The Dish: When 2-6 Is Favored To Beat 6-2
Strange, strange, strange line for the Steelers/Saints game at the Big Ketchup this weekend. New Orleans is 6-2, with an exciting aerial attack, visiting Pittsburgh, who's 2-6, and just gave up three touchdown passes to Jake Plummer. The Saints have the fourth-best passing offense in the game; the Steelers have allowed big days by Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick and Plummer. And the Steelers are favored by 4.5? Well, either the Wise Guys know something the rest of us don't, or the AFC is about 7,000 times better than the NFC. The Saints got cremated at home by Baltimore a couple weeks back, and squeaked past Cleveland in their only other game against an AFC team. The Steelers lost 41-38 at Atlanta (a team, granted, that the Saints pulverized) in a game where they lost their starting quarterback to a concussion. The combined record of the teams New Orleans has beaten is 18-30 (Cleveland, Green Bay, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay twice). The combined record of the teams that defending-champ Pittsburgh has lost to is 28-20 (Jacksonville, Cincinnati, San Diego, Atlanta, Oakland and Denver). Would the six best AFC teams all beat anyone the NFC could muster in a Super Bowl? Could be. Miami crushing Chicago at Solider Field last weekend certainly didn't make the NFC look good. But that huge upset came in a game where the Bears were double-digit favorites. This Saints/Steelers line is like a "pre-upset." Any time a 2-6 team topples a 6-2 team, no matter where the game is played, that's supposed to be a pretty big surprise, right? Evidently not. Like a lot of people, I was skeptical about Drew Brees's shoulder, about the New Orleans defense, about Joe Horn's health and Sean Payton's first season as a head coach. I still don't think they're an elite team, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them get knocked off in the first round of the playoffs. But I do think they'll be in the playoffs, which is more than I can say for Pittsburgh. Brees has made all the throws, WR Marques Colston is the Rookie of the Year to this point, and the defense has made enough plays in most games to keep the team close. If Pittsburgh really does topple New Orleans this weekend, there will be no more ringing condemnation of the NFC's quality, and that includes the Bears' disappointing performance last week. The Colts are the only defeated team in football. They're also on pace right now to be a historically bad run defense. They've given up the second-highest yards-per-carry to opposing running backs since 1960. Can this team win a championship? BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.ws : Yes, the Colts are undefeated and coming off big wins over Denver and New England the last two weeks, but this team can’t stop the run, and doesn’t have a consistent enough running game to worry teams come January. This has many believing that Indianapolis will be forced to win games in their vintage style, which is not enough to convince bookmakers that this season will end any better than in recent years. How has the action been for Sunday night games, compared to Monday night games this year, and what the "old" Monday night games on ABC used to do? Has Sunday night really taken over as "Football Night in America" in the gaming community? BDB, BoDog.ws : Sunday Night match-ups have been far more appealing than Monday night’s, but the action is, and will likely always be, significantly greater for Monday Night Football games. The reason for this is simple: Sunday night games have to compete against all the early NFL games and usually a full NBA card for bettors’ money, while Monday night games dominate what people can bet on. It's a mighty big if, but if Rutgers somehow upsets Louisville this week, and winds up going undefeated, do you think they'll play the Ohio State/Michigan winner for the national championship? BDB, BoDog.ws : We think that if a team comes out undefeated from a major conference, and there's no other undefeated team that can match their record, they should play for the National Championship. Is this fair? No; but this is not a flawless system where the two best teams play at the end. There are a couple of one-loss teams who can match up better vs. the winner of the Ohio State/Michigan game than Rutgers. The Florida Gators are the consensus pick to repeat as NCAA hoops champions. What do you think about the likelihood of that? If there's one team to unseat Florida, who would it be? BDB, BoDog.com ">BoDog.ws: Although it's unlikely that they'll repeat as NCAA basketball champions, the Gators will be better than they were during last year's regular season and earn a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Final Four is incredibly tough to win and they face long odds to repeat last March’s incredible run. It's possible, but only two preseason #1 ranked teams have won the NCAA Tournament in the last 10 years: UConn in 2004 and Kentucky in 1996. If any team can unseat them and cut down the nets at the end of the Tournament, Kansas looks like they present the greatest threat; the Jayhawks are loaded with talent everywhere and return all five starters from a team that won 15 of its final 17 games and captured the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com |
Other Football Betting Articles
College Football Week #1 Tennessee Back In This DoghouseI have never gone broke underestimating Phillip Fulmer.Over the last four seasons, the University of Tennessee has been one of the most vexing college football powerhouses in the nation. They were loaded on defense and had a potentially interesting quarterback tandem in '05, and went 5-6. They had an ...Online Poker Tools are to Online Poker Cheats, as Vitamins are to Steroids Online Poker Tools will help improve your play. Online Poker Cheats may improve your play. Online Poker Tools are legal to use at Online Poker Rooms. Online Poker Cheats are illegal and when detected your account will be closed, your money seized.Online Poker Tools definedAn Online Poker Tool is any ...The History of Bingo In Italy during the 1530s a lottery was invented that is still played in Italy every Saturday. This is where the game of Bingo originated. The game travelled to France in the 1770s and was initially played amongst wealthy Frenchmen. The game then travelled deeper into Europe reaching Germany, where they chose to use it as a tool to help their ch ...High Quality Poker Lessons Have you ever dreamed of playing poker with the professionals you see on TV? Maybe your wish is to learn absolutely everything about poker but you simply don't know where to get instructions from. It's best if you consider taking some poker lessons. Not only would it be a fun experience, but it will also provide you with all the information you ...World Cup 2006 Preview - Iran Outright Odds: 750/1 Group D Winners: 14/1Iran’s last appearance in the World Cup, back in 1998, produced a shock 2-1 victory over the United States, in what could have been described as a very diplomatic result. After qualifying emphatically for this year’s tournament, including a 2-1 home victory over Japan, Iran will be expected to ...If Anyone Is Cheating Please Raise Your Hand As the old saying goes, nobody likes a cheat. Depending on what the “cheat” in question is doing, forms of gambling dishonesty can be theft, lying, or other unpleasant titles associated with the practice of cheating.If this is so deceitful then why do people learn to count cards in blackjack, I hear you ask? The casinos consider this che ...Gambling Stories 101 A win at a gambling table can be fun narrating. The gambling is being popularized by word-of-mouth technique as there are many who have such success stories to share with the aspirants. These can be real fun but one has to actually win for getting started with such a story. Winning is not always easy. But experienced gamers do observe a lot and ...Sports Betting Truths The first ever recorded sports bets, took place on 10 September 1858, by two spectators watching a game between the Brooklyn Eckfords and the New York Mutuals, placed a 100$ bet as to whether or not John Holden would hit a home run. Holden himself was assured 25$ if he hit, he did and after the game all the debts were settled.In 1865 agai ...Football Betting: A Quick and Dirty History In years past, if a gambler wanted to bet on football he or she would place a wager with the neighborhood bookie. In the nineteen-sixties, in an effort to control what had become an enormous underground industry, the Federal Government legalized sports betting within the state of Nevada, and made it illegal everywhere else in the U.S. With the r ...Bookmaking Basics The role of a ‘bookie’, the common name of the person involved in bookmaking, is quite important in the world of gambling. The bookie is responsible for keeping track of all the bets in the game.The bookie can take bets on any professional events – election, races, college sports. Bookmaking has been prohibited been prohibited in the pas ...Playing Browser Based Poker (no download needed) Poker is a popular card game that has recently gained some public attention. Because of the various poker tournaments being shown on TV, poker has gained a resurgence of popularity that has gained the attention of many. And because poker has attracted a lot of new participants as its popularity continues to grow, more and more people are looking ...The Appeal of a Poker Website Do you love poker and wish that you could meet with your buddies each week for a poker game? Well, playing face to face on a regular basis is not always feasible. A poker website could fill in the gaps until you can see your poker buddies again for a face to face showdown.A poker website is also a great substitute for going to a physical ...Poker Affiliate Partners Even though there is such a huge range of poker affiliate partners now available, we are sure that a poker affiliate program is the ideal way to make your web site profitable.Currently, Poker sites make their money through a highly unique but hugely effective way, using a poker affiliate Partners program. Unlike in other online gaming ind ...Baseball Home Dogs The only thing better than cashing a winning ticket is cashing a winning ticket on an underdog. Especially in baseball. Home dogs offer outstanding betting value. You have to understand that daily baseball lines are based primarily on the starting pitchers. A good handicapper knows that starting pitchers are only one SMALL piece of the puzzle wh ...Cyndy Violette - The New Face of Poker Cyndy Violette, the vivacious forty-something poker star, is quickly becoming my favorite poker player. I think she is the prototype for all up and coming poker players.At almost any online chat room, when the question of who is the "hottest" female poker player surfaces; Ms. Violette's is quickly nominated. And yes, she is certainly "hot ...Texas Holdem Poker Pre-Flop Strategy - Six Tips to Help You Win A carefully thought out pre-flop strategy is essential if you are to win at Texas holdem poker.Here is a basic Texas holdem pre-flop strategy to get you off to a winning start:Tip 1 – Consider the Number of PlayersWith 10 people in the game, there is a greater chance of someone having a good hand, than in a game with a lesse ...Gambling Establishments Negatively Affect Our Community Gambling establishments continue to negatively affect our community by taking needed resources for personal gain. Since legalizing gambling, our society is addicted in one form or another.The following has situations have occurred since legalizing gambling: 1) Illegal gambling increases even though gambling has been legalized. ...Internet Football Sportsbook Betting on football games has changed dramatically from the time when bets were placed in back alleys. Now you can place your bets through a good internet football sportsbook that will not only let you place your bet, but give you the important information you need to know to bet intelligently. The best internet football sportsbook utilize exper ...Obtain the Right Betting Lines This is perhaps the most important online betting tip we can offer; shop for the best possible odds from the sportsbook sites.Take a look to the sportsbook sites:Register with as many as possible in order to have access to their gambling lines, and before placing any bet, check each sports betting lines to see who offers the ...Aardvark Poker! Stick Your Snout In, Suck Up The Goodies And Scarper What's the easiest way to win at online poker?My professional 'career' began several years ago, but it wasn't until 2004 that poker began to seriously pay its way.My strategy is blindingly simple. Most of the best theories are simple. But before I tell you how it works, let me tell you what I was doing before.Every da ...Online and Offshore: Online Casinos Skirt American Laws Online casinos are popular and becoming more so. It is estimated that 160 million people will be playing in online casinos by the year, 2020. According to Will Gatten of www.sportscrew.com, by 2008, online poker revenues – that’s just poker, not the other games like blackjack, craps, and roulette - will exceed $275 billion dollars, with not a ...Relocating to Tampa Bay – You're Going to Love It Here It’s no wonder that Florida’s Tampa Bay area has become such a popular choice for relocating adults and families to call home. The west coast of Florida has mile after mile of white, sandy beaches and magnificently, beautiful natural resources. These areas include the city of Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, as well as Palm Harbor, Tarpon Spri ...Play Omaha Online If you find yourself an Omaha poker fan lost in a world of Texas hold em only players, fear not. You can sign up for a poker site and play Omaha online. Even if none of your friends know the game you love so much, you still have a solution. You can play hold em with your friends and play Omaha online. All your friends play their favorite games a ...Halftime Betting for Football There are several different ways bettors use the halftime wager, but for the most part, they use it more as a hedge bet. No matter how you want to bet a halftime bet, it is just another fun way to bet.A quick example of a halftime wager:Lets say you have a bet on the Dolphins and Bills game. The Dolphins were favored by 3 and are u ...Free Internet Poker Room Okay so television shows are filled with ads for buying lottery tickets, scratchers and even ads for casinos. What if you don’t live close to a casino or want to buy lottery tickets? Playing cards, now that’s where the action is. You say to yourself, if only there were some place online, on the Internet, where I could play. Free. Yeah, like a ...How To Fund Your Online Casino Account If you are new to online casino gambling you may find this article useful as it explains the options available to you to fund your account.NETeller is the fastest way to be paid and to pay someone online. It is safe, secure and user-friendly. If you use more than one casino then Neteller is the way to transfer your money quickly and secur ...Tips for Sports Betting The following are some tips that can help you to earn big payouts from your sports bets online. Before placing a bet, collect as much information as possible. The best way to win as many bets as possible is to prepare in advance. Gain as much knowledge as you can of the sport you are betting on. Always look for updates on personnel changes, coac ...Poker Bluffing – A Novice Guide To Winning A well-timed bluff is the mark of the successful poker player, but most novices do not know how to do it correctly.Bluffing is one of the most important skills you can learn when you play poker and adds that touch of excitement that makes poker famous, but you need to know when to do it correctly and thats what this article is all about. ...Rhode Island Casinos Rhode Island is a coastal state that is home to two major casinos. Rhode Island casinos are known for their video lottery terminal or VLT's that are very popular with casino guests. The two casinos, Lincoln Park and Newport Grand are both open to gamblers over the age of 18. Rhode Island casinos offer a great get away for vacation or a weekend o ...
|
