A lot of people are getting quite excited about the possibility of Michael Schumacher coming out of retirement to race for the new Mercedes F1 team (formerly known as champions Brawn) at the age of 41.

The German’s spokeswoman Sabine Kehm feels it is highly unlikely while Mercedes said at the weekend that “some speculations are nothing but dreams which will not come true” (although note the carmaker did not specifically say this particular piece of speculation was one of them).

Team principal Ross Brawn, who is currently on holiday, has been quoted by Germany’s Bild newspaper as saying that “the media are trying to put together a dream. Michael would have returned to the cockpit for Ferrari, but only temporarily. He has no ambitions to start a new career.”

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told the BBC on Sunday that he was “very doubtful” about any such comeback, however appealing it might be.

On the other hand, Kehm told Britain’s Times newspaper on Monday that “I can see a lot of tempting things in it for Michael, but I can also see a lot of non-tempting things. I don’t know.

“It is as it was in August when you couldn’t tell what was going to happen. Then I was convinced Michael would never come back and suddenly all the circumstances were right for him,” she added, referring to the champion’s abortive attempt to return as a stand-in for injured Brazilian Felipe Massa at Ferrari.

A Schumacher comeback has a lot of media appeal — witness all the stories — and not least because McLaren will have two British world champions next season in Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

That would revive the old Britain v Germany rivalry on a team level as well as a personal one.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug and the team’s chief executive Nick Fry both had chances to put the record straight about Schumacher in a conference call with reporters to announce Nico Rosberg’s signing on Monday and they ducked them.

One had to feel sorry for Rosberg, appearing for the first time as a Mercedes driver only for the opening question to be about Schumacher.

In fact, Haug actually stoked the speculation by suggesting that the second driver would be a very good news story for Formula One, just like the Mercedes takeover of Brawn and Rosberg’s signing.

It is hard to see how Nick Heidfeld or Adrian Sutil would fit that billing, even if they are also Germans.

The Brawn management response in itself rings alarm bells, although there could be any number of explanations.

One might be that Mercedes and Brawn, piqued by Button’s defection to McLaren last week, want to regain the media spotlight and such speculation does the trick.

Another could be that as soon as one driver is ruled out, the media bandwagon moves on and targets another. And it is always good for a team to show they have options to keep a lid on salary demands.

Or could it be, perhaps, that Schumi — who incidentally has a three-year consultancy agreement with Ferrari — really is a target? Time alone will tell.

PHOTO: Former Ferrari Formula One driver Michael Schumacher of Germany attends a news conference in Beijing, Nov. 3, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Americans customarily regard British heavyweights with the contempt they otherwise reserve for English weather, coffee and jazz.

They have good reason. Before David Haye upset the Russian giant Nikolai Valuev in Germany, only three Britons had held a generally recognised world title.

The first was Bob Fitzsimmons in the 19th century, the second was the over-rated Frank Bruno and the third the under-rated Lennox Lewis.

Lewis’s refusal to do any more than he needed to ensure victory irked the American boxing fraternity who like more flash and action from their fighters. However, the former Olympic champion eventually won their reluctant respect by defeating Evander Holyfield and demolishing a burnt-out Mike Tyson. He then demonstrated impeccable timing outside the ring as well as in by retiring in 2003 with his brains unscrambled and his fortune intact.

Among the heavyweights, only Americans Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano had previously retired while still world champion.

Now there is Haye, who has unexpectedly thrown open the division at just the right time for the United States where the sport is in danger of dying from boredom.

Before Saturday night, the four main heavyweight belts were held by Valuev and the Klitschko brothers from Ukraine. Neither WBC champion Vitali or younger brother Vladimir are as tedious as Valuev but neither do they hold a licence to thrill.

One world champion from the old eastern bloc would just about have been tolerated in the United States. Three is two too many.

Agents by the very nature of their trade must be treated with caution but Haye’s U.S. promoter Richard Schaefer could be excused his ebullient mood after Haye had triumphed in Nuremberg.

Schaefer predicted Haye could earn $120 million by fighting one of the Klitschko brothers in the United States, provided he survives his mandatory WBA title defence against American John Ruiz.

“This is the kind of event which is not a boxing event, it’s a global event,” said Schaefer. “If he comes and fights in the United States against one of the Klitschkos, I have no doubt that the total global receipts could be close to $120 million for one fight.

“David’s win was perfectly executed. Valuev is an amazing attraction but Haye is the start of a new generation. We have been waiting for somebody like him, with talent and charisma, to enter the heavyweight division.”

The sight of Valuev’s co-promoter Don King at ringside in Nuremburg, an anticipatory grin firmly in place as Haye celebrated, showed the wiliest operator in the sport realised the Briton’s box office potential. King, who switched his allegiance effortlessly from Joe Frazier to George Foreman after the latter had made no contest of their 1973 fight in Jamaica, said Haye “had put on a brilliant performance and executed it perfectly”.

“The Americans will embrace David because of his skills inside the ring but equally important are his skills outside the ring,” Schaefer said. “He is charismatic, he is good-looking, he is well-spoken. He knows how to entertain and that is what we were looking for, not just in the U.S. but around the world.

“The world has been waiting for a heavyweight champion who cannot just fight but who is charismatic and here he is and his name is David Haye.”

PHOTO: Britain’s David Haye, the new WBA heavyweight boxing world champion, speaks during a news conference in London November 9, 2009. REUTERS/Andrew Winning

Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst discovered that winning a World Cup as a player is no guarantee of success as a manager and Martin Johnson is beginning to feel the heat after a torrid first year at Twickenham.

His appointment as England “manager” was always going to be a risk, and one that he publicly accepted. Despite having absolutely no coaching experience Johnson was held in such high esteem by everyone in the game that it was felt by the RFU that his very presence would bring stability to the team.

The idea was that “Jonnho” would act as some sort of facilitator, and, as Clive Woodward did during England’s most successful period ever, leave the coaching to others.

Former head coach Brian Ashton, sacked after reaching the World Cup final and achieving England’s best Six Nations performance for five years, will no doubt be looking on and wondering just what progress has been made.

Attack coach Brian Smith has been added to the set-up and, as a man know for his inventive approach as a player and club coach, he must be stupendously disappointed with what England have served up under his tenure.

Forwards coach John Wells and defensive coach Mike Ford have been around for years, while scrum specialist Graham Rowntree admits he has been learning on the job after his rapid promotion through the ranks.

Johnson said he was frustrated by the amount of possession England kicked away against Australia and, particularly, Argentina, but surely the coaches influenced that tactic?

The backs would not have continually hoisted ineffective up and unders had Johnson and Smith sent them out with instructions to run the ball instead and many observers have said that England played as if they were waiting for instructions from the sidelines and terrified of making a mistake, let alone a decision.

The performance against Argentina was one of their worst for years and even Johnson had no complaints about the crowd booing his team off at halftime.

The 2003 World Cup-winning captain has had very little Press criticism despite winning only six of his 13 games and copping some record defeats along the way but that will not last for ever.

“Fortress Twickenham” has instead become somewhere for the Tri-Nations teams to fill their boots and with the All Blacks next in town on Saturday there seems little prospect of any immediate change.

The RFU have said Johnson is their man up to the 2011 World Cup and he is unlikely to be sacked anytime soon but that does not rule out the prospect of him making the decision for them.

As a player the mighty lock was the last man to walk away from a challenge but his love of England comes well ahead of his ego and if he feels that the team would do better without him he would surely have non qualms about stepping down.

It would be desperately sad to seem him go as it just feels right to have him around the England set-up but something is not working at the moment and something needs to change quickly if they are going to turn things round to become World Cup contenders in two years.

PHOTO: England’s coach Martin Johnson looks to the sky before the Argentina game at Twickenham, November 14, 2009. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Jenson Button has earned his rewards but he is still one of the lucky ones.

While the Formula One world champion faces the difficult decision of whether to go to McLaren on six million pounds a year or stay with Brawn/Mercedes for what still amounts to a salary of lottery proportions, other drivers are not so fortunate.

With the departure of leading manufacturers and the effects of the global credit crunch, next year’s starting grid will see the return in numbers of a once familiar species that has been almost extinct in recent years — the paying driver.

They may not be obvious, and all will have the mandatory super-licences, but they will be there nonetheless.

Brazilian Bruno Senna, nephew of the late triple champion Ayrton, has the name and the personality to get plenty of attention next year when he races for the new Campos Meta team.

He was also runner-up in GP2 last year.

Despite his attributes, he will still not be getting a salary from the team.

“They are not paying me. The way I am getting paid is from personal sponsors and sponsorship deals that we do with them,” he told Reuters. “I think I am in a privileged position where I don’t have to necessarily take money to the team to have a contract. Every other team I spoke to there was some sort of financial commitment to be done,” he added.

“I believe that every other (new) driver who is going into Formula One next year will either have to be part of the driver development programme or be taking some sponsorship in.”

Campos would like Senna’s team mate to be experienced Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa but he needs backers and that is proving difficult.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, backed by his country’s state oil company, and Russian Vitaly Petrov are well ahead of the McLaren reserve.

Part of taking the cost of competing back to the levels of the early 1990s also means taking the sport back to the days when wealthy individuals could secure a drive ahead of someone with maybe more to offer on the track but less in the bank.

Pedro Diniz, a Brazilian supermarket tycoon’s son, was a case in point.

Immortalised by the tabloid headline ‘Diniz in the Oven” after his car was engulfed in flames (he emerged unscathed), he scored 10 points in 98 starts with the occasional strong performance. He ended up with almost a cult following,  even if his fellow racers were less appreciative.

Money has always mattered in Formula One, as much as anything as a way of keeping the score. Just ask Bernie Ecclestone.

“I’m not motivated by money, but equally that is one of the ways drivers are ranked in the sport,” Britain’s 1996 champion Damon Hill said years ago. “And if you offer to drive for nothing, then that is your perceived worth as a Formula One driver.”

Button might second that.  Others, unfortunately, have less choice in the matter.

PHOTO: Bruno Senna of Brazil waits in Oreca 01 AIM during the last warm up session few hours before the Le Mans 24 Hour sportscar race in Le Mans, central France, in this June 13, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Bonehead move or brilliant gamble? Gutsy call or clueless mistake?

With the New England Patriots leading the surging Indianapolis Colts 34-28 with just over two minutes to play and staring at a fourth and two gamble on their own 28 yard line, was Bill Belichick’s decision to go for the first down rather than punt the ball away the right one?

The result, a shock 35-34 Colts comeback victory says Belichick made a boo boo.

Right or wrong, “The Call” sparked a debate more heated than healthcare reform across the United States on Monday and threatens to rage on for weeks to come as fans and commentators try to get inside one of the NFL’s greatest minds and get the answer to one question; “What was he thinking?”

Headlines Monday morning indicated many already had their answer.

“Beli-flop”screamed the headline in the New York Daily News while internet chat rooms were buzzing hailing Belichick “Bozo the Coach”.

Under cross-examination, Belichick stood by his decision but his body language as the final seconds ticked down on Sunday was saying something else like “What did I do?”

With Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on fire and the Patriots defence out of gas and ideas, Belichick put the game in the hands of his most trusted player quarterback Tom Brady.

But Brady could not convert the fourth down gamble and Manning made Belichick pay for his miscalculation, hitting Reggie Wayne with a one-yard touchdown pass to clinch an improbable win.

The Coaching for Dummies handbook says in such situations you punt the ball away and force Manning to march the length of the field to earn the victory.

Despite some witty headlines, Belichick has largely received a free pass on his call because of a resume that includes a long list of Super Bowl wins and his reputation as a coaching genius.

But most Monday morning quarterbacks said Belichick had a brain cramp.

Do you agree?

PHOTO 1: Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne (R) celebrates along with his team mate Dallas Clark (L) after making the crucial touchdown catch. REUTERS/Brent Smith

PHOTO 2: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks the sideline against the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter. REUTERS/Brent Smith  

Jenson Button’s eye-catching visit to McLaren on Friday is of obvious benefit to both parties, whatever the reality behind the headlines.

If a deal is done, the new Formula One champion gets the bigger salary that Brawn are reluctant or unable to pay as well as a potentially winning car for next season.

McLaren would get a line-up of champions that will appeal to global sponsors like Vodafone and show that they remain, along with Ferrari, a big hitting team that can always pull in the top talent.

At the very least, Button is able to send a clear message to Brawn that he has other, viable and possibly more lucrative, options and that they cannot assume he will just stay out of loyalty.

McLaren are similarly able to remind Kimi Raikkonen, until now widely considered the main choice to partner Lewis Hamilton, that they too have alternatives and that he should consider reducing his wage demands.

Raikkonen, their former driver who won the 2007 title with Ferrari and has now left the Italian team, was seen at the factory on Wednesday with his management.

But what if Brawn don’t blink, Raikkonen refuses to accept McLaren’s terms and Button signs up to join Hamilton?

Most people assume Brawn already have Germany’s Nico Rosberg signed up, even if it is not yet official, and Mercedes lined up to buy a majority stake.

Mercedes would not mind too much if a German suddenly became the main driver at Brawn and the team could easily find a suitable second string to push him hard enough to stay motivated.

Heikki Kovalainen, the Finn who would be pushed out of McLaren after being eclipsed by Hamilton, might be one such figure. He is a good team player, popular and capable of keeping Hamilton on his toes.

Germany’s Nick Heidfeld is also available after BMW’s pullout.

The downside for Brawn is losing Button’s coveted number one, with the impact that might have on would-be sponsors.

Button should be able to continue winning races at McLaren, who can expect to be a lot better next year than this, but there the downside is all his.

Hamilton has been a part of McLaren for more than a decade and he and the team fit together as snugly as a driver’s fireproof underwear. The 24-year-old Briton is also getting better and better.

“If I was Jenson, I would try to stay with Brawn even if Ross might pay him slightly less than McLaren,” retired triple champion Niki Lauda told the Guardian newspaper. ”Of course, if McLaren are going to pay a lot more, then he must go.

“But the other thing he must consider is that it is Lewis’s team and he needs to be sure he has the confidence to deal with this. It is a tough decision for Jenson and he needs to think it through carefully.”

Brawn said this week there was a 99 percent chance of Button staying.

He may be right but after Friday, you have to wonder.

PHOTO: Brawn GP Formula One driver Jenson Button of Britain celebrates his third place at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit November 1, 2009. REUTERS/Steve Crisp

Well, the Lineman was back on track last week with a satisfying 4-2 performance that should have been 5-1 (Come on, who would EVER pick the Bucs to do in the Pack). At first glance - and second - this looks the toughest test so far this season with compelling stats to go both ways on a number of games. But no sitting on the fence, so here we go.

Record: 29-25. Last week 4-2. Pick of the Week: 5-4

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Denver Broncos (6-2) at Washington Redskins (2-6) (Line Broncos minus 3 1/2) I was not one of those getting all gushy about the Broncos 6-0 start to the season and two straight losses — albeit to tough opponents — have brought the Mile High boys back to earth.

But like everyone else I have been far less than impressed with the dysfunctional Redskins, who brought a bingo caller out of retirement to call plays.

The Redskins opened the season with the Tour of the NFL Dregs and still gave the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs their only wins of the season so far. Things get tough from here on in.

Denver ’s defence is for real and can still cause havoc but quarterback Kyle Orton has struggled and the offence is sputtering putting just 17 points on the board the last two games, scoring one touchdown.

But if the Bronco attack has stalled the Redskins is in neutral averaging just 12 points a game at home and will be without running Clinton Portis, who will miss this one with a concussion.

The Redskins are at home and catch Denver coming off a short week but with the Chargers putting on the heat in the AFC West this is where the Broncos get back on track.

Take the Broncos and give up the 3 1/2

Atlanta Falcons (5-3) at Carolina Panthers (3-5) (Line Falcons minus 1 1/2) The Falcons have been on a bit of slide while the Panthers have been slowly clawing their way back up the NFC South standings after an 0-3 start.

Panthers QB Jake Delhomme still looks rattled but has at least stopped turning the ball over at every opportunity.

Both teams like to run the ball, the Panthers pounding it out behind DeAngelo Williams while Michael Turner has been a tank for the Falcons.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan can also go to the air with confidence throwing 13 TDs this season but every time Delhomme drops back to throw Panthers fans hold their breath and cover their eyes.

The Panthers have been sneaking up on the Falcons in the NFC South. Time to put some distance between them.

Falcons take flight, take Atlanta and give up the 1 1/2 points.

New Orleans Saints (8-0) at St. Louis Rams (1-7) (Line Saints minus 13 1/2) The Rams have had a bye week to savour and celebrate their only win of the season against the Lions but the party is over. I hope they enjoyed it because it’s back to being an NFL punching bag this week as the high-flying Saints march into town.

The Rams have played just three teams with winning records and have been outscored 115-16 and now they must face New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and the NFL’s most explosive offence.

Saints have the NFL’s top attack averaging 37.9 points a game and St. Louis the league’s worst at 9.6.

Let the fireworks begin.

Take the Saints and give up the 13 1/2 points.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) (Line Bengals plus 7 1/2) While the Patriots-Colts showdown is getting all the hype this NFC North matchup is as good as it gets.

This marquee matchup features two of the NFL’s nastiest defences and efficient offences.

Bengals Carson Palmer is finally looking like the quarterback we all wanted on our fantasy team a few years ago and Ben Roethlisberger just finds a way to “win baby”.

Rashard Mendenhall is supplying the running game the Steelers had been missing while the Bengals counter with rejuvenated Cedric Benson.

Palmer has wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who loves the big stage, as his favourite target while Big Ben chooses between Hines Ward and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes.

The Steelers come into this contest off a short week but the Super Bowl champions are always tough at home.

This one looks like a toss up to me, so the 7 1/2 points seem very generous.

Steelers could win, so could the Bengals - who cares.

Enjoy a great game and take Bengals and the 7 1/2.

Dallas Cowboys (6-2) at Green Bay Packers (4-4) (Line Cowboys minus 2 1/2) The Cowboys are hot, red hot and the Pack are cold, ice cold.

A few weeks ago Dallas was all in a panic wondering whether Tony Romo has the right man to be at the controls of America ’s team. It appears so. Romo has been on roll and so have the Cowboys ringing up four impressive wins topped by a 20-16 decision over the Eagles last week to go top in the NFC East.

Jason Witten provides Romo with a reliable target while Miles Austin provides the deep threat averaging a league best 22.7 yards a catch. Who needs Terrell Owens anyway.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has dangerous targets in Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, if he can stay on his feet long enough to find them.

Rodgers has been sacked a league high 37 times, including six last week in a shocking loss to the winless Buccaneers.

Rodgers can expect to spend much of Sunday running for his life or flat on his back as the Dallas pass rush led by DeMarcus Ware tees off on the Packers quarterback.

The Pack continue to suffer from a Brett Favre hangover.

Take the Cowboys and give up the 2 1/2.

Buffalo Bills (3-5) at Tennessee Titans (2-6) (Line Titans minus 6 1/2) The Titans have found their mojo with Vince Young taking over quarterbacking chores from an ineffective Kerry Collins and leading them to back-to-back wins. But it has been punishing running back Chris Johnson showing the way, the NFL’s leading rusher averaging more than 119 yards a game.

With convincing wins over the 49ers and Jaguars the Titans have looked a little bit like the team that won 13 games last season and believe they are capable of late push for a playoff spot.

The Bills are coming off a bye week and expect to have injured quarterback Trent Edwards back calling the plays but wide receiver Terrell Owens is on the limp..

Forget the Bills, remember the Titans.

Take Tennessee and give up the 6 1/2

Click on the video above for our latest look at the week’s sporting highlights, including an interview with Andre Agassi (in full Edith Piaf mode), the thoughts of Michael Phelps on his trial by textile and the almighty scrap for the last nine World Cup places.

As always, Sportswrap is presented by Owen Wyatt, written by Kevin Fylan and produced from our Canary Wharf HQ.

“Quiet Please”

What? Whaaaaaaat?

When, exactly, did sportsmen become so misophonic, that the almost-silent-not-quite-click of a digital camera shutter or camera phone could shatter their steely concentration. I must have wandered off that day, but it seems to have become the norm so that now spectators who fork out hard-earned money for a glimpse of their sporting heroes are slapped with the sporting equivalent of an ASBO for daring to snatch a permanent memory of their once-in-a-lifetime brush with their heroes.

“Not on my backswing…c’mon guys,” an exasperated Tiger Woods told spectators earlier this week at the Australian Masters.

Tiger’s playing partner Craig Parry went further. “The problem we find with the cameras is they’re taking shots during our swings. Spectators should know better than that. We’re telling them don’t take photos, don’t take photos, but it sort of goes in one ear and out the other,” he said.

But why shouldn’t fans take photos? Is a snapping — or, heaven forfend, cheering — fan so much of a distraction that a professional sportsman cannot hit a golf ball properly? Or throw a furry yellow ball into the air and swat it over a net?

What is wrong with these people? Learn to really concentrate and it won’t bother you. Or buy some earplugs.

Now if you could just be quiet please, I am TRYING to work. . .

Okay, the first string is back calling the shots this week after Week 8 backup CBall got pounded 1-5 (ouch).

CBall’s fumbles have left Team Lineman (6-0 in the Lineman’s last start in Week 7 in case anyone forgot) perilously close to the .500 mark but the big guy is back and so is the momentum as we head into the second half the schedule.

Record: 25-34. Last week: 1-5. Pick of the Week: 4-4

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Houston Texans (5-3) at Indianapolis Colts (7-0) (Line Texans plus 9 1/2) Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been red hot at the controls of the NFL’s top ranked passing game. But wait a second; who is that guy ahead of him leading the league in most yards passing and touchdown passes? Why it’s Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.

Texans monster wide receiver Andre Johnson is scary good and leads NFL with 697 yards on 44 catches but Manning’s favourite target Reggie Wayne has just eight yards less on 55 catches.

After a stuttering start to the season the Texans have won three straight and are 3-1 on the road so should not be intimidated coming into the “Big Oil Drum” Lucas Oil Stadium.

What is intimidating, however, is the Colts 13-1 record against the Texans and a surprisingly stingy defence that has surrendered just 13 points per game - tops in the league.

The Colts could remain unbeaten after Sunday but giving up 9 1/2 to a quality team finding its mojo is just too much.

Take the Texans and the 9 1/2.

Carolina Panthers (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (7-0) (Line Panthers plus 14 1/2) Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme went off the rails tossing five interceptions in a playoff loss to the Cardinals to end last season and has had problems getting back on track ever since.

After a 0-3 start, the Panthers have displayed some bite with three wins in their last four games but none have come against the type of quality opponent they will face on Sunday.

The Saints high-flying offence led by quarterback Drew Brees can score at will averaging a league best 39 points and 428 yards per game.

The New Orleans defence also knows how to find the end zone returning five interceptions for TDs — not good news for Delhomme who has been a turnover machine tossing 13 picks against just five touchdowns.

But Delhomme, a Louisiana native and former Saints backup, is 6-0 on visits to the Big Easy and is coming off his first turnover free game of the season with last week’s win over Arizona.

The Panthers also catch the Saints coming off a short week following a tough Monday night win over Atlanta.

Brees will be wary of a Panthers top ranked pass defence and defensive end Julius Peppers is a beast with six sacks in last four games.

The Saints march on but giving up two touchdowns is too much.

Take the Panthers and the 14 1/2.

Green Bay Packers (4-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7) (Line Packers minus 9 1/2) Tampa Bay will wear their vintage 1976 popsicle orange jerseys on Sunday which are sure to bring back memories of the bad old days of when the Bucs were the worst team in the NFL.

Oh wait, the winless Bucs are the worst team in the NFL…

Now that the Brett Favre homecoming circus is behind them, the Packers can focus all their attention on locking up an NFL wildcard spot.

Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is the NFL’s top rated QB but the Packers have had problems protecting their quarterback, who has been sacked a league high 31 times.

That however, should not be a concern against the Buccaneers, who couldn’t get to the passer with a road map.

Buccaneers are already onto their third quarterback this season handing rookie Josh Freeman the start.

The Pack enjoy a weekend in the sun.

Take Green Bay and give up the 9 1/2.

Detroit Lions (1-6) at Seattle Seahawks (2-5) (Line Seahawks minus-9 1/2) The beat up Seahawks have just two wins this season but both have been home blowouts, 41-0 over the Jaguars and 28-0 against the Rams.

The Lions make the long trip west to hostile Qwest Field where they have not won since 1999.

For the second consecutive season the Seahawks have been undone by injuries with a dozen starters missing one game or more but have more than enough manpower to handle the toothless Lions, who got dumped by winless St. Louis last week.

Despite having just two wins the Seahawks will be motivated as they remain very much in the hunt for a playoff spot in the weak NFC West sitting just two back of the front-running Cardinals.

Take the Seahawks and surrender the 9 1/2.

Tennessee Titans (1-6) at San Francisco 49ers (3-4) (Line 49ers minus 3 1/2) After a strong start to the season the 49ers have dropped three straight and need a win to keep the pressure on the NFC West leading Cards.

San Fran’s last two defeats to the Colts and Texans were by a combined seven points and this week return to Candlestick Park for their first home game in almost a month.

The NFL’s best team a year ago, the Titans finally got their first win last week over the Jaguars benching aging QB Kerry Collins in favour of Vince Young.

The running game is likely to provide the key to victory in this one with Titans Chris Johnson, who rushed for a franchise-record 228 yards against the Jaguars, going toe-to-toe against 49ers Frank Gore.

But San Francisco has the NFL’s second ranked rush defence yielding just over 84.9 yards a game.

Young and Johnson have provided the Titans with some spark but 49ers coach inspirational Mike Singletary will have his team even more fired up for this one.

Take the 49ers and give up the 3 1/2.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Denver Broncos (6-1) (Line Steelers minus 2 1/2) The well rested Steelers come off a bye week while the Broncos come into the Monday Nighter off their first loss of season.

The Broncos, who surprised everyone with their 6-0 start, came back to earth with thud falling to the Ravens and now face another tough challenge with the Super Bowl champions coming into Mile High riding a four game win streak.

The Steelers wildman safety Troy Polamalu is back to full fitness and creating havoc and all sorts of headaches for Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton.

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger can also expect a tough night going against a Broncos defence that has allowed just over 13 points a game and has 23 sacks.

But the Steelers tame the Broncos, who drop their second in a row.

Take the Steelers and give up the 2 1/2.

PHOTO: Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) looks down on the Tennessee Titans during second half of their NFL football game at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee September 20, 2009. REUTERS/M. J. Masotti Jr.