Hunt Stella To FH

Golf exercise equipment can be a variety of pieces; but what truly is golf exercise equipment?

You’d be surprised to find out it is not expensive; and is not necessarily in a gym or health club either.

Yes…there are golf “machines” for stretching and strength building that are well over one thousand dollars, but are definitely not needed.

When you think of the golf swing, it’s a dynamic movement completed in space with your ‘whole’ body. So any kind of training or golf exercise equipment should be able to accommodate this.

For starters, a pair of hand weights (dumbbells) are inexpensive, portable and can be used for dozens of golf-specific exercises. They don’t have to be heavy or cumbersome. You’d be surprised what a 5 to 8 pound pair of dumbbells can accomplish with the right golf exercises.

Next on the list of golf exercise equipment is tubing. You may have seen it in articles, on the television or in a catalog. Exercise tubing is extremely portable, very inexpensive and also can be used to mimic many phases of the golf swing, but with resistance.

I personally use exercise tubing in all of my programs, with all of my personal clients and in my own golf workouts. It can give you one heck of a workout if you have the right resistance. These bands come in varying tensions from light to extra heavy.

Another piece of golf exercise equipment is a stability ball. It’s the big ‘beach ball’ looking thing that is used in offices to sit on, in many exercise classes, at most health clubs and all of the physical therapy clinics.

Why? Because again it’s portable, inexpensive and very versatile. Doing golf exercises on the ball incorporate core stabilization, balance and stability. All important factors in a mechanically sound golf swing.

And the last piece of golf exercise equipment is the weighted medicine ball. You might remember them from several decades ago as the big leather balls that the old fitness fanatics used to improve strength and power.

Well now they’re back! They are used in every sport-specific strength program in existence. You can do so many sport-like movements with them and they weigh as much as 20 pounds, so you can imagine the benefit from a power standpoint.

I have a couple of my ‘bread-and-butter’ exercises I use in all my programs that incorporate the weighted medicine ball and they are very effective.

So there you have it! Three or four pieces of inexpensive and portable golf exercise equipment.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Visit his new golf exercise site at Perform Better Golf.

The oil giant has to face the future without Peter Sutherland , its Irish chairman, but what is next for the CV of the man who’s already run the World Trade Organisation?

Peter Sutherland was less than happy on Monday morning: the day preceeding his native country’s loss to Argentina in the Rugby World Cup, he could scarcely contain himself. He’d been at the game at Parc des Princes with his children and words such as “suicidal” and “bejesus” spilled forth from his lips.

Just the day before, he was on the Eurostar, travelling back to Paris, for a meeting that was part politics and part business. Such are the overlapping worlds of Sutherland: Dubliner, father of three, rugby fanatic, chairman of BP, chairman of Goldman Sachs International, new chairman of the London School of Economics, diplomatic fixer and afterdinner speaker supreme.

If at the Pearly Gates we are given the option I’d opt to come back as a smart Irishman. In the past, I might have said an English aristocrat but it’s the Irish who are in charge these days. They seem to be in control of everything. None more so than, a key figure in two business powerhouses and a millionaire many times over, thanks to his partnership at Goldman. But he’s served 10 years at BP and has initiated the search for someone to take the reins. Suddenly, the oil giant needs to accept the reality of life without him .

Talk to almost anyone at the top of BP, these past few years to realise what a force Peter Sutherland has been behind the scenes. While the company has had its problems in America, they have been operational. On personnel matters, notably the attempt by Lord Browne and his friends to get the chief executive’s term extended, and then Browne’s departure following his lying under oath, Sutherland has played a pivotal role. His contribution in bringing BP forward is something which few can dispute.

Many Humanists and Scientists argue that our technology and civilization is out pacing evolution by a huge margin. They point to our tribalistic, band and small group human history that we survived with for hundreds of thousands of years is no longer anything similar to our modern societies. Indeed to argue against this fact would be futile as it is so. However we seem to for the most part done very well as out human populations swells around the planet.

Humanists will ask and one recently did; “Doesn’t it make more sense to be who we are and develop our true, and in my view powerful abilities (i.e. to communicate with each other through the energy fields that connect us without technology, to create with our minds a reality that is truly self sustaining, to connect with each other and rid the entire human species of the negative beliefs that are undermining us all etc…)?”

Well indeed he sure has brought up a huge question worthy of discussion. However let me take a crack at this question as I answer in the negative to his assumptions;

“NO. Because why should you choose one or the other, why not both. Have the capability and develop lost skills, while simultaneously using our brains to invent better technologies to improve on the human design. We do not have time for evolution to take its sweet time. You know you are talking about talking the species back to the stoneage, yet who would that really serve. We need sewer treatment plants, fresh water and energy for things. Not that they are totally necessary, but they have certainly improved life from other civilization of the last let’s say 5000 years anyway. Perhaps ancient cultures die previously have great advances and may have been extremely well adapted civilizations without all this fluff. Yet who is to say that was better and why should we make that decision for all humanity, as humanity has spoken and voted with their consumer dollar and well, they want all this stuff.”

As far as the observations of human civilizations in the present period and the dummying down of the population base; well now that they cannot function without all these modern technologies, they very much need it and cannot feel fulfilled without out it. Myself, well I could go without many of the modern amenities.

Humans need a challenge and advancement and forward progression of the species does provide that challenge. After all; why does someone climb a mountain? It is there and it is a challenge. Many including myself like challenges, creating stuff and inventing things, so why not? Using technology to help mankind along in his journey to create better, strong and better civilizations is wise. And as mankind reaches a place of heaven on Earth, with more leisure time and the Utopia we desire, who is anyone to say that technology is an evil to the human race? Think on that.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Steelers in a Super Bowl (10 years). And we’ve never seen the Seahawks in the big game. Both teams have two weeks to prepare and come off relatively easy wins in the Championship games. This game is at a neutral site indoors (Detroit), but does anything stand out as far as how these teams fared on the road this season? The Steelers are playing their best football at the right time of the year, riding a 7-0 SU, 6-1 ATS run the last 7 games. Most impressive is that they were the No. 6 seed in the AFC and come off wins against the Bengals, Colts and Broncos – all on the road! That makes Pittsburgh 8-2 SU/ATS on the road this season! Seattle is only 5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS on the road, although they did average an impressive 27 ppg away from home. Edge to the Steelers.

Philosophically, both teams are similar. Coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Holmgren are veteran coaches who’ve taken their teams to the Super Bowl before. Holmgren makes his third trip, winning once and losing once with the Packers. Both coaches have built their teams with a philosophy around ball control and balanced offenses. Each team has a bruising running back and strong offensive line play.

It was interesting that the last few weeks both teams didn’t play conservative, which has been their reputation. Pittsburgh came out throwing the ball often against the Colts and Broncos, and threw several trick plays at the Bengals. In the past, Cowher has leaned more toward running the football, critics say too much, but that hasn’t been the case in this playoffs. Don’t be surprised if both teams come out throwing the ball and mixing up the plays. The difference this season for Pittsburgh is probably that Cowher has a talented young quarterback who is an excellent decision-maker. Cowher clearly has trust in letting Big Ben Roethlisberger throw the football. That wasn’t the case over the last ten years when he was stuck with below-average QBs such as Bubby Brister and Kordell Stewart.

Think back to last year’s Super Bowl when two fine QBs squared off in Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady. Brady was calm the whole game because he was playing in his third Super Bowl in four years. McNabb, on the other hand, was erratic, especially early on, overthrowing several receivers and tossing too many lollipop passes, one of which Rodney Harrison intercepted in the end zone in the first quarter. Nerves can get to QBs playing in their first Super Bowl with the whole world watching!

The fact that the game is indoors is probably a wash, favoring neither team. Experience is another factor to consider. Even though neither team has Super Bowl experience of late, I’d give an edge to the Steelers. Pittsburgh was 16-2 last season and hosted the AFC Championship game, losing to the Patriots. That experience factor has helped this postseason, especially since they played three games on the road in hostile environments in Cincinnati, Indy and Denver. And they played smart, mistake-free football. Seattlemade the playoffs last season, but flamed out in the first round against the Rams. Then, this year, they had an edge with home field, but played two playoff games against teams with several flaws in Washington (little offense) and Carolina (too many injuries, down to their third string back). Also, Seattle doesn’t have a lot of big-game experience away from home.

Looking back on this season, Seattle barely won on the road at St. Louis and Tennessee. And the Seahawks lost 23-17 at Green Bay (their last road game), 20-17 at Washington and 26-14 at Jacksonville to open the season. Also note that Seattle’s defense allowed 21 ppg on the road where they are 7-1 ‘Over’ the total. Pittsburgh has opened up the offense more in the second half of the season and carries a 5-2-1 run ‘Over’ the total into the Super Bowl. The Steelers also have more experience playing indoors: since Thanksgiving, they’ve played three games indoors, one at Minnesota and two at Indianapolis, going 2-1 SU/ATS.

Finally, games are often won and lost via turnovers and in the trenches. I can’t predict turnovers, but I can point out that in the trenches, both teams were outstanding at stopping the run this season, and each ranked in the Top 5 in the NFL. On paper, it’s a wash in the trenches, which possibly means turnovers will be the “la difference,” as the French say! Super Bowl 40 should be a fun one to dissect over the next two weeks and watch. Good luck as always…Al McMordie.

Al McMordie is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Al_McMordie.htm

A newcomer to the world of investments in the notion of “Virtual Real Estate Investing“. There are many variations on what this term means, encompassing everything from using the internet to aid in real estate investing efforts to participating in online games such as SecondLife.

To separate fact from fiction, I asked Bryan Ellis of BryanEllis.com for comments. He’s the man many consider to be the father of this new form of investing.

“I began using the term ‘virtual real estate investing’ in the late 1990’s when I realized the clear similiarities in profit strategies, regardless of whether the “real estate” is “virtual” or “physical” said Ellis.

One example of the parallels between virtual and physical real estate Bryan Ellis cites is the similarity between the monetization of domain names versus physical property. “There’s a huge difference between a website and a piece of real estate, but the ways you can profit from them are similar: ‘flipping’, rental/leasing, advertising sales, etc…all of these apply to both markets” he states.

I must admit: Its easy to see the parallels. Consider: A valuable piece of real estate is valuable largely due to the interest that other people have in that specific location. Likewise, if you own a desirable domain name, others will find value in it because it serves their purposes. In either case, you could sell or lease the asset and turn it into cash.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

They say that good pitching stops good hitting. But what makes a good pitcher besides how hard he throws. If you ask Tom Glavin, who doesn’t throw hard enough to knock a tin can off of a shaky bar stool, he’ll tell you that it’s all in the approach. And a lot of that has to do with knowing your hitter.

In a situation where there is nobody on base, the pitcher deals with each batter one on one with very little regard to anything else, with some exceptions which we’ll get to later. In a normal situation the pitcher has to go over the batter’s strengths and weaknesses, which he will get from the team scouting reports that they go over before the game. There is no such thing as the perfect hitter. Everyone has at least one weakness. It is the pitcher’s job to try to exploit that weakness.

For example and let’s make this a simple one, let’s say a batter is a dead fastball hitter. In other words it is very difficult to get him out by throwing a fastball by him. However, he has a lot of trouble with a curveball. In this case, the pitcher will use mostly his curveball to throw strikes and when he does throw a fastball he will only throw it to “show” the batter the pitch, meaning that he will throw it out of the strike zone so the batter can’t hit it.

In another example, let’s say a batter is a dead pull hitter. When pitching to someone like this a pitcher can try two approaches. One of them involves throwing pitches on the outside of the plate. This way, if the batter tries to pull the pitch he’s only going to manage to hit the ball to the shortstop all day long. He’ll almost never get a hit because he’s not going with the pitch the other way. Another approach is to jam the batter or throw the ball inside. If the batter pulls these pitches he’s only going to end up hitting them foul.

Let’s say a batter is a great low ball hitter, regardless of whether the pitch is a slow curve, split finger or even hard fastball. Against these type of hitters the pitcher will want to keep the ball up, which is usually not a good thing. In this case, it probably is. Most likely low ball hitters have an uppercut swing to get the ball into the air, like Jeremy Burnitz. If you throw these batter balls up in the strike zone, most likely they will swing under the ball and either pop it up or swing and miss it completely.

These are just a few of the many different situations and batters that a pitcher is going to have to deal with not only day to day but batter to batter. It is a constant psychological war against the opposing hitter. The pitchers who are able to adjust to this war of nerves are the ones who go on to have hall of fame careers.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Baseball

Nowadays many people prefer to procure their swimwear online; purchasing online is an uncomplicated and apt way to shop in the comfort of your own house.

It is essential to guarantee while getting swimwear on the World Wide Web that it defiantly fits you properly. When you procure swimwear on the Internet always be certain that the shop offers a useful quality sizing diagram that gives all of the measurements you might need. With the aid of a sizing diagram one can make sure to obtain a swimsuit or bikini that fits exactly, reducing the necessity to exchange for an alternative size. By and large most of the online swimwear shops don’t allow an exchange of goods therefore it’s typically always better to select an online store where exchanges are allowed. Several online shops will accept the returns of swimwear if the tags and the original packaging are also returned along with it. Find eye-catching and sexy tie side knickers, polka petrus bow thongs, cherry bomb boyshorts and silk satin plunge bras from Mimi Holiday.

Swimwear is a common factor of the summertime; despite this a large majority of full-figured females feel daunted at the prospect of shopping for swimsuits and bikinis that fit correctly. These women even contemplate about wearing caftans by the swimming pool or at the beach instead of looking unappealing. Designers & shopkeepers are familiar with the fashion problems of the larger woman, and are finally featuring a wide assortment of stylish bathing suit designs in XXL sizes, and one of the best places to discover such swimwear is to buy swimwear on the Internet.

Explains how specific symptoms of depression can be reduced through Bible based concepts and specific techniques. Offers a uniquely powerful solution in Christ.
According to the National Institute of Health clinical depression frequently includes: Sadness, anxiety, or “empty” feelings, Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed, including sex, Feelings of hopelessness and pessimism, Feelings of helplessness, guilt, and worthlessness, Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts. Source: National Institute of Health Publication No. 97-4266 and 99-3561 as found online at the online “All About Depression” site. (http://www.allaboutdepression.com/)

The full list of depression symptoms includes several more physical aspects. This article, however, focuses on the thoughts and feelings aspects of depression.

While the symptoms can be very serious, occasionally contributing to suicide, there is hope and not just in a therapist’s office. While good therapy from a skilled counselor or psychologist can have a great impact, not every one can afford it. Also, for people who believe in a Biblical worldview, it can be difficult to find a therapist who enhances rather than detracts from such faith. However, learning the truth about how God sees us and what He desires for us, can flood even the most isolated, empty, black lives with the brilliant vibrant life giving holy energy of God!

The Bible states “Then said Jesus… If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32 KJV In the case of depression this truth can lift burdens so big that just crawling under them has become impossible!

Let’s go through each symptom and see how God’s truth can bring freedom to each one.

Negative and pessimistic thoughts are probably the most commonly recognized effect of depression. With those, life can seem nothing more than a tortuous threatening ordeal that must be endured, if possible. Failure isn’t just an occasional disappointment; it becomes a basic expectation of everything in life. “I can never do anything right!” becomes the nearly constant slogan for our lives. Hopelessness becomes a way of life. There is no way out and going through simply means existing in our own private hell for an even longer eternity. And the “I’ll never get anything good in life. It just can’t happen to me.” feeling becomes strong enough to make us forget the few good things that happen with us.

Underlying the constant negative pessimistic thoughts is a basic sense of hopelessness. This is most clearly seen in thoughts like these. “Things are bad and they are going to get worse. It is hopeless to try to change things, can’t happen.”

However, God offers us hope for a true solution to all problems forever. He offers us perfection for eternity with a taste of it right here and now!

Part of that hope springs from His deep desire for us to be happy. His first priority, of course, is our eternal salvation and life. With that, even if we have “hell on earth” we always have an eternity of the truest and fullest infinite happiness. However, God strongly desires joy, peace, prosperity and happiness for us right now. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” Jeremiah 29:11,12 KJV Even though there are times the only way we can learn the lessons and be shaped for heaven is through pain, it lasts just long enough to accomplish what is needed. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 KJV

God, in the deepest part of His being, wants to make us happy, joyful, and vibrantly alive! After all that is the way He created us to live originally. It gives Him pleasure to see us joyful! It is only the results of our willful sin that have introduced fear, loneliness, despair, and an empty void of purposelessness.

God’s desire for our happiness is incredible hope because he has the power, all the power that has ever existed or will exist, to make it happen! While the negative thoughts of depression are exaggerated beyond reality, there is definitely truth in the knowledge that we cannot do everything ourselves. We are just not smart enough, rich enough, strong enough or any other enough you can think of. On our own we are limited, and we often want and need what we can’t get for ourselves. But choosing life in God blows all limits away. God’s power is infinite and He longs to use it to benefit us, to give us a bright future and a joyous life. With God, we are not limited by our abilities, time, money or even death. “…verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:20-21 KJV A future far greater and more pleasing than we can imagine is guaranteed to us for eternity and available to us now if we will place God above ALL else. “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:31-33 KJV But God wants to give us way more than we deserve, much more than just the minimum needed to survive, He wants to give us proportionate to HIS infinite universal wealth! “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 KJV

A sense of worthlessness , like their life is pointless, a valueless waste of space is also common. At other times we can simply feel worth less than just about everyone else, just never quite good enough but of still some small value.

The true reality is that God values us above ALL else, even His life. He so passionately desires to live with us that one third of the God head died just to give us the option of choosing to live with Him. Without any assurance of our acceptance, because the choice is still ours, Christ endured torture, humiliation, and an agonizing death to have just the possibility of spending eternity with you and me. For the last 6000 years, God’s time, attention, and infinitely loving efforts have been focused on us, His rebellious, selfish, self willed, distrusting, unfaithful, and unappreciative wayward children. It only makes sense that if any being, God or human, invested that much time, energy, heartache, and effort into you or me they have placed a huge value on us. In God’s case, the very life of His own Son, for you… and me. For a more detailed explanation of our incredible God given value see: “Our Infinite Immortal Value” (http://home.earthlink.net/~srbaerg/Our%20Infinite%20Immortal%20Valuehtml.htm)

See “Depression: An Online Christian Answer Part II” for the role of Guilt, Forgiveness, and Loss of Interest in depression and a solution!

About the Author

Steven Baerg is 34 years old. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in preparation for working as a counselor. He is married to a wonderful and supportive wife and has a dog named Bailey. He relies on God’s power and help for inspiration and maintaining a proper focus in life.

In baseball, we bet on teams that are streaking and go against them when they are slumping. As a variant of momentum, I wanted to see how intensity affected a baseball team’s performance.

Intensity can be defined in many different ways. When a team is in a wild card chase, division penant run, etc.. a team is playing with intensity. We will postpone our analysis on this until later in the 2006 MLB season when the playoffs approach.

Another type of intensity for baseball standards would be playing a division rival. We have thoroughly analyzed division rivalry games but intensity exists equally on both sides of a divsion rivalry game. A disparity of intensity would only exist if a team is coming off a division rivalry game and its opponent is not.

In division rivalry games where a team had the intensity and its opponent did not, that team ended up 166-122 (58%) +51 units over the past 2 seasons. It was a historical +67 units over the past 7 seasons.

In 2005, road underdogs falling into this system won at an incredible 70% rate going 37-16. Undervalued by an average of 65 points!! The 2005 season was out of the ordinary but is very indicative of the type of success betting systems will have.

Check out our Free Baseball Handicapping Systems and Free MLB Baseball Betting Picks for you baseball fans.

OVERVIEW: AFC West

The 12-5 straight up win San Diego Chargers were the surprise team of the NFL in 2004 when considering that they had posted a shoddy record of 4-12 straight up and 6-10 ATS in 2003, if you had hitched your wagon onto these Chargers all season long in 2004 you were indeed a happy camper as the Bolts tallied a 13-2-2 ATS mark when it was all said and done.

If not for a missed FG on a muddy rain soaked field against the Jets in these Chargers opening playoff game last year, there is no telling how far the momentum of these Bolts may have carried them when considering the Jets lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the very same manner the following week.

However, in the big picture San Diego faced five playoff bound teams during the 2004 regular season and posted a shoddy 1-4 straight up mark in those games with their only win against a playoff team coming against Denver 20-17, the Chargers major malfunction in 2004 was their 31st ranked pass defense which forced the Bolts to outscore teams.

A closer look-see reveals that the Charger defense only registered 29 sacks all season long, meaning that not all the blame for that 31st pass defense ranking can be attributed to the Bolt defensive backs, some of the blame must go to the defensive front that failed to pressure opposing QB’s. The Bolts did draft two potentially great defensive linemen with their first two picks by selecting DE Shawne Merriman out of Maryland and DT Luis Castillo out of Northwestern.

The Chargers were installed as doggies 10 times in 2004, this fact was a major reason why the Bolts were able to have the point spread success they had last season, with that being said, these Chargers will not sneak up on anyone this season and that includes the oddsmaker.

The now healthy Kansas City Chiefs will battle the Bolts back and forth for the top spot all season long, a sense of urgency will fill Chief land this season due to the fact that HC Dick Vermeil and most of his coaching staff are in the final year of their contracts.

The Chiefs along with the Raiders had an excellent draft, head Chief Dick Vermeil knows that his defense allowed more passing yards to opponents than any other team in the league last season, Vermeil managed to bolster his defense for the 2005 campaign with the free agent signings of former Steeler LB Kendrell Bell and former Miami defensive backs CB Patrick Surtain and SS Sammy Knight.

Kansas City finished 4-1 straight up and 3-2 ATS coming down the stretch last season and when the smoke cleared had the NFL’s number one ranked offense by averaging 418.3 yards per contest which was 14 more yards per game on average than the 2nd ranked Indianapolis Colts, if the Chiefs can stay healthy and avoid another 1-4 straight up and ATS start on the season, they will once again be a playoff contender.

Did you hear that? I am talking about the whisperings coming out of Colorado and more specifically out of Denver these days, is it possible that Bronco HC Mike Shanahan is indeed an over rated commodity that is undeserving of past praise?

Well, the truth of it is that Shanahan and his troops have failed miserably since the retirement of beloved QB John Elway, the Stanford product retired following back to back Super Bowl wins and in the six seasons since his retirement the Broncos have made the playoffs just three times, however, Denver has not made it past their opening playoff game and each of these three playoff appearances ended in utter defeat with the Broncos losing by an average score of 37-12.

Shanahan has a lot of folks scratching their heads and wondering if someone spiked his punch with regard to his draft choices and free agent signings this season, riddle me this….Why would you sign four free agent defensive linemen off of the Cleveland Browns roster when that same Cleveland Brown defense allowed a whopping 144.6 yards to opposing running backs in 2004?

Why would Shanahan use a third round pick in the draft on problem child RB Maurice Clarett who sat out last season and was nothing but a distraction to the Ohio State Buckeye program? Does Shanahan like controversy on his team? Is Shanahan trying to prove that he can rehabilitate problem children better than professional psychologists? And what about those defensive linemen from the Brownie organization, does Shanahan think his defensive line coach teaches technique that much better than Cleveland to over come lack of talent or heart?

Questions questions questions, speaking of questions how bout dem Ray’duhs? Watching his team finish with a record of 5-11 straight up and 6-10 ATS in 2004 did not sit well with owner Al Davis who along with 2nd year HC Norv Turner had one of the very best drafts of any team in the league by snagging Nebraska CB Fabian Washington with their top choice followed by Houston CB Stanford Routt and Arizona State QB Andrew Walter with their second and third picks.

Overall, using seven total draft selections Oakland drafted five defensive players, the silver and black also make some key free agent signings with regard to bringing former Jet RB Lamont Jordan and former Viking WR Randy Moss to town along with four other free agent signings to bolster their defense.

The Raiders, like divisional rivals San Diego and Kansas City, all shared the very same major malfunction in 2004 which was overall defense and more specifically pass defense. Oakland allowed 371 yards per contest to opponents in 2004 which ranked them 30th overall in total defense and only Kansas City and San Diego allowed more yards through the air than Oakland last season.

Needless to say, Oakland owner Al Davis has reached his boiling point after seeing his beloved Raiders post a combined record of 9-23 straight up and 9-22-1 ATS since the Raiders appearance in the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay on January 26, 2003, however, this years draft and fee agent crop appears to have righted the ship talent wise, now its just a matter of getting all of this new talent to gel together and become a team.

In closing, the AFC West appears to be a two horse race between the Chargers and Chiefs for the division title, based on how teams finished in 2004 the Chargers are saddled with the NFL’s 2nd toughest schedule and will sneak up on no one this season, look to play against the Bolts when on the road as a favorite laying more than a FG.

The public will once again play nothing but OVERS when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005 and who can blame them as Chief games exceeded the posted total 10 of 16 times last year, amazingly enough the O/U number placed on Chief contests last year was 46 or higher in 12 of their 16 games!

However, the Chiefs have the NFL’s 4th toughest schedule and should show improvement on defense which will create “Value” by playing Chief games to go UNDER this season and especially when the number is above 48.

Denver has proven to be unreliable in most categories as of late and appears to be in a downward spiral, I would advise picking your spots very carefully with these Broncos.

Oakland should definitely improve their seasonal win/loss record in 2005 as this will be HC Norv Turners 2nd year at the helm and QB Kerry Collins 2nd year under center in Turners offense, however, the high profile signings of WR Randy Moss and RB Lamont Jordan will have “Joe Public” bettors throwing dinero at the Raiders which will create “Value” by going against the Silver and Black and especially when on the road in the early going.

Jim Campbell is one of the nations most respected Sports Handicappers, he specializes in College and Pro Football, you can visit Jim at his website located at footballforecastor.com for all of your handicapping needs including free play selections, College and NFL stats, trends and award winning analysis on upcoming games.

With over 30 plus years experience in the handicapping profession Jim has built a solid reputation, his web based handicapping service at footballforecastor.com as been in existence since 1997 and year after year proves to be one of the very best handicapping services in America.