Packers today!!!

Top Play:

Green Bay -3 over Carolina

Sure, the Pack's defence looked terrible on MNF against the Saints last week, but who cares. That game was a bad spot for Green Bay, as the Saints were on top of the world playing their first home game in a long time on Monday Night. Green Bay has been shredding teams at home and the Panthers have been mediocre lately. They are 2-3 on the road this season and lost to the Falcons last week 45-28. Aaron Rodgers is much more comfortable at home and if the Packers want a shot at making the playoffs this season, they absolutely have to win this game.

*Only posting one pick for now. Stay tuned for more later today.

Pick of the week

NFL Pick of the Week:

I just wanted to make an early note that I love the New England Patriots pick'em over the Miami Dolphins this Sunday. New England looked like the better team in a Thursday night loss to the Jets last week. Bill Belichick never loses two games in a row and the Dolphins embarrassed New England earlier this year. I know that I've been down on Matt Cassel all year, but the guy is getting better. Cassel has great weapons around him and he's been extremely accurate lately. He also seems to be getting more comfortable in the pocket and sooner or later he's going to start hitting some deep balls to Randy Moss.  The Patriots defence also seems to be coming alive in a big way, as rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo is becoming a beast. A few weeks ago I thought the Patriots were dead, but after seeing them the last couple of weeks, I'm starting to think that they could be a contender. Miami is an overachieving team that barely beat the Raiders at home last Sunday and I expect to see the Patriots beat the Dolphins easily this week in Miami. Take this to the bank. PUT THE HAMMER DOWN HERE.

Pick: PATS PICKEM

Raps .500 again

The Raptors were without Jose Calderon and lost another game to Orlando earlier tonight. They are now once again .500 on the season.

Should we be patting the Raptors on the back for being 5-5 on the year, despite Jose Calderon missing his second game in a row with a sore hamstring? Absolutely not!

The Raptors have what is possibly their best roster ever and should be winning six or seven out of every 10 games at the least. Jermaine O' Neal has been spectacular on defence and has played with constant determination. Bosh has been just as determined and is averaging over 25 points per game. Both big men are playing at an all-star level and should command constant double teams. This should also open up easy shots for the Raptors shooters (AP, Kapono, Bargnani, and Calderon).

So where should the blame go? Easy answer. Sam Mitchell, the worst coach in the NBA.

Let's go over some of the horrific mistakes that the former "Coach of the Year" has made so far in this short NBA season. Let me again stress the word "some" because these are only the mistakes I can remember off the top of my head.

1. Possibly the worst coaching move I've ever seen in about 15 years of watching sports was made by Mitchell in the Raptors loss to the Celtics. Boston is the team the Raptors have got to beat if they want to be taken seriously as Eastern Conference contenders and Toronto should have had the game too. They led by 16 points in the first half and controlled the game for three quarters of play. Jermaine O' Neal was having his best offensive contribution of the season and this should have opened things up for the more offensively talented Bosh to score late in the game. Unfortunately, Mitchell decided before the game to make Chris Bosh nothing more than a decoy for the night. His reasoning was that he didn't want to challenge Kevin Garnett. Yes, I'm serious. Bosh stood around on the court for most of the game, doing nothing and looking discouraged. I was furious at the Raptors best player for most of the game and yelled at my television, accusing him of being a passive player and questioning his drive. After I read his comments and realized how pissed off he had been at Mitchell's game plan, of course all was forgiven. How can a coach keep his job after a move like this? How can you let one of the most energetic players in the league rest on defence all game when he's covering your best player? Challenge him Mitchell! If nothing else, Bosh would have worn him down and it would have hurt the Celtics chances of making the late surge that happened in the fourth quarter. Not only did Mitchell permanently damage his relationship with Bosh by basically telling him that he had no confidence in his ability to score on KG, but I believe he single handedly lost the Raptors this game.

2. In the same game, leaving Jason Kapono on the court to cover Paul Pierce for the entire fourth quarter. Pierce exploded for 24 fourth quarter points after being neutralized by Jamario Moon and Joey Graham for most of  the first three quarters. I cringed as soon as I saw this matchup. How did the Raptors coach not make a switch after the first 10 points? How about after 15? Maybe after 20? NOPE. 

3. Continuously taking out Jermaine O' Neal in the fourth quarter. I don't care who you're putting in Mitchell, this is a terrible idea. J.O. is pretty much the Raptors entire defence. He challenges almost every shot inside, blocks and alters a ton of shots and gets almost every rebound. Oh yeah, he's also the best one on one defender on the team and he can finish inside on offence, either posting up or by hitting the offensive boards.

4. Playing too much of Jason Kapono. There's a time and a place for Kapono. Don't put him in for long stretches when he has to cover Tayshaun Prince or Paul Pierce! Are you kidding?

5. I can't be sure this is Sam's fault, but I'm going to take a shot in the dark and blame it on him anyways. Jose Calderon is one of the best point guards in the league, but he can't be telling players that they are taking bad shots. Why is Jason Kapono in the lane putting up floaters? Why is Jamario Moon shooting so many threes? Why is Bargnani dribble driving through traffic? It seems like everyone is doing the opposite of what they should be. Kapono is a spot up shooter. Moon's shots should come sparingly and not constantly from three point range. Bargnani should only drive if there's a defender right up in his face and the lane isn't clogged. Play towards your strengths! Work on the weaknesses in practice.

The loss tonight to Orlando was another stinker. O' Neal and Bosh played fantastic. I thought J.O. actually got the better of Dwight Howard and pretty much shut him down for most of the night. Unfortunately, missing Calderon killed Toronto. They committed 24 turnovers and far too often took ridiculous shots. None of the Raptors shooters hit a shot. It was just one of those nights. 

Mitchell's mistakes:

- Why did Mitchell take J.O. out of the game with just under 4:00 left?

- Why did Mitchell throw in the towel too early?

- Also, way too much Kris Humphries and Jason Kapono. Toronto has got to get Moon going.

Monday Morning Football Throwdown

What I saw:

New Orleans at K.C.:

Drew Brees continues to play great and his wide receivers continue to drop passes. Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey cannot hold onto the ball. Both had several drops on what should have been easy completions. Shockey is an enigma and continuously drops passes and then laughs about it. I can understand having a little chuckle about an easy drop if it happens once a year, but not when it happens multiple times a game. The Saints should tell him to get his act together or nail him to the bench. New Orleans' defence did not look good in this game. K.C. moved the ball early, but eventually faded. New Orleans is missing their two injured defensive backs (Mike McKenzie and Tracy Porter). Reggie Bush should provide Brees with a much needed playmaker when he returns.

Philly at Cincinnati:

This was one of the biggest surprises of the day and even though I picked Cincy to cover at +9.5, I expected the Eagles to win the game. The biggest reason Philly lost this game? Donovan McNabb. I didn't think McNabb played well in last week's loss to the Giants and he played even worse against the Bengals. The veteran Eagles quarterback had three interceptions and lost a fumble in the game. He also couldn't throw an accurate pass to save his life. As if McNabb's play wasn't bad enough, he also proved his ignorance of NFL rules. Apparently, he didn't know that there were ties in the NFL and figured the two teams would keep playing until someone scored. Neither of these teams are very good and both should be a non-factor come playoff time.

Baltimore at NY Giants:

One of the sexiest picks of the week amongst expert handicappers was the Baltimore Ravens +7 over the Giants. What??? Why would you side with a rookie quarterback going into New Jersey to play the defending champions? The Giants running game looks unstoppable right now and New York is clearly the team to beat at this point in the season.

Minnesota at Tampa Bay:

A rejuvenated Jeff Garcia continues to impress. Garcia made play after play for the Bucs and led them to a hard fought victory over Adrian Peterson's Vikes. Peterson did an impressive job finding some room against one of the NFL's best defences, but couldn't do enough to match Garcia. What makes Garcia's play even more amazing is the fact that he barely has anything to work with. His biggest threats are Antonio Bryant and a getting-old Warrick Dunn.

Houston at Indy:

The Colts just don't have it this year, despite pulling off their second win of the season over the Houston Texans and backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels.

St. Louis at San Francisco:

Who's making fun of Mike Singletary now? After coming dangerously close to beating the division-leading Cardinals on the road last weekend, the 49ers ripped apart the Rams this Sunday. San Fran is looking extremely motivated and extremely tough. I wonder how new quarterback Shaun Hill will fair against a good defence though.

Arizona at Seattle:

The Seahawks stink this season, with or without Hasselbeck. Arizona's wide receivers are ridiculously good in case you didn't already know it.

Tennessee at Jacksonville:

Did anyone actually expect the Jags to be the team to bring down the mighty Titans? Jacksonville's defence is no good this year and as soon as the Titans fell behind 14-3 early, they started passing and stormed back. Kudos to Kerry Collins for playing great AGAIN, but Tennessee looked vulnerable against Green Bay a few weeks back and again looked beatable. It will be interesting to see how they'll fair against a playoff team. Collins lacks weapons on offence and it's tough to overcome some of the dropped passes the Titans are forced to deal with on a weekly basis when you come up against better teams.

San Diego at Pittsburgh:

Big Ben pulls out another tough win. It seems like the Steelers have a killer game every week. What kind of crazy schedule did the NFL give them this year?

Dallas at Washington:

Tony Romo is back and that means the Cowboys will start winning again. If Romo can stay healthy, the Cowboys are capable of beating anyone. The addition of Roy Williams is huge for Dallas and Marion Barber had a great game against the Redskins. Dallas' defence has been looking better the last few weeks and should continue to improve now that Terrence Newman is back. The Cowboys have a killer schedule, but I still think they squeeze into the playoffs.

MNF Prediction:

Cleveland at Buffalo -5:

Young Brady Quinn may not realize what he's getting himself into going to Buffalo on a Monday Night. The Bills home field advantage is underrated and they should put up a huge effort on prime time t.v. to cover the spread. TAKE THE BILLS -5

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!

I will be putting up an NFL article in the next day or two so stay tuned. I'm also going to put up my picks and hopefully even a few college football picks.

Thursday night pick:

Denver at Cleveland -3.5

Thursday night football tomorrow! Very exciting! I'm leaning towards the Broncos +3.5 over the Browns. The Broncos have a bad defence to begin with and will be missing their only two good defensive players, D.J. Williams and Champ Bailey. Unfortunately, they are playing a dysfunctional Browns team that boasts Romeo Crennel as their coach and Brady Quinn as their quarterback. Quinn has looked extremely bad to me on almost every single NFL snap he's ever taken. Heck, I wasn't even impressed with the guy when he was on Notre Dame. At least the Broncos have Cutler and Brandon Marshall. The Browns will be out-coached and the Broncos should at least make it close. Look for Denver to bring the heat against Quinn and force the Browns into some mistakes. Hold off on betting this one and check back tomorrow in case I change my mind or come up with something new.

For the weekend, I'm leaning towards Chicago +3 over the Titans IF Kyle Orton plays for the Bears. If he doesn't, I may go Tennessee -3. 

I'm also definitely going to be on the Packers +2 over the Vikings.

I like Notre Dame +3.5 at Boston College and Penn State -7.5 so far on the college board Saturday. 

Raptors Report and NBA notes

So much going on in the world of sports right now and so long since I've written in "THE" blog. I want to apologize to all of my fans and promise that I will be writing more often in the coming weeks.

Let's start with some general comments.

Toronto Raptors:

Raptors loss to the Pistons earlier tonight was a big disappointment. I really think the Raptors are in the process of turning the corner and becoming one of the elite teams in the East, but they didn't prove it tonight.

What they did prove was that they need to play smarter. I thought that their shot selection was terrible, especially down the stretch. They need to be working off of Bosh and Calderon in the fourth quarter and using J.O., Anthony Parker, Kapono and Bargnani for open shots or dunks.

There were too many times late in the game where before Calderon or Bosh even got to touch the ball, Parker or O' Neal would go flying to the bucket or launch an ill-advised jumper. Sam Mitchell needs to make sure his stars are touching the ball late in the game if he expects his team to beat a quality opponent like the Pistons. 

That being said, I'm still confident in the Raps and think they are a top four team in the East at the very least. They'll beat the Pistons next time, even if Mitchell can't figure out how to coach properly.

Trade Talk:

I love the A.I. for Billups and McDyess trade. There are positives to the deal for both teams, although I still don't really give either one a chance to go all the way. 

The Pistons have been stuck with the same roster for too long and knew they needed a change. For Detroit, this gives them a new look that may translate into a few more wins. It also gives them Iverson's expiring contract that will allow them to take their shot at big free agents like D. Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James in a couple of years.

The Nuggets get Billups, who will be a better complement to Carmello Anthony than Iverson. Hopefully, Anthony seizes the opportunity to be "the guy" and takes his play to a new level.

My only hope is that McDyess does not re-sign with the Pistons after he's bought out. This shouldn't be allowed by the NBA. The Raptors could sure use him off the bench!

NBA Notes:

• I don't see the 76ers making the playoffs this season.
• The Mavs might be a big disappointment in a tough conference. 
• Look out for the Heat. Wade is back and Beasley looks like he's for real.
• Atlanta beat New Orleans on the road tonight. Look out for the Hawks too!!
• If T.J. Ford hits a few shots, he becomes a one man team. Ford is no superstar. Ford hitting a few shots = losses for Indiana. Thank goodness the Raptors got rid of him!
• Could be another Lakers/Celtics finals this year.

Raptors Notes

• Why does Sam Mitchell insist on playing Will Solomon over Roko Ukic? Another one of Sam's favourites or what? Ukic did a solid job while Solomon was hurt and the Raptors should be trying to develop the talented young point guard.
• Jose Calderon is the best point guard in the East. I just wish he would shoot more.
• Bargnani is hitting his perimeter shots again and it's great that he has his confidence back. He's also playing much better on defence, rebounding and challenging shots. Why is it that he needs to force the ball inside when his strength is shooting? No one can stop a 7 footer from getting a good look at the basket. Shoot Andrea!!! SHOOT!!! 
• Why does Jason Kapono keep trying to take the ball inside? It never works! SHOOT Jason!! SHOOOOOT!!

Week 7

Another week and another batch of upsets. Staying away from double digit favourites has been the way to go so far this season, but something's got to give. This might be the week that the oddsmakers have finally figured out who's good and who's not.

Is there any one team that is head and shoulders above the rest? Definitely not!

I was not shocked at all to see the Giants fall to the Browns last week. As soon as I began to hear ridiculous comments about Eli Manning being better than Peyton, I knew the Giants were destined to lose on Monday Night.

Eli looked like the "Jeckyl and Hyde" quarterback that he really is on MNF and I don't think you'll be hearing comparisons to Peyton again anytime soon.

Peyton Manning and the Colts are beginning to look like legit contenders in the AFC after being considered finished by many just a few weeks ago.

The first few weeks of football has proven one major point: look at the big picture. Just because the Colts shredded the Ravens last week does not mean they can't be shredded by the Packers.

That being said, the Packers are still decimated by injuries to their defence and their secondary will be without Atari Bigby and Al Harris on Sunday. Indy's offence is feeling good and they shouldn't have a letdown at Lambeau.
Take Indy -2

Baltimore at Miami -3

Chad Pennington should be able to take advantage of a worn out defence that is missing some key players in their secondary in Miami this weekend.
Take Miami -3

Dallas -7 at St. Louis

Whether it's Romo or Johnson, the Cowboys should take care of the Rams.
Take Dallas -7

Minnesota at Chicago -3.5

Memo to Lovie Smith: Unleash the Kyle Orton air show! The Bears can pass and lost last week because they were too conservative against the Falcons. A bonehead decision by the Bears to do a short kick gave Atlanta the field position they needed to kick a late field goal and win the game. The Bears need to win and have the better quarterback.
Take Chicago -3.5

New Orleans at Carolina -3

The answer to handicapping the NFC South has been to take the home team so far this season, but trends are made to be broken. The Saints are heating up. Drew Brees is on fire and finally should have some decent weapons with Colston and Shockey returning this Sunday. Look for the Saints to take advantage of a vulnerable Panthers secondary.
Take New Orleans +3

Pittsburgh -9.5 at Cincinnati

I don't see the Bengals making this a game without Carson Palmer. Pittsburgh should be ready to play coming off of their bye.
Take Pittsburgh -9.5

San Diego at Buffalo pick'em

The Bills are missing CB Terrence McGee and that could hurt them in this game. The Chargers looked great against the Patriots, but does that really mean anything?
Take Buffalo pick'em

San Francisco at New York Giants -10.5

The 49ers are not a very "live" dog here, especially after the Giants were embarassed on MNF.
Take New York -10.5

Tennessee -9 at Kansas City

The Titans are the league's only undefeated team. They might take a breather here, but should still win the game.
Take KC +9

Detroit at Houston -9.5

I cannot bet on Houston to win by 10 points.
Take Detroit +9.5

Cleveland at Washington -7.5

Are the Redskins really that much better than the Browns?? I'd take Cleveland's offence over Washington's any day. That's enough of a reason for me to take more than a touchdown here.
Take Cleveland +7.5

New York Jets -3.5 at Oakland

Here's your live dog of the week! Favre will turn the ball over four times and the Raiders will win big over the Jets in this week's major upset.
Take Oakland +3.5 and sprinkle the moneyline

Seattle at Tampa Bay -10.5

Jeff Garcia's still got it and he's a man on a mission right now. The Bucs have a killer defence and the Seahawks have nothing going for them.
Take Tampa Bay -10.5

Denver at New England -3

WHAT?! The Patriots are favourites? One of the best passing attacks in the league going up against possibly the worst secondary. Matt Cassel is absolutely terrible and the Patriots are absolutely terrible! Bill Belichick is not God. This team is too bad for even Belichick to coach to a winning record. Make your money here.
Take Denver +3

Best Bets:
Denver +3, Indy -2, Oakland +3.5, Cleveland +7.5, Pitt -9.5, Chicago -3.5, New Orleans +3, Miami -3