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Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle gives his NFL 2009 Week 1 picks.
Eric Mangini's refusal to name a starting quarterback for the Browns in their Week 1 home game against Minnesota is astonishing. It's hard to think of any other NFL team not having named its starter by Week 1, if only for the sake of giving the team a leader around whom they can rally.
The situation is doubly ironic as the Vikings seem to have been quite clear on who their starting quarterback would be for quite some time. It was odd that they never considered trading for a quarterback in the offseason and, when Brett Favre flew out of Hattiesburg in a private plane with a Viking logo on the tail, a lot of lightbulbs went ping! over a lot of people's heads.
Favre's addition, venerable though he may be, may be the missing link to return the Vikings to the Super Bowl. They'll start well in Cleveland - Vikings -4.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Jacksonville is a team that doesn't get much love. Even two years ago when they were playoff contenders, nobody really knew who the Jaguars were. Even the people in Jacksonville seem unmoved by the team. The Jaguars are a seven point underdog at Indianapolis, but the total, set by Sports Interaction at 44.5 points, seems on the high side to me. I think this game could be nasty between the hashmarks, and I don't think it'll be an airshow. I'm taking the under on this one.
The NFL is celebrating fifty years of the AFL this year, and that's the reason that four founding franchises of the AFL are playing on Monday Night. Sadly for the league, the games don't look like they're going to be close. I'm staying away from San Diego at Oakland as I can't quite force myself to believe the Chargers are as good as advertised or the Raiders as bad, but my goodness, the prospects for Buffalo are not bright in Foxboro on Monday night.
The Bills are in complete disarray, having fired their offensive co-ordinator last week and having pinned their hopes in the offseason on Terrell Owens, a player who, although he has many fine qualities as a wide receiver, will not be winning any Teammate of the Year awards. New England will destroy them. New England -11 with Sports Interaction is the final pick of the week.
Frank Doyle, Gambling911.com
