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PRO INFO SPORTS continues the WINNING for our E-LERT clients and our FREE-LERT subscribers. On Saturday we released a FREE PARLAY that won easily as Baltimore won a low-scoring contest in Atlanta, just as predicted. That was only one of many winners PRO INFO SPORTS clients have enjoyed this weekend. All of our top plays from Saturday are shown below. For Monday, we have a clients-only selection on the Tampa Bay/St. Louis MNF game.
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Saturday's PRO INFO SPORTS Top Selections
NEW ENGLAND +3 over Washington
The Washington Redskins will have plenty of room for improvement on Saturday night when they take the field for their preseason home opener against the New England Patriots at FedEx Field. Washington dropped an embarrassing 20-0 decision to the Carolina Panthers at Ericsson Stadium last week. New England began its preseason with a bang last Thursday, downing the New York Giants 26-6 at Gillette Stadium.
These are quite clearly 2 teams headed in opposite directions. Head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots really look like they’re ready to make a run at getting back to the Super Bowl. The Patriots looked like the defensive demons of 2 years ago, forcing turnovers, blitzing, and sacking quarterbacks. In the first weekend of preseason football, Carolina head coach John Fox took the fun out of Spurrier’s so-called fun ‘n gun offense. Imagine what Belichick can do to it. In fact, last pre-season, when the 'Skins were leaving their starters in late and running up the score, the Patriots were the only team to beat Washington in 5 tries, as they dominated Washington 28-14. It was 2 years ago when the Patriots the Redskins 33-13.
There will be no let-up this week from New England. Belichick said his starters will play more in this game than against the Giants. Belichick clearly puts an emphasis on winning preseason games, as his 10-4 exhibition record as Pats head coach would attest. Belichick believes that playing to win no matter what the circumstance is habit-forming. The Pats will bring that attitude to Washington. Belichick said the mission against Washington is to "establish [our] level of play at this point and time and try to build on it. I think that's important for every player and it's important for each group; the offensive group, the defensive group, the kickoff coverage, the punt return team. It's important for all of us to establish our level and then try to move it to higher ground in each game."
The New England QB rotation will consist of Tom Brady (1st Q+), Rohan Davey (may follow Brady), Damon Huard, and possibly Kliff Kingsbury. Brady played only a few series last week, but will play more against the Redskins. The Redskins will counter with Patrick Ramsey (1st Q and into the second), Rob Johnson (2nd Q+), Gibran Hamdan, and possibly Brad Banks. Ramsey is quite likely to get very confused by the Patriots defense and did little to impress last week. Washington will be missing starting center Larry Moore for this contest, as he is sidelined with a sprained knee. That certainly won't help and could lead to some mishandled snaps between center and the various quarterbacks.
The public (and thus the linesmakers) have simply not caught on that the 'Skins are not going to roll over teams like they did last year in the pre-season. Spurrier is not playing his starters deep into the game, and teams are more prepared for what Washington wants to try to do. To further dampen Washington's chances of having much success through the air here, is a 40-percent chance of rain. We certainly look for New England to rain on any Redskins parade, as the Pats are 8-1 ATS in Week 2 and 13-4 ATS vs. NFC East squads, while Washington is a poor 2-7 ATS as a pre-season home favorite. Normally a team like Washington, off an embarrassing shut out, would be a solid play in their outing; however, under these specific circumstances, the match-ups are clearly in favor of New England. We also strongly considered the UNDER as we look for the 'Skins offense to be shut down again, but New England may end up putting quite a few points on the board so we passed on the total. The selection here is a strong play on the Patriots.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND 20 WASHINGTON 13!
PARLAY - Baltimore +5 over ATLANTA/UNDER 38½
Mike Vick and the Atlanta Falcons continue their preseason home schedule on Saturday night, when they take on the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons opened their preseason slate with a 27-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, although it was Atlanta's reserves that blew an 18-point advantage in the contest. Baltimore suffered a 20-19 defeat in its preseason opener to Buffalo last week. First round pick Kyle Boller looked very good considering his lack of practice time, completing 10-of-21 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Boller led the Ravens to a late fourth quarter score that pulled them within one, but the possible game-winning two-point conversion failed.
Look to see more of Mr. Boller in this contest, although Redman will no doubt get the start. Anthony Wright should also see some time behind center. Atlanta will counter with Michael Vick, Doug Johnson in the first half, then Kurt Kittner and David Rivers should split time in the second half.
We could well see a repeat of last week's Falcons game, where they get a first half lead only to give it up in the second, although we expect the Ravens defense to do a much better job here than did the Packers last week. Things will probably not go quite as smoothly for the Atlanta first-teamers this week. Coach Dan Reeves has continued installing new elements on offense and defense, but a lot of it hasn't gone well. Look for Atlanta to continue to work on these parts of their game during this contest, as their focus is on the regular season and not Baltimore.
The Ravens should put out another decent effort in what we expect to be a close, low-scoring game. The defense should keep Atlanta in check, while the offense generates enough points to have a good chance of coming away with the SU win. Head coach Brian Billick has always liked to win in the pre-season and we expect nothing less here. Billick is 11-5 SU in exhibition play, while the Ravens are 6-3 ATS in Week 2 of the pre-season, and a sparkling 7-0 ATS as a road dog over the last 5 years of practice play. The Falcons will be in a tough spot here as we note the following PRO INFO SPORTS Pre-Season Power Systems that all back a Falcons cover: in match-ups of winless teams, the underdog is 68-32 ATS; underdogs of more than 4 points are 28-11 ATS, Saturday pre-season home favorites are just 16-31 ATS, Saturday home teams vs. opponents off home games are 6-15-3 ATS, and 4-13-1 ATS vs. foes off a SU loss. It was a bit deceiving that last week's Ravens game went OVER the total, as 13 points were scored in the final 3:20. 7 of the Ravens last 8 road games have gone UNDER. If Baltimore can cover here, chances are very good that it won't be a scoring fest, so there's little additional risk in playing the UNDER with the side. While Atlanta may lose the second half this week as well, don't look for the collapse to be as pronounced as last week's. In a rare parlay play for PRO INFO SPORTS, we recommend the Ravens and the UNDER.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: BALTIMORE 13 ATLANTA 10!
New Orleans +3 1/2 over NEW YORK JETS
The New York Jets will look to stay unbeaten at home in the preseason on Saturday night, when they host the winless New Orleans Saints at Giants Stadium. New York survived an ugly rain storm last Sunday to pull off a 28-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at the Meadowlands. Just as the Bungles seemed to be on the verge of tying the game at 14-14, the Jets' defense registered a pair of touchdowns on interception returns. New Orleans began its preseason with a 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at the Superdome. Michael Lewis had a 101-yard kickoff return called back after he was wrongly ruled down by contact and it was pretty much downhill from there for the Saints.
Top running back Deuce McAllister and leading receiver Joe Horn were held out of the opener. Both should see limited action in this contest against the Jets. The Saints will need all the help they can get, as they looked awful in their preseason opener. We look for the Saints to re-group and play a solid football game after going against the Eagles without six starters - three on each side of the ball - and having 17 players miss the contest. They'll be much healthier for this meeting and head coach Jim Haslett has let it be known that he is putting a great deal of emphasis on playing better in this game and getting the "W".
Neither team has an especially strong QB rotation after the starters are done. The Saints have Todd Bouman, Tory Woodbury, and J.T. O'Sullivan to play behind star Aaron Brooks. For the Jets, Chad Pennington will play the first quarter, Vinny Testeverde in the 2nd, while rookies Brooks Bollinger and Marquel Blackwell play out the 2nd half.
Despite the victory over Cincinnati, the Jets cannot be pleased with their offense. The Bengals actually out gained New York by over 100 yards. The Jets starting offense, continuing the short-yardage bugaboo from last season, turned the ball over on downs after getting stuffed on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 runs. Later, backup QB Vinny Testaverde, playing behind the starting line, threw an interception. The next turnover was a fumble by third-string QB Brooks Bollinger, who was stripped on a sack. New York would obviously like to turn up offensive energy but they may be lacking in the area of energy. Coach Herman Edwards said that 16 to 18 players needed IVs after practice on Tuesday on one of the hottest days of camp. Then the power outage came and disrupted the Jets practice schedule. As if things weren't unsettled enough, the offensive line is a mess. The Jets are having more trouble than they anticipated replacing right offensive guard Randy Thomas, who went to Washington as a free agent. The serious body blow came a couple of days ago when right guard Tom Nutten retired, shocking everyone.
We expect the Saints to be the more focused team here. New Orleans is 9-2 ATS in Week 2 of the pre-season and 7-1-1 ATS as a road underdog over the past 5 years. The Jets are in a very bad situation here being home favorites off a big home favorite win. If the weather was a little more settled we would also like the OVER vs. the total, but we'll pass as there is a good possibility of rain. We do, however, favor New Orleans to beat the spread and, likely, the Jets.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: NEW ORLEANS 22 NY JETS 17!
Detroit +3 over CINCINNATI
Two coaches still getting used to their new teams go head-to-head at Paul Brown Stadium Saturday night, when Steve Mariucci leads the Detroit Lions against the Cincinnati Bengals and Marvin Lewis. Mariucci picked up a victory in his debut with the Lions last weekend, as they doubled up Pittsburgh, 26-13, at Ford Field. Despite the addition of Lewis, the Bengals looked like the same old squad in their preseason opener, falling 28-13 to the New York Jets in the pouring rain.
The Bengals fumbled the ball four times and rookie Carson Palmer threw 2 interceptions that were returned for TDs. They averaged 3 yards per rush. Special teams play was also poor in loss to the Jets: The Bengals special teams were flagged for three penalties, dropped two snaps in the kicking game, gave up a 32-yard punt return and fumbled a punt. We have no doubt that Marvin Lewis can work wonders in the Queen City but it WILL take time.
The Bengals quarterback rotation is a little uncertain at this point, as Carson Palmer missed some practices this week because of his sore right foot. He will be examined before Saturday night's game to determine if he can play. Jon Kitna will start, and Lewis had planned to play Palmer in the first half with first-string players and top backups. Shane Matthews was to play the second half. If Carson can't play, 4th-string quarterback, Tommy Jones, may get some time behind center. Either way, we expect Detroit to be able to keep Cincy's offense under control.
On offense, the Lions will counter with second-year quarterback Joey Harrington as the starter. He played the first half last week and will likely see similar time here. He will also have a new friend to throw to. Detroit played the opener without second overall pick Charles Rogers, who dislocated his ring finger two weeks ago, but had the stitches were removed late last week and Rogers will likely make his NFL debut in this contest. After Harrington, QB's Mike McMahon and Ty Detmer, (and maybe Curt Anes) will see some playing time. It appears that Mariucci and the Lions are ahead of Cincinnati on their respective revival plans. Detroit's new coach used an offseason program for conditioning and got much of his offense and defense installed during the minicamps, so the Lions players weren't starting from scratch when training camp began in July. Mariucci also has the benefit of experience, as he's been a successful head coach in the NFL for years, while this is the first time around the block for Lewis. Look for fewer mistakes from the Lions than the Bengals in this contest.
Detroit got off to a rousing start last week and that enthusiasm should carry over here. Quite a few numbers confirm our analysis. NFL Teams with new coaches have been outstanding as pre-season underdogs, going 64-37 ATS, including 3-1 this year. The lone loss? Lewis and the Bungles last week in New York. Cincy is 3-9 ATS in Week 2 of the exhibition play and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 tries as a home favorite in the pre-season. There are still more numbers we could pile on with, but suffice it to say that the match adds up to a play here on Detroit.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: CINCINNATI 23 DETROIT 10
NOTE: Carson Palmer DID play and had an outstanding effort. Detroit was forced to take a 5-hour bus ride to Cincinnati on the day of the game due to the power outages in the area. These 2 factors no doubt greatly contributed to the outcome.
Philadelphia vs. PITTSBURGH UNDER 37 1/2
Philadelphia +3 over PITTSBURGH
Fresh off a win in New Orleans, the Philadelphia Eagles remain on the road for a Keystone State clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field Saturday night. Philadelphia posted a crisp effort on Monday night, defeating the New Orleans Saints, 27-17, at the Superdome. The Steelers struggled in their preseason opener, dropping a 26-13 decision to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Starting Steelers signal caller Tommy Maddox got roughed up as his offensive line couldn't hold off the rush of the Lions. Maddox and the other Pittsburgh can't be expected to fare much better against the vaunted Eagles defense. The offense was just 2 for 13 on third down conversions in Detroit and we expect little improvement since then.
As we noted in our analysis for last Saturday's winning PRO INFO SPORTS selection, the Steelers have had a hard time getting their full practice sessions in due to rain and soggy field conditions. We felt that they would simply not be ready for a pumped-up Detroit bunch and that turned out to be the case. This week, head Steeler Bill Cowher admitted what we told our clients last week. He said the bad weather that has plagued camp and forced the team to use alternate practice sites has hindered his team's performance. And he said it showed in their preseason opener in Detroit. The problems have only continued. Despite not having rain during this week of camp, the Steelers had to practice on the upper fields because the lower fields were saturated with water. "We are definitely not where we need to be at this point" was Cowher's statement, and we'll take him at his word here.
The QB rotation for Pittsburgh is nothing to get excited about. Tommy Maddox will play into the 2nd quarter, but the Steelers are going to have a hard time moving the ball on this Philly defensive wrecking crew. Charlie Batch had a bad outing in Detroit and will play through the 3rd period, while rookie Brian St. Pierre will get the final quarter of action behind center. He, too, had a rough time of it last week and has not shown us anything to instill confidence.
The Eagles have, perhaps, the deepest pre-season QB rotation in the league with Donovan McNabb, Koy Detmer, A.J. Feeley, and a sprinkling of Tim Hasselbeck. This is a clear advantage for the Eagles.
Coach Andy Reid says his first team offense and defense will get more playing time against the Steelers than they did Monday night against New Orleans, so he won't be letting up despite the short week. Philadelphia will be thin at running back as second string back Brian Westbrook is sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee and Duce Staley continues his ridiculous holdout. Starter Correll Buckhalter and rookie Reno Mahe will split most of the carries, and we are quite impressed with Mahe. He could have a big day here against the Steelers.
After such a poor performance by Pittsburgh, we would normally be on them for a big turn-around; however, in this particular case they just don't seem ready to make such a move. While side trends conflict for this game, we do like the Eagles to cover and quite possibly win the game SU. The UNDER is even more attractive. The Eagles Week 2 exhibition games have gone under in the 3 of the last 4 years, while Pittsburgh has gone UNDER 6 of 7 chances as a home favorite. A PRO INFO SPORTS Pre-Season TOTALS Power System is also in play here, as teams coming off a Monday Night Football exhibition have played games going UNDER in 23 out of the last 30 times. Additionally, the weather forecast is calling for a 40-percent chance of rain. Heinz field is a tricky place to kick anyway, helping to keep points off the board and totals down. Some rain won't help the situation as we like this contest to go UNDER in a SU Eagles victory.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: PHILADLEPHIA 21 PITTSBURGH 16! (DOUBLE WINNER!)
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Saturday's PRO INFO SPORTS Top Selections
NEW ENGLAND +3 over Washington
The Washington Redskins will have plenty of room for improvement on Saturday night when they take the field for their preseason home opener against the New England Patriots at FedEx Field. Washington dropped an embarrassing 20-0 decision to the Carolina Panthers at Ericsson Stadium last week. New England began its preseason with a bang last Thursday, downing the New York Giants 26-6 at Gillette Stadium.
These are quite clearly 2 teams headed in opposite directions. Head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots really look like they’re ready to make a run at getting back to the Super Bowl. The Patriots looked like the defensive demons of 2 years ago, forcing turnovers, blitzing, and sacking quarterbacks. In the first weekend of preseason football, Carolina head coach John Fox took the fun out of Spurrier’s so-called fun ‘n gun offense. Imagine what Belichick can do to it. In fact, last pre-season, when the 'Skins were leaving their starters in late and running up the score, the Patriots were the only team to beat Washington in 5 tries, as they dominated Washington 28-14. It was 2 years ago when the Patriots the Redskins 33-13.
There will be no let-up this week from New England. Belichick said his starters will play more in this game than against the Giants. Belichick clearly puts an emphasis on winning preseason games, as his 10-4 exhibition record as Pats head coach would attest. Belichick believes that playing to win no matter what the circumstance is habit-forming. The Pats will bring that attitude to Washington. Belichick said the mission against Washington is to "establish [our] level of play at this point and time and try to build on it. I think that's important for every player and it's important for each group; the offensive group, the defensive group, the kickoff coverage, the punt return team. It's important for all of us to establish our level and then try to move it to higher ground in each game."
The New England QB rotation will consist of Tom Brady (1st Q+), Rohan Davey (may follow Brady), Damon Huard, and possibly Kliff Kingsbury. Brady played only a few series last week, but will play more against the Redskins. The Redskins will counter with Patrick Ramsey (1st Q and into the second), Rob Johnson (2nd Q+), Gibran Hamdan, and possibly Brad Banks. Ramsey is quite likely to get very confused by the Patriots defense and did little to impress last week. Washington will be missing starting center Larry Moore for this contest, as he is sidelined with a sprained knee. That certainly won't help and could lead to some mishandled snaps between center and the various quarterbacks.
The public (and thus the linesmakers) have simply not caught on that the 'Skins are not going to roll over teams like they did last year in the pre-season. Spurrier is not playing his starters deep into the game, and teams are more prepared for what Washington wants to try to do. To further dampen Washington's chances of having much success through the air here, is a 40-percent chance of rain. We certainly look for New England to rain on any Redskins parade, as the Pats are 8-1 ATS in Week 2 and 13-4 ATS vs. NFC East squads, while Washington is a poor 2-7 ATS as a pre-season home favorite. Normally a team like Washington, off an embarrassing shut out, would be a solid play in their outing; however, under these specific circumstances, the match-ups are clearly in favor of New England. We also strongly considered the UNDER as we look for the 'Skins offense to be shut down again, but New England may end up putting quite a few points on the board so we passed on the total. The selection here is a strong play on the Patriots.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND 20 WASHINGTON 13!
PARLAY - Baltimore +5 over ATLANTA/UNDER 38½
Mike Vick and the Atlanta Falcons continue their preseason home schedule on Saturday night, when they take on the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons opened their preseason slate with a 27-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, although it was Atlanta's reserves that blew an 18-point advantage in the contest. Baltimore suffered a 20-19 defeat in its preseason opener to Buffalo last week. First round pick Kyle Boller looked very good considering his lack of practice time, completing 10-of-21 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Boller led the Ravens to a late fourth quarter score that pulled them within one, but the possible game-winning two-point conversion failed.
Look to see more of Mr. Boller in this contest, although Redman will no doubt get the start. Anthony Wright should also see some time behind center. Atlanta will counter with Michael Vick, Doug Johnson in the first half, then Kurt Kittner and David Rivers should split time in the second half.
We could well see a repeat of last week's Falcons game, where they get a first half lead only to give it up in the second, although we expect the Ravens defense to do a much better job here than did the Packers last week. Things will probably not go quite as smoothly for the Atlanta first-teamers this week. Coach Dan Reeves has continued installing new elements on offense and defense, but a lot of it hasn't gone well. Look for Atlanta to continue to work on these parts of their game during this contest, as their focus is on the regular season and not Baltimore.
The Ravens should put out another decent effort in what we expect to be a close, low-scoring game. The defense should keep Atlanta in check, while the offense generates enough points to have a good chance of coming away with the SU win. Head coach Brian Billick has always liked to win in the pre-season and we expect nothing less here. Billick is 11-5 SU in exhibition play, while the Ravens are 6-3 ATS in Week 2 of the pre-season, and a sparkling 7-0 ATS as a road dog over the last 5 years of practice play. The Falcons will be in a tough spot here as we note the following PRO INFO SPORTS Pre-Season Power Systems that all back a Falcons cover: in match-ups of winless teams, the underdog is 68-32 ATS; underdogs of more than 4 points are 28-11 ATS, Saturday pre-season home favorites are just 16-31 ATS, Saturday home teams vs. opponents off home games are 6-15-3 ATS, and 4-13-1 ATS vs. foes off a SU loss. It was a bit deceiving that last week's Ravens game went OVER the total, as 13 points were scored in the final 3:20. 7 of the Ravens last 8 road games have gone UNDER. If Baltimore can cover here, chances are very good that it won't be a scoring fest, so there's little additional risk in playing the UNDER with the side. While Atlanta may lose the second half this week as well, don't look for the collapse to be as pronounced as last week's. In a rare parlay play for PRO INFO SPORTS, we recommend the Ravens and the UNDER.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: BALTIMORE 13 ATLANTA 10!
New Orleans +3 1/2 over NEW YORK JETS
The New York Jets will look to stay unbeaten at home in the preseason on Saturday night, when they host the winless New Orleans Saints at Giants Stadium. New York survived an ugly rain storm last Sunday to pull off a 28-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at the Meadowlands. Just as the Bungles seemed to be on the verge of tying the game at 14-14, the Jets' defense registered a pair of touchdowns on interception returns. New Orleans began its preseason with a 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at the Superdome. Michael Lewis had a 101-yard kickoff return called back after he was wrongly ruled down by contact and it was pretty much downhill from there for the Saints.
Top running back Deuce McAllister and leading receiver Joe Horn were held out of the opener. Both should see limited action in this contest against the Jets. The Saints will need all the help they can get, as they looked awful in their preseason opener. We look for the Saints to re-group and play a solid football game after going against the Eagles without six starters - three on each side of the ball - and having 17 players miss the contest. They'll be much healthier for this meeting and head coach Jim Haslett has let it be known that he is putting a great deal of emphasis on playing better in this game and getting the "W".
Neither team has an especially strong QB rotation after the starters are done. The Saints have Todd Bouman, Tory Woodbury, and J.T. O'Sullivan to play behind star Aaron Brooks. For the Jets, Chad Pennington will play the first quarter, Vinny Testeverde in the 2nd, while rookies Brooks Bollinger and Marquel Blackwell play out the 2nd half.
Despite the victory over Cincinnati, the Jets cannot be pleased with their offense. The Bengals actually out gained New York by over 100 yards. The Jets starting offense, continuing the short-yardage bugaboo from last season, turned the ball over on downs after getting stuffed on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 runs. Later, backup QB Vinny Testaverde, playing behind the starting line, threw an interception. The next turnover was a fumble by third-string QB Brooks Bollinger, who was stripped on a sack. New York would obviously like to turn up offensive energy but they may be lacking in the area of energy. Coach Herman Edwards said that 16 to 18 players needed IVs after practice on Tuesday on one of the hottest days of camp. Then the power outage came and disrupted the Jets practice schedule. As if things weren't unsettled enough, the offensive line is a mess. The Jets are having more trouble than they anticipated replacing right offensive guard Randy Thomas, who went to Washington as a free agent. The serious body blow came a couple of days ago when right guard Tom Nutten retired, shocking everyone.
We expect the Saints to be the more focused team here. New Orleans is 9-2 ATS in Week 2 of the pre-season and 7-1-1 ATS as a road underdog over the past 5 years. The Jets are in a very bad situation here being home favorites off a big home favorite win. If the weather was a little more settled we would also like the OVER vs. the total, but we'll pass as there is a good possibility of rain. We do, however, favor New Orleans to beat the spread and, likely, the Jets.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: NEW ORLEANS 22 NY JETS 17!
Detroit +3 over CINCINNATI
Two coaches still getting used to their new teams go head-to-head at Paul Brown Stadium Saturday night, when Steve Mariucci leads the Detroit Lions against the Cincinnati Bengals and Marvin Lewis. Mariucci picked up a victory in his debut with the Lions last weekend, as they doubled up Pittsburgh, 26-13, at Ford Field. Despite the addition of Lewis, the Bengals looked like the same old squad in their preseason opener, falling 28-13 to the New York Jets in the pouring rain.
The Bengals fumbled the ball four times and rookie Carson Palmer threw 2 interceptions that were returned for TDs. They averaged 3 yards per rush. Special teams play was also poor in loss to the Jets: The Bengals special teams were flagged for three penalties, dropped two snaps in the kicking game, gave up a 32-yard punt return and fumbled a punt. We have no doubt that Marvin Lewis can work wonders in the Queen City but it WILL take time.
The Bengals quarterback rotation is a little uncertain at this point, as Carson Palmer missed some practices this week because of his sore right foot. He will be examined before Saturday night's game to determine if he can play. Jon Kitna will start, and Lewis had planned to play Palmer in the first half with first-string players and top backups. Shane Matthews was to play the second half. If Carson can't play, 4th-string quarterback, Tommy Jones, may get some time behind center. Either way, we expect Detroit to be able to keep Cincy's offense under control.
On offense, the Lions will counter with second-year quarterback Joey Harrington as the starter. He played the first half last week and will likely see similar time here. He will also have a new friend to throw to. Detroit played the opener without second overall pick Charles Rogers, who dislocated his ring finger two weeks ago, but had the stitches were removed late last week and Rogers will likely make his NFL debut in this contest. After Harrington, QB's Mike McMahon and Ty Detmer, (and maybe Curt Anes) will see some playing time. It appears that Mariucci and the Lions are ahead of Cincinnati on their respective revival plans. Detroit's new coach used an offseason program for conditioning and got much of his offense and defense installed during the minicamps, so the Lions players weren't starting from scratch when training camp began in July. Mariucci also has the benefit of experience, as he's been a successful head coach in the NFL for years, while this is the first time around the block for Lewis. Look for fewer mistakes from the Lions than the Bengals in this contest.
Detroit got off to a rousing start last week and that enthusiasm should carry over here. Quite a few numbers confirm our analysis. NFL Teams with new coaches have been outstanding as pre-season underdogs, going 64-37 ATS, including 3-1 this year. The lone loss? Lewis and the Bungles last week in New York. Cincy is 3-9 ATS in Week 2 of the exhibition play and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 tries as a home favorite in the pre-season. There are still more numbers we could pile on with, but suffice it to say that the match adds up to a play here on Detroit.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: CINCINNATI 23 DETROIT 10
NOTE: Carson Palmer DID play and had an outstanding effort. Detroit was forced to take a 5-hour bus ride to Cincinnati on the day of the game due to the power outages in the area. These 2 factors no doubt greatly contributed to the outcome.
Philadelphia vs. PITTSBURGH UNDER 37 1/2
Philadelphia +3 over PITTSBURGH
Fresh off a win in New Orleans, the Philadelphia Eagles remain on the road for a Keystone State clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field Saturday night. Philadelphia posted a crisp effort on Monday night, defeating the New Orleans Saints, 27-17, at the Superdome. The Steelers struggled in their preseason opener, dropping a 26-13 decision to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Starting Steelers signal caller Tommy Maddox got roughed up as his offensive line couldn't hold off the rush of the Lions. Maddox and the other Pittsburgh can't be expected to fare much better against the vaunted Eagles defense. The offense was just 2 for 13 on third down conversions in Detroit and we expect little improvement since then.
As we noted in our analysis for last Saturday's winning PRO INFO SPORTS selection, the Steelers have had a hard time getting their full practice sessions in due to rain and soggy field conditions. We felt that they would simply not be ready for a pumped-up Detroit bunch and that turned out to be the case. This week, head Steeler Bill Cowher admitted what we told our clients last week. He said the bad weather that has plagued camp and forced the team to use alternate practice sites has hindered his team's performance. And he said it showed in their preseason opener in Detroit. The problems have only continued. Despite not having rain during this week of camp, the Steelers had to practice on the upper fields because the lower fields were saturated with water. "We are definitely not where we need to be at this point" was Cowher's statement, and we'll take him at his word here.
The QB rotation for Pittsburgh is nothing to get excited about. Tommy Maddox will play into the 2nd quarter, but the Steelers are going to have a hard time moving the ball on this Philly defensive wrecking crew. Charlie Batch had a bad outing in Detroit and will play through the 3rd period, while rookie Brian St. Pierre will get the final quarter of action behind center. He, too, had a rough time of it last week and has not shown us anything to instill confidence.
The Eagles have, perhaps, the deepest pre-season QB rotation in the league with Donovan McNabb, Koy Detmer, A.J. Feeley, and a sprinkling of Tim Hasselbeck. This is a clear advantage for the Eagles.
Coach Andy Reid says his first team offense and defense will get more playing time against the Steelers than they did Monday night against New Orleans, so he won't be letting up despite the short week. Philadelphia will be thin at running back as second string back Brian Westbrook is sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee and Duce Staley continues his ridiculous holdout. Starter Correll Buckhalter and rookie Reno Mahe will split most of the carries, and we are quite impressed with Mahe. He could have a big day here against the Steelers.
After such a poor performance by Pittsburgh, we would normally be on them for a big turn-around; however, in this particular case they just don't seem ready to make such a move. While side trends conflict for this game, we do like the Eagles to cover and quite possibly win the game SU. The UNDER is even more attractive. The Eagles Week 2 exhibition games have gone under in the 3 of the last 4 years, while Pittsburgh has gone UNDER 6 of 7 chances as a home favorite. A PRO INFO SPORTS Pre-Season TOTALS Power System is also in play here, as teams coming off a Monday Night Football exhibition have played games going UNDER in 23 out of the last 30 times. Additionally, the weather forecast is calling for a 40-percent chance of rain. Heinz field is a tricky place to kick anyway, helping to keep points off the board and totals down. Some rain won't help the situation as we like this contest to go UNDER in a SU Eagles victory.
ACTUAL FINAL SCORE: PHILADLEPHIA 21 PITTSBURGH 16! (DOUBLE WINNER!)
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