Monday Morning Moment of Clarity

• The Patriots continue to struggled against defenses with elite pass-rushers. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer struggled to contain Aldon Smith and Justin Smith, before the latter left with an injury. Funny how the NFL works sometimes, the Giants and Niners both of the Patriots number, but the Niners can’t beat the Giants, and Giants consistently beat themselves.

• Is there anyway they don’t split this year’s MVP vote between Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson. Have you ever been more excited to here “now we’re going to Minnesota with a game-break“.

• Detroit is going to be in tough position when they have to re-sign Matt Stafford. Being one of the last QB’s to get a huge rookie contract, he’s going to demand to be paid like a former No.1 pick. After a performance like yesterday, three seasons later you’re still wondering what you have in this guy. While his numbers are great, they are such empty numbers, it’s kind of like Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” “No one gives a shit if you lose the last game of the season“, no one gives a shit if you throw 400 yards in a loss with 4 picks. What is even worse is they lost to team starting a rookie drafted in the 6th round out of San Diego St.

• I’m not seeing the logic of the Bucs trading CB Aqib Talib with no one on the roster even close to replacing him. Drew Brees took them out to the woodshed and beat them like the NFL’s ugly red-headed step-child, throwing 26 of 39 for 307 and 4 TD’s

• Mike Shanahan is quickly regaining back his reputation as a football genius, winning games starting two different rookie quarterbacks in the same season. Has anyone ever done that?

• Kirk Cousins made himself some Matt Cassel/Matt Flynn money yesterday, 329 and 2 TD’s.

• Who would have guessed that the Week 16 San Francisco versus Seattle game was going to be the premier game of the week.

• How bout those same Seahawks posting back to back 50 spots. Typical Pete Carroll trying to drum up attention for his teams anyway he knows how.

• Yesterday’s Oakland/ Kansas City game went exactly how a 2012 Raiders/Chiefs game would play-out, five Sebastian Janikowski field goals, with the Chiefs going to 0-3 on fourth down, twice in the Raiders end.

• Big fan of the Josh Hamilton signing for the Angles. First, who really cares about the contract numbers anymore in baseball, everyone is getting paid like a lotto winner, get over it! Secondly, you’re like holy crap they just teamed up Albert Pujols and Hamilton, then you remember that Mike Trout was the best player in the game last year, it has the potential of the best 3-4-5 of all time.

• Baseball has resumed becoming an arm’s race again. Kind topsy-turfy when you think about how it was only two years ago the wide success of the movie “Moneyball” and that Oakland just made the playoff again last season with the payroll of what the Angels are paying Hamilton and Pujols combined.

• Adding R.A. Dickey to the Jays is going to be a nightmare for opposing managers. Toronto is going to force opposing teams to use their entire bench’s when they play the Jays, you start with a big lefty in Johnson, right-handed flamethrower in Morrow, then a knuckleballer in Dickey, another lefty in Romero, then soft tossing Buehrle. Seems like the Jays are hoping that a more than few managers are going to over-manage prepping for the Jays.

Sunday’s Easy Pickin’s

So just some of the Reverend’s rules about betting. I’ll never post college lines especially football, nothing ruin’s a nice Saturday more then a freshman kicker missing three chip shots to cost you your ticket or the kick returner that forgets his job is to secure the football in the fourth quarter. We’ve all been there and it sucks. Once March Madness begins and seniors start catching the ‘itis (Senioritis: when senior-laden basketball teams only have a few weeks left to play in a substantial tournaments. They take their games up to higher levels and they’re the only one’s you can count on to knock down a free throw.) Rule one, NEVER bet on or against the Steelers, those none covering bastards! Plus Steelers fans blow. They can take their terrible towel, put it i their mouths and light it on fire. Rule two, NEVER bet against Peyton Manning. Guy’s like the Peter North of football, he’ll get you from the front or the back, but either way he’ll get you. Rule three, if you must bet on college football NEVER bet against the Catholics or Mormons. Tebow, Notre Dame, BYU etc. you cannot bet against true believers or guys with no possibilities of showing up hung over. Finally, always go for the smart money. You know the only thing better then smart money…….that’s free money!!!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4, 7-2 ATS) vs Carolina Panthers (2-7, 4-5 ATS), 1 PM on FOX

Line: TB by 1.0

Tampa is on a three game winning streak and doing it with a revived Josh Freeman and the official steal of the 2012 NFL Draft Doug Martin (how did Boise St. not give this guy the ball til his legs fell off). The defense that’s loaded with top picks up and down the defensive line is doing a good job at creating pressure and allowing the secondary to make turnovers. Carolina, which once looked like the potential division winners in preseason are one loss away from having heads roll. The difference between the Panthers pulling out a win for their coach and say a team like San Diego pulling it off, is the Chargers have been through a few battles with Norv Turner, where in Carolina, Cam’s leading the mutiny for Rivera to walk the plank. The writing was on the wall last week when they gave up the huge kick-off return for a touchdown and that was that for the special teams coach. The Panthers lack a playmaker of any kind in their secondary, this is a unit with less turnovers then a graveyard. Expect Carolina players to start looking around at the Bucs fans for ideas on ways to kill the Captain! RRRR!

St. Louis Rams (3-5-1, 6-3 ATS) vs New York Jets (3-6, 4-4-1 ATS) 1 PM on CBS

Line: STL by 3.5

The Jets have hit rock bottom. They lack talent at every position that counts besides C and LT. New York is all but checked out mentally, after losing three in a row and finishing off back to back road games. Those games coming in last week’s loss in Seattle now this week in what should be a loud Rams stadium. NY is also 2-8 vs the NFC over the last seasons. The reason the spread isn’t 5.5 or 6 is because of the potential post-tie road game let down. Once the Rams see this is a stat padding game, St. Louis should crave up the Jets. If Tebow takes over ALL BETS ARE OFF!!!

Houston Texans (8-1, 7-2 ATS) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8, 3-5-1 ATS) 1 PM on CBS

Line: Texans by 15

So far Houston is the bad boys of this year’s regular season. A dome team that goes on national TV, with all the elements in Chicago, they walk out with a rugged win. With a win in Denver and a home bashing of Baltimore, the Texans must be serious players for February’s tango in New Orleans. Gary Kubiak is coaching like hes got jumper cables attached to his nipples and wants to shed the them like the label of not being able to win the big one. The Texans certainly pass this year’s eye and smell test. While normally id stay away from a three score spread, but with Houston at home with the pannage of blowing teams out, I say go ahead. Kubiak is kind of like the head of the Cobra Kai from Karate Kid. Man’s out for blood. Count on Houston sweeping the leg on Jacksonville.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-5, 3-5-1 ATS) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-8, 3-6 ATS) 1 PM on CBS

Line: CIN by 3.0

While the typical big win at home followed up by the road loss as a favorite is very much in play. The Bengals have struggled stopping the passing game, but that’s not a problem cause Kansas City’s offense couldn’t catch anything standing naked in the middle of winter in Alaska. The Chiefs haven’t thrown over 200 yards in a game since Sept. 30th (we had an election and lost Atlantic City since then). If Bengals running back Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis manages to do more than his usual 2.5 yard run up the middle, Cincy should have no problem in a half empty Arrowhead. Also, A.J. Green should be able to take advantage of KC’s much smaller secondary. Lucky for you, Romeo Crennel coached teams are more undisciplined then well Romeo Crennel at a Golden Coral. That should give Marv Lewis more opportunities than even he can screw up.

If you’re looking for something to PVR for when you awake from your football coma, F1 is back in America at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. It’s a brand new track and with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonzo head to head in the Drivers Championship with only two races left it promises great drama. The track promises to be super fast with tons of opportunities for overtaking and tire banging. If your on the fence and need something extra to convince you, check out the documentary on Ayrton Senna called Senna on Netflix. Cause you certainly ain’t watching the NHL.