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The Coach and The Doc Take… The Patriots

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
tom brady surgery 218x300 The Coach and The Doc Take... The Patriots

Tom Brady

TAMPA… HEADING NORTH — There are people in the Heartland who believe that if Eli Manning wins Sunday’s Super Bowl, he’ll pass brother Peyton in all levels of the game. With a win on Sunday, Eli will be the bigger winner. Eli will be the greater leader. Honest, Eli will be a better quarterback than Peyton.

Poppycock.

Here are the numbers: Peyton has been named MVP four times, Eli none. Peyton has been to the Pro Bowl 11 times in 12 seasons; Eli, twice in eight seasons. Peyton has been first-team All-Pro five times, Eli none. Peyton’s career passer’s rating is 94.9, Eli’s is 82.1. Need more? Didn’t think so.

Peyton has one Super Bowl ring; Eli has one Super Bowl ring. Trent Dilfer has one Super Bowl ring.

Peyton is a better quarterback than his brother. Easy.

However, this weekend, Eli could join his brother with a ticket to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and that’s something nobody would expect with Eli’s numbers. If Eli ties Ben Roethlisberger and claims his second Super Bowl ring this Sunday aevening, Eli will punch his ticket to the Hall and that’s a surprise in itself.

Eli Manning 300x193 The Coach and The Doc Take... The Patriots

Eli Manning

This season, Eli was fourth in passing yards in the NFL with 4,933, 13th in passing percentage at 61.0, fifth in completions with 359, sixth in TD passes with 29 and seventh in interceptions with 16. He didn’t really have a great year, leading his team to a 9-7 record in the regular season, but he has been superb in the playoffs and that’s definitely when it counts the most.

Of course, on Sunday, Nov. 6, Manning threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants beat New England 24-20. If Manning can do it again on Sunday, his legacy is set.

Sadly, The Coach and Dr. Football aren’t sure he can. In fact, our two experts — two experts who had terrific seasons picking winners this year — believe that Eli just might get his butt handed to him.

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Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

SUPER BOWL XLVI

THE 2012 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR THE VINCE LOMBARDI TROPHY

SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT 5 P.M. CST

 

NFC Champion New York Giants (12-7) vs. AFC Champion New England Patriots (15-3)

Line: Patriots by 3.5

Super Bowl Sunday is widely regarded as the Thanksgiving Day of sporting events, and wings have become its turkey-like centerpiece. Americans will scoff down 1.25 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone, as well as 8 million slices of pizza, 46 million pounds of potato chips and 71 million pounds of guacamole, probably before Madonna hits the stage.

That’s a good afternoon.

There happens to be a football game as well. Here are a few predictions. New England’s Tom Brady will throw for a bunch of touchdowns. And after each one, NBC will remind us that he is married to a “super model”. Giants Eli Manning will also throw a bunch of touchdown passes, and after each one NBC will show his brother Peyton cheering him on from some millionaires suite. NBC will also remind us that Eli and Peyton are brothers as if we didn’t know.

Anyway, expect the Patriots to get their revenge and cover the 3 ½ point spread.

This season the Doc was 174-92 straight up and 149-117 against the spread. The Coach, who picked both the Giants and Patriots two weeks ago, 178-88 straight up and 146-120 against the spread.

DR FOOTBALL: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER.

THE COACH: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER.

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How Far Can the Tebow Dream Soar?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Tebow Broncos 300x206 How Far Can the Tebow Dream Soar?

Tim Tebow: Is it Magic or Faith?

He pulled off the miracle last Sunday at home. Can the Chosen One do it again?

Tim Tebow’s brilliant pass to Demaryius Thomas (a Gator to a Golden Knight) for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime gave the 8-8 Denver Broncos and almost unthinkable 29-23 win over the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game of Wild Card Weekend. With the victory, the Broncos stunned the football world and yet their reward is another impossible task: the New England Patriots, a team that beat them 41-23 in Denver on Dec. 18.

Now were this game in Denver, I might be inclined to continue to believe in the magic and the hype, but it’s not in Denver and it involves an opposing quarterback who is not only perfectly healthy (last week the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t walk, let alone run) but has won big games before — Tom Brady. We’ll find out this weekend if Tebow just magical or if this is the result of pure, unadulterated faith.

This week, Tebow will face one of the worst defenses ever to be part of a 13-3 team and yet he’s still going to have to put up a huge number of points because we all know Brady will. This could mean the end of the Denver Dream, but if it doesn’t, then the sky is definitely the limit.

This week it’s Division Playoff Weekend and even though Vegas has handed us four prohibitive favorites, there is always a chance something wild, wonderful and wacky could happen. Unlikely, sure, but there is always a chance. After all, the Broncos won last week.

And last week the Doc was 3-1 (171-89) straight up and 2-2 (147-113) against the spread. Coach was 2-2 straight up (174-86) and 2-2 (142-118) against the spread.

This week, The Doc is on holidays, so the responsibility for our weekly NFL picks falls at the feet  of The Coach alone. And make no mistake, The Coach has picked up the mantle. Of course, if The Doc gets off the beach (or out of the bar) to send in his picks, we’ll add them later. (Note: The Doc left the bar. His picks are included).

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

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Drew Brees

New Orleans Saints (14-3) at San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
Line: Saints by 3.5

At his news conference this week, New Orleans coach Sean Payton said this about the 49ers: “They’ve been very consistent all year. The formula has been outstanding defense. They’re the No. 1 team in taking the football away and they’re the No. 1 team in protecting the football offensively. Those are significant numbers.” Indeed. Especially in the playoffs. However, the Saints simply ripped up NFL defenses. Drew Brees and the Saints set NFL records for total yards on offense (7,474) and yards passing (5,347, including sacks). Brees also blew up Dan Marino’s 27-year-old record of 5,084 yards passing by throwing for 5,476. He had 468 completions, breaking Peyton Manning’s 2010 mark of 450, and completed 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 record of a 70.6 completion percentage. Meanwhile, little Darren Sproles set an NFL record with 2,696 combined yards, easily breaking the previous mark of 2,690 set by Derrick Mason with Tennessee in 2000. The Saints simply have too much offense.

DR. FOOTBALL: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER 

SATURDAY NIGHT

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Tom Brady

Denver Broncos (9-8) at New England Patriots (13-3)
Line: Patriots by 13.5

Back in December, QB Tim Tebow played very well early in a game with New England and built a 16-7 first quarter lead. But the lead was short-lived and the Patriots won handily 41-23. That game was in Denver. This one is in Foxboro and it’s unlikely Brady and his powerful Patriots offense will start so slowly  Still, that game against New England was probably Tebow’s best performance until last week’s game with Pittsburgh. Rev. Tim threw  for 194 yards and ran for 93 more and scored two touchdowns. But it was clear by halftime that the Broncos simply weren’t good enough and despite the fact New England’s defense is banged up and porous, this Patriots team is still too much for Denver. Even with Tim Tebow at quarterback.

DR. FOOTBALL: PATRIOTS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

THE COACH: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

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Joe Flacco

Houston Texans (11-6) at Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
Line: Ravens by 7.5

It’s hard not to like the Ravens in a romp, but the numbers give me pause. Baltimore was only 4-3-1 against the spread at home during the regular season.  In the final four games of the season, Baltimore’s offense was not very good at all. They put up only 24 points at home against Indy, the worst team in the NFL, 14 on the road against San Diego, 20 against the Browns and 24 against Cincinnati. Not awful, but certainly not outstanding. Baltimore’s defense wasn’t great either (I know that because Baltimore was my fantasy D). Terrell Suggs and Co. gave up 34 to San Diego on Dec. 18. Not good. Right now, Houston’s defense might be better than Baltimore’s. In fact, Houston is playing quite well under the circumstances. T.J. Yates ain’t no Matt Schaub, but he was certainly good enough last weekend in the Wild Card playoff game against Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Houston’s D was ranked second in the NFL right behind Pittsburgh. If the Ravens were on the road, I’d have a different opinion of this one.

DR. FOOTBALL: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

THE COACH: RAVENS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

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Aaron Rodgers: Maybe it IS faith.

New York Giants (10-7) at Green Bay Packers (15-1)
Line: Packers by 7.5. 

The Giants were terrific on both sides of the football in last week’s 24-2 thrashing of the Atlanta Falcons, but that was on a balmy day in New Jersey. This week, the Jints have to play at Lambeau and it’s supposed to be very cold and very windy. Still, the Giants think a great deal of themselves. ESPN radio picked the Giants to win and All-Pro defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul guaranteed a victory: ”We are very confident,” Pierre-Paul said following the Atlanta game. “Last time [the Packers] came in here and they beat us, which they shouldn’t have, and we are just going to go out there and play some great football. It’s going to be cold and the atmosphere will be theirs, but we’re going to be ready to play.” Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is rested and ready and he’s demolished the Giants in their last two meetings, putting up 776 passing yards against them. The Packers also know that New York is going to run Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs at them all day long. Still, despite the Giants swagger — and their running game — it’s hard not to like Green Bay.

DR. FOOTBALL: PACKERS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER

THE COACH: PACKERS TO WIN AND COVER 

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We Like Falcons and Cowboys in Week 15′s Early Games

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

TAMPA — It’s Week 15 in the NFL and its starts Thursday night with Jacksonville at Atlanta. No doubt, we like the Falcons all around in this one.

On Saturday, Dallas plays at Tampa and it’s pretty hard to take the Bucs, even though Dallas has had its problems in recent weeks.

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Michael Vick

There are 13 games on Sunday including Carolina at Houston; undefeated Green Bay at Kansas City; Detroit at Oakland; New England at Denver; the Jets at Philadelphia (Michael Vick says he will play this week) and Baltimore at San Diego.

We’ll keep it short today. Just the first two games on the slate. Dr. Football wanted to be sure which injured players were playing, which were sitting and which should be sitting because they are really banged up. So we’ll hold the bulk of this week’s picks until Saturday.

Last week the Doc went 12-4 (132-75) and 8-8 (110-97) against the spread. The Coach went 12-4 straight up (140-67) and 9-7 against the spread (114-93).

Once again the Doc writes our reasons why and I’ll occasionally pop in with a do or die.

THURSDAY NIGHT

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Matt Ryan

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) at Atlanta Falcons (8-5)
Line: Falcons by 11

The Falcons’ comeback victory in Carolina last week puts them in a more comfortable position for the playoffs, regardless of what happens next week at New Orleans. To get past the Jags, the Falcons will have to contain Maurice Jones-Drew, who was absolutely sensational last week,  and unleashing their own power runner, Michael Turner. The Falcons have been good against the run, and that will put Jags rookie QB Blaine Gabbert will be like a deer in the headlights in a noisy dome.

DR FOOTBALL: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER

SATURDAY NIGHT

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Josh Freeman

Dallas Cowboys (7-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9)
Line: Cowboys by 6.5

Yay! The first Saturday game of this season, and it features the Cowboys who have suffered two straight losses in the final seconds of both games. This week, their defense faces a Buc’s offense that has struggled all season; QB Josh Freeman has been inconsistent and has nowhere near the level most thought he would in this his sophomore season. The Cowboys defense is going to control this game, giving Tony Romo plenty of opportunities to score, and they will as they smell a wildcard spot.

DR FOOTBALL: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER

THE COACH: COWBOYS TO WIN AND COVER

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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.

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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.

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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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Teams With Challenges At Home in Week 10: Bucs and a Dozen others…

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

TAMPA, Fla. — We’re in beautiful Tampa, Fla., this week for a matchup between the 6-3 Houston Texans and the 4-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are one of about a dozen teams — Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Dallas Carolina, Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco and the New York Jets — that play home games this week and will not have an easy time against opponents they all believe, or did believe at one time, that they could beat (we didn’t include Seattle in that list because they’re going to get pasted at home by Baltimore).

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Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

This is a battle of two teams going in different directions. The Texans have won three straight while Tampa has lost two in a row. Maybe that’s the reason that prompted the Bucs into claiming bad boy Albert Haynesworth off waivers from New England today. If Haynesworth reports and attends practice on Thursday, he’ll start on Sunday and Bucs coach Raheem Morris says he has no problem with the club’s decision to sign a guy who couldn’t cut it in Washington and New England after seven great seasons in Tennessee. Haynesworth will play the position he played with the Titans — Gap 1 D Tackle in a 4-3 — and Morris hopes that will help Haynesworth become engaged again.

One can always hope.

Game time is 1 p.m. EST on Sunday and it should be a much better game than advertised — in a week full of games that will be better than they look.

It’s Week 10 in the NFL and all 32 teams will play this week. There are no byes. And there is also a Thursday night game as the Oakland Raiders play the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.

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Tim Tebow

Then, on Sunday, the big games include Denver (read: Tim Tebow) at Kansas City (read: the official team of the ESPN Tebow Haters Club this week) ; Buffalo at Dallas; Pittsburgh at Cincinnati; Detroit at Chicago and New England at the Jets. Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings meet the undefeated 8-0 Green Bay Packers. We fully expect Green bay to go to 9-0.

Meanwhile, NFL games continued to be hairline close last weekend, as the final seven games of Week 9 were all decided in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. Then again, that’s really nothing new this season.

Through nine weeks of the 2011 campaign, 66.2 percent of games played (86 of 130) have been within seven points in the fourth quarter. That’s tied for the fourth-most in any season in NFL history through Week 9. The most ever? Eighty-nine in 2004.

Frankly, if you look at the number of games in which Doc and The Coach disagree, you’ll get a pretty good feel for how close things will be this week.

Last week the Doc went 9-5 (80-50) straight up and 9-5 (70-60) against the spread while The Coach went 7-7 (87-43) straight up and 7-7 (70-60) against the spread.

This week, The Doc writes our previews and rationalizations. The Coach reserves the right to answer when he disagrees. Which, this week, is often.

 THURSDAY NIGHT

Oakland Raiders (4-4) at San Diego Chargers (4-4)
Line: Chargers by 7

U.S. Thanksgiving comes a couple of weeks early as the first Thursday night game of the season is a big AFC West match up. Both teams are struggling right now, and the division is up for grabs. Wasn’t Carson Palmer supposed to be an upgrade in Oakland?  Norv Turner’s club is taking steps backwards but they do have home field advantage and a high scoring offense, so that should give them the edge in this one.

Dr Football: CHARGERS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: CHARGERS TO WIN AND COVER

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

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(17) Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
Line: Steelers by 3

The Steelers are coming off a home loss to the Ravens, and will hopefully (for them, at least) take the road to redemption against the Cincinnati Bengals, who look pretty smart right now after drafting Andy Dalton and trading away Carson Palmer. The Bengals are are sitting pretty with a 6-2 record, but haven’t really played anyone that will contend for a title in January. This week, they do. Lately, the 6-3 Steelers have not  and probably will not lose back to back divisional games, and the smart money this week says they’ll make a statement against the upstart Bengals. Watch for Pittsburgh to do more offensively than they have the past two weeks against a Cincinnati defense that really isn’t as good as the numbers might suggest.

Dr. Football: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER

Denver Broncos (3-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-4)
Line: Chiefs by 3

The only team in the AFC West that won last week was the Broncos, and suddenly they are just one game behind the rest of the pack. Kansas City is coming off a humiliating loss at home to the winless Dolphins, and won’t let it happen again. (Coach sez: They won’t? Sure they will. And they’ll lose because of Tim Tebow. Whenever Tim Tebow plays well, Merrill Hoge has to go on ESPN radio and TV and make up some kind of excuse for the fact he’s a complete buffoon. Tebow might not look like the type of player Hoge believes should be an NFL quarterback, but there is one thing he does — he wins. He’s 2-1 at the helm of the sad-sack Broncos and he’ll win again on Sunday — just to make Merrill Hoge look like a buffoon again).

Dr. Football: CHIEFS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: BRONCOS TO WIN AND COVER

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Maurice Jones-Drew

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) at Indianapolis Colts (0-9)
Line: Jaguars by 3

When a team goes on the road with a 2-6 record and is a three-point favorite against a divisional rival, you know the home team must be terrible. Everyone wants the Colts on the schedule this season. But maybe Indy’s due? Jags quarterback Blaine Gabbert is terrible, and the Colts have to win sometime don’t they? This game is not for the faint of heart. Of course, it’s not for people who expect a lot of passing. (Coach sez: Maurice Jones-Drew will rush for 150 yards and three touchdowns)

Dr. Football: COLTS TO WIN.

The Coach: JAGUARS TO WIN AND COVER.

Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Dallas Cowboys (4-4)
Line: Cowboys by 5.5

Buffalo may give them more of a challenge than the Seahawks did last week, but I still think Tony Romo and the rest of the Cowboys will win their first game against an AFC opponent this season.  This game won’t have the magic of Super Bowls XXVII or XXVII, but it will have the same outcome of those two games, just a bit closer.

Dr. Football: COWBOYS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: COWBOYS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

josh freeman credits mark dominik for bringing in e2 80 98high character guys e2 80 99 believes bucs need a week to be ready for season 300x243 Teams With Challenges At Home in Week 10: Bucs and a Dozen others...

Josh Freeman of the Bucs

Houston Texans (6-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4)
Line: Texans by 3

The Texans are riding a lot of momentum right now and have a divisional championship firmly in their sights, but visiting Tampa Bay isn’t an easy task. This is also a must-win for the Buccaneers, who now sit in 3rd place in their division and need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bucs offense has to come up with a game plan for third downs after going 2 of 12 in the loss to the Saints which won’t happen this week as the Texans have the NFL’s No.1 ranked defense.

Dr. Football: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: BUCCANEERS TO WIN.

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Cool Cat Cam Newton

Tennessee Titans (4-4) at Carolina Panthers (2-6)
Line: Panthers by 3

Cam Newton has played well above expectations this season for the favoured Panthers, and this is a winnable game for them. But they won’t. Chris Johnson is just to get into form, and he Titans are a way better team no matter what the odds makers say. just may be.

Dr. Football: TITANS TO WIN

The Coach: PANTHERS TO WIN AND COVER.

Washington Redskins (3-5) at Miami Dolphins (1-7)
Line: Dolphins by 4

The Dolphins finally have their first win of the season, so maybe it’s time to put back to back wins, and the Redskins are the perfect opponent for that. Washington has been terrible recently; when you don’t have a QB in this NFL, you don’t have a chance. The Redskins are also a banged up bunch and won’t put up much of a fight in this one.

Dr. Football: DOLPHINS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: DOLPHINS TO WIN AND COVER

New Orleans Saints (6-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
Line: Saints by 1

Both teams are coming off wins last week. The Falcons will be looking for their fourth-straight victory. The Saints (aside from the Colts game) aren’t as dominant as in years past, and the Falcons are pretty hot right now. A great NFC South division battle in “Hot Lanta”!  Both teams play better in a Dome, but the Falcons play a lot better at home so I’ll take them in what should be a close game.

Dr. Football: FALCONS TO WIN.

The Coach: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER

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Colt McCoy of the Browns

St. Louis Rams (1-7) at Cleveland Browns (3-5)
Line: Browns by 2.5

The Rams are one of the worst teams in the league, and their sole win on the season was at home and they go outside of their nice comfy building to travel to Cleveland. The Browns don’t have much going on this season either and it’s a wonder how they’ve won three games so far. Take the banged up Browns to pick up the easy win at home.

Dr. Football: BROWNS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: BROWNS TO WIN AND COVER

Arizona Cardinals (2-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)
Line: Eagles by 14

Arizona is coming off an overtime win against the Rams but that game was hard to watch. The Eagles will be playing with one less day of rest following their Monday night game against the Bears and playing at home, they should get the easy win, but two touchdowns is a stretch for almost any game. Philly will still win, but the Cardinals will keep it close.

Dr. Football: EAGLES TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: EAGLES TO WIN AND COVER.

Baltimore Ravens (6-2) at Seattle Seahawks (2-6)
Line: Ravens by 6.5

The Ravens are favorites by nearly a touchdown on the road against the struggling Seahawks. The Seahawks are a better team at home, but their real hope has to be that the Ravens suffer a letdown after the big win over the Steelers on the road. I can’t see that happening.

Dr. Football: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER

The Coach: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

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Titus Young and Jahvid Best of the Lions

Detroit Lions (6-2) at Chicago Bears (5-3)
Line: Bears by 3

Bears have won three in a row and are playing good ball and are in the playoff mix and will be looking to even the score from their 24-13 loss to Detroit back on Oct. 10. The Lions were rolling before their bye week and have had an extra week to come up with a plan for their ferocious defense to rattle Jay Cutler. I think this will be a long night for Cutler.

Dr. Football: LIONS TO WIN.

The Coach: LIONS TO WIN.

New York Giants (6-2) at San Francisco 49ers (7-1)
Line: 49ers by 3.5

49ers and Giants both in first place? What year are we in? That sounds like a headline from the 1980′s. The 49ers are on a roll, winners of six straight, and sit at 7-1. The next nearest teams are Seattle and Arizona both at 2-6. If they can beat the Giants this week, the 49ers are almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. The Giants have won three in a row including knocking off the Patriots at home, and are looking to maintain their lead over the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC East. This should be a great game.

Dr. Football: GIANTS TO WIN.

The Coach: 49ers TO WIN AND COVER.

SUNDAY NIGHT 

Mark+Sanchez+New+York+Jets+v+Buffalo+Bills+dfBHtNiFahnl 207x300 Teams With Challenges At Home in Week 10: Bucs and a Dozen others...

Mark Sanchez

New England Patriots (5-3) at New York Jets (5-3)
Line: Jets by 2

Both teams have identical records and whoever wins this game will be in sole possession of the AFC East. The Jets have won three in a row, and the Patriots are trying to avoid losing three in a row. This is a must-win for New England. They usually do very well in those situations. But I thought that they wouldn’t lose two in a row at either. And there is this little thing about them having the 32nd ranked defense…

Dr. Football: PATRIOTS TO WIN

The Coach: JETS TO WIN AND COVER

MONDAY NIGHT

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Greg Jennings Celebrates Another TD Pass from Aaron Rodgers

Minnesota Vikings (2-6) at Green Bay Packers (8-0)
Line: Packers by 13.5

Conventional wisdom would only wonder whether or not the Packers would cover the spread. The Vikings relaxed last week while The Packers won a shoot out over the Chargers. All season long we have watched Aaron Rodgers carve up opponent’s secondary’s and this game probably won’t be an exception. I do think the Vikings will “bring it” but they just don’t have enough to win.

Dr. Football: PACKERS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: PACKERS 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.

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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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This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. It’s Upset Week.

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

 To suggest there have been a few upsets this season would be understating the obvious.Take last week as a for instance. The Bills came from 21 down to beat New England. Minnesota had a 20-0 lead at halftime and lost 26-23 in overtime to Detroit. Seattle beat Arizona 13-10, Tampa knocked off Atlanta 16-13 and the New York Giants went into Philadelphia and whipped the Eagles 29-16.

New+York+Jets+v+Buffalo+Bills+JZubwKQii2Sl1 221x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Because of all these upsets, poor Doc Football had, as the say in Foxboro, Mass., a wicked-bad week. In fact, by his own admission, “The Doc shit the bed and went 9-7 and is 28-20 on the year; against the spread I was 7-9 and 24-24 YTD.”

Which is why, for the first time in the history of the River City Sports Blog’s weekly NFL picks, the Coach is the leader after three weeks. Last week, The Coach went 10-6 straight up (35-13 on the season) and a Matt Millen-like 5-11 (24-24) against the spread, but The Coach still leads straight up and that’s all that matters. As Denise Richards uttered in the motion picture cult classic Drop Dead Gorgeous, “I’m a winner and Jesus loves winner.”

In the meantime, here’s something to think about this week: Three teams, including the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers, have perfect 3-0 records through Week 3. The Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions, whose records also remain unblemished this year and trying to become the fifth and sixth teams since the 12-team playoff format was adopted in 1990 to open a season 4-0 after opening the previous season 0-4.

Three of the four teams to accomplish the feat qualified for the playoffs, with two reaching the Divisional Playoffs. Can the Lions and Bills pull it off this week. I kind of think they might. Let’s look more closely at Week 4 with the Doc writing our justifications:

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Matthew+Stafford+Detroit+Lions+v+Minnesota+Z 1NSqILMKjl 186x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford

Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
Line: Cowboys by 1

The Coach’s team is for real. The Lions offense has found their star in the newly toughened up Matthew Stafford and receivers such as Brandon Pettigrew and Calvin Johnson. Their defense is being lead by Ndamukong Suh and Stephen Tulloch. That’s a sweet combination for success…finally. The Cowboys are struggling a bit, barely winning late in games. Dallas QB Tony Romo has really shown some grit by playing with broken ribs and a punctured lung, but the Lions are going to dominate this game. They just have too much offensive firepower, too much defensive swagger (where have we heard that before) and two terrific special teams units. Detroit is simply better.

Dr. Football LIONS to win.

The Coach: LIONS to win

New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
Line: Saints by 6.5

Blaine Gabbert will spend a lot of time on the turf while Drew Brees will spend a lot of time celebrating in the end zone. No contest.

Dr. Football: SAINTS to win and cover.

The Coach: SAINTS to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
Line: Eagles by 8

Michael Vick is expected to play. The Eagles need him to play. They need a win especially at home or the fans may riot as they are now questioning Vick’s heart. The 49ers defense has been stopping the run, their offense has been creating key opportunities, and their special teams have made some huge plays. This will be a close won.

Dr. Football: EAGLES to win but not cover.

The Coach: EAGLES to win and cover.

Washington Redskins (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-3)
Line: Rams by 1.

Sam+Bradford+St+Louis+Rams+v+Jacksonville+jzN l oImbBl This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Rams Sam Bradford

No one is sure what has happened to the Rams this year, but QB Sam Bradford is not playing up to his expectations at all. His receivers aren’t great, but that is no different than last year, so what gives? Nothing will give against the Redskins defense. They will be able to stop the Rams passing game and win on the road.

Dr. Football: REDSKINS TO WIN.

The Coach: RAMS to win and cover.

Tennessee Titans (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-1)
Line: Browns by 1

Cleveland pulled it off with less than a minute to go last week, without Peyton Hillis. This week, Hillis is back in the line up  but it will be against a Titan defense that restricted Ray Rice and the Ravens to just 45 rushing yards in Week 2. Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck has been effective for the Titans, however, Kenny Britt is hurt and out for the season. The Browns secondary will own the Britt-less Titans. Go with the home team.

Dr. Football: BROWNS to win and cover (duh).

The Coach: BROWNS to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
Line: Bills by 3

Beating New England last week proved the Bills are for real. The offense has shown over the last two weeks the ability to come back from huge deficits. The Bills defense is making the right plays at the right times, giving their offense the opportunity to put points on the board. The Bengals defense will wear down, and be unable to stop Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Dr. Football: BILLS to win and cover.

The Coach: BILLS to win and cover.

Adrian+Peterson+Minnesota+Vikings+v+San+Diego+yMkUYRoyQBkl 300x210 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Note to Vikings: Give Adrian Peterson the football.

Minnesota Vikings (0-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)
Line: Vikings by 1.5

The Chiefs almost pulled off an upset last week in San Diego, and that was extremely unexpected, but QB Matt Cassel reminded everyone why they were 0-2. The Vikings have lost all three of their games after leading by double-digits at halftime. The Vikings have proven that safe play-calling in the second half will get you nowhere, but 0-3. A lot of people think that since KC were able to keep up with the Chargers last week that they will prevail at home…I don’t share that thought.

Dr. Football: VIKINGS to win and cover.

The Coach: VIKINGS to win and cover.

F3Is7O cam newton carolina panthers1 259x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Panthers Cam Newton

Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Chicago Bears (1-2)
Line: Bears by 6.5

The Panthers and Cam Newton are coming off a much needed win last week, but their prize is that they have to face the Bears. Chicago’s defense isn’t going to let them do much. Chicago’s offense, specifically QB Jay Cutler, hasn’t exactly been stellar the last two weeks, and this week will be a bit of a break as Carolina’s defense isn’t awful, but they are young and struggling a bit. The Bears offense will put up more points as Cutler will utilize the run and pass effectively. Bears defense will find away to school Cam Newton.

Dr. Football: BEARS to win and cover.

The Coach: BEARS to win and not cover.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1)
Line: Texans by 4

The Steelers may have snuck out a win last week against a weak Colts team, but they shouldn’t celebrate too much. Their offensive line is going to be exploited this week as the Texans do more damage that the Colts did. Houston’s offense is going to dominate this game on the ground and in the air.

Dr. Football: TEXANS to win and cover..

The Coach: TEXANS to win but not cover.

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) at Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Line: Falcons by 4.5

How are the preseason Super Bowl favorites 1-2?  Matt Ryan hasn’t had the hot start he wanted for the Falcons, but he will get his team back on the right track against the pitiful Seattle Seahawks, home field advantage or not. Look for Ryan to lean on the ground game with Michael Turner and jump out to an early lead and quiet the usually boisterous crowd.

Dr. Football: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: FALCONS to win and cover.

Eli Pumped 219x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Giants Eli Manning

New York Giants (2-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Line: Giants by 1

If ever the Cardinals and Kevin Kolb had a reason to smile coming off a big loss, it’s the idea that Larry Fitzgerald will match up against an injury depleted Giants secondary. Though the Arizona Cardinals are at home, Kolb must look deep into his old Eagles playbooks to help his offense attack the Giants before Eli Manning can find a rhythm (Coach sez: Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL over the past six quarters. As a result the Giants are playing way over their collective little heads. It’s hard not to like that).

Dr. Football: CARDINALS to win.

The Coach: GIANTS to win and cover.

Miami Dolphins (0-3) at San Diego Chargers (2-1)
Line: Chargers by 7

I don’t think Miami is really 0-3 bad.   But after this one, I do think they’ll be 0-4 bad.  Chargers and Rivers have not looked very good; their wins have come against winless teams. Miami’s defense is tough and will rattle Philip Rivers, but they won’t win.

Dr. Football: CHARGERS to win but not cover.

The Coach: CHARGERS to win but not cover.

Denver Broncos (1-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-0)
Line: Packers by 13

The Packers look like the class of the NFC.  The Broncos?  They look like they are failing class.  Horrible mismatch.

Dr. Football: PACKERS to win and cover.

The Coach: PACKERS to win and cover.

New England Patriots (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-1)
Line: Patriots by 4

Great matchup, and a great chance for the Pats to be 2-2 with a two game losing streak.  Darren McFadden may be the NFL’s best player right now.  New England is coming off a tough loss last week and will be looking for a win, and that’s it. The Raiders defense will contend for a while, but will eventually be worn down as their offense won’t keep be on the field long enough. Brady will rebound from last week’s debacle.

Dr. Football: PATRIOTS to win and cover.

The Coach: PATRIOTS to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

ray rice This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Ravens Ray Rice

New York Jets (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Line: Ravens by 3

The Jet’s were beat up physically last week against the Raiders and didn’t win despite Mark Sanchez throwing for 369 yards.  All Sanchez got was a broken nose. The Jets ineffective running game is a big problem, tied mostly to their lousy offensive line.  That is an advantage for the Ravens.  Joe Flacco has been let loose, and he’s been very good. The Ravens rebounded nicely from that nightmare in Nashville and should have little trouble at home.

Dr. Football: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: RAVENS to win and cover.

MONDAY NIGHT

Indianapolis Colts (1-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Line: Buccaneers by 10

Kerry Collins Colts This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Kerry Collins is slow to get up. No kidding.

The Colts season is over before it ever began. Nice of ol’ Peyton to sign that big $100,000,000 deal then call in sick. The Colts put up a good fight on Sunday night against the Steelers, but QB Kerry Collins had his bell rung, and his back-up Curtis Painter is horrible. The Bucs are coming off a big win against the Falcons and this momentum will carry them on MNF.

Dr. Football: BUCCANEERS to win and cover.

The Coach: BUCCANEERS to win and cover.

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Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. That’s Why Coach is Winning.

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

OK, I’m not going to blow my own horn. At least, not too loudly. For the first time in our long history of handicapping battles, I have remained ahead of Dr. Football for two consecutive weeks for the first time.

I know, that might not be anything to brag about, but I’ll give the ol’ horn one little toot. After two weeks, The Coach is 23-9 (12-4 last week) straight up and 19-13 (10-6 last week)  against the spread. Meanwhile, the Doc is 19-13 straight up (11-5 last week) and 17-15 (10-6 last week) against the spread.

As we prepare to enter Week 3, it would appear most teams are playing according to form and that’s rare, especially early in the season. However, to be fair to Doc Football, our numbers are already better than usual and the fact is, no one should be struggling with their picks at this point. In fact, in Sport Select’s “Pools” lottery last week, there were 13 winners across the country who picked all 16 NFL games correctly.

So here we go. It’s Week 3. Dr. Football writes our justifications. I will, on occasion, argue:

SUNDAY AFTERNOON 

Andy+Dalton+Cincinnati+Bengals+v+Denver+Broncos+muye0MlOcE3l1 196x300 Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Bengals Rookie QB Andy Dalton

San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
Line: Bengals by 2.5.

The Bengals are an improved club and probably have the Vegas line because 1) They’re at home and 2) They couldn’t beat the Cowboys with a crippled QB. But they won’t win. The San Francisco defense is fast and aggressive on the front seven. The Bengals offensive line is showing improvement along with rookie QB Andy Dalton, but they are not yet ready to handle a defense like San Francisco’s. While some may believe that the experience of 49ers QB Alex Smith should be an advantage over Dalton, it’s the defense that will win it for the 49ers on the road. It’s a re-match of Super Bowl XXIII, but there will be no Icky Shuffle (The Coach disagrees).

Dr. Football: 49ers to win.

The Coach: BENGALS to win and cover 

New England Patriots (2-0) at Buffalo Bills (2-0)
Line: Patriots by 8.5.

We have a pair of 2-0 teams but that’s where the similarity ends. Brady might be unstoppable. Remember, the Bills were lucky to beat the Raiders at home. This week, the Bills will get killed.

Dr. Football: PATRIOTS to win and cover.

The Coach: PATRIOTS to win and cover. 

Drew+Brees+Chicago+Bears+v+New+Orleans+Saints+g8plwzeS pbl 200x300 Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Drew Brees

Houston Texans (2-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Line: Saints by 4.

The Saints looked impressive last week in their home win over the Bears, but the Texans showed in their win in Miami that the changes made by new defensive coordinator Wade Philips are working and the Texans defense is getting much better. Second year Texan running back Ben Tate is living up to expectations with two 100-yard rushing games to start the season and the combination of QB Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson is a force to be reckoned with. The Saints still lack some run-stopping defense, and with the Texans potential for shutting down quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense, this one could be very interesting.

Dr. Football: SAINTS to win but not cover.

The Coach: SAINTS to win and cover.

New York Giants (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Line: No Line

It’s simple. If Michael Vick plays, the Eagles win. If Michael Vick doesn’t play, the Giants win. The Coach’s insiders tell him Vick will play, but the Eagles might be better than the Giants even with Mike Kafka at quarterback.

Dr. Football: EAGLES to cover if Vick plays, GIANTS to win if Vick doesn’t play. 

The Coach: EAGLES, regardless.

Miami Dolphins (0-2) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)
Line: Browns by 2.5.

Colt+Mccoy+Green+Bay+Packers+v+Cleveland+Browns+nCXqF33Q sgl Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Cleveland's Colt McCoy

The Dolphins have lost 11 of 12 at home, so they welcome the trip away from Miami. I believe that the Dolphins are a better team that their record indicates and are a better road team. Browns are terrible (Doc thinks the Browns are terrible. Has he not watched Miami?).

Dr. Football: DOLPHINS to win.

The Coach: BROWNS to win and cover. 

Denver Broncos (1-1) at Tennessee Titans (1-1)
Line: Titans by 7.

Two teams that bounced back from Week 1 losses face off in Tennessee. If ever home field would be the advantage, it’s in this one. Broncos despite getting a win last week are not a good club. Every time Kyle Orton gets a win, you have to wonder how it happened. Meanwhile, the Titans beat the Ravens. Who you gonna go with?

Dr. Football: TITANS to win and cover.

The Coach: TITANS to win and cover. 

CalvinJohnsonTD 205x300 Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

The Lions' Calvin Johnson

Detroit Lions (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Line: Lions by 3.5.

The Vikings can’t score, the O-Line can’t block and the coaching staff seems lost. The Lions offense have been on fire through two games, but they haven’t really been tested yet. The Vikings will provide a much tougher test, especially with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kevin Williams returning from suspension. With Williams, Jared Allen and Brian Robison hungry for their first win, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson might have trouble scoring at will for the first time this year. I think this is the game the Vikes put it together (The Coach disagrees. The Lions  are trying begin this season at 3-0 after starting 0-3 last season. They will succeed).

Dr. Football: VIKINGS to win.

The Coach: LIONS to win and cover.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-2)
Line: Panthers by 3.5.

The two 1995 expansion teams face off, but 16 years later, the Panthers finally have what they believe is a legitimate star quarterback. Despite the fact that they are 1-1, the Jaguars are a pretty good team and I believe they have enough to beat the Panthers. Rookie quarterback Cam Newton has thrown for almost 900 combined yards in his first two NFL starts. The Panthers are still 0-2 thanks to a horrible defense. That defense does not look to get any better before facing the Jaguars this week (The Coach does not believe Blaine Gabbert can beat Cam Newton).

Dr. Football: JAGUARS to win.

The Coach: PANTHERS to win and cover.

ce9a48f8690e2443c8faf0945845326a 257x300 Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Phillip Rivers

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-1)
Line: Chargers by 14.5.

There will be a lot of pride on the line for the Chiefs this week after losing their first two games by a combined score of 89-10. Will they respond? Not a chance. The Chargers just have way too much offence with Phillips Rivers and Antonio Gates and Mike Tolbert etc. etc. San Diego will send the Chiefs to their third straight embarrassing loss (Note: This game will include violence and coarse language, viewer discretion is advised. The outcome will not be fit for young children and some seniors).

Dr. Football: CHARGERS to win and cover.

The Coach: CHARGERS to win and cover.  

New York Jets (2-0) at Oakland Raiders (1-1)
Line: Jets by 3.5.

As much as I’m not sold on the Jets as a good 2-0 team, the Raiders lost last week against the Bills. The Raiders are a one song juke box and that song is titled Darren McFadden. Can the Jets focus on the Raiders with the Ravens and Patriots on the horizon? I think they can (The Coach is going out on a limb).

Dr. Football JETS to win but not cover.

The Coach: RAIDERS to win. 

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-2)
Line: Ravens by 3.5.

The Ravens took a big step backwards Sunday against the Titans, but they get a beat up Rams squad that is missing the killer instinct that good teams have Baltimore’s defense will be angry after getting clobbered last week against the Titans. Ravens bounce back big (Coach sez, Ravens don’t have enough offence to bounce back big.).

Dr. Football: RAVENS to win and cover.

The Coach: RAMS to win.

Tampa+Bay+Buccaneers+v+Miami+Dolphins+EH0eX5f1Orql 204x300 Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Tampa's Josh Freeman

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
Line: Buccaneers by 1.5.

The Bucs are the favourite? Really? Tampa Bay had its problems against a poor Minnesota football team for their only win of the season. The Falcons just beat the Philadelphia Eagles and look ready to slam down the upset on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Tampa does have some tools and they tend to play well in their own building. Still, as much as we all like Josh Freeman, I’d rather have big Matt Ryan handing to Michael Turner any day. Oh yeah, and the Atlanta defense doesn’t have Michael Vick to deal with this week. It’s hard not to like the Falcons, even on the road.

Dr. Football: FALCONS to win.

The Coach: FALCONS to win.

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (0-2)
Line: Cardinals by 3.5.

Is there any division in any sport that is bad as the NFC west? The Seahawks have looked horrible during their past two games, but they haven’t played at home. They’re a much different team at CenturyLink Field, which despite having the worst name of any stadium, provides one of the premier home-field advantages in the NFL (the only way the Seahawks win this week is if the football gods decide that Seattle will not go 0-16). .

Dr. Football: SEAHAWKS to win.

The Coach: CARDINALS to win and cover. 

Green Bay Packers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (1-1)
Line: Packers by 3.5.

israel idonije Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Israel Idonije had a great game for the Bears last week.

There is something magic that happens when these two teams meet, and this Sunday won’t be an exception. The Bears were awful in New Orleans, and if they play the same way, they won’t stand a chance against Green Bay. But they won’t. The Bears always rise to the challenge at home. Aaron Rogers always seems top have the Bears number however, so the Bears won’t have the success they had at home two weeks ago against the Falcons.

Dr. Football: PACKERS to win but not cover.

The Coach: PACKERS to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT (There was a brief shining moment when this was a great Sunday night matchup.)

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
Line: Steelers by 10.

See my analysis of the Eagles game. Substitute Peyton Manning’s name for Michael Vick’s. What would have been an interesting game before the season should now be a laugher. Not for the faint of heart.

Dr. Football: STEELERS to win and cover…big!

The Coach: STEELERS to win and cover.

MONDAY NIGHT

jesse holley dallas cowboys Coach Loves the Bengals, Browns and Panthers. Thats Why Coach is Winning.

Jesse Holley, one of last week's Cowboy stars.

Washington Redskins (2-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Line: No Line.

Dallas is one banged up club. Tony Romo came out of the medical room and despite playing with a couple of broken ribs and a punctured lunch led a team without Miles Austin-Jones and Felix Jones. The good news is that Dez Bryant is expected back. Rex Grossman is a fraud who will be exposed on Monday night.

Dr. Football: COWBOYS to win and cover whatever the spread is.

The Coach: COWBOYS to win and cover.

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Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
brees saints 222x300 Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Drew Brees will light it up this week.

I hate to brag. I’m just not the type. But for almost two years I’ve been embarrassed by the man who calls himself Dr. Football. Every week, for nearly two complete NFL seasons, the guy has either been an outright genius or simply a blind squirrel that found a lot more acorns than he deserved to find.

But not last week. Nosireee, not last week. Last week, Dr. Football went 8-8 straight up and 7-9 against the spread.

That’s right naysayers. The Good Doctor is no longer in the lead. That’s because the The Old Coach went 11-5 straight up and 9-7 against the line. Ta!Da! Victory.

Sure it might only last a week. Heck, I’ve won the occasional week over the last couple of seasons, I’ve just never been ahead. But now, for at least seven days, I’ve been able to say I am in the lead. No, 1. The Coach is three wins ahead of a man who has a doctorate in professional football from a distinguished insitution of higher learning.

It just doesn’t get any better than that.

So here we go, Week 2. It’s the Doc against the Coach in a little ol’ game of head-to-head cranium combat. After last week’s victory, I’m ready to take on the Doc once again. I see he’s already ruin as far away as possible from his dear Vikings, fallen in love with my Lions and given up completely on the Cleveland Browns.

It’s going to be a great week. Doctor Football writes the synopsis:

Chicago Bears (1-0) at New Orleans Saints (0-1)
Line: Saints by 6.5.
The Bears beat up the Falcons at home for their Week 1 win, and they’ll want to come out and play the same physical game in the Dome against New Orleans. It won’t be easy as the heart of their team, Brian Urlacher, might not be as sharp as he was last week. He missed some practice time this week after the death of his mother. At home, the Saints pass game will run the Bears ragged. The Saints will make the necessary defensive changes to avoid being exploited like the Packers did in the season opener. I smell a shoot out…first team to 40 wins.

Dr. Football: Saints to win but not cover.

The Coach: Saints to win and cover

Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) at Detroit Lions (1-0)
Line: Lions by 8.

Detroit has the confidence now that they have a win in the books — on the road against the Bucs nonetheless.  Last week the Chiefs couldn’t get their run game going against the Bills, and it won’t be easy this week against the Lions solid defensive line. Look for Stafford and the Lions to pick on the Chiefs secondary without Eric Berry in the lineup.

Dr. Football: Lions to win and cover.

The Coach: Lions to win and cover.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)
Line: Jets by 9.

The Jets and Rex Ryan sent a nice thank you card to Tony Romo for that  awful pass in helping them get a big come from behind win at home over the Cowboys last Sunday. The Jaguars played a solid game in topping the Titans, as Luke McCown pulled off their game plan to perfection. This week they will need a huge game from Maurice Jones-Drew to get a win in on the road, but look for the Jets defense to build on last week’s momentum  and force mistakes as the Jets win their second home game in a row.

Dr. Football: Jets to win and cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover

Oakland Raiders (1-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-0)
Line: Bills by 3.

Oakland held Denver to only 38 rushing yards last week. By comparison, the Raiders ran the ball for 190 yards. Last week, the Bills allowed 108 rushing yards to the Chiefs, one of the most successful running teams last season. The Bills have to do a much better job at stopping the run, especially with Darren McFadden coming to town. (I completely disagree. Signed, The Coach).

Dr. Football: Raiders to win.

The Coach: Bills to win and cover. 

Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at Washington Redskins (1-0)
Line: Redskins by 3.5. 

Last week Arizona survived a great debut from Cam Newton, but got big plays down the stretch to get the win. Kevin Kolb was solid in his debut for the Cardinals, and this week he will go against a Redskins defense that contained Eli Manning to get the win over the Giants. Rex Grossman will need to be careful against the Cards secondary, and if they want to go 2-0, they need to be smart and run the ball well. Look for this one to be close.

Dr. Football: Redskins to win but not cover.

The Coach: Redskins to win and cover

chris johnson tennessee titans 195 230x300 Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Chris Johnson

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at Tennessee Titans (0-1)
Line: Ravens by 5.5.

The only worry I have in this one is the Ravens ability to stop Chris Johnson. The Ravens allowed only 66 yards to the Steelers last week, but it was on only 16 attempts, translating to a not-horrible 4.1 yards per carry. I don’t mean to take away from the Ravens impressive Week 1 victory over the AFC champs, but they certainly got lucky with three interceptions off of Big Ben, one that was returned for a touchdown and four recovered fumbles. Still, this week the Ravens are the better team. Unless, of course, Chris Johnson can find away to escape that frightening Ravens D.

Dr. Football: Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover 

Seattle Seahawks (0-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)
Line: Steelers by 14.

Do you think that the Steelers were pissed off after watching film of the game against the Ravens? The Steelers committed seven turnovers and were just awful, and I’d hate to be Tarvaris Jackson and the ‘Hawks when they take the field at Heinz Field this Sunday. Seattle was in their game against the Niners until Ted Ginn ran back a kickoff and punt to put the game away, but this one will be a much tougher test on the road. Look for the Steelers to play a much more mistake-free game, and force a couple of mistakes from the terrible Seahawks.

Dr. Football: Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.

cam newton carolina auburn 5 apjpg 33bc596c29bc8461 202x300 Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Cam Newton

Green Bay Packers (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-1)
Line: Packers by 9.5. 

Forgetting for a moment that Cam Newton played like his Number 1 draft pick status last week against a terrible defense, the Panthers suffered a big loss on defense as linebacker Jon Beason tore his Achilles tendon and will be out for the year. That’s a tough break for a defense that now has to contend with one of the highest calibre offenses in the NFL. If you’re the defending Super Bowl champs looking to get to Indianapolis, you go out on the road and you clobber bad teams. I’m thinking Newton’s performance last week was the exception, not the norm. Meanwhile, the Packers are still the best team in the NFC until somebody beats them. We both like Newton and his story, but the factors simply have too many weapons and too solid a defensive unit to lose to the Panthers.

Dr. Football: Packers to win and cover.

The Coach: Packers to win and cover.

adrian peterson 23 200x300 Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Adrian Peterson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
Line: Vikings by 3.

Last week the Vikings took a big step closer to having Christian Ponder make his debut sooner than expected as Donovan McNabb was horrible in San Diego. Where was the McNabb that showed such poise in the preseason? The Bucs won’t be much nicer either to McNabb, and the Vikes needs to run Adrian Peterson 20-25 times. The Bucs will have to be more physical on offense, as they looked lost against the Lions. Look for the Bucs to make more plays in the passing game, and for the run game to have a better week as well (Doc and I disagree on this one. Vikes coach Leslie Frazier will fix last week’s offensive problems and Minnesota will win at home).

Dr. Football: Buccaneers to win.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover. 

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Line: Browns by 2.5.

Huh? The Colts are ranked as underdogs in their own building? The Colts, without Peyton Manning, stunk  in Houston last week, and now will come home against a Browns team that lost at home late to the Bengals. The Colts will need to better protect Kerry Collins, and run the ball more as Cleveland showed against the Bengals they still can’t stop the run. Colt McCoy won’t have a ton of time to throw, and the Browns need to run Peyton Hillis more than they did a week ago. Look for the Colts to rebound (Again, The Coach disagrees).

Dr. Football: Colts to win.

The Coach: Browns to win and cover.

tony romo 670 208x300 Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Tony Romo

Dallas Cowboys (0-1) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
Line: Cowboys by 3.

Why was anyone shocked to see Tony Romo throw a pick with the game on the line in New York? That’s been his career bio, and you could smell that fourth quarter let down all the way to Dallas. Now they head west to San Francisco, and have to play a 49ers team that has a little swagger after a big home win over the Seahawks. The 49ers did it with special teams (Ted Ginn), but also will need to get more from Alex Smith and Frank Gore to beat the Cowboys. Dallas needs to pressure Smith, and if they can get a big game from Romo and Dez Bryant, they won’t need a big fourth quarter to beat the Niners (Coach sez: “Romo will get some pressure, panic and go fetal, as he always does.”).

Dr. Football: Cowboys to win and cover.

The Coach: 49ers to win

Houston Texans (1-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-1)
Line: Texans by 3.

The Texans see the writing on the wall, and they know that the AFC South without Peyton Manning can be theirs. They can’t lay an egg in Miami, and with Matt Schaub and the return of Arian Foster, they won’t. In fact, they’ll score more than enough points to win. I don’t think the Dolphins can get that kind of a performance out of Chad Henne two weeks in a row.

Dr. Football: Texans to win and cover.

The Coach: Texans to win and cover

San Diego Chargers (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0)
Line: Patriots by 7.

While one may think that there is no way Tom Brady and company can be as good against the Chargers as they were in Miami last week, they will still be able to put up points against a Chargers team that had to rally in the second half to beat the Vikings. San Diego got a lot from Mike Tolbert on the ground, and they will need that again to win in New England. The Chargers always crank it up a notch against the best in the AFC, and the Pats are certainly out to prove that they are.

Dr. Football: Patriots to win and cover.

The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Denver Broncos (0-1)
Line: Broncos by 3.5.

The Bengals shocked the world last week as most experts picked them to get hammered by the Browns. The Broncos are licking their wounds after an awful Monday night game. Can Kyle Orton and the Broncos get their run-game get on track? Orton is just happy he won’t have to hear “Tebow” being chanted all game. The Bengals defense did a nice job against Petyon Hillis and the Browns, and if they can force Orton to beat them, it could play into the Bengals hands. I think the Broncos will have a brutal year even with John Elway making the big decisions (Coach sez: “If the Broncos don’t win this week, they’ll have to look seriously at Tim Tebow.”).

Dr. Football: Bengals to win.

The Coach: Broncos to win and cover. 

SUNDAY NIGHT

mike michael vick eagles football nfl 300x225 Week 2: Can The Coach Hold the Lead?

Michael Vick Returns to Atlanta.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Line: Eagles by 1.5.

You have to think that Atlanta is the solid pick in this one based on the Falcons success at home. Then again, this is pretty much the same Atlanta team that got clobbered 31-17 to essentially the same Eagles team in Week 6 last season in Philadelphia. The Eagles won that game with Kevin Kolb at quarterback, so while the Falcons will trot out the same team this week, they will face a new-look Philly team with Michael Vick on offense and newcomers Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha on defense.

Dr. Football: Eagles to win and cover.

The Coach: Eagles to win and cover.

MONDAY NIGHT

St. Louis Rams (0-1) at New York Giants (0-1)
Line: Giants by 6.

The Rams need Steven Jackson, but without him the focus will be on Sam Bradford, and it won’t be easy for them to get it done on MNF. The Giants were surprised by the Redskins, and they made way too many mistakes to win. Tom Coughlin will right the ship, and under the prime-time lights, the Giants defense will stuff Bradford and the Rams run game.

Dr. Football: Giants to win and cover

The Coach: Giants to win and cover

The Doc went 8-8 last week and was 7-9 vs. the spread. The Coach went 11-5 straight up and 9-7 against the spread. And we think this is the first time since 2009 that The Coach has had the lead.

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The NFL Playoffs Begin. Here are Our Picks for Week 1

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It’s playoff time in the National Football League this weekend. In fact, it’s called the Wild Card Weekend and quite frankly, it should be pretty wild. There are two potentially outstanding games and two potential blowouts as the New Orleans Saints become the biggest road favorites in NFL playoff history.

First things first, however, it was quite a week around The League:

(1) The Dolphins talked to Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh on Thursday and then called up their current coach, Tony Sparano, and told him that he’ll be back next season. That’s classy.

(2) As we told you Monday on NCI FM, the Cowboys finally made it official on Thursday and announced that Jason Garrett will be the full-time head coach in Dallas.

(3) The Tennessee Titans said that quarterback Vince Young would be traded or released, but there is no word on the future of head coach Jeff Fisher.

(4) Before sitting down with the Dolphins, Harbaugh interviewed with the the San Francisco 49ers. If Harbaugh doesn’t accept an offer from the 49ers, he’ll stay with Stanford.

(5) Darrell Bevel is out as offensive co-ordinator in Minnesota and the Vikings interviewed Mike Singletary to be their linebackers coach.

(6) And Brett Favre is still retired.

This Saturday, New Orleans plays at Seattle at 3:30 while the Jets play at Indianapolis at 7, both games are on NBC. On Sunday, Baltimore is at Kansas City at 12 Noon on CBS and Green Bay is at Philadelphia at 3:30 on FOX. New England and Pittsburgh have the byes in the AFC while Atlanta and Chicago have the byes in the NFC. New England and Atlanta have home field throughout the playoffs – as long as they keep winning.

Because Dr. Football won the season, he’ll keep writing our weekly picks. At least, until I beat him. Let’s take a close look at Wild Card Weekend:

Saturday…

New Orleans Saints (11-5) at Seattle Seahawks (7-9) Line: Saints by 10.5

The Seahawks will look to pull a massive upset against the defending Super Bowl champs, but it won’t be easy. Did you know the Saints never have won a road playoff game in their entire team history? This will change on Saturday. The worst division winners in the annals of the NFL will get blown out by Drew Brees and company.

Dr. Football: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER.

New York Jets (11-5) at Indianapolis Colts (10-6) Line: Colts by 2.5

In a rematch of last year’s conference championship game, the Jets visit a Colts club that overcame numerous injuries to reach the post season for a ninth straight time. The Jets took a 17-6 advantage late in the second quarter versus Indy last year, but failed to score again as Colts QB Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes; two in the second half to rally his team to a 30-17 victory. The Colts are not the team they were during last year’s run to the AFC title game, but Peyton is still Peyton. In what should be an excellent battle, expect the experience of Manning to beat the Jets one more time.

Dr. Football: COLTS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: COLTS TO WIN AND COVER.

Sunday afternoon….

Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) Line: Ravens by 3

The Chiefs are a young team with a lot of players in their first postseason game as the Chiefs haven’t played this late in the season since 2006. The Ravens have played great football all season; look for Ray Rice to put on a run clinic on Sunday. Despite the home crowd cheering on the Chiefs, the experience of the Ravens will leave the KC fans hoping for next year.

Dr. Football: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

Green Bay Packers (10-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) Line: Eagles by 2.5

These two teams have squared off seven times since 2003, including a 2004 Wild Card game that the Eagles won, 20-17, in overtime. That game featured one of the all-time great plays in Eagles history; a Donovan McNabb to Freddie Mitchell fourth-and-26 conversion with just over a minute to play. Prior to Green Bay’s win in Philly in week 1, the home team has won five straight.  Despite that week 1 win, the Packers three road wins this season is the second fewest of any of the playoff teams. Fortunately for them the Eagles’ 4-4 home record is the worst of any team in the postseason. This is the toughest game of the week to pick, as I smell an upset.

Dr. Football: PACKERS TO WIN.

The Coach: EAGLES TO WIN AND COVER.

The Doc went 10-6 last week and finished up 157-99 on the season. Against the spread I was 10-6 and finished up 140-116. The Coach went 8-8 straight up last week and finished 148-108 on the season. Against the spread he was 6-10 and finished  116-133-7.

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