Written by :
Published on :
Sports Interaction's Frank Doyle considers Matt Cassels and New England’s prospects in the light of the season-ending injury to Tom Brady and brings you his NFL Betting - 2008 Week 2 Line Moves and Predictions.
New England bettors and fans need to take a big breath and relax. The injury to Tom Brady was horrific - it's horrible to see it happen to anyone, and the game is lessened by the loss of one of its great stars. But football is a team game and the game goes on. The task facing Matt Cassel is an onerous one, but it's not impossible either. It's not like he's being asked to explain women to men, for instance. And if he's a fan of the game, Matt Cassel should know that what he's being asked to do has been done lots of times before.
When the Dolphins recorded what is still the NFL's only perfect season in 1972-'73, they were without starting quarterback Bob Griese from Week 5 until the AFC Championship game. Earl Morrall, a 37 year old veteran of six different teams stood in for him and nobody has ever done better than those fish. Ever.
More recently, Frank Reich was outstanding coming off the Bills' bench for Jim Kelly in the late ‘eighties, and Jeff Hostetler led the Giants to Super Bowl XXV after Phil Simms broke his leg. And even in the present day, when Tony Romo and Tom Brady himself took over from Drew Bledsoe, at Dallas and New England respectively, the average NFL fan couldn't pick those guys out of a lineup. It didn't work out too badly for either of those guys.
I'm not alone in this - Sports Interaction has already moved the line in from +2.5 to +1.5, and I still think the Patriots, with Matt Cassel under center, are good enough to spoil Brett Favre's home debut with the Jets.
Elsewhere, I'm really tempted by Denver as a home dog with Sports Interaction against the Chargers. It's hard to read too much into the Broncos' stomping of the Raiders on Monday night, because your kid sister and her very best friends could give the Raiders a game right now, but I think question marks are beginning to accumulate around San Diego. Getting popped at the death by Carolina on Sunday must sting, Shawn Merriman is now gone from the defense - I don't know, I just think they could be a little bit vulnerable.
Finally, I'm going to take the Under 36 total points that Sports Interaction is offering on the Oakland at Kansas City game. The only way I can see that game going over is from lightning strike TDs like interceptions or punts being run back all the way. Very hard to see much more than three and outs all day at this one.
