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After a 0-3 start many had written off the defending AFC East champion Miami Dolphins. The Jets started out the season 3-0 and the Patriots had Tom Brady back under center; There was no way the Dolphins would be able to rebound.Well, fast forward to the half-way point of the season and we now see the Jets have fallen to 4-4, the Pats don't look like the same team anymore, and the Dolphins are 3-1 over the past month, bringing them to 3-4.
3-4 is obviously not very impressive, but a win over the Patriots would drop the Pats to 5-3 and bring the 'Fins within a game of the Pats with a head-to-head victory, something that could prove invaluable late in the year.
In short, I'm no expert of betting lines for NFL Football, but we could all use some extra cash in this economy and throwing a couple bucks on the 'Fins should see a reward for your check book.
But let's take a second to back up, because I'm getting ahead of myself.
So how do they beat them? Well, that's the hard part.
The Pats, while not the same team they were with Brady in '07, are still a very good football team. However, unlike '07, they can be beaten.
You beat this team by playing smash-mouth football on both sides of the ball -- something the Dolphins love to do.
If the 'Fins dial up a heavy dose of both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, they should be able to wear down the Pats' defense and, at the same time, keep that dangerous offense watching on the sidelines. Which, it's no secret, is exactly where you want Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Brady.
On defense, the 'Fins just need to dial up the blitz with Joey Porter and the rest of the linebacking crew. There should be at least one guy coming ever single play, making sure to dive around Brady's legs and make him as uncomfortable as possible.
Especially after Porter's interview with Rich Eisen on NFL Network's Total Access program in which he said that Brady "absolutely" has his own set of rules. The refs, and the league, will be out to prove Porter wrong, so this is the best game to take advantage of it and hit him while you can because it will not last long.
Not against the Golden Boy.
Then, later in the day when you're browsing the sports scores of the day, make sure you peek over and check on the score of the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.
In fact, watch this game live if you have the opportunity to do so because it could very well wind up being not only the highest-scoring game of the season, but of all-time.
The Texans pass defense has been shaky all season to begin with, but now having to play Peyton Manning and company could expose them as being even worse than first thought. Peyton usually tears up this defense, and with the secondary having a down year already, it looks to get ugly real quick.
However, the Texans won't be the only defense to get picked on. The Colts secondary will be missing three starters in Marlin Jackson, who's out for the season, Kelvin Hayden, who could miss up to a month, and Bob Sanders, who doesn't ever seem to be healthy anyway.
Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Steve Slaton, and Ryan Moats (yes, Ryan Moats) are all salivating at the opportunity to play this depleted defense. They could have a real chance to not only pad their stats, but to walk out of Indy with a divisional victory -- a victory that would end the Colts undefeated streak and put the Texans in great position within the division.
A win over the Colts would drop Indy to 7-1, but bring the Texans up to 6-3. The Colts would then have a loss to their only competition in the division, which is a bad thing with the Texans looking to take the next step and overthrow the Colts.
I called the Texans winning the division earlier in the year, and I'm sticking with that. I think the Texans will take this game to the tune of 35-32 and just keep it rolling after this week.
Put your money on the 'Fins and the Houston not-Oilers.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a betting expert and hold no responsibility for any money you may lose, however, I deserve a cut of anything you win. It's only fair)
