Week 1 Preseason Preview
By Bodog.com
And we thought Al Michaels was one of the good guys.
At Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Titans punter A.J. Trapasso took the snap and ran back into his own end zone on the last play of the game, securing a 21-18 win for Tennessee over the Buffalo Bills. Trapasso also threw handicappers for a loop; Tennessee was a three-point favorite going into the game, so the safety caused a push at the pay window. Michaels made an oblique reference to the betting line when he called the safety meaningless, except to “some people.” Then he called those people “crazy.”
Actually, you’d have to be crazy to watch NFL preseason football on television without having something riding on the outcome. These are called exhibition games for a reason; the same reason pro-wrestling is called an exhibition and not a sport: it’s not a true competition. It’s a simulation designed to showcase the athletic talents of the players. But we still get to wager on NFL preseason games (and watch them on TV) anyway.
Even if it doesn’t count in the standings, some coaches do prefer to set a winning tone right off the bat in Week 1 of the preseason. Those are often incoming coaches looking to build some credibility with the local fan base, the press, and the players themselves. Here is the list of brand new coaches for 2009:
Cleveland Browns: Eric Mangini
Denver Broncos: Josh McDaniels
Detroit Lions: Jim Schwartz
Kansas City Chiefs: Todd Haley
Indianapolis Colts: Jim Caldwell
New York Jets: Rex Ryan
St. Louis Rams: Steve Spagnuolo
Seattle Seahawks: Jim L. Mora
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Raheem Morris
Four of these coaches will be playing in front of their home fans in Week 1, giving them even more incentive to produce a win. Ryan and the Jets start the year Friday night (7:00 p.m. Eastern, NFL Network) at Giants Stadium versus Spagnuolo and the Rams. Caldwell’s Colts are in action Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) against the Minnesota Vikings, who might not even play QB Tarvaris Jackson because of a sprained knee. Schwartz’ Lions are coming off a winless 2008 season and could use a motivational win Saturday (4:00 p.m. ET, NFL Network) over the visiting Atlanta Falcons. And Haley gets his first crack at leading the Chiefs Saturday night (8:00 p.m. ET) at Arrowhead versus the Houston Texans.
The Colts might be in the best betting position of these four teams – and not just because Caldwell is a Tony Dungy protégé who has spent the last seven seasons working with Peyton Manning. If Jackson doesn’t suit up for the Vikings, then Minnesota’s QB depth will be taxed in a Week 1 game where the starting unit normally plays for just a series or two. QB depth would have normally been a strength for the Vikings, who have Sage Rosenfels (81.2 career passer rating) battling Jackson (76.5) for the No. 1 job and former USC Trojans star John David Booty third in the pecking order.
Whoever wins the Rosenfels-Jackson battle (all signs point to Jackson, barring injury) will get to throw the ball to rookie WR Percy Harvin this season. The former Florida Gator is being touted as a Rookie of the Year candidate on offense. Again, we’ll only see him briefly this Friday, but as the preseason continues, Harvin and the rest of the first unit will get more plays and build more chemistry for the regular season. Other potentially outstanding QB/WR combos for 2009 who could use the extra work can be found in places like Buffalo (Trent Edwards-Terrell Owens), Detroit (Matthew Stafford-Calvin Johnson) and Seattle (Matt Hasselbeck-T.J. Houshmandzadeh).
Two wideouts we won’t see in action this week are Tampa Bay’s Antonio Bryant (torn meniscus) and Carolina’s Steve Smith (shoulder). Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb (sprained MCL) is also on the shelf in what’s been an injury-plagued Philadelphia camp. But the biggest absence of all, and the ongoing top story of the preseason, is Michael Vick. The three-time Pro Bowl QB needs a job. Whoever signs Vick, if anybody does, will get to play him in Week 3 and Week 4. The Green Bay Packers are getting the most buzz at the moment, although it’s just as likely Vick will end up in the four-team United Football League for 2009. Keep an eye on this story as it develops; Vick’s betting impact on those two preseason games would be significant.