If I Was in Vegas..

...I'd be going broke right now.

Last week was not good. 1-3 and the only win was a loss for my favorite team, the Ravens. Oh well, I can still put a winning record on the table by sweeping the next three match-ups. Since I'm not in town this weekend, well not in my hometown anyway, the odds are presented by Yahoo.

Here we go:

AT INDIANAPOLIS (-8) vs New York Jets - I see this as a carbon copy of the Ravens match-up last week. Revis will shut down Reggie Wayne, but Peyton will beat the pressure with short screens and quick routes. The defense will do enough to pressure Mark Sanchez into a couple of key turnovers.

AT NEW ORLEANS (-4) vs Minnesota - This is the game that bad Brett Favre comes back to haunt the Vikings. I still don't trust him. The Saints may not smother you on defense, but they are very opportunistic and force turnovers. I think they win going away. Maybe if Prince's Vikings song had been better I'd pick them, but for now I'm going with the Saints.

So there you are. Now I'm off to the Orioles Fan Fest and then a Caps game tonight. Good times!

If I Was In Las Vegas Part II

So last week started out well. I went 2-0 on Saturday and then crashed back to earth on Sunday with a nice 0-2. The consolation prize for splitting the week was watching the Ravens pick apart the rotting corpse of the Patriots dynasty.

Now as we move into the second week of playoffs the number one seeds get involved and things get a little more difficult. Do the upstart Jets and Ravens keep rolling over the higher seeds or do they succumb to their inherent flaws?

Which Farve are we going to see this weekend? If it's the one from early in the season then the Vikings roll, if it's Gunslinger Brett then they're in trouble.

Without anymore crappy analysis let's get to the game. As always the lines are based on the current odds posted in Saturday's St Pete Times (one of the Top 10 Sports Sections in the Country!)


ARIZONA (+7) at New Orleans - The Saints defense thrives on turnovers, but Kurt Warner isn't going to give them any. It could turn out to be a shootout like last week and I think that leaves a rusty team like New Orleans at a disadvantage.

at INDIANAPOLIS (-6.5) vs Baltimore - I want to talk myself into the Ravens this week, but it's tough. Peyton Manning owns them haven won seven in a row. He will have too many options (something Tom Brady didn't have last week) for the Ravens to cover. If the team from Baltimore wants to have a chance they need to dominate in the running game and keep Manning off the field. And yes I'm also counting on the reverse jinx factor as well.

DALLAS (+3) at Minnesota - I don't trust Brett Farve.

at SAN DIEGO (-7) vs N.Y. Jets - This was tough, but I think the Chargers run away with this one. The Jets will try to muck it up and make it an ugly game, but I'm feeling two Mark Sanchez interceptions will turn the game for San Diego.

Bonus Prediction compliments of Link in Pittsburgh - Ed Reed will return an interception for a touchdown - lateral free.


If you're in the Tampa Bay Area c'mon out to Varsity Club on US 19 and Sunset Point Road for the game tonight.

P.S. Guess who has two thumbs and is attending the Orioles Fan Fest in Baltimore next week? THIS GUY!!!!!

Your 30 Second Ravens / Colts Preview

It seems to me that this game always means more to Baltimore fans than it does to Indy fans. Probably because the Colts own the Ravens over the past few years (6-0).

This year, well it doesn't look good for the Ravens. The once vaunted defense is still better than most, but it isn't among the elite anymore. They will need to get pressure on Peyton early and often. The most important part, let's call it the Wasteland's Miller Lite Key of the Game, is tackling. The Ravens cannot afford to miss any tackles. No YAC!

On offense they will need to take advantage of an injury-riddled Colts defense. That means Clayton can't drop any passes, Kelly Washington needs to show up and Derrick Mason needs to be Derrick Mason... i.e. catch the ball on third down.

They need to keep it close because they do not have the offense to play catch up.

So I'm hoping the Ravens can pull this one off, but I have my doubts. Final score Colts 27 Ravens 23.