[EBDOGGN]

scores and odds has them -1 @ houston lol. this is clearly wrong... right? !?!?

[suicidekings]

Houston's a good team, man. With Schaub in there I would call them a -4.5 favourite, so Falcons -1 doesn't seem like an unreasonable line considering Houston is now down to their 3rd string QB. That being said, the Falcons seem like a solid play here. Their run defense recently has been superb, so Houston is really going to be forced to pass the ball. That Houston defense is really good. Seems to me the Under would be a better play in this game.

[EBDOGGN]

Houston's a good team, man. With Schaub in there I would call them a -4.5 favourite, so Falcons -1 doesn't seem like an unreasonable line. That being said, the Falcons seem like a solid play here.

I completely agree with you.. but with a third string rookie qb starting for them against a hot atl team Atl is only a 1pt fav?? does this guy tj yates have tebow blood in him or something I don't know about?

[blaze4g]

i was thinknig the same thing EBD and also whats up with raiders line? miami favourites by -3?

[Scuba Gooding Jr]

I thought this line was a little strange. Really this game comes down to can Atl stop Foster and Tate or can Atl get a lead so the rook has to throw ? Thats it.

[bigsmitty]

Haven't really gone into it but I may end up going with HOU and the points. Their O-line sets up the run and their defense should shut down most of ATL's gig. Didn't see much of the game but I went with HOU their last game figuring Leinart would be a minor factor (limited playbook, etc). Interesting matchup. Cheers

[suicidekings]

I completely agree with you.. but with a third string rookie qb starting for them against a hot atl team Atl is only a 1pt fav?? does this guy tj yates have tebow blood in him or something I don't know about?

Houston has outstanding defense and running backs that can do a lot without much help. It's just one of those lines where the books know they're in a tough spot so they do their best to make you think about the hidden meaning to the line.

The line is actually -1 (-126) at Pinny at the moment so we're actually talking about -2.5 (-111) / -3 (+115) here. The line is artificially being kept low to prevent 6 point teasers from giving you the home dog at +7.5 or better. This makes me less than eager to throw my money on Atlanta right away, but I suspect I'll be on the Falcons or nothing in this game, once we get a chance to see what happens to the line over the course of the week.

[Ricki Roma]

91%"of the public is on them...worries me a little..

[NickJ3]

Really like ATL in this. Houston will be forced to throw and i can not see how the texans with that excellent wade phillips D will not blitz and stack 5-7 men in the box against this team. Stop foster make yates beat you with his arm.

Julio white and TG are definetly a great combo to have and it makes Matt Ryan look like a genius. Last week 3 TD's no picks against a weak vikings secondary still great with no mistakes. This week against the 2nd best pass D in the game should be a test but i feel matt ryan will get his.

I do not see Foster and the other backs beating the Falcons single handedly.

Any Advice or add?

[suicidekings]

A Falcons +5 / Under 45 teaser is another viable option, IMO.

[Ricki Roma]

Incredibly hard to back the texans unless matt ryan makes some huge mistakes..

[JoMoney2785]

yates will be rushed and they will not be able to rely on their run game against ATl..

[SteveRyan]

Too early in the week to make a decision on this one.

[ManBearPig]

I think we've seen with Denver what having a QB that won't lose you the game and can run run the ball can do for a team with a good defense...the question is what will Yates be?

[suicidekings]

Admittedly, I didn't watch Yates' performance this past weekend, but I just watched 3 of his promotional videos from his time at UNC (youtube is great) and I hate everything about this kid's playing style. He has a short 3/4 delivery that speaks of poor mechanics. His footwork is nothing special, and his arm is weak. 85% of the throws in the videos were 10-15 yard slants/crossing routes, and even those short passes didn't look crisp. The longer tosses were appallingly bad, most of which were off the mark and virtually all of them had too much arc. His arm just isn't strong enough to represent a danger downfield. His only chance to connect outside of 20 yards will be throwing 50/50 balls to Andre Johnson in double coverage and trusting Johnson's talent and size to allow him to go up and get the ball.

On the ground, he's not bad with the read option and obviously has strong RBs on the team, but I wouldn't consider him much of a danger when he keeps the ball. His running is ragged and his lack of athleticism is apparent. The most positive thing I can say about him is he appeared to have good decision-making skills, but against Atlanta's excellent run defense is going to make it really hard for Yates to move the ball.

I'm playing Atlanta in this game, and the Under. If Yates beats me here I can accept that, but I really don't think that will happen.

[bigsmitty]

Upon further review at this point I'm think ATL or off entirely for all the reasons Suicidekings pointed out. The run and screens are fine but you need to have a credible threat down the field to keep things honest. Cheers

[k13]

Atlanta not so good on the road and grass.

Hope they win though.

[bigsmitty]

After going through as much info as possible I'm on ATL -2.5. I really like HOU and the team they've built but ATL has enough decent stats to be able to slow Foster/Tate enough to get the cover. Yates held onto the 17-10 lead against JAX last week but my gut tells me that's really all you can expect from a QB in such a position. It seems highly unlikely that he can get enough created on offence to match Ryan and the rest of ATL. All this being said I find ATL inconsistent and have largely shied away from backing them this season but think the spread, stats and logic point to an ATL cover. Cheers and good luck

[GunShard]

The Atlanta line should be -3.

[ncsubowen]

Admittedly, I didn't watch Yates' performance this past weekend, but I just watched 3 of his promotional videos from his time at UNC (youtube is great) and I hate everything about this kid's playing style. He has a short 3/4 delivery that speaks of poor mechanics. His footwork is nothing special, and his arm is weak. 85% of the throws in the videos were 10-15 yard slants/crossing routes, and even those short passes didn't look crisp. The longer tosses were appallingly bad, most of which were off the mark and virtually all of them had too much arc. His arm just isn't strong enough to represent a danger downfield. His only chance to connect outside of 20 yards will be throwing 50/50 balls to Andre Johnson in double coverage and trusting Johnson's talent and size to allow him to go up and get the ball.

On the ground, he's not bad with the read option and obviously has strong RBs on the team, but I wouldn't consider him much of a danger when he keeps the ball. His running is ragged and his lack of athleticism is apparent. The most positive thing I can say about him is he appeared to have good decision-making skills, but against Atlanta's excellent run defense is going to make it really hard for Yates to move the ball.

I'm playing Atlanta in this game, and the Under. If Yates beats me here I can accept that, but I really don't think that will happen.

Having followed Yates through his career at Carolina, I can't understand how he got any hype out of college, and how he's in the NFL now. I think the biggest issue with him is exactly what you said, he has no ability to throw the ball downfield. He couldn't do it in the ACC, and he certainly can't do it in the pros.

I think a teaser is not a bad choice here, I think the Texans D will limit the Atlanta points and keep them in the game. However, I don't think Houston can win. I think losing a 2nd string QB in addition to all of their other injuries will slow them down too much.

BOL all on your plays. I'm on ATL +5 and U44.5

[Stevedore]

A Falcons +5 / Under 45 teaser is another viable option, IMO.

Arlanta +4.5 and Balt +.5 on a 7 point teaser.

[Stevedore]

Atlanta not so good on the road and grass.
Hope they win though.

Houston plays on grass?

[D3 Mighty Ducks]

Incredibly hard to back the texans unless matt ryan makes some huge mistakes..

Matt Ryan is a very conservative so don't bank on him making "huge mistakes".

[k13]

Houston plays on grass?

Don't they?

Either way, this line should be a pk'em and everyone who's omg at the line is getting smoke blown up there ass and losing 2.5 points when taking -2.5. Not like the spread matters, just pick the winner.