Tommy Rider

Football Picks: The Mush's Week 11 NFL Fades

Tommy Rider — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:55:00 GMT

The Mush is feeling good after his perfect 5-0 week.

Well, The Mush is in high spirits after evening his record on the season with a blistering 5-0 week. He's now 23-23 for the year and a strong 7-3 with his best bets. I have a feeling he's in for a tough week but we'll see. Here are The Mush's picks in the NFL for Week 11:

Colts -9 (Best Bet)
The Mush has been riding the Colts for the past few weeks and that trend will continue on Sunday. Mush thinks the Texans have packed it in and that Indy is finally playing like we all expected they would before the season. "Did you see the Texans last week with that stiff quarterback? That guy is terrible and the last time he faced the Colts he blew the game all by himself. Colts roll." The money is pretty split on this game at the moments, with 53 percent of the people siding with Mush.

Fade The Mush: Texans +9

Cowboys -1
No doubt about this one. I would have killed myself if Mush wasn't on his favorite team this week. Obviously Mush and I strongly disagree on what direction the Cowboys are headed. The Redskins will probably be on my card this week but Mush is backing the Boys. "The Cowboys are going to go on a run now that Romo is back. This will be a different team on Sunday. You'll see." Apparently Romo is going to be coaching and playing defense in Mush's cockeyed world.

Fade The Mush: Redskins +1

Eagles -9
The Eagles have to take to the road after a tough defeat last week against the Giants. This could be a letdown spot for Philly but Mush isn't buying that theory. "How are the Bengals going to score? The Eagles will blitz that high school quarterback all day long. This one is easy money fellas." Not surprisingly, close to 80 percent of the bets are coming in on the Eagles.

Fade The Mush: Bengals +9

Dolphins -10
It's hard to argue with Mush's "Fade the Raiders" philosophy seeing they are a team in disaray. This week Al Davis took the playcalling duties away from OC Greg Knapp and Mush thinks that's even more reason to bet against Oakland. "Who is going to be calling plays? Al Davis? That guy doesn't even know his own name. Fade the Raiders and win money. It's that simple." Right now 60 percent of the people agree with Mush's theory.

Fade The Mush: Raiders +10

Season Record: 23-23
Best Bets: 7-3

Sports Betting Preview Show (10/30/08) - LISTEN NOW!

Tommy Rider — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:19:00 GMT

This week's edition of the Sports Betting Preview Show is now up and ready to go. In this week's show, Tommy Rider, Matty O'Shea, The Godfather Marco D'Angelo and Vegas-Runner discuss the following topics:

--The start of the NBA season and how we approach it gambling wise

--Games of the Week (Florida/Georgia, Texas/Texas Tech)

--Bad Beat of the Week

--E-mail Question of the Week

--Exclusive Weekly Selections (Matty on Fire!)

Click Here to Listen Now!

Rider's NFL Whispers (10/29/08)

Tommy Rider — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:25:00 GMT

Will Bill Parcells and the Dolphins regret passing up on Matt Ryan for Jake Long?

Not much going on this week guys. The phones have been kind of dead. Here is what I was able to scrape up from the people I talked to around the NFL:

--I wrote in this column a couple of weeks ago that Carson Palmer could be shut down for the year and that appears to be the case. Another quarterback that could be done in 2008 is the Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck. From what I'm hearing, Hasselbeck's back isn't improving much and if it doesn't get better in the next week or two, his season will likely be over. The team isn't a Super Bowl contender and its not going to risk the long-term health of its franchise quarterback. Look for Seneca Wallace to be the starter for the rest of the season if Hasselbeck can't go.

--San Fran has finally made the switch to Shaun Hill at quarterback and this could give the team a bit of a boost on offense. If you remember I wrote this summer that the veterans on the 49ers felt like Hill deserved to be the starting quarterback. Hill played solid at the end of last year and a lot of the players thought he should have gotten the nod over J.T. O'Sullivan. I don't think anyone other than Mike Martz thought that O'Sullivan could play in the NFL. Hill better give it his all though or Mike Singletary might tell him to hit the showers like Vernon Davis, a move he is being applauded for around the league.

--Reports out of Arizona have Cardinals coach Ken Wisenhunt saying Tim Hightower could replace the declining Edgerrin James as the starting running back at some point this season. I broke down film of Hightower in college and even though he played at Division I-AA Richmond, I was very impressed with him. I had Hightower listed as one of my deep sleepers in this year's draft. It's obvious that The Edge is finished and while Hightower is averaging just 2.7 yards per carry right now, I really think this kid could be a solid NFL running back. From the people I talked to, there is a general consensus that the Edge is all done.

--The most interesting thing I heard this week was a criticism of Bill Parcells. While everyone is stroking The Tuna for making Miami more competitive this season, the NFL Insider I spoke with brought up an interesting point. Matt Ryan is being talked about as one of the best rookie quarterbacks ever and a future star. Yet, Parcells and the Dolphins passed on him with the first overall pick in the draft. "They blew it. They really blew it. Everyone you talk to thinks Ryan has all the skills to be the next superstar NFL quarterback. Parcells passed that up to take Jake Long. Long looks to be a good player but you can find other Jake Longs. You can't find a lot of franchise quarterbacks and that's something Miami hasn't had since Dan Marino retired. For all the gushing the media down in Miami is doing over Parcells, they forget to mention he may have passed on the next John Elway."

College Football Picks: Week 10 Dogs with Bite!

Tommy Rider — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:32:00 GMT

Michael Smith and the Hogs will run away from Tulsa on Saturday.

It's hard to believe we are already in Week 10. The college football season is almost over. I guess it's time to get ready for college hoops. These leans went 3-2 again last week, including two more outright winners with Duke and Rutgers. Over the last five weeks, these underdogs have gone 3-2 or better each time, with six outright winners. Here are some dogs with bite for Week 10:

UConn +4
The entire world is going to be on West Virginia this week but I think the Huskies have a real chance of pulling off the upset at home. First off, UConn is one of the best home teams in CFB. They rarely lose there and I'm still not sold on West Virginia with that idiot Bill Stewart running the show. The Huskies have a tough defense and will be looking to avenge an embarrassing loss last season in Morgantown. This is a classic November game that the public usually gets hammered on.

Duke +7.5
What is going on with Wake Forest? Last week against Miami Riley Skinner only attempted eight passes for the entire game. I'm not sure what kind of offense that's supposed to be. Duke has been a solid underdog play this year and I'm going to keep riding them here. David Cutcliffe is doing a great job with the Blue Devils and they have a shot to reach a bowl a game this year. I just can't lay more than a touchdown with a Wake squad that's having trouble scoring 10 points a game.

San Diego State +3
The Aztecs are bad but Wyoming is in an entire different world of being bad right now. I have to go against the Cowboys just on principle here. The only team they should be favorite against is Washington State. While both of these teams stink, at least San Diego State is still trying, which is why I think they get the win here over a Wyoming team that's given up on the season a long time ago.

Arkansas +6.5
Now Tulsa is laying almost a touchdown on the road to an SEC team? Give me a break. This is going to be a classic case of SEC power dominating this game. Michael Smith will run for at least 200 yards on that saggy Tulsa defense. Arkansas is a much improved team from earlier in the year, losing its last two games by a combined three points. Tulsa's passing attack may look great against North Texas and they will score some points here but the Golden Hurricane is making a huge jump in class in terms of speed and athleticism. I like the Hogs to win this game outright.

Pitt +5.5
The old Stache. Last week I advised taking Rutgers because that was the kind of game that makes Dave Wannstedt a terrible coach. Little did I know the Scarlet Knights were going to score 54 points and blow Pitt out of the water. But just as last week was a perfect spot to go against the Stache, this is a perfect spot to back him. Notre Dame is extremely overvalued because they beat up on a high school team last week. While I think the Irish are much-improved from a year ago, I see these two teams being even so I'll take the 5.5 points in what could be an upset in South Bend.

College Football Picks: Week 9 Dogs with Bite!

Tommy Rider — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:24:00 GMT

Tommy Rider believes that No. 1 Texas is going down this week.

I usually do this earlier in the week but I have been slacking off lately. These are just opinions but they have done pretty well over the last three weeks, going 3-2, 3-2 and 4-1. Here are the underdogs I think pack some bite for Week 9:

Rutgers +10
This is a Stache special. Why is Dave Wannstedt such a bad coach? Because of games like this one. Pitt is playing well and Rutgers has struggled this season. So this should be an easy win for the Panthers, right? Not so fast. I can see Pitt coming out flat in this game. That is where the coaching comes in. The Panthers won't be mentally prepared to handle a team they should beat and because of that, I think there is a good chance Rutgers can stay within this number. Like I said, this game is made for Wannstedt to screw up.

Duke +10.5
Some teams don't make good double-digit favorites. Vanderbilt is one of those teams. Since 2003, Vanderbilt has been a double-digit favorite five times and they are 2-3 over that span, with one cover by a single point. Also, this is a bad spot for Vandy. They just played a couple of emotional SEC games and have more on deck. Plus, the pressure is on them right now because they need one more win to be bowl eligible. Programs like Vanderbilt aren't used to that kind of pressure and I think they will have a tough time with an improved Duke squad this Saturday.

SMU +12
I'm going to keep riding the Ponies here. SMU had a chance to beat both Tulsa and Houston but blew leads in each game by being outscored 35-3 in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs aren't good yet but they are getting better, particularly on offense where freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is coming on strong. If there is one thing you can do against Navy it's pass the football. This should be a high-scoring game but I see SMU's offense doing enough to cover the high number.

Colorado +24.5
I've seen this happen too many times to teams in CFB. Teams that are National Title contenders before the season and then drop a couple of games in a row to pretty much ruin their season. Now comes lowly Colorado. Missouri should get back on track at home against the Buffs, right? I'm not so sure. I think it's going to be awfully tough for Chase Daniel and the boys to rebound after the butt-kicking they took last week at the hands of Texas. Remember, we aren't talking about just winning the game here, we're talking about covering a 24.5 point spread. I just can't see it happening. I like the Buffs to keep this game close and I wouldn't be shocked at all if Missouri falls for a third week in a row.

Oklahoma State +12
If there is a game where Texas may not be sharp mentally, I think this is the one. The Horns just played two huge games against Oklahoma and Missouri. Now they have to face a dangerous Oklahoma State squad that's playing lights out right now. If you read my blogs over the summer, you know I thought the Cowboys had a shot at a New Year's Day bowl because I love Zac Robinson and that offense. However, what's shocked me is the play of their defense. They don't have great statistical numbers but OSU held both Missouri and Baylor - two explosive offenses - in check. As I said on our podcast this week, I believe Robinson to be the best dual threat quarterback in the nation and that includes Tim Tebow. I think Robinson busts on the National scene this week and leads Oklahoma State to an upset over the No. 1 Longhorns. Hey, why didn't I make this play my Underdog Game of the Month? lol

Football Picks: The Mush's Week 8 NFL Fades

Tommy Rider — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:51:00 GMT

If you want your wallet to look like George Costanza's, don't follow The Mush.

I'm a huge Seinfeld fan to the point where 40 percent of my spoken language comes from Seinfeld episodes (The other 60 percent comes from movie lines). One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes ever is when George Costanza does the opposite of everything he normally does because every decision he's ever made has been wrong. As Jerry said, "If every decision you've ever made has been wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."

I have this friend who has been gambling for 20 years and I think he's collected twice in his whole life. Luckily, he offers other services that provide a steady income. I won't get into specifics but let's just say he doesn't fill out a tax return at the end of the year. This guy is such a pear-shaped loser, that he's become known as "The Mush" to those of us who know him best. You want to see square. The only time this guy bets an underdog is when it's one of those obvious underdogs like the Cowboys getting two-points at Philly or something like that. People often ask me, "How do you win at sports gambling." While I never give them this answer, the obvious response is "Fade The Mush." The funny thing is, this guy actually thinks he's a good gambler. I once asked him, "When is the last time you collected?" His response was, "I collect all the time. You are the jinx. Every time I tell you my plays, I lose."

So I called The Mush this week and he's agreed to give me all of his plays this NFL season so I can track them. I got to thinking and I figured, why not share these losers with the Pregame community? So every week I will call The Mush on Thursday and ask him his plays, then post them here. Like I said, this guy is a born loser.

Thanks to a late safety in the Giants game, The Mush managed to squeak out a 2-2 week, which included an easy win on the Titans as his best bet. As I looked over the card this week, I saw what I think is going to be a tough day for Mush on Sunday. Let's see if I'm right. Here are The Mush's plays for Week 8:

Ravens -9 (Best Bet)
This one surprised me a little bit but like I said, this is a tough card for a guy who bets the way Mush does. I understand the theory that the Ravens will shut down the Raiders but I'm not sure if I want to jump all over a team that struggles to score nine points, forget about trying to cover that number. That didn't discourage Mush. "At best the Raiders will score a touchdown. That means if the Ravens score 17, I win. Easy money." In a stunning upset, 76 percent of the people agree with Mush on this play.

Fade The Mush: Raiders +9

Bills -1
I actually thought this would be Mush's best bet. The Bills are flying high after beating the Chargers and now must travel to Miami to face a team with a losing record that just lost at home last week to the Ravens. What a surprise, they suckered Mush into this play. I think Miami wins this one but Mush disagreed. "What are they going to do? Run that college offense you like so much? Teams have figured that out. The Bills are the much better team here and unless Miami breaks out the Wishbone, they have no chance." The people chose Mush over me on this one, as 83 percent of the public is backing Buffalo.

Fade The Mush: Dolphins +1

Patriots -9
After dismantling the Broncos on Monday night, the Pats prepare to take on a suddenly red-hot Rams team, winners of two straight. A lot of people feel like the Patriots found themselves last week and not to anyone's surprise, Mush is one of those people. "Now that the Patriots have finally learned to live without Tommy...Rider, I think they are going to go on a run. Besides, I think you were holding that team back. The Cowboys laid down last week. The Rams still suck and it will show against the Pats." So far, 67 percent of the public is with Mush in believing the Pats winning ways will continue.

Fade The Mush: Rams +9

Redskins -7.5
The Skins haven't fared that well as a big favorite the last two weeks but that doesn't scare Mush at all. I think the Redskins will be a great dog play this year but I'm not sold on them as a favorite. I had them last week against Cleveland and while we might have won if Clinton Portis didn't fumble, it was still an ugly game. But according to Mush, it won't matter this week. "What's more likely to happen? The Lions win a game or you go 8-0 with your picks? I think we found out. Detroit will win one game this year and it won't be this week. Redskins roll." Not much of a surprise that 72 percent of the money is coming in against the Lions.

Fade The Mush: Lions +7.5

Jets -13.5
The Jets are almost a two touchdown favorite, despite losing last week at Oakland. I guess that shows the state of the Kansas City Chiefs right now. I'm not sure that the Jets should ever be this high of a favorite but the way KC is playing right now, I can't argue betting against them. Neither can Mush. "I'm just fading the Chiefs. Fade the Chiefs every week and you will win money." Well, it looks like 66 percent of the people are going to win money this week.

Fade The Mush: Chiefs +13.5

Mush's Season Record: 13-18
Best Bets: 4-3

Sports Betting Preview Show (10/23/08) - LISTEN NOW!

Tommy Rider — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:16:00 GMT

This week's edition of the Sports Betting Preview Show is now up and ready to go. In this edition Tommy Rider, Matty O'Shea, The Godfather Marco D'Angelo and Vegas-Runner discuss the following topics:

--The World Series from a gambling perspective

--Game of the Week (Giants at Steelers)

--Bad Beat of the Week

--Matty going off on The Godfather for "sucking"

--E-mail Question of the Week

--Exclusive Podcast selections from Pregame Handicappers

Click Here to Listen Now!

Rider's NFL Whispers (10/22/08)

Tommy Rider — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:37:00 GMT

Tommy Rider says Laurence Maroney can kiss New England good-bye after the season.

Below are some tidbits I've gathered from different sources. Keep in mind that I'm passing along this information. It's not my OPINION. If I want to add my thoughts after I post the info, I'll write it under "Tommy's Two-Cents." Also, these are RUMORS. A lot of media people and personnel guys hear things but media people, in particular, can't just publish everything they hear. That's where I come in. I'm not stating these things as fact, just buzz going around the league. If you don't like that sort of thing then you probably won't like this column. I have no favorites. If I hear something on Tony Romo, I will let you know about it. I will run this whispers segment once a week if you guys find it interesting and helpful.

--If you have been following this column, you know I've said more than once that Laurence Maroney has played his final game with the Patriots. Well, Bill Belichick made that official this week by placing Maroney on IR with a "shoulder injury." The truth is, Maroney is about as injured as I am. After that play against San Fran that I mentioned two weeks ago where he ran out of bounds instead of trying for the first down, Maroney sealed his fate in New England. Belichick has given him plenty of chances to get on board with the program but he just doesn't get it. So why put him on IR? Because now he won't be around the team, so the coaching staff doesn't have to worry about the "playful" Maroney distracting anyone. As expected, I've been told that Maroney's locker has already been cleared out and he will either be traded or released this offseason. Any way you slice it, he's played his last down in New England. I really wish I could tell you what Vince Wilfork once told us about Maroney but I don't want to start any trouble. I'll give you one hint, look at the picture at the top of this page.

One last thing about the Patriots. As expected, Rodney Harrison's career is over. I know someone who spoke to him personally and Harrison told him, "I'm all done brother."

--Speaking of running backs who have worn out their welcome, I'm told by a pretty informed NFL Insider that this is Larry Johnson's final season in Kansas City. As reported, the Chiefs tried to move LJ before the trade deadline but no team wanted him. However, expect that to change this offseason. Johnson will be moved before the draft and the NFL Insider I spoke to said the Steelers and Broncos are two teams likely to pursue the disgruntled back.

--For those of you waiting for the Colts to wake up, you could be in for a long wait. I spoke to an NFL scout and asked him about Indy's problems so far this season. His response? The team isn't very good. "I grade out the teams on how they play, not what their record is," he said. "Right now, the Colts are a one-win team. They have only played one good game all year. The defense is the same as its always been but it's magnified now because the offense isn't nearly as productive as it was in the past. The team looks old. The line can't block anyone, the receivers can't get open and Manning is out of rhythm to the point where he looks lost at times. They just aren't a very good football team."

--Don't expect an NFL team to ever do what the Seahawks did by naming a new coach and making the other guy a lame duck. That doesn't work when you are trying to lead players who make $20 million a year. His players don't respect him and you can see that he is just thinking about his next tee time. According to one I spoke to, "It's just a mess up there right now. How can Holmgren preach to his team not to quit on the season when he is quiting after the season? The players just aren't responding to him the way they used to. Internally the Seahawks know they made a mistake by keeping Holmgren on for one more year and at this point, they just can't wait for this nightmare season to come to an end."

Obama Haters: Blame Mike Ditka!

Tommy Rider — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:38:00 GMT

Barack Obama can thank Mike Ditka if he becomes President.

Barack Obama's easy win in the 2004 Illinois Senate race catapulted him to national fame and set him on his current path toward the White House. It was a convincing victory that is now but a footnote in the career of the Democratic presidential nominee. But that victory wasn't as assured as it appears in retrospect. For a few days in the summer of '04 there was the very real possibility that the Republican opponent in Obama's first major election battle race would be Chicago Bears coaching legend Mike Ditka.

Jack Ryan had won the Republican primary that year, but dropped out of the race after the release of embarrassing papers from his high-profile divorce with actress Jeri Ryan. The vacancy left GOP leaders in the state scrambling to find a replacement. With fears that the election was all but lost, Republicans wanted a major name to turn the tide. Ditka was that name.

There's no way to know whether Ditka would have won but, remember, Obama was still a virtual unknown in Illinois in June of '04. Had Ditka run and won, Obama most-assuredly wouldn't be running for president today. Either way, the Hall of Famer almost certainly would have received more than the 27% of votes that eventual nominee Alan Keyes garnered in November.

Lou Holtz: "Hitler was a great leader."

Tommy Rider — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:39:00 GMT

Lou Holtz compares Michigan's Rich Rodriguez to Adolf Hitler.

For the second time in less than a week, ESPN analyst Lou Holtz has apologized for comments he made on the air. This time, the comments were more egregious and the fallout will be more severe.

During halftime of yesterday's Georgia Tech-Clemson game, Holtz gave an awkward apology, never saying what he was apologizing for other than that he had made comments about Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez.

On Friday night, Holtz said, "Ya know, Hitler was a great leader too." When Rece Davis tried to bail Holtz out by telling him that he meant to say Hitler was a bad leader, Holtz agreed.

But the bottom line is, Holtz made a reference to Hitler, while working for ESPN. And ESPN previously suspended Jemele Hill for a Hitler reference.

ESPN has issued a statement saying Holtz will not be disciplined. What do you guys think? Should Holtz be suspended? I'm sure he didn't mean it in the way it came out but in my opinion, any public figure dumb enough to ever compare someone to Adolf Hitler deserves to be reprimanded. It's just plain stupid.

Scoop Jackson: B.J. Upton is a Role Model to Blacks Because he's Lazy

Tommy Rider — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:37:00 GMT

This guy is one of America's highest paid sports writers.

The worst sports columnist in the history of the world by a mile, Scoop Jackson, is spreading more of his idiotic babble to get attention. I'm not going to pull any punches on this one so it may offend some of you. Jackson got his job only because he's black. I know it and have been told it by others at ESPN. And if you have ever read his garbage, you know it too. ESPN wanted a writer to act "ghetto" to try and raise readership with inner city kids, so they hired this moron. Case closed. If that's not politically correct, I'm sorry but sometimes the truth is the truth and there is no way to get around it.

In his latest ESPN2 column about the Tampa Bay Rays' B.J. Upton, Scoop "Dogg" praises Upton as the one MLB player who can "bring the game back to the hood," while using his usual ridiculous logic in an attempt to make his point.

"The fact that Upton's not perfect makes him perfect. His propensity to be lazy (as witnessed in August when he "decided" not to run hard on three different occasions), the fact that Maddon literally pulled him off the field after not running out a double-play ground ball, the meaningless error in the seventh inning of Game 4 that allowed questions about his lack of focus to surface. All display a flaw in him that almost works to his advantage when kids and wannabe baseball players look at him and say "I'm not perfect either, but look, he's still standing."

One of Scoop Pac's biggest detractors has been the Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock, who is begging someone to stop this idiot's racist ramblings.

"Would someone please stop Scoop Jackson since the ***** editors at ESPN won't? Got damn, I don't read his **** but when he writes stupid **** like this people e-mail me and ask my opinion. This **** needs to be stopped. Read the dumb mother*****'s column and see how he equates black culture with being lazy and says Upton is going to make folks love baseball again."

Cork Gaines, proprietor of Rays Index, had a similar reaction to Scoop's piece:

"Could you imagine Scoop Jackson's reaction if Peter Gammons had written that paragraph? Scoop Jackson just said Upton is a role-model to young African-Americans because he is lazy. Why in the world would anybody ever look to this as a positive quality. This is insanity! And it may be borderline sociopathic. Good lord Scoop. We don't mean to yell, but did you eat paint chips when you were a kid? Of all the positive things Upton does on the baseball field that are worthy of emulating, Jackson picks laziness as why inner-city kids will gravitate to the Rays center fielder. Jesus, this pisses us off...and we're white!"

It's a shame that ESPN has stooped to this level. Scoop Jackson makes more money than a lot of journalists that are more talented than he is simply because he talks and acts black. And that, my friends, isn't right.

Football Picks: The Mush's Week 7 NFL Fades

Tommy Rider — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:59:00 GMT

The Mush gives his words of wisdom for Week 7 in the NFL.

The Mush took it on the chin last week, going 1-4. Mush is now 11-16 on the season. He has started his mid-season slide but as I look over this week's card, it could be a Mush kind of week. It looks like a good spot for a lot of favorites and we know The Mush will be all over them. Here are his plays for Week 7:

Titans -9 (Best Bet)
The undefeated Titans are coming off a bye week and travel to KC to play the hapless Chiefs. Normally, I would be against Mush on this play, as I rarely lay this kind of number to the Chiefs at home. However, with the way Tennessee's defense is playing right now, Mush could have himself a winner here. "How are the Chiefs going to score? How are they even going to get a first down? The Titans will win this game 31-0." Right now, 62 percent of the public agrees with The Mush.

Fade The Mush: Chiefs +9

Giants -10.5
The Giants come home to face the 49ers after getting embarrassed on Monday Night Football. The Niners must make that daunting cross country trip and the Giants are sure to be in a bad mood. Mush is calling for a blowout here. "J.T. O' Sullivan isn't an NFL quarterback and the Giants will eat him alive. Their defense played terrible against the Browns and it won't happen two weeks in a row. Giants big." Not surprisingly, 64 percent of the public are on the Giants with Mush.

Fade The Mush: 49ers +10.5

Colts -2
God forbid a week goes by without Mush taking the Colts. But he has done well with them so it's hard to argue with his method. Indy played its best game of the year last week against the Ravens and Mush once again believes that is the game that will propel them. "I told you last week the Colts were starting to roll. No way the Packers defense can keep up with Manning and the Colts. It will be a good game but the Colts will pull away and cover this number." A whopping 88 percent of the money is coming in on Indy, so Mush will be in good company.

Fade The Mush: Packers +2

Jets -3
The Raiders can be tough at home at times but the Jets seem to be hitting their stride. I had this one circled for Mush as soon as the lines came out and as usual, his predictability didn't disappoint. "Who is this bum the Raiders hired as their coach? Did you see him last week? He didn't even know where he was. I will bet against this team as long as that moron is the coach. Jets are an easy play this week." As you might expect, 86 percent of the public is backing the Jets as well.

Fade The Mush: Raiders +3

Mush's Season Record: 11-16
Best Bets: 3-3

How Much Frank TV Can We Take?

Tommy Rider — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:31:00 GMT

TBS' Frank TV ads are driving us all crazy!

For those of you that have followed the MLB Playoffs on TBS, you are well aware that every six seconds the station forces another Frank TV ad down our throats. As a matter of fact, TBS has received so many complaints from people who claim to be seeing Frank Caliendo in their dreams that the station has actually brought up the topic of Caliendo overload in its newest batch of Frank TV ads. And while I know Matty is one of the people pulling his hair out (he hates Frank Caliendo with a passion) like many others, TBS says there really AREN'T a lot of Frank TV ads, they are just so successful it makes us feel like there are a lot of them. They even say the station has CUTBACK on the number of Frank TV ads from last year. In other words, the TBS executives think we are morons.

"I think we feel that as long as we have a variety of spots, and that the spots are all different, and that you get a wink and a nod every time a FrankTV spot comes on that, there will not be that wear-out factor," Jeff Gregor, the chief marketing officer for TBS and TNT said. "I could make a point that there are quite a few commercials that run on television that run repeatedly and yet they still cut through.

"Last year, we were part of the story," Gregor admitted. "Or (the FrankTV ads) were part of the story, and we knew that even if we ran less commercials this year, it would still be part of the story, because the spots are so distinctive, so different, and are playing to a large audience inside of baseball (telecasts)."

Gregor is also of the belief that the spots are just that good, and that is why people are drawn to them.

"This is just a hypothesis on my side: You think there are a lot of (FrankTV) spots, but there's actually not as many as you think," Gregor said. "They're just so good at entertaining and engaging that when they come on you feel like you just saw one not too long ago."

Right. That's why I saw four different Frank TV adds on TBS while I was writing this blog post. Thank God for remote controls.

Rider's NFL Whispers (10/15/08)

Tommy Rider — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:52:00 GMT

The Cowboys need Wade Phillips to do more than just be a cheerleader.

--Obviously, a large portion of this column will be devoted to the Dallas Cowboys this week. I remember in August, I talked to a very well respected Cowboys writer and he told me, "Tommy, the eyes of the football world will on the Cowboys by Thanksgiving. You can just feel that this team is headed for a disaster. Wade is losing this team more and more every day and as soon as one bad thing happens, it's going to blow up."

This week, I called the same guy who told me that two months ago. I asked him to break down the Cowboys current situation. Here is what he had to say. "This is where Dallas' lack of leadership at the top is going to do them in. When you lose guys like a Romo and a Newman, you need a real head coach to keep the team focused and headed in the right direction. I have told you since Day 1 Tommy that Wade is not that guy. I talked to one player this week and asked him how many meetings T.O. has been late for since the season started. He told me 'It would be easier to tell you how many meetings where he's arrived on time.' That's the culture here now. No one respects Wade. They like him, but they don't respect him. I don't believe you can just flick a switch and change that overnight."

--He didn't have anything earth shattering to say about Pacman Jones. No one was really surprised by the situation. However, I did ask him about the Roy Williams trade and he had some really good insight. This is what he had to say, "I spoke to 10 different NFL personnel guys and not one of them thought it was a good trade for Dallas. The Lions where asking for the moon and Jerry Jones panicked and gave it to them. Teams hold on to those No. 1 picks for a reason. Fans always say, 'You aren't going to draft anyone better than Roy Williams with that pick anyway.' They totally miss the point. First-round picks are like money in the bank. They give you flexibility. That's why teams don't like to part with them.

We don't know what is going to happen in April. For example, what if the Broncos want to move Champ Bailey? Now Dallas is out of the running. All NFL people tell me the same thing: You don't pay a big price to get receivers. Remember, both Dallas and New England paid very little for T.O. and Moss. The sense around the league is this is just another example of why the Cowboys need a real GM, to avoid these panic moves by Jerry Jones. You only give up this much for an elite player. You can argue that Williams isn't even the best receiver on the Cowboys right now. That's not elite in my book."

--I was talking to someone I know who has been an NFL scout for the last 25 years about Matt Ryan. I told him how impressed I was with the rookie's pocket presence and leadership. He told me something very interesting. "The first rookie class of quarterbacks I ever scouted was the famous class from 1983 with Dan Marino. As a rookie quarterback after six games, Marino is the only quarterback I have ever graded higher than Matt Ryan. Tony Romo is currently one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL but he only has 30-some starts, so he's still young by those standards. Ryan actually grades favorably to Romo in many different categories, including looking off the safety and getting the ball to his second and third options. From what I've seen, this kid is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He reminds me a lot of Troy Aikman, only he's much further along than Aikman was at this point in his career."

--You can forget about the rumors of Vince Young playing a "Slash" role for the Titans. Head coach Jeff Fisher realizes that with Kerry Collins pushing 40, there's a chance he won't play the entire season and the team may have to go back to Young at some point. Tennessee has Super Bowl aspirations and they believe Young is much more valuable to them as a backup QB than he is catching passes. Fisher doesn't believe the risk is worth the minimal reward of having Young play receiver.

College Football Picks: Week 8 Underdogs with Bite!

Tommy Rider — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:19:00 GMT

Todd Reesing and Kansas could be a tough out for the reeling Sooners on Saturday.

It's hard to believe that we are already in Week 8 but as the season keeps moving forward, the more underdogs seem to be cashing. Last week I gave out five dogs that could bite and they went 3-2, with Oklahoma State and Arkansas both winning outright. Here are some underdogs for this week that could be attractive options on Saturday.

Kansas +20
This one is just too good to pass up. OU is coming off an emotional loss to Texas and now they return home to face a very good Kansas squad. Going into the Texas game, there were questions about the Sooners pass defense and those concerns proved to be justified. Now Todd Reesing gets his chance to exploit OU's secondary and if his offensive line can give him time, Reesing should have a big game. This is just too many points to lay to a solid Kansas team in this spot.

Ole Miss +13
I said it before and I'll say it again: No one plays the underdog role better than Houston Nutt. His teams always seem to play well in spots where they aren't supposed to win. I'm a big believer in Alabama and I normally wouldn't advise going against them. However, with Tennessee (a hated rival) on deck, this could be a good spot for Ole Miss to catch the Tide looking ahead a little bit. Plus, this Ole Miss squad is the kind of team no one likes to play. They don't have enough talent to challenge the elite teams but they are just good enough to be a pain in the butt. The Crimson Tide better be ready on Saturday or the Rebels will make them pay.

Arkansas +10
This line is dropping so there may not be much value here by the time Saturday arrives but I'm sticking with the Hogs. I think Arkansas is starting to play much better under Bobby Petrino than they did earlier in the year. The score may not look like it but the Hogs even played Florida tough for three quarters two weeks ago. Running back Michael Smith is on fire right now and I think he'll be able to keep it rolling against Kentucky. The Cats may win this game but I see it being more of a low scoring, grind-it-out affair, which makes it tough to cover a big number.

SMU +13
As an SMU fan, I know how bad they are. However, I really think this is a great spot for the Mustangs. SMU has actually been pretty competitive in its last three tosses to Tulane, Central Florida and Tulsa. The Mustangs even led Tulsa by as many as 11 points in the second half but they couldn't hang on. Now the Ponies get a Houston team that's already lost on the road to Colorado State. Maybe it's just me but I'm not really impressed with the Cougars and I think this sets up for a great spot for a possible upset. At +420, the Mustangs would make for a nice money line winner.

Florida International +8
Don't look now but Mario Cristabol is doing one heck of a coaching job at FIU. This team was projected to be one of the worst in Division I this season but instead, they come into this game 3-3 and riding a 3-game winning streak. The turnaround may have come against South Florida in a game the Panthers fought to the end and lost 17-9. Since then, FIU has made easy work of Toledo, North Texas and Middle Tennessee. The Trojans lost starting QB Jamie Hampton and now must turn to sophomore Tanner Jones. Troy is definitely a step up in class but I wouldn't be surprised if the resurgent Panthers kept this one close.