SPORTS ADVISORS
NFL PRESEASON
Cleveland (0-2 SU and ATS) at Detroit (2-0 SU and ATS)
The Browns try to put one in the win column when they travel to Ford Field in Detroit for their annual preseason matchup with the Lions.
Cleveland committed a slew of errors in falling behind the Giants 30-3 on Monday night and were unable to dig out of the hole in losing 37-34 on the road in a pick-em contest. Cleveland, which has given up 61 points in two games, is still 9-5 ATS since Crennel took over in 2005, including 5-2 SU and ATS on the road, 7-2 ATS as an underdog and 4-0 ATS (3-1 SU) in Week 3. Also, since 2004, the Browns are 4-1 ATS following a straight-up preseason defeat.
Detroit looked impressive in Sunday’s 27-10 upset win at Cincinnati as a 3½-point road underdog, with the offense rolling up 383 total yards. The Lions are off to a 2-0 start for the second straight summer, but they remain in preseason ATS slumps of 5-12-1 overall and 1-6-1 as a favorite. Also, Detroit has gotten crushed in Week 3 the last four preseasons, losing all four games by the combined score of 112-32.
Browns’ starting QB Derek Anderson suffered a mild concussion in Monday’s 37-34 loss to the Giants and will be sitting this one out. Head coach Romeo Crennel said Anderson will play in Thursday’s matchup with the Bears if he’s cleared by the medical staff. Cleveland backup QB Brady Quinn (7-for-12 for 124 yards and a TD against the Giants) will get the start tonight and play into the third quarter before giving way to Ken Dorsey (9-of-11 for 143 yards and a TD).
Detroit QB Jon Kitna has been sharp in limited action this preseason, completing 90 percent of his throws for 182 yards and two TDs. He’ll play the first half tonight and give way to Dan Orlovsky (218 yards passing this preseason) who will play the entire second half with third-stringer Drew Stanton sidelined with a thumb injury. The Lions signed former N.Y. Yankees’ prospect Drew Henson on Friday to be the third-stringer with Stanton out at least a month, but Henson will not get any action tonight.
These teams have been preseason rivals for years, with Cleveland winning four of the last six clashes (3-3 ATS). However, last year in Ohio, Detroit stole a 23-20 Week 2 victory, cashing as a three-point underdog.
Although Monday’s game at New York flew over the total, the under is still 5-2 in the Browns’ last seven preseason road games. However, the over is 4-2 in Detroit’s last six August contests.
ATS ADVANTAGE:CLEVELAND
N.Y. Giants (1-1, 1-0-1 ATS) vs. N.Y. Jets (1-1 SU and ATS)
The Super Bowl champs will try to make it two in a row in front of the home fans when they play their annual preseason contest against the in-house rival Jets in the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
These teams meet in the Meadowlands every preseason in Week 3, with the Jets winning six of the last eight meetings (5-3 ATS). Last year, the Jets rolled 20-12 as a three-point favorite, but the Giants got revenge in the regular season, winning 35-24 as a 3½-point chalk.
After mustering up just 10 points in a Week 1 loss in Detroit, the Giants came home Monday and enjoyed a scoring frenzy, opening up a 30-3 lead en route to a 37-34 win. The Giants, who outrushed Cleveland 201-67, are still just 2-3-1 ATS in August since the start of last year after going 7-0 ATS in their previous seven preseason contests.
Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning was efficient with his passing on Monday when he completed 4-of-7 passes for 52 yards and two TDs. He’ll play the entire first half tonight before giving way to David Carr (7-of-14 for 53 yards against Cleveland) who will play the second half. Carr has won the battle to be Manning’s backup, getting all the reps with the second unit this week with Anthony Wright sidelined for this game with a back strain.
The Giants’ stable of receivers returned to practice this week as Amani Tooomer, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham all came back off injury and will likely see limited time in tonight’s game.
Brett Favre led the Jets into the end zone in his first series with the team a week ago, but they managed just a fourth-quarter field goal thereafter in losing 13-10 to the Redskins as a 2½-point home favorite. Despite the setback, Eric Mangini’s squad is still on a 12-6 SU roll in August (10-8 ATS), including 4-2 SU and ATS in the last six. The Jets are also 4-1 ATS in their last five preseason games following an outright defeat.
Favre, who went 5-for-6 for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins, will get some extended time on the field tonight, going with the starters into the third quarter. The battle to be his backup is tightening between Brett Ratliff and Kellen Clemens. Ratliff is 27-for-39 for 400 yards and two TDs this August while Clemens had QB’d seven possessions and has yet to lead the Jets to any points. Expect to see Ratliff for most of the second half tonight with Clemens getting just mop-up time late in the game.
The under is 7-0 in the last seven preseason meetings between these rivals and 3-1 in the Jets’ last four August contests overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Washington (3-0 SU and ATS) at Carolina (1-1, 0-2 ATS)
The Redskins have been perfect this preseason and hope that continues tonight when they take on the Panthers inside Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina saw 13-0 fourth-quarter lead disappear in the blink of an eye last week at Philadelphia, giving up 24 points in the final stanza to lose 24-13 as a three-point road underdog. The Panthers have failed to cash in five straight exhibition games (0-3 ATS at home), and they had a four-game Week 3 winning streak (3-1 ATS) snapped in last year’s 24-7 preseason home loss to New England.
The Redskins rallied for a 13-10 victory at the Jets last week to remain perfect in the preseason under first-year coach Jim Zorn. It’s been a surprising turnaround, considering Washington went 2-9 SU and ATS in preseason play from 2005-07 under former coach Joe Gibbs. However, despite winning last week, the Redskins are still only 3-8 in their last 11 true exhibition road games (4-7 ATS).
As with most teams, most of Washington’s starters will get their longest look of the preseason tonight, including QB Jason Campbell, who is expected to go the entire first half. Campbell will hand off to veteran Todd Collins, with rookie Colt Brennan probably mopping up.
Carolina coach John Fox said his healthy first-teamers will see extended action in this contest, but he once again wasn’t specific on his QB plans. Jake Delhomme almost certainly will start under center, with Matt Moore coming off the bench and Brett Basanez and/or Lester Ricard possibly finishing up.
The last time the Redskins and Panthers clashed in the summer was the opening week of 2005, with Carolina rolling 28-10 as a 3½-point home favorite. Since then, however, the Panthers are mired in a 3-9 ATS funk (1-5 ATS at home).
The under is 5-1 in Washington’s last six in August and 4-1 Carolina’s last five preseason home games.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
New Orleans (1-1 SU and ATS) at Cincinnati (1-1 SU and ATS)
The Saints offense hopes to keep clicking when it takes the field against the Bengals inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
After a solid 24-10 win in Arizona in Week 1, New Orleans returned to the Superdome last week and gave up 405 yards in a 31-27 loss to the Texans as a three-point home favorite. The Saints have won and covered three straight road games in August, but they’re 1-8 ATS in their last nine summer outings as a favorite, including five consecutive non-covers dating to 2005.
The first-team New Orleans’ offense scored on four of five first-half possessions last week with QB Drew Brees completing 12 of 17 passes for 147 yards and two TDs, but the defense gave up 220 total yards in the first two quarters.
Brees will lead the offense for the first half tonight and will get some chances to throw to newly acquired TE Jeremy Shockey. Veteran Mark Brunell will play most of the second half with rookie Tyler Palko getting some fourth-quarter action.
Cincinnati’s much-maligned defense has surrendered exactly 383 total yards in the first two games. Although it didn’t matter in a Week 1 win at Green Bay, the Bengals were unable to overcome the poor defensive play in last Saturday’s 27-10 home loss to Detroit as a 3½-point home chalk. Cincinnati is now break-even through 22 preseason games under coach Marvin Lewis, going 12-10 ATS, including 7-4 at home (6-5 ATS).
Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer (6-for-13 for 50 yards and an INT against the Lions) will play the entire first half tonight as he tries to get in a rhythm after completing just 50 percent of his passes for 83 yards in the first two August contests. Ryan Fitzpatrick (11-for-14 for 111 yards and a TD against Detroit) will play the third quarter and Jeff Rowe (125 yards in two preseason games) will be under center in the fourth quarter.
In Week 3 action, the Bengals are 1-4 SU and ATS the last three years in Week 3 action, while New Orleans is 2-3 SU and ATS, including last year’s 30-7 rout at Kansas City as a two-point road underdog.
In a Week 2 preseason meeting last year in New Orleans, the Saints rolled 27-19 as a 3½-point home favorite.
The under is 6-3 in the Saints’ last nine exhibition battles, but the over is 5-1 in Cincy’s last six.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NEW ORLEANS
Jacksonville (1-1 SU and ATS) at Tampa Bay (2-0 SU and ATS)
The Buccaneers, possibly with starting QB Jeff Garcia back in the fold, look to duplicate Sunday’s dominating effort against New England when they entertain the Jaguars.
Tampa Bay embarrassed the Patriots on Sunday night, rolling up a 295-184 edge in total offense (170-56 on the ground) and a 15-minute edge in time of possession en route to a 27-10 victory as a three-point home favorite. The Bucs are now 15-8 SU and 14-7-2 ATS in the last five-plus preseasons, including 5-1 SU and ATS going back to last year. They’ve also been tremendous at home in August since coach Jon Gruden arrived (10-3 SU, 8-4-1 ATS).
Jacksonville managed just 42 rushing yards (while allowing 123) in last week’s 19-14 home loss to the Dolphins as a 3½-point chalk. Since coach Jack Del Rio took over the Jags in 2003, the team has dominated summer games, going 15-7 (13-9 ATS), including 6-4 on the road (7-3 ATS).
The Jags have won and covered back-to-back Week 3 games the past two preseasons, including a 29-18 rout of Tampa Bay as a three-point home choice in 2006. In fact, these instate rivals have squared off against each other each of the past six summers, with Jacksonville going 4-0 SU in the last four and 5-0 ATS in the last five.
Garcia sat out the last two weeks with an injury, and although he took most of the reps in practice this week, Gruden said he’d wait to name a starter – as well as the rest of his QB rotation – until game time. Gruden did acknowledge that he expects the rest of his starting units to play as much as a half tonight. In addition to Garcia, the other quarterbacks on the Bucs’ roster are Luke McCown (who started in Week 1), Brian Griese (last week’s starter), Chris Simms and rookie Josh Johnson.
Del Rio has kept his game plan close to the vest the entire preseason, but expect QB David Garrard and the rest of the first-stringers to play into the third quarter. Cleo Lemon figures to replace Garrard under center, though he was outperformed by No. 3 QB Todd Bouman last week.
The Jags have topped the total in 10 of their last 14 exhibition affairs, including five of the last six on the road. Also, the over is 4-1 in Tampa’s last five in August, and the over is 4-0 in the last four meetings between these teams (3-0 in the preseason).
ATS ADVANTAGE: TAMPA BAY
Kansas City (1-1 SU and ATS) at Miami (1-1 SU and ATS)
With their first win of the Tony Sparano era under their belt, the Dolphins return home to South Beach to host the Chiefs.
Newly acquired Miami quarterback Chad Pennington (5-for-6, 55 yards) had an impressive debut at Jacksonville last week, leading a touchdown drive as the Dolphins prevailed 19-14 as a three-point road underdog. Miami is still just 10-13 SU and 9-12-2 ATS in preseason action since 2003, including 5-6 (4-6-1 ATS) at home.
The Chiefs had advantages of 345-215 in total offense and 22-13 in first downs last week against Arizona, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 27-17 loss as a 1½-point home chalk. Kansas City is now 3-11 SU and ATS in its last 14 exhibition contests, though it did stop an eight-game SU and ATS road losing skid with a victory in Week 1 in Chicago.
Kansas City is 1-4 SU and ATS in the Week 3 dress rehearsal the last five years, including a 30-7 drubbing at the hands of the Saints in 2007. Meanwhile, Miami is 1-3 (0-3-1 ATS) in Week 3 the last four summers.
Sparano said that his “core guys” will be on the field at least until the middle of the third quarter against K.C. and that Pennington is “going to play a good amount,” but added that the veteran QB may hit the bench earlier than the rest of the starters. Rookie Chad Henne will replace Pennington, with John Beck and Josh McCown – both of whom were atop the depth chart when camp began – likely sitting out for the second straight week.
Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said QB Brodie Croyle and the rest of the starting offensive and defensive units will go into the third quarter in this contest. Tyler Thigpen will follow Croyle, with veteran Damon Huard probably remaining on the sidelines for the second week in a row.
Last August, Miami went to Kansas City and scored an 11-10 upset victory as a three-point road underdog. That game stayed under the total, but the over is 5-1 in Miami’s last six preseason home games.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MIAMI
Pittsburgh (1-1 SU and ATS) at Minnesota (1-1 SU and ATS)
The Vikings likely will be without starting quarterback Tavaris Jackson tonight when they host the Steelers at the Metrodome.
Jackson got knocked out of last week’s 23-15 win at Baltimore with a knee injury, and coaches indicated that even though Jackson is improving, they likely will not risk putting him on the field. Despite Jackson’s injury, Minnesota, which suffered an ugly Week 1 home loss to Seattle, looked much better in upsetting the Ravens as a 1½-point road underdog.
The Vikings continue to be tough to figure out in the preseason since Brad Childress took over as coach in 2006, going 5-4-1 SU and 5-5 ATS, including 2-3 SU and ATS at home. However, they are 4-1 ATS as a preseason ‘dog under Childress and 4-1 SU (3-2 ATS) in preseason play in Week 3 the last five years, but the one defeat came last year at Seattle (30-13 as a seven-point underdog).
Pittsburgh went north of the border to Canada last Thursday to face Buffalo and came away with a 24-21 loss as a one-point favorite, despite outgaining the Bills 370-266. With the defeat, the Steelers fell to 5-2 (4-3 SU) in the preseason under second-year coach Mike Tomlin, but they’ve won both true road games (1-1 ATS) since Tomlin came on board.
If Jackson can’t go under center, veteran QB Gus Frerotte will lead the first-string offense, with Minnesota’s starters likely to go into the third quarter. Rookie John David Booty and veteran reserve Brooks Bollinger would finish up at quarterback.
Tomlin said the majority of his healthy starters will play at least the first half in this one, including QB Ben Roethlisberger. It’s unknown what the rest of the quarterback rotation would be, with the options being recently signed veteran Byron Leftwich and rookies Dennis Dixon and Mike Potts.
In an exhibition clash in Pittsburgh in 2006, the Vikings earned a 17-10 victory as a 2½-point underdog.
The under is 9-2 in Pittsburgh’s last 11 preseason games, including 5-1 in the last six on the highway. On the flip side, the Vikings have topped the total in nine of their last 14 exhibition contests dating to 2005, including the last five in a row.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
Baltimore (1-1 SU and ATS) at St. Louis (1-1, 0-2 ATS)
The Ravens go for their second road win of the summer when they visit the Edward Jones Dome to battle the Rams.
A week after a surprising win at the Patriots in coach John Harbaugh’s debut, the Ravens came home and spotted the Vikings a 20-7 halftime lead, falling 23-15 as a 1½-point home favorite. Baltimore has been a picture of mediocrity in the preseason the last five-plus years, going 10-11 SU and ATS overall, 5-5 SU and ATS on the road and 4-4 ATS as an underdog.
With San Diego’s key players sitting out the entire game, St. Louis stumbled to an uninspiring 7-6 victory over the Chargers a week ago, failing to cash as a 3½-point home chalk. The defense, which got torched for 495 yards and 34 points at Tennessee in Week 1, gave up just two field goals and 203 total yards to San Diego, but QB Marc Bulger was picked off twice.
The Rams are just 4-6 SU and 2-8 ATS in August since coach Scott Linehan took over prior to the 2006 season, including 1-4 ATS at home and 1-4 ATS as a favorite. They’ve also lost two straight Week 3 games both SU and ATS.
Harbaugh has named Troy Smith the starter for tonight’s game, though he has yet to decide who the team’s No. 1 quarterback will be once the regular season begins. Harbaugh said Smith will “play as much as we need to have him play.” Meanwhile, veteran Kyle Boller, who is battling Smith for the first-sting job and has committed three turnovers in the preseason, may not see the field in this one, meaning rookie Joe Flacco will likely be the second quarterback on the field.
Linehan was mum on playing time for his starters tonight, but expect Bulger and the first-string offense to play at least the first half. Bulger’s backups are veteran Trent Green, Bruce Gradkowski and Brock Berlin. Star running back Stephen Jackson, who ended a lengthy holdout this week, will not play tonight.
The under is 4-2 in the Rams’ last six preseason games and 9-4 in Baltimore’s last 13
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Arizona (1-1 SU and ATS) at Oakland (1-1 SU, 2-0 ATS)
With their revamped rushing offense looking in midseason form, the Raiders return to McAfee Coliseum to host the Cardinals, who are on the road for the second consecutive week.
Oakland followed up an impressive 18-6 home win over the 49ers with a 17-16 loss at Tennessee last Friday, but still covered as a 3½-point road underdog. The Raiders, who have churned out 248 and 224 rushing yards in the first two weeks, are 7-4 SU and 8-3 ATS since the start of the 2006 preseason, including 5-0 SU and ATS at home, 4-0 ATS as a favorite and 2-0 SU and ATS in Week 3.
Arizona bounced back from a 24-10 home loss to New Orleans and upended the Chiefs 27-17 as a 1½-point road ‘dog last Saturday, scoring 21 second-half points to snap a five-game preseason losing streak since coach Ken Whisenhunt came on board prior to last season. Although the Cardinals just 3-4 ATS under Whisenhunt, they’re now 10-4 ATS as a preseason pup since 2003, and they’ve cashed in five straight Week 3 preseason contests.
With the exception of first-string running back Justin Fargas (limited action), the Raiders’ starters are expected to play the entire first half and perhaps into the third quarter, coach Lane Kiffin said. Once QB JaMarcus Russell departs, he’ll hand the ball to backup Andrew Walter. Veteran Marques Tuiasosopo and/or rookie Sam Keller may see action late.
Matt Leinart gets the starting nod for Arizona under center, but backup Kurt Warner, who is pushing Leinart for the starting job, is slated to take over in the second quarter and get reps with the first-string offense. Third-stringer Brian St. Pierre and rookie Anthony Morelli would finish up.
Oakland held off the Cardinals 27-23 as a two-point home favorite last August, improving to 5-1 SU (3-3 ATS) in preseason action against Arizona since 1999.
The over is 6-2 in Arizona’s last eight preseason games (3-1 on the road). Conversely, the under is 4-1 in the last five preseason meetings between these teams, 12-3 in the Raiders’ last 15 August affairs overall and 8-1 in the Raiders’ last nine at home.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota (74-54) at L.A. Angels (77-50)
The Twins and Angels continue their four-game weekend series in southern California, with veteran Jon Garland (11-8, 4.33 ERA) scheduled to take the mound for the hosts opposite Nick Blackburn (9-7, 3.71).
The Twins have taken the first two in this series and have won four straight overall, including Friday’s 9-0 drubbing of the Angels, and 12 of their last 15. They’re also on additional hot streaks of 8-1 against the A.L. West, 7-3 on the road, 4-1 versus righty starters and 6-1 when playing on Saturday.
The Angels, in an uncharacteristic rut, have now lost seven of their last nine games. However, they still sport positive runs of 15-6 at home, 23-10 against winning teams, 15-7 against right-handed starters and 5-1 on Saturdays. Also, Los Angeles is 7-3 in the last 10 battles against Minnesota and 19-9 in the last 28 meetings in Anaheim.
Garland has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, but he got roughed up in his most recent outing at Tampa Bay, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in six innings, losing 6-4. That ended a string of three straight quality starts for the right-hander.
Garland is 4-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 14 starts at Angels Stadium this season and 8-8 with a 4.40 ERA in 27 career appearances (24 starts) against the Twins. One of the victories came in Minnesota way back on April 1, as he scattered a run on six hits in eight innings of a 9-1 victory.
Blackburn has delivered a quality outing in seven of his last nine trips to the hill, including Monday at home against Oakland when he yielded three runs on six hits in eight innings, but lost, 3-2. Blackburn is 3-4 with a 4.48 ERA in 13 road starts, eight of which Minnesota has lost. Also, in his one career start against the Angels back on April 2, the right-hander was a tough-luck loser in a 1-0 game, giving up just five hits and the one run over seven innings.
In this rivalry, the under is 5-2-1 in the last eight matchups and 18-9-3 in the last 30 meetings in L.A. The under is also 5-3 in the Angels’ last seven overall, 16-6-2 in their last 24 on Saturdays and 9-1-1 in Garland’s last 11 home outings. However, for the Twins, the over is on streaks of 6-2 on the road, 5-2 when Blackburn works on the road, 17-5 versus the A.L. West and 6-1 on Saturdays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. ANGELS
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