Power Position Betting Quick Hits: Week Four Football Review

College Boy chiming in with a review after another crazy week in the NFL—before we know it, it will be time for the playoffs. But let’s not sound too grim just because a quarter of the season is through, this is no time for grim, not after a Sunday like this. And if you do think grim thoughts, I'll have Albert Haynesworth come over and step on your head

Let’s start in the Meadowlands, Colts versus Jets. Everybody was thinking blow out, and if not a blow out, well, an easy Indy win. Coach Mangini showed he had some cojanes—perhaps too much, as any New York paper will proclaim tomorrow after that terrible fourth down play everyone and their mother knew was coming—and the Jets showed they have a backbone. We haven’t been too high on the J-E-T-S JETS this year, for obvious reasons, but what we see had surprised, and continues to surprise us, and if they continue this play, who knows what the next year will bring.

Fantasy-wise, this saw Joseph Addai with a good game, including his first career touchdown, as we expected. For all of you out there wondering if you should have started him or not, I hope you listened to our podcast (available Thursday night on the West Coast, after that all day every day) and made the right move. This game featured 5 rushing td’s, from two teams struggling with the run, and so the running game cut into the generally strong QB/WR production. Cotchery proved he was a gamer, and if he is still available in your leagues, grab him now.

We thought this week would be the week the big names finally started to produce like big names, and we were mostly right. Larry Johnson, consensus number one pick, hit the 100-yard mark with 2 td’s. Huge disappointment so far, Lamont Jordan hit 128 yards and a score, though Randy Moss had only one catch for 5 yards, albeit a touchdown. Also a disappointment was Ronnie Brown, who had 111 combined yards but no scores against a lowly Texans team.

So. After the Raiders, the Dolphins are the second worst team.

And how terrible are the Raiders. In last week’s podcast, I couldn’t stop talking about how they were going to bust out, how you could only keep Randy Moss and company down for so long, just you watch. And true, Moss did have a touchdown (one catch, five yards) and Jordan had an all right game…but still, the Raiders are terrible. I think someone should release a how to get rich quick book called “Just Bet against the Raiders.” Guaranteed best-seller.

Santana Moss had a Madden-type game. Four catches, three of them for touchdowns, almost 140 yards—including the game winning touchdown in overtime. For everyone who played against S. Moss this week (as I did), I feel your pain. Why couldn’t Jaguars kicker, Scobee, simply kick it wide right at the end of regulation? It had the same result; instead, tack on a bunch of points to Moss’ total and hit the panic button.

It’s all right though. I need to make up twenty points and still have Favre and McNabb going. Now, watch it all go up in flames…

I hate fantasy sometimes. I really do.

Just kidding, I love it, and who wouldn’t love the Rams vs. Lions game. While Wilkins is busy emerging as the pick of the kicking litter, you had stud performances all around in this high-scoring affair. Roy Williams (who James Sharpe predicted would not be bottled up by the semi-stingy Rams secondary) went off for a second straight week and his buddy Kevin Jones joined him with touchdowns. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pigskin, you have Bulger, Bruce, Holt, and Stephen Jackson all with major games. All I got to say, like Kitna or not, how much better is he than Harrington. Good job there.

And good job in Dallas, I hope all you who listened to our Podcast started Terry Glenn. T.O. was back, and while he had a good game—and I personally cannot wait to see what he does to the Eagles—Glenn found the end zone in Vince Young’s rather tame debut. Oh, he’ll be a player someday. Just not this Sunday.

This Sunday was about good games and trends. The Patriots haven’t lost back-to-back games in a span of 53 games. I hope you all remembered that when picking in your office pools or placing a wager. Arizona cannot run and the Falcons cannot pass, but Atlanta has a D to be worried about, and they showed it off today. Having two hundred yard rushers, one being Vick, helps as well. KC is a much different team at home, and for the first time this year, they played like it. Good defense beats a good offense led by an inexperienced QB (Mr. Rivers in a less than stellar game), unless your defense can back you up. The Chargers have a good one, but not good enough—and as terrible as McNair looks, the Ravens keep squeaking out these wins, which demands recognition. J.P. Losman led the Bills to victory, led by their D who held Chester Taylor to 23 yards—and once again, there are RB issues in Minnesota.

The Oakland Raiders are terrible.

We mentioned Santana already, but how about the Redskins and Jaguars in general? How many people mentioned this as a game between two tough defenses, only to see it blow it up. This is what happens in football, this is something you have to be prepared for, which is just one reason to take an in depth look at our product and our service. Look at all the other experts, picking with the spread or just picking who will win the game. It’s a crazy league, people. Crazy.

One week Hasselbeck and Seattle make it look like Shaun Alexander can appear on the cover of Madden for the next five years, and the next game—on the road against the best defense in the league—they looked like the Giants from the week before, except minus the fourth quarter barrage of production.

Now, that was a relatively easy one to spot. Same goes for the Saints, or the Vikings falling apart in Buffalo, or the Dolphins against the Texans—but it’s the little things that have such a huge effect. Why couldn’t Scobee just miss that field goal? I won my bet anyway…but did I have to have Santana put a possible stake through my fantasy team? Was that necessary? And did the Raiders have to jump out to that early lead, which got so many people up in arms I’m sure—both fans and those who are strictly betting against them, especially with such a low spread—did they have to do that?

On a day like this, we are reminded of the phrase, “Any Given Sunday.” On any given Sunday, your fantasy team could rack up hundreds of points, and then the next, worst in the league—if only they could carry over, right? On any given Sunday, the team you think a lock suddenly decides to turn into a bunch of zombies—if only their play could carry over, right?

On a day like this, we are reminded how crazy and topsy-turvy the sports world can be, so why not look for some sense of stability in both your wagers and your fantasy sports world. Check out our other posts, podcasts and visit http://www.powerpositionbetting.com for more information about our Sports Investing Home Study Course, and remember a phrase of our own:

Stay Sharp, Play Smart.

Until next article people, College Boy wishing you all good luck.