Titans at Steelers
By Brian Edwards
The 2009 NFL season is set to commence Thursday night at Heinz Field where the Pittsburgh Steelers will begin their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions against the Tennessee Titans.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Mike Tomlin’s team as a 5 ½-point favorite with a total of 37. As of early Wednesday afternoon, most betting shops had the Steelers as six-point ‘chalk’ with the total adjusted to 35. The Titans are plus-220 on the money line (risk $100 to win $220).
When we last saw the Steelers, they were knocking off Arizona at Super Bowl XLIII thanks to a last-minute touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes. For Big Ben, it was his second Super Bowl ring in four seasons. As he enters his sixth season as the starter in the Steel City, Roethlisberger is the toast of the town and his squad appears as formidable as ever.
Pittsburgh (15-4 straight up, 11-8 against the spread) returns all of its starters with the exception of two guys on defense, linebacker Larry Foote and cornerback Bryant McFadden. William Gay, a three-year veteran from out of Louisville, will assume McFadden’s duties at the corner opposite of Ike Taylor. Meanwhile, Lawrence Timmons is poised to take over the spot vacated by Foote.
Timmons, a No. 1 pick in 2007, was outstanding as the team’s nickel linebacker in ’08. The FSU product had 65 tackles, five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. However, he missed Tuesday’s practice and is listed as “questionable” with an ankle injury. Keyaron Fox will get the starting nod if Timmons can’t go.
Roethlisberger was outstanding in the playoffs, but he wasn’t himself at times during the regular season. Part of that can be attributed to injuries, but we should note his not-so-impressive 17/15 touchdown-interception ratio.
Truth be told, the ’08 Steelers were all about defense. The power running game never developed consistency, finishing 23rd in the NFL in rushing offense. Willie Parker was often dinged and Rashard Mendenhall went on IR early in the season after Ray Lewis broke his collarbone on a crushing hit.
Parker and Mendenhall will split the carries in ’09, while Mewelde Moore will see playing time as a third-down back.
Tennessee (13-4 SU, 12-5 ATS) went 13-3 in the 2008 regular season to garner homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. However, the Titans went "one and done" in the postseason, losing a heartbreaker to Baltimore by a 13-10 count when veteran tight end Alge Crumpler coughed up a fumble deep in the red zone late in the fourth quarter.
Jeff Fisher’s team won its first 10 games last year. Most importantly for our purposes, the Titans went 9-1 versus the number during that span. Kerry Collins took over at quarterback for Vince Young and rookie running back Chris Johnson exploded for a monster season.
Johnson rushed for 1,128 yards and nine touchdowns, offering his team a homerun threat to compliment LenDale White’s short-yardage prowess between the tackles. White rushed for 15 touchdowns in ’08 and hopes to be more productive this year after trimming down during the offseason.
“We couldn’t ask for a better matchup to start the year,” veteran VegasInsider.com handicapper Mark Franco said earlier this week. “Both teams are coming off great seasons, although the Titans didn’t get it done in the playoffs. Tennessee likes to play power football and so do the Steelers. The interesting matchup will be Pittsburgh’s outstanding run defense versus the Titans’ running game with Chris Johnson and LenDale White.”
Fisher made it clear that Collins, a 15-year veteran, would remain the starting QB by inking the Penn St. product to a two-year, $15 million deal. Collins has had an up-and-down career, leading Carolina to the NFC Championship Game early in that franchise’s history before battling alcoholism and nearly finding himself out of the league.
After a brief and unsuccessful stint in New Orleans, Collins got another shot with the Giants as the second-string QB. He eventually became the starter and guided the G-Men to the Super Bowl in 2000. But things went sour for Collins in Gotham and he was released after the 2003 campaign.
His career, at least as a starter, appeared to be over after the Raiders released Collins following two seasons in which they went 7-21 in his 28 starts. Collins spent two seasons backing up Young with the Titans before assuming the starting role early last year following Young’s meltdown.
Collins took full advantage, managing games without making costly mistakes and producing through the air when needed. In fact, he was invited to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl after throwing for 2,676 yards and 12 TDs. And we should be clear that Collins wasn’t exactly working with an ultra-talented array of wide receivers. In fact, TE Bo Scaife led the Titans with 58 receptions in ’08 and Johnson had the second-most grabs with 43.
That WR corps lost Brandon Jones to free agency after he led the wideouts with 41 catches. This group still has Justin Gage, who played better down the stretch after shaking off early-season injuries. Tennessee added former Steeler Nate Washington and also drafted Kenny Britt from out of Rutgers in the first round. Also, keep an eye on rookie TE Jared Cook, a third-round pick who was a big-time playmaker at South Carolina before falling out of favor with Steve Spurrier.
However, as of Wednesday, Washington (hamstring) and Cook (ankle) were both listed as “questionable” for Thursday night.
Tennessee’s defense will be stout once again, but we can’t ignore the fact that Pro-Bowl DT Albert Haynesworth left for the Redskins via the free-agency route during the offseason. Nevertheless, this unit still has Pro-Bowlers like LB Keith Bulluck, CB Cortland Finnegan and safety Michael Griffin.
Pittsburgh led the NFL both in total defense and scoring defense last year. The Steelers gave up just 13.9 points per game. The Titans were second in scoring defense, allowing 14.6 PPG.
When these clubs met last year in Music City, the Titans captured a 31-14 victory as three-point home underdogs. White was seen stomping on a Terrible Towel at the end of the game, a move that angered the Steelers and certainly their fans. White has been talking trash this week, indicating that he’ll be doing the same thing Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
NBC will provide television coverage at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--The Titans have won 50 of 52 games when leading after the third quarter on Fisher’s watch.
--Fisher is entering his 15th season as the head coach of the Titans (and formerly the Oilers). During his tenure, they are 5-6 in the playoffs.
--Tennessee went 6-2 ATS on the road in 2008. The Titans were road ‘dogs just once, winning 24-7 at Cincinnati in Week 2 as one-point puppies.
--In ’08, Pittsburgh posted a 6-4 spread record in 10 spots as a home ‘chalk.’
--The Steelers are 12-7 ATS in 19 games at Heinz Field on Tomlin’s watch.
vegasinsider.com.
Game of the day: Titans at Steelers
By Steve Merril
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-6, 35)
Line movement
The first lines for Week 1 of the NFL regular season were posted way back in April at some sportsbooks with Pittsburgh initially installed as a 5-point favorite in this game. The line dropped to -4.5 during the summer, but came back up to -5 during the preseason. This week the money has been coming in on Pittsburgh with the line standing at -6.
The total was initially 35.5 in April and dropped to 35 in June. That’s the same number most sportsbooks are using now, although the money appears to be coming in on the under. It’s touched 34.5 in some spots.
Pittsburgh opened as a -230 favorite on the moneyline and has now risen to -270. The Titans have gone from +190 to +230 at most sportsbooks. This current moneyline gives Pittsburgh a 72 percent chance of winning the game straight up.
Roethlisberger says no to deal
The woman who accuses Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her at Vegas hotel in the summer of 2008 said on Wednesday she would drop her civil lawsuit against Roethlisberger pending a concession from the Steelers quarterback.
The accuser says she wants Roethlisberger to admit the assault happened, issue an apology in a letter and donate $100,000 to an abused women’s nonprofit charity in Reno, according to a report in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Roethlisberger’s lawyers rejected the deal and called the proposal “bizarre” and claimed it “insults women who have legitimately suffered from sexual misconduct.”
Big Ben immediately denied the accusation and while the case is still open, Roethlisberger’s case seems to be in a good position.
Former coworkers of the accuser stated in court documents that the woman bragged about having sex with Roethlisberger and fantasized about having his baby.
Long-awaited rematch
The last time the Titans and Steelers met on the field, Tennessee players were disgracing Pittsburgh terrible towels by stomping and pretending to blow their nose with it.
The Titans were celebrating a 31-14 victory that helped them secure the best record in the AFC last season (13-3). A playoff rematch against the Yellow and Black never materialized because the Ravens ousted the top seed from the postseason.
“Being we beat the Super Bowl champions and never had a chance to compete and go play for the Super Bowl left a bad taste in our mouth,” Tennessee safety Chris Hope told the Associated Press.
The Steelers are downplaying the towel stomping of a year ago, but you get the impression from what the players are saying that both sides have something to prove on Thursday.
Return issues
The Titans signed Mark Jones in the offseason to be the team’s lead kick returner. But after an injury-riddled preseason, Tennessee cut ties with the speedster.
It’s unclear who coach Jeff Fisher will turn to for the job. There’s been talk of DB Ryan Mouton or rookie tailback Javon Ringer handling returns, but neither has much experience.
Injuries
Both teams enter tonight’s game healthy with no major injuries. Tennessee only has two players on the injury report with both TE Jared Cook (ankle) and WR Nate Washington (hamstring) being listed as questionable.
Pittsburgh LB Lawrence Timmons (ankle) is doubtful, while TE Sean McHugh and OG Darnell Stapleton are both on the injured reserve list with knee injuries.
Super Bowl Champs
A popular betting system is to fade the defending Super Bowl champion in September. This method has shown some success in past years, but it does not work well in Week 1. The defending Super Bowl champion is a perfect 8-0 straight and 7-0-1 against the spread the past eight years in its opening game.
Weather
Weather is often an issue in Pittsburgh, but normally not in September. The forecast is calling for a 30 percent chance of showers on Thursday night with winds around nine mph. The temperature will be 60 degrees.
Steelers look to defend
By Sportsbook.com
A New NFL Season – Let the Wagering Begin
Keeping with recent NFL tradition, the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers open the new season at home before a national television audience on Thursday night. Pittsburgh, fresh off its second crown in four years, hosts Tennessee in a battle of the AFC's top two playoff seeds from 2008. Pittsburgh is a hefty 6 ½ point favorite and backed by 77% of bettors at Sportsbook.com.
The Titans (13-4, 14-4-1 ATS in 2008) defeated the Steelers 31-14 in Week 16 last season and captured the AFC South title with 13 victories.
Turnovers, a stifling defense, a deft running game and sound quarterback play from veteran Kerry Collins made the Titans the team to beat entering last year's postseason. And even with menacing tackle Albert Haynesworth (Redskins) gone from a defense that ranked in the top six in most categories, Tennessee is certain to be a factor in a division any of the four clubs could win and is 7-0 ATS in September the last couple of years.
Pittsburgh's competition in the AFC North may only go one deep, with nobody outside of Baltimore expected to contend. The Steelers (15-4, 11-8 ATS) have essentially the same personnel and are a safe bet to pick up right where they left off as 27-23 winners over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII. Ben Roethlisberger is primed to top last year's numbers (3,301 yards, 17 touchdowns, 15 interceptions) with a new second tier of receivers in Limas Sweed and Shaun McDonald (Lions) to go with veteran Hines Ward and Santonio "Super Bowl MVP" Holmes. Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS in the first game of a new season over the last six years.
Roethlisberger passed for 331 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions versus the Titans last Dec. 21 in a game that saw Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense allow just one scoring drive of more than 40 yards. That came midway through the third quarter when Tennessee went 79 yards on 11 plays and took the lead for good on Chris Johnson's 21-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-inches.
Pittsburgh can expect a heavy dose of Johnson and LenDale White, but as the Titans showed in last year's meetingm they won't hesitate to pass, as Collins went 20-for-29. That means Justin Gage will see plenty of action after totaling 104 yards last season against the Steelers defense. Look for the Titans to want to clock Big Ben just like last season, when they sacked him five times. Though Haynesworth will be missed, he didn’t play in last year’s matchup.
The Titans are 6½ point underdogs, with total of 35 at Sportsbook.com and are 16-6 ATS when catching points and are 8-2 UNDER in September.
If the opening game is to be a joyous occasion in the Steel City, the offensive line has to give Roethlisberger time to throw and not have him running for his life. Look for Pittsburgh to test Tennessee defense with deep shots to Sweed and rookie Mike Wallace. Defensively, the Steelers have to keep Johnson inside the tackles and prevent him from bouncing out wide.
Pittsburgh is 39-18 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points and has played OVER in seven straight openers.
In the last six meetings between these AFC squads, the OVER is 6-1. The excitement starts at 8:30 Eastern on NBC for the NFL lid-lifter and the previous year’s Super Bowl champions are 9-0 and 7-1-1 ATS in first game of a new season.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
The Super Bowl champion Steelers open defense of their sixth title at Heinz Field with a matchup against the AFC rival Titans, who had the NFL’s best regular-season record last year.
Pittsburgh went 12-4 SU (9-7 ATS) to win the AFC North title, followed by a 3-0 SU run in the playoffs (2-1 ATS), holding off Arizona 27-23 in the Super Bowl but failing to cover as a 6½-point favorite. The Steelers finished the season on tears of 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS. QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,301 yards last year, but he had 15 INTs to go with his 17 TD passes for an offense that finished 22nd in the league (311.9 ypg). Pittsburgh’s defense helped make up for that, leading the league in total defense (237.2 ypg allowed) and scoring defense (13.9 points per game allowed).
Tennessee jumped out to a 10-0 start last season and cruised to the AFC South title with an NFL-best 13-3 record, tying for the league lead by going 12-4 ATS. However, after a first-round bye, the Titans’ season ended quickly with a 13-10 divisional-round playoff loss to Baltimore as a three-point home chalk. QB Kerry Collins, back as the starter in 2009, was effective if not spectacular last year, throwing for 2,676 yards with 12 TDs and seven INTs. RBs Chris Johnson (1,228 yards, 9 TDs) and LenDale White (773 yards, 15 TDs) were the difference-makers, paving the way for the league’s seventh-best rushing attack (third in the AFC).
The Titans also finished second to Pittsburgh in scoring defense (14.6 ppg) and were seventh in yards allowed (293.6 per game) in 2008.
These teams met late in the regular season last year, with the Titans rolling to a 31-14 home victory as a one-point home underdog to secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Tennessee is 4-2 SU in the last six clashes in this rivalry, but the two teams have split those games at the betting window, alternating ATS wins and losses along the way. The underdog went 5-1 ATS in those six meetings.
Along with their current 7-2 ATS run, the Steelers are on pointspread upswings of 5-0 at home, 4-0 on Thursday and 6-1 in conference play, and they’ve cashed in four straight season openers. Likewise, the Titans are on ATS rolls of 8-0 in September, 16-5 as a pup, and 9-4 inside the AFC, and they cashed in six of their eight road games last season.
Defending Super Bowl champions have won nine consecutive season-openers (7-2 ATS).
For Tennessee, the “under” is on runs of 8-2 on the highway, 7-3-1 as a ‘dog and 6-2 in September. On the flip side, the over for Pittsburgh is on streaks of 4-1 overall, 7-0 in Week 1 action, 13-4 against the AFC and a lengthy 39-16-2 at Heinz Field.
Finally, in this rivalry, the total has gone high in six of the last seven contests overall and seven of the last eight battles in Pittsburgh.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PITTSBURGH
Gametimepicks.com
NFL
Week 1
Titans @ Steelers-- Tennessee beat Pittsburgh 31-14 in Week 16 LY, so they're last team to beat Steelers in game that counted; Titans are 9-3-1 vs spread in last 13 games as road dog, 6-2-1 in non-division games. Pitt won its last nine primetime games, is 6-2 vs spread in their last 8 night games at home. Titans are 5-3 in last eight night games, and 12-4-1 vs the spread when a single digit underdog. Tennessee won eight of last ten on road SU. Steelers are 9-6 vs spread as non-divisional home favorite.
2009 NFL Kickoff
By SportsPic
The defending Super Bowl Champion, Pittsburgh Steelers play host to the Tennessee Titans in the regular season opener Thursday. Pittsburgh despite returning the bulk of its starters from last year championship run don't have an easy road ahead of them. Everyone will be gunning for the Champs including Titans looking to build on last year's NFL-best 13-3 record. A bulls-eye on their chest, Champions have had a decent run the following year going 99-61 SU the past ten years. However, grabbing the cash has been difficult with the squads notching a 84-73-3 mark against-the-oddsmaker split between 41-38-1 ATS at home, 43-35-2 ATS on the highway. It's well to note the last five Super Bowl winners are a perfect 5-0 (4-0-1 ATS) opening the season. Last time Steelers had the bulls-eye on their chest they went 7-8-1 against-the-number but most of the damage was done on the road (2-5-1 ATS). Historical trends should not be your only handicapping tool, however the numbers suggest a closer look is in order when considering Super Bowl Winners.
Tips and Trends
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Titans: Early money has been on defending world champion Pittsburgh in a revenge spot, but Tennessee has cashed 16 of the past 22 times it has been an underdog. The Titans played probably their finest game of the season last year in beating the Steelers, 31-14, at home on Dec. 21 in a matchup that decided the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Titans quarterback Kerry Collins is 3-0 versus the Steelers in his career. Tennessee has won 16 of its last 19 regular-season contests. The Titans no longer have dominant run defender Albert Haynesworth. Tennessee was 28-11 with Haynesworth in its lineup and 3-7 when he didn’t play. The Titans will test the Steelers’ top-ranked defense with a 1-2 punch of speedy Chris Johnson and bruising LenDale White running behind a physical offensive line. Rookie wide receiver Kenny Britt has looked good in preseason and could surprise.
The Titans are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games.
The Over has cashed 7 of the past eight times these two teams have played in Pittsburgh.
Key Injuries - Wide receiver Nate Washington (hamstring) is doubtful.
Tight end Jared Cook (ankle) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 16
Steelers (-6, O/U 35): The Steelers are attempting to become only the ninth Super Bowl champion to repeat in 43 years. The Steelers will try to take advantage of the Titans losing star run-stuffer Albert Haynesworth to the Redskins in free agency by using a balanced attack of running back Willie Parker and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing to wide receivers Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and tight end Heath Miller. The Steelers had the best defense in the NFL last year ranking first against the pass and No. 2 against the run. Linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley combined for 27 ½ sacks. They’ll try to take advantage of the immobility of veteran Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins. Pittsburgh lost only two starters from last season. The Steelers have covered in five of their last six season-openers. They are 24-8 against the number as a home favorite of between 3 ½ and 10 points.
The Over has cashed in 30 of Pittsburgh’s last 43 home games.
The Steelers have gone Over in 13 of their last 17 AFC games.
Key Injuries - Linebacker Lawrence Timmons (ankle) is doubtful.
PROJECTED SCORE: 21 (OVER - Total of the Day)