Stephen Nover
Stephen Nover
Monday night ...
15 Dime RAVENS

NOTE: The New Orleans Saints picked the worst time to play their flattest game of the season. I had the Saints as my biggest play - a 75-dime selection - on Sunday against the Rams. The Saints won, but failed to cover a two-touchdown spread.

The Saints had a chance to either push or cover the spread midway through the final quarter, but Sean Payton elected to pass on a makeable field goal attempt to go on fourth down and short. A quick-hitter by the fullback failed to generate the necessary first-down yardage. This play-call was extremely frustrating to watch. I much rather would have wanted to see the Saints take their shot with Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas or Drew Brees passing to Marques Colston or any of his other receiving weapons.

I lost my two other paid Sunday selections, with the Dolphins failing to cover as a 30-dime play against the Buccaneers and took a 15-dime loss when the Chiefs-Raiders couldn't generate enough second-half points to go over the total.

I did win on my free selection of the underdog Chiefs, who beat the Raiders.

College football started on a good note Friday night with West Virginia covering against Cincinnati as a 20-dime Big East Game of the Year.

But on Saturday I went 1-2 on my 15-dime trifecta of Iowa (won), Mississippi State (lost) and USC (lost). My free selection of Louisville lost, too, with the Cardinals failing to cover a touchdown spread versus banged-up Syracuse.

15 Dime RAVENSYou would think the networks would have learned their lesson after last year. But here the Browns are back on national television - and they're as bad as ever having lost 13 of their last 14.

Eric Mangini is actually making Browns fans fondly recall the Romeo Crennel era. Cleveland is in disarray and the statistics reflect that. The Browns entered this week ranked last in total defense and 30th in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game.

The Ravens have cooled off after a hot start. Their defense is no longer dominant and quarterback Joe Flacco is learning on the job. But the Ravens are light years ahead of Cleveland.

Derek Anderson had the lowest quarterback rating in the league at 36.2. Mangini is pulling him for Brady Quinn, who he originally started and then was yanked for Anderson. That happened in Week 3 against Baltimore. The Ravens rolled past the Browns, 34-3. Flacco passed for 342 yards in that matchup. The Ravens had four interceptions.

Quinn has no playmaking ability. All he does is check down. The Ravens won't have a problem handling such a popgun attack.

Offensively, Flacco and Ray Rice can hurt a terrible Cleveland defense that has been made weaker by the loss of its two top tacklers, linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton. Their replacements are a couple of rookies.

There's no chance of Baltimore taking Cleveland lightly either, not looking up at Cincinnati in the division and being on the Monday night stage. The Ravens have covered the past eight times they've faced a team with a losing record.

P.S.: He is offering his pay picks for free until next Monday for his yesterday's fiasco (0-3) -132 dimes ... I will post it until next Monday but proceed with caution with him.

Confirmed.
GL!