posted November 19, 2009 at 14:37 EST in NFL Articles
NFL Week 11 Insider - Ronnie Brown Put on IR Ending his Season
NFL Week 11 Update: Brown’s Injury Huge for Thursday Night Game
The Miami Dolphins have made their way back to respectability by moving to a 4 and 5 record, but that could all change on Thursday night when the Fins travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers.
Miami will be without the captain of their Wildcat Offense, running back Ronnie Brown. Brown’s season is over. Not only was Brown the captain of the Wildcat for Miami but he was also their best player, without a doubt, and losing him is a huge blow to the Fins.
Miami isn’t lost as QB Chad Henne has shown ability to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball. Ricky Williams appears to be back to his old self and has been running with authority this season while Pat White has the ability to run the Wildcat.
But make no mistake, losing Brown is a big deal and the Fins are going to have to work much harder in order to beat the Panthers as 3 point underdogs on the road.
Orton Should Be Out For Denver
Kyle Orton didn’t practice on Wednesday and NFL odds makers are waiting to see what will happen on Thursday and Friday before creating a football betting line for the Broncos’ game against the San Diego Chargers this Sunday.
When the line is created, expect the Chargers to be 7 ½ to 8 ½ point favorites because there’s just no way that Orton suits up for this game. Denver Coach Josh McDaniels might put Orton into his uniform to see how the Chargers react, but Orton probably won’t play.
Orton is still listed as questionable on the injury reports. Really? That’s why he didn’t even take the field on Wednesday? I’m not buying it. My hope is that Orton does end up playing on Sunday because to me the Chargers are going to win anyhow. Denver is reeling after starting the season with 6 straight victories. Their last game, a loss to the Washington Redskins, was awful.
They have no shot against a tough San Diego team this weekend with or without Kyle Orton under center.
Benson Questionable in Cincinnati but L.J. Will Be Okay
Larry Johnson is now a Bengal after the AFC North divisional leaders signed him to a contract this past week. L.J., who hates gay people, might see limited action this Sunday when Cincy takes on the Oakland Raiders.
Bengals’ Coach Marvin Lewis said emphatically that Johnson was signed as “insurance” because Cedric Benson may or may not be able to play this Sunday. If Benson can’t go, then expect Bernard Scott, who ran back a kick-off for a touchdown against the Steelers last week, to get the start.
Either way, the Bengals shouldn’t need much to cover the 9 ½ point spread in the NFL sports book. Cincinnati is easily one of the best teams in the NFL right now and should dominate the mess of a situation that is the Oakland Raiders.
Michael Turner out in Atlanta but No Movement in Giants’ Game…So Far
Top running back Michael Turner is doubtful on Sunday but it’s likely that back-up RB, Jerious Norwood, won’t start on Sunday as well. What that means is that the Atlanta Falcons must turn to the third guy on the depth chart, Jason Snelling.
Not only will Snelling start against one of the best run defenses in the NFL, the Giants allow only 105 yards on the ground, but Atlanta’s QB Matt Ryan has been terrible recently.
Even with all of these issues, the Falcons surprisingly are still only 6 ½ point underdogs facing the G-Men in the Meadowlands this Sunday. The line hasn’t moved at all which is strange to me because a struggling quarterback, a third string running back, facing a team coming off of a bye looks like an easy wager.
Why hasn’t the line changed? Who knows? It must be NFL bettors lack of confidence in Eli Manning and New York. I, for one, am going to jump on a betting line less than 7 points in this game. Atlanta is not as good as New York is! Without both Jerious Norwood and Michael Turner and a struggling Matt Ryan means to me that they should get squashed this Sunday.
Saints Sign CB McAlister and Both Ellis and Sharper Could Return
The New Orleans Saints haven’t covered a betting spread in three straight games, but that could all change this Sunday because the Saints’ D is getting healthy.
Defensive lineman Sedrick Ellis practiced on Wednesday, as did free safety Darren Sharper, and both are expected to start on Sunday. If they do, then expect the Saints’ D to go back to it’s ball-hawking, shut down ways. That would be a good thing for the Saints who obviously have been lacking on the defensive side of things when giving up tons of yards and points to the terrible St. Louis Rams.
New Orleans also signed former Baltimore Raven Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister. McAlister, if he’s right, can be a devastating defender. If McAlister, Ellis and Sharper are even 80% of what they used to be, the Saints should roll in Tampa Bay on Sunday and easily cover the 11 points in the sportsbook.
Bet wisely, my friends, and enjoy this Sunday’s NFL action!
