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Posts Tagged ‘Detroit Lions’

November 25th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The New England Patriots will be putting the best record in the NFL on the line on Thanksgiving Day this week, as they pay a visit to the stingy Detroit Lions in their annual Thanksgiving Day NFL betting battle.

Matchup: New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions
Date: Thursday, November 25th, 12:30 ET
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Game Line: Detroit +6.5
Over/Under 50.5

Patriots Notes: The Patriots have struggled at times this season on the road, as they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago. They also tend to play to the level of their opponent, something that championship teams tend to not do. Still, New England is at 8-2 after ten games and has to feel like a playoff spot really has been locked down, especially if it can win this one. QB Tom Brady is coming off of a pedestrian game against the Indianapolis Colts in which he didn't even make it to 200 yards passing, but his numbers this year still suggest him being an MVP candidate. Brady has thrown for 2,362 yards and 19 scores against just four picks in 2010. His running game might get a boost this week as well, as RB Fred Taylor might be returning from a toe injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last two months. In the interim, RB Danny Woodhead and RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis have done their job, combining to rush for 879 yards and ten scores. Keep a close eye on the two rookie tight ends that Brady has to work with as well. TE Aaron Hernandez is second on the team in receptions with 35 and yards with 444, and he has found pay dirt three times. No one has scored more through the air this year than TE Rob Gronkowski though, as he has six scores on his 20 receptions. Defensively, New England is struggling, allowing 398.4 yards and 24.2 points per game. The first number is the third worst mark in the NFL, but is countered by an offense that is scoring a league best 28.9 points per game.

Lions Notes: Detroit may have had a lot of fight in its tank early in the season, but back to back failed attempts at covering the NFL odds have really hampered its progress. Playing without QB Matt Stafford has really hurt, and though backup QB Shaun Hill has potentially proven that he can earn back a starting job with another team next year, he just isn't good enough to lead a very young offense to wins on a regular basis. Hill has 1,921 passing yards and a dozen scores against nine INTs on the campaign. His biggest problem is going to be figuring out who to turn around and hand the ball to. RB Jahvid Best is out of the lineup with turf toe, and there isn't another player on this team that has more than 21 carries for the season. RB Maurice Morris is likely to get the nod, but he only has 41 yards on 21 carries this season. The Lions only have five rushing touchdowns this year, and Best and Stafford have accounted for all five. Though this is a defense that is improving, there are still some major problems to be worked out. The Lions have allowed at least 24 points six times this year and have given up at least 35 twice. Unless that really improves dramatically, the men from the Motor City are going to continue losing games.

The Final Word: It's kind of cool looking at how polar opposite these teams really have been over the years since their last meeting here in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day in 2002. The Pats have a pair of Super Bowl rings and an undefeated regular season, while the Lions haven't even sniffed the playoffs and have an 0-16 campaign under their belts. Though we know that Detroit isn't as bad as its 2-8 record and that New England isn't as good as its 8-2 record, we also know that the Lions are 0-6 SU and ATS over the last six years on Thanksgiving Day, and with such a great team coming to town, there is no way that they are going to be able to fend off a near certain defeat that will probably come by at least two scores, if not more.

Free Pro Football Picks: New England -6.5
Prediction: New England 34 – Detroit 18

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November 18th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor
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Here at Cappers Info, we are taking a weekly look at the teams that could be ones ripe to pull off some major upsets! Check out the potentially ugly dogs that could come up and bite you in the butt in you aren't careful for NFL Week 11 for pro football betting action!

Underdog Pick #1: Oakland Raiders (+290 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1:00 ET: Hmm… You would've looked like a real genius last year had you taken the Raiders on the road at Heinz Field, wouldn't you? This is just a bad matchup for Pittsburgh the week after dealing with the New England Patriots. Last week, the Steelers had to really get ready for a big time passing game with the finesse and all of that that comes with New England coming to town. Now, after getting blown away, in comes Oakland off of a bye week to bring its physical game to the Steel City. The Steelers know that they are probably going to stop the run, but QB Jason Campbell has the ability to stretch the field and some awfully quick receivers with WR Jacoby Ford and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey to capitalize on his big arm. Remember, the Pittsburgh defense just doesn't look the same without DE Aaron Smith in there. It isn't going to help that QB Ben Roethlisberger's two offensive tackles from the start of the year are out as well. Last week, the first week in which OT Max Starks was out of the lineup, the Pats were making a living in the Pittsburgh backfield. If the turnstile blocking scheme continues, Oakland is going to make life hell on Big Ben. To make matters worse, you know that the defense is going to dare Roethlisberger to throw, but the difference between this Oakland team and that of some of the other squads in the league is that the silver and black have the corners to man up on these wide receivers, especially if WR Hines Ward doesn't play. We'll certainly take our chances.

Underdog Pick #2: Houston Texans (+250 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ New York Jets, Sunday, 1:00 ET: It feels like it was just yesterday that Houston was 3-1 and the talk of the town in the AFC South. However, things have clearly fallen apart with three straight losses that have the team on the verge of total collapse. A couple factors come into play in this one. The Texans, assuming that QB Matt Schaub plays after his bursa sac injury suffered this week, has the ability to both stretch the field with WR Andre Johnson and work the inside with RB Arian Foster. Neither need to really have a ton of success, but both need to at least have some. We're worried about the New York offense, though. The Jets are going to try to run, run, and run some more at Houston, and we know that the way to really torch this 'D' is by going after its secondary. If the Texans can creep one more player into the box to try to stop the run, it might make life very uncomfortable for QB Mark Sanchez as well. Now factor in the fact that the Jets have played back to back overtime games on the road and that the Texans are really playing for their lives. Houston has never won a game against the Jets in its lives (0-4 SU, 0-4 ATS), but this might just be its lucky day in the Meadowlands.

Underdog Pick #3: Detroit Lions (+230 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, 1:00 ET: Look, do you really trust the Cowboys right now? C'mon, be honest with us here. Congrats to HC Jason Garrett for locking down his first win ever as a head coach at the Meadowlands last weekend against the New York Giants. However, it's going to be a heck of a lot harder to get up for this lowly game at home against the Lions than it was to go on the road against a divisional rival. Detroit is feisty and is taking its best shot at everyone. Sure, the Lions are covering spreads but finding ways to lose outright, but this might be the ultimate panacea. No one in the NFL continues to invent more ways to lose games than the Cowboys have. We'll take our chances that the longest road losing streak in the NFL's history (25 games) can withstand the fact that the Cowboys are playing for their first home win of the campaign (0-4 SU, 0-4 ATS).

Underdog Pick #4: St. Louis Rams (+140 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, 4:05 ET: Let's do some simple math here for just one second. The Rams are 4-1 at home. The Falcons are 2-2 on the road. St. Louis has been a dreadful road team that has really fed off of its home crowd. Atlanta is a team that has used its QB Matt Ryan to his fullest at home, but he hasn't been nearly as sharp in his career away from the Georgia Dome. The Falcons haven't won a game here at the Edward Jones Dome since 1998 SU (0-5) and only have one cover in that stretch as well. In that stretch, the Rams have scored at least 28 points all five times and have averaged 35.0 points per game. Atlanta has only scored more than 16 once in those meetings and has gotten shellacked by at least 12 all five times. Does anyone need to stay after class from this history lesson?

Underdog Pick #5: Indianapolis Colts (+180 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ New England Patriots, Sunday, 4:15 ET: Everyone get off of your high horse with the Pats and wake up! Recognize that these two teams are basically on level playing fields and giving us these types of NFL odds is absurd. We talk about all of the injuries in the Indy offense, right? Quick, name us New England's running backs? That's right, the top three are all on IR. What about the struggles for the Colts at DB with Bob Sanders and Melvin Bullitt out of the lineup. Any idea who is playing those positions for the Pats? Besides, which of these two defenses have single handedly won games this year? Indy's has come up large. New England's is still rated one of the worst in the league. Wide receivers? So what if Austin Collie and Dallas Clark are out of the lineup? The only consistent man that QB Tom Brady has is WR Wes Welker. Here's the deal with the Colts: Everyone says that they are a one man team, and they're all right. QB Peyton Manning is the heart and soul of this squad. Indy is nowhere without Manning even if every single other person in the world is perfectly healthy and playing at 100%. But as long as "The Sheriff" is on the field and calling the shots, all of the players around him have the ability to become Pro Bowlers. That's precisely why the Colts are going to march into New England and take care of the Patriots to keep their lead in the AFC South.

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November 7th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Needless to say… Ndamukong Suh's extra point attempt didn't go so well for the Detroit Lions' backup kicker. Sue missed the PAT attempt, which ended up costing the Lions the game. Detroit went on to lose 23-20 in overtime against the New York Jets.

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November 7th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor
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Here at Cappers Info, we are taking a weekly look at the teams that could be ones ripe to pull off some major upsets! Check out the potentially ugly dogs that could come up and bite you in the butt in you aren't careful for NFL Week 9 for pro football betting action!

Underdog Pick #1: Arizona Cardinals (+300 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 1:00 ET: Let's be real here… Is a two win team that is in dismay really going to beat any team in the NFL, regardless of whether it is home or away, more than three out of four times? The Vikings are the easiest team to place NFL bets against this year right now, as the perception on them by the oddsmakers is still good in spite of the fact that they are potentially in shambles. HC Brad Childress could really be fired any deal now, as owner Zygi Wilf is beyond infuriated by the fact that Childress released WR Randy Moss without Wilf's consent. Arizona isn't nearly good enough this year to be a playoff team, as its offense is really just not that good. However, the Cardinals have a knack for winning games like this, as HC Ken Whisenhunt knows what it takes to beat the best teams in the league. Don't be so shocked if one of the biggest underdogs on the board this weekend ends up being the biggest barker on the weekend.

Underdog Pick #2: Seattle Seahawks (+260 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. New York Giants, Sunday 4:05 ET: We know that the Giants have won four straight games and arguably have the hottest team in the NFL, but we are going to laugh at that right in the face. The Seahawks have one of the best home field advantages in the game, as Qwest Field is notorious for being the hardest place for an opposing team to play. Even if QB Matt Hasselbeck doesn't end up playing, we have trust that QB Charlie Whitehurst has the ability to pull off this upset. The key is going to be taking advantage of New York mistakes. The Giants haven't always been the most disciplined team this season, and if that starts to rear its ugly head this week in Seattle, bad things can happen. We know that the Seahawks aren't the better team in this game, but they are definitely going to end up winning this game at least one out of three times, even though we tend to believe that this is a 50/50 proposition.

Underdog Pick #3: Buffalo Bills (+130 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Chicago Bears, Sunday, 1:00 ET: You have to make the Bills underdogs every single time that they take the field, but last week, we rode with them and nearly came up with the big upset last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. It isn't quite a "home game" at Ralph Wilson Stadium, but playing in the Great White North in the Rogers Centre in Toronto is almost as important and could create an atmosphere that is even more electric. The Bears are off of their bye week, but boy, do they seem like a train wreck waiting to happen. Chicago knows that QB Jay Cutler has to take care of the football, but until RB Matt Forte ends up finding a way to average more than four yards per carry, the weight of the offense is on his shoulders. Do you want to lay -150 or so that Cutler doesn't throw a game away against a winless team that is incredibly hungry for that first 'W'? We certainly don't.

Underdog Pick #4: Detroit Lions (+180 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. New York Jets, Sunday, 1:00 ET: Two of the best teams in the NFL in terms of covering football spreads hook up at Motown, and once again, we are taking advantage of a soft line. The Lions are still underrated by the oddsmakers, and they are incorrectly underdogs in this game. The Jets are coming off of their worst outing in years, getting shutout by the Green Bay Packers. Can the offense really recover? We do know one thing, and that's that Detroit is going to have to bring its A game to take care of the New York defense. QB Matt Stafford is back in the fold, and he has a heck of a lot of weapons. The argument could be made that the Lions have more weapons on offense than any team in the AFC East, including the New England Patriots! Giving us this type of a line on a home team that is really trying to establish itself as a legitimate playoff contender is ludicrous. Don't be shocked if the Lions roar in a huge way to make a big statement on Sunday.

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September 6th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor
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Here at Cappers Info, we are taking a weekly look at the teams that could be ones ripe to pull off some major upsets! Check out the potentially ugly dogs that could come up and bite you in the butt in you aren’t careful for the first week of pro football betting action!

Baltimore Ravens (+120 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ New York Jets, Monday, 7:00 ET: Simply put, the wrong team is favored in this game. QB Mark Sanchez might lose his lunch while staring the Baltimore defense in the face. On top of that, what team could better digest what HC Rex Ryan is doing for his defense than the team he used to coach. HC John Harbaugh has a major, major advantage in this game, particularly since he has had all offseason to really prepare for this one. The combination of WRs Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason is going to be the best that the Ravens have probably ever had since moving from Cleveland. QB Joe Flacco could have a solid game, and a solid game against the Jets as is good as an amazing game against most other teams. The doors might be opening in primetime for the first time for the Jets at New Meadowlands Stadium, but that doesn’t mean that Baltimore is going to be a welcome guest. The Ravens should escape the Big Apple with a big, big win.

St. Louis Rams (+180 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Arizona Cardinals, Sunday 4:15 ET: This is going to be the biggest day in the life of QB Sam Bradford. Inevitably, jitters are going to be there for a man making his first career start, but this is the perfect situation to walk into. The former Sooner is going to be going against a defense that is suspect and trying to replace a lot of key pieces, and he is going to have an offense on the other side of the field that suddenly has a new leader in QB Derek Anderson. We tend to get the feeling that the Cardinals are in a state of flux right now. That being said, it could be a very, very long trip to the Gateway to the West from the desert, and the trip home could be made that much longer if the hosts pull this one off. The Edward Jones Dome hasn’t seen a lot of wins of late, but the Rams are hoping that this is the week that the franchise starts to turn around. This is a great price for St. Louis on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns (+125 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, 1:00 ET: We’re trying to figure out why the Bucs are favored in this game, especially if QB Josh Freeman really does have problems with his slightly fractured finger. The Browns looked alright in the preseason, save for one miserable game, under the new leadership of QB Jake Delhomme. Delhomme knows all about coming to Tampa Bay, as he used to make this trip every year while with the Carolina Panthers. RB Jerome Harrison might be able to run wild against a very, very inexperienced front seven for the Bucs. At best, this game is a 50-50 proposition, and we plan on taking full advantage of it.

Detroit Lions (+220 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Chicago Bears, Sunday, 1:00 ET: We’ve already discussed one very young quarterback who could make a name for himself on Sunday, but at the exact same time, QB Matt Stafford might be able to do the same thing in the Windy City. The Bears went winless in the preseason and only scored 46 points in doing so. The hopes for QB Jay Cutler can’t be all that high, and even though he is going against a relatively porous defense, there might not be all that much required for Stafford to pull this upset. Look at the talent that Stafford has to work with now… RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, TE Brandon Pettigrew… Don’t kid yourself. The Lions are definitely live dogs on Sunday.

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August 27th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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A duel between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions might not be the sexiest thing in the world in the regular season, but in the preseason, NFL betting fans will love to sink their teeth into this battle, as a ton of players are going to be fighting hard for their roster spots in what could be a very exciting game.

Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions (-2)
Saturday, August 28th
5:00 ET, Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Browns Notes: There probably isn't going to be a heck of a lot of battling going on at the quarterback position for the Browns. Head coach Mike Holmgren has to be happy with the way that both QBs Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace have performed. Delhomme has completed 18-of-23 passes for 193 yards and a TD, while Wallace has gone 9-of-17 for 139 yards with three scores and an INT. The real issue has been with rookie QB Colt McCoy, who has only gone 5-of-12 for 25 yards with two picks. McCoy has looked noticeably frazzled in the pocket, and it is turning into a bit of a disaster of a training camp for him with each passing day. Common thought is that we might see more of McCoy this week than Delhomme and Wallace, as both are veterans that know the ropes. Either way, the defense is probably going to help out a ton. Cleveland is only allowing 256.0 yards per game. It isn't quite translating on the scoreboard, as a 21.5 points per game average is high, but a lot of those problems came last week when the offense couldn't keep possession of the ball to save its life in the rain at home in a 19-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams.

Lions Notes: Racking up yardage hasn't been a problem for the Lions in preseason betting action. They rank sixth in the league in total offense at 339.5 yards per game. They have the same type of problem that the Cleveland defense does… lots of yards, but not a lot of points. However, head coach Jim Schwartz has to be happy with the fact that all three of his quarterbacks have looked relatively strong. This is a crucial performance for QB Matt Stafford. The second year man out of Georgia has completed 21-of-29 passes for 191 yards with two TDs and an INT thus far in the preseason. The hometown crowd will get their first look at his stuff this week. It will also be the home debut for rookie RB Jahvid Best, who has carried the ball for 78 yards on 14 carries. The defense has had a problem keeping teams out of its own red zone, as opponents are averaging 21.5 points per game so far in two outings.

The Final Word: This is a situation that we have discussed time and time again, and it comes up again on Saturday night. The Lions are coming home for their first game, and they are full of high hopes that this is the year that things start to turn around. The fans in the Motor City are just dying to see wins however they can come about, and Detroit is likely to come up with one for the faithful to rejoice about this weekend.

Prediction: Lions 24 – Browns 16

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August 10th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The NFL betting campaign is getting ready to get underway, and here at Cappers Info, we have five teams on the slate to watch out for that could be tremendous teams to back the 'over' on the season win totals!

Baltimore Ravens over 10 (-125 @ Brobury Sports):  The Ravens could be the class of, not just the AFC North, but the entire NFL as well. The addition of WR Anquan Boldin gives QB Joe Flacco a second huge weapon at his disposal to go with WR Derrick Mason. Two of the top receiving tight ends in this year's NFL Draft were also acquired in the forms of Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. With TE Todd Heap reaching the latter stages in his career, these two could both step in and make an impact with a ton of reps. As always, RBs Ray Rice and Willis McGahee are going to make up a feared rushing attack. The idea of this offense racking up 6,500 yards of production on the season is totally believable. On the other side of the pigskin, DT Terrence Cody is going to pair with DT Haloti Ngata to make one of the biggest tackle duos in the game. LB Sergio Kindle should make a nice complement for LB Ray Lewis in the middle of the 3-4 defense. Parlay that with a schedule that features almost certainly given wins against Cleveland (twice), Buffalo, Miami, and Tampa Bay, and the idea of reaching at least 11 wins seems like a given, especially if the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to end up having a down year.

Detroit Lions over 5 (-135 @ Brobury Sports):  Call us crazy, but the Lions are going to have a decent chance to compete in the NFC North this year. The weapons on offense for Detroit are starting to resemble that of the best teams in the league. QB Matthew Stafford took a huge jump last year, and many think he could be amongst the elite signal callers in the NFC and soon. HC Jim Schwartz gave him a new weapon on offense with his second first round draft selection of RB Jahvid Best, who could be good for 70 yards every time he touches the football. Yes, the defense in the Motor City is still a mess, but DT Ndamukong Suh can only help out. The NFC North could get a lot more interesting if QB Brett Favre doesn't return to the Vikings, so there really could be a couple divisional wins this year. There are very winnable games against St. Louis, Washington, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay well. Seeing this squad get to seven wins could be a real possibility with an upset or two. We don't see any way that the Lions are stuck on just four as long as they stay relatively healthy.

New England Patriots over 9.5 (-150 @ Brobury Sports):  The Brady Bunch is back and should be efficient once again this season. We tend to think that New England is getting disrespected as the second choice in the AFC East, and though divisional play will be tough, there are certainly plenty of reasons to think that there will be at least ten wins in the future of the Pats this year. QB Tom Brady is still one of the best in the biz, and until further notice, WR Randy Moss is still one of the best receivers this game has to offer. No, the defense for New England isn't as strong as it once was, but that doesn't mean that this is an incompetent unit. Especially if WR Wes Welker is really healthy going into the regular season, this win total should be a given. There should be a bare minimum of four wins in divisional play, and aside from that, games against teams like Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and potentially Minnesota should be givens as well. We tend to believe that the mastermind known as Bill Belichick is going to find a way to scratch two more wins together somewhere on this schedule.

Oakland Raiders over 6 (-150 @ Brobury Sports):  Raider Nation is about to get a real shot in the arm. Oakland plays in the most atrocious division known to man in the AFC West, making for four very winnable games against Denver and Kansas City. There is a new signal caller in town in the form of QB Jason Campbell, and though he will be playing for his sixth different offensive coordinator in as many years of football, he is a dramatic upgrade on the garbage that the silver and black have had in recent years. Owner Al Davis also finally made a fantastic move on draft day, picking up LB Rolando McClain from Alabama to be the new captain of his defense. McClain is a tackling machine and has a high motor, and those traits will sit well in the Black Hole. A third place schedule sets up a lot of great potential matchups, and four games against the putrid NFC West foes could set up a ton of victories as well. No, playing the AFC South won't be fun, but we tend to believe that even an 0-4 showing can still yield seven wins on the season. The Raiders certainly aren't going backwards from last year's 5-11 record, so the worst case scenario should be a push.

San Diego Chargers over 11 wins (+140 @ Brobury Sports):  We'd feel a bit better about laying some chalk at 10.5 wins, but getting this type of price on 11, knowing that an 11-5 mark is a push is just fine with us. Let's get one thing straight first: The Chargers aren't as good this year as they were last year. You don't lose a future Hall of Famer in RB LaDainian Tomlinson and one of the best corners in the game in Antonio Cromartie without taking a step back in life. However, assuming that RB Ryan Mathews can step in and carry the load as a feature back, the rest of this offense is downright frightening. QB Philip Rivers, TE Antonio Gates, and WR Vincent Jackson make up one of the most lethal passing games in the league. On defense, it was an off year for LB Shawne Merriman in 2009, and he might be back with vengeance this year, especially knowing that many are doubting the abilities of this defense. Finally, just like with Oakland, look at this schedule! Anything less than a 6-0 mark in division is going to be a brutal disappointment, and a 4-1 record in games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the NFC West is probable as well. Truth be told, anything less than a 13-3 record with this schedule should leave HC Norv Turner scratching his head. The Bolts aren't going to win the Super Bowl, but they are going to have one of the best records in the league when the regular season is finished.

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