Hump Day plays and rapid fire thoughts

Got back on winning track with 2-1 Tuesday, taking recent record to 16-6. This evening let’s look at 80.3 percent system in the Lone Star State on the base paths. The Top Trend in on the ice for the last first round contest of the playoffs and Steve of the Left Coast Connection tries to serve up yet another winner. Good Luck

What I thought today- My God does the Kansas City bullpen stink. The Washington Nationals are 12-10 and are off to their best start in D.C. since they arrived in town and finished up April 13-11 in 2005.

Olympic Committee takes back medal of 2000 Chinese female gymnast for being 14, not 16 as China reported. Underhanded dealings in the Olympics, purely shocking.

DeMarcus Russell could get cut any time by the Oakland Raiders and walk away with three million this year. My sources tell me however he already has a spokesperson job lined up with Rio Suites Hotel in Las Vegas for their Carnival World Buffet.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road teams when the money line is +125 to -125 like the White Sox, with a cold starting pitcher whose ERA is 7.50 or higher his last three starts and the team has on-base percentage of .310 or worse over their last 20 games. In the previous five years this system is 49-12.

Free Hockey Trend -2) The Washington Capitals are 11-1 revenging a blowout loss of three goals or more this season.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Steve of the LCC continues to roll with five straight winners and plugs Cincinnati for a winner tonight.

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NFL Draft Winners and Losers for upcoming season

The National Football League’s prime time draft was a rating success and much like Wal-Mart, obliterated the competition for sports television ratings, sending NBA commish David Stern a chilling message about what people prefer to watch this time of year.

Though the most football experts say the actual results of the draft won’t be known for a few years after everyone chosen can be evaluated thoroughly, that however is not the world we live in. It’s with a great of certainty the History Channel does score well for viewership or hits on-line with the under 30 crowd, unless it was something their parents had talked about.

With that idea in mind, here’s what teams could be impacted this upcoming year both positively and negatively.

Winners

It would have been hard for St. Louis to screw this up. Sam Bradford is their franchise signal caller and presumably they will have him start by sometime in October, if not sooner. OT Rodger Saffold will help adding depth and Bradford protection in the offensive line and WR Mardy Gilyard has good hands and an aggressive attitude. If seventh round pick George Selvie played like he did as sophomore and junior on the defensive line at South Florida, the Rams got a steal.

The first year for GM John Schneider and Pete Carroll in Seattle could hardly have gone better. OT Russell Okung and safety Earl Thomas were two coveted players and they landed them both. Before the draft they maneuvered to acquire Charley Whitehurst as quarterback, that is still a wait and see development, but is a better choice over aging Matt Hasselbeck. If WR Golden Tate becomes more disciplined route runner, he will catch anything near him and be home run threat. CB Walter Thurmond might be theft in the fourth round if he stays healthy. The additions of LenDale White and Leon Washington will add far greater versatility to offensive backfield with minimal damage to future drafts.

This is not a misprint, seemingly in spite of themselves the Oakland Raiders not only didn’t screw up their picks, and they might actually benefit from them. Al Davis finally took a real football player in the first round in MLB Rolando McClain. Though most had him going a bit later in the first round, he adds size and instincts in the heart of the defense behind Richard Seymour. The Raiders evidently even had a plan, trading former MLB Kirk Morrison to Jacksonville for speedy (4.28) Clemson WR Jacoby Ford. Bruce Campbell was “combine king” in Indianapolis and has potential to be special in the offensive line and they didn’t take him with first pick to boot. Not sure if Jason Campbell will ever amount to more than what he already is, but JaMarcus Russell’s football future is now up to him. Don’t be surprised it Oakland demands the former top pick takes a MONSTER pay cut and if he refuses, he’d be lucky to get a month of free meals at Applebee’s for a contract as free agent, let alone cash for the money he’s stolen.

Honorable mention – Miami, San Francisco, N.Y. Jets and Baltimore

Losers

What was Jacksonville thinking or were they? The Jaguars selected California’s Tyson Alualu with the 10th overall pick and not one accredited draft expert had him higher than 25th, meaning if Jacksonville was uncertain about what to do, they could have traded down, picked up another selection and still gotten Alualu. Larry Hart, Austen Lee and D’Anthony Smith are all potential defensive disrupters, but their impact would appear to be minimal this upcoming year.

Minnesota has defensive backfield needs and didn’t address them in the most positive way, settling for CB Chris Cook from Virginia, who ran a slowish-time at the combine. USC pass rusher Everson Griffin slipped to the fourth round, so either the Vikings got exceptional value for this player with first round ability or he is underachiever and won’t amount to much. It didn’t matter who drafted Toby Gearhart, questions on both sides were going to be raised. It just happened Minnesota choose him and the world will find out soon enough if he is a quality football player or if the numbers on speed and upright running style means limited career.

Hard to call Tennessee a loser in this spot, because their top picks are in many ways coach Jeff Fisher-type players. Nevertheless, each coming out of college has athletic limitations, without having the proverbial “upside”. Derrick Morgan is high effort player, but not gifted athlete. WR Damian Williams has trouble eluding jams off the line of scrimmage and will try and be difference-maker as punt returner. LB Rennie Curran tackles everything he sees, the issue is what he sees at 5’10. Safety Myron Rolle IS the smartest player in the draft (Rhodes Scholar at Oxford), but coaches at this level wonder about a player that wants to be a surgeon, unless he is cutting up opposing wide receivers.

Dishonorable mention – Chicago, San Diego and Cleveland

Looking Ahead in the Rearview Mirror in the NFL

If you played Jacksonville or Kansas City this past Sunday, your nerve-endings were tingling, only to be slapped upside the head late in the game. The Jaguars came into their game against Miami well-positioned at 7-5 to take an AFC playoff berth despite being outscored on the season. Midway thru the second quarter it was apparent, the Dolphins had everything Jacksonville did not. A better running game, solid quarterback play, a stronger defense and more crowd support despite being on the road.

The one thing Miami didn’t have after building 14-0 lead, was ability to put the Jaguars away. Jacksonville, despite being thoroughly outplayed (Fins 22-10 edge in first downs and 137 more yards of offense), were in position to cover the 2 or 2.5-points after a first down on their own 49-yard line with under three minutes to play. The Jaguars had no success running the ball all day (3.8 yards per carry), especially up the middle. On a fourth down and three, to keep the drive alive on the Miami 44, the Jacksonville offensive coordinator calls a David Garrard quarterback draw. Those that had the Dolphins with the points had to be laughing hysterically about one of the most foolish offensive calls all season given the circumstances. Did we at 3Daily Winners miss something in not rolling out Garrard to the right, with a three passing options at 5, 10, and 15 yards? No, let’s run the quarterback draw for a four yard loss.

Thanks to Matt Cassel’s four interceptions (not all his fault) Kansas City could not overcome a bumbling Buffalo team that led 16-10, despite Ryan Fitzpatrick’s gargantuan 86 yards of passing. The Chiefs had one final outstanding opportunity to win the game outright as underdogs in the latter stages of fourth quarter and it underscored the value of talent. On third and ten at the Bills 21, Cassel threw a perfect pass to Chris Chambers at the five yard line, right in his belly, with nobody within three yards of him and he dropped it.

While there is no way to know if Kansas City would have scored a touchdown from there, it brought up another point. San Diego released Chambers earlier this season, as they felt he was no longer able to play for a team that still entertained a deep playoff run. The Chiefs picked Chambers up and he immediately became a big part of the coach Todd Haley’s pass offense.

While Chambers has proved he still has NFL ability, he no longer is coveted by championship-type teams. He’s an adequate fill-in for a team lacking in receivers. Though the top receivers in the game fail now and again, Chambers drop likely was the game and illustrated why the Chefs (intentional) are 3-10 and 5-8 ATS.

This whole Dallas dumping in December is a fact, no matter what coaches, players and a certain owner believes. Since 1996, they are 18-33 SU and they have lost 10 of last 15 in the final month of the year. After all these years, it’s not just bad luck or misfortune; it’s a pattern of behavior.

Do you want to know the problem with the Cowboys, they are front-runners. Much like a horse that races out to early lead, Dallas does the same thing year after year and sports bettors turn into lemmings following “America’s Team”. As opposed to a horse that just tires out, Dallas lacks the mental and intestinal fortitude to tough things out. The last two weeks were examples of the Cowboys not losing to better teams, rather to squads better prepared and with greater desire.

How do measure desire, this way. With San Diego leading 13-10 and 9:13 to go in the game, the Chargers had rushed for 41 net yards to that point. From that point forward, the Bolts ran off over seven minutes off the clock and added 32 rushing yards to their total. The San Diego offensive line, LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles wanted the game just a little more than the Cowboys did at that critical juncture and they took it. It’s not a coincidence the Chargers have won 16 consecutive games in December. Dallas doesn’t have the players that can raise their level of play at crunch time, period, making sportsbooks loads of cash with the public backing the ‘Boys.

Betting points – The Bengals streak of games with the underdog covering (12-0 ATS) this season, ended with curious non-effort in Minnesota. You have to wonder if something is wrong with Carson Palmer, as he threw just 25 times for 94 yards, despite his team trailing by 16 or more points most of the second half. Very much a play against team with four consecutive spread losses.

A quick way to rebuild a wagering account is follow the Oakland Raiders off a victory. With the Washington 34-13 wipeout, since their 2002 Super Bowl season, Da Raiders are 6-20 and 9-17 ATS after posting a W, including 0-4 SU and ATS in 2009.

There is still time to fix it, but New Orleans is losing focus late in the year on a balanced offense. All season coach Sean Payton has mixed the run and pass to near perfection, yet in the last two weeks, both spread defeats, the Saints have thrown 90 times compared to 50 runs. Coach Payton needs to lean more on the running game or a surprise early postseason ouster could be in New Orleans future even if they manage 16-0 regular season.

The AFC has clinched at least a tie in not losing to the NFC in inter-conference play for the 14th straight year. The AFC leads 32-23 and needs just one win in last nine games to take season record to 11-0-3 since 1996. For NFL bettors, it has made little difference with the record 27-27-1 ATS this year.

Dialing up a 3-0 Sunday, hopefully

We tracked a 2-0 record yesterday officially and will try and build on that number this Sunday. We have an awesome NFL system in a non-conference game that is 86.3 percent since the turn of the century. Found a prefect trend in the NFL that is certainly odd and Nick will try and keep hot streak going with his Free top choice. Good Luck

What is learned yesterday – Shoppers appear to be out in good numbers, however the number of bags and what is in them is smaller. Last year retailers were panicky and started pounding sales, this year not as much. The cat and mouse game has begun, who gives in first?

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Football System-1) Play Against a home team if they and their opponent were underdogs of nine or more points last week. This system which dates back to 2000 is 19-3 ATS and the team that fits is Oakland.

Free Football Trend-2) Came across this by accident, the underdog in the Cincinnati Bengals games is perfect 12-0 ATS this year.

Free Football Pick -3) Nick of the LCC is 27-10 in all plays over the eight days and is on Dallas as Top Play.

Do yourself a favor for the Bowl Season, order this guide, you will thank me.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

It’s a splendid day to slow down, take a break and enjoy life. Let the big box store’s try and fool us thinking they have safety concerns about the day after Thanksgiving, giving them a reason to be open today. At least most of us understand what today is, a day for thanks for all the good things that come to us. In addition, besides great food and family, we receive a healthy portion of football, to which a few dollars could be set aside to hopefully also make it a profitable day in other ways. Here’s a look at the day time action. Lines from Bookmaker.com.

Green Bay at Detroit (+11.5, 47.5)

Dating back to 1934, the Lions have been a proud part of the American celebration of Thanksgiving Day. They’ve played 69 games on the national holiday and take a 33-34-2 record into this year’s contest against Green Bay. Detroit (2-8, 2-7-1 ATS) has dropped five straight up and against the spread on the fourth Thursday of November while being outscored by a lopsided 168-60 margin, and comes into this game winners of just three of its last 32 games (10-21-1 ATS) dating back to the halfway mark of 2007.

Since Green Bay won 37-26 as a field goal favorite two years ago, coach Mike McCarthy’s team has beaten the Lions four straight times (1-3 ATS), with an average score of 34.8-14.8. In fact, Detroit hasn’t won outright in this series since 2005, a span of eight games (2-6 ATS). The game is very important for Green Bay, 6-4 after beating San Francisco this past Sunday and currently is the top NFC wild card team.

Green Bay’s defense is ranked third overall in yards allowed, but it has been feast of famine in points conceded. In the Packers six victories, they have only surrendered more than 17 points once (5-0-1 ATS) and in the four losses, they have allowed 30 or more points (0-4 ATS). They shutout Detroit 26-0 in earlier meeting and are 9-4 ATS as road favorites, however, a great deal of shifting has to occur with Al Harris and Aaron Kampman done for the year with knee injuries.

The Packers will face a similar Detroit offense in the rematch. The Lions are expected to be without rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford and third-year wide receiver Calvin Johnson because of injuries. Daunte Culpepper will again get the start in place of Stafford and had a miserable day the last time (6-for-14, 48 yards, one interception) before leaving in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. It’s unfortunate for coach Jim Schwartz , since Stafford had a career day last week, setting a league mark for most touchdown passes (five) in a game by a rookie. His last one, with no time left, beat Cleveland 38-37. The Lions are 6-16 ATS off one or more straight Overs and 1-8 ATS in weeks 10 through 13 over the last three seasons.

Detroit hasn’t won back to back games since games 6-thur-8 in 2007; however Green Bay on this day will often bring out the best in them, just like in 2003, when they won 22-14 as a touchdown underdog. The Lions are 8-0 ATS at home in November against teams off consecutive wins.

3DWLine – Green Bay by 13.5 (color for the day)

Oakland at Dallas (-13.5, 40)

Of late, Thanksgiving Day has been more like Groundhog Day, with Detroit losing early game and Dallas winning big in the late afternoon tilt. In fact, the last Turkey Day wins by the Cowboys have been by 25, 31 and 28 points. They are expected to win big again in ’09, with the Oakland coming to town for the inaugural holiday affair at brand new Cowboys’ Stadium.

Dallas comes in with a 7-3 (5-5 ATS) mark after surviving Washington, but is now just 3-6 ATS as double-digit chalk under Wade Phillips. However, they will be looking to extend a run of 29-14 ATS at home in the month of November.

The Cowboys will like the person who hid the big turkey leg in the back of refrigerator for later consumption, sifting thru the maze of food to find it. After averaging 30.2 points per game starting Oct. 11, Dallas has two touchdowns in the last two games in totaling a mere 14 points, which all came in the fourth quarter. The Boys will be searching for offense and are 29-14 ATS in home games after scoring 14 points or less last outing.

This will be Oakland’s first appearance playing on Thanksgiving since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970. The Raiders (3-7, 5-5 ATS), much like recent times, lost 28-14 to Detroit in that game, with one difference, they were an elite team back in yesteryear.

This is Oakland’s first visit to Big D in 11 years and is coming off rare victory last week in upset of Cincinnati 20-17. Coach Tom Cable had seen enough of JaMarcus Russell and his poor work habits and has turned the team over journeymen Bruce Gradkowski. The former Toledo star has about one-fifth the ability of Russell, but proved last week he’s a fighter and played inspired football. Among the issues in this contest is the Raiders run defense, which is 30th overall and they are 17-33 ATS versus good rushing teams like Dallas (5 YPC), averaging 4.5 or more yards per carry.

Oakland is 4-1 ATS as a dog of 10-points or more under coach Cable, but if they trail at halftime, don’t expect and comeback from the Silver and Black, as they have scored only 42 points in the final 30 minutes on the season, with a grand total of three trips into the end zone. (None in the third quarter)

The culprit is the lack of passing game, which averages an unfathomable 125 yards per game and Dallas is 15-3 ATS at home vs. destitute passing teams averaging 5.2 or less passing yards per attempt, winning by 17.4 points per game.

3DW Line – Dallas by 16

New York Giants at Denver (+6, 42.5)

The Thanksgiving Night game offers the best matchup of the three holiday tilts, as the Giants will be visiting the Broncos. Both teams started fast, with New York winning its first five games, and Denver winning its first six, but each have since faded. Both teams are 6-4 heading into this contest and in need of a win to keep pace in the playoff hunt.

New York (5-5 ATS) only plays Denver once every four years, but folks of the Big Apple always seem to have fond memories of playing the team in blue and orange. Besides the infamous 39-20 Giants win in Super Bowl XXI, Big Blue fans also remember knocking off a previously undefeated Broncos team in 1998, although John Elway would later lead his team to a second straight Super Bowl title a month later.

The 2009 version of this matchup should also provide a bit of drama since both teams once seemed secure in their playoff prospects, but now find themselves in a perilous position, with the loser lacking relevancy with December arriving next week.

A bye week served New York well and it got by Atlanta in overtime, 34-31. It also helped the Giants that Dallas, Philadelphia and the Falcons all lost while they were idle. A nagging issue has arisen, with the Giants incapable of holding fourth quarter leads, giving up a late touchdown to San Diego, causing a 21-20 defeat and surrendering two TD’s to Atlanta in the final stanza, sending last week’s contest into overtime. Possibly the best news moving forward is the G-Men are 18-5 ATS in road games over the last three seasons.

For the Giants, it’s the first visit to Denver since 2001, and they are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games vs. AFC foes and 9-1 ATS in previous 10 second half contests on the road vs. winning teams.

If any of this is cause for alarm, at least New York won their last game. Denver’s 6-0 start was the talk of the league and rookie head coach Josh McDaniels received more acclaim than the highly praised football drama “The Blind Side,” but four straight losses without covers has squelched all that talk. The latest, a 32-3 blowout defeat to surging San Diego, meant the Broncos (6-4 ATS) relinquished first place. Denver is 5-13 ATS after the first month of the season over the last two seasons.

Kyle Orton’s cool and collected presence has given way to injury and ineffectiveness. Hurt in the loss to Washington two weeks ago, Orton was dragged back into the huddle last week after backup Chris Simms turned in three ineffective series and led several trips into the Chargers red zone that came up empty.

The rushing attack has also suffered during the losing skid (82 yards per game), and the tandem of Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter has only three rushing touchdowns between them. Though wideout Brandon Marshall continues to have a solid season with 52 catches for 628 yards and six scores, his verbal confrontation on the sideline with Moreno after he suffered goal line fumble, spoke of the frustration this Denver team is experiencing. The Broncos could fall out of the AFC West race fast if they don't pick up a win soon and they are 2-12 ATS after one or more consecutive losses against the spread.

Bookmaker.com has the Giants as sizable seven-point road favorites, with total of 42. The oddsmakers have ample reasons to prefer New York in this spot since they are 9-1 AT in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second part if the year over the last three seasons. In addition, they are 8-0 ATS in a road conflicts when the total is between 35.5 and 42 points.

Even with last week’s loss, Denver is still 8-3-1 ATS as home underdog and have played UNDER in all five home games in 2009.

This will be the usual 8:20 Eastern start for Thursday night football on the NFL Network, with the Giants 10-0 UNDER as a road favorite of 3.5 to 7 points and the Broncos 12-3 OVER after having lost four out of their last five games.

3DW Line – Giants by 3.5

Steve Makinen of the Platinum Sheet and College and Pro Football Weekly made contributions to this article.

Thanksgiving and other Thursday NFL Trends

Let’s stop all this talk about changing out Detroit and Dallas on Thanksgiving to allow other teams to play. The Lions have been bad for years, so what, we still watch at least a good portion of the game and would it kill you to talk to a family member if the game isn’t a classic. We have three games to choose from during the course of the day, let’s just enjoy what we have.

• If both teams played at home last week, the home underdog is 2-9 ATS and 9-2 OVER. (Detroit and Denver)
• If both teams played at home last week, the home favorite is 10-4-1 ATS. (Dallas)
• If both teams were favorites in last contest, the home team 7-12-2 ATS (Detroit)
• If the home team was favored last week and the visitor was an underdog, the home team is 11-0 ATS. (Dallas)
• If the home team was an underdog in last game and the visiting team was a favorite, the home club is 1-8 ATS and 5-1 UNDER. (Denver)
• If the home town team is off a SU loss and the visitor is off a SU win, the road team is 7-1 ATS and 8-3 UNDER. (New York Giants)
• If the road team is off two wins, they are 10-3 ATS. (Green Bay)
• Road teams that were underdogs last week are 5-22 ATS. (Oakland)
• Home favorites of seven or more 7-1 UNDER. (Dallas)
• Home teams that were favored by six or more points in last contest are 12-3-1 ATS. (Dallas)
• Home teams of a SU win are 9-4-1 ATS and 22-13-1 OVER (Detroit and Dallas)
• Home teams off a SU loss are 4-8 ATS. (Denver)
• Home teams after scoring 28 or more points are 8-1 ATS and 12-4-1 OVER. (Detroit)
• In the last six years, home favorites are 18-8-1 ATS, including 8-1 ATS if favored by a touchdown or more. (Dallas)
• Away favorites are 9-0 ATS since 2004. (Green Bay and New York Giants)

Additional angles to think about.

• Take the OVER on turkey consumption.
• Play the OVER on one person having too much to drink.
• Take the OVER on at least 20 percent of those in attendance taking a nap.
• Play the OVER on potatoes consumed.
• Take the OVER on eyes rolled, snickers and laughter.
• Take the UNDER on cranberries eaten.
• Take the OVER on pumpkin pie and desserts.

Looking Ahead in Rearview Mirror in the NFL

We’ve all heard veteran NFL players talk about the league as “just a business”. If you think of the National Football like say a McDonald’s, you have 32 franchisees within its framework. While Mickey D’s would never allow certain bone-headed people to be in charge of their operations, on Sunday, we saw the differences in a well-run franchise and one’s that should be going out of business or at least hanging signs “Under new ownership”.

The slogan “Pride and Poise” associated with the Oakland franchise is hilarious today and should be replaced with “Polluted and Pitiful”. On Sunday, the Raiders were down 28-0 before registering a first down. JaMarcus Russell is setting new standards for quarterback play in the NFL; even Ryan Leaf will soon be forgotten.

When Al Davis moves on to the big black and silver cloud in the sky, he will have ruined a legacy of innovation and excellence for decades, by not knowing when to step away and being a meddler. Oakland’s ability to overpay for unworthy talent and ridiculous draft choices is now looked upon as “well its Oakland”. As written by Len Pasquarelli of ESPN, of the Raiders 56 viable possessions (not including drives with under two minutes in the half) they have 34 series that lasted three plays or less and 40 that were for five snaps or fewer.

Contrast that with the Giants, a well run franchise, with coach Tom Coughlin as head coach. Coughlin had the good sense to reinvent a part of himself and an underachieving team responded by winning a Super Bowl and has been an annual contender for years. New York was easily more than a two touchdown favorite and the word out of Giants camp was Coughlin was preaching all week not to take the Raiders lightly, stay focused and play our game. New York’s diligence in listening was rewarded with several starters not playing more than two-thirds of the game and virtually all the reserves saw considerable action in 44-7 pasting.

The same was true in St. Louis, as certain folks believed Minnesota might be flat on short week and playing road game against winless Rams. The Vikings went off as 10.5-point favorites and whether they were ready to play or not, it was impossible to tell because of the Rams ineptness. St. Louis is another franchise that has been run aground and at least has made an attempt to change with new people in all keys management positions. But with a shocking lack of talent, this isn’t one of those Miami Dolphins turnarounds, this will take time.

Whatever your opinion of Brett Favre, give the Vikings front office their due, they are 5-0 (4-1 ATS) for the first time in six years and pegged the person they believed could make them a true Super Bowl contender.

Oakland, St. Louis, Minnesota and the Giants all know what lies ahead for 2009 and their perspectives are very different.

You had to be really impressed with Atlanta coach Mike Smith and how his staff wisely used the bye week. The Falcons used new toy TE Tony Gonzalez like a child, throwing to him over and over again in the first few games, making their home-run hitter and budding star Roddy White an afterthought. Smith had QB Matt Ryan intent on throwing the ball on the perimeter; against what were thought to be very good San Francisco corners. Ryan was on target and White caught eight passes that he turned into 210 yards in Falcons flushing of the Niners 45-10 as one-point underdogs. Interestingly, the money came all Sunday morning on Atlanta, starting the day as 2.5-point underdogs. Next Sunday’s game with Chicago is tantalizing.

While Cincinnati is well-known for its frugal methods (cheap in the real world) they deserve accolades for staying with coach Marvin Lewis. The Bengals have had a series of injury-plagued seasons and lacked the depth to replace with quality players. Carson Palmer, either being injured or playing hurt, has cost them in two of the last three seasons. Cincinnati has played five games with each contest being decided by a touchdown or less, but at least they are finding ways to win with rededicated Cedric Benson on offense and more aggressive defense. The Cats host Houston and they are 5-13-2 ATS as non-division home favorites.

In the first half, the Dallas Cowboys players where shaking their heads after every bad play, a real sign of each player on his own page. Yes, they sucked it up and came back and defeated Kansas City in non-cover 26-20, but when you consider Oakland defeated the Chiefs in four quarters, that’s a real cause for concern. We’ll see how much it means after their bye week.

I’m convinced the Houston Texans will never be more than a 9-7 team and hardly ever worse than 7-9 with Matt Schaub at quarterback. Houston’s game against Arizona sums up Shaub in a nutshell. The Texans never scored in the first half, trailing 21-0. Shaub finally got in sync with his receivers and Houston scored 21 unanswered points to tie the score at 21. With a chance to drive his team to take the lead, Shaub stared down his receiver like he was looking at Megan Fox, and frequently burned Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted the pass for a Pick Six. Shaub did drive his team back down the field for tying score, but threw a jittery pass in the end zone and missed open receiver on great play call. The Texans are in the midst of playing four of five on the road and chances are they are just as likely to be a good bet as bad. Next up is Cincinnati and Houston is 44-44 ATS since joining the league against the AFC.

Surprised the Raiders aren’t trying to make deal for Derrick Anderson after he was 2 for 17 and Cleveland still won and covered. To Anderson’s credit he actually completed one more pass making his completion percentage 15 percent, it just happen to be to Buffalo player. Cleveland ended 10-game losing streak (1-8-1 ATS) at Buffalo and heads to Pittsburgh where they are 1-9 (3-7 ATS) since becoming the Browns again in 1999.

Coach Dick Jauron and his offensive staff are clueless. They acquire Terrell Owens and have no idea how to get him the ball. The Bills are like somebody who always fries steaks in a pan, because the meat is usually cheap. Somebody buys them a sharp new grill and some beautifully tender porterhouse steaks to grill up. Instead, what do these people do with delicious looking meat, what they always, fry it in the pan. Unless Buffalo miraculously wins its next three games before the bye, I wouldn’t stray too far from the phone if I was Jauron, who is 4-13 and 6-11 ATS since opening 4-0 in 2008.

3Daily Winners Serves up Sunday

Awfully pleased with 3-1 day (Kansas lost from Thursday) taking us to 10-4 the last four days, hopefully today we can continue. We have outstanding system that is 19-3 ATS in the AFC West and Top Trend on the G-Men that 84.2 percent. Sal is amazing when he hits hot spells (8-1 yesterday, 15-3 the last three days) and offers his Best Bet for Free today. Good Luck

What I thought today – I have to admit I was shocked Texas Tech couldn’t hold lead against Houston, giving me a 3-3 Saturday, bitterly disappointed.

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Football System-1) PLAY ON a home underdog that won SU as a road dog last week, but scored 14 or fewer points in the win. Since 1990, this system is 19-3, 86.3 percent and backs Oakland.

Free Football Trend -2) The New York football Giants are 16-3 ATS after a playing a game where 60 total points or more were scored.

Free Football Pick -3) Is Sal starting another hot streak after a third straight winner here yesterday? We’ll find out after his New England selection today.

Guaranteed NFL Plays today include -- Underdog Surprise of the Day Guaranteed - Paul Buck's System Shocker on Top Dog and Sunday Night Solution

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Dressed for Sunday Success

We came up 1.5-points short of going 4-0 in CFB this week and instead settled for 3-1. I searched everywhere but couldn’t find a great system, but found a damn good one at 78.4 percent. The Top Trend is in division dandy and Ken off a brilliant Saturday looks to continue winning ways with his Top Play as Free Pick. Good luck

What I thought yesterday – What the hell happened to Colt McCoy, the Notre Dame defense, the USC offense, the Georgia defense, BYU and when does a team bring back ONE starter on defense start 3-0 (Cincinnati)? Special thanks to the Mangino’s for the late cover over Duke.

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Football System-1) PLAY AGAINST home teams where the line is +3 to -3 off a road loss, in the first month of the season, after closing out last season with two or more straight losses. This non-qualifying system is 40-11, ATS over the last 26 years at 78.4 percent and shows Kansas City and Jacksonville as the Play Against teams.

Free Football Trend -2) The Atlanta Falcons are 1-12 ATS in home games off a home win by 10 points or more

Free Football Pick -3) Ken of the LLC was perfect 6-0 yesterday and is playing Da Raaiders today with the +3.

Check out today’s Guaranteed NFL Plays.

The Platinum Sheet Forecaster was 14-2 ATS last week in NFL.

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Raiders need miracle as underdog

San Diego’s quest for a fourth consecutive AFC West title begins with a trip to Oakland, which finished three games behind the lackluster division winners with a record of 5-11 but managed four wins in 12 outings under Tom Cable, who was retained as head coach after replacing the fired Lane Kiffin.

The Raiders, a miserable 24-72 and 33-62-1 ATS over the last six seasons, haven’t won an opener since 2002 and lost a Week 1 Monday night game to Denver a year ago by a 27-point margin. They were swept by the Chargers, falling 28-18 at home in Kiffin’s finale, after leading by 15 at halftime and 34-7 on the road in the rematch.

Offseason headlines were nothing new for Oakland, which made a splash on draft day but didn’t spend foolishly on free agents. The big additions are wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (1-Maryland), offensive tackle Khalif Barnes (Jaguars) and defensive end Greg Ellis (Cowboys). The Raiders also acquired Richard Seymour this last week from New England and he’s been less than enthusiastic about wearing the Black and Silver after hearing about all the horror stories in Al Davis’ nuthouse.

Considering the Raiders ranked 29th in total offense and dead last in passing offense, and owner Al Davis’ need for speed, the selection of Heyward-Bey at No. 7 overall shouldn’t have created such an uproar. The fleet-footed rookie, along with Johnnie Lee Higgins, will allow strong-armed quarterback JaMarcus Russell (13 touchdowns, eight interceptions) to let the pigskin fly. It should be noted Heyward-Bey has been dropping passes, which was his weakness coming out of Maryland. Oakland starts the season as 10-point home underdogs at DiamondSportsbook.com, with a total of 42 and they are 9-19-1 ATS as home underdogs.

While Russell completed only 53.8 percent of his passes, San Diego’s Philip Rivers (4,009 yards, 34 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, league-best 105.5 rating) ranked among the leaders with a 65.3 success rate. Funny thing, though, two of Rivers’ three weakest games from an accuracy standpoint came against the Raiders last season. He went 24-for-47 versus Oakland with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

If Rivers comes anywhere close to his production from last season or surpasses it, the Chargers are likely to run away with the division. Their defense, under the direction of Ron Rivera since the midway point of last season, became more attack-oriented than read-and-react, and welcomes back linebacker Shawne Merriman from knee surgery. The unit has some question marks up front. Travis Johnson replaces Igor Olshansky (Cowboys) at left end, fifth-year right end Luis Castillo has yet to play up to his contract and tackle Jamal Williams, entering his 12th year, isn’t getting younger. Even so, it might not matter with San Diego having won 11 in a row over Oakland, covering the spread 10 times.

San Diego covers because they always do against the Raiders. The Chargers have covered seven straight at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, winning six times. San Diego has a number of edges, all related to talent. LaDainian Tomlinson could break back big against unsettled Oakland defensive front that was last against the run in 2008. Though Shawne Merriman missed last season due to injury, he’s shown no ill effects in the preseason and should expose Oakland at either offensive tackle position. The Raiders outside of CB Nnamdi Asomugha are inexperienced and unproven in the secondary, look for San Diego to attack. Lastly, make JaMarcus Russell beat you. Stack the middle against the run and force the former No.1 pick to make consistent throws to inconsistent wide receivers and score enough points to matter. Winning by two touchdowns should not be an issue for the Bolts against a sorry franchise that is 2-11 ATS at home when the total is between 35.5 and 42 points.

Oakland covers if they shorten the game by effectively running the ball. Darren McFadden needs the ball in space to be most effective, which means quick pitches or screens to either side. Though the Chargers are big and powerful, they are not more than average in the speed category. Get them moving from side to side and possibly the Raiders can wear down the defense. Tight end Zach Miller needs 7-10 catches in this game, to keep the chains moving and Oakland has to score points of some kind every time they cross the 50-yard line. Defensively, play with a lot of energy and don’t get discouraged by a few big plays. Force field goals and keep Chargers out of the end zone. As a coach, Norv Turner is just 1-9-1 ATS in first division matchup. Execute the plan and THE RAIDERS are within five points with a chance to win late.

Monday Night Angles –Teams like Oakland with just one MNF appearance playing at home are 6-14 ATS as hosts. Road favorites of 10 or more points like San Diego are 1-6 ATS since 1999 on MNF.

College and Pro Football Newsweekly contributed to this article.

Looking for a NFL Week 2 Upset Saturday?

The NFL preseason is even more unpredictable than the regular season, as incentives, coaching decisions and lack of continuity all play a larger role in August football. If one follows this line of thinking, this should suggest taking the points with the underdog is not a bad option, especially given the right circumstances. Here is a look at several potential upsets that could be in play on Saturday.

Oakland at San Francisco

Around the Oakland practice field this week, head coach Tom Cable heard the chant “Cable, Bumaye” - a reference to the “Ali, Bumaye” during the 1974 “Rumble In The Jungle” heavyweight fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The chant loosely translates to “Cable kill him”. This refers to reports of coach Cable clobbering assistant coach Randy Hanson, a reported Al Davis snitch.

Along with the usual absurdness that follows the Raiders, they have been running scrimmages recently against Bay Area partner San Francisco and getting their lunch and dinner handed to them. The 49ers’ players have been mocking them, which should lend itself to some professional pride by Oakland as three-point underdogs at Bookmaker.com. If nothing else, maybe the Niners will be too satisfied.

Carolina at Miami

Carolina committed a sloppy five turnovers in losing to the Giants on Monday night and will seek to tighten things down this week. Quarterback Jake Delhomme will see more action and the Panthers are a solid 8-4 ATS as dogs under coach John Fox and 6-1 SU & ATS against the AFC. Miami is a three-point home favorite and they are 16-24-3 against the spread when the favored squad.

Detroit at Cleveland

Both teams have a lot to prove this upcoming season, however Detroit has a greater sense of urgency after a winless regular season. Most people know the Lions were 4-0 (3-0-1 ATS) last preseason, before going on to make dubious history. Nevertheless, the circumstances are different as Detroit has new coaches and a real desire to bury the past. Cleveland looked absurdly pathetic in totaling 191 yards of offense against Green Bay in 17-0 loss. The Browns quarterback battle looks like it could have winner by default instead of someone earning the job. The Browns are 1-5 ATS against the NFC and are on 0-5 SU and ATS roll in the preseason. The Lions are catching 3.5-points.


San Diego at Arizona

Neither team played well in suffering defeat in first preseason games. San Diego threw for 329 yards last week, but had -2 turnover difference in losing 20-14 to Seattle as three-point favorites. The Chargers could be in a great situation since they are 9-1 ATS off a home loss. San Diego hits a rather potent system that states to Play On underdogs or pick, off an upset loss as a favorite, this week of the preseason. (28-8 ATS)

New Orleans at Houston

Both the Saints and Texans were winners last week. Houston was actually outgained by Kansas City by 27 yards, however was +3 in turnover margin. Matt Schaub was superb 7 for 7 in opener; however behind him Houston is thin at quarterback. Rex Grossman was presumed backup, but he injured hamstring and is out. That leaves Dan Orlovsky and Alex Brink to put up points for the Texans who are oddly 3-2-3 ATS at home. New Orleans has Drew Brees and experienced Mark Brunell to turn to and the Saints are 24-10 ATS in road games.

NFL quarterback controversy’s

Competition is healthy right? When someone has to compete, they tend to extend more effort and become better at what they do. But what happens when say two mediocre people go head to head? Does it really benefit a company or organization having to pick the best of an average pairing? And what about the sports bettor, he’s left to analyze the merits of mediocrity.

In the NFL, this happens a lot. The most telling position is under center with the quarterback. In studying the list of 32 NFL teams, it is good business to find the quarterback situations that are up for grabs and give strong consideration to playing Under on futures wagers for team totals.

Why you ask, it allows the old professional football proverb – If you have more than one quarterback, you have none.

The Oakland Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell No.1 two years ago and to call his progress S L O W would be doing injustice to the word itself. Talent-wise the former LSU quarterback can make all the throws, however work habits, dedication, decision-making and staying in shape were all questions marks when he was drafted and remain today. The Oakland camp is so unsure if he is the right person for the job, they’ve brought in 39-year old Jeff Garcia.

Reports have the Raiders organization thinking Russell can learn from Garcia’s work ethic and understand what it takes to play in this league. One problem, Garcia is a curmudgeon, he has no interest in developing Russell, he wants to be the starting quarterback. If Garcia believes he has earned the job in camp (which he always does) and if coach Tom Cable (with Al Davis calling every 10 seconds) decides Russell is his guy to start the season, Garcia’s past suggests a malcontent who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. This sets up combustible situation for a franchise who makes the Kardashian’s seem normal. Sportsbook.com has Da Raaaiders at 5.5 for season wins, but if Russell fails or Garcia starts seeing the ghosts of linemen chasing him like last season, they will fall short of that total in 2009.

New Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris was a big fan Josh Freeman at Kansas State and picked him in first round as long term quarterback solution. While most experts considered Freeman a project, he quickly moved up in the eyes of those in the Buccaneers organization with sharp workouts in mini-camps and OTA’s. Freeman was helped significantly competing with Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich.

Morris can’t be milquetoast in making a decision. His options are more limited than he believes and nobody thinks Freeman is as prepared as Matt Ryan for quarterback duty to start the season. The smart thing to do is start McCown and let Freeman learn and make change at midseason if necessary, with veteran Leftwich in the bullpen. Oddsmakers have pegged the Bucs for 6.5 wins after two nine win campaigns, which makes good sense.

Sweeping changes were made in Cleveland, nevertheless, sports talk radio and Browns blogs are still in debate who should be starting quarterback, Derrick Anderson or Brady Quinn. New head man Eric Mangini’s first true decision as coach will be picking one of the two. No matter who he chooses, a large bucketful of support will be for the player that lost, especially if the winner fails to live up to expectations.

The real issue here is ability. Quinn is local guy, but does not possess strong arm and accuracy isn’t his strong point. He can pick up first downs with his legs and likes to throw to tight end in tough spots. His true value is incomplete due to lack of playing and injury. Anderson is neither as good as he played in 2007 nor as awful as he looked last season. He’s like a hot fudge sundae, hot and cold, and definitely turnover-prone. Mangini needs to take a stand with one and live with it, especially in first season as coach and worry about the future later. Bettors have to do the same with Browns listed at 6.5 wins for 2009.

Of course the craziest quarterback controversy isn’t even one and might not ever be one, yet has the juiciest story. Brett Favre will be a Minnesota Viking if his arm is sound and Sage Rosenfels will wonder how he was blindsided. Even more so than Garcia, Favre isn’t putting on a purple and white uniform to wear a headset. He signs; he expects to start, even if he plays the “I just want a chance to compete” card. Except for 2007, Favre has seen a noticeable deterioration in his skill to throw the medium-deep pass (unless it’s a slant) or long pass over the last four years.

Rosenfels sagged as starter for Houston last season, being too much a risk-taker when not needed. Tarvais Jackson has had his chances and fumbled his opportunities to take the Vikings-mantle by the horns and will have to move on to have real shot at starting again. Though Minnesota fans are mildly excited about Favre coming after seeing him beat their team all these years, be careful for what you wish with a quarterback who turns 40 in October. Minnesota total of nine wins could go south if No. 4 fails to impress.

Several other teams don’t have specific issues at the field general position; however they do not have answers necessarily.

Is Trent Edwards really what Buffalo needs at quarterback? He played the role of Indian-giver in 2008. He made the coaches very comfortable in the first half of the season making him the starter and gave it all back with a repulsive second half. Terrell Owens can help, if Edwards can hit the target. Are the Bills capable of beating 7.5 wins set by oddsmakers, after a trio of seven win seasons?

Also in the AFC East, the Jets have to decide on Kellen Clemens, who has never really impressed or draft pick Mark Sanchez to beat a spot of seven wins.

Tennessee has total of nine W’s set on them. Can Kerry Collins continue to be a winner and if not, is Vince Young ready to resume career and become whom the Titans originally believed they had.

Matt Hasselbeck is the starter in Seattle and he’s become increasingly more injury-prone with advancing age. Will new coach Jim Mora have quick hook if Hasselbeck flounders and go with more athletic Seneca Wallace as Seahawks look to reclaim NFC West?

Shaun Hill has 7-3 record as San Francisco starter the last two years, which he earned in part because he had a better feel for Mike Martz offense. That offense has been scrapped with his departure. Hill is tough, with strong pocket presence and a good decision-maker. Word out of the Bay Area is he has teammates respect, but the 2005 top selection Alex Smith is hell-bent on proving he’s not a bust. Smith took a huge pay cut to stay with Niners (obviously nobody called) and believes his mended wing and more traditional offense is better suited to have him be leader of 49ers and pass seven win total placed on them.

With this much acrimony floating around this many different NFL teams, it is hard to make a case any of the teams are worthy of an Over play before the season starts.

NFL Draft – Who got it right and who screwed up

When you think about it, what goes into selecting young men to build a football team, it is a lot like a NASCAR race. The strong teams have the right people in place to succeed and they have a very clear understanding of the task, no matter where their position is in the field (draft board). Others view the race (upcoming season) as reason to take chances and try to make the right moves that will help not only this year, but in the future as well. Also, there are others who could have the best car in the field and they would go hire Cal Naughton, Jr. as their driver.

The NFL draft’s impact as a whole is seldom felt or correctly determined until three or more years down the road, when all aspects can be judged. Were starters added, based on value of draft position and was adequate depth brought in to help when injuries occur. Nevertheless, subjective evaluation can be determined by where most experts thought players should be drafted and how each NFL team presumably improved there stock for upcoming season and beyond.

Teams Taking Step Forward

Kansas City Chiefs

For the second year in a row, the Chiefs added to foundation of turnaround with a completely new front office. The New England flavor was apparent with new Kansas City GM Scott Pioli running the show. The defensive front is a priority, taking DE Tyson Jackson and DT Alex Magee to blend with Glenn Dorsey. If this group matures quickly, they can cover up other defensive weaknesses and within a year or two the Chiefs are right in the thick of AFC West race again, with San Diego and Denver coming back to the pack.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The running game slipped to 18th last season in north Florida and coach Jack Del Rio needed reinforcements to upgrade the offensive line to play his preferred style. Picking offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton takes Jacksonville towards short term goal of establishing running game and protecting quarterback David Garrard.

Cincinnati Bengals

Some draftniks were not as impressed with the Bengals draft as whole, but for a team needing something more than a collection of average players, Cincinnati met those requirements. Supposedly OT Andre Smith and LB Rey Maulaluga have character issues, but that is why coaches are asked to make players accountable. How has Randy Moss done in New England, trouble-maker, I think not. These two are arguably as good as any players at there positions coming out of college and neither is finished product, meaning with proper coaching, they have room to grow. DE Michael Johnson could be passing rushing specialist off the edge and TE Chase Coffman has to be inviting target to Carson Palmer as real threat all over the field.

New York Jets

Give credit to GM Mike Tannenbaum for being aggressive and going after the player he wanted in Mark Sanchez. The feeling one gets in watching Sanchez is he seems ideal for New York, with confident easy manner. He might not be prototypical laser thrower, but he can make all the right throws and has look of natural born leader. RB Shonn Green doesn’t have 0-60 speed, but he makes people miss in the hole and runs for the tough yards on third down. Did a lot with a little.

New England Patriots

The best organization in football flows like the St. Charles River. After just missing on perfect year and another Super Bowl in 2007, New England has committed to rebuilding with youth, with not much perceptible dip in productivity, after finishing 11-5 with a quarterback who had essentially not played in the NFL before last year. S Patrick Chang and CB Darius Butler should make secondary better, possibly as soon as late in the season. DT Ron Brace helps keep defensive front stout and three offensive linemen if as good as the Patriots believe, will add depth and be possible replacements down the line. As usual, Bill Belichick secured even more future picks. Rollin’ down the river.

Green Bay Packers

General Manager Ted Thompson took a great deal of heat for Brett Favre ordeal last year, but this is his strength and it showed. B.J. Raji is perfect nose tackle in new 3-4 defense scheme and Clay Mathews is versatile, intelligent linebacker who adds spice to what has been vanilla defense. The offensive linemen will be expected to work their way up the ladder as eventual replacements.

Teams Taking Step Backward

Oakland Raiders

Honestly have no idea if Darius Heyward-Bey will be a star, but I do know the seventh player taken in the draft should be a fairly complete player. Some TV analysts were trying to cover up for Al Davis saying Cliff Branch was raw player coming out of college, who cares, that was 37 years ago. You seldom hear of a top 10 pick exceeding expectations, however you hear about a whole truck-full that doesn’t live up to expectations. Oakland is smarter than everyone else, that is why they drafted S Michael Mitchell, whom most projected as latter round draft choice. Another throw away draft for organization living in the past.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers need a quarterback, but having seen Byron Leftwich play in the NFL all these years, Josh Freeman looks like the second coming. The big man has all the intangibles, however most agree, something is missing. The windup delivery should surface as problem and he doesn’t possess the greatest mobility, which would be less of issue if he released the ball quicker. DT Roy Miller is known as plugger and DE Kyle Moore has potential, not what you would call electrifying.

Buffalo Bills

Aaron Maybin may be the pass rushing specialist the Bills have lacked at linebacker for years; nonetheless, the term “one year wonder” has to creep into conversation, since that is how long he started at Penn State. Trading away Jason Peters meant offensive line needs had to be addressed and neither C Eric Wood nor Andy Levitre was not distinguished players who overwhelmed scouts. CB Jairus Byrd could save this pedestrian looking group for a team off a trio of 7-9 seasons.

Seeking Sunday Wagering Success

Would have had a perfect day if Florida could get ANYBODY out in the ninth inning. This takes record to solid 23-16-2 and dug up a perfect Trend on Atlanta today. The Best System is 83-17 and Paul Buck chimes in about Fish for Free Play. Good Luck.

A word of caution going both ways in MLB today. Eight road teams are going for sweeps today, making them tenuous plays in my opinion. Just be smart and don’t go overboard either way.

What I couldn’t figure out yesterday – How the draft works. Some of the picks were astonishing in my opinion, more on that this upcoming week. Darrius Heyward-Bey the seventh pick, only the Raiders.

Free Baseball System-1) PLAY ON all favorites with a money line of -175 to -250, who are averaging less than a home run per game on the season, after a win by four runs or more. The Metropolitans are the team and the system is 83-17, 83.3 percent.

Free Baseball Trend -2) The Atlanta Braves are 0-11 on the road after a win by six or more runs.

Free Baseball Selection -3) Paul Buck has hit seven of last nine MLB plays and believes Florida will be lost cause against Philadelphia before the ninth inning.

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WILD, WILD NFL

WildCat. WildHog. WildThing.

Call it anything you want, but some form of the WildWhatever offense has stampeded onto a playing field near you.

This latest NFL trend is confusing the defenses and entertaining the masses. The unorthodox offensive scheme, referred to by most as the WildCat offense or formation, is somewhat of a rarity to catch with only 10 to 15 of these plays being called in a given week.

I don't know the exact position terminology and it would probably get confusing so I'm just going to breakdown this formation with simplicity. A skill player such as a running back or wide receiver lines up in shotgun formation. A second skill player player is positioned to that player's right or left. Once the ball is snapped to the player directly behind center he has three options. Run the ball, hand the ball off to his teammate or throw the ball.

You may have seen a version of this offense in college football called the spread offense. The same principles are applied here except that the quarterback is taken out of the backfield. On some occasions the quarterback is positioned as a wideout and in others he's watching from the sidelines.

The primary advantage of utilizing this formation is that instead of playing with 10 offensive players versus 11 defensive players when the quarterback is on the field, the offense can operate on an even level with 11 on 11 in personnel terms. The element of surprise is also an edge as the defense has to be on its toes when this formation is presented.

The Miami Dolphins unleashed this ground-borne virus that is spreading throughout the league against New England in Week 3 of the season. They absolutely ran all over the Pats, combining backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to create 216 yards of offense and parlaying that success into a 38-13 victory. In Week 5 they made mincemeat of the San Diego Chargers, shredding them for 167 yards on 12 WildCat carries.

Bill Parcell's freshest Frankenstein is logging the most attempts of the Wildcat offense. Miami is averaging about five per game since its introduction and it has proved to be prolific - yielding eight of their 23 offensive touchdowns. And they are showing no signs of slowing down the game plan either. The 'Phins ran it on eight instances last week versus Seattle and six times in Sunday's defensive bout against Oakland.

Speaking of the Raiders, even with their porous offense they are able to get in on the fun and roll out the WildCat offense. After all, super-talented back Darren McFadden is no stranger to the atypical run game having executed a version of it when playing at Arkansas under head coach Houston Nutt. He and current Dallas Cowboys player Felix Jones used to make opposing defenses look clueless as they racked up hundreds of yards on the ground.

The Arkansas Razorbacks called it the WildHog in honor of their mascot. Nutt has since moved on to Ole Miss where they run a variation of the offense and have given it the moniker WildRebel.

The naming origins of this unique offensive explosion have been interesting to say the least. It is rumored that the Dolphins' labeling of the formation came from the Wildcats of West Genesee High School where Miami assistant coach Steve Bush once worked.

Last Monday against the 49ers Anquan Boldin became the first wide receiver to take a direct snap. Ken Wisenhunt and the Arizona Cardinals call this the Pahokee formation which was Boldin's hometown and high school in Florida.

Tonight we may see the Cleveland Browns bust out the Flash formation with Josh Cribbs taking the ball from center like he did last Thursday against the Broncos. Cribbs' alma mater is the Kent State Golden Flashes.

While the WildCat offense has been very productive, there have to be some problems with it or every team would use it, right? Maybe the availability and reliability of a skill player who can handle a snap and read a defense quickly poses a hindrance for some teams.

Or in the case of a wide receiver taking the snap, maybe some teams don't want their franchise player getting blown up by guys like Ray Lewis. I realize that Anquan Boldin is a big, physical receiver but he is not invincible. And what about the quarterback being used downfield as a blocker? You can bet defenses will be licking their chops to take a shot.

But there is no doubt teams are taking notice and are doing some experimenting. I don't have the luxury of the Elias Sports Bureau at my fingertips to check the stats but from my count a total of nine teams (Buccaneers, Jaguars, Falcons, Cardinals, Raiders, Dolphins, Jets, Browns, 49ers) have run some form of the WildCat offense.

It seems that better defenses will prevail against it, but will some mastermind come up with a way to completely shut down the WildCat offense?

I sure hope not. I hope it sticks around forever. It makes the running game more exciting and improves the overall entertainment of the game.

Scott Cooley offers his perspective as freelance writer and friend of 3Daily Winners.

Looking in Rearview Mirror Betting the NFL

The Buffalo Bills have lost three of their last four games and only covered two of last six contests. Opening the season 4-0 is looking a lot less impressive, considering the four victims were Seattle, Jacksonville, Oakland and St. Louis. The NFL has few secrets and teams have to adjust quickly once figured out. Opponents have determined the best way to stifle Bills offense. The Bills had a number of big plays with receiver Lee Evans, however defenses have started double-teaming him, focus on stopping the running game on early downs and man up on short passing game. Until the Buffalo coaching staff finds ways to adjust, hard to back the Bills.

East of Dallas, their might not be a more disappointing team in football than Jacksonville. This was supposed to be breakout season. The Jaguars are believed to be a physical running team, yet are 17th in rushing and 19th in stopping the run. They reached rock bottom is losing to Cincinnati last week as Cedric (Evinrude) Benson rushed for 104 yards, that’s right boat boy got a hundred plus. Jacksonville spent a lot of money on upgrading secondary, it hasn’t worked and the Jaguars are going nowhere in the AFC South.

Watching Dallas get whacked by the Giants, the thought occurred Brad Johnson should have retired at halftime. Tony Romo is far from the only problem with the Cowboys, as the offensive line is playing horrible considering the talent. Dallas is 3-11 ATS since last December and counting.

Looking at the schedule from opponent’s ability, Detroit has a shot at 0-16. Though it is unlikely to happen, they will be an underdog by a minimum of three points in any given game the rest of the year. The Lions have covered three of last four and will play five home games the rest of the way.

The Oakland Raiders, what a sorry franchise. Al Davis spent all kinds of money overpaying for free agents and since another season is being flushed, now he’s going to dump some of them so not to have to pay scheduled bonuses in the off-season. He’s like the guy in the commercial who buys the painting and wants to turn around and sell it. Lane Kiffen at least left with his sanity. Al, it’s time to step away, you are legend in the AFL and NFL, turn the reigns over and let somebody rebuild this team to when Pride and Poise actually meant something.

Quick Outs- Brady Quinn gets to start in Cleveland; will it matter if your best receiver keeps dropping touchdown passes?

The Baltimore defense was supposed to be great again, but rookies Joe Flacco and Ray Rice are two of the big reasons for the Ravens being 6-2 and 5-3 against the spread. Wonders never cease in the NFL.

By the end of Week 10, the Arizona Cardinals could have as big a divisional lead as the Tennessee Titans. Based on the past, Arizona is about as safe a bet as a 10-team parlay, yet the competition is so meager, they almost but can’t help but win the NFC West. The Cardinals still have to make two trips back East to Philadelphia and New England, however earning the number two position in the NFC is not out of the range of possibilities. As has been stated here several times this season, given time, Kurt Warner is still a Top 5 quarterback in the NFL.

With the current state of the Denver Broncos, is a 3-5 San Diego squad in the best position to win the AFC West?

I used to follow this all the time and started again. Take the top and bottom four teams in scoring average in each conference. When any two teams of the higher scoring teams play each other, play OVER and when the lower scoring teams play one another play UNDER. I let each team have somewhat of a track record, thus started with week five. The year to date record is 7-2 against the total.

Touchdown favorites in the NFL continue to be a lousy wager with a 14-16 ATS record and home underdogs are even worse at 15-21 against the spread.

Terrific Tuesday Wagering Lookahead

The Indianapolis Colts prevented us from having a 2-0 day; however the Top Trend was a NHL winner. For this upcoming NFL Sunday, we have an 84.6 percent first half system and an incredible trend on the money line concerning the odorous Oakland Raiders. Good Luck.

Free Football System-1) PLAY ON home favorites of 2 to 6 points vs. the first half line after a game where they committed four or more turnovers against opponent after three consecutive games with a turnover margin of -1 or worse. This first betting system is 22-4, 84.6 percent and suggests to back Buffalo.

Free Football Trend -2) The Oakland Raiders are is 1-17 against the money line after scoring 17 points or less in three straight games the last 16 years.

Free Hoops Selection -3) Professional basketball starts tonight and Randy from the Left Coast Connection has been the best NBA bettor among the group to my understanding and he is making a small wager on Cleveland at +6.5 tonight.