HOUSTON (1 - 2) at TAMPA BAY (1 - 2) - 9/4/2009, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 2-0 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 2-0 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS (1 - 2) at MINNESOTA (3 - 0) - 9/4/2009, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 1-1 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 1-1 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
SAN FRANCISCO (3 - 0) at SAN DIEGO (1 - 2) - 9/4/2009, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 2-0 against the spread versus SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
SAN DIEGO is 2-0 straight up against SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Game 137-138: Houston at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 120.952; Tampa Bay 122.776
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 2; 32
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay by 3; 34 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+3); Under
Game 139-140: Dallas at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 118.929; Minnesota 123.156
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 4; 38
Vegas Line: Minnesota by 3; 37
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-3); Over
Game 141-142: San Francisco at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco 121.453; San Diego 125.668
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 4; 41
Vegas Line: San Diego by 4 1/2; 37
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+4 1/2); Over
What bettors need to know: Friday's NFL preseason action
By VICTOR RYAN
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3, 34)
Bring on the backups
A new offensive coordinator will be at the controls for the Bucs after the surprise firing of first-year coach Jeff Jagodzinski Thursday. Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson will take over the offense.
First-round pick Josh Freeman will start at quarterback for the Bucs, which ranks 19th in total offense and 31st in passing during the preseason. Josh Johnson is expected to relieve. Neither Byron Leftwich, who was named the team’s regular season starter this week, nor Luke McCown are expected to play.
The Bucs will also be wading deep in the running back depth chart as Earnest Graham, Derrick Ward and Cadillac Williams are all expected to be held out.
The Texans will be back on the field just four days after losing to the Minnesota Vikings 17-10 Monday night. Starting quarterback Matt Schaub will not play. In his place under center will be Dan Orlovsky, Rex Grossman and Alex Brink.
Grossman will be seeing his first action since straining a hamstring in the Texans’ preseason opener vs. the Chiefs.
Linebacker Brian Cushing, the Texans’ first-round pick who has not played a snap this preseason because of a sprained knee, will again be held out despite practicing and proclaiming himself 100 percent fit.
Trends
The Bucs are 1-2 ATS and the over/under is 2-1 under first-year coach Raheem Morris. The Texans are 7-6-2 ATS and the over/under is 10-5 under fourth-year coach Gary Kubiak.
Weather
The forecast for Tampa calls for scattered thunderstorms with a high of 87 degrees.
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings (-3, 36)
Reserve the Right
The Cowboys’ reserves have struggled throughout the preseason, but they’ll get a chance to right the ship this week. Coach Wade Phillips said he plans to hold the starters out, but that could prove easier said than done given the number of injuries to the Cowboys rookie class.
The Cowboys reserves were outscored, 28-3, in the preseason opener at Oakland after the starters presented them with a first-quarter lead. Last week, the starters handed the reserves a 10-3 first-half lead vs. the San Francisco 49ers, but the backups responded by allowing San Francisco to score 10 points in the final 5:30 of a 20-13 loss.
Minnesota Coach Brad Childress also indicated the Vikings starters will not play, which includes Brett Favre. Despite his late arrival to training camp, Childress believes Favre is ready for the season opener. Tarvaris Jackson, John David Booty and Sage Rosenfels will split time under center.
The Vikings are 3-0 ATS this preseason and have had at least 350 yards of total offense in each game.
Line Movement
The line has held steady at Minnesota -3, but the total has been bet down from 38 to 36.
Trends
The Vikings are 10-5 ATS and the over/under is 6-9 under Childress. The Cowboys are 4-7 ATS and the over/under is 7-4 under Phillips.
San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers (-4, 37)
California Love
Starting quarterback Shaun Hill and the rest of the first-unit is expected to play briefly for the 49ers, which are 3-0 SU and 1-2 ATS this preseason. Alex Smith and Nate Davis will take most of the snaps for San Francisco.
The 49ers are the top rushing team in the league this preseason in large part to the significant contributions of third-round pick Glen Coffee (38 carries, 230 yards) and free agent Kory Bid (33 carries, 144 yards and 3 TD).
San Diego will rest its starters, coach Norv Turner said this week. The biggest position battle for the Chargers appears to be at running back, where veteran Michael Bennett, fourth-round rookie Gartrell Johnson and fullback Mike Tolbert are all fighting for roster spots. Bennett has had a particularly strong preseason with touchdowns in each of the Chargers’ previous three games.
Defensive tackle Travis Johnson, a former first-round pick who was obtained from the Texans in a trade earlier this week, will not play because of a sports hernia he has been battling all preseason.
Line Movement
The Chargers opened as 3.5-point favorites and are now -4 at most betting shops. The total has held steady at 37 at most books.
Trends
The Chargers are 6-4-1 ATS and the over/under is 6-5 under third-year coach Norv Turner. The 49ers are 1-2 ATS and the over/under is 1-2 under Mike Singletary.
Weather
The forecast for San Diego calls for sunny skies with a high of 83 degrees.
Two of the last four NFC representatives in the Super Bowl have amazingly come from the NFC West, with Seattle playing for the championship in 2005, and Arizona last season. The Cardinals finished the regular season at 9-7, but came within two minutes of upsetting the Steelers, only to lose, 27-23.
Arizona made great strides last season, behind Kurt Warner's resurgence at quarterback, and Larry Fitzgerald's leap into the NFL's elite receivers. However, digging deeper into the Cardinals' improbable run, Ken Whisenhunt's club swept each of their division opponents, accounting for six of nine victories. The other three wins came against Miami in Week 2, Buffalo in Week 5, and Dallas in Week 6. The defense yielded at least 47 points in three separate contests against the Jets (56), Eagles (48), and Patriots (47).
The Seahawks took a step back in 2008, finishing 4-12 in Mike Holmgren's final season. It didn't help that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck missed nine games with a lingering back injury. Seattle's passing game is set to improve not only with Hasselbeck healthy again, but also the acquisition of ex-Bengal wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who caught 92 passes last season.
The 49ers started slow under Mike Nolan, but played well towards the end of last season with the installment of Mike Singletary as head coach. San Francisco won five of its final seven games to finish 7-9, while covering four of its last five games as an underdog.
The Rams hit a new low in 2008, claiming only two victories, as Scott Linehan is out as head coach and Steve Spagnuolo is in. The former Giants defensive coordinator comes into a dire situation in St. Louis, as the Rams are slowly starting over after the releases of wide receiver Torry Holt and offensive tackle Orlando Pace.
Here are the season win totals for the NFC West, according to Sportsbook.com.
Arizona Over 8.5 (-115) Under 8.5 (-115)
Seattle Over 8 (-160) Under 8 (+130)
San Francisco Over 7 (-145) Under 7 (+115)
St. Louis Over 5.5 (-160) Under 5.5 (+130)
The panel at VI had differing opinions on the top two teams in the division, on whether Arizona will come back down to Earth, and if Seattle bounces back this season.
Chris David, Brian Edwards, and I are all in agreement on the Seahawks rebounding in 2009, and becoming a playoff team once again. David says, "On paper, the Seahawks catch a real easy home schedule and could put up a 7-1 spot if it plays to its level. The road was trouble last year and will be tough again, however, new head coach Jim Mora Jr. has had success keeping a team focused, evidenced by his efforts in Atlanta."
Edwards says that Qwest Field will once again become the 12th man for the Seahawks, "Let's not forget that this team enjoys one of the premier home-field advantages in the league, thanks to the weather and travel for opponents."
Judd Hall disagrees with the panel on Seattle's chances for an 'over' this season. Hall believes the addition of rookie linebacker Aaron Curry from Wake Forest will help, but Hasselbeck's health is still a concern. Hall says, "Reports say that Hasselbeck is at full strength, but how long will that last with an offensive line that appears to be without Walter Jones. I don't see this club winning more than six games this season."
The chances of the Cardinals repeating their miracle run of '08 are likely, according to Hall. "It's an easy choice for people to fade the Cardinals here after falling in the Super Bowl. But they still have Warner, Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. I like Tim Hightower in the backfield with Chris "Beanie" Wells as a change of pace," Hall notes. "The schedule does have a couple lousy road trips in there (at Seattle, then at New York, at San Francisco, then at Detroit), but this team should have no problem making it back to the playoffs with 10 wins," Hall concludes.
David doesn't see the Cardinals duplicating last season's success. "A lot went right for Arizona in 2008 and playing as a favorite rather than an underdog is a much different role. The SB loser theory is another great fade tool and it applies to the Cards. In the last 10 seasons, the Super Bowl loser has failed to make the playoffs eight times, including the Patriots last year. Of those 10, five had nine or more wins but more importantly, only one team improved their win total. With that being said, an 8-8 record in the desert looks solid," David claims.
Edwards and I are in agreement on the Rams having plenty of issues this season. Mark Bulger's health is still in question this season, while the schedule does St. Louis no favors, with three of its first four games on the road. Steven Jackson is coming off a subpar season, and despite his immense talent, the running back still signed a mega-contract prior to last season, so his motivation is still in question.
Nfl 9/4
Reply With Quote