9-16-12

[Mr. IWS]

INDIAN COWBOY

4-Unit Play. #208. Take Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 over Baltimore Ravens (Sunday @ 1pm est).
The Eagles are one of those teams that step up when you least expect them to and step down when you least expect them to. This is a team the gets up to play the good teams if you will and lays an egg against teams they should do considerably better against such as the Browns last week. But, with the Ravens coming off such a monstrous win over the Bengals on MNF, I like the Ravens to have a let down here against the Eagles. That's the beauty of the NFL. A team that looks great the week before will look like a dud the next week and a team that looked terrible the week prior will look great the following week. It's called bounce-backs and let downs and you have it here with the Eagles. I like the Eagles in their opener to step up in a big way as without a doubt they will get up to play the Ravens and there is a reason why the Eagles are favored here and this is a solid public fade as well to boot. The Ravens are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a MNF game and are 1-4 ATS following an ATS win the day before.

4-Unit Play. #206. Take Buffalo Bills -3 over Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday @ 1pm est).
Yes, the Bills looked terrible in the first week. Simply terrible. But, I do like them to bounce-back here at home as I think they took the Jets too lightly from the Jets pre-season numbers and I don't see them getting blindsided here at home. The Chiefs definitely have talent but being away from Arrowhead I suspect they will struggle a little bit especially defensively. The Bills will shore up a defense that was horrendous in their first game and this is a Dave W. type defense who will make the necessary corrections as this team was more confused than anything the first week of the season. Look for a much more synchronized effort here as the Bills likely click better offensively and defensively this week.

CFL

6-Unit Play. #298. Take Montreal -6 over Saskatchewan (Sunday @ 1pm est).

[Mr. IWS]

JASON SHARPE

Sunday September 16th 2012-

4 Unit Play Take #215 Dallas -3 over Seattle (4:05pm est):

Very impressive opening week showing by the Dallas Cowboys as they went into New York and beat up the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. That win wasn't a fluke by what was an underachieving Dallas team last year. In fact this Cowboys team is loaded this year and looks like a very focused squad. They come in having covered five of their last 6 against the Seattle Seahawks. They have shored up the one area that they struggled with all last season, their pass defense and they made a very good Giants offense look very bad and did so with the Giants being at home.

The Seahawks lost a tough one in week one but they also showed this is a team not ready to be a contender this season. A lot had been made about Russell Wilson taking over for this Seahawks team but he is still a rookie and played like one against a much worse opponent than he faces here. Seattle has had it's share of troubles the last few years beating teams with winning records as they are just 6-15 against the number versus above .500 teams.

These two teams are many levels apart talent wise and this line should be over a touchdown because of that. Take Dallas minus the points in this one.

3 Unit Take #204 Carolina +2.5 over New Orleans (1:00pm est):
Both teams come in off week one losses. The New Orleans Saints loss was a lot more disturbing as they not only lost to a rookie quarterback making his first career start but did so while at home. Most forget just how different the Saints and their aerial assault looks when it goes on the road like it has to be here for this one. With such a tough off-season you now have to wonder if all is right for the Saints. Most expected them to come out and make a big statement in their first game this season but instead the Saints just laid a big egg and because of that I downgraded them quite a bit after that ugly defeat.

Carolina ran into an emotional Tampa Bay team who was at home and with a new head coach in his first home game. It was more of the case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for the Panthers. Despite this the Panthers did post some up decent stats even though they never really played well in the game. If anything that shows just how explosive this team can be. This is a young team and like most young teams, it plays a lot better at home than it does when it's on the road. My numbers made the Panthers favored here in this one so getting points is a nice extra bonus. Take Carolina and the points here.

3 Unit Play Take #217 Washington -3 over St. Louis (4:05pm est):
Probably the most impressive week one performance came from these Washington Redskins who went on the road and turned in a top notch performance against the always tough New Orleans Saints. The Redskins were a decent squad last year but that was overshadowed from playing in the best division in the NFL, the NFC East. They looked to be one of the surprise teams in the league this year led by rookie Robert Griffin III who was everything he was advertised to be in his first game. Washington beat these Rams last year in St, Louis by a 17-10 score and did so as 3 point favorites in that game also.

The Rams kept things close last week in their heartbreaking week one loss to the Detroit Lions on the road. This is still a very young team who are a long ways away from turning the corner. Jeff Fisher looks to be a solid choice here for this Rams squad who is lacking in talent badly. This has easily been the worst franchise in the NFL the last few years and getting only a field goal here means they basically have to win the game. This team caught all the breaks last week and still couldn't get there.

Play Washington minus the three here in this one. Been another solid MLB season as I have made a healthy profit for the 2012 year again on the diamond. Last baseball season I did my most damage late in the year and into the playoffs with an excellent playoff run. Expecting a lot off the same here this season as well this year as I have put in the work day in and day out all season long this baseball season. I have won four straight games and 11 of last 14 weeks overall in MLB action. Jump on board as we have an excellent end of the season package up and ready.

[Mr. IWS]

VEGAS SPORTS INFORMER

3 Unit Play. #200 Take New England -13 ½ over Arizona (1:00p.m., Sunday, Sept 16)
Told myself that I would take New England if they were -14 point favorites or less and I believe the Patriots riot the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona struggled at home against the Seahawks with a rookie QB, so what is Tom Brady going to do at home against the Cardinals defense? Look for Tom Brady to have a huge game and I see the Patriots winning with ease by double-digits.

2 Unit Play. #215 Take Dallas -3 over Seattle (4:05p.m., Sunday, Sept 16)
The Cowboys showed great toughness last week as they shocked the Super Bowl champs, the NY Giants and now the Cowboys travel to Seattle. If the 'Boys' can put pressure on rookie QB Russell Wilson Sunday afternoon look for the Cowboys to win another road game and start this season a perfect 2-0. Last year Dallas beat the Seahawks 23-13 in Dallas Stadium and this year I believe Dallas is a much better team than last year. Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings and the Seahawks are 0-5 ATS in Week #2 games.

[Mr. IWS]

ALLEN EASTMAN / ACE-ACE

2-Unit Play. Take #102 Green Bay (-4.5) over Chicago (8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13)

4-Unit Play. Take #217 Washington (-3) over St. Louis (1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 16)
If the Redskins can get a win in the Superdome against New Orleans I think they can get a win in St. Louis against the lowly Rams. St. Louis has been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the past five years. They played Detroit tough last week but still lost. Jeff Fisher will get this team turned around but it is still too early for him to work his magic. Washington is in the third year of Mike Shanahan and they looked very good this preseason and very good in Week 1. This team has a lot of confidence and Robert Griffin doesn't look like a rookie right now. The Rams lost a heartbreaker last week. I don't think that they can bounce back quickly. They are just 2-5 ATS at home and they are 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall. The road team is 8-3 ATS in this series and the Redskins are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games at St. Louis.

2-Unit Play. Take #204 Carolina (+2.5) over New Orleans (1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 16)
New Orleans did not look good last week. This team is really struggling without the leadership of Sean Payton. And not having a veteran coach in the locker room is going to hurt after a bad loss like that one. The Saints defense looked terrible against the Redskins last week. I think they are going to have an even tougher time against Cam Newton and the Panthers this week. Carolina's defense looked much improved. The Panthers have lost four straight in this series and they have revenge on their minds in this game. Carolina is 7-3 ATS in the series and I think that they are the better team in this game. I think that the home team is going to win this game outright but we will take the points in case it is close.

5-Unit Play. Take #222 San Diego (-6) over Tennessee (4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 16)
This is my NFL Game of the Week and my favorite bet of the weekend. San Diego won on the road on Monday Night Football. That is not easy to do especially when a team is playing against a division rival. Now the Chargers have their home opener and they get to play a Titans team that was blown out at home last week. Jake Locker was hurt in last week's game and he did not play well. He separated his left shoulder and will wear a brace this weekend. Tennessee also lost MLB Colin McCarthy. The Titans are sticking with him this week and that gives me a big edge with Philip Rivers as the San Diego quarterback. The Chargers are very focused this year and a lot of people know that their jobs are on the line. The won't take anyone lightly. This spread opened up at -3 but was quickly bet up to -6 as the sharps pounded the home team. San Diego is 7-0 ATS in the last seven meetings and have covered four straight against the Titans. The favorite in this series is 4-1 ATS and San Diego is now 5-1 ATS in their last six lined games. The Titans are banged up and San Diego is feeling good. They will win this one in a blowout.

2.5-Unit Play. Take 'Under' 38.5 Cleveland at Cincinnati (1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 16)
The Bengals defense was torn up on Monday Night Football. That was embarrassing for a very strong defensive unit. I am sure they put a lot of focus on that this week and they will bounce back in a big way. Cleveland's offense is not very good and rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden really struggled against Philadelphia last week. I do not think he will be much better this week. Four of the last five games between these teams in Cincinnati have stayed 'under'. The 'under' is 4-0 in Cleveland's last four divisional games and is 7-3-1 in their last 11 road games. Cleveland is an 'under' team because their offense struggles. The Bengals lost a lot of key players from their offense last season. They are not going to score a lot of points here against a Cleveland defense that shut down Philadelphia's high powered offense last week. This one stays 'under'.

3-Unit Play. Take #213 Houston (-7) over Jacksonville (1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 16)
The Texans should win this game in a blowout. Last year they were very good as a road favorite. They won by 10 at Miami, by 34 at Tennessee, by 28 at Tampa Bay and by 7 at Jacksonville. Houston has dominated this series over the last year. They have won three straight by an average of 11 points per game and I think that they will win by double-digits again this week. The Texans won by 20 points last week and did not play well. I think that they will be working extra hard at practice this week and that they will play a much better game this time around. Teams off a road loss in overtime are just 8-25-2 ATS the next week and I think that Jaguars are still going to be a little down after blowing that game late to the Vikings. Take the Texans.

[Mr. IWS]

DOC SPORTS

4 Unit Play. (#100/#212) Take Cincinnati Bengals -6.5 over Cleveland Browns
(Sunday, 9/16, 1 pm CBS)
Cincinnati
The Bengals look to get back on track after getting blown out on Monday Night Football by the Baltimore Ravens. This is a must win game for Cincinnati, as they cannot afford to drop to 0-2 on the season and 0-2 in the AFC North. The Bengals should have a much easier time stopping QB Brandon Weeden, since he played terrible last Sunday and is nowhere near as capable of a QB as in Joe Flacco. Cincinnati has fared well against bad teams recently, going 5-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record.
Cleveland
We were on Cleveland last week and must admit that their defense played their hearts out and should have come away with a victory. That being said, QB Brandon Weeded singlehandedly lost that game, going 12-35, for just 118 yards and 4 interceptions. That equates to a quarterback rating of 5.1 and I do not see things getting any better for him in this game. When will teams learn that rookie quarterbacks in the high 20s age-wise do not pan out in the NFL? The Browns defense will eventually wear down and expect QB Andy Dalton and company to take control of this game in the second half.
Final Thought
The is an important game for both teams, as the loser will all but fall out of the playoff race since this is a tough and competitive division. Cleveland should have won the game last week against Philadelphia but just could not move the football whatsoever on offense. Expect the Bengals to play a conservative field position game and not beat themselves. That will be good enough for a double digit victory.
Cincinnati by 15

5 Unit Play. (#122/#224) Take San Francisco 49ers -6.5 over Detroit Lions
(Sunday, 9/16, 4:15 pm Fox) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
San Francisco
The 49ers were a solid team in all phases of the game last season except at throwing to the wide receivers. To correct this the 49ers went out and signed Randy Moss and looked much better in Game 1 of the 2012 season than they did all of last season. QB Alex Smith was asked to be a game manager for most of last season but the handcuffs appear to be taken off of him in 2012. The defense is one of the best in the league, as was evidenced by the fact that they held Aaron Rogers to just two touchdowns. San Francisco is 15-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games overall.
Detroit
The Lions did not look all that impressive in their opening game of the season against a bad St. Louis Rams team. Detroit needed a late touchdown pass just to win the game and a performance like that will not get it done this week on the west coast. The Lions are a lot like Green Bay and that they rely heavily on their passing game and are not an effective team running the football. Detroit is just 1-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games.
Final Thought
This is a rematch of the awkward hand shake between Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh. Coach Schwartz is a hothead ready to explode at any given time and Coach Harbaugh is just a good coach. It also helps when the better coach has the better players and that will be the case on Sunday afternoon, as the 49ers take care of business.
San Francisco by 14

[Mr. IWS]

BUDIN :

50 Dime- BALTIMORE

The Baltimore Crew has a 50 DIME play on the Baltimore Ravens as the road underdog agalnst Philadelphia. As this play goes live on the site at 10 PM Eastern on Saturday night, the Ravens are anywhere between +2 1/2 to +1 dependiing on which books I've checked in Vegas and offshore. I believe in putting the power of money to work for us so if your line is +2 1/2, go ahefd and buy up the 1/2 point on Baltimore. Any number other than +2 1/2 (or the unlikely case you find +3), there is no need to purchase the insurance. As a former Bookmaker I know the value of buying the hook on certain numbers in certain games.

[Mr. IWS]

PLAYBOOK

5* BEST BET
PHILADELPHIA over Baltimore by 14
Could this be a possible preview of this year’s Super Bowl? PLAYBOOK thinks so. While on the NFL panel at the LVH in Las Vegas for this year’s Super Contest seminar last month, publisher Marc Lawrence was asked to name the two participants he liked in this year’s Super Bowl. Marc stated the Ravens were one play away, on back-to-back plays, of representing the AFC in the championship game last year. With QB Joe Flacco in the final year of his contract he looks for a career year from the rangy signal caller. Meanwhile, he noted the Eagles closed strong with a 4-0 SU and ATS effort in their final four games last season, while outgaining 13 of the 16 foes they faced in 2011. They meet this Sunday with Baltimore in off its Monday night blowout win over division rival Cincinnati, while Philadelphia barely escaped Cleveland in a lackluster performance last week. Citing the Ravens’ 2-8 ATS mark in games after performing under the Monday Night lights, and Andy Reid’s 21-6-1 SU and 18-9-1 ATS mark with the Eagles as a favorite in games off a spread loss of more than 7 points, our case gets stronger. We cement it with this beauty from our well- oiled machine: NFL non-division teams in Game Two of the season, off an ATS win of 20 or more points in which they scored 28 or more points, are 3-16 ATS when facing a foe seeking revenge. Bye, bye Black Birds. Look for the pointspread Gods to order each team to return back to the norm this week.

4* BEST BET
Kansas City over BUFFALO by 10
Both teams came up empty on opening week, but it was the Bills that provided arguably the biggest disappointment. After an offseason of major upgrades to its defense – thus being billed as the team to watch in 2012 – Buffalo allowed the listless New York Jets their highest output in 66 games in a 48-28 wipeout loss. Now allowing more than 34 PPG over the last nine games, the Bills today take on a team they whacked, 41-7, in last year’s season opener at Kansas City. That was before Romeo Crennel stepped in to help solidify a KC squad in disarray. Crennel takes the field knowing he is 7-1 ATS in his NFL career against non-division opponents off a double-digit loss. In addition, the Chiefs bring a 5-0 ATS record into the contest as non- division dogs when playing off a double-digit defeat. The clincher: Game Two road non-division dogs are 20-5 ATS when playing with revenge in a matchup of two winless teams. With the Bills still bleeding, it’s the Chiefs in a payback.

3* BEST BET
New Orleans over CAROLINA by 13
What where the odds Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning would all lose straight-up as favorites in the same week? More important, what are the odds all three will bounce back to even their records are 1-1 this week? FYI: $100 gets you 600 should they all win- and-cover in a three-teamer this week. For our money, Brees and his bounce-back ability brings the most to the table. For openers, he is 9-3 ATS in his NFL career on the road when not laying double-digits in games off a SU favorite loss. He is also 7-1 SU and ATS as a favorite of less than 3 points. Tie that up with the Saints’ 6-0 ATS mark as division road chalk of less than 5 points and you can understand our position. On the flip side, with a year of game film on Cam Newton, we figure the league will catch up with his offerings this season. Panthers’ 2-10 ATS division dog log of less than 7 points puts the capper on this one. Saints, in a Brees.

[Mr. IWS]

VegasTout MLB Baseball for Sunday


Play Philadelphia -190 over Houston—Top MLB Play

Jordan Lyles has lost 16 of the last 19 games when the total posted is
between 8 and 8.5 runs and he has lost 17 of the last 21 games when
pitching in the 2nd half of the season. Jordan Lyles has lost 8 of
the last 9 home games as an underdog of +150 to +200 and he has lost 5
of the last 6 games vs. NL East Division Opponents.

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Play Texas -230 over Seattle---Bonus MLB Play

[Mr. IWS]

VegasTout Football Plays for Sunday


Play NY Giants -7.5 over Tampa Bay—NFL FOOTBALL TOP PLAY

1:00 PM EST

New York has won 10 of the last 14 games as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5
points and they have also won 12 of the last 15 games coming off an
UNDER the total. New York has won 13 of the last 17 games coming off
a home game and they have also won 10 of the last 15 games when
playing in the 1st half of the season.

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Play New England -13.5 over Arizona---NFL BONUS PLAY
Play Pittsburgh -6 over NY Jets—NFL BONUS PLAY
Play San Francisco -6.5 over Detroit—NFL BONUS PLAY

[Mr. IWS]

JEFF SCOTT SPORTS

TOP PLAYS

5 UNIT PLAY

SAN DIEGO -6.5 over Tennessee: The San Diego Chargers are off an impressive MNF game vs the Raiders. They played well on both sides of the ball and look like a team that could be ready to get back to the playoffs. Gates is questionable for this game, but for the most part this San Diego offense is pretty healthy. There were questions coming in about the OL, but they stepped up real big vs a tough Raiders pass rush. On defense the Chargers showed that their pass rush is as good as ever with 3 sacks and plenty of hurries , while they allowed this powerful Raiders ground game get just 45 yards rushing on the night. They had Palmer on the run all night and will do the same to Locker in this one. Offensively the Titans did throw for 264 yards last week vs the Pats, but a lot of that was in garbage time and it was vs a weak New England secondary. The Titans would like to run the ball as their primary offense game plan, but they only gained 20 yards last week vs the Pats and it doesn't look to get better this week vs San Diego's front 7. The Chargers have dominated the AFC South, going 18-4 SU and 19-3 ATS since it's inception, plus they are 4-0 ATS the last 4 meetings here between the Titans, outscoring them by 18.3 ppg in the process. San Diego is also 11-1 SU and 10-1-1 ATS off a Monday night win of 6 or more. Bolts take this one easy.

4 UNIT PLAY

POWER ANGLE PLAY

PHILADELPHIA -2.5 over Baltimore: Such a small line for an Eagles team that is loaded with talent. This is over reaction to last weeks games. Last week the Eagles were big favorites in Cleveland and had this game on deck and they really put for a lackluster effort. The Defense played very well, but the offense looked uninspired and Vick had a rough one with 4 INT's. This offense is better than that and they will show it in their home opener today. Last year the Eagles put up 29 ppg in their last 6 home games. They will be taking on a tough Baltimore defense that looked good on Monday night, but that Raven defense is getting up there in age and just may not be all that fresh to chase Vick and the Eagles receivers all over the field, especially on a short week. Flacco and that no huddle offense looked great on Monday night, but they will be taking on a much tougher defense this week, plus now that they have run their no huddle offense their is now film on it and the element of surprise is gone in that respect. Baltimore is just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 off MNF, while Andy Reid is 18-9-1 ATS as a favorite off a spread loss of 7 or more. The This game is sandwiched between road games vs Cleveland and Arizona, while the have a short week off a divisional MNF game and have the Pats on deck next Sunday night. Great spot for the eagle to show they are for real. POWER ANGLE FOR THIS PLAY--- In game 2 of the year play against and team in a non-divisional game if they are off an ATS win of 20 or more and scored 28+ points in that game and are playing a team seeking revenge. These play against teams are 3-16 ATS the last 19 times it has come up.

6 POINT POWER TEASER OF THE WEEK--- San Francisco -1 & San Diego -.5

3 UNIT PLAYS

Cincinnati/ Cleveland Under 39.5: Brandon Weedon is not ready for the NFL just yet. Last week Weedon hit just 34% of his passes and posted a horrible 39.7 QB Rating and he will now take to the road to take on an ANGRY Cincinnati defense that was humiliated on Monday night. This will not be easy for Weedon. Dating to the preseason he now has 0 TD passes and 5 INT's. I really expect a conservative game plan from the Cleveland staff so to not demolish the Psyche of Weedon, so early in his career. Conservative from this team means running, running and more running and I expect them to employ that game plan. The Bengal defense had a rough showing vs the Ravens on Monday night football, but they should bounce back vs this bad Cleveland offense. The Browns played pretty good defense in their opener and the Bengals and Carson Palmer are still learning the West Coast offense. Carson did look lost at times in this offense on Monday night and it will continue here. Both teams will be looking to play solid defense in this one and with two struggling offenses it will certainly help keep the score down. KEY TREND--- The Under is 10-2 after a game in which Cincinnati has allowed 35 points or more.

Houston/ Jacksonville Over 41: Jacksonville last week showed that they can move the ball and I know that it was vs Minnesota, but I give them an excellent shot at putting some solid numbers up in this one. The Jags put up 25 ppg in the preseason and then proceeded to score 23 points in their opener vs Minnesota. The Jags threw for 249 yards last week after averaging just 136 ypg through the air last year. The Houston defense will be tough again this year, but losing Demeco Ryans and Mario Williams means this unit will not be as strong as last years group that finished 2nd in the league. In the opener Houston Allowed Miami just 10 points, but that was a Dolphin team that was learning new schemes and it showed by how much the struggled in the preseason. The Jag defense showed very little in the preseason, allowing 29.3 ppg and they haven't fixed things yet after allowing 26 points and 389 yards to Minnesota in the opener. I expect them to have problems today vs a Houston team that is fully healthy on offense and should put up big points this year. Including preseason they have put up at least 20 in each of their games and they should do so again with ease. Both offenses should have a good day in this one as this game eclipses 41 points with ease. KEY TRENDS--- The Over is 9-3 in the Jags last 12 home games with an OU line of 41-43, while the Over is 12-6 in Houston's last 18 divisional road games.

6 POINT TEASER--- Dallas/ Seattle Over 36.5 & St Louis +9.5

OTHER PLAYS

2 UNIT PLAY

Tampa Bay +7 over NY GIANTS

Kansas City +3.5 over BUFFALO

1 UNIT PLAYS

New Orleans -2.5 over CAROLINA

Dallas/ Seattle Over 42.5

[Mr. IWS]

HI-Roller Sports

NFL

3* Tennessee +7..... short week for the Chargers as they come off a less than inspiring win against the inept Raiders. They won that game because the Raiders were unable to execute in any phase of the game. Titans, on the other hand, ran into a buzzsaw at home facing the Patriots and their improved defense. A TD here is a lot of points to give off short rest to a good team who will look to pound the ball and control the clock. Give me the points.

2* Cincinnati -7..... short week for the Bengals as well, but they, on the other hand, are much better than they looked against the Ravens. They hung tough for 2.5 quarters before Ed Reed closed the curtains on them. Dalton, Green and "The Law Firm" should have big games against Cleveland's D minus their top cover corner, Haden. And their defense should be able to pressure rookie QB Weeden into a few more mistakes and put the game out of reach. Bragging rights for the state of Ohio goes to the Bengals in the first matchup of the season.

[Mr. IWS]

DAVID BANKS

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers

The last meeting between the Detroit Lions (1-0, 0-1 ATS) and the San Francisco 49ers (1-0, 1-0) led to a post-game coaches squabble after the Niners 25-19 win last season in what has become parochially known as the Handshake Bowl in Detroit. The rematch takes place at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA on Sunday night at 8:20, and can be seen nationally on NBC.

Both coaches, Jim Harbaugh of the 49ers and Jim Schwartz of the Lions, now consider the incident "ancient history" and both insist there are no hard feelings. With that in mind let us just focus on the two teams here, and while each club won its opener, the 49ers were easily the more impressive of the two. In fact, San Francisco had the look of a legitimate Super Bowl contender, going into Lambeau Field in Green Bay and physically manhandling the Packers 30-22. The Niners had the best defense in the NFL last season, and that unit remains intact. However, the Niners revamped their wide receiver corps in the off-season, adding Mario Manningham and Randy Moss, and Michael Crabtree in now another year wiser, and that made the offense look formidable last week. Quarterback Alex Smith could be in line for his best season ever thanks to those receivers, and he was outstanding in Week 1 while completing 20-of-26 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns with no picks. And do not forget about running back Frank Gore, who rushed for 112 yards on only 16 carries. Gore is a beast when he is healthy like he was last week, but unfortunately that is not very often. To that end, the Niners added some nice depth there too in Brandon Jacobs and rookie LaMichael James, and Kendall Hunter seems ready to break out in his second season,

On the other hand, the Lions had a devil of a time getting by the lowly St. Louis Rams, needing a rally to win 27-23 on a touchdown pass to Kevin Smith with only 10 seconds remaining. Before being too rough on Detroit however, consider that Schwartz was an assistant coach under Rams' coach Jeff Fisher for eight years while the two were in Tennessee, so St. Louis had a good idea of what the Lions were going to do. Besides, Detroit did win the yardage war 429-250, although the Lions obviously do not figure to move the ball that easily vs. the stout San Francisco defense. Still, Matthew Stafford does have a quick release that can beat the 49ers' pass rush and he obviously has one of the best receiving corps in the NFL to get the ball to, led by Calvin Johnson, who is impossible to cover by any defense. Also, the Detroit defensive front four can get to the quarterback just as well as the Niners can, although Alex Smith can exploit the suspect Detroit back seven if he can duplicate last week's performance.

Last year's meeting did stay 'under' the total, making the 'under' a perfect 6-0 in the last six head-to-head meetings. The 49ers are now 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings, and the Lions are 0-4 ATS the last four times they have been installed as road underdogs.

Pick: Over 46

[Mr. IWS]

FantasySportsGametime

Baseball Sunday

100* Play Philadelphia -190 over Houston (MLB TOP PLAY)
Starts at 1:00 PM EST

Jordan Lyles has lost 17 of the last 20 games as an underdog of +100 or higher and he has lost 22 of the last 27 games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs. Jordan Lyles has lost 14 of the last 15 day games and he has lost 9 of the last 10 games when playing on a Sunday.

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50* Play Texas -230 over Seattle (MLB BONUS PLAY)
50* Play LA Angels -160 over Kansas City (MLB BONUS PLAY)

[Mr. IWS]

FantasySportsGametime

Football Sunday

1000* Play Miami +2.5 over Oakland (TOP NFL PLAY)
Starts at 1:00 PM EST

Oakland has lost 7 of the last 10 games coming off a division game and they have also lost 6 of the last 7 games vs. Miami on the road. Oakland has lost 6 of the last 9 games when playing in the 1st month of the season and they have also lost 6 consecutive road games when the total posted is between 38.5 and 42 points.

1000* Play Baltimore +2.5 over Philadelphia (TOP NFL PLAY)
Starts at 1:00 PM EST

Baltimore has won 14 of the last 17 games coming off an UNDER the total and they have also won 10 of the last 12 games coming off a division game. Baltimore has won 7 consecutive games coming off a game where 50 or more total points were scored and they have won 7 of the last 9 games when playing in the 1st month of the season.

1000* Play Seattle +3.5 over Dallas (TOP NFL PLAY)
Starts at 4:30 PM EST

Dallas has lost 15 of the last 19 games against the spread when playing as a favorite and they have also lost 17 of the last 24 games vs. NFC Conference Opponents. Dallas has lost 8 of the last 10 games against the spread coming off a division game and they have also lost 8 of the last 10 games against the spread coming off an UNDER the total.

[Mr. IWS]

Gold Medal Club NFL Selections

#208 10* Philadelphia
#215 10* Dallas
#222 5* San Diego
#224 10* San Francisco