2010 MLB Playoff Preview/Regular Season Awards

Greetings all... 2 parts here.. Part 1 to give out the MLB regular season awards... Part 2 to preview the playoffs...

REGULAR SEASON AWARDS

AL Rookie of the Year - Neftali Feliz, RP Texas - Feliz saved 39 games for a playoff team... and was pretty dominant in doing so... he's been a top-5 closer in all of baseball this year by the numbers... and I'm pretty down on Austin Jackson... he had a nice year but he tailed off after May, and his numbers simply don't stack up to Feliz...

NL Rookie of the Year - Jaime Garcia, SP St. Louis - 2.70 ERA... a full season of starts with a 2.70 ERA... better than Hudson... better than Oswalt... better than Ubaldo... and the list goes on... I can't ignore those numbers... You can make a great case for Buster Posey, who's been downright ridiculous since he came up... but I can't give the nod to a guy who didn't come up til the end of May... and without the DL stint mid-season I'm pretty sure my winner would be Jason Heyward, but the power numbers don't give enough to compliment his ludicrous .394 OBP... so Garcia is my pick

AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez, Seattle - Lowest ERA.... 2nd most K's (and he would've won this category if they made him make his meaningless final start), 2nd in WHIP, best in the league in BAA... this isn't a "most valuable pitcher" award where you'd have to factor in team success... it's a "best pitcher" award, and frankly, it hasn't been close... 13 wins with that offense is pretty impressive in itself, and nobody with high win totals can come close to matching his production elsewhere... CC's ERA is nearly a run higher (3.18 to 2.27) with 35 less K's, and significantly higher WHIP... David Price would be my runner-up, but he didn't eat innings like Felix, and gets the benefit of a much better offense... Felix FTW...

NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay, Philly - 250 innings... 2nd in K's, 3rd in ERA, 2nd in WHIP, and an insane 9 complete games... this is a close race (with Wainwright) but in the end, I give the stamp to the guy who saves his bullpen more... and that's Halladay... Wainwright has been crazy too (2.42 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 213 K's) and would easily be my #2...

AL MVP - Josh Hamilton, OF Texas - This was close.. but in the end.. 1.044 OPS hitting .359 with 32/100 is just insane... even in 133 games... especially when they had the division wrapped up when he got hurt (so only a slight deduction), and the only guy with comparable numbers played for a Detroit team that's been out of it since August (sorry Miggy)... Darkhorse? How bout Robinson Cano? .319/29/109 from a SECOND BASEMEN on the best team in the AL...

NL MVP - Joey Votto, 1B Cincy - Slam...Dunk... 1.024 OPS (1st), 37 HR (2nd), 113 RBI (3rd), .424 OBP (1st), and 16 steals for good measure... yes, Albert Pujols is insane, yet again.. and Carlos Gonzalez was fantastic from the jump... but Votto was the best hitter in the NL this year and he plays for a division winner... pretty easy choice...


Okay that's that.... to the Playoff Preview...

NLDS #1: Giants over Braves in 4...

Too much pitching for San Fran... If Atlanta had home-field it may be a different series, but I can't pick a team that is 11 games under .500 on the road for the season, AND down Prado/Chipper to win this series without homefield... The one advantage for Atlanta is that they'll only need 3 starters in the series... but that also takes Barry Zito out of the picture (we think) for SF... so it's kind of a wash.. Hope I'm wrong....

NLDS #2: Philly over Cincy in 3....

Yes, a sweep... I'm not crapping on the Reds... I'm really not... but they don't have a single pitching edge (or really even anything near-even) in this series facing Halladay/Oswalt/Hamels... and Philly is a juggernaut right now...

ALDS #1: Yanks over Twins in 4...

Too much offense for NY... I don't trust Minnesota's pitching (or NY's really) enough to override their offense advantage... and Mo Rivera can't be ignored... X-factor in the series, and the Yankees season, is how Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte respond... This'll be a nice test

ALDS #2: Tampa over Texas in 5...

Price/Lee is a very, very nice matchup in games 1 and 4... that's for sure, but I don't trust a single other starting pitcher on either side... that sounds crazy, but that's the view I'm taking... Tampa's lineup is a gauntlet, and they'll be able to run on whichever catcher Texas throws out there (name that Molina... Bengie!)... Like the Rays

NLCS: Philly over SF in 5...

Too much Phillies... SF can match their pitching (as well as anyone at least) and they have the better bullpen, but the lineup disparity is shocking... can't see SF scoring any runs here...

ALCS: Tampa over NY in 7...

Tampa has the better pitching... seems crazy to say, but I don't trust Hughes or Pettitte, and I ESPECIALLY don't trust AJ Burnett in Game 4... Long series... and I wouldn't be surprised to see NY win this one, but I'll give the proverbial nod to the Rays... even without a homefield advantage lol

World Series: Philly over Tampa in 6...

Best pitching... Top-2 Lineup (with NYY)... I can't ignore the way Philly has been destroying everyone in their path, and they matchup well with Tampa... This is MLB's worst nightmare ratings wise (i.e. 2008), but it's what I see... And please know, this is obviously an elaborate reverse jinx on the Phillies... I certainly hate them... but they have the best roster, and they're playing the best... done and done


Go Braves...

10/3: The Gauntlet

Greetings all... What a weekend... culminating in "The Gauntlet" for an Atlanta sports fan such as myself... a 1:00 Falcons kick-off coupled with a 1:35 Braves first pitch in the biggest/last/clinching game of the season, and the subsequent 3 hour battle between the Padres and Giants with a serious rooting interest... here we go with a recap..

• The Braves are in... I have to lead with this... if you don't care, move swiftly down the page... but as much as the Braves backed in, they are in nonetheless with an assist to Charlie Manuel, and the San Francisco Giants... 162 games is a long race... now short series are the name of the game, and everyone's got a puncher's chance... there will be a full MLB playoff preview in this space before Wednesday... but big-ups to a gutty Braves team that probably has no business being there...
• Carlos Boozer out 8 weeks... the huge FA signing for the Bulls will miss the first month-plus of their season... pretty brutal already for Chi-town... but it's better to happen now than later...
• The Ryder Cup stands at 9.5 to 6.5 in favor of Europe after a total domination 5.5 to 0.5 session late in the day on Saturday into Sunday... still a puncher's chance for the rare Monday comeback for the Americans because anything can happen in singles... Can't wait to tune in...

To the Pigskin from the weekend... First, college...

• Alabama the undisputed #1... a 31-6 drubbing of Florida that sent a message to everybody in the SEC, and really the country... they were dominant on both sides of the ball, they have 2 of the top 5 running backs in the country, and they are extremely well coached... pretty nice combo...
• Oregon takes control of the Pac 10... a 2nd half explosion (and the wilting of Andrew Luck) propels the Ducks into the driver's seat out west... and shot them past Boise State in the rankings... I'm okay with it simply based on the best win (this win) on either resume, and the general way they've dominated...
• Ohio State shaky... Pryor got hurt... they looked shaky... but it's a conference road game, and they looked to be in full control while he was in there... don't be alarmed...
• The Red River shootout... didn't see a second of this game, I wouldn't lie to you... but Texas made 2 turnovers to Oklahoma's none... that's the recipe to lose..
• Sparty takes out Wisconsin... I was semi-shocked by this one... fresh off their coach's heart attack and the turmoil that comes with that, Michigan State banded together, controlled the tempo throughout, and beat up on a Wisconsin team I really liked... setting up undefeated vs. undefeated in the battle for Michigan next week.... Speaking of the Wolverines..
• Denard Robinson had 494 yards of total offense... that's absurd... he's the first player in FBS history to have 2 games of 200 yds passing and 200 yds rushing in their CAREER... he's done it twice in 3 weeks... and he's a true sophomore... if only he could play defense for Greg Robinson's mess of a unit...
• USC can't solve Washington... This game got a lot more coverage than it probably warranted... but Jake Locker put himself back on the map after a dreadful performance the previous week...
• Georgia is 1-4... I don't even know what to say about that... I'm taking a little joy in it, but my heart tells me that I shouldn't... speaking from someone who endured a 3-9 Michigan season recently... there's nothing worse than when it starts to snowball...

NFL...

• Falcons squeeze one out... Thanks to Nate Clements... who took a late INT from Matt Ryan down inside the Falcons 10-yd line instead of merely getting down and virtually ending the game... and he fumbled the ball back to Matty Ice who was able to take the Falcons back down the field for the game winner... really an ugly game throughout, and I caution people to not forget the 2nd soul-crushing Ryan INT of the season on a final drive... but I'll take the win to be sure... 3-1 looks good
• Cleveland upsets Cincy... Carson Palmer is a mess... his numbers look fine... but he's made so many crucial mistakes in the red zone, etc. that I've lost count...
• GB sneaks by Detroit... this game was o-v-e-r... at least it should've been... until Aaron Rodgers threw 3 picks in 7 attempts... and Shaun Hill was decent... but alas, the Pack sneak one out.. that's the sign of a better team...
• Baltimore makes plays... a late big-time throw by Flacco and the subsequent Charlie Batch INT seal this one for the Ravens... typical AFC North game...
• Indy goes down... Jacksonville seems like a house of horrors for Peyton Manning and company... a 59-yarder by Josh Scobee at the gun to win it... crazy stuff there... Jacksonville didn't make mistakes and were able to run the ball effectively... best way to beat Indy...
• Vick goes down... #7 left early... and Washington was able to milk their 17-6 half-time lead into a victory... pretty ugly football here... resulting in the final hail mary that my boy Jason Avant probably should've come down with (and I'm frankly shocked he didn't... he catches everything)... Huge W for the Skins...

THE PICKS wrap-up (12-7 entering)

• NW - 5... Loss
• Wisconsin -2... Loss
• UGA -4.5... Loss
• UNLV +21... winner!
• Seattle - 1... Loss
• NO -13.5... Loss
• San Diego -8... winner!

Now 14-12 on the year... rough week... at any rate... Lots of content to come in this space soon... Appreciate your patronage

NBA 30-Team Preview #2: Golden State Warriors

Ah, Oakland's finest...

Roster

C - Andris Biedrins, Ekpe Udoh (injured), Dan Gadzuric

PF - David Lee, Louis Amundson, Brendan Wright

SF - Reggie Williams, Dorell Wright, Vlad Radmanovic

SG - Monta Ellis, Charlie Bell, Rodney Carney

PG - Steph Curry, Jeremy Lin

Analysis

Brad: What do you even say here? Nellie is out, and that's a guaranteed positive... but this roster is a mess... there isn't a legit NBA small forward on the roster (with apologies to Reggie Williams), their lottery pick is injured already, and was a reach when he was drafted, and their 3rd guard is Charlie Bell... yes, Charlie Bell!... There is certainly talent with big-time guard Stephen Curry, recently overpaid David Lee, and Monta Ellis... but the continuity of the roster is jumbled...

Ryan: Yeah short term the thinking would be "Yes!...Nellie is outta here!"..but this roster was kinda tailored to his liking so its going to take some time to weed all that unconventionality out of The Bay.A good start would be cutting Monta Ellis out of town..but lets focus on the here and now.If this team doesn't run and gun..it's going to be very very hard to compete night in and night out.But they do have pieces like Louis Amundson,Andris Biedrins and David Lee to get the dirty work done..like you said though..the depth 1-3 isn't really there...

Brad: Couldn't agree more... the roster is set to score 110 and give up 120... I like Lee alongside Biedrins or Amundson simply because they can cover up his defensive limitations... I'm still not convinced that Monta and Curry can play together (actually, I'm convinced they can't), and they get eaten alive by any shooting guard that can score because of that undersized backcourt... I really, really like Ekpe Udoh as a player... i.e. I was praying he'd fall to the Hawks at 19 before the hype machine kicked in... but his injury right now in addition to the frontcourt depth they've amassed makes him a candidate for getting buried a bit, and makes the wing gap look that much more glaring...

Ryan: I think that Ellis and Curry can play together just as long as Curry is running the show..last year it was Ellis and that wasn't...working..team wise..I have nothing about Udoh but I don't know if he'll bring too much more than what Biedrins does..and..I totally forgot that Vladimir Radmanovic and Brandan Wright were still there!...man Nellie's dog house is worse than the witness protection program!..but as a small sidebar I'm really pulling for Jeremy Lin..being the first Asian-American player in the NBA..he's a Harvard grad and is from Palo Alto(For people who don't know its the Stanford/Bay Area) I think he's a good story.

Brad: Totally agree on Lin.. and I think he'll be listed as the backup PG on the depth chart.. granted, that doesn't mean much because I think they'll always have either Curry or Ellis out there.. but he's the next option... Brendan Wright is a giant bust, and I think he's been exposed as such... but Radman has an NBA reputation, so he's capable of getting some burn... if only he could defend 3's... Really, really interested to see how Keith Smart molds this squad to a different philosophy instead of rolling the ball out like Nellie's been doing... but they still are winning low 20's IMO... Prediction: 14th in the West

Ryan: I'm not sure about Wright..I mean he was progressing one year and was derailed by a shoulder injury..I always felt as if the uptempo thing was for him before he got buried by Nellie and then having Anthony Randolph..I think that Smart's philosophy having any kind of discipline would be a vast improvement..and they won 29 last year with over half the roster being hurt..I say low 30s but still being 14th overall.. Prediction: 14th in the West

NBA 30-Team Preview #1: Minnesota T-Wolves

Greetings all... this is installment #1 of 30 in the NBA Preview... I'll be going toe-to-toe with a trusted NBA mind in my friend, Ryan on each of the 30 teams... we'll start out West and go bottom-to-top (on my rankings)... Let's get started...

Roster

C- Darko Milicic, Nikola Pekovic, Kosta Koufos

PF- Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Anthony Tolliver

SF- Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster, Lazar Heyward

SG- Corey Brewer, Wayne Ellington

PG- Jonny Flynn, Luke Ridnour, Sebastian Telfair, Jason Hart

Analysis

Ryan: Well is there a NBA team that did more to shoot themselves in the leg(Is a Plaxico joke still relevant?) multiple times over the summer and had no tie-ins with the free agency circus?...Like it seemed as if every move they made was a bad one..then I look at the roster and I was pretty much right..

-Get rid of legit center Al Jefferson for salary space -Bring in Wesley Johnson,Martell Webster and Mike Beasley to minute crunch the emerging Corey Brewer -Keep Darko? -Bring in Luke Ridnour -Oh...and still no sight of Ricky Rubio There has to be a bright side to all this right?

Brad: Pretty much spot-on with this one... I'm not sure how KAHHHHNNNN!! (copyright Bill Simmons) managed to jettison his best player for cap space, but use that subsequent space to overpay 2 european centers who have done nothing in the NBA (Darko and Petrovic)... and that's from my perspective as a guy who thinks Darko actually could contribute... the Ridnour move is made to be okay because they rid themselves of Ramon Sessions' albatross, but the path to Rubio is blocked, and the giant logjam on the wing is fairly comical... especially considering Beasley isn't really a power forward...

Ryan: I wondered how many back and forths we'd go before someone yelled KAHHHNNNN lol..anyways I think that something that could help this mini disaster(pun intended) is that they run the LA Laker triangle offense..so its equal opportunity in terms of shot distributions..but I would have to stand to think that having Jefferson as a focal point would've served them better than having Love and Darko underneath...I love Wesley Johnson but that logjam is brutal if we believe that Beasley won't see minutes at the 4..but in the interest of rational thinking(stretch here I know) but he has to be the primary backup to Love...who do you think will breakout on this team?

Brad: Beasley's gotta get minutes at the 4 due to lack of options... and deep down, I don't think that was near the bottom of the list of Kahn's moves... taking a flier on a guy that talented could pay off, but you can't do it and then bury him... I think Love takes a major step forward on this team... he's now the focal point up front, and really the only option for front-court scoring in any way... I would've said Corey Brewer until they went out and got Webster... I see a fairly balanced minute distribution from Brewer/Johnson/Webster and when you throw Beasley's minutes at the 3 in there... there's not alot of minutes to go around... the offense doesn't highlight Flynn's strengths at all just because the triangle doesn't need a real point guard... Overall, they'll be semi-competitive, but I don't see a go-to scorer in the bunch, and that's definitely an issue...

Ryan: Yeah I guess I would agree with it being Love just because he's the guy who isn't taking the biggest jam in minutes or shots..I just don't know if he is the guy to be the number 1 scorer at this point in his career..I mean he was on the bench getting like 20 or so minutes a game..I'm just leery regardless.

Brad: Done and done... we agree on the lack of #1 option.. and I'm definitely not touting Love as that.. he's just about the only guy on the roster that isn't being threatened for minutes and has a defined skill set... I see less than 20 wins... Prediction: 15th (Last) in the West

Ryan: Right...less than 20 wins but high teens..like 17-19... Prediction: 15th in the West

10/2: Braves Panic, Mets Make Changes, etc.

Short and sweet today...

• Full-scale Braves panic over here... the only result that would've caused panic was a Braves trouncing and a Padres win... well, here we are.... Fortunately, Philly is trotting out a rookie SP today, and Hamels (scheduled to only go 4-5 innings) on Sunday... but even acknowledging that, the problem on Friday night was certainly not the starting pitching matchup... Beachy was very good, and Kendrick isn't a guy that scares you... Certainly, I'm a biased observer, and I'm getting as tight as the Braves are... but a win today is necessary... count me among those who would be a mess going to Sunday needing a win to even cause a playoff...
• While we're here... the most random TV clash I can remember... I'm a Dish Network TV user... and out of nowhere, they've taken Fox Sports South and SportsSouth off the air in a dispute with FOX over pricing... Forcing me to use my MLB at-bat radio app to listen to the game in my home last night... great timing guys... thanks alot... especially when I actually pay extra for those local sports channels...
• The Mets finally get rid of Minaya and Manuel... you know this was coming... the Mets have been a train wreck for 2 years... and that'll be an interesting search on both accounts... always enjoy seeing Mets turmoil
• The Ryder Cup is getting tight... 5-3 US with Europe leading 2 matches at the time of this writing... I only have one thought... I hate Bubba Watson's swing... I don't want him doing anything except hitting his driver 400 yards... that's it...

What to watch for...

• Braves/Phillies - 4:00 FOX - Hanson/Worley - I need "good" Tommy Hanson...
• Cubs/Astros - 7:00 WGN - Zambrano/Happ - If you don't like football at all... and you'd rather watch meaningless baseball? It's on...
• Ryder Cup - All Day NBC - Other than a major, this is the only golf event I'll sit down and make appointment TV viewing... it'll be on until the Michigan game starts...
• College Football - See my CFB Preview post below for the full-slate... too many to list

Enjoy a busy Saturday...

10/1: Ryder Cup, NL Races, etc.

Greetings... Had to get some blurbs in this morning... be sure to check out the NFL Preview (and the CFB preview as well honestly) below... Let's get to it...

• The Ryder Cup started...er... sort of started... this morning... about 2 hours of play, some of which in terrential rains, and a postponement for 4+ hours and counting as of this post... what does it all mean? Well the matches are too early to comment on, but the big thing is the possibility this may go into Monday... and of course, cause me to go in late to work... whoops
• The Giants clinch a share of the Wild Card and at least a birth in a 1-game playoff scenario... a big sweep of their series with Arizona coupled with the Padres losing 3 of 4 to Chicago... and they are down to a magic number of 1... beat the Pads once? In... as NL West champs...
  
• I think the Lebron "race card" discussion is getting overblown... he was asked a question as to whether he felt race played a PART in the scrutiny over his summer-long ordeal and "the decision"... he answered honestly, but never said race was a major factor and/or the only factor... Is he right? Yeah, I think he probably is... Race plays a role in virtually everything whether we want it to or not... and Mike Wilbon was spot-on on PTI Thursday when he basically laid that out... Race is everywhere... and we'd be turning a blind eye to think that NONE of the media coverage was in any way influenced by 3 young, black athletes turning the tables on old, white ownership... do I think that a white athlete would've gotten beat up badly on "the decision" if executed the same way? Yes, I certainly do.. because the massacre he took about that had more to do with going on national TV to murder a city (Cleveland), and more to do with him actually, in a serious way, saying he was going to "take his talents to South Beach" instead of "I'm going to play for the Miami Heat"... but we can't assume that every single media member is blind to race, and never influenced by it... so, I don't think he and Maverick Carter are in the wrong here... at least in this instance

What to watch for...

• Braves/Phillies - Beachy/Kendrick - 7:35 SportSouth - Simple as this... win 1 and be guaranteed a 1-game playoff... win 2, and be guaranteed the wild card... let's win 2... and this pitching matchup works out nicely, because no one in their right mind trusts Kyle Kendrick...
  
• Ryder Cup - ESPN All Day - If they ever take the course again...
  
• BYU/Utah State - ESPN 8:00 - Decent football on a Friday night...
• Padres/Giants - 10:15 No local TV - Gotta mention it... just a reminder to keep an eye out... the funny thing is? The ideal scenario for the Braves (IMO) is a Padres sweep, and the Braves winning at least 2... that would give them a better record than both West teams, and take the Giants out of play as a first round opponent... but now I'm getting greedy...

Seize the day...

NFL Week 4 Preview

Bye weeks! You know the NFL season is really underway when teams start taking the week off... here's a look at the matchups... (winner in bold)

• San Francisco @ Atlanta - 1:00 - Man Alex Smith is bad isn't he? I know I've made this a personal crusade... but he just got his OC fired... come on now... Roddy White/Matt Ryan went ballistic against SF a year ago, and with the Turner/Snelling combo in full force after last week, I like the Birds
  
• Denver @ Tennessee - 1:00 - Denver isn't good... especially defensively, and stopping the run... I actually have liked what I've seen from Orton thus far, but he's hamstrung at WR, and their running game isn't healthy/complete... Tennessee beat up on a down NYG team, and Young looked better... Johnson is a beast, and they won't allow Denver to run the ball at all...
  
• Cincy @ Cleveland - 1:00 - Cleveland stinks... still... You can't trust them to put up points consistently with the Wallace/Delhomme/Hillis/Harrison/Massaquoi pu pu platter at the skill spots... come on... Cincy beat up on Carolina on the road last week, and they have enough to get this one...
• Carolina @ New Orleans - 1:00 - I'm beyond down on Carolina... Clausen is making the Jimmy Clausen face... they suddenly can't stop anybody... and against NO on the road? An angry Saints team who finally lost a home game at that? This could get ugly...and quick...
• Baltimore @ Pittsburgh - 1:00 - Chaz Batch got in the way-back machine last week... but he's getting too much credit for that win... their defense was dominant, and Mendenhall was a beast... It won't be that easy against Baltimore... even at home... This is one of the tougher games to pick all week because I've been unimpressed with the Ravens offense, but they can load up and stop the run and make Batch beat them...
• NY Jets @ Buffalo - 1:00 - I can't in good conscious pick Buffalo right now (sorry B)... not with Ryan Fitzpatrick in there at QB, and their RB carousel in full effect... I don't like Sanchez outside on the road, but they'll pound the rock and make a couple plays on defense...
• Seattle @ St. Louis - 1:00 -This would be a tougher call if Steven Jackson was 100%... but he isn't... and I've been encouraged by Seattle through 3 weeks... can't count on Leon Washington taking 2 to the house, but they were improved on the ground last week (Forsett with 90+ total yards), and I can't pick Sam Bradford without a running game...
• Indy @ Jacksonville - 4:00 - Jacksonville's been ugly... Indy is Indy... all there is to it right? Meh... not exactly... the Jags have shown a propensity to dominate on the ground against Indy, and if they can control the ball, they'll hang around... but I can't pick them
• Houston @ Oakland - 4:00 - I really don't want to pick Houston on the road... but I even moreso can't pick a team QB'd by the Oakland duo... Houston will put up 20+ and I'm not sure Oakland can match that against a tough Houston run D
• Arizona @ San Diego - 4:00 - Derek Anderson on the road... Derek Anderson on the road.... Derek Anderson on the road....
• Washington @ Philly - 4:00 - First division game for the Vick Experience... Donovan's return to the scene of the crime... This should be must-see TV... I like Philly at home because I don't think Washington can run the ball on them even if Portis is healthy... and he isn't...
• Chicago @ NY Giants - 8:15 - Kind of a tough pick.. I'm still not a believer in Chicago... think GB gave that game away, I've been impressed by the Chicago run D, but NYG is certainly in desperation mode, and I think they can do enough here at home... Gonna really depend on how Eli responds, because Chicago will line up and look to stop Bradshaw...
• New England @ Miami - MNF 8:30 - Brady has been sharp... the Pats run game looked competent against Buffalo, and Miami hasn't gotten the burst from Brown/Williams... I can't pick against Brady in good weather with all else even close to equal...

THE PICKS! (YTD 12-7 after 3-3 last week, CFB Pending)

• Seattle -1 over St. Louis - I'm picking this on the assumption that Jackson either a) doesn't play or b) plays but is limited...
  
• NO -13.5 over Carolina - They can't make this line high enough...
• San Diego -8 over Arizona - Did I mention this was Derek Anderson on the road? Best of luck with that... especially against an angry SD team

Until next time...