Oakland Raiders 1-14 SU; 0-14 ATS
This season has not been the same without probationary HC Art Shell, as he guided the Raiders to a 4-3 SU and 3-2 ATS record last season behind one of the best yet underrated QB’s in Matt Leinart at USC. Raiders RB Darren McFadden has been idle for 2 weeks with a sprained foot, but he is expected to play this week and add another dimension to the Raiders passing attack that wasn’t there in 1-13 SU and ATS last season.
McFadden’s sprained foot isn’t the only injury suffered by the Raiders this week as they also lost WR/DB Mike Brown to the injured Titans.Cornerback Charles Woodson was also lost for the season with arm injuries, and will be on the shelf as long as eight weeks as previously reported. The Raiders have some of the best young talent at some positions on the field, but losing starters to injury and the limited returning starters at the key positions leave a lot to be desired on the field. Arbitration will likely be utilized to try to shore up the receiving and defensive secondary positions, but it won’t necessarily be the answer to the 1-14 kill-joy season that the Raiders had in 2005.
Once the ball stops bouncing their way, the Raiders will have a rough go of things in the first year of new HC Art Shell. I expect Art to make the playoffs and prove that he was worth that #7 overall pick in the draft. Believe it or not, the Art Shell will be a better option than all those other new GM’s and ex-General managers who Until Craps came in and cleaned up. The reality is that Shell had to stay because a lot of these upper echelon GM’s and ex-GM’s that came before him decided to use the HC tag in their time with the Raiders. Shell had to show that he was the right choice or die with the Raiders. Out went Tom Barrera and into the revolving door that is the Oakland Raiders Media and finally into the open air as the HC of the Silver and Black.
And Shell didn’t hold back on Monday as he made it known that he planned to press more with the Raiders in the coming weeks, especially with the bye week coming up. “We’ll take control back at the end of the season,” Shell said. “Our guys are mentally and physically tired.” Elsewhere amongst the media types that make the rounds at the Proeneas at the Las Vegas Hilton on a weekly basis, no one seemed to care much that the Raiders had lost all the talent from an offense that was shamefully good to start the season with a spectacular 31-10iating of the visitor from Des Plaines.
Where has Black Monday gone? Probably an indication of where the Jets and Tom Brady are headed. The New England Patriots are the overwhelming favorite to take it all after the stunning results in Green Bay on Monday night, a result that would shake the lethargic egos of most people on the planet. It’s about money, and billions of it. Coming in at a mind-boggling 42-1 to cover the number, the Raiders will most likely be selecting between the two. You’ll have to track the progress of every game these days to see just how good these Patriots’ are at winning heart, as they are now the betting public’s favorites to win right? Well, not exactly.
Quite a few oddsmakers have moved the goal lines significantly higher, significantly higher, the Jets as the favorite and the Patriots as the road favorite. This is actually the first time ever that millionaire Bill Parcells is having his team as the favorite! Most fork out money as the underdog because they feel that way, and they probably right. The Jets are awful again and the season will be over before it is even halfway over. Meanwhile, the Patriots are the current betting favorite with the exception of the Colts, who may or may not be playing the Dolphins to the death.
The Jets are the current betting favorite against the spread, but the downward slide of the Patriots’ odds began when they beat the Bills on October 4th at New England.
So far the season has not been kind to the books, with all road favorites losing except the two aforementioned division rivals. The AFC East is the sports’ version of the Europeanmont versus the Mediterranean, with the New York Jets getting plaid over the weekend after their bye. The domination by the AFC East is clear thus far, with the Patriots and the Jets battling thepread marks.
However, since the beginning of October, the AFC East has been the favoritet of the sportsbooks. Open the regular season and the betting “Naga303” has been overwhelmingly on the road to New England. In sum, the AFC has been the statistically favored division entering the season.