Tuesday Morning QB For 11-21-2006 - NFL News, Tips And Picks

Tuesday Morning QB For 11-21-2006
By Ronald Glover
Posted: 11:00 am PDT 2006-11-21

Week 11 in the NFL saw one of its best players lost for the season and one of its all-time greats face a scary injury. The Indianapolis Colts taste defeat in Big D, as Bill Parcells looks more and more like a genius as Tony Romo continues to impress.

Just a week ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were relishing the thought of possibly catching the New York Giants in the division; instead, they'll be hoping to catch lightning in a bottle for the next six weeks after losing quarterback Donovan McNabb for the season after tearing his ACL. The Birds will be headed into Indianapolis to square off against a Colts team that suffered its first loss of the season last week in Dallas. Peyton Manning and Co. are looking to rebound and continue towards home field in the AFC. Indy is -9 on WagerWeb.com for Sunday's game.

Don't look now, but the Jets are in the thick of a division race and could grab a wild-card spot with some help. First-year coach Eric Mangini has the J-E-T-S playing pretty good ball, in spite of last week's shutout loss to the Bears. The good news is quarterback Chad Pennington is holding up well from his shoulder surgery in the offseason. This week the Jets face a game Houston Texans squad (+6) that is 3-7 but plays hard for first-year coach Gary Kubiak.

David Carr, who tied an NFL record with 22 consecutive completions, is slowly coming into his own as an NFL quarterback. He has some guys that can catch the ball in Andre Johnson, Eric Moulds and Owen Daniels. Wali Lundy and Samkon Gado balance out the running attack.

Arizona is facing Minnesota (-6) in a game that will only get regional coverage; the Cardinals are actually coming off a victory over the Detroit Lions while the Vikes dropped one to the Dolphins. The once-promising offensive production of the Vikings has been stagnated and Brad Johnson is beginning to look older by the game. Look for Cards signal-caller Matt Leinhart to continue his development at this level.

In Hotlanta, look for the action to be hot and heavy as the Saints and Falcons (-3) square off in a game in which second place in the NFC South is at stake. The Saints at 6-4 hold a one-game lead over the 5-5 Falcons. The Dirty Birds go as quarterback Michael Vick goes, and last week he went straight to the bottom against the Ravens. I'm convinced that this is the best that we're going to get from Vick from here on out. The crime here is that he doesn't have to do it alone.

Warrick Dunn, Alge Crumpler and most recently Michael Jenkins have provided outlets for Vick, but for whatever reason Vick continues to struggle. In the bayou, Drew Brees has become the face of the Saints franchise until Reggie Bush really emerges. Tom Benson must be ecstatic at making the franchise-altering decision to sign Brees and draft Bush. Last week Brees was 37-52 for 510 yards and three touchdowns.

Brees may be without rookie sensation Marques Colston, who suffered a sprained ankle. However, he has Joe Horn and the ever-dangerous Bush.The Carolina Panthers should finish off whatever is left of the Washington Redskins (+4). No Clinton Portis, a second-time starter at quarterback, and an overdue Julius Peppers ... this will not be pretty. The Panthers may be without DeShaun Foster, who suffered an elbow injury in the Sunday's victory against the St. Louis Rams. Enter DeAngelo Williams, who is a speedster who can get to the outside.

Say what you want about the 4-6 Steelers -- they showed a lot of grit coming back against the Browns last week, even as Ben Rothelisberger struggled again as the Browns keyed on stopping Willie Parker. The Ravens are the class of the division and look to further their lead come Sunday against Pittsburgh (+3).

The status of Ray Lewis and his back remain uncertain; however, if I were Brian Billick, I would try to see if I can get away with resting him untilthe playoffs.

On a day when the San Francisco 49ers celebrated the career of the great Jerry Rice and Coach Mike Nolan took sideline attire back to the days of Hank Stram and most recently Tom Landry, the team itself took it back to circa 1988 and handled the division-leading Seattle Seahawks 20-14. Running back Frank Gore rushed for a franchise-record 212 yards. The Seahawks, led by backup QB Seneca Wallace, had opportunities to tie the game late but an interception did them in. The Niners are a game back of the Seahawks and a game in front of their opponent on Sunday, the St. Louis Rams (-5.5), who were shut out by Carolina on Sunday. Keep an eye on the NFC West in the upcoming weeks.

Jacksonville travels up to Buffalo to face the Bills (no line) in a game that really doesn't carry any playoff weight; we can say the same for Cincinnati (-3) vs. Cleveland. The Tennessee Titans look to win their second in a row against the NFC East when they face a depleted New York Giants squad (no line).

The G-Men are fading fast, but Tiki Barber keeps producing. Chicago and New England (-3) could be a not so far-fetched Super Bowl preview, and it will be one heck of a chess match.I'm interested to see how Lovie Smith's defense will attack the Patriots' offense. With Aaron Brooks back and LaMont Jordan done for the season, the Raiders can't catch a break, but it won't make a difference against San Diego (-13). LaDanian Tomlinson is on an unprecedented TD streak, and Philip Rivers with each performance is solidifying his place as a stud. Green Bay and Seattle (no line) will meet on Monday night in Seattle. Will Brett Favre shake off his injury to continue his amazing starts streak

Too bad the early Thanksgiving games don't provide much in the form of entertainment, but then again when was the last time Detroit and Dallas hosted a Thanksgiving game that meant something. The Lions face the Dolphins (-2.5), and the more I look at the Dolphins, the more I wonder if Daunte Culpepper is done since he isn't playing.

The Cowboys face the Buccaneers (+11), and if you're like me you're hoping T.O. scores because it's going to be the most entertainment this game is going to produce. The nightcap features the Chiefs and Broncos (pick 'em) from Arrowhead. No matter how bad the Chiefs are, they draw strength from the league's best-behaved fans. Second place is on the line in the AFC West as Herm Edwards' troops have played themselves back into playoff contention. I really want to see this game, and expect Larry Johnson to feed off of the home crowd and have a big game.

Here's to hoping that the tryptophan doesn't hit me as hard this year.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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