Who Will Cover
Carolina (+3) at N.Y. GIANTS By Jeff Benton, Featured Handicapper
My five-day free-play winning streak was snapped Sunday, as the Yankees got whipped in Seattle. Still, I’m on a 26-14 roll with my freebies, including hitting my first three NFL preseason selections. For Monday, I make it four in a row in the NFL by backing the Panthers plus the points at the Giants.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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Perfection is hard to argue with, and Carolina is a perfect 8-0 in Week 1 preseason games going back to 2001. No, the Panthers didn’t cover in all eight (5-2-1 ATS), but that’s because they were favored in virtually all of those contests. Tonight, they’re catching three points, meaning if they continue their Week 1 winning streak, we’re pocketing money.<o></o>
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Not only have the Panthers have come out of the gate strong for eight straight wins, but since losing Fox losing three of his first four games in his first year as coach in 2002, John Fox is 17-7 SU in preseason action. I don’t think that’s just some fluky trend; that tells me Fox wants to get his players in a winning mindset from the get-go.<o></o>
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Of course, wanting to win doesn’t guarantee anything. You’ve got to have talent on your roster, and Fox does – remember, the Panthers went 12-4 last year and won the tough NFC South. Most importantly as it pertains to this game, Fox is going to trot out a trio of quarterbacks with NFL experience: starter Jake Delhomme will play most if not all of the first quarter, followed by veteran Josh McCown and third-year pro Matt Moore, who actually played in 10 games (starting three) in 2007.<o></o>
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As for the Giants, we won’t see Eli Manning for more than two series, and that means New York’s signal-caller for the majority of the game will be former No. 1 overall pick David Carr, second-year pro Andre Woodson (who was a disaster last preseason), and rookie Rhett Bomar. Uh, advantage Carolina!<o></o>
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Finally, the Giants have lost back-to-back preseason openers, including a 24-21 home loss to Carolina two years ago. Give me the points here, even though I see another outright Panthers win.
3♦ CAROLINA (based on a 1♦ to 10♦ scale)
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Carolina (+3) at N.Y. GIANTS By Jeff Benton, Featured Handicapper
My five-day free-play winning streak was snapped Sunday, as the Yankees got whipped in Seattle. Still, I’m on a 26-14 roll with my freebies, including hitting my first three NFL preseason selections. For Monday, I make it four in a row in the NFL by backing the Panthers plus the points at the Giants.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o> </o>
Perfection is hard to argue with, and Carolina is a perfect 8-0 in Week 1 preseason games going back to 2001. No, the Panthers didn’t cover in all eight (5-2-1 ATS), but that’s because they were favored in virtually all of those contests. Tonight, they’re catching three points, meaning if they continue their Week 1 winning streak, we’re pocketing money.<o></o>
<o> </o>
Not only have the Panthers have come out of the gate strong for eight straight wins, but since losing Fox losing three of his first four games in his first year as coach in 2002, John Fox is 17-7 SU in preseason action. I don’t think that’s just some fluky trend; that tells me Fox wants to get his players in a winning mindset from the get-go.<o></o>
<o> </o>
Of course, wanting to win doesn’t guarantee anything. You’ve got to have talent on your roster, and Fox does – remember, the Panthers went 12-4 last year and won the tough NFC South. Most importantly as it pertains to this game, Fox is going to trot out a trio of quarterbacks with NFL experience: starter Jake Delhomme will play most if not all of the first quarter, followed by veteran Josh McCown and third-year pro Matt Moore, who actually played in 10 games (starting three) in 2007.<o></o>
<o> </o>
As for the Giants, we won’t see Eli Manning for more than two series, and that means New York’s signal-caller for the majority of the game will be former No. 1 overall pick David Carr, second-year pro Andre Woodson (who was a disaster last preseason), and rookie Rhett Bomar. Uh, advantage Carolina!<o></o>
<o> </o>
Finally, the Giants have lost back-to-back preseason openers, including a 24-21 home loss to Carolina two years ago. Give me the points here, even though I see another outright Panthers win.
3♦ CAROLINA (based on a 1♦ to 10♦ scale)
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