Over/under: Attendance at tonight's Red Sox-Devil Rays game...
31,000

The park holds over 36,000. It's the biggest home game of the year. I'll do the research for you, they were getting mid-20's for the Yankees series about 2 weeks ago.

UPDATE: The recorded attendance was 29,772. I set a pretty mean over/under, good stuff. You of course still have to account for the fact that nearly a third of those thirty thousand are going to be Red Sox fans.

maffmatics: I can't shake the feeling that if I don't work here, that somehow I'm not supporting the troops and I'm not a true American. Besides, this is clearly an upgrade over John Cougar Mellencamp's "Our Country All You Can Eat Buffet" which I have been working at for the past three months. So I say I'll make it a solid year.

pb: After about a month, I think the drive to step in front of a speeding train would overwhelm me. And it's hard to wait tables when every bone in your body is shattered.

pb: Well, I do like Thai food. But I also hate condoms. Hmm... I'm gonna guess a couple of months while I pursue my dream to become the fattest muay thai boxer in all of Thailand.

Maffmatics: I think I could go three weeks before the appeal of free profos was outweighed by having to look at the vasectomy museum all day.  But as the owner of at least three strange antibiotic resistant stds that were picked up in Bangkok, I am on record as saying this is a pretty good idea.

pb: Forty-five seconds. Self-inflicted head wound from shotgun.

maffmatics: Three minutes and forty seconds. Crucifying manager while shouting, "NOW YOU CAN NEVER 'JAZZ HANDS' AGAIN!!!!"

La cote ici reflète la proximité probable de ce match.
Marseille cherchant une place dans les trois premiers du championnat, Lyon tient à obtenir son sixième titre consécutif de Ligue 1.
La cote de 2,5 buts ressemble un peu trop à 2,24 car je suis sûr que les deux équipes vont chercher à marquer au Vélodrome.
Un but dans la première mi-temps sera une bonne occasion pour LAY d'assurer un bénéfice.

BET: BACK Over 2,5 buts @ 2.24 - 100 €
LAY Over 2,5 buts après le premier but

Astuce: pour comprendre mieux le OVER/UNDER marchés cliquez ici

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Ne pouvions nous espérer mieux pour un match de choisir que cela. Deux buts dans les 30 premières minutes et les deux parties sont engagées à l'attaque. Laissez le pari courir donc & pas besoin de trade out. Le point ici est que, si le trade offre la possibilité de réduire vos pertes (ou "green up", si la cote est en votre faveur), il est également important d'essayer de maximiser vos profits.

PROFIT: 117,80€

BANK: 317,80

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!

10. Kenneth Perez - Manden der laver nogle af de lækreste mål i den hollandske Æresdivision, er nok en af de mest undervurderede fodboldspillere! Han bliver stort set altid fundet for let til det danske landshold (selvom han ikke spiller i Jylland), og brillerer i de største klubber Holland, hvilket må siges at være bedre end Brøndby, FCK, FC Nordsjælland og FC Midtjylland, som spillerne fra landsholdet kommer fra.

9. Lars Rasmussen - Manden med talegaver på Grev Ingolf-stadiet, har stået i skyggen af Lars Christiansen de sidste år, men er kommet en lille smule ind i varmen, efter Ulrik Wilbæk tiltrådte som træner. Han har ikke fysikken med sig, men han gør det sgu godt nok når han får chancen - synd han ikke kommer med til OL.

8. Michael Jakobsen - Den fantastiske AaB-forsvarsspiller - han bliver undervurderet af vores kære landstræner, og er åbenbart fundet for let til A-landsholdet, men han er god nok til at være anfører på U-21! Han kan spille i centerforsvaret, samt venstre back. Skandale, at Morten Olsen nægter at bruge ham! Efter min mening er Niclas Jensen og Thomas Rasmussen ikke langtidsholdbare satsninger i landsholdsammenhæng!

7. Tim Henman - Han var, af englænderne, blevet udråbt som fremtidig Wimbledon-vinder (der har ikke været en engelsk vinder af Wimbledon siden Fred Perry's storhedstid fra 1934-36!) - hvilket aldrig kommer til at ske, da han har stoppet karrieren.  Dog har han holdt en stabil placering i toppen af verdensranglisten for mænd i hans 14 år lange tenniskarriere. Respekt - selvom han aldrig vandt, har han levet med et kæmpe forventningspres.

6. Jimmy Nielsen - Manden der tog på druk, da han spillet på U21-landsholdet, selvom han havde fået besked på at passe sin seng, samt gamblede og tabte for millioner af kroner, er blevet stemplet meget hårdt. Man kan sige meget om Jimmy, og han da har sine små "ting", men han er en glimrende målmand. Undervurderet keeper, som har mærket konsekvenserne ved at pisse ved siden af potten i professionel sport.

5. Peter Crouch - Manden ligner en stork med plateausko, der er træt af at skide, og han spiller for Liverpool - og så til det gode... Han har en glimrende målnæse, og selvom det ser frygteligt ud, når han bevæger sig, har han faktisk også teknik. Man kan sige meget, men han er ingen dårlig spiller - men han er grim!

4. Thomas Enevoldsen - Et af dansk fodbolds største talenter. Han er klasse, og udvikler sig rekordhurtigt. Han har en stor andel i, at AaB bliver mestre i år! Jeg behøver vist ikke komme ind på min mening om Morten Olsen igen...

3. Eli Manning - Quarterback hos New York Giants (1 Superbowl-ring - 2008). Måske burde han stå på den forrige countdown, men han har altid stået i skyggen af sin storebror, Peyton Manning, som vandt Superbowl i 2007 med mit hold, Indianapolis Colts, men i år var det Eli der førte New York Giants til sejr over New England Patriots i Superbowl. Respekt til Eli!

2. Morten Andersen - Han er bl.a. den der har scoret flest point i sin karriere nogensinde (2544), han har spillet 23 sæsoner i NFL, og 48 år gammel. Han begynder så småt at få anerkendelse herhjemme, men den er stadig yderst begrænset. Han har slået rekorder, der formentlig aldrig bliver slået - imponerende!

1. Danske SAS-liga spillere, der spiller på jyske hold - Disse spillere bliver gang på gang fundet for lette af vores kære landstræner, hvorimod spillere fra Brøndby og FC Nordsjælland boltrer sig på landsholdet, som små fede fisk i en tønde. Der er noget der ikke stemmer... Er jylland blevet solgt til tyskerne? Måske kan vi sælge Morten Olsen til tyskerne, selvom de godt nok har givet ham sparket før.. Det kunne DBU lære noget af!

Det er stadig uvist, hvad næste "Over/Under" kommer til at omhandle, men glæd jer! Det bliver stort!

Bach - fra et mekka af ildelugtende, feterede sportsfolk, og sportsfolk, som burde være det!

Overvurderede sportsfolk:

10. Johnny Albertsen - Den bedste danske mandlige skiløber de sidste mange år, men stadig SÅ elendig! Dog skal han have credit for at vinde DM i Super G, selvom den "professionelle" karriere er indstillet for længst. Danmarks bedste skiløber endte på noget der lignede sidste pladsen i alle de World Cup-løb som manden stillede op til... Flot Danmark eller flot Johnny? Bedøm selv!

9. Frederik Fetterlein - Den kække tennisspiller, der aldrig slog igennem, men til gengæld scorede Soap-tøsen Saseline

8. Det kvindelige curlinglandshold - Verdens mest ligegyldige sportsgren fik pludselig status, som en seværdig sport, med smukke (skrigende) kvinder - når man ser tilbage, indser man straks, at den var præcis det modsatte (bortset fra, at de skreg og hylede)...

7. Kristian Pless - Endnu en tennisspiller, som skuffede. Han var udråbt som det måske største tennistalent nogensinde, men han skjuler det godt med sin 128. plads på mændenes verdensrangliste.

6. Jan Mølby - Succesrig fodboldspiller med sin storhedstid i Liverpool FC, men som manager for bl.a. Kidderminster i den engelske 2. Division, samt elendig, ubeslutsom og tungnem kommentator for bl.a. TV2 og TV3+ falmer den glorværdige karriere. Desuden er mandens dømmekraft i forhold til bilkørsel i beruset tilstand ikke imponerende!

5. Søren Colding - Elendig højre back, som formåede at ødelægge Brian Laudrups seje jubelscene efter scoringen mod Brasilien ved VM i 1998. Colding blev hovedsagligt overvurderet af landstrænere, da de fleste er enige om, at han var en elendig spiller.

4. Marginalspillere hos Manchester United - Her taler vi Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher, John O'Shea - man kunne blive ved! Ingen tvivl om, at Manchester United spiller noget af verdens bedste fodbold for tiden, samt at de vinder de engelske mesterskab, men væk med de marginalspillere! Jeg skylder nok lige at sige, at jeg rent faktisk holder med The Devils!

3. Thomas Gravesen - Manden spillede virkelig godt i Everton, men da han kom til Madrid, blev han ødelagt som fodboldspiller og menneske - ikke at han ikke var vanvittig i forvejen, men I ved hvad jeg mener... Desuden har han fået nykker, hvilket irriterer mig grænseløst!

2. Professionelle cykelryttere - "De kan klare umenneskelige ting!", "Cykelsport er fantastisk".... Bla, bla, bla! Cykelryttere er dopede- that's a fact, og det stinker! Følger dog stadig med i det! Skal jo se, hvem der bliver busted næste gang! Dobbeltmoralsk?! - måske... Dog er Mader og Leth vildt undervurderede! Klasse kommentatorer! Jeg savner dem! Jeg skylder et citat:

Leth: "Se Mauris grin!" Mader: "Ja, den mand kan grine en vaskebjørn ned fra et træ..."

1. Morten Olsen - Ignorant dansk landstræner med forkærlighed for spillere, som har sin daglige gang i klubber på Sjælland.  Manden var en fantastisk fodboldspiller, men som træner halter det gevaldigt. Bare spørg i Køln og Amsterdam, eller tag et kig på de fyresedler, han fik med derfra!

Listen over de undervurderede sportsfolk følger snarrest

Et samarbejde der vil gå over i historien på højde med Potsdam-konferencen, CENTO-alliancen og Nykøbing-Falster Alliancen.

Denne serie af "artikler" vil omhandle over- og undervurderede elementer, trends og personligheder i denne komplekse verden, som vi nu betræder...

Første artikel i serien vil belyse sportsfolk og deres heltemod på banen eller mangel på samme... Det kan være folk, der egentlig bare er røvirriterende, eller sportsfolk, som af en eller anden grund ikke bliver sat pris på (Eller omvendt)...

Vi starter ud med de overvurderede i tilfældig rækkefølge og en gammel kending af dansk fodbold.

10. Morten Olsen - Koryfæ som spiller - Klovn som landstræner... Den landstræner bliver ved med at foretage nogle besynderlige valg, som fodbold-Danmark med god grund undrer sig over... Men det skulle ikke undre nogen, om DBU inden længe forlænger med manden til år 2027.

9. Liverpools førstehold + manager - I vinder jo ikke nogle trofæer... Indse det!

8. Joachim Boldsen - Okay, jeg må være ærlig og sige, at jeg ikke ved en hujende fis om håndbold, men i de kampe jeg har set, rendte en overvægtig fyr rundt på midten af banen, uden at bidrage med det helt store andet end at være langsom... Jeg kan tage fejl her, men I am the ruler on this blog!

7. Magnus Troest - Han bliver udråbt som en fremtidig landsholdsspiller, men manden er jo langsommere end min gamle tante Gertrud på 73... Selv Danny Califf kan sgu rende fra ham....!

6. Mads Vibe-Hastrup - Klarer han nogensinde cuttet?

5. Thomas Augustinussen - Langlemmet midtbanemand og ufarlig angriber.... Især overvurderet i Dobbelt-A...!

4. Per Frimann - Den tidligere Anderlecht spiller, hans fedladne ven Werge og de evige trekanter... Arrrgghhh!

3. Christophe Moreau - Fransk cyklings store håb gennem mange år.... Men udover at være kommet i kambolage med Carlos Sastre, huskes han ikke rigtig for det helt store...

2. Lawrie Sanchez - Den tidligere Fulham-manager, der egenhændigt kørte Fulham i sænk, er nu arbejdsløs, og jeg håber, han forbliver sådan...

1. Kim Aabech - Den eneste fodboldspiller i Superligaen, der har en højere fedtprocent end en blåhval.... Og så er han endda før blevet udtaget til landsholdet, hvilket forbinder en rød tråd mellem 1 og 10...

Sanchez - Wanker!

Så skifter vi bane og sender de undervurderede i aktion... En flok gæve professionelle, som gør deres arbejde til 12 uden at få den kredit, som de fortjener.. Første mand på listen er en rutineret mand i SAS-liga sammenhæng! 

10. Farlige Frank Kristensen - Manden er jo en goalmachine uden lige... Ronaldo, Totti og van Nistelrooy kan godt gå hjem og ligge sig, for der er en ny sheriff i byen... Har præsteret på Superliga niveau i flere sæsoner, og er formodentlig Superligaens bedste box-spiller.

9. Jens Voigt - Doping eller ej (Dog aldrig bevist vel og mærke)... Den her tyske jernmand er sgu beundringsværdig! Hans vanvittige suicideraids kort inde i etaperne har gjort ham elsket her på Das Zimmer, og hans lune humor får cykelpessimister til at glemme doping-problematikken for en stund..

8. Thomas Enevoldsen - Endnu engang overset til landsholdet... Hallo Morten Olsen...! Men hvad kan man forvente, når Olsen aldrig har sat sine fødder på det jyske fastland...

7. Skihoppere - Eminent teknik, elegant stil og professionalisme til fingerspidserne. Das Zimmer for once forstår ikke, hvorfor disse blændende sportsfolk ikke får den ros, de fortjener..

6. Kerstin Garefrekes - Hun drev Tyskland til sejr ved det "netop" overståede kvinde-VM i fodbold med indlæg bedre end Beckham, og den langlemmede tyske kantspiller drev også direkte i hjertet på Das Zimmer.

5. Jim Furyk - Klasse golfspiller, og den eneste golfspiller jeg nogensinde har vundet penge på.

4. Mark Philippoussis - Denne hårdtslående australier burde have vundet flere trofæer!! What happened man!

3. Tidiane Sane - Superligaens bedste pasningsspiller PUNKTUM

2. Energie Cottbus' spillere - I kan jo godt for pokker.. 2-0 over Bayern! Ikke dårligt...

1. Juan Arango - Venezuelas eneste superstjerne på lige fod med Danmarks Povl Kjøller, Englands Winston Churchill og Tysklands forhold til David Hasselhoff...

Tiger go home!

Das Zimmer direkte fra skihopbakken i Garmish-Partenkirchen blandt hoppere og Per Frimænd...

Et samarbejde mellem to blogs er opstået! Dette samarbejde vil revolutionere blogverdenen!

I den nærmeste fremtid vil et samarbejde mellem to stærke blog-brands - "Das Zimmer" og "Bach" være med til at revolutionere blogverdenen. Det er ikke første gang, at Bach's blog går forrest og revolutionerer folks opfattelse af blogs, og måden at bruge bloggen på - jeg behøver vist bare at sige "Strikes"...

Lad mig præsentere "Over/Under"!

Dette banebrydende koncept indbefatter kort fortalt, at vi med vores kyniske og skarpe dømmekraft, vil overskueligt gøre, hvilke ting/personer/trends, der er overvurderede og undervurderede. Gennem countdowns fra 10 til 1, vil forskellige lister løbende bumpe ind på vores blogs. Det kan være alt fra sportsfolk og politikere til madvarer og gadgets! Kort sagt: Mulighederne er ubegrænsede!

Samarbejdet er med til, at give et nuanceret billede af den virkelige verden, som vi så rigtigt fortolker og gennemskuer for jer! Vi er ikke altid enige, men én ting kan jeg love jer - vi er skarpe!

Bach - fra et mekka fyldt med elektrisk, banebrydende luft og skarpe countdowns, som vil revolutionere blogverdenen!

Over

With a .331 lifetime average, a .322 average in 2006, and a .298 post all-star break average last season, you would think .333 would be quite the hurdle for Ichiro in 2007. Nonetheless, Ichiro is still the best contact hitter in baseball, can put a ball in play as long as its anywhere near the strike zone, and can beat out more routine outs for base hits than anyone in baseball. Most importantly, Ichiro, who is still well into his peak at 33, enters a contract year, and knows topping .333 (and getting a hit once in at least every three at bats) combined with his superstardom status could land him one of the biggest paydays in baseball history. We all know he has batting practice power and he could start using more of it to showcase his all-around abilities, especially if the team is down and out as expected, and further boost his average rather than trying to leg out infield hits. He hit .358 with nobody on and nobody out last season, and that will likely make up a good portion of his ABs again in 2007. His .339 home average, the mediocre overall pitching talent of the AL West, and the fact that he's already eclipsed the elusive .333 average twice in his young MLB career further enhance his potential to do it again in '07.

2. Over/Under: 22 Home Runs - Barry Bonds

Over

Whether or not the majority of baseball fans will want to see Bonds' break Hank Aaron's career Home Run mark in 2007, breaking the record appears to be imminent. Bonds will struggle to get a consistent number of plate appearances and will struggle even more to get a good number at at-bats with the number of free passes he will receive, but considering he's much healthier than a year ago, he should get just as any chances as last season. Despite the slow start in 2006, he still beat out the mark of 22 HRs and finished with 12 HRs in the final two months of the season. He's got a better lineup around him, and while his overall skills may continue to deteriorate, he still has hiw power. I expect Bonds to beat this number by a pretty wide margin, assuming no legal actions are taken that force him to miss some regular season action.

3. Over/Under: 25 Stolen Bases - Shane Victorino

Under

Victorino is getting consideration as a trendy, up-and-coming sleeper pick by many experts and it's primarily because of his sensational speed. Unfortunately, he is one of the few guys whose speed on the basepaths and more notably in the field doesn't translate into very many stolen bases. He's only topped 25 SBs twice in his career (in A-ball in 2001 & in AA-ball in 2002), and since he's progressed, his totals have continued to shrink. His SB success rate is good, not great, and was only 4-for-7 in 153 games as a back-up/pinch-runner last season. As a starter, he'll get more opportunities and should easily improve upon that number, but based on his natural abilities and the fact that he'll probably be in more hit-and-run situations at the bottom of the lineup, expecting him to nab 25 on the season is aiming a bit too high.

4. Over/Under: 200 Strikeouts - Matt Cain

Over

Cain has averaged at least 7.5 strikeouts (and usually much more) per nine innings at every significant stop of his career, and assuming he stays healthy and makes his same 32 starts again in 2007 and has improved upon his durability with a full-season workload under his belt, breaking the 200 strikeout mark shouldn't be too difficult. Cain was kept on a short leash by the conservative Felipe Alou, but Bruce Bochy will likely keep him in games longer than Alou did and let him work well over 200 innings a la Jake Peavy in San Diego. Cain has some wicked stuff and very good velocity and before he tired out near season's end, he was averaging well over 1 K/IP in the second half. Cain is still developing which is scary and has shown he can be a dominant pitcher when he's on his game. Dominant pitchers rack up the strikeouts and with some good coaches helping him improve, his 179 strikeout total of a year ago should also significantly improve, and considering he averaged exactly 1 K/IP against divisional foes in '06, if he can top 200 innings, he certainly can top 200 Ks.

5. Over/Under: 36 Saves - Joe Borowski

Under

Borowski saved 36 games in 2006 for a Marlins club expected to the worst team in baseball. Borowski was coming off some significant injury problems, some ineffective stints as a Cub and a Devil Ray and got to salvage his career as a closer under close friend Joe Girardi. After reportedly failing a physical with the Phillies this offseason and signing with the Indians, with whom he has no close ties and will be on a much shorter leash on a competitive team, he will have the odds against him to match his save total of a year ago. Borowski topped 30 saves once before in his career, and how did he follow it up? By posting 9 saves and a 8.02 ERA the following year. Both Armando Benitez and Todd Jones recently put up stellar seasons as closer in Florida only to put up significantly less production elsewhere the following year. He'll be in a much more competitive division with much better offensive opponents in a much more offensive-minded league with much more offensive-friendly ballparks. His ERA should rise and it could result in enough blown saves to get him yanked early. The Indians don't have a good enough bullpen to get by with anything less than a lights out closer, which Borowski isn't on his best day, so a midseason replacement to further limit his potential to match last season's total is a very likely scenario as well.

1. Over/Under: 60 Home Runs - Ryan Howard

Under

Howard should only continue to improve his batting eye and technique after his first full season, and while I think one day he will top 60 HRs, I don't see it happening in 2007. Howard clobbered National League pitching right through September, with the majority of the damage done coming against his NL East rivals (29 HRs, 74 RBI), but with refining skills comes a sense of familiariy, from most notably, the NL East pitchers and pitching coaches, who will see the most of him this season. Of course, the great hitters adjust and Howard is a great hitter, and while I don't expect a regression, I think he'll have to make some adjustments to match his amazing production of a year ago. Another thing working against him is the increasing number of free passes he will receive (he was walked 31 times in 85 games before the All-Star break and 77 times in 75 games after). Without much protection behind him, he could continue to average one free pass a game (or more) in 2007, which could cost him almost 200 at-bats and hinder his chances of topping 60 HRs. The Braves and Marlins have both improved their pitching staffs, and while he should continue to clobber the Mets and Nationals, taking into less at-bats, more free passes, and a lack of protection behind him, I think Howard will top out at about 54-55 HRs in '07.

2. Over/Under: 130 RBI - Carlos Lee

Over

Remove Lee and Berkman from the heart of it, and the Astros may just have the worst lineup in all of baseball, offensively-speaking. Nevetheless, if Lee is plugged into the lineup behind Berkman, as planned, and if guys like Chris Burke (.276/.347/.418) and Luke Scott (.336/.426/.622) can hit half as well as they did last season, the top half of the lineup could be just potent enough to make up for the lack of production from the bottom part of the order. Not only will Lee get plenty of opportunities with men on base, he gets to do it in a hitter's dream park, against the mediocre pitching staffs of the NL Central, and should improve upon an impressive .331 batting average with RISP of a year ago. Lee is too good to be labeled a niche player, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a player better suited to be strictly an RBI-machine. Lee has topped 110 RBIs three times in the last four years in lesser lineups, so there's a good chance he could top 130 in '07, assuming Berkman doesn't steal too many opportunities away.

3. Over/Under: 15 Wins - Daisuke Matsuzaka

Over

Dice-K has quite a few things going for him, even if he doesn't live up to the hype. He's an unknown commodity with nasty stuff, who should certainly baffle batters at least the first time around. He's a savvy pitcher who can limit walks and use the Green Monster to his advantage. More importantly, he's got one of the most potent lineups in baseball behind him. The questionable bullpen could cost him a few victories, but if Josh Beckett could win 16 games with a 5.01 ERA and giving up 36 longballs on a 3rd place team, then as long as Matsuzaka can be Hideo Nomo-lite in '07, 15 victories shouldn't be too difficult. Consider the number of times he'll face the Devil Rays and Orioles, and the fact that he'll be matching up against opposing staff's #3/#4 starters for the most part, and Matsuzaka's rookie season should be a success.

4. Over/Under: 40 Saves - J.J. Putz

Under

We've seen relievers emerge from obscurity plenty of times before, but rarely have we seen one do it with a 104/13 K/BB ratio. Putz showed off some wicked stuff, along with an unsuspected amount of poise. He garnered 36 saves for the last-place Mariners, despite not officially taking over at closer until May. He dominated lefties and righties, home and away, and didn't hit a snare all season long. Can he top his unbelievable 2006 campaign? It's unlikely, but as close as you'll get to a white K-Rod, Putz doesn't look like a flash in the pan. Hitters will inevitably catch up with his stuff at some point and without a dominant 8th inning guy like Rafael Soriano in front of him, he could be facing a significantly less number of save opportunities. It doesn't help much that the Angels and Rangers tuned up their lineup and the Mariners should once again be in the cellar.

5. Over/Under: 5.00 ERA - Washington Nationals' Pitching Staff

Over

The Nationals have John Patterson (that's right the same John Patterson, who holds a career 17-20 record with a lifetime 4.09 ERA) penciled in as the ace. Patterson, who is a smart pitcher with good stuff, has shown flashes of brilliance, but is he an ace? Absolutely not. Will he hold his own? Quite possibly, but matching up against the best pitchers in the NL won't bode well, nor will having to face the potent lineups of the NL East. Sadly enough, behind Patterson, the Nats have four wide-open spots in the bullpen, likely to be handed out to inexperienced rookies and marginal retreads. The Nats had a team ERA of 5.03 last season, but with the staff only getting worse and likely to lose All-star closer Chad Cordero via trade at some point, this may be the worst pitching staff from top-to-bottom in all of baseball. They'll face some tough offenses and they could improve as the season goes on, but without any continuity in the rotation as well as a bullpen stalwart, this pitching staff could even flirt with a 6.00 team ERA.

1. Over/Under: 4,000 passing yards -- Peyton Manning

Over

Manning had 4,000 passing yards for six straight seasons before 2005, and while he didn't have his best year as a QB last year, his inability to reach 4,000 for the seventh straight season may have been more to do with the Colts playing the least amount of meaningful regular season games in Manning's career. Manning is still only 30 years old and well into his prime years, but the biggest concern this year is the loss of Edgerrin James. They re-upped on Reggie Wayne but the loss of James hurts their short-yardage passing game and could have a significantly adverse effect on the offense's ability to pick up the blitz. They have quite a few TEs who can produce in the short field and Joseph Addai has a decent set of hands, so they shouldn't fair too poorly in the short-yardage pass game. Unfortunately, Dominic Rhodes nor Addai are able to pick up the blitz like James did nor intimidate the defense enough to leave extra men in the box. Manning still threw for 4,000+ when James was gone and this offense is just as talented. They could use a legit 3rd WR and they'll certainly miss Edge, but my money is on Peyton reaching 4,000 yards again.

2. Over/Under: 2,000 all-purpose yards -- Tiki Barber

Over

As many of us have feared Tiki instantly hitting a wall overnight since he turned 30, he has done nothing but continually reduce our concerns to an absolute minimum week in and week out. He didn't have much mileage on him early in his career and he's in tremendous physical shape. He's only taken 300+ carries three times in his career and he has a career ypc of 4.6. Tiki is an elusive runner who has been maximized to reach his potential without being overused and he may have only peaked last season. He's still the #1 backfield receiver in the NFL and he has caught at least 50 passes for six straight years. He may lose goalline and short-yardage carries to Brandon Jacobs, but that will have minimal effect on his yardage totals and reduce his wear and tear. Manning loves to turn to him in the backfield and with Toomer aging faster than Barber, Tiki may see even more receptions come his way in 2006. Will he match last year's totals? I don't think so, but I still think he'll end up on the right sid3 of 2,000 total yards.

3. Over/Under: 100 receptions -- Steve Smith

Under

Somewhere between getting shut down by Terrence Newman and the Seahawks exploiting a defensive scheme that could limit Smith's abilities in the Panthers' offense, Carolina realized that Smith would have an unbelievably difficult time duplicating his numbers without some sort of noteworthy offensive addition. Keyshawn Johnson gives him that breathing room he needs and while I expect Keyshawn to serve more as a decoy, I don't think Smith will be able to achieve another 100 reception season. Drew Carter should have a bigger role in this offense and they have some good pass-catchers in the backfield. They'll still rely on Smith, but they'll need some more balance if they want to be successful. Smith had some unreal games in 2005 and he only finished with 103 receptions. I think Smith is well on his way to another solid season, but I'm setting the bar at 85-90 receptions.

4. Over/Under: 70 receptions -- Jermaine Wiggins

Over

Wiggins, who is built like a brick house, may not often earn terms like "explosive" or "dangerous," but Wiggins has caught 140 passes over the last two seasons and has even been able to churn out some extra yardage by running over defenders upon making the catch. He's a quality #2 TE, especially in point-per-reception leagues, and while Jim Kleinsasser may eat away at some receptions, Wiggins is an all-around solid player who should see plenty of reps in 2006. Not to mention, the Vikings will be converting to the West Coast Offense and will be relying on Brad Johnson's accuracy more than his arm strength, and Wiggins should be the go-to guy. Add in the fact that potential #1 WR Koren Robinson has been cut and the Vikings lack a legitimate 70-80 reception WR and Wiggins may improve upon his average of 70 receptions over the last two years. He could be a prime candidate to return obscurity, but he's carved himself a niche and he should be able to consistently beat out LBs and pick up plenty of dink and dunk passes from Johnson.

5. Over/Under: 10.0 sacks -- Mario Williams

Under

For those who have considered the Texans once-dreadful defense as a potential #2 Defense, I would rest on that notion for the time being. I love Mario Williams as much as anyone and I think he was the most talented defensive player in the draft, but he did do his collegiate damage against weaker opponents and needs to work on his consistency and stop taking plays off. I think he'll start off slow but he'll put up oslid season totals, likely in the range of 7.0-8.0 sacks. The 4-3 should work wonders with two solid bookends and a philosophy better suited for their current personnel, but the secondary still needs some work. I'd hold off on both the Texans defense and starting Mario Williams in IDP leagues for now, but there's nothing wrong with making Super Mario your #3 DE and stashing him away on the bench, that's for sure.