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      2009 NFL Picks & Predictions: Week 5

      October 9, 2009 /

      Here are my top four plays against the spread for Week 5 in the NFL. (Fade at will.)

      Steelers (2-2) at Lions (1-3), 1:00PM ET
      The Lions are in trouble for a couple reasons, although none bigger than not having rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford (knee injury) run their offense. Stafford is expected to be sidelined for Detroit’s game against the defending champs this weekend, which means Daunte Culpepper will get the start. Even without Troy Polamalu, the Steelers defense should handle everything Culpepper throws their way and generate a turnover or two. This is another big test for Rashard Mendenhall. If he follows up his 165-yard effort against the Chargers last week with a dud against the lowly Lions, then the Steelers’ ground game is right back where it started at the beginning of the season (i.e. in trouble). That said, Ben Roethlisberger should have no issues moving the ball through the air against Detroit’s 25th ranked pass defense. Will this be the game Pittsburgh finally plays all four quarters and step on an opponent’s throat?
      Odds: Steelers –10.5.
      Prediction: Steelers 34, Lions 14.

      Patriots (3-1) at Broncos (4-0), 4:15PM ET
      The Broncos aren’t going to move the ball against the Patriots as well as the Ravens did last week, but they should have more than enough weapons in Brandon Marshall and Knowshon Moreno to keep the chains moving and give their defense time to rest. Speaking of Denver’s defense, as long as Elvis Dummervil and company continue to generate pressure, the Broncos should pull off the upset as home dogs this Sunday. The Patriots’ issues are far from solved and Bill Belichick knows his team has to go week-to-week and game-by-game. New England has struggled in Denver over the years, covering the spread just five times in its last 20 visits to the Mile-High City. This will be a great test for the Broncos defense to see where they’re at, and I think they harass Tom Brady just enough to earn a victory.
      Odds: Patriots –3.5.
      Prediction: Broncos 20, Patriots 17.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      No. 24 Missouri falls apart in fourth quarter loss to No. 21 Nebraska

      October 9, 2009 /

      It wasn’t the loss that Missouri suffered on Thursday night to Nebraska that it will be thinking about for the rest of the weekend, but the way it lost.

      Up 12-0 heading into the fourth quarter, Missouri watched as Nebraska compiled 27 unanswered points to beat the Tigers 27-12 on a rainy night in Columbia. At one point, the Huskers scored three touchdowns in under four minutes of play.

      The issues started for the Tigers early in the fourth when Husker QB Zac Lee hit Niles Paul on a 56-yard touchdown with just under 14 minutes remaining. Up until that point, MIZZOU had done a great job of not allowing Lee to complete anything over the top, but the touchdown completely revitalized Nebraska’s defense, which had been tiring out up until that point.

      On the Tigers’ next position, quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw his first interception of the season, which Nebraska turned into points thanks to Paul’s second touchdown in less than a minute. The Huskers failed to convert on the 2-point attempt, but all of a sudden they had a 13-12 lead despite being outplayed for three quarters.

      Gabbert was again picked off on the Tigers’ next possession, which led to a Mike McNeill 8-yard touchdown reception to give Nebraska a 20-12 lead. After MIZZOU failed to convert on a 4th and 20 deep inside Nebraska territory, the Huskers took over and added a Roy Helu 5-yard touchdown run to put the game away.

      In fairness, the Huskers weren’t completely dominated in the first three quarters of this game. They just couldn’t convert golden opportunities that Gabbert was giving them. On more than a handful of plays, Nebraska defenders had the ball hit them in the chest for what should have been easy interceptions. But give the Husker defense credit – they stepped in the fourth quarter and shut MIZZOU down when it mattered most.

      With this win, Nebraska takes a one-game lead over MIZZOU in the Big 12 standings. It’s early, but this loss could come back to haunt Gabbert and the Tigers.

      College Football

      Lackey shuts down Red Sox as Angels take Game 1

      October 9, 2009 /

      John Lackey shut out the Red Sox for 7 2/3 innings on Thursday night as the Angels beat the Red Sox 5-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS.

      From MLB.com:

      Lackey delivered 22 outs, and Hunter produced the thunder, his three-run fifth-inning homer against Jon Lester providing the impetus behind a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox in front of 45,070 at Angel Stadium.

      After the Angels expanded their lead with a pair of seventh-inning runs on Kendry Morales’ RBI single and a throwing error by left fielder Jason Bay, Lackey departed with one out in the eighth, raising his cap to a roaring crowd.

      It’s the first postseason win at home by the Angels since Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS against the Yankees. It is also the first time the Angels have held a series lead against Boston — which eliminated them from the past two postseasons — since they took a 3-2 ALCS advantage into Fenway Park in 1986 after their fateful Game 5 demise in Anaheim.

      Taking a series lead against the Red Sox was big given that it had become a mental block for the Halos to overcome. This win should give them confidence heading into Game 2 and while traveling to Boston still might be an issue, right now the Angels have the momentum and everything is in place for them to build on it.

      For those unaware of Kendry Morales – get aware. He’s one of the rising hitters in the game and he’s coming off a solid regular season, especially in the second half. Players like Hunter are going to get more recognition, but if the Halos make a World Series run, I guarantee a guy like Morales will play a big part.

      MLB

      Holliday’s error in the ninth costs Cardinals in Game 2

      October 9, 2009 /

      Nursing a 2-1 lead with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals looked like they had Game 2 of the NLDS wrapped up, especially when Ryan Franklin got Dodgers first baseman James Loney to hit a routine line drive to left field.

      Then Matt Holliday forgot which way to turn his glove.

      Holliday muffed the line drive, which turned into a double and put the tying run in scoring position. Two walks and a Ronnie Belliard RBI single later and pinch-hitter Mark Loretta became a hero by driving in Casey Blake with a single up the middle.

      The Dodgers took Game 2 of the series and the Cardinals’ hopes along with them.

      From MLB.com:

      What the loss did to the Cardinals’ psyche will be determined later. Manager Tony La Russa tried to put it into words.

      “I think it’s about as tough a loss as you can have,” said La Russa, although he noted that at least his club hadn’t been eliminated. “Right now we’re feeling disappointed. But we’re not discouraged. There’s a big difference in the two.”

      People are going to pin this loss squarely on Holliday, which is fair given that he should have caught the ball and had he, the game would have been over and the Cards would be going back to St. Louis tied 1-1 in the series.

      But Holliday wasn’t the only one to make a mistake for the Cards in this game. The biggest (well, the second biggest after Holliday’s plunder) was probably La Russa not allowing Adam Wainwright to come out in the ninth. Wainwright had thrown more pitches in more outings this year than he did last night and came out for the ninth before. So unless Wainwright told La Russa that he was done, the skipper should have allowed his horse to continue throwing his gem.

      Colby Rasmus also made a base running error during the game and was thrown out at third by Loney. Rasmus was hung up in no man’s land on the play and cost his team a runner in scoring position.

      But give credit to the Dodgers – they’ve found a way to make Albert Pujols a non factor and the Cardinals haven’t found a way to make them pay. That said, St. Louis should have won this game and it’ll be interesting to see how La Russa’s club bounces back. (If they can, that is.)

      MLB

      NBA News & Rumors: Nets’ SG, Curry, Delonte and more

      October 8, 2009 /

      Courtney Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts fighting to be Nets’ starting shooting guard. Courtney Lee is a player. He can shoot, score and defend, and he’s still troubled by Orlando’s decision to trade him away. That layup he missed in the Finals was no gimme. By the time he was in position to release the ball, his entire torso was behind the backboard. It’s a shame that’s what people remember of Lee from last season. This battle may go deeper into camp, but Lee has more talent and should be starting for the Nets this season.

      Replacement refs aren’t up to snuff. Last night in the Rockets-Celtics game, 75 fouls were called and 102 free throws were shot. This is astounding. NBA refs get a bad rap. Basketball is a tough game to officiate because there is so much contact on any given possession. Refs have quite a bit of leeway, which can lead to inconsistency from game to game and from crew to crew.

      HC Don Nelson plans to use Stephen Curry as a starter…at times. He says it’s going to be a matchup thing because Curry is so good. So look for Curry to start when the opponent also has a couple of smallish guards in the starting lineup. But wouldn’t a Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry backcourt create huge matchup problems on the other end of the court? I think most off guards would have a tough time getting back in transition to cover Curry on the wing.

      When will the Milwaukee Bucks get a new arena? I grew up outside of Milwaukee and remember when the Bradley Center was state of the art. Needless to say, that was a while ago. The Bucks are in a tough spot because with the recession, they’re going to have a tough time making money this season unless the team is playoff-caliber. Given the environment, neither the city nor the franchise are going to want to pay for an arena, so there’s a real chance that the Bucks’ owner — Senator Herb Kohl — sells the team in the next few years. It would be a shame, because Bucks fans are great when the team is good (or at least mediocre).

      Delonte West leaves the team…again. Other than maybe the Lakers, the Cavs are probably the best equipped to handle this kind of drama during training camp. With the whole LeBron/Shaq honeymoon, eyes are elsewhere, but West has the potential to become a distraction as the season wears on. He’s too good to cut loose, but not so good that he deserves special treatment. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Cavs handle West if he continues to miss time.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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