BenMaller.com - Ben's Takes

Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes

By Ben Maller

The Oakland Athletics have looked like a younger fresher version of the Yankees so far. How can one not be impressed with the A's 2-0 series lead. I have learned over the years to never count out the Bronx Bombers. Until the final out in the A's 3rd win I'm still picking the Yanks.

Chuck Finley waited 16 years to pitch in a postseason game. Despite having CLEVELAND across his chest he still pitched like he was a ANGEL in the postseason.

I'm now hearing that the main reason Kevin Malone was finally let go as GM of the Dodgers had little to do with the LA Times and nothing to do with that jackass fan in San Diego. Instead Bob Daly was incensed that Malone did not trade Gary Sheffield before the season began.

Randy Johnson's nick name in major league baseball clubhouses is not the "Big Unit" Its the
"Big Pussy." Players know that in a big game Johnson will fold like a house of cards; for example, his seven game playoff losing streak.

The Chicago Cubs acquired infielder Jose Fernandez off waivers from the Angels on Wednesday. This move explains a lot about the Anaheim Angels' organization. Why, you ask? Fernandez hit .330 with 30 homers and 114 RBIs at Triple A Salt Lake. Fernandez was the 2001 Angels' minor league player of the year.

John Ireland had a wonderful idea for the radio show that we did together on Fox Sports this past Wednesday. "When do sports teams 'Jump the Shark'. I'll be writing more about this term next week. I would like to say the Dodgers "jumped the shark" May 15th, 1998 when they traded Mike Piazza to the Florida Marlins.

Check the Rumors and Notes page the middle of next week. I have been tipped off about a story that will make waves regarding the future of a former Los Angeles sports personality.

Seeing Michael Jordan in a Wizards' unifom for the first time in an exhibition game last night against the Pistons made me sick. I flashed back to seeing Piazza is a Marlins' and then Mets' uniform. Pathetic!

Jordan played in his first NBA game since June, 1998. He scored 8 points in 17 minutes in a loss to Detroit.

Larry Johnsonwas one of the most exciting players in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets in the early 1990's. The New York Knicks will pay grand mama $28.8 million owed on his contract. That's not a bad golden parachute.

BenMaller.com Trivia Question of the Week: Who holds the NCAA football 1-A single season record for sacks? (Answer Later)

Rookie Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors will be the next superstar in the NBA according to Laker Assistant Tex Winter.

I wonder if, when Karl Malone retires from the NBA, he will come out of retirement and return to Sports Talk Radio. Mike Thompson the man that brought the Mailman to LA's airwaves is programming WCNN in Atlanta.

Todd Marinovich must be on heroin if he thinks that he has a shot at returning to the NFL. Marinovich left the LA Avengers this week to concentrate on a return to the big leagues.

Butch Davis has brought a new attitude to Cleveland. Davis has the Browns believing that they are actually good. That's amazing!

Look for Seattle to play well this week. Trent Dilfer is getting the start against the Broncos for the Seahawks instead of Matt Hasselbeck.

Jacksonville's R. Jay Soward should look for other work, his days as an NFL receiver are numbered. Soward was suspended for another six games for a second violation of the NFL substance abuse policy.

Marty Mornhinweg the Lions' new coach is off to a tough start. Mornhinweg has changed QB's again going back to Charlie Batch. The Lions are making their 3rd QB change in four weeks. That's stability.

If Ryan soft-as-a" Leaf is indeed signed by the Cowboys today and in uniform Monday night against the Redskins. How many jokes is Dennis Miller going to have ready?

Attention fellow degenerate gamblers: the favorite in the UCLA-Washington series is 5-2-1 against the spread in the last eight meetings.

USC is 3-11 against the spread in their last 14 sandwich home games. (Last week at Washington, next week at Notre Dame)

Arizona State is 18-4-1 ATS in October since 1995.

It was great to see the Fresno State of the east coast, Maryland, rally to beat Georgia Tech on Thursday night in overtime. I can't help but pull for coach Ralph Friedgen and the Terps.

Oklahoma will play Florida in the Rose Bowl according to CollegeBCS.com. UCLA is 3rd followed by Nebraska and Oregon. Fresno State is 8th and Stanford is 12th

I Think Stanford is the second best team in the Pac-10. My top three 1.) UCLA 2.) Stanford 3.) Oregon. Problem is the Cardinals have road games at both Washington and UCLA.

Arizona State contended for the national championship back in 1996 under Bill Snyder. In fact, in 1996 and 1997 the Sun Devils went 20-4. The last three years they have gone 17-18.

You know it's a slow week when T. J. Simers does a whole column dedicated to "Jeff from Tarzana." Allan Malamud must be turning over in his grave.

The "line of the week" comes from Dan Marino on inside the NFL, "After watching the films and looking at the numbers, they are too good a football team to beat the Giants." (referring to the Rams)

Big Ben's NFL Week 5 Notes

The Baltimore Ravens play the Green Bay Packers in this weekend's big NFL matchup. Did you know the Ravens have won 5 straight and 14-of-15 overall against the NFC?

The Ravens' defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 37 consecutive games. Good luck Ahman Green.

Cleveland is 3-0 against the spread. Way to go Butch Davis!

The Browns defense has not allowed more than 275 yards in any game this season.

San Diego has lost their last 9 games against the Patriots.

LaDainain Tomlinson leads the NFL in rushing with 412 yards.

Tampa Bay is 6-2 vs AFC the last two seasons. (The Bucs play at Tennessee this weekend)

Of the last ten meetings between the Steelers and Chiefs, seven have been decided by 7 points or less.

The Jets play the Dolphins this weekend. In the last seven meetings, five have been decided by 8 points or less.

The Jets have not won six straight against Miami since winning the first eight between the two teams from 1966-69.

The Redskins have lost seven straight games to the Cowboys. Nobody will be watching Monday night to see if the Boys can make it eight in a row.

Big Ben's Triva Question Answer: Julius Peppers of North Carolina set the 1-A single season sack record last season with 15.

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A friendly reminder to listen to my radio show this weekend on your local Fox Sports Radio station. It's me and Patrick O'Neal from 2am till 5am(est) Saturday morning.

Sunday morning from 4am till 7am, it's more "All Ben Radio". My partner, Jason Smith, is still on vacation. I'll talk about all the college football action and the week's action in the NFL.

Big Ben Maller's Five Star College Pick of the Week

(9) South Carolina (5-0) vs. Arkansas (2-3)

The Line: South Carolina -9 at Arkansas

Last Meeting: South Carolina 27, Arkansas 7

Big Ben's Breakdown: The Gamecocks are coming off a 42-6 rout of Kentucky last week. South Carolina is 5-0 for the first time since 1988, and they moved to 13-4 since ending a two-year losing skid. Lou Holtz has done an amazing job turning the entire program around. SC is tied with Florida for the top spot in the SEC East.

Arkansas on the other hand, has struggled all year. The Razorbacks are coming off a 42-19 victory against Weber State, a Division 1-AA team. In SEC play, the Hogs are 0-3.

South Carolina wins with defense, ranked third in the SEC and 18th in the country in scoring defense, giving up 15.6 points per game. The numbers would even be better than that had they not had an off week against Alabama two weeks ago. The one-two punch of Kalimba Edwards and Rashad Faison has been outstanding for the Gamecocks. Edwards has a team-high 46 tackles, while Faison has added 43 stops and eight sacks.

The Razorback offense, ranks 110th in the nation in total yards per game (253.8ypg). RB Fred Talley along with Brandon Holmes and Cedric Cobbs have gotten most of the work. Talley has 135 yards on 17 carries. Arkansas is last in the SEC in both passing (142.4ypg) and rushing (111.4ypg).

Arkansas is eighth in the league in total defense (350.4ypg), including fourth in pass defense (184.4ypg). This defense allowed 427 total yards including 244 passing yards to that power Weber State last week.

South Carolina is led by the running back combo of Derrek Watson and Andrew Pinnock. Watson had 135 yards last week on just 16 carries against the Wildcats, while Pinnock registered 61 yards and two scores on 11 carries. Phil Petty is the veteran starting quarterback. He's not going to play in the NFL but for the college level he's solid, makes plays, and plays mistake-free football. Overall, the gamecocks rank fifth in the conference in scoring offense 28.2 ppg.

Ben's Bottom Line: Arkansas is the worst offensive football team in major college football. The Gamecocks' defense should have no problem slowing down the Hogs. Heck, when the Razorbacks take the field their offense slows down. The only way this game is even somewhat close is if the Arkansas defense plays its game of the season.

BenMaller.com's Final Score:South Carolina 31, Arkansas 9

Other College Picks: Oklahoma -21 at Kansas, Stanford -3 1/2 vs. Wash St, Miami -7 at Florida State, Oregon -14 at Cal, Oklahoma St. +17 1/2 vs. Texas

Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week

Baltimore Ravens (3-1) at Green Bay Packers (3-1)

The Line: Baltimore -1 at Green Bay

Big Ben's Breakdown: If the Packers thought they saw a good defense last week in Tampa Bay, they ain't seen nothing yet! Through four games, the Ravens have done something they never did last season. Baltimore is currently ranked first in the NFL in total defense (201.2 yards per game), passing defense (143.5) and rushing defense (57.8).

A year ago, Baltimore set the league record for fewest points in a season by allowing 165. This season the Ravens have held opponents to 47 points through four games. The five touchdowns scored against Baltimore this season were because of four turnovers and a blocked punt. Two of those touchdowns came against the Ravens' offense.

Brett Favre and the Green Bay offense ranked third in the league in total offense have their work cut out for them. Favre tossed three interceptions in last week's 14-10 loss to Tampa Bay. Favre has completed 65.4% of his passes for 1,062 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Running back Ahman Green who was having a huge year stunk it up last week. Green had just 59 yards on 15 carries.

While Baltimore has the best defense in the NFL, the Packers currently have the second best in the NFL.

Green Bay is second in total yards allowed (211.8) and passing (146.3) and rushing defense (65.5).

The Ravens' offense has been consistent and well-balanced so far. The Ravens rank fourth in the league, just behind Green Bay, with 372.8 yards per game.

Ben's Bottom Line: This will be an ugly defensive battle. In the end, Bret Favre will toss a pair of interceptions that will set the Ravens up for some easy points. Its going to be ugly but in the end the World Champs will pull it out

BenMaller.com's Final Score: Ravens 17, Packers 13

Other NFL Picks: St. Louis -10 1/2 vs. NY Giants, Tennessee -3 vs Tampa Bay, San Francisco -3 at Atlanta, New England +3 vs. San Diego, Colts -3 1/2 at Oakland.

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Thursday, October 11, 2001

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Wednesday, October 10, 2001

Red Birds Drop The Ball

By Ben Maller

After watching Curt Schilling of the Diamondbacks shutdown the Cardinals lineup it made me think that Tony La Russa is an idiot. La Russa decided to start Mark McGwire at first base instead of the more consistent Craig Paquette.

I hosted a radio show with the great John Ireland on Fox Sports Radio last night and we talked about this very decision. Its my opinion that because of Mark McGwire's status Tony La Russa left him in the lineup rather than play the hotter more consistent Paquette.

Lets compare the two players, you have a future hall of famer in McGwire who has 583 career homers and held the single season record for three years with 70 back in 1998. However this season Big Mac is more like Rob Deer the old Brewers slugger. McGwire hit 29 HR's with 64 RBI's but had just a .187 batting average to go with 118 strikeouts in just 299 at bat's.

Paquette is a slap hitter a gamer get dirty type. Similar to past playoff heroes such as Marty Barrett, Wally Backman and Craig Counsell. Paquette batted .282 with 15 HR's 64 RBI's this season with just 67 strikeouts in 340 at bats.

I have tremendous respect for what Mark McGwire has done in his career. However Big Mac is not 100% and has lost his confidence. This past weekend Mark was saying he was so embarrassed by his play that he was considering retiring from the game. Over the last 10 games of the season McGwire batted .208 while Paquette batted .400 over the final 10 games. In game one of the NLDS against Arizona McGwire was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. The big at bat was in the 7th inning when with one out Jim Edmonds doubled to deep right center setting up McGwire who grounded out to third. That at bat cost the Cardinals a chance to tie the game.

Its nice for La Russa to be loyal to his big slugger but St. Louis is trying to advance in the playoffs. There best chance in game one would have been to have Craig Paquette in the lineup!

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Tuesday, October 09, 2001

Big Ben's Baseball Playoff Preview

This is a baseball fan's favorite time of the year. How can you not enjoy watching eight teams battling it out to be the lone team to win 11-games and the World Championship? Growing up in the 80's watching baseball and watching the playoffs, the thing I like most is the unexpected stars. Remember the '86 Mets that had Lenny Dykstra and Wally Backman. The Red Sox that same year had Marty Barrett a slap-hitting second baseman. In 1987, the Minnesota Twins had Steve Lombardozzi who batted .412. The 1988 Dodgers had many surprise heroes but none more than Mickey Hatcher who batted .368 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI's against the mighty Athletics. In 1989, Oakland's Dave Henderson batted .474.

In 1990, Billy Hatcher batted an amazing .750 for the champion Reds. In 1991, Scott Leius batted .357 for the victorious Twins. In 1992, one of my favorites, catcher Pat Borders was the World Series MVP with a .450 average. In 1993, for Toronto Tony Fernandez drove in 9 runs with a .333 average for the Champion Jays. In 1994, Greed was the World Series MVP. In 1995, former Angel Luis Polonia drove in four runs and hit a HR for the winning Braves.

In 1996, the Yankees' Jim Leyritz hit one of the biggest homers in series history against John Rocker. In 1997, Livan Hernandez a Cuban defector won a pair of games to earn MVP honors for the rent-a- championship Florida Marlins. In 1998, Ricky Ledee batted .600 with 4 RBI's for the Bombers. In 1999, ex-Angel Chad Curtis hit a pair of homers for the Yankees in Game three including the game winner in the 10th. Last year, Luis Sojo and Jose Vizcaino starred for the Bronx Bombers against the Mets.

As for this year's playoffs. some possible surprise heroes: Frank Menechino A's, Luis Sojo Yankees, Einar Diaz Indians, Mark McLemore or Al Martin Mariners, Placido Polanco Cardinals, Junior Spivey of the Diamondbacks, Mark DeRosa or Julio Franco Braves and Jose Vizcaino of the Astros.

Playoff Did You Know? Bobby Brown who played for the Yankees in the 50's has the highest career playoff average at .439. Guess who is second? Former Dodger error machine Jose Offerman with a .429 playoff average.

National League Divisional Playoffs

St. Louis Cardinals (93-69) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (92-70)

Cards won the NL Wild Card, D'Backs won the NL West.

Regular Season: Cards won 4-of-6

Did you know? Randy Johnson has lost six straight postseason decisions, a major league record.

Keys for Arizona:

1.) The Big Two: Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson won a combined 43 games during the regular season and have gotten all the hype heading into this series. Can they back it up? Schilling and Johnson had won a combined ZERO World Series. Schilling who starts Game One has at least been to a series in 1993 with the Phillies. Schilling and Johnson have been much more effective during the regular season.

2.) Luis Gonzalez: Gonzo had a monster year at the plate with a .325, 57, 142 and 128 runs. The real test starts Tuesday night at Bank One. Gonzalez has only one homer and two RBIs in 22 career postseason at-bats.

3.) Tony Womack: The spark plug of the Arizona offense batted in the .230's most of the season before turning it on. Womack hit .385 and scored 16 runs in his last 19 games. He will need to continue that to help an Arizona offense that does not hit many HR's.

Keys for the Cardinals

1.) Albert Pujols: The Red Birds' rookie batted .329 with 37 HR's and 130 RBI's those are MVP numbers. The question now is can Pujols handle the spotlight of the post season.

2.) Matt Morris and the young Cardinal pitching: Morris was a 22-game winner this season, however Morris was just 7-6 with a 5.15era in 16 road starts.

3.) Red Hot Cards: St. Louis was a .500 team at the All-Star break. The Cards went 50-26 in the second half including winning 20-of-26 to wrap up the wild card. St. Louis has to try and keep that going in the real season.

Ben's Take: The key to this series is Matt Morris' performance in Game One. If Morris can pitch like he does at Busch Stadium and the Cardinals can steal Game One they'll win the series. However, I will put my money with my NL MVP Luis Gonzalez and Schilling and Johnson.

BenMaller.com prediction: Arizona in five

Atlanta Braves (88-74) vs. Houston Astros (93-69)

The Atlanta Braves won their 10th straight division title - seventh consecutive in the NL East.

The Houston Astros won the NL Central on the final day of the season, their fourth division title in five years.

Season Series: Tied 3-3.

Did you know? Atlanta became the first team in major league history to make the postseason despite a losing record at home. They were 40-41 at Turner Field

Keys for the Braves:

1.) Chipper Jones & Brian Jordan: The Braves big two must carry the slumping Atlanta offense. The Braves scored just 729 runs, the lowest among the playoff teams.

2.) John Smoltz and the Bullpen: John Rocker was traded to the Cleveland Indians making John Smoltz the closer. As is the case for every team, the bullpen is a huge factor in advancing in the post-season. All these games figure to be close. Can Smoltz, Karsay, Remlinger and company get the job done? Smoltz was 10-of-11 in save chances during the regular season.

3.) Catcher Paul Bako: Javy Lopez the starting catcher who hit 17 HR's and drove in 66 has a sprained ankle. The report is that Lopez could miss the entire postseason. Bako an all-glove-no-hit guy must do something with the bat. Bako hit .212 this season.

Keys for the Astros:

1.) Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio: Bags hit .288 with 39 HR's and 130 RBI's during the regular season. Problem is Bagwell pulls a Barry Bonds in the playoffs. Jeff has hit .128 with 0 HR's and 4 RBI's in 11 games. Bagwell is a special talent who can carry an offense on his back; he has yet to do that in the post season. Biggio has been even worse than Bags, hitting .119.

2.) Wade Miller and the Young Pitchers: The Braves have been here before. Maddux and Glavine are expected to get it done this time of year. The Stros go with young starting pitchers Miller and Roy Oswalt. In the Bullpen the Stros have Nelson Cruz and Mike Williams making their playoff debuts.

3.) Lack of experience: The Braves have spent the last 10-Years in the post-season. Can Houston, a team that, in my opinion is more talented, overcome the lack of playoff success? These teams have met in the first round of the playoffs in three of the last five years. The Braves swept in '97 and won 3-1 in 1999.

Ben's Take: Atlanta killed me in the playoffs last year getting their ass kicked in a sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Braves have had a poor year but something tells me they will find away to beat the Astros. Greg Maddux should outpitch Wade Miller in Game One. That sets up a Game Two matchup of Tom Glavine vs. former Dodger Dave Milicki. Who do you think is going to be up 2-0 heading back to Georgia? Unless Bagwell and Bonds can snap out of their postseason funk the Astros are toast.

Lance Berkman a Fox Sports Radio regular had a monster season.

BenMaller.com prediction: Atlanta in four.

American League Divisional Playoffs

Cleveland Indians (91-71) vs. Seattle Mariners (116-49)

Season Series: Mariners, 5-2

Three Keys for the Mariners:

1.) Get Ichiro Suzuki on base and let Brett Boone and Edgar Martinez drive him in.

2.) Freddie Garcia and Aaron Sele need to step up in the postseason. Especially Sele who is 0-3 with a 4.81 era in four post-season starts.

3.) Mark McLemore: The former Angel will get the start at shortstop because of Carlos Guillen's illness. McLemore has limited range at short and is more of a second baseman. He's going to have to play well with the glove to help the pitchers.

Three Keys for the Indians:

1.) Steal Game One at Safeco Field: Bartolo Colon gets the ball for the Tribe. Colon is 0-1 with a 6.14 era in the ALDS. Bartolo was 0-2 vs. the Mariners during the regular season.

2.) Kenny Lofton needs to be the Indians Ichiro. If Lofton can get on base, that will give Thome and Gonzalez a chance to take the series over with their bats.

3.) The Bullpen. The Mariners appear to have a huge advantage over the Tribe in this catagory. Cleveland has to get strong performances from Bob Wikman and John Rocker both have been very inconsistent. Rocker while with the Braves never allowed an earned run in 19 lifetime playoff outings.

Ben's Takes: Seattle won 116 games during the regular season tieing the '06 Cubs for the most regular season win's in history. Now they must win 11 more games or be remembered as just a great regular season team. Seattle must play from ahead, The Indians have the big power bats in Jim Thome and Juan Gonzalez. The Mariners have a huge pitching advantage in both the starting rotation and the bullpen.

BenMaller.com Prediction: Mariners in four.

New York Yankees (95-65) at Oakland Athletics (102-60)

Season Series: A's 6-3

Did you know?The Oakland A's are the hottest team in baseball. After starting the season 8-18, the A's are 58-17 since the All-Star Game and have won 29 of their last 33

Keys for the Yankees:

1.) Health: According to skipper Joe Torre because of the extra week caused by the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks on America the Yanks are going to be 100% percent going into the divisional series. Closer Mariano Rivera has returned from an ankle problem, Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte pitched well coming back from sore elbows and Paul O'Neil is healthy and ready to return to right field.

2.) Mike Mussina: Last season Mussina was with the Baltimore Orioles, watching the Yankees playoff run. This season Mussina is the number 2 starter.

3.) What a difference a year makes: Last season the Yanks had lost 15-of-18 to end the regular season heading into the playoffs. Joe Torre was forced to go to a three-man rotation in the first round and Clemens and Pettite were bombed in the final two games.

Keys for the Athletics:

1.) Mark Mulder and the young Aces: On pure stuff alone you would have to pick Mulder, Tim Hudson and Barry Zito. However in a playoff series against the mighty Yankees you have to wonder if the young guys can get done in the prime time against the bombers. Mulder will be making his first postseason start. Hudson has a 0-1, with a 6.50 ERA in his career. Zito has a lifetime era of 1.96era vs. the Yanks.

2.) Jermaine Dye was watching the playoffs on TV as a member of the Kansas City Royals. Dye is a key member of the Oakland turn around. Since the A's picked up the KC Slugger they are 48-and-14 and Dye has 59 RBI's in those 62 games. Dye has been the perfect fit for a lineup that already has AL MVP Jason Giambi.

3.) The Athletics have known for months that they were heading to the playoffs. Last season the A's clinched a playoff birth in game 162 the final day of the season. Gil Heredia had to start games one and five. That's not the case this season. Its the Big 3 Meaning Mulder or Hudson in a possible game 5.

Ben's Take: As much as I like Mulder, Hudson and Zito I can't bet against the Yankees. All this franchise does is win championships. How can anyone in his right mind bet against Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte in a short series? In addition to the starters, New York has a huge advantage in the bullpen;, Jason Isringhausen is not a match to Mariano Rivera the Yanks closer. I think the A's will still be somewhat intimidated by the Yankees. That said this should be a classic five game series.

BenMaller.com Prediction:Yankees in five.

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Monday, October 08, 2001

Ben Maller.com's Monday Morning Quarterback

By Ben Maller

In case you wondered why winning money betting on the NFL is impossible, I have another example for you: the Arizona Cardinals, 13 1/2 point under dogs against the Philadelphia Eagles, not only covered the spread but won the game outright.

Jake Plummer threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to MarTay Jenkins with 9 seconds left, lifting the Cardinals to a 21-20 victory over the Eagles.

This should not be possible.

It seems like the boys from the city of brotherly love were overlooking the lowly Cards. Philly plays the divisional rival Giants next week.

The Tennessee Titans have already lost as many games, 3, as they did all of last season, this following a 26-7 rout at the hands of the Ravens.

How can one explain Terry Allen and James Brookins rushing for 176 yards against the Tennessee defense?

The Ravens limited the Titans to five-first downs in taking a 17-0 half-time lead.

Cleveland was able to shut up a lot of San Diego fans. Tim Couch hit the game winning 19 yard pass to Kevin Johnson with 1:15 left, giving the Cleveland Browns their first three game winning streak since returning to the league in 1999.

To me what Butch Davis has done with the Browns is much more impressive than the Chargers' start.

I have now jumped off the Minnesota Vikings bandwagon. The Vikes got their ass kicked 28-15 in New Orleans.

Ricky Williams ran for 136 yards and a TD and had five receptions for 42 yards. The Saints did not give the Minnesota offense a chance to beat them, holding the ball for 32 minutes and 34 seconds.

Great game plan by New Orleans coach Jim Haslet. The Vikings offense can't beat you if they are not on the field. How long before Randy Moss asks to be traded?

My NFL lock hit as we had a perfect weekend on our five star picks. The Dolphins destroyed the Patriots 30-10.

Lamar Smith ran threw the Patriots defense for 144 yards on 29 carries.

More importantly after being embarrassed 42-10 in St. Louis the Miami defense bounced back. The fish D scored a touchdown while allowing only 150 yards and one scoring drive.

This was the real New England team.

Good news and bad news for the Redskins, The good news is they didn't get blown out like in weeks past. The bad news is Washington is 0-4 after a 23-9 loss to the NFC champion Giants.

Some guy named Damon Washington stepped in for the injured Ron Dayne and rushed for 90 yards on 25 carries. I have a feeling I could rush for at least 75 yards against the Skins D'.

Washington has not scored an offensive touchdown in three of four games.

Da' Bears are off to their best start since 1995. Chicago beat Atlanta 31-3 at the Georgia Dome.

The Falcons Michael Vick finally got a chance to play. It wasn't pretty. Vick was sacked six times, including two in a row after the Falcons had a first-and-goal.

Jerome Bettis was one of my favorite LA Rams in the late 80's early 90's. Bettis rushed for 153 yards and became the 14th player in NFL history to rush for at least 10,000 yards as Pittsburgh beat the Bengals.

The Steelers opened up the House that Terry Bradshaw built "Heinz Field."

Seattle's Shaun Alexander rushed for 176 yards on 31 carries along with two touchdowns in his second NFL career start. The Seahawks beat Jacksonville 24-15.

It should be noted that Trent Dilfer was the starting quarterback for Seattle. Matt "The Bust" Hasselbeck did not play because of injuries.

The Kansas City Chiefs should try and acquire Denver Broncos cornerback Deltha O'Neal. KC Quarterback Trent Green tossed four interceptions to O'Neal, a Denver record. The Broncos also sacked Green four times.

When O'Neal wasn't intercepting passes, Mike Anderson was rushing for 155 yards. Rod Smith also did his part; he had 110 yards receiving to account for nearly 90 percent of Denver's offense as the Broncos (3-1) ended a four-game losing streak against the Chiefs (1-3).

Jon Gruden will not be a truly great NFL coach unless he understands gambling. The Raiders were 18 point favorites over the Dallas Cowboys. Oakland won 28-21, That's embarrassing. If this was college football the Raiders would have lost BCS points. Gruden says he does not care about point spreads, but the fans that pay his salary do!

The Cowboys are 0-4 for the first time since 1989

Buffalo sucks with Rob Johnson and without Rob Johnson. This team has many more problems than the Quarterback position.

The Jets Curtis Martin scored two touchdowns and rushed for 135 yards as New York beat the Bills 42-36

Buffalo handed the Jets the game with four turnovers that were turned into scores.

The Jets are still in big trouble. Their front seven is horrible. Rookie Travis Henry got his first 100-yard game with 19 carries for 113 yards as Buffalo racked up 162 yards rushing.

Tampa Bay intercepted Brett Favre three times as the Bucs rallied for a 14-10 victory over Green Bay.

Shelton Quarles returned one of the picks 98 yards

The Bucs drove 95 yards to go ahead on a Mike Alstott 39 yard TD run with help from two blocks by Bucs receiver Keyshawn Johnson.

Tampa Bay's defense bounced back after allowing 402 yards to Minnesota last week.

Jeff Garcia threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Terrell Owens caught eight passes for 118 yards and two scores as the 49ers beat the Panthers 24-14 beating former head coach George Seifert for the first time ever in five tries.

Carolina could have pulled the upset had QB Chris Weinke not tossed three interceptions. Weinke completed 29-of-47 passes for 275 yards with a touchdown but the interceptions killed the Panthers. Carolina has now lost three straight since an opening-week victory at Minnesota.

Monday Night Football

vs.

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions

The Line: Rams -14

Ben's Take: Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk on turf in a dome is a special combination. Warner leads the NFL with 957 yards passing and a 70.4 completion percentage, and eight touchdown passes (tied). Faulk leads the NFL with 464 total yards from scrimmage and is on pace for 2,475 which would break own NFL record of 2,429 set in 1999.

While those Rams' numbers on offense are impressive, add to that the Lions who are ranked 24th in NFL team defense. Detroit has allowed 350 yards per game and a total of 52 points on its way to an 0-2 record to open the season.

On offense, the Lions have scored just one touchdown and are averaging just 10 points a game. Ty Detmer has replaced Charlie Batch as the QB in the Motor City. Detmer tossed seven interceptions in Detroit's 24-14 loss to Cleveland. Detmer became the first NFL quarterback to throw seven picks in one game since Tampa Bay's Steve DeBerg did it against San Francisco on September 7, 1986.

The Rams are 18-22 all-time on Monday Night Football, while the Lions hold an 11-12-1 mark.

Why St. Louis will win and cover: The Rams will explode early and have a double digit lead after the first quarter of play. The Lions have little chance of making it a game unless they get on the board first. Look for Al Michaels, Dennis Miller and Dan Fouts to have a lot if garbage time to kill.

Ben Maller's Final Score: St. Louis Rams 34, Detroit Lions 16

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