NFL Football - Vince Young Injury: Kerry Collins is in the game

Vince Young suffered with a sprained knee in the first half of the Monday night football game between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In an instant he lost the ball, Young's knee was twisted while trying to recover the fumble. Kerry Collins is now in the game, which has its own advantages and disadvantages for both teams. Collins was very good for the Titans in the past and has already led the Titans down the field for a touchdown.

Collins and the Titans also have Chris Johnson to fall back on the offensive perspective. Although Johnson can not get 2000 yards this season, he will have at least 1,500 yards and is as reliable a running back that you can have on a team.

Young's return is uncertain, but the team won two games with the quarterbacks, and when Collins is "on", he is a very good quarterback. While his battles with alcoholism have been very public, Collins was a first-round draft pick in 1995

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NFL Betting: Titans vs. Jaguars Preview

The quarterbacks for tonight’s contest don’t get near the attention that Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre attracts from fans and media, but the Titans, Jaguars and Vikings do have one thing in common: they each boast one of the top-rated feature backs in the game today. Football betting odds

Sportsbook have the line currently set at Tennessee -3 with the Over/Under at 45.5

CJ2 vs. MJD

Chris Johnson came into the week ranked second overall with 485 rushing yards. He would need 151 yards against the Jags to overtake all six backs that jumped ahead of him on Sunday.

Johnson rushed for 125-plus yards in three-of-five games this season including both road games. Tennessee was in Dallas last week and in their second of back-to-back away from home look for HC Fisher to lean on the ground attack. The last time these teams met Johnson rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

Maurice Jones-Drew struggled with the rest of his team in two losses this year, but in the three wins he’s averaged 96 yards on 20-plus carries and now that Garrard has shown improvements, it will open things up for Jones-Drew.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on Jags rookie RB Deji Karim, who rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries last week in his debut. In a word, one NFL scout described Karim as “smooth”.  He was finding holes and slicing through tackles and really made the most of his chances.

GAMEPLAN 

We have to expect plenty of running in this game but the passing attack against these secondaries could end up being the difference. Tennessee has been burned for big plays and HC Del Rio will go after the Titans deep without hesitation.

Tennessee’s wide receivers have been impressive this year and they are going up and getting the football. With the Titans making plays down field and Young’s ability to scramble, Jacksonville defense could be in for a long night.

UNDER THE LIGHTS

Jacksonville is 0-2 SU/ATS the past two years on Monday Night Football while the Titans boast a 3-1 ATS record during the last three years.

Tennessee is 2-1 ATS on the road, 1-1 ATS vs. division and 1-0 ATS on the road vs. division.
Both of Jacksonville’s games were divisional, one at home and one away; the Jags lost each by double-digits.

PREDICTION 

Tennessee put up a good fight in Dallas but the game really was handed to them after countless Cowboy mistakes and penalties. That didn’t go unnoticed by HC Fisher and he should have this team functioning as a much tighter unit.

Jacksonville was a rare example last week of a football team that can lose the turnover battle (-3) and still come away with a road win. That was Buffalo, however, and against Tennessee they will not be afforded the same luxuries.

The Jaguars are last in the league in TD passes allowed and even though they are 2-1 SU/ATS at home it was Michael Vick – a quarterback that knows how to scramble – that beat them. Vick didn’t beat the Jags with sheer mobility and Young won’t have to either. He has enough weapons at his disposal to wear this defense out and at less than a field goal we feel the value here is on the underdog.

Pick: Take the Titans

Monday Night NFL: Tennessee vs Jacksonville

NFL Monday Night Football featuring division rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville are looking to improve their respective standings.

Tennessee Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-3 in what turned out to be a battle of backup quarterbacks on Monday night. Their last victory of the Titans into a corner with three lanes on the top of the AFC South.

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Titans starting quarterback Vince Young left the game in only half of the first quarter with a sprained left knee. Young left the game after the conclusion of 3 / 5 passes for 61 yards and touchdown for the first three minutes of play.

Kerry Collins took over quarterbacking job to lead the Titans (4-2) until the end of the game. Collins finished 11 of 16 for 110 yards and touchdown.

Titan’s running back Chris Johnson scored on a 35-yard run with 1:40 to finish with 111 yards on 26 rushes. Rob Biron kicked shots each in the second, third and fourth. The Jaguars managed to score a field goal by Josh Scobee halfway through the third quarter.

Trent Edwards was replaced by David Garrard, when he was left the game late in the second quarter. Garrard finished 7 of 12 for 49 yards and the interception, while Edwards has went 14 of 24 for 140 yards and two interceptions.

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Champions League Betting: Round 3 Picks

There are sixteen games being played this Tuesday and Wednesday from round three of the Champions League. Let’s look at three of those matches and see if we can find some value. 

 - The big game on Tuesday night sees two European giants clash at the Bernabeu as Real Madrid host AC Milan in a Group G battle. Real are now managed by former Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho and under him they have conceded just three goals in nine games this season. They look an excellent defensive side and despite AC Milan climbing to second in Italy’s Serie A this weekend they have a poor road record so far this season, winning just one of their four away matches. As a result of this, we see this match going just one way and we’re backing a Real Madrid win, with sportsbook odds @ 1.45.

 - Another side with a great defensive record is Shakhtar Donetsk. They have conceded just two goals in their last seven matches in all competitions and they travel to London as they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal have looked impressive at home this season and have scored twenty goals in their four wins and a loss in front of their own fans. They have kept a clean sheet in just two of those five games and we’re expecting goals in this game, so we suggest putting your money on over 2.5 goals @ 1.72.

 - One side that isn’t having such a good season so far is Manchester United. They are yet to win away from home in the Premier League, let a two goal lead slip against West Brom at the weekend and talismanic striker Wayne Rooney has refused to sign a new contract with the club leading to suggestions that he will be sold in the January transfer window. 

They welcome Turkish side Bursaspor to Old Trafford on Wednesday and I think they will be highly focused on a win to try and quiet the noise form last week. Bursaspor are yet to score in the Champions League this season…Man U has to feel they are there for the taking. We feel this too and expect United to give themselves a massive boost of confidence by putting a few goals past the hapless Turks, so we’re going with +2.5 goals in the match @ 1.45 at the online sportsbook.

NFL Teams in the Quarter Pole

Chicago (3-1) and Green Bay (3-1) share a piece of the lead atop the NFC North division but anyone that watched the Bears give up nine QB sacks in the first-half alone vs. the Giants Sunday night is quick to dismiss any long-term success for Lovie Smith’s team.

The Packers on the other hand, who have averaged 9.5 straight-up wins per season over the past decade, seem like a legitimate shot to clear their 10 wins by Week 15. Green Bay finishes the season with back-to-back home games as well, and the current NFL odds on the Packers to win the division is -275.
The AFC picture gets a lot more clouded, where six teams have already won at least three games. Surprisingly, the team listed by oddsmakers as the favorite to win the Conference is not one of those six! Indianapolis (+350) is still being recognized as the top contender even though the Colts are 2-2 SU/ATS.

The highest payback for any of the three-win teams is Kansas City (+2000), who visit the Colts this weekend. Indianapolis is favored by bookmakers at -9 and is getting 66-percent public support through early betting.

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF
Monday Night Football games have not disappointed this season and two stats to keep in mind when handicapping this week’s contest between the Vikings and Jets (-4) involve a pair of top offensive players that were starting to gain a reputation for their generosity. Until now, that is:

- Known for his 20 interceptions last season, through four games, Jets QB Mark Sanchez is 60-for-103 (58.3%), and averaging 169.3 yards per game with eight TDs and zero INTs.

- Speaking of turnover-free football, Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has had 83 touches in his first three games and has not fumbled once. This comes after two years where Peterson had 15 total fumbles (losing nine).

UH OH, NEW O-CO
The San Francisco 49ers fell to 0-4 SU Sunday in Atlanta, despite earning an ATS cover for bettors. Following the Niners’ loss in Kansas City, HC Mike Singletary sent O-Co Jimmy Raye packing and with Mike Johnson calling the plays, well, let’s just say things didn’t get any worse.

WR Michael Crabtree’s value has risen for Fantasy owners, Crabtree making five receptions for 58 yards Sunday, and perhaps with another week and home field the 49ers will be able to come out on the right side of a close game for once. Or maybe not...

When a football team makes a drastic move such as firing a key member its coaching personnel this early in the season it’s meant to send a message out to the rest of the organization. But when Kansas City, Buffalo and Tampa Bay committed the act last year in late-August/early September it created a negative ripple effect lasting for months.

Five weeks into the 2009 season those three teams and a combined record of 1-14 SU, and some would argue that other than the Chiefs, they are still no better off today. The O-Co carousel was pegged as the biggest problem for QB Smith and until we see something positive out of this team, bettors may want to exercise caution.

The Niners (-3.5) are hosting the Philadelphia Eagles for Week 5 on Sunday Night Football.

POSSESSION OUTCOME PROPS
Along with ‘first-half’ lines Sportsbetting.com has always offered a great assortment of props for every game on the Sunday card.

New this season is ‘Possession Outcome Props’ where you can bet on what either team in a contest will do with the football on their first possession of the game. Touchdown, field goal or punt are offered at different rates based on team tendencies and it’s a great way to get ahead in the game early.

Betting Tip: In 19 games under previous offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, the 49ers never scored a touchdown on their first possession. Mike Johnson did it on his first crack.

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