I have been a bit busy and this was the first I heard of that deal. I don't know what to think. I've always thought Chambers was a top receiver. He looked pretty good in the one game I saw him in this year. I wonder why the Dolphins bailed on him. I don't know what his contract situation is, but I'm wondering if he is in his ocntract year and they didn't plan on resigning him. I would think it is a bit demoralizing for Dolphins fans, since this has the earmarks of throwing in the towel on this season, but you can't really blame them for doing that. A second sounds about right, but then the Pats got Randy Moss for what, a fourth rounder? If the Bolts get things turned around, their second could end up being pretty close to a third. San Diego is a logical place for Chambers to go, since they run the same offense as the Dolphins. Dolphins coach Cam Cameron was their offensive coordinator last year, and they ran Norv Turner's basic offense. I haven;t seen the Cahrgers play a whole game, so I can;t really say if adding Chambers wil make a big impact. Can't hurt though.
I haven't had time the last two weeks to go over the games, but this Colts/Jags Monday night clash could be one of the better games this season. The spread does seem a bit low, but consider that Jacksonville blew out the Colts last year 44-17 at home to split the series. Jacksonville features a pound it out ground game that eats clock and a decent defense. Peyton and crew could find themselves sitting on the sidelines watching 8 minute Jacksonville possessions. Weather can always be a factor in Florida as well. Bottom line, a very tough game to handicap. I'd definitely avoid it. Lines that look like gifts when good teams are on the road often can be sucker plays.
Let's take a quick look at this weekend's upcoming games. The nations' eyes of course will be on the 92,000 Redskins fans packed into FedEx Field as the "Skins host the Arizona Cardinals. My newspaper has the Skins giving 8 1/2, which seems pretty rich to me. The right side of the 'Skins offensive line has been replace twice already this season. Solid T Jon Jansen and G Randy Thomas are out for the season, now replacement T Todd Wade and rookie T Stephen Heyer are both hurting. Center Casey Rabach is alos hurting. He is a tough guy and may play, as may Wade. The team's once brutal running game has turned ineffectual with all the new faces, leaving green QB Jason Campbell and a cast of receivers that is among the league's least impressive to carry the load. They couldn't do it last week against GB, netting only two TD's and handing GB one on a fumble. I will be very surprised if this unit can post 17 points. Arizona is a tough team to handicap. They beat Pittsburg, but they have had their own injury problems, although replacing QB Mtt Leinart with Tim Rattay might be an upgrade. They face a Redskins defense that has stoned every team they played. They held Favre to 10 points at Lambeau, and the TD was on a missed tackle that turned into a long gain. Hard to see the Cards getting more than 10 themselves. The game has an interesting twist in that Cards assistant head coach Russ Grimm was a n original Hog and has three Super Bowl rings from his days in the trenches playing in the Joe Gibbs 1.0 era. A lot of Redskins fans would love to see Grimm back in burgundy and gold as the head coach when Gibbs 2.0 is finally over. Hate to diss the 'Skins but I say give the points here.
In a battle of one win teams, Atlanta visits NO and gets 9 points. The Falcons are dreadful, and fans have to wonder if new coach Bobby Petrino is ready for the NFL. One key that he might not be is his decision to start newly acquired Byron Leftwich at QB. Let's face it, the Jags gave Leftwich all the time in the world and finally ditched him. He can throw it through a brick wall, but he also has the slowest delivery in the league. As for NO, they can still tell themselves they have a chance to make the playoffs, even though I can't see it happening, not with Reggie Bush as their fulltime RB. NO has found too many ways to screw up games to give the points and no way I'm touching the Falcons. Avoid this one. The underwhelming Ravens visit Buffalo and the 1-4 Bills. Let's face it, the Bills were very lucky to get all those turnovers against the Cowboys and they still couldn't win. They are starting a rookie QB against the always nasty Ravens defense. End of story. Take the Ravens. Elcubano will be glued to jhis 75 inch flat panel watching his beloved Dolphins play host to the Pats. This one has the potential to get ugly. The winless Dolphins traded away arguably their best offensive player this week. That has to make the rest of the team ready to leave it all on the field. OK, not really. The only question here is will the Pats cover another gargantuan spread, this one 16 1/2? I say yes. Give the points and hope no one tells Randy Moss how to get to South Beach. The 49ers visit the Meadowlands and the Giants. The Giants are giving 9, which is probably a bit steep and reflective of the relative betting appetites of the team's respective fan bases. I think Eli Manning is one of the most overrated QBs in the league, and always has the capacity to produce an ugly 5 turnover game. Since this is not a playoff game, he probably won't, but no way I'm giving 9. Avoid. The Lions host TB in what should be an interesting game, although I hate to use that expression with either of these teams. Lions headcoach Rod Marinelli was the D line coach for ten years in TB. TB has been pretty solid this year with a stout D and savvy vet QB Jeff Garcia running things. This one will come down to one question--can the TB defense shut down the Lions offense? I say they can and will and thus will be taking the 2 1/2 points. That's right, the Lions are favored. The Chiefs visit the Raiders and receive 3 points, which is the only reason I can think of to care about the game at all. The teams are somewhat similar, with adequate defenses and struggling offenses, although KC has more in the way of weapons. I hate to take crap teams on the road, but I say go for it here. The Jets and Bengals meet in a matchup of two of the more disappointing teams in the league. Both entered the season with legitimate playoff aspirations, but with one win each both must now be thinking about how best to use what could a top five draft pick next year. Avoid. Another game I wouldn't bet with your money is the Bears-Iggles contest. Look for a punters duel here, with Devin Hester maybe taking one to the house. The Eagles are 5 1/2 point favorites, which seems preposterous until you relaize how awful the Bears offense is. By contrast the Vikings-Cowboys game at Texas Stadium could be very interesting indeed. The Vikings are only 2-3 but have been a surprise team, with Adrian Peterson once again proving how effective a rookie RB can be. He is the real deal, but QB Tavaris Jackson is no John Elway. Vikes may keep this one close if they can control the clock, so I am very afraid of the 9 1/2 point spread. Avoid. The 0-6 Rams visit Seattle and the underachieving Seahawks. The Seahwks are giving 9 points, but they can disappoint you so many ways, I'd avoid it. Finally, Sunday night sees the Steelers visit Denver. The Steelers are 3 1/2 point favorites. Denver, at 2-3, is not exactly setting the league on fire and is facing a Steelers team that should be able to rough them up on both sides of the ball. Mike Shanahan is an annoying little prick, but he is also one of the best coaches in league history. I'm not prepared to go against him, considering the dud game the Steelers turned in when they played Arizona in their last trip out west. Of course, my respect for Shannahan is not so great that I would actually take the points against the Steelers. Avoid.
BTW BF - It's a huge night for Cleveland people tonight. I'm terrified of Fausto Carmona. We all are. :eek: