First-Place Matchup Pits Titans, Jets
Football Betting Lines
11/21/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sometimes, excessive cleverness is simply unnecessary.
Though it seems a requirement of the weekly NFL preview writer to weave a thread of humor, wit or even sarcasm into each and every pre-game tapestry, every now and then it's just piling on.
And such is the case this weekend at LP Field in Nashville.
When the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans - oh, did we mention they were unbeaten? - host the AFC East-leading New York Jets (they still have that Favre fella calling signals, don't they?) on Sunday at 1pm, any attempt to wordily buoy the event on this end would be, well...gratuitous.
So instead, we'll just leave it to the professionals.
"The undefeated Titans are big, tough and opportunistic. Correction: Make that big, tough, opportunistic and confident. Very confident," said veteran Jets beat writer Rich Cimini, in Tuesday's editions of the New York Daily News.
"That's what will be waiting for the Jets Sunday in Nashville, where the AFC's two hottest teams will meet in what could be - dare we say it? - a January preview.
"For the second time in 11 months, the Jets will face the NFL's only undefeated team. This time, they're not a mosquito staring at an oncoming windshield."
Already winners in five of six games, Gang Green officially raised itself above splattered bug status one week ago by traveling to Gillette Stadium and hanging on for a 34-31 overtime decision over the host New England Patriots - a win that provided both division supremacy and mental exorcism.
At least temporarily, anyway.
This week, in the Titans, the Jets face something of a mirror image - a powerful, multi-pronged running game, a veteran gunslinger-turned-game manager at quarterback and a mammoth nose tackle leading a so-far dominant, if not-yet appreciated defense.
Tennessee reached double-digit wins in its own dramatic style last week, rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit at Jacksonville to defeat the Jaguars, 24-14.
Kerry Collins, who's guided the team since Vince Young's physical and emotional meltdown in Week 1, threw all three of his touchdown passes in the second half and finished off an efficient 13-for-23, 230-yard day with a decisive 38-yard strike to Justin Gage with 3:57 remaining.
Still, at least one Titan is preaching restraint in the midst of the hot start.
"We've got 10 wins," said right guard Jake Scott, who played with Indianapolis when the Colts began the 2005 season with 13 straight wins and wound up losing their initial playoff game.
"That's a lot. To go undefeated, we'd have to win nine more. We're just a little over halfway. You're not even in that ballpark yet."
Tennessee is the 11th team since 1970 to win its first 10 games and the third team to do so in the past four seasons. Seven of the first 10 reached the Super Bowl, with five winning.
"It definitely gives you that realization no one's going to lay down for you in this league," Scott said. "You can show up at the Super Bowl 18-0. No one's going to lay down and let you win the game."
A little recent history...last year's Patriots raced through the regular season and playoffs at 18-0, only to lose the Super Bowl to the Jets' roommates at the Meadowlands - the New York Giants.
"You have to earn it. That's something you kind of have to watch out for at the end of the season when you're playing Week 14, 15, 16 and 17," Scott said. "You've got to still make sure you're evaluating your own performance honestly and make sure you're still getting better."
SERIES HISTORY
The Titans own a 21-15-1 lead in the all-time regular season series with the Jets, including a 10-6 home victory when the teams met in Week 16 of last season. Prior to that win, Tennessee had lost all three head-to-head matchups with the Jets since relocating from Houston prior to the 1997 season, including a 23-16 home loss in the previous meeting, in Week 1 of the 2006 campaign.
The Jets lost their only all-time postseason matchup against the Titans/Oilers, losing 17-10 in a 1991 AFC First-Round Playoff from the Astrodome.
Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is 4-3 in his career against the Jets, with his 24-10 win in the final week of the 1994 season marking his first victory as an NFL head coach. The Jets' Eric Mangini is 1-1 against both Fisher and the Titans as a head coach.
WHEN THE JETS HAVE THE BALL
Evidence of his game-manageability, Favre has completed 40-of-52 passes for 425 yards, three touchdowns and a 119.5 passer rating in his past two starts, resulting in defeats of the Bills and Patriots. Including the postseason, his teams are 96-8 in games where he posts a rating of 100.0 or better. He is third in the conference with 18 touchdown passes and second with an overall passer rating of 93.0. On the ground, running back Thomas Jones leads the AFC with 854 rush yards and aims for a third consecutive 100-yard game. Jones has nine TDs in his past six games - 8 rushing, 1 receiving - and looks for a fifth straight game with at least one. His nine rush TDs overall are tied for third in the AFC and he's averaging 128.3 yards per game when carrying the ball at least 20 times in a game. Through the air, veteran Laveranues Coles caught eight balls for 153 yards in his lone career meeting against the Titans in 2006. Fellow wideout Jerricho Cotchery has faced Tennessee twice and has averaged 108.5 receiving yards per game. Meanwhile, rookie tight end Dustin Keller is emerging as Favre's crunch-time target. He's caught 14 passes for 194 yards and a TD in his last two games, including 12 passes for first-down yardage.
The Titans will present varied packages to Favre & Co., including man-to-man and zone defenses, along with mixtures of each. Tennessee's 15 interceptions on the season place it in a second-place tie in the league with Baltimore, one behind Green Bay at 16. Nose tackle Albert Haynesworth has a team-best seven sacks and will face a Jets offensive line that's allowed just four sacks in the last four games. End Dave Ball also seeks a fourth consecutive game with at least once sack. Overall, the Titans are 16-2 in games since 2006 where they record two or more interceptions, and are led by the trio of Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin and Chris Hope with a conference-best four INTs apiece. Cornerback Chris Carr recorded his first interception last week since October 2006.
WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL
Collins, a collegiate standout at Penn State who led Carolina to an NFC Championship Game and the Giants to a Super Bowl, has settled in nicely as the "you needn't win the game, but don't lose it" signal-caller and is 10-3 with Tennessee as a starter. He's completed 43-of-64 passes in his last two games, including five touchdowns, 519 yards and a 111.4 passer rating. Of course, he's leaned heavily on a rushing attack that's helped the team to a 17-3 mark since 2007 in games with 30 or more ground attempts. Rookie Chris Johnson is second in the AFC to New York's Jones with 787 rushing yards, while USC alum LenDale White has scored six times in his last five games. They'll both run behind center Kevin Mawae, who spent eight seasons with the Jets from 1998-2005. Through the air, Gage posted career highs in both yardage (147) and touchdowns (2) last week in Jacksonville, while tight end Bo Scaife needs three receptions to pass his 2007 career high of 46.
Long the Achilles heel of the team, the defense has more than held up its end in 2008, especially with the contributions of offseason newcomers Kris Jenkins and Calvin Pace. Jenkins, a nose tackle acquired in a trade with Carolina, has 2.5 sacks in his last two road games and has clogged up the middle while helping the team reach the league's top 10 in stopping the run. The Jets are third overall in the league with 34 sacks, led by a team-high seven from Shaun Ellis, though Collins has only been sacked five times this season. Second-year cornerback Darrelle Revis is tied for the AFC lead with four interceptions. Overall, the Jets are allowing 321 total yards per game and have a turnover margin of plus-1. However, they'll again be without leading 2007 tackler David Harris, who'll miss another week while recovering from recent surgery to mend an injured groin.
FANTASY FOCUS
For the Jets, Mssrs. Favre, Jones and Keller have elevated themselves to must- play roles, while Cotchery and Coles are possibilities and Leon Washington is a huge threat to either score prodigiously or be invisible. Defensively, Revis leads a sack-happy and ball-hawking bunch. For Tennessee, the runners have been solid if not individually prodigious, though having White down near the goal line often times results in short-yardage scores. Gage had a breakout week against the Jaguars and is the Titans' pass threat in a run-oriented offense. On the defense, Haynesworth is practical, if not fantasy gold, though a league-best turnover ratio (plus-10) provides plenty of reason to go with the Titans as a whole.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
If not for the presence of the Colts, Patriots, Steelers and Chargers and their long-time dominance of the AFC, this could legitimately be considered a Championship Sunday preview. In lieu of that, though, it's at least a statement game for a pair of teams wanting to be considered part of the upper class. The Jets were both magnificent and maddening in their downing of the Patriots last week, while the Titans - for at least the opening two quarters - gave plenty of fodder to those who still don't believe in spite of the 10-0 record. Each side presents matchup difficulties for the other, which could very well place the game in the hands of the veteran quarterbacks and on the toes of the serviceable kickers. In a repeat of last Thursday night, look for a late Favre drive and a clutch Jay Feely kick to be difference-makers.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Jets 17, Titans 14
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FOOTBALL BETTING LINES
NFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.