NFL Lines Pick – Washington at Arizona in NFC Battle

Two 2-1 preseason teams will try to finish on a high note tonight in Arizona as the Cardinals host the Redskins in the final warm-up game of the year.

The Cardinals might not need this one as much as the Redskins, who are trying to create a winning culture in the nation’s capital, but expect a spirited effort as plenty of roster spots are up for grabs in this NFL betting game.

Who has the edge going into this one?

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Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals

10 pm ET

NFL lines: Arizona favored at -5 ½.

The Cardinals’ situation has been widely reported today in papers and on websites across the country as word is that Matt Leinart may be on the trading block heading into the season. The former USC star may have a suitor in the Seattle Seahawks and his former college coach Pete Carroll but how he will respond in this one is another matter.

Leinart and other prideful, much-ballyhooed players of his ilk have a tendency to bounce back strong in the face of such rumors; the trouble for this NFL game as it relates to the NFL lines is that it’s anyone’s guess as to how much time Leinart will play in this one.

Most likely, bettors can count on a fair amount of time for Leinart, however, as he has been passed up by Derek Anderson and needs to be showcased.

With Donovan McNabb out for the ‘Skins and Rex Grossman entrenched as the number two guy who may have to start week 1 due to a McNabb injury, John Beck might play most of the game. Beck put up big numbers in college but hasn’t shown a lot in the NFL.

If Leinart plays a good deal he will give the Cardinals a big edge at quarterback and that could be a big edge for the Cardinals. But it’s not enough to justify the odds being as high as they are for a toss-up preseason game like this, however.

That means that the Redskins, who have a 4-2 all-time preseason edge against the Cardinals, are a good pick in this one despite their injuries and depleted depth.

They have a good amount of playmakers at wide receiver and some depth at the other offensive spots that should allow them to score against the second and third-team defenses of the Cards.

NFL lines pick: Washington Redskins (+5 ½).

NFL Line – Chargers Hope to Rebound in Preseason Finale

Those who challenge themselves against the NFL line know that the San Diego Chargers are not as bad as they showed last week in New Orleans, and this week they hope to rebound in the pre-season finale as they visit the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco 49ers, who are unbeaten so far. The game is slated to get underway at 10 PM ET at Candlestick Park (natural turf) in San Francisco, and offers an opportunity for fans to see two teams who could be in the post-season tournament. The Niners, the home squad, are a 3.5-point favorite in the NFL line, with the over-under on the game posted at 35.5 points.

San Diego Chargers (1-2 SU & ATS) at San Francisco 49ers (3-0 SU & ATS)

Live at Candlestick Park
Thursday, September 2 — 10 PM ET
TV:  KFMB San Diego, CBS 5 San Francisco 

NFL Line:
San Francisco -3.5
San Diego +3.5
Total  35.5

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It was a tough pill to swallow for the Chargers last week – getting beaten from pillar to post by the New Orleans Saints, who ran up 552 yards (423 through the air) in the 36-21 victory at the Superdome. The Saints scored 17 offensive points in the first half and 12 in the second half, and there were big plays all over the place.  The last one was a Leigh Torrence interception of backup quarterback Billy Volek that went for an 87-yard touchdown. No one in Charger-land is happy with all of that.

An added problem for this team, which is a -300 favorite in the NFL line to win the AFC West, is the drama involving wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who is a restricted free agent (tendered by the club), is under a three-game suspension after a DUI, and refuses to come into camp unless he gets a long-term deal. He has been granted permission to work out a trade with Seattle if he can, and other teams seem to be interested in him. Whichever way you slice it, his actions, along with the holdout of left tackle Marcus McNeill, have been a distraction.

Here are some of the trends as they impact our NFL online picks on this game:

• San Diego has played five of its last seven road games OVER the total
• San Francisco has won six of its last seven games SU
• San Francisco has covered four of its last five games

What is a little different about the 49ers on Thursday night is that they will not use Alex Smith, who was nine of 15 last week against Oakland. Instead, you’re going to hear from David Carr, who did not look good against Oakland but certainly did against Indianapolis (9-11, 98 yards, TD), and Nate Davis, the Ball State alum who was seven-for-16 against the Vikings a couple of weeks ago after completing five of six passes against the Colts in the opener.  News also came out of Niner camp about an altercation in practice between wide receiver Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis. I’m not sure that incident is particularly meaningful when it comes to the way we are looking at this NFL line tonight, since both of them have been sitting out with injuries anyway.

When considering one of my big (or small, as it were) NFL online picks, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I expect the Niners to play their starters for any considerable length of time, or that they will display any special ferocity in an attempt to win. The absence of the starting quarterback clues us in on that. But they do appear to be the kind of team that is looking to get a little momentum going as the season approaches, because with Kurt Warner leaving Arizona and a transition in Seattle, there is a very good chance for this team to win a division. Indeed, the NFL line on them capturing the NFC West and getting to the playoffs is -120. They’ve run the ball pretty well, and have stopped the run pretty well, and even though they may be going through the motions to some extent, Mike Singletary doesn’t mind keeping up the intensity to some extent in these exhibitions, so in turn I don’t mind laying more than a field goal with this team that has won six of its last seven pre-season contests. We’ll go with the favored Niners against the NFL line on Thursday.

JAY’S PLAY:  SAN FRANCISCO -3.5 **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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NFL Betting – One Last Stop As Texans Prepare For AFC Rise

It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, just ask Houston Texans’ head coach Gary Kubiak, who finally guided his team over the .500 hump to a nine-win season a year ago. Kubiak feels his team is finally ready to make a legitimate run at an AFC playoff spot after falling just short a year ago, a long road that continues this Thursday night when Houston welcomes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town for their final game of the preseason. 

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans
Thursday September 2, 2010 – 8:00 PM ET
Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Broadcast: KTRK
NFL Betting Odds: Buccaneers +2.5, Texans -2.5
Total: 36.5 

After years of contending in the NFC South with their trademark Tampa-2 defense and a formidable offense, the Buccaneers have hit a snag in the lining that led to their lowest win total of the decade a year ago. While a few key pieces remain from the 2007 and 2008 teams that won nine games, Tampa Bay simply did not have enough talent a year ago to compete in the same division as the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. The Buccaneers continue to search for the right pieces to get back in to contention in the crowded NFC South, but may be at least another year away from being considered a legitimate threat. Just as the Texans learned before breaking through last season, these things can take time. 

NFL Betting: What The Buccaneers Will Have To Do To Win 

Tampa Bay will be without starting quarterback Josh Freeman for their final contest of exhibition play after he suffered a fractured right thumb that was luckily nothing worse. Without Freeman, Josh Johnson will get the call again for the Buccaneers, looking to enforce the solid performance he put on against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 19-13 loss the previous weekend. Tampa Bay has shown signs of progress despite losing two of their three games this preseason, but will need an incredible effort to have a shot at scoring a .500 record. 

NFL Betting: What The Texans Will Have To Do To Win 

After losing two of the first three games of the preseason on the road, the Texans bounced back with a 23-7 statement win at home over the Dallas Cowboys, and could finish .500 by sweeping both home preseason games with a win this weekend. There is not much left to determine on a roster ready to compete for a playoff spot in the AFC this season, although tight end Owen Daniels could see some action after returning from the PUP list. Steve Slaton will likely sit with a strained toe, but a quality effort from the reserves should net Houston a home win.

NFL Betting: Outlook & Pick 

The Texans will open the regular season with a huge divisional home game against the Indianapolis Colts. However, even if Houston is caught looking ahead to the following week, they should still get by a weaker Buccaneers team. 

NFL Betting Game Predictions: Texans

Texans Over Buccaneers as Football Betting Favorites

The Houston Texans are football betting favorites to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Sept. 2nd. Both teams will be playing in their final NFL Preseason game of the year.

Houston is definitely going to rest their starters. The Buccaneers might or might not rest their starters because not a whole lot is expected of them this season.

Still, the Bucs will want to make sure that their defense, which wasn’t too bad in 2009, will be well rested for the regular season.

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That means that neither team, including the Bucs, are going to really go after it on Thursday night.

With both teams expected to sort of use the game as a glorified practice session, it makes things tough for football handicappers to find a football betting expert pick in this game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans

Where: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX

When: September 2nd, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST

TV: KTRK

Radio: Sirius – 161 (HOU)

NFL Betting Lines

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2 ½ -110 O 36 ½ -110

Houston Texans -2 ½ -110 U 36 ½ -110

I’m always curious when football betting odds are set in an NFL Preseason game and the odds start to change. I mean, this is the 4th NFL Preseason game. That usually means that no starters are likely to step onto the football field and take a snap.

Teams have precious little time between the 4th NFL Preseason game and the 1st NFL Regular Season game in which to get their teams ready. So, when the Houston Texans open as -3 faves and then move to -2 ½ faves, I begin to wonder exactly what sports gamblers are looking at that I’m missing.

So what do I do? I look at past history and try to find out if the Buccaneers, or Houston for that matter, has always, or more often than not, beaten the other team against the football betting point spread.

It turns out that since 2006 the Bucs and Texans have split 4 NFL Preseason games. The Bucs won in 2007 and 2008. The Texans won in 2006 and 2009. Those past stats don’t really help me any in determining the best bet to make on this game.

When it comes to 2010, the Texans lost their first 2 preseason games before beating the Dallas Cowboys 23 to 7. The Buccaneers lost to Miami 10 to 7, beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20 to 15 and then lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 19 to 13.

Neither team appears ready to win this game. I’m going to go ahead and forget about looking at the spread in my football betting game predictions in regard to this game and instead think about the total.

The total is 36 ½ points. Neither team has scored more than 23 points, Houston against the Cowboys last week, in any NFL Preseason game yet. Tampa Bay, in fact, hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a single NFL Preseason game yet.

Yes, the Bucs and Texans accounted for a total of 47 points in last year’s final NFL Preseason game, the Bucs scored 20 and the Texans scored 27, but I prefer to weight current stats a bit more. This year’s NFL Preseason stats say that the Bucs and Texans won’t put the ball into the end zone too many times on Thursday night.

Because of the current stats, I’m going to go ahead and go with the under in regards to the football betting odds. The total is 36 ½ points. I’m going with the under.

NFL Betting Pick: Under 36 ½ -110

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For This Week’s Football Picks, Few Better Than the Chiefs ATS

When it comes to this week’s NFL football picks, it’s going to be hard to find a better wager against the spread than the Kansas City Chiefs over the Green Bay Packers.

There are a number of reasons why the Chiefs are a big 5 ½ point favorite ATS against the Packers on Thursday night. The chief reason, no pun intended, is that Green Bay, without a doubt, is going to rest all of their starters on both offense and defense.

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The Packers understand that it’s going to be a very difficult, incredibly arduous, NFL Season.  Green Bay doesn’t want to put themselves into a hole by suffering an injury in order to satisfy those sports gamblers looking to make them one of the better NFL football online picks this Thursday night to cover the spread.

So, the Chiefs are the faves while the Packers sit and wait for next week.

 
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

Where:  Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

When:  September 2nd, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST

TV:  KCTV

Radio:  Sirius – 155 (GB), 147 (KC)

NFL Betting Lines

Green Bay Packers                 +5 ½ -110        O 40 ½ -110

Kansas City Chiefs                 -5 ½ -110         U 40 ½ -110

At first glance, based on the odds for all of Thursday’s potential football picks in the sportsbook, the Packers are an easy team to back.  After all, they haven’t scored less than 24 points in a single NFL Preseason game and put up 59 against the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 3 NFL Preseason game.

By contrast, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t scored more than 17 points in a single NFL Preseason game this season.  To make matters worse, the Chiefs haven’t won a single NFL Preseason game since 2008, when they won 2 out of 4, and are on a 7 game NFL Preseason game losing streak.
So sports handicappers can be forgiven if they aren’t making the Kansas Chiefs one of their better NFL football handicapping picks for Thursday night.  Giving up 5 ½ points is a lot.

Hey, I though about that.  I wondered why, exactly, the Chiefs, who haven’t won a preseason game in what feels like forever, are giving up 5 ½ to the Packers who have been brilliant in their last two NFL Preseason games. Then, it suddenly hit me.  The Packers have given up 27 points, 24 points and 24 points this season.

Although D-coordinator Dom Capers is known as a defensive genius, the Packers’ D just hasn’t been playing like a shut down defense during the preseason.  They probably aren’t going to play like a shutdown D on Thursday night either.

The Kansas Chiefs’ offense has actually gotten better as the games have gone on.  They scored only 10 points against Atlanta. Then, they scored 15 points against Tampa Bay and then 17 points against Philly last week.

As the Chiefs’ offense becomes more and more accustomed to Charlie Weiss’s play calling, they’ve become more and more successful at putting up points and moving the ball.  That’s likely to happen this week as well.

The Packers will hold back on offense, they know what they’ve got, while the Chiefs are probably going to go after it a bit since they need to continue to familiarize themselves with Weiss’s system.  Because of that, the Chiefs are a terrific football picks prediction to cover the spread on Thursday night. 
 
NFL Betting Pick:  Kansas City Chiefs -5 ½ -110

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Sources:  espn.com, tsn.com, covers.com, nfl.com   

NFL Betting – New Orleans Saints vs Tennessee Titans

The NFL betting season is upon us, and with it is an exciting Thursday night game from Tennessee. That’s where the defending Super Bowl champs will get their final tune-up, against Vince Young and the Titans.

New Orleans Saints (2-1 Preseason, 2-1 ATS) at Tennessee Titans (1-2 Preseason, 1-2 ATS)

Thursday, September 2: 8:00 p.m. LP Field, Nashville, TN

NFL Betting Lines:

New Orleans: +7 ½
Tennessee: -7 ½
Total Points: 41

New Orleans enters this game off a surprisingly strong preseason, and has shown no signs of a Super Bowl hangover. Entering this game, you could make the case that they’ve been the best NFL betting team so far.

Leading the charge of course is quarterback Drew Brees, who like the rest of his teammates, already appears to be in mid-season form. Brees was the key component behind a Saints offense that tallied a staggering 552 total yards last weekend against San Diego. In the game, the veteran QB tossed for 240 yards and touchdown, before being relieved by Patrick Ramsey. Rookie Chris Ivory led the ground game with 45 yards on 11 carries, while projected starter Pierre Thomas added 41 on seven carries. Again, this team is firing on all cylinders, and appears more than ready to start their season.

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On the opposite side of things are the Tennessee Titans, who had all sorts of trouble moving the ball last weekend against Carolina.

Obviously the key to this offense is the continued development of quarterback Vince Young, and unfortunately right now he’s still a work in progress. Against Carolina, Young did complete 6 of 9 passes, but the Titans weren’t able to get onto the scoreboard until late in the fourth quarter. Running back Chris Johnson was the star of stars last season, but hasn’t really seen much action this preseason. He carried the ball just one time for three yards last weekend. When making your NFL Betting Game Picks, don’t factor Johnson in much, he’ll be very limited Thursday.

And it’s because of that, the Saints have the advantage coming into this one. They’re getting more than a touchdown on the road, but have the defense to keep this one close. While this defense will never be considered one of the elite units in the league, they should keep Young and the Titans in check. Remember though, when making your NFL Betting Game Picks, star safety Darren Sharper (who had nine interceptions last year), won’t play because of a knee injury.

Still, with the way the offense is playing, it won’t matter. Because of it, take the Saints in the NFL Betting.

It really is crazy to think, but after three games, these Saints are playing as well, if not better, than they were at this time last year, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.

With their starters getting extended playing time, and Tennessee’s starters struggling, this one could get ugly in a hurry.

There’s only one play to make Thursday night. Take the Saints on the road in some exciting NFL Betting action!

Aaron’s Pick: New Orleans +7 ½  

Cover the NFL Line As Bears Shoot For First Preseason Win On Road Against Browns

The Chicago Bears will be slightly desperate to pick up their first preseason victory when they visit the rebuilding Cleveland Browns in each team’s preseason finale – and pro football gamblers everywhere could be that much better of in their efforts to cash in against the NFL Line thanks to Chicago’s desperation.

Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns
Live from Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, OH at 8:00 PM ET
TV: FOX, WKYC
Radio: Sirius 156 XM

NFL Betting Odds
Chicago Bears -3 +100
Cleveland Browns +3 -120
Over 36½ -110
Under 36½ -110

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Moneyline
Bears -145
Browns +125

Chicago Bears (0-3 SU, 0-3 ATS, 2-1 O/U)
The Bears have gone 0-3 SU and ATS against the NFL online line in the BetOnline Football Sportsbook this preseason and are coming off a dismal effort in its 14-9 home loss to Arizona on Saturday.

Chicago is just one of three winless teams this preseason and also lost to Oakland 32-17 in Week after falling to San Diego 25-10 in its preseason opener.

Chicago added veteran NFL coach Mike Martz to overhaul the team’s pitiful offense, but Chicago has averaged a dismal 12.0 points per game this preseason while allowing 23.7 points per game defensively.

Starting quarterback Jay Cutler went 10-for-20 for 129 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions against the Cardinals while the team’s defense allowed Derek Anderson and Matt Leinart to both throw TD passes for the Cardinals.

Cutler has completed 19-of-37 passes for 275 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the preseason while mostly running for his life when he wasn’t getting sacked a whopping 10 times.

Rookie backup Dan LeFevour will play when Cutler departs, probably at some point in the first quarter and recent addition, veteran signal-caller Todd Collins, could make his first appearance for Chicago as well.

Defensively for the Bears, linebackers Brian Urlacher (calf) and Lance Briggs (ankle) will both likely sit out.

Cleveland Browns (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS, 3-0 O/U)
The Browns have averaged a stellar 23.7 points per game this preseason, but unfortunately, they have allowed 26.0 points per game defensively.

The Browns performed well in their 35-27 loss to the Detroit Lions on Saturday while the Over has played out against the NFL game line in all three of Chicago’s preseason contests.

The Browns will either rest veteran starter Jake Delhomme (345 passing yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) and his veteran backup Seneca Wallace (230 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) or play both for a series or two at best.

Rookie signal-caller Colt McCoy and fifth-year pro Brett Ratliff (61 passing yards, 1 INT) will likely be fighting for the team’s third-string spot on the roster.

Analysis: I’ll get right to the point on this one by saying that I fully expect the Cleveland Browns to cover the NFL line tonight and hand the Chicago Bears their fourth straight preseason loss.

The Bears have some serious problems that are going to get head coach Lovie Smith fired, either at some point during the regular season – or shortly thereafter, likely paving the way for Martz to replace him.

I know the Browns have dropped two straight postseason games and will play both of their veteran quarterbacks the bare minimum, but Chicago’s inability to get the ball in the end zone this preseason – or block competently for Jay Cutler, tells me the Bears are going to be in serious trouble once the regular season starts.

Play the Browns to cover the NFL line as a 3-point home underdog while the Under plays out.

All 32 NFL teams will have until 6:00 PM ET on Saturday evening to trim their rosters to the 53-player maximum.

The Browns visit Tampa Bay on Sept. 12 in their 2010 regular season opener while the Bears host the Detroit Lions on the same day.

Expert NFL Pick: Browns +3 Points/Under 36½ Total Points

Sources: nfl.com, covers.com, wagertracker.com, the sportsnetwork.com

Football Spread Says that Da Bears Blast the Browns

The NFL football spread in the sportsbook says that the Chicago Bears should blast the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, September 2nd.

Okay, maybe the word “blast” is a bit harsh. The Bears are only favored by 3 points and the Browns are at +3 -120, instead of +3 -110, meaning that the odds makers obviously feel that the Browns could upset the Bears against the spread in this game.

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Cleveland hasn’t been too bad during the preseason although they have lost 2 out of 3 games.  The Bears have lost all 3 of their NFL preseason games but reputation goes a long way in the NFL and the Bears have the better reputation.

Will the Bears reputation translate into a victory against the football game spread?

Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns

Where:  Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH
When:  September 2nd, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST
TV:  FOX, WKYC
Radio:  Sirius – 156 (CLE)

NFL Betting Lines

Chicago Bears                         -3 +100            O 36 ½  -110

Cleveland Browns                  -3 -120             U 36 ½  -110

The football spread tells us that neither the Bears nor the Browns are an optimum pick to cover in this game.

If the Bears were a “big favorite” ATS, then they’d be going off at -3 -110 instead of -3 +100.  Risking -120 in order to get 3 points on the home team in an NFL Preseason game just doesn’t appeal to me.

But this is no regular season NFL Preseason game.  The Browns and Bears almost always face each other in the final preseason game and each time…well, each time things appear to be different than the time before.

In 2006, Cleveland lost to Chicago 20 to 7.  In 2007, Cleveland beat Chicago 19 to 9.  In 2008, Cleveland lost to Chicago 16 to 10.  Then last season the Browns lost again to Chicago 26 to 23.

The crazy thing is that in 2009 the Chicago Bears went into their final NFL Preseason game having won their last 2 games. Not so this season. This season, the Bears have lost 3 preseason games in a row while Cleveland has lost 2 in a row after beating the Green Bay Packers in the first NFL Preseason game 27 to 24. 

What does all of these stats mean?  Absolutely nothing when it comes to the football spread. There just isn’t enough data to tell us whether or not the Browns are a better wager ATS or the Bears are a better wager ATS.  There isn’t enough data to tell us whether or not the Browns will put up points and the Bears won’t or the Bears will put up points and the Browns won’t or neither team will put up points.

In other words, a strong opinion can’t really be made on any wager being offered in the sportsbook, hence, the strange against the spread betting line.

What should a sports gambler do when he can’t make a real opinionated wager based on facts?  Well, he should go with the wager that offers the best value.  Since I don’t have a strong opinion on what might happen in this game, I’m going to back the Bears at -3 +100.  To me, the Bears could definitely cover the spread in this game and +100 is much more favorable to my bankroll than -120.

That’s the football prediction I’m going with.  The Bears to cover the spread.

NFL Betting Pick:  Chicago Bears -3 +100

Sources:  espn.com, tsn.com, covers.com, nfl.com

NFL Betting – Dolphins and Cowboys in Final Preseason Play

This NFL Betting preview features the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins in the final tune up game for both ball clubs before the NFL regular season kicks off a week from today. Both clubs have some kinks to work out as the Cowboys will try and polish up an offense that hasn’t looked all that sharp this preseason, while the Dolphins are coming off a lacklustre 16-6 loss to the Falcons last week. Below is the NFL Betting Odds.

Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys ( Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, TX)

Thursday September 2 nd at 8 PM ET – TV: WFOR, KIVT

NFL Lines:

Miami – PS -1 ½ (-110)

Pittsburgh – PS +1 ½ (-110)

Total - 37

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The Cowboys welcome the Dolphins to town with hopes of kick starting some offensive momentum that will carry them into a season that has very high aspirations. Expectations are always high, but the Dallas just happens to be hosting the Super Bowl this year and you know Jerry Jones wants to be all over that game. It just so happens that no team has ever won the Holy Grail of football when they are the host city, so the Cowboys would be making history IF they were able to do so.

That offensive spark is going to have to come from the second unit as Wade Phillips has come out and stated that his starters will not play in the final preseason game, which means Romo and the first-string will have to wait until the preseason to prove if they’re even a Super Bowl calibre team. It is customary for Phillips to do so, but fresh off an embarrassing 23-7 loss to the Houston Texans last week, you would think they need the work. Romo was charged with two turnovers and was unable to generate a scoring drive, so he must have had an NFL betting pick on the Texans in that one.

One guy that Dallas Cowboys fans were hoping to see get to see was their first round draft pick, Dez Bryant. It was rumoured that Bryant was going to get his first action of the preseason on Thursday, but Jerry Jones squashed that abruptly when he said Bryant would only go if the first-unit was playing. The speedy wideout went down on July 30 th with a high-ankle sprain and has been sidelined ever since.

I understand that you don’t want to take any unnecessary risks, but they should give the kid a few series’ to at least get his feet wet before their Week 1 clash with the Washington Redskins. But with an offensive line that looks very questionable at the moment, thanks to injuries to tackle Marc Colombo and guard Kyle Kosier who are both missing time with knee injuries, and it is understandable why Jones and Phillips are saving the starters for Week 1 of the NFL Betting season.

Tony Sparano is likely to follow the same pattern as Phillips and rest the majority of his starters. There is still a battle for the number two spot as both Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen are vying for backup duties. Pat White is also in the mix but he has yet to show very much in camp and may be let loose when final cuts are made.

With both teams not likely to play their number one guys, it’s a battle of the benches. With so many issues on the Cowboys front end, I don’t see how they get much of anything going. With a competitive quarterback battle still raging in Miami, look for the Miami Dolphins to come out on top of the NFL Betting game spread in this one.

NFL Betting Prediction: Miami (-1 ½) -110

NFL Football Spread – Broncos vs Vikings

The Vikings are continuing to search for a glimpse of last year’s magic, as they play their preseason football spread finale at home against the Denver Broncos.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Denver Broncos

Live from Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome – Minnesota

Kickoff: 8:00 pm EST Thursday, September 2, 2010

TV/Radio: KCNC, KARE

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NFL Game Odds:

Minnesota Vikings -4.5

Denver Broncos +4.5

Total 35

Much of the credit of the Vikings success last season will be attributed to the acquisition of Brett Favre, but what many NFL bettors don’t realize is that Minnesota also had one of the best defenses in the entire NFL.

The Vikings defensive unit allowed just 1,394 rushing yards all season (2nd in the league) and only 4,888 total yards (6 th) in 2009.

Minnesota returns the majority of its starters on the defensive side of the ball for the 2010-11 football spread season in hopes of reaching the Super Bowl after coming up just shy against New Orleans in the NFC Championship game last year.

Denver’s defense performed mutually in 2009, giving up a mere 2,981 passing yards (3rd in the NFL) and 5,040 total yards (7th).

Although Denver’s offense also appears to be performing well thus far in the 2010-11 football betting preseason, the unit still has some major uncertainties to deal with.

The Broncos are juggling three quarterbacks after trading for Brady Quinn and drafting Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to join existing starter Kyle Orton.

In addition, Denver has spiced up its backfield situation by recently acquiring running back LenDale White when Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter suffered injuries in the same practice.

The Minnesota Vikings meanwhile, are looking for some answers at receiver, upon news that Sidney Rice will undergo hip surgery and miss at least the first six weeks of the regular football spread season.

To boot, wide receiver Percy Harvin continues to have extreme migraines, a condition which plagued him for most of last season causing him to miss time. Harvin recently sought medical attention from a specialist for treatment.

Marshall Mention: Minnesota has not given up more than 15 points in any game this entire preseason.

NFL Football Spread Pick: Under 35

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