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What’s Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment
r 300x205 Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

Jack Del Rio

Here’s how crazy it was in Jacksonville this week: Owner Wayne Weaver fired head coach Jack Del Rio and replaced him with defensive coach Mel Tucker.

Then, a few hours later Weaver announced he had sold the franchise to Shahid Khan from Chicago, a guy who made his fortune in auto parts. Whether or not Khan can fix all the problems in Jacksonville is anyone’s guess. One supposes he could move the team to L.A. or Toronto.

In the meantime, the moves in Jag-City didn’t end with the coach. The day after De Rio was fired, the Jags  fired wide receivers coach Johnny Cox and also shifted quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard to wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to quarterbacks coach. The team also waived starting wide receiver Jason Hill, evidently taking a step toward preparing for next season. Huh?

As Dr. Football said yesterday: “What’s next, burn down the building?” Well, ahh, maybe.

 

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Ndamukong Suh

With the Jags in mind, with Ndamukong Suh suspended and with half the quarterbacks in the NFL hurt, it’s time for our weekly picks. It’s Week 13 in the National Football League and it opens Thursday night with Philadelphia at Seattle. There are 14 games on Sunday including Oakland at Miami, Denver is in Minnesota, Cincinnati is at Pittsburgh, Atlanta plays at Houston, Green Bay, trying to go to 12-0, plays in New York against the Giants and on Sunday Night Football, Detroit is at New Orleans.

Last week the Doc went 13-3 (110-65) straight up and 11-5 (94-81) against the spread while The Coach went 13-3 (117-58) straight up and 10-6 (95-80) against the spread.

tarvaris jackson seattle seahawks Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

Tarvaris Jackson

Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) at Seattle Seahawks (4-7)
Line: Eagles by 3

Philadelphia will be without Michael Vick at quarterback, as he lets his ribs heal. His replacement Vince Young threw for 400 yards last week against the Patriots, but he still has a passer rating of just 69.6. The Eagles need a big game from running back LeSean McCoy to make up for Young’s ineptness. DeSean Jackson’s mind is on his contract, he dropped two potential touchdowns last week. The Seahawks counter the Philadelphia firepower with a defense that gave up 314 yards passing to Washington’s Rex Grossman in its last game. Should be an easy Eagles win.

DR. FOOTBALL: EAGLES TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: SEAHAWKS TO WIN.

stevie johnson has a touchdown celebration ready for the chiefs week one claims bills players were e2 80 9cshocked e2 80 9d lee evans was traded 300x224 Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

Stevie Johnson: Why So Serious?

Tennessee Titans (6-5)  at Buffalo Bills (5-6)
Line: Bills by 1.5

Both teams are fighting to get a postseason berth. The Bills’ offense is trying to make do without Fred Jackson, while the Titans’  Chris Johnson, has started to play up to his billing. Tennessee still has a chance to take the AFC South, and both Johnson and QB Matt Hasselbeck should be able to exploit Buffalo’s 28th-ranked scoring defense.

DR. FOOTBALL: TITANS TO WIN

THE COACH: BILLS TO WIN AND COVER.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-7) at Chicago Bears (7-4)
Line: Bears by 7

Cover your eyes as Tyler Palko battles Caleb Hanie.  What’s the over/under on how many programs they will sell as no one knows who those two are. The Chiefs might be better off playing Kyle Orton who the Bears know well. If that happens, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs will help their teammates play off the tendencies of Orton, who no doubt will rusty in a new offense. The key here is for Hanie is to use Matt Forte and let the defense do the rest.

DR. FOOTBALL: BEARS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: BEARS TO WIN AND COVER.

Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

The Raiders' Denarius Moore

Oakland Raiders (7-4) at Miami Dolphins (3-8)
Line: Dolphins by 3

The Raiders seem to have some pretty good chemistry going on on offense as QB Carson Palmer is succeeding in the air and on the ground. His biggest target in recent weeks has nee the talented but long-underused Denarius Moore and look for Moore to be a threat again this week. This is going to be the deciding factor in this game as the Raiders maintain possession and wear down the Dolphins defense. The Dolphins streak ends here. (Coach sez: Yeah right. The Dolphins are at home and Matt Moore has thrown the ball extremely well in recent weeks. The Dolphins looked good in Dallas and they can beat Oakland).

DR. FOOTBALL: RAIDERS TO WIN

THE COACH: DOLPHINS TO WIN AND COVER.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
Line: Steelers by 6.5.

Bengals QB Any Dalton has proven he can put points on the board and seems to be in a grove with A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham.  It won’t be enough though because even though Big Ben didn’t so much against the Chiefs last week, he is very difficult to stop at home.

DR. FOOTBALL: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER.

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Former Bomber Mike Sellers of the Redskins got more snaps last week than he had during the rest of the season combined.

New York Jets (6-5) at Washington Redskins (4-7)
Line: Jets by 3

I’m pretty sure the Redskins win last week was more about the Seahawks self-destructing late in the fourth quarter. I’m also unsure of Rex Grossman’s ability to move the ball against the Jets defense. One  has to wonder how did Mark Sanchez as awful as he did, but still tossed four TD’s and beat the Bills last week?  The Jets do know how to win, which will be the difference.

DR. FOOTBALL: JETS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: JETS TO WIN AND COVER.

tj yates Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

T.J. Yates

Atlanta Falcons (7-4) at Houston Texans (8-3)
Line: Falcons by 3

Down to their number three QB T.J. Yates, the Texans will really rely on the their top ranked defense and running game.  But it won’t be enough.  Falcons are hitting their stride, and Yates will wish he was still a back up to a guy holding a clip board. T.J. Yates would probably be the only quarterback anywhere in the world who would be worried about losing his job to Jake Delhomme this week. I mean, there are semi-pro teams that would not have tried to sign Delhomme, who last destroyed the Cleveland Browns — while he was playing for them– in 2010. Delhomme is a turnover waiting to happen and yet he could play this week against Atlanta.

DR. FOOTBALL: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER.

Carolina Panthers (3-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7)
Line: Buccaneers by 3.5

It doesn’t matter how well Cam Newton will play, Carolina’s defensive line will struggle against Bucs RB LeGarrette Blount. The Bucs defense is good, but they may struggle a bit with Newton, so expect a high scoring shoot out. The Bucs have better guns.

DR. FOOTBALL: BUCCANEERS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: BUCCANEERS TO WIN AND COVER.

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Jared Allen

Denver Broncos (6-5) at Minnesota Vikings (2-9)
Line: Vikings by 1

Minnesota will be without RB Adrian Peterson again this week, and this will hurt them. Denver’s defense has given the Broncos their wins, not their offense. Lost in all the Tebow talk, the Broncos on defense have allowed 13, 13 and 10 points over the last three games. That will be the difference this week as the score will remain low, and the Broncos will prevail.

DR. FOOTBALL: BRONCOS TO WIN

THE COACH: BRONCOS TO WIN.

Indianapolis Colts (0-11) at New England Patriots (8-3)
Line: Patriots by 20

Good grief. This used to be the NFL’s game of the year.  Now, the only thing you wonder about is how much the Patriots will win by.

DR. FOOTBALL: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: PATRIOTS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

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Peyton Hillis

Baltimore Ravens (8-3) at Cleveland Browns (4-7)
Line: Ravens by 6.5

Baltimore is coming off a mini bye week having last played on US Thanksgiving. I can’t see the Browns giving the well- rested Ravens any kind of a fight. (Coach sez: First of all, the Ravens tend to play down to their competition. Secondly, the Browns played very well in Cincinnati last week. No. 3, if Colt McCoy and company are smart enough to give the ball to big Peyton Hillis they can win this game. Whether or not they’ll do that, remains to be seen, however).

DR. FOOTBALL: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

St. Louis Rams (2-9) at San Francisco 49ers (9-2)
Line: 49ers by 13

The 49ers should be fired up after their loss last week. They have the league’s best run defense; the Rams have the worst. The Niners also have the league’s top scoring defense, and the Rams are No. 31 in scoring offense. They shouldn’t have any trouble with the awful Rams. This could be a shutout.

DR. FOOTBALL: 49ers TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: 49ers TO WIN AND COVER.

demarco murray st louis rams VS dallas cowboys Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

DeMarco Murray runs for Cowboys TD.

Dallas Cowboys (7-4) at Arizona Cardinals (4-7)
Line: Cowboys by 4.5

Arizona doesn’t have the talent on defense to stop a well rested Cowboys squad, especially with WR Miles Austin back on the roster. Tony Romo has plenty of options and he will utilize them successfully.

DR. FOOTBALL: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER.

aj hawk Whats Next in Jacksonville? Burn Down the Stadium?

A.J. Hawk

Green Bay Packers (11-0) at New York Giants (6-5)
Line: Packers by 7

The Green Bay Packers have won 17 consecutive games, and if they get through the 2011 NFL regular season without losing, they’ll have the record for the longest winning streak, beating out the 2003-04 New England Patriots’ mark of 21. The Giants were lit up by the Saints Drew Brees for four TDs last week. Now they face Aaron Rodgers, who burned them for four TDs last season. Their pass rush struggled to get to Brees, and they gave him plenty of time to pick the secondary apart. Rodgers has similar weapons to cause problems for Giants linebackers and defensive backs.

DR. FOOTBALL: PACKERS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: PACKERS TO WIN AND COVER.

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Darren Sproles of the Saints

Detroit Lions (7-4) at New Orleans Saints (8-3)
Line: Saints by 9

The Detroit Stomper Ndamukong Suh will be out for this one, and that will make life a lot easier for Drew Brees and company. Brees torched the Giants for 4 TDs last week, and with the weakened Lions defense, look for similar results.

DR. FOOTBALL: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER.

San Diego Chargers (4-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8)
Line: Chargers by 2.5.

Coach fired, team sold, what’s next; burn the building. San Diego is a mess, but nothing like Jacksonville. Why is this game on MNF?

DR. FOOTBALL: CHARGERS TO WIN AND COVER.

THE COACH: CHARGERS TO WIN AND COVER.

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Week 2 in the NFL: Can Some of the Big Losers Bounce Back?

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — There is very little question that we “live and learn.” It’s a cliche for a reason.

Last week in the National Football League we learned that Baltimore’s defence was much better than the Jets offence; the Kansas City Chiefs are a better team than we thought (speed does kill); if Brett Favre doesn’t make better use of Adrian Peterson, the  Vikings will be hard-pressed to finish 8-8; the Pats are back; and the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns are still lousy football teams.

This week, we’ll try to take our knowledge and have it translate into a few Sport Select winners.

The Coach is Minneapolis this weekend for the Vikings-Dolphins game. If youy take a close look at Minnesota’s schedule, this is already a must-win for the Vikes.

Dr. Football is on board. Let’s take a close look at Week 2 in the NFL…

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings (-6)

Last week the Vikings didn’t mount much of an offense. Brett Favre was just 15-of-27 for 171 yards, one touchdown and an interception. The interior of his offensive line struggled to protect him, while he and his receivers were completely out of sync. Percy Harvin repeatedly ran wrong routes, while Bernard Berrian seemed to screw up at least once on every drive. The Vikings did not run enough with Adrian Peterson. Peterson totaled 87 yards on 19 carries, but figures to face a much stiffer challenge against Miami’s defense. Miami has a stout running game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Unlike the Saints game, however, Minnesota’s front won’t have to worry about a quarterback the caliber of Drew Brees. Chad Henne struggled in the opener, going 21-of-34 for 182 yards. The Vikings will focus on stopping Brown and Williams, forcing Henne to beat them.

Dr. Football: VIKINGS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: VIKINGS TO WIN AND COVER.

Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons (-6.5)

The Falcons lost to Dennis Dixon, which brought this spread down by about two points, creating value with the host. Again, Matt Ryan is really good at home, owning a 10-2 spread record at the Georgia Dome in his young career. We like Atlanta to bounce back against an Arizona team that isn’t very good.

DR. Football: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5)

Hard not to like the Ravens in this spot. Not only are they the better team; they also have the motivational factor in that the Bengals swept them last year. Like the Patriots last week, Baltimore should beat Cincinnati rather easily.

Dr. Football: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns (-2)

Dr. Football was not too impressed with the Chiefs on Monday night as they managed only nine first downs and were out-gained by about 200 yards. Their three scores came on a long run, punt return and fumble recovery. Even with the uncertainty of Jake Delhomme being able to start, we have to take the home squad.

Dr. Football: BROWNS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: BROWNS TO WIN AND COVER.

Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys (-8)

This is the “I Can’t Protect My Quarterback Bowl” because the Cowboys have the potential to set the team record for sacks in this game. We wish we were exaggerating, but DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and Jay Ratliff versus Jay Cutler and a Mike Martz protection scheme could produce 13 sacks – which is one more than the NFL record. I can’t see the Cowboys covering this huge spread just because they may struggle to even score nine points. Of course, a few Cutler turnovers could make that easy.

Dr. Football: COWBOYS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER.

Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions (+4.5)

While many are singing QB Dog Fighter’s praises, Dr. Football remaisn skeptical. There’s a reason Michael Vick has a career completion percentage of just 53. He has an enormous arm, but his accuracy is atrocious. Overly eager to showcase his passing skills, Vick could toss a few careless interceptions in this contest, just like he did against the Bengals in the preseason. Poor Lions. They are cursed. Instead of their strong-armed young quarterback potentially leading the team to a winning record for the first time since 2000, it’ll be Shaun Hill under center. What did Detroit do to anger the football gods all these years?

Dr. Football: EAGLES TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: EAGLES TO WIN AND COVER.

Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers (-13)

Can anyone explain what the Bills are doing? They spent the No. 9 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft on a running back, a position they didn’t need to address, and yet they refused to run the ball in the season opener. This is like going out and spending $1000 on a new suit for work despite the fact that you work at DOMO. Running the ball – assuming the Bills decide to do it – won’t work Sunday because the Packers defense is pretty stout in that department. Can’t see this one going any other way. In fact, the Coach never lays money on double-digit spreads, but this week it’s different.

Dr. Football: PACKERS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: PACKERS TO WIN AND COVER.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (-5)

We like the Titans to cover for two reasons. First, this is a big revenge game for them. A loss to Pittsburgh in week 1 last year sent them reeling into a 0-6 start. Secondly, Dr. Football can’t imagine Pittsburgh coming close to matching the same intensity it had against Atlanta. The Doc loved the Steelers in that game because he knew they’d play at 110 percent with Ben Roethlisberger out. Really good teams simply step up in the first game without their best player. This does not, however, apply to the second game. In nearly every instance the good doctor has tracked over the years, a team missing its star quarterback for a second contest struggled after winning that first game. Can’t see the Steelers “bringing it” two weeks in a row.

Dr. Football: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers (NO LINE)

The Panthers have won the last three meetings between these two teams…Sunday will make it 4.

Dr. Football: PANTHERS TO WIN.

The Coach: PANTHERS TO WIN

Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos (-3.5)

Last week Matt Hasselbeck looked healthy — and great! Mike Williams wreaked havoc on the opposing secondary. Deion Branch caught a touchdown. The Seahawks were partying like it was 2005 last Sunday. Was this for real, or a Week 1 mirage? The good doctor is not sure – and he doesn’t think we’ll have a definitive answer after this game either. The reason? Because Denver’s defense is a disgrace. The Seahawks struggle against elite teams away from home, but have proven that they can beat mediocre to crappy squads on the road. Based on how the Broncos have looked thus far, it’s pretty evident which group they belong to.

Dr. Football: SEAHAWKS TO WIN.

The Coach: SEAHAWKS TO WIN.

St. Louis Rams at Oakland Raiders (-4)

Can the Raiders be more pathetic? From botched snaps, to fumbles, to sacks – the offense was a mess last week. The good news is that they don’t have to play Tennessee’s monstrous defensive line this week. The bad news is that Chris Long and the St. Louis defensive front did a great job of pressuring Derek Anderson last Sunday, so this game is definitely not going to be a cakewalk. The Rams’ Sam Bradford attempted 55 passes in his NFL debut; he played pretty well, going 32-of-55 for 253 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. However, that was at home. Playing on the road is a completely different animal for a rookie, especially with Nnamdi Asomugha lurking in the defensive backfield. We’re flipping a coin here.

Dr. Football: RAIDERS TO WIN, BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER.

New England Patriots at New York Jets (+2)

All offseason, Brady and Belichick have been hearing about how awesome the Jets are. They listened to NFL analysts pick the Jets to win the AFC East and advance to the Super Bowl. Plain and simple, this is a statement game for New England. Oh, and Mark Sanchez is a bum.

Dr. Football: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER

Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers (-7.5)

The Chargers are so renowned for starting slowly that no one is even surprised that they lost to the Chiefs on Monday night. Check out this stat: In Norv Turner’s tenure as San Diego’s coach, he has only one victory of more than 10 points in any September. Jaguars, while playing good enough to win last week, won’t win here, but will keep this one close.

Dr. Football: CHARGERS TO WIN, BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: CHARGERS TO WIN AND COVER.

Houston Texans at Washington Redskins (+3)

The Texans are the better team, but there are a couple of things to consider: First, the Texans just enjoyed the biggest win in franchise history. How can they possibly match that same intensity against the Redskins? And secondly, Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan held the exact same position with the Texans last year. If there’s anyone who knows Matt Schaub’s weaknesses, it’s the son of Mike Shanahan. Nevertheless, when in doubt, give it to Arian Foster.

Dr. Football: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER.

SUNDAY NIGHT

New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts (-5.5)

Most games are won in the trenches in football, and that’s just one area where the Colts are unbelievably weak this season. They still have the best quarterback in football who could easily lead them to 12 wins, but they’re not going to cover many large spreads this year against quality opponents. The Giants, without a doubt, are a quality opponent. Having said all that, the Colts will put points on the board as long as Pierre Garcon doesn’t drop too many passes or run too many incorrect routes. Manning and all of his weapons are just too good not to keep pace with the Giants. Just expect more punts than usual from Indianapolis.

Dr. Football: COLTS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: COLTS TO WIN AND COVER.

MONDAY NIGHT

New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers (+5.5)

Last week, no one was worse than the 49ers Alex Smith. Smith was 26-of-45 for 225 yards, but tossed two interceptions on an YPA of 5.0 while completing just 57.8 percent of his passes. Unlike those other three quarterbacks, Smith played the entire game and had the players around him to be successful. Instead, he played disgracefully. Coach Singletary held a meeting as soon as the team plane landed in San Francisco that night, and reportedly called out several players on the team. The 49ers simply were told how great they were all off-season, and they expected that beating the Seahawks was a simple formality. Well, that blowout and the subsequent team meeting was the wake-up call they needed. Dr. Football says: expect the 49ers to be better, but not good enough to beat the champs.

Dr. Football: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: 49ERS TO WIN

Survivor Pool: If you’re in a survivor pool and you want to hold off on Green Bay until later in the season, take Atlanta at home against Arizona.

Last week the Doc was 8-8 and 9-7 against the spread while The Coach went 10-6 straight up and 7-7-2 against the spread.

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Four Questions, Two-and-a-Half Answers

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It’s been a week of golf here in the ‘Peg.

First, a terrific Variety charity event at Niakwa that was an absolutely fantastic day. Played with Gail Kennedy, who will be teeing it up in the Pro Am portion of the LPGA event at St. Charles next month and if she keeps her head, she will be every bit as good as the pros who play in Winnipeg.

After that, we played in the NCI-Streetz 104.7 invitational tournament at Buffalo Point’s magnificent Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course and it’s just too good to believe. What a golf course. And playing with Sam, Rube and Lou Edwardsen was great fun, too.

At both of these tournaments, I was asked four questions. Not one of them had anything to do with the upcoming civic election. Here goes:

(1) Who do you like in game 7 of the NBA Final?

No question. The Lakers. They’re at home, Kobe’s going to win the MVP award and now that we’ve reached Game 7 there is no need for the league to worry about how much revenue it can suck out of the series.

Boston certainly has a chance. No doubt about it. But I’m buying a Sport Select ticket with Lakers on it today.

(2) Who do you like in the World Cup?

The experts (and that means my friend, soccer writer Jerrad Peters) like Brazil-Spain in the final. I like Brazil, Argentina, maybe England and perhaps even Germany.

So, do I get four choices?

(3) How are the Bombers going to do this year?

They could be a .500 team if the offensive line keeps Buck Pierce vertical. They could be 2-16 if Pierce suffers another head injury.

The simple answer is: Who knows?

The test is simple. If the Bombers win their first two games, both at home against Hamilton and Toronto, they’ll have a good season.

(4) Are the Jets coming back to Winnipeg?

Yes. And whomever acquires an NHL franchise had better call the team “the Jets.”

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It’s Week 4. We Continue Onward, if not Upward.

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

Dr. Sports had a pretty good week in Week 3. The Coach did not.

But we are progressing forward.

It’s Week 4 in the National Football League. The most intriguing matchups include Baltimore at New England, the unbeaten Jets at the unbeaten Saints, San Diego at Pittsburgh on Sunday night and, of course, Green Bay at Minnesota in the Monday Nighter.

After Brett Favre’s heroics last week, the Lions first victory in 19 games and Michael Vick’s official return to the NFL, it’s hard to imagine anything could be better.

But Monday night, you can bet it will get better. Packers-Vikings. Favre vs. his old team. Monday night at the Dome. Wow!

Fasten your seat belts, Week 4 is going to be a terrific ride.

Remember, the Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers and Eagles all have the bye this week, the first bye week of 2009.

Let’s look a little more closely at Week 4:

1. Detroit Lions 1-2 at Chicago Bears 2-1 (-9.5)

Will magic strike twice for the Lions? Don’t bet on it.

Dr. Sports: Bears to win and cover

The Coach: Bears to win and cover

2. Cincinnati Bengals 2-1 at Cleveland Browns 0-3 (+5.5)

The Browns can’t seem to score and it doesn’t appear as if they’ll have any success this week. Even with Derel Anderson at quarterback.

Dr. Sports: Bengals to win and cover.

The Coach: Bengals to win and cover.

3. Oakland Raiders 1-2 at Houston Texans 1-2 (-9.5)

The Raiders offense is horrible but the Texans defence stinks. Nice combination.

Dr. Sports: Texans to win but NOT cover

The Coach: Texans to win but NOT cover.

4. Seattle Seahawks 1-2 at Indianapolis Colts 3-0 (-8.5)

Close your eyes Seahawks fans. You do not want to see what the Colts are going to do to your team.

Dr. Sports: Colts to win and cover.

The Coach: Colts to win and cover.

5. Tennessee Titans 0-3 at Jacksonville Jaguars 1-2 (+2.5)

This is the week that Jeff Fisher’s Titans finally get their first win. The Jaga are just awful and they play in front of family and friends.

Dr. Sports: Titans to win and cover

The Coach: Titans to win and cover.

6. New York Giants 3-0 at Kansas City Chiefs 0-3 (+8.5)

These teams couldn’t be more opposite. Even though this is the Giants third consecutive road game, they’ll win…by a lot.

Dr. Sports: Giants to win and cover.

The Coach: Giants to win and cover.

7. Baltimore Ravens 3-0 at New England Patriots 2-1 (-1.5)

Tom Brady will hit some big throws, but so will Joe Flacco to keep it close. Taylor loves the Ravens this week.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win and cover

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-3 at Washington Redskins 1-2 (-6.5)

Josh Johnson will be making his first NFL start for Tampa Bay. Johnson, a fifth-round draft pick in 2008 who was inactive for all 16 games as a rookie, takes over an offense that managed just 86 yards total offense during last week’s 24-0 loss to the New York Giants.

Dr. Sports: Redskins to win and cover.

The Coach: Redskins to win and cover.

9. Buffalo Bills 1-2 at Miami Dolphins 0-3 (+1.5)

These two teams used to put on a great show. Not anymore. However, it’s still an inter-divisional rivalry and T.O. will be on the field.

Dr. Sports: Miami to win and cover.

The Coach: Buffalo to win.

10. New York Jets 3-0 at New Orleans Saints 3-0 (-6.5)

The great defence of the Jets matching up against the great offense of the Saints. The Jets blitz a lot. Drew Brees eats up blitzes. The Jets — and Mark Sanchez — bubble bursts here.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win and cover.

The Coach: Saints to win and cover.

11. Dallas Cowboys 2-1 at Denver Broncos 3-0 (+2.5)

Dallas is like New England. They’re not as impressive as they should be, but they will win this week.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win and cover.

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover.

12. St. Louis Rams 0-3 at San Francisco 49ers 2-1 (-9.5)

In their last 13, the Rams are 0-13 and don’t look for any improvement here. Coming off a tough loss week to the Vikings the 49ers will be very focused. How ’bout this? The Rams, Tampa and Cleveland all go 0-16 this year.

Dr. Sports: 49ers to win and cover.

The Coach: 49ers to win and cover.

13. San Diego Chargers 2-1 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1-2 (-6.5)

Do you think the Champs are happy being 1-2? Watch for a big win at home.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win but NOT cover.

14. Green Bay Packers 2-1 at Minnesota 3-0 (-3.5)

Does it get any better than this? This is more than a football game. It’s an event. For many, many years, when you thought of Green Bay, you thought of Brett Favre. Now he’s playing for the rival Vikings, the team all Packers fans must hate (it’s actually a Wisconsin State law). This is the third biggest game of the year, behind the Super Bowl and when Favre and his Vikings play at Green Bay on Nov. 1. Dr. Sports going to be there live, enjoying the magnificence it all.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

The Doc is 30-18 this year and 25-23 against the spread. The Coach is 29-19, 22-26 against the spread.

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Week 2 in the NFL: Perhaps the Closest Week of the 2009 Season

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

If you’re a Sport Select player, this is the week for you. Fact is, if you look closely at this week’s Pro Line Game List you’ll see eight games that could easily end in a Sport Select tie (no more than three points either way).

There are some tremendous (and tremendously bad) games in this week’s slate. For every Pittsburgh at Chicago or New Orleans at Philadelphia, there is also a Minnesota at Detroit or St. Louis at Washington.

This week, we find Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher out for the season with a broken wrist, Donovan McNabb likely playing with a broken rib, Jeff Garcia on the Philly bench and Mark Sanchez coming back for a second shot at victory.

It will be a fun week and as we did in Week 1, Doctor Sports from Hot103 in Winnipeg and yours truly, from 92-CITI-FM, will battle once again, right here at www.rivercitysportsblog.com for NFL bettor supremacy.

1. Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-6.5)

Jake Delhomme had a meltdown and the Panthers were a disaster. Delhomme MUST stay away from the turnovers or Carolina is dead.

Dr. Sports: Falcons to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Falcons by 7.

2. Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (+9.5)

The Lions looked terrible in their opening day loss to the Saints, but as terrible as they were, they looked better than they would have last year. Matthew Stafford is a keeper. The Vikings play their second game in a row on the road, but shouldn’t be challenged.

3. Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers (-8.5)

We’re not betting against the Pack at home until further notice.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win, but the Bengals will cover.

Scott Taylor: Packers by 10.

4. Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5)

Jaguars do not have a pass rush so look for Kurt Warner to light them up. Cardinals to win and cover.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win.

Scott Taylor: Jaguars by 3.

5. Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5)

Hey, do you smell something funny?

Dr. Sports: Chiefs to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Chiefs by 3.

6. New England Patriots at New York Jets (+5.5)

Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez will get a reality check. Tom Brady has the rust off.

Dr. Sports: Pats to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Patriots by 3

7. New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5)

McNabb out. Kolb starts. Brees threw 6 touchdown passes last week. Welcome to Philadelphia, Jeff Garcia. Wear a helmet on the sidelines.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win.

Scott Taylor: Eagles by 3.

8. Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-6.5)

Both teams played tough opening week but the Titans hold the advantage being better rested.

Dr. Sports: Titans to win, but Texans against the spread.

Scott Taylor: Titans by 7.

9. St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins (-9.5)

The Rams didn’t score last week and are now playing back-to-back road games on opposite coasts. Good freakin’ luck.

Dr. Sports: Redskins to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Redskins by 10.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills (-4.5)

Bills didn’t lose to the Pats last week; they beat themselves. Look for Terrell Owens to have a big day.

Dr. Sports: Bills to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Bills by 10.

11. Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (-1.5)

This will be a close one. Dr. Sports says, “The 49ers are up and coming but not yet.” The Coach says, “Coach Singletary has the Niners ready to win the West.”

Dr. Sports: Seahawks to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Niners by 3.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears (+2.5)

Jay Cutler possibly can’t play that bad at his new home can he? I’m not a believer.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Bears by 3.

13. Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (-2.5)

You want to hook your wagon to Brady Quinn or Kyle Orton? Sorry,  there is no third choice.

Dr. Sports: Denver is at home so take them to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Denver by 3.

14. Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers (-3.5)

This is one of the better games of Week 2. The difference in this one will be the San Diego passing game.

Dr. Sports: Take the Chargers to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Baltimore by 3.

15. N.Y. Giants at Dallas Cowboys (-2.5)

This is the opening week of the new stadium in Dallas, so Jones’ Joint will be jumping. And the over-under on punts hitting the new giant TV screen is three.

Dr. Sports: Take the Cowboys to win and cover.

Scott Taylor: Cowboys by 7.

16. Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins (+2.5)

Both teams played below their potential last week but the Colts, even with injuries and without Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy, are better than the Dolphins at home.

Dr. Sports: Colts by 1.

Scott Taylor: Dolphins by 3.

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Great effort by Arizona. Indy-San Diego was a Tim Donaghy special.

Posted on January 3, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

You have to hand it to old Kurt Warner. He did a wonderful job on Saturday to give the Arizona Cardinals a 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the first game of the NFL’s Wild Card weekend. The old guy still has some big-time chops. 

 

Warner went 19-for-32 for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and had a passer’s rating of 94.7 to lead the Cardinals to the first upset of the day.

 

With Larry Fitzgerald having a particularly good afternoon, catching six Warner passes for 101 yards and a 42-yard touchdown, the 9-7 Cards were full marks for their victory.

 

Can’t say the same about San Diego’s  23-17 win in OT against Indianapolis.

 

The National Football League should be ashamed of itself. There is very little doubt that Ron Winter’s officiating crew had San Diego to cover. If I ran a Vegas casino, I’d want an investigation. The officiating in overtime looked more suspicious than anything Tim Donaghy ever did in the NBA.

 

As I watched the replays and saw all the offensive holding on San Diego that was, of course, completely ignored, especially on that overtime drive, all I could think of was “How many of these officials had San Diego to win or San Diego to cover?” Sure glad I had the Chargers on one of my Sport Select tickets. Gentlemen, I appreciate the help.

 

I especially liked the phantom holding on that incomplete pass for a first down. Nice work. Oh yeah, and the defensive holding while the exact same defensive lineman, the one who was called for holding, was being, well, tackled. Brilliant stuff. 

 

Over the course of the game, San Diego had three penalties for 40 yards while Indy had nine for 74. More importantly, the Colts were assessed three key penalties on that one overtime drive. That’s fix city baby. That’s how you get an 8-8 team to beat a 12-4 team. 

 

In fact, that was just about the phoniest finish to an NFL playoff game I’ve ever seen. But, then again, here in Canada I’ll take the government’s money. Thanks boys. You’re crooked as hell and my wallet likes it.

 

 

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Week 13 in the CFL. Passing on Hamilton-Winnipeg.

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Scott Taylor| Comments Off

Although I selected the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to beat the sad-sack Hamilton Tiger-Cats on 92-CITI-FM on Thursday morning, I just didn’t get around to blogging about that game this week.

My excuse? The NFL has started and well, you know. There is just something about The League that has me mesmerized. Things like trying to figure out who can play quarterback and who can’t. Sort of the same conundrum being pondered by Herman Edwards in Kansas City and Brad Childress in Minnesota.

 

Anyway, it’s a chilly Saturday morning here in the ‘Peg, the Bombers snuck past a dreadful Hamilton Tiger-Cats team 25-23 on Friday night (thanks to the fact the ‘Cats botched a 25-yard field goal in the final minute) and I’m 1-0. 

 

As the remainder of Week 13 unfolds, remember to pay attention to West vs. East. This season in the CFL, the Western Conference has played the Eastern Conference 18 times. After Calgary beat Montreal last week and Edmonton beat Hamilton, the West now leads the East 15-3.

 

As a result, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who are scuffling along at 4-8 — but with two straight wins in Ontario — could finish 6-12 this season and still easily make the playoffs, despite the crossover rule, thanks to the fact that Toronto still has five games of its final seven against the West.

 

Keep that little thought foremost in your mind, but also remember this: home teams are 25-21 this season, but the record would be much better if the stinkin’ Ticats weren’t 1-6 at Ivor Wynne (Why would you pay hard-earned money to watch them play?). 

 

Because Montreal is 4-1 at home, I’m taking an Eastern team to beat a Western team this week, but if the records suggest there is an upset in the making, Edmonton-at-Montreal is it.

 

Let’s look at the remainder of Week 13…

 

Toronto Argonauts (4-7) at Calgary Stampeders (7-4) 

 

Saturday, 5:30 p.m. CT, TSN

Boy, is this a no-brainer, That’s probably why Sport Select is offering a meagre 1.15 for the Stamps. Toronto, the worst team in the CFL by a long shot (yep, the Argos are worse than Hamilton), is starting Cody Pickett (a former high school rodeo champion, no less) at quarterback in Calgary this week. That just makes the acquisition of Kerry Joseph look even worse. What were the Argos thinking (Sorry, I guess we’ve asked that question since the pre-season)? A healthy Stamps team will beat the Argos by four touchdowns, especially after QB Henry Burris is coming off a week in which he had very few brain farts — 408 yards, five touchdown passes and player of the week honours.

Pick: Calgary

B.C. Lions (6-5) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-3)

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. CT, TSN

Two teams that met last week at B.C. Place Stadium meet up again in Regina this weekend. Last week, B.C. beat the Riders 28-23 in a dandy football game by using Charles Roberts to grind out the clock. The Riders are still struggling with all those injuries, but they should be better this week and they’re also riding the solid quarterbacking of Michael Bishop these days. The Lions, a team that is just about guaranteed a playoff berth even though they are fourth in the West look better behind a comfortable and confident Buck Pierce.

 

Pick: Saskatchewan

Edmonton Eskimos (7-4) at Montreal Alouettes (7-4) 

Sunday, 12 Noon CT, TSN2

Montreal, 4-1 at home this season, lost out west last week (as expected) and that put a halt to their five-game winning streak. This week, they’re back in the little band box at McGill and should prevail against an Edmonton team that is much improved from 2007, but is 5-1 at home and a mere 2-3 on the road.

 

Pick: Montreal

Last Week: 3-1

Season: 24-12

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Canadian Football League Picks for Week 9: All theories out the window.

Posted on August 21, 2008 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

It’s Week 9 in the CFL and, this week, it’s all about the Western Conference. And this week, we don’t have to worry about West vs. East or home team advantage. 

 

The East has the bye this week so there are only two games on the CFL schedule, both Western Conference matchups. On Thursday night, Saskatchewan, coming off that tough home loss to Calgary, will travel to Edmonton to meet an Eskimos team that just might be better than everyone thought while on Friday night, the Calgary Stampeders with its league-leading offence heads into B.C. Place Stadium where it has lost seven consecutive games to the B.C. Lions.

 

As we head into this week’s two-game Western affair, Saskatchewan leads the way at 6-1 while the remaining three teams are deadlocked at 4-3. It would be a surprise if one of the four Western teams missed the playoffs. This is shaping up to be a crossover year.

 

This week, two teams will close the gap and a fourth-place team will actually become a legitimate fourth-place team. Although it will be a legitimate third-place team in the East.

 

Here’s a look at the games for Week 9… think close, high-scoring games. 

 

Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-1) at Edmonton Eskimos (4-3) 

 

Thursday, 8 p.m. CT, TSN

 

Saskatchewan will have a couple of its seriously injured players back, but there has to be one  question asked: How long will the Riders last with so many injuries to so many skilled players? This team went 6-0, even without some of its top performers in the lineup, but even with a week off, Rider fans are not going to see the likes of Andy Fantuz, D.J. Flick, Matt Dominguez or defensive end John Chick. When they lost to Calgary last week, the Riders had 18 players on the injured list. This week, 16 players are still on the list despite the two-week break. Interestingly, earlier in the season with all their skilled players in the lineup, in a game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Riders whipped Edmonton 34-14. With all the injuries, it won’t happen twice.

 

Pick: Edmonton

 

Calgary Stampeders (4-3) at B.C. Lions (4-3)

  

Friday, 9:30 p.m. CT, TSN

 

Sport Select’s Point Spread game has made the B.C. Lions 4 1/2-point favourites this week and one supposes that’s probably fair. After all, the Lions have won seven straight games against the Stamps at B.C. Place Stadium. There is no reason why Calgary should be considered a favourite. But I just can’t help myself. The Stamps won last week in Regina and the Roughriders — with 18 players on the injured list — is still a better football team than the Jarious Jackson-led Lions. In most offensive categories, B.C. is in the bottom half of the league while Calgary is in the top half. On defence, Calgary dominates. The real question here is: How did Calgary and B.C. both get to 4-3? Calgary is a 6-1 or 5-2 team that blew late leads (to Edmonton and Winnipeg, for instance). B.C. is a 2-5 team that won some games it should not have won (against Montreal and Edmonton). In Week 1, Calgary beat B.C. by 10 (28-18). It’s hard not like the Stamps. 

 

Pick: Calgary

 

Last Week: 1-1

 

Season: 16-6

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