Now Joe is sure his readers fly to Vegas to wager legally, versus placing bets with the guy whose cell number changes every week. 

Regardless of how or why you wager, Joe knows there are many aspiring handicappers reading. So to please the gambling crowd, Joe has turned to superpicker Bob Fox. A writer for various sports publications over the years, Fox flashed his stellar picking skills back in 2008 on JoeBucsFan.com, when Joe had a contest here among sports media.

Fox gives you a handful of games here every week. To date, Fox is 25-15 on the season. Not too shabby.

By BOB FOX
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Miami Dolphins 20, Chicago Bears 17
 
Da Bears don’t have a great history in Miami. The only blemish on their magical 1985 Super Bowl winning season happened in a 38-24 loss to Dan Marino and the Fins on a Monday night there. Speaking of Super Bowls, the Bears lost Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17 a few years back…also in Miami. The Bears are 6-3 so far in 2010 and share the NFC North lead with the Packers. The reasons why? Defense and special teams, as the offense is ranked a putrid 29th in the NFL. The Chicago defense has been exceptional, as the Brian Urlacher led squad is ranked fourth in the NFL. Devin Hester is becoming a force again in the return game, plus the Bears are always solid on special teams. The offensive line of the Bears has been horrid in protecting QB Jay Cutler and also in run blocking as well. That does not bode well against the 5-4 Dolphins. Cutler has been sacked a NFL leading 30 times, and OLB Cameron Wade of the Fins is third in the NFL with 8.5 sacks, and overall Miami is 11th in the NFL in sacks and No. 8 in total defense. The Dolphins will most likely be starting third-string QB Tyler Thigpen after injuries last week to Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, but he should be able to utilize his weapons on offense like RB Ronnie Brown and WR Brandon Marshall, without making the mistakes that Cutler is prone to. Expect to see the Wildcat offense used quite a bit tonight by the Fins as well, even though the Bears play the standard run game very well (2nd in the NFL).
 
Ohio State Buckeyes 28, Iowa Hawkeyes 24
 
Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City is always one of the toughest places in the country to play college football. The 7-3 Hawkeyes are very tough at Kinnick, but they lost a bit of that luster after Wisconsin came there and beat them with a late touchdown four weeks ago. Except for their 37-6 thrashing of Michigan State three weeks ago (also at home), the Hawks have been very inconsistent. They lost to Northwestern last week at Evanston and almost fell to Indiana at Bloomington two weeks ago, only spared that distinction because a dropped TD pass by a Indiana WR. The 9-1 Buckeyes meanwhile, have bounced back from their loss to the Badgers in Madison by winning three straight games in convincing fashion, although Penn State scared them for a half last week in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 17th in the nation in offense led by QB Terrelle Pryor and are also second in the country in defense, while the Hawkeyes are ranked 45th in offense and 16th in defense. QB Ricky Stanzi of Iowa has had a great season thus far (22 TD passes to just 4 picks), but it was a late interception he threw last week against Northwestern that turned the game around. The Buckeyes are also 4-1 in their last five games at Iowa, and I expect them to stay at least even with Wisconsin and Michigan State for bragging rights in the Big Ten.
 
New England Patriots 27, Indianapolis Colts 23
 
The Patriots proved last Sunday night in Pittsburgh that they are indeed a team to be reckoned with in the AFC this year. QB Tom Brady was brilliant, as he threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns without being sacked. The Pats keep improving on offense behind Brady, as WR Wes Welker is now catching a lot of passes again, the rookie tandem of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have been superb at TE, and the running game has been solid behind BenJarvus Green-Ellis. The New England defense is only ranked 29th in the NFL, but it has a bend-but-not-break persona, as the Pats are 7-2 and lead the AFC East with the New York Jets. The Colts are 6-3 and are trying to stay afloat after a slew of injuries that has seen TE Dallas Clark (wrist) lost for the season, S Bob Sanders (biceps) not having played a down yet in 2010 and RB Joseph Addai (neck-shoulder) being held out for three games. In addition, the Colts also have many players questionable for the New England game, including DE Dwight Freeney, WR Austin Collie and RB Mike Hart. QB Peyton Manning has once again had a fantastic 2010 campaign, as he has thrown 16 TD passes to just four interceptions for a 93.9 QB rating, even with all the injuries around him. The Colts are ranked fourth in the NFL in offense and 18th in defense, but I see the Pats continuing the momentum they created last week in Pittsburgh as they will win another classic battle vs. the Colts.           
 
New York Giants 23, Philadelphia Eagles 20
 
Last week before their game against the Cowboys, the Giants were considered the toast of the NFC by the “experts.” Then the G-Men were embarrassed at home by the hapless (but talented) and one-win Dallas squad 33-20. The new flavor of the week in the NFC seems to be the Eagles (at least to the “experts” again), who really made the Redskins look ridiculously amateurish in a 59-28 beat down Monday night. A lot is at stake in this contest, as both teams are 6-3 atop the NFC East. Michael Vick has been near flawless this season. However, the Giants have the type of defense that can keep Vick somewhat in check. The Giants are fourth in the NFL in pass defense, plus are tied for eighth in the NFL in sacks and have the top ranked defense in the entire NFL. Look for a bounce back game for the Giants this week, as their performance last Sunday was disconcerting to say the least. Offensively, the Giants still have plenty of weapons to stay with the Eagles, led by QB Eli Manning, who has the Giant offense ranked No. 2 in the league. Philly can cause issues defensively, as the Eagles are ranked sixth in sacks and are 11th overall defensively in the NFL. But the Philadelphia offense is the main calling card of the Eagles, as they are ranked third in the league behind Vick. Still, I see the Giants getting a close win and confusing the “experts” once again.