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Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme struggled on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was fortunate that his running backs bailed him out. Delhomme threw for only 65 yards with two interceptions, but D’Angelo Williams (152 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (110 yards) kept the chains moving as the Panthers won their second straight game defeating the Bucs 28-21. Tampa Bay has now lost ten straight dating back to last season and are 0-6 for the first time since’85. Carolina improved to 2-3 with the victory.

NFL sports bettors were faced with a choice between two teams with dismal ATS records in this game, and those who had the guts to take a 1-3 team as a -3 road favorite were rewarded with the cover. It was Carolina’s first NFL pointspread cover of the season and left them with a 1-4 record against the number. Tampa Bay has covered one of their six games this year. The 49 points scored went OVER the total of 40′. Tampa Bay has gone OVER in 4 of 6, while Carolina has exceeded the total in three of their five games.

Delhomme attempted only seven passes in the second half, but the way Williams and Stewart were running there was no reason to put the ball in the air. Williams said that even though Tampa Bay knew what was coming they couldn’t stop the Panthers’ running game:

“I’m sure everybody in the stadium knew what we were going to do. There were times they had nine in the box and we were still getting 7 or 8 yards.”

There’s been little impatience locally with Bucs’ rookie head coach Raheem Morris, but his weekly habit of explaining the obvious to rationalize yet another loss is starting to wear thin:

“We got overpowered at the end, and really throughout the game.”

Carolina safety Dante Wesley was ejected after clobbering Bucs’ return man Clifton Smith after a fair catch call. After the game, Wesley gave this defense for his actions:

“I was just trying to make a play. You can check my record. I’ve never really tried to hurt anybody. I’ve never tried to take a cheap shot on anybody.”

Wesley could face a possible fine or suspension from the NFL but, in all fairness, it did appear to be a momentary mental lapse as he was trying to make a big play.

Tampa’s schedule has the look of them going from ‘the frying pan into the fire’ as they host the New England Patriots next Sunday-fresh off of their 57 point drubbing of Tennessee. The Bucs are +14 home underdogs to the Patriots with the total set at 45. They’ll get a week off after that contest and return to action on November 8 as they host the Green Bay Packers. Carolina has an easier draw, hosting the Buffalo Bills next Sunday. The game is currently off the board pending the status of Bills’ QB Trent Edwards who suffered a concussion in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets. The Panthers will then play on the road the following two Sundays, traveling to Arizona and New Orleans.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Heading into last Sunday, there was a consensus that the New York Giants were the best team in the NFL with an undefeated record, a productive offense and the league’s top ranked defense. The New Orleans Saints made a compelling case to the contrary, however, as they dismantled the Giants to win 48-27 behind yet another MVP-like performance from quarterback Drew Brees. Brees threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions as New Orleans kept their record perfect on the season at 5-0.

NFL betting enthusiasts who took New Orleans as -3 home favorites were confident that they’d be cashing a ticket by halftime as the Saints shot out to a 34-17 lead at the break. The Saints also remained perfect against the NFL pointspread at 5-0, while the Giants failed to cover for the first time this season and stand at 5-1 ATS. The 75 points scored sailed OVER the posted total of 47. New Orleans has gone OVER in 3 of 5 this year, while the Giants have an OVER biased NFL totals record of 4-1-1.

After the game, Brees explained his team’s strategy:

“We wanted to really dictate the tempo of the game the whole way through. Seven different guys scored touchdowns. That’s big. That’s the type of rhythm that, when you get in, you feel like you can call anything and it’s going to work.”

The Saints are off to their best start since’93 and have yet to trail in a game this season. Still, head coach Sean Payton wasn’t entertaining talk that his team had established themselves as the presumptive Superbowl favorite:

“I don’t think you can talk about big pictures after game 5.”

Giants’ QB Eli Manning was looking forward to a homecoming of sorts-his father, Archie, played the same position for New Orleans during his NFL career. Suffice to say it didn’t go as he had planned:

“It’s not the way I imagined it during the week, but you’re going to encounter all sorts of games and all sorts of situations. I look at it as a loss. We need to go back to work this week, fix some things and try to improve.”

New York head coach Tom Coughlin marveled at the play of the Saints’ offensive line who gave Brees great protection all day long:

“I don’t know that we ever hit him. At this level, if you’re going to stop the pass, you’ve got to get pressure. You’ve got to force the quarterback not to throw it on his tempo.”

The Saints will now face the Miami Dolphins on the road, with New Orleans a -6 favorite and the total set at 47. After the trip to south Florida they’ll return home for a game against longtime rival Atlanta on Monday night football. They’ll then host the Carolina Panthers on November 8. The Giants return home to play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, with New York a -7 home favorite and the total set at 46. They’ll head to Philadelphia to play the Eagles next week before returning home for a date against the San Diego Chargers on November 8.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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The Tampa Buccaneers are one of the many teams in the NFL trying to start from the ground up and rebuild their franchise. After the Super Bowl win in 02′ the Buccaneers haven’t had much success.

This was a strong team that made the playoffs in 2007, but one that faltered a bit in 2008, slipping in terms of both offense and defense.

Former head coach Jon Gruden is now broadcasting for Monday Night Football – he doesn’t have to deal with the Bucs team anymore. He’s probably pretty happy about this though.

Not scoring any points in an NFL game just shows you how offensively challenged the Bucs are – that is what happened to the Bucs in week 3 against the New York Giants. The Giants did what they wanted and the Bucs had no answers the entire game. The defense is just as bad as the offense giving up more then 30 points a game.

RB Cadillac Williams was a rising star in the NFL a few seasons ago. In 05′ Williams ran for over 1,100 yards in– games but injuries have put his progression as a RB on hold. 07′ – 08′ Williams only played in 10 games, scored 7 touchdowns and rushed for 441 yards.

The main WR on the Bucs is Kellen Winslow – who in his best year in 07′ caught for over 1,000 yards with 5 touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns.

The Bucs play in the NFC South, which has a different winner every year. The Bucs won’t be contending for a division title in 09′ but hopefully they can find some sort of offense as the years progresses.

The Bucs defense is one of the worst in the league – if not THE worst – the Bucs have given up more the 30 points more times then many teams give up the entire season. It will be a long season for the Bucs in 09′.

Head on over to the most exciting Buccaneers forumss at RootZoo Sports. Check out their trivia questions questions with over 60,000 questions.

The San Diego Chargers are one of the most talented teams in the NFL that has yet to win a Super Bowl. They have all the right pieces in place but have yet to get over the hump.

The Chargers have found some success over the course of the last few seasons and their offense is one of the most potent in the NFL. They’ve been strong defensively in the past, but it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be one of the top defensive units in the league this year.

Philip Rivers – a contender for the MVP award this season in the minds of many – Darren Sproles a stud in the making, and more should propel a highly effective offensive team to a great place this season. Although LT is on the wrong side of 30 now, if he can stay healthy, he’s still got potential for a dangerous year.

The defense hasn’t lived up to their potential just yet though. Things could turn around and in order for the Chargers to have a big year, it must happen soon.

Whatever the reasons are that the Chargers haven’t won the Super Bowl, they could be the classic underachievers. But 09′ should prove to be a make or break year for head coach Norv Turner.

So maybe the Ravens are one of the better teams in the NFL. After all, they made the playoffs last year and their youth has improved this year.

Still, the obvious flaw in this Chargers team seems to be its defense. Can the team clean up its defensive unit from here? It may need to.

I do believe their offense is powerful, but not enough to make up for the weak defense. For this team to compete and live up to their expectations, the defense needs to improve immediately.

Come join the fun at RootZoo Sports and discuss the latest Chargers news on their Chargers forumss. Make sure to check out the latest sports polls as well.

The ’08 season for the Seattle Seahawks was a lost season if you will – no one could stay healthy and the season was over before it began.

The 09′ season for the Seahawks should be well improved — the Seahawks might not be Super Bowl contenders but should compete in every game they are in.

Matt Hasselback has played ok but suffered a rib injury. It is yet to be determined if this will be a lingering injury that will hurt his entire 09′ season. If the team expects to improve on their 4-12 season, Hasselback must start more then 7 games, as he did in 08′.

The NFC West isn’t the strongest division the NFL has ever seen. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t yet found themselves yet, the St. Louis Rams are one of the bottom feeders in the league, the San Francisco 49ers are a young team on the rise though.

Since their Super Bowl appearance in 05′ – between 06′-08′ – the Seattle Seahawks have a record of 23-25 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs. The Seahawks need to improve a great deal on offense if they hope to contend for the NFC West title – the Seahawks are in the bottom third in offense in the NFL.

QB Seneca Wallace has stepped in for Hasselback and has done fairly well — completing around 61% of his pass attempts. The acquisition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh gives the QB’s of the Seahawks a number one option. WR Nate Burleson has had a good season averaging over 10 yards per catch. Burleson only played one game in the 08′ season.

Week 2 wasn’t as kind to them, as the team lost in San Francisco to the 49ers, a fellow NFC West team. Not only did they lose the game, but Hasselbeck took a serious shot.

With a 1-1 record, the Seahawks’ next few games will largely determine the course of their season. The race is wide open in the NFC West, and a healthy Hasselbeck is critical to giving the team what it needs.

Enjoy an awesome Seattle Seahawks forum and the most active football forum online, all at RootZoo Sports.