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

One more change!!!

Adding TB -1 over Carolina

*Tampa needs the game more and they are at home. They have the better defence and Jeff Garcia is starting at quarterback. Take Tampa and put it in my top plays. 

Philly at SF under 42

Both teams are trying hard in San Fran. Philly's D should have no trouble putting pressure on O' Sullivan and their offence has been struggling. I see a 24-10 Philly win here. TOP PLAY

Best Bets AND Pick Changes...

I am switching my picks in two games:

Houston -3 over Miami
* Houston is a desperate team at home. Miami can't continue to fool teams with their wildcat formation.

New Orleans -7 over Oakland
* Colston is coming back and I realized that backing Oakland on the road against a desperate team is a terrible idea.

Best Bets:
Houston -3, New Orleans -7, NY Jets -6.5 *or -9.5 now (I still like it), Chicago -3, Green Bay moneyline, Dallas -5, Philly -4.5, San Diego -5.5

NFL Week 6 picks

My record is so bad that I've purposely lost track of it. Here are my picks for this week!!

Baltimore at Indianapolis -3.5
The Ravens have a very good defence, but the Colts keep finding ways to win. With two miraculous wins a row, the Colts must be feeling pretty good about themselves. On the flip side, the Ravens have endured two very tough losses to the Steelers and Titans. They'll suffer another one here, but won't put up as much resistance.

Pick: Indy -3.5

Carolina at Tampa Bay -1
Carolina is a strong team. Their one weakness might be in their secondary, but I don't believe TB can take advantage with their weak receiving corps.

Pick: Carolina +1

Chicago -3 at Atlanta
Atlanta's win over a banged up Packers team has them overvalued here. The Bears are a contender and Orton is for real.

Pick: Chicago -3

Cincinnati at New York Jets -7.5
Without Carson Palmer, the Bengals won't be able to score. Brett Favre loves putting on a show against bad teams.

Pick: NY Jets -7.5

Detroit at Minnesota -13
With Gus Frerotte throwing the ball well, Adrian Peterson should have a field day against the Lions.

Pick: Minny -13

Miami at Houston -3
Who knows what will happen in this game. Take the points.

Pick: Miami +3

Oakland at New Orleans -7
Drew Brees may have trouble finding the open man against a good Raiders secondary. New Orleans will win a close one.

Pick: Oakland +7

St. Louis at Washington -13.5
Will the Rams ever lose by less than a touchdown again? Not here.

Pick: Washington -13.5

Jacksonville at Denver -3
I am officially pronouncing the Jags dead. Their defence is terrible and they couldn't even put significant pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. The Broncos should have an easy time at home against a week defence.

Pick: Denver -3

Dallas -5 at Arizona
The Cowboys are sick of hearing about how they can't put teams away. This could be a long day for Kurt Warner.

Pick: Dallas -5

Green Bay at Seattle -2
Aaron Rodgers and Matt Hasselbeck are both banged up. The Packers defence has been decimated by injuries, but I still feel like they're the better team. Stay away if you can.

Pick: Green Bay +2

Philadelphia -4.5 at San Francisco
The 49ers have allowed the most sacks in the league, while the Eagles lead the league in sacks.

Pick: Philly -4.5

New England at San Diego -5
Matt Cassel is very, very bad. The Chargers are facing a must win situation at home on national television. They are easily the "bettor" team here.

Pick: San Diego -5

New York Giants -7.5 at Cleveland
I just have a feeling that the Browns are going to make this a game on Monday Night Football. This is Cleveland's Super Bowl and the Giants are feeling invincible these days.

Pick: Cleveland +7.5

NCAA Football Saturday picks

Sat:

Texas at Oklahoma -6

Colt McCoy has been really good thus far, but I'll spot the points with Bradford and the Sooners at home.
Take Oklahoma -6

UTAH -23.5 over Wyoming
The Utes should destroy Wyoming.

Vandy -2.5 over MISSISSIPI STATE
The Commodores are for real and should continue to fly up the rankings with a win here.

TEXAS TECH -21 over Nebraska
Tech is destroying everyone and Nebraska is not up to the task of stopping this prolific offence.

Notre Dame +8.5 over UNC
Notre Dame is getting better and fast. This game could easily go either way and 8.5 points is way too many for the Tar Heels to be spotting.

GEORGIA -12.5 over Tennessee
I'm going to keep going against the Vols until they actually cover.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN -7.5 over Temple

Lsu +6 over FLORIDA
This is another game where either team could easily win. Take the points and the better all around team with the Tigers.

Oklahoma St. +14 over MISSOURI
I just have a feeling on this one.

Penn State -6 over WISCONSIN
Penn State is just a way better team and should have no problem beating up on the Badgers.

Flying off the handle

Another terrible day of picks! It seems I've completely lost the feel of the NFL season, but who hasn't? Here's a few observations on the day:

*U WHAT?! In another genius move by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, Cincy decided to throw a one-on-one fade pass to Ben Utecht on a two point conversion attempt. The two pointer would have tied the game. The Bengals have so many great weapons at the wide receiver position! Why would they throw a fade pattern to Utecht on a game deciding play??

*Green Bay allowed Aaron Rodgers to play and then stay in the game despite being obviously hurt in a home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Rodgers was shaking his throwing arm in pain in the fourth quarter and the Packers still refused to pull him from the game. I understand Rodgers trying to stay in the game, but the Packers should have pulled the plug. It's a long season and now Rodgers will probably have to sit out a week or two to heal or risk playing with a sore arm the whole season. I don't believe he would have thrown that late interception if he had been 100 percent. Stupid move to risk your season for a home game against Atlanta that probably could have been won by Matt Flynn or Brian Brohm. What is Green Bay thinking?

*Houston backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels led the Texans in a monstrous collapse against the Colts. Leading by 17 in the fourth quarter, Rosenfels fumbled twice in four plays when all Houston needed to do was take time off the clock. Rosenfels played a pretty good game until the last few minutes and could have been the permanent starter if he hadn't completely choked. That would have been a huge home win against Indy.

*Meanwhile, the Colts do it again and now sit at 2-2. 

*The Dolphins eased by the Chargers in their second big upset in a row. Rivers and Tomlinson played terrible for San Diego. Darren Sproles is looking like the best running back in San Diego this season. Yes, I AM saying that LT looks bad.

*In a shocking development, Denver's defence put together a half decent game at home and led Denver to a win against the Bucs.

* New England beat San Francisco on the road by a score of 30-21. The Pats only won this game because the 49ers stunk. New England does not look good. Matt Cassel is not the second coming of Tom Brady. His movement in the pocket is beyond bad. He has no idea how to avoid pressure and instead of stepping up when the pocket breaks down, he usually stumbles into a lineman and falls down. The Patriots defence looks pretty bad too and they are definitely missing defensive backs Randall Gay and Asante Samuel, who both left in the offseason.

*Ben Roethlisberger continues to amaze me by winning games, despite taking more hits than any other quarterback in the NFL. Any other QB would be out for the season by now, but Roethlisberger has somehow survived thus far without any serious injuries. If the Steelers can stay in games, Roethlisberger will lead them to victory every time. Ben may be the best playmaker in the NFL. 

Stay tuned for more this week...

 

Week 5 picks

Sorry they're EXTREMELY late. Been a little sick this week.

Picks:
Green Bay -5 over Atlanta
Detroit +3.5 over Chicago
Houston +4 over Indy
K.C. +9.5 over Carolina
SD -6.5 over Miami
Seattle +7 over NY Giants
Ten -2 over Baltimore
Philly -6 over Washington
Den -3.5 over Tampa Bay
Buf +1.5 over Arizona
Dal -16 over Cincy
NE -3.5 over San Fran
Jax -5 over Pitt
N.O. -3 over Minny

Best Bets:
GB -5
Houston +4
Seattle +7
Ten -2
Buf +1.5
NE -3.5
Jax -5
N.O. -3

Parity

Parity is running rampant in the NFL this year.

Just when everyone thought they had figured out who was good and who wasn't this season, Week 4 came along and threw them (along with me) for a loop.

Among the seemingly impossible upsets this week were the Broncos losing to the Chiefs, the Redskins being beaten by the Cowboys, and the Bears squeaking by the Eagles.

There are no great teams in the NFL this season. 

I can't even pick a Super Bowl favourite anymore. The NFL is wide open and in order to clear my mind for next Sunday, I'm going to go over the teams that I consider to have a shot in hell at making the big game.

AFC

1. Pittsburgh

I still think the Steelers have the best shot at representing the AFC in the Super Bowl this year. Along with Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler, Ben Roethlisberger is the best quarterback in the AFC and makes plays even when he's being harrassed by numerous defensive lineman. The Steelers also have great playmakers at their offensive skill positions and the defence is as good as they come.

The Problem: Their only real weakness is their offensive line, which was exposed big time in a loss to the Eagles last Sunday. I don't know if I've ever seen a quarterback take as much abuse as Roethlisberger did in that game and I'm shocked he hasn't gotten seriously injured yet. If he continues to get smashed, Roethlisberger won't last the season and without him, the Steelers have no hope.

2. Buffalo

I'm a big Bills fan this season and I fully expect them to win the AFC East. Trent Edwards is better than solid and the Bills have solid playmakers on offence. Rookie wide receiver James Hardy should eventually emerge as a top wide receiver and Marshawn Lynch is the AFC's version of Marion Barber running the ball (an absolute killer). The Bills have a very solid defence and have been great on special teams so far, although the injury to Roscoe Parrish will hurt them in that area for a few weeks.

The Problem: Even though the Bills don't have any real weaknesses, I'm not sure if they're good enough in any area to win it all. They are solid from top to bottom, but they don't really have anyone who is exceptional aside from Lynch. If Trent Edwards continues to improve and the Bills can stay healthy, they have a real shot at doing some damage.

3. Indianapolis

Sure, the Colts are 1-2 and look to be down and out, but with the AFC being so wide open, they aren't dead yet. Manning and Co. still have more than 3/4 of a season to put it all together on offence and if that happens, they'll be as dangerous as ever. The more things change, the more they stay the same and Peyton very well could be the last man standing in the AFC this year.

The Problem: Clearly the Colts have not been their old selves so far this year. Peyton Manning is still getting into game shape and the Colts have to make sure they don't fall too far behind. Also, their defence has been abysmal and matters could get much worse with safety Bob Sanders being out for an extended period of time. Indianapolis must solidify their defence at least a little bit if they expect to go all the way.

4. Denver Broncos

Despite losing to the Chiefs this week, I'm still going to say that the Broncos have the best offence in the NFL. Jay Cutler is firing on all cylinders, and Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal may be the most explosive one-two punch at wide receiver in the entire league. Throw in two solid tight ends (Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham) and a running back by committee approach that seems to keep everyone fresh, and Denver could score their way to an AFC title.

The Problem: Denver's defence is one of the worst in the league. As proven this Sunday, the Broncos have a shot to lose every game in spite of their exceptional offence.

5. Tennessee Titans

Honestly, I haven't seen much of Tennessee yet this season, but I'm putting them up here because of their 4-0 record. They've beaten a couple of solid teams already this season and look to be the best of the worst in the AFC in this very early 2008 season. Their defence has been great so far and rookie running back Chris Johnson gives their offence some explosiveness they have sorely been lacking in recent years.

The Problem: Kerry Collins? Really??? I just can't see Kerry Collins leading this team deep into the playoffs, but the AFC IS bad so who knows.

NFC

1. Dallas Cowboys

The Redskins played the game of their lives this past Sunday to beat Dallas, but the Cowboys still have to be the favourite to win the Super Bowl this year. Romo is playing like the best quarterback in the NFL and Marion Barber may be the best running back. Although T.O. may think he didn't get the ball enough in the Cowboys first loss, I happen to think he got it too much. The Cowboys didn't run with Barber as much as they should have. Barber's hard-nosed style of running takes a toll on opposing defences and usually tires them out by the fourth quarter.

The Problem: The only real weakness the Cowboys might have is Terrell Owens and his tendency to self-destruct. Tony Romo has blown a few big games in his career, but I don't believe that will continue. Romo is so good and there's no way I can see him retiring with an empty ring finger.

2. Green Bay Packers

The Packers haven't been impressive in their last two games, losing at home to the Cowboys and on the road against the Bucs, but I still see something special when I watch Aaron Rodgers throw the ball. Green Bay was one of the best teams last year with Brett Favre and despite a couple of mistakes in a tough loss to the Bucs this past Sunday, Aaron Rodgers is a much better decision-maker than his predecessor. The Packers offence will get back on track and their defence is still one of the better ones in the NFL, even with the injury to Al Harris.

The Problem: Coach McCarthy has been too conservative with his play calling so far this season. I'd like to see Rodgers throw more on first and second downs. Injuries in the secondary have also hurt the Packers, even though they have great depth at the position. 

3. New Orleans Saints

Don't look now, but the Saints defence seems to be improved. Rookie defensive back Tracy Porter has impressed me with his coverage skills and with additions like Jonathan Vilma and Randall Gay, the Saints defence could get better and better as the season goes on. Their offence is as potent as ever and no matter how many of their offensive weapons get hurt, Drew Brees will keep finding open receivers. Reggie Bush has looked rejuvenated this year and when Colston and Shockey come back, it could add a huge midseason boost to a well-coached team.

The Problem: The defence is still shaky, but if they continue to improve, they may end up being one of the NFC's better units before the season is over.

4. New York Giants

The Giants are undefeated so far this season and still have the same offence that led them to a Super Bowl last year. Justin Tuck has turned into a superstar and the whole defence has done an impressive job overcoming the losses of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The Giants aren't the NFL's best team, but they weren't last year either. If they can get hot again at the right time, lightning could strike twice.

The Problem: Eli Manning still isn't trustworthy and can look great one moment and then terrible a few minutes later. The defence is not as dominant without Umenyiora and Strahan.

5. Chicago Bears

Yes, I'm aware that I left the Eagles, Vikings, Bucs and Panthers off of my list of contenders, but I think the Bears could continue to surprise this season. Kyle Orton has impressed me in two big wins for the Bears and Chicago's offensive line looks good. So far, the Bears schedule has looked like this: at Indianapolis, at Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Philadelphia. Those four teams have a combined record of 9-5 and both games Chicago lost were by a field goal. If the Bears defence can stay healthy, Chicago could challenge now that they finally seem to have a good quarterback.

The Problem: The Bears are 2-2 and have lost two close games. They need to figure out how to win those close ones, especially when they're at home. They also need to keep their defence healthy and if Orton can consistently have good games, they could end up being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

**Stay tuned for my Week 5 picks ATS later on this week. I've had two terrible weeks in a row, but I'm going to guarantee .500 or better this week!

 

Week 4 picks - abbreviated version

Not much time to write this week so I'm just going to blow through my picks.


Arizona at New York Jets -1
Stat of the week: It was reported on Monday Night Football that Brett Favre has NEVER come back from 14 points down. Are you kidding me? That's a baffling stat. The man who has played more games than any other quarterback has never had a significant comeback? I don't think Favre deserves to be in the Hall of Fame after hearing that.

Instead of traveling to New York for Sunday, the Cardinals stayed there all week so that they could be ready to win on the road.

Pick: Arizona +1

Atlanta at Carolina -7
The Panthers secondary was exposed against the Vikings last week.

Pick: Atlanta +7

Cleveland at Cincinnati -3.5
The only coach worse than Romeo Crennel might be Marvin Lewis.

Pick: Cleveland +3.5

Denver -10 at Kansas City
Denver may not be totally up for this game, but K.C. might be the worst team in the league. Jay Cutler is having fun tearing apart defences so far this season. The Chiefs defence is pathetic so taking the points isn't an option here.

Pick: Denver -10

Green Bay at Tampa Bay -1
One game doesn't change anything: the Packers are still a contender in the NFC. The Bucs are not. Green Bay should absolutely win this game.

Pick: Green Bay +1

Houston at Jacksonville -7
Jags seem to be getting healthy and the Texans are a lousy team. Jax will be focused at home and won't let Houston hang around.

Pick: Jacksonville -7

Minnesota at Tennessee -3
Both teams have great defensive lines and great defences all around. Both teams make their living on offence by running. Whoever decides to pass first and has some success will win the game. I'm taking Kerry Collins and the Titans at home.

Pick: Tennessee -3

San Francisco at New Orleans -6
The 49ers have been putting up points and the Saints have been giving them up just as quickly. Both teams can score, but the Saints are banged up and San Francisco should be able to make this a game against a bad defence.

Pick: San Fran +6

Buffalo -8.5 at St. Louis
The Rams are in disarray and the Bills should take this game more seriously than they would have after almost losing to the Raiders at home last Sunday. Trent Green is no better than Marc Bulger and Stephen Jackson knows it.

Pick: Buffalo -8.5

San Diego -7.5 at Oakland
The Chargers need to win and will win big against a lousy Raiders team that will be booed at home this Sunday in a laugher.

Pick: San Diego -7.5

Washington at Dallas -10.5
Dallas will want to put on a show at home against one of their biggest rivals. The Redskins don't have the talent to keep up offensively or defensively.

Pick: Dallas -10.5

Philadelphia -3 at Chicago
Did anyone see what the Eagles did to Ben Roethlisberger last week? Kyle Orton is in trouble!

Pick: Philadelphia -3

Baltimore at Pittsburgh -5
I just can't go with Joe Flacco in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.

Pick: Pitt -5

Best Bets: Arizona +1, Green Bay +1, San Fran +6, San Diego -7.5, Philadelphia -3, Pitt -5

Season Record: 22-24-2
Best Bets: 11-8-1

Still over .500 on my Best Bets (fingers crossed)!

NFL Week 3 Picks

Football fans rejoiced last weekend after being treated to an abundance of great games. The weekend was capped off on Monday with an uber-entertaining match-up between the Eagles and the Cowboys.

The Eagles looked as good as they could have against one of the top three teams in the NFL and I thought they might even pull off the win until I sat down at halftime and looked at the point spread for the second half.

Cowboys -7.

All Dallas had to do was win the game. Surely McNabb would pull his usual choke in the second half and Romo would rise to the occasion like he always does after making a mistake or two.

Some things never change. McNabb choked and the Cowboys won. T.O. may be a cocky asshole, but he's right about one thing isn't he? McNabb's a loser and will always cost his team in a close game against a tough team.

That brings us to this week...Pittsburgh at Philadelphia. The top team in the AFC is a three point underdog against the Eagles on the road.

Buyer beware: Roethlisberger has a sprained shoulder, but I'm taking the Steelers assuming it won't be much of a factor.

Just like the rest of the world, the Steelers saw the Monday night game and should be able to do a better job containing the Eagles offence than Dallas did in the first half. The Steelers have weapons all over the field and similar to the Cowboys, have a very strong and balance offensive attack.

McNabb will blow it again if it's close. The Steelers will win the game.

Take Pittsburgh +3.

ARIZONA at WASHINGTON -3

Not much of a surprise that the Saints defence allowed the Redskins offence to get back on track last weekend. The Cardinals have won two in a row, but haven't beaten anyone to write home about. The Redskins are a solid team and the Cardinals will disappoint as usual here.
Take Washington -3

CAROLINA at MINNESOTA -3

The Vikings are in trouble. They're 0-2 and have just announced that they have solved their problems at quarterback by inserting 37-year-old Gus Frerotte into a starting role. Last time I checked, Frerotte was a very average backup at best and that was when he was in his prime. The Panthers have looked good so far this season and now that Steve Smith is returning will be very hard to beat.
Take Carolina +3

CINCINNATI at NEW YORK GIANTS -13.5

When will the Bengals fire Marvin Lewis? It should have been years ago! Can the Giants stay motivated against another terrible team and win by more than two touchdowns? I hate this game either way, but I'm going to say yes because they're at home.
Take the Giants -13.5

HOUSTON at TENNESSEE -5

Are the Texans really as bad as they looked in Week 1 against the Steelers? Probably not. Can you trust the Titans spotting five points? Probably not. If I had to choose, I'd say Tennessee pulls this one out by a field goal.
Take Houston +5

KANSAS CITY at ATLANTA -5.5

The Falcons are going to be much improved this season with Matt Ryan at the helm. Atlanta played a terrible first half against Tampa Bay last week and dug themselves into a hole they couldn't get out of. The Falcons have a good running game and K.c. won't be able to do anything with Tyler Thigpen starting for them at quarterback. The Chiefs are one of the worst three teams in the league and the Falcons should win this game easily at home.
Take Atlanta -5.5

MIAMI at NEW ENGLAND -12.5

I don't know about you, but I'm not crowning Matt Cassel yet. I still say the Dolphins will win more games than last year with Chad Pennington. The Dolphins always give the Patriots a fight.
Take Miami +12.5

OAKLAND at BUFFALO -9.5

Buffalo defends their home turf as well as anyone in the league. Don't expect this year's future AFC East division champ to let up against the stinky Raiders.
Take Buffalo -9.5

TAMPA BAY at CHICAGO -3

The Bears defence won't allow Griese to do much here. The Bucs offence may be worse than Chicago's.
Take Chicago -3

DETROIT at SAN FRANCISCO -4

Mike Martz will really want to make his old team look bad and vice versa, but does anyone really care. I'm not spotting points with either of these teams or watching one second of this game.
Take Detroit +4

NEW ORLEANS at DENVER -5.5

Jay Cutler looks like a future hall of famer and like I said last week, I firmly believe that Cutler and Aaron Rodgers are going to be mentioned in the same breath as Brady, Manning, Romo and Roethlisberger by season's end. I would feel so much more confident in this pick if the Broncos defence wasn't terrible, but Denver is good at home and the Saints are missing a key weapon in Colston.
Take Denver -5.5

ST. LOUIS at SEATTLE -9.5

The Seahawks are so ravaged by injuries that they lost to the 49ers at home last Sunday. In their current state they may actually be worse than the Rams. Can Bulger and company win a game? This might be their chance.
Take St. Louis +9.5 and throw a little on the moneyline if you dare.

CLEVELAND at BALTIMORE -2.5

The Browns are 0-2, but they've lost against two of the NFL's best. Don't jump off the bandwagon yet folks! I'm not sold on Joe Flacco or the Ravens. Baltimore is not very good and the Browns offence should do some damage here.
Take Cleveland +2.5

JACKSONVILLE at INDIANAPOLIS -5

The Jags are too good of a team to go 0-3. After Peyton Manning, Bob Sanders is the most valuable player on the Colts and missing him is going to kill Indy's defence. Jacksonville should be able to make this one close and could put up 300 rushing yards with Sanders on the shelf.
Take Jacksonville +5

DALLAS -3 at GREEN BAY

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers defence will show here that they are the class of the NFC. I'm making it official: Green Bay is my Super Bowl prediction.
Take Green Bay +3

NEW YORK JETS at SAN DIEGO -9

Brett Favre will not play well against a San Diego team with revenge on their minds. The Chargers are going to take out their frustrations against Favre and a lousy Jets team on Monday night.
Take San Diego -9

BEST BETS: San Diego -9, Green Bay +3, Pittsburgh +3, Buffalo -9.5, Jax +5, Cleveland +2.5
Season Record ATS: 17-13-2
Best Bets Record ATS: 9-4-1

NFL Week 2

Season Record ATS: 11-5

Week 1 was full of surprises and I'm sure you don't need me to reiterate the fact that Tom Brady is out for the season and that this completely changes everything. Here are a few key observations that I made in Week 1.

1. The two teams that impressed me the most in Week 1 were the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Aaron Rodgers looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the league in his first start for Green Bay. Anytime the Packers let him throw, he showed off a lightning quick release and great accuracy. Rodgers also proved that he would not make stupid Brett Favre-like mistakes, meaning that he will not hurt the Packers in tough games this season.

The Packers have it all. They have what looks to be a great young quarterback, a ton of offensive weapons, a good running back, an offensive line that held up against the Vikings, and one of the top defences in the league. The only thing that worried me about the Packers was when Mike McCarthy became conservative and decided to kill the clock and go for a field goal going itno halftime, rather than taking another shot at the endzone.

In the AFC, the Steelers appear to be this year's Patriots. They scored early and often, beating up on the Houston Texans 38-17. Roethlisberger looks better than ever and has weapons all over the field. I loved their mentality in putting Houston away early and they look like the favourite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl at this point.

2. The Patriots will miss the playoffs without Tom Brady and the Buffalo Bills, not the New York Jets, will win the AFC East. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really like Trent Edwards and the Bills this season. If the Bills can stay relatively healthy on defence, I really like their offence with Lee Evans, rookie James Hardy, Roscoe Parrish and Marshawn Lynch. It's easy to forget, but Buffalo is very tough to beat at home, especially when it gets colder later in the season.

3. The Colts will bounce back. Never read too much into one week. The Colts stunk last week against the Bears, but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. The Bears look like they might actually be good and Kyle Orton had a good showing in his first start of the season at quarterback. Has hell frozen over? Has Kyle Orton developed into the quarterback the Bears have been coveting for years? It's too early to be sure, but my gut feeling tells me he's going to have a good year. The Bears could be for real if their defence stays healthy and continues to look like the unit that had so much success a few years ago.

4. Washington and Minnesota will both finish 8-8 or worse and miss the playoffs. The overhyped Vikings were embarrassed by the Packers, while the Redskins were pretty much out of their game against the Giants right from the start. Tarvaris Jackson and Jason Campbell are both still bad. The Vikes defence couldn't put any pressure on Aaron Rodgers and Jared Allen's name wasn't even mentioned in relation to a play that he made the entire game.

5. How good are the Giants? They looked like a sure fire bet to repeat as NFC champs after one half against the Washington Redskins, but after the second half, I began to wonder if Eli Manning could even throw a pass anywhere near one of his wide receivers. The Giants are inconsistently good and the sad thing is, that's probably good enough to be the third or fourth best team in the NFC right now. Could they go on another streak like last season and make it back to the Super Bowl? Highly doubtful without Umenyiora.

BUFFALO at JACKSONVILLE -5
The Jags will suffer with three offensive lineman on the shelf against a very tough Bills team. Buffalo should win this game outright.

take Buffalo +5

INDIANAPOLIS -2 at MINNESOTA
The Colts and Vikings both disappointed in Week 1. The Colts were exposed against a rejuvenated Bears defence, while the Vikes much-hyped defensive line couldn't put any pressure on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Peyton Manning has lost a lot of weight and didn't look like himself in Week 1. The Colts defence could not stop Matt Forte from running the ball on them, but I'm not going to read too much into one week as far as the Colts are concerned. Kyle Orton did a great job keeping the Colts honest on defence and I don't believe Tarvaris Jackson can do the same. Indy can load up on the run and shut down Vikes running back Adrian Peterson just like the Packers did last week.

Take Indy -2.

CHICAGO at CAROLINA -3
I've been telling myself that I should take the Panthers at home all week, but I can't help jumping on the Bears bandwagon after watching them win on Sunday night. Maybe I'm being fooled by one game, but I'm predicting that the Bears defence is back and Kyle Orton is good. Call me crazy, but Chicago comes into Carolina and pulls out a victory in what could shape up to be a great game.

Take Chicago +3

NEW YORK GIANTS -8.5 at ST. LOUIS
The Giants had a tough time finishing off the Redskins last week at home, failing to convert for touchdowns on numerous occasions. The Rams were annhilated by a jacked up Eagles team, but they should be ready to play this week in their home opener against the Super Bowl champs. The players should be ready, the crowd should be ready, and the Rams don't want to be humiliated in this one. Look for the Rams to keep it close.

Take St. Louis +8.5

GREEN BAY -3.5 at DETROIT
Memo to the Lions coaching staff: YOU'RE NOT A RUN-FIRST TEAM!! Despite having Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams, the Lions tried to setup the passing game with the run last Sunday against the Falcons and ended up getting torched by rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. This week they'll face another very good young quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and although they may look to pass a little earlier in the game than last weekend, they'll face a much better defence this time. The Packers are as solid as they come and are extremely motivated to prove that Favre was just a small part of a good team last season. Look for them to take a no-nonsense approach in beating up on a crappy team.

Take Green Bay -3.5

NEW ORLEANS -1 at WASHINGTON
Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was dreadful last Thursday against the Giants, but the Redskins are at home and if they can't make a game of this one than they might as well pack it in. The Saints will be without some key players, including Marques Colston, Scott Fujita and Randall Gay, but still should pull this game out because of a better quarterback and a better coach.

Take New Orleans -1.

OAKLAND at KANSAS CITY -3.5
The Chiefs will get an offensive boost with Damon Huard subbing in for the injured Brodie Croyle. They also get a boost by facing one of the worst teams in the league at Arrowhead. The Raiders looked like a college team on Monday night at home against the Broncos. Don't expect anything to change here.

Take KC -3.5

TENNESSEE at CINCINNATI -1
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis may be the worst coach in the league. He plays a conservative brand of football that does not make sense for his personnel and I believe it has led to Carson Palmer losing his confidence. The Bengals offensive line was destroyed last week by the Ravens and things are only going to get worse against a focused Titans team. Kerry Collins will start for Tennessee and that could be a good thing for the passing game in the short-term. Tennessee should win this game easily.

Take Tennessee +1

ATLANTA at TAMPA BAY -7
The Bucs are being overrated by the oddsmakers. The Falcons played well last week and are a solid team. Tampa Bay couldn't even get the job done against the Saints, who played a lousy game in Florida last weekend and still covered the spread. Now, the Bucs will be missing Jeff Garcia and are forced to rely on Brian Griese to score points. Tampa's weapons are extremely limited on offence and the Falcons are probably the better team here.

Take Atlanta +7

SAN FRANCISCO at SEATTLE -6.5
The Seahawks are so decimated by injuries at the wide receiver position that backup quarterback Seneca Wallace may start out of position in this game. Nevertheless, Seattle is good at home and should be able to beat up on the 49ers.

Take Seattle -6.5

MIAMI at ARIZONA -6.5
The Dolphins came within one play of beating the Jets last week. Chad Pennington is still a big improvement for Miami at the quarterback position and they should be able to stay close enough to cover the spread against a Cardinals team that cannot be trusted laying this many points.

Take Miami +6.5

NEW ENGLAND at NEW YORK JETS -1.5
Tom Brady is out for the year and people are jumping off of the Pats bandwagon by the thousands. It's an insult to every single Patriots player that was a part of their perfect regular season last year that the Jets are favourite this week. It's an insult that Pats coach Belichick will surely stress to his team all week long. New England will be out to prove that they are not a one man team and will be ready for Brett Favre and his overhyped bunch this Sunday.

Take New England +1.5

SAN DIEGO -1 at DENVER
By the end of this season, Jay Cutler will be right at the top of the list when the best quarterbacks in the NFL are discussed. Top receiver Brandon Marshall makes his return from a one game suspension this week for the Broncos and will join highly touted rookie Eddie Royal on a suddenly potent offence. The better team should win at home.

Take Denver +1

PITTSBURGH -6 at CLEVELAND
I couldn't have agreed more with Espn writer Bill Simmons when he compared Browns coach Romeo Crennel to Art Shell earlier this week in one of his articles. I could have sworn that the helpless, disinterested looking coach was Shell whenever they cut to the coaches last Sunday. Pittsburgh is not fooling around this year and will put this game away against an inferior team.

Take Pittsburgh -6

PHILADELPHIA at DALLAS -7
Dallas comes into this one as the favourite to win the NFC, but the Eagles are highly motivated and have one of the top secondaries in the league. The Cowboys won't be able to throw the ball down the field as easily as they did against the Browns and seven points is a lot to give up in what should be a game that goes under the total of 47 points.

Take Philly +7 and under the total of 47 points.

Best Bets: Green Bay -3.5, Ten +1, Atlanta +7, Buffalo +5, New England +1.5, Denver +1, Pitt -6, Philly +7, and Philly at Dallas under the total points of 47.

Last week's record on Best Bets: 4-1

NFL Picks: Week 1

It's been a long wait for football season and a summer made especially long by all the talk about my least favourite NFL player: Brett Favre.

Once again, Favre managed to draw a ton of media attention towards himself in the offseason. It's one media circus after another every year for Favre.

Early in his career, there was a yearly drama over something in his family-life and for the last half a decade, there has been a sickeningly, drawn out, yearly affair over the decision of whether he would retire. This decision would always undoubtedly be to return to football and would never be made until the last possible second.

Lost in these summer long media circuses were the feelings of former Packers first round draft pick Aaron Rodgers, who has been waiting extremely patiently for his chance to start. 

After Favre seemingly made up his mind to retire early this summer, the Packers gave the starting job to Rodgers and began to prepare for September. Rodgers must have choked on a piece of Wisconsin cheese when he heard the news that Favre was already sick of retirement and ready to steal his job again.

Thankfully, the Packers were sick of Favre's deliberate decision-making as well and told him he'd have to be the backup if he wanted to return. This led to the whole incident with the Vikings and ultimately, to his trade to the Jets and a new starting job.

Favre's first regular season game as quarterback of the Jets will be in Miami against former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington. 

Pennington is no superstar, but he's better than anything Miami has had in the last few years. He should provide a steadying influence to a young Dolphins team that will be pumped up as hell at home in Week 1 against the overhyped Jets.

If there's one thing I've learned watching Favre throughout his career it's that he's really good at beating up on inferior teams, but really bad when things get tough.

Things should be tough in Miami. The Dolphins may not be the better team here, but will be hungry to improve upon a horrific season last year. Expect them to put pressure on Favre and expect Brett to make mistakes which will cost the Jets the game.

Spread: Jets -3 

Pick: Miami +3

CINCINNATI -2 at BALTIMORE

The most intriguing thing about this game is going to be seeing Ocho Cinco on the back of Chad Johnson's jersey after he changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco a few weeks ago. The Bengals have done nothing to fix their defence and still have one of the worst coaches I've ever seen in Marvin Lewis. The Ravens are getting points at home against the Bengals because they're starting a rookie quarterback by the name of Joe Flacco. Can Flacco really be any worse than Kyle Boller or Troy Smith? I doubt it. 

Pick: Baltimore +2

DETROIT -3 at ATLANTA

The Lions want to run, but their running game stinks, while Atlanta has a couple of very good running backs in Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood. Matt Ryan has a knack for making big plays when it counts and while most people expect Detroit receivers Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams to dominate in this game, I'm not so convinced. Both Johnson and Williams have been inconsistent performers so far in their short careers and Atlanta's defence isn't that bad. Look for the Falcons to pull of a minor upset at home.

Pick: Atlanta +3

HOUSTON at PITTSBURGH -6.5

The Steelers will throw the ball down the field to Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes forcing the Texans to do the same and utilize Andre Johnson and Andre Davis. In other words, there should be a lot of scoring in this game. Both defences are okay, but neither is dominant and both secondaries can be exposed. 

Pick: Over total points of 43

JACKSONVILLE -3 at TENNESSEE

I like the Titans in this game. I like the Titans this year. And I like Vince Young to have a breakout season. This may be one of those picks I'll regret after the Titans first series. Vince Young may start the game with three straight sacks, but I'm hoping it won't happen. Everyone thinks the Jags are such a sure thing this year and while I agree that they will be solid, I don't think they're a Super Bowl contender. The Jags will have trouble playing a tough Titans team on the road.

Pick: Tennessee +3

KANSAS CITY at NEW ENGLAND -15.5 

The Pats will start off this year just like they did last year against the worst team in the NFL. I have no idea how Kansas City will score in this game and I have no idea how they're going to stop Tom Brady from doing exactly what he wants.

Pick: New England -15.5

SEATTLE at BUFFALO -1

Two very good defences will go head to head in this game, but the Bills have more weapons on offence. Buffalo's rookie wide receiver James Hardy is going to be one of the NFL's best and with Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish and Marshawn Lynch also on the squad, the Bills won't be easy to stop if Edwards does a decent job at quarterback. I expect Edwards to keep his starting job and the Bills always play well at home.

Pick: Buffalo -1

ST. LOUIS at PHILADELPHIA -8

The Eagles have the best defensive secondary in the league with Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Brian Dawkins patrolling downfield. Donovan McNabb may be healthy, but he doesn't have anyone to throw the ball to. The Rams will stink again this year and I don't see either team being able to put up many points in this game.

Pick: Under total points of 44

TAMPA BAY at NEW ORLEANS -3.5

The Saints should be motivated at home, especially considering their early season letdown last year. The Bucs have a solid quarterback in Jeff Garcia, but he has no weapons to help him out. The Saints are simply a much better team and should have no problems covering this spread at home.

Pick: New Orleans -3.5

ARIZONA -2.5 at SAN FRANCISCO

Something bothers me about Mike Martz and his decision to bench 49ers quarterback Alex Smith for J.T. O' Sullivan. San Francisco is going to be really bad again this year and Arizona may not be much better, but Warner is solid and should be able to pull out the win in this terrible, terrible game.

Pick: Arizona -2.5

CAROLINA at SAN DIEGO -9

Jake Delhomme says he's finally healthy, but with Steve Smith injured he won't have many options against San Diego's top notch defence. Hopefully, Delhomme will still be healthy at the end of this game.

Pick: San Diego -9

DALLAS -6 at CLEVELAND

This could be the most exciting game in Week 1 with T.O. and Braylon Edwards on the same field. Anything could happen in this one. Take the points with the home team.

Pick: Cleveland +6

CHICAGO at INDIANAPOLIS -9.5

Two killer defences going up against each other on Sunday night. The Colts offence isn't what it once was and the Bears offence still stinks.

Pick: Under total points of 44

MINNESOTA at GREEN BAY -2.5

Tarvaris Jackson. The backup? Gus Frerotte.

Pick: Green Bay -2.5

DENVER -3 at OAKLAND

I'm extremely high on Jay Cutler, but I don't see how he's going to get the ball down the field against two of the best corners in the league (Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall) with no Brandon Marshall. The Raiders added Hall to improve a defence that was already very good and added two big time weapons on offence in Javon Walker and Darren McFadden. If JaMarcus Russell has a good year, the Raiders could contend for a playoff spot.

Pick: Oakland +3

Top Picks:  New England -15.5, Buffalo -1, St. Louis vs. Philly under 44, New Orleans -3.5, Chicago vs. Indianapolis under 44

Will try and write something by the end of Tuesday in response to Week 1. Enjoy!

Jay Day!

The Blue Jays open the regular season today in New York agains the Yankees. Roy Halladay vs. Wang at 1:00 p.m.

Same old story for the Jays as they start the regular season with a full lineup of injured players. The biggest loss so far has been Casey Janssen, who's out for the year. Luckily for the Jays though, there relief corps is deep and they should be able to overcome that loss.

Also on the injured list for the Jays so far is Scott Rolen (finger), Matt Stairs (hip), B.J. Ryan (sore arm), and Rod Barajas (shoulder).

No one's expected to be out very long, except for Rolen who will be back in 3-4 weeks.

If the Jays hope to contend with the Yankees and Red Sox this season, they'll need big years from Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. Wells especially has got to have a better season than last year, where he struggled after signing a lucrative long-term contract with the Blue Jays.

Look out for newcomer Buck Coats who will be with the big league Jays for now. The outfielder should see some at-bats because of the injuries and after watching him a bit in spring training, I wouldn't be surprised to see him stick.

As far as offseason additions, I really liked the Glaus for Rolen trade. Glaus was falling apart and could barely walk around the field during warm-ups. Rolen is injury prone and even though he's already out until late April because of a freak finger mangling, I still think he's going to have a good year for the Jays. His defence at third base should be a huge upgrade.

Not so happy about the addition of SS David Eckstein. I'd rather see John McDonald getting starts because of his defence. I've heard that Eckstein's defence isn't great, but I'll give him a chance before I make a final judgment.

The Jays also added Marco Scutaro. Scutaro's nothing special, but should add some depth for a team that needs it.

If the Jays hope to make the playoffs, they're going to need a lot of things to go right. Halladay, Burnett and McGowan have to stay healthy and have big years, while the hitters cannot disappoint.

Expect career years from Rios and Aaron Hill.

Check back for more later in the week.

Mitchell's move foils new lineups winning streak

Sam Mitchell had the bright idea to take Jamario Moon out of the Raptors starting lineup for just one game and replace him with Jason Kapono. The switch had disastrous results for the Raptors and they were destroyed by MoPete and the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night.

Peterson was received extremely well by the ACC crowd. The fans were itching to give him a standing ovation during the intros; however, the Raptors announced him second last for some reason and did not allow the crowd to give him a full standing O.

Peterson always played hard and was a force on offence and defence, even if he was never a consistent scorer. For some strange reason, which Toronto fans never understood, Peterson was buried on the bench by Sam Mitchell for much of last year and the Raptors made no attempt to re-sign him.

MoPete is a winner. The Raptors could give both Kapono and Delfino away for him and still be a better team. The Raptors miss MoPete's scrappy play, energy and defence. His absence is one of the reasons the Raptors have regressed this season.

Is it me or does Sam Mitchell think he's coaching a hockey team? Mitchell seems to think he needs two lines and doesn't realize that reserves are only there so that starters can get a rest.

More Calderon and Ford together please.

On a brighter note, the losing streak that the Raptors have been enduring over the last month or so now has them sitting in sixth place. This would mean a first round playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic. The Magic are the only possible first round playoff opponent that the Raps actually have a chance to beat so let's hope the Wizards keep winning.

Team-oriented Calderon saves the day

We live in an era where many NBA players care more about how many points they score, or whether or not their latest basket made the Sportscentre highlight reel than they do about winning.

Jose Calderon is not one of those players.

Calderon is in a contract year. That means many teams will judge his value at least partially on his statistics. When judging Calderon, statistics don't even show half of the true story.

In a gesture unheard of in today's sports universe, Calderon approached Bryan Colangelo and Sam Mitchell in order to suggest putting T.J. Ford back into the Raptors starting lineup and returning Calderon to his role of coming off the bench.

Calderon's decision was made for one reason and that was to help the Raptors come out of their funk, which has seen them lose 11 of their last 13 games.

The losing streak has happened mostly because of two major events: T.J. Ford's return and Chris Bosh's injury.

If you've been reading my blog then you know my opinion of Ford, especially in the last couple of weeks, and it has not been good. Ford has been sulking ever since his return from injury and obviously Calderon knew that things would not change until Ford was given his starting position back.

With Ford injured for most of the year, Calderon played like an all-star and no one could have justified taking the starting spot away from him, but Calderon suggested the move himself. He wanted to see Ford play better and knew from experience that he could contribute just as much coming off the bench.

Calderon gave up his starting spot because he knew that the Raptors needed a boost if they were going to come out of their slump and have a chance at doing some damage in the postseason.

If tonight was any indication, his gesture may end up being the turning point in the 2007-08 season for Toronto.

Calderon's unselfish action not only helped Toronto beat the Pistons tonight, but may have saved the Raptors season from total disaster.

He also may have saved both Sam Mitchell and T.J. Ford's careers as Raptors.

By Calderon doing what he did, the entire team seemed to have a more confident look and T.J. Ford played team basketball for the first time since his return.

How could Ford or anyone else for that matter play any other way after the amazingly selfless gesture made by Jose?

Not only will Ford play better as a starter, but the second unit will get a much needed boost of energy and instead of losing ground when the starters take their rest, the reserves are now equally as strong with Calderon leading the way.

While Bosh can carry the starting lineup, the second unit needed a change.

With Calderon the court, Delfino, Kapono and now Bargnani, who was also moved out of the starting lineup in favour of Rasho Nesterovic, will now see open shots, rather than standing around watching Ford dribble out the shot clock.

Also, the change in the starting lineup seems to have motivated Sam Mitchell to do what he should have been doing all season, which is to play both Ford and Calderon side-by-side at the guard positions in the last seven or eight minutes of the fourth quarter. The two point guards played very well together and without both of them on the court in the final minutes, the Raptors may have blown their lead.

I'm not a fan of T.J. Ford, but when he plays smart team basketball, he's definitely one of the top three players on the Raptors along with Calderon and Bosh. With all three healthy (for now) and with Ford now playing to win, the Raptors could peak at the right time and maybe even make a playoff run.

NBA Notes

Monday night featured two great games: Phoenix at Detroit and L.A. Lakers at Golden State. These are the kind of games that make me want to do nothing but watch basketball for hours and hours at a time, but both left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. After watching Phoenix fight back to give the Pistons a game, the refs decided to give every call to Detroit. They basically decided the game, calling touch fouls and giving every close call to the Pistons. Eventually, Mike D'Antoni threw a fit and Detroit won the game, but I would have loved to see what the end result would have been if they had let Phoenix play. I think the Suns would have won the game in regulation.

After watching the early game, I didn't think anything could top it, but I was dead wrong. The Lakers - Warriors matchup may have been one of the most exciting regular season games of the year, but ended in an even more frustrating fashion.

After the Warriors made an improbable comeback and sent the game into overtime, Bob Delaney decided to call an offensive foul on Monta Ellis on the inbounds pass in what was Golden State's last attempt to tie the game and send it into double OT. The foul clearly should have either been a no call or a defensive foul on Derek Fisher. On the replay, it was clear that Fisher pulled Ellis down. Delaney had no business making the call and was at a terrible angle to judge what had happened.

Let's hope the terrible officiating ends with the regular season. There's going to be some exciting first round playoff matchups, especially in the West. I'd hate to see a Lakers-Warriors series come down to a bad call by an official.

Thursday's NCAA picks:

West Virginia -1.5 over Xavier
North Carolina -9 over Washington State
Louisville -3 over Tennessee

Check back this weekend for more basketball and a Blue Jays/baseball preview!

Sat picks

What a great day of basketball on Friday...so many upsets. The player that impressed me the most on Day 2 of the NCAA Tourney was Stephen Curry. Yes, Dell Curry's son! Curry shot 14-22 and scored 40 points to lead Davidson in a first round win over Gonzaga. The entire Gonzaga team was trying to prevent Curry from getting open, but he kept finding space to hit shots. The kid is like a cross between Reggie Miller and Allen Iverson.

I also enjoyed watching Villanova come back from an 18 point deficit to beat Clemson in the second half of last night's game. I'm a big fan of Scottie Reynolds and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Wildcats continue to make some noise.

Sonny Weems was also extremely impressive for Arkansas, putting up 31 points on 12-14 shooting. Weems' performance ensured that the Hoosiers had no chance to mount a comeback. Eric Gordon was invisible all night for Indiana and I'd like to go on record as saying he'll be a bust in the NBA.

Sat Picks:

Kansas State +4.5 over Wisconsin

I actually like Kansas State to upset the Badgers here on the moneyline. Wisconsin will be outclassed here as far as athleticism is concerned. They are a deep team, but hard work and defence is their trademark and the fact that they're going up against Bradley and Beasley does not bode well for them. Wisconsin has no one to cover Kansas State's two phenomenal athletes and they should have their way on the court tomorrow afternoon.

Check back tomorrow morning before 2:00 for more picks (straight up and ATS).

NCAA Friday's Picks

Going 3-3 on Day 1 isn't too bad. I could definitely do worse, but let's hope it doesn't happen.

Day 2 picks:

Davidson -2 over Gonzaga
Drake -4.5 over Western Kentucky
Miami Fla -1 over St. Mary's
Butler -5 over South Alabama
St. Joe's over Oklahoma
Clemson -6 over Villanova

March Madness Thurs Picks!

Kent -2 over UNLV
Belmont +20 over Duke
CS Fullerton +11 over Wisconsin
Texas AM -1.5 over BYU
West Virginia -2 over Arizona
Cornell +14.5 over Stanford

I'll post more picks if I have them throughout the day tomorrow, but don't count on more picks until Thurs night. I'll post picks for Friday at that time. Good luck!

Mitchell's favourite?

What's wrong with the Raptors? Throughout their despicable 0-5 Western Conference road trip, I've been trying to put my finger on exactly what the problem with this team is.

Their talent level seems to be better than last season, but then why are they playing worse?

Then, I watched the Raptors allow Utah to break open what was a close game heading into the fourth quarter, and if I had any doubts about who to blame for the "pretender" label that is written all over Toronto this season, they were completely erased by the end of the game.

T.J. Ford was a -21 on the night and when he came into the game to start the fourth quarter, the Raptors might as well have left the court. After once again playing terrible in the first half and getting a quick hook that wasn't quick enough, Jose Calderon finally started heating up in the second half and brought the Raptors back into the game.

When Calderon gets going, the team gets going and everyone was looking good in a third quarter where the Raptors outscored the Jazz 27-18.

Enter T.J. Ford.

After Calderon's great third quarter and Ford's dreadful play in the first half, no one would have believed that Mitchell would leave the backup on the court for long. But if there's one thing I've learned watching Sam Mitchell coach the Raptors, it is that the unbelievable becomes reality quite often when Sam's running the show.

I've seen Mitchell put Matt Bonner one-on-one to defend Dirk Nowitzki in the closing seconds of a tie game. Hell...just yesterday I saw Mitchell allow Carlos Delfino to lineup as one of the two main rebounders on the free throw line late in the fourth quarter of a close game against Sacramento.

Just as sure as Nowitzki scored and won the game for the Mavs, Delfino failed to get the rebound and the Kings hammered the final nail into the Raptors coffin.

Mitchell struck again earlier tonight in the second game of a back-to-back in Utah when he decided to put Ford back into the game.

Ford played his usual fourth quarter role, getting into a one-on-one battle with Jazz guard Ronnie Price and when he wasn't throwing up wild shots, he was dribbling the ball off his foot and falling out of bounds.

Needless to say the Raptors quickly fell behind eight points and Mitchell still didn't turn to the bench to call the second best player on the team back into the game.

Just as Mitchell has done throughout the West coast road trip, he left Calderon on the bench way too long in the fourth quarter and if not for that, the Raptors may have actually had a chance to win more than one of the five games they've lost on the road in the past 10 days.

Even the cameraman couldn't believe Calderon was still stuck on the bench with about seven minutes to go. The camera was continuously focused on the Raptors all-star calibre point guard during breaks in the action. Calderon, who has been absent of his usual spirit in the last couple of games, looked sick to his stomach sitting on the bench as the game got away.

In a fourth quarter that epitomized Ford's career as a Raptor, T.J. lost his cool after being schooled multiple times by Jazz reserve guard Ronnie Price. After Price scored one of several layups he managed to get with Ford defending him, T.J. worried more about his pride then his team you can be assured, stormed down the court, ran into Price while simultaneously shoving him, and throwing up a shot all in the same motion.

When the ref called the obvious offensive foul, Ford tried to attack the referee who blew the whistle and had to be restrained by Jason Kapono. Ford was immediately ejected and in doing so, gave the Jazz another two points on technical free throws, although they didn't matter much. Ford's play had pretty much already ended any hope Toronto had of winning the game.

Even more mind blowing was Sam Mitchell jumping to Ford's defence and giving the refs an earful after the ejection.

Not only did Mitchell look like a fool because of the obviousness of the call, but how dare the head coach take a chance of costing his team more points in a game that the Raptors had a chance of winning before Ford threw it away.

Instead of yelling at the refs, Mitchell should have reamed out Ford for a) getting involved in a mano-a-mano battle with Ronnie Price when he should be focused on getting the Raptors good shots and b) for losing his cool on an obvious offensive foul and giving the Jazz two points on technical free throws.

Let's be honest; Ford should never have been in the game in the first place. Why was he? One can only speculate that he continues to get playing time because of his close relationship with Sam Mitchell. Not only has Ford's play hurt the Raptors since his return, but Calderon's play has clearly suffered as well because of the decreased playing time.

Sure, Ford has potential and yes, he has played well about 50 percent of the time during his days as a Toronto Raptor, but in the long run, Ford is a team killer. I've written about this multiple times and his play this season has convinced me that he can't improve as a player.

This is true especially on this Raptors team with Mitchell as his coach because either he's not smart enough to make good decisions or simply because he's not willing to. Only his coaches and teammates know the truth.

The Raptors will never be a real contender with Sam Mitchell coaching the team and they will never have a shot at a championship with T.J. Ford on their roster.

So let's hope Bryan Colangelo really does know what he's doing and it says here that he does. Don't be surprised when Sam Mitchell follows his little buddy Ford right out of Toronto. I'll even pay for the cab ride to the airport if Mr. Colangelo packs John Lucas into the trunk with T.J.'s luggage.

Other Raptors notes:

• The Raptors finally seem to have discovered that Jason Kapono is a good shooter. After 65 games Sam Mitchell has finally decided to give the best shooter in the NBA a chance to play and the Raptors have even passed him the ball a few times. Let's hope this continues.
• Carlos Delfino shoots 40% from the field and 38% from three point range. He also averages 4.0 three point attempts per game, which is more than Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono and Jose Calderon. Kapono is #1 overall in three point field goal percentage, while Parker sits in sixth and Calderon eighth. Maybe Sam Mitchell should re-evaluate who's taking the shots.

Raps can't Af-Ford erratic play

With Chris Bosh being injured, I think that everyone who watches Toronto has once again been reminded of his immense value on the court. Bosh is truly an underrated superstar. The Raptors have looked terrible without their all-star power forward and playing without him has really exposed some of their weaknesses.

Bosh is the type of superstar that can easily be taken for granted. He effortlessly puts up 20+ point and 10 rebounds per game and is the anchor on defence, as well as the only semi-dependable rebounder that the Raps have late in the fourth quarter. Any chance the Raptors have of securing home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs may go down the drain quickly if CB4 doesn't return soon.

After Bosh, the Raptors next best player is Jose Calderon. While I do consider Jose to be one of the best point guards in the league, Calderon is a team-oriented guard and not a player who takes over a game individually very often. The Raptors will need Andrea Bargnani to improve significantly, as well as a major upgrade at the 2 or 3 position if they really want to be a serious contender in the East in the near future. Marion and Maggette are two players Colangelo should be thinking about.

Beef it up:

1. Watching T.J. Ford play since his return from injury has made me sick. Serving as Toronto's backup point guard and rightfully so, Ford has proven yet again that he is nothing more than a slightly better version of Rafer Alston and Mike James. Ford has shown again and again that he is a stats first player, who cares more about getting an assist than getting the ball to the right spot. He constantly gets caught up in one-on-one battles with opposing point guards much like Alston and James did when they were in T.O.

In the last few games, Ford has played as if he has no respect for his coaches or teammates, embarrassing them with shots that only a Lebron James or Kobe Bryant calibre player should be taking. In a recent game, Ford took shot after shot until Chuck Swirsky finally proclaimed with more than half of the fourth quarter finished that no other Raptors had even attempted a shot in the period other than Ford. Needless to say, the Raptors lost the game.

Ford does make some of the poorly selected shots he attempts, but the Raptors are a team-first squad and T.J.'s style disrupts the team's rhythm. Jose Calderon gets his teammates good shots and sinks big baskets when the team needs him to, while Ford dribbles around lulling other Raptors to sleep.

Calderon is one of the best point guards in the NBA right now and the Raptors have to either get Ford to play a team game in a backup role or ship him out of town.

In the loss against Washington on Friday night, Ford continuously walked the ball up the floor and then dribbled out most of the shot clock. This equated to some poor possessions for Toronto. Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo continuously yelled for T.J. to push the ball up the floor in disgust. You should have traded him when his value was high in the offseason B.C.. We could have had Maggette.

2. Why does Sam Mitchell constantly pick on Jamario Moon? Mitchell never seems to chew out anyone else and is seen yelling at Jamario multiple times each game. I will admit that Jamario should be attacking the basket more often than he does, but as far as I'm concerned Moon is one of the team's hardest workers on defence and pulls down more big rebounds than anyone other than Chris Bosh. Jamario has become a consistent defensive force for Toronto and arguably has more impact on the defensive side of the ball than anyone else on the team. Moon has improved his shot since the start of the season and is making smarter decisions on offence.
Hey Sam: Save your yelling for the next time T.J. Ford dribbles the ball around for 23 seconds and then hoists up a ridiculous fadeaway instead of picking on the rookie ala Darrell Walker. I keep hearing that Mitchell treats all his players equally, but it seems to me he'd much rather take his frustrations out on a rookie than target the players who deserve to be criticized.

3. Dear Herbie Kuhn, please don't count to three in Spanish everytime the Raptors hit a three-pointer. It's way too cheesy!

4. Loving the MOOOON chants everytime Jamario makes a big play. Toronto fans need to improve this so it can be fully audible on television in the playoffs.

5. Why is Kris Humphries playing? Not only would Joey Graham be a better choice, but it would be easy to play Moon an extra 10 minutes at power forward if you really want to keep Graham nailed to the bench. With Delfino taking so many minutes at the three position, why not give Jamario the extra burn. He's better than Hump in every facet of the game and we could really use him on the floor most of the time.

Be back soon with some more Raptors news.