1-3-10

[Mr. IWS]

NEW GUYS! LURKERS!

Dont be afraid to post services if you come across them. Your posts will be appreciated for sure.

Just put them in the appropriate section (regular or premium)

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

Wunderdog

Game: Tennessee at Seattle (Sunday 1/03 4:15 PM Eastern)
Pick: Seattle +4.5 (-110)

The Tennessee Titans were a miserable football team through the first six weeks of the season, starting 0-6. They left themselves with no margin for error. To their credit, they didn't cash in their chips, but ran off five straight wins and seven of eight. They nonetheless paid the price for the horrible start. So what is left for this team? They have had to bring it every single week for nine straight weeks, and the playoff dream came to a screeching halt in a 42-17 debacle against San Diego. That game exposed the truth about the Titans - they really are a sub. 500 team. They are just 2-5 on the road this season, scoring 16 points per game and losing by 5 points on average! Meanwhile, Seattle is a winning team at home, allowing just 16.1 points per game. Which team should really be favored? You could sense the quit in this Titans team as San Diego pulled away last week, and I would expect this team will have absolutely nothing left here. The Seahawks have been murdered the last three weeks, dropping three straight to a combined score of 126-24, so how can they win here? I think there is enough pride to give it all they have in the home finale to build on a good feeling for next year. Under Jeff Fisher, Tennesse is 25-37 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points and 4-12 ATS on the road after back-to-back ATS losses. I think this one is more about the Titans losing their edge that they had to maintain for nine straight games. I wouldn't be surprised to see a team completely unfocused here. I like the Seahawks at home with the points.

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

SPORTS WAGERS

OAKLAND +10½ over Baltimore

In one of the few meaningful games this final Sunday the Ravens need a win and they’re in. That scenario has definitely created an inflated line because most bettors love to wager on teams that are in a “must-win” situation. Having said that, there has been a lot of ruined bankrolls that have played that angle and it would not surprise one bit to see the Raiders win this one outright. No way you say? Well, let’s see. Four of Oakland's five wins this year have come versus teams either in the playoffs or still alive in the hunt. That includes a pair of division leaders in Philadelphia and Cincinnati, as well as the Steelers and Broncos. The Ravens are 2-5 on the road and the Raiders would love nothing more than to knock out a team. Besides, we’re not asking the Raiders to win. They’ll get 10½ big points at home against a team that is simply not that great. One of its road wins came at Cleveland and its other road win came in San Diego in the second game of the season. The Raiders have a chance to post its best win total in years, they also have a shot to knock someone out and most importantly, you’ll have to pay a serious premium to bet against them. Play: Oakland +10½ (Risking 2.12 units to win 2).


Cincinnati +10 over N.Y. JETS

This game has been rescheduled for Sunday night and while the Jets control its own destiny, a Bengals win would give them the No. 3 seed should Houston defeat New England in a 1 p.m. game. Being a #3 seed as oppose to a #4 seed could mean an extra home game for the Bengals and expecting them to lay down here is not a good idea. In fact, it’s very likely that if the Jets win here they’ll go into Cincinnati next week for a playoff game. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says he’s playing to win Sunday and why wouldn’t he? The Bengals can move up in the seedings and they also come in with a defense that is one of the best in the business. Furthermore, that defense will most definitely be playing with a chip on its shoulder, as none of the players were chosen to play in this year’s Pro Bowl. The Jets favored by 10 here is pretty ridiculous when you consider that Houston is a 9-point favorite over the Pats and should win. Even if the Texans lose and the Bengals are playing for nothing, we can always come back with a bet on the Jets later in the day to offset this. However, based on Houston winning and with this game now featured in prime time, it’s highly, highly unlikely that the Bengals roll over. The Jets are a brutal favorite and cannot be trusted laying any points, let alone 10 to a quality team. Play: Cincinnati +10 (Risking 3.24 units to win 2).


SAN DIEGO –4 over Washington

Norv Turner insists he’ll play win, which means playing the starters but even if he chooses to rest them, it should not matter. You see, the Redskins are done. They finished the season last week against the G-Men and after consecutive weeks on prime time TV, this one offers up no motivation for them whatsoever. They were beaten in both by a combined score of 62-12 and both those games were in DC. Now they’re asked to travel cross-country for its final game of the year and again, where the motivation is going to come from is a complete mystery. They had no interest against the G-Man and not much more against the Cowboys, arguably its two biggest rivals. The Chargers at its worst should roll over this uninterested visitor and carry momentum into the playoffs. Besides, even if the Chargers starters are limited the back-ups will be highly motivated to show what they can do should a couple of injuries occur in the playoffs. Play: San Diego –4 +1.03 (Risking 2 units).

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

BDOUGSPORTS
Sunday January 3, 2010

*Monster Play*
Patriots +7 @ Texans
The Patriots achilles heel all year has been the road. They won their last road game at Buffalo, lost the previous one at Miami by one. They've clinched the AFC East and will be either the 3 or 4 seed in the playoffs. There may not be much motivation from a seeding standpoint, since they'll be guaranteed at least one home playoff game, with the possibility of two if they get the 3 seed. They will be looking to build on their win last week against Jacksonville where it looked like they finally put four quarters of football together. Brady will play, and it looks like he'll play at least 2 if not 3 quarters. They've also been notoriously fast starters this year so look for them to jump out to a lead in the first half. The Texans meanwhile are colossal choke artists and do not play well as favorites. The Texans also need about 8 things to happen for them to make the playoffs.

Chiefs +11 @ Broncos
Divisional battles are typically hard fought games and this one shouldn't be any different. By the Broncos doing the Chiefs the favor of benching Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler, we do not see this one being a blowout AT ALL. Quite the contrary. The Chiefs should keep this one close because they are familiar with the Broncos and get a chance to play spoiler against their most hated rival. The last 3 times Kansas City has been double digit dogs, they're 2-1 ATS with a straight up win against the Steelers. They've thrived in this role recently and will be focused for this one.

Raiders +10.5 vs. Ravens
You can argue the Ravens have everything to play for and the Raiders have nothing, and you would be mostly correct. However, this is still a big game for the Raiders who look to improve off last season by 1 game. They won their last two games of the season last year so there should be no quit in them. If the Ravens win, their “in”. However, we have seen some East Coast teams struggle mightily in Oakland, see Philly and Cincy. This is definately not a “gimme” game. Coach Tom Cable is also playing for his job. He recently spoke badly about Jamarcus and stated they would be a playoff team had they made the QB change earlier. That likely pissed Al Davis off so he better win here or he’s out. If Ray Rice gets going early this could be ugly, but grabbing 10+ points with the home team seems like the right side.

Niners/Rams UNDER 41
Another divisional battle on the last day of the regular season with neither team really having anything to play for. The Rams are looking to lock up the #1 overall draft pick in April and probably won't put up too much fight in this one. The Niners will likely be playing to just finish out the season and they have not shown to have an explosive offense by scoring 18.3 ppg over the last seven. The Rams are awful on offense averaging 11 ppg on the year. Without much to play for on either side, we see this one being a boring game from the opening kick.

Titans -5.5 @ Seahawks
Usually east coast teams flying west to play are not profitable. This however seems like a good spot. Tennessee still has something to play for and hope to finish at .500 after starting the year 0-6. Vince Young looks like he's the QB for good in Tennessee and Chris Johnson is just 128 yards shy of 2,000 and still has an outside shot at Eric Dickerson's single season record of 2,105 (he'll need 234 to break the record). Seattle cannot stop the run and they've been AWFUL the last three weeks, losing by a combined 106-24. Matt EASbeck has been a turnover machine the last two weeks with 8 picks and he'll struggle against a Tennessee defense that has 19 picks on the year (tied for 8th in the league).

Eagles +3 @ Cowboys
This is certainly the game of the week where the winner will claim the NFC East and possibly a first round bye (guaranteed 1st round bye if Philly wins). The Cowgirls went to Philly and stole a win, so we think Philly returns the favor here and wins outright. Both of these teams defenses have played great, particularly Dallas. That scares us, but not as much as skinny Desean Jackson will scare the Cowboys secondary. If the Philly O-Line can give Campbells Chunky Soup man some time we’ll see some big plays from the Eagles. Tony Romo did not f things up in December, but there’s plenty of time for that in January!

Bears -3 @ Lions
Meaningless game here, but we think it means more to the Bears (particularly Jay Cutler) than it does the Cowardly Lions. Jay Cutler has been god awful all year long but came through last week with some heroics in overtime. Hopefully that will give the little emo bitch some confidence and he’ll “bring it” here. The Lions will be without Matt Stafford again and should suck it up just a tad more than the Bears.

Dec 6-18-1
Nov 15-16-1
Oct 13-10-1
Sept 11-4

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

Teddy Covers

Nfl
Patriots
Bengals
Chiefs
Chargers

cfb
Tcu under 20* Big Ticket
Troy 20* Big Ticket

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

David Banks @ tiredoflosing


NFL
1:00 Indy Colts +8 Pts
1:00 Jacksonville Jaguars +1 Pts
1:00 Atlanta Falcons -1.5 Pts
4:15 Philadelphia Eagles +3 Pts

8:20 New York Jets -9.5 Pts
Under

NBA
9:30 Dallas Mavs +6.5 Pts

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

St. Bernadine Sports...
Andrew Bucciarelli
39-17 RUN !!! (+29.00*)



2* Ottawa Senators (-103) over Philadelphia flyers
The teams are meeting for the third time this season, but the first
time at Scotiabank Place. The series is at 1-1 and the Ottawa
Senators will be looking to end a winning road streak for the Flyers.
The Senators have won the last two out of three games and will look
to continue this at home. The Flyers have lost six of their last seven
games at Scotiabank Place, while the Senators are 10-3-0 in their
last 13 games at home. Ottawa is also 3-1-0 in the four games since
Alredsson joined Spezza on the injured list. Look for a great
showing as Ottawa wins this classic thriller.

2*Chicago Blackhawks (NO Line up) over Anaheim Ducks
Chicago is coming off a domination 6-3 win over the Blues as the
Ducks are coming off a tough loss to Nashville last night. Chicago is
thriving on all cylinders and will look to continue this domination
tonight against low caliber Ducks team who can’t find their footing
this season. Look for Kane to continue his success more and Huet
to keep the puck out of the net again. Chicago’s offense will be too
much to take for the Anaheim Ducks and will certainly fall quick.

1*Montreal Canadiens (+103)over Buffalo Sabres
This is the fourth meeting between these two rivals. Buffalo is a
commanding 2-0-1 against the Canadiens. The Canadiens though
have won the past two coming into 2010 as this game tonight will
mark Montreal’s first game on home ice since December 17. Buffalo
has been outshot 62-20 in the first period of its last five games
which has also caused their usual slumps in the first period by going
down. This Montreal team will be given a great opportunity at
home to take them out early.

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

MARC LAWRENCE
100% Perfect Upset Special Miami Dolphins ( Says they should win straight up but take the points as a bonus.)
Never Lost MVP Play Philadelphia Eagles
Sun Night Super System Play Cincinnati Bengals ( Says line is inflated because the Jets need the game. Bengals stay within the number.)

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

B l a c K W i d o W / B i l L Y o u n G

6* NFC South G AM E OF THE Y EA R on Atlanta Falcons -1(-116 at 5dimes)

The Falcons have not had back-to-back winning seasons in the franchise's 44-year history. Coming off an 11-5 campaign last year, they sit at 8-7 this season. Even though they are eliminated from the playoffs, this team has proven that they want to become the first Falcons' team to accomplish back-to-back winning seasons. That has been evident the last two weeks, as they went on the road to beat the New York Jets 10-7 and crushed Buffalo at home last week by a final of 31-3. With Matt Ryan back in the lineup, this Falcons' offense is hitting on all cylinders. Their defense has allowed just 10 points combined and less than 500 yards of total offense in their last 2 games while forcing 6 turnovers. Offensively, they are playing sound football with no turnovers in their last two games. Tampa Bay is riding high off their upset win over the Saints last week, and they're in for an emotional letdown here following their biggest victory of the season. The Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road favorite of 0.5-3.0. The Buccaneers are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 home games. Take Atlanta and lay the points.



5* W iseg uy AFC G AM E OF THE W EE K on Cleveland Browns -1(-105 at sportsbook)

Cleveland has a chance to put together their first 4-game winning streak in 15 years. They have a chance to close out the season with 4 straight wins for the first time since 1986. This team has not quit on their coach, and they are playing out the season. Though Jacksonville is still mathematically alive for the playoffs, their chances are slim to none. The Jaguars were 7-5, but they have dropped 3 straight games after their 7-35 loss to New England last week. The Jaguars are deflated, and they won't show up to play Sunday in Cleveland knowing that their chances at a playoff berth are all but over. Jacksonville is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) vs. poor passing teams averaging 5.7 or less passing yards/att. over the last 2 seasons. The Browns haven't needed much from their passing game of late, because their defense has been stout and their running game is rolling. They are allowing just 16.3 points/game in their last 3 games, and are rushing for 229 yards/game over their last 3 contests. Cleveland is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread this season. Take the Browns and lay the points.



5* W iseg uy NFL T OTA L OF THE W EE K on Packers/Cardinals OVER 43.5(-115 at 5dimes)

Both the Packers and Cardinals still have something to play for. Each is playing to improve their playoff seeding, while the Cardinals can even earn a first-round bye with a win and some help. That means each team will be going all out here, which favors a high-scoring game between two of the most potent offenses in the league. The Packers put up 28.5 points/game this season. They even score 29.9 points/game and put up 409 total yards/game on the road this season. The Cardinals average 24.5 points/game this year and have score 30 or more points in 3 of their last 4 contests. Against the Steelers and Seahawks the last two weeks, the Packers have put up an average of 42 points/game. The Packers are 10-1 OVER (+8.9 Units) after covering the spread in 5 or 6 out of their last 7 games over the last 3 seasons. The Cardinals are 9-1 OVER (+7.9 Units) in home games after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread over the last 2 seasons. Arizona is 6-0 OVER (+6.0 Units) in home games after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better over the last 2 seasons. That adds up to a 25-2 (93%) Angle in favor of the OVER. Take the OVER 43.5 points here.



4* on Chicago Bears -3(-115 at SportsInteraction)

The Bears finally had something go their way last week, beating the Vikings in overtime 36-30. They'll come together as a team and carry that momentum into this Sunday's season finale in Detroit. The Lions haven't even been competitive recently, and they won't be Sunday either. Detroit has lost 5 straight games by an average of 19.6 points/game. They are without starting QB Matthew Stafford, and without him their passing game is virtually non-existent. Detroit has thrown for less than 200 yards in each of their last 5 games, and have committed 18 turnovers in the process. Their defense has given up more than 200 yards passing in 11 straight games, and Jay Cutler is coming off his best game of the season, throwing for 258 yards and 4 touchdowns against Minnesota. Detroit is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home games off a road loss over the last 2 seasons. Take Chicago and lay the points.



4* on Pittsburgh Steelers -3(-114 at 5dimes)

The Steelers have fought too hard to keep themselves alive in the playoff hunt to lose now. They have been playing like champions the last 2 weeks, beating the Packers and Ravens who are two of the better teams in the league. The Miami Dolphins have taken a different route, getting behind big early to both the Texans and Titans the last 2 weeks and nearly coming back to beat them both, but came up short. Their hearts have been ripped out, and now at 7-8 their chances of making the playoffs are miniscule to say the least. The Steelers at 8-7 have a much better shot, but still need some help. The state of mind these two teams are in right now says that Pittsburgh is going to roll to victory in Miami Sunday. Plus, the Steelers are the better team and easily the best team in the league that is on the outside looking in right now. Home-field hasn't been much of an advantage for Miami over the last few years, either. The Dolphins are just 6-17 ATS in their last 23 home games. The Dolphins are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a home underdog of 0.5-3.0. Pittsburgh is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 January games and they know how to get it done this time of year. Take Pittsburgh and lay the points.



4* on Indianapolis Colts +9(-110 at Bookmaker)

Clearly, the Colts will be resting players this week. But they take on the Buffalo Bills, a team that has clearly packed it in. Buffalo went down to Atlanta and lost 31-3 to the Falcons last week. They won't be up for this game, because they aren't excited to play a Colts' team that will be resting their starters. The backups for Indy are very motivated here, because they know they let their team down last week by blowing a second half lead and letting the New York Jets come back to beat them. So the motivational factor favors the Colts here, with their backups wanting to make amends for their efforts last week. The Colts are 7-0 S.U. & 7-0 ATS in road games this season. With another victory, the Colts would finish the regular season unbeaten on the road for the first time since the 1968 team was 7-0 outside of Baltimore. They've never gone 15-1 overall. So there's still a lot of reason here for the Colts to be motivated to win. Take Indy and the points.



4* on New England Patriots +9(-121 at 5dimes)

Tom Brady will play Sunday as head coach Bill Belichick wants his team to finish off the season sharp, knowing they'll have to play next week. New England is still playing for either the No. 3 or the No. 4 seed, which could become a factor down the road as far as home-field advantage is concerned. This is what Brady said Belichick told him: “You’ll play. Don’t worry about that. You’ll be playing." “Close game, blowout, if we get behind,” he said. “I’m expecting to play the whole game. I wouldn’t see why I wouldn’t.” The Patriots are 20-4 ATS (+15.6 Units) when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%) in the second half of the season since 1992. New England is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) vs. excellent passing teams averaging 260 or more passing yards/game after 8+ games since 1992. With Brady likely to play, and this line being inflated due to the Texans' having a little more at stake, we'll take the value here with New England. Take the Patriots and the points

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

TIM TRUSHEL
colts/regular
miami/regular
saints/20*

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

ANTHONY REDD
20 dimer on Cowboys (buy down to 2.5)

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

KELSO
200 Unit Buffalo Bills -8 v. Indy

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

NORTHCOAST LINE
totals play of week
Philadelphia/Dallas Under

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

ATS FINANCIAL - NFL
4 Unit Minn - 7 1/2
3 Unit GB +3
3 Unit Jax +2

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 1-3-10

Stephen Nover
Sunday's Picks 50 Dime - Chicago Bears

There's a tier system in the NFL. The Bears rank mediocre-to-bad. The Lions, though, rank with the Rams as the worst.

The key question is can you profit in this matchup by backing a lackluster road favorite in a flat spot traveling on a short week following their biggest win of the season? That's the case with the Bears off their big overtime victory Monday against the Vikings.

I say you can. The Lions are that bad. They started the season devoid of talent in many areas. Injuries have turned their roster into a team full of retreads and street free agents. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson is their only playmaker.

Detroit doesn't have a starting caliber running back and its quarterback spot is manned by washed-up Duante Culpepper, who the offense doesn't respond to, and not-ready-for-prime-time Drew Stanton. The Bears can handle this woeful offense.

Chicago took care of business when playing its easiest opponents beating the Rams by nine, the Browns by 24 and the Lions by 24.

Jay Cutler received a huge boost of needed confidence with his four-touchdown performance in Monday's 36-30 victory versus Minnesota. He can do a lot of damage against Detroit's defense, which ranks last against the pass.

There are jobs on the line with the Bears. Some may be coaching jobs. So there will be sense of urgency to this matchup for Chicago. It's a short trip from Chicago to Detroit. The Lions have failed to cover in 12 of their last 16 home games.

50 Dime - New England Patriots

These are heady times for the Texans, a team not used to success. Houston is riding a three-game winning streak, four of its players were named to the Pro Bowl, a win gives them its first winning season in franchise history and keeps alive its playoff hopes.

Simply put, it's a huge, huge game for the Texans. The game means little to the Patriots. Thus the lopsided pointspread.

But when have the Texans ever responded well to pressure? The answer is NEVER. The Texans have chalked up a 1-6-1 against the spread mark following a pointspread cover.

Houston is explosive. I'll certainly give them that. Matt Schaub is likely to lead the NFL in passing yards. Andre Johnson is likely to have the most receiving yards in the league. New England, however, has drastically improved its pass defense during the past three games - all victories. The Patriots held the Panthers, Bills and Jaguars to a combined 27 points in their last three games.

Is Bill Belichick going to risk his team's new-found momentum to rest starters? It wouldn't be a shock if some nicked-up starters do sit. That could mean defensive linemen Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren don't play. That will hurt New England's run defense. But the Texans don't run the ball well, ranking second-from-the-bottom. Their featured back these days is rookie Arian Foster.

The key is that Tom Brady is going to play. He could even play the entire game. That's what he said. Even if he didn't, Brian Hoyer isn't a bad backup quarterback. He played the entire game during New England's last preseason game against the Giants. Hoyer played well completing 18-of-25 for 242 yards and one touchdown as the Patriots won 38-27.

Belichick knows how to win. This isn't one of his great teams that he can just turn on a switch and it will play well. He's not going to take unnecessary chances with banged-up players like Wilfork. But, on the other hand, he's not going to go into the playoffs off a bad loss either. He has to keep this team sharp.

It wouldn't shock me if the Patriots won this game straight-up and Gary Kubiak lost his job as Texans coach.

50 Dime - Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are sick of living with the fact they've never had back-to-back winning seasons in their 44-year history. They can end that jinx with a victory today against the Buccaneers.

Because of that, the Falcons are extremely motivated for this matchup even though they are out of playoff contention.

Tampa Bay has won its last two games. The Buccaneers upset a bad Seattle team on the road two weeks ago and then stunned New Orleans with a strong second-half last week after the Saints got complacent with a 17-0 lead.

Let's not start thinking the Buccaneers have become a good team because they haven't. They have lost 15 of their last 18 games. They are 3-15 against the spread during their past 18 games on grass. Their two victories the past two weeks came on artificial turf. The Bucs have failed to cover seven of the last eight times as a home underdog.

Buccaneers' first year head coach Raheem Morris has not received high marks. Tampa Bay ownership probably would jettison him in a second if they could talk Bill Cowher into taking over.

The Buccaneers lost fullback Earnest Graham and defensive lineman Jimmy Wilkerson during their win last week. Wilkerson led all of Tampa Bay's defensive linemen with 66 tackles while being second on the team in sacks with six.

Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman has a promising future, but at this embryonic stage he's very mistake prone as evidenced by a 9-to-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

50 Dime - San Diego Chargers

I like the Chargers to cover this small number even though they are going to rest starters having secured the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC.

First off, Philip Rivers and the starters are going to play for at least a couple of series. Norv Turner doesn't want his first-string to be without work for three straight weeks. There's a good possibility the Chargers could build up a double-digit lead before halftime before Turner pulls his starters making San Diego for the first-half a good play, too.

Second, the Chargers will still be intense even with their reserves in. They are riding a lot of momentum with a 10-game winning streak. San Diego is a team that knows how to win. Its players have said this game is important to them regardless of how long the starters play.

Third, San Diego has good backups. Darren Sproles, not LaDainian Tomlinson, is the team's most dangerous running back nowadays. Billy Volek is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. He had a preseason quarterback rating of 131.6. Volek will get to operate against a Washington secondary missing three safeties, including LaRon Landry. That leaves them extremely thin in the secondary. The Redskins also might be without defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and linebacker Rocky McIntosh.

Fourth, look at this situation. San Diego has had extra time to rest and prepare following a road win 10 days ago at Tennessee. Washington just got done losing and playing poorly in back-to-back home games versus NFC East Division rivals the Giants and Cowboys. Now the Redskins have to somehow regroup and travel to the West Coast for a game that is totally meaningless for them.

How meaningless is this game for Washington? I repeat totally meaningless. Jim Zorn and his staff are out. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder already has interviewed candidates with Mike Shanahan looking like Zorn's successor.

Speaking of Snyder, Chargers coach Norv Turner wouldn't mind sticking it to him. Snyder fired Turner in Washington making him the scapegoat for the team and owner's many shortcomings. Turner will have the Chargers playing hard no matter who is in the lineup.

Even if Washington was up for this game, which I don't see any way it can be, it doesn't have the horses. The Redskins lost another offensive lineman, starting right guard Mike Williams. They have already used 11 offensive linemen this season and five tailbacks. Washington, not San Diego, has no incentive or talent available for this final regular-season game.

50 Dime - Cincinnati Bengals

It's not often you can say the Bengals are a well-coached, good sound fundamental football team. But this year you can make that statement without any laugh track.

The Jets are much like the Bengals: strong defense, conservative game-plan, heavy on the run. The Jets just aren't as good as the Bengals. Yet because the Bengals have clinched their playoff spot and the Jets need to win in order to clinch theirs we have a huge spread.

Taking an underdog with a total of less than 36 usually is a wise investment. That's the case here.

The Bengals have covered nine of the past 10 times they've been an underdog. The underdog is 14-1 in Cincinnati games this season.

The Jets are notorious for not playing well in big games. They are 1-4 against the spread the last five times they've been home chalk.

Just because the Jets have to win doesn't mean they will. True, Marvin Lewis won't be playing his starters the full game. But he has built a prideful team that won't lay down, especially this being the nationally televised Sunday night game. It wouldn't be shocking if the league secretly communicated to the Bengals that they need to play hard the whole way after last week's fiasco with the Colts laying down to the Jets.

The Jets aren't built to cover big pointspread margins. Their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been picked off 20 times despite the offense being scaled way back. Sanchez, a West Coast guy, has never played in Giants Stadium during January.

The forecast for the game is temperatures in the high teens with winds in the 15-to-25 mph range with gusts up to 40 mph and a 20 percent chance of snow. The Bengals have a pair of ballhawk cornerbacks, Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall. They have a combined 12 interceptions.

Carson Palmer is unlikely to play much. The Bengals' backup quarterback is veteran J.T. O'Sullivan, who Mike Martz fawned over at the start of last season when O'Sullivan was San Francisco's starter for a while.

Certainly there's a dropoff from Palmer to O'Sullivan. But this wasn't a vintage Palmer year. He averaged just more than 200 yards passing per game and only had one 300-yard throwing game. The Bengals became heavily dependent on the run. They are deep at running back. Backup Larry Johnson, formerly of the Chiefs, is a good fit for the Bengals offense.

This is going to be a very conservative, defensive-oriented matchup. The Jets would be thrilled to win by a field goal.