Plays for Week 10

NEW ORLEANS (6-3) -1 AT ATLANTA (5-3) (50)

This is another very close game to call here and a very competitive game here in the NFC South division. In my opinion, these are two teams who have both looked very good at times this season and at times looked like they were struggling. New Orleans was on many people’s short list of playoff contenders when the season starts (as was Atlanta) only to look to me like they are struggling to keep the other team’s offense off the field right now. The Atlanta Falcons, after beating a team on national TV, the Philadelphia Eagles, when Mike Vick was knocked out of the game, didn’t look all that good early in the season. After that game, the Falcons have made some changes to their offense and offensive line to get Michael Turner much more involved in the offense. The Saints have had some changes, injuries, and even a retirement affect their offensive line and their running game. The Saints throw the ball over 65% of the time, mostly in the short passing game. RB Mark Ingram has been injured off and on this season and the Saints have had to make changes to their offense and throw a lot of passes to RB Darren Sproles (the league’s leading receiver) and Pierre Thomas, who have both done a great job so far this season. This game is an absolute flip of the coin here. Atlanta is at home and in the past, the Saints have usually been a good road team. However, this year, they Saints are 1-3 on the road, even having lost to a not very good Rams team by 10 two weeks ago. Drew Brees is a GREAT QB. He will keep the Saints close but I feel that the SAINTS DEFENSE is probably their biggest problem right now. The Saints have given up a 5.3 yard average on the ground this year and 14 TD’s and only picked off 4 passes. This is not a typical Gregg Williams defense. Injuries and personnel have changed this defense considerably. I look for the Falcons this weekend at home to run Michael Turner and use the strong receiving corps of Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and a HEALTHY JULIO JONES to get the lead and stay there against the suddenly struggling Saints. I HAVE THE SAINTS RATED AS AN OK+ TEAM AND THE FALCONS THE SAME. IM PLAYING THE FALCONS MINUS THE POINT HERE. There is a possibility that this game could go over since it’s played indoors, but if the Falcons keep the Saints defense on the field for over 30 minutes with their running game, it could keep the score down. The Falcons defense has played very well as of late. TAKE THE FALCONS FOR 4 STARS.

CAROLINA (2-6) -3½ OVER TENNESSEE (4-4) (46½)

ANOTHER CLOSE GAME here with the Cam Newton led Carolina Panthers coming off a bye week taking on the Titans of Tennessee with Matt Hasselbeck. Besides beating up on a TERRIBLE Colts team two weeks ago, the Titans have not looked good at all. Last week, however, Chris Johnson looked a lot like the C.J. of old. His yards per carry average climbed up to 3.0 which might not sound like much, but believe me, he looked much better. This was against a good Cincinnati defense but they ended up losing the game to a better team. On the Panthers side of the ball, Cam Newton has been nothing but phenonmenal to watch so far this season. With an extra week to prepare for the Titans defense, I look for Newton, Steve Smith, and the Panthers offense to put some points on the board against a not so good Titans defense. The Titans will definitely come out running the football against a Carolina defense that can’t stop the run, ranking 29th in rushing defense. The Panthers should be able to run AND throw against the Titans. I’M TAKING THE PANTHERS HERE IN A VERY CLOSE GAME TO COVER THE POINTSPREAD. There is a good chance I’ll release the OVER 46 points in this game also for 3 or 4 stars. I doubt either team will play too much defense, but I see the Panthers at home being able to outscore the Titans with many more weapons on offense. Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t have the receivers that Cam does and if the Panthers shut down C.J., it could be over early. I HAVE BOTH TEAMS RATED OK-. No surprise there. Like I said, a very close matchup. GO PANTHERS!! TAKE THE PANTHERS MINUST THE POINTS FOR 3 STARS.

CHICAGO (5-3) -3 OVER DETROIT (6-2) (43½)

What a surprise…another close game here in the NFL this week. What a great lineup they’re at putting in front of the NFL fans this week. The BEARS seem to have made a big step up with their offensive line in the past several weeks and worked out their problems protecting QB Jay Cutler. This past week in Philadelphia, the Bears DID NOT ALLOW ONE SACK of Cutler. To me, that is unbelievably impressive. The Eagles have some pass rushers, blitzed on several occasions, and not once was Cutler sacked. Matt Forte fumbled three times in the game (very non-Forte like) and they still won the game AND Forte in the second half had a great game as usual for the Bears. The Lions are coming off a BYE week and should be ready for this game. Matt Stafford is having a great season so far throwing the football and leading this Lion offense. Calving Johnson is having a MONSTER YEAR at WR with 11 TD’s already at the halfway point. Their only two losses so far have come in close games against the almost undefeated 49ers and an improving Atlanta Falcons team three weeks ago. The Lions offensive line has to worry about a healthy Julius Peppers and the defensive line of Chicago getting to Stafford. If Detroit can keep Stafford off his backside, they have a chance to win this game. If not, it could be a long night for Stafford and the Lions. The Bears give up an average of 5.2 yards per carry on the ground as do the Lions. Unfortunately, the Lions don’t have a feature back to take advantage of that. The Bears have Forte. The Bears linebacking corps lead by Brian Urlacher is superb. They play the pass better than most. What a great game to watch but I’m going to PASS on this game because the Bears look better than they have all season long right now AND the LIONS, who I HAVE RATED AS A GOOD TEAM, are coming off a bye week. I HAVE THE BEARS RATED AS AN OK TEAM but they are at home and improving as we speak. I AM RELEASING THE OVER 43½ POINTS FOR 3 STARS HOWEVER. Scratch! No Play! Too much wind!

CINCINNATI (6-2) +4 OVER PITTSBURGH (6-3) (43)

This is going to be a physical, tough game for both teams. After their bye week, the Bengals have come through with TWO ROAD WINS IN A ROW, setting up this matchup against the Steelers at home this weekend. Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton has been everything that the Bengals had hoped he would and proven himself already to his teammates and fans to be a leader. I HAVE CINCY RATED AS AN OK++ TEAM, ALMOST A GOOD TEAM AND THE STEELERS ARE RATED OK+. The Bengals have won 5 games in a row after losing a close one to an excellent 49ers team. Rookie A.J. Green is having a great year so far for the Bengals and is Dalton’s favorite target. Cedrick Benson is healthy and back after a one game suspension. The Bengals have a very balanced offense this year. Give Marvin Lewis all the credit n the world. I’ve been one of his biggest critics in the past, but he’s doing a superb job this year. The Steelers, who have been playing well, are coming off two emotional, tough, physical games against the Pats and the Ravens. It’s going to be tough for them to get up for this game as high as they were last week again, in my opinion. The Bengals defense is a very good group. They are extremely tough against the run especially. If the Bengals can stay away from turnovers (so far this year the Steelers are NOT forcing any turnovers) they can control the ball and keep the Steelers offense off the field and win this game. Talk about no respect, the Bengals who are at home and have a slightly BETTER team than the Steelers, in my opinion, are 3 POINT UNDERDOGS IN VEGAS JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE STEELERS. I’M TAKING THE BENGALS PLUS THE POINTS AS THE HOME DOG TO NOT ONLY COVER BUT WIN THE GAME OUTRIGHT! 3 STAR PLAY ON THE BENGALS. GO BENGALS!!

CLEVELAND (3-5) +3 OVER ST. LOUIS (1-7) (37)

Talk about a piece of crap game here! Both of these teams are horrible, but somehow the Browns have won 3 games this season. They are averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Their two best running backs are OUT. Colt McCoy is like 24 years old and he walks like a 60 year old man because he’s been beat up so badly because his offensive line can’t protect him. They virtually have no weapons on offense. The Rams, on a good note, actually won a game two weeks ago when they beat the New Orleans Saints by 10 points, then came back last week and traveled to Arizona and had chances to win but lost in overtime to the lousy Cardinals on a 99 yard punt return. I’m not going to waste a whole lot of time talking about this game, but even though it’s two lousy teams, it should be a good game. RB Steven Jackson of St. Louis is healthy and looking absolutely like the old Steven Jackson. The problem the Rams have is that they really have nobody to throw the ball to on offense. St. Louis has played a very tough schedule this year losing to the likes of Philly, the Giants, the Ravens, Green Bay, and Dallas. I feel that these are two teams going in opposite directions. I’M TAKING THE RAMS IN A SMALL PLAY TO COVER THE SPREAD HERE AND WIN THEIR SECOND GAME OF THE SEASON. THE BROWNS ARE SIMPLY HORRIBLE.

DALLAS (4-4) -5 ½ OVER BUFFALO (5-3) (40½)

Here’s another VERY CLOSE GAME TO CALL THIS WEEK! I love it when there are games that could go either way. I’ve loved the Bills all season long and after shutting out a piece of crap Washington Redskins team, the Bills FINALLY took a week off, looked pretty bad, and lost. I really think the difference in the team was the health of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was hurt worse than everybody knew against the Redskins. He should be healthy this week and the Bills ARE a better team than the Cowboys. I’ve talked a lot about how the Cowboys playing at home really isn’t much of an advantage because of the nature of the stadium and how it’s built and set up for entertainment. Also, Chan Gailey is going home to Dallas where he was a head coach and an assistant. I HAVE BUFFALO RATED AS AN OK++ TEAM. I HAVE THE COWBOYS RATED AS AN OK+ TEAM. The Bills start a three week road trip here in Dallas. This is a game they really needto win. The Bills have lost three of their four games on the road. Three decent teams that the Bills have beaten are New England, Oakland, and Philly. The Cowboys, on the other hand, haven’t really beaten anyone except the 49ers (their only loss) Other Cowboys wins have been against Washington, St. Louis, and Seattle. Not a very impressive resume. Both teams have almost IDENTICAL offensive numbers. It can be argued that the Cowboys have a better defense but I’m not sold on it. The Bills are starting a third team left tackle for this game and he matches up with DeMarcus Ware. That could be FATAL for Fitzpatrick and the Bills offense. However, they can keep Ware in check with screen passes and draw plays and running right at him. I’VE BEEN BIG ON THE BILLS ALL SEASON LONG BUT THIS GAME IS JUST TOO TOUGH TO CALL AND THE BILLS SEEM TO BE STRUGGLING A BIT ON OFFENSE FOR THE FIRST TIME ALL YEAR. PASS.

JACKSONVILLE (2-6) -3 OVER INDIANAPOLIS (0-9) (39)

The Jaguars have played a very tough schedule, but they’re not a very good team. However, in my opinion, they are improving and getting much better work out of their rookie QB Blaine Gabbert, who is just managing games for the most part. They have an all pro RB in Maurice Jones-Drew and nobody really stops him. The Colts couldn’t stop me on defense and I’m 57 years old. The Colts may have the WORST team in the history of the NFL as we know it. I PREDICTED SEVERAL WEEKS AGO THAT THIS GAME WOULD BE THE ONLY GAME THE COLTS WON ALL SEASON LONG. THEY ARE SO BAD I’M CHANGING MY MINE. The point spread speaks loudly of my opinion. HOWEVER, a better Jacksonville team who has played Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston all very tough, and actually BEAT THE RAVENS, should win the game outright and cover. Indy couldn’t come within 30 points of the Ravens, let alone beat them. I’M TAKING THE JAGUARS, Jack Del Rio, their rookie QB, and their defense, which is very tough, to not only WIN THE GAME BUT TO COVER THE POINTSPREAD FOR 5 STARS. I HAVE THE JAGS RATED AS AN OK—TEAM AND THE COLTS AS A SS TEAM (SUPER SUCK) Sorry Colts. I’m just saying that because it’s true. Besides, they are winning the SUCK FOR LUCK sweepstakes and a win would throw a monkey in the wrench. I’M TAKING JACKSONVILLE FOR 3 STARS.

KANSAS CITY (4-4) -3 OVER DENVER (3-5) (45½)

Here’s ANOTHER VERY CLOSE GAME TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND!! Hey, just when we thought that the Chiefs had turned everything around with their team and had won 3 games in a row, they play a winless Miami Dolphins team at home and get beat 31-3 last weekend. I’M TOTALLY CONFUSED ABOUT THIS TEAM! Chiefs QB Matt Cassel is still struggling with the offense. He has two decent RB’s to hand the ball off too and throw to out of the backfield. Their defense last week didn’t show up either. Now they play their 3rd game in a row at home this weekend against TIM TEBOW and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos went into Oakland last week and beat a good division opponent. The Broncos rushed (with Tebow’s help) for almost 300 yards. The Broncos are turning everything around and in my opinion and it’s because of Tebow. He just breathes life into a football game. Now they take on what looks to be a not so good Chiefs team and defense and I’m guessing the Broncos will not only play a good game but probably WIN. Do I want to stake my reputation on it? I’ll let you know this Sunday at 11 on BRUCE HALL’S SECOND OPINION. Right now, I’m not sure. I DON’T GUESS….EVER!

MIAMI (1-7) -4 OVER SKINS (3-5) (45½)

The Dolphins won a game finally last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, who looked horrible, but take nothing away from this Miami performance. They played great and have played great at times all season long. They have been so close to winning on three or four occasions so far this season, but they would not be stopped last week. Dolphin QB Matt Moore was 17-23 last week for 300 yards and did more than manage the game. Reggie Bush finally looked like the kind of back the Dolphins thought they signed this year. The get rookie sensation Daniel Thomas back from injury this week and that should give them all the weapons they need to move the football against a Redskins defense that may not be as good as advertised earlier this year. Brandon Marshall is a very good WR. He may be doubled at times and that should open up other receivers in the Dolphin offense. No matter what, THE REDSKINS OFFENSE SUCKS, ABSOLUTELY SUCKS. In their last 5 games the Skins are averaging just over 10 points per game. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE, and with John Beck at QB for the unforeseen future, I don’t see any way it’s going to improve. The Dolphins secondary is suspect at best and if the Skins can’t move the ball against this Dolphin team, then they probably won’t win another game this season. I HAPPEN TO LIKE THE DOLPHINS IN THIS SITUATION HERE AT HOME AGAINST A STRUGGLING REDSKINS TEAM. This should be a close game for a while, but if the Dolphins can move the football, and they should be able to do just that, I see them pulling away at the end and beating the Skins. The Redskins offense is completely wearing out their decent defensive squad. TAKE THE DOLPHINS MINUS THE POINTS FOR 4 STARS. WARNING!!! IF REX GROSSMAN STARTS, SCRATCH!

PHILLY (3-5) -14 OVER ARIZONA (2-6) (46 ½)

Everyone’s writing off the Eagles at 3-5. Personally, I called it and said it EVERYWHERE at the start of this season that the NFC East could be possibly won with an 8-8 record. As a matter of fact, I said that ALL 4 TEAMS COULD END UP 8-8. Well, I’m taking that back because the Redskins are so bad they won’t win 6 games, maybe not even 5 games. However, the Giants, Cowboys, and Eagles are all about the same in their own ways. All three of these teams can beat the other teams. I like the Giants in the East but Philly has some weapons nobody can compare to. Arizona on the other hand, the opponent here of the Eagles, seems to be going the wrong direction here. Until last week’s overtime victory over the Rams at home, they had lost 6 games in a row. Not much has changed and the Rams, in case you had forgotten, has only won one game all season long. After losing on Monday night and on a short week, I see the Eagles coming out and going after the Cardinals with all they’ve got. Andy will have them ready. John Skelton, who looked better than Kevin Kolb has ever looked this season, will get the start again for the Cardinals. He is not a bad QB at all. After 8 games, All Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald has only caught 38 passes. Getting double and triple teamed makes other targets available, but until the Cardinals figure out how to play better defense (until last week they gave up over 30 points per game 4 weeks in a row). I’M GOING TO PASS ON THIS GAME BECAUSE I JUST CAN’T GIVE 14 AT HOME WITH THE EAGLES. PASS.

HOUSTON (6-3) -3 AT TAMPA BAY (4-4) (44 ½)

HERE’S ANOTHER GAME THAT SHOULD BE A TIGHT, WELL PLAYED CONTEST! I keep pointing it out because I don’t remember the last time there were any more toss-up games in one weekend as this coming weekend. The Texans have a very formidable offense with two very good running backs in Arian Foster and Ben Tate. They are rushing for almost 150 yards per game. Matt Schaub has thrown 13TD’s and only 6 pics so far in 9 games. With Wade Phillips at the helm of their defense, which has gone from almost last in the league to first, this Texans team has improved greatly this season. Their record of 6-3 really doesn’t reflect how good this team is, in my opinion. Tampa Bay, on the other side of the ball, is struggling this year. Their schedule has been a tough one so far and they have beaten Atlanta and New Orleans at home so far this season. HOWEVER, I feel that this week at home against this Texans team, they just won’t have the weapons to score enough points to beat the Texans this weekend. Don’t get me wrong. The Bucs have an excellent QB in Josh Freeman. The problem that the Bucs have, with the exception of RB LeGarrette Blount, they really don’t have any playmakers with Freeman. Freeman may be their BEST PLAYMAKER. The Bucs are giving up almost 5 yards a pop against the run. The Texans have a much better pass defense than the Bucs. I’M GOING TO TAKE THE TEXANS MINUS THE POINTS ON THE ROAD TO BEAT THE BUCS AND COVER THE SPREAD.

BALTIMORE (6-2) -6½ OVER SEATTLE (2-6) (41)

Everyone in the country is on the Ravens here. That’s not a good thing in my opinion. I’m a big fan personally of the Ravens and their organization but they are coming off a HUGE win against the Steelers in Heinz Field and I find it hard to believe that traveling cross country and playing a pretty lousy Seahawk team (that is capable of winning, by the way) isn’t going to be a good situation for me or anyone I know to take the Ravens giving up a touchdown here. You never know who’s going to show up on the Seahawks. After traveling cross country and beating a good Giants team, the Seahawks have lost three games in a row. I don’t see them winning the game here, but I do see the possibility of them keeping it close against a possibly flat Ravens team. I could be wrong here (I’ve been wrong before) but I’m PASSING ON THE GAME BECAUSE IT’S JUST NOT A GOOD SPOT FOR THE RAVENS. I may change my mind but I doubt it.

SAN FRANCISCO (7-1) -3½ OVER GIANTS (43½)

I’m becoming a 49er fan. Hey, several years ago when the 49ers were going to Super Bowl’s with those GREAT teams of the 80’s and 90’s, I was a big fan. Since then, not so much because they really didn’t have much going on right there. Now with a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, and an old school running attack and offense (which I love by the way), they are proving that they are for real. They could EASILY be undefeated this year, but let’s not get too excited. Even though they’re a LOCK to win the NFC West, the other teams in the West are not very good. However, this weekend the 49ers take on a pretty good Giants team with goals and aspirations of their own this season. This Giants team looks SO MUCH like the one that beat the Pats in the Super Bowl a few years ago that it is scary. Eli Manning, without having to look over his shoulder at his older brother dominating this year, is having a phenomenal year. He is proving his is the guy he tried to tell us he was before the season started. The Giants are struggling with their running game surprisingly, but their offensive line has changed somewhat personnel wise. Defensively the Giants can RUSH THE PASSER BIG TIME! This team puts so much pressure on the opposing offensive lines and QB’s that it seems the opposing offenses spend most of the game trying to make changes to protect. Brandon Jacobs last week had a great game. I was down on him. Maybe he heard my show (couldn’t have) but somehow he was extremely motivated. They hope to get Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks back on the offense this week. If they do, and they probably will, the 49ers defensive back have their hands full. ANYONE CAN WIN THIS GAME. I’d love to take the 49ers, who will bang Frank Gore into the line for 25 carries or so, and throw to him out of the backfield, and try to stretch the field with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. However, if the Giants pass rush comes, they’ll be keeping Gore in the backfield to block on passing plays. The best way for the 49ers to combat the pass rush is to RUN THE FOOTBALL, and guess what? They will. I’M GOING TO PASS ON THIS GAME BECAUSE LIKE SO MANY OF THE GAMES THIS WEEKEND, EITHER TEAM CAN WIN THE GAME!

JETS (5-3) -1½ OVER NEW ENGLAND (5-3) (47½)

HERE’S ANOTHER TOSS UP! WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND! Anyway, here’s a playoff game. New England has Super Bowl wins this past decade. The Jets have been to two straight AFC championship games. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT. THIS IS A PLAYOFF GAME!! It doesn’t get any better than this. The Pats started out as 2 ½ point favorites and quickly the Jets became the betting favorite. The public isn’t always stupid. Just usually. Anyone could see that this Pats team just isn’t the same team they’ve been in the past and it’s not just their defense that isn’t as good. It’s their offense too. They really don’t have a burner at WR that can stretch the field that they’ve had in the past. Last week against the Giants in Foxboro, the Pats could have won, but mistakes and just the bad luck of scoring too soon helped to beat them. Now, the next week they have to take on Rex Ryan and the Jets. This isn’t going to be pretty. You probably won’t get a better value ever than the Jets almost EVEN at home. Last week, normally I’d have been all over the Jets against the Bills because I had a feeling that Fitzpatrick wasn’t 100% and if you’re QB isn’t 100% against a Rex Ryan defense, you’re in trouble. I even took the Bills because they have been the better team all season long. The Bills had their worst game of the season last week and Fitzpatrick wasn’t a factor. This week, the Jets are still not getting enough respect AND the Pats are probably getting too much respect still in Vegas. The Jets won’t get a better opportunity to beat the Pats than this weekend minus the 1½. If the Pats lose this week to the Jets, it will be their 3rd loss in a row. I can’t even remember the last time the Pats lost 3 in a row. LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene seem to be running downhill right now. Mark Sanchez is improving He has only thrown 7 picks all season long and is getting more comfortable with Plaxico Burress. Tom Brady has looked bothered to say the least going back and throwing for the Pats. Injuries haven’t helped, but I think that the Jets will take away the pass for the most part and make the Pats run the football. They’ll even have a tough time doing that. TAKE THE JETS MINUS THE SMALL POINTSPREAD FOR 4 STARS. THE MORE I LOOK AT THIS GAME, THE MORE I LIKE IT. ONLY A SANCHEZ MELTDOWN WILL COST THEM THIS GAME.

GREEN BAY (8-0) -13 OVER MINNESOTA (2-6) (51)

Finally a game that shouldn’t be close, but will it be a blowout? Maybe not. Last time these two got together, it was Christian Ponder’s second start and he kept the Vikings close with a 33-27 loss at home. They just wouldn’t quit. The Vikings have weapons despite their 2-6 record. They probably have a HOF RB in Adrian Peterson. He is, in my opinion, the best running back in the league. He has 9 TD’s and is averaging just under 5 yards per carry. Percy Harvin is healthy and is leading the team with 31 receptions but no touchdowns yet. Percy is also carrying the ball out of the backfield. Toby Gerhart needs more touches because he’s averaging 5.9 yards per carry. I HAVE THE VIKINGS RATED AS AN OK TEAM DESPITE THEIR 2-6 RECORD. TOUGH DIVISION. On the Packers side of the ball, what can you say? They haven’t lost since early December last year!! Aaron Rodgers is breaking all kinds of QB and offensive records. He is completing over 72% of his passes and his QB rating is 127. UNREAL! He throws regularly to 7 or 8 different receivers. James Starks has replaced Ryan Grant as the starter at RB. He’s averaging 4.6 yards per carry. The only thing that scares me here for the Packers is that the Vikings showed no fear the last time they played. 13 POINTS IS WAY TOO MANY POINTS TO GIVE IN A DIVISION RIVALRY LIKE THIS. BESIDES, THE PACK SEEMS TO BE CRUISING(who can blame them?) LATELY SO I’M PASSING ON THE GAME!!

SUMMARY OF PICKS

ATLANTA -1 OVER NEW ORLEANS 4
OVER 43 ½ CHICAGO-DETROIT 3
CINCINNATI +3 OVER PITTSBURGH 3
ST. LOUIS +3 OVER CLEVELAND 3
UNDER 36 CLEVELAND-ST.LOUIS 3
JACKSONVILLE -3 OVER INDY 3
MIAMI -4 OVER REDSKINS 4
HOUSTON -3 OVER TAMPA BAY 3
JETS -1½ OVER NEW ENGLAND 3
OVER 47½ JETS-NEW ENGLAND 4
OVER 51 MINNESOTA-GREEN BAY 3
SAN FRANCISCO -3 ½ OVER GIANTS 3