What Bettors Need to Know: Friday's NFL Preseason Action
By Nick Parsons
Buffalo Bills at Washington Redskins (-3.5, 32.5)
Why the Bills will cover
New head coach Chan Galey brings in a fresh focus. He had all the TVs from the team’s weight room removed and required the team to be in pads during every day of training camp. Competition for a starting spot between Trent Edwards, Harvard alum Ryan Fizpatrick and Brian Brohm will ensure solid play at quarterback for the entire game.
Why the Redskins will cover
The Redskins have a new coach as well in Mike Shanahan and with him the arrival of marquee quarterback Donovan Mcnabb, who is expected to play "somewhere in the area of 15 to 18 plays." After that, expect a focus on the run with Willie Parker, Larry Johnson and Ryan Torain all fighting for the No. 2 spot behind Clinton Portis
Notes and trends
McNabb is having an influence on the masses, with popular opinion backing the Redskins. But the line has only seen slight half point moves. Chan Galey is 2-8 ATS in preseason, having coached the Cowboys in 1998 and 1999. Expect a lot of experimentation on defense, with both teams making the transition to the 3-4
Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (-3, +33.5)
Why the Jaguars will cover
A mediocre performance by the Jaguars defense in their mixed practiced with the Falcons earlier this week, might bode well for backers. After giving up several big plays, the team showed a bit of intensity with several skirmishes erupting.
"He was in my running mate Reggie's face, so that's what I'm here for,” corner Rashean Mathis told reporters after one of the fights. “I'm a veteran. I'm not going to let anybody jump on any of my guys on the defensive end of the ball."
With the coaching staff upset with the D, expect a higher than usual preseason effort.
Why the Eagles will cover
All eyes will be on Kevin Kolb for the regular season, but the preseason focus will be on first-round draft pick Brandon Graham, who is expected to see decent playing time at defensive end on Friday.
The Michigan alum has gone all out in training camp easily beating teammates in various drills. There was one quirky instance, where after intercepting Kolb in practice, Graham rushed into the endzone at full speed for a mock touchdown even though no one was in pursuit. Michael Vick has also been sharp running the second team in practice.
Notes and trends
The Eagles were 0-4 ATS in preseason last year and they have not covered in a preseason opener since 2003. Jacksonville was 2-1-1 in preseason last year and it went 3-1 over/under. The line opened at -2.5 in favor of the Eagles and has moved to -3 at most sportsbooks.
Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons (-3, 34.5)
Why the Chiefs will cover
Motivation is key in preseason games and with several position battles, expect a decent effort from the Chiefs.
"That's the fastest way for a team to improve -- competition within the roster,” coach Todd Halkey said. “Last year we didn't have that throughout the team. This year, I see it coming up with every group."
The rookies have also been impressive in training camp and even though safety Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas have moved up in the depth chart, they could possibly get more playing time than other veteran first and second stringers.
Why Atlanta will cover
What may be Atlanta’s misfortune could be preseason gold. No. 2 receiver Michael Jenkins injured his right shoulder and will be out four to six weeks, which opened up a receiving job. Battling for the spot will be Eric Weems, Brian Finneran, Harry Douglas and several others. So with most of their roster set, the added motivation from the wideout position could result in several big plays in the third and fourth quarters.
Notes and trends
Popular consensus favors the home side but books have been hesitant to move the line. Kansas City was 0-4 ATS in last year’s preseason, but that could change with new coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel wanting to keep the Chiefs sharp before the regular season. A pair of former Alabama QBs will see playing time against each other with the Falcons John Parker Wilson and Chiefs backup Brodie Croyle.
Football Friday
Football bettors have the opportunity to wager on three more NFL Preseason games Friday night. Even if betting on preseason football isn’t your thing, it doesn’t hurt to pay attention to these games as you can gather important intel for your regular season wagers in addition to the numerous NFL futures offered. With that being said, let’s take a quick look at all three games on Friday’s NFL betting board; numbers courtesy of Sportsbook.com.
Jacksonville at Philadelphia Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Sportsbook.com Line: Philadelphia -3 Total: 33.5
The Eagles prepare for the first season of the post-Donovan McNabb era and will be putting their trust in the arm of Kevin Kolb, who filled in admirably for the injured McNabb last year. Kolb inherits an array of young targets in wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson and tight end Brent Celek. Maclin (knee) and Jackson (back) have both missed practice time this preseason.
The Jaguars may have finished in last place in the highly competitive AFC South last season, but at 7-9 they were not far from making the playoffs. The Jags will have to improve upon a defense that ranked near the bottom in defending the pass. Offensively, David Garrard will try to build on the connection he established with wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker a year ago, while still relying heavily on the powerful legs of running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
The Jaguars have been successful on natural surfaces away from home. Consider this trend: JACKSONVILLE is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) in road games in games played on a grass field since 1993. The average score was JACKSONVILLE 21.6, OPPONENT 18.1 - (Rating = 1*).
Also Eagles’ coach Andy Reid has been known to not take the early part of the preseason all that seriously: PHILADELPHIA is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in the first two weeks of the pre-season since 1993. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 15.5, OPPONENT 20.5.
Buffalo at Washington, Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Sportsbook.com Line: Washington -3 Total: 32.5
The Redskins camp, their first under two-time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan, has been one of the more intriguing ones so far. The saga of Albert Haynesworth, who finally passed his conditioning test, and the addition of Donovan McNabb to replace Jason Campbell, who is now in Oakland, has been fun to watch.
New Buffalo coach Chan Gailey is looking to Trent Edwards to lead his offense this season. Edwards will face competition from both Brian Brohm and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Whoever ends up as quarterback will be happy that the Bills finally came to terms with first round draft pick C.J. Spiller out of Clemson. The all-purpose back could have an immediate impact on the Bills, who have a long way to go to catch up to their division rivals in New England, New York and Miami. On the defensive side, it remains unclear whether the Bills will have the services of Aaron Schobel, who can’t seem to make up his mind about whether and where he wants to play.
The depth of competition at quarterback for Buffalo could result in some inspired offensive play throughout the game, keeping things close. BUFFALO is 2-0 against the spread at WASHINGTON since 1993.
Kansas City at Atlanta, Friday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Sportsbook.com Line: Atlanta -3 Total: 34.5
The Chiefs have gone to the Patriot well once again, adding coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, who were instrumental in bringing three Lombardi trophies to New England under Bill Belichick. Weis will be designing plays for Matt Cassel, whose numbers dipped last season, his first with the Chiefs, after enjoying remarkable success in 2008 filling in for the injured Tom Brady.
The Falcons missed the playoffs a year ago, but did post a respectable 9-7 record with second-year starter Matt Ryan under center. Atlanta’s porous pass defense will have to improve in order for them to compete for the division title with the defending Super Bowl champion Saints.
Ryan and the Falcons are out to prove that they are more like the team that made the playoffs two seasons ago than the one that played inconsistently in 2009, and that winning attitude could very well show itself in the preseason.
The following Power Trend illustrates the road struggles of the Chiefs: KANSAS CITY is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less since 1993. The average score was KANSAS CITY 13.6, OPPONENT 21.8 - (Rating = 1*).
Rookie C.J. Spiller makes his debut for Bills in Washington
By: StatFox
Buffalo (0-0) at Washington (0-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT Line: Washington -3 Total: 32.5
The Redskins camp, their first under two-time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan, has been one of the more intriguing ones so far. The saga of Albert Haynesworth, who finally passed his conditioning test, and the addition of Donovan McNabb to replace Jason Campbell, who is now in Oakland, has been fun to watch.
New Buffalo coach Chan Gailey is looking to Trent Edwards to lead his offense this season. Edwards will face competition from both Brian Brohm and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Whoever ends up as quarterback will be happy that the Bills finally came to terms with first round draft pick C.J. Spiller out of Clemson. The all-purpose back could have an immediate impact on the Bills, who have a long way to go to catch up to their division rivals in New England, New York and Miami. On the defensive side, it remains unclear whether the Bills will have the services of Aaron Schobel, who can’t seem to make up his mind about whether and where he wants to play.
The depth of competition at quarterback for Buffalo could result in some inspired offensive play throughout the game, keeping things close. The FoxSheets show that previous matchups between these two teams have been closer than expected, but the favorite has ended up winning the game: BUFFALO is 2-0 against the spread at WASHINGTON since 1993.
Eagles set to begin post-Donovan McNabb era
By: StatFox
Jacksonville (0-0) at Philadelphia (0-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT Line: Philadelphia -3 Total: 33.5
The Eagles prepare for the first season of the post-Donovan McNabb era and will be putting their trust in the arm of Kevin Kolb, who filled in admirably for the injured McNabb last year. Kolb inherits an array of young targets in wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson and tight end Brent Celek. Maclin (knee) and Jackson (back) have both missed practice time this preseason.
The Jaguars may have finished in last place in the highly competitive AFC South last season, but at 7-9 they were not far from making the playoffs. The Jags will have to improve upon a defense that ranked near the bottom in defending the pass. Offensively, David Garrard will try to build on the connection he established with wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker a year ago, while still relying heavily on the powerful legs of running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
The Jaguars have been successful on natural surfaces away from home. Consider this stat from the FoxSheets: JACKSONVILLE is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) in road games in games played on a grass field since 1993. The average score was JACKSONVILLE 21.6, OPPONENT 18.1 - (Rating = 1*).
Also, PHILADELPHIA is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in the first two weeks of the pre-season since 1993. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 15.5, OPPONENT 20.5.