Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins (-3, 33.5)
Sharp money has moved the spread for this game to as high as 3.5 after opening at 1.5. There are a lot of factors swinging the line but perhaps none more important than the ultimate preseason element—quarterback rotation.
Chad Henne is entering his first season as a starting quarterback and will be followed by Tyler Thigpen, Chad Pennington and Pat White. White is the only quarterback without an NFL start while the other three combine for 104. Tampa Bay will trot out Josh Freeman (9 starts), Josh Johnson (4 starts) and Rudy Carpenter (0 starts).
Bucs head coach Raheem Morris said that his starters will get “about 12 snaps apiece” or a “series or so.” Morris went 1-3 SU and ATS last preseason while Tony Sparano has a 7-1 career record.
Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3, 33.5)
Ben Roethlisberger is eligible to play in this game but Mike Tomlin is trying to sell tickets and won’t say if he will.
"We're going to make you come to the stadium to check that out," Tomlin said.
Some are speculating that Big Ben won’t appear because Tomlin has said that the starters will only play eight to 12 snaps. Byron Leftwich will be the starter in Week 1 so he could eat up all of that time with the first team. Dennis Dixon, who nearly beat the Ravens in his lone career start last year, is expected to play most of the game. Charlie Batch will see some time in the fourth.
Safety Louis Delmas will not play for Detroit as well as linebacker DeAndre Levy, defensive end Jared DeVries and kicker Jason Hanson. Matthew Stafford, Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton will be the quarterback rotation.
In his first preseason as a head coach, Jim Schwartz led the Lions to a 3-1 record in 2009. Tomlin is 10-3 in the preseason since he took over in 2007.
Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals (+1, 33)
As injury prone as Matt Schaub is, don’t expect him to be on the field long in this game. Gary Kubiak has said that backup Dan Orlovsky will see the majority of snaps in the preseason opener.
"He needs to play a bunch," Kubiak told reporters. "For backup quarterbacks, preseason is their season. I want to take a look at J.D. (John David Booty); he will play. But obviously, Dan is going to play a great deal."
Houston’s running back spot is up for grabs so Steve Slaton, Arian Foster and rookie Ben Tate should all see significant reps. The Texans could be more apt to kick lengthy field goals with Kris Brown and Neil Rackers battling for the starting job.
After sustaining a rib injury it’s unclear whether or not Beanie Wells will run for Arizona. Ken Whisenhunt said that even if he’s the least bit sore there would be no reason to play him.
Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson should see more than just a few series each as neither has run away with the quarterback job during training camp. The Cardinals went 0-4 in the preseason last year and Whisenhunt holds a 2-10 career record.
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams (-1.5, 31.5)
This preseason line has remained steady despite news about Percy Harvin’s recurring migraines. He will likely be on the sidelines for this contest and Sidney Rice is still injured, or holding out, or both. Cedric Griffin and E.J. Henderson are also unlikely to play.
With Brett Favre still wavering about his retirement decision, Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels will see most of the first-half action. The two have 21 career starts between them and know the offensive system well. Rookie Joe Webb will be the third quarterback in the rotation.
Albert Young is listed as the No. 2 back on the official depth chart behind Adrian Peterson but he, Toby Gerhart and Ryan Moats are all vying for that spot so motivation levels should be high throughout the game.
While Rams fans will be eager to see their franchise quarterback, A.J. Feeley will get the starting nod under center before Sam Bradford enters the game, but Steve Spagnuolo said both will work with the first team offense. Keith Null, who posted a 49.9 rating in four starts last year, will be the third quarterback while rookie Thaddeus Lewis will handle mop-up duty.
Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers (-2.5, 34)
Browns coach Eric Mangini has stated that all four of his quarterbacks are likely to play one quarter each. Jake Delhomme will start with Seneca Wallace relieving him. The second half will feature Colt McCoy and Brett Ratliff, but which will appear first is still up in the air.
Rookie running back Montario Hardesty will miss the game as well as Cleveland starting linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who has a strained pectoral muscle.
Mike McCarthy isn’t expected to play his starters more than a few series. The quarterback rotation will be Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn (who many are high on this training camp), Noah Shephard and Graham Harrell.
Linebacker Clay Matthews will not play in the game as well as cornerback Al Harris, safety Atari Bigby and rookie running back James Starks.
There is a 40 percent chance of rain with morning thunderstorms expected in the area Saturday.
Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers (-3, 33.5)
The Chargers do not have a left tackle right now. Marcus McNeill is the incumbent starter but he’s holding out, backup Brandon Dombrowski has a groin injury, Tra Thomas is recovering from knee surgery and fourth-stringer Nick Richmond will go under the knife soon.
That leaves second-string right tackle Tyronne Green to man the position until someone returns. San Diego may not be looking to drop back Philip Rivers too often in this contest. Shawne Merriman and Vincent Jackson will also miss the game due to holdouts.
Mike Martz could be looking to do some damage in the opener with his new offense in hopes of getting fans excited. He has said that with his complex system he “would imagine that they may do a little bit more than one series” with the starters.
Martz added that he is anxious to see how his second and third-string quarterbacks, Caleb Hanie and Dan LeFevour, handle the pressure since neither has much experience.
Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks (-3, 33.5)
Possibly bucking his normal preseason routine, a few local media outlets are reporting that Jeff Fisher is toying with the idea of playing his starters (except Chris Johnson) a full quarter because he hasn’t been pleased with training camp performance.
The Titans starting defense is going to take a hit with Cortland Finnegan, Vince Fuller and rookie Derrick Morgan expected to miss the game. The quarterback rotation will be Vince Young, Kerry Collins, Chris Simms and Rusty Smith. Collins will get the least amount of work.
Plenty of preseason bettors like to back head coaches in their first year with a team because they have something to prove. Pete Carroll has announced that Matt Hasselbeck is the starter and will be quickly relieved by Charlie Whitehurst, then J.P. Losman and Mike Reilly.
The running back job is wide open at Camp Carroll (like many other positions) so Justin Forsett, Julius Jones and Quinton Ganther will be going all out. Leon Washington is also in the mix but is not expected to play as he continues to recover from a leg injury.
Sharp money has moved the spread for this game to as high as 3.5 after opening at 1.5. There are a lot of factors swinging the line but perhaps none more important than the ultimate preseason element—quarterback rotation.
Chad Henne is entering his first season as a starting quarterback and will be followed by Tyler Thigpen, Chad Pennington and Pat White. White is the only quarterback without an NFL start while the other three combine for 104. Tampa Bay will trot out Josh Freeman (9 starts), Josh Johnson (4 starts) and Rudy Carpenter (0 starts).
Bucs head coach Raheem Morris said that his starters will get “about 12 snaps apiece” or a “series or so.” Morris went 1-3 SU and ATS last preseason while Tony Sparano has a 7-1 career record.
Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3, 33.5)
Ben Roethlisberger is eligible to play in this game but Mike Tomlin is trying to sell tickets and won’t say if he will."We're going to make you come to the stadium to check that out," Tomlin said.
Some are speculating that Big Ben won’t appear because Tomlin has said that the starters will only play eight to 12 snaps. Byron Leftwich will be the starter in Week 1 so he could eat up all of that time with the first team. Dennis Dixon, who nearly beat the Ravens in his lone career start last year, is expected to play most of the game. Charlie Batch will see some time in the fourth.
Safety Louis Delmas will not play for Detroit as well as linebacker DeAndre Levy, defensive end Jared DeVries and kicker Jason Hanson. Matthew Stafford, Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton will be the quarterback rotation.
In his first preseason as a head coach, Jim Schwartz led the Lions to a 3-1 record in 2009. Tomlin is 10-3 in the preseason since he took over in 2007.
Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals (+1, 33)
As injury prone as Matt Schaub is, don’t expect him to be on the field long in this game. Gary Kubiak has said that backup Dan Orlovsky will see the majority of snaps in the preseason opener.
"He needs to play a bunch," Kubiak told reporters. "For backup quarterbacks, preseason is their season. I want to take a look at J.D. (John David Booty); he will play. But obviously, Dan is going to play a great deal."
Houston’s running back spot is up for grabs so Steve Slaton, Arian Foster and rookie Ben Tate should all see significant reps. The Texans could be more apt to kick lengthy field goals with Kris Brown and Neil Rackers battling for the starting job.
After sustaining a rib injury it’s unclear whether or not Beanie Wells will run for Arizona. Ken Whisenhunt said that even if he’s the least bit sore there would be no reason to play him.
Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson should see more than just a few series each as neither has run away with the quarterback job during training camp. The Cardinals went 0-4 in the preseason last year and Whisenhunt holds a 2-10 career record.
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams (-1.5, 31.5)
This preseason line has remained steady despite news about Percy Harvin’s recurring migraines. He will likely be on the sidelines for this contest and Sidney Rice is still injured, or holding out, or both. Cedric Griffin and E.J. Henderson are also unlikely to play.With Brett Favre still wavering about his retirement decision, Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels will see most of the first-half action. The two have 21 career starts between them and know the offensive system well. Rookie Joe Webb will be the third quarterback in the rotation.
Albert Young is listed as the No. 2 back on the official depth chart behind Adrian Peterson but he, Toby Gerhart and Ryan Moats are all vying for that spot so motivation levels should be high throughout the game.
While Rams fans will be eager to see their franchise quarterback, A.J. Feeley will get the starting nod under center before Sam Bradford enters the game, but Steve Spagnuolo said both will work with the first team offense. Keith Null, who posted a 49.9 rating in four starts last year, will be the third quarterback while rookie Thaddeus Lewis will handle mop-up duty.
Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers (-2.5, 34)
Browns coach Eric Mangini has stated that all four of his quarterbacks are likely to play one quarter each. Jake Delhomme will start with Seneca Wallace relieving him. The second half will feature Colt McCoy and Brett Ratliff, but which will appear first is still up in the air.
Rookie running back Montario Hardesty will miss the game as well as Cleveland starting linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who has a strained pectoral muscle.
Mike McCarthy isn’t expected to play his starters more than a few series. The quarterback rotation will be Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn (who many are high on this training camp), Noah Shephard and Graham Harrell.
Linebacker Clay Matthews will not play in the game as well as cornerback Al Harris, safety Atari Bigby and rookie running back James Starks.
There is a 40 percent chance of rain with morning thunderstorms expected in the area Saturday.
Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers (-3, 33.5)
The Chargers do not have a left tackle right now. Marcus McNeill is the incumbent starter but he’s holding out, backup Brandon Dombrowski has a groin injury, Tra Thomas is recovering from knee surgery and fourth-stringer Nick Richmond will go under the knife soon.That leaves second-string right tackle Tyronne Green to man the position until someone returns. San Diego may not be looking to drop back Philip Rivers too often in this contest. Shawne Merriman and Vincent Jackson will also miss the game due to holdouts.
Mike Martz could be looking to do some damage in the opener with his new offense in hopes of getting fans excited. He has said that with his complex system he “would imagine that they may do a little bit more than one series” with the starters.
Martz added that he is anxious to see how his second and third-string quarterbacks, Caleb Hanie and Dan LeFevour, handle the pressure since neither has much experience.
Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks (-3, 33.5)
Possibly bucking his normal preseason routine, a few local media outlets are reporting that Jeff Fisher is toying with the idea of playing his starters (except Chris Johnson) a full quarter because he hasn’t been pleased with training camp performance.
The Titans starting defense is going to take a hit with Cortland Finnegan, Vince Fuller and rookie Derrick Morgan expected to miss the game. The quarterback rotation will be Vince Young, Kerry Collins, Chris Simms and Rusty Smith. Collins will get the least amount of work.
Plenty of preseason bettors like to back head coaches in their first year with a team because they have something to prove. Pete Carroll has announced that Matt Hasselbeck is the starter and will be quickly relieved by Charlie Whitehurst, then J.P. Losman and Mike Reilly.
The running back job is wide open at Camp Carroll (like many other positions) so Justin Forsett, Julius Jones and Quinton Ganther will be going all out. Leon Washington is also in the mix but is not expected to play as he continues to recover from a leg injury.
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