Mon, Nov 27, 2006
It?s rare for an NFL team to have three straight home games. It?s even more unusual for such a team to lose all three.
Those wagering early believe it`s going to happen to the Cleveland Browns this week, as they?ve bet the Kansas City Chiefs up from -4 to -5 ? against Cleveland.
Before the Browns were shut out 30-0 by Cincinnati last Sunday, the Las Vegas Hilton?s early line was Kansas City -2 ?.
Have the Browns quit? The question needs to be asked considering they?ve lost numerous defensive backs, have no ground attack and morale is eroding with Charlie Frye and Braylon Edwards getting into a sideline shouting match.
Professional sports bettor Dave Malinsky doesn?t believe so. ?A Romeo Crennel team doesn?t quit,? Malinsky says.
Oddsmaker Mike Seba agrees. He made the line Kansas City -3 ?.
?I?m surprised they?ve bet Kansas City so high,? said Seba, a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. ?I know Cleveland didn?t look good, but they should be fired-up after losing their first two home games. So you figure to get a good effort.
?Sometimes you have to look at the spot and not necessarily the talent. Kansas City is a decent team, but when you start asking them to lay nearly a touchdown on the road you?re asking for trouble.?
Kansas City is on a nice roll, winning seven of its last nine and holding their past four most recent opponents to 17 or fewer points. Maybe that?s why bookmakers at Pinnacle have seen three times as much action on the Chiefs than on the Browns through Monday morning.
But if you discount their 41-0 home win against San Francisco, the Chiefs? average victory margin is less than seven points.
Herm Edwards is a conservative, run-oriented coach. With a home game the following week against Baltimore and then a division showdown against San Diego, the Chiefs could be looking ahead.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are another team desperately needing a victory. The Jaguars didn`t look good losing two of their three recent games, falling to lowly Houston in Week 10 and last Sunday to Buffalo.
Before their loss to the Bills, the Jaguars were 2 ?-point road favorites against the Miami Dolphins on the Hilton?s early line. The Dolphins are currently as high as -3 at some books.
?I think that?s a little high,? said Seba, who made the line Miami -1. ?The Jaguars really need the game.?
Jacksonville, however, has one of the most extreme home-road dichotomies in the NFL. The Jaguars are 5-1 at Alltel Stadium outscoring their six foes 147-47 for an average margina of victory of 17 points.
On the road the Jaguars are 1-4 both straight-up and against the spread.
At the Palms hotel in Las Vegas, the biggest early line move occurred in the Atlanta Falcons-Washington Redskins matchup. The game opened pick but the Redskins are currently -2. Hopefully Michael Vick won?t flip off those betting against him.
Gamblers may be finally realizing that Vick and the Falcons are nothing but fool?s gold.
?Atlanta has gotten a lot of money this year,? said Steve Ferrero, a sports book supervisor at the Palms. ?They?ve been a good team for the book.?
In the Monday night game, the Carolina Panthers are a field goal favorite on the road against the Donovan McNabb-less Philadelphia Eagles.
?Early on nearly all the money came in on Carolina, most of which was public money,? said Simon Noble, bet shop manager at Pinnacle.com. ?In this game, the juice moved before the spread and no bets came in on Philadelphia until the line moved to plus juice on the Eagles.
?While the line remains Carolina -3, betting has been pouring in on the Panthers at a rate of 19-1, meaning this line could quickly shift to 3 ?.?
It?s rare for an NFL team to have three straight home games. It?s even more unusual for such a team to lose all three.
Those wagering early believe it`s going to happen to the Cleveland Browns this week, as they?ve bet the Kansas City Chiefs up from -4 to -5 ? against Cleveland.
Before the Browns were shut out 30-0 by Cincinnati last Sunday, the Las Vegas Hilton?s early line was Kansas City -2 ?.
Have the Browns quit? The question needs to be asked considering they?ve lost numerous defensive backs, have no ground attack and morale is eroding with Charlie Frye and Braylon Edwards getting into a sideline shouting match.
Professional sports bettor Dave Malinsky doesn?t believe so. ?A Romeo Crennel team doesn?t quit,? Malinsky says.
Oddsmaker Mike Seba agrees. He made the line Kansas City -3 ?.
?I?m surprised they?ve bet Kansas City so high,? said Seba, a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. ?I know Cleveland didn?t look good, but they should be fired-up after losing their first two home games. So you figure to get a good effort.
?Sometimes you have to look at the spot and not necessarily the talent. Kansas City is a decent team, but when you start asking them to lay nearly a touchdown on the road you?re asking for trouble.?
Kansas City is on a nice roll, winning seven of its last nine and holding their past four most recent opponents to 17 or fewer points. Maybe that?s why bookmakers at Pinnacle have seen three times as much action on the Chiefs than on the Browns through Monday morning.
But if you discount their 41-0 home win against San Francisco, the Chiefs? average victory margin is less than seven points.
Herm Edwards is a conservative, run-oriented coach. With a home game the following week against Baltimore and then a division showdown against San Diego, the Chiefs could be looking ahead.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are another team desperately needing a victory. The Jaguars didn`t look good losing two of their three recent games, falling to lowly Houston in Week 10 and last Sunday to Buffalo.
Before their loss to the Bills, the Jaguars were 2 ?-point road favorites against the Miami Dolphins on the Hilton?s early line. The Dolphins are currently as high as -3 at some books.
?I think that?s a little high,? said Seba, who made the line Miami -1. ?The Jaguars really need the game.?
Jacksonville, however, has one of the most extreme home-road dichotomies in the NFL. The Jaguars are 5-1 at Alltel Stadium outscoring their six foes 147-47 for an average margina of victory of 17 points.
On the road the Jaguars are 1-4 both straight-up and against the spread.
At the Palms hotel in Las Vegas, the biggest early line move occurred in the Atlanta Falcons-Washington Redskins matchup. The game opened pick but the Redskins are currently -2. Hopefully Michael Vick won?t flip off those betting against him.
Gamblers may be finally realizing that Vick and the Falcons are nothing but fool?s gold.
?Atlanta has gotten a lot of money this year,? said Steve Ferrero, a sports book supervisor at the Palms. ?They?ve been a good team for the book.?
In the Monday night game, the Carolina Panthers are a field goal favorite on the road against the Donovan McNabb-less Philadelphia Eagles.
?Early on nearly all the money came in on Carolina, most of which was public money,? said Simon Noble, bet shop manager at Pinnacle.com. ?In this game, the juice moved before the spread and no bets came in on Philadelphia until the line moved to plus juice on the Eagles.
?While the line remains Carolina -3, betting has been pouring in on the Panthers at a rate of 19-1, meaning this line could quickly shift to 3 ?.?
