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PRO FOOTBALL — September 28

CAROLINA at DALLAS
(Cowboys -8.5, Total 47) — That was an especially tough loss for Dallas last Sunday night against the Giants. [private] With all this talk about how Tony Romo hasn’t won any playoff games or “big”games for the Cowboys, which happens every time he seems to blow a game with a turnover, we lose sight of the fact that Jake Delhomme HAS actually won some playoff games and taken a team to the Super Bowl. Don’t give up on Jake just yet, and consider that while Dallas did eat up the yards on the ground against the Giants last week, Carolina has the capacity to do the same, because the Panthers have a real, live backfield in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Do you realize that Dallas has not intercepted a pass or recorded a sack this season? Maybe they need somebody to take some of the attention way from DeMarcus Ware. Yes, Dallas has shown the ability to strike quickly on offense, but if you’re looking for the most explosive weapon on the field, with apologies to Felix Jones and his 9.1 yards a carry, he is wearing powder blue and his name is Steve Smith (as if Dallas really needed to see ANOTHER Steve Smith after the one with the Giants burned them for ten receptions and 134 yards last week). Don’t let this thing get out of perspective; you’ve got a playoff team that has retained many of its components, who can play keep-a-way with the ball and has their own stud rushing the passer (Julius Peppers) getting a lot of points against a team who may or may not have a home field advantage developed int its brand-new home.

THE PLAY: CAROLINA +8.5 **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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PRO FOOTBALL — September 27

INDIANAPOLIS at ARIZONA
(Cardinals -2.5, Total 48.5) — Kurt Warner’s stock seems at a high right now, after completing 24 of 26 passes against the Jaguars. [private] Peyton Manning probably had an even more sensational game, taking the Colts from one end of the field to another in just fifteen minutes of possession, producing 303 yards passing on only 14 completions. In terms of the receiver corps, advantage Arizona, which can throw three standouts into any secondary. We’re already acquainted with Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breaston, but Manning is still getting acquainted with his “partners in crime,” namely Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon, who he uses in conjunction with wideout Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark to give the Colts something that stands toe-to-toe with the best of them. Neither team is really getting a lot out of the running game, and neither is really asking for much, and Beanie Wells’ two fumbles last week are probably giving the Cards a little pause. The Colts face a tough travel situation after playing a Monday game on the east coast, going back home and then flying west, but the differences in this game may include the presence of Dwight Freeney, which can have its effect on the immobile Warner, the fact that no matter how talented Wells is, the Cardinals are not going to emphasize the run, and the general resourcefulness of Manning.

THE PLAY: INDIANAPOLIS +2.5 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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PRO FOOTBALL — September 27

PITTSBURGH at CINCINNATI
(Steelers -3.5, Total 37.5) — Even without Troy Polamalu, there were no excuses for the Steelers against the Bears last week. [private] There is no doubt they should have been able to handle Chicago and its pedestrian receiving corps, but Jeff Reed missed a couple of field goals in the final quarter and allowed Jay Cutler to come on with late heroics. So the Steelers could be 0-2 or 2-0 right now. Cincinnati reached Aaron Rodgers six times on the way to a victory against Green Bay last week, and should have some success rushing Ben Roethlisberger, but for Big Ben, pressure is a way of life. Carson Palmer, who doesn’t buy time as well (and has thrown four picks), is likely to have a much harder time with the Pittsburgh blitz package; the team had 51 sacks last season, and you know they won’t be held down for long. The Bengals could use another threat to go with Chad Ochocinco, but they can’t spread the secondary too much with what they have now. We sincerely doubt that there is anything Cedric Benson (141 yards last week) is going to do to control this particular game. Pittsburgh has had great fortune in Cincinnati, winning the last eight meetings and going 7-0-1 against the number. They have also won the last five overall against Cincy by an average of fifteen points a game.

THE PLAY: PITTSBURGH -3.5 ****

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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PRO FOOTBALL — September 27

MIAMI at SAN DIEGO
(Chargers -6, Total 44) — What more could the Miami Dolphins have done to win that game against Indianapolis on Monday? [private] They seemed to work their “Wildcat” scheme to near-perfection, ran for 239 yards and held the ball for 45 minutes against the Colts, and they still lost, because as far as Miami has come, it still has a way to go as far as the secondary is concerned. While San Diego is a team that is relatively unfinished, with offensive linemen who have been injured and replaced and a lingering ankle injury to LaDanian Tomlinson, they have managed to plug some holes, and you can count on Phillip Rivers finding some of those holes in the Dolphin defensive backfield with his collection of wideouts and running back Darren Sproles, who has big-play capability whether he’s rushing it or catching it. Very few big-play elements in Miami, where Chad Pennington’s dinking and dunking won’t sufficiently challenge a Charger secondary which is vulnerable to getting beaten deep. The travel factor, with the Dolphins making a west coast trip after playing a Monday night game, may be the least of their worries.

THE PLAY: SAN DIEGO -6 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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PRO FOOTBALL — September 27

NEW ORLEANS at BUFFALO
(Saints -6, Total 51.5) — Drew Brees looks like he could be on track for another record-setting season. [private] He’s got nine TD passes, almost ten yards a completion, and is a 75% passer. Sure, he’ll get his yards against the Bills, because it almost doesn’t matter who he uses as his receivers. Buffalo has a number of banged-up players, like cornerback Leodis McKelvin, Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish, tight end Derek Schouman and tackle Brad Butler. But we wouldn’t automatically expect the Saints to just pick up and run away from this team. First of all, the Bills are apparently getting comfortable in their no-huddle offense, especially as Fred Jackson (328 rushing/receiving yards) looks well-suited for it, and Terrell Owens has averaged almost twenty yards a reception, and is a fitting running mate for Lee Evans. Trent Edwards is a heady quarterback who is not a guy who will make the big mistake throwing it (4 TD’s, one INT). Remember that the New Orleans defense has feasted on two quarterbacks making their first NFL start (Matthew Stafford and Kevin Kolb) and obviously they don’t get that this week. Maybe this spells “over.”

THE PLAY: OVER 51.5 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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PRO FOOTBALL — September 27

SAN FRANCISCO at MINNESOTA
(Vikings -7, Total 39) — What can Frank Gore do for an encore? [private] The Niners’ feature back scored on runs of 79 and 80 yards last week, and he’s starting to do what Mike Singletary visualized when he took over as the interim coach and shoved Mike Martz and his wide-open offense into the background, which is to grind it out and wear down the defense with the running game, thereby limiting the burden on quarterback Shawn Hill, who has managed to get through two games without an interception. This is a tough matchup for that kind of philosophy, however, as Minnesota can stuff the run pretty well with people like Kevin and Pat Williams, and the rest of the defense can play up in the box because the Niners can hardly stretch any stop unit with Hill and Isaac Bruce the best they have to offer, at least until Michael Crabtree finally signs a contract. San Francisco’s defense has to be given a lot of credit, but few teams, if any, can stop Adrian Peterson, and with the newly-acquired combo of Brett Favre and Percy Harvin, the Vikings can do much more than its opponents offensively.

THE PLAY: MINNESOTA -7 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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