November 2007

Ricky Williams: One and Done

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For a while there, it looked like the Miami Dolphins had a chance. But the longer Monday night’s soggy matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers went, the more you could tell nothing was going to happen with Patrick Cobbs carrying the ball.

The Dolphins desperately needed someone to carry the ball through the mud, so they activated both Ricky Williams and Jesse Chatman for Monday night. And both were knocked out of the game; worse, Williams is already on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.

Miami just took a huge step down the road to 0-16 by losing Williams for the rest of the year. But will Ricky be around in 2008? There was talk the Dolphins were showcasing Williams for a potential trade; now that his showcase is over prematurely, the Fish may keep Williams during his contract year and sign him on the cheap should he perform well. The legend continues.

Top 10 NFL Betting Blogs

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It takes a village to raise a good NFL handicapper. Whatever level of betting prowess you possess, you need sources of advice and information you can trust.

Here are my Top 10 NFL blogs (outside the Bodog family, that is), in no particular order.

Football Outsiders: The premier place for advanced football statistical analysis.

Two Minute Warning: Stats from a gambling perspective.
Pro Football Talk: Gaining a reputation for its news collating and opinion.

Bam’s NFL Rumors: A news/rumor aggregate with weekly picks.

Deadspin: Hugely popular sports site includes insightful NFL picks and commentary.

Larry Brown Sports: Comprehensive blog with lots of linkage (and thongage).

Fanhouse: Sure, it’s AOL, but they do a good job of getting to the point.
Kissing Suzy Kolber: Which we’ve all thought about from time to time.

Hashmarks: Not quite as good as True Hoop, but at least ESPN is getting there.

Dave’s Football Blog: Every kind of football there is, with sharp analysis.

Super Bowl Bets: Steelers, Colts or Patriots?

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The last couple of weeks have shaken up the top of the NFL standings. The New England Patriots are still humming along, undefeated at 9-0 (8-1 ATS), but the Indianapolis Colts have dropped two in a row to fall even with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 7-2.

If you can’t stand the thought of eating chalk on the Super Bowl futures market, then you need to figure out which team has the best chance to knock off the Patriots. We’re going to leave 8-1 Dallas and Green Bay out of the equation, since they play in the lesser NFC.

The Colts came very close to beating New England in Week 9, and that was without LT Tony Ugoh and WR Marvin Harrison, but even more offensive players (plus DL Dwight Freeney) have been hurt since then. That might leave it up to Pittsburgh’s No. 2-ranked defense to upset New England for the AFC championship. It could happen.

NFL Week 10 Wrap-UP Report

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This week’s NFL Week 10 wrap-up report looks a little like this: we take a look at the happenings of this past weekend in the NFL; we ask a bodoglife.com bookmanager about Peyton Manning’s worst day ever, Adrian Peterson’s injury as well who he thinks the second best team in the league is now that the Colts are suffering through a mini-slump.

The Colts lost their second game in a row after Peyton Manning threw a career high six interceptions, what can we make of this? Are the Colts still the second-best team in the NFL right now?

Continue reading “NFL Week 10 Wrap-UP Report”

NFL Football a Favorite Among Women?

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The NFL may be the biggest thing going in North American pro sports, but there are always new markets for the league to invade. How about the biggest market of all – women?

According to the Kansas City Star, NFL research shows that 15 million of their 50 million “avid” fans are female. And a Harris Poll shows 30 percent of women respondents, when asked their favorite spectator sport, said football. The NFL itself is hiring more and more women, and after an unfortunate dalliance with cheesecake, broadcasters are wisely sticking with the likes of Pam Oliver and Suzy Kolber.

Which is why you can now buy women’s apparel and jewellery for every NFL team. Check out that hot pink Tom Brady uniform. “You will look cute,” according to the product info blurb. Maybe so, but do they have a Steve Hutchinson-sized Vikings Confetti Dot Pajama Set? Nope: Small, Medium and Large only.

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How Great was Patriots vs. Colts Game?

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The Patriots dropped the cash!

That’s the main storyline (as far as we’re concerned) about Sunday’s Patriots-Colts game. Sure, the Pats went 9-0 straight up and will now carry the 1972 Miami Dolphins on their backs for the rest of the season – or until they lose, whichever comes first. But it was easily the toughest game of the year for both teams, and New England escaped by the skin of its teeth.

It took two fourth-quarter TD drives (keyed by two Tom Brady bombs) for New England to win 24-20 as 6.5-point road faves. Indy’s offense did well in the first three quarters, but the absence of Marvin Harrison was problematic for Peyton Manning, especially once Anthony Gonzalez was knocked out in the first half with a finger injury.

Even if you had given the Colts a full complement, Sunday’s game would have been a close one. Perhaps they will meet again in the AFC Championship (fingers crossed).

Now here’s a highlite video of the Colts/Patriots game from Sunday. Enjoy.

Colts vs. Patriots: Super Bowl 41.5

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Never before have two undefeated teams met this late in an NFL season. Call it Super Bowl 41 1/2. Admit it, you’ve been waiting for this game since Week 1. Whichever team wins Sunday’s epic showdown between the Colts (7-0) and Patriots (8-0) will be anointed the king of the NFL, the clear favorite to win the Super Bowl.
By beating the Patriots, the Colts can prove they’re still the boss. The winner of this game will be the last unbeaten team, with a chance for a perfect season. The game also has huge implications for the playoffs because the winner will have a leg up on securing home-field advantage. How important is that? All three times these teams have met in the playoffs, the home team has won.