Sports Betting

Talk to anyone in the Deep South and they'll tell you: when there's a freak winter storm, cities practically shut down.
People stock up on groceries and become terrified to venture outside lest they get hypothermia.
People in the north chuckle at such reactions since snow and freezing temperatures are endured, day-in and day-out, throughout the dreary winter months.
There is no denying that is takes time to acclimatize to the cold, and for this reason, there is a common belief that NFL teams based in the North have an advantage over teams from the South at this time of year.
As evidence, people point to success the New England Patriots have had up in Foxboro where games are often accompanied by snow storms and frigid temps.
There's also the old theory about the Miami Dolphins, who many say have difficulty beating northern teams during in the winter months. The fact that they haven't won the Super Bowl since 1974 is somewhat telling.
At the same time, there are many who argue that winter weather is of little consequence in the NFL, and that it's of equal disadvantage to both teams.
That said, it's hard to imagine the players from Jacksonville are looking forward to the weather that's in store for this Saturday night when they will face the Patriots in the AFC Wild Card at Gillette Stadium (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-30s, but could dip as low as 19 degrees. There is also expected to be a slight breeze that could make things feels even chillier. Fortunately for the Jags, there is a zero percent chance of precipitation.

Not surprisingly, the Jags scoff at the notion of being at a disadvantage weather-wise and point to their 20-14 win in Cleveland on Dec. 4. On that day, the temperature was 28 degrees dipping to 15 with the wind chill.
There was also the game last December at Lambeau Field, where they beat Brett Favre and the Packers 28-25. On that day it was 12 degrees on the frozen tundra with a wind chill that made it feel like minus-3.
"I don't think the weather will bother us," Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich told reporters this week. "It was 10 degrees in Green Bay. It cannot possibly get any colder than that, because at some point your body can't feel it. At some point, your whole body gets numb.
"Under 15 degrees, it doesn't matter if it is 10 degrees or -5 degrees, because it's cold."
Leftwich makes a good point, but bear in mind the Jags are not facing the Packers or the Browns, they're facing the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Patriots have won nine straight playoff games, which is tied for the NFL record. They've also won their last seven playoff games at home, including their past three at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots, who have recorded a 30-6 all-time record at Gillette Stadium, are listed as 7.5-point favorites for Saturday's game.
The Pats are 10-6 SU overall, 5-3 SU at home, and 8-8 ATS this season; the Jaguars are 12-4 SU overall, 6-2 SU on the road, and 9-5-2 ATS. The total for the game has been pegged at just 37. Yet both teams have seen most of their games go over the posted total this year. The Pats are 9-6-1 on the OVER/UNDER; the Jags are 10-5-1.
Another team that will be venturing into colder climes this weekend will be the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers will be in New Jersey to take on the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX).
The weather at Giants Stadium won't be as cold as in Foxboro, but it will certainly be colder than what Carolina is used to. Temps could dip into the 30s with winds gusting up to 19 mph. The probability of precipitation is 30 percent.
The Panthers haven't played a cold weather game since Nov. 27 when they beat the Bills 13-9 in Buffalo. Temperature on that day was a cool 41 degrees.
Because of the colder temps in East Rutherford, the field turf surface of Giants Stadium is expected to be harder come game time, something that might also favor the home team.
The Giants are listed as 2.5-point home favorites and the total has been set at 43. New York is 11-5 SU overall, 8-1 SU at home, and 10-5-1 ATS this season; the Panthers are 11-5 SU overall, 6-2 SU on the road, and 9-7 ATS.
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Sports Betting

I find it amusing that the football experts that we listen to on a daily and weekly basis, suddenly have changed their stance on the Cincinnati Bengals! I for one though, like their chances even more today, and then the rest of a America did last month.
This Sunday afternoon Marvin Lewis’s herd will host their division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers in the rubber match, with the winner moving on and the loser heading home.
Pittsburgh is 6-0 when Willie Parker rushes for at least 80 yards, and Cincinnati is 7-0 this season when Rudi Johnson runs for 90 or more.
In a 27-13 win at Cincinnati in Week 7, Parker had 131 of the Steelers' 221 rushing yards. Pittsburgh was held to 95 yards on the ground -- 71 by Parker -- in last month's loss to the Bengals.
Parker, one of the few Steelers who haven’t appeared in a playoff game, has rushed for 265 yards the last two weeks.
Besides having won their last four games at Cincinnati, the Steelers have won four straight road playoff games and have opened with a victory in their last seven trips to the postseason.
Maybe more important than those factors is Pittsburgh having so much more playoff experience, and having already been forced to take a playoff-like attitude the last four weeks. The Bengals had no such concerns, having taken control of the AFC North with a 38-31 win at Pittsburgh on Dec. 4 and clinching the division title two weeks later.
So why do I like the Bengals?
Their coach Marvin Lewis has been around this division a long time, if you take into account his years with the Ravens and this recent two game slide, is exactly what he needed to get his young players attention.
Cincinnati has the weapons on offense to move the ball against an average Pittsburgh team and they can handle Pittsburgh’s rushing attack with some adjustments. The big key is cornerback Delta O’Neil’s ability to shut down Hines Ward and force Roethlisberger to make a few mistakes.
My Pick: Cincinnati 27 Pittsburgh 17
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Sports Betting

The last time these two teams met we saw a close game that came down to a gamble at the end in a very exciting finish back in November. If you remember back to the game it was the one where the Skins blocked an extra-point try with less than a minute to play looking like they'd won the game by a point, but the yellow flag had fallen and the Skins were called for an offside penalty.
So the ball was placed inside the 2 yard line. At that point Gruden decided to take a gamble and try to run the ball in for a 2-point conversion and a one-point lead. We all know where it went from there. They got the 2 points and Gruden was a hero.

In that contest the Skins had lost to the Giants two weeks earlier and were getting ready to lose the next week to the Raiders (of all teams), but the Bucs were playing pretty good ball at the time beating Atlanta the next week, then losing to the Bears by a field goal, then beating the Saints and the Panthers.
So the point to be made is Bucs were playing good ball, Skins at the time were not. And they were playing good ball without much help from Carnell Williams. You have to remember the Cadillac had a few dings in it that week, and he was only able to average 2 yards a carry (this from a guy who's averaged 4.1 for the season). He'll run for many more this Saturday now that he's healthy again.
Of course not having the Cadillac at full force did open things up for Chris Simms who threw 3 touchdowns on the day. But Simms has never played in a playoff game (I'm sure he's been part of the excitement for quite a few of them, which may calm him down a little). We'll see how he does getting his first shot at the playoffs.
We look for both teams to rely heavily on the running game in this one. Don't expect a shoot-out this time around.
Oddsmakers are calling for another close game as they opened with Tampa as a 2-point favorite. That line has now been bet up to 2 1/2. The over/under opened at 37 1/2 and is now at 37.
Washington has won 5 straight both SU and ATS. It was a huge turnaround for a team that had lost 3 straight both SU and ATS before that nice run. Meanwhile, the Bucs have bounced back from their terrible performance against New England (getting whipped 28-0) to win their last 2 SU (1-1 ATS). The Skins have paid off OVER bettors the last 3 games while the Bucs have done the same their last 2.
I'll take the Skins + the points in this one!
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Sports Betting

While yesterday was New Year's day for most, it was "black monday" for many coaches around the NFL.
While one coaching departure was the direct result of a retirement (Dick Vermeil - KC) the other bon voyage's were less happier situations but much warranted on all accounts.
The Minnesota Vikings said goodbye to head coach Mike Tice which was no surprise to anybody that has any common sense whatsoever. This guy wasn't worthy of a head coaching position from the day he signed his contract and this all being said from a huge Vikings fan.
The Vikings came into this year with big expectations and even had people talking Super Bowl now that team cancer Randy Moss had retired. We can't credit Tice with the team completely missing the playoffs however he sure didn't help. Sex boat scandals, ticket scalping and a short list of other clown-like moves left some wondering how he even lasted until the end of the season!

The Rams said goodbye to offensive genius Mike Martz as well. This was somewhat of a sad move as this has more to do with his health than anything else. Martz is a great head coach and would probably still be with the Rams had he not had the health problem. Best of luck to you Mike, your a great coach.
How can one not feel sorry for Mike Sherman who leaves the Packers after he was left with very little to start the season and what he did have he lost to injury! Scapegoat anyone?
Dom Capers leaves the Houston Texans after having 4 years to get the expansion franchise off the ground. He had his chance, time to let somebody else step in and see what they can do with Reggie Bush assuming they don't trade that pick away.
Lastly, Jim Haslett hase been fired as well. We expected to see more from the Saints this year but between Deuce going down, the New Orleans flood and an underperforming Aaron Brooks, we can't really blame Jim for the Saints woes and frankly until they get rid of a poor decision making QB Brooks, their screwed.
Back later with more reports from the NFL as they happen!
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Sports Betting

This is a must read for novice sports bettors!
Betting the last week of the NFL season can be a real nightmare for novice football bettors. If you were one of many who logged into your Sunday morning to find some of the most unbelievable lines you've ever seen, your not alone and don't be embarassed if you got duped into playing those lines. Just be sure that you took it as a lesson learned.
Week 17 NFL wreaks havoc for many each and every year. The reason for this is that NFL teams in contention to make the playoffs or that are already in the playoffs with their home field locked up can present some SERIOUS situations in which there is no motivation to win at all or huge motivation to win.

With that being said, teams who have home field locked up and have nothing to gain will almost always sit their starters for either the whole game or half the game at the very minimum. A perfect example of this would be Week 17 of the 2005/2006 season when the red hot Seattle Seahawks opened as a minus 2 favorite at Lambeau Field vs. the Green Bay Packers. The line quickly dropped and then started going in Green Bay's favor with a gigantic 7 and a half point move all the way to -5.5 at gametime.
A novice bettor not aware of the fact that both QB Matt Hasselback and star RB Shaun Alexander along with all the rest of the starters and major cogs would be sitting after the first or second series of the game would view this as a dream line with Seattle getting 5.5 points. Naturally, the bettor can't contain himself and throws down a whopper on Seattle at +5.5. All the while, the Packers are the value play here despite having to lay the points. Seattle has no motivation to win and they want to protect their starters health for the playoffs so this puts them in a position where they really don't give a hoot if they lose the game. They just wanna get out of Lambeau healthy!
Another example from the 2005 week 17 season would be Cinci at Kansas City. KC needed Denver loss which happened the day before, they needed to win against Cinci and also need Pitt to lose in order to make the playoffs. With these cicrumstances in play, you can bet that they will bring their "A game" against a Cinci team that is already in the playoffs and had planned on sitting Carson Palmer and Rudi Johnson amongst others. The already hefty line actually went up even more making Cinci getting 10 points almost a no brainer to the average bettor. How could they kick butt all season long and not be able to cover a 9 or 10 point spread? Well, easy, motivated starters vs. 2nd and 3rd string players are an easy mark, even for a bad team.
We hope this article has better educated you to think twice before betting into fishy lines at the end of an NFL season. Always be sure to read the game previews which usually let a reader know if a team is fighting for playoff position, has thrown in the towel, or is going to be sitting their starters. It makes a huge difference and will better help you to explain the fishy line because something one will quickly figure out when betting on sports is that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! Investigate the spread and why it is so off kilter before chasing something that you are almost sure to get smoked on.
Good luck in your action!
http://www.sport-betting-links.com

Sports Betting

This is a must read for novice sports bettors!
Betting the last week of the NFL season can be a real nightmare for novice football bettors. If you were one of many who logged into your Sunday morning to find some of the most unbelievable lines you've ever seen, your not alone and don't be embarassed if you got duped into playing those lines. Just be sure that you took it as a lesson learned.
Week 17 NFL wreaks havoc for many each and every year. The reason for this is that NFL teams in contention to make the playoffs or that are already in the playoffs with their home field locked up can present some SERIOUS situations in which there is no motivation to win at all or huge motivation to win.

With that being said, teams who have home field locked up and have nothing to gain will almost always sit their starters for either the whole game or half the game at the very minimum. A perfect example of this would be Week 17 of the 2005/2006 season when the red hot Seattle Seahawks opened as a minus 2 favorite at Lambeau Field vs. the Green Bay Packers. The line quickly dropped and then started going in Green Bay's favor with a gigantic 7 and a half point move all the way to -5.5 at gametime.
A novice bettor not aware of the fact that both QB Matt Hasselback and star RB Shaun Alexander along with all the rest of the starters and major cogs would be sitting after the first or second series of the game would view this as a dream line with Seattle getting 5.5 points. Naturally, the bettor can't contain himself and throws down a whopper on Seattle at +5.5. All the while, the Packers are the value play here despite having to lay the points. Seattle has no motivation to win and they want to protect their starters health for the playoffs so this puts them in a position where they really don't give a hoot if they lose the game. They just wanna get out of Lambeau healthy!
Another example from the 2005 week 17 season would be Cinci at Kansas City. KC needed Denver loss which happened the day before, they needed to win against Cinci and also need Pitt to lose in order to make the playoffs. With these cicrumstances in play, you can bet that they will bring their "A game" against a Cinci team that is already in the playoffs and had planned on sitting Carson Palmer and Rudi Johnson amongst others. The already hefty line actually went up even more making Cinci getting 10 points almost a no brainer to the average bettor. How could they kick butt all season long and not be able to cover a 9 or 10 point spread? Well, easy, motivated starters vs. 2nd and 3rd string players are an easy mark, even for a bad team.
We hope this article has better educated you to think twice before betting into fishy lines at the end of an NFL season. Always be sure to read the game previews which usually let a reader know if a team is fighting for playoff position, has thrown in the towel, or is going to be sitting their starters. It makes a huge difference and will better help you to explain the fishy line because something one will quickly figure out when betting on sports is that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! Investigate the spread and why it is so off kilter before chasing something that you are almost sure to get smoked on.
Good luck in your action!
http://www.sport-betting-links.com

Sports Betting

NFL Football Handicapping
NFL Football Wagering PreviewThe final week of the National Football League's regular season kicked off on Saturday, but if you want to know which teams will still be playing after this week you'll need to tune in to Sunday's batch of games. Only one playoff spot is still up for grabs in the AFC, but the NFC still has three postseason slots being contested. Here's a look at four games that could have playoff implications: Carolina (10-5) at Atlanta (8-7) - 1:00 pm EST All the Carolina Panthers need to do to ensure themselves a spot in the playoffs is win. Of course, that same fact was true for the Panthers last week and they lost. Despite being labeled a Super Bowl dark horse at the beginning of the season, the Panthers may miss the postseason thanks to losing two of their last three games. If Carolina is to win on Sunday they might have to do it without running back DeShaun Foster. Foster is listed as questionable due to a toe injury, although he says he'll be ready to go come game time. A year after making it to the NFC Championship game the Atlanta Falcons won't even be headed to the postseason. In fact, the Falcons need a win this week to secure a winning record. Atlanta has lost their last two games, but should still have most of their regulars in the lineup Sunday as they try to play the spoiler versus Carolina. These two teams clashed back in Week 13 when Carolina defeated Atlanta 24-6 as a 3-point home favorite. The Panthers have garnered the oddsmakers' favor again, opening as a 4-point favorite. Cincinnati (11-4) at Kansas City (9-6) - 1:00 pm EST In Kansas City on Sunday the Chiefs could well be playing for their playoff lives while keeping a eye on the out-of-town scoreboard. The Chiefs need a victory over the Bengals Sunday and some help from the Lions, who must defeat Pittsburgh for Kansas City to advance. The Chiefs may have caught a break in this game, as Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer won't be 100 percent, if he takes the field at all while battling a groin injury. Running back Rudi Johnson is suffering from a knee injury, but isn't expected to miss any time on Sunday. Kansas City put themselves in position to get into the playoffs by dropping San Diego 20-7 last week. Larry Johnson continues to run over anyone who gets in his way, tallying 131 yards and a touchdown on the ground in that game. If the Chiefs' defense can keep the Bengals' defense from running up the score like they've shown they can do in the past, Johnson and company could run into the playoffs. With a little help from Detroit of course. Despite the Bengals' stellar season the Chiefs have been set as a 7-point favorite in this game. Washington (9-6) at Philadelphia (6-9) - 4:15 pm EST The Washington Redskins were left for dead a month ago, but then went undefeated in December to get back into the playoff hunt. Washington only needs a win over a disappointing Philadelphia Eagles squad this week to clinch a spot in the postseason. After back-to-back wins over Dallas and the New York Giants this would seem like a pretty easy task, with the Eagles missing the bulk of their starting offense from last year's team. But the Redskins were bit by the injury bug themselves last week, as quarterback Mark Brunell suffered a knee sprain that put him on the team's injury report. It looks like Brunell will be ready to go on Sunday, but if the knee acts up during the game the ball will be handed to Patrick Ramsay. Ramsay calmed down after some opening jitters after replacing Brunell last week, but with Clinton Portis and Santana Moss in the lineup either QB should be able to lead the Redskins' offense. The Eagles are a mess, and will have Mike McMahon leading the rest of the patchwork offense. Enough said there. The oddsmakers expect the Redskins to march into the playoffs after setting them as a 7-point favorite. St. Louis (5-10) at Dallas (9-6) - 8:30 pm EST The final game of the regular season between Dallas and St. Louis could be a shootout for a playoff spot, or it could be meaningless depending on how things go earlier in the day. The Cowboys' playoffs hopes are still alive, but they will be relying on other teams to get in. Bill Parcells' crew needs either Carolina or Washington to lose, and then post a win themselves to reach the postseason. With Dallas playing the late game Sunday night they'll know before kickoff whether they are playing a must-win game. Julius Jones stepped up in the Cowboys' contest last week, rushing for 194 yards and two touchdowns as Dallas defeated Carolina 24-20. After missing a game-tying field goal that was luckily overturned by a penalty, Dallas kicker Billy Cundiff was given the boot by Parcells and Shaun Suisham was re-signed after being let go earlier in the season. That was the fourth change Dallas has made at kicker, and might not be the last depending on what happens Sunday. The Rams have struggled to a 5-10 record this season after losing four straight and six of their last seven games. Last week's loss was especially embarrassing because it was the Rams' second of the season to lowly San Francisco. The only interesting tidbit for the Rams this week is that it may be the final game for Marshall Faulk in a St. Louis uniform. The former league MVP hasn't decided whether he will retire after the season, but either way his days in St. Louis appear to be over. The oddsmakers expect Dallas to get their much-needed win on Sunday night, after setting them as a 12.5-point favorite.
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