Hey Joe,
Sorry to see you are full of self-loathing. It's not healthy. Seek help. :thumb:
BTW - Madden made cheating synonymous with the Raiders. To Cheat [cheet] Show IPA=to deceive; influence by fraud; be an Oakland Raider; pull a Madden.
PROOF. Rule instituted by the NFL when Raider Player admitted CHEATING:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumble#NFL
The Holy Roller: The Oakland Raiders won a September 10, 1978, contest against divisional rivals the San Diego Chargers through another intentional fumble. With ten seconds left, down 20-14, quarterback Ken Stabler fumbled the ball forward to avoid being sacked at the Chargers' 15-yard line. Two other players, Pete Banaszak and Dave Casper, attempted to recover it but batted it forward when they could not. Finally it reached the end zone, where Casper fell on it for the tying touchdown, which cleared the way for the extra point that gave the Raiders the win. Officials decided to allow the touchdown on the grounds that the fumbles did not appear to be intentional and thus could not be considered forward passes, but Stabler freely admitted his was. Chargers fans have referred to the play as the Immaculate Deception ever since, and after the 1978 season, the NFL instituted the current rule that a forward fumble in the last two minutes of play (or on fourth down) can only be recovered and/or advanced by the player who originally fumbled.
Cheating by faking a fumble and batting it forward, sometimes heaving the ball many yards in the hope of gaining ground through a fumble recovery when a tackle appeared imminent was an OAKLAND RAIDER invention, and Raider quarterback, Ken Stabler admitted it. .
On paper, Houston cannot keep up with the Patriots especially now that both Gronkowski and Hernandez are healthy. Houston's strength is it's running game, which plays right into the defensive strength of the Patriots. If the Patriots Nate Solder can handle JJ Watt, which he generally did the last time they played, then it's going to be incredibly tough for the Texans to win. Brady has too many offensive weapons if he is not kept off his feet. Also, the Texans love to blitz, which plays into Brady's strength of reading defenses, and if either Welker or Gronkowski live up to their talent for finding the quick opening Brady will beat the blitz. Unless the Patriots cough up the ball, they will win.
In my view, 9.5 points are just about right. I would have taken the Patriots at as much as 10-11 points.
Cheers,
Merlot