Jason Johnson
Bears at Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins -1
It’s been suggested that Thigpen is the better choice at QB tonight even if Henne was healthy. Thigpen stepped in late last week against the Titans after starter Chad Pennington and Henne were knocked out of the game. He promptly completed 4 of 6 passes for 64 yards, including a clinching fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano in an impressive 29-17 win. Look for Miami to run the ball to shorten the game and limit Thigpen's mistakes. The Dolphins get the check mark on a short week.
Bears at Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins -1
It’s been suggested that Thigpen is the better choice at QB tonight even if Henne was healthy. Thigpen stepped in late last week against the Titans after starter Chad Pennington and Henne were knocked out of the game. He promptly completed 4 of 6 passes for 64 yards, including a clinching fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano in an impressive 29-17 win. Look for Miami to run the ball to shorten the game and limit Thigpen's mistakes. The Dolphins get the check mark on a short week.
Bob Balfe
Miami Dolphins/Chicago Bears Under 40
The oddsmakers had to make this game close to 40 points without giving anything away but, with both teams averaging just 19 points per game, offense is not really either team's strong point. Tonight, the Dolphins will take a huge hit as they will be starting third string QB Tyler Thigpen. No offense to Thigpen but, if he was good, he would be starting or at least a number two in another city. How in the world are the Dolphins going to run the ball against a Bears team that is great at stopping the run. One big injury is Jake Long, who is out with a shoulder injury. Long would be matched up against Julius Peppers tonight. Something tells me Peppers is going to have a field day. Mike Martz used to be an offensive guru back in the late 90’s. The key word is used to! He has bounced from team to team as offensive coordinator and there is no way of duplicating the Rams offense of 1999. Chicago has a host of injuries on the offensive line and I do not see them moving the ball against a Miami team that, in their own right, is good at stopping the run. Miami knows they have to play rock-solid defense to have a shot of winning this game. The only way there this game goes over the total is if either team forces turnovers and scores on defense or if the Dolphins are stupid enough to kick to Hester when they punt. Obviously, turnovers and special teams scores cannot really be handicapped so, on paper, there is no way these offenses should score enough to make this a high scoring game. Look for a lot of field goal attempts and punts tonight. Take the Under.
UCLA +2
The Bruins seem to have the Huskies' number and Washington would love nothing more than to send their seniors out with a win in their final home game of the season. There are just a few problems. Jake Locker is going to play but, in my opinion, he is very overrated (he can’t even lead his team to a bowl berth). The Huskies defense is awful and pathetic against the run. The key to this game will be UCLA’s ability to run the ball. I do not see Washington stopping Franklin behind his massive and experienced offensive line. The Bruins turn the ball over a lot so why even get into a shootout with this Huskies team? Look for UCLA to run the ball and control the time of possession, keeping Locker off the field. The Huskies will be so focused on stopping the run that UCLA could sneak in a big play in the air to score on. The Bruins are not a good passing team and do not want to get into a shootout. Look for Washington to be frustrated all night as the cameras will show a lot of Locker on the sidelines. Take the Bruins.
Los Angeles Clippers +9
The Clippers are one team that kept the Pacers offense in check last year. Indiana is a much better team this year, however I do not think they are better by this amount of points against a hungry L.A. team that fights hard every night. The Clippers are 1-11 but it is due to the fact that they are young and inexperienced. Look for the Clippers to keep it close. Take L.A.
Western Kentucky +4.5
The Gophers had a lot of off the court issues and their defense has looked pretty bad to start the season. Western Kentucky can score just as good as any offensive team in the country. This team is very good and could do some damage this year in the NCAA Tournament. Look for the small upset in Puerto Rico tonight. Take Western Kentucky.
Miami Dolphins/Chicago Bears Under 40
The oddsmakers had to make this game close to 40 points without giving anything away but, with both teams averaging just 19 points per game, offense is not really either team's strong point. Tonight, the Dolphins will take a huge hit as they will be starting third string QB Tyler Thigpen. No offense to Thigpen but, if he was good, he would be starting or at least a number two in another city. How in the world are the Dolphins going to run the ball against a Bears team that is great at stopping the run. One big injury is Jake Long, who is out with a shoulder injury. Long would be matched up against Julius Peppers tonight. Something tells me Peppers is going to have a field day. Mike Martz used to be an offensive guru back in the late 90’s. The key word is used to! He has bounced from team to team as offensive coordinator and there is no way of duplicating the Rams offense of 1999. Chicago has a host of injuries on the offensive line and I do not see them moving the ball against a Miami team that, in their own right, is good at stopping the run. Miami knows they have to play rock-solid defense to have a shot of winning this game. The only way there this game goes over the total is if either team forces turnovers and scores on defense or if the Dolphins are stupid enough to kick to Hester when they punt. Obviously, turnovers and special teams scores cannot really be handicapped so, on paper, there is no way these offenses should score enough to make this a high scoring game. Look for a lot of field goal attempts and punts tonight. Take the Under.
UCLA +2
The Bruins seem to have the Huskies' number and Washington would love nothing more than to send their seniors out with a win in their final home game of the season. There are just a few problems. Jake Locker is going to play but, in my opinion, he is very overrated (he can’t even lead his team to a bowl berth). The Huskies defense is awful and pathetic against the run. The key to this game will be UCLA’s ability to run the ball. I do not see Washington stopping Franklin behind his massive and experienced offensive line. The Bruins turn the ball over a lot so why even get into a shootout with this Huskies team? Look for UCLA to run the ball and control the time of possession, keeping Locker off the field. The Huskies will be so focused on stopping the run that UCLA could sneak in a big play in the air to score on. The Bruins are not a good passing team and do not want to get into a shootout. Look for Washington to be frustrated all night as the cameras will show a lot of Locker on the sidelines. Take the Bruins.
Los Angeles Clippers +9
The Clippers are one team that kept the Pacers offense in check last year. Indiana is a much better team this year, however I do not think they are better by this amount of points against a hungry L.A. team that fights hard every night. The Clippers are 1-11 but it is due to the fact that they are young and inexperienced. Look for the Clippers to keep it close. Take L.A.
Western Kentucky +4.5
The Gophers had a lot of off the court issues and their defense has looked pretty bad to start the season. Western Kentucky can score just as good as any offensive team in the country. This team is very good and could do some damage this year in the NCAA Tournament. Look for the small upset in Puerto Rico tonight. Take Western Kentucky.
