Nick Parsons Available Picks

May, 12 2008 8:00pm EST
ATS: Georgia Force +4.5 (-120)
WIN for +2.5 unit(s)

Philadelphia Soul at Georgia Force

Play ON Georgia Force (+) vs Philadelphia @ 8:05 PM ET Not only did Philadelphias bid for an undefeated season come to an end last week, they also saw some developments that could hinder this team for the coming weeks. First off, at the quarterback spot, the Soul have some issues with QB Matt DOrazio getting knocked out of last weeks game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. That brought in Tony Graziani and he did a decent job shaking off the rust. However, neither one of these quarterbacks is 100% right now. DOrazio, because of the ankle injury, and Graziani, because hes missed a lot of time this season due to his own injury issues! That is why, even though the Soul have a fantastic WR tandem in Chris Jackson and Larry Brackins, they may not be able to get the ball in their hands as often as needed to be successful. As a result, the Soul are going to be hard pressed to keep up with a Georgia offense that has been producing quite well. The Force welcomed back WR Troy Bergeron last week after he had missed a game with a thigh injury. Bergeron combines with WR Tiger Jones to give the Force their own dynamic 1-2 punch. Jones is young but hes grown a lot this season and this was helped when he became the go-to guy with Bergeron being out due to his injury. As long as Georgia QB Chris Greisen has time to throw the ball, the Force should be able to move the ball quite well on Philly. The Soul do have a solid pass rush but the Georgia offensive line doesnt give up many sacks as Greisen gets rid of the ball quickly plus the linemen do provide solid blocking. Look for the Force to possibly also succeed with running the ball. They are not known for their ground attack but Georgia watched Cleveland score four rushing touchdowns against Philadelphia last week! As strong as the Souls defensive line is, they do rank near the bottom against the run as their strength is the pass rush. One of the things that helps the Soul pass rush is the fact that their secondary is a strength that makes the opposing quarterbacks hold onto the ball longer than theyd like to. However, that is not the case right now as the Soul have seen two of their three key players in the secondary go down with injuries. Mike Brown and Brian Mance are both on injured reserve and this is putting a lot of pressure on Eddie Moten. This Georgia team is growing with confidence as theyve made a strong push up the standings with better play in recent weeks. Couple that with having an experienced team and getting to host the Soul on Monday night in a nationally televised game and you have all the proper ingredients for an upset. Thats why this strong situation is the Monday Night Game of the Year!