Betting on Week 1 of the 2009 NFL Preseason
Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle makes some picks for Week 1 of the NFL Preseason.
The line that really jumps out at you when you look at Sports Interaction's prices for the Week 1 preseason games is Minnesota -1 at Indianapolis. A road favorite is highly unusual in preseason, not least against a team of proven substance like the Colts.
The theory behind the line is that the public perceives Indianapolis as being on the slide and Minnesota only a quarterback away from the Super Bowl. But this is preseason. Minnesota head coach Brad Childress has no kudos to be gained by turning it on at Lucas Field, while Jim Caldwell has taken over from Tony Dungy at Indianapolis and a win would be a nice start for his reign. Colts +1 is the pick here.
Steve Spagnuolo and Rex Ryan were named the new head coaches of the Rams and Jets on the same day, January 19th, this year. Friday night is the first time they get to see what's really under the hood when the Rams visit the Jets. This is a good chance for the Jets to take a look at Mark Sanchez under center, while the Rams, well - the Rams were first team in the league to have decals on their helmets. Not many people know that. Sanchez will get a much more thorough examination during the regular season but on Friday night, Jets -3 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Denver visits San Francisco this weekend, where 49er head coach Mike Singletary has to be very, very annoyed about the Michael Crabtree situation. These are teams with two more rookie head coaches (Singletary took over at San Francisco during the season, but this is first full season in charge) but right now Denver has the better quarterback in Kyle Orton. Orton was under-rated by the Bears in your correspondent's opinion, and Chicago may pay the price for that down the line. Denver +3 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
The Bears themselves are proving a popular choice at Buffalo, where a feel-good factor is building up behind Jay Cutler at the new quarterback as the best hope for the Bears in that position since the last guy. Like Sanchez, I expect Cutler to be more thoroughly examined in the regular season, but not at Buffalo. Bears +3 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Finally, Tennessee plays its second game of the preseason when Tampa Bay visits Nashville. Tennessee looked good against the Bills at Canton, while the Bucs have a quarterback crisis that's unlikely to be resolved by the time the fat lady sings in Nashville. Titans -3.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Frank Doyle, Gambling911.com
