NFL General

Just wanted to check in with everybody. I’ve been working away on my 2014 Fantasy Football Rankings. Check those out as it will be a great cheat sheet for your draft and also breaks players down into tiers (RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, WR3). It’s a continued work in progress until the season kicks off.

Just a few predictions about the upcoming 2014 football season and my approach to betting on the NFL in 2014. First, I’m not going to place any substantial bets on games until at least week 5. There are surprises every year and there are a lot of teams that I usually tend to enjoy betting against that will be much better football teams this year (e.g., Vikings, Jets, Jaguars, Rams, Browns, Cardinals, etc.). I wouldn’t be surprised to see the dogs starting the year on a very good note.

Over the last four years, I’ve found that my best weeks against the spread have been weeks 10-16.  That’s when things get serious. What gives me an edge during this time is I’ve found that the parity between teams that is often seen in the beginning of the year begins to dissipate. The playoff teams typically kick it up a notch while other teams who will not be competing for a playoff spot take a step back. It’s simply a matter of the playoff teams gaining confidence and the non-playoff teams losing confidence and you see that  take effect after week 9 once teams have a better idea of whether they are a contender or not.

For example, the Broncos were 6-2 ATS in their final 8 games after starting the season 4-3-1 ATS. The Seahawks finished the season 6-1 ATS after going 5-4 ATS in …

We are five Sundays away from the start of the NFL season. At this point in the season, I’m working on my 2013 fantasy football rankings, pinning down the right online sportsbook to use throughout the year like Bovada sportsbook, and following by beloved Eagles.

The Eagles always seem to have some huge offseason story. In 2009 it was Michael Vick’s return to the NFL, then in 2010 it was Michael Vick taking the reigns as the starter, and 2011 was the year of “The Dream Team” which went terribly wrong. This year the Eagles are dealing with Riley Cooper’s racial comment and trying to find a replacement for Jeremy Maclin, who they lost for the season with an ACL injury.

Although the loss of Jeremy Maclin is huge, I’m not too concerned with the loss. Now that the Eagles offensive line is back, if they can give Vick protection and get the running game going, Vick will be able to effectively spread the ball around. The Eagles were decimated with injuries along the offensive line last season. They lost Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters and C Jason Kelce very early in the season. With Jason Peters and Jason Kelce back along with first-round draft pick OL Lane Johnson, the Eagles can shift Todd Heremans back to guard and this offensive line starts looking like one of the best in the league.

With a a quality offensive line, LeSean McCoy has the ability to return to his his 2011 form rather than his 2012 form and the Eagles can take the load off of him with the emerging Bryce Brown, who showed flashes of greatness last season if it wasn’t for his fumbling problems. Coming out of high …

The football season is over. We now have to wait 5 months before training camp starts and 7 months before the 2013 NFL season kicks off. Here are some other key dates to get your football fix until Training Camp begins in late July.

February 20-26 – NFL Combine

March 9 – Free Agency Begins

March 17-20 – Annual League Meeting

April 25-27 – NFL Draft

What else can be done during this period when we all go through withdrawal and don’t know what to do with ourselves on Sunday? Fortunately, there’s March Madness around the corner once we’re out of this dreaded month of February with ridiculously cold weather and nothing exciting going on in the sports world. Feel free to check out the 2013 March Madness lines or browse this NCAA March Madness Gambling Site.

It looks like my Sunday is relegated to NCAA basketball on Sunday. Today we see a matchup between #1 Indiana vs. #10 Ohio State. Despite Indiana dropping an overtime loss to Illinois the other day, they still kept their #1 ranking and look like the team to beat. I’ll be picking them to win the whole NCAA tournament as Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller look like the best 1-2 punch in the college basketball ranks. Oladipo is drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan with his moves, while Zeller is your classic Indiana big man. A 7’0″ 240 lbs. Indiana native that’s averaging 16.2 PPG and 8.3 RPG. Indiana is going to be an exciting team to watch in the tournament.

See you all next year. Congratulations to Beantown Brawlers winning the pick ’em league. Although we had the same record (137-124 ATS) at the top, he won the league with the tiebreaker.…

Betting Tip: For many teams, this is the final week of year so it is important to find teams that still have something to play for and key in on those games. Finding a team without a lot to play for verse a team that has already packed it in or one of the major programs that has already been eliminated from BCS eligibility could lead to great “spot” plays.

1. LSU (-13) vs Arkansas: I like this spot play for LSU. A lot would have to happen to allow LSU back into the picture, but there is an outside chance should things fall apart for the teams ahead of them that could end up in a BCS game (not likely, but possible). Arkansas has nothing to play for at this point. Ark is 2-9 ATS on the season. Against average defenses their offense has completely struggled. As we all know, LSU still has one of the top defenses in the country. LSU should be able to score at will and I don’t see there defense giving up more than 10 points. Lay the 13 with LSU for 2 units.

2. Arizona St vs Arizona OVER 68.5. Arizona State has played better on the road this year and their defense has been respectable all year. However, AzSt’s D struggled against the spread offense of Oregon and Coach Rich Rod should take special note of that and exploit those weaknesses. Rich isn’t a great coach, but he does know how to get teams to score. Therefore, I see Arizona putting up a score in the mid 30s. Arizona has really struggled to stop any team with a legitimate offense and that should again haunt them here. Arizona State will come to …

We won our big money game with the Texans. Didn’t do a whole lot at 4:00. Had some on the Panthers, who let me down, but I did state to proceed with caution. The Bucs are a much improved team as I suspected.

I’m not crazy about tonight’s game. I don’t want to bet against Peyton Manning, but I feel that he’s just not 100% and will need a few games before he’s back in normal form. He has a tough matchup against this Steelers defense. I think it will be a tight game and one where I’ll lean on the under 45.5. I’m not overly confident with the Steelers, who have some injury concerns. I have a parlay on the Steelers moneyline and the under which pays 3:1. The pick has a 6/10 confidence rating.

I’ll save a big bet for the Ravens (-6.5) over the Bengals tomorrow night. Pick warrants an 8/10. Not going to touch the Raiders/Chargers game.…

Now that teams are done handing out the franchise tag, free agency is just around the corner and this season should be another exciting season for free agency. There hasn’t been much to do in the last few weeks besides look at sportsbook reviews. Good thing free agency is ready to get started next week as free agency begins March 12.

The biggest prize in free agency will be Mario Williams. Williams was having another great season until his season came to an early end in week 5 due to a torn pectoral muscle. No worries though, Williams says the injury is completely heeled. The front-runner for Mario Williams is the New England Patriots followed by the Cowboys. Williams will fit perfectly in New England’ 3-4 scheme and how could Mario pass up on an opportunity of competing for  perennial Super Bowl contender? Mario stated that he loves how the Texans are coming together and may stay with the team, as long as the price is right.

For teams looking to boost their offensive line, New Orleans Saints OG Carl Nicks will hit the market now that the Saints decided to use the franchise tag on Drew Brees. As an Eagles fan, I’m certainly hoping the Eagles can make a run at Nicks since they’ll need to help Vick get protection. Last year the Eagles had to sign Evan Mathis who was cut by the Colts in order to fill him in as a starter on their line. Nicks would be a huge boost to the Eagles line.

For teams needing to boost their secondary, Titans CB Courtland Finnegan will be available. Finnegan will likely find a new team since he has publicly stated that he feels the …

If you could compare NFL running backs to WWE wrestlers, who would they compare to? We’ll break down NFL running backs and list their WWE counterparts in this series.

Adrian Peterson — Adrian Peterson is the cream of the crop of NFL running backs. Big, explosive, elusive, powerful — he has it all. In order to find his WWE counterpart, you have to look at the man who’s been at the top of the WWE for years. Although no longer an active WWE wrestler, other than his WrestleMania 28 match against John Cena, The Rock is to the WWE what Adrian Peterson is to NFL running backs — the prototype. He is the envy of fellow running backs and GMs around the league.

Chris Johnson — Although 2011 was a down year for Johnson after posting ridiculous numbers in his first three years, Chris Johnson is still the NFL’s fastest running back and the sole reason he was taken by the Titans in the first round of the NFL draft back in 2008. To find his WWE counterpart, you have to look for a WWE star with speed who is able to strike at any moment. That WWE star is none other than Randy Orton. Randy Orton is known for his quick and vicious attacks on WWE rivals. Orton is able to strike from anywhere, at any time, and often dominates unsuspecting opponents. Chris Johnson has the same ability. With a single snap, Johnson can strike opponents by taking the ball 80 yards for a touchdown and do it again on the very next drive.

LeSean McCoy — There is no doubt that LeSean McCoy was the breakout star of the 2011 NFL season. LeSean racked up 1,309 rushing …