers (4-6)
Line: Chargers by 6

Denver’s defense is improving each week while San Diego’s is in decline. Tim Tebow is an unexplainable 4-1, and despite his lack of throwing ability, the Broncos keep winning. This week, Tebow will need to quickly get points on the board to be successful. Denver’s defense will pressure Chargers QB Philip Rivers into limited third down conversions, and probably a turnover or two. The Tebow experiment works for yet another week. (Coach sez: The Broncos keep winning because the team has faith in its quarterback. The entire team is playing better because the players believe Tebow will win it in the end. The guy is a winner, period).

Dr. Football: BRONCOS TO WIN

The Coach: BRONCOS TO WIN

SUNDAY NIGHT

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-6)
Line: Steelers by 10.5

Injury-riddled Chiefs couldn’t score on New England’s questionable defense on Monday, and will run into similar problems against the well-rested Steelers. The Steelers are more talented in every category, and this game will be over by half time.

Dr. Football: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER

MONDAY NIGHT

Darren+Sproles+New+Orleans+Saints+v+Green+bzeCQdf9DAkl We Love the Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Bengals and Raiders.

Darren Sproles

New York Giants (6-4) at New Orleans Saints (7-3)
Line: Saints by 7

Eli Manning returns to his hometown in the Monday nighter, to the stadium where his father, Archie, enjoyed some of his best NFL years. But with all due respect to Peyton’s little brother, the city of New Orleans currently belongs to fellow Super Bowl  winning quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints are rested and incredibly explosive on their home turf, putting a Giants team that hasn’t put putting up a whole lot of points as of late in a very tough spot.

Dr. Football: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER

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The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
clay matthews 214x300 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Green Bay's Clay Matthews

MINNEAPOLIS — While the Minnesota Vikings get set to start Christian Ponder at quarterback, the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers just keep rolling along.

The Packers have beaten New Orleans (42-34), Carolina (30-23), Chicago (27-17), Denver (49-23), Atlanta (25-14) and St. Louis (24-3) so far this season. They beat Carolina, Chicago and Atlanta on the road. If you take a close look at their schedule, there is a legitimate chance the Pack could run the table.

After this week’s gimme against the Vikings, they go to San Diego (tough one), play the Vikings at home, get Tampa at home, go to Detroit (San Francisco put an end to the “Myth of the Lions”), go to the Giants, play Oakland at Lambeau, go to Kansas City, get the Bears at home and then finish with Detroit at home. If this team continues to play as well as it has in its first six games, there is no reason to believe that 16-0 is an impossibility.

Of course, Aaron Rodgers must stay healthy. That goes without saying.

Meanwhile The Coach and Dr. Football are NOT going to go 16-0 any time soon. There always seems to be some team(s) that beats us up. Last week, The Doc was 7-6 straight up (55-35 on the season) and 5-8 against the spread (46-44 YTD). Meanwhile The Coach went 8-5 straight up (62-28) and 5-8 against the spread (46-44).

Once again this week, Dr. Football writes up our excuses while the Coach reserves the right to criticize.

Oh, and by the way, despite what the Doc says, take the Packers by a bunch.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON 

Cam+Newton+Carolina+Panthers+v+Arizona+Cardinals+B0SNQjwu htl 210x300 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Carolina's Cam Newton

Washington Redskins (3-2) at Carolina Panthers (1-5)
Line: Panthers by 2.5

If the Panthers could stop the run, then they would be able to top the Skins. The loss of Jon Beason and Thomas Davis a few weeks back has made the Panthers susceptible to the run, and the Redskins will take advantage of that. Cam Newton should be able to have a solid game against the Redskins defense; just not good enough to win. (The Coach sez: Cam Newton will throw for 450 yards and four touchdowns).

Dr. Football: REDSKINS TO WIN.

The Coach: PANTHERS TO WIN AND COVER.

San Diego Chargers (4-1) at New York Jets (3-3)
Line: Chargers by 2

Any team that comes off of a bye week usually comes out strong against whatever team they are playing. It doesn’t help that the Jets are playing on a short week after playing the Dolphins in a snoozer on Monday Night. The Jets desperately needs a win against a top team, and defeating the Chargers would accomplish that, however, the Chargers are a hot team with a solid offense that can run the ball and pass it, and all of that spells trouble for the New York Jets. (The Coach sez, the Chargers will wilt in the cooler weather).

Dr. Football: CHARGERS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: JETS TO WIN.

Jay+Cutler+Chicago+Bears+v+New+Orleans+Saints+ty8YNsD4CDal 300x200 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Chicago's Jay Cutler

Chicago Bears (3-3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)
Line: Bears by 1.5.

Tampa Bay’s only two losses have come at the hands of the only two teams in the NFC whose success thus far is more surprising than theirs: the Lions and 49ers. Two out of their four wins have been against the worst teams in the league; the Vikings and Colts. But their other two wins were over divisional rivalsSaints and Falcons. If you beat teams in your division on a consistent basis you will make the playoffs. Josh Freeman should also be able to dissect the Bears secondary which has been struggling as of late. The Bears have benched their best defensive back, Chris Harris, and even now they are attempting to trade him. The Bears in order to win must protect Cutler, which has proved incredibly difficult and thus it seems impossible for this team to do so.

Dr. Football: BUCS TO WIN.

The Coach: BUCS TO WIN.

Seattle Seahawks (2-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-3)
Line: Browns by 3

Seahawks pulled huge upset in New York two weeks ago, upending the heavily favoured Giants. Don’t expect lightning to strike twice. While the Browns don’t exactly instil fear in the hearts of anyone, the Seahawks are down their starting quarterback and it doesn’t seem likely that Charlie Whitehurst could come into Cleveland and win in his first start of the season. The Browns have a decent enough quarterback and a solid defense while they also have the benefit of playing at home.

Dr. Football: BROWNS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: BROWNS TO WIN AND COVER.


Matt+Hasselbeck+Tennessee+Titans+v+Pittsburgh+Z INYKpEajVl 300x235 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Tennessee's Matt Hasselbeck

Houston Texans (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-2)
Line: Titans by 3

The Texans played great during the first half against the Ravens, but came apart in the second. With all the injuries that they have suffered, it seems likely that will continue to happen. The Titans get the benefit of preparing an extra week to face the Texans and playing in their backyard. Chris Johnson is too good of a runner to be held to an average of three yards per carry and with an extra week to work with his blockers, we him to have a breakout game. The Titans passing attack has been impressive under Matt Hasselbeck and looks to continue upon the success that they have had in airing it out.

Dr. Football: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER.

Denver Broncos (1-4) at Miami Dolphins (0-5)
Line: Dolphins by 1.5

What time is it? Tebow time. It’s what every Broncos fan wants. Tebow will also be playing in familiar territory as he gets to play in Miami for his first start of the season. He is also benefiting from being able to practice with the starters for an extra week with the Broncos being on the bye week. The thing Tebow will have to do in this game to win is to keep his emotions in check. It’ll be an emotionally homecoming of sorts for him, but if he has his wits about him and plays his game then his team should come out with the win.

Dr. Football: BRONCOS TO WIN.

The Coach: BRONCOS TO WIN.

Brandon+Pettigrew+Chicago+Bears+v+Detroit+BzexGDEMeKPl 300x233 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Matt Stafford to Brandon Pettigrew

Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Detroit Lions (5-1)
Line: Lions by 3.5

The Lions will be fired up as they look to bounce back from last week’s loss to the 49ers. They will have a hard time against the Falcons as they seem to be back on track offensively, but not so much defensivley. The money they spent on Ray Edwards has not helped their pass rush and the injury to John Abraham has not helped. The pressure the Lions are able to get with their defensive line will also be a nightmare for the struggling Falcons offensive line.

Dr. Football: LIONS TO WIN AND COVER. 

The Coach: LIONS TO WIN AND COVER.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at Oakland Raiders (4-2)
Line: Raiders by 4.5

The Raiders are playing great football in this very emotional season. It doesn’t seem likely that they will slow down against the banged up Chiefs, even though these divisional games are sometimes hard to predict. The Raiders will look to run the ball down the Chiefs throats and put up some early points forcing Matt Cassel to look deep to want to play catch up, which will lead to him throwing some interceptions.

Dr. Football: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER. 

The Coach: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER.

Larry+Fitzgerald+Arizona+Cardinals+Training+NIUrq30dscRl 300x210 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

The great Larry Fitzgerald at Practice.

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (1-4)
Line: Steelers by 4

The Steelers could be missing Troy Polamalu for this game, but even without him they should be able to smoke the Cardinals. The Cardinals with Kevin Kolb have not looked sharp week to week, while the Steelers have seem to be a better team since that week one loss. Kolb has been putting up decent numbers but has been put in long third down situations far too often, and that is the recipe for failure against a team like the Steelers.

Dr. Football: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER. 

The Coach: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER.

Dez+Bryant+Washington+Redskins+v+Dallas+Cowboys+BbjO35x6jYsl 300x200 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

The Cowboys Dez Bryant

St. Louis Rams (0-4) at Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
Line: Cowboys by 12.5

The Cowboys played in New England surprisingly well last week, and considering how the Rams have struggled this season the Cowboys should get the easy win here. The Rams have struggled to get a consistent pass rush against opposing teams, and have not been able to make consistent plays on the offensive side of the ball. The Rams offensive line also has not done a good job in protecting Sam Bradford, which will be a huge problem against the Cowboys.

Dr. Football: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER.

Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5)
Line: Packers by 8 

The Packers are the best team in the NFL right now and continue to embarrass teams week after week. The Vikings have struggled to move the ball on offense, and they have struggled to stop offenses on the other side of the ball. Christian Ponder will get the start for the Vikings this week despite Donovan McNabb coming off his best outing as a Viking in that blowout loss to the Bears. However, Leslie Frazier had to make this move. Ponder is mobile, so he will be able to avoid being sacked whereas McNabb had no chance behind the team’s horrible offensive line. Vikings will put up a fight, but they don’t have enough.

Dr. Football: PACKERS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: PACKERS TO WIN AND COVER.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Drew+Brees+New+Orleans+Saints+v+Jacksonville+hxPJD1GoFIyl 300x217 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

Drew Brees

Indianapolis Colts (0-6) at New Orleans Saints (4-2)
Line: Saints by 14

I really think they should revise the Sunday Night schedule for the season. The Colts seem to be televised almost every week and it’s like watching reruns. Painter has done a decent job since stepping into the role of starting quarterback but the team still lacks leadership. The Saints will come out firing after last week’s divisional loss to the Buccaneers.

Dr. Football: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER.

MONDAY NIGHT

Blaine+Gabbert+Jacksonville+Jaguars+v+Carolina+oi0GTBelqpyl 185x300 The Packers Will Still Be Unbeaten on Monday

The Jags' Blaine Gabbert

Baltimore Ravens (4-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
Line: Ravens by 7

The Jaguars showed some grit against the Steelers last week as they never gave up, but it still obvious that they struggle to score points. Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert (pictured left) will get better as his freshman season continues but he will have trouble against the Ravens defense. Heck, great quarterbacks often struggle against the Ravens defense. The Jags defense, meanwhile, will keep them in games, but the offense will not win them any. The Ravens offense looks better each week, and the defense is obviously just as good as it’s always has been. It’s impossible not to pick the Ravens. (Coach sez: This just in: Ed Reed is a great football player).

Dr. Football: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

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Week 17 in the NFL. It Ends — And Then Begins — This Sunday.

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

MINNEAPOLIS — Bill Polian is either a very stupid man or a man who has trouble with the truth. The vice-president of the Indianapolis Colts told an NFL Network audience that he was surprised at the fans negative reaction to the Colts, throwing a football game last Sunday.

Surprised? Yeah, right.

Now I know Bill Polian from his days in Winnipeg and I know he’s not a stupid man. But I don’t believe he didn’t expect a backlash from fans after his coach dumped a perfect season and gave the New York Jets a ticket to the playoffs by benching the Colts starters in the third quarter of a game in which the club charged money for tickets. Sorry, don’t believe it.

Giving up is dishonorable. Coaching scared is an invitation to disaster. I’d be surprised if the Colts won another game this season.

The worst thing they did was dump on all the other teams in the AFC by giving up and then giving the Jets a ticket to the playoffs (OK, so the Jets do have beat Cincinnati at home this week). The Colts played hard and beat Jacksonville (twice), Houston (twice), Tennessee, Miami and Baltimore and then rolled over for the Jets. That’s unforgivable.

The NFL should force the Colts to refund every ticket they sold last Sunday. Those tickets were sold under false pretenses. With apologies to Herman Edwards, you play to win the game. The Colts didn’t do that. It’s called a fix. The game was thrown and Polian had better come to terms with the fact that he stole people’s money and cheated the rest of the AFC.

There is one week remaining in the 2009 NFL season ad the playoff picture is clearing up. In the AFC, Indianapolis, San Diego, Cincinnati and New England are all in the playoffs. Denver, the Jets, Pittsburgh, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami and Baltimore still have a chance.

In the NFC, it’s done: New Orleans, Minnesota, Arizona, Dallas, Green Bay and Philadelphia are all in. This week will determine who plays whom and when.

We’ll be in the Twin Towns for the Vikings-Giants game this weekend. We’ll also be on the road throughout the playoffs and in South Florida for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl from Jan. 28 – Feb. 9.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Indianapolis Colts 14-1 at Buffalo Bills 5-10 (OFF)

The Colts have no interest here. They are just 3-10 against the spread in Weeks 16 and 17 (i.e. when resting starters) since 2002. We just can’t see them game planning for the Bills at all. At post time, no line has been.

Dr. Sports: Bills to win.

The Coach: Bills to win.

New Orleans Saints 13-2 at Carolina Panthers 7-8 (OFF)

This is the Panthers’ Super Bowl. They won’t be going to the playoffs, but winning this game would give them some validation and would provide momentum for what seems like a great 2010 season.

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win.

The Coach: Panthers to win.

Jacksonville Jaguars 7-8 at Cleveland Browns 4-11 (-1.5)

Jacksonville, a team with a playoff shot, has to be pretty pissed that it’s giving points to the lowly Browns. The Browns should not be laying points to anyone. Despite their three-game winning streak, they’re not that good. They’ve only covered once when favoured in the past two seasons. That was last week against the lowly Raiders.

Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win.

The Coach: Browns to win and cover.

Philadelphia Eagles 11-4 at Dallas Cowboys 10-5 (-2.5)

The Eagles own the Cowboys in December. It could be Tony Aurora Snowmo’s time to reveal himself.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win.

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover.

Chicago Bears 6-9 at Detroit Lions 2-13 (+2.5)

The big question here is whether or not the Bears will be motivated to play the Lions. Chicago just won its Super Bowl by slaying the Vikings on Monday night as massive underdogs. Can they possibly get up for Detroit? I did some research. In 2007, the 5-9 Bears hosted a playoff-bound Packers team in Week 16. They were 7.5-point dogs. Sound familiar? Chicago won that game 35-7. The following week, they played the Saints, who were just 7-8 at the time. The Bears showed up and triumphed again, 33-25. If history repeats itself, the Bears will play hard in Detroit.

Dr. Sports: Bears to win and cover.

The Coach: Bears to win and cover.

New England Patriots 10-5 at Houston Texans 8-7 (-7.5)

This is the worst spread in NFL history. The assumption is that this game means nothing to the Patriots, which is dead wrong. That’s exactly why Belichick said his healthy starters would play. But what about the Texans? Don’t they need a victory more than New England? Of course they do. And that’s exactly why we love the Pats here. The Texans are the biggest choke artists in the NFL. How are they going to win this game, let alone cover a touchdown? We just  don’t get it.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win.

The Coach: Patriots to win.

Pittsburgh Steelers 8-7 at Miami Dolphins 7-8  (PK)

The big wild card here is Troy Polamalu. Polamalu hasn’t been ruled out this week, and he ran on Monday and Tuesday to see how his knee would respond. He’ll push to play, but ultimately could be a game-time decision, making this selection a pretty difficult one.

Dr. Sports: Dolphins to win (and cover if the line is in their favour).

The Coach: Steelers to win.

New York Giants 8-7 at Minnesota Vikings 11-4 (-8.5)

The Giants were just humiliated last week in what was the final home game in their stadium. They are pissed, and they’ll fight for a victory against a Vikings team that is playing like crap right now. Minnesota is favoured by way too much. The Vikings have been struggling against both the run and the pass ever since E.J. Henderson suffered a season-ending injury four weeks ago. In the four games without Henderson, Minnesota has surrendered at least 100 rushing yards to each opponent, and 258-plus passing yards to all but one foe. It’s been really bad, and even Jay Cutler was able to look like a Pro Bowler on Monday night.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers 7-8 at St. Louis 1-14 (+6.5)

The 49ers are clearly the better team in this matchup. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll cover the spread. Laying a touchdown in a divisional road game is a bit too much for San Francisco. Think about it this way – the 49ers are just 1-6 straight up away from Candlestick, and that sole victory was by just four points. Could the 49ers cover seven on the road?

Dr. Sports: 49ers to win but not cover.

The Coach: 49ers to win and cover.

Atlanta Falcons 8-7 at Tampa Bay Buccaneeers 3-12 (+1.5)

Everyone expects the Falcons to win this game because of two assumptions: 1) They’re the better team. 2) They’re going to play harder than Tampa because a victory would give them the first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. Those assumptions are wrong. First of all, Tampa is a pretty solid squad as long as Freeman doesn’t turn the ball over. And it’s not like the Buccaneers won’t be motivated. They won’t idly stand by as the Falcons achieve history. Tampa just had a big victory over the Saints and will want to knock off another divisional rival.

Dr. Sports: Buccaneers to win.

The Coach: Buccaneers to win.

Green Bay Packers 10-5 at Arizona Cardinals 10-5 (-2.5)

If Minnesota loses, the Cardinals would have a legitimate chance at a bye and probably would go with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. If I’m right in assuming that the Packers will rest their starters, Warner will easily slice through Green Bay’s backups.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win and cover

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 3-12 at Denver Broncos 8-7 (-12.5)

The Broncos are definitely not that good. Their once-great defence is leaky, while their offense can be completely stagnant at times. We can’t recommend laying 12.5 points with a team that has scored 19, 16, 3, 17, 10 and 7 in six of its previous nine contests.

Dr. Sports: Broncos to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Broncos to win but not cover.

Baltimore Ravens 8-7 at Oakland Raiders 5-10 (+10.5)

The Ravens obviously need to win this game, but that doesn’t mean much.  We both like the Raiders to cover the spread here. They’ve already beaten the Eagles, Bengals, Steelers and Broncos, and almost knocked off the Chargers twice. Why can’t they give the Ravens a tough time?

Dr. Sports: Ravens to win but not cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win, but not cover.

Washington Redskins 4-11 at San Diego Chargers 12-3 (-3.5)

A quote from Norv Turner: “Playing and staying game-sharp, to me, is big. (But) it’s not only how you stay sharp, but how you get better. We’re going to play our players. They’re going to play and they want to play.” Expect a blow out.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

Tennessee Titans 7-8 at Seattle Seahawks 5-10 (+4.5)

Dr. Sports doesn’t think the Titans came all the way back from 0-6 to just quit in the final week to avoid a shot at 8-8. They’ll at least try hard enough for Chris Johnson to get his 2,000 yards. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have completely fallen apart, losing by a combined score of 106-24 in the past three weeks. Jim Mora Jr. is easily one of the worst head coaches of all time, and has a dubious history of teams that quit on him. That’s exactly what’s happening here. Seattle will continue to struggle and disappoint as long as Mora is patrolling the sidelines.

Dr. Sports: Titans to win and cover.

The Coach: Titans to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Cincinnati Bengals 10-5 at New York Jets 8-7 (-9.5)

If that awful Browns-Steelers Thursday night affair taught us anything, it’s that in severe weather conditions, all bets are off. People tend to look at snow and rain as potential weather roadblocks, but wind is the greatest factor. Anything worse than 30 mph can ruin any football game. The deep passing game is completely eliminated, while any field goal longer than 35 yards out is virtually impossible. Winds blowing at a possible 35 mph are bad enough, so imagine how bad it’s going to be at the Meadowlands on Sunday. Also, remember who’s starting at quarterback for the Jets. There was a big deal about Sanchez playing in 45-degree weather back in October. That’s nothing compared to what he’ll see on Sunday night.

Dr. Sports: Jets to win but not cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover.

The Doc is 156-84 overall and 123-107 against the spread. The Coach is 146-94 straight up and 116-114 against the spread.

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Week 15. Now, it’s Getting Serious.

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Week 15 in the National Football League starts tonight with the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville. 7:20 on Rogers SportsNet.

This is a big week for a number of NFL teams. If the San Diego Chargers beat Cincinnati, they clinch a playoff berth. If they win and Denver loses to Oakland, the Chargers lock up a first round bye. With a win over San Diego, the Bengals lock up the AFC North title. Green Bay clinches a playoff berth with a win at Pittsburgh and a loss by either the Giants who play Washington or Dallas who plays New Orleans. And Arizona is NFC West champion with a win at Detroit and a 49ers loss to Philly.

Meanwhile, with just three weeks to go, only three teams have clinched playoff berths: Minnesota and New Orleans in the NFC and Indianapolis in the AFC. However, if the playoffs started today here’s how it would look:

In the AFC, Indy and San Diego would have the first-round byes while Jacksonville would play at Cincinnati and Denver would play at New England. In the NFC, New Orleans and Minnesota would have the byes while Dallas would play at Philly and Green Bay would play at Arizona. Wouldn’t be a bad thing if the standings didn’t change.

Meanwhile, I love Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell. That’s because Caldwell made it pretty clear yesterday that he’s going after a 16-0 season.

Caldwell said that if his players are healthy they will play. In other words, if Reggie Wayne, Peyton Manning, Austin Collie, any of them, can start the game they will play to win and they’ll do it from now until the end of the season. This team is trying to go 16-0 and good for them.

Those who think resting star players for the playoffs is a good idea have not been paying attention. It just doesn’t work. And, historically, coaching scared is a lot worse for a team that coaching recklessly.

As Herman Edwards always said: “You play to win the game.” You don’t play to rest your quarterback. And what the hell, in the NFL of 2010, the officials make sure that today’s quarterback is wearing a skirt, anyway.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 15.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Indianapolis Colts 13-0 at Jacksonville Jaguars 7-6 (+6.5)

These Colts-Jaguars games are always close, 13 of the past 15 meetings have been decided by eight points or less. However, despite the tightness of those games, Indianapolis has prevailed 11 times.

Dr. Sports: Colts to win and cover.

The Coach: Colts to win and cover.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Dallas Cowboys 8-5 at New Orleans Saints 13-0 (-6.5)

The Saints barely escaped against the Redskins and Falcons, but that was on the road. They are so much better at home. As hosts, they’ve beaten every opponent this year by eight or more points. The Superdome will be rocking and will be as loud as ever Saturday night. The choking Cowboys, who have shown no sense of urgency after Snowmo returned from his unwarranted post-Thanksgiving trip to Vegas, won’t know what hit them.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win and cover.

The Coach: Saints to win and cover.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Chicago Bears 5-8 at Baltimore Ravens 7-6 (-9.5)

Chicago hasn’t covered since Nov. 1. That trend will continue, especially after the huge emotional loss to the Packers after leading at half time.

Dr. Sports: Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.

New England Patriots 8-5 at Buffalo Bills 5-8 (+6.5)

Tom Brady might have a broken finger. His ribs could be cracked. And if that wasn’t enough, he now has an unhappy receiver.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.

Arizona Cardinals 8-5 at Detroit Lions 2-11 (+10.5)

Arizona has shown that they slack off in December if they don’t need to win. Even after a loss to the 49ers, this game is pretty meaningless for the Cardinals.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win but not cover.

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

Cleveland Browns 2-11 at Kansas City Chiefs 3-10 (-1.5)

The Browns are coming off a win over the defending Super Bowl champs, teams in that type of scenario usually don’t perform well. However, the Chiefs absolutely stink and should not be favoured. The Browns, meanwhile, have played a lot better since their bye and have covered four consecutive games.

Dr. Sports: Browns to win.

The Coach: Browns to win.

Atlanta Falcons 6-7 at New York Jets 7-6 (-5.5)

The Jets are riding a three-game winning streak, and they didn’t even have the services of QB Mark Sanchez (knee) for last week’s win over Tampa Bay. Sanchez is expected to practice this week and could be back for this game.

Dr. Sports: Jets to win and cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers 6-7 at Philadelphia Eagles 9-4 (-8.5)

If Philly is expecting an easy game here, they’re mistaken. The 49ers are playing well and have tons of momentum off their victory over Arizona. However, the Iggles are at home.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win but not cover.

The Coach: Eagles to win and cover.

Green Bay Packers 9-4 at Pittsburgh Steelers 6-7 (-1.5)

The Packers are red-hot while the Steelers have major problems in all phases. Pittsburgh offensive line is porous; without Troy Polamalu, their secondary is a shadow of its former self; and the kickoff coverage surrenders huge returns every week. But they’re still defending Super Bowl champions.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.

Houston Texans at St. Louis Rams 1-12 (+9.5)

The Texans are a pretty easy team to figure out. When the pressure’s on, they choke, and when they play crappy teams, they win and cover. There definitely won’t be any sort of pressure here in an empty Edward Jones Dome. With the Rams hobbled with injuries on offense and defence, this should be a Houston blowout.

Dr. Sports: Texans to win and cover.

The Coach: Texans to win but not cover.

Miami Dolphins 7-6 at Tennessee Titans 6-7 (-2.5)

Without using the Wildcat formation for the past two games, Dolphins Ricky Williams rushed for his fourth 100-yard game in the last five. The Titans could be without QB Vince Young, who is listed as day-to-day with a hamstring injury. If Young is not able to play, Kerry Collins will start (expect Young to play). The Titans could continue to lean on RB Chris Johnson, but might have to throw more often since the Dolphins’ defence has been solid against the run.

Dr. Sports: Dolphins to win.

The Coach: Titans to win and cover.

Oakland Raiders 3-10 at Denver Broncos 9-4 (-12.5)

The Broncos are obviously the better team, but this just seems like a lot of points. Outside of a blowout over Kansas City, Denver has scored 16, 26, 3, 17, 10 and 7 points since their bye. How can the Broncos cover 13 points if they may not even score 13 points?

Dr. Sports: Denver to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Denver to win, but not cover.

Cincinnati Bengals 8-5 at San Diego Chargers 10-3 (-6.5)

Chargers are red hot and the Bengals are still crying in their beer after getting thumped by the Vikes. Now with the death of teammate Chris Henry in that accident in North Carolina, we don’t really know where the Bengals heads will be. The second straight road game doesn’t help the Ohio Tigers either.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-11 at Seattle Seahawks 5-8 (-6.5)

Matt Hasselbeck finished with 247 yards and one touchdown against the Texans last week, but due to subpar protection, he was hit nine times, three of them sacks. Don’t expect the Bucs to get to him once.

Dr. Sports: Seahawks to win and cover.

The Coach: Seahawks to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Minnesota Vikings 11-2 at Carolina Panthers 5-8 (+7.5)

The Vikings secured themselves a spot in the playoffs last week with a win over the Bengals, and this week, they can clinch the NFC North and potentially a first-round bye if they beat the Panthers. Adrian Peterson ran for 97 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns against a solid Bengals defence last week. He’ll try to improve upon that against a Panthers defence that is No. 26 in the NFL against the run.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

MONDAY NIGHT

New York Giants 7-6 at Washington Redskins 4-9 (+2.5)

This is a huge game for the Redskins. It’s Monday night, so they’ll feed off the crowd’s emotion just like the 49ers did last week. Washington obviously can’t make the playoffs, but beating the Giants here and the Cowboys next week is what the players are focusing on. Defeating their divisional rivals will really build momentum for next year. Of course, the Giants MUST win, too. Should be a great game.

Dr. Sports: Redskins to win.

The Coach: Giants to win and cover.

The Doc is 139-69 overall and 110-98 against the spread. The Coach is 131-77 straight up and 108-100 against the spread

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Week 11 in the NFL: Vikings go to 9-1, Colts and Saints to 10-0.

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

After spending last Sunday at Mall of America Field watching the Vikings carve up the sad-sack Detroit Lions, it’s back to the front of the 52-inch HD to watch all 16 games this week.

It’s been quite a week: Larry Johnson is now a member of the Bengals, Dick Jauron was fired as head coach in Buffalo, Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn was fined for throwing a block, Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for giving the Bills’ sideline the finger(s) and Bruce Gradkowski was named the starting quarterback in Oakland.

My goodness, the No Fun League is fun again.

This week, it’s Week 11 in the National Football League and it all starts Thursday night with Miami at Carolina. On Sunday, look out for Seattle at Minnesota, San Francisco at Green Bay, Indianapolis at Baltimore and San Diego at Denver.

Meanwhile, if LeBron James really believes he can help the Cleveland Browns win football games, then coach Eric Mangini has a uniform for him. The NBA superstar, who was an All-State wide receiver in high school, said Tuesday night that if he put the time and commitment into it, he could be a good football player and Mangini agreed, saying “I have an orange helmet waiting for LeBron James.”

Can’t imagine what the Cavaliers thought of that. then again, who cares? I’d love to see LeBron in the NFL.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 11:

Miami Dolphins 4-5 at Carolina Panthers 4-5 (-2.5)

This is a really tough spot for the Dolphins. Not only are they traveling on a short week; they have only a few days to prepare for a hot Carolina squad without their Wildcat centerpiece, Ronnie Brown.

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win and cover.

The Coach: Panthers to win and cover

Indianapolis Colts 9-0 at Baltimore Ravens 5-4 (PK)

Indianapolis is coming off that improbable victory over the Pats last week. Peyton Manning showed why he’s probably the best quarterback in the NFL, even though his little bro gets paid more. Despite a wonky offence, the Ravens still have one of the best defences in the NFL.

Dr. Sports: Colts to win.

The Coach: Ravens to win.

Washington Redskins 3-6 at Dallas Cowboys 6-3 (-10.5)

The Cowboys will win this game as long as they can keep Washington from running the ball effectively. Dr. Sports does like the points, however.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover.

Cleveland Browns 1-8 at Detroit 1-8 (-3.5)

According to Dr. Sports, the Lions really should not be favoured because they’re a laughable 1-6 against the spread the last seven times they’ve been laying points.

Dr. Sports: Browns to win.

The Coach: The Lions to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers 4-5 at Green Bay Packers 5-4 (-6.5)

The Packers are coming off a season saving win against the Cowboys. Too bad the Pack’s offensive is so porous. Meanwhile, the 49ers just can’t score any points.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win and cover

The Coach: Packers to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills 3-6 at Jacksonville Jaguars 5-4 (-8.5)

Buffalo stinks, and the Jaguars have been rolling of late. Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the most explosive backs in the NFL and despite some road woes, the Jaguars have only loss one home game all season.

Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win and cover.

The Coach: Jaguars to win and cover.

Pittsburgh Steelers 6-3 at Kansas City Chiefs 2-7 (+9.5)

The Chiefs have yet to win in Arrowhead Stadium this year. Don’t look for that to change this week with the Steelers coming to town.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover

Seattle Seahawks 3-6 at Minnesota Vikings 8-1 (-10.5)

The Vikings are undefeated in the Dome. The Seahawks have yet to win a road game. Brett Favre and Sidney Rice have formed a nice relationship. Last week Rice had 201 receiving yards. Adrian Peterson looks fresh and ready to go for the stretch run, which means trouble for opposing defensive fronts.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

Atlanta Falcons 5-4 at New York Giants 5-4 (-6.5)

Three touchdowns and six interceptions. Those are Matt Ryan’s stats from the Falcons last three games. Over the last few weeks, Ryan has looked hesitant to make the throws that earned him the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. The Giants needed a bye in the worst way, having dropped their last four. Look for the Giants to get their running game back on track and Eli Manning to bounce back from a string of subpar performances.

Dr. Sports: Giants to win and cover.

The Coach: Giants to win and cover.

New Orleans Saints 9-0 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-8 (+11.5)

The Buccaneers will bring it against the hated Saints. New Orleans, meanwhile, could be caught looking ahead to its Monday night battle against the Patriots.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win but not cover.

The Coach: Saints to win but not cover.

Arizona Cardinals 6-3 at St. Louis Blues 1-8 (+8.5)

Arizona loves to clobber the Rams. We don’t know if that’s because Ken Whisenhunt enjoys laying the hammer on divisional opponents or if Kurt Warner wants some retribution for how he was displaced by the Rams, but in two games, the Cardinals didn’t really need last year, they beat St. Louis twice by the combined score of 68-23.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win and cover.

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

San Diego Chargers 6-3 at Denver Broncos 6-3 (+2.5)

Winner of this one takes sole possession of the AFC West. Denver has now lost three in a row. To top it off, Kyle Orton may be out, meaning Chris Simms may have to start at quarterback. The Chargers are playing very good football right now. Philip Rivers looks like one of the elite quarterbacks and Ladanian Tomlinson is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

New York Jets 4-5 at New England Patriots 6-3 (-10.5)

You seldom bet against Brady and Belichick coming off a loss. The Patriots threw the kitchen sink at the Colts. They showed Peyton Manning things he didn’t recognize. They led 31-14 and had that game in the bag. Unfortunately, they blew it. Dr. Sports thinks this is a big flat spot for New England. He can’t see them summoning the same level of energy against a Jets team that will be desperate for a victory.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.

Cincinnati Bengals 7-2 at Oakland Raiders 2-7 (+9.5)

Cincinnati may be the most balanced team in all of football. Cedric Benson may be out for this game, but the Bengals probably won’t need him to polish off the Raiders. Larry Johnson, if he isn’t Twittering, may help fill the void left by Benson’s injury. The Raiders are bad in all facets of the game.

Dr. Sports: Bengals to win and cover.

The Coach: Bengals to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Philadelphia Eagles 5-4 at Chicago Bears 4-5 (+2.5)

The Eagles should be able to pull out a tough game at Soldier Field. Huge problems in Chicago.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win and cover.

The Coach: Bears to win.

MONDAY NIGHT

Tennessee Titans 3-6 at Houston 5-4 (-4.5)

Houston Oilers vs. Houston Texans…wonder if the league lets the former Oilers wear their baby blues? Seriously now, the Titans are hot and have nothing to lose. Lots of pressure on the Texans to perform as Monday night favourites. The Texans need to win this game if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.

Dr. Sports: Oilers, I mean Titans to win.

The Coach: Texans to win and cover.

The Doc is 94-52 and 78-66 against the spread this season. The Coach is 88-58 straight up and 74-70 against the spread.

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Week 10 in the NFL. We’re Going South and Nobody is Hotter than Dr. Sports.

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS — We’re south of the border this weekend as the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings take on the 1-7 Detroit Lions in what could be called a gimme.

We’re going down because it’s Week 1 of the end of the season for the rest of the teams in the NFC North. The Vikings play the Lions at home this week, get Seattle next week and then play the Bears at the Dome on Nov. 29. With three home wins, the Vikings will be 10-1 by the end of the month and they’ll have first place in the North wrapped up.

Yesterday, on the SIRIUS-XM radio program Movin’ the Chains, Vikings head coach Brad Childress said that this Vikings team is one of his favourites of all time.

“This is a great group of guys, not without its challenges,” Childress said. ” “They enjoy each other, and they compete like crazy with each other. This is a (heck) of a group of guys.”

Once again, to no one’s surprise, Childress He again applauded not only the level of play, but the remarkable professionalism of veteran quarterback Brett Favre. Interestingly, Favre went deer hunting during the recent Vikings bye week.

“You kind of marvel at a guy who is 40 throwing to a guy who is 21,” said Childress, referring to Favre’s tremendous feel for rookie receiver Percy Harvin. “This is a long, arduous grind, but it’s all been pretty good so far.”

The Vikings have a chance to lock up the division this month. Wonder where all those experts went who said Favre was done? Wonder where all those experts went who said Jay Cutler was the answer in Chicago? Wonder where all those experts went claimed Aaron Rodgers is football’s next great quarterback? Sometimes you get the sense that the more you read a newspaper, the dumber you get.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 10. The Texans and Giants get the byes. Nobody in the world of “winning” NFL selections is even close to Dr,. Sports. He went 12-1 last week.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Chicago Bears 4-4 at San Francisco 49ers 3-5 (-2.5)

These teams are matched pretty evenly. However, the 49ers have two major advantages in this game: First, the Bears have to travel to the West Coast on a very short work week. Second, the Niners are the home team in a week night game and Thursday night hosts are 6-3 against the spread the past two seasons. The crowd is going to be pumped up and the 49ers will feed off of that emotion.

Dr. Sports: 49ers to win and cover.

The Coach: 49ers to win and cover.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Atlanta Falcons 5-3 at Carolina Panthers 3-5 (+1.5)

The Falcons are 1-3 on the road as opposed to 4-0 at home. This is a divisional game against a Panthers team with a great ground game that has underachieved all season.

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win.

The Coach: Panthers to win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-7 at Miami Dolphins 3-5 (-9.5)

The Dolphins brought everything to the table last week against the Patriots and even revealed a new wrinkle in the Wildcat. However, they came up short, meaning at 3-5, their season is all but over. They’ll be flat again this week. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, could be playing with more confidence and energy with an impressive rookie quarterback.

Dr. Sports: Dolphins to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Dolphins to win and cover.

Detroit Lions 1-7 at Minnesota 7-1 (-16.5)

Oh boy…this will be ugly. The problem here is that this spread is way too large, especially for a divisional game. If the Vikings have a careless turnover or two, they’ll have difficulty covering 17 points. And just looking at the history of this rivalry, only one game in the past 11 years has been decided by 17 points or more. In fact, the 7-1 Vikings have just one victory greater than 14 points all season.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win but not cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

Jacksonville Jaguars 4-4 at N.Y. Jets 4-4 (-6.5)

If you exclude a 38-0 victory over Oakland, the Jets haven’t won or covered a game since Sept. 27. Given how much the team is favoured by, it just seems to me that the Jets are living off the reputation they established when they were 3-0. All but one of their opponents since that time currently has a losing record, yet they are 1-4 straight up and against the spread in that span.

Dr. Sports: Jets to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover.

Cincinnati Bengals 6-2 at Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2 (-6.5)

The Game of the Week. Bengals are the Rodney Dangerfield of football; they get no respect. Last week despite already having beaten  the Ravens AND being at home they were the underdog. They have to feel disrespected by this ridiculous line and the fact they have beat the Steelers already. That all being said, the Steelers are the better squad and they’re at home.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win but not cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.

New Orleans Saints 8-0 at St. Louis Rams 1-7 (+13.5)

The Rams have faced three teams with winning records this year. They’ve been outscored by those three teams (Vikings, 49ers and Colts) by a 115-16 margin. How pathetic is that? This is almost a statement game for the Saints after three mediocre outings.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win and cover.

The Coach: Saints to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills 3-5 at Tennessee Titans 2-6 (-6.5)

The Titans are on a roll with Vince Young at quarterback and the public finally believes in them. That has forced Vegas to create an inflated line. A week ago, the Titans would have been -3.

Dr. Sports: Titans will win but not cover.

The Coach: Titans will win and cover.

Denver Broncos 6-2 at Washington Redskins 2-6 (+3.5)

We like the Broncos in this one for one reason: The freakin’ Redskins are horrible.

Dr. Sports: Broncos to win but not cover.

The Coach: Broncos to win and cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 1-7 at Oakland Raiders 2-6 (-1.5)

The Raiders have had two weeks to prepare and have home field advantage. As bad as they are, the Raiders won the week two match-up 13-10.

Dr. Sports: Raiders to win and cover.

The Coach: Raiders to win and cover.

Seattle Seahawks 3-5 at Arizona Cardinals 5-3 (-8.5)

The Cardinals are 4-0 on the road, yet they are 1-3 at home. Go figure. The Seahawks are 0-3 on the road and are in a must win game.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win but not cover.

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

Dallas Cowboys 6-2 at Green Bay Packers 4-4 (+2.5)

Tony Romo is on fire. Ever since Miles Austin-Jones stepped in as the No. 1 receiver, Romo has tossed 11 touchdowns and a pick. In that four-game span, Romo has averaged 306 yards per contest on an amazing 9.2 Yards Per Attempt. There isn’t a quarterback in this league who is playing better right now. The Packers? Brett Favre not only beat them, he has cast a spell on them and their season is over.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win and cover

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover

Philadelphia Eagles 5-3 at San Diego Chargers 5-3 (-2.5)

The last west coast trip for the Eagles resulted in a 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Cross country trips can be tiresome and hard on NFL teams. The San Diego Chargers have played extremely good  football the past few weeks (they flew cross-country and beat the Giants 21-20), and we expect them to take advantage of the home field situation.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

New England Patriots 6-2 at Indianapolis Colts 8-0 (-2.5)

How many times has this been the game of the week this decade? The New England Patriots come into Indianapolis as the Colts have lost Marlin Jackson, Bob Sanders, and Kelvin Hayden. The Colts defence is vulnerable and their rushing offense is among the league’s worst. The Patriots should hand the Colts their first loss of the season, leaving the Saints as the league’s only undefeated team.

Dr. Sports: New England to win.

The Coach: New England to win.

MONDAY NIGHT

Baltimore Ravens 4-4 at Cleveland Browns 1-7 (+10.5)

How ’bout this stat? If every pass a quarterback attempts, falls to the ground incomplete — that’s every single pass — his passer rating is a dreadful 39.6. Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson’s passer rating is 36.2. No wonder Brady Quinn will get the start this week against Baltimore. The Ravens should need to score no more than 20 points to cover this spread.

Dr. Sports: Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.

The Doc is now 83-46 on the season and 69-60 against the spread. The Coach is 76-53 straight up and 65-64 against the spread.

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NFL Picks for Week 9: A Great Monday Nighter.

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS — Oh my goodness, there are a number of big games this week – Dallas at Philadelphia, Houston at Indianapolis, Miami at New England and Baltimore at Cioncinnati, and here I am in the Twin Cities watching hockey.

Oh well, I’ll be back in front of the 52-inch HD screen to watch the biggest game of Week 9: Pittsburgh at Denver on Monday Night.

The Steelers have Troy Polamalu back and are starting to look like the defending Super Bowl champs again. The 6-1 Broncos got hammered in Baltimore last week, but they’re playing at home and they’re steaming from last week’s loss.

This will be an outstanding Monday Nighter.

Of course, the rest of the week won’t be bad either, even without our beloved Minnesota Vikings on the sked. The Vikes have this week off and won’t play again until next Sunday when that juggernaut known as the Detroit Lions, invade the Metrodome.

Along with the Vikes, the Bills, Browns, Jets, Raiders and Rams have the byes in Week 9.

Let’s take a closer look at the final six-team bye week of 2009:

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Washington Redskins 2-5 at Atlanta Falcons 4-3 (-9.5)

The Falcons get a bit of a break from the tough part of their schedule with the sad-sack Redskins coming to town. Atlanta showed Monday night it could play with the best teams in the league. Washington can’t.

Dr. Sports: Falcons to win and cover.

The Coach: Falcons to win and cover

Arizona Cardinals 4-3 at Chicago Bears 4-3 (-2.5)

Here’s how Dr. Sports looks at this one: “Of both of these teams’ weaknesses, I think the Bears’ offensive line is the most obvious. If they couldn’t block the Browns and Antwan Odom-less Bengals, how are they going to keep the Cardinals out of the backfield? The Bears did play well last week against Cleveland, but who doesn’t? The Cardinals will bounce back from their disaster last week against Carolina to pull the road upset.” I disagree. The Bears are outdoors at home.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win.

The Coach: Browns to win and cover.

Baltimore Ravens 4-3 at Cincinnati Bengals 5-2 (+2.5)

Agains, Dr. Sports: “These teams are evenly matched. The Bengals have the better record and they’ve beaten some really good squads, including these Ravens on the road. Cincinnati has been a team that always pulls through when no one believes in them. As home underdogs, to a team they’ve already beaten, I think they’ll be playing for respect – which is an important angle in the NFL.” I disagree. Ray Lewis will be pissed.

Dr. Sports: Bengals to win.

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.

Houston Texans 5-3 at Indianapolis Colts 7-0 (-8.5)

Once again, our own Dr. Sports: “Even though you must take the Texans seriously now, it ain’t gonna happen for them this week. The Colts stumbled a little against the 49ers last week, that’s why I think that this week they regroup and blow out their division rival.” I kind of disagree. I think the Colts will win, but not by nine.

Dr. Sports: Colts to win and cover.

The Coach: Colts to win but not cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 1-6 at Jacksonville Jaguars 3-4 (-6.5)

Dr. Sports likes the Jaguars in a cake walk. “Look for Mike Thomas, the Pac-10′s career leader in receptions, to have a breakout game. Also look for Larry Johnson to lay off the Twitter.” I’ll look for it, but this is what I’ll see: A dreadful Chiefs team against an equally dreadful Jags outfit.

Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win and cover.

The Coach: Jaguars to win and cover.

Miami Dolphins 3-4 at New England Patriots 5-2 (-10.5)

Bill Belichick and the Pats coaching staff have had two weeks to prepare for the Dolphins, their rookie quarterback and their Wildcat offense. The last three times they’ve had two weeks to prepare for an opponent in the regular season, they’ve covered the spread by an average of 14.6 points.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win and cover.

The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.

Green Bay Packers 4-3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-7 (+9.5)

Check out this stat: The Bucs have played four teams that currently have winning records (Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, Patriots). In those four contests, they’ve been outscored 126-42!  Green Bay has a winning record and they have something to prove after getting thumped by the Vikings.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win and cover.

The Coach: Packers to win and cover.

Carolina Panthers 3-4 at New Orleans Saints 7-0 (-13.5)

Even though the Panthers have won six out of the last seven against the Saints, I can’t see New Orleans losing at home to them. The Panthers do have a tremendous ground game with Williams and Stewart and will keep it close.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Saints to win but not cover.

Detroit Lions 1-6 at Seattle 2-5 (-9.5)

Remember Seattle’s 41-0 thrashing of Jacksonville a few weeks back? We both think history will repeat itself.

Dr. Sports: Seahawks to win and cover.

The Coach: Seahawks to win and cover.

San Diego Chargers 4-3 at N.Y. Giants 5-3 (-3.5)

Here again is Dr. Sports: “The Giants have legitimate problems. A good team doesn’t get blown out three times in a row. Eli is hurt and the defence stinks.” I disagree.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win.

The Coach: Giants to win and cover.

Tennessee Titans 1-6 at San Francisco 49ers 3-4 (-3.5)

Wow! Here’s Dr. Sports: “For as awful as the Titans have been this season, they’re still riding a five-game winning streak against the NFC. Look for Jeff Fisher to get the best of his former Chicago Bears teammate Mike Singletary in an upset on the road Sunday. Chris Johnson outshines Frank Gore in a meeting between two of the league’s best young running backs.” I really disagree. By a lot.

Dr. Sports: Tennessee to win.

The Coach: San Francisco to win by two touchdowns.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Dallas Cowboys 5-2 at Philadelphia Eagles 5-2 (-2.5)

Dr. Sports loves the Eagles this one. They’re playing with fire and confidence right now. The Cowboys, meanwhile, will be going on the road for the first time in nearly a month. The Eagles are 5-1 against the spread versus Dallas the past three years.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win and cover.

The Coach: Eagles to win and cover.

Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2 at Denver Broncos 6-1 (+2.5)

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 4-0 in Monday night games, and Pittsburgh’s looking to win its fifth straight after a somewhat rocky 1-2 start. The Denver bandwagon emptied a bit after their 30-7 loss in Baltimore last weekend. The dream is over for Bronco fans.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.

The Doc is 72-44 overall and 61-55 against the spread. The Coach is 73-43 straight up and 60-56 against the spread.

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Ravens-Vikings, Giants-Saints: The Big Games of Week 6 in the NFL.

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s Week 6 in the National Football League and this season, that means five potentially great football games.

If you have Sunday Ticket, lock on to Baltimore at Minnesota – there will be about 5,000 Winnipeggers in Minnie for this one – the Giants at the New Orleans Saints, Chicago at Atlanta, Arizona at Seattle and Monday night’s 5-0 Denver at 2-2 San Diego. Oh, it’s going to be a great week.

This week, the Coach will be live in Tampa for a matchup of titans — and yes, these teams are as bad as the Titans — as the 1-3 Carolina Panthers take on the 0-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sorry, it didn’t look all that when I was planning a trip through the NFL.

This has been a season in which the good teams have separated themselves from the bad ones and the concept of parity is a thing of the past. There are currently five undefeated teams — the Giants, Vikings, Saints, Broncos and Colts — and four winless teams — the Titans, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Rams. By the way, Congratulations to the Cleveland Browns who left the Winless Club with that stirring 6-3 win over Buffalo (which plays like a winless team).

So, as we said last week, with all this undefeated good news comes all that winless bad news as well, as the good teams separate themselves from the really, really awful ones. (Remember, the Cowboys, Colts, Dolphins and 49ers have the byes).

How many zeroes in the standings at the end of this week? Let’s take a closer look at Week 6…

Houston Texans 2-3 at Cincinnati Bengals 4-1 (-4.5)

The Bengals are obviously the better team, but Dr. Sports really loves Houston this week (I know, I don’t get it either). Cincinnati is coming off an emotional victory in Baltimore and according to the Good Doctor “will probably be flat as a favourite over an inferior Texans squad.”

Dr. Sports: Bengals to win but not to cover.

The Coach: Bengals to win and cover.

Detroit Lions 1-4 at Green Bay Packers 2-2 (-13.5)

Detroit really has been more competitive lately. The team lost by eight to the Steelers and had a legitimate shot at tying the game late in the fourth quarter. A week earlier, the Lions and Bears were tied at halftime. And a week before that, Detroit knocked off the Redskins.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win but not to cover.

The Coach: Packers to win but not to cover.

St. Louis Rams 0-5 at Jacksonville Jaguars 2-3 (-9.5)

The Rams will start Marc Bulger at quarterback, which should help a very inconsistent offense. However, they are on the road against a team that was embarrassed last week. That’s never good. Look for the Jaguars to bounce back.

Dr. Sports: Jags to win and cover.

The Coach: Jags to win and cover.

Baltimore Ravens 3-2 at Minnesota Vikings 5-0 (-2.5)

Despite their records, these teams are pretty much even. The difference is the strength of schedule (Baltimore’s has been much tougher) and that’s why Minnesota is only a 2 ½ point favourite.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

N.Y. Giants 5-0 at New Orleans Saints 4-0 (-2.5)

Wow, this is the game of the week! It’s evenly matched game and it should go right down to the wire. The Giants are a solid team that plays well on the road, but right now, nobody is better than Drew Brees. That’s right, not even Brett Favre.

Dr. Sports: Giants to win.

The Coach: Saints to win and cover.

Cleveland Browns 1-4 at Pittsburgh Steelers 3-2 (-13.5)

The Browns won a game 6-3 over Buffalo last week by completing only two passes. What do they get this week? Three?

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.

Carolina Panthers 1-3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-5 (+3.5)

Carolina won for the first time last week. Tampa Bay hasn’t won yet and with all the controversy down here this week, it’s hard to imagine they’ll get the job done. Still, this is a matchup of two bad teams and the Buccaneers are at home.

Dr. Sports: Tampa Bay to win

The Coach: Carolina to win and cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 0-5  at Washington Redskins 2-3 (-6.5)

It’s tough to lay 6.5 points with the Redskins because they have trouble scoring but while Kansas City put everything it had into beating an inconsistent Cowboys outfit last week, they couldn’t close the deal.

Dr. Sports: Redskins to win and cover.

The Coach: Redskins win and cover.

Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders (+13.5)

The Raiders have lost their last three games by a combined score of 96-16. This isn’t because they’re just that bad (which they are), it also has a lot to do with the fact that head coach Tom Cable will be in jail soon. Sure, the spread is large, but the Raiders are one giant disconnect right now. Worse yet, Andy Reid has a history of winning on the West Coast; he’s 9-3 against the spread when flying the across the country.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win and cover.

The Coach: Eagles to win and cover.

Arizona Cardinals 2-2 at Seattle Seaawks 2-3 (-2.5)

Hard not to like the Seahawks at home this week. With Matt Hasselbeck back, they’re playing with fire and out to prove that they’re a contender again.

Dr. Sports: Seattle to win and cover.

The Coach: Seattle to win and cover.

Tennessee 0-5 at New England 3-2 (-9.5)

Please do not allow children under the age of 12 to watch this massacre. Sure, this was a great matchup before the season started, but it ain’t much now. Tennessee is already done. and they have to go to New England and play a team that is still angry after last week’s overtime loss. Tom Brady will carve up that Tennessee secondary.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win and cover.

The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills 1-4 at N.Y. Jets 3-2 (-9.5)

Call 9-1-1! Call 9-1-1! The Bills lost 6-3 at home to Cleveland last week. Surprised Dick Jauron is still working.

Dr. Sports: Jets to win and cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Chicago Bears 3-1 at Atlanta Falcons 3-1 (-2.5)

If the Giants-Saints or Ravens-Vikings are the two best games this week, this is No. 3. Interestingly, Lovie Smith is just 1-4 against the spread coming off a bye. The Falcons are really dominant at home; Matt Ryan has only lost one game at the Georgia Dome, which was a last-second defeat against the undefeated Denver Broncos.

Dr. Sports: Falcons to win and cover.

The Coach: Falcons to win and cover.

MONDAY NIGHT

Denver Broncos 5-0 at San Diego 2-2 (-3.5)

On paper, the Broncos should win this game, but football is a game of emotion and talent — and homefield advantage. San Diego has all of the upside and none of the down.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover

Doctor Sports is 53-23 on the season and 44-32 against the spread while The Coach is 54-22 straight up and 42-34 against the spread.

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