NFL Expert Handicapping: Training Camp Storylines with Interest for Bettors

by Trevor Whenham - 8/2/2017

I have a love-hate relationship with this time in the NFL schedule. On one hand, the start of training camps is exciting because it means that football season is on the way. That's a very good thing. On the other hand, it also signals that the preseason games are about to start, and there is no bigger waste of this planet's oxygen than those 'contests'.

Training camps are also annoying because countless national media guys head off on their training camp tours, telling us how every team looks great and has improved massively, how every star player looks better than ever before, how every rookie is ready to make an immediate impact, and how every coach is suddenly a genius. It's mind-numbing and totally useless.

Beyond all that noise, though, there are some very important things that bettors need to learn and uncover during the late summer. Here are four of the biggest storylines for bettors to keep an eye on:

Houston's QB: There are plenty of QB battles , and we will get to some of them soon enough, but from where I sit this is the most interesting. The Texans have been a pretty good team in recent years but have been let down by total incompetence at the QB position. I don't play the players entirely, either - this team has made a total mess of managing the position and, despite the past experience of head coach Bill O'Brien, coaching it. They got their guy of the future in Deshaun Watson, and he certainly knows how to win. The team can't afford to limp along with him this year, though - O'Brien could lose his job over that - so either he needs to be ready or Tom Savage will be the man for now.

It's a very interesting race because both guys have their real positives, but neither is the perfect answer for a team that otherwise could be able to compete in a big way and which has the luxury of a very winnable division to play in. This one should be very interesting, and it should make the first couple of preseason games more interesting than they almost ever are.

Other QB battles: The Texans are far from the only team with an interesting QB battle, though most of the other teams are going to have issues regardless of who wins the job.

The Broncos could be the best of the rest if they get things right. Will last year's surprise Trevor Siemian again get the nod, or will first-round pick Paxton Lynch figure things out better in his second year?

The Bears are going to be just awful no matter what, but will they decide to go with the guy they paid too much to in free agency - Mike Glennon - or the guy they drafted too early - Mitch Trubisky? It's a decision that will make people mad no matter what.

The Browns need to decide whether to go young with DeShone Kizer, give Brock Osweiler a chance to redeem himself, or go with Cody Kessler. And I literally can't think of a more depressing decision to have to make.

Except for with the Jets, that is. Deciding between Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty or Josh McCown is like choosing between infinite paper cuts, a bath in hot acid, or being eaten by a tiger. None are any good, and no matter what the decision is going to make your life, and the team in this case, worse. What a mess.

Dallas' drama factor: Dallas should be pretty good. Or they could be awful. It's always so hard to tell with them. They had no end of offseason drama again, including legal issues for their young star running back. They have a QB they have bet the farm on who came from nowhere last year to shine in a big way. But can Dak Prescott stay sharp when the pressure is ratcheted up a hundred times more than it was - which is already very high given that he plays on the highest of high-profile teams? Can Jason Garrett, for once, stay off the list of coaches on a hot seat?

This team has all sorts of potential but also all sorts of potential to implode dramatically. Key for bettors will be getting a sense of how focused they are on what matters - and only that.

Luck's health: Andrew Luck has been a disappointment as a pro. I said it. He has immense talent and has done some incredible things, but his teams have really done nothing, and now he is struggling to stay on the field. He can, and must, be better.

He has found himself back on the PUP list this summer, and we don't yet have a real sense of if he will be ready for this season. If he's not then the Colts will again be treading water. His status is worth a close look.

So is that of Cam Newton, who is dealing with a partially torn rotator cuff while trying to bounce back from a wildly disappointing post-MVP campaign last year. The Panthers signaled a shift in offensive philosophy in the draft, but that will only work if Newton is ready and fully bought in. His status could swing the anticipated results of this team a whole lot.

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NFL Expert Handicapping: Training Camp Storylines with Interest for Bettors

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