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Peyton Manning Playing for Another Team in 2012? Bet on It!
by Alan Matthews - 2/2/2012

You knew it was inevitable, but unfortunately a player who didn’t even suit up this year is stealing most of the attention before Super Bowl XLVI. And, of course, I mean Peyton Manning and his very tenuous future with the Colts – not to mention if he can even play again after sitting this season out due to another neck surgery.
Read more about Peyton Manning Playing for Another Team?.

Peyton Manning Overshadowing Super Bowl
by Trevor Whenham - 2/1/2012

The scenario was supposed to play out like a fairy tale. The Super Bowl was set for the non-traditional setting of Indianapolis. The Colts have the best quarterback on the planet. He was supposed to lead his team to a victory at home.
Read more about Peyton Manning Overshadowing Super Bowl.

NFL Playoffs Betting Advice: Handicapping the Quarterbacks
by Trevor Whenham - 1/20/2012

There are four teams left in the NFL Playoff bracket. That means there are four starting quarterbacks left. In a league in which bettors care about nothing more than quarterbacks, those four men have more focus on them than anyone in the sports world right now. With that in mind, it seems like a good idea to take an inventory of what these four guys offer from a betting perspective. A lot of it obviously isn’t rocket science, but it is helpful to see it all in one place:
Read more about NFL Playoffs Betting Advice: Handicapping the Quarterbacks.

NFL Conference Championship Odds: Betting Props and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/20/2012

Ok, then, 0-for-6, on the “most” props on Bovada so far in these playoffs. At least I know I can’t go against Drew Brees to throw for the most yards this week with the New Orleans Saints being shocked in San Francisco last weekend. On the most rushing yards for the divisional round, I didn’t like the favored Ray Rice of the Ravens and at least that was wise.
Read more about NFL Conference Championship Odds: Betting Props and Predictions.

NFL Props Odds and Predictions: The Colts’ Next Head Coach
by Alan Matthews - 1/18/2012

Well, I knew it was coming. I just wish it had happened between the final Sunday of the NFL’s regular season and the first wild-card weekend playoff game when I recommended an ‘over/under’ of head coaches fired prop at Bovada for that stretch.
Read more about NFL Props Odds and Predictions: The Colts’ Next Head Coach.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 1/18/2012

It's Final Four time in the NFL, also known as conference championship weekend, which means that Sunday night we'll know the matchup for Super Bowl XLVI (that's 46 for all you non-Romans out there). As far as last weekend was concerned there were several interesting numbers to come out of it, like four, which was the number of touchdowns the Saints and 49ers combined to score in the last four minutes of their divisional-round thriller; and six, as in the number of touchdown passes Tom Brady threw vs. Denver; and three, as in the number of points the Ravens and Texans combined to score in the second half of their game; and 12, which was the average number of beers it took the average Packer fan to drown his sorrows after the loss to the Giants.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

AFC Championship Game Picks: Ravens at Patriots NFL Odds Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/18/2012

Old warriors die the hardest. For the last decade Tom Brady and Ray Lewis have been the standard bearers for offense and defense, respectively, in the National Football League. They have each gone to war nearly 200 times in their careers and both have won every accolade, both individual awards and titles, that a player can ever hope for. They are first-ballot Hall of Fame players and they will match wills once again with everything on the line.
Read more about AFC Championship Game Picks: Ravens at Patriots.

NFC Championship Game Predictions: Giants at 49ers Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/18/2012

The 49ers and Giants advanced to the NFC Title Game thanks to incredible defensive efforts last week, outmuscling the No. 1 and No. 3 offenses in football, respectively, in wins over the Saints and Packers. San Francisco and New York forced turnovers and took advantage of weaker defenses in both games, and now they will bang heads in what should be another NFC Championship Game between these long-time rivals.
Read more about NFC Championship Game Predictions: Giants at 49ers.

NFL Betting Advice: Home Field Advantage in Conference Championship Games
by Trevor Whenham - 1/18/2012

There is always a lot of talk about home field advantage in the NFL Playoffs. This is a very interesting time to be talking about it, too. Last weekend in the NFC alone we saw two extremes. We saw how important it can be when the Niners road the emotion of a rabid crowd to a huge rallying win, and we saw how little playing in an iconic building can matter if a team isn’t ready to play.
Read more about NFL Betting Advice: Home Field Advantage in Conference Championship Games.

2012 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/17/2012

And then there were four. For a lot of people, though, the four teams left in the NFL playoffs aren’t necessarily the four that were expected. The AFC isn’t surprising, but when two underdogs won outright in the NFC you can be sure that this isn’t what a lot of people were expecting — and the Giants at the Niners isn’t probably what most were hoping to see, either.
Read more about Super Bowl Predictions.

NFL Handicapping: Exploiting the (Few) Weaknesses of Drew Brees
by Trevor Whenham - 1/13/2012

With apologies to Tim Tebow and Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees is the quarterbacking story of the playoffs right now. Every time the guy touches the ball he seems to set another record. Even a quick summary of his accomplishments are remarkable. He has passed for at least 300 yards in his last eight games, and he is averaging more than 350 yards per game all season.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Exploiting the (Few) Weaknesses of Drew Brees.

NFL Divisional Round Player Props and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/11/2012

For the NFL’s four-game wild-card weekend, I analyzed three player props: most yards passing, rushing and receiving. And the results, unfortunately, weren’t pretty. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was the heavy favorite to throw for the most yards last week, and that’s obviously understandable considering he set the NFL single-season yardage record this year. I didn’t recommend Brees against the defensively porous Lions last week only because he was such a big favorite.
Read more about NFL Divisional Round Player Props and Betting Predictions.

NFL Totals Betting: Divisional-Round Weekend Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 1/11/2012

The offense got the best of it in last weekend’s Wild Card Round of the NFL playoff bracket as three of the four games went ‘over’ the total. The average number of points scored by the four winning teams was 32.3. The NFL playoffs now move onto the Divisional Round, which offers another great opportunity to mine some value out of the total lines. The following are the top two ‘over/under’ plays for this weekend’s matchups with the lines provided by BetOnline.
Read more about NFL Totals Betting: Divisional-Round Weekend Over and Under Predictions.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 1/11/2012

The most shocking number to come out of the NFL's wild-card playoff weekend was five, as in the number of 30-plus-yard pass plays the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed Denver's Tim Tebow to complete. How the hell does that happen to the No. 1 defense in the league, by a guy who supposedly can't throw? We don't know. And who the hell saw that coming? Nobody, that's who.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Divisional Round Predictions: Giants at Packers Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/10/2012

The New York Giants are the most predictable team in football. A litany of diehard, “Joey” fans of the G-Men might not agree. Nor would a sea of football bettors, national prognosticators, or other members of the bobblehead media. However, when it comes to betting on or against, or predicting on or against the Giants, you need to follow one simple guide:
Read more about NFL Divisional Round Predictions: Giants at Packers.

NFL Divisional Round Odds: Texans at Ravens Predictions and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/10/2012

If you ask football fans to name the most difficult venues in the NFL for visiting teams to get a win you will get a list that includes the usual names: Lambeau Field, the Superdome, and even Qwest Field in Seattle. But even though most people don’t even know where M&T Bank Stadium is or who plays there, this site has been, in terms of against the spread success, the gold standard of home field advantage over the past decade.
Read more about NFL Divisional Round Odds: Texans at Ravens Predictions.

2012 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/10/2012

We’re a week closer to the Super Bowl. Hopefully we’ll see more competitive games the rest of the way — three of the four wild card games weren’t exactly competitive at the end. The closer the Super Bowl gets, the more pressure there is to make strong Super Bowl predictions. Here are four predictions I feel good about:
Read more about Super Bowl Predictions.

Super Bowl Matchup Props: Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/10/2012

We’re down to eight teams in the NFL Playoff brackets, so people are inevitably looking forward to the Super Bowl. With four teams still standing in each conference we have 16 different possible combinations of Super Bowl opponents. Some are obviously more likely than others. Like anything else you can think of, the books will let you bet on which combination of teams you expect to see in Indianapolis in a few weeks.
Read more about Super Bowl Matchup Props: Odds and Predictions.

NFL Predictions: Saints at 49ers Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/9/2012

“Can anyone stop the New Orleans Saints?” Beyond debates about Tim Tebow’s transcendental qualities, this has to be the second-most asked question in the NFL these days. New Orleans has scored 40 or more points in four straight games (and five of seven) and after demolishing one plucky upstart, Detroit, last week in the opening round of the NFL postseason. They will try to dispatch another surprise team, San Francisco, in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this weekend.
Read more about NFL Predictions: Saints at 49ers.

NFL Picks: Broncos at Patriots Odds and Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/9/2012

Apparently it is a miracle nowadays when a team advances deep into the postseason on the back of a powerful running game, a forceful defense, and some clutch big plays and turnovers. It is funny: I always thought that was what football was all about. But when Tim Tebow is the man leading that winning team the only real explanation is that there are Higher Powers involved.
Read more about NFL Picks: Broncos at Patriots.

NFL Wild-Card Weekend ‘Most’ Player Props Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2012

There’s a lot of team and player prop options, as you would expect, for the opening round of the NFL’s postseason this weekend. But let’s go with the “most” options on players available: most passing yards on wild-card weekend, most rushing yards and most receiving yards (numbers may vary some at various books that offer this prop).
Read more about NFL Wild-Card Weekend ‘Most’ Player Props Odds and Predictions.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year Updated Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2012

Your MVP, as good as Drew Brees has been in his record-setting season, is going to be Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who was the huge 11/2 preseason favorite on Bovada. I stupidly argued that wasn’t good value although I admitted he should have been the favorite.
Read more about NFL Defensive Player of the Year Updated Odds and Predictions.

NFL Totals Betting: Wild-Card Weekend Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 1/4/2012

Last week the NFL regular season closed things out with nine of the 16 games going ‘over’ the total. We ended-up on the wrong side of two of our three best bets to close-out the regular season with an overall record of 28-21-2.
Read more about NFL Totals Betting: Wild-Card Weekend Over and Under Predictions.

NFL Props: Next Coach of Rams, Bucs Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/4/2012

Last week in my NFL Week 17 props story, I recommended that bettors on Bovada take the ‘over’ three head coaches fired from the end of Week 17 until the first playoff game – which is this Saturday. I figured at worst it would be a push, because the Tampa Bay Bucs’ Raheem Morris, St. Louis Rams’ Steve Spagnuolo and Minnesota Vikings’ Leslie Frazier were all goners and that the San Diego Chargers’ Norv Turner and Indianapolis Colts’ Jim Caldwell were likely out.
Read more about NFL Props: Next Coach of Rams, Bucs Odds and Predictions.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 1/4/2012

Finally, after 17 weeks of regular-season play, a new league single-season record 11,356 points scored, numerous bad calls, endless replay reviews and bad beats up the ying-yang, the NFL playoffs are here. The NFL Playoff brackets feature twelve teams, four rounds, and a championship tournament; what a novel idea. Are those money-grubbing college presidents paying attention?
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Handicapping: Looking Back at QBR Rating
by Trevor Whenham - 1/4/2012

At the start of the NFL season ESPN announced their revolutionary new statistic — the QBR or Total Quarterback Rating — with much fanfare and hyperbole. They had redefined the way we look at quarterbacks and understand their significance, they claimed.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Looking Back at QBR Rating.

NFL Playoffs Predictions: Falcons at Giants Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/3/2012

The Giants will welcome the Falcons to the Meadowlands at 1 p.m. on Sunday in an NFC Wild Card game. The Giants played their way into this position by beating Dallas on their home turf last Sunday night in a winner-goes-on-loser-goes-home game. The week prior to that they beat the New York Jets in a situation where a loss could have ended their postseason aspirations.
Read more about NFL Playoffs Predictions: Falcons at Giants Odds and Betting Picks.

NFL Predictions: Steelers at Broncos Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 1/3/2012

For the second year in a row we have a division champion in the playoffs without a winning record as the Denver Broncos (8-8) backed into the AFC West crown this past weekend. They will host the reigning AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the final game of the NFL’s wild-card weekend.
Read more about NFL Predictions: Steelers at Broncos.

NFL Wild Card Predictions: Texans at Bengals Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/3/2012

Even though Cincinnati and Houston have already squared off once this year, when they meet to open the 2012 NFL postseason it will be a game of firsts. Not only will this game represent the first game of the 2012 NFL Playoffs, but it is also the first postseason game in the 10-year history of the Houston Texans franchise. Also, it will be the first playoff action for Cincinnati's dynamic rookie duo of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green.
Read more about NFL Wild Card Predictions: Texans at Bengals.

NFL Picks: Lions at Saints Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/3/2012

For my money and if you like offense, easily the most entertaining NFL wild-card weekend playoff game should be Saturday night’s NFC matchup between South Division Champion New Orleans and wild-card Detroit (10-6), which is in the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Saints are only the second 13-3 team ever to not earn a first-round bye (The 1999 Titans were the first).
Read more about NFL Picks: Lions at Saints.

2012 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/3/2012

The NFL Playoff brackets are set, and we know which teams will be fighting for Super Bowl glory. It’s a noteworthy year because there are so many teams that can legitimately come out on top, and not one that stands out as a clear runaway favorite. Some years you can have a strong sense that the conference championship games aren’t particularly competitive. This year, though, there are at least three teams in each conference that deserve a spot in those games, and there are only two spots for them.
Read more about Super Bowl Predictions.

NFL Playoff Handicapping: Raking the Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 1/3/2012

By the end of New Year’s Day there were 12 teams that could still win the Super Bowl. On Feb. 5 there will only be one. Theoretically, any of the six teams from each conference that are still alive can be the victorious squad, but some teams are obviously far more likely than others to be the one. Here’s a look at how I rank the chances of the 12 remaining teams from least to most likely to win the Super Bowl. I’ve included the futures odds from Bovada so you can see how my Super Bowl predictions vary — sometimes significantly — from that of the oddsmakers:
Read more about NFL Playoff Handicapping: Raking the Teams.

NFL Handicapping: Pros and Cons of Resting Players
by Trevor Whenham - 12/28/2011

I hate the fourth game of the NFL Preseason and several games in Week 17 of the regular season for the same reason. When teams have nothing left to play for and they are trying to save themselves for when games matter again then you are destined for some lousy football. Starters aren’t likely to play at all, and if they do they will only play for a short time and at half speed. In both cases people pay full price to see a poor excuse for football.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Pros and Cons of Resting Players.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/28/2011

With one week to go in this regular season NFL schedule, nine playoff entrants have been decided, three are yet to be, as are numerous NFL Playoff seedings. Five teams are fighting for the last two spots in the AFC, and two teams will go head-to-head for the last playoff spot in the NFC.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Playoff Scenarios and Week 17 Games That Mean Something
by Trevor Whenham - 12/27/2011

As we enter the last week of the regular season NFL schedule every year we have some games that have a huge amount of playoff significance as teams are playing for their postseason life, others that could be more or less significant because teams are playing for playoff position but may not be motivated by that, and other games in which neither team has anything significant to play for. It is important to know which category each game fits into so that you can accurately judge motivation for successful NFL handicapping.
Read more about NFL Playoff Scenarios and Week 17 Games That Mean Something.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/22/2011

The Green Bay Packers survived game No. 13 two weeks ago, but couldn't get past No. 14 Sunday in Kansas City. On the other hand, game No. 14 turned out to be the charm for the Indianapolis Colts, who avoided the prospect of going winless by beating Tennessee Sunday.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Handicapping: Teams That Have Given Up
by Trevor Whenham - 12/21/2011

There are only two weeks left on the NFL schedule for the regular season. That’s two weeks too many for some teams, though. If the season has already been a long and brutal one for a club then the end can’t come soon enough, and motivation becomes harder and harder to find with each passing game. Those teams can easily give up in their last couple of games and make things really easy for NFL handicappers.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Teams That Have Given Up.

NFL Predictions: Texans at Colts Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/19/2011

Well, this Thursday night game got a lot less interesting thanks to the Indianapolis Colts. Really, the only intrigue here would have been that the Colts were winless and playing their final home game (could it be the final game on the Colts’ home sideline for Peyton Manning?). But Indianapolis ruined that by beating Tennessee, 27-13, on Sunday to assure that it won’t join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams to go 0-16 in a season.
Read more about NFL Predictions: Texans at Colts.

NFL Handicapping: Should Packers Go For Undefeated Season?
by Trevor Whenham - 12/15/2011

The Packers have already clinched a first-round bye and are all but certain to have home field advantage through the playoffs wrapped up in a few days thanks to their next game coming against the Chiefs. Given that, the debate is raging right now as to whether the team should try to go undefeated, or if they should rest their players to be ready for the ultimate goal — the Super Bowl.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Should Packers Go For Undefeated Season?.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/14/2011

Can it be? Just three weeks to go for the regular season NFL schedule? It seems like just yesterday the Buffalo Bills were the hottest thing since the wildcat, and the Detroit Lions were shoo-ins to break their long playoff drought. What, that's not the case anymore? Well, anyway, as we continue sifting through the numbers that make NFL handicapping so much fun, here are a few figures that stand out.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Handicapping: The Haley and Sparano Firings
by Trevor Whenham - 12/14/2011

Monday was a bloody day of carnage in the NFL. It seemed likely that both the Dolphins and the Chiefs would be making coaching changes at the end of the season, but both organizations decided that it was time to end the suffering now.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: The Haley and Sparano Firings.

NFL Predictions: Jaguars at Falcons Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/13/2011

Week 15 in the NFL kicks off on Thursday night from Atlanta, where the Falcons (8-5) face a pivotal game for their playoff hopes against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9). As things stand now, Atlanta would be the top wild-card team in the NFC thanks to the Bears getting Tebowed on Sunday in Denver.
Read more about NFL Predictions: Jaguars at Falcons.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/7/2011

Well, we sweated out another Packers victory Sunday up here in snowy Cheesehead Land, and your humble correspondent can also take a little pride in having the right side of the point spread on that game, with the Giants getting nine points. So that's 12-0 for Green Bay, one more major hurdle cleared on the way to 16-0 and a singular “up yours” from Aaron Rodgers to the clowns out there who say, “yeah, he's great, but can he perform in the clutch?”
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Picks: Browns at Steelers Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/5/2011

Week 14 of the NFL season starts with what looks like quite a mismatch as sliding Cleveland visits Pittsburgh on Thursday night as the Steelers look to continue their push for the AFC North title and/or the top seed in the conference. (As an aside, boy are we in a rut when it comes to NFL prime-time weeknight games: Eagles-Seahawks last Thursday, Chargers-Jags on Monday, this one, Rams-Seahawks on Dec. 12 and Jaguars-Falcons on Dec. 15).
Read more about NFL Picks: Browns at Steelers.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/30/2011

The key number from last week for your humble correspondent was 2.5, as in the number of plates of bird, stuffing, squash and gravy I inhaled last Thursday, and the length of the nap, in hours, that followed. But with one big holiday weekend of feasting and football behind us, let's look forward to December, where the big number for NFL teams is five, as in the number of games left on their regular-season NFL schedules.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Picks: Eagles at Seahawks Betting Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 11/29/2011

Try to temper your excitement for this week’s Thursday night NFL Network telecast as it features Philadelphia and Seattle, a pair of 2010 division winners who have been disappointments this season, with both at 4-7 and playing out the string.
Read more about NFL Picks: Eagles at Seahawks.

NFL Handicapping: Buffalo Bills Betting Value
by Trevor Whenham - 11/25/2011

It’s almost as if the Buffalo Bills have played two distinct seasons this year. In their first five games they were 4-1, they were playing very well, Ryan Fitzpatrick was establishing himself as a top-level QB, and the team looked like it could be on a path to stealing the AFC East if they kept it up.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Buffalo Bills Betting Value.

Handicapping and Betting Thanksgiving NFL Football Games
by Trevor Whenham - 11/23/2011

Because these games are so popular there are some differences between betting on these games and betting on a normal NFL game. The differences aren’t game-changing, but they are significant enough that they could present an opportunity for added profit for astute NFL handicappers. Here are five of those differences:
Read more about Handicapping and Betting Thanksgiving NFL Football Games.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/22/2011

The most intriguing number at this moment in the NFL season is 10-0. That is the current record of the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. But we'll get back to them later. For now, let's look at a few other interesting numbers we've gleaned from the recent goings on around the NFL.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Predictions: San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/22/2011

If you aren’t already in a turkey-induced coma by 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday night then you no doubt will be tuning into the Harbaugh Bowl (or Har-bowl) when John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens host Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers in the Thanksgiving nightcap. (If you are wondering, the brothers won’t be having Thanksgiving dinner together) John, 49, is 15 months older than Jim, who turns 48 on Dec. 23.
Read more about NFL Predictions: San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens.

NFL Picks: Packers at Lions Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 11/21/2011

For the past several years we have heard complaining that the Detroit Lions continued to host the early Thanksgiving Day game because they were terrible. You heard calls for the league to open up hosting the game to the rest of the league.
Read more about NFL Picks: Packers at Lions.

NFL Handicapping: Betting on the Indianapolis Colts
by Trevor Whenham - 11/21/2011

I’ll admit this up front — I have never been a fan of the Indianapolis Colts. They have obviously had success over the years, but I have never liked their style of play, and never respected them as much as their record would suggest I should.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Betting on the Indianapolis Colts.

NFL Odds for Green Bay Packers to Go Undefeated
by Darin Zank - 11/17/2011

The Green Bay Packers are 9-0, and now they must deal with all the baloney that comes with making a run at perfection. That's their problem. On our end, their situation opens up a betting opportunity. Namely, that online sportsbooks like TopBet are offering NFL odds on whether Green Bay can finish the regular season undefeated.
Read more about NFL Odds for Green Bay Packers to Go Undefeated.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/16/2011

What did we learn from some NFL Week 10 numbers? Well, for starters, that you can complete two passes and win a game. And we learned that the NFC North might be taking over as the best division in the game. And we're reminded that we shouldn't let our liking of a team on a personal level get in the way of making good wagering decisions.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Predictions: New York Jets at Denver Broncos Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/15/2011

It doesn’t look like much of a game when the 5-4 New York Jets visit the 4-5 Denver Broncos on this week’s Thursday night NFL Network telecast, but it figures to have big playoff implications because the AFC is so wide open.
Read more about NFL Predictions: New York Jets at Denver Broncos.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/10/2011

Every NFL team has played at least eight games now, so it's all downhill from here as far as the regular season is concerned. The task for bettors now is to take what we've learned from the first half of the season and use it to make some money in the second half. Here are a few NFL numbers we've teased out that might help in that pursuit.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Picks: Raiders at Chargers Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 11/8/2011

You know it’s starting to get near the stretch run of the NFL season when the games start arriving weekly on Thursday night’s on the NFL Network (which I don’t get!!), and that’s the case here in Week 10 as the Oakland Raiders visit the San Diego Chargers in a big AFC West matchup.
Read more about NFL Picks: Raiders at Chargers.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/2/2011

It's hard to believe, but the NFL regular-season will be half-over by this time next week. One team remains undefeated, while two teams remain winless. And seven divisions are being led by teams that did not win them last year. Here are a few more interesting numbers we found while sifting through the debris of NFL Week 8.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Week 8 Player Props Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/27/2011

I focused mostly on quarterbacks making their first starts of the season last week when addressing Week 7 betting props in the NFL. The lead-in to that story was about the Oakland Raider starting Carson Palmer despite the fact he had been sitting on his couch only a week previous after holding out from the Bengals.
Read more about NFL Week 8 Player Props.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 10/25/2011

Week 7 in the NFL saw Tim Tebow rally the Denver Broncos to a victory, the San Diego Chargers implode in defeat, the debut of a new quarterback in Minnesota, the New Orleans Saints hitting the 60-point mark, and probably the ugliest game of the year (so far) played up in Cleveland. After perusing the sports pages here are a few of the more interesting numbers we found from Week 7.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 10/18/2011

Another week of NFL betting action is in the books, and another trend reveals itself. This one has to do with time off, and how teams react to it. Here's a quick look at some of the more interesting numbers we've come across the last few days.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Predictions: Week 6 Player Props and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/14/2011

I did recommend taking Megatron to catch two touchdown passes for the fifth week in a row at +200 and things looked good with him catching an early long score from Matthew Stafford. But then the Bears’ defense went and made Jahvid Best look like Barry Sanders, so the Lions didn’t really need to throw deep to Johnson much after that. So Johnson finished with just one.
Read more about NFL Predictions: Week 6 Player Props and Betting Picks.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 10/13/2011

Football betting is a numbers game, from the standings to the stats to the point spreads to the totals to your bankroll. And in that spirit we've been keeping track of some of what we think are the more important numbers, as far as bettors should be concerned, in the early-going of this NFL season. Here are a few of those numbers, and some explanation of what they might mean.
Read more about This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 6 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 10/12/2011

Points were once again plentiful in the NFL in Week 5 as the total went ‘over’ in nine of the 13 games. This mirrored the trend for the first two weeks of the season when 71.8 percent of the games went ‘over’ as well. For the fifth-straight week we were correct on two-of-three of our NFL totals betting predictions, bringing our year-to-date record to 10-5.
Read more about NFL Totals Betting: Week 6 Over and Under Predictions.

NFL Handicapping: Second-Half Comebacks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/7/2011

It was a strange week in the NFL last week. Of course, part of the joy of the NFL is that pretty much every week finds some way to be strange and unique. This time, though, it was because of the number of big second-half comebacks that there were.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: Second-Half Comebacks .

NFL Week 5 Player Props and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 10/7/2011

It was a fairly good week in terms of recommending Bodog’s NFL player props in Week 4. Just 2-2 overall for those that were strictly for last week, but if you look at the prices you came out ahead if you happened to bet on all four.
Read more about NFL Week 5 Player Props and Betting Predictions.

NFL Betting Advice: Home Underdogs
by Darin Zank - 10/7/2011

Home underdogs have long been popular NFL picks among bettors both sharp and not-so-sharp. Home-field advantage may not be as big a factor as it's sometimes made out to be, but home teams do win most games. And the idea of getting points with a home team is often appealing.
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NFL Predictions – Which Team Will Be Last to Win a Game?
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2011

We are a quarter of the way through the NFL schedule, and we have four teams — Indianapolis, Minnesota, Miami, and St. Louis — that haven’t won a game yet. It’s always interesting to watch which team stays winless the longest. Tracking futility is especially significant this year, though, since the worst team in the league will have a chance to draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck — the most highly-regarded QB prospect in years.
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NFL Handicapping: Biggest Surprises
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2011

We’re a quarter of the way through the NFL season. As with most years, a good portion of the teams in the league are performing pretty much as you would expect them to based on how they looked coming into the season. They might be a bit better or a bit worse, but they are within range. There are some teams, though, that are either much better or much worse than seemed likely. Here’s a look at five such teams so far this season:
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NFL Totals Betting: Week 5 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 10/5/2011

It was one way or the other with the total line in the first three weeks of the season, but the oddsmakers sharpened things up last week as nine games went ‘over’ the total and seven games stayed ‘under’. For the fourth week in a row we cashed in on our ‘NFL totals betting picks, bringing our year-to-date record to 8-4.
Read more about NFL Totals Betting: Week 5.

NFL Predictions for Week 4 Player Props
by Alan Matthews - 9/29/2011

We’re back with our weekly look at some special Bodog NFL props, and we have had some success so far. For example, last week in the ‘last team to be unbeaten prop,’ I recommended against the favored Patriots, suggesting they might lose to the Bills. And they did. I also said the Washington Redskins would lose at Dallas, and that happened. “The Jets, I believe, will go down this week in Oakland.” Correct! Houston wasn’t supposed to win in New Orleans and didn’t.
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NFL Odds: Steelers and Big Ben Rare Sunday Underdog
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/29/2011

The Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) head to Houston to take on the Texans (2-1) this Sunday. The Steelers are four-point underdogs. While Pittsburgh is rarely getting points, it’s not completely unheard of. As recent as the Super Bowl this past February they were getting three points against the Green Bay Packers.
Read more about NFL Odds: Steelers and Big Ben.

NFL Predictions: Week 3 Team Props and Football Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/23/2011

We could write about quarterback props every week because obviously no position has as many betting options as QB. But we focused on quarterbacks in Week 2, and hopefully you followed my advice and took the ‘over’ on the number of QBs to throw for at least 300 yards last week, which was six at Bodog. I said the ‘over’ was a lock and it was, with nine signal-callers hitting that mark, including, amazingly, Tom Brady and Cam Newton each going over 400 again (you can bet on their totals this week at Bodog).
Read more about NFL Predictions: Week 3 Team Props.

NFL Futures Betting: Value in 2-0 and 0-2 Teams
by Darin Zank - 9/21/2011

This NFL season may be headed into Week 3, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to search out value in the NFL futures betting market. There have been a few early surprises this season, such as the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins, and some early disappointments, like the Kansas City Chiefs. The trick now is to figure out if there's any long-term value in any of these surprise 2-0 outfits, or if they're just fly-by-night pretenders, or if there's an 0-2 team worth a gamble.
Read more about NFL Futures Betting.

NFL Betting Predictions: Week 2 Quarterback Props Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/15/2011

Let’s not kid ourselves: Quarterback is the most important position in sports and if you don’t have a good one, you aren’t winning a Super Bowl. Honestly, name the last team that won it all with an average quarterback. You have to go back to the Bucs with Brad Johnson when they beat the Raiders in SB XXXVII (yes, I’m giving the Giants’ Eli Manning the benefit of the doubt). With that said, let’s take a look at some quarterback Week 2 props offered by Bodog along with some NFL predictions for betting.
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NFL Handicapping Tips: Don’t Overreact To Week 1 Results
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/15/2011

Week 1 of the NFL regular season, aka “overreaction week,” is in the books and already the first 16 games of the 256-game regular season are being overly analyzed for hints for the remaining three months of games. Tom Brady is on pace to shatter every passing record in football history
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NFL Totals Betting: Week 2 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 9/14/2011

Many times at the beginning of the NFL regular season the defense is ahead of the offense and points are a little harder to come by. Whether or not it was the extended layoff due to the player lockout or just a one-week fluke, scoring was not an issue in Week 1, with 12 of 16 games going ‘over’ the total.
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Monday Morning Couch Potato: NFL Week 1/NCAA Week 2 Betting Recap
by Alan Matthews - 9/12/2011

Welcome to the Monday morning coach potato, a recap of the football weekend that was. Why the title? Everyone does “Monday morning quarterback” so what fun is that? I’m not a quarterback and I simply sat on the couch and watched as much football as humanly possible over the weekend. So that title seems more apt.
Read more about Monday Morning Couch Potato: NFL Week 1/NCAA Week 2 Betting Recap.

How NFL Preseason Results Affect Regular Season Handicapping
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2011

I went back through this year and tracked how the first-team units of all of the NFL teams did during their exhibition games. My study was super-scientific, but I feel like it (as well as actually watching the tape) has given me a great idea of who kind of has it together and is playing well heading into the season and who is still recovering or struggling after this goofy offseason. And yeah, I think that is relevant, so I definitely considered some of this information toward my early season NFL handicapping.
Read more about How NFL Preseason Results Affect Regular Season Handicapping.

NFL Props and Prediction: Odds for First Coach To be Fired
by Alan Matthews - 9/8/2011

Some NFL props will come off the board at books because the season officially kicked off on Thursday night with Saints at Packers, but one that certainly won’t is this one: Who will be the first coach fired in the 2011 regular season? I think it’s safe to say that Saints Coach Sean Payton and Packers coach Mike McCarthy have some job security, so they of course aren’t on this Bodog prop.
Read more about NFL Props and Prediction: Odds for First Coach To be Fired.

NFL Player Prop Picks: Most Passing, Rushing and Receiving Yards
by Alan Matthews - 9/8/2011

With the 2011 NFL season kicking off on Thursday night, we’ll take a look at a few final props bets available at the various books. Today, let’s look at the “mosts” – as in the 2011 NFL leader in most passing yards, rushing yards and receiving yards, with the odds courtesy of WagerWeb.
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Free Monday Night Football Picks: Patriots at Dolphins Predictions and Odds
by Alan Matthews - 9/7/2011

The first week of the new NFL season concludes with a Monday night doubleheader, but we’ll look at the opener between New England and Miami in an AFC East battle. Well, battle might be the wrong word because this looks to be one of the mismatches of Week 1. The Pats remain the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl on Bodog at 11/2. Miami, on the other hand, is 60/1.
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Super Bowl Odds: Matchup Predictions and Betting Picks
by Darin Zank - 9/7/2011

Picking the winner of the Super Bowl five months in advance is hard enough as it is. Picking both Super Bowl finalists is doubly tough. But according to the Super Bowl Finalists betting board at Intertops, it could also be very rewarding. Here's a quick look at just some of the many offerings on potential Super Bowl matchups at Intertops.
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NFL Totals Betting: Week 1 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 9/7/2011

The 2011 NFL regular season kicks off this Thursday night when the Saints travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers in a showdown between the last two Super Bowl Champions. While you have probably been pouring over the pertinent facts and statistics to handicap the sides in this matchup as well the other 15 NFL games this weekend, do not forget about NFL totals betting as there is often tremendous value in this wager, especially in the first few weeks of the season.
Read more about NFL Totals Betting: Week 1 Over and Under Predictions.

NFL Betting Odds: Division-by-Division Props Predictions
by Aaron Smith - 9/7/2011

The offseason was filled with question marks as to whether there would even be games this year, but this week all the hard-hitting action gets started. There are plenty of reasons why the NFL is loved, but one of the biggest reasons is every year your favorite team has a chance. There are always going to be surprise teams that go from the bottom of the division to the top. How will the divisional races look this season? Let’s take a closer look at each division, and investigate where the value on NFL betting odds is for bettors.
Read more about NFL Betting Odds: Division-by-Division Props Predictions .

NFL Handicapping: What the 2011 NFL Preseason Taught Us
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/7/2011

The Detroit Lions went 4-0 during the 2008 preseason. They proceeded to not win another game until 2008. So do not get too excited about the fact the Lions went 4-0 again this preseason. The Colts and Bears went 0-4 in the preseason last year, but both made the playoffs. The 49ers went 4-0 in the preseason last year but they couldn’t even win the awful NFC West. The point is that the NFL preseason can teach you a lot about the regular season, as long as you do not pay attention to the records.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: What the 2011 NFL Preseason Taught Us.

2012 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/6/2011

Well, this is it. We’ve seen all the preseason games. We’ve read all the practice reports. We know who made the teams and who was cut. Now it’s time for real football. All we need now is for the NFL season to get started. As we sit here on the virtual eve of the longanticipated regular season this is a perfect time to make our final Super Bowl predictions before the season starts. Without further ado (all Super Bowl futures odds are from Bodog):
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NFL Odds: Seahawks at 49ers Predictions and NFL Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/6/2011

When I think of Pete Carroll at Jim Harbaugh I really wish I was still watching college football. Those two had a couple of great matchups when Carroll was at USC and Harbaugh was at Stanford. What we saw back then is a lot more exciting than what this game has the potential to be. There are some reasons to be optimistic about portions of both teams, and it seems reasonable to believe both coaches are moving in the right direction.
Read more about NFL Odds: Seahawks at 49ers Predictions and NFL Picks.

2011 NFL Predictions: Top 5 Teams Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 9/6/2011

It’s never easy picking the teams that are going to be the kindest to bettors each season in the NFL. For proof of that you need to look no further than the Detroit Lions. Two years ago they were the worst team against the NFL point spread in the league at 4-10-2 ATS. Last year they were the best ATS squad in the NFL at 12-4 ATS.
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NFL Betting Odds: Predicting the Five Worst Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 9/6/2011

What do the Panthers, Browns, Cardinals, Vikings, and Broncos have in common? They were better than any other teams in the NFL last year at wasting the money of bettors that backed them. They were the five worst teams against the NFL point spread in the league, and it’s no mystery why — none of them were any good, and they all gave up considerably more points per game than they scored.
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NFL Predictions: Saints at Packers Betting Odds and Football Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/5/2011

Not sure if you heard, but the NFL returns this week, and as has been the case for the past several years the defending Super Bowl champs host the season opener on a Thursday night. In fact, this year it’s the past two Super Bowl champs in the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers facing off. Many believe these are two of the favorites in the NFC this year – although obviously you have to throw the Miami Heat … err, Philadelphia Eagles … into the equation.
Read more about NFL Predictions: Saints at Packers Betting Odds.

NFL Handicapping: What You Forgot From 2010 Season
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/5/2011

The NFL 2011 regular season is fast approaching and with the unpredictable nature of the game, there are bound to plenty of things that surprise you. Here is a list of some surprising developments during the 2010 NFL season that you may have likely forgotten about to help you with your NFL handicapping.
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NFL Handicapping: Teams That Went Winless in Preseason
by Trevor Whenham - 9/2/2011

There are, as I write this, three teams that have not won a game in the NFL Preseason. The Falcons and the Chiefs have wrapped up an imperfect 0-4 mark, and Oakland has one more shot on Friday night against Seattle to notch a win and become one of eight teams finishing up at 1-3. Right now the two 0-4 teams perfectly match the number of 4-0 teams (Detroit and St. Louis didn’t lose, though the Lions should be concerned because they also swept the preseason the year they went 0-16 in the regular season).
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NFL Betting Tips: Fourth Week of Preseason
by Trevor Whenham - 8/31/2011

I hate the NFL preseason. It’s a pointless month of horrible action designed to fatten the owners’ wallets and torture fans. The whole preseason is terrible, but it’s the fourth week when things really hit a low. That’s when most major decisions have been made and most coaches are just focused on keeping their teams healthy for the first week. We’ll see lots of playing time from guys who won’t be starting in the regular season, and a lot of high-paid stars will do nothing more strenuous than holding a clipboard or riding a stationary bike. It’s all a painful waste of time.
Read more about NFL Betting Tips: Fourth Week of Preseason.

NFL Betting Advice: Rookie Quarterbacks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 8/31/2011

Starting a rookie quarterback in the NFL is one of the biggest gambles a team can take. For every trip to the AFC Championship Game delivered by Ben Roethlisberger (2004), Joe Flacco (2008) and Mark Sanchez (2009), there are the growing pains/train wrecks with the likes of Josh Freeman (2009), Colt McCoy (2010) and Jimmy Clausen (2010).
Read more about NFL Betting Advice: Rookie Quarterbacks.

2011 NFC South Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/26/2011

It is high times for the NFC South. In 2010 they were the only division in football to boast three teams with double-digits in wins. They housed the defending Super Bowl champions (New Orleans) and scored the NFC’s No. 1 seed (Atlanta). Tampa Bay established itself as an up-and-comer and even though Carolina was the worst team in football they were able to secure a Heisman Trophy winner (one of two drafted into the division this April) to bolster the franchise.
Read more about NFC South Predictions and NFL Betting Odds.

NFC North Predictions and NFL Odds for Super Bowl
by Robert Ferringo - 8/25/2011

The NFC North is the perfect example of the changing face of the NFL. Long the roughest, toughest division in football – The Black-and-Blue Division – the teams in the North were renowned for their bruising brand of football. However, as rule changes have softened the sport and created les incentive for physicality, the North has altered its preferred style.
Read more about NFC North Predictions and NFL Odds for Super Bowl.

2011 AFC West Predictions and Super Bowl Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/25/2011

The Raiders swept their six AFC West games in 2010 and finished in third place in the division. The Chargers had the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense in the entire league and didn’t make the playoffs. The Broncos – who have owned the Raiders for decades – lost 59-14 at Mile High Stadium to their rivals from Oakland.
Read more about AFC West Predictions.

2011 Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 8/25/2011

The Pittsburgh Steelers last season fell just short of adding to their record six Super Bowl trophies. The Steelers outgained the Packers and won the time of possession battle in the big game, but the team’s three turnovers were too much to overcome. This is a team that went 12-4 and had a very successful season, but they realize that winning it all is what matters to their fans. The Steelers retained most of the players from last year’s team, and expectations are always high in Pittsburgh.
Read more about Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions.

Peyton Manning Injury and NFL Handicapping
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2011

For the first time in a long, long time I actually think Peyton Manning might be mortal. Despite the rumors of his injuries and the impact it could have on the start of his season I never believed it. But then the Colts took bold action — they signed Kerry Collins. This is a team that doesn’t seem to believe in competent, experienced backup quarterbacks, so this signing is by far the clearest indicator we have had that everything might not be rosy in Indianapolis. In fact, it’s hard to believe that things are good at all after this move.
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NFC West Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/24/2011

About the nicest thing that I can say about NFC West football is that it makes a great punching bag. The NFC West is a bit like the minor leagues of the NFL. Outside of a few glimpses, this division has generally produced the weakest collective group of teams in the sport.
Read more about NFC West Predictions and NFL Futures Odds.

2011 Baltimore Ravens Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 8/24/2011

The Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000. While the team has been close on multiple occasions, it hasn’t been able to get back to the big game for a chance at a second ring. Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense is getting older, but it is still one of the better defenses in the NFL. Joe Flacco and the offense have quite a bit of ability, but they have struggled badly against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore hasn’t been quite as consistent as they need to be in recent years.
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Betting on the NFL Preseason Week 3
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 8/24/2011

Some consider the beginning of football season to be the first week of preseason. Others don’t think the season really begins until the first game of the NFL regular season. For people who just love watching the NFL’s best compete, there is a middle ground: the third week of the preseason. This week is often a dress rehearsal for Week 1 of the regular season.
Read more about Betting on the NFL Preseason Week 3.

2011 AFC North Predictions and NFL Futures Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/23/2011

You know exactly what you’re going to get from the AFC North each year: Blood and pain. Pittsburgh will again be a Super Bowl threat. Baltimore will again be the able challenger led by a violent defense. Cleveland and Cincinnati? Yeah, they suck just as badly as they have for the past 20 years.
Read more about AFC North Predictions and NFL Futures Betting Odds.

2011 AFC South Predictions and Super Bowl Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/23/2011

Indianapolis has had a stranglehold over this division since its inception in 2002. But Peyton Manning’s offseason neck surgery has sidelined the future Hall of Fame quarterback throughout the preseason. And if he can’t go or is limited this season while at the helm in Indy then the door is wide open for another team to jump up and seize the throne of the AFC South.
Read more about AFC South Predictions and Super Bowl Odds.

2011 AFC East Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/22/2011

Only two teams in the NFL have managed to dominate their respective divisions to the tune of winning seven titles in eight years. The first is Indianapolis in the AFC South. The second is the New England Patriots, who have made the postseason in 12 of 17 seasons and demolished the AFC East for the past decade.
Read more about AFC East Predictions and NFL Betting Odds.

2011 Buffalo Bills Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Darin Zank - 8/22/2011

Few teams long for the good old days like the Buffalo Bills. For a franchise that played in four straight Super Bowls back 20 years ago, the last decade has been torture. After going 4-12 last year the first year under new Head Coach Chan Gailey, Buffalo has now gone through six straight losing seasons and still hasn't made the playoffs since 1999. This is tied with the Detroit Lions for the longest such drought in the league.
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2011 Green Bay Packers Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/22/2011

What else can you say about the 2010 Packers? As late as Week 16, the playoffs were in jeopardy for Green Bay. But then Aaron Rodgers returned from missing nearly two games with a concussion and shredded the New York Giants for 404 yards passing and four touchdowns and the Packers wouldn’t lose again on the way to their fourth Super Bowl title. And how confident are the Pack in their current group? They have not made any significant free agent or trade acquisitions while nearly every other team has been very busy in this truncated offseason.
Read more about Green Bay Packers Predictions.

2011 Minnesota Vikings Predictions and NFC North Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/22/2011

It’s funny how two teams can look at a 6-10 record from the year before so differently heading into a new season. My first NFC North preview here at Doc’s was on the Detroit Lions. They won six games in 2010 and considered it a giant step forward and a possible steppingstone to a playoff berth in 2011.
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2011 Chicago Bears Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/22/2011

Most times, a team coming off an 11-win season, division championship and conference championship berth would be highly regarded heading into the next season. But if you look at the Chicago Bears’ futures odds, it appears everyone forgets about those things and only remembers quarterback Jay Cutler on the sideline in the second half of that NFC title game loss to Green Bay. Cutler’s demeanor and apparent lack of pain caused probably the biggest immediate social media criticism of any pro athlete before LeBron James’ poor performance in the NBA Finals.
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2011 NFC East Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/19/2011

Separating Hype from Hope in the NFC East can be a dicey proposition. The four teams that comprise this venerable division are four of the most successful, proud, storied organizations in the sport. And no matter what the offseason give-and-take produces there is always the belief that these teams are among the best in the conference and in the sport.
Read more about NFC East Predictions and NFL Betting Odds.

NFL Handicapping: First-Year NFL Coaches
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 8/19/2011

There are eight first-year head coaches in the NFL this season. Rarely has there been an incoming class of head coaches this big and this obscure. There is the former head coach people are well aware of like John Fox, who is taking over at Denver, and the interim coaches from last season now taking the reins like Jason Garrett in Dallas and Leslie Frazier in Minnesota. There is the former collegiate head coach, Jim Harbaugh at San Francisco and the elite coordinator like Ron Rivera, now in Carolina.
Read more about NFL Handicapping: First-Year NFL Coaches.

2011 New York Giants Predictions and NFC East Futures Odds
by Dave Schwab - 8/19/2011

No matter what happens during the offseason, the New York Giants have made a habit out of being one of the most mysterious teams in the league. Just when you think things are going to implode, they circle the wagons and go on a run that leads to an improbable Super Bowl Championship, as was the case in 2007. Just when you think this team has its act together, things quickly come unraveled as they did in 2009, when the Giants started the season 5-0 only to wind-up 8-8 and out of the playoffs. The bottom line is that New York has managed to win at least 10 games in four of its last six seasons and has not finished under .500 since 2004.
Read more about New York Giants Predictions.

2011 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 8/19/2011

A year ago hopes were high in Cincinnati as the three-headed monster of Carson Palmer, Chad Ocho Cinco, and Terrell Owens made Bengals fans believe their team could do something special. After a dreadful 4-12 campaign where essentially nothing went right, the Bengals will start this season without any of those three players on the squad.
Read more about Cincinnati Bengals Predictions.

2012 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/18/2011

Not long after the last NFL season ended I made a series of Super Bowl predictions for 2012. A lot has changed between then and now — and not the least of those things is the futures odds. It’s a good time, then, to revisit those Super Bowl predictions to see if they still stand up or if I have changed my tune (all odds are from Bodog):
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NFL Preseason Betting: Top Storylines
by Trevor Whenham - 8/18/2011

I hate the NFL Preseason. I would rather watch a peewee team practice than sit through most preseason games — especially in the first week. Still, as painful as it can be you have to pay attention to what is going on. The betting public loves to overreact, and these preseason games give them a whole lot to overreact to. By keeping an eye on what is going on you can spot places where they are likely to read too much into things, and that can create opportunities for value down the road. Here’s a look at six of the most interesting storylines to emerge from this first week of action:
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NFL Predictions: Rookie Quarterbacks
by Trevor Whenham - 8/18/2011

The NFL Draft this year turned into a Year of the Quarterback. That wasn’t necessarily because of overwhelming talent, but because of a whole lot of need and several viable prospects. There were five quarterbacks picked in the first 36 picks in the draft. A sixth QB, Ryan Mallett, had first-round talent, but attitude issues dropped him down to the third round — 74th overall.
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2011 New England Patriots Predictions and Futures Betting Odds
by Darin Zank - 8/18/2011

The New England Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl in a while, but they're still one of the NFL's elite teams. Last year New England rolled to the best record in the league at 14-2, and then got upset by the Jets in a home playoff game. In fact, come to think of it, the Patriots haven't won a playoff game since 2007, and they haven't won a Super Bowl since the Spygate case hit.
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2011 Miami Dolphins Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Darin Zank - 8/18/2011

The Miami Dolphins have most of the ingredients necessary to be a playoff contender. They can run the ball, they've got a pretty good offensive line, some nice receivers and one of the better defenses in the league. But Miami, like a handful of other NFL teams in similar situations, is lacking at one very important position; of course, we're talking about the quarterback.
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2011 Philadelphia Eagles Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Dave Schwab - 8/18/2011

When Jeff Fisher was let go by the Titans, Philadelphia’s Andy Reid assumed the dubious title of being the longest tenured head coach in the NFL. In his 12 previous seasons with the Eagles he has led them to five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl, but he is still searching for that elusive world title. With team owner Jeff Lurie opening up the purse strings and 36-year old General Manager Howie Roseman wasting little time in spending every penny he could find, this could be the season that Reid finally adds the Lombardi Trophy to his long and illustrious resume.
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2011 New York Jets Predictions and Betting Odds
by Darin Zank - 8/18/2011

The New York Jets were a trendy pick to click last year, mainly because of their defense, their running game and Coach Rex Ryan's bluster. And while they had some ups and downs, they did reach the AFC Championship Game for the second straight season. But they also lost that game again, in part because it's difficult to win three consecutive playoff games on the road. So this season the New Yorkers continue their search for, at the very least, some home playoff games.
Read more about New York Jets Predictions and Betting Odds.

2011 Detroit Lions Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/18/2011

A 6-10 record isn’t often a promising sign of hope for an NFL franchise – but then again most NFL franchises didn’t hire Matt Millen to drive it into the ground for nearly a decade. Of course, I am speaking of the Detroit Lions, who fired Millen three games into the 2008 season but not before he made the franchise essentially the Bengals of the NFC. Detroit went on to infamy in that ’08 campaign by becoming the only franchise to have an 0-16 season. The club took a baby step in 2009 under first-year coach Jim Schwartz, the former Titans defensive coordinator, by winning two games.
Read more about Detroit Lions Predictions and NFL Futures Odds.

2011 Cleveland Browns Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 8/18/2011

Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert have decided to take the Cleveland Browns in a different direction. Eric Mangini is out and Pat Shurmur is in as the new head coach of this team. Shurmur runs the same system on both offense and defense that Holmgren used when he was a successful head coach in the league. The Browns are hoping this change at the top will lead to a real turnaround in the years ahead. Browns fans are passionate about football, but they haven’t had much to cheer about in the last few years.
Read more about Cleveland Browns Predictions and NFL Futures Odds.

2011 Dallas Cowboys Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Dave Schwab - 8/16/2011

Coming off an 11-5 record, NFC East title, and the first win in the playoffs since 1996, the 2010 season was supposed to be a dream season for the Cowboys. Team Owner Jerry Jones had vision of his team being the first in NFL history to ever host a Super Bowl with the game already scheduled to be played in his billion dollar stadium. The dream quickly turned into a nightmare with a 1-6 start, a season-ending injury to quarterback Tony Romo, and a mid-season firing of head coach Wade Phillips. With some of the most optimistic fans in the world, the expectations are rising that the return of Romo to the lineup will mark a return to the top of the NFC.
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2011 Washington Redskins Predictions and Futures Odds
by Dave Schwab - 8/16/2011

Prior to the start of the 2010 season, the betting public was bullish on Washington’s chances to claim the NFC East title behind a Mike Shanahan-led team that had Albert Haynesworth anchoring the defense and quarterback Donovan McNabb leading the way on offense. The climb to get on the bandwagon was short lived as Haynesworth never even factored into the defensive scheme and McNabb’s early season success gave way to being sent to the bench by the season’s end. This year expectations have been kept a bit more in perspective as Shanahan goes back to the drawing board to try and turn things around.
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NFL Handicapping: Best and Worst Against the Point Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 8/15/2011

As we eagerly await the chance to plunge into yet another NFL season, this is a good chance to look back at last season to see what we can learn in order to improve our NFL handicapping. Here’s a look at the four best and four worst teams against the spread in the league last year. Will they stay where they were, or are their betting fates due for a change?
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NFL Handicapping: Tips for Betting the First Preseason Games
by Trevor Whenham - 8/11/2011

If I had to choose I would say that my favorite of the four weeks of NFL Preseason games is the last one. The logic behind that is simple — I really, really hate the preseason, and the last week means we are almost at the regular season. Finally.
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NFL Preseason Betting Tips
by Robert Ferringo - 8/10/2011

I always thought that betting on preseason football was for degenerate gamblers and masochists. I assumed that only the ragged, the beaten and the depraved had the will to handle a to wager that came down to a third-and-13 with a fourth-string quarterback just days away from a job selling insurance trying to toss a perfect fade to a fifth-string wide receiver destined to be driving a delivery truck the following week. It was a gruesome and reckless way to make a buck, I thought, and the idea sent a shiver down my spine.
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2011 NFL MVP Predictions and Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/8/2011

We continue our look at some NFL player props with the biggest regular-season award of them all: the league’s Most Valuable Player. We will offer some predictions for the NFL MVP along with futures odds for 2011. And in essence, the MVP has become the NFL’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
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NFL Player Props and Picks: Sidney Rice and Matt Hasselbeck
by Alan Matthews - 8/6/2011

In quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s 10-year career in Seattle, it seemed he rarely had an elite receiver to throw to. Just look at the Seahawks’ top receiving threats the past three seasons, for example: retread Mike Williams in 2010: 65 catches 751 yards, 2 TDs; a past-his-prime T.J. Houshmandzadeh in 2009: 79 catches, 911 yards, 3 TDs; a tight end who isn’t exactly Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez in John Carlson in 2008: 55 catches, 627 yards and 5 TDs.
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NFL Player Props and Picks: Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb
by Alan Matthews - 8/5/2011

Can you blame Kevin Kolb for the apparent downfall of Donovan McNabb’s career? I’m sure McNabb doesn’t, but it was because of Kolb that McNabb was dealt from the Eagles to the Redskins before last season. You may remember that early in the 2009 season, McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowler who had been the Eagles’ starter since 1999, missed Weeks 2 and 3 with an injury and Kolb saw his first real action.
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NFL Predictions for Playoff Teams from Last Season
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 8/4/2011

On average, five NFL teams that reached the playoffs one season end up missing the postseason the following year. The reverse of that is that the NFL Playoffs will usually feature five teams who were not postseason-bound the year before. With only 12 total playoff spots, that equates to plenty of turnover.
Read more about NFL Predictions for Playoff Teams from Last Season .

Overrated NFL Free Agent Pickups
by Trevor Whenham - 8/3/2011

The craziness of this NFL free agency season has led to some serious hype by the media. Bandwagons are being jumped onto and off of at a record pace as the media writes and talks about the high-profile moves with great excitement. Some of the excitement is warranted, but for every move worthy of the hype there are a couple which are quite possibly heading towards disaster. Here are six moves that are getting more attention — and generating more excitement in the betting public — than they should be:
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NFL Free Agency Grades
by Trevor Whenham - 8/3/2011

This has been a truly crazy NFL free agency period. The short time frame, the strong free agent class, and the desperate needs of a lot of teams have made for some real fireworks. On top of the free agency there have been a stunning number of trades — and not just trades of bit parts. Some of the moves have been particularly impressive, while others have been ridiculously underwhelming and overpraised (I’m looking at you, Donovan McNabb).
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NFL Handicapping: Hardest Teams to Judge
by Trevor Whenham - 8/3/2011

When you are handicapping the NFL before the season starts, there are some teams that you feel like you can confidently predict how their season will go. They may be good or they may be lousy, but you feel reasonably sure that their record will fall within a couple of wins of expectations.
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NFL Player Props Odds and Predictions: Chad Ochocinco and Plaxico Burress
by Alan Matthews - 8/3/2011

With Santonio Holmes returning to the New York Jets, Braylon Edwards still unsigned (as of this writing), Terrell Owens drawing no interest from anyone and Randy Moss apparently retiring (no chance he’s gone for good – but that’s a prop story for another day), the two biggest-name receivers to change teams so far this offseason have to be Chad Ochocino and Plaxico Burress. I’m not saying they are the two best receivers to change teams – I’d rather have Sidney Rice and Mike Sims-Walker, for example – but they are the two most “famous.”
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NFL Predictions: Offensive Player Props
by Dave Schwab - 8/2/2011

All 32 NFL teams are back to work in preparation for the start of the 2011 regular season. The future odds have been updated after a flurry of player movement to reflect each team’s chances to win its division, conference, and Super Bowl XLVI, as well as projected NFL season win totals.
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NFL Teams Well Positioned To Weather Lockout
by Trevor Whenham - 7/29/2011

One complaint of NFL fans is always that despite the salary cap there are ‘have’ teams and ‘have-not’ teams. Some teams seem to be solid every single year, while others never catch a break and become competitive. Even if the bad teams do manage to have a good year they never seem to manage two in a row. There are lots of reasons for that — coaching staff, management, ownership, talent levels, and so on. One major side effect of the lockout this year, though, is going to be that the gap between these two types of teams is going to be wider now than ever.
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Most Interesting NFL Preseason Games
by Trevor Whenham - 7/28/2011

‘Interesting’ and ‘NFL Preseason’ are not two things that belong together. I hate pretty much everything about the NFL Preseason — it’s pretty much a total and utter waste of time. As much as I may dislike it, though, it’s not going anywhere. In the spirit of making the best of things, then, here is my attempt to find 10 Preseason games that are at least a little bit interesting in one way or the other:
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2011 NFL Season Win Totals Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2011

MGM became the first sportsbook to post NFL season win totals on Tuesday, so they certainly didn’t waste any time after the lockout. It’s tougher than normal to look at these numbers right after they come out because we don’t know what the free agent picture is going to look like and we haven’t seen how rookies are performing in mini-camps. I’m not going to let that bother me, though. Here, fearlessly, are my NFL season win total predictions for 2011:
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NFL Predictions: Teams Hurt by the Lockout
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2011

This NFL season is a strange new reality thanks to the chaos of the lockout and the ridiculously condensed offseason we are faced with as a result. Free agent would be almost a distant memory by now in most years, but it’s only just begun this year, and teams have to figure out what their needs are and address them in a very short time.
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NFL Odds: Will Steelers’ James Harrison be Fined for Comments?
by Alan Matthews - 7/20/2011

The NFL Lockout appears set to end any day now, with the owners potentially set to vote on approving the new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players’ Association at their meetings on Thursday in Atlanta. It will start about a two-week roster movement frenzy that we have never seen in American team sports history.
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NFL Betting Impact of the End of the Lockout
by Trevor Whenham - 7/20/2011

I don’t want to jinx anything, but it finally seems like the NFL Lockout madness is coming to an end, and things are going to return pretty much to normal. Ultimately, in the grand scale of things, the impact of this lockout hasn’t been that significant -- no games lost, a mostly normal training camp and preseason, and the draft and free agency still happened. In the short term, though, there is going to be a pretty significant impact for NFL handicappers, and it is going to take a while to sort it all out.
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NFL Odds Released for Top Games of the Year
by Dave Schwab - 7/19/2011

It appears that the 2011 NFL schedule will come off without a hitch as the league owners and the Players Association remain busy putting the final touches on a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that should hopefully end the four-month old player lockout and reopen the NFL for business within the next two weeks.
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NFL Free Agency Predictions: Top Players On the Board
by Trevor Whenham - 7/19/2011

I hardly want to say it in case I jinx it, but it seems like we are now just a couple of days away from the end of this NFL Lockout madness. It seemed like this day would never come. Soon after the lockout ends we will be plunging into what could be a crazy free agency period — a short time frame, massive team needs, and some very solid players available. I’m obviously no GM, but if I were these are the eight players that stand out as ones that I would like to have on my team if the money made sense.
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NFL Predictions: AFC Division Futures Odds
by Dave Schwab - 7/13/2011

As the NFL owners and the Players Association continue to inch closer to finalizing the details of a new CBA (collective bargaining agreements), both sides remain optimistic that this whole mess can be resolved in enough time to avoid disruption of the start of summer training camps and the preseason NFL schedule.
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NFL Odds: NFC Division Futures Betting
by Dave Schwab - 7/12/2011

There is still no new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) in place between the NFL owners and the Players Association, but optimism runs high that a deal can be worked out in enough time to avoid any disruption of the start of summer training camps and the preseason NFL schedule.
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2011 NFL Schedule: Top 10 Divisional Games
by Robert Ferringo - 7/8/2011

To this point, the 2011 NFL schedule is still intact. And if the rumors coming out of the current labor talks are true then the odds of an abbreviated schedule this season are pretty slim. That is great news for fans and NFL bettors alike and it means that we can start to turn our attention from salary floors and wage scales to rivalry games and divisional clashes.
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2012 Super Bowl Contenders
by Robert Ferringo - 6/27/2011

As rancorous and acrimonious as the current NFL labor negotiations are – and by all accounts the negotiations are moving in the right direction – I don’t think that anyone in their right mind would do something to jeopardize The Biggest Game On The Planet. So if we can agree that there will be a Super Bowl, then it stands to reason that there will be a Super Bowl champion crowned and, by extension, some lucky banshees are going to be cashing Super Bowl futures tickets.
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NFL Handicapping: Impact of Lockout on Pro Football Betting
by Trevor Whenham - 6/24/2011

I certainly don’t want to jinx anything, and things are still tenuous right up until the signing of the new CBA, but it certainly seems like the NFL and the players are moving towards a resolution to this lockout. Really, it seems like both sides came to their senses. The owners realized that they make way too much money from the ridiculous preseason to risk missing it, while the players realize that getting paid is a lot better than not getting paid.
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2011 NFL Free Agent Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 6/20/2011

The current labor situation in the NFL is a debacle (brought to you by 32 sadistic and sociopathic owners).But to me the lockout is simply an annoyance; in the end, a deal will eventually be reached and football will resume. When that will happen and how many games will this season entail are the parlor game-type questions open to rampant speculation. But a deal will be reached, most likely there will be between 8-16 games played, and the sport will not be altered all that much.
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NFL Predictions: Teams Hurt Most by Lockout
by Robert Ferringo - 6/15/2011

“Silent Spring”, by Rachel Carson, is one of the most influential books in American literature. The book, which documented the detrimental effects of Big Business – specifically the chemical industry and pesticide producers – on the environment, particularly birds, is credited with helping to launch the environmental movement. The premise of the book was that uncontrolled pesticide use was killing animals and birds and could lead to a spring season where no birds could be heard because they had all vanished.
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CFL Grey Cup Futures Odds and Season Preview
by Dave Schwab - 6/6/2011

The start of the 2011 NFL season is still up in the air due to the ongoing labor dispute between the league owners and its players, but our neighbors to the north in the CFL are busy gearing up for another season that kicks off on Wednesday, June 15, with the first preseason game off the year. Bodog has released the futures odds for each team’s chances to hoist this year’s Grey Cup as the league champion.
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NFL Odds and Predictions: Offensive Rookie of the Year Props
by Alan Matthews - 5/19/2011

Recently here at Doc’s we previewed the upcoming 2011 NFL class of defensive rookies and the odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year – you know, assuming there is an NFL season. Today let’s look at the Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, courtesy of WagerWeb.
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NFL Handicapping Impact of Lockout
by Trevor Whenham - 5/13/2011

There is going to be an NFL season this year. It will likely even start when it is supposed to. I don’t base this on any inside knowledge — just time spent watching and analyzing what has been going on. I’m no labor lawyer, and I am so sick of this whole mess, but I just don’t see this thing dragging out as long as both sides are currently willing to say it will. I can’t find any of the major sportsbooks currently offering odds on if the season will start on time, but if they did I suspect that the yes would be solidly — and justifiably — favored. There are five good reasons I think so:
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NFL Odds: Props Predictions for 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year
by Alan Matthews - 5/9/2011

Since we may not see any NFL transactions for months, depending on a June 3 court hearing on the lockout, and with the draft still fresh in everyone’s memory, let’s take a look at one of the few NFL player props out so far this year: the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (check back at Doc’s for a story on the Offensive Rookie of the Year as well).
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Handicapping Early NFL Week 1 Lines
by Dave Schwab - 5/3/2011

The on-again, off-again NFL owners’ lockout of the players is back on, and the prospect that the current labor situation delays the start of the regular season still hangs over the league’s head. Despite all the uncertainty, it is not too early to take a look at the opening lines for Week 1 in the NFL as released by Sportsbook.com because, as they say on Broadway, ‘the show must go on’.
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How 2011 NFL Schedule Affects Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/29/2011

The release of the NFL schedule is a highlight of the year for most sports fans who can instantly start clearing out their fall and winter weekends and plan their sick days at work around their team's Monday Night Football games. It is also a chance to take a closer look at NFL futures odds, as some teams are dealt easier hands by the NFL schedule makers than others.
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NFL Futures Odds: Super Bowl 46 Longshots
by Alan Matthews - 2/8/2011

There were no surprises when WagerWeb released its Super Bowl XLVI futures for next February’s game in Indianapolis – ah, another joyful week of weather likely awaits like what we saw in North Texas. The New England Patriots opened as +500 favorites for next season, and it’s hard to argue with the bookies on this one as the Pats have the reigning unanimous league MVP in Tom Brady and they had the NFL’s best record in 2010. They also have a ton of draft picks this year to add young talent to an already fairly young but talented team.
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2012 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 2/7/2011

The Super Bowl that Green Bay won in much more boring-than-hoped-for fashion started less than 24 hours ago as I write this. That obviously means that now is the perfect time to be looking forward to next year. While we don’t know if there will be a next season, or when it might start, we do know what odds are available for all 32 teams. Here are six Super Bowl predictions that sound pretty good to me right now (all odds are from Bodog):
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Betting the NFL Pro Bowl – Tips and Advice
by Trevor Whenham - 1/27/2011

The Pro Bowl is, without a doubt in my mind, the most pointless event in sports. There isn’t a major sport that requires more practice, game planning and precision than football, so it is all but impossible to create a team that can play together effectively in just a week of practice. That means that offenses are simplistic, and defenses are vanilla. On top of that, most of the players in the game have been banged up during the year and are thinking more about taking a bit of time off than in risking injury by trying too hard in this game. It’s incredibly boring to watch, and largely uninteresting to bet on as well.
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NFL Picks: Jets at Steelers Odds and Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/21/2011

I think that the tone of the New York Jets speaks volumes about how this weekend’s game is going to go. The Jets are traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers this Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST with the winner earning a trip to the Holiest of Holies – the Super Bowl.
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NFL Picks: Free Props Predictions for Conference Championship Games
by Trevor Whenham - 1/20/2011

We did pretty well looking at prop bets last weekend, so it only makes sense to do it again. The bad news is that there are obviously two fewer games to choose from this weekend. Luckily, though, they make up for it by providing more options for each game. Here are the five NFL picks for props that stick out most to me from this weekend along with some free predictions:
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NFL Picks: Packers at Bears Odds and Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/19/2011

The last few weeks we’ve heard a lot of chatter about rivalries in the NFL Playoffs. Well, I got news for you: there are few better rivalries in the entire sports world than the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears. Maybe it is the 21 combined championships. Maybe it is the 48 combined members in the Hall of Fame. Maybe it is the tradition or the at-its-roots nostalgia that these two ancient Midwestern franchises conjure up.
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NFL Playoffs Predictions: ‘Over’ Top Trend for Championship Weekend
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 1/18/2011

This is a week when, historically, instincts lead many to anticipate a defensive battle. All week long the buildup to the game will revolve around defense. This year is no different. The four teams still playing also happen to rank 1-4 in total defense. Add on top of that the expected wintry conditions in frigid Soldier Field in Chicago and Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, and points would figure to be at a premium come Sunday.
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NFL Picks: Where Will Donovan McNabb Play in 2011?
by Alan Matthews - 1/18/2011

Is there really any chance that Donovan McNabb remains with the Washington Redskins? Of course, McNabb was benched by Mike Shanahan for the final three games of the season. However, McNabb said he’d like to return to Washington next season. And Shanahan said he would welcome him back – as the backup. But McNabb’s agent blasted Shanahan and his offensive coordinator son Kyle for their handling of his client. Even Mike Shanahan acknowledged late in the season that things were like a "soap opera" and that essentially was a mistake for the Skins to have traded for him.
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2011 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/17/2011

So, everything I thought I knew kind of went up in smoke last weekend. I was confident that the Patriots were the best team in the league -- by a wide margin. Either that really wasn’t true or they had a really, really bad day on Sunday. Probably a bit of both. I’m less surprised that the Ravens -- the team I liked second best in the league -- lost, though I am disappointed that they were so hopeless in the second half after such a strong start.
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NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Betting Trends
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2011

Last week we looked back at the recent history of the Wild Card round -- the last four years -- to see what trends emerged. It was very informative -- a profitable exercise. For example, we learned that home field advantage hadn’t been much of an advantage from a betting perspective,, so it didn’t need to be given a lot of credit. Road teams were 3-1 ATS last weekend.
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NFL Picks: Ravens vs. Steelers Playoff Betting Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2011

This game, played Saturday, Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. EST in Pittsburgh, is what the NFL is all about -- the prototypical, near-perfect playoff matchup. It really has everything. Two excellent teams that really, really hate each other and have a long history of playing very good, very tight games against each other. Two strong quarterbacks -- one among the very best in the league, and the other improving every game. Two ridiculously stout defenses that thrive on punishing people. It’s got it all.
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New York Jets at New England Patriots Predictions and NFL Odds
by Alan Matthews - 1/14/2011

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have the NFL’s most physical rivalry. The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers can claim the league’s oldest rivalry. But the most entertaining rivalry in football? It has to be New York Jets vs. New England Patriots. All the entertainment usually flows from the New York side, and this week was no different.
Read more about New York Jets at New England Patriots Predictions.

Free NFL Picks: Handicapping Divisional Round Playoff Props
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2011

One of the best parts of the playoffs is the wide range of prop bets that are available for NFL handicappers. There aren’t as many in the earlier rounds as there are in the Super Bowl, but there are still a wide range of creative and thought provoking bets available. They often don’t offer much value, but they occasionally do, and they are fun, too. Here are two that stand out for each game this weekend:
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NFL Picks: Packers at Falcons Odds and Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/13/2011

There is no more coveted regular season prize for an NFL team than the No. 1 conference seed and the first-round bye and home field advantage it comes with. The logic follows that this paves the easiest path to the elusive, and ultimate, prize: a Super Bowl championship.
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Seahawks at Bears Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 1/13/2011

I will fully admit that I was wrong about the Seattle Seahawks last week. I didn’t think they had a prayer at beating New Orleans and not only was I stunned, but it also cost me money in the form of a wager on the Saints. Now, that said, I still think that this is the worst NFL playoff team that I have ever seen and that one week of them playing out of their minds doesn’t erase the pathetic play that this team put on film this season.
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NFL Odds: Betting on the Heavy Favorites for Divisional Round Playoffs
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 1/13/2011

The NFL postseason is only into its second round, but already we have seen three teams be pegged as nine-point or higher underdogs, according to the NFL lines. This week in the divisional round we have two heavy underdogs, including the Seattle Seahawks, who are catching 10 points for the second consecutive week.
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NFL Playoffs Betting Trends: Home-Field Advantage and the Stadiums
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 1/13/2011

Home-field advantage takes on a different meaning come NFL playoff time. Just because a team may be dominant at home during the regular-season does not necessarily mean that same stadium is an intimidating place to play in the playoffs. Here is breakdown of the four host stadiums this weekend and how they rank in order of toughness for the opposition, starting with the weakest.
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2011 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/11/2011

And then there were eight. Four teams fell off the road to the Super Bowl this past weekend, including both teams that played in last year’s biggest game. The loss by New Orleans really shows how hard it is to stay at the top of the game -- this is the fifth year in a row that the defending champions failed to win a playoff game the next year. One of the eight remaining teams is going to replace New Orleans at the top of the heap. But which team? Here’s how I rank them in order of likelihood this week with my updated Super Bowl predictions (all odds are from BetUS):
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NFL Public Action Betting Report: Wild Card Edition
by Trevor Whenham - 1/7/2011

With only four games on tap in the NFL this weekend, you can be sure that the public will be throwing money heavily on to all of the games. Any time the public gets particularly heavily involved there is a lot to potentially be learned from looking at the line movement and betting distribution. Here’s a look at each of the four games:
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Betting Trends and Advice for NFL Picks for the Wild Card Round
by Trevor Whenham - 1/7/2011

Wild Card Weekend is here again. A lot of bettors will tell you that this is the best weekend of the playoffs for making a big profit. That may or may not be true, but like every weekend of the NFL season you are better off approaching it with as much knowledge as you can. In this case one of the best means we have of learning about how to bet the Wild Card games is from history.
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NFL Picks: Saints at Seahawks Predictions and Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 1/7/2011

If there’s one game that looks like a dog this weekend – that’s dog as in a canine with fleas not underdog, although I guess the latter is also true – it’s Saturday afternoon’s New Orleans at Seattle matchup. After all, the Seahawks are probably the worst playoff team in NFL history and just became the first division champion ever with a losing record and first below-.500 playoff team in a non-strike season.
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Free NFL Picks: Ravens at Chiefs Predictions and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 1/7/2011

One team that was definitely supposed to be a playoff team will play one team that is a surprise to many in the early game on Sunday. Baltimore looked like a serious contender coming into the season, and unlike some who shared that distinction they are still standing and looking proud. Kansas City, on the other hand, is far more unexpected. By now everyone will say they saw the resurgence coming -- 4-12 last year to hosting a playoff game this year. Those people are, of course, lying. It was clear that the Chiefs would be better, but the combination of how much better they were and how lousy the Chargers would be couldn’t have been foreseen.
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NFL Playoff Picks: Predictions for Offensive Props
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 1/7/2011

After the 17-week NFL regular season, 20 teams have been sent home and 12 move forward to the NFL playoffs. The playoffs begin with the Wild Card round this Saturday at 4:15 p.m. EST when the New Orleans Saints visit the Seattle Seahawks. Eight teams will be action this weekend: four division winners and four teams who earned Wild Card berths. Sportsbook.com has released a number of props that involve all eight teams competing on Saturday and Sunday. Here are some NFL Playoff picks for these props.
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NFL Betting Trends for Wild Card Playoffs: Rematches
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 1/7/2011

Both NFC Wild Card round matchups this weekend are rematches of regular-season meetings. If that seems odd, it’s not. Last season all four Wild Card round games were rematches. The last three seasons all the AFC Wild Card round games have been rematches.
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NFL Odds and Predictions for Next San Francisco 49ers Coach
by Alan Matthews - 1/6/2011

Bodog offers a prop on who the next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers will be, and for my NFL predictions I would tell you that two developments on Thursday made the favorite of in that prop much, much less likely to take the Niners job.
Read more about Next San Francisco 49ers Coach.

NFL Picks: Packers at Eagles Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/6/2011

The NFL has the Green Bay Packers to thank for unleashing Michael Vick onto them this season. Now the Packers may reap the whirlwind. The Packers head to Lincoln Financial Field this weekend to take on Philadelphia in a Wild Card Playoff game. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday and this is a rematch of a Week 1 matchup.
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New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 1/6/2011

Time to put up or shut up. At the outset of this NFL season the New York Jets, and an obliging media, crowned Gang Green as one of the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites. The early result has been a backed-into Wild Card slot and an opening round shot at the defending conference champions.
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NFL Playoffs: Best Teams Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 1/6/2011

I don’t know about you, but when the playoffs start I become obsessed with looking at all of the teams in every way possible. It’s almost a sickness -- or at least a way to pretend to be productive while killing time until the big games finally get under way. Today’s useful way to pass time is to look at the performance against the NFL point spread of the 12 playoff teams to see what can be learned:
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2011 Super Bowl Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/5/2011

There are 12 teams remaining that can win the Super Bowl. Only one will. Here are those 12 teams in the order of likelihood of lifting the Lombardi Trophy high in Dallas in a month. Here are some Super Bowl predictions for the big game for which teams I think can make it to Dallas (odds are from BetUS):
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