Pats-Bolts Duel Highlights Week 2

Football Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two popular picks to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLII will engage in a potentially telling early-season test on Sunday night, when the New England Patriots host the San Diego Chargers in a rematch of a 2006 playoff thriller.

It was last Jan. 14th when the Patriots traveled to San Diego as the underdog in an AFC Divisional Playoff, with the Chargers riding a 10-game win streak and sporting an NFL-best 14-2 record entering its first battle of the postseason. But New England shocked San Diego that day, rallying from a 21-13 fourth quarter deficit to win, 24-21, and igniting a much-discussed series of events.

Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson publicly admonished several members of the Patriots for what he viewed as a disrespectful postgame celebration, and more than a month after the season, the San Diego organization used the continued playoff failings of head coach Marty Schottenheimer as an impetus to firing the coach.

Schottenheimer was eventually replaced by Norv Turner, who opened his tenure with the Chargers by defeating the Bears, 14-3, last Sunday.

New England also got off to a winning start last week, humbling the Jets by a 38-14 count, but the victory was overshadowed by a brewing controversy.

The NFL reportedly seized a video tape recorded by a member of the Patriots staff that included footage of the hand signals of the Jets' defensive coaches. On Thursday night, the league handed down a penalty for the violation of NFL policy that included a $500,000 fine for head coach Bill Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the organization, and the loss of either a first-round 2008 Draft pick (if New England reaches the playoffs this year) or a second- and a third-round choice.

SERIES HISTORY

New England has a 17-13-2 lead in its all-time regular season series against San Diego, but the Chargers handed the Patriots a lopsided 41-17 defeat at Gillette Stadium in the last such matchup, during Week 4 of the 2005 campaign. That game ranks as New England's most lopsided home loss of the Bill Belichick era. New England's last win in the regular season series was a 29-26 overtime affair in Foxborough in 2001.

The clubs have also met twice during the postseason, including last year's aforementioned New England upset and San Diego's 51-10 blowout of the Pats in the 1963 AFL Championship.

Belichick is 3-4 in his career against San Diego, including a 1-2 record while with the Browns from 1991 through 1995. The Chargers' Turner is 1-1 in his career against New England, including a road win for his Washington team in 1996 and a loss for his Raiders to open the 2005 campaign. Turner is 0-1 head- to-head against Belichick all-time.

WHEN THE CHARGERS HAVE THE BALL

Even on a day when he was held well below his rushing average, Tomlinson found a way to shine in last week's win over the Bears. Tomlinson got San Diego on the scoreboard with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates in the third quarter, and scored his first TD of the year in the final frame when he scampered in from seven yards out. The reigning NFL MVP was held to 25 rushing yards on 17 carries for the day, but helped the cause with the TD pass and seven receptions for 51 yards out of the backfield. Tomlinson and Gates (9 receptions, 107 yards) caught 16 of quarterback Philip Rivers' 22 completions on the afternoon. Wideouts Vincent Jackson and Craig Davis will try to generate more of an impact this week after combining for five grabs and 43 yards against a tough Chicago secondary. Backup rusher Michael Turner carried 10 times for a team-best 41 rushing yards versus the Bears. The San Diego o- line allowed three sacks.

The New England defense was a question mark entering Week 1, as luminaries such as end Richard Seymour (knee) and safety Rodney Harrison (four-game NFL suspension) were out while top corner Asante Samuel was being reduced to a lesser role after holding out for most of the preseason. But the Patriots answered most of the questions about their abilities on that side of the ball, turning in five sacks against the Jets, shutting down the New York running game for the entire day (19 carries, 60 yards), and surrendering precious little in the way of big plays. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel and end Jarvis Green did the most damage within the pass rush, combining for four-and-a-half sacks to go along with a total of 13 tackles in the win. In the secondary, cornerback Ellis Hobbs chipped in with six tackles, and turned in the highlight-reel play of the day with an NFL-record 108-yard kickoff return.

WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL

Whether true or not, the Patriots looked like a team that knew exactly what defense was coming in last week's win over the Jets. Quarterback Tom Brady and Randy Moss were in synch from start to finish, connecting nine times for 183 yards and a touchdown in their first live situation with one another. Another offseason addition, former Dolphin Wes Welker, had six catches for 61 yards and a score in his formal New England debut. In all, Brady was 22-of-28 for 297 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover in the win, and 18 of his 22 completions went to players that were not on the New England roster last season. The running game provided a solid complement against the Jets, with four running backs combining for 131 yards on 34 carries (3.9 yards per rush for the afternoon). Laurence Maroney led New England with 72 yards on 20 totes in the contest, and backup Heath Miller scored his first touchdown of the year on a one-yard blast in the fourth quarter. Brady was not sacked in Week 1.

San Diego's offense garners most of the headlines, but it was the work of the team's defense that was the real key to the victory against the Bears. The Bolts forced three turnovers and came up with three sacks in the win, with safety Marlon McCree (5 tackles, 1 INT), linebacker Stephen Cooper (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery), and nose tackle Jamal Williams (4 tackles, 1 forced fumble) ranking among the standouts for Ted Cottrell's unit. Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, who led the NFL in sacks with 17 a year ago, had a quiet day with three tackles and will look to get to Brady early in Sunday night's contest. San Diego held Chicago to 202 total yards in Week 1, including 80 yards on 26 ground attempts (3.1 yards per rush).

FANTASY FOCUS

Fantasy managers who took a wait-and-see approach on Randy Moss were kicking themselves in Week 1, as Moss reverted to a form the world hadn't seen since he was a member of the Vikings. It's tough to go wrong starting Moss, Brady, or even Welker, and you can count on Maroney getting plenty of offensive touches as well. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski and the Patriots defense tend to be safe plays also. For San Diego, there's no one in the world resting Tomlinson or Gates, and guys like Philip Rivers and kicker Nate Kaeding can get you some points too. You're starting one of these defenses if you own one. If you have both, start the Chargers, who generally cause more turnovers.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Many will give the Patriots the advantage in this matchup of talented teams. First, because of the homefield factor, and second, because Belichick is twice the tactician that Turner is. But don't let last week's dominant performance against a mediocre Jets team fool you. With the new pieces on offense and Seymour and Harrison missing on defense, New England is not as good in Week 2 as it will be in Week 16, giving a San Diego club that basically had no turnover from last year's 14-2 unit the edge. The Chargers win this battle, though things could be very different when and if these two meet in the postseason.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Chargers 27, Patriots 20

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
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It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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