1. Notre Dame is awful. I was pretty sure that the experts who were saying that Notre Dame was going to win nine or ten games this year were crazy. Now I know for sure. They rallied to beat San Diego State, but that’s not much of an accomplishment when you are playing one of the worst teams in division one and you are favored by 21.5 points. The Irish looked confused, lethargic, unprepared and very predictable. They were sloppy, and they got lucky. Charlie Weis is a terrible coach, and I have no faith in his ability to turn ths mess around.
Sports Betting Section
MADDUX'S WINNING PICKS
MADDUX'S LIVE ODDS
SITE FEATURES
I’ve decided not to acknowledge that mess of a game between Washington and the Giants as the start of the NFL season. The Redskins in no way resembled an NFL team, so it shouldn’t count. That means that the official start of the NFL season is on Sunday. Though I still mostly see the NFL as just as acceptable follow-up to college football instead of a stand-alone attraction, I still greet the season with all sorts of excitement, and I have spent a good portion of my time over the last while thinking about this season from a ridiculous number of angles. Some of the thoughts have been productive and helpful towards the goal of profitability, and some almost certainly have not. Still, thinking about football is better than a huge majority of other possible activities.
The long wait is over and the NFL season is here. Sort of. I’m not entirely sure that that mess of a game tonight is worthy of being called an NFL game. It was hard to stay awake through that one, and it didn’t even start late.On the plus side, it can only get better from here. As I was watching, here are ten thoughts that came to mind:
As we get down to the point where we can start counting down to the NFL season in hours or even minutes, I find myself constantly looking at the upcoming season from every different angle. It will be a very good thing when the season finally gets underway, because then I can’t start looking at what actually happens instead of driving myself crazy thinking about what might happen. Until then, though, all I can do is ask questions I can’t answer. Here are ten of those questions that keep coming back to the top of my mind:
Continue reading “Eight Questions Heading Into the NFL Season”
The NFL season is just around the corner. That means that it is fantasy football time. I don’t profess to be an expert, but I do believe that you can significantly improve your chances of success in your league by following a few common sense tips. Here, then, are my ten tips to help guide you to a winning fantasy football season.
The NFL preseason is pretty much a waste of time. The last game is a total farce. There are about a billion reasons why I hate everything about this week’s NFL games, but here are seven to start:
1. No one tries – Pretty much every team has answered their big questions by now. Those that haven’t don’t want to risk getting hurt. The rash of big name inuries in the preseason this year – Osi Umenyiora, Jason Taylor, Shawne Merriman, Chad Johnson, Tom Brady, etc. – will do nothing to help. The starters will start, but they will be on the bench so fast it will be laughable.
The last couple of years I have touted the Niners heavily at this time of year. That has only partly been a good thing. Two years ago I felt like a genius as they went 6-3 ATS down the stretch and looked like a real team on the rise. They rewarded my faith last year by going 5-11 ATS and looking like a team that could only be improved by folding. I’m too smart to fall for this team again, but I can’t help myself completely, so I will still pay close attention to this team I wish I didn’t like. Because of that, I am particularly intrigued by the ascension of J.T. O’Sullivan, the game one starter for the team.
I wrote a couple of days ago that I thought that betting on the 200m world record being broken at +200 was an attractive bet. Even though I had obviously thought about it happening, and even thought it could happen, I was amazed how thrilling it was to actually see it happen. Usain Bolt is in a small handful of the biggest freaks I have ever seen in my life. His 100m win was impressive, but winning the 200m and breaking an seemingly unbreakable record at the same time is even more eye-opening. The guy is an uber-freak, and I count myself very lucky to have been able to watch both him and Michael Phelps make a mockery of their sports this month. Incredible.
It’s time to move on from the Olympics and get back into what matters – football. We’ll find lots of different ways to look at things in the coming weeks, but to ease back into it lets take a quick survey of some of the interesting stories out there concerning the most over-watched and over-hyped position on the field – the quarterbacks. I’m interested in these stories partly because of the impact they could have on the field, and partly because the betting public will almost certainly overcompensate for the situations.
Shockey Trade Boosts Saints Odds – Courtesy of our friends at Pinnacle Sports.
Although Jeremy Shockey was dealt on July 21, it took a little time for the sports betting market place to catch up. We have noticed a shift in the season win totals and divisional odds on the Saints as has Pinnacle.
Betting News
Online Sportsbooks
