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Al DeMarco
10 Dime Winner # 7 OF 9
Teaser
USF / Bears
10 Dime Winner # 7 OF 9
Teaser
USF / Bears
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Sports Wagers
Rutgers +7.5 over SOUTH FLORIDA
It’s offense versus defense here. South Florida has racked up some crazy numbers in its two games this season but it came at the expense of Chattanooga and Nevada. Last week against Nevada, USF needed a furious rally to overcome a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. That takes its toll and it also suggests how vulnerable the Bulls are. They will now take a huge step up in class against the defense of the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers has given USF QB B.J. Daniels all kinds of trouble. In three games, Daniels is 1-2 with the win coming by a single point. He has completed fewer than half his passes, thrown for just three touchdowns while averaging just 176 yards of offense.
Rutgers has also played two cupcakes in Tulane and Howard. They’ve only allowed 12 points total in the two games but the offense has struggled and is certainly a work in progress. Still, the Knights defense was heralded before the season began and they’ve lived up to expectations.
Lastly, South Florida has a horrible record on these Thursday night ESPN prime timers. They are 0-7 in these games, including last year’s 44-17 loss to Pitt in the season’s opener. The Big East is wide open this season with five or six teams capable of winning the conference. These two are among them and frankly, this is a motivating and insulting number for every player on the Knights roster. In a game that could go either way, we’ll gladly fade the overvalued Bulls.
Chicago +6 over GREEN BAY
It’s early but the Bears can really put the Packers in a hole here after Green Bay dropped its home opener while the Bears were expected easy winners over the Colts. The Packers remain at home after allowing the 49ers to visit with a defense that was actually bigger than the Packers offense.
The same could hold true here.
Chicago ’s offense has lacked chemistry for years but reacquainting WR Brandon Marshall with QB Jay Cutler seems to have aligned the entire unit. Cutler looked very sharp against the Colts and while the Packers are certainly superior over Indy, their secondary may not be. That does not bode well for a Packers team that has glaring defensive issues. This series has been dominated by Green Bay for the last while but the Bears just may be the better team now. Combine that with a bunch of points being offered and this choice becomes a rather simple one.
Survivor Pick – Week 2
CINCINNATI over Cleveland
Of course we could play it very safe and play the New England Patriots this week but 50% or more of your poolies will be on them and if the unthinkable happens, you’ll go down with them all. Remember, the Patriots have an early showdown with Ravens on deck and while they’re not likely to lose here, we always try to avoid playing the top consensus play as part of our ‘not going down with rest of ship’ philosophy.
That brings us to the Bengals. Cinci was embarrassed in the front end of the double-header on Monday Night. That hasn’t been sitting well with them and while the score was ugly, the play of the Bengals was not. They moved the ball against a very good defense. They trailed 17-3 and came back to make it 17-13. The defense gave up lots of yards and points but Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense had the game of their lives with Flacco hitting every receiver right between the numbers. The Bengals will now face a rookie QB playing his first road game.
Brandon Weeden's first game as an NFL starter ended with only 12 of 35 completions for 118 yards and four interceptions. His 5.1 QB rating represented the worst by any rookie starting in week one over the past 50 years. The Brownies nearly pulled the upset last week over Philly, who turned the ball over four times. The beauty of this game is that Browns’ cornerback extraordinaire Joe Haden has been suspended for four games because of violating the drug policy. That means A.J. Green all over the field. Additionally Andy Dalton and his Bengals don’t figure to be as sloppy, leading to a comfortable win.Comment
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Sports Wagers MLB
BOSTON +133 over N.Y. Yankees
The Yanks tied the series up 1-1 last night with a 5-4 win over Aaron Cook. The Red Sox had lost nine of Cook’s previous 10 starts by scores of 10-9, 20-2, 7-3, 9-2 and 7-5 among others. It’s rather disturbing that New York couldn’t do some serious damage against Cook, as they held on for a one-run win.
The Yanks continue to struggle and will now have to rely on Phil Hughes. Fenway Park has been a house of horrors for Hughes, where in nine career appearances, he’s 2-4 with a 8.26 ERA and 1.94 WHIP in 28.1 IP. Throw in an overall 32%/49% groundball/fly-ball rate and some downright awful numbers against righties and it’s no mystery as to why Hughes is so beatable and so risky when laying odds at this venue.
Felix Doubront is also a risk, not because of his skills but because he’s already exceeded his previous career high in innings pitched of 128 he set back in 2008. The major differences between Doubront's inspired first-half (3.65 xERA) and forgetful second-half (4.40 xERA) has been an increase in his walks plus a drop in strand % from 72% to 66%. On the whole, Doubront has displayed skills worth watching next season including 136 K’s in 135 innings to go along with a groundball bias profile. While others ignore Doubront and his ugly 5.21 ERA, we’ll fade a much uglier Hughes and his awful record at this park against this motivated host.Comment
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